SD Gundam 1. Prelude: The Dark Axis Returns!

Summary: Something is coming…something that could mean the very end of the world as they know it. Only one hope remains, and it hinges on the Gundam Force escaping alive to another dimension. Can they escape before the wrath of the gods? Note: I don't own any series mentioned. All I own is the plot and all original characters.

Prelude

_T__he heat from the explosions seared the ground, torching it into nothing but strands of grass and dried earth. The pavement was heating up to the point of melting, and already some areas were tar pits, vehicles trapped in the sticky black goop._

_Around Blanc Base, headquarters for the Super Dimensional Guard, or the SDG for short, Gunperries armed with laser cannons and air-to-air missiles hovered close to the vital points, shielding them from harm. A few fighter planes circled, their radar keeping a wary eye on the enemy far below and to the south of the great city. Around the southern sector, military units were deployed, assigned with evacuating the citizens in preparation for what they knew was an inevitable assault on their home. Several tank battalions were to provide cover for those fleeing to the northern sector for evacuation by ship and aircraft with a few thousand others heading for the western section for evacuation by train. Those in the eastern sector had already jammed up the roads with their cars and a few hundred thousand were still trapped in the city._

_The enemy may have been far, but they more than made up for it with their new far range surface-to-air missiles and launchers. Already the city was taking some hits, the southern suburbs especially. At least seven hundred soldiers were reported killed and ten hundred were wounded with another three hundred missing in action. Two tank divisions were down and one was disabled, but still fighting on._

_Chief Haro sighed as he watched the city below. It seemed impossible to believe, but it was true: the Dark Axis had returned and Neotopia was about to fall._

_He turned to the members of the SDG assembled in the command center._

"_Everyone, I'm not about to brief you with a locker room pep talk because we only have a few mere days before the city falls. We can't fight and win this one. The Dark Axis is way too powerful for our current forces right now. Our only hope lies in evacuating to the safety of an unknown dimension."_

"_What about Ark or Lacroa?" a female member asked._

"_Sorry, Wanda, but the Dark Axis knows we know of those two dimensions and have already conquered them. There is no way we can get there without them knowing we transported there. We need a dimension where they don't have a presence yet. Only then can we begin to plan a counterattack to reclaim Neotopia when it falls."_

"_What will happen to our families?" a man asked._

"_John, everyone can't be evacuated by Dimensional Transport Device. It can only take so much strain before it gives out. So therefore only a few select families will be chosen to go. And one of those will be the Marxworth family."_

_John narrowed his eyes. "So we're supposed to leave our families behind?" he snapped._

"_No. Granted they will be alive, they will go to a new location here on Neotopia, providing that they aren't discovered when the ships, planes, and trains leave. Let's hope that they aren't discovered."_

"_Should we gather up our stuff?"_

"_Yes. Gather it all up and board a Gunperry. They'll take you to the DTD at Lab C. We'll provide cover for one another. If one gets away, then that Gunperry has the responsibility of getting this information to the leader or leaders of the new dimension," Chief Haro explained._

"_What new dimension are we talking about, Chief?" Captain asked._

"_Bell Wood…"_

_The slim inventor stepped forward and adjusted his goggles. He drew down a screen that displayed a world with what looked like a space station that had been added on to floating beside it. A single grey moon drifted a good distance away, a dome that resembled a moon colony nestled between two craters and a couple of huge cliffs._

"_This dimension is where we haven't detected their presence. They may not be that advanced, but they are definitely free from Dark Axis influence. Their technology is based off of a similar concept, but not to the point to where they want pure power. Instead, it's based on human instinct for killing."_

"_Great! Just great! We leave one dimension and go to another that could be even more deadly than ours!" Guneagle moaned._

"_Don't worry. They're friendly to anyone who needs help."_

"_How do you figure that, Bell Wood?" Shute inquired._

"_A little research into their culture using the transport device. It's not that complicated, but…"_

"_Enough. Bell Wood, how many can it take before it gives?"_

"_The whole fleet and then some."_

"_Some?"_

"_The Gundamusai."_

"_That's good! That means we'll still be defended!" a member shouted._

"_Not quite. The Gundamusai may be defended and armed with lasers, but even it can't take much damage before it finally crashes. We need to flee and flee only. We can't fight. I already told you that."_

"_Oh."_

"_The time has come. Everyone board a Gunperry. Gundam Force, take the Gundamusai. You may need it."_

"_Right!"_

_The four members ran off to the ship docked at one of the docking facilities._

_Within minutes, the ship was airborne and the whole fleet was speeding away, determined to be evacuated before it was too late._

_Along the way to Lab C, the Dark Axis opened fire on the fleeing Gunperries, their new surface-to-air missiles exploding against Gunperry after Gunperry. Several went down before a force of twenty Gunperries turned and attacked, providing cover for the remaining fifty._

_Forty were taken down one after another as they drew closer, passing over the lethal zones of the Dark Axis invasion force._

_The last ten were to provide cover for the Gundamusai as it passed through the already open gate._

"_Chief Haro, are you sure that we should go?" Shute questioned, feeling a bit nervous and scared at the same time._

"_Yes. You four are the last hope we have for the safety of Neotopia. You have to complete the mission. Find a way to stop the Dark Axis once and for all. But most importantly, find a way to save us all!"_

_The Gundamusai flew headlong towards the gate, the powerful engines straining to get there before the Dark Axis decided to attack them._

_It was right then and there that fate dealt them the final blow._

_The Komusai, the transport ship for the Dark Axis, spotted them and decided to attack the revamped Dark Axis mother ship. The intelligence for the ship, RAIMI, decided that it was time._

"_You have to get into the pod. I'll eject it into the portal," she said._

"_Okay. Good luck, RAIMI," Shute murmured._

_They got into the pod and within seconds, the pod was ejected into the gate…_


	2. Biographies

Here are the character bios I've come up with. Hope you enjoy!^^

Character Biographies

Intergalactic Federation

Leaders

President Warren

The leader of the Intergalactic Federation, she is a kind and caring person who always looks out for her teammates. She has an uncanny ability for leadership, making her a prime candidate for Federation President, a duty she never assumed until the day Anderson went missing. She knows what laws need to be passed and when, and she is an experienced commander when in the field. Her primary goal in the universe is to defend the weak and to end the reign of terror that marks the universe.

Seto and Mokuba Kaiba

Dual leaders of Kax and both heads of KaibaCorp, the main company on Kax, both leaders work well together. Seto is more the brains behind the company, but Mokuba is a whiz with computers, making him a valuable asset to the Federation cause for peace. Both leaders have a move called the Blue-Eyes Strike, making them hard to stop.

O'hari

From Gilar, one of the most untamed worlds of the organization, he's a master of survival and a master at hand-to-hand fighting with a dagger. Having met the Federation when they first came to his world, he formed an alliance with them in hopes of learning more about their foes. He has proven helpful on more than one occasion, and he's always willing to prove himself to the other leaders as a courageous and willing fighter of the organization.

Ciel and Zero

Both of contrasting races and opposite in gender, they represent the best of both races on Orca, making the planet the most equal out of every world in the group. Both care for their people, and despite being agricultural in industry, they have a well-equipped space fleet that is constantly under training or going through battle simulations.

Cassie Masaki

A great commander in battle, she is one to not be taken lightly. Her people, although once warriors, are skilled in sensor and new radar system manufacture, having done it for many years. Her Mega Rescue Beam provides for a devastating attack when launched at max or even in a wide shower. She's a compassionate leader as well, which makes her less prone to kill, although she has done it in the past. She tries to avoid fighting at all costs, but when it comes down to it, she will fight for her friends and the Federation's goal of peace.

Optimus Prime

The leader of Cybertron and commander of the Autobot race, Optimus Prime is always willing to fight for his troops, no matter what the cost. As holder of the Matrix of Leadership, he has incredible status. Optimus never hesitates to send his own team into battle, with him in charge. His keen intelligence, steady nerves, even hand, and endless compassion are what makes him the best leader out of all the previous Autobot commanders. He often comes up with good battle tactics and never falters in battle. When injured, he will still continue to fight to end Megatron's evil reign of terror and help the Federation to bring about a new era of peace for the universe.

Steven

As head of the Pokeonian Federation, he always sticks true to his beliefs that everyone is created equal, and that beings should be given a chance at freedom, no matter where they're from. Steven has a bond with his Pokemon that can only be matched by the Federation's fighting spirit. Anytime he's forced into a situation beyond his control, he fights with the spirit and determination of the Federation. His favorite Pokemon, Flygon, is his best friend and the two have gotten out of more tight spots than anyone.

Shie-rae

As leader of Liberar, a world of human-animal hybrids, she never hesitates to fight with the Federation. Honorable, reliable, and kind, she always lives up to Liberarian honor, no matter what it takes. The Liberarian female never goes against her people's code of honor and in battle she can be a fearsome opponent. Her favorite move is the Lion's Roar, a supersonic sound blast from her ESICs.

Famous

The leader of a planet connected by the Network, he has incredible knowledge of the networks that tie the Federation worlds together. His people keep the networks of the Federation running at 100% efficiency and they never hesitate to go in and repair the networks when they're down. Famous is also well-known as the Legendary Net Warrior. He keeps everything functional, and sometimes, when called on to fight, he automatically becomes a tough opponent. With his knowledge of systems and networks, he takes out enemy communications in an instant, allowing his friends to overpower the enemies and achieve their victory. His trademark move is the Kendo Slash, a move that usually catches enemies off guard and immobilizes them, sometimes even killing them if struck hard enough across the chest.

Mimi

As leader of Kaija, Mimi isn't always willing to fight despite the odds. Even if her people are in danger, she won't fight. But, if her friends are in danger, that's when it becomes a whole other story. She becomes a fierce fighter. She never hesitates to defend her friends in battle and she always cares for them. Mimi's also always willing to try peaceful means before using military force. Mostly, though, she doesn't fight. She offers ideas and tactics at meetings, but she never really speaks up unless she feels that something needs to be done. Her favorite move is the Hope Disk, a shockerdisk that has the word _hope_ scrawled across it, which causes incredible damage to the enemies it hits. It relies on how powerful the enemy is in order for it to be devastating. The more powerful the enemy, the more powerful the shock.

Override

Fast and powerful, Override uses her speed to avoid almost all enemies, except for those who can match her speed. Compassionate, caring, and kind, she never hesitates to protect the weak, even if it means her own life. Override's speed can only be outmatched by that of the _Energizer X_, which makes her the second fastest in the Federation. Even though that makes her slightly mad, she doesn't mind anymore because her anger has been turned into battle fury. Her signature, Speed Blaster, is a move that destroys enemies in an incredibly short amount of time.

Metroplex

One of the biggest beings in the whole Federation, he's always willing to put his massive bulk to use to defend his friends. Even though he's slow to anger, when it comes to defending those he cares about, he automatically becomes one of the fiercest warriors anyone has ever seen. Incredibly intelligent, he always arrives at a course of action in seconds, only matched by the Federation's main supercomputer located on Earth in the main building. Even though he's a powerful warrior, he generally likes to try peaceful methods first. He's always willing to defend the weak and give them a chance to fight. His main move, the Ax of Freedom, named after a move his ancestors once used, is powerful enough to cut through even the strongest of enemy armor. Only his rivals can outmatch his power.

Scourge

Leader of Jungle Planet, he's an all-out fighter. He never thinks sometimes, but experience in fighting the Federation has taught him to think before he acts. With a dragon as his alt mode, he's got good speed and excellent strength. Despite these facts, he's still unable to defeat the Federation in training because he just keeps going at them. But, when fighting an enemy, he usually figures out their moves, anticipates, and strikes when they're least expecting him. His own signature move, the Jungle Roar, can be heard for miles around and it can cause even the most hardened enemy warrior to turn tail and flee. Only when he's surrounded does he use this move though.

Students

Kicker Jones

The pilot of the _Energizer X_, the most powerful starfighter in the universe and partnered with Ironhide, a rookie in the Autobot forces, he cares for everyone he knows, especially his two best friends. A good hacker, he always digs up information pertaining to whatever it is the government is working on in hopes of the TCDA elite team gaining the information before the President sometimes. His power to sense energon and enemies has been very helpful in times past, but this time, it would be put to the test. His most powerful attack is the Nitro Cannon.

Meisha Johnson

A childhood friend of Kicker's and best friends to Kicker and T.J., she's a good starbattler and a good listener. She doesn't have any skills with computers or in the electronics field, but she makes up for it in her abilities with starfighters. Having bought one of her own without her parents knowing at the age of five, she became skilled in its usage. Now, she puts her skills to use when aiding her friends in combat.

T.J. Okashi

Having suffered an accident at the age of five, he became a starfighter and was threatened with discrimination if his friends hadn't stood by his side. Now used to being a starfighter, he hangs out with Meisha and Kicker, completing the little group. His arsenal consists of a shocker cannon, a grenade launcher, a pair of .5mm submachine guns, a 2mm machine gun, a laser rifle, a grappling line, three energon missiles, four heat seeker missiles, two torpedoes, a pair of wing blades, and a single antispacecraft rocket.

Sayla Yashaki

Commander of the 17th Division, a rogue unit in the army, she never hesitates to aid those who need help in the field of battle. Her endurance is far greater than normal humans because of her part Reploid status. Her speed makes her hard to catch, her reflexes hard to anticipate, and her endurance makes her hard to defeat. Her biggest pride and joy is her custom built gun and her right hand is armored, giving her a mean punch.

Captain Gundam

A member of the SDG, he was forced to flee from Neotopia when it fell at the hands of the newly resurrected Dark Axis forces. He heads the Gundam Force and he's a well balanced fighter. His specialty is long-range attacks, but when close range, he more than makes up for it in his accuracy. When his Soul-Drive is active, he can send enemies packing.

Shute Marxworth

Captain's best friend and his fellow Gundam Force member, he cares deeply for Captain, and he refuses to let anyone stop him from protecting the one he cares for. He always looks out for the Gundam Force with a positive outlook, cheering them on when it's needed.

Bakunetsumaru

A samurai from Ark, he's a hothead at times, but otherwise, he's peaceful and caring. Willing to help others in need, his signature Tenkyouken move leaves enemies burned for weeks to come. His swordsmanship makes him only second to Zero, which makes him angry.

Zero

A knight from Lacroa, he's kind and caring, but when confronted by Baku, he gets into arguments with him. Able to perform magic, he enables his friends to continue fighting, even when surrounded thanks to his I-Field spell. He likes to flirt, but when he tries it with Sayla, he gets a pounding.

Jaden Yuki

An electrical aura user, he hangs out with two other aura users, Syrus and Baston. He may get bad grades, but he doesn't let that stop him! After an intense aural battle against Subzero, he was turned into a Gundam, rendering him unable to use his aura. He's still adapting, but he's getting the hang of being a Gundam, although he wishes that he was human again.

Syrus Truesdale

A shy kid, he specializes in sound aura usage. When he gets scared, he freaks, but he doesn't let that stop him from aiding his friends in battle!

Baston Misawa

A crystal aura user, he's good at chemistry, which makes him a valuable member of the team. He may seem serious and uncaring, but deep down he cares for his teammates, which makes him one of the toughest aura fighters to date. However, his heritage seems to hold many secrets…

Coby Hansen

A member of the three-man Omega Cell, he is capable of making repairs to T.J. and Mike when they are out in the field. He and his brother Bud, along with their friend Lori Whiteman, are capable of hearing the Omega frequency given off by the Omega Lock, and Coby is able to drive a Scrapmetal vehicle he built when helping the Autobots close up the black hole after the Unicron Battles ended two years ago.

Bud Hansen

Coby's younger brother, he is also capable of hearing the Omega frequency. He isn't that good with repairs, but he is able to understand motives of combat through movies and video games simulating actual combat.

Lori Whiteman

The third member of the Omega Cell, she also hears the frequency, and she may not be that skilled in mechanical repairs or understanding battles, but she is a good diplomat. Having convinced Scourge to make peace with the Federation, she is respected by the President and is often asked on how to deal with races they can't successfully negotiate with. These skills may enable her to become a senator, or even the President herself one day, although that seems to be the furthest thing on her mind.

T.K. Yatso

Half Kaxian, half-Earthborn, he's the only other half-breed on the team. Not much older than T.J., he carries around a few grenades and a laser bazooka for firing them at enemies.

Mike Fedara

Having suffered an accident similar to T.J.'s, he is now a human-sized Autobot. His alt mode is an F-15 fighter jet, giving him greater speed and agility in battle against bigger opponents.

Zane Truesdale

Syrus's older brother, he's a light aura user. He hangs out with his brother and his friends, completing the group of nine. He may seem serious, but he really cares for his brother, risking everything for him.

Blare Hiako

A former Ra student at the DA, she now goes to the TCDA as an Autobot Warrior. Her aura is gravity, making her a formidable force to be dealt with.

Vega Lancer

The best fighter when it comes to hand-to-hand, he never lets anyone get past him to harm his friends. Armed with dual-laser daggers on his lower arms, no one can get close to him. Having come to the Federation in early 2008 from Blazia, he's the only Blazian on the entire TCDA elite team.

Michelle "The Chemist" Cook

A wiz in chemistry, she excels in creating new compounds for different formulas for the 17th Division. She is only matched by Baston, but she doesn't let that stop her!

Kira Yamato

A student from one of the outposts in the organization, Kira holds a bit of a secret. As to what that is, however, it remains a mystery. He dislikes fighting, although he will fight to defend his friends from any danger.

Relehimana Miya De Lacroa

A member of the Gundam Force and the heir to the throne of Lacroa. Despite being royalty, she is quite level-headed and is a powerful sorceress in her own right. She will fight to defend her kingdom and her friends from any harm.

Guneagle

Guneagle is the flying member of the Gundam Force and a powerful fighter. He can fly at speeds up to Mach 1, although he can fly faster in theory, and his Aerial Stinger is deadly in its power. He is a bit of a prankster and outgoing, so he makes friends pretty easily with the TCDA elite team.

Allies

Nebula-no data currently available

Allies of the Orichalcos-no data currently available

Tri-Elite-no data currently available

Galaxy Organization-no data currently available

Intergalactic Defense Federation-no data currently available

Liberty Confederation-no data currently available

DARK AXIS

Zeta Zaku

The leader of the three backup Dark Axis lords, he has a tendency to shoot off his mouth more than his guns. His brother's enemy is Captain Gundam and he'll stop at nothing to defeat the Gundam Force, even if it means allying himself with Unicron.

Gunlock Gouf

The second of the three backup lords, he has a huge claw that is his primary weapon. Cool and calculating, he devises tactics that normally don't work out, but on some occasions, they do. He also has an arm capable of firing off a missile that can destroy anything in its path once it explodes. He and Zeta really dislike each other due to a family grudge, so that makes things much harder for them during missions.

Demon Dom

The last of the three backup lords, he is a weapon-loving psycho who isn't that intelligent. He only lives to destroy, and destroy alone. His cousin's Gallop has been upgraded to a huge weapons platform with an artillery battery that makes even a heavily armed Cybertronian seem weak.

Madnug

Captain's younger 'brother', he works with the Dark Axis to make sure they stay functional one hundred percent. He has a Soul-Drive like Captain, but unlike his counterpart, he works alone. He despises his brother and he'll stop at nothing to kill him. Although revived by Unicron's power, he doesn't have any of his abilities, meaning he was only brought back to life and not upgraded, like the other members…

Commander Sazabi

The overall commander, he was revived by Unicron after his death at the hands of Captain Gundam. Given a chance to kill the Gundam, he happily allied himself with the evil Transformer and was infused with some of his power. Now more powerful than ever, Sazabi longs to convert Captain to the Dark Axis, even if it means by force.

Shibaomaru

A musha tainted by the lust for power, he joined the Dark Axis and became a traitor to the country of Ark and their code. Having unsuccessfully tried to convince Baku to join, he now seeks out the other musha in hopes of forcing him to join, even if it means r-a-p-e.

Shift

A demon mage born in Lacroa and shunned for his heritage, he now fights alongside the Dark Axis to get rid of Zero and to obtain the power of the Sacred Feather Dragon for his own, in addition to the power of the Steel Dragon and the Griffin.

Subzero

Formerly a human, he now fights to prove to the Federation that he doesn't need a human form to become more powerful. However, everyone he knows is determined to save him from himself, even if it means killing him.

Guardian

A new Gundam found by the Dark Axis, he lusts for power and hungers for pain. He is a ruthless mercenary, formerly a member of an assassin corps, and he works hard to obtain information, even through death. His trademark move, Guardian Impact, can kill anyone who gets within the radius of the blast, making him one of the deadliest foes to date.

Mystery commander

Working behind the shadows is his specialty. No other data available.


	3. Theme Song

Here's the theme song for my new series, _SD Gundam: Twilight of the Gods_. Enjoy!

_Show's only a pair of dark purple eyes in the background before fading to show the lyrics, both English and Japanese._

Yoake maeni chizu wo nirande

_Staring at a map before dawn_

_In the background, blasts of blue energy explode, releasing blue smoke and Dark Axis minions running for their lives._

Bokura dakeno michi wa erande

_Choosing a path just for ourselves_

_The scene changes to show the Gundam Force unleashing their special combination technique at a knight Gundam with dark green eyes and a pair of raven wings spreading out from his back. He unleashes new Mana spells at them, forcing them to dodge._

Ugoki dashita mono-gatari no mukou-e saa

_Let's go beyond the story that has begun_

_The blast fades as Sayla charges toward a squad of huge transforming Zakos, her gun aimed. She pulls the trigger, releasing a slew of impressive weaponry, the explosions creating smoke cover for her. She jumps, unleashing her Aura Shockwave._

Tsutaetai koto ga atte umaku ienakute istumo

_I wanted to tell you something, but could never say it right_

_The shockwave is changed to Zero's Lacroan Crescent attack, the impact occurring just as Jaden unleashes his Lightning Strike, the energy fading to show Jaden in his Gundam form, unleashing the Electric Punch, fist glowing with energy as his chest emits a golden glow._

Fusagi komu yoru, kimi wa sora wo mita

_During the sad night you looked up at the sky_

_A golden laser cuts across the scene, before exploding as twin optics flare and Kicker in the New Mode of the _Energizer X_ is revealed. His teeth grit as he powers up the twin energy blasts around his hands, the Energizer Matrix glowing beneath the cockpit. The light flares before fading to show him in Matrix Mode, his arm buster charging before unleashing. It fades to show him in human form, the other two modes beside him. The scene then changes to show the battlefield, Sayla standing in the midst of a score of Zako bodies, engaged in battle with Subzero. As the two clash, it changes to show a mystery vessel in the mist on the Atlantic Ocean._

Afuresouna omoi ga kikoenai koe de tsuuji atta

_We shared our overflowing thoughts with silent voices_

_The mist parts to reveal the legendary RMS_ Titanic_, her flags waving proudly as energon steam belches out from her first three funnels, General Patterson standing on the bow, two soldiers flanking him. He waves his arm forward and the guns in back of them fire skyward, the camera following. The camera aims at the sun before moving back down to show the complex, the leaders standing in front of it._

Saki no mienai yotei wa isso kuuhaku no mamade

_The unpredictable future we'd rather leave it blank_

_The scene changes yet again to show the battle torn land of Ark with Kibaomaru standing in front of the castle, Tenchijo. The musha holds his sword at the ready, his son Genkimaru holding his little axe. The snake ninja Cobramaru appears out of stealth, his twin daggers aimed forward as his black snake armor flashes in the setting sun. The Kibao Horde gathers around, weapons aimed and ready to go._

Saa, yoake maeni chizu wo nirande

_Now staring at a map before dawn_

_The Kibao Horde jumps into the air, unleashing their special attacks. The combined explosions fade to show the complex below the Dark Axis fortress, the guns blazing in defense, the energon grid shining a bright blue color. Changes to show Doga commando troops flying out from a hangar before gathering in a cluster, the missiles firing in bunches, exploding against the grid. The smoke envelops the scene._

Bokura dakeno michi wo erande

_Choosing a path for ourselves_

_  
The smoke clears to show the _Destiny Star Drive_ flying into battle, the protrudences glowing bright blue. The silvery ship's cockpit flares bright blue before showing a set of eyes in the light as it fades. The sigil flares as the ship barrel rolls, dodging a slew of missiles from the fortress itself. Lasers explode against the shield as it erects._

Ugoki dashita mono-gatari no mukou-e ne-e

_Shall we go beyond the story that has begun?_

_The light from the explosion fades to show a mysterious glowing light in a black background. A series of battle scenes plays: Berserker Epyon clashing against Sayla, his wings flashing in the light from fires of burning Zako bodies. T.J. fighting Subzero. Kicker facing off against Madnug. Jaden in his Gundam form firing his head-mounted guns at Guardian. Zero unleashing his Super Magical Violet Tornado at Shift. Baku fighting Shibaomaru. Shute fighting against Prefera. Zane fighting Zako Red in the middle of the carrier's deck. Syrus and Baston combining their moves against the newly resurrected Tallgeese. Meisha dodging blasts from a few Zakos before firing on them with one of their own machine guns. Kira deploying his DRAGOON bits to blast a bunch of Zakos to smithereens. Captain launching his V-attack at the fortress of the Dark Axis. Guneagle using his missiles to shoot down a Doga commando. Rele firing a Mana spell at a cluster of concealed Zakos, blowing them up into the sky and unleashing a blast of smoke that shoots skyward, thick and black._

Yatara nagai saka wo nobotte

_Climbing up a really long slope_

_Battle scenes end to show the _Destiny Star Drive_ unleashing a powerful laser from both protrudences. The laser penetrates through the Dark Axis fortress's assault, the bright glow encompassing the dark region of space occupied above the planet Earth. The powerful explosion that follows winds up illuminating the massive form that houses the commander of the Dark Axis._

Yume mo sora wo oikosunda istuka wa

_Our dreams will fly beyond the sky, someday_

_The light fades to show the form in the capsule, wires lacing out from his arms and into the fortress. His purple eyes narrow as he clenches his fists. Scene changes to show Federation leaders standing in front of the complex, determination etched on their faces. Shifts to scene with Shute and Captain at the sunset in front of the TCDA complex, each leaning in towards each other, eyes closing in pleasure._

Shizumanai taiyo ni kogarete

_Yearning for a never setting sun_

_The scene changes to show the image of Earth with the Autobot sigil flaring into view. A series of lasers interconnect to form a pair of rings that interlace with a flare. The rings rotate ten times before the words _Intergalactic Federation_ form across the image in pure silver with a flash of light. The image flares once and flashes, just as the words _SD Gundam: Twilight of the Gods_ appear below the sigil of the Federation_.

_We hear the words from everyone in the elite team before the image fades._

"SD GUNDAM! TWILIGHT OF THE GODS!"


	4. Enter The Intergalactic Federation!

Summary: Neotopia has fallen. Shute and the Gundams are missing, and the Dark Axis is planning an attack on a new dimension. What will become of this new dimension? And will the Force reclaim their home dimension, or will they feel the wrath of the gods? Note: I don't own any series mentioned in the story. All belong to their respective owners.

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part I_

_Desperate Escape!_

Chapter 1

_E__xplosions._

_That was all he heard around him._

_Screams._

_Cries of anguish and pain._

_Human blood spilling across the streets in rivers, mixed with the pure black of mech fluid from the Mobile Citizens._

_That was all he remembered._

_Suffering, war, and loss, lives lost, pain filling every moment of his waking life._

_The wrath had come. Darkness overcame his home, forcing them to flee. Now, they were left with nowhere to go, but a new, unknown dimension._

_Lost, scared, and afraid. That's what he was now._

_As they drifted in the Minov Sea, he hoped that soon, they would be found, and the revolution could begin anew._

_

* * *

  
_

**Location: Earth, New America, Washington, D.C.**

**Place: Earth Federation Complex**

**Date: 3 June 2009**

**Time: 1100 hours, 11:00a.m. Local time**

Sunlight streamed over the city-like complex, filling its residents with hope and light, giving them hope for the future. The citizens of the Earth Federation complex were of the best, the elite of the elite. Not many beings could match their skills in sniping, hand-to-hand combat, starbattling, and pretty much every aspect of fighting. Other areas at which they excelled were the sciences, the mathematics, and the fine arts, except for paintings, as well as politics.

Each world in the small bundle seemed to be matched by others in areas where they were weak. Each world's strengths were counterbalanced by those worlds which excelled in the areas of weakness, adding to their incredible efficiency in combat.

The small band of worlds were what made up the Intergalactic Federation, a small minor power with incredible might and power in battle, matched only by their heart and caring for others. They were what other organizations called a "special" power, able to break all the rules concerning formation of organizations and military powers and still be able to fight with incredible power.

Earth led this small band, matched only by the other worlds in its variety of industries, for the human race was flexible and able to adapt to any situation. Kax was second in command, excelling in starfighters and military hardware, but lacking in agriculture and private ownership. Orca excelled in agriculture, but seriously lacked in the firepower. Blazia, a war world, was matched by Cybertron with communications, and so on.

The pattern was evident, yet unable to be discerned by enemy forces. Many others tried without success to stop the Federation, resulting in many leaders being held within the massive security prison located in the Sol asteroid belt.

The complex itself was a masterpiece of 21st century engineering, combined with new technology from outside the Sol system of Earth. The main building towered a good hundred and ten stories above the rest of the complex, several other office buildings and a hotel for senators and esteemed leaders from other organizations and worlds surrounding it. Off to the east, near the sea, was a huge port facility for freighter ships, passenger liners, and battleships. Docks extended from the land into the sea like many fingers. Warehouses stored with goods stacked near the docks stood out against the low, squat buildings that housed the dock workers and harbor security personnel while huge loading cranes stood like giants on the docks, manned by dock workers.

In the west was the huge main gateway that marked the entrance to the whole complex. A pair of security towers flanked the massive structure, towering above the small radar stations that stood next to them. A ring of guns stood around the perimeter, marking the height of the security systems. Beyond the guns stood three massive generators, each with a small antenna sticking out from the top, pointing skyward, up into the depths of space. At the very edge of the perimeter were many concealed sensors, each watching over them like the eyes of Apollo.

The north was where the space center for the whole complex was housed. Ten buildings stood tall against the smaller facilities that marked the monitoring centers for the space flights. A bunch of midair docking systems built by Kax and Cybertron were attached to the buildings, each equipped with its own unique signature, tied into the signatures of ships that came and went from the worlds of the Federation. Twenty-five runways extended beneath the docking facilities, each standing out with their huge yellow numbers. Privately owned and public starfighters took off and landed on ten of these huge runways. The others were reserved for the huge star-freighters and the star liners, with three being used by the military.

The south was where the residences were located. Tens of thousands of homes, totaling at least two million, sprawled outward, looking like many gnats from above in space. Stores, offices, and two public schools also mingled with the homes of many. Only one school, government funded, stood out near a man-made lake and channel snaking towards the sea. This was where it all began.

* * *

**Transformers Cybertron Duel Academy**

**1115 Hours, 11:15a.m. Local time**

**Perimeter boundaries**

_She ran through the brush, her face streaked with sweat, her blonde hair falling into her green eyes. Blowing it out of her face, she glanced around, her gun gripped in her hands reassuringly. Seeing no one had followed her, she continued on, her breath coming in ragged gasps._

_She stopped running before glancing back the way she had come. Seeing that the others had remained behind, she began walking in the direction of the crash she had heard. Gripping her gun even tighter, she could feel her heart rate increase, but she kept herself calm. She didn't get to be commander by freaking out._

_She glanced at her unprotected right hand or more specifically, a small slot on her arm. A small spark came out of it. She grinned. If the thing that crashed took her on, then at least she had a secret weapon to rely on._

_Glancing back at the crash site, she ventured forward, her gun ready to fire. She tensed her body, and crept into the area. She parted the brush, revealing the massive crater made by the crash. She stood up to her full height as she emerged into the clearing._

"_What happened here?" she murmured._

_Deciding to investigate the matter further, she shouldered her six-foot long one foot high gun and headed into the crater, her combat boots kicking up a cloud of dust as she descended. She could see that the crater had been made by some kind of pod, one that had evidently come from well outside the organization, as determined by the futuristic look that contrasted the modern design of the escape pods used by the star freighter and star liner captains._

_The pod bore no insignia from what she could see, yet it had the design that she knew was military. The sharp edges, flanked by two sweeping wings each armed with a small laser blaster, and a short rudder with a small thruster at the rear was standard military issue, yet it was somewhat sleeker for midair combat, unlike the space model, which was sort of clunky in shape and design. The coloring was also somewhat military, with different shades of blue-grey and a slight golden line across the front._

_She approached it. The pod had evidence of a scuffle on its exterior. The laser burns she identified as being those from a Mach X Thunderbolt Laser Gun, and one that had been heavily modified to shoot one powerful beam, she could tell. There were also scorch marks, each from some kind of high power energy beam, but the type was unknown, even to her._

_Kneeling down by what she guessed was the main hatchway she pressed her hand to it, feeling for any sign of a doorway. She ran her hand along it, and she knew she had found it. It was barley there, but it was there just the same._

_Standing up, she circled around to the other side, hoping to spot the main activation switch for the emergency release. She found it on the very first scan. It stood out amongst the remainder of the control console for the door as a pair of golden wings with the letters GF inscribed on them. She pressed it and the pod rumbled a little._

_Gasping, she backed away, hand going for her gun on instinct. The pod door slid open in a hiss of smoke and steam, forcing her to throw her hands up in front of her face. Coughing, she expelled some smoke from her lungs as it faded to show the interior of the pod._

_She peered in, and her eyes widened._

_There lay four forms, three of them robots, and one of them human._

_

* * *

  
_

He opened his eyes to sunlight streaming in through the pod's open doorway. He flinched, his hand covering his eyes to shield them from the light. He blinked three times, adjusting his eyes to the sudden intrusion of natural, not artificial, light. He gasped!

A menacing form stood silhouetted against the light. He could see what he guessed to be spikes on the head sticking up, followed by what appeared to be a pair of antenna on the sides. What looked like a huge gun was slung over its back and he could see a number of smaller arms on the body.

Gripping his glue gun, he tensed, ready to fire at the slightest sign of hostility towards them.

Instead, the form spoke in a female voice.

"By Primus!"

The form turned and left, leaving him confused.

What had that form been? And why had it left? He glanced at the open pod door. Maybe now was as good a time as any to find out where they were. Getting to his feet, he painfully made his way to the hatch and peered out.

Sunlight touched his face, warming his flesh. He could see trees, and lots of them, and a sky untouched by the creations of man. Off in the distance beyond, he guessed there had to be civilization. Turning, he made his way back to the still forms of his friends.

Kneeling down beside one of them, he shook his shoulder.

A soft groan emitted from the still form and two eye screens flared before opening the closed eyes to reveal two sapphire blue eyes, eyes as blue as the sky outside.

"What happened?" he murmured.

"We're in another dimension. Someone found our pod, and I bet she's going to get some backup," he said.

His friend stared at him for a moment.

"She?"

"Yeah. The voice was female."

Silence.

"Let's investigate."

"I agree. Let's wake the others and see if we can find any civilization."

"Affirmative."

* * *

**Transformers Cybertron Duel Academy**

**11:16 a.m. Local Time**

**Autobot Warrior Training Grounds**

Sayla Yashaki, commander of the 17th Division, ran as fast as her legs took her. Using her human speed, she could have reached the school in three hours, but since she was using her Reploid speed, she would be there in just under five minutes. She didn't want to take the chance of being caught by whatever lurked in the pod.

The pod, she knew, had been damaged by someone, or some_thing_, but as to what, that was a mystery to even her. She didn't want to take the chance though that something hostile lurked there. She had to get some help, and she knew just the people to help.

She arrived at the site just in time to hear the words she knew.

"_ELECTRIC LASER STRIKE!_"

The bolt of electric aural energy lanced out from the aural training field, striking the ground next to her and scorching the grass into a patch of dead, dry, barren land.

"HEY! Watch where you're aiming, Jaden!" she snapped.

A boy of about fourteen with short reddish-brownish hair and youthful brown eyes came up, grinning sheepishly. He wore a white blazer with golden sleeve ends and a big gold robotic face planted on the lower shoulder. Under the blazer he wore a black shirt and a pair of white pants with golden shoes.

"Heh. Sorry about that. Guess I should watch where I fire!" he said.

"I'll say! You nearly hit me!" Sayla exclaimed.

"I said I was sorry! Geez!"

"I know. Hey, have you seen the rest anywhere?"

"Well, I do know Baston went to go work on some chemistry and Syrus is busy training with Zane. Both are doing a tag team battle against Chazz and Chumly. Why?"

"Something crashed not too far from the complex boundaries. It appears to be some sort of escape pod, and inside, I saw four forms. Three were robots and one was human."

"What? Robots!? As in Reploids or Transformers?"

"NO! As in actual robots! Like what they taught us about last week!"

"What!? Actual robots from the early days!?"

"Yes! Now go find the others and let's go check it out!"

"But, what if they're hostile?"

"That's where you guys come in. We're a team, Jaden. And teams stick together. Got that?"

"Yes. I'll find them and I'll be back here in a flash!"

"Just go."

"Okay!"

Jaden closed his eyes and in a flash of energy and sound, he was gone.

Sayla paced back and forth while she waited. It wasn't like her to get impatient, but this time was of no exception. She had learned to deal with the long wait that it usually took for him to round up the rest of her "team".

Ever since she had joined the military back in '07, things had been going better for her, because she had been able to get away from her drunk uncle, who was currently staying with them. She had been sent to the best schools the Federation government had to offer and had gone through rigorous training, dealing with drill sergeants and becoming tougher, and faster to boot. She had been in many training scenarios and in a few actual battles, proving her worth as a military fighter, and getting higher in the ranks, enabling her to escape her drunk uncle's wrath. Even her parents had approved of her decision when she had told them the night she had snuck out to join.

Beforehand, she had been a determined, outgoing and intelligent kid, but when her drunk uncle had moved in with them in '06, things had gone from good to bad, then from bad to worse when he had started going after her and all because she had insulted him. He had insulted her, and nearly attacked her, but she had escaped by staying at Jaden's house that night.

She had become withdrawn, silent, and quiet, focusing on her survival. She had hidden out in her room for a few months, sneaking out to get food and use the bathroom only when her uncle had left the house, which had been pretty frequently, since he was hooked on booze. She had become an expert at holding it in until he had left, as well as a pro at sneaking food into her room and she took showers when it rained, using the rain itself as her shower.

When she had been assaulted by him out in public, a soldier had saved her by firing a bullet right at his leg. It had barely missed, but he had gotten the message. She had thanked the soldier before hurrying to Jaden's house to escape her uncle's wrath. She had told him about the soldier's rescue, resulting in him coming up with a plan for her. She had accepted it gratefully and had hurried home the next day to tell her parents.

They had accepted it without hesitation, for they feared for her safety. Both her mom and dad had been in the army, so they felt also a little proud for her in joining. She had left later that night, sneaking out of the house carrying only the clothing on her back, a small laser knife, and a little shotgun her dad had given her when she was only ten years of age.

She had arrived at the nearest military base in Florida, where she had been discovered. When she had expressed her desire to join, the commander had taken her in and given her the best training he had. She had nearly collapsed after training, but she had pushed through it, determined to avoid going back home to her mom, dad, and her uncle.

During her time training, she had become more open, outgoing, and determined, her intelligence growing until she was a weapons expert and a master of three different kinds of martial arts. She had become certified in explosives and a skilled starbattler, getting a military issue SX 380 Scouting starfighter. She had become skilled in starfighter repair, customizing her starfighter to fit her needs. It had been during training that she had discovered her built in laser sword and that her right hand had been metal all along. Her skills in hand-to-hand had risen to where she had even beaten the commander of the Desert Storm base out in the Sahara with only a dagger and a small pistol gun. She had also become a skilled enough tactician and strategist that she could now come up with strategies on the fly and her weapons expertise now enabled her to identify what weapon damaged something or injured someone. The one thing that she was the most skilled in though was speed fighting, having discovered her Reploid speed during one of her escapes from her drunk uncle's wrath.

Sayla had risen through the ranks quickly, during a skirmish on the outskirts of the complex, during a raid on a star-freighter and more recently, during the bombing of the Iacon Command Center back on Cybertron.

However, even at school, she was not exempt from military work. A few weeks ago, there had been reports of a squadron of human-sized mono eyed robots with green armor that had been attacking the students, sometimes injuring them, sometimes even killing them. Sayla felt a tinge of hatred towards those creeps. That had been when she had received her dad's custom built gun from the early days of the Federation-Decepticon war. He had given it to her as a present for not only achieving her dream of escaping her uncle's wrath, but also for becoming a very influential person in the military.

Now, as she paced back and forth, she wondered what her parents were going through. Even they could only survive for so long before they had to leave like she had.

Before her uncle had come, she had had long blonde hair that she often wore up to keep it out of her face and she had had bright green eyes that sparkled with joy. Her movements had been graceful and fluid, enabling her to pull off some graceful combos. She had always worn shorts and T-shirts and sneakers, never a dress or makeup, preferring the causal look so common amongst complex residents.

When her uncle had moved in with the Yashaki family and started insulting her, she had become very withdrawn, her eyes filling with sadness and fear, never showing the spark that they had had many times before. She had stopped wearing her hair up and had let it become unkempt. She had lost her original grace and fluid movements, becoming more and more like a mechanical being that needed new joints. Because she had hidden upstairs so much, her skin had been very pale, almost like a ghost. Her body had lost its original stature, becoming less and less like a human and more like a skeleton when she had had lack of food due to her frequent hiding, stealing some food from the fridge whenever she had had the chance.

Now, however, she was a tall, lithe, athletic female of five-foot-ten, with a build that rivaled her original look. Her eyes were now a bright green again, but with a brightness that rivaled gleaming steel. Her movements were no longer graceful, but they were back to having a fluid motion in them. Her body was now well toned and muscled from training and her skin was now a deep tan from training outside day after day. As part of her military gear, she wore a headset that fit over both ears and a pair of antenna stuck up, a band going across her forehead, enabling a visor to come down when she needed it. She now wore her hair spiky and short, after having it cut when she had joined the military. She wore a green trench coat to hide her arsenal of weapons, which she rarely carried with her. Underneath her coat, she wore a green blazer and combat vest to deflect bullets and lasers, which was contrasted by her black T-shirt. She wore camouflage fatigue pants and a pair of combat boots protected her feet, the pieces of tank tread on the bottom of her boots enabling her to stop when Dashing and to get a better grip on tough terrain. Her right hand was unprotected, the metal armor glistening in the light of the sun, the slot for her laser sword standing out. She sometimes wore a glove on her right hand, but today was not that day. On her left arm she wore the Standard Style Duel Disk and her deck was strapped to her right leg. A laser dagger was located on her right thigh and a laser pistol was hidden in her boot. A pair of submachine gun belts were draped over her shoulders and she carried her gun on her back with a strap across her shoulder. To mark her status as a military commander, she wore only a small American star on the right side of her coat's shoulders. No one could even begin to match her skills in military affairs.

Her gun served several functions in one weapon: submachine gun, laser rifle, sniper rifle, grenade launcher, missile launcher, grappling hook, laser submachine gun, and a melee weapon if swung hard enough.

She took great pride in it, along with the fact that she had become free, and an independent fourteen year old.

She smiled as she heard, or rather, _felt_ Jaden's aural energy field. The energy field expanded before four forms, all male, landed materialized in front of her.

One boy had steel grey eyes and dark blue hair. He too wore the gold and white uniform. His build suggested that he was somewhat lanky, but he was very strong to make up for it.

The second boy had grey eyes showing from under a clear visor and light blue hair. He also wore the uniform the first boy and Jaden wore. He was smaller than the other kid, and he appeared very shy.

The third boy had grey hair and grey-blue eyes. He wore a different uniform, but it was blue and he had the same gold robotic face on his, but on the lower left sleeve. He was somewhat stronger than the lanky boy and the smaller boy, but he was also very intelligent, from what Sayla could remember.

Baston Misawa, Zane Truesdale and Syrus Truesdale glanced at her, each regarding her with a curious look.

Zane merely narrowed his eyes and folded his arms.

"What was the big idea calling us down here from our training?" he asked in a calm voice.

"I'm sorry, guys. I mean it," Sayla said. "But this is urgent. I need your help."

"Okay. What is it?"

"Some kind of escape pod crashed near the complex boundaries."

"So? The regular army will take care of it."

"Not this time, Zane!" Jaden snapped. "She told me of how there were four forms in there, three of them robots and one human!"

Zane's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Let's go check it out!"

"Not so fast, Syrus. We need to be certain that she's right. Are you?"

"Of course. You know that better than anyone, Zane!"

"Okay. Then we'll come. But, if you're wrong and this is a joke, then I won't hold back."

"I understand, Zane."

"I'll jump us there!" Jaden offered.

"Okay. Go for it!"

The jump field enveloped them and they were gone.

* * *

**The jump field** appeared near the space capsule, but a good distance away. The five humans landed in the brush, barely rustling the leaves.

Jaden peered out, his brown eyes searching the crash site. He could see the pod below, and someone coming out of it. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make it out. He could see that it was vaguely humanoid, but much different.

He brought a hand up to his eye and closed them both. When he opened them, he was seeing things with the Aura Sight, an uncanny ability only a few aura users could wield. He had gained it after going through training with the Aural Development Center, which had been his worst experience yet. After having been accepted by the Transformers Cybertron Duel Academy, he had had his aura code worked on to try and stabilize it.

The boy glanced at the form and was very surprised to see that it was giving off the red wavelength he knew to be common with aural fire energy. But, there was a bit more of a spiritual pattern to it, almost as if it came from the soul of this form.

He blinked and he was seeing things normal view.

What he saw surprised him.

The form below was a red robot. This robot had bright green eye screens on which brown eyes were displayed. The robot had sort of a samurai look to it, for the helmet reminded Jaden of the holo-images he had seen of samurai back in history class. The shoulder pads and wrist armor, however, were a dead giveaway that this was a robot. The lower armor resembled some kind of shin protection as used by the standard military when in combat, but much more streamlined. The katana were also an indicator of a samurai look, but the blue orb on its chest held some kind of a symbol Jaden had never seen before, although he correctly identified it as ancient Japanese in origin. The robot glanced around before diving back into the capsule.

"What in Primus name was that?" Sayla whispered beside him.

"Not sure. But it dove back into the capsule," Jaden murmured.

"Hold it! Here comes another!" Syrus said, pointing at the capsule.

The second robot to emerge looked like a knight of old. It wore a bright red cape on its back and it was bright blue and white. On its helmet a pair of wings flanked a single emerald. On the robot's chest was another emerald, but this one was more of a sphere shape. The robot had bright teal eyes on a yellow background and it seemed to be hovering in one place. This robot, however, didn't seem so robotic from the rear, but if one gazed at the eyes, that was a dead giveaway. This one too glanced about before flitting back into the capsule.

"Looks like there are two so far," Zane whispered.

"Yeah. Hey! Here comes another one!" Baston exclaimed quietly.

The third robot that came out looked like something of a sci-fi holo. It had bright blue eyes on a yellow background like with the knight, but its helmet was different. A single blue line worked its way around the inner edge of the helmet and a single V-fin stuck up from the forehead. The robot's mouth was exposed, making it seem more human, however, the body suggested otherwise. A pair of what Jaden guessed to be flight boosters stuck up from the robot's back along with a pair of rods of some kind. Jaden guessed these to be weapons. A pair of small holes on the robot's helmet suggested some other kind of projectile weapons, along with a pair of wrist mounted laser blasters. The robot had a blue chest with some kind of compartment flanked by two "headlights" and the shoulder pads bore some kind of sigil he couldn't recognize. The robot's feet were partly red with a pair of grey wheels attached to the heels for added speed over the ground Jaden guessed. Like the first two, this robot glanced around before ducking back inside the capsule.

"Anyone else?" asked Baston.

"Yeah. A human."

"I think he's coming!" Syrus murmured, pointing.

Sure enough, the last occupant emerged, revealing a human boy of about twelve years of age. He had green eyes framed by some chestnut brown hair, a small tuft sticking up. His skin was slightly tan and he wore a red hoodie with a yellow T-shirt on underneath. He wore blue jean shorts and a set of roller blades/shoes. On his back was some kind of jetpack with what Jaden recognized as a laser sword hilt.

"That all of them?" asked Zane.

"Yeah. That's them."

"Looks like they're hiding from us."

"I don't think so, Jaden. It seems they're being cautious for some reason."

"Any idea why, Sayla?"

"No. Sorry. I'm not that good at figuring out their intentions, but I can tell you that they're hiding from something for some reason. That's all I can tell."

"Slaggit!"

"SHHH!"

The five kids stayed still, not even moving as the capsule's occupants emerged. They glanced around before setting off, the human leading the pack.

"Looks like they're leaving," Jaden muttered.

"Yeah. They're heading towards the complex's southern suburbs."

"Is that bad?"

"You bet your aft it is! We need to prevent them from getting there and fast!" Baston snapped.

"No, Baston. They're scared and alert. We need to be very cautious. If they attack, then we'll attack. But for now, let's see what they do."

"Very well."

The five humans stood up and followed, determined to find out what they were up to.

As they ran after the four occupants, Jaden let his mind wander free, coming up with different scenarios concerning the sudden appearance of a battered escape capsule. Maybe it was from an organization that had been overrun by the intruders that had been plaguing the complex boundaries recently. That seemed to be the most logical case, and the most obvious as well. Turning to Sayla to tell her his theory, he opened his mouth, but was cut off as he tensed, his Aura Sight sending alerts to him in the form of a tingling sensation down his back.

He raised a hand to one eye and activated his Aura Sight.

He swept his gaze around, picking up something that didn't resemble the typical enemy aura. It was sort of wavy and very fuzzy, almost as if it was more of an electrical current rather than an actual aura signature.

"Uh, Sayla?"

"What is it, Jaden?"

"I hate to tell you this, but I think that we're surrounded."

"By whom?" She was immediately tense, hand going for her gun's strap.

"I really can't tell. All I'm picking up is a kind of fuzzy aural energy signature. I think it might be the intruders!" Jaden said.

"That's not good!" Sayla said, grabbing her gun strap and pulling it free from her shoulders.

"How many?" Zane snapped.

"Um, hold on!" Jaden fell silent as he did a quick count. "Okay. I got it. There's four ahead of us, fifteen in back, and two on either side of us!"

"That's a total of twenty-three intruders!" Baston exclaimed.

"Yeah. And I think they're preparing to attack the fugitives!"

"What? They're _what?!_"

"You heard him, Sayla! He said they're going to attack the beings from the capsule!" Syrus snapped.

"I heard him the first time, Syrus! You don't need to tell me twice!"

"ENOUGH!" Zane's yell caught their attention. "We need to stop the intruders from harming them and we need to do it fast!"

Sayla just glared one last time at Syrus before glancing at the brush, her eyes darting about, as if she were scanning for scraplets from Unicron.

"If they're here, we'd better be—"

"Zako!"

The yell caught them off guard.

"What in Primus name was that!?" Baston blurted.

"It came from ahead of us! Let's go!" Sayla engaged her Dash and sped off, leaving a green blur of speed behind her.

"Sayla's got the right idea! We need to check it out!"

The other three aura users nodded. Jaden activated the jump field and within seconds, they were gone.

* * *

**_BWOOM!_**

The explosion caught them off guard as they emerged from the woods. The five humans stared on in astonishment as fifty intruders stood in front of them, surrounding the fugitives. Each one was the size of a human being, but what set them apart from normal humans was the fact that they had one single optic in place of two optic sensors and they wore green armor of the same style. In fact, they all looked exactly alike, except for the weapons they carried.

Sayla's eyes widened as she identified several weapons, each held by a group of soldiers below. One of them was a Mach Seventy GX missile launcher with an energon warhead mounted inside it, and ten of the green robots held one each. Another ten held the Meta HSX class homing launcher, capable of launching grenades that homed in on enemy signatures, blowing them to bits upon contact. The third group held ten of the standard M16 Zeta class laser rifle while the fourth group held the Hunter GDB sniper rifle, one per soldier. Her eyes flashed in horror and anger as she gritted her teeth.

"Something wrong?" Zane asked.

"You bet there is! Check out what the last group of intruders is holding!" Sayla snapped, pointing her finger at them.

A sharp intake of breath told her Zane knew.

"Oh, no. That's not good!" he snapped, clenching his fists.

"What's not good, bro?" Syrus asked.

"See for yourself!"

Syrus peered closely at the objects they were holding.

"So? They're just canisters."

"Yes, but canisters that release some kind of cloud. We saw it once, remember?"

Syrus's grey eyes widened as he reflected back on the day that one student got hit with the stuff. The kid had gotten turned into cold stone, and the little group had been unable to do anything. Federation scientists were still trying to figure out what that cloud was and how it worked!

"SLAGGIT!"

"Zako?"

"Way to go, big mouth! You just _had_ to let them know we're here!"

"Hey! They were bound to spot us sooner or later!"

"Yeah. Guess you're right."

"What do we do now?" Baston asked.

"We save the fugitives," Sayla said. "And don't hold anything back!"

"Right!"

"LET'S ROLL!"

"YEAH!"

The four other humans stopped, hesitant, but still willing to fight.

"Zako! Fire!"

The robots opened fire. Sayla grunted and leaned into the bullets. She clenched her fists and activated her Energon Shield Implant Chips, creating a glowing blue sphere of energy around her body. The bullets bounced off harmlessly, each one streaking off in a different direction and to a new target each.

"Hah! Is that the best you have?" she said, a grin on her face.

"What makes you say that, organic?" a voice said from behind her.

"Huh!?" She whirled around, grabbing her weapon and aiming it into the brush. She squeezed off a few rounds, the lasers hitting something.

"GAH!" A small explosion followed her unexpected assault and a dark green robot staggered out.

This new robot didn't look anything like the others they had seen from the pod and the intruders. Instead, it bore a single red optic and a grill-like area served as its mouth, if that could be called a mouth. A command fin stuck up from its helmet and it had two shoulder pads, but of a different design. On the robot's back was a pair of thrusters to provide brief flight capabilities. It held in both hands a pair of deadly machine guns, each loaded with what she knew to be .65 millimeter rounds. The robot's feet had some kind of treads on the bottom and on the chest was some kind of sigil she didn't even know of. Her gaze locked onto the robot's back again, and this time she tensed. A rocket launcher was located right on its back, ready to be aimed and fired at will.

Smoke trailed upwards from the spot where she had struck it.

"You…"

She growled slightly. She didn't like the sound of his voice. It sounded gravelly and menacing combined into one.

"Who are you!?" she snapped.

"The name's Zeta Zaku, human! Remember it, for it will be the last thing you hear!" the robot said.

"I don't think so!" Gripping her gun, she flipped a switch on the side of the weapon. A compartment opened and she ejected a cartridge with the Federation sigil on it. A slot in the side of her gun slid open and the barrel shortened slightly. A targeting scope came out and locked into place. She grabbed one of her bullet belts and jammed one end into the slot. A tripod extended from the gun's barrel and locked into position. She peered through the sight and pulled the trigger. The gun spat out a small stream of bullets at high speed.

Zeta grinned slightly and fired off his own guns. The two streams of bullets came out from the barrels of his guns at the same speed as her own, meeting her stream and canceling it out.

Bullets littered the ground between the two combatants.

"Slaggit!"

"Drat!"

Sayla glared at him, her green eyes flaring in the sunlight from above.

"Listen here, you bucket of bolts! I suggest you leave before things get ugly!" she snarled.

"What gives you the right to say that, human? There's nothing uglier than some organic creature!" Zeta sneered.

"If you think that, then you haven't met the Gbolgians from Gblog!" she snapped.

"What are you blabbing about?!"

"Simple. The Federation's previous enemies!"

"What Federation, human scum?!"

"The Intergalactic Federation, you buckethead!"

"YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Zeta screamed. His optic flared bright red as the massive rocket launcher on his back came down, swinging into position before locking with a resounding snap of metal clamps.

"DIE!"

The missile fired just as the word escaped his mouth. Sayla smirked. "Bet you haven't faced a Reploid-human hybrid before!" she said.

"What are you…Where'd she go?!"

Zeta glanced around, his optic lens scanning left to right in searching for her, for a moment locking onto the explosion site before continuing its sweep.

Syrus grinned. "Oh, he's in for it now! No one can catch her when she Dashes!" he said, grinning widely.

"You got it, Syrus," Baston exclaimed, "because here it comes!"

The four boys glanced over just in time to see a high speed energy wave coming at Zeta Zaku, followed by a green blur of speed.

"Hey! What the—Oh crud!"

Zeta tried to block, but failed as the energy wave struck him, causing a small explosion.

"GRAH! Where is she!?" he snarled.

"Up here!"

Zeta's head shot up as his optic widened in fear as her form became silhouetted against the sun, her laser sword gleaming brightly.

"LASER SLASH!" The blast of blue energy came right at him, but he dodged, causing the wave to impact the ground right where he had been a split second before.

"FRAG!" Jaden swore. "I can't take this anymore!"

"What are you going to do?" Syrus asked.

"I'm going down there to help! You guys coming?" The others looked at one another uncertainly.

Jaden sighed and shook his head. Turning, he ran down the hill into the fray.

"Back off, creep!"

Jaden's voice echoed across the battlefield. Sayla spun around, her eyes wide as she recognized him running down the hill.

"Jaden?! What're you doing?!" she yelled.

The boy skidded to a stop just as four of the robots surrounded him.

Snarling, he raised his hand skyward and pointed a finger upward.

"ELECTRIC LASER STRIKE!"

His right hand began to glow with electric energy as he lowered it. The boy's eyes flared as he yelled out. "FIRE!"

The bolt of electric energy fired from his outstretched hand right at the center Zako soldier. "Zako!"

A frightened squeak came from the terrified soldier as the bolt of energy struck, shorting out its systems in a brilliant flash of lightning and energy. A small explosion followed, creating a dead patch of grass and releasing a stench of burned metal and scorched grass.

"Jaden! Look out!"

Jaden just glanced at Zeta, who was aiming his gun right at the boy.

He smirked and aimed his other hand right at him. "Back off, bucketbrain!" he said.

Zeta snarled with rage as his frame shook in anger.

"Better do as he says," a calmer voice said.

"Zane!"

"Back off from him, organic!" a different voice said.

Zane spun around just as a sleeker, more advanced robot leapt out from behind a tree. This new robot was purple with some red here and there, but with the same red optic, the same command fin, and a single grill-like mouth as well, but differently shaped. His armor resembled something from an old sci-fi horror holo and he bore a huge claw on his left arm. The same sigil was visible on his left shoulder pad which had a huge curved horn coming out of it.

"Well. Looks like you had a hidden partner," Zane said indifferently.

Sayla knew that his voice displayed no emotion, but underneath his calm look was anger and rage, waiting to be called out in the form of his aura.

"SUN MISSILE!"

Zane's cry echoed just as he threw his arm forward. Several balls of light appeared behind him before launching in the form of lasers, lancing out towards the purple robot.

"Idiot!" The purple robot launched his huge claw at the boy, but his missiles impacted the robot's body, forcing him to withdraw his claw back to his arm.

"You foolish organic! You'll pay for that!" the robot yelled, his optical sensor flaring.

"Get outta the way, Gunlock Gouf! The kid's mine!" Zeta snapped.

"No way, _Zipper_! He's mine!"

"Zipper?! Why you…" Zetas voice trailed off as his frame shook angrily.

"Is it just me or are those two arguing?" Sayla asked.

"Looks that way," Zane said.

"HEY!" both robots yelled as one.

"Uh, my bad," Sayla squeaked.

"Zakos! Open fire on them all! Kill them, petrify them, do whatever! Just get rid of them!" Zeta shrieked.

"NOW!" Zane yelled.

"SONIC WAVE!" Syrus yelled. He slammed both hands together, unleashing a sonic blast of sound right at Gunlock.

"CRYSTAL SPAR!" Baston yelled. The older boy slammed his open fist onto the ground, causing a slight rumbling beneath them.

Zeta and Gunlock barely had time to dodge the huge crystal spires lancing upward from the grass at them.

"ELECTRIC LASER STRIKE!" Jaden yelled. He aimed his hand at the two robotic males who barely dodged to the side.

"LASER SLASH!" Sayla yelled. She brought her right arm up just as a bright blue blade of energy came out of it, creating a glowing blue laser sword. Energy began to lace across it like many fireflies. She brought her arm across her chest and slashed, unleashing a bright blue energy wave from the blade in the form of a crescent. The energy wave streaked at Zeta and Gunlock who dodged, but it struck something with a loud explosion.

"DAH! Who hit me?!" a voice said.

"This organic did, you gearhead!" Gunlock shouted.

"I smash her good!"

A large pure black robot stomped out of his hiding place, exposing himself. Jaden's eyes widened as he looked the newcomer up and down. He had the same red optic, but he lacked a mouth, or grill-like mouth, anyway. His chest armor was almost black-grey and his helmet was navy grey with a command fin on top. He appeared to have wheels on the bottoms of his feet, but he couldn't be sure of that. What stood out the most was the huge yellow weapons storage unit behind him.

"Gallop! Fire on that human!" the robot yelled.

"That a boy, Demon Dom! Blast her to the scrap heap!" Zeta sneered gleefully.

Dom laughed joyfully as his weapons storage unit activated, revealing several gun turrets on it.

"Uh, Sayla, better dodge! Incoming!" Jaden yelled as the Gallop opened fire.

"EVERYONE! Concentrate your firepower on the Gallop!" one of the fugitives yelled.

"Jaden! Baston! Zane! Syrus! Combo maneuver! Now!"

"RIGHT!"

The four boys got into position: Jaden in front, Syrus behind Sayla, Baston and Zane on either side of her.

"AURA FORCE DEVASTATION!"

Jaden aimed his fist forward just as Syrus clasped his hands together. Baston spread his arms and Zane closed his eyes, one hand over his right eye .Sayla brought up her gun to horizontal level.

"ELECTRIC LASER STRIKE!"

"SONIC WAVE!"

"CRYSTAL SPAR!"

"SUN MISSILE!"

"FULL ASSAULT MODE!"

The four attacks launched in perfect unison, each blending in with the barrage of weapons. The electric energy coursed along it while the missiles of both crystal and light blended together to create light crystal missiles and they too blended into the barrage, creating certain points for added power. The whole combo was pushed along by the Sound Wave, increasing its speed.

The fugitives glanced back, stunned at the combo. They scattered just as Demon Dom, Gunlock Gouf, Zeta Zaku, and all their troops glanced up, their frames shaking in fright.

"Oh crud!"

"This is not good!'

"DAH!"

_**BWAM!**_

The explosion that followed was large enough to shake the whole TCDA complex. A huge shockwave spread out from its epicenter, shaking the ground and sending up a huge cloud of dust and smoke, blinding everybody.

The fugitives coughed as the smoke and dust approached them, the shockwave following. It barely rocked them since they had been thrown to the ground by the initial blast, but they felt it as it passed over their heads.

Sayla and the others ducked as well, the shockwave ruffling their hair as it passed over them.

When the smoke and dust faded, there was nothing left, save for a strange spacebridge that had opened in the middle of the battle.

It was bright yellow with a purple interior and two green dots representing eyes were visible, along with a set of violet teeth. The strange bridge then closed up, shattering upon closure.

"What in Primus name was that?" Sayla murmured.

"I have no idea, Sayla. I really don't," Jaden whispered.

They stared at the spot for a few seconds more, but then the reality of the situation caught up with them and they turned back to the battle scarred patch of land, heading towards the fugitives. Now that the battle was over, it was time to get some answers, and this time, there would be no holding back.

"Time to find out some information!" said Baston.

"GAH!"

The human amongst the little group of four yelped and dove behind the sci-fi robot.

He peered out cautiously before speaking.

"W-who are you? Are you with the D-Dark Axis?"

"Dark Axis? What are you talking about, kid? We're not with the enemy. In fact, we saved your lives. Why would we do that if we wanted to kill you?"

"W-well, it's just that we were forced to f-flee from our homes, and we kind of wound up here. We were followed by some soldiers from the Dark Axis and well, we thought you might be with them," the boy said.

"I can understand your situation, but as to us being with the enemy, we're not fighting alongside them at all. We're just as confused as you are," Sayla explained.

"What I don't understand is why this Dark Axis you speak of is attacking Earth. It's not like we're hiding anything, so why even bother? Earth is the only world in the entire Federation that matches them in every industry, but it seriously lacks in valuable jewels and minerals that space pirates can plunder, considering how we started using them in our laser weaponry," Zane said.

"L-laser weaponry?"

"Yeah. Lasers are the primary defenses we use these days," Jaden explained.

"It seems you are well defended," the samurai robot mused.

"Yes. They are pretty well armed," the sci-fi robot said.

The knight robot nodded in agreement. "I agree there, my comrades."

"Wait. We never even got to know your names," Syrus said. "I'm Syrus Truesdale and this is my big brother, Zane."

"I'm Jaden Yuki," Jaden said, grinning.

"I am Baston Misawa. I hope that we can get to know each other better," Baston remarked.

"And I'm Commander Sayla Yashaki, commander of the 17th Division, the only rogue unit in the entire Federation army!"

The small group of fugitives stared for a moment before speaking.

"I-I'm Shute Marxworth."

"I am Bakunetsumaru."

"I'm Zero, the Winged Knight."

"I am Captain Gundam."

"Pleased to meet you," Sayla said.

"Just why did you wind up here on Earth?" Jaden asked, scratching his head.

"I already told you!" Shute blurted, waving his arms frantically.

"Sorry. Just curious."

"Neotopia has fallen to the Dark Axis," Captain said, his hands clenching tightly into fists.

"What? Your home world fell?" Syrus murmured.

"Yeah. But it's not a planet like Earth. Instead, it's a whole other dimension," Shute explained.

"So, then you're from another dimension?" Baston asked, stunned at the news.

"Yeah. So are these two, but from another dimension altogether. Zero is from Lacroa and Baku is from Ark."

"Let me guess. Both your home dimensions fell as well, right?" Sayla asked.

"Yes. Those scoundrels felled our homes and now, we are fugitives. We seek a place to call home and a place safe from them," Zero said.

"Well, Earth isn't really a paradise, but it is a safe place. The Federation has some of the best security around in this whole sector and Earth has the most out of the Federation worlds. We got satellites with lasers, missile bases on Mars, a security station in the Asteroid Belt, Tycho Colony on the moon, a colony up in orbit, the energon grid, and of course, the one thing that no other world has: the solar panel laser system."

"What's that?" Shute asked.

"It's a system that utilizes the sun's energy to power a high intensity laser cannon stationed in Earth orbit. We have ten of them around the planet: one above each pole and eight around the eight compass directions. It's very powerful and can be used to penetrate through another world if fired at full, which we have never done. It's a very powerful system and no one can really access it unless you're the leader of the Federation," Zane explained.

"So, in other words, it's a deadly weapon," Captain summarized.

"Yes. And very efficient at that," Zane added.

"Any other security?" Zero asked.

"Nope. Unless you count the spacebridge jammer frequency, that's about all the security we have," Jaden said.

"Spacebridge jammer frequency?"

"Yeah. It jams any communications frequencies that try to tap into our communications network. It can also be used to cancel out enemy spacebridges. It's very handy, especially when you don't want unwanted visitors in the Federation, which is common these days. We still can't figure out how they get in though!" Sayla snarled.

"It's a real annoyance," Zane muttered.

"Wait. You said that it jams enemy spacebridges, right?" Shute asked. The group nodded.

"Just for the record, what is a spacebridge?"

"It's a kind of transportation system that can warp the space time continuum and can cut space travel time greatly, which is why we use it to travel across the stars to the rest of the Federation worlds. It's very useful and can also be used to travel to other organizations, providing they have something similar, of course. Otherwise we have to establish a spacebridge link with that organization, which isn't that easy, let me tell you," Jaden said.

"Just how does it work?" Captain asked.

"We really haven't gone into too much detail with it, although we have the basics down pat," Syrus said.

"It works like a black hole, though without the intense gravitational fields that are common in black holes. In fact, you could say that the inventor took the concept of a black hole leading to another part of the universe and turned it into a reality. It works on basically what we humans call quantum physics, but in a much simpler form. You see, when you open a gateway into space, you create a black hole. But if you manage to take out the intense gravity, you can actually open a portal through space time and you can travel anywhere in the universe with it, providing there's some kind of a wormhole opening or even a generator within the area. You need a generator though if you plan to create a network of spacebridges across the organization," Baston explained.

"Simply put, it's a gateway to other parts of the universe," Zane said.

Shute blinked before rubbing his head.

"You mean to tell me that you managed to create some kind of a high tech transportation system that cuts space travel time in half?" he blurted.

"Not quite, Shute. We did manage to cut travel time drastically, although it still varies. But the best part is that it enables travel to become very cheap these days."

"Wow. That is incredible. You must need huge amounts of Mana to enable that," Zero said.

"Not magic, Zero. We use something called energon. It's a mineral found in every world in the Federation. Earth though has the largest concentration of energon, and it's the biggest supplier in the whole galaxy," Sayla explained.

"Energon? Is that similar to carbon?" Captain asked.

"No. In fact, it's completely different. Everyone has to know what it's capable of, along with its chemical composition, and it's nothing like the rest of the elements we know of. In fact, I guess you could say that it's a very rare mineral, hard to come by in the rest of the universe," Jaden said.

"So, basically, it's like a physical form of electricity?" Baku asked.

"I guess you could say that. It does give off energy readings similar to electricity, but it packs no voltage, if you know how to handle it properly. In fact, to humans like us, it barely gives us a shock, just a small jolt."

"What about other machines?" Shute asked, glancing at the robots nervously.

"It only affects Transformers in a negative fashion. I'm not so sure about your friends though."

"Transformers?"

"Yeah. A mechanical race of beings from the planet Cybertron. There are two factions: the Autobots, who we're allied with, and the Decepticons, our previous enemies. We still have small skirmishes with them, but the battles have fallen down to only the occasional one or two that we have sometimes," Jaden explained.

"Cybertron?"

"Their home planet. It's a mechanical world, entirely made of metal and no organic life to be found anywhere, unless you count the catacombs. That's the only spot where you'll see a few turborats and the occasional bat. I'm not sure how the bats survive down there unless they evolved to be able to eat turborats. Other than that, no organic life."

"Energon also affects Reploids, a mechanical race entirely made by Orcan engineers and scientists. The Reploids get an energy boost when they consume energon. Very handy for the battlefield. It enables them to fight for long periods of time, sometimes for days, without needing energy crystals. That's how it affects them," Baston said.

"If used properly, energon can also give Autobots a power boost in the form of what we call an energon star. It's a star shaped chunk of energon that's been refined and treated specifically for the Transformers' circuitry. It can only last for so long though before breaking down and the energon is absorbed into the Transformers' bodies. It's a very useful power up," Sayla added.

"Wow. You know a ton about this stuff," Shute marveled.

"Not a ton, Shute. Just the basics," Sayla admitted.

"Well, still, it's quite a bit of information."

"I have to agree. You told us a lot about this mineral. What else can it do?" Baku asked.

Sayla grinned.

"It can be used in anything from guns to starfighters. In guns, it can be used in place of a power cell or a laser cartridge. All you have to do is insert it where you need it and the gun works. In mines and grenades, by mixing it with standard issue gunpowder, it can create an explosion two times as deadly as a standard grenade and mine. When used in starfighters, it's used in the form of energy cells. The cells last much longer than the normal energy cells used by the previous models. It can also be used to reinforce metals like steel and aluminum, sometimes even glass. When mixed with a metal, such as steel, it can create a lightweight, yet very tough and durable metal that we call energon steel. We even figured out a way to harness its energy in the form of a grid. The energon grid is the result. By tapping into the amount of energy it has and combining it with sound waves, we can create a system that is impenetrable. The one downside is that it comes with a price: large amounts of energon," she said. "It can also be used for medicinal purposes, for the Transformers, anyway. It can be used to heal their wounds and fix their systems. It also works on Reploids."

"What about humans?" Shute asked.

"For humans, sometimes, if the injury is bad enough, we will use it, but in very small amounts. It helps heal the wounds faster, but we have to be very careful when using it on humans. If any gets into their bloodstream, they'll undergo a very painful transformation from a human being into a Transformer," Zane said.

"Ouch."

"Has that happened?" Captain asked.

"Once. A kid named Mike got injured and he needed to be taken care of immediately. The hospital staff used a little too much energon on his injuries and he became a human-sized Autobot. He was never the same ever since. He still goes to the school, but he doesn't want to talk about that day."

"Another thing about energon: if emitted in intense radiation, it can also cause a painful transformation. That occurred when a kid named Takijamu Okashi went into an old energon power plant on a dare to see if he could find a grenade. He found it, but the plant blew, sending the energon radiation into his body and he underwent a transformation from human into a starfighter. He's never wanted to talk about that day since. It reminds him of how painful it was and the fact that he lost his humanity, although he hasn't really lost it. It just seems that way to him," Sayla explained.

"Whoa."

"That's all we really know," Baston said, looking down at the grass.

"Well, at least we now know what to avoid," Shute said.

"Don't worry. Energon-based weapons never explode unless you press the button that causes the detonation sequence to activate."

"That's good."

"I assume you have a failsafe built into your weapons?" Captain inquired.

"Yes. We do."

"That's good," Shute sighed.

"Anything else?" Baku questioned.

"Nope. That's the basics," Syrus grinned.

"What about the Federation itself? I heard you talking to this Zeta about this Intergalactic Federation. Can you tell us about it?" Captain asked.

"Sure. The Intergalactic Federation is a small power, but we tend to rival the more influential powers in pretty much every aspect from military power down to economics. The other powers consider us to be a third rate power because we lack the size that normally makes a power eligible for registration at the Universal Power Association. There a power has to go through an intense registration process and they have to be able to hold their own against the UPA Military. If they can hold out for fifteen months in a continuous assault, then they're a registered power. Most third-rate powers fail at that examination because they lack the resources to hold them off," Sayla explained. "There are a few exceptions, however. If a smaller power has enough resources, then they're registered as a power. Just a power. Only bigger, more well known and more successful organizations can become superpowers. They also generally have more experience in combat than a minor power like us. But, some starting powers can become galactic superpowers if they can hold their own."

"What about military power?" Zero inquired.

"That is where some organizations tend to excel. Those powers are called military powers because they have extraordinary military might."

"No! I mean for the Federation!"

"Oh. Well, as for that, we may be small, but we pack a powerful punch. Our military may be smaller when compared to some of the regular powers, but we have way more firepower than they do. We may lack the numbers, but we make up for it in firepower and determination!" Jaden said as a grin spread across his face.

"What about history?" Shute asked.

"We really haven't been around that long, although we have already meddled in affairs that shouldn't have concerned us, but we did," Baston said.

"What kind of affairs?"

"Things such as forcing beings into bonded servitude, beings forced to work long hours with no real care for them, that kind of thing. At one point, we went up against an organization that actually used beings as tools. They had no food, no water, and they were forced to wear collars with numbers on them. That organization was known as Titan AE. We thought they were a peaceful group until we battled them a year before the Decepticons. They were tough, and we had no weapons with which to fight until a discovery on the moon changed all that," Zane replied.

"What kind of discovery?" Baku asked.

"A ship called the _Destiny Star Drive_. We don't know much about it, just that it's very powerful. The strange thing is that a month before we found it, our leader, President Steven James Anderson, went missing. He had been talking about some kind of weapon that could aid us in our mission, but he went missing and after we discovered the ship and won using its power, weird things began happening," Syrus said, his face pale even in the sunlight.

"What kind of things?"

"Things like the power going out, and weird moans, combined with the ship actually attacking us," Sayla said.

"Attacking you? You do know that ships are inanimate objects, and are therefore not capable of attacking living organisms like us. It's physically impossible for that to occur," Captain stated.

"Not with this one! The ship itself is a living weapon!" Sayla snarled.

"L-living weapon?" Baku stammered, his legs growing weak.

"Yes. A living weapon. It attacks us using the structure of the ship itself. Support beams attack us from the halls, doors open and close without command, the walls meld and twist into grotesque shapes, the wires slither like snakes waiting to strike, and the bridge is the one place where it all centers around. Of course, not counting the moans that accompany the ship's attempts on us," Zane said calmly.

"How can a ship be capable of such feats?" Zero murmured.

"I think it has something to do with the weird aura I've been sensing on board. It normally centers around one area when it wants to attack. But mostly, it lingers near the bridge, almost as if it's protecting something of great importance," Jaden mused.

"That may be the case, Jay, but I doubt that," Syrus said.

"I think Jaden may be onto something, Syrus. I've been sensing the aura lurking in other areas of the ship as well as the bridge, meaning that it's searching for something," Zane remarked.

"Well, it seems that the ship—"

"If that's the case, then I say we go check it out!" Baku exclaimed.

"Wait! I don't think that that's such a good idea!" Jaden yelled out after the samurai's fleeing form.

"Oh boy. He's going to need some help," Sayla muttered.

"Right! I'll see if we can get up there before him," Jaden said.

"Just how is he going to get up there anyway?" Syrus asked.

"The spacebridge," Zane said grimly.

"The spacebridge?" Sayla asked, her voice a mere whisper.

"Yes. He's going up to the ship itself."

"But…"

"We have to get up there first! Any ideas on how?"

"Maybe I could ask my uncle to get us a shuttlecraft. We could use that to get up there," Jaden offered.

"Then get on it! He's going to be in a load of danger if we don't get up there first!" Sayla snapped.

"Right!"

* * *

_A few hours later…_

The team arrived near the spaceport just in time for a craft for Yuki Enterprises hovered down, its cargo bay doors open.

"Jaden!" Kibo Yuki, the head of the company, leaned out the door and waved. Kibo was a man of few words, yet he carried great weight in the entire organization, both military and economic. Many politicians tried to get his funding for their elections, yet he used his immense wealth to fund government projects. He kept his hair short for easier maintenance and he was very lean and athletic. His hair was brown with orange bangs and his skin was a deep ruddy tan. He seemed to spend more time outdoors and mingling with his employees rather than running the show from behind a desk. He wore a T-shirt and khaki shorts with hiking boots that encased both his feet. On his right hand he wore a wrist gauntlet with a small laser cannon attached, which was hooked to a small power pack on his upper arm. His left hand was encased in a thick leather glove and he carried a dagger in a sheath on his upper thigh. His eyes were sky blue and he had a scratch going down the side of his face from his left eye downward to his mouth where it stopped. He may have seemed intimidating, but deep down, he was a caring man and loyal to all his employees to a fault. As head of Yuki Enterprises, a huge starfighter manufacturing facility with factories and plants on every world in the organization, he had a ton of resources at his disposal, and he never let greed or money get in his way of doing what he felt was right for his company.

"Hey! Uncle Kibo! Glad to see you made it!" Jaden yelled.

"I'm glad to help in any way I can. I still think that you guys going up to the ship when things are like this is a bad idea," he said.

"Sorry, Uncle, but we can't take any chances. One of our friends just headed up there via the spacebridge a few hours ago," Jaden said.

"Then I'd best get you kids up there and fast. You sure you can handle it?"

"Yeah. You bet we can!"

"I sure hope so. Primus be kind and keep you safe."

"Thanks, Uncle."

The kids scrambled up the loading ramp and the door slid shut. A few moments later, the ship was on its way to Earth orbit and the rescue mission of a lifetime.


	5. Beginnings of Combat

Chapter 2

The stars of space shone against the vast blackness, their light feebly playing over the shuttle as it drifted up. The light from the sun reflected on its rear end, illuminating the engines in full glory, making it shine like the light from the Matrix itself. The shuttle wasn't that much different than any other ship, but on the front was the Yuki Enterprises sigil, a small galaxy with the words Yuki Enterprises on the front of the image.

Kibo Yuki, founder and CEO of the company, piloted the shuttlecraft at full speed along the geostationary orbit common for many space objects and spacecraft. In front of them, they could see their destination: the _Destiny Star Drive_. It looked innocent at times, but the group inside the craft knew otherwise. It was, in fact, a deadly machine, and they knew it.

The smaller vessel prepared to enact the docking sequence, but something deep inside the ship stirred, almost like a will to power. They watched as the silvery craft suddenly shuddered violently and three tendrils of wires lashed out from the very front of the ship.

He snarled as a tendril wound itself around the front wing of the little ship. His eyes flashed as he put the ship into a barrel roll to try and break free, but another tendril wound itself around the middle of the shuttlecraft and the third slithered around the engines and began to draw the shuttle towards the bigger ship.

"Not this time!" he growled.

Kibo pressed a button on the console of his ship and a laser beam lanced out, penetrating through the tendrils that held their ship in place. The tendrils were sheered in half and they withdrew, in writhing squiggles, into the front of the ship. Even though they couldn't hear it, a low rumble of anger resonated from the silver ship.

"What in the name of Mana…?"

"What was that?"

"…"

The Gundam Force stared at the much larger vessel, surprised at what had just occurred.

"That, guys, was what happens when someone gets too close to it. And that is also what we meant by a living weapon. Now do you understand?" Sayla asked.

The stunned Gundams and human nodded.

"It just…came alive…"

"I always thought that it was impossible, but now, I don't know _what_ to think…"

"Not even Mana has that kind of power…"

"And we have to go in there?" Shute asked, turning to face her.

"Yeah. If we want to rescue Baku, then yes. I don't like it, but right now, we have no choice," Sayla said grimly.

Shute gulped.

* * *

_A shadowy form flits across the complex, avoiding the sensors and sneaking in towards the ship, carrying something. The form emerges into the light, revealing a Gundam. This new Gundam has blue, red, and orange on his armor, and he looks like a samurai, almost like Baku, but much more also like a ninja. He has green eye screens with blue irises on them and his helmet is streamlined, enabling him to dart around at high speeds. His shoulder pads are much less bulky than Baku's, and he has blades on his lower forearms._

_He carries a still human form, one dressed in a uniform from the school that he had fled from. The human has short black hair and is slightly stocky, but he can feel power in the still form. Tons of raw power, waiting to be drawn out._

_A grin spreads beneath his battle mask._

"_He will be a perfect test subject for the new procedure. Hopefully, he'll also accept our offer once we complete the procedure," the Gundam says to himself._

_He runs on board his craft, heading towards the lab. He can see the Zakos working, once in a while, saluting him._

_A Zako scurries up, mono eye darting about nervously._

"_Sir, we're r-r-ready to start," it stammers weakly._

"_Good. Put the organic in the chamber. I want to see if it will work on him," the Gundam purrs._

"_An organic?" The Zako eyes the still human._

"_R-right away, sir, zako!"_

"_Excellent."_

_The Zako takes the human and carries him over to a berth underneath a sinister laser extractor. It ties the human down, revealing his chest. The Zako takes off the uniform and cuts a gash in the shirt, exposing the soft, warm human flesh, rising and falling with each breath._

"_We're set, zako!"_

_The human's eyes open, exposing grey brown eyes. He tries to sit up, but is restrained by the cuffs that tie him down. "What? Where am I? What in Primus is going on here?!" he yells._

"_Begin on my command."_

_The laser extractor powers up, a thin beam of light shining down on the center of his chest. The human yelps. "No! What are you doing?! You can't! Please!"_

"_Sorry, human, but you seem to be a perfect test subject. It won't take long, and you won't feel anything…" the Gundam murmurs. "NOW!"_

_The laser increases in power, forcing the human to bite down on his tongue, drawing blood. He tries not to scream, but he can't help it. He screams as the laser extractor begins the work. A small pinprick of light shines from his chest as something is pulled out._

_The light grows until it comes out halfway, exposing something like a small flame of the Soul-Drive. The human yells out, the pain becoming unbearable. Finally, his screams die as his soul is removed from his body. A Zako shuts down the beam and they discard the human body._

_A second Zako scurries forward, carrying a container with two rings on it: a Soul-Drive._

_The small soul is trapped in the extractor. The Zako inserts the empty Soul-Drive into a compartment and a needle inserts into the sphere. The soul is drawn through the needle and is inserted. The Soul-Drive flares, signifying the completed process._

_The Zako grabs it and removes it, bringing it to him._

_The Gundam grins. He turns to a hidden body in the shadows. He grins and begins to laugh. This would be much easier than he thought._

* * *

_**BAM!**_

The explosion ripped open the sky above the complex, startling him. He sat up abruptly, his head striking the bottom of his starfighter with a dull _thump_.

"Owww! Man! I really gotta be careful," he murmured, rubbing his head as he crawled out from underneath.

"What in Primus name was that?" his friend asked.

"How should I know? That explosion didn't come from an energon mine or else I would've sensed it," the boy said, glaring at her.

"Oh. Right."

Kicker Jones stood up, studying the explosion with intense brown eyes, the wind teasing his short brown hair. He was about the same age as her, if not a little older, and he had a lanky build, but he more than made up for it with his ability to sense energon and the fact that he had the most powerful starfighter in the universe. He wore a red T-shirt under a white jacket and blue jeans, making him seem like any of the ordinary people at the complex, but the fact that he had the _Energizer X_ and his power to sense energon had gotten him and his friends accepted to the TCDA in the first place.

He glanced at Meisha Johnson, his best friend. She had brown hair that was now cut short for easier maintenance and her eyes were bright blue green. Her build was a little more like Sayla's, but she didn't mind that. She wore a blue T-shirt with the TCDA sigil on it and a pair of black shorts. She may not have had any abilities or special skills, but he knew that she was a skilled starbattler just from watching her, and through experience.

The last member of the little group wasn't there, but Kicker knew that he was in the area. Glancing around, his eyes settled on a starfighter circling the area. The craft was smaller than his own, but it was decked out in a camouflage color scheme, making it hard to spot from the air or below the trees. He knew who it was instantly.

"Hey! T.J.! Did you see that explosion?"

"You bet I did!" a youthful voice answered. "I saw that all right, and it seems like it was made by an ice aura, but I can't be sure!"

Kicker sighed. "Okay. Meisha, you get your starfighter and let's go check it out!"

"Okay!" Meisha smiled before she turned and ran off towards a huge parking lot where starfighters were parked.

Kicker glanced at the starfighter and spoke up to its pilot. "Go check and see if anyone was in the vicinity of that blast!"

"Will do!" T.J. replied.

The young pilot engaged the engines and the military colored craft shot away over the horizon, a blur of green speed.

Kicker brushed off his coat before clambering into his starfighter's cockpit and inserting the code into the slot. He pressed the ignition switch and it started up, the starfighter rumbling slightly under his feet. Kicker watched as the cockpit canopy slid shut, sealing him inside. He buckled up and grabbed the controls. Unlike most other starfighters in the past, this one didn't need to have commands inputted on the control stick, so there were buttons and screens that displayed the functions needed, such as radar, and scanners scattered about. Kicker moved the stick up and the starfighter hovered off the ground, blowing bits of leaves and grass about.

He pushed it forward and the craft flew off, the wind whistling around it.

He had to make this fast and he knew it.

The boy flew the starfighter around once before he spied the smaller starfighter circling the area, the pilot wiggling the flaps.

He didn't answer, but rather, he could see the size of the explosion. That, he knew, meant enemies were close by, and they might be the intruders he had beaten last week.

He didn't want to take any chances, not after the incident with that grey stone cloud that resulted in several students being turned into stone, and especially that last battle in which one of his school friends, a kid named Dan, had perished in.

He pressed the button he knew so well: a button depicting an image of a starfighter on it. The moment his finger pressed it down, he knew he had a few seconds or else he wouldn't enter it. He gripped the controls with both hands and the familiar feeling came.

It was a small jolt at first, but then a flash of light and a huge jolt of electricity came out of the console, shocking him to the point of screaming. He gritted his teeth and took it head on, the jolts getting worse until he felt like he couldn't take it anymore. He finally felt the blissful feeling of drifting before feeling like he was being lowered into a pool or lake, and then nothing.

The feeling began to come back to him. The feeling of flying came to him first, then the wind rushing past his wings, giving him lift. The feeling of his engines pulsing with power, propelling him through the sky was next. He could feel his systems functioning, the way his power core sent the power to his engines, his weapons systems in dormancy, and the familiar beating of his spark.

He had entered Possession mode, his soul entering and taking control of the starfighter's systems, making it his body.

The boy moved both his wing flaps and headed off in the direction of the explosion. This time, he was ready.

* * *

**Meisha and T.J.** were circling the area when he arrived. The epicenter of the explosion, he could see, had left some kind of impact mark on the surface of the earth, scorching several trees and contorting them into bizarre shapes, almost like something from Outpost Cybertron. His entire starfighter body shuddered at the mere thought.

"_Kicker! What took you?_" Meisha asked over his comm link.

"Sorry. I had to do something," he replied.

"_Like what? Make sure you didn't have any traces of dust on you?_" T.J. joked.

"Knock it off!" Kicker snapped.

"_Let me guess: Possession mode, right?_"

"Yeah. I didn't want to take any chances. Besides, this way, I'm not about to be caught off guard like I was with Dan," Kicker said. Even though he had lost his ability to express himself physically, Meisha and T.J. could hear the guilt in his voice.

"_Still can't get over it, can you?_" Meisha asked softly.

"No. Dan wasn't one of my best friends, but he didn't deserve to go like that," Kicker replied, his own voice soft.

"_Hey! Maybe this time you might be able to do something, Kicker! I just spotted a few robots running away from the explosion, and it seems a few students got too curious, so they went closer, but the robots spotted them, and now there's a chase going on. One of them appears to be…NO WAY! That robot's got an ice aura! He's going for the students!_" T.J. yelled.

"What? That's it! I don't want another repeat of Dan's death! I'm going down!"

Kicker fired his engines and sped downward, determination pulsing through his systems. He had to act fast, or else…

He didn't even want to think about what might happen. Instead, he leveled himself out and sped overhead, his engines racing. Ahead, he could see ice spires shooting up, the students' screams echoing through the air, reaching his sensors and making his spark beat faster.

A voice reached his audios and he swore that his spark stopped. He knew that voice.

"I don't think so, Jones!"

A huge ice spar shot up in front of Kicker, forcing him to swerve sharply, his right wing clipping it, sending him into a spiral. He fired a burst of hot air from his thrusters and righted himself just in time to fly upward, his underside nearly scraping the next ice shard.

He pulled off a barrel roll and engaged his hoverjets. The robot jumped on top of one of the shards, standing there in the sunlight. Kicker gasped.

The new robot had a dark blue color scheme and he had an ice pattern on his lower arms, an unknown sigil on his chest. The robot had a single gold V-fin and a pair of grey-brown irises on a white eye screen background. He had a set of heel wheels and a pair of beam sabers attached to a jetpack on his back. The last thing that stood out the most though was the ice aura that was gathering about his hand.

"_Chumly?!_"

"That's Subzero now, Jones!"

"What are you talking about? What happened to you?"

"I underwent a small change, and I'm no longer satisfied with just being a human! I am much more powerful now!" Chumly—no! Subzero!—shouted.

Kicker yelped just as a shard of ice barely missed him, coming so close that it nearly grazed his side.

He fired his engines and flew upward. Now was the time to go full force!

"TRANSFORM!"

He began to transform from starfighter to robot mode. A small space in the middle of the starfighter opened up just as two arms unfolded, revealing the glowing orb of the Energizer Matrix. The starfighter's cockpit moved downward, and locked into place, becoming the chest of the robot mode. The rear end began to change, three thrusters disengaging from the main bunch and locking onto his back. His wings latched onto these three thrusters and the other two pairs of thrusters locked onto his legs just as they unfolded from the rear. The rudder and flaps became the back of his legs. The last thing to emerge was his head. His optics flared golden just as he smiled and got into his fighting stance.

He barely dodged the next ice missile as it whizzed by his left wing.

Subzero snarled in anger.

"Let's see how you like this! SHIFT STRIKER!"

Kicker gasped at this. "NO!"

He slammed his battle guard on over his mouth just as the energy began to gather around Subzero's hand. Kicker put his shield up just as it fired, glowing white. The energy impacted the shield, barely held off.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Nothing can hold back that attack for long!"

"I don't think so!" Kicker hissed. He called upon the power of the Energizer Matrix within his chest and it began to glow, sending warmth throughout his body.

"Do you really think that your little powers can keep my newly amplified aural abilities at bay?"

"I don't think that, I KNOW IT!" Kicker yelled. He clenched his fists and the power began to gather in his hands. "TAKE THIS!"

He fired off a blast of pure energy from the Energizer Matrix, but Subzero merely grinned. The next thing Kicker knew, his blast struck, sending ice shards everywhere.

"What? Where did…?"

"Nice try, Jones!"

The next thing he knew, he was paralyzed. He could feel ice all around him, trapping his entire body in an icy tomb. The cold was beginning to seep into his systems and he could feel his ventilators screaming for oxygen. He closed his optics and thought it as loud as he could.

_CYBER KEY POWER MAXIMUM!_

The powerful energy burst he knew came, calling down his Key. The artifact slammed into the ice, passing through and entering the slot on his back. The power came next. He opened his optics and yelled out just as they flared.

"NITRO MODE!"

The power coursed throughout his body, giving him strength. He clenched his fists, and he could feel rather than hear the ice cracking around his hands. _Now or never!_

The boy took in a last gasp of breath into his ventilators before he felt his body tense up.

He drew his arms in close to his chest and thrust them outward, breaking the ice in a loud _CRACK!_

Subzero watched in astonishment.

"…"

"Looks like you forgot about Nitro Mode!" Kicker said, a smirk spreading across his hidden metallic features.

"I don't give a damn!"

Kicker's optics widened. What was going on with him? Normally, he didn't swear like that anymore.

_That's it. Something strange is going on and I don't like it!_ Kicker thought as his optics narrowed.

"What's gotten into you?! Normally you don't do stuff like this!"

"I already told you! I underwent a change! I was given more power, and I was also given an opportunity to actually explore with the Dark Axis!" Subzero hissed.

"What?"

"You got it, Jones! I'm no longer in the Federation!"

"But, that's crazy!"

"No. It isn't."

Subzero sneered and powered up another ice attack.

"I think that maybe, you need to experience the power I have firsthand!"

Instead of one, two more attacks charged up around his body. Kicker began to feel panic creeping into his systems. His spark began to pound in his chest, making the Energizer Matrix vibrate slightly.

"Slag! That's not good!"

"You bet it isn't. Now, take this! TRI BLAST ASSAULT!"

"ENERGIZER SLASH!"

The blades extended from his arms, locking into place above his hands. He transferred some of the power into the blades and they began to glow with a white energy. He brought them up and slashed as hard as he could, sending a blast of white energy at Subzero in an X formation.

The attack dissipated at the touch of the three aural moves.

"SLAG!"

_**BAM!**_

The explosion sent Kicker tumbling head over heels. He transformed back into starfighter mode to right himself.

"Man! He's got way more power than I thought!" Kicker murmured.

The thought of Dan dying in his arms came back to him and he snarled, his anger becoming clearer. He needed to stop those guys, and fast, but with Subzero on the team, he couldn't even get close to them. He needed something of greater power than what he already had, which was impossible.

He fired his engines and he sped off, heading for the students, now surrounded by a couple of unknown robots. The robots looked like Transformers, but they were a uniform green color and they had a pair of red optics and were armed with standard infantry weapons on their tank modes.

"NO!" Kicker yelled.

He fired off a pair of heat seeking missiles, exploding them against one of the tank bots. The next one prepared to fire off a shot, but a blur of green speed caught him by surprise.

Kicker gasped as he recognized the green starfighter.

"T.J.! Look out!" he yelled.

The starfighter, however, seemed to be waiting. When one of the tanks fired off a shot, the pilot dodged, exposing the other tank behind him. The shot hit the other's head, blowing it clean off.

"Let's see how you like this!" the boy yelled. "TRANSFORM!"

The starfighter flew straight upward and began to change. The cockpit folded downward just as a pair of arms unfolded from the middle of the craft, just like in his sequence. The back end unfolded and the flaps locked onto the pair of newly formed legs. A pair of deadly blades emerged just as the head of the new robot emerged, a pair of sky blue optics flaring brightly.

The young mech aimed his right arm at a tank mech and a gun came out of the top of the limb, a smile on his pure white face.

"Lights out!"

The shot fired, striking the tank mech right in between the optics. The mech teetered before falling onto the ground with a loud _thud_.

"Nice shot!" Kicker said, relief flooding his systems. "Where's Meisha?"

The mech shrugged. "Beats me. Seems like she—"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"NO!" Kicker yelled, transforming back into robot mode, the power beginning to course along his hands.

"Oh, yes! This time, you can't win! And I'll tell you why!"

Subzero jumped into the area, the energy dissipating from around his body.

In his arms, he saw a familiar form.

"MICHELLE!"

"You let her go, slagger!" T.J. hissed as his optics narrowed.

"And why would I do that?" Subzero asked, his hand coursing with aura energy near the frightened girl's head.

"Do it or else!" Kicker snapped.

"Try me!"

Both mechs eyed one another. They couldn't attack, for fear of hurting The Chemist.

"Maybe you'd like to pick on someone else your own size!"

_**FWAM!**_

"GAH!" Subzero jerked back, barely avoiding the laser explosion.

Kicker and T.J. both spun just in time to see a starfighter speeding towards them, guns charged and ready to fire.

"Meisha!" both shouted.

Subzero sneered, his hand glowing.

"NO!" Meisha yelled.

"Oh, yes! Die!" Subzero yelled, an ice shard forming in his hand.

"I don't think so!" Meisha yelled.

The next thing Kicker knew, a blast of bright blue energy lanced out from both sets of guns on the _Guardian X_, streaking towards Subzero, who stared, eyes wide in horror.

"No. NO!"

The blast exploded against the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and shards of earth at the same time. Subzero jumped into the air to avoid the explosion, but in the process, he dropped The Chemist. His eyes narrowed as she fell, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"No!" he hissed.

"ENERGIZER SLASH!"

The X shaped attack sped right at him, impacting with a satisfying explosion.

Subzero hissed in pain as electricity coursed along his damaged body.

"T.J.! Michelle!"

T.J. yelped as he remembered her. He curled his body around and dove down as fast as he could towards the screaming girl.

He leveled out and caught her in his arms, holding her close to his chest as he slowed to a hover.

"You won this time, Jones! But next time, you won't be so lucky!" Subzero snarled.

Kicker, Meisha, and T.J. watched as a strange spacebridge opened and Subzero fell into it, a manic laugh coming from his vocals.

The bridge closed up before shattering.

"What in Primus name just happened?" Meisha asked.

"Looks like Chumly underwent a change all right, but one from a Federation citizen, to a Dark Axis soldier, whatever that is," Kicker said.

"What do you mean?" T.J. asked as he scratched his head.

"Beats me. Not even I know what he said. All I know is that he said something about the Dark Axis, whatever that is. That's all, really."

"What do you suppose this Dark Axis is?" asked Meisha.

"I don't know. I already told you that!"

"Okay! Enough! Can't you see that we don't even have the data we need?" T.J. asked. "Plus, The Chemist just suffered a scare that no one would want to experience. Ever think about that?"

"No. Thanks though, T.J. I guess we just are a little on edge, now that Chumly has abandoned the Federation," Meisha said.

"I agree. Plus, we don't have any data, so why don't we just drop it for now?"

"Okay."

The three kids sped back to the school, unaware of the new war that was to come…

* * *

**_FWOOM!_**

The explosion barely missed her as she ducked. She gritted her teeth, feeling her heartbeat increasing.

"HALP!"

She spun, eyes widening as her hand went for her gun.

"NO! SYRUS!" She grabbed her gun's strap and whipped it off her shoulders. She flipped a switch and the barrel elongated, the compartment flipping open on her gun. She jammed her cartridge in and closed it. She pulled the trigger and the lasers sped out of the barrel, exploding against the wires that held Syrus above the metal floor of the ship.

A loud screech of pain came from the ship itself as the wires withdrew into the structure of the ship.

Syrus fell down onto the floor, shaking in fear.

"T-thanks," he stammered.

"Better be more careful, Syrus. We don't know how much control this thing's AI has over the structure," Sayla cautioned.

Syrus nodded quickly.

Sayla turned and fired off several more shots at the next batch of wires creeping down from the ceiling.

Jaden's yelp caught her attention.

Spinning, she was shocked to feel a rumble beneath her feet. "Jaden! What's going on?"

"MOVE!" Jaden yelled, pushing her down. She barely had time to regain herself when she heard the loud screeching of metal tearing and an intense breeze ruffled her hair. Jaden screamed out in pain as something struck him, then it faded.

She managed to wriggle out from under him and she stopped, staring at the huge support beam that had penetrated right through the wall.

"Yikes."

"Tell me about it," Jaden groaned.

Sayla turned back to face him, and she gasped as her gaze settled on his back.

Numerous scratches lacerated his back, blood coming out of three of them. One scratch had penetrated right through to the muscle. She could see his body was wracked with pain as he took in breaths each time.

"Jaden…your back…"

"Don't tell me! I'll be fine! Just go help the others!" Jaden gasped.

"Okay!" Turning, she ran off, leaving Jaden behind.

Sayla closed her eyes as she ran. It was hard to leave the first real friend she ever had behind, but her duty came first. Tears came to her eyes, but she brushed them aside. She knew what really mattered: help the innocent and protect the weak.

She skidded to a stop in front of the huge emergency door that had appeared out of nowhere, or so it seemed.

Baston was huddling near the corner, eyes fearful as the wires snaked towards him.

"No! Baston!" She clenched her fist and her laser sword came out of its slot, glowing bright blue in the dim lighting.

She ran forward, slashing at the wires as they tried to bind him up. They came apart, sparks flying out of the ends as they fused back into the structure of the ship.

Baston glanced at her, and a smile crossed his face.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Sayla smiled back.

"HELP! SOMEONE! HELP ME!"

The yell caught the two by surprise and they spun, aura and laser sword at the ready.

Shute was held up off the ground by a pair of wires, and Captain was out cold.

"NO!" both humans yelled as one.

Sayla engaged her Dash and sped right up to the wires, slashing them in half quickly and catching the scared boy. Baston ran over to where Captain was out cold and closed his eyes, focusing on the shuttlecraft.

* * *

**"So, why do** you think Chumly abandoned us?" Meisha asked.

Kicker shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe they did offer him power. Who knows? Why he chose to join them is beyond me."

"…" T.J. was silent as he looked down at the ground.

"T.J.?"

"…maybe he wasn't given a choice. I mean, think about it. What enemy would give someone a choice? That doesn't make much sense to me," he said, his voice soft.

"You mean…?" Meisha's voice trailed off.

"Yeah. He was forced into joining."

"How can you be certain?"

"Just trust me on this. No enemy would give him a choice, unless you count the Decepticons."

"Maybe the Dark Axis is just like the Decepticons."

"I doubt it. From what we've seen, that seems illogical," Kicker said. "The Decepticons let beings join them if their ideals matched their own. Others usually forced, blackmailed, or made beings go through an initiation into their ranks, making things hard for them. They don't have a choice as a result. Plus, from what we know of the other enemies we've fought against in the past, they usually do it to increase their power."

"Wait. I just realized something."

"What? What did you realize, Meisha?"

"Remember those strange robots that attacked the school a few days prior?"

"So? Those things killed a few students."

"Yeah. But did you notice how some of them had a strange sigil on their chest plates?"

"Hey yeah. Chum—I mean, Subzero had the same sigil on his chest," Kicker replied.

"They also appeared through the same spacebridge that Subzero exited through. Plus, whoever heard of a spacebridge like that?"

"You might have a point, Meisha. But, what does this have to do with Subzero joining them?"

"Not sure, but I just remembered that."

"Anyway, back on topic. What made him want to join those creeps anyway?" T.J. inquired.

"That's what bothers me. We have no data on that, so there's no real evidence that he was either forced or a choice was given to him. All we have are our guesses."

His two friends nodded.

The silence between the three was unnerving. They didn't know what to do anymore, especially since they had just fought against one of their friends.

Kicker took the opportunity to let his mind drift free into the sky. He wondered about Chumly, and he was concerned for him. The thought of a powerful aura fighter like Chumly being forced to join the Dark Axis didn't seem possible. In fact, it went against everything that Chumly believed in!

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Why did he do it?! Why?!" Kicker asked.

"Kicker, we're all worried about him, okay?"

"You don't understand, Meisha. Before all this happened, when I found out how powerful he was, he told me that he wouldn't join anyone who gave him the chance. Even if he was forced to, he would go against them and come back here. He was a firm believer in Federation ideals, and he lived up to them. What I don't understand is why he went against everything he believed in and Federation ideals."

"I know that, but even so, we must try to forget about it for now."

"I just can't, Meisha. I just can't."

"I understand."

"No you don't!"

"Enough! Can't you see that he's stressed, Meisha?"

"Sorry, T.J. It's just that—"

"It's just nothing! We all are confused, though Kicker is mostly! Can't you see that?"

"Sorry."

Kicker sighed before he flopped back onto the grass, allowing the wind to tease his hair.

"I just don't understand. Where did this Dark Axis come from, and why are they attacking Earth? It's not like we're hiding anything big, is it?"

"No. From what I can recall in history class, there's nothing really secret that the world is hiding. Even if it were true, how would they have found out?"

"Good point."

"Maybe they're not after something Earth has, but because they see us as a threat to their plans," T.J. suggested.

"But what _are_ their plans?"

"That's what we don't know."

"So, now what?"

"We focus on the matter at hand: stopping Subzero if he returns, which, if I'm right, will be soon."


	6. Suspicions

Chapter 3

Pain greeted him as his systems came online. His eye screens flared before he opened his eyes. He looked around, his gaze settling on a form working on something.

"Ugh…"

The form turned at his groan. It set down several tools and headed over to where he lay. As it came closer, he could see that it was a male human. He had steel grey hair and a red visor over his green eyes. He wore a black jumpsuit with a green overcoat stained with a mixture of blood and mech fluid.

"Glad to see you're awake. That was some nasty blow you took to your head," the man said.

"What…happened…?" He couldn't believe how raspy his voice sounded.

"Take it easy. Baston told me about what happened and I think that it was suicide to go up there!" the man snapped.

"Who…are…you…?"

The man just scoffed. "You should be resting, not asking me questions. But since you asked, my name's Cerverau. I'm a Reploid engineer. I fixed your injury, so you shouldn't move for a few days. Other than that, you're good."

"How…?"

From what he knew, there was no gundanium lying around, and these humans didn't have any, well, at least none that he knew of, anyway.

"I was able to patch you up using an energon plate. That thing should stay on for a few days, unless you take it off, which I don't recommend, considering how hard you were hit by that support beam."

"What…?"

"A support beam hit you on the head. I had to take off your helmet just to fix it. You're lucky the beam didn't damage any of your vital systems."

"I am?"

"Yes. Thank Primus for that."

At least he now knew what had happened. But, something kept nagging at him.

"What about…my friends?"

"Your friends are fine. The others managed to rescue the samurai, Bakunetsumaru, is it?"

Captain felt his Soul-Drive skip a rotation. "Yes! Is he…?"

"He's fine. I just fixed him up too. Poor guy was a real mess. Wires slithering inside his armor, underneath his synthflesh… They said that it was scary. They had to actually pull the wires out. Left nasty wounds, but I fixed them."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"…"

Captain didn't even want to know, but in the end, his curiosity got the better of him. "What exactly happened to Baku?"

"Well, from what Sayla said, the ship began attacking them…"

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The group approached the bridge, slashing, hacking, and blasting their way through the wires and support beams that tried to impale them as they neared the center of it all._

_Sayla growled as she barely dodged a support beam._

"_How much farther?" she asked Jaden._

"_Not much. We're almost there," Jaden grunted. Sayla could see his wounds were bothering him, but she didn't say anything. She knew just how determined he could be at times like these._

"_There!" Syrus yelped._

_The little group turned at Syrus's yelp._

"_What is it?" Jaden asked._

_Syrus didn't say anything, but merely pointed._

_The group followed his outstretched arm and their eyes widened at the sight._

"_HOLY MANA!"_

"_No way!"_

"_Slaggit!"_

"_By Primus!"_

"_I think I'm gonna hurl!"_

"_Whoa! Not even the most demented horror director could come up with something like this!"_

_Baku was being held off the ground by a multitude of wires, some wound around his arms and legs, some coiled about his waist. But the most disturbing factor was that the wires were _inside_ him, writhing under his synthflesh wherever it was exposed, creeping towards his Gunsoul._

_Swearing loudly in Cybertronian, Sayla ignited her laser sword, charging right at the wires. A support beam lanced out from the floor, forcing her to stop and crouch. As a wire slithered towards her, she jumped up and over the beam, landing right near Baku's still form._

_She slashed at the wires, but that didn't do much, for they were too far into his body to be attacked directly. Snarling, she shut down her blade and grabbed the nearest cluster with both hands. Straining, she pulled with all her strength. For a moment, it seemed like nothing was going to happen, but then with a loud tearing sound and a flurry of sparks, the cluster came free from Baku's body. She proceeded to do the same to the next cluster and within seconds, he was free._

"_Let's get him back to the school! Now!"_

"_Right!" Jaden closed his eyes and within seconds, they were gone, back on the shuttle headed for Earth._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Captain stared in silent horror. That, he knew, was supposed to be impossible, but apparently it wasn't impossible here.

"I can see you're shocked, so to put it simply, anything's possible here in the Intergalactic Federation," Cerverau explained.

* * *

_The next day…_

Jaden barely dodged the blast, but as he dove aside, he could feel the energy from it as it streaked into the distance, impacting the ground with a dull wham.

In front of him, his opponent snarled in anger at his attempts.

"Fool! Hold still so I can blast you!" Subzero snarled.

"No way! Think about what you're doing, Chumly! You're not a bad person!" Jaden said, his voice pleading.

"…"

Subzero's silence gave Jaden hope. He could feel his spirits lift at this. Maybe there was a chance! He could feel his heart beating faster beneath his rib cage in anticipation. "You have to seriously reconsider your actions! Don't you remember what you told Kicker? How you would not allow anyone to force you into joining them? Don't you recall that?!"

Subzero didn't say anything. Instead, he merely raised his hand, a strange aural energy gathered around it.

"You fool! You are about as determined as a Gundam! So, here's a sampling of what it's like! SHIFT STRIKER!!"

Jaden stopped cold. What did he mean? And what was a Gundam? He didn't have time to get any answers, for the aural attack struck him right in the chest, right above his heart. Jaden couldn't feel anything, except pain.

He skidded a good fifteen meters before coming to a stop, unconscious…

* * *

**_FWAM!_**

Sayla's head shot up, her heart full of dread. "No. JADEN!" She scrambled to her feet grabbing her gun as she did so. Already her keen intelligence was coming up with possible scenarios and a battle plan for each one. She went through them in her mind's eye as she automatically, almost mechanically, engaged her Dash and sped through the woods to the site of the explosion.

When she got there, her eyes widened at the sight of the destruction caused by the intense aural battle.

Patches of grass were scorched away, leaving blackened earth. A couple of trees were fallen over and what appeared to be a huge hole in the brush exposed the complex. A few ice crystals dangled from the branches of the trees and the smell of burnt metal filled the air. She covered her nose and mouth with her free hand, preferring her right to be free in case of combat.

"Ugh! Primus! What did this?"

No answer. Nothing except the chirping of birds and…

"Unh…"

"…JADEN!"

Her gaze swept the clearing, settling on a battered form. She could see that he didn't look too god, even from a distance. His body was scratched and bloodied, and his skin was sort of pale. His hair was a mess and his uniform was tattered.

She ran over to Jaden and picked him up.

"Ugh! Man! When did he start eating so much? He wasn't this heavy before!"

She broke into a jog, carrying Jaden through the hole in the clearing's brush out onto TCDA campus grounds. She knew just where to go from there.

* * *

_Forty-five minutes later…_

Syrus fidgeted nervously as he paced outside the infirmary. He couldn't believe it. Jaden in the medical bay, all because he got struck by an aural attack? It didn't make much sense.

"…"

"Syrus? Is something wrong?" Baston asked.

"Yeah. It's not like Jaden to wind up in the infirmary. Normally, he's one to avoid it. This time, though, he didn't. Why?"

"Syrus, everyone has to get hurt sometimes."

"I know that! But not like this. Sayla said that Jaden wasn't looking too good and that he felt a bit heavier than normal."

"Well, even she has her limits, so she must have been tired."

"No way, Baston! I wasn't even through with training when I saw that explosion! So there was no slaggin' way that I was tired. Even if I was, I still would've been able to lift him easily. You know how it is with Reploid-human hybrids," Sayla remarked.

"…Wait. What if that aural attack was connected to the sudden appearance of a human sized bat a few hours prior to Jaden's encounter with Subzero?" Zane asked.

"Huh? What're you getting at, bro?"

"Think about it. Remember how Chumly had that uncanny ability to alter anything he hit with that attack?"

"So?"

"What if Subzero hit Jaden with that very attack?"

"GAH! Then there's no telling what he'll be turned into!" Syrus yelped.

"…I've been thinking about that. There are many possibilities, but they're limited to the things he has seen. So that narrows it down considerably, but not to what we're thinking of," Sayla stated.

"Even so, there are many things he's seen, so…"

"That's not the point. There's only so much that one person can take in during their time here at the TCDA, and I'm talking living things."

"So, that narrows it down further," said Baston.

"Yes. And if I'm right, then…" Zane's voice trailed off as Cerverau opened the door.

Everyone got to their feet instantly. "How is he?" Shute asked.

"…It's best you see for yourself," Cerverau said.

Confused, the group entered the room, the Gundam Force and the aural fighters following behind the engineer.

"So? Where is he?"

Cerverau merely pointed to a bed not too far from them. They followed his outstretched arm and their eyes widened in surprise.

In the bed lay a Gundam, one they had never seen before. The eyes were closed, but they were on a white eye screen background. The Gundam had a single gold V-fin and the helmet was black with a pair of white protrusions on the sides, just like Optimus Prime. The chest was black with a yellow lightning bolt going down the middle and the shoulder pads resembled those of Captain, but slightly. The Gundam's arms were white with black gauntlets and a lightning design snaked across them. The legs were white with partly black feet and a pair of heel wheels, but a pure black color. The Gundam's jetpack was black with the same lightning bolt going down the middle and a pair of beam sabers were mounted on the sides, one per side.

The unknown Gundam appeared to have an electric armor design, reminding them of Jaden.

The other thing that stunned them was the fact that this Gundam's chest was open, revealing a compartment that contained a strange sphere with two rings on it, rotating, almost like a human heartbeat. A little flame was visible in the sphere.

"What _is_ that?" Sayla murmured.

"Not sure. When I went to go check on Bakunetsumaru, Jaden was unconscious in that very bed. I was only gone for forty minutes. When I came back, Jaden wasn't there."

"Hold on. Did you notice this…thing's…"

"Gundam."

"What?" Zane cocked his head.

"A Gundam. That's what these two are. Gundams," Shute explained as he motioned to Zero and Captain.

"Okay. Anyway, did you notice that this…Gundam's armor pattern is lightning-based?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Don't you find that odd, Cerverau?" Zane asked. He folded his arms as he waited.

Cerverau thought for a moment before he turned to the unconscious Gundam.

"So? I don't see the resemblance, if there is one."

"Jaden's aura was electric. This Gundam's armor is electric themed. Now do you see it?" Zane smirked.

"…"

Silence.

"WHAT?! You mean to tell me that…?"

Zane simply nodded.

Cerverau slumped. "You have got to be kidding me."

"No. I'm not. Just wait till he wakes up. Then you can confirm it with an aural scan."

"Alright, Zane. I will do just—"

"Is that a Soul-Drive?!"

The human aural users and the hybrid spun, their eyes locking onto Shute.

"A what?" Sayla narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"A Soul-Drive. I, uh, heard those Dark Axis goons talking about them," the boy quickly explained.

"So, what exactly _is_ a Soul-Drive?" Zane asked, his eyes narrowing.

"It's what keeps the Dark Axis alive. I'm not really sure how many there are, or what they really are. I just know what I heard."

Zane nodded. For some reason, he didn't really trust the boy.

"Okay. So we know that Jaden somehow went missing and—"

"Correction: remember Kicker fought him. He said that Subzero launched some kind of aural attack right at him. He described Subzero as calling it his Alteration Blast. And when you brought Jaden here, you said that he was a bit heavier than usual. He must've been undergoing the transformation from human to Gundam, which contributed to his added weight."

"But he didn't seem any different than when I found him!"

"That's because it was hidden by his blazer. Now, however, you can see the results," Zane said, glancing at the unconscious Gundam.

"We don't even know if it _is_ Jaden!"

"Trust me. Have I ever been wrong?" Zane asked.

"…" Sayla was at a loss for words. Normally, Zane wasn't wrong, but she didn't know how he could be so sure that it was Jaden.

"How do you know, anyway?"

Zane simply scoffed. "The armor design. Remember Jaden's latest technique? He called it his lightning armor. It bore a slight resemblance to the armor that the Gundam is wearing."

"…"

"Okay. Enough is enough! I can tell you two are heading for a confrontation, but since you're in the infirmary, there will be no firefights or aural battles here! Is that clear?" Cerverau said.

The two looked at him, then at one another, and nodded.

"Okay. We'll back off for now."

The engineer nodded, a smile on his face. He turned and walked over to the injured form of Bakunetsumaru.

He was about to get to work on him when Syrus snatched the Reploid's hand.

"Wait. Cerverau, I…just want to make certain if that Gundam is Jaden. Please, can you do that?"

Cerverau thought about it before he placed the tool he was holding back down on the table.

"Sure. Just let me get the aura scanner. That should tell us something."

"No. Not that. The other scanner."

Cerverau's face hardened. He knew what Syrus meant: the scanner that the Orcans called the _Juhitao_, or Mind Scan.

He nodded. The boy felt relief flood his body as Cerverau turned towards his lab.

Baston glanced back at Syrus. "Why did you ask for the scanner?"

"That's the only one that can do the job. Remember, the Orcans developed that new technology, you know, the one where they can save a human's life by transferring their minds into a Reploid body?"

"Oh, you mean the Psitransfer?"

Syrus nodded. "Yeah. That one."

"Still, why not just an aural scan? It might make a lot more sense to—"

"No. If that Gundam is Jaden, he might not have his aura anymore, so that's why."

Baston was silent for a moment. "Even if the _Juhitao_ is a success, what will it tell us?"

"It will tell us if the Gundam is Jaden," a voice said.

Baston turned at the sound of Cerverau speaking. He was right behind the human, holding a strange device in one hand.

"I think Syrus might have the right idea. Who knows? Maybe it is Jaden, maybe not. The only way to tell is to conduct a mind scan, so this is the only method I know of that may work. The real purpose was to see if the mind was present in the body of the Reploid, but if it wasn't, then it failed. If you can also recall, the purpose could also be used for medical purposes, and this is one such purpose," Cerverau explained. He held up the device.

It looked like a hand-held scanner, but with more of a pistol-like grip and the "trigger" was really a scan button. The screen appeared above the grip and displayed the information necessary. Three other buttons and a switch dotted the back of the grip.

"Okay. Let's see whether Zane's right or not."

He aimed the device at the Gundam and pulled the trigger. A thin beam of light shot out towards the Gundam and it struck home, beginning a systematic scan from the tip of the V-fin downwards. Syrus watched with interest.

"Why does it scan the whole body?" Shute asked.

"Simple procedure. That's for making sure things are wired up to the brain circuit, or in this case, the processors."

"Oh."

The beam finished its scan and terminated, allowing the scanner to vibrate before emitting a slight beeping noise. Cerverau pressed the trigger again and the screen came up, displaying the information. A schematic of the Gundam was shown in perfect detail on it.

"Okay. Now to see if Jaden's mind is present."

He pressed a blue button and up came a graph with pure blue lines running across it. Orcan symbols danced across the screen, displaying the aural moves that Jaden possessed.

"Well. Looks like Zane was right. Jaden's moves are listed here." He pressed a green button and up came the most vital part of the whole scan: personality.

The silence and tension in the room seemed to meld into one feeling. Syrus bit his lower lip as he waited anxiously. Sayla fingered the strap to her gun while Zane watched indifferently. Baston didn't even move a muscle, save for breathing and blinking, as he waited. Captain, Shute, and Zero also waited, each one feeling anxiety creeping up on them.

"…"

Syrus finally broke the silence.

"Well?"

"…Zane was right. I'm picking up Jaden's personality."

"You mean…?"

"Yeah. Jaden is now a Gundam."

"But, why?"

"Beats me. All we have to do now is see if he'll wake up."

"…Unh…"

The group stared in amazement as the Gundam's eyes opened slowly to reveal a pair of youthful brown eyes. "What…happened…?" The Gundam spoke in Jaden's voice and when he spoke a blue light came on in the slats of his mouth-guard.

"Jaden, you've got to rest," Cerverau said.

"You got hit by Subzero's attack," Sayla said.

"What? I did?"

"Yeah. You might not want to, well, see yourself right…now…"

Her voice trailed off as Jaden looked in shock and amazement at the Soul-Drive. "What…is this?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper.

"That's your Soul-Drive, but you really should be—"

"My what?"

"Your Soul-Drive. That's what's keeping you alive right now, so…"

"What happened to me?"

Cerverau sighed and told him. He told him everything. Jaden listened in pure shock as he finished.

"So, I was turned into a Gundam?" he asked.

"Yeah. We're not sure why, but I think it's a good idea to figure out how to close that compartment. I mean, what if someone stole it?"

Jaden felt fear rippling through his systems at the mere thought.

_Oh man! He's right! I need to figure out how to close this thing and fast!_ Jaden thought. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on closing it. A slight hiss made his eyes snap open.

The sensation of the compartment closing was the strangest thing he had ever felt. He could actually _feel_ his systems closing it. He watched as it turned inward and exposed part of a lightning bolt on his chest. It locked into place, a couple of latches clasping it and sealing it off. He raised a shaking hand and placed it on the closed compartment. He could feel it actually rotating beneath his armor. It felt strange to him.

"What's this feeling?"

"That's your Soul-Drive. You can usually feel it beneath your armor," Captain said.

"I can?"

"Yes."

Jaden stared down at the compartment for a few seconds.

"So, what happens if it gets stolen?" he asked.

"…" Captain remained silent. He didn't want to talk about it.

Sayla glanced at Captain. What he had said made her wonder if he had a Soul-Drive too. If so, then…

She frowned. If he _was_ with the enemy, then he would've attacked them by now.

The teenage commander turned and walked off, her coat billowing out behind her as she turned.

"Hey! Sayla! Where're you going?" Zane asked.

She didn't answer. She needed some time to think and she knew one place where not even Zane was allowed.

* * *

**Moss Manor**

**15:53, 3:53p.m. Local Time**

**Manor Boundaries**

Abandoned years ago, Moss Manor, as it was now known, stood hidden underneath the trees of centuries long past. The house had once been the most well known place out of the entire complex. But now, it was nothing more than a heap of old wood and steel melded into nature under the moss that covered it. The roof was the only thing still visible. The rest of the house was covered in the thick green moss that gave it its name. The windows were cracked and only three shutters remained. A couple of curtains still fluttered in two of the windows and the front door hung off its hinges under a sagging porch roof. The porch itself was rotting and a few holes were visible. Vines and weeds sprouted in the once lush front yard, creeping up to the steps that also sagged.

Legend said that it had been abandoned for it had been found to be haunted. The legend was thought to be true by some, but most thought not. The reason for its abandonment was a mystery and would remain that way for years to come.

Sayla stood outside the manor, her green eyes locking onto the dilapidated structure, taking it in. She didn't come here to train, but rather to think.

She narrowed her eyes. Why had he been so silent when Jaden had asked that question? Was he in league with Subzero? If so, why hadn't he attacked? Was it for some purpose? These questions filled her mind as she tried to answer them. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to hear the creaking and groaning that came from the manor.

A sudden tingling sensation danced across her head and she responded in an instant, her laser sword igniting as she slashed at the vine tendrils that lashed out from the front door of the manor. Now she understood why she had a sixth sense: combat demanded it for some. She was one of those who had such a sense, enabling them to sense the coming dangers.

She watched as the tendrils flailed about before withdrawing back inside the house.

Military training kicked in and she hastily erected a makeshift barrier out of rocks and a fallen log. She crouched behind it, gun aimed at the door.

"_You foolish human._"

Her head snapped up at the sound of the voice.

"_You can't see me, nor can you touch me. I am in all the plants around the manor, and in the ground beneath it_."

"Who are you?" she demanded, her gaze darting about the clearing.

"_My name is Shintamaru. I am a musha Gundam of Ark. And you, my friend, are about to be my latest victim_."

She snarled at this information. "I don't think so!" she hissed.

She peered through the gun's sight and pulled the trigger. It was time!

A loud explosion made her dodge to the side, clumps of dirt impacting around the area where it had occurred. A pair of large vines wavered close to her, but she pulled the trigger and let loose a barrage of lasers at the vines. The lasers hit, making the vines shudder and withdraw at once.

"_You will pay for that!_" the voice snapped.

Sayla darted to the side just as a large tree root exploded out from the ground in front of her, narrowly missing her leg. She ignited her sword and slashed, the heat causing the tree root to withdraw.

_Okay. I need to figure out where Shintamaru is hiding. That's the first priority. The second priority is to find out how to defeat him. The last priority is to take him out! Got that down. Now I just need to figure out when he'll strike. If I'm right, he attacked where I was last. So that means…Yeah! Got it!_ She faked a dodge to the right just as a large cluster of vines emerged from the spot to her left, but then she engaged her Dash and sped right towards a specific spot that hadn't been touched.

"Let's see how _you_ like the heat!" she yelled. She flipped a switch on her gun and loaded a grenade into a compartment on the side. She slammed it closed and jumped up into the air. The speed from her Dash gave her added jumping power, enabling her to hesitate at the appropriate height for her plan. She pulled the trigger and the grenade fired from the barrel below her gun's main muzzle, speeding towards the spot she had noticed prior.

_FWOOM!_

The explosion ignited a blaze of fire in the clearing before something unusual happened: the plants began to cluster around it, dousing it with their bodies.

"What the slag? That's not supposed to happen!"

"_Of course not, human! You forgot about my plant control. If I control plants, I can't be harmed. I can get them to put out the fires you start with your little weapon!_" Shintamaru taunted her.

"Show yourself, creep!"

"_Ah. You want a real challenging opponent, do you? Well, it just so happens that you will face one, and shortly, I might add._"

"What do you mean!?"

"_Simple. I will fight you, one on one._"

"About time!"

Sayla tensed as the ground began to vibrate. She glanced down just as cracks snaked along towards the manor, stopping near the door. The ground there began to move and shift as a huge ball of vines lifted out, holding something in their midst. She gasped as the vines began to part, revealing a hidden musha Gundam.

The Gundam had green eyes on a black eye screen background and the armor was modeled after the image of leaves clustered over the body. It seemed to her that he was wearing armor actually made of leaves, but she knew better. The symbol on his chest was inscribed in a bright green circle and he held a pair of kunai knives in his hands. A single green V-fin, also shaped like leaves, stuck up from his helmet.

"You're Shintamaru?" Sayla asked as her eyes narrowed.

"Yes. I am indeed Shintamaru. I will gladly accept your request for a one on one challenge. I must warn you though. I do not hold anything back."

"Fine by me! Only if you tell me why you're here!"

Shintamaru grinned.

"Of course. I am here for the boy."

"What? Which one?"

"I mean the one with the crystal powers."

"What?! You mean _Baston_?!"

"Yes."

"What do you want with him?!" Sayla snapped, feeling her body tense for battle.

"Simple. He must come with us."

"Why, so you could do what you did to Chumly?"

"No. Merely to tell him of his true heritage."

"What do you mean?"

"He is not of your land. In fact, he is not of your dimension at all. He is from another land, another dimension, one of magic, one of power, and one of lore. He is from a kingdom, and he is the descendant of a very powerful knight!"

"…"

"Well?"

"I DON'T BUY IT, CREEP!"

"What?"

"You heard me! I don't believe you! Take this!"

Shintamaru was caught off guard by the sudden assault. He threw up his hands and erected a shield of vines to block it. It exploded against the vines, making them wither. Shintamaru was now angry, and she could see it in his eyes. This wasn't going to be easy and she knew it.

"Now, you'll see my true power!" he snarled.

"Oh boy!"

She tensed as the ground shook again and as three dozen tree roots emerged. She noticed that the tips on all thirty-six roots were sharp, sharp enough to penetrate even through her!

"EEP! Time for a tactical retreat!"

She turned and Dashed off, leaving only a blur of green speed behind. Shintamaru, however, wasn't willing to let her go so easily. "I don't think so, human girl!"

He lashed out with a tree root, but she was too fast for him and as she passed beyond the clearing's edge, the tree root grew taught and withdrew back into the ground. He snarled before fading into the shadows as quiet fell over Moss Manor again.

The moon shone down on a quiet clearing once again…

* * *

**Baston was waiting** as he emerged from the infirmary. The boy was standing by the edge of the door, arms folded across his chest, eyes closed with a smile on his face.

Captain just stopped facing away from him.

"Well, it seems you're feeling better," Baston remarked.

"Yes." Captain's voice was slightly tense. He smirked.

"You seem to be hiding something, such as a connection to the Dark Axis, perhaps?"

Captain felt his Soul-Drive seize up as he said these words.

"What makes you say that?"

"You seem to know a bit about these Soul-Drives. I assumed that the Dark Axis knew of them and I was right." Baston smirked.

The Gundam didn't answer, just merely narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Why would you assume that I was with the Dark Axis?" he asked.

"Only the enemy happens to know about something that we don't know of. These Soul-Drives are one such thing."

"So? I happen to know about them because—" He stopped himself.

Baston's smirk grew. "Because you are with the enemy, right?"

"No. I know about them because I heard them talking about it in battle one day!" Captain lied.

Baston frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am sure of it," Captain said quickly. He hoped that the older boy would believe it.

"…"

Captain felt his Soul-Drive speed up as he watched Baston.

"Okay. I believe you," he said.

The Gundam let out a sigh of relief at these words. At least he could keep the fact that he also had a Soul-Drive a secret for now, anyway.

Baston turned and walked off in the direction of the exit. "I hope that you are telling the truth. You don't want to know what we do to those who we find out are enemies in disguise," he said menacingly.

Captain shuddered a bit at his words.

He hoped so too.


	7. False Accusations

Chapter 4

**_W__HOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!_**

Every student's head shot up as the alarm blared across the school campus. Flashing siren lights blazed red as the whole school emerged from the dorms and buildings. A few soldiers peered out from the barracks at the sudden commotion.

**_WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!_**

"What's going on here?" a man asked.

No one answered.

Yugi Muto frowned. A man shy of only thirty-three years, he had spiky blonde and red hair with a purple streak down the middle. His skin was a deep ruddy tan and his eyes were purplish blue. He wore a strange pendant around his neck and his muscular body was encased in the standard Earth jumpsuit, the material stretched over his taught muscles. A single laser pistol hung from his left leg and, unlike other Kaxians, his tail was missing, having lost it in a fight a few months prior to his job at the school.

He glanced over at a young boy about thirteen.

"What's going on?" he asked.

The kid said nothing, merely pointed.

Yugi glanced up at the sky and gasped.

A strange spacebridge had opened right up in the middle of one of the major star-lanes!

"Slag! When did that thing open?"

"How should I know?"

No one spoke a word as the bridge began to shimmer and something began to come out.

The strange ship that emerged was unlike anything they had ever seen. Painted a deep red color, it had a single mono eye and no wings, but it bore twin guns on the front and twin rudders gave it maneuverability in the air. A pair of dual engines provided thrust and power to move the ungainly craft through the sky.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHA! We're baaaaack!_"

"Who's that?" Yugi snapped.

Again, no one answered. They were too stunned to even speak. All except for…

"What do you bucketheads want!?" Zane's voice echoed across the campus grounds. Some students turned to look at him in stunned silence.

"_What do you think, human scum?!_" Zeta sneered.

"I asked you a question, freaks! If you don't answer, I'll be forced to attack!" Zane snapped.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You think you can harm us when we're inside the Komusai? Well, think again! Komusai! Open fire!_"

The ship responded instantly, firing on the whole campus. The shells from the guns impacted against the ground, forcing everyone into a panicked frenzy. Screams echoed across the school as a second bridge opened and thousands of green robots poured out, each carrying a rocket launcher or submachine gun.

Aura users engaged the robots in combat while some students grabbed their weapons and started firing on them as they came through.

Kicker growled as an explosion barely missed a bunch of students. He couldn't stand this, and since the Dark Axis had caught everybody by surprise, they had the upper hand, while the school didn't. The TCDA needed to get the upper hand and fast before they got totally annihilated!

He ran for his parked starfighter and hopped into the cockpit, going through the motions that were so familiar to him. In seconds, he was flying around, hoping to spot a good opening at which to fire his lasers.

The boy sped over a small group of students huddling near the building of the Autobot Warrior rank, trying to shield themselves behind an inadequate barrier made out of rubble from a recent explosion. In front of the barrier stood a squad of green robots aiming machine guns. Kicker felt his spark skip a beat as he noticed the position of the guns.

"NO!" he yelled. Shifting into robot mode, he brought his blades out and streaked down, a blur of green, blue, red, and gold as he slashed through them in a couple of seconds. Their bodies fell down, cleaved in half, mech fluid oozing over the ground, sparks flying from severed wires and shorted circuits.

His optics scanned the battle, searching for any others in trouble. No one else seemed to be in danger. In fact, they seemed to be holding their own. A small spark of relief flared into existence inside his own. Despite being caught off guard, the school seemed to be adapting to this rather well. In fact, a little too quickly.

That alone made him stop.

_Wait. Something's not right here. The school's adapting too quickly to this situation. In fact, it seems that the Dark Axis has this whole thing planned out. And if they have it planned out, then that means…_ "Oh, slag, NO!"

Kicker spun around in midair to face the ship of the Dark Axis. Mid-turn, he shifted to starfighter, his arms and legs folding up to form the middle and rear of the craft, the cockpit snapping up and the engines reconnecting to the rear of his alt mode. He fired them up to full throttle and sped right at the Komusai.

"No you don't! You won't get away with this!" Kicker yelled.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHA! What makes you say that, human boy?_"

"Nothing's making me say that! In fact, I don't think it, I KNOW IT!"

"_Just try us, kid!_" Zeta sneered.

"TRANSFORM!" Again Kicker turned into his robot mode, but this time, his optics were glowing brightly as he clenched his fists. "ENERGIZER BLAST!" He thrust both arms forward, the power launching in a pure white blaze of light and heat, searing the air like Apollo's fire arrows as it neared the enemy vessel.

"_Komusai! Fire and deflect that blast!_"

The ship obeyed, but a smile spread itself over Kicker's metallic features. "I don't think so! That blast can't be deflected, even by guns as powerful as those! It'll take nothing short of the _Destiny Star Drive_ or Primus himself to stop that!"

"_Oh, crud!_"

**_BAM!_**

The explosion itself was enough to cause the school to regain the upper hand. Both students and faculty put forth their best efforts to repel the intruders, but it wasn't enough until…

"All units! Open fire on the Dark Axis forces! We have to push them back!"

"YES, SIR!"

The laser blasts rang out across campus, exploding against the ground and hitting Zakos, throwing up clouds of smoke and dust.

Soldiers came pouring out of the woods and barracks, armed and ready for battle. The backup Dark Axis trio, caught by surprise by the sudden reinforcements, glanced at one another in the cockpit of the Komusai.

"It seems we have a bit of a problem." Zeta said, a sweat drop appearing on the side of his head.

"Uh, how so?"

"That."

Gunlock turned to face the cockpit window and peered out. He felt his systems freeze up at the sight of the soldiers appearing, followed by thirty-someodd tanks and a few armored troop transports.

"Uh, were we expecting that?"

"Dah. I think no," Demon remarked.

"Oh boy!"

Down below on the battlefield, the arrival of the Seventeenth Division was a miracle in itself. Left with no other options, the division had decided to come out full force. This alone gave the school the firepower and manpower to force back the green robotic soldiers into their spacebridge.

Each one ran, squeaking in terror like frightened turborats, right into the bridge, a few sporting damage, some carrying their own limbs and some towing deceased comrades. As the last one passed through the bridge, the Komusai hovered there, strangely silent.

"NOW!"

"GUNDAM FORCE, TRIPLE ATTACK!"

"TENKYOUKEN!"

"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!"

"SOUL-DRIVE, ACTIVATE!"

The three attacks blended into one, a fiery X surrounded by a wind vortex laced with flower petals and in the center, Captain Gundam, his fist glowing a bright golden as a fighting fire danced in his eyes. He drew back his fist and punched, unleashing a bright energy burst from his fist. The attack slammed into the Komusai, creating a massive explosion that ripped open the air, creating a loud boom that no other combined aural attack could match. The force was so great that it sent out a shockwave that rocked the very campus itself, sending people sprawling onto the ground, ripping clumps of dirt from the ground, shaking the very trees, and cracking the buildings ever so slightly.

A huge blast occurred next, throwing up rocks and dirt, making it rain down onto the campus, a cloud of dust marking the epicenter. The Komusai was sent sailing through the air, right into the strange spacebridge as it opened.

"_WE'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!_" all three yelled out as their ship vanished into the swirling purple vortex.

The noise from the explosion faded into nothing, leaving a battle-torn campus behind.

Sayla studied the war torn earth with a critical gaze. Ever since the Dark Axis had appeared, things had been getting worse and worse, and so far, this was the worst they had ever dealt with. She began to wonder if the newcomers were in on this attack.

She turned to face the battle worn campus. She could see that the buildings had taken a severe beating from the shockwave, as was evident by the cracks and shattered windows here and there. Clumps of dirt littered the campus walkways and the trees looked like they had been shaken by an earthquake fifty miles north. Students and staff, as well as her unit, lay sprawled all over the ground, some nursing injuries, some unconscious, most unharmed by the blast. Bodies from several Dark Axis soldiers lay scattered by the explosion blast, mostly decimated by the intense heat.

Sighing, she wiped the sweat away from her eyes and turned to face the Gundams and Shute. She watched as Captain led them away.

"Looks like I was right. He _is_ with the Dark Axis! I knew we couldn't trust him!" she muttered to herself.

"Sir? What's wrong?"

She turned to face the soldier behind her.

"Lieutenant Brown, you see those four?" she asked, pointing to them.

"Yes. Why? They saved us."

"True, but their leader, that one with the flight boosters, seemed to know too much about the Dark Axis' secret weapon. I can tell that he's in league with them. And so are his comrades! I want you to arrest them."

"Wait. Arrest them? Didn't you see—"

"It doesn't matter! It could've been a ruse for all I know! Now, I suggest you follow orders or I'll kick you off this unit! Is that clear, soldier?!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good. Now do it."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier ran off to gather up his special force. She knew how good they could be, having seen them in action a week prior to the first actual invasion by the Dark Axis. A small squad of the green robots had snuck in through their spacebridge and had made an attempt to capture Baston, but the Ghost, as they were known, had taken out the intruders and dispatched them in the nearby brush, where they still lay, rusting.

She watched them sneak into the brush, almost like they were really phantoms from the dead readying themselves for an attack on the living.

The next thing she knew, there was a loud yelp and a scuffle going on. A few laser shots were fired, but then came a few loud _thumps_ and she watched as the Ghost brought the four refugees out of the concealed training field entrance.

"Sir, we got them," a soldier said, her voice muffled by her combat gear.

"Good. Bring them to the barracks. I want to talk to them. All of them."

"Will do!"

The Ghost turned and ran off towards the barracks, leaving not even a small trace that they had been there behind.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later…_

Captain's system screamed at him as his eye screens flared and came online. His vision was fuzzy, but for the most part, it was beginning to clear up.

"Ugh…"

He struggled to sit up, succeeding in doing so, but just barely.

Now he could see his surroundings. He was in a cell of some kind. The cell, from what he could see anyway, was only small enough to allow someone to walk around and run for a short distance, so that meant that he couldn't use his heel wheels to burst his way free, which he doubted he would be able to do in his current condition.

"Well. Looks like you're awake."

Captain spun around, systems screaming out in pain. He winced at the pain, but he didn't even hold it for he forced his eyes to study his captor.

The man smirked at him as he studied the Gundam with dark blue eyes, eyes that rivaled the darkness of the night sky. His face was almost black and he had the build of a bear, with a barrel chest and arms that looked like they could rip a Zako's shoulder armor off. He wore a green camouflage uniform and he had a nasty scar on one side of his face, stopping at just above his lower lip. His hair was pure blue with a white line going down the middle and he carried a small hilt of some kind in his hand.

"Just in time too, because this time, you're going to tell me everything you know about the plans of the Dark Axis!" the man sneered, a laser whip appearing in his hand.

Captain stared at the whip, his Soul-Drive racing with fear.

"Now, time for the first question! What are their plans for Earth?" he asked, hefting it in his closed fist.

"I-I do not know!" Captain stammered.

"LIAR!"

The whip hissed through the air before striking his armor with a loud crackling of electricity, heat and energy. Sparks danced over the area of damage and he hissed in pain.

"You know something about them and you'll tell me what or else!" he snarled.

Captain glanced at the guard, one eye squinted shut in pain. "No!" he gasped.

"Well, that's a bad mistake!" the guard yelled, his arm lashing forward, the whip hissing again as it struck his armor. Captain yelped in pain as it lanced across his side, causing sparks to fly from the wound.

"What are their plans?"

Captain didn't answer at first, just merely looked up and making eye contact with his captor. "All we know is that they're looking for a knight Gundam from Lacroa. They said that he was hidden someplace, but as to where, we don't know."

"Why do they want this knight Gundam?" the guard asked, his hand twitching.

"We don't know."

"LIAR!"

The hissing and crackling of pain came next, followed by a shower of sparks from his lower arm. "AH!"

"What do they want this knight Gundam for?"

"We don't know! I already told you that! All we know is that they want the knight Gundam, but as to why, we don't know!"

"LIAR!"

"AGH!" Pain danced across his left leg as the whip lashed away back to the guard's hand. His lips were curled into a snarl as he glared at the captive Gundam.

"What are the plans for Earth?" he asked for the third time.

Captain just gasped, taking in a breath before he spoke.

"We don't know, all right? All we know is that they need to find this knight Gundam for some unknown reason."

The whip lashed out, striking him again, this time on his lower torso, before coiling back into the waiting hands of its owner. He yelped out in pain as the sparks appeared.

"Tell me why!" the guard said, his eyes narrowing at the scuffed Gundam.

"I already told you what little I know!"

"You know more than you let on, and I know it! So tell me why they need that knight Gundam or else!" the guard snapped, the whip lashing out, striking him on the helmet, sparks flying from the impact point, a yell of pain escaping his vocals.

"I don't know any more," Captain gasped, his chest heaving as he tried to take in air through his intakes.

"Fine. Then take this!" the guard said. The whip struck, the bite of the tip penetrating his shoulder armor, this time going deeper, causing a spurt of mech fluid to come out. The whip coiled back before lashing out, nipping at his lower torso, making another gash, mech fluid coming out of this one in a steady stream. The whip coiled back before lashing out for the third time, this time biting his leg, forcing a shower of sparks and mech fluid out from the damaged limb before coiling back into the waiting hands of the guard.

Captain gasped as the pain sparked across his entire body, mech fluid coming out of some of his wounds.

"Now, tell me why they want that knight or else, you'll get more than just the whip!" the guard said, his hand hovering near a pistol menacingly. He felt his Soul-Drive seize up at this.

"A-all I heard b-before Neotopia fell w-was that they w-were looking for a knight G-Gundam in a u-unknown dimension. W-we weren't sure as to w-which one, so we w-went out a-and began looking. U-unfortunately, that was w-when the city fell, and with it, o-our home. So w-we fled and—"

"I asked you what their plans were, not for a tale of sorrow!" the guard snapped, the whip striking his flight boosters, sparks flying out from both as it withdrew.

"I only know what I heard!"

"Did you hear anything about their plans for our home world?"

"No! I already told you—AGH!"

Captain was cut off as the guard lashed out again, this time his whip nipping his lower face, drawing warm mech fluid from the impact point.

"Now, tell me, or else!"

Tears began to form at the corners of Captain's eyes, threatening to fall. "I already told you!" he yelled, practically crying now. This wasn't what he had been expecting, much less what he had hoped for. After everything they had been through, the loss of their home, their arrival in an unknown dimension of incredible power, being taken in by the school, and now they were being tortured all because they knew of the Dark Axis? What had happened?

"…"

The guard's face softened slightly, but he drew back his whip again, unaware of the boy sneaking into the cell.

"NO! STOP RIGHT NOW! PLEASE!"

The guard stopped himself from lashing out again, his military training preventing him from attacking the innocent civilian who had thrown himself over the damaged form of the Gundam, shielding him with his own body from the blows that he was sure would come.

"Get out of the way, kid!" the guard snarled.

"NO! I'm not budging one inch if this is what you're going to do!" Shute said, gripping his best friend's shoulders tightly, but light enough so as to not aggravate the wounds.

"Sergeant Axle! Stand down this instant!" Sayla's voice was harsh and cold, sending chills down Captain's damaged body.

"Commander! What're you—GAH!"

The guard was cut off as a hidden beam of light shone itself on the fabric of his uniform, right over his heart.

"Stand down or else!" Sayla said, her voice now lower than before and full of menace.

"…"

The guard sighed and put his hands into the air. Turning, she faced a nearby soldier who stood with gun aimed. "Get a medical team down here stat! He needs medical attention!"

The soldier nodded and ran off.

"Axle! I told you specifically not to pull inhumane treatment on the beings you caught! And what did you do? Torture! That's illegal, and a violation of the Federation Constitution, section three, paragraph ten, sentence twelve, clause eleven! 'There shall be no torture or inhumane treatment of innocent beings, unless it is determined that they are of a far hostile race that goes against the laws of warfare!' You got that, soldier?!"

Axle just growled.

"I asked you a question!"

"I don't give a slag about that law! If there is an enemy, we need to get information that we need in order to survive!" he said.

_PWOOM!_

"GA-AH!"

Axle staggered back, clutching at his stomach, gasping for breath.

Sayla stood up and merely flexed her clenched fist. "There's no law of the jungle here. We're not savages, unlike what you were taught to believe by General Juchi!" she snapped.

"B-but…"

"No buts! I'm having you reassigned to a different unit! As of right now, you're off this unit! Got that?"

Axle gasped one last time before sighing in defeat.

"Understood," he said.

He stood up and, still holding his stomach, staggered out into the hallway where a soldier kept a close eye on him just as the soldier Sayla had ordered beforehand came running in with a medical team of three technicians behind her.

"Sir! I got the medics!"

"Good. Get Captain out of here and into the infirmary. He need to have his injuries fixed if we're going to need their help."

"Understood."

Silence.

"Permission to speak?"

"Permission granted."

"Why the sudden change of heart? Before you thought them to be with the Dark Axis, but now, you believe their stories. Why?"

"From what I've seen during the last few weeks, I discovered that the Dark Axis doesn't treat humans like the equals we are. Instead, they see them as a menace and therefore must be exterminated. The way Shute defended his friend was more than enough proof for me."

"Oh."

"Now, go get the other two and release them from their cells. If they're in bad condition like Captain, we may need to give them both medical treatments as well."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier turned and ran off to get the other two Gundams.

Sayla turned to the medics and nodded. One of them, a female with pretty gold eyes came up and placed an oxygen mask over his mouth-guard. He gasped once as the energon gas took effect, sending him into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

_Three hours later…_

Captain's eye screens flared as his systems came back online. His vision was fuzzy, and all he could see at first was static, and nothing else. His hearing sensors were online, and he could make out a voice speaking.

"…it easy!...finished fixing…systems."

"What…?"

He could hardly believe how weak his voice was.

"I said…it easy. Your systems were badly damaged."

The voice was clearer now, and he recognized it as Cerverau.

"Cer…ver…au?"

"Yes. Now let me finish fixing your eyes!"

A few seconds later, and Captain's vision cleared, becoming sharper, clearer. He could now see that he was in the infirmary again, but this time, Cerverau was holding a laser scalpel in one hand, covered in a little mech fluid.

"How are you feeling?"

"Hurts…"

"I bet, especially after that intense interrogation method that you went through."

"Intense…interrogation?"

"Yeah. That's what we call it these days."

"Shute…?"

"Shute's fine. In fact, if it hadn't been for him, you might not be here. Should've known that Axle was the kind of man who would do this."

"What…?"

"Well, first off, several of your circuits were damaged and three fuel lines were severed by his whip, not to mention that your lower torso was damaged badly. In fact, it penetrated right through to near your vital systems. Fortunately, it didn't strike any of them. He must've been toying with you. Anyway, both your flight boosters were damaged, so I took the liberty of fixing them for you. Strange thing is, your armor uses a mineral similar to Mineral X found on an Orcan outpost, Miniarr Colony. Strong stuff. But, concerning your injuries, you're lucky that Axle didn't penetrate right through to your power source."

"I…am?"

"Yes. Be grateful that Shute's actions caused a change of heart in Sayla."

"Sayla…freed us?"

"Yes. She's not the type to be easily swayed by actions like that, but if it's done in the spirit of the Federation, then that's a whole other story."

"Shute's actions…saved us?"

"Yes. Be thankful for that."

Captain was silent as he pondered this. What was with the Intergalactic Federation? What did they fight for, and why?

Cerverau seemed to sense his confusion, for then he began to tell Captain everything.

The Gundam listened the whole while, his eyes never leaving the engineer's face. He couldn't believe it when Cerverau was done. An organization that fought for universal peace, even though it was an impossible goal? Were they nuts, or were they doing the right thing?

* * *

**Jaden sighed as** he lay outside, the sunlight warming his armor. The fact that he was now a Gundam still surprised him, and the sensations that accompanied his change still took some getting used to, such as the rotations of his Soul-Drive beneath his armor.

He brought a hand up to his face and studied it. He flexed his hand a few times, getting used to the way the circuits in his hand moved. The whole thing was pretty nerve wracking, yet interesting both at the same time. He turned his hand over and studied it, palm facing his face.

"I still can't believe this is actually happening," he murmured.

Wait. Was it just him, or did his voice seem to have a slight metallic edge to it?

"Primus." He spoke the word out loud. Sure enough, a slight metallic edge was present.

_Wow. I didn't even realize…_ Jaden thought.

He let his hand fall back to his side and he sat up. He glanced around, surprised at how sharp his vision was now. He could actually see battle damage long since repaired on the military colored starfighter as it circled overhead in the sky, along with a few new nicks in the armor.

"Incredible…"

He shifted his gaze back to Earth and lay back on the grass again, this time, his mind focusing on other matters.

The first thing that popped into his mind was the strange reference to Baston. Why did they want him, and what about Chumly? Why did he desert the Federation, and how come? What was his role in all of this? Things didn't seem to fit. They had very little information and they had next to no data on the previous attacks recorded by the spy satellites circling over the new outpost Neo Earth.

It was like a puzzle, a puzzle with very few pieces. Sure they had some information, but not vital stuff to the structure of the center of the puzzle.

"Jaden?"

He sat up and glanced over at Sayla, who stood next to the tree.

"Hey, Sayla. What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Same thing as you. Thinking."

"I thought you went to Moss Manor to think."

"Not anymore. A Gundam by the name of Shintamaru lurks there now. I have a feeling he's somehow tied into this whole thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The weird thing is though is that I'm also getting the feeling like we have something that the Dark Axis is afraid of, but from what I learned in school about humanity and from my experience with the Federation, there's nothing like that in our boundaries, unless you count the _Destiny Star Drive_, which, I might add, is a living weapon."

Jaden nodded. "I have to agree there. Something fishy's going on here, and I don't like it." He didn't even add the last part. _And I'm also getting a weird feeling in my Soul-Drive. What does that mean?_

He glanced at her for a moment before her previous words struck home. "Wait. What? You battled a Gundam named Shintamaru?"

"Yes. And he said something strange about Baston. He said that he was from a land unknown to us, a land he said was of magic, of lore, of power."

Jaden felt his Soul-Drive skip a rotation. Surprised, he glanced down at the compartment. _Whoa. That was weird_.

"Jaden? Didn't you hear me?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I did. But, why would he say that?"

"I'm not sure. I need to get him in order to find out, but since he can control the plants surrounding the manor—"

"WHAT?! He can _control plants_?!" Jaden yelped.

"Yeah."

Jaden could've sworn his Soul-Drive stopped.

"I tried to defeat him using my gun, but unfortunately, he can cancel out anything I try with the plants surrounding the manor."

Jaden thought for a moment before he glanced at her. "Maybe a friend of my dad's can help. He's a gun expert. He might know your father."

"Hey yeah! Gary can help!"

"But, if what you said is true, then I suggest you get an upgrade to your gun, such as a flamethrower, maybe."

"Okay. I'll ask him."

"Good idea."

Sayla nodded and ran off, leaving Jaden alone.

* * *

**Gary Olson was** busy working in his shop when Sayla entered. He glanced up from his latest project and lifted up a welding visor to expose a single blue-brown eye and an eye patch set in a heavily tanned face framed by pure white hair. A former sergeant in the army, he retired after he had suffered the loss of his left eye and he had worked as a gunsmith ever since.

"Well, if it isn't Little Sayla!"

"Cut it out, Gary. You know as well as I do my rank now."

Gary laughed, a sound that brought a smile to her face.

"Sorry, Commander. Old habits die hard."

"I bet. Anyway, I came to ask you a favor."

"Sure. Anything. Just name it."

"I'm thinking about getting an upgrade to my gun. You think you can add a flamethrower function to it?"

"Flamethrower? So you can melt those little creeps?"

"If you mean the one eyed soldiers, yes. Please."

"Sure. Just give me fifteen minutes and you'll have it in no time!" he said, grinning widely.

"Okay."

During those fifteen minutes, Sayla trained in the back of his shop, careful not to damage any of his equipment. Gary, she knew, would never forgive her if she did damage his prized possessions.

Finally, after the designated time limit had passed, Gary brought her gun over to her and handed it to her.

"Here ya go! One flamethrower added. Just push this button here and the barrel will reduce to about this long," he said, indicating an inch with his fingers.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Anything I can do for you is always welcome."

She smiled and nodded. She slung her gun over her shoulders and left, leaving him unaware of the danger that the whole organization was becoming involved in.


	8. First Battle at the TCDA: Part 1

Chapter 5

The light shone down on the old manor through the trees, making it seem like a monster mansion, ready to pounce upon the prey it sought out. Sayla stood in front of the old gates, eyeing it menacingly.

"SHINTAMARU!"

Her cry echoed across the clearing.

Silence filled the area before it gave way to a slight rumble as the trees parted and Shintamaru stepped out.

"Ah. You have returned," he said calmly.

"Let's dispense with the pleasantries and do this!" she snapped.

"Always so hasty. If you insist."

Shintamaru clenched his fists and the ground shook. Tree roots came out, ready to coil around her, but she simply grinned.

Swiftly, she reacted, pressing a single red button on the side of her weapon. The barrel shrank till only an inch was exposed from the rest of the weapon. She pulled the trigger and it happened.

The tongue of flame leapt out of the barrel, the tip barley touching the roots, but forcing them into flames, making them wither and die at the mere wisp of a touch. The bright orange flames licked the next assailants, his vine tendrils, igniting them in a fury of fire.

Shintamaru gasped as the flames faded, exposing the smoking barrel and a grinning Sayla.

"Like it? It's my latest weapon! The flamethrower!"

He snarled in anger, his eyes glowing bright green before fading.

"SHINTAI HEYO!"

"Take this!"

The flames leaped out eagerly, hungry for more prey. They licked the leaves that came from the trees, charring them into ashes. Vines lashed out, but she spun, the flames devouring them in seconds. The tree roots leapt out from underground, but Sayla, armed with her flamethrower, scorched them to cinders in minutes. This dance of nature and fire went on for a few more minutes before he collapsed, exhausted and worn out from his attacks.

Sayla stood there, a grin on her face. Shintamaru had underestimated her, or so she thought.

"You…thought…it…was…over…didn't you?"

Her eyes widened in shock as he struggled to his feet, staggering slightly before standing up straight.

"What? But…how?"

"Foolish human! We mushas….don't go down…that easily!" he said, his chest heaving as he took in air.

Sayla snarled as she got into a fighting stance.

"If that's the way you want it, fine! Take this!" she yelled.

She pulled the trigger and the flames leapt out.

Shintamaru growled as he rolled to the side, barely dodging the eager flames as they nipped at his armor. He slammed one hand into the ground and a huge tree root extended, lashing about like a snake ready to strike its prey.

The female human dodged as it struck the ground, sending up clumps of dirt and rock.

She whirled around, her gun spitting out flames as she turned, creating a burning inferno around her body as it ate at the grass, taking away his advantage at close range combat.

The tree root lashed out again, but she shifted her gun to her left hand, ignited her laser sword and slashed, cleaving the root in half.

Shintamaru gripped his kunai knives and threw them. Sayla laughed as she blocked them with her sword.

"Is that the best you had left?"

"Not…quite. That…was merely…a distraction!"

She gasped as the ground began to shudder and the huge manor in front of them began to shake and shudder. She turned just in time to see vines pull Shintamaru into the ground. She turned back to face the manor just as vines wound themselves around it, coiling, snaking, and winding into and through the old house. Tree roots began to cluster, forming a pair of huge arms and hands as they fused into one. Shintamaru's laughter echoed as a green light flared inside the upper two windows of the manor. The whole house shook as it stood up on two legs made of tree roots and vines fused together. The front of the house suddenly burst open, exposing gnashing teeth made from wooden branches and vines and a tongue made from leaves and roots. The "eyes" flared before closing and opening to reveal a pair of green pupils locked onto her.

"Holy…" Sayla's voice trailed off as she stared at the monstrosity before her.

"_HOW DO YOU LIKE MY NEW BODY, HUMAN?_" Shintamaru's voice boomed out from the new plant monster.

"So what? I can still beat you!" Sayla snapped, although she doubted she could defeat him now.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU THINK SO?_"

"I don't think it, I know it!" she snarled, her hand switching the mode on her gun instinctively. She felt the familiar shuddering in her arms as it changed.

"_SO WHAT? YOU CAN'T STOP ME NOW, EVEN WITH YOUR PUNY FLAMETHROWER!_" Shintamaru said gleefully.

"How about FULL ASSAULT MODE?!" she said.

The "eyes" widened in shock and horror as the gun changed modes entirely. The barrel extended and the whole gun opened up to expose a pair of missiles, a grenade in the launcher, the sniper rifle, the submachine gun barrel, the machine gun loaded with bullets, and the laser rifle's muzzle. She pulled the trigger and released every weapon she had stored in her gun.

They sped right at the new monster before her, entering through the "mouth" and detonating with extreme force. The missiles went first, followed by the grenade, and the bullets and lasers riddled the inside with enough holes to fill a colander.

**_BAOOM!_**

The explosion was more than enough to blow the house up. The shockwave blew Sayla right back into the tree trunks, the branches grazing her body. She opened her eyes as the light and smoke faded to expose what had once been Moss Manor. The old house was no more. Instead, only debris remained. Piping littered the clearing, old wooden supports and metal beams laying in haphazard piles here and there, a few wires still sparking. In the middle of all the carnage and debris lay Shintamaru, his armor scuffed and damaged, mech fluid oozing out from several wounds. His eyes were closed, indicating he was out cold. Sayla wearily grinned at the sight.

She grabbed her communicator and pressed the button.

"Hey, Commander Tea? We got a prisoner here. Just follow the explosion debris and you'll find him in the middle of a clearing."

She listened before speaking again.

"Yes. Moss Manor, or what used to be Moss Manor."

Silence.

"Yes. That's it. I'm at what used to be Moss Manor."

Silence.

"No. I'm not lying. I'll tell you more later."

Sayla closed the connection and collapsed to her knees. The fight had taken quite a bit out of her, but not enough to where she was on the verge of passing out. She glanced at the unconscious musha lying not too far from her.

Staggering to her feet, she managed to walk over to where he lay. She knelt down and, with some difficulty, turned him over. She reached for a pouch on her belt and withdrew a thin, slender, glowing blue line of energy. This was an energon line, the latest in energon-based technology: durable, strong, thin, lightweight, and capable of lifting two battleships without breakage.

She grabbed the musha's hands and tied him up with the line. All the while, he moaned and twitched, but he didn't wake up.

"There. That ought to do it," she said.

In response, the musha's eyes snapped open. He tried to stand up, but instead, he fell back, hissing in pain as his injuries took their toll.

"How…?"

"Full Assault Mode. Nothing can survive it, not even your little creation, Shintamaru."

He said nothing, but merely growled.

"Now, tell me everything!"

Shintamaru sighed. This wasn't good. If he was caught by humans, he couldn't reveal, yet this human demanded it. He decided to accept failure for his actions over feeling her wrath.

He began speaking.

"Okay. I will tell you everything I know."

"Concerning Baston! What did you mean, Shintamaru?!"

"I meant what I said. He is not of your land, or your dimension. He is from a land known as Lacroa and he is definitely the descendent of a powerful knight. The knight was one of such power, so powerful that only once every four generations a knight of greater power than even the Knight of Silver Wings was born."

"Why Baston?"

"Baston, as he is known in your dimension, is actually a knight from Lacroa. Or, should I say, a Knight _Gundam_?"

Sayla gasped. The sharp intake of breath told him that she had heard.

"A Knight Gundam?"

"Yes."

Shintamaru had a strange glint in his eyes, almost as if he knew something that she didn't. She gripped her gun tightly, aiming the muzzle of the barrel right at his Gunsoul.

"Liar! You'll tell me everything, and I want the truth this time!" she snarled.

The musha just laughed. "I have told you the truth. It is because you humans are so arrogant that you fail to open your minds to the possibilities of other realities."

"Other realities? You mean alternate dimensions!" she snapped.

"Yes. And some of these realities are much different than yours. Like Ark. Ark has no humans, only musha Gundams. Lacroa is not like your dimension, for it is a medieval dimension. And the Dark Axis home dimension…well, that's a different story. It is one they have conquered and they are already planning new attacks on your dimension."

"Why?"

"The power they seek lies here, hidden in the veils of time."

"What kind of power?"

"Hahahahahahaha! You will not be able to receive that answer, human, for you will not know what it means, even though you already have the first clue right in front of you!"

Shintamaru began laughing again as the strangest thing began to happen to him.

She watched in stunned astonishment as his body began to _decay_ right in front of her. His armor seemed to wilt and fall off, exposing his rotting synthflesh. The wires withered and shrank to nothing as his eyes faded into darkness. His kunai knives fell onto the ground and burst into many fragments just as the last of his armor fell to the ground, turning into nothing but leaves. When it was over, all that remained was his soul stone, the symbol visible.

She leaned down and picked it up in her hands. The laughter that she had heard echoed in her mind before it faded into nothing, along with the symbol in the stone.

All she held now was a bright green stone. The symbol was gone, along with the body of Shintamaru. His last words came back to her. "_You will not be able to receive that answer, human, for you will not know what it means, even though you already have the first clue right in front of you!_"

"What did he mean?" she murmured.

Looking down at the stone in her hand, she dropped it into her coat pocket before turning at walking away from the battle site back to the school.

She was now even more confused than ever. What did the Federation have to do with all of this, and what were the Dark Axis after? What was going on here?

The answers proved to be elusive, but the Federation didn't know that soon, the answers would come in time.

* * *

**Captain, despite Cerverau's** orders, was finally sitting up in his bed. His body still hurt, even after the extensive repairs done by Cerverau, but at least it wasn't as bad as before. He glanced down at his body. He had a bandage on his shoulder, covering up the wound and stopping the flow of mech fluid. A white bandage plate was planted firmly on his lower torso and one was located on his left leg. One of his arms was covered in three plates and his side had a bandage wound around it. His flight boosters had been removed, and those were in Cerverau's lab being fixed. His lower face had a small bandage plate on it and a bandage plate was placed on his helmet to prevent any more damage. At least he was getting better.

His friends Baku and Zero had come immediately after they had been repaired several hours earlier by Cerverau. Now they sat near the edge of his bed, Shute perched right on the bed itself.

"How ya feeling, Captain?" Shute asked.

"I'm feeling better now," the Gundam replied.

Shute smiled. "Glad to hear that."

"I am surprised that you stood up to that kind of torture," Zero said.

Captain nodded. "I am also confused," he said.

"Well, whatever the reason, at least it's over with. Now you just need to recover and you'll be back on your feet in no time!" Baku said.

Captain nodded again, relieved that he would soon be fixed and ready for combat if the need arose.

"Still, I don't understand why the Dark Axis is attacking Earth. I mean, didn't Zane, Sayla, and the others say that there was nothing of real interest here?" Shute asked.

"Yes. This organic world is not a real danger to the Dark Axis. They could easily kill these humans and leave the world to be taken over by a new species," Baku said.

"Not quite. From what I have seen during these attacks, the humans of Earth are a strange, resilient species. They may be organic, but they have the fighting spirit of the Gundam species," Zero stated.

"…It's not that."

"Huh?" The Force eyed Captain like he was nuts.

"It's not that at all. Cerverau told me that the human race of Earth is only part of the Intergalactic Federation, which is made up of the Transformers, the humans, the Reploids, and several other races. The Federation is a small power, but they are unlike anything else. Remember what Sayla told us about the organization before?"

The three nodded.

"Well, Cerverau said that the Federation has some kind of ability, but he isn't sure as to what it is yet," Captain said.

"So? What does that have to do with why the Dark Axis is attacking this planet?" Baku asked.

"Even I am unable to formulate an answer. In fact, all I can say right now is that the Dark Axis is attacking for a reason. As to what that reason is, we need to figure that out. That very reason may be what we are searching for: a way to save Neotopia, Lacroa, and Ark. It may also be our downfall."

"So, then let us hope that it is the very salvation we may need," Zero said.

"Yes."

"I agree."

Captain nodded. He hoped so too.

* * *

_Later that night…_

Crickets chirped in the darkness of the woods surrounding the complex for the school. Fireflies fluttered about, their lights glinting for brief instances before fading into the night. Stars shone down brightly, their light glinting off the rows of starfighters parked in the starfighter parking lot. Only the moon remained hidden, shrouded in the night by its lunar cycle stage, the new moon. Above Earth, the lone glint of silver indicating the presence of their newest vessel gleamed before fading into the night sky.

She turned the green stone over in her hands. It was basically a mere circle, but with a thickness that rivaled an energon star. The symbol that had once been engraved on it was gone, leaving nothing but a smooth green stone behind.

She began to wonder what he had meant by those very words. It had sounded so real, yet, as a military commander in charge of an entire division, she doubted that such words were true. This was already turning out to be very confusing even for her.

What was going on here?

"Sayla?"

She didn't even bother to turn to see the newcomer. She already knew by the tone of his voice.

"Hey, Zane. What're you doing out here?"

"I came out here to clear my head. You?" Zane sat down beside her and the two stared at the stars for a moment before Sayla spoke.

"Same thing."

"I thought so. Sure is strange, what with all these unusual happenings going on, huh?" Zane asked softly.

"Tell me about it. I just finished beating up Shintamaru and he told me some unusual stuff concerning Baston."

"Shintamaru?" Zane cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Jaden tell you?" Sayla asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes. He did. I must say, when I went to see the site for myself, I was surprised to see the devastation you caused." Zane grinned at her.

"I had to, Zane. No other attacks would've taken down that old house, you know that."

"I figured you would say that," Zane remarked lightly.

"Ha-ha! Very funny, Zane!"

"Anyway, whatcha got there?" Zane asked, pointing at the object she held.

"Huh? Oh, this?" Sayla held up the stone. "This is, or rather, _was_ Shintamaru's soul stone. He strangely, decayed into the earth, becoming part of it, I think. I can't be certain, but I do know that he sort of wilted."

"Must be because he could control plants and you beat him up good."

"Heh. Maybe, Zane. Maybe. Anyway, what do you think he meant, and why does he think that the Federation is going to find out what he meant?"

"I can't say for certain, but I'll take a wild guess and say that maybe he was right on the part of a more powerful Knight Gundam than Zero. As to whether or not he meant Baston, I can't be sure, but I'm pretty positive that he meant him anyway. I also am taking a guess as to what he thought about us finding out," Zane explained.

"Really? What?"

"Like I said, it's just a guess, but here's what I think he thought. He probably thought that we are a threat to the plans of the Dark Axis because we're so powerful."

"But, we're not all that powerful really, especially when compared to the might of the Dark Axis."

"True, but we're strong in other ways."

"How so?"

"Teamwork. Teamwork is our greatest asset in battle, not to mention we each have weaknesses that are counterbalanced by the strengths of others in our boundaries. The whole reason why we've become so powerful is our common desire for peace and our hopes that one day every being will be given a chance at a free life. That good enough for you?"

"Good enough for now."

"You think?"

Sayla shifted slightly. "Still, is that the only reason why we became so powerful, or is it because we care too much about others?"

Zane stared at her for a moment, stunned at her words.

"What makes you say that? Of course not!"

"Sorry. Just curious, that's all."

However, she began to wonder, was it all really because they were so caring, or because of their desires and dreams, or because of their weakness?

She glanced down at the stone she held. It looked like a normal stone now, not a soul stone any longer. But, if that were the case, why was she carrying it around?

Little did she know that soon, she would learn the answer, and in the most unexpected way…

* * *

_The next day at class…_

Kicker barely dodged the laser attack as he gripped the controls of the _Energizer X_. So far he had managed to get in some pretty decent hits, but not what he had been hoping for. And the fact that he was fighting against Henry, a pro starbattler, wasn't helping much either.

Henry Greenwell wasn't that much older than Kicker, yet he was already the starbattle champion, having won a tournament only three months ago. He was short and stocky with brown hair that hung over one eye and his skin was fairly pale in comparison to some of the other students, himself included, yet he made up for it with his uncanny ability with starfighters. He could literally pilot any kind. All he had to do was get in the cockpit and piloting it came naturally to him.

Kicker snarled as Henry let loose with another barrage of lasers, forcing him to dodge. Settling into a hover, he studied the other starfighter critically during the brief pause in laser attacks.

The other craft was longer than his by a good three feet in the wingspan and longer in length by a good fifteen feet in body length. The coloring, like many of the students' starfighters, reflected his personality in a way. The body was a bright white with a blue stripe going across the body and ending at the rudders. The nose of the craft was painted bright orange and showed a flame design, indicating a love for speed. The only part that remained plain were the wings. Like all starfighters, this one had five engines and three laser guns per wing, along with a small missile cluster. The name _Star Streak _was spelled out in bright blue lettering.

Kicker knew what his looked like, yet he thought about it anyway.

Unlike the other craft, his starfighter was a bright blue across the body entirely; even the engines were blue! A bright green stripe ran along the side of the ship and a red stripe crisscrossed that one while a bright red triangle was formed on the nose. The name was bright golden and was emblazoned onto the side, unlike the rest which either had it welded on or painted on. Unlike other starfighters, this one had seven engines and seven guns, providing it with massive firepower. In addition to the guns, it had several missile tubes and missiles stored inside the belly. The wings were longer than the standard starfighter, yet they were exceedingly sharp, able to cut through most alloys with no trouble. The rudder was positioned like a normal aircraft's, yet the flaps were in a V formation on top of it instead of in the middle of the rudder itself like with most starfighters. The cockpit was also a bit longer than normal, but that didn't matter. What did matter to Kicker was that it was his starfighter and he knew how to use it, especially its hidden abilities. One such ability was the one he was most familiar with, along with the uncanny ability to shift into a car, a plane, and a submarine, allowing it to enter any terrain.

Kicker gripped the controls and pushed the button for the lasers. He could feel the ship pulsing with power as the guns charged. He pulled off a barrel roll and a sharp curve to the right, barely dodging a missile.

He brought the _Energizer X_ around to face the _Star Streak_.

"_You have gotten better, Kicker,_" Henry remarked over the comm.

"Yeah? Well, you're good too. Almost too good for me," Kicker shot back.

"_Heh. Still, you are proving to be a challenging opponent, especially since you have a very powerful starfighter at your command_."

"Even so, you're better than me. You won a tournament for Primus sake!"

Henry was silent as he fired off a laser attack, backed by a missile.

"_Yes, and it is with the utmost regrets that you must lose this fight_."

"Not in your life!" Kicker whispered.

He knew Henry was a nice kid, but he could sometimes be arrogant, like he was now. Deciding to break the rules this once, he reached over and pressed the familiar button of Possession mode.

The feeling of becoming his starfighter came and went quickly, and soon, he was flying through the air, determined to win this starbattle.

He streaked upward and transformed into robot mode, the battle guard slamming on over his mouth. He clenched his fist and the weapon he knew so well, his primary laser rifle, materialized in his hand from his subspace pocket. He pulled the trigger and fired, but Henry was faster than he had anticipated.

"WHAT?!"

"_Hah! Looks like you are losing your touch, Kicker!_" Henry laughed.

"I don't think so!" Kicker hissed. He fired off a second laser shot, but it missed again.

"Slag!"

"_You missed again,_" Henry remarked.

"That's it! I'm not holding anything back!"

"_So? You cannot attack full power, and you know the rules!_"

"Who gives a slag about the rules!? I don't and I don't care what happens, not as long as I can take you down!"

With that remark, Kicker fired off a laser volley from the guns hidden in his arms and legs, the blasts exploding against Henry's ship.

It shuddered as the last of the explosions died off.

Henry managed to keep his comm on, for as his craft hovered there, badly damaged, he spoke three words, and three words only, except for a fourth which made him shudder.

"_You have won, human_."

Kicker sighed with relief as he transformed back to starfighter and exited Possession mode.

He ran a hand through his hair as he hovered down to face the trainer for the session.

He knew what she would say, and he dreaded it. But, as the cockpit opened, she smiled at him and gave him the thumbs up! "Good job, Kicker."

"But, I broke the rules! You said no Possession mode, New Mode, or Matrix Mode!" Kicker said, stunned.

"You went with what you felt was right. I said that because I wanted to see if you were capable of going with your gut. Sometimes that's more important than following rules."

"If you say so…"

* * *

**Captain was sitting **up in bed when Shute arrived carrying something in his hands.

"Morning, Captain. I didn't think I'd be allowed in here, but…"

"It's all right, Shute."

"Heh. Thanks. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Much better. Thank you."

Silence filled the room between the two before a low rumbling filled the air.

Captain blushed.

"You hungry?"

He looked down and nodded, his face now visibly red.

Shute giggled.

"Thought so. Here."

He handed Captain a rice ball. The Gundam took it and took a small bite before looking and Shute and nodding.

Shute grinned. He had known that Captain would be hungry sooner or later, so he had made those rice balls, but he didn't tell him.

Captain looked up from his rice ball.

"These are very good. Did you make them?"

Surprised, Shute nodded.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I didn't. I just guessed."

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you like 'em. I have more where that came from!"

Captain smiled slightly to himself. At least things weren't too bad.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_The Gundam watches the school eyeing one of the students. He knows which one is the descendent, yet, with those aural users and that hybrid female human, it has been tough just to get close to him._

_He wonders if what the commander said is true, that they may be weak, yet they have more power than anyone in the dimensions they have conquered._

_He scoffs. There is no way that this puny power could have such might. Then again, it took the Komusai barely ten minutes before it was blown back into the gate thanks to those annoying Gundams._

_He turns and heads over to where a dimensional communicator is located._

_The communicator comes online, revealing a hidden form, shrouded in shadows. All he can see is a pair of dark purple eyes, eyes that make even the most hardened Gundam break down. He shivers slightly._

"_Is all going according to plan?" a silky smooth voice asks._

"_Not really, Commander. It appears we have hit a bit of a snag, what with this Intergalactic Federation fighting us off successfully," the Gundam says._

"_Shibaomaru, you fool! How could they fight us off? We have more advanced technology than they and they are a mere power, without much military influence and might!"_

"_Not true, sir. They seem to be a much bigger threat than we originally anticipated. The Federation has much greater power than we figured initially."_

"_How so?"_

"_For starters, sir, a small group of five students from this school they call the TCDA were able to inflict mortal damage to over fifty Zako soldiers and they were forced to withdraw. The next attack, an invasion carried out by those three hot-heads was thwarted thanks to that Gundam Force and Shintamaru was killed by that human hybrid."_

"_Any other failures I wish to know of?"_

"_No, sir. That is all I can recall. But, I do have some good news."_

"_What would that be?"_

"_They have learned of the possible truth that one of their own may be a Gundam now."_

"_How is that good news?!"_

"_Patience. They have not figured it out, for they have no idea of the capacity for other dimensions exists. That is our advantage for now."_

"_And?"_

"_I also have successfully pulled off the project. It works. One of their own, along with another human, have become Gundams. The first was a result of my project, the second, an unfortunate involvement. Thankfully, our new recruit has taken care of him. And he is now a Gundam as well."_

"_And?"_

"_The human, we now know, is named Baston Misawa. He is a student at this school, and he has crystal powers, a sign of the huge Mana concentration within him. If we can get him alone during another training session…"_

"_How do you plan to do that, Shibaomaru?"_

"_Simple: set off an explosion. They will want to split up and when they do, I shall nab him and soon, the power shall be ours!"_

"_Make sure you do not fail, Shibaomaru, or else…"_

_The voice trails off, leaving Shibaomaru shuddering at the unfinished thought. He knows what his commander means._

"_Y-yes, sir! I will not fail you!"_

_The comm dies, leaving him in absolute darkness._

* * *

**Sayla tensed as **she barley dodged one of Zane's Sun Missiles. She gripped her gun and fired off a few laser shots at him. Zane smirked as he blocked with his aura guard.

"You know, Sayla, you won't even hit me," he said.

"Who said anything about actually hitting you?" she remarked.

Zane cocked an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

"THIS!" she yelled. She gripped her gun and fired off a tongue of flame, forcing Zane to dance backwards, just out of its reach.

"Whoa! Didn't expect that coming!" he exclaimed.

"Heh. Like it? It's a new flamethrower upgrade I got."

"That's what you used to beat Shintamaru?"

"Yep. And now, I'm gonna use it on you!"

"Try me!"

She let loose the tongue of flame again, forcing Zane backwards towards the boundaries of the training field.

Zane, however, was unaware of where he was until she fired off another flame burst, forcing him back.

"Match over!" Yugi shouted.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"If anyone can't fight anymore, or is forced out of the training field boundaries, the match is over," Yugi said. "You know the rules."

Zane glanced down and sure enough, he saw that he was indeed out of the boundaries.

"Heh. Now I know what you were getting at. You forced me out of the boundaries using your flamethrower."

"Yeah. That was the only way to win."

"Clever thinking, Sayla, especially considering how no one else has managed to beat Zane for the past six weeks in a row," Yugi remarked.

"Thanks, sir."

"Okay! Next fighters step into the field!"

Sayla and Zane stepped off the training field and headed towards the school.

"Nice move there. Not many people could do that," he remarked.

"Well, I had no other choice really. You have the most powerful aura around, so I had to do something that wouldn't cause me to get hit by my own attack," Sayla replied.

"Clever. Still, unless you can beat me without sending me out of the training field boundaries, that win doesn't count."

"Zane!"

"I mean it, Sayla. That's how training works."

"Maybe, but I still beat you!"

"I can acknowledge that. You did beat me, which does matter, but it still doesn't count in my book."

"Okay. It may not count, but I still beat you."

"I can live with that."

* * *

_After classes…_

Kicker sat gazing up at the sky, his eyes focused on a faraway point, almost as if he were staring at something only he could see.

He wondered about Subzero and what had happened to Jaden. What was going on? He also for some reason, focused on the way Henry had gotten near the end of the fight. Why had he said _human_ instead of his name? What was going on with everyone? Was it because of the Dark Axis? Or was it something more?

"Kicker?"

He glanced over to his right and locked gazes with Meisha.

"Yeah?"

"You thinking?" Meisha asked.

Kicker nodded. "Yeah."

"About what?"

"…about what happened a few days ago and about what happened in class today with Henry. He called me 'human' instead of my name. What's going on, Meisha? What's happening to everyone?" Kicker moaned.

"Everyone?"

"Yeah."

"Not everyone, Kicker. We're unaffected by whatever's going on, along with everyone else in the Federation."

"True, but I mean here at the school. Henry, Subzero, and a few others, such as Dan. Why get all high and mighty all of a sudden? Is it because of the Dark Axis? Or something else?" Kicker asked softly.

"Kicker, even I'm confused. We all are. We all want answers, but things just don't come easily to us."

"I understand that, and I want information now, Meisha."

"Well, you can't just wish for it. Things like that don't happen in real life. Plus, things like these take time to solve. We'll find out the answers in time. Trust me."

"I do, Meisha, but we may not have time!" Kicker exclaimed.

"Still, we can at least wait a little while, right?"

"Meisha, I don't even know if we have the time needed to gain the information we need. We may need it right away, but I don't know if that's the case."

"Kicker, we _will_ find out what's going on. I'm sure of it."

"I sure hope so, Meisha. I sure hope so."

The two continued to stare into the distance, watching the clouds above. It seemed to be a good time as any, but he decided against it. He would tell her when it was the right time. Just as he turned to face her, a loud explosion echoed across the campus.

**_FWAM!_**

The two humans got to their feet in an instant.

"What in Primus name was that!?" Meisha blurted.

"I don't know, but I'm betting anything that it's Subzero!" Kicker hissed.

"If it is?"

"Then we stop him! Go get T.J. and tell him to rendezvous with us at the site of the explosion now!"

"Right!" Meisha turned and ran off to find the human-turned starfighter. Kicker turned to face the concealed shape of his starfighter.

_I sure hope that it isn't Subzero._ Kicker thought.

* * *

**He was right.** It wasn't Subzero at all, but rather, a new Gundam, one that looked even weirder than Subzero, Shintamaru, and the trio put together. In fact, it was completely red with a single red optic that flashed when it spoke. What looked like a V-fin stuck out from slots in the head and a pair of large cannons were mounted on the arms. On the chest and shoulder pads was the Dark Axis sigil.

Kicker adjusted his angle and brought his fighter down closer for a better view. He felt his heart clench with disgust and anguish at the sight of the carnage around him. The bodies of several students lay lifeless around him, their blood pooling around his feet. His hands were stained with the red fluid and he expressed no emotion at his actions. Laser explosions dotted the ground, the grass charred and smoking. Trees had fallen, leaves drifting down to the battlefield below. A score of dead Zako soldiers littered the area of the bodies of the students, indicating a battle had been fought a few mere hours before.

"Oh boy. That guy looks nasty," he remarked.

"_Tell me about it! He seems even creepier than that Demon Dom guy!_" T.J. said.

"_Wonder what he wants,_" Meisha said.

"I don't know, guys, but I don't like this one bit," Kicker said to the images of his friends.

Meisha's image frowned. "_What's wrong?_" she asked.

"I'm not really sure. I just don't like this guy, that's all."

"_Well, if you ask me, it must be that armor he's wearing! It looks like something from that old horror film we saw in the drama unit last month!_" T.J. said.

"_I have to agree. He does look creepy._"

"I know that!"

"_Anyway, what do you think he wants?_"

"_Beats me, Meisha, but I'm gonna take a guess that he wants probably Baston or someone else from the Federation. Who knows?_"

The new enemy flicked his gaze up to the three starfighters circling the area.

Kicker gasped. The gaze on this new robot seemed to penetrate right down to his very soul and into his very humanity, making him feel cold and sick at the same time.

He averted his gaze, keeping an eye on his friends and the radar that indicated the enemy's position.

"_Well, what do we have here?_" The voice was chilling to the bones. Kicker shuddered as he shut down the comm. He didn't want to hear it in human form when he was capable of being killed. If he was going to fight, then he might as well fight _as_ his starfighter.

He struck Possession mode and the familiar feeling of being shocked came. He gritted his teeth, a smirk on his face. That was the last thing he did before he became energy and fused with his fighter.

The systems came online immediately. He needed every ounce of power he had at his command.

"Now, Meisha!"

Meisha couldn't hear him without her comm, but she nodded as if she had heard him. She pressed the button for the lasers and they powered up.

The new enemy glanced up at them.

Kicker wasted no time in yelling out the word. Instead, he silently transformed from starfighter into robot mode. The other starfighter, T.J., shifted into robot mode without so much as a sound.

"It seems you are capable of transformations, correct?"

Kicker didn't waste any time. Clenching his fists, he called upon the power of the Energizer Matrix, channeling it into his hands.

"Who are you?" he snarled.

"Why should it matter to a bunch of weak humans like yourselves?"

"WHO ARE YOU!?"

"I prefer to not tell my name, but I will say this: I am your worst nightmare!"

Without another word, the robot aimed one of his guns at the mech and fired off a laser burst laced with electricity. Kicker barely dodged it as he darted to the side.

"You are fast," the robot remarked.

"Well, then again, that's what you get when you mess with me!" he yelled, firing off a burst of energy from his hands. The power streaked towards the robotic male, who barely dodged to the side. The explosion kicked up a huge amount of dust and smoke, blinding Kicker's optics.

He squinted them as he tried to see through the thick smoke and dust.

"You should not have done that. Now I have the advantage against you," the robot said.

"What?" Kicker's optics widened.

"YEOW!" T.J. yelped as he flew upwards, a burst of laser electricity lancing beneath his legs.

"T.J.! You okay?" Kicker called.

"Yeah. I dodged, but barely."

"Incoming!" Meisha yelled.

The next thing Kicker knew, someone was gripping his wings rather painfully and pulling him aside in a blur of speed. Confused, he glanced up at the form that had grabbed him.

"You okay?" Meisha asked.

Kicker nodded, dumbstruck. She had used her fighter's grappling line to pull him aside, resulting in him hanging beneath her craft by his wings. She released the line and he engaged his engines, hovering over the battlefield.

"Now you are beginning to get under my armor," the robot snarled.

"I don't think so, Gundam!" Kicker said, his optics flaring in anger.

"Gundam? So, you figured out my species, human. It seems you are not as dumb as I have originally thought."

"Dumb? You called us _dumb_?!" Kicker could feel the power building in his systems. This always happened whenever he got angry.

"You know my species, but my name is incorrect. I am Madnug. And I am here to finish you off and take that human boy for my master."

"Master? I don't think so, creep!" T.J. snapped.

"If you want Baston, then you'll have to go through us!" Kicker exclaimed.

"How so? Only three puny humans, two males who can become machines, and a female?"

"We're not just humans! We are the Intergalactic Federation, and your worst nightmare," Kicker said, a smile on his face. He had always wanted to do that!

"Well, then it seems I have no choice but to kill you. That will be a waste of my firepower."

"Bring it!"

Madnug said nothing. Instead, he brought his arm up and the gun on it suddenly split down the middle, exposing a pair of huge laser cannons, each one armed and ready to fire.

"eep!"

Kicker reacted instantly just as they fired, unleashing a huge beam of pure purple energy, seething with electricity.

He brought both arms up in front of his chest and the power of the Energizer Matrix began to form into a glowing green-blue-golden shield.

The blasts struck the shield just as it finished forming with a loud _BWAM!_

Kicker leaned into the blast, hoping against hope that this would work. Already the shield was beginning to waver, but he didn't even let his focus break away from the fight at hand. If he did, then it was all over.

"KICKER!" Meisha and T.J. both were worried, he knew, but he couldn't spare time to reassure them. Instead, he gritted his teeth and he drew his legs up to his body as well, preparing for the final assault.

"Time for your inevitable end, human."

The blast increased, pushing the shield to breaking point, Kicker grinned. This was what he had been expecting. He thrust his arms and legs out, breaking the shield and the blast both at the same time, leaving Madnug staring in shock.

"Looks like you made a big mistake!" he said.

"Correction: I have not."

Kicker gasped as the gravity of the situation struck home. "You mean…"

"Exactly, human. I planned on this, and you fell for it!"

He aimed his gun right at the boy and fired, but Kicker dodged. This time, Meisha's starfighter was exposed to the assault.

Like the _Energizer X_, it too was a very powerful starfighter, one that had recently been auctioned ten months before. She had bought it with her parents' consent when they had heard of it. The _Guardian X_ was one of the very few X class fighters left.

The fighter's body was pure black with a blue line running along the side and wings. The only thing that made this one different than the _Energizer X_ was the fact that it had six engines and six guns, but it packed as much power. The basic design was the same as Kicker's starfighter, and the name was also emblazoned on the side, but in pure blue.

Meisha gripped the controls for her fighter and pushed the button for the shield with one hand. The shield went up just as the blast struck.

She felt her fighter shake from the impact.

"Okay! Time to expose the secret weapon!" she murmured to herself.

She reached over with her hand and pressed a button with the image of a starfighter on it.

Instead of jolts like with Kicker, a bright light flared from the console, enveloping her and within moments, she was gone.

Kicker eyed Meisha's fighter nervously. _What was that light?_ he thought.

Wondering if Meisha had exploded a grenade in the cockpit, he drifted over, but stopped just as the craft began to change.

The wings folded back gracefully and locked into place on the back of the fighter while the cockpit folded downwards, becoming a chest. Arms unfolded from the sides and the rear unfolded into the legs of the new robot. The rudder became a pair of blades and latched onto the lower arms. The last thing to emerge was the head, a pair of bright green optics flaring into existence.

The femme smiled at them before speaking in Meisha's voice.

"Now, you'll get a taste of triple the power!"

"Meisha?"

"Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but…"

"So, it seems you too are capable of a transformation. It seems I have no choice now: I will kill all of you."

"Try it, freak!" Kicker snapped.

"I shall!"

Madnug aimed both sets of rifles at the fliers.

"NOW!"

All three split into different directions as the lasers sped through the place where they had been mere seconds before.

Kicker twisted his body in midair and fired off a blast of energy from his hand, striking the enemy's blast and canceling it out.

Meisha dodged with ease as a laser beam sped beneath her and T.J. barrel rolled, his body nothing but a green blur of speed as he brought himself into a hover.

"I missed."

"Well, because you're up against three fliers, that's why!" Kicker smirked.

"I somehow doubt that, human slime."

The next thing Kicker knew, there was a rush of air and dozens of strange mechs came out of the brush, mono eyes glowing menacingly.

"Dogas, attack!"


	9. First Battle at the TCDA: Part 2

Chapter 6

**_FWOOM!_**

The explosion echoed across the complex, alerting Sayla. Her head jerked up from her deck and she studied the column of smoke critically. She knew that type of explosion: the Energizer Blast. She slipped her deck back into its holder and she engaged her Dash, darting off towards the sight of the explosion.

The overall distance from the battle site to the TCDA was only thirty kilometers, but it seemed longer at regular human speed. However, it could be covered in ten minutes via Reploid speed, which was what she was using at that point. She needed to be able to cover the distance quickly, for she was getting a bad feeling in her gut.

"Primus, I sure hope that those three aren't engaged in battle…" she murmured.

* * *

**She was wrong. **By the time she arrived, the battle was already heating up. Kicker was engaged with a few strange fliers and T.J. was cornered by thirty of the things while Meisha was fighting a strange robot.

"Slag! That's not good!" Sayla swore. She grabbed her gun and engaged her Dash, speeding down to the battlefield.

Around her, she could see the death and destruction that indicated a hard fought battle, but the thing that stunned her most was the fact that several of the combatants had been students at the school, killed mercilessly without any emotion or remorse.

The robot glanced at her, the red glow of his optic locking onto steel green. She narrowed her eyes and spoke sharply.

"What have you done?" she snarled.

"Nothing that concerns you, human," the robot replied. The voice was almost emotionless, but she detected a faint hint of _enjoyment_ in his tone.

"You…you killed them, and you enjoyed it?"

"So? Killing is a part of my programming."

"Even so, you're going against the laws of warfare, and this will not be tolerated, especially by someone like me!" Sayla snapped.

"Heh. You humans amuse me."

"We _amuse_ you? That's a bad way to look at things!" Sayla remarked. Deep inside her trench coat pocket, the strange stone she had taken from Shintamaru began to glow, emitting a slight warmth…

"That is what I like about fighting you. Your little ideals for peace and democracy make you an amusing race, especially considering how weak you are, even in greater numbers," the robot said.

"Then you don't even know just how hard we humans fight for peace and freedom!"

"Oh? How so?"

"Like this!" Sayla yelled. She reached inside her coat and grabbed something.

"If you think a puny hand grenade can do much damage, then it seems that you cannot be a real threat to our plans."

"Puny? Hah! Fat chance of that, tin can! In fact, this is no ordinary hand grenade! It's standard Earth Federation issue, given to all military personnel at the beginning of their service!" Sayla hefted the green object, the blue symbol for an explosion etched on the casing.

"How can you be certain that—"

Before he could get any farther, she gripped it and had pulled the pin right out. She drew back her arm like she was about to throw a fastball, and chucked it right at him.

Her aim was dead on and it exploded on impact, creating a bright blue explosion of light and sound. The explosion faded into a cloud of bright blue smoke, forcing him to cough.

"You…*hack*…fool…*hack**hack*! This…*hack* is just…*hack*…beginning!"

The robot lunged through the cloud of smoke towards Sayla, but she dodged to the side using her speed.

She stopped and turned, studying him. She could see that the grenade had done a good bit of damage to his armor, but not as much as she had hoped. Soot spots covered his armor and one of his arms was damaged, sparks flying out of the useless limb. His V-fin was also coated in soot, but not as much as his armor. The strange thing was that it looked like his armor was about to fall off.

_NOW!_ Sayla thought.

She ignited her sword, the blade coming out from the slot on her arm.

She prepared to engage her Dash, but the robot was already aiming one of his cannons at her.

"Slag! That's not good!"

"You will die, human, and I will make sure of it!"

The end of the gun began to glow with pure purple electricity, charging in a bright purple orb.

Sayla clenched her fist.

The gun charged up to maximum power and fired in a massive blast of energy, the beam streaking towards her in a lance of energy and heat, or rather…

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Sayla yelled. She clenched her fist and engaged her Dash, speeding ahead of the oncoming beam. She had to stop it, but since she didn't have any attacks, she was useless.

_No! I have to stop that beam somehow, and I will, even if it costs me my own life!_ The thought was enough to spur her to an even faster speed. This time, instead of just a green trail, she seemed to vanish right in front of his eye.

"What? Where did she go?"

"GET DOWN!"

The yell echoed across the battlefield, startling the injured student.

"Gah!"

"NO!"

She sped towards the student and stopped in front of him. The beam came head on, but she didn't budge. Instead, she growled and raised her sword up to chest level.

"Let's see how you like a new kind of attack!" she snarled.

The blade began to glow with a new kind of energy, eerily similar to that of an aura's energy.

The robot sneered.

"Nice try, human, but it will not save you," he said.

"I don't care! If you're gonna harm an innocent student, then by Primus you're going down!" Sayla snapped.

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Oh, I will, scumbag!"

Sayla's sword began to glow even brighter, the power coursing along it visibly now.

"TAKE THIS!"

The robot's eye widened in shock and horror.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE! FIRE!!"

The slash created a bright blue energy wave in the shape of a crescent shockwave, but coursing with even more power.

"NO!" the Gundam cried.

"Oh, yeah!" Meisha cheered.

"AWESOME, SAYLA!" Kicker yelled in excitement.

"Whoa!" T.J.'s optics widened at the sight of the new attack.

The energy wave sped right at Madnug, and his hidden eyes shrank in terror.

**_BWAM!_**

The wave cut right through the incoming beam and slashed right down the length towards Madnug's guns. The explosion that was created was enough to blow his armor right off.

"NO WAY!" all four kids yelled.

The smoke cleared to reveal a new Gundam, this time, the complete opposite of Captain Gundam himself!

"You have got to be kidding me!" Meisha blurted.

"Is that Captain?" Kicker gasped.

"This can't be right!" T.J. murmured.

"No slaggin' way! You're not Captain!" Sayla hissed.

"You are correct. I am his younger brother," Madnug said.

"WHAT?!" The fingers of disbelief worked their way into the minds of all four fighters assembled there.

"Yes."

"…" They stood there, silent and stunned at this information. Sayla gritted her teeth as she considered the possibility that it could be true.

"You seemed surprised, human," Madnug sneered.

"That's not true!" Kicker snapped.

"Actually, it is."

"…"

"Sayla? You okay?" T.J. inquired.

"No. I'm not, T.J.," she said. "You know how sometimes things aren't always what they seem to be?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Well, I have a feeling like he's hiding something," Sayla hissed.

"Who? Captain or Madnug?"

"Captain. He's not telling us something. And I have a feeling it concerns Madnug."

"You are correct, human," Madnug purred.

"So what if you're Captain's brother?! He's not like you at all!" Kicker snapped.

"Yeah! So I suggest you beat it before we all open fire on you!" Meisha snarled.

"And we mean it!" T.J. added.

"Hah! Just try me, humans!" Madnug cried.

"We will!" T.J. hissed.

"I'd like to see that!" the dark Gundam sneered.

With that last remark, Madnug's fists began to glow with an eerie purple light, one that Sayla detected as being a menacing power.

"No way!"

"Yes, human! DIE!"

Madnug's tone was absolutely bloodthirsty as he lunged at Kicker, but the boy was faster, having been in many fights during the Federation-Decepticon war.

"Nice try, freak!" he laughed.

"I was not aiming for you," he purred.

Kicker's optics widened as the enemy's hands latched around the throat of the injured student.

"NO!" he snarled.

He called up his laser rifle from subspace. The weapon materialized in his hand and he fired it, the beam lancing right towards Madnug's body.

The evil Gundam grinned menacingly, if such a thing were possible.

He fired his jetpack and took to the skies, aiming a pair of wrist gauntlets right at Kicker.

Kicker threw up his shield right at the last instant, the bullets ricocheting off in all directions, striking the ground, the uprooted trees, dead bodies, and streaking off into the sky.

"That the best you have?" Kicker smirked.

"Not quite."

"GA-AH!"

Kicker felt his spark stop right then and there.

Yet another student had been killed at the hands of the Dark Axis.

"No…"

"Pathetic. You tried to fight me and defend the human, but you failed in even that mission. You are nothing. I do not see how you could have defeated our strongest fighters, the three Lords of the Dark Axis, Gunlock Gouf, Demon Dom, and Zeta Zaku," Madnug said, looking at his hands indifferently.

"Oh, now you're gonna get it!" Kicker snarled. "No one kills a student like that and gets away with it!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes!"

Kicker could feel his systems pulsing with power as he clenched his fists.

"Heh. Just try me."

"YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Kicker screamed.

Madnug simply gripped his own weapon and brought it about to bear on Kicker's incoming form. Before he could pull the trigger however, Kicker had put his rifle back in subspace and curled his hands around Madnug's arms, gripping them tightly.

The evil Gundam was caught by surprise as he opened fire with his head-mounted guns, but the bullets didn't even faze Kicker. Instead, they seemed to only make him even more angry. The opened armor seemed to be healing right before his eyes.

"What? No one can recover from my bullets automatically!" Madnug gasped.

"That's because my starfighter has an automatic self regeneration system! Whatever damage you do to me automatically gets fixed!" Kicker hissed.

"Impossible! Only musha Gundams from Ark have that kind of capacity! No other machines can!"

"Well, you're about to find out the hard way!" Kicker purred.

He gripped Madnug's arms tighter and pulled as hard as he could.

His human instincts had taken over, doubling his fury and hatred at the killing of a helpless being, amplifying his power to even greater levels. Madnug, however, had no time to consider this angle, for his arms were literally being pulled off from his body. He could feel the wires snapping and the circuits cracking under the pressure and the gundanium metal was giving way. With a loud screeching and tearing of metal, Madnug's arms were torn right off, exposing only sparking wires and fried circuits.

"A-HA!"

Madnug collapsed to the ground in agony. He could feel the pain lancing up and down his body, overcoming his senses and forcing him into stasis lock. The last thing he managed to do before he blacked out was rasp out an order over the comm to the Dogas.

"Attack them…"

His eyes went dark as his body went limp.

Kicker dropped the arms to the ground and glanced around, optics searching for new victims as if he were a Cybertronian whistle snake looking for fresh prey.

His gaze locked onto the leader of the Doga commandos, Doga Grey.

"You're next!" he hissed.

The Doga simply waved his hand and three others, one blue, one yellow, and one purple, flitted over.

"Okay, brothers. Here is the plan. Blue, you attack from the sides, Purple, you go from below. Yellow, you attack from the bottom, and I will attack from the top. Is that clear?"

All three of his brothers nodded.

"Let us end this ridiculous battle!"

"YEAH! FOR THE DARK AXIS! VICTORY IS OURS!"

The four Dogas split up and began their attack runs on Kicker. He merely grinned, a savage, yet humane look in his optics.

"You think that's the best tactic you can pull on me? Well, then you're wrong. No tactics can work on me!" he yelled.

His fists clenched tightly and energon tears began to stream down his face.

"YOU'RE FINISHED!"

Meisha and T.J. instantly knew what was about to happen.

"Sayla! Hit the deck as soon as we tell you to!" T.J. said.

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me!"

Sayla merely nodded.

"Dogas! Fire at will!"

"Sir!"

The forces of the Doga commandos opened fire without hesitation. The bullets streaked at Kicker, striking him, but, strangely, they were bouncing _off_ the armor of the _Energizer X_'s robot mode.

"YAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Kicker fired his engines and charged right into the fray, his hands glowing with the power of the _Energizer X_. The Dogas that opened fire barely had time to dodge to the side as Kicker opened fire with twin beams of energy from his hands. The boy spun in midair, dodging a missile before firing off a burst of energy and canceling out a missile with one of his own.

Doga Purple sped right at him, but he gripped the Doga by his wings and tore them clean off, flinging them away into the distance, causing the Doga commando to crash into the ground with a loud thud.

Blue flew at him from the left, hoping to catch him off guard, but it was not to be. Kicker spun to the left and a ball of pure energy began to glow around his hand before launching a massive beam of pure blue-gold light, striking the Doga through the eye and blowing the body to bits.

Grey dove down from the top, but Kicker aimed skyward and yelled out as his hands glowed even brighter, shooting twin beams up and blowing the Doga into pieces.

Yellow, however, managed to get in a hit as he rocketed up, striking Kicker beneath the jaw, sending him flipping head over heels before he righted himself.

Snarling, he wiped some energon away from his mouth.

"That's it! No more holding back!"

His body began to glow with pure golden energy and Meisha glanced at Sayla.

"NOW! HIT THE DECKS!"

Both Meisha and T.J. hit the ground, covering their heads with their hands. Sayla didn't need to be told twice. She dove down onto the ground, covering her head with her own hands. Her gun, since it was heavily armored, protected the remainder of her body from the brunt of explosive power.

"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kicker's entire body began to glow before the energy exploded outward in a huge burst of power and energy. It created a massive shockwave, blowing enemies back into one another, rustling the leaves and forcing several more trees up from their roots. Explosions dotted the battlefield as the damaged Dogas blew up and leaving no remains save for a few broken bodies still online.

"That is what I meant," Kicker said, his optics dimming.

He collapsed right out of the air, falling to the ground and crashing with a loud thud.

* * *

**A soft feeling** enveloped his battered and exhausted body, almost like something was holding him. It felt warm.

Feeling came back to him as his optics came online. At first, his vision was fuzzy, but then became clearer. All he could see was a red fluid.

He could now feel wires lacing into certain points on his body, feeding energon into his fuel lines, keeping him alive. He glanced around, and he began to make out shapes beyond the fluid, almost like they were beyond glass.

Glass, just like that in an energon tank.

A beep signaled and a voice came on over the comm system.

"_Well, glad to see you're back among the living, kid, especially considering how you used the power of the Energizer Matrix and your starfighter both!_" the voice of Ratchet said.

Kicker managed a weak grin at the medic.

"You don't…know how…happy I am…to hear _you_, Ratch!" he rasped.

A face became visible beyond the tank's glass. Ratchet's face. He frowned at Kicker.

"_Take it easy or else I'll disable your motor servos!_" Ratchet snapped.

Kicker grinned and nodded.

"I will. You can count on that."

"_Now stay still until the energon does its job!_"

"I will."

Kicker relaxed his body and closed his optics, letting the warmth of the fluid ease his battered body.

His mind was full of thoughts concerning the battle that had occurred a while ago. Why had that Gundam attacked them, and why did he look like Captain? Why had he even come? What was going on?

He opened his optics and a slight shudder went through his body, wracking him with pain briefly.

He wondered why the Dark Axis was hooked on the Federation. What did they have that they didn't? Was it their might, their money, or something more?

A beep signaled three times, alerting the medic.

Ratchet approached and peered at him through the glass.

"_Okay, Kicker. Looks like the energon did the job. Stay clear of the designated sectors and you'll be good. Oh, and don't return to human form for the next few hours, or else you'll have to get repaired at the infirmary, is that clear?_" he asked.

Kicker nodded.

"_Good. You're clear._"

The energon began to drain from the tank in a swirling motion. The wires detached from his fuel lines and the system healed up the entry points in a few brief seconds.

Kicker placed his feet on the bottom of the tank and stretched his aching joints as the tank opened. He shook his head, flinging off a bit of residual energon.

Ratchet stepped up to him and looked at him critically.

The medical officer for the Autobots was pretty much the same, except for his new Hummer alt mode. He still had the red crest on his forehead, the same blue optics, the same Red Cross on his shoulders, and the same red and white color scheme on him.

"Okay. You're clear to leave the med bay. Just stay clear of the crazy engineer and _the sector_ and you're good."

Kicker nodded at him.

"I understand."

"Good. Now get outta here before I change my mind!"

Kicker hightailed it out of there in less than three minutes flat.

Ratchet grinned and nodded before turning to the Autobot lying on the table before him.


	10. World War II Renewed!

Chapter 7

The sun's rays struck the windows of the main building, making them glint like Diana's arrows under the starlight. The building itself wasn't anything really impressive; what was impressive was the degree of labor that went into it. Having been built right after contact had been made, the main building, or Earth Command, as it was known, was nothing short of a modern day miracle. The one-hundred-ten story building rivaled the former World Trade Center in New York in size, but in pure design and architecture, Earth Command was the best.

It resembled a modern office building to some degree, but the one thing that made it different was the big Federation sigil on the upper stories. Twelve antenna stuck up from the roof, one for radar, one for communications, three for relaying information back and forth between the Federation worlds, five for outpost communications, and two for control of the many satellites that were stationed around the worlds and Earth. A main radar dish was positioned right in the center of these antenna and a lone cannon stood in front of the antenna and radar dish.

The main lobby was on the very first floor, along with a backup infirmary in case the hospital was full of injured beings. A reception desk was located right near the elevators and stairwells along with the registration department.

On the next thirty-four floors were offices and residences for the top military officers and leading senators and representatives of the Federation Congress. The next fifty floors were devoted to military operations and maintenance, along with the top intelligence teams in the organization. The remaining twenty-four floors were dedicated to the press officers and the interior departments.

The last floor was the office of the most powerful person in the Federation: President Heather Jen Warren. In this very office a meeting was taking place.

The President, the famous former senator Heather Jen Warren of Earth, was a slim woman with a very muscular body for a female. She had tan skin, like all Earthers, brown hair, and green eyes that reflected with compassion and caring for her fellow humans and organizational members. An experienced politician herself, having been on the Senate for many years, she knew what laws needed to be passed and when. Also a great military commander, having been in charge of a small unit briefly before the war with the Decepticons came along, she also knew when the soldiers in the military needed to withdraw and gather their strength. She also knew when to strike and leave the enemy open to an attack.

Seto Kaiba was a man of about twenty with a mess of brown hair and piercing steel-green eyes. He wore a white cape over a black body suit with straps on the sleeves. He had tan skin and had a lanky, sort of skinny build. A brown tail was curled around his waist.

In contrast to Seto's height, his little brother Mokuba was short and was only about ten. He had messy black hair that came down to the middle of his back and he had deep purple eyes. He wore a green-striped shirt with a tan vest over it. Like his brother, he too had a tail curled about his waist.

Ciel was a female human of about thirty-five with long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She had pretty blue eyes and tan skin. She wore a pink visor on her head, which matched her pink shirt and skirt she wore over her black body suit. White gloves and boots completed her outfit.

In contrast, Zero was actually a Reploid, a highly advanced humanoid robot developed by Orcan humans. He wore a red chest plate, red boots, red gauntlets, and a red helmet. His eyes were pure gray and he had long orange hair too tied back. In his hand he held the hilt of his sword, the Z-Saber.

Famous, the leader of Netopia, had brown hair that suck up in many directions. Like his fellow leaders, he had tan skin, but not as much. Sunglasses covered his eyes and he wore a red shirt under a white jacket. Clipped to his belt was a small device.

Mimi was a pretty girl of about fourteen and had dark hazel eyes. She had black hair that came down to her shoulders and she wore a green dress-like shirt, but under that, she wore blue jeans. She had a petite build, but she could throw a powerful punch.

Sandra wore a green body suit with black gloves with a whit edge on them, same with the boots. On her left arm was a laser sword's hilt, literally. Strapped to her belt were three grenades, and she carried around a laser pistol, just in case. Her hair was brown and she had piercing blue eyes.

Optimus stood out the most among the leaders. A towering mechanical being from Cybertron, he had blue flames on his red body. Kind blue optics stood out from his calm, silvery face. Like all the others, he carried a weapon, a big Energon blade.

Override, a female Transformer, also was from a mechanical world. She had kind green optics, a white face, and red flames on her lower legs. She could turn into a speedy racecar, which made her one of the fastest beings in the organization.

Scourge, like Override and Optimus, was a Transformer, but one that could turn into a dragon. His optics were green and his face a deep purple color. The dragon's head served as his chest while the rest of his alt mode served as other parts of his robot mode.

President O'hari was a male humanoid being of about forty-five Earth years with blue-bug-like eyes and tannish-green skin. He wore a standard jumpsuit, like all the others, but his was pure black with deep red lines on the sides and a dark blue triangle on his chest. A laser rifle was slung over his shoulder.

Cassie was a young woman of about 1200 Earth years with blue eyes and several green triangles on her face, darkened by the purple visor she wore. Her build was slightly lanky, but muscular too. Her body suit was purple with green gloves and boots with blue edges. On her back was a jetpack and a transmitter was strapped onto her left arm.

Shie-rae was not much different from the others in build, but she stood out as well, considering how she had brown fur on her body. She wore a brown-green jumpsuit and her eyes were green. Claws stuck out from her fingertips and a lion's tail swished behind her.

Steven looked like any normal Earther, with tan skin, a pair of steel-gray eyes and matching hair, clothed in a blue-gray two piece suit. The one thing that made him stand out though were the six red and white balls attached to his belt.

Tyre, the new head of Tycho Colony, was not much older than Seto, but he had bright red hair with green tips and hazel eyes that seemed to pierce through anything he stared at. His skin was tanned, and he looked like a professional soldier from the Second World War. His jumpsuit stretched tightly over his body and a twelve-millimeter laser rifle was slung over his own shoulders.

Helena was just like Tyre in age, but her body suggested otherwise. A woman of a tall height, she worked out quite a bit and it showed in the way her uniform was stretched over her tall frame. She had green eyes and like everyone else, tannish skin. Her hair was red with black tips and she never hesitated to withdraw her colony members from the harsh Martian environment when a bad storm was brewing.

"The meeting will now begin." She eyed her fellow leaders.

For a moment no one was sure of what to say, that is until Ciel spoke.

"So, what's the big idea? I mean, why attack us?" Ciel asked.

"I'm not sure, Ciel. All we know is that they have been launching attacks on us for some obscure reason," President Warren said.

"Any theories as to why?" Seto asked.

"…"

No one answered.

"I might have something," a voice said.

The assembled leaders whirled around and their gazes locked onto a form hidden in the shadows.

"Who are you?" asked Tyre.

"My name isn't that important. I have some data that may help you, however."

"How can we be certain that we can trust you?" Famous asked, his hand going for the device on his belt.

"Does this prove it?" the form asked, raising a hand with a data chip held between two fingers.

"We will need more proof than that!" Sandra muttered.

"Then this may be of some help," the form said, tossing something out of the shadows.

The thing landed on the floor in front of them with a loud crash, bound up and squirming in the light from the two-seventy-degree windows.

"Zako!" it squeaked.

"What is that thing?!" Cassie exclaimed.

"That is a Zako soldier, the main forces for their army. They may be weak individually, but when in large numbers, they can be a real threat, not to mention that one of them is actually very intelligent and serves as the main general for the Zako forces. His name is Zako Red, and he's a lethal opponent. He never lets anyone leave without a wound from him, if ever. No one has escaped his clutches. It was only thanks to Shute's efforts that one fight against Sazabi that he was able to free his friend from the clutches of the Dark Axis."

"What?"

"It's true. Not to mention that the Dark Axis is after one of the students at that school of yours, the TCDA, am I right?"

The stunned leaders nodded.

"Take this data chip and view it. You'll be surprised as to the information that I've put together for you."

The form tossed them the data chip before fading into the shadows.

President Warren thought she caught a glimpse of a tattered brown cloak before it was gone. It was so fleeting she thought she was imagining it.

"You okay?" Ciel asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Huh? Yeah. I'm fine."

"Good. Because something tells me that we need to view this data and now," O'hari said.

"Way ahead of you there, O'hari," Helena said. She took the chip from the floor and walked over to the terminal and inserted it.

When the screen came up with the data, the leaders eyed one another in shock and horror. What they learned went against everything they believed in, and it was about to put their power and their beliefs to the limits, and beyond!

"Oh, Primus!" Tyre yelped.

"Slaggit. That's wrong!" Helena murmured.

"No way!" Sandra blurted.

"Those glitches!" Seto roared.

"Not even we do that kind of stuff!" O'hari snapped.

"They have no honor!" Shie-rae hissed.

"Just how can they be that cruel?" Mimi cried.

"No one does that! No one!" Steven snarled.

"That is just sick!" Cassie whispered hoarsely.

"Wow…" Override's voice trailed off.

"Primus help those beings." Optimus murmured.

"…" Scourge was as silent as ever, but his optics were full of the rage that he didn't show in his expressions.

"No…" Ciel placed both hands over her mouth as tears pricked at her eyes.

"Those slaggers!" Zero growled.

"That's going against the laws of warfare!" Famous exclaimed.

"Seto, how can we stop that?" Mokuba asked his older brother. Seto just shook his head sadly. There was nothing any of them could do at the moment.

"…No way…" President Warren breathed.

The leaders were stunned, horrified, and disgusted at the pure savagery of the Dark Axis against organics when in their home dimension, and they began to understand the horrors of what they were up against. They were no longer up against a band of dimensional invaders, but a new breed of enemies, a new breed that threatened all organic life and beyond. Their eyes widened in horror and understanding as the realization of a new kind of enemy, one that even defied the gods, came home: the realization of a new kind of horror, a new kind of enemy, and a whole new war, one that if they lost, meant the end of all life as they knew it, a war that was a battle for the very fate of the universe itself.

The most important thing, however, was the realization that they were in on this, not as a partner, but as a foe, a new enemy, and that they were now the only thing that stood in the way of the Dark Axis' plans and their conquests. They were now thrust into a position they weren't sure they could cope with, a position of leadership, influence, and hope. They were now the only ones who stood a chance, and who couldn't fail, for they were the ones to win, and they knew it.

"Primus…" Optimus looked like he was ready to cry at the images that flashed across the screen. They were just too horrible, even for him. He, a battle-hardened veteran of many wars, was about to cry, and he couldn't keep it in. A single energon tear slipped down his face.

Override held her hands to her mouth in shock and horror. "What is this?"

"This, Override, is the horror that went on during World War Two, the worst war in the history of humankind."

The leaders turned to face President Warren.

"World War Two?" Seto asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes. The war that ended the laws of warfare and began a new era of fighting. The world had split into two forces that day: the Allied Powers, and the Axis Powers, similar to the Dark Axis, but not like them exactly. They had the same philosophy in many ways, but…" President Warren's voice trailed off.

"But not like this?" Seto asked, motioning at the gruesome images on the screen.

"Yeah. World War Two Axis prisoners were treated like animals, put into cattle cars and shipped to concentration camps where they were sorted by gender, age, and health. They were treated horribly, and they did many terrible acts that today seem outrageous and inhumane. They worked prisoners of war to death, burned the bodies, and gassed them in pretty much the manner that they would with animals. Many didn't survive," President Warren explained. "A girl named Anne Frank kept a diary while in hiding and during that time, she wrote and spoke about the good within us all, but some of her statements were incorrect: Hitler, the German leader, was pure evil. He wanted nothing but to rule a new empire, something he dreamed of accomplishing. He got very far, but with Russia and Britain, he failed."

"I take it there were also other negatives?" Cassie asked, her voice soft.

"Yes. The concentration camps, along with the senseless murder of over 12 million people, each one killed for no reason. Six million of them were Jews, who were considered inferior when compared to the "pure" race. They were stripped of all legal rights, and treated as just pieces of slag. The worst part was that 1.5 million of those killed were children. Innocent human beings, just going along with their lives, then shipped to camps to be killed…" President Warren's shoulders shook as tears streamed down her face.

"That's horrible!" Ciel murmured.

"It gets worse. The whole world didn't even know about these atrocities until the end of the war, when the Allies came to liberate the camps. What they saw sickened and outraged the whole civilized world, along with third world countries. Humans treated as animals, given little food and water, overworked, the dead burned and cremated in huge ovens, and given little or no pleasure. There were bodies that were rotting, skulls, skeletons, and articles of clothing from the prisoners. The gas chambers were the worst part. Selected and sorted to be gassed... That was going too far. Nazi leaders were put on trial, and… they were given death penalties. Well, most of them, anyway. Even the Soviets had committed acts of war, but they had been a valuable ally during the war, so the Allies forgot about that and didn't mention it in the trials," President Warren said.

"Gosh…I never knew…" Steven's face was pale, even in the light from the sun.

"How did the Allies win?" asked Sandra.

"We won after Hitler committed suicide in an underground bunker. Well, the war in Europe, anyway, but the Japanese still continued to fight. We defeated them using the atomic bomb. That alone cost thousands of lives. Twice it was used, and twice the destruction," the President murmured, concluding the tale.

"Man. And I thought I had seen worse," O'hari said, his eyes widened in shock and amazement.

"Is that all?" Famous asked, his voice grave.

"No. There were many other things that took place during the war, but the main thing was that the United States, the leading nation during the war, had become a superpower, and had led the allies to victory during a hard war," the Federation leader said.

"What about the Axis Powers?" Steven inquired.

"One other member was Italy, but Mussolini, the leader, was killed in an escape he tried. Italy then declared war on Germany and aided the allies," she said.

"So, like a traitor to their own ally!" Steven said.

"Yes."

"How…how many were actually killed?" Mimi asked softly.

"The real number may never be known, but what we know is that over twelve million people were killed."

"Killing children…That's sick!" Scourge spat.

"Yes."

They turned back to the images on the screen.

"So, it seems like World War Two has begun again, but this time, on a whole new scale," Seto said.

"Yes. And this time, by Primus, we're going to do something about it!" President Warren hissed.

"How are we going to change this?" Tyre asked.

"We're going to get as much information as we can, along with liberating those camps. As of right now, we're in a state of war with the Dark Axis."

"So, how many forces do you think they have?" Helena asked.

"A rough estimate would be about over twenty _h'yra_ troops. That's way more than even the Decepticons could muster," Zero said.

"Over twenty thousand trillion forces…"

"Yes."

"Primus…We'll need an army of even greater proportions," Sandra murmured.

"No."

"Huh?"

This last statement had come from Famous.

"We don't need an army of even greater numbers. Instead, what we need is someone who can help us."

"But, who can we find on such short notice?" Ciel asked.

"Not who, but what."

"I don't understand, Famous. What are you getting at?" Seto demanded.

"This. Remember what's been going on with the _Destiny-Star Drive_?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I did some scans and I found something truly amazing."

"What?"

Now everyone had their curiosity piqued.

"I discovered that Anderson is still alive, but not as a human anymore. Somehow, he's become the vessel itself. He's been crying for release from its systems. That's why we've been being attacked by it. He just wants to be free."

"So, what you're saying is that he's still alive, but he just needs to be freed?" Seto asked.

Famous nodded.

Override looked at the others before turning to Famous. "How can we release him?"

He grinned. "Like this."

He outlined his plan.

"That's how we're gonna free him."

"So, by using the Omega Lock and Cyber Keys, we can release him?" Override asked.

"Yep. It's as simple as that."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy, Famous. We don't even know what powers the vessel. For all we know, it could have a black hole for an energy source, or something totally unknown to any of us," Ciel said.

"That may be true, but we need to figure out how to free him in order to win this war," Famous said.

"He's right. So let's find out what powers the ship and then we can figure out what to do from there," President Warren said,

"Okay!" the other leaders said.

With that, they shut down the screen and the meeting was adjourned.

* * *

**Captain was allowed **to leave the infirmary a few hours later, the energon plates having done their job. He wandered across the TCDA campus, looking for his best friend.

Instead, Sayla was waiting for him when he stepped into view of the main school building.

"Well, looks like you're up and about," she said, a hint of menace in her voice.

"Yes. I was released much earlier than Cerverau had predicted."

"Good. Because I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What?" Captain cocked his head.

"Ever hear of a Gundam called Madnug?" Sayla asked.

Captain felt his Soul-Drive seize up. It couldn't be true! Madnug was dead! "Are you serious?" he murmured.

"Yes. I am. He said that he was your little brother. Is that true?" Sayla snarled, stepping closer.

Captain just nodded in response, speechless.

"Thought so. You're not against them. In fact, because of that revelation, this proves to me that you are indeed working with the Dark Axis!" she snapped, pointing a finger right at him.

"What? No! I'm not!" Captain protested.

"Liar! And to think that you were getting me to trust you! Well, you're not going to do that again!" Sayla snapped. Her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Please just listen. It's all a misunderstanding!" Captain cried.

"Nothing you say can change that, you scrap heap!" Sayla hissed.

"Scrap heap?" Captain couldn't believe his own audio receptors. He had just been called a scrap heap! And by a human! "I am not a scrap heap!"

"Yes you are, if you're allied with the Dark Axis! You're nothing but a bunch of slag if you think you can lie to the Federation and the others!" Sayla said, a sneer forming on her face.

"But…"

"I told you nothing you say can change that!" Sayla hissed, suddenly becoming hostile again.

"Listen! I am _not_ with the Dark Axis!" Captain cried. He was hoping that his words would somehow convince her, when in reality they were having no effect on her.

"Yes you are! If you think you can try to get me to fall for that, it's not going to work. You tried and lost. You fight them in a convincing act without any concern for your so-called friends!" she growled.

"What?"

"You heard me right! You're nothing but a cold, uncaring, emotionless, thoughtless machine!" Sayla cried.

Those last few words struck home. Captain felt tears coming to his eyes. _Cold, uncaring, emotionless, thoughtless machine._ He didn't even try to wipe them away.

"In fact, I'd say that Shute would be better off without you, and you know it as well as I do!" Sayla said, standing up straight.

With that last remark, she turned and walked off, her coat billowing out behind her.

Captain just stood there, his eyes full of hurt, and regret. He slumped down, glancing down at his own hands. It was then that he decided to do it. He glanced up, tears streaming down his face.

"If that's the way they feel, then I don't deserve to live," he murmured.


	11. Tensions

Chapter 8

The clouds drifted over the complex, their contents ready to come pouring down in sheets. A low rumble of thunder echoed before lightning flashed and the sky was torn open, rain coming down in a wall of water as if the heavens themselves were angry. The lightning flashed a second time, illuminating the complex in a brief flash. In that flash, one could see the residents trying to take shelter in the buildings and those in hovercars smiling, making remarks about how some were less fortunate than they, and the rain streaming off the windows in sheets of running water.

The light faded, throwing the complex into darkness. A third flash and the complex of the TCDA was revealed, a lone figure stood on top of the building that housed the school.

Captain glanced up at the falling rain. For some reason, it matched what he was feeling right then: depressed, upset, and…hopeless. There was no reason for him to continue to live, especially if that was the way she saw him.

He looked down at his own hands before he lifted his gaze.

"I don't deserve to live," he murmured. "So I must do what is right."

He gripped a small laser dagger he had stolen from Syrus's room and held it up. He felt hotness behind his eyes as tears surfaced. He wiped his eyes and lifted the dagger. He had removed his wrist armor, exposing the soft metal synthflesh underneath. He hesitated, as if wanting to change his mind, but he didn't.

A glint of blue, then a spurt of mech fluid. He had slashed his own wrists.

Dropping the dagger, he held up a pistol next. He gripped it, feeling no remorse for his actions. Yet, his Soul-Drive was telling him otherwise.

He turned it so that way the barrel was aimed right at the compartment. He held it tightly, and pulled the trigger just as the lightning flashed again.

* * *

**Shute's head shot** up as he heard the faint burst of energy that signaled a laser had been fired.

"What was that?" he asked.

Sayla glanced up without even a hint of emotion. "That was nothing, Shute."

Shute clenched his fists. "No. That wasn't 'nothing', and…Captain hasn't shown up for dinner. Something's wrong!"

He turned and ran up the stairwell closest to the lobby. He could feel something was up with his friend, but as to what, that was a mystery. He ran up the steps, his heart pounding from the intense burst of energy generated by the adrenalin coursing through his veins. His lungs heaved as he took in oxygen to keep his body going.

_Captain…What have you gotten yourself into?_ Shute thought.

By the time he had gotten to the top, Sayla was there.

Dumbstruck, he stared at her.

She merely smiled.

"Dash," she said simply.

Shute nodded. Then, he opened up the door just in time to see his best friend with a gaping hole in his chest, and a pair of gashes in his metal synthflesh.

"CAPTAIN!" Shute yelled out his best friend's name and ran out into the pouring rain, getting soaked through to the bone instantly. He shook his head, throwing his wet hair out of his face and his eyes. He stared in shock as Captain merely glanced at him, sadness in his eyes.

"Thanks for everything, Shute. I'll never forget you, but don't remember me."

"What are you talking about?!" Shute blurted, his eyes full of emotion as the Gundam hung his head.

"I'm not cut out to be a Defender. Madnug is my brother, and no matter how hard I try, I can't defeat him; even if I shoot him through the Soul-Drive, he just comes back. Shute, I can't stop the Dark Axis, even if I could," Captain murmured sadly.

"I don't understand!" Shute cried. Questions flooded his mind. How could Gerbera be back? And how come? Why did he return, and how did he? What was the purpose? It just didn't make sense to him.

"Shute, I wanted to say thanks, and…" Now Shute could see his friend's shoulders shaking as he struggled to keep his emotions inside.

"I'll never forget you."

Shute stared in speechless horror as his best friend collapsed right on the spot, eyes going dark, his mech fluid mixing with the water on the roof.

"Captain…"

A sudden burst of anger filled Shute and he spun, glaring at Sayla. "What did you do?" he snarled.

"Nothing that I don't regret. In fact, you should be thanking me. He was with the Dark Axis, and you know it."

"No, he wasn't!" Shute blurted.

Enraged, Shute charged at Sayla, his hand clenched into a fist. "You will regret what you did!" he yelled. He punched, but Sayla gripped his wrist in a bone-crunching grip. Shute hissed in pain, but he didn't let up on his attack. He brought up his foot, catching her off guard, but she reacted swiftly, planting both feet on the ground and blocking with her other hand. Shute lashed out with a second punch, catching her on the jaw.

The blow didn't do much, but it did surprise her, forcing her to let him go. Shute scrambled to his feet, fists clenched.

"You think you can take me on?" she purred.

Shute just growled.

"He wasn't with them! And he was my best friend!" he hissed.

She stood up straight, but didn't shift her gaze away.

"He deserved it." With that, she left, leaving Shute on the roof, staring at the body of his best friend.

"Captain…"

A tear slipped down his face and he gritted his teeth.

"NOOOOO!"

* * *

_A few hours later_…

Shute rocked back and forth in the chair as he glanced at Captain's still form. Cerverau had removed all of the upper armor, exposing the body underneath, but since he was being worked on, all Shute could see were his feet and his head.

Cerverau wiped his hands on a rag before turning to Shute.

"Well, the diagnosis isn't good, but then again, it isn't bad either. Looks like he missed his own power source, which is impossible since it was fired point blank range, but then again, when you're firing a .55 millimeter pistol like that, the chances of missing at that close a range are greater. Anyway, he missed his power source by a good margin. But, the bad news is that by slashing his wrists, he lost quite a bit of mech fluid. The result is a fifty-fifty chance that he could either lose his life or survive."

"Fifty-fifty?" Shute asked.

"Solid," Cerverau replied.

"Solid?"

"Yeah. That means he can either live or die," the engineer explained.

"No…" Shute slumped to his knees. Was Captain...not going to make it?

"Shute, cases like these can go either way, but for the most part, beings like this wind up surviving. Only twice have we lost someone," Cerverau assured him.

"Who?" Shute asked.

"A kid named Dan and a faculty member named Kia."

"Both died?"

"Yeah. Dan died with a bullet lodged in his spine and Kia died through half of her body being blown off," Cerverau said sadly.

"Yuck!" Shute blurted.

"That's what I thought when I saw it," Cerverau said, a weak s,mile appearing on his face.

"…" Shute was silent as he looked at the still form of Captain.

"I'll also talk to Sayla. She needs to be talked to about this," Cerverau said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay."

Shute glanced at the still body of Captain as Cerverau left.

* * *

**Sayla sat in** Cerverau's office as he entered. He looked like he was ready to yell at her, but he refrained from doing so. In fact, he only closed the door and locked it.

"We need to talk."

She said nothing.

"Sayla, what you said to Captain was completely unnecessary. He wasn't with the Dark Axis, and you know it," Cerverau stated.

"No. He was. I have evidence from a battle fought with a Gundam named Madnug. In fact, he resembled Captain in several ways," the teenage commander explained.

"So? That doesn't give you the right to assume that he was with the Dark Axis!" the engineer hissed.

"Actually, it did."

Sayla spun as Cerverau glanced up. "Zane! What're you doing here?" he asked dumbly.

"I overheard the whole deal. What Sayla said was inappropriate, but she did have every right to assume that he was with the Dark Axis. But, she didn't have the right to get Captain to attempt suicide!" Zane murmured, his voice low.

"Well, maybe you could talk some sense into her," Cerverau said as he folded his arms.

"I will." Zane walked up.

"Sayla, you were too abrupt in your assumptions. You need to think things through before you make sudden assumptions like that. He may have been Captain's brother, but he was different than Captain. Captain fights to defend, not to kill. Plus, the sigils are different. And the color scheme. If you thought about it, then maybe their programming is also different," the blue-haired boy said.

"So?" Sayla cocked an eyebrow.

"They are two different beings. If you glanced at Captain more closely, then you would have seen humanity in Captain's eyes. Did Madnug have humanity in his eyes?" Zane asked her.

"No. In fact, he seemed to enjoy killing innocent students and civilians," Sayla stated.

"And did Captain do that?"

"No."

"Well, there you go. You need to ask yourself these questions. How is he different from Captain? Is he even human? What kind of sigil does he have? What are his motives? And how are they programmed?" Zane asked her seriously.

"I don't think that last one is—" She was cut off abruptly.

"That last one can be asked and answered. You have to focus on their motives. No doubt they are programmed into them in a way you can interpret."

"…" Sayla was speechless. "What have I done?"

"Looks like you did it, Zane," Cerverau muttered.

"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize to us, but to Captain. He's still barely hanging in there, so get it in before he goes."

Sayla nodded and turned to leave the office. Cerverau opened the door and she exited into the medical ward.

She glanced over at the still body, wires snaking in and out of the exposed synthflesh in an attempt to keep him alive, which was failing badly.

She could see the lines on his vitals going. She had only one chance, and after this, she would not get another.

She approached and stopped by the edge of the bed.

She sighed before she spoke.

"Captain…I…I'm sorry. I didn't deserve to call you those names. I didn't mean to call you a scrap heap, but most importantly, I didn't deserve to call you a cold, uncaring, emotionless, thoughtless machine. I didn't deserve to do that stuff to you. I guess I was wrong. If you die now, then you'll leave everyone here to suffer at the hands of the Dark Axis, especially Madnug. You'll leave everyone here to be massacred by him. Especially Shute."

With that, she turned and left, leaving the still form behind, unaware of the vitals steadily increasing to regular paces…

* * *

_The next day…_

The rain continued to pound the dome of the school, streaming off in rivers and flooding the ground in puddles. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, a loud crack filling the air before it faded. The school guns glimmered ominously in the flashes of lightning, and they hunched like beasts guarding the gate to the Pit.

Sayla sat on the top of the barracks, her gun beside her, one leg drawn up to her chest, the other hanging over the edge, one arm perched on her knee, the other draped on her lap. Thoughts of her family filled her mind. For some reason, they had stopped sending her letters, making her worried.

Now, as she sat there, she began to come up with many scenarios, but each one seemed illogical.

A slight footstep was enough to alert her to a newcomer.

"Sayla?"

She knew who it was by the voice, even if it did have a bit of a metallic edge.

"Hey, Jaden."

Jaden sat down beside her, his eyes full of worry.

"You okay?"

She nodded.

Jaden didn't even speak. Instead, he merely 'narrowed' his eyes. "Are you sure? Because I can tell something's bothering you."

She sighed. "Okay. Something's going on at home. My folks have stopped sending me letters and I can't help but fear the worst. You know how my uncle John is. He always drinks, and he insulted me, nearly attacked me, and that's when I had to get out."

Jaden suppressed a shudder with difficulty. "Oh yeah. I remember that."

"I can't help but fear for their safety."

"If you want, we could go see how they are," Jaden suggested.

"No. I don't think that's such a good idea," Sayla murmured.

"But, you're much tougher now, so he wouldn't even dare to mess with you."

"Still, I think it's a bad idea."

"So?" Jaden cocked his head.

"Jaden, I just don't think that I can go back there, even though I'm now much stronger. I don't know what's going on and I fear that Uncle John may be after me still."

"Sayla, we'll just stop by briefly, okay? We don't have to go in, but…" His voice trailed off.

Sayla sighed. "Okay. We'll just check it out."

Both got up and left the barracks.

* * *

**She wasn't expecting** to see an ambulance sitting in front of her family's ranch style home. In fact, she wasn't expecting anything like that. She and Jaden both stared in amazement as the medical teams brought out a couple of covered bodies, one of which she knew was her uncle, because he had always had a crooked arm from an accident ten years prior to his drinking problem.

"What in Primus name…?"

Jaden grabbed a nearby medical officer by the arm and spoke to her. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"Sorry, kid, this is official business," she said sharply.

Sayla glanced at the medical officer. "Please. Tell me what happened here," she said softly. "By the way, I'm Sayla Yashaki, commander of the 17th Division."

Seeing the military commander, the medical technician sighed before speaking. "Okay. An assault happened here. A homicide, which is very rare these days. Your father is still alive, but, your mother didn't survive. She was the one killed, along with her brother. He took his own life, but not before he blurted something that doesn't make any sense."

Sayla tensed. Her uncle had attacked them and her mother was dead?

"What did he say?" she asked.

"He said something about a band of dimensional conquerors attacking and gaining a massive power from something called a superior being. I don't know what the last word was for it was in ancient Orcan, a language no one can decipher," the techie replied.

"Why would he say that?" Sayla inquired.

"I'm not sure, but all he said at the end was that he was sorry for being drunk and going after your family, Sayla. He seemed to be sober before he took his own life."

"Schizophrenia, right?" Jaden asked.

"Yes."

"Anything else?" Sayla asked.

"Nothing else."

* * *

_The second day after the incident…_

Shute sat next to the bed, holding his friend's limp hand in his own. He could see the vitals on the screen monitor wavering, almost hovering between life and death. He kept his emotions under control as he watched them. They seemed to never change.

"Captain…"

He felt tears stinging his eyes as he closed them. Memories flooded his mind as he remembered the times he had had with his friend.

The first day they had met, now that had been a unique day that had changed everyone forever.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_YAAAAHHH!" Shute cried out as the BagguBaggu homed in on him, their stingers aimed right at his heart._

_The next thing he knew, he was away from the battlefield, and a strange robot was looking over him._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Shute remembered everything clearly, from the way Captain had saved him down to the final battle with Zapper, when he had sent him back to the Dark Axis' home dimension.

The most memorable time though, was when he and Captain had been together when they had been falling. Shute had felt sort of strange that day, and he still did, even right now.

"Captain…Please wake up…"

Those words reminded him of the time Sazabi had stolen his Soul-Drive, intent on using it to control Neotopian Mobile Citizens and creating an unstoppable army for the Dark Axis. That had been a very scary time for both of them, but mostly Shute.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Shute felt his heart in his throat as he gripped his friend's body. He knew that he would have to time this right, or else, it was all over._

"_GIVE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!" he yelled, his heart pounding, adrenalin flooding his veins, boosting his strength and reflexes for that ancient instinct known as fight or flight._

_Then, impact._

_He felt his friend's still body impact against Sazabi's body, forcing him away, and forcibly releasing the Soul-Drive. Shute crouched and jumped, hand outstretched for Captain's Soul-Drive._

_For an agonizing second, it seemed that he would miss it, and it would shatter, and with it, his friendship with the one Gundam he had come to trust. But then his hand closed over it, and he let out a laugh of relief and happiness, knowing that he had saved his friend's life, and possibly, his own in the process._

_He landed on the ground, his body skidding before he had gotten to his feet. He glanced back and grinned. Sazabi was going down now!_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Shute sighed as the memory faded into the mists of time. That had been really scary, but the worst part had been when he was certain Captain was going to die. He closed his eyes. He didn't even want to remember that!

He got up from the bed and left.

* * *

_Three days later…_

His eyes flickered and came online as his systems booted back up. How he survived, he didn't know, but he owed it to whatever had saved him. He opened his eyes and at first, his vision was blurry, but then it became clearer.

The face of Shute materialized, becoming clearer and more distinct. He could see that Shute's face was etched with worry, concern, and hope, and that he needed a good sleep.

"Shute…?"

His voice sounded weak and raspy, but for the most part, he could tell that he was okay.

He sat up slowly, and the covers fell off his body, revealing his upper body unarmored.

Shute felt his face flush at the sight.

Captain had a build that reminded Shute of a Marine who had worked out for years. The metal synthflesh covered synthetic muscles that rippled with every movement and he had broad shoulders. On his chest was a bandage plate, covered with actual bandages and his wrists were bandaged too. Shute didn't even know how his friend looked without his armor until now.

Those bright sapphire-blue eyes locked onto his emerald green ones and Shute felt like he was drawn into those eyes. He wanted to lose himself in those big, beautiful blue eyes…

He shook his head. There was no way he could be falling for Captain! There was just no way!

But, something told him otherwise. He approached the Gundam and sat down on the edge of the bed. Captain had his mouth-guard off, exposing his lower face.

"Captain…"

He merely nodded slowly.

"But…how…?"

"Cerverau," was the Gundam's only response.

"Captain, why did you do it?"

"I…I don't know. Something told me that I wasn't a defender and that I was…a machine. Nothing more."

"Captain, that's not true. At least to me."

For the first time, Shute saw a fleeting glimpse of something in his friend's eyes, something that reminded him of his mother, a feeling of love.

The boy's face grew hot and he looked away before glancing back at his friend, just in time to see his friend's lips curl upward in an actual, genuine, human smile. Shute couldn't believe it.

"Captain…"

The Gundam merely nodded before he gripped Shute and pulled him close.

Shute burst into tears, and the next thing he knew, he was on top of Captain's body, his warm synthflesh against his own skin. The Gundam had his arms wrapped around the boy and he was rubbing his back.

"It's okay, Shute. Everything's fine."

Shute wanted to believe it, but seeing Captain like this brought tears to his eyes.

He just buried his face in his friend's soft synthflesh before Captain pulled the boy back to face him, so close that their faces were nearly touching.

Shute felt another set of tears coming and struggled to hold them in, but one slipped out. Captain reached up and brushed it away. The boy was surprised at how gentle his friend was with him. His hands were very firm, yet they were gentle when handling him.

The human didn't know why, but he felt strange when on top of him like this.

"Shute, it's okay."

Captain brushed a strand of Shute's hair away and the boy gently touched his friend's exposed face. He was surprised to find that his face was warm rather than cold steel.

Now Shute began to understand. During that last fight with Sazabi when he had embraced Captain, he had felt strange like right now. He wondered if Captain felt the same way.

Forgetting about it, he just closed his eyes and fell asleep right then and there.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_A form flits across the sky, almost as if it is searching for something of great power. It stops and hovers briefly before darting off in the direction of a collection of lights that mark the Earth Command Center._

_It stops to a hover near the edge of the boundaries, as if testing the sensors that dot the area. A beam of light shines on it for a moment before the silent alarm is triggered. A second sensor nearly goes off, but the form darts away, hovering close to the edge of the laser defenses._

_A lone drone targets and fires, but the form flits to the side easily._

"_Heh. Is that the best they have for defenses? They are weaker than we figured, despite what those fools say," the form purrs. It has a male voice with a metallic edge and two eyes flare before fading into the cloak that hides its body from view._

_The form decides to test the next set of defenses. It flitters down to the edge of the guns and takes out a cracker bomb. It grips the bomb and lobs it near a sensitive sensor. The little device explodes in a fiery burst, releasing sparkles. The little sensor fails to register it._

"_Hmm. Now why didn't it go off?"_

_Curious, the form drifts closer, intent in solving this little mystery. But it doesn't get very far, for a black form lunges out of nowhere, tackling the figure and pulling it into a scuffle._

_Silence reigns for a few brief seconds before an intense scream is heard in the dead of night._

_An owl takes flight and flies over a small clearing, and eyes the dead form of a Gundam beneath it, unconcerned of the conflict that took place._

_It doesn't even notice the sinister claw marks that cover the Gundam's body…_


	12. Return of Commander Sazabi!

Chapter 9

The rain had diminished by the next day and in place of the clouds fog had formed, shrouding the complex in a misty screen. Visibility was reduced dramatically, ranging from three feet to only ten yards in all directions. Those who went out had enough sense to stay together, for this was the perfect setting for an ambush.

At the TCDA, such a thing was going on. A batch of Zako soldiers from the Dark Axis had actually gotten enough common sense to attempt an ambush during a foggy day, yet they still lacked enough common sense to split up, further increasing their chances of success.

"Zako!"

One of them staggered into the brush, clutching a damaged arm.

"You okay, zako?" a second asked.

Zako 1 nodded. "I'll be fine, zako."

Zako 2 peered out of the brush, eyeing the guns and snipers that were stationed around the school in defensive positions.

"Zako. Looks like we'll have to sneak by somehow, zako," the robot said.

A third Zako nodded in agreement. "But how are we going to sneak inside, zako?"

Zako 2 seemed to get a glint in its optic at this remark. "I think I might have a plan, zako. Gather round."

The other two Zakos, Zako 4 and Zako 5, came scurrying over.

"Here's the plan, zako. Two of you will sneak out and distract the guards. If possible, see if you can take out the guns."

"If possible?" Zako 5 already doubted the words of their leader.

"Yes, zako. When the guns are taken out, another one of us will sneak past the sensors, and if you can, take out anyone who comes looking into the intrusion, zako zako. The other two will go in and grab the boy and bring him back out."

"But, what if we fail to disable the guns and sensors, zako?"

Zako 2 grinned. "I have that covered, zako! If Plan A fails, we creep in underwater. They have no sensors under the water near the docks!"

"What about that battleship, though, zako?" Zako 4 asked.

"We swim under and around. When we surface, we run for the nearest batch of trees and begin Phase II, zako!" Zako 2 said, grinning widely, an evil glint in its optic. This was going to be good, and it knew it!

* * *

**Sayla sat on** the deck of the ship, her legs dangling over the edge and her eyes locked onto the horizon. Below her feet, the water lapped against the massive hull of the battleship, almost as if it were licking the ship. The great ship strained against the lines that moored her to the dock, the creaking and groaning echoing faintly.

No one, not even Sayla herself, realized that her battleship was in reality a new prototype, one capable of using Cybertronian transformation technology to turn from a battle cruiser into a fully armed and equipped aircraft carrier, loaded and ready for action. At 230 feet in length with a forty-foot beam, she was the largest battle cruiser the Federation had. Her arsenal consisted of two rotating gun batteries and a huge missile launcher on her bow, backed up by three guns on her stern and a small machine gun on the very tip of the bow. A communications antenna stuck up from the top of the bridge, which towered over the deck for a good two stories. Even though her twin-energon diesel engines put out a total of 8000 horsepower, she was specified at only twelve knots, and no more.

The noise of footsteps on the deck told her someone was on board.

"Whatcha doing?" Syrus asked.

Sayla sighed. She knew of his tendency to stick close to those who were more powerful than he was, and she was one of them.

"What are you doing here, Sy?" she asked tiredly.

"I just wanted to see what you were up to, that's all."

Sayla narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, right. I can tell you came searching for me because something's up, right?"

He fidgeted for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah. One of the snipers sent me to find you. He wanted me to tell you that they managed to wound an enemy soldier. The thing ran off, clutching its arm. He thinks that there may be more of them."

She smiled. "Good old Hunter. He never fails to amaze me."

"Hunter?"

"His nickname. His real name is Jacobson Hendricks. He gained that nickname because he always took out enemies with the precision of a hunter. No one can outmatch him, unless you happen to have a Cybertronian sniper rifle with homing capabilities," Sayla remarked.

"Wow. He's that good?" Syrus asked in awe.

"Even better. He uses only an old WWII sniper rifle, so many of the other soldiers think him to be outdated. However, he more than makes up for it with his aim. He's the best I've got under my command," Sayla said with a grin.

"Wow. I wouldn't want to mess with him."

"Tell me about it. Anyway, about that enemy. Did he spot any more?" she asked.

"Well, no, but since he said that he thinks there might be more, then that means yes," Syrus said.

She merely nodded. "Figured. He always spots them before they even make their move."

"Are you sure?" Syrus asked.

"Yeah."

For a while silence filled the air between them before Syrus spoke up again.

"Uh, Sayla?"

"Yeah?" Sayla asked.

"How come they came here again?" Syrus remarked.

"No doubt they're after Baston, but we'll stop that," Sayla assured him.

"I hope so."

"Syrus, we will. That much I can guarantee. After that, I can't promise anything else."

"Thanks, Sayla."

'No problem, Sy."

The two sat there on the deck of the ship, watching the mist for a few minutes in silence. When they spoke again, it was Sayla who broke the silence.

"Don't you have somewhere to be right now?"

"No. The training was called off due to the fog."

"Oh."

Silence reigned again. That is until…

_WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!_

"What in Primus name?"

Sayla scrambled to her feet just as a laser burst lanced out from nowhere. The beam streaked overhead, releasing searing heat down to the deck of the ship below.

"Holy! Now that's hot!" Syrus complained.

"GET DOWN!" Sayla yelled. She grabbed Syrus and pulled him down just as an explosion occurred right above him.

"YEOW!"

The two humans hit the deck of the ship, pain dancing across their impacted body parts as they rolled to a stop.

Syrus groaned in pain as he sat up before he yelped in pain, gripping a dislocated shoulder.

Sayla was already on her feet, eyes scanning for whatever had caused that laser burst.

Nothing greeted her.

It seemed the blast had come from a ghostly source. That is until…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A second laser burst tore open the foggy layers, lancing towards the school. Just before it reached beyond the guns, however, the dome generators kicked in and the shield materialized into existence. The beam closed in and impacted against the Resconian-built protection, exploding with tremendous force, buckling the dome.

"NO!" Sayla hoped to Primus that it wouldn't go down and that the beam would dissipate.

No such thing occurred. The dome held, but the beam didn't vanish. In fact, it seemed to increase, almost as if the source were getting closer.

The brush began to grow singed and scorched, almost as if flames were licking at them, reducing them to cinders. Several trees burst into flames, creating a blaze that began to creep towards the school perimeters.

Sayla watched in horror as the beam began to grow in intensity. The brightness increased and now she was forced to put one hand in front of her face just to block the intense light. Sweat poured down her exposed flesh as the heat increased.

"Slag! At this rate, things will be burnt to cinders!" she cursed.

"Uh, Sayla?"

"What is it, Syrus?"

"You might want to take a look at what is firing that laser!" Syrus whimpered.

Sayla growled to herself as her gaze shifted towards the brush, which, despite being scorched, was moving and parting. Now she could see two hands aimed right at the school, each producing what she guessed to be over 10000 watts of laser energy. She gasped as she recognized the beam configuration as being that of the EMX 18 Laser Assault Cannon, the one cannon capable of destroying any defense and burning things to cinders within a fifty mile radius.

"SLAG NO!" she yelled.

The figure began to emerge entirely from the brush and her eyes widened in shock and horror.

A being she had never seen before had emerged from the brush. The single optical lens was the trademark of the Dark Axis, so she instantly knew him to be a part of them. His body, however, was different entirely. He had what appeared to be two "wings" on his back and around his body were clustered laser blasters. He lacked a mouth-guard; instead, a black line on his face flashed purple when he spoke. Laser rifles on his arms and shoulders were cleverly disguised as parts of his armor. His entire body was blood-red with hints of gold across his armor. The last thing that made him stand out was the glowing light around his chest. It was a bright purple and it flashed with electricity.

"Who is that?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Run, humans, run! Soon, you won't be able to protect him and we, the Dark Axis, shall claim victory after all these years of failure!" the being shouted gleefully.

Now screams of both students and faculty reached the ears of both on the vessel.

"NO!" Sayla snapped. She engaged her Dash and sped down the length of the ship, nearing the ramp. Syrus yelped and scrambled to his feet, running after her, panting heavily in the searing heat.

"SAYLA! WAIT UP!" he yelled.

She didn't even answer; already she was too far ahead and homing in on the being attacking the school.

* * *

**Sazabi, the newly **revived commander of the Dark Axis, laughed as he opened fire on the humans in his path. Screams reached his audios, making him laugh even more. This was so easy! How could a small organization have such power?

As if in response, one of the massive structures surrounding the school swung about, the barrel on the front of it glowing a menacing blue color.

He laughed and swung a hand at it just as a laser fired. The beams canceled out in a massive explosion.

"FOOLS!" he laughed. "Your attacks are useless against me!"

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" an unknown voice cried out.

A bright white beam of energy lanced out from nowhere and exploded against his armor, forcing him back.

"GAH!"

He slammed into the ground, just as the humans he was terrorizing began to swarm, holding fire extinguishers in their hands. They began spraying just as three thousand sprinkler drones came skittering out to douse the fires he had created.

He sat up and rubbed his head.

"WHAT?!"

His optic flared as he stood up. "You dare to attack me?"

"You're attacking innocent civilians, and must be stopped!" the mech in front of him snapped. This mech had a green helmet with a red crest and a blue face accented by gold optics. The body of the mech was pure blue with some green stripes and a red line going down the wings. A strange red sigil was planted on the cockpit of whatever he could turn into. A pair of wings stuck out from his back and the name _Energizer X_ was scrawled down the side of his chest. A blue orb was glowing beneath the cockpit and twin balls of energy had gathered around his hands.

"Just try me, mech!"

"The name's Kicker! And I'll make sure you don't forget! ENERGIZER BLAST!" the mech yelled, thrusting both hands forward, unleashing a blast of pure white energy. Sazabi sneered. His Soul-Drive began to spin faster, its power coursing down to his hands. He raised his own hands and fired off a beam of pure purple energy. Both blasts collided, creating an explosion of heat and sound that made several humans cringe and clutch at their ears.

Both were evenly matched, or so it seemed. Sazabi 'gritted' his 'teeth' and amped up the power in his beam of energy. The other mech snarled and strained against his power.

Sazabi laughed at the pathetic display in front of him.

No other mech could match his power now!

"Let's see how you like a little burst of Unicronian power!"

"WHAT!?" The other mech's optics widened in shock and amazement as Sazabi increased his power output.

"DIE!"

The other mech, Kicker, terminated his attack and transformed into a starfighter with the same color scheme, only without the rudder extended, only two thrusters shown, the wings withdrawn, and two sets of wheels. He had turned into a futuristic car.

Sazabi terminated his own attack and fired as the mech sped right by him, a gun extending from the front of the vehicle.

The two blasts canceled out.

Firing again, Sazabi managed to send the mech flying, only to see the wings extend, the other thrusters open up, the rudder extend outward, and the wheels withdraw.

"Hold still!" he yelled.

"I don't think so, slagger!"

The mech fired off a missile, catching the Dark Axis commander by surprise.

"Oh crud!"

**_BWAM!_**

The explosion faded, leaving Kicker hovering there in satisfaction.

Or so he thought.

"NO SLAGGIN' WAY! No one could have survived that attack!" he exclaimed.

Sazabi stood up, holding his damaged arm close to his chest, optic flaring.

He had survived, but had sustained some damage as a result.

"So, you think you could defeat me, did you?" he sneered.

"I don't think it, I KNOW IT!" Kicker screamed.

He transformed back into robot form before he raised his hands, glowing with pure energy.

"DIE!" Sazabi screeched.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!"

Kicker's blast, while smaller in width, was of equal power to that of Sazabi, but even so, the _Energizer X_ was no match for Unicron's powers, and since Sazabi had some of his powers, the boy was outmatched.

Reacting more on instinct than pure reflex, he transformed into starfighter and dodged the blast before letting loose with a powerful laser assault.

The explosions created by the two mechs were disastrous. Clumps of dirt, rock, and trees were thrown up into the air and large craters were made by the two conflicting powers. Sazabi burnt everything in his path with the power of his Soul-Drive and the meager portion of the dark god's powers, reducing trees to cinders within minutes. Kicker's blasts created powerful explosions, shaking the ground, tearing up clumps of earth and rocks.

The collisions created by the two blasts were incredible in their own might. They unleashed such bright energy that it rivaled the sun's brightness, forcing those gathered to cover their eyes and optics to prevent themselves from going blind.

Already students and staff were dropping from the intense heat, their bodily fluids evaporating.

Kicker knew this and he had to finish the fight quickly. But the question was how.

A desperate, yet calculated idea popped into his head.

Kicker knelt just as Sazabi fired off another burst of energy right at the boy. He narrowed his optics, knowing that he had to time this right. If he didn't it was all over.

As it neared, he powered up his engines, and just as it struck, he took to the sky under the cover of the dust it had created upon colliding with the ground.

Sazabi didn't even know where he was. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kicker powered up his guns and channeled all his power into his assault. He poured out everything he had into the blasts, intent on defeating Sazabi before anyone else was hurt.

Sazabi wasn't even aware of Kicker's attack, until he felt it impacting his body, sending pain lancing up and down his entire frame. He yelled out as the blasts continued to impale him. The pain grew to an all time high, and then, he blacked out, falling into blissful unconsciousness.

Kicker hovered there, panting heavily. The last thing he recalled was the pleasant sight of the 17th Division coming in to finish cleaning up before he blacked out.

* * *

**The whole reason** the Dark Axis wanted to attack the Federation was because they wanted something of incredible power, something that not even Unicron's power could match. Yet, the Federation leaders and the whole team failed to consider that angle. Even so, something was happening that could change the whole war, and turn it in the favor of the Federation.

The _Destiny Star Drive_ was still and silent, the whole ship as dead as a tomb. Not even the wires and support beams twitched.

Deep inside the ship's core, a small sphere flared before fading into the darkness. A small light formed within it and a single moan reached out, almost as if the object were pleading for release. Instead, it began to fade before a single wire reached out from the cluster around the sphere, as if groping for something. Finding a slot in the wall, the wire snaked in and out of the core of the ship, right to the bridge console.

Inserting itself into the maintenance slot, a faint glow came from the end and something began to download from the sphere right into the console. Briefly, many circuitry lines snaked out from the console before fading into the vessel.

The download was complete. He was free at last.

He allowed himself to explore his new body, testing out the flaps, the weapons systems, and the interior defenses. He discovered that he could control many systems at once, and if he focused hard enough, he could actually enable himself to move around from one location in the ship's systems to the next. It was almost as if he were a ghost inside someone's body.

The presence crept into the main systems, throttling the engines before powering them down. The radar went into action, searching for unknown beings in the vicinity. He rejoiced at finding out that it was unlimited in comparison to the ten hundred mile range of the _Energizer X_.

He was even more surprised to find out that he could enact emergency protocols by taking control of _everything_ on board the ship, even the structure of the vessel itself.

The very last thing he wanted to do was take control of the structure itself, so he vowed to use it as a last resort defense system if everything else failed.

The thing that surprised him the most however was the discovery of an enormous power contained within the _Destiny Star Drive_. This power was limitless in comparison to the power of the _Energizer X_, and it could be used again and again without draining the energy cells of the ship themselves. It was this very power that the Dark Axis was seeking, yet, he didn't even know it, until it was too late…


	13. The Truth Slowly Comes to Light

Chapter 10

Many beings across the stars considered the Federation to be a minor power, unaware of the fact that they were more powerful than they even realized. Ever since the discovery of the Matrix of Leadership, the Federation's rise to a universal power had been unchecked. The Matrix itself was a great artifact, and it possessed enough power to revive countless beings, making it one of the most powerful Cybertronian artifacts in existence.

Countless enemies had searched for the Matrix, but they all had been beaten by many others beforehand, the most recent attack being by the Decepticons having been thwarted by the small Intergalactic Federation. Despite their small size, they managed to defeat even Megatron, the commander of the Decepticon army.

Not too long after, the Federation defeated Unicron, the most powerful Transformer to date, and each time, they won. The first time they fought him, they suffered more casualties than what is considered normal losses for a minor power, and they beat him with a little help from the Matrix. The second time wasn't as tough, but they still took losses, and this time they were able to win thanks to the solar panel laser system. The third time they had discovered a new type of energon, and having developed the energon grid, were able to hold him off and win with just their normal military forces, destroying him effectively, or so they thought.

Less than three months after that war, the Federation went up against the MPA and won, but only after discovering the _Energizer X_.

Six months later, they fought against Titan AE, and won, but with the _Destiny Star Drive_.

Exactly a year later, they fought the Decepticons a second time and won, but this time they were stronger and more powerful than ever.

Every time they had fought an enemy, they had gotten new powers and new strengths, learning new tactics and new strategies for fighting their opponents with. They uncovered new talents, new weapons, and new abilities, making them stronger and uncovering a new enemy that was stronger than them.

No one, not even the Federation, paused to consider this a strange occurrence, for no one had ever fought so many powerful foes in so short a time span, becoming powerful in just two short years. The reason was that there was a hidden power within them, one that enabled them to adapt to any situation, becoming stronger and tougher.

This very power was what the Dark Axis sought, and they yearned to control it for themselves, making them more powerful than even the god of life for Cybertron himself.

They yearned to become gods themselves, and this was well beyond their current power levels. However, they felt that it was possible, and it was, but no one even conceived the possible effects this desire would have on the whole universe in just six short months.

For this very desire of the Dark Axis would push everyone to their limits, becoming the ultimate fighting force in the universe, yet that was not to be, for the Dark Axis possessed a small portion of the ultimate power.

The search for the power of the universe had begun!

* * *

**President Warren sighed** as she viewed the information about the Dark Axis. After having learned that they were going to even worse extremes, she had vowed to learn as much as she could about them from the data that they had on them.

She brought up a screen and the data scrolled across it.

_Revelations_

_Many beings consider other lives to be a gift. Some think that they are merely tools to be used and tossed aside with no regard to the consequences of their actions. Others feel that there is no such thing as life, in which all beings are to be thought of as nothing more than living organic tools, and are therefore fit to be disposed of as they please._

_The Dark Axis does this, but in a much worse fashion. They force beings to become prisoners in their own bodies through petrification, a process that works by altering the molecular structure of the victim's body into that of stone. They are still aware of what is going on, but they lack the capacity to move, speak, and continue on with their lives._

_This process, if used, is very painful and is hard to reverse. Currently there is no known way to reverse it, although several organizations are working on a way to reverse the process._

_Another way they conduct this process is through the controlling of sentient mechanical beings such as the Transformers race. They enact the control through the control horn, a device that wires itself into the systems of any being and integrates the code of the Dark Axis into their programming. The only way to remove it is to destroy it, although there may be another way to remove it without scrambling the programming of the robot being controlled._

_They also possess a new kind of technology, one that is supposedly experimental: a dimensional gateway. Through this gateway they can travel from dimension to dimension, sneaking in and out of organizations that do not possess the technology to detect it._

_A few organizations are attempting to mimic this technology, although all previous efforts have failed. Only two have ever managed to develop a working prototype: the Intergalactic Federation and the Decepticons._

_I. Contrasts_

_The Federation, being allied with the Cybertronians, have access to the spacebridge technology, a primitive version of the dimensional gateway the Dark Axis possesses, enabling them to travel across vast distances in the universe, making their influence widespread, despite their small size. They have a complex network stretching from one end of the galaxy to the next, interconnecting the worlds and outposts into one massive grid of spacebridges. Some bridges also have interlinking nodes, almost like passages, that enables a transfer from one bridge to the next in the event of an emergency. This complex network is what has made the Federation well-known, along with the uncanny ability of humanity to develop and devise new technology based off of the spacebridge technology, such as the Space Warp Driver System, an emergency transport system that taps into the spacebridge to transport critical data and wounded troops back to their home worlds in a shorter amount of time._

_For military purposes, the spacebridge can be used to transfer troops and personnel to a strategic point in less the time it would take for normal military transportation to get there. It also enables them to sneak around behind enemies and to pull off incredibly complex military maneuvers, which most doubt actually work. Another strategic use of the Federation's vast network of spacebridges and nodes is the incredible mobility rate at which they can move their forces. This incredibly high rate is what helps them in many aspects._

_The Decepticons, also Cybertronian in origin but different in programming and political goals, also have access to the spacebridge technology, but not as advanced or as vast as the Federation's interconnecting networks. They use it for totally different purposes, but they mainly use it for attacking the Federation by sneaking inside and fleeing when they are through attacking. This type of tactic has become common amongst the bigger, more influential powers as a means of keeping their enemies in check._

_Though it has become common, there are those who believe that these kinds of tactics being used are meant to be used by the weak powers. Even the more influential powers are being considered weak by the bigger, more experienced powers. Even the most experienced powers to date know this._

_II. War Tactics_

_Despite their ability to travel across dimensions, the one aspect that makes the Dark Axis the most feared group of invaders the universe has ever seen is their vast arsenal of ruthless war tactics that not even Nebula can match._

_Many organizations have attempted to mimic these tactics in an effort to turn them against the Dark Axis, but due to their complex nature and high rates of death, they gave up on these efforts. Three organizations have managed to mimic them, despite the high count of lives lost: the Intergalactic Federation, Neo Star Force, and the Allies of the Orichalcos._

_The Federation's vast network of spacebridges and nodes is the main aspect for their success in copying Dark Axis strategies, along with their firepower and military might. Through these factors, they have managed to turn several of their own tactics into secret weapons against them while removing the high number of lives taken._

_Neo Star Forces, on the other hand, have managed to take out the complex maneuvers needed to conduct these tactics and have kept the high numbers of lives lost in order to do the most damage against the Dark Axis._

_In contrast to both of these organizations, the Allies of the Orichalcos possess a perfect balance. Having reduced the number of lives lost and the complexity of their military maneuvers, they have created a strategy deck that enables fast transportation and massive amounts of Dark Axis troops destroyed in a unique combination._

_III. The Truth Unveiled_

_In revelation of the information given to me by a former spy for the Allies of the Orichalcos, there is a truth about the Dark Axis that many do not even know. A truth that could hold the very fate of our existence in the balance. A truth that could destroy us all and mean the end of the universe, and the beginning of an age ruled by the Dark Axis._

_The truth is this: they are not a mere bunch of dimensional pirates. They are a band of ruthless conquerors who want to rule all of existence. They already have successfully conquered seven other dimensions, and enslaved the organic inhabitants, transforming the mechanical inhabitants into Zako soldiers to be used in their immense army._

_Three of these dimensions are Ark, Lacroa, and Neotopia. Lacroa was the first to fall, followed by Ark and Neotopia. According to records, no one has escaped and lived to tell of the Dark Axis' ruthlessness._

_However, due to an unexpected intervention by the Wanderer himself, a new breakthrough has been found and is listed below in the Universal Daily, the universal e-paper:_

_Dark Axis Concentration Camps Unveiled!_

_HUGHI-B'RO- Recently a few months ago, a startling truth was unveiled to the great universal powers. A startling truth about a new enemy called the Dark Axis. This truth is one that changes the very way we look at warfare. Due to a lucky breakthrough when a mysterious Transformer known only as the Wanderer appeared at the paper's doorstep, this truth has become a horrible reality._

_"This is something we can no longer ignore," says Neo Star Force commander Yjig Gtunyo._

_Yet, what has been done about this threat?_

_Nothing._

_The other great powers agree that this is a threat, but they take no action to uncover more about this information._

_A few smaller powers have launched investigations of their own to see if this rumor is true or not. One of these is the well known but constantly overlooked power the Intergalactic Federation._

_"A few times we've dealt with unknown enemies in our own borders. We didn't even know who they were until someone told us," says Agricultural Department leader Ciel Young of Orca._

_According to recent sources, the Wanderer has made several other appearances at some of the more major powers such as Nebula and the Tri-Elite, yet they fail to see the dangers of this new foe._

_"What we witnessed is horrific, and we will do something about it," is what Sh'boni of the Galaxy Organization says, but they do nothing about it._

_The camps_

_The new enemy has begun to enact something that no other being has ever heard of in all their existence,_

_Some organizations compare it to Doomsday, saying that it has finally come._

_"Fire shall rain down from the heavens and the ground shall become ice," says one member of a religious cult located in the Sect Arm of the Andromeda Galaxy._

_However, some think differently._

_"It's similar to what we humans know as World War II, the worst war in the history of our race," says President Heather Jen Warren of the Intergalactic Federation. "World War II was carried out in a similar fashion, but not on such a large scale. In fact, I guess you could say that this is the beginning of the New War."_

_When she speaks of World War II, she means a war in humanity's history that forever changed the way wars were fought._

_World War II was fought to defend the world from the wrath of a group of three nations called the Axis Powers, led by a human male named Hitler, a man who lusted for power. He turned a small country without many weapons into a world power that many feared. His country, named Germany, allied with two other countries called Japan and Italy, forming the deadly Axis Powers._

_A few times the leaders of the League of Nations tried to use appeasement to keep the peace, but this failed when Poland was invaded._

_Many lives were lost when the war began with the invasion of a country known as Poland. Two countries on the side of the Allies Powers, Britain and France, fought in Poland's defense, but in the end, the little country of Poland fell to the might of the Axis._

_It was then that the threat of the Axis Powers was revealed._

_For two long years the Axis Powers and the Allied Powers fought, till the Japanese decided to play games with fate and attacked the Allies' greatest supplier, the United States._

_That proved to be a big mistake, for the United States was a great industrial power, and slowly rising through the ranks of powers to the top, along with Russia._

_With the entry of the United States into the war, the tide began to turn in favor of the Allies. Lacking the industrial capacity of the United States, the Axis Powers were soon outmatched in terms of battleships and firepower._

_After the victory in Europe and Japan, the truth about what the Axis Powers had done to prisoners of war was revealed, and the shock on the world was incredible._

_Concentration camps and death and destruction of living beings was revealed in horrific and horribly graphic images in the papers and in phone conversations after the war had ended._

_Furious, outraged, and horrified, the United States and the allies joined together and put German leaders, Japanese leaders and some Russian leaders on trial, but they let the Russians go because of their help in the war against the Axis Powers._

_This war is what is about to occur, but this time, on a scale that no one, not even us, has ever expected._

**_President Warren:_**

**_This information may be useful and help you out in battle. The fate of the universe rests with you and your friends. Good luck._**

**_Protoform X_**

She studied the note and the information critically, but for some reason, she couldn't help but wonder if the Dark Axis was attempting to become something powerful, more powerful than even Primus.

She let out a sigh and closed down the screen. This mystery could wait until morning, she decided.

During the course over the next few days, the entire Federation was put onto priority alert. A meeting was scheduled and in just a few hours, the leaders had assembled.

"Okay. So what's the big idea placing us on priority alert?" Seto asked.

"Yeah. It isn't like you to do that," Ciel remarked.

"I'm sorry, but due to a recent breakthrough, we must begin to assimilate our forces in preparation for war," President Warren explained.

"And the reason for that is?" Famous asked skeptically.

"The Dark Axis are planning an attack," she said.

"What?" Ciel cried.

"No way!" Seto hissed.

"That's not true, is it?" Zero asked.

"I know it may sound false, but it is the cold hard truth. They are planning an attack," the President stated.

"On who?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah. If they are, then who are they attacking?" O'hari asked.

"That we don't know yet. All we know is that they are planning an attack, not to mention the fact that we have to try and mount a rescue operation to save those trapped in the concentration camps," President Warren said.

"And how are we supposed to do that? The Dark Axis may have no method of getting to them," O'hari pointed out.

"That's where you're wrong, O'hari. There _is_ a way, and it's still experimental. It's called a dimensional gateway," Optimus said.

"Dimensional Gateway?" O'hari cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, also known as the Zakorello gate," Steven said.

"So that's how they've been getting in and out of the Federation without our jammer working!" Shie-rae said.

"Exactly."

"Now all we gotta do is figure out how to jam its signal and we've stopped the invasions!" Scourge said happily.

"Not quite. We may be able to develop a technology that could, in theory anyway, cancel it out, but we can't stop it entirely. There are the outposts that lack up-to-date tech, and they may be ideal entry points for the Dark Axis," President Warren explained.

"What about copying the technology?" Ciel asked.

"We already tried, and the result was the spacebridge."

"I don't get it. We didn't know of their method of transportation until now!" Mimi cried.

"We did, but we didn't even realize it until today, Seto. The Cybertronians may have somehow, subconsciously, known of it and developed a working prototype. The spacebridge. That is what I mean," President Warren said.

"In other words, you mean to tell us that we all somehow knew about this?" Sandra asked.

"That's the theory, Sandra."

"If you're referring to the Great War, then you must mean the incident in which we developed our own working spacebridge, right?" Optimus said.

"Yep."

"Any idea on how you developed it, Optimus?" Seto asked.

"Well, Helena, the idea just came to one of our scientists, and we decided to use it against the Decepticons when they developed it. We're not sure how, but it came in handy during the war, along with the war for energon back on Earth during the first few years in our alliance," Optimus replied.

"You have no idea as to where the inspiration for the spacebridge came from?" asked Mimi.

"No. We don't," Optimus admitted. "But, we do know that it has helped us more than once."

"That much we can understand, but the main question here is how we can modify the spacebridge to be ale to travel across the dimensional gap that separates us from the other universes," Cassie said.

"Just how _can_ we modify it?" asked Tyre.

"We snag a dimensional transporter from the Dark Axis and take it apart. If the parts match those used in the spacebridge, then it's just a matter of recalibrating the bridge to be able to breech the dimensional barrier and enable us to match their technology in dimensional transportation," said Zero.

"Yes, but that's easier said than done, Zero. It's not like we can walk up to them and ask them if we could have one of their transporters," said Override.

"You misunderstand me, Override. I said _snag_ one. We can steal it from them the next time they attack."

"If they even have one," Seto grumbled.

"They do. Every dimensional traveler has to have one if they need to cross back to their home dimension. It's as simple as that."

"How do you figure that?" Helena asked.

"I may not fully remember my past, but I do remember this part. The Orcans, back before the energy crisis, were a highly advanced race, so advanced that dimensional travel was one of their dreams, and an experimental prototype. They developed a prototype dimensional bridge, but that exploded when the Neo Arcadians attacked," the former Maverick Hunter said.

"They developed a working prototype?" Mimi asked softly.

"Yes, and it was the first one ever. In fact, it was back when I was just starting out as a Maverick Hunter. Anyway, the bridge was a success. They sent through a few Reploids, but before the designated return time, the bridge was blown up, trapping them in the alternate dimension. There was no way to retrieve them."

"I bet that was hard."

"Not really. The Neo Arcadians developed one of their own, but it was crude and was good for one use either way. The first time they retrieved the Reploids we sent through and the second time they sent an entire battalion into the range of the Base. We were nearly decimated that time."

"Bummer."

"Anyway, with the destruction of the Neo Arcadian dimensional gateway, there was no way on how to get into the city, except with the Transerver. That was the only way in or out of the city."

"So, Orcans developed the first working dimensional gateway and they destroyed it as well?" Cassie inquired.

"Yes. That's basically the truth."

"So, let's say they do have a transporter. How will we get it from them?" Sandra asked.

"Simple. We take it during the next attack. One of us will have to snatch it from them when they are least expecting it."

"And who out of us has that kind of speed?" Seto asked.

"Not us. I'm thinking someone else, someone with an uncanny ability with weapons."

"If you mean Sayla, then forget it!" President Warren snapped.

"Not her. I'm thinking someone else."

"Who?"

"Remember Hentra?"

"You mean the Reploid bounty hunter?"

"The very one and the same. He can help us out with this mission. We ask him to get the transporter and bring it to us. He's the best one we can count on with this task."

"What if he drops it?"

"Then it's out of our hands, but as far as I can tell, he's never let us down once."

"I bet."

* * *

**Thing at the** TCDA weren't much different from a normal routine day, except for the fact that _someone_ had decided to get a bit mischievous with a can of paint, a glue bottle, and a magnet, resulting in a surprised and very embarrassed Bakunetsumaru.

"WHA?! WHAT—WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ME?!" he blurted.

"Yikes! Enraged samurai on the loose!" T.J. shouted from his spot in the air.

"Get outta the way!" a male voice with a Southern accent yelled

"I don't want to be the ones who pulled that prank on him," Meisha said.

"Tell me about it," Kicker remarked from the top of his fighter.

"Who did that anyway?" T.J. asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but I'd take a guess at our resident pranksters here at the TCDA," Meisha said.

"You mean Clueless One and Clueless Two, right?"

"If you mean Oswald and Jacob Hutchins, then yes."

"Why do you call them Clueless One and Two, T.J.?" Kicker asked.

"They're clueless at times, and apparently, they don't know how angry a musha like Baku gets," T.J. said.

"Well, then boy am I glad that I'm not in their shoes!" Kicker laughed.

"What about your little ability with Ironhide?" Meisha asked, referring to his little technique with the Autobot rookie.

"That's a different story, Meisha!" Kicker shouted.

"What? It's just a joke!" Meisha said, waving her hands in protest.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Still, looks like the Clueless Brothers are in for it now!" T.J. said, giggling.

Meisha and Kicker glanced in the young starfighter's direction.

"What's going on?" Kicker asked.

The boy just giggled again before he spoke. "Baku's caught up to them and—Yeowch! Looks like he socked Oswald and tripped Jacob."

"What else?" Meisha asked.

"Ooh! He gave them both a mean punch!" T.J. reported.

"Looks like they deserved it," Kicker remarked, smirking.

"You bet!"

"Anything else?"

"Nope. Baku just tied them up and left them right where they are."

"Good thing too. At least now Yugi can take care of them."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, he just stopped in front of them. Looks like they'll get a scolding."

"I just hope they don't get sent _there_," Meisha murmured.

"If you mean the DA, then I hope so too," Kicker whispered.

* * *

**Captain glanced at** his opponent for a moment before he came to a decision. He tensed his body and prepared to dodge as his rival charged him. He dodged to the side as a laser lanced by him. The drone didn't stand a chance as he punched its head clean off.

The drone's body fell to the floor, joining the many other drones that had comprised his training session.

Cerverau had asked him to pull off a training session so as to better prepare for battle against the Dark Axis, but he wasn't so sure that it was a mere training session. Cerverau had attached a few sensors to his body so that way his systems could be monitored during the session.

Now he stood amongst deactivated drones, panting slightly.

The door slid open and the Reploid engineer entered, smiling.

"Good work. Your training session's over. Now, if you'll come with me…"

What Captain wasn't expecting was for Cerverau to pick him up. It was so sudden that he didn't even yelp, but rather he _chirped_. A slight chirp escaped his vocals, making Cerverau glance down at him confused.

_Oh boy!_ Captain thought.

Shute came running into the room at that point, surprised.

"What was that chirp?" he asked.

"Your friend did it," Cerverau said.

"What? Captain _chirped_?"

"Yes. And judging by how I surprised him, it's not uncommon to hear that."

"Do Reploids chirp?"

"At a very young age, yes. And sometimes when we're surprised or something."

"Wow."

"So it's safe to assume that Captain also does the same thing."

"Weird."

* * *

_That night…_

_The darkness surrounded him as he stood there in the middle of the void. Curious as to how he could still be standing, he knelt and ran a hand along in front of his feet. His fingers touched something solid, but neither warm nor cold._

_Confused, he stood up straight and cast his gaze around the void, unable to see and yet, still able to see his own body._

_He glanced down at his body and was mildly surprised to see that he was in the New Mode. This hadn't happened before, so he was a bit shocked as well._

"_Where am I?" he murmured, his voice sounding dead and silent in the black void._

**You, young Chad "Kicker" Jones, are in the Mana Circles, **_a voice said._

_Kicker's optics widened in shock._

"_M-Mana Circles?"_

**Yes.**

"_And how'd you know my name?"_

**I have seen you and your friends in action. It seems that you have discovered part of the power.**

"_Power?"_

**I mean the power of the Great One.**

"_I don't follow."_

_Laughter filled the void before it faded into nothing. The laugh made him shudder slightly. He cringed, but didn't let it show for long. He didn't even know if this voice _could_ see._

**You humans are incapable of understanding the complexity of the powers you possess, and yet, you understand how to use them in ways that not even we Mana Circle wielders can understand. You unite beings and you liberate them. That is one way you use your powers.**

"_So? What's so special about us anyway?"_

**You do not even realize that your powers and your level of technology comes from a greater source than just your intelligence and your knack for uncovering new technologies, do you?**

_Kicker narrowed his optics._

"_I want real answers, not some nonsense riddles you throw at me! And show yourself or else I'll blast you to pieces!" he yelled._

**Are you sure you wish to blast me?**

_Kicker snarled._

**Very well.**

_The darkness surrounding him began to fade until he was staring at a sight he had never seen before in all his life._

_In front of him stood a Gundam, one that had bright white irises on a blue eye screen background. He had a black and white color scheme and his armor was badly dented and scarred from what Kicker guessed were years of battle. And yet, he carried himself with a dignity and pride that most beings wouldn't have after years of warfare. He had a bright blue cape and a set of wings flanked his helmet. A bright red soul stone glittered in his chest and a sigil was emblazoned on his shoulder pads. The sigil was of a bright gold Mana circle with a large set of golden wings on it._

"_Who are you?" he murmured, optics wide._

"_My name is Iro, the Knight of the Superior Mana," the Gundam replied._

"_You…speak normally now."_

"_Yes."_

"_Where are we exactly?" Kicker asked._

"_Take a look around, young one."_

_Kicker did so, and he felt his spark stop. He was on the outskirts of the complex._

"_Why did you bring me here? And why am I in the New Mode?" he asked stunned._

"_I didn't. This is a projection from your memory. As for the form you call the New Mode, I felt it would be more comfortable for you to hear this while in that form," Iro said._

"_But why do this?" Kicker asked._

"_The Mana Circles would have been too much for you, so I created this image from your memory. I hope it suffices."_

_Kicker nodded._

"_Okay. So why do you want to talk to me?" Kicker asked suspiciously._

"_I wish to merely give you a warning."_

"_Warning?" Kicker cocked his head._

_Iro nodded._

"_What kind of warning?" the human asked._

"_One that could save the lives of those you care about dearly. And the lives of the leaders, but most importantly, one of your comrades, the one you call Baston," the Knight Gundam said softly._

"_Baston?" Kicker gasped._

"_Yes. You see, he is not of your dimension at all, or of your world, or your kind. In fact, he is of a race that is far different than yours."_

"_What kind of race are you talking about?" he asked._

"_I am talking about the Gundam species," Iro replied._

"_Gundam?" Kicker blinked his optics in confusion._

"_Yes. A race of far greater capabilities than those of humans."_

"_What about the Transformers and the rest of the Federation races?" Kicker questioned._

"_They are uniquely strong in their own ways, so they do not count. Humans, on the other hand, are not that strong. You may be far more numerous than we, but you lack the power to fight against the gods."_

"_Gods?" Now Kicker was incredibly confused._

"_Yes. There are four of them. The God of Feathers, the God of Steel, the God of Darkness, and the Superior God. These four beings have the form of creatures known as dragons. And three of them have been captured. You must fight and find the fourth. If the enemy you call the Dark Axis gets their hands on the Superior Dragon, then it is all over for all of us."_

"_But what does this have to do with Baston?" Kicker asked._

"_Baston, as he is known in your world, is the descendent of a very powerful Knight Gundam, Duel, the Knight of Hope. He was the one who could call upon the power of the Superior Dragon when it was needed the most. However, such a knight comes along once every four generations due to the great power they have."_

"_So, Baston is a knight?"_

"_Yes, and he alone possesses a little of the power of the Superior Dragon, along with a small trace of other powers," Iro explained._

"_What kind of powers?"_

"_Powers that you call aura."_

"_You mean that his aura powers are Mana based?" Kicker gaped._

"_That is correct, Kicker."_

_Kicker slumped down onto the grass, stunned at what he was hearing._

"_I can't believe that this is happening," he murmured. He gazed down at his hands in pure amazement._

"_I can understand your surprise and shock, for I was surprised myself to learn that you have uncovered a fair portion of the Superior Dragon's powers."_

"_Huh?" Kicker's head shot up, his optics locking onto those white eyes. "A portion of the Superior Dragon's powers? How so?"_

"_You do not know the origins of the vessel you possess, do you?" Iro asked with a smirk._

"_You mean the _Energizer X_?" Kicker asked._

"_No. The other one. The one you call the _Destiny Star Drive_."_

"_What does that thing have to do with all of this?" Kicker hissed as he stood up._

"_You do not realize it, do you?" Iro remarked._

"_Realize what?" Kicker wondered._

"_The vessel you possess has a small portion of the Superior Dragon's powers."_

_Kicker's optics widened in shock and amazement. "H-how can that be? I mean, we just found it on the moon one day, and…"_

"_You found it, yet did you notice anything surrounding it?"_

"_N-no. We didn't. In fact, there was nothing there. Just a ship nestled in a crater with tons of moon dust covering it."_

"_Hmmm. Most odd, for normally, the gods cover up their artifacts with great spells and shields that cannot be pierced by mere mortals."_

"_Artifacts?"_

"_You ask too many questions, young Kicker."_

"_I just want to know what's going on here, that's all."_

"_Some things are best kept safe from mere mortals such as yourselves. If you knew of them, you would fall to the temptation and the lust for power. Mortals also should not meddle in the affairs of the universe that cannot be changed."_

"_What kind of affairs?"_

"_No. You should not know of these affairs, much less the great artifacts that give the gods their powers in the mortal world."_

_Iro turned to face away from him._

"_The reason I brought you here was to warn you and to educate you about the powers that the Dark Axis is after, not to tell you the secrets of the gods."_

"_Sorry."_

"_It is not all right, but since this is only a mere meeting, I shall let it slide for now."_

"_Just what is the warning anyway?"_

_Iro turned back to face Kicker, his eyes now hard and cold, seriousness etched on what was visible of his face._

"_The warning is this: stop the Dark Axis and find the Superior Dragon."_

_Silence filled the space between them before Iro spoke one last time._

"_I also have one assignment that must be fulfilled. Inform the Superior Dragon of the danger that is coming and try to protect the descendent of Duel. If you succeed, the rewards shall be incredible."_

"_What kind of rewards?" Kicker asked as his vision began to go dark._

"_You shall know in time. You shall know in time…"_


	14. Homesick

Chapter 11

Sazabi hissed in pain as his injuries sparked. He hadn't counted on the mech he had faced to be the one to cause this much damage, let alone defeat him and capture him. Now, here he was, stuck in the pathetic world of the Intergalactic Federation.

His head shot up as he heard footsteps, and not the footsteps of a Zako soldier.

The door slid open to reveal a human female with a nasty looking gun slung over one shoulder.

"Okay, creep! You're coming with me!" she hissed, grabbing him by his injured arm.

"YAGH!"

He cried out as he was hoisted to his feet and led out of his cell into the hallway of the barracks.

The next thing he knew, there was a blindfold thrown over his optic and tied tightly while a sensor jammer was placed on his chest to block his sensors.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"We can't have you figuring out how to escape, and plus, you're being taken to a special room where we can get some answers."

He was led blindly down the hallway, or so he guessed, anyway, to someplace else in the same barracks, or so he thought.

When the blindfold and the jammer were removed, he was surprised to see that he was in a room with a window, and a large one at that. The window was open to a view of a huge dock facility at a man-made lake with a channel carving towards the sea. He glanced over at the door and wasn't surprised to see it closed.

"Why did you bring me here?" he purred.

The female didn't answer, but merely narrowed her eyes in a gaze that immediately made his Soul-Drive stop completely.

"Why did you bring me here?" he repeated.

The next thing he knew there was an intense pain in his lower jaw and the female human was standing behind him, a small dagger coated in his mech fluid.

"Shut it, slag heap!" she hissed.

He felt his systems freeze up. He had never met anyone as deadly as her.

"Now, you'll answer my questions about the Dark Axis and if you fail to comply…" Her voice trailed off, leaving him to only imagine the worst she could offer.

"I-I will!" he stammered.

"Good. Now, first question. What are their plans for our dimension?" she purred.

"W-we planned to attack you and take the boy. He is not of—" A small nick on his lower torso was more than enough to shut him up.

"I asked what the plans for our dimension were!" she hissed.

"W-we planned to attack you and snag the boy. After that, we were to s-steal your ship and run. We were to return to base and dissect both in the event of discovering the source of your powers. If we were successful, we were to attack you by using the powers of the four gods," Sazabi stammered.

"Powers of the four gods?" The female human cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes. The Superior Dragon, the Feather Dragon, the Steel Dragon, and the Griffin."

"You said gods! Not dragons!" the human snapped.

"I meant those four. They have the form of dragons, yet the powers of gods!" Sazabi hissed.

"And why did you think we had powers of the gods?" the female asked, her gaze locking onto his own.

"I-It seemed like the l-logical conclusion for us to f-f-follow. You possess powers far greater than most other organizations in your home dimension," the red mech stammered. He had no idea why he was freaking out over her mere presence. _She_ should be the one to freak out at _his_ presence!

"True, we may be more powerful, but that doesn't mean that we have godlike powers!" she hissed.

"You deny that fact?"

"We don't deny it! The reason we're so powerful is because we fight for what we believe in!" she snarled.

He couldn't believe his audio receptors. They were so powerful all because of what they fought for? That didn't seem right to him.

"That doesn't seem possible," he murmured.

"Well, it is so deal with it! Next question! Why do the Dark Axis want these powers?" she asked softly, but menacingly.

"I-I don't know! I'm serious! All I know was that I was ordered to attack you and take the boy back for dissection! After that, nothing!" Sazabi yelped as she fingered her gun.

"You don't know why you were ordered to attack us?" the human whispered.

"No. I don't!" Sazabi yelled.

He could now feel pure terror creeping into his systems for the very first time. He had never been so scared before in his life, aside from being scolded by General Zeong.

She merely narrowed her eyes at him. "You sure?"

He nodded, now desperate. "Yes! I have told you all I know!"

"You know nothing of your boss's plans to attack us, and you don't know anything about the nature of your mission. Typical standard conqueror tactics. Never reveal the plans to the lackeys. Keep them secret until the time is right for revelation," she murmured.

"Lackey? You think I'm a lackey?!" Sazabi hissed. He had never felt such anger at his commander before.

"Yes."

Sazabi shook his head furiously. "You're lying!"

"No. I'm not." She had a mysterious glint in her green eyes as she looked at him.

Her words sounded truthful, yet he denied it. The Dark Axis general would never consider him a lackey, would he?

He shook his head. Now he was beginning to doubt his loyalty! What was with him?

The female seemed to sense this for she smirked at him.

"Seems like you doubt your loyalty, right?" she asked.

He nodded, stunned.

"Happens all the time. However, where your loyalties lie is what determines who you are."

She turned and left, leaving him alone in the room.

* * *

**Shute sat under **a tree, glancing up at the sky, remembering Neotopia and all the good times he had had there before it had fallen.

Tears shimmered in his eyes as he remembered his home, his parents, and his Neotopian friends, along with the Super Dimensional Guard.

"Why did they have to do it? Why did they have to attack Neotopia?" Shute murmured, his fists clenching and tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes.

"Shute?" He snapped his head up at the familiar voice.

He turned and his gaze locked onto that of his best friend.

"Captain…"

The Gundam sat down on the ground next to his human friend and looked at him, concern showing in his eyes.

"You okay, Shute?" he asked.

Shute nodded, but he knew it was useless to hide how he felt from Captain.

"Shute, something is bothering you, right?"

He nodded again before burying his face in his arms and crying.

A firm, yet gentle hand laid itself on his shoulder and he glanced up, tears streaming down his face. Captain was now sitting close to him, close enough to where the Gundam had placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?"

Shute shook his head.

Captain merely frowned slightly. It was barely noticeable, even to Shute. "Shute, I want to help. But I can't do that if I don't know what is wrong."

Shute finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He turned and threw his arms around Captain's shoulders, surprising the Gundam slightly.

"Captain! Why did they have to attack Neotopia!? WHY!? It just doesn't make any sense! They senselessly murdered my friends, my family, and the SDG! Why did they do it?!" he sobbed.

"Shute, not even I know the answer to that."

The human choked back another sob just as Captain wrapped his arms around the boy. "I'm sorry you feel that way, I really am. But, I just don't know the answers," he murmured.

Shute closed his eyes and buried his face in Captain's chest, the warmth from the Soul-Drive calming him slightly.

"Shute, it's okay. And not all your friends are dead. I'm still here for you. I'll always be here for you. I promise." With that, he began rubbing the boy's back to calm him down, while holding his head close to the compartment and rubbing his hair.

The boy finally broke down. He burst out crying, his body shaking with his sobs. "Thanks, Captain! You're a true friend," he murmured.

Captain merely smiled as a blush crept across his face.

He wasn't sure why he did it, but he stopped rubbing his friend's back and lifted his face gently.

"Shute, I'll never leave you. That much I can promise. After that, nothing else. But I can tell you that I will never, ever leave you alone," he whispered.

He brushed a single tear away from the boy's face and a strand of chestnut brown hair out of his face. Shute merely stared in amazement as Captain leaned in close, a little too close. He wasn't sure why, but at that moment, the two found themselves on the ground, Shute on top of him, their lips touching in a kiss. It was a total shock for them, and Shute squirmed out of his hold. The human rolled off, gasping.

"Why did…?"

"What just…?"

Both were in shock. They had never had that happen before, let alone at all.

Shute glanced at Captain, and for the first time, he noticed how handsome his friend actually looked. Wait. Handsome?! What was going on here?

He looked away, a blush creeping up his face.

"…"

Captain watched Shute out of the corner of his eye. The one thing that struck him this time was how cute Shute looked all curled up… Wait. Cute? What was happening between them? Was it possible for them to be falling for one another?

His Soul-Drive began spinning faster in his chest, and a faint sound came from the compartment, almost like a happy purring. His gaze snapped downwards, and he placed a hand on it, slightly amazed.

What was happening?

* * *

**Baku stared up** at the clouds, a sense of longing filling his Gunsoul. How he longed to be back home in Ark, fighting for its freedom and to defeat the scourge of evil that was the Dark Axis!

He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut. He had never felt so helpless in all his time with the Gundam Force. Yet, now, here in this new land, he felt helpless, powerless and weak at the new might the Dark Axis possessed. Not even his most proficient swordsmanship could do much damage against them now.

A twinge of hopelessness filled his Gunsoul and he felt tears stinging his eyes.

Baku opened his eyes and sighed. Reaching up, he grasped his helmet and removed it, letting the wind tease his black gundanium hair. He placed the helmet beside him and he continued to gaze up at the clouds.

He could feel homesickness overcoming him and he placed his head in his hands.

He had never felt like this, even after he had busted the Dimensional Transport Device accidentally. He had never felt such homesickness, let alone such helplessness. He felt defenseless here, exposed, and unprotected unlike in Neotopia, where he had felt a sense of protection from the city and the people. Here, there was nothing of the sort. Even if there was, he couldn't feel it. He just didn't feel like he belonged here.

The musha sighed and lifted his head skyward. He flopped onto his back, his hands behind his head. Even if there was a way to get back home, he doubted that it would be working, let alone able to get them back to Neotopia unharmed.

He felt like he was alone, entirely alone, an alien in a world he had never been to before, and he was left with only the Gundam Force to back him up. Everything imaginable had gone wrong, and then some, leaving him and the others stranded here in this unknown dimension.

The sun was hidden partially by a cloud and he could faintly pick out a star he had seen many times in Ark. The star, he knew, was called _Shinaboo_. He wasn't sure what the word meant, for it had been forgotten throughout the years, but the meaning of the star's significance had not been forgotten after all this time. It was the star that guided lost souls back to the mortal world for reincarnation, and he felt a sense of relief that he was still able to see it, even if it was in another dimension…

Wait. If he was in another dimension, how could he still see it?

That confused him. He scratched his head as he stared at it.

"How is it that I am still able to see _Shinaboo_?" he murmured.

The wind held no answers, but time did. The mists of time always held secrets never meant to be revealed…

* * *

_The mystery continues to deepen for the Federation, and the Dark Axis continues their warpath. Each time the small power uncovers a clue, they uncover even more questions, and as each one is answered, still more questions arise._

_Why is the Dark Axis committing these atrocities? Who was Duel, and who or what is the Superior Dragon? How does Baston fit into this? And what is the Federation's role in all of this?_

_These questions and many more will be answered on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods, Part II: Invasion Plans._

_Next time on Twilight of the Gods!_

"Look out!"

"FOOLS! You can't escape us forever!"

"Just try us, creep!" Sayla snapped.

She aimed her gun and pulled the trigger, a laser eagerly flying out of the barrel, exploding against the ground, creating an intense blast of heat that rivaled a blast from the Pit.

She could feel her heart pounding as she engaged her Dash, speeding around the following attack. The ground behind her crumbled and blew up, sending a bunch of debris into her vector, but she dodged aside, barely avoiding the worst of it.

"Jaden! NOW!" she yelled.

Something in the brush crouched before it leapt out and landed right in front of him.

"What?!"

"Say lights out!" Jaden yelled. He drew back his fist and the next thing she heard was a satisfying crunch as metal struck metal.

She grinned as he slumped down, eye screens dark.

_Who is this new Gundam? Why did he attack them? And what new clues will be unveiled as the search for the Superior Dragon continues? All this, and more on the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	15. Episode 1 Bloopers

**Summary: Here's some bloopers for you peeps! Enjoy!**

Blooper 1:

_Sayla whirled around and fired off her gun, striking something in the brush. A robot staggered out, but he wasn't angry. In fact, he was giggling. She cocked an eyebrow as he pointed over into the distance. She turned and her eyes widened at the sight of one of the refugees taking a leak near the bushes. "Oh, for Pete's sake!" she growled, face-palming._

Blooper 2:

_Kicker stared in amazement at Subzero. He couldn't believe that it was Chumly, but his thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that on one of the ice patches a young Musha Gundam was busy skating. "Wheeeee!"_

_Bakunetsumaru inched along after him, trying to catch the kid. "Genkimaru! Get back here!" the other Gundam cried._

_Kicker sweat-dropped._

Blooper 3:

_Jaden placed a shaking hand on the compartment that held his Soul-Drive. He could feel it rotating beneath his armor._

_Syrus stepped closer upon noticing Jaden's shaking hand. "Hey, you need some oil?" he asked._

_Jaden gaped at Syrus just as Sayla smacked the younger boy upside the head._

"_Syrus!" she scolded._

_Zane face-palmed._

Blooper 4:

_Sayla aimed her gun and pulled the trigger, releasing a barrage of bullets right at Shintamaru. He sidestepped, only to get his foot caught on a nearby root and he went sprawling, face first right into some mud. Sayla couldn't help it. She burst out laughing._

Blooper 5:

_Madnug tensed as Sayla tossed something right at him. Instead of exploding, however, the mystery object splattered against him, releasing a horrible odor._

_Sayla blinked in confusion at the rotten tomato. "All right! Who slipped a rotten tomato in here!?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips._

Blooper 6:

_President Warren glanced around at her friends before she spoke. "All right. The party begins now… NO! That's not right!"_

_-----_

_She glanced around again before speaking. "The meeting may now end…SLAGGIT!" she swore._

_-----_

_President Warren looked around a third time before speaking. "The meeting may now begin…?" She looked at Seto with a rice ball in his hand._

"_What? I'm hungry!" the Kaxian said as he shrugged._

_President Warren face-faulted._

Blooper 7:

_Sayla scrambled to her feet just as the heat began to creep towards her ship. She grabbed onto the railing with her left hand, only to pull it back, crying out in pain. "HOT!" she yelped._

_Syrus hung his head and sighed, a mushroom cloud coming out of his mouth._


	16. Mysteries Unveiled

Summary: The Dark Axis plans to launch an invasion force to the Galaxy Organization. Meanwhile, the Federation plans to invade and liberate the concentration camps in their home dimension. As things get worse, the Gundam Force soon realizes that this small group just may be their last hope for freedom. Note: I don't own any series mentioned in the story. All belong to their respective owners. I own only all original characters.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

The Gundam Force arrived in the new dimension, and soon discovered that there was more to this dimension than they had thought.

After a battle with the Dark Axis, they learned about the Federation and the mystery that surrounded their newest vessel, a powerful ship called the _Destiny Star Drive_ and a surprising twist involving Baston's past.

After a confrontation with Commander Sazabi, the information they needed was obtained, but it only began to uncover more mysteries and more questions that needed to be answered. Unusual events and circumstances are forcing other leaders across the universe to reconsider their actions and the Federation must take action before all is lost. Can they hold out? Find out in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part II_

_Invasion Plans!_

Chapter 1

A lone cloud drifted overhead, a six winged bird from the planet of Wingora flitting below it. This particular bird, commonly called a _hythorsa_ in Cybertronian terms, was not that intelligent, but it knew a gathering when it saw one. Its gaze drifted down to the many forms clustered below a tree with huge leaves that shaded the creatures below.

Sh'boni La'torai, the leader of the Galaxy Organization, stood under the tree, watching the _hythorsa_ bird fly over. Her bright blue eyes glittered like gemstones as she narrowed them. A female being of attractive proportions, she stood a little over five foot ten and she had orange hair that contrasted her eyes. She was currently dressed in a bright red jumpsuit that clung to her body nicely.

Born and raised in a warrior class family, she had been given the best education her parents could afford. She got her first weapon at seven Earth years old and she had discovered her uncanny knack for politics when she had watched her uncle, a well known war hero, speak to the Galactic Senate. She had taken a course in law school when she graduated and became a politician before she joined the military at twenty four Earth years old.

After a fierce war, she turned back to politics and became leader when the current leader died of a heart problem. Not one to take lightly, she carried great influence that most organizations would give an arm or leg for, and she could carry her own in the middle of a heated debate about equal rights or economic policies. Over the years, she had helped many organizations, becoming a well known figure amongst the greater powers.

Respected and resourceful, many turned to her for assistance when they needed help getting back on their feet after an economic collapse. She never ceased to amaze the other beings through her generosity and her kindness.

Now, at forty four Earth years of age, she was in her prime and still going strong.

"Ma'am, we're ready to begin the gathering," a male voice said. She turned to face her second and longtime friend, Ju'honti Yo'lingi, or Ling, as he was commonly known.

Ling was about four inches shorter than she was, and he held as much influence domestically as she did. He had bright green hair and bright purple eyes. His body was muscular and he carried a rank of great importance in the military, what the Earthlings called a general. He was dressed in a camouflage jumpsuit and he carried around his faithful gun, which he affectionately nicknamed Faithful Reliance.

"Ling."

"Sh'boni. How long has it been?" he asked, embracing her tightly.

"Long enough for you to get stronger!" she joked.

"I may be getting stronger, but you're getting more powerful in terms of politics!" he remarked.

"True, but anyway, what brings you here?" Sh'boni asked.

"You know the usual. The gatherings and political issues. What's the latest on the status of some of the smaller powers?" Ling inquired.

"The reports say that they are beginning to fall under attack. Some powers have already fallen, and two have combined their forces and are currently in war with them," Sh'boni said grimly.

"How long until they fall as well?" Ling asked.

"Our sources estimate at least a few cycles of the moons before they fall."

"Not good."

"Tell me about it. And the latest from our scouts claim that a few other powers, the General Forces, have launched an offense against them. But, after that, nothing else," Sh'boni replied.

"Shame. The leader of the General Forces is a good friend of mine. Too bad he has to fight them. He's a good man."

"I know. I feel sorry for your upcoming loss."

"Thanks, Sh'boni."

She turned and nodded at the gathering. "Let's go. They are waiting for us."

Her friend nodded in agreement.

Both headed over to the assembled beings, each the top in their field and members of Sh'boni's cabinet, each heading a specific department. There were no elaborate titles or ranks. Each was just known as the head of their department.

Sh'boni glanced at each of them in acknowledgement as was customary among her people before speaking.

"The gathering can now commence."

At once a being with a shock of pure white hair raised his hand.

"Yes, Hu'ki?" Sh'boni asked, nodding in his direction.

"Ma'am, how come you are regretting your actions now? It doesn't make any sense to me. Normally, you would not do such things," Hu'ki said, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I am not regretting my actions. Instead, I am considering going to Alert Level G."

"Alert Level G?!" Hu'ki was shocked.

"Yes. Anyone have any objections to that?" Sh'boni asked.

No one, understanding the severity of the situation, answered or even raised a hand in opposition. She smiled with a slight hint of satisfaction.

"Now, here's the scope of the situation. Currently, our new enemies have already conquered a few of the more powerful minor organizations and are fighting on quite a few fronts. Two powers have combined their military forces in hopes of holding them off and driving them back, but so far, it is failing and in a few lunar cycles will fall, just as the few before them did." She paused to let that information sink in. Then she continued.

"Our latest scout probes and spy satellites have revealed the latest thermal sensor imagery indicating a few other battle sites and several troop movements towards the next power in their line of attack."

"Any idea as to who this unfortunate power might be?" a being with one blue eye and one green eye asked.

"Yes, we have an idea, Yi'lao."

Yi'lao narrowed her eyes for a moment.

"Who?" she asked finally.

"The power that has the misfortune to be caught in the middle of their line of attack would be the Intergalactic Federation," Sh'boni replied.

"The what?"

"The Intergalactic Federation. They have the misfortune of being caught in their line of attack," Sh'boni repeated.

"I…I just…This can't be…"

"You have something to share?" Ling asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Y-yes. It turns out that that very power you mentioned happens to be the ones who defeated Unicron three times," Yi'lao murmured softly.

"What? You mean…?" Sh'boni's voice trailed off.

Yi'lao nodded. "Yes. I mean them, ma'am. I mean them."

Sh'boni couldn't believe what she had heard. The Intergalactic Federation, the ones who had defeated Unicron…They were the next in the line of attack!

"How soon can we instigate an evacuation?" asked Hu'ki.

"Not soon enough. They may have to hold their own for now until we can send a reinforcement squad to get them out of danger," Sh'boni said.

"But, if they are the ones who defeated Unicron, then surely they can drive them back!" a being with a nasty scar on his right face said.

"Yo'ragi, you must understand that even though they have managed to defeat him and several other very powerful organizations, even they lack the power to hold back the invaders," Ling said. "They just don't have the power."

"You forget," a voice said.

"Forget what?" asked Sh'boni turning to face the speaker.

"They didn't just defeat him. They _obliterated_ him. They sent him to the Pit. They even destroyed an organization that possessed a weapon of far greater power than they did and they won," the newcomer replied softly.

"Even so, that was done by pure luck!" Ling snapped.

A pair of golden optics narrowed in frustration. "No. It wasn't. They have a reputation, and they live up to it well. This reputation being that they can accomplish anything if they believe in it. That is how they defeated him three times and won, each time getting more powerful as a result."

"So, what you're saying is that they _can_ drive them back?" Ling asked, his eyes widening in amazement.

"If they believe they can, then yes."

"Well, then I guess this gathering is…"

The attack began, cutting her off and causing a tremendous explosion of heat and energy, burning anything within the area.

* * *

_Twenty-one hundred light-years away…_

Shute was unaware of the silent footsteps approaching him. As he had a few days before, he sat outside under a tree, watching the sun set off in the distance. And, as always, Captain approached quietly so as to not disturb his thinking. Yet, he always knew that his friend was right there behind him.

"You thinking again?" Captain asked.

"Yeah."

"About Neotopia?"

"Yeah."

"Shute, it's getting late. You'd better come in," Captain said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Okay." But Shute refused to move.

Captain didn't even object, but rather removed his hand.

It was then that he noticed the tears streaming down his friend's face.

"Shute…"

He pulled the boy close and began rubbing his hair, comforting him. Shute wasn't surprised, for Captain had done this a few times before. He merely slipped his own arms around the Gundam's neck and laid his head against his chest, feeling the comforting feeling of the Soul-Drive rotating in the compartment.

The two sat like that for a few more moments before one of Shute's arms slipped from around Captain's neck and brushed his side, startling the Gundam.

Surprised, Captain let out a small groan of pleasure. It was then that he felt the human's fingers exploring that spot on his armor, making him moan in pleasure and delight.

Shute was also surprised at what he was doing. He pulled away from Captain, blushing red. "Sorry," he murmured.

He got up and inched away, embarrassed at what he had done.

* * *

_**FWAM!**_

"GET DOWN!" Sayla's cry echoed across the battlefield, forcing everyone to take cover. Already this was the third attack in the same week and she was beginning to grow frustrated.

"Slag! How many more attacks can we handle?" she murmured.

"Sayla! How about a little help here?" Syrus blurted as he launched his Sound Wave.

"Hold on, Sy!" she yelled. She spun in mid-attack and engaged her Dash, speeding towards the light-haired boy.

She could see another Dark Axis soldier, a Zako that looked like it was edging at six feet two, was creeping up. She gripped her gun and flipped the switch that engaged the laser rifle function. The compartment opened and she jammed her cartridge in, closing it. The familiar targeting scope came out of the side just as the barrel elongated slightly. She skidded to a stop and fired off a shot at the Zako.

It let out a small yelp as the shot struck it right in the optic.

"Zako! I can't see! Zako!"

Zane let out a laugh as Gunlock Gouf tried to strike him with his claw. "Is that the best you got?" he asked.

"Don't mock me, human!" Gunlock snarled.

He aimed his claw again and fired it, the chain trailing behind it.

Zane dodged to the side and rolled into a kneeling position.

"Now, Sayla!" he yelled.

Sayla jumped into the air, barely dodging a rocket fired from a Zako carrying a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher.

She flipped head over heels before she landed on her feet and skidded to a stop. She glanced up, a smirk on her face, her steel green eyes gleaming with a strange glint.

"You got it, Zane!" she said. She ignited her laser sword, the glowing blue blade emerging from the slot on her arm. She held it up to chest level and the blade began to glow with aural energy.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" She slashed as hard as she could, the bright blue aural energy wave streaking through the air towards Gunlock. He sneered before he dodged to the side, the blast impacting the ground with a dull _WHAM!_

"Slag!" Sayla swore.

"Nice try, human!" the Dark Axis mech purred.

"In that case, how about a little taste of a Crystal Spar?!" Baston shouted from up above. He landed on his hands and knees, a large rumbling spreading outward from the point of impact.

"Huh?" Gunlock whirled around, his optic locked onto the human crouched in the middle of the battlefield.

"CRYSTAL SPAR!" Baston roared.

The many spars shot up from the ground, creating large holes and throwing clumps of dirt and grass into the sky.

Several Zakos were pierced through the chests, their optics dark and lifeless, while several others were injured by the spars. Gunlock snarled in anger and hatred as he watched his troops get decimated by one human boy.

Then, his optic flared as a sneer crept along his grill-like mouth.

"Well, now this should be interesting," he purred.

As a huge spar shot up from beneath him, he used his claw to grip onto it and, using the spar's momentum as an edge, he was carried upward before he let loose, his falling momentum increased by threefold. He sneered as he fell towards Baston.

"SUN MISSILE!" Zane yelled. He thrust his arm forward and the balls of energy gathered around his body fired at maximum force/

The Sun Missiles impacted against Gunlock's body, forcing him to land in a position he found very uncomfortable.

"Why you…!" His voice trailed off as he sat up, rubbing his sore backside.

He was now angry.

"ZAKOS! ATTACK THEM AND CAPTURE THE BOY!" he shouted.

"What?!" Sayla's eyes widened as she realized what that meant. "NO! You won't lay one finger on Baston!" she snarled. "AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

"HAH!" Gunlock dodged to the side, barely avoiding the impact.

"Nice try! Your little attack is useless now!" With that, he launched his huge claw right at Baston, the claws grabbing onto the boy's arm!

Sayla watched in horror as Baston was caught by surprise and pulled close to Gunlock's body. "Now," he purred, "this human is coming with us." He emphasized the word "human" with his other hand, and Sayla caught a glimpse of a hint of lust in his optical lens.

"NO! You let him go right now!" she screamed.

"Never," Gunlock murmured. "He is just too good to pass up."

At this, she felt anger and hatred towards the enemy, along with concern for Baston, flooding her body, shutting out all other thoughts except for what mattered most: saving Baston and stopping the enemy.

She was vaguely aware of changes happening, but she couldn't be certain. All that mattered was saving Baston and defeating Gunlock Gouf once and for all!

* * *

**Jaden watched as** Sayla's eyes narrowed in anger and rage. "You will let him go right now, or else!" she snapped.

"Never," Gunlock murmured.

"You do it, RIGHT NOW!" she yelled.

Gunlock merely sneered. "Make me."

"I will!" she screamed.

Then, something surprising began to happen. Her laser sword suddenly shut down and her right hand began to change. Two slots opened up and her hand itself began to configure differently. Her fingers folded inwards and the middle of her hand split down the middle, exposing the inner workings of her laser sword just as the two slots closed up and a thin amplifier extended before withdrawing and a slot was exposed. A bright blue energy blade extended to full length, the tip of the newly created energy sword barely touching the ground.

Jaden felt his Soul-Drive skip a few rotations in complete astonishment. This was entirely unheard of for a hybrid human-Reploid. Normally, they didn't carry built in weapons of this caliber! That was meant only for the Reploids!

A new thought popped into his mind. Maybe now, they stood a chance of rescuing Baston before the Dark Axis laid their hands on him, and maybe, just maybe, they could get some more information concerning the enemy before it was too late, or so he hoped.

Gunlock grinned.

"How can you hope to attack me and avoid harming an innocent civilian as well? Isn't it the unwritten military code not to harm civilians in the middle of a battle?" he murmured.

"True, but there are some exceptions to the code. Such as holding a hostage! If someone is holding a hostage, then there will be no holding back!" Sayla snapped.

"You would willingly kill another innocent being to defeat me?" Gunlock whispered.

"No. Not kill. Liberate!" Sayla snarled.

"Hah! Just try me."

Sayla gritted her teeth and engaged her Dash, suddenly seeming to vanish right on the spot.

Gunlock didn't even expect the attack.

The next thing Jaden knew, an incredibly powerful gust of wind blew him flat onto his stomach, forcing him to grip his lower torso as pain danced across the area. Fortunately, there was no damage.

"What? Where did that wind come from?" Gunlock yelped.

_SLASH!_

"GAH!" Gunlock cried out in pain as electricity lanced up and down his arm, forcing him to grab the limb. He didn't let go of Baston, however.

His optic darted about, searching for whatever had caused the attack.

"What in the world?!" Gunlock cried.

"Looks like you're in for it now!" Jaden remarked from his position on the ground.

"Why you…!" Before Gunlock could speak any further, a sharp female voice cut him off.

"Take this!"

A green blur of speed moving so fast that it stunned even Jaden caught Gunlock by surprise.

Jaden knew who it was instantly. He braced for the impact he knew was coming shortly.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

Sure enough, he was right. The impact occurred a few second later, impacting the ground, forcing Gunlock to dodge by taking to the air, and at the same time, release Baston.

The blur stopped and materialized into the form of Sayla before she crouched and leapt upwards, her sword flashing in the light from the sun.

Gunlock's optic shrank in horror as she drew back her sword and slashed as hard as she could.

He cried out in pain as the blade struck home, right through his lower torso.

Jaden winced. "Ooh! Now that has to hurt!"

"GA-AH!"

The yelp from Gunlock was more than enough to remind Jaden of Baston.

"Baston!" he murmured. Quickly he scrambled to his feet, intent on getting to Baston before he fell to his death.

He broke into a run, his Soul-Drive racing in his chest. He could only hope that he reached him before it was too late, or else.

Despair filled his body as he watched Baston fall, his eyes wide with terror. There was no way he would be able to make it in time.

"Primus, please! I need a miracle here!" Jaden murmured.

As if on cue, he felt something on the backs of his feet activate, and he wound up falling flat on his face due to the unexplained burst of speed.

"Pfft!" Jaden poked his head up and spat out a mouthful of dirt and grass. He twisted his body so that way he was looking back and he noticed the wheels on the backs of his feet still spinning slightly.

An idea formed in his mind and he scrambled to his feet. He began running again, although this time, he settled into a smooth dash, using his heel wheels. He was still a little stunned, but for the most part, it was just what he had needed.

He hoped that it would be enough to save Baston.

It was. He neared the falling human, stopped by falling flat on his face again, scrambled to his feet, crouched, and jumped, grabbing Baston in both arms and landing flat on his back, holding Baston close to his chest.

"Nice save, Jaden," Baston whispered.

"Just stay back. Let us handle this," Jaden said.

Baston nodded shakily.

Jaden released him and the older boy got to his feet. He was a little shaky, but for the most part, he was fine. He staggered over to the edge of the battlefield and slumped down, still a bit terrified, but also relieved as to Jaden's rescue.

Jaden sighed with relief. He only hoped that the battle would end soon.

* * *

**Shute was still **embarrassed by what he had done earlier. Why was it that he was feeling this way around his best friend and not a female human? What was going on?

These thoughts buzzed around in his mind as he glanced down at the still form of his friend lying in the sun.

He smiled a bit at how the sun made his armor shine. It looked very beautiful, and his face seemed so peaceful…

Shute shook his head. There was no way he could be falling for a male, and a Gundam at that! It just wasn't right. And he wasn't gay, was he?

He snuck another glance at Captain.

He wondered what it was like to lie on top of him, to feel that warm, soft synthflesh against his own bare skin.

He shook his head a second time. He wasn't even supposed to think those thoughts yet! He wasn't even at the right age!

Shute lay back on the grass, staring up at the clouds. For some reason, he couldn't get Captain's face out of his mind entirely. In fact, it seemed that all his thoughts had to do with Captain these days.

He wondered why he was having these strange urges, and around his friend. It was not like he was falling in love, was it? He shook his head angrily. That wasn't right.

And yet, the sky reminded him of those eyes, those bright, beautiful, sapphire-blue eyes…

Shute closed his eyes and mentally slapped himself.

"No! I can't be falling for Captain! I'm only thirteen. And I'm not even ready for that yet," he muttered.

However, at the thought of Captain, he felt his heart increase its beat and he got a fluttering sensation in his stomach. He felt his face flush and he felt embarrassed.

What was happening between them? Was it really possible that he could be falling for a Gundam, and his best friend at that? And was it possible for Captain to be feeling the same thing? Was it possible? Was it?

He closed his eyes and sighed. _I sure hope to whatever god is listening that it's not true. Please, just let it be a lie. Please…_

* * *

**The battle got** even more intense now that Baston had been freed from Gunlock's hold. The Dark Axis mech, using his own sword, blocked and parried every blow Sayla tried to deliver, yet she wasn't one to go down that easy.

Gunlock Gouf let out a hiss as a slash nearly missed his command fin, anger coursing through his circuits. He gripped his sword and slashed, but the human parried his blow and delivered a roundhouse kick to his head, making him stagger backwards, clutching the spot.

The next thing he knew, there was an intense pain in his lower left leg as he collapsed, the limb severed off at the joint. Mech fluid spurted out, coating the grass in the black liquid and a couple wires sparked before dying completely. He gripped the damaged joint, agony coursing throughout his lower body and reaching into his upper body.

He snarled as he hauled himself to his remaining foot.

"You still won't go down, will you?" the human hissed.

"Not…until…all organic life…is crushed…and the…Dark Axis…rules this dimension!" he gasped, feeling himself get lightheaded from the loss of mech fluid.

He shook his head and, using his sword as a crutch, he launched his massive claw at her. She dodged to the side and charged right at him. She slashed with her blade again and he howled in agony as his arm was severed. Mech fluid came pouring out, doubling his blood loss. He gritted his 'teeth' as he fell to the ground.

He clenched his fist and punched, catching her in the lower torso as he landed on the ground, his body weak from the loss of fluid. She doubled over, not in pain, but to catch her breath. Before he had lost his strength entirely, he had managed to deliver a blow to knock the wind from her lungs, but not a fatal one.

She staggered to her feet, still gasping for breath, but for the most part fully recovered. Her right hand shifted back into its normal form, the light from the intense blue blade fading. Her hand was covered in his mech fluid, but nothing more.

"Looks like you're finally finished," she purred.

"No…No…NO! You can't!" he whined.

"Oh, I can, and I will!" she hissed.

She perched on top of him and gripped his throat in both hands. He could see a cold military gaze in those steel green eyes, and he felt pure fright for the very first time since he had been activated. Absolute terror pounded through his wires and systems as she clenched her hands tighter and tighter around his exposed neck. He gasped and clawed desperately with his remaining hand, but she wouldn't let go.

Darkness was beginning to cloud his vision at the edges and he could feel his life slipping away from him. He clung to consciousness, but it was not to be.

The circuits and wires in his neck were beginning to snap as she clutched his throat tighter and tighter. He gasped for air, but there was none. She was choking him, and he knew it. He tried to kick with his remaining leg, but he was too weak. Already his body wasn't obeying his commands, for the wiring in his neck that controlled his body was broken and snapped. He felt the darkness closing in and he heard a rushing in his 'ears' as death closed in on him.

The last thing he heard were the words "Hope you rot in the Pit" before he fell into a black pit, never to return to the light.

* * *

**Jaden watched as** Gunlock thrashed weakly under Sayla's body. She was strangling him, cutting off his air supply and killing him. He never thought that she could be so ruthless, especially to this degree. He thought she had always been a kid who had despised it, never capable of doing it until today.

The thrashing grew more and more frequent until finally, his body twitched feebly. All Jaden could see now was the glow of Gunlock's optic as he fought to stay alive.

"Hope you rot in the Pit, slagger!" she hissed.

Then, the optic went dark. His body twitched weakly once more before all functions ceased forever.

Sayla stood up, her hands stained with black mech fluid, panting heavily. Her steel green eyes flashed before she relaxed and studied the blackened hands.

"Never thought that I'd have to do that," she murmured.

Jaden approached cautiously.

"Sayla…you…you killed him…why?" he asked.

"Didn't you see that glint in his optic, Jaden? He wanted Baston for some reason, as well as for himself. Plus, something's going on here and I think Sazabi has more than enough information for us, even if he claims not to, Jaden. And I know that they were planning to do something with Baston, so that's why," Sayla said, rubbing her hands on her trench coat.

"Still…to kill an enemy like that with just your bare hands…that's ruthless…" Jaden murmured, his voice hoarse.

"Sometimes you have to become ruthless if you want to keep your friends alive. That's what I did when I joined the military. I learned that the hard way," she said.

"Whoa…"

Jaden felt his Soul-Drive skip a few rotations at the mere thought.

"Now I really don't want to mess with you!" he remarked.

"I bet," Sayla replied.

She flexed her hands before rubbing them on her trench coat.

"C'mon. Let's get this thing back to the school so Cerverau can conduct some scans on it," she said, growing serious.

Jaden merely nodded, still stunned at her actions.

He grabbed the lifeless body of Gunlock Gouf and ran off in the direction of the campus.

Sayla studied her hands again before she turned and headed off after Jaden. _Hopefully we won't have another attack for a few more weeks_. Sayla thought to herself. However, she doubted that they would be given any peace until they stopped the Dark Axis once and for all.


	17. Understandings

Chapter 2

The fires raged as they surged into the burning complex that marked the headquarters for the Galaxy Organization. Sh'boni narrowed her eyes as they came closer to the traps the people had set. She tensed, ready to run when the mines went off.

A lone soldier crept forward, eye scanning from side to side as it neared the street. Without even considering the possibility of a trap, the soldier set its foot down right on top of a concealed mine. The beeping reached her ears and she bolted, silent and swift.

A few seconds later, a large fireball mushroomed at the very spot, the heat and flames reaching up into the smoke filled sky, barely penetrating it.

"Sh'boni!"

She turned just as Ling came running up, panting for breath.

"Ling, what is it?" she asked.

"The…the trap…did it go off?" Ling rasped.

"Yes. Why?"

"We…we just…just spotted…more of them…and…there's too many…for us," he gasped out.

"What? How many forces did they bring?" Sh'boni blurted.

"At…at least ten divisions."

"SHYTE!" she cursed. She grabbed Ling by the front of his jumpsuit. "Do you realize what this means?"

"Yes. I do."

"Then gather all the fighting forces you can and have them assemble in front of the main building for defense! We cannot allow them to take our beloved organization! We must defend it with our lives, even if it means suicide!" she hissed.

"Roger!" She released him and he ran off to gather his forces.

She turned back to the attacking armies and she sighed. This was a desperate gamble, she knew, but right now they had no other choice. If they were indeed here to fell her organization, they needed to be stopped whatever it took, even if it meant a full out assault with their thermonuclear weapons, which she hoped it wouldn't come to.

They surged over the rubble caused by the explosions and the intense battle, getting closer with each passing nanotick, not even stopping to regroup. It seemed like they were focused on bringing down the Galaxy Organization, even if it meant their own lives. Sh'boni could only hope to the Creator for a miracle.

* * *

_On Earth…_

President Warren studied the screen intently, her eyes focusing on the part about the concentration camps. Something didn't seem right about that. How could the one who had delivered the screen a few days ago even know what was happening in there, yet not reveal it to the public? Was it even really true? If so, how come no one stepped forward about it from the very beginning? Was it too horrible an experience to talk about? What was the reason for all the secrecy?

She turned off the screen and glanced out the window, wondering if their mystery informant would ever come clean with the truth. Last time, she knew, they had shown the Federation leaders the horrors of the camps, but then again, not even the images could compare to the experience. If it was as horrible as the images showed, then it was no wonder no one had stepped forward to talk about it.

The door buzzer outside her office rang three times, signifying that someone was outside waiting to see her. Sighing, she stood up and stretched. Probably another aide looking to see her, she mused.

She brought up the monitor to tell the aide to go do something else when she stopped short of the button that activated the exterior comm.

The monitor wasn't showing an aide, but rather a being she had never seen before. It looked like a combination of a human and a bird, but with reptilian skin. The alien looked to be distinctly female, but she couldn't be certain. The being's eyes were a bright yellow with a hint of red in them and the wings had sort of a silvery sheen to them. The being's hair was matted and cut short, just like a soldiers. The uniform was tattered and torn at the arms and legs, a bright green fluid oozing out of several wounds.

President Warren let out a gasp and pressed the button that opened the door.

With a hiss, the door slid open and the being staggered in, clutching its right arm.

She turned to face it. "You wanted to see me?"

"Y-yes. Are you the leader of this organization?" the being asked in a raspy feminine voice.

"I am."

"Good. I am Ryja Hythio of the Ythago people. I need to speak with you about something urgent," she said.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" President Warren asked.

"I don't have much time, so I'll say it straight: I escaped."

"From where?" the Federation leader wondered.

"The concentration camps."

The revelation came like a laser shot to the chest. President Warren stared at her.

"Are you serious?" she whispered.

Ryja nodded. "Yes. And I have to tell you about what goes on in there so you can be better prepared if you ever decide to liberate them," she said.

"We plan on it, but we need to find out where they are so this way we can carry out the plans," President Warren said.

"Then you are out of luck. There is only one way to get to these camps, and that is through a dimensional gateway. No one has been able to successfully copy the dimensional gateway the Dark Axis uses for transportation," Ryja remarked.

"We have the spacebridge, so shouldn't that be enough?" President Warren asked.

"No. A dimensional gateway is the only method of entering the camp's perimeters."

"So what you're saying is that the camps are in the home dimension of the Dark Axis?" the Federation leader murmured in disbelief.

Ryja nodded. "Yes."

"Aw, slag!" The realization of defeat loomed overhead, but she wouldn't accept it, not until they tried.

"So, you have no hope of liberating those camps."

"No, we don't. You're right about that, but we'll try anyway!" President Warren hissed, fierce determination filling her eyes.

"How so?" Ryja inquired.

"The spacebridge. It's meant to cross the space-time continuum, so theoretically, it can be recalibrated to a higher frequency to penetrate through the continuum and into another universe altogether, or so I've heard from Preceptor anyway." President Warren shrugged.

"…" Ryja was silent as the President concluded the explanation.

"Okay. Say that you can calibrate it to this higher frequency. How do you plan on finding the camps?"

"That, we'll leave that to the radar and we'll keep our eyes open for them."

Ryja shook her head. "No. It's not that simple. The camps can't be picked up by radar, which makes it all the more difficult to spot them."

"Still, we can try."

"You humans are really stubborn."

"I know. Now, you were going to tell me about what goes on in there, right?" President Warren asked.

"Yes. And trust me. You may not like what you hear," Ryja replied.

"Just tell me."

"Very well. To put it simply, it can't be told in mere words in sentences. But what I can tell you is that there is no chance that any beings survive without a full invasion force to get inside and destroy the defenses," Ryja said grimly.

"What? That well defended?" President Warren murmured.

"Yes. And it gets worse: the beings there have a life span of no more than twenty of your days."

"Those glitches!" President Warren spat.

"Yes. No one, aside from me, has ever managed to escape without getting caught."

"I bet. Just what did you mean by not having enough time?" President Warren asked.

"AGH!" Ryja clutched at her chest and the President instantly knew.

"Not yet!" she blurted.

She grabbed the comm and prepared to call down a medical unit, but by the time she had raised the comm unit to her mouth, Ryja was already dead, a lost soul delivering a desperate warning, desperate to save the lives of those lost in the camps.

She lowered the comm and bowed her head.

Another life had been senselessly lost to the Dark Axis, but this one having done its job of delivering a warning message. She could only hope that soon, they would be able to save those trapped and imprisoned in the camps.

"Primus, help us," she murmured.

* * *

**No one even** suspected the next attack to go so smoothly. The plan was simple: set mines around a small area near the training fields and wait. However, waiting for the right pair was a lot harder than it seemed. The Zakos in charge were hunched over the detonator, waiting for their targets to walk right into the trap.

They had been like this since two in the morning, and already it was nearly noon. The Zakos were getting impatient.

"Zako! When will they be here, zako?" one of them asked.

"Seems like we've been here forever, zako," a second one said.

The lead Zako, however, wasn't so impatient. "Patience, zako. They'll be here, and when they do get here, then we'll detonate the mines and trap them until we can get the boy and get away."

"Who are the targets exactly, zako?"

"That hybrid and Captain Gundam. Our mission is to trap them both and wait until the time is right. Then we take them out after we snatch the boy."

"But, what if the rubble does it for us, zako?"

"Then we get out before the authorities for this place know we were here."

"Zako! Here they come!"

The Zakos cut all chatter and gathered around the detonator. Sure enough, the lookout had spotted them. They waited until they had entered the concealed trap.

"NOW!"

The Zako pushed down on the detonator.

_BAM!_

The explosion rocked the little Zako cluster, and they fell back onto their rear plates, moaning and groaning. The blast created a giant dust cloud, along with the loud rumble of the ground collapsing into the pit they had dug underneath the mined area.

The Zakos cheered as they burst out of the hiding spot to check out the status of the trap.

It had worked according to the plan. There was a giant pit full of rubble, trapping both the hybrid human and the Gundam visible from their location.

"Zako! It'll take days for them to get out, if they survive, zako!"

"Yes, zako. By then, however, we'll be well on our way and we'll have the boy in our grasp. Nothing can stop us now, zako!"

"ZAKO!"

The four Zakos ran off, the red Zako leading them, in the direction of the dorms, and their target.

* * *

**"Ugh. Man! That **was totally unexpected," Sayla moaned. Painfully, she pulled herself into a sitting position and glanced around her surroundings. She could see that they were in some kind of a pit dug crudely out of the rock. Above them, somehow stopped by a huge tree root and several smaller roots, were the chunks of rubble.

She cast her gaze about, searching for her weapon. Spotting it, she crawled over and gripped the strap, pulling it close to her.

"Uhn!"

Despite the pain, she stood up, rubbing her bruised rib cage. "Man! I never thought that being part Reploid could be so useful," she murmured.

Sure enough, her hybrid status had saved her the pain of a broken rib cage and a busted leg.

However, she wasn't too certain of Captain Gundam's condition.

She still didn't trust him, even after all that he had done.

She didn't even really care if he survived or not.

Sighing, she headed over to the wall and studied it. She noted how smooth it looked, despite being carved out crudely, and over a period of only what she guessed were ten hours.

"Wow. They're good," she murmured.

"How good are they?"

She turned, mildly surprised to see Captain sitting, no _standing_, behind her.

"They're good enough to have carved this pit out of the rock so quickly, yet crudely. But what stuns me is how smooth they made the walls in only ten hours," Sayla mused.

"Ten hours?"

"That's how long ago I'm guessing this pit was made," she said.

"…" He was silent as he studied the walls.

"No. It looks like it was dug over a period of three weeks," the Gundam replied.

"That long?" Sayla asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes."

Silence filled the pit.

Captain studied Sayla, taking in her appearance. He knew from watching her that she was a tough opponent, and one to never be messed with. Her gun was something that seemed to never leave her side. He wondered if it had been handed down to her.

She turned to look at him and he caught notice of a hard military gaze in those steel green eyes.

"What're you looking at?" she hissed.

"…"

She scoffed. "Just as I thought. You're just a machine."

"What? You think I'm just a machine?!" Captain blurted.

She turned at the sudden outburst.

"Answer me!"

She was caught by surprise when his hands closed on her T-shirt, pulling her close.

"Y-yes. Why?"

"You don't understand how hard it is to struggle to understand humans, do you?" he hissed. "I had to struggle to understand human emotions and to be able to fit in with them! I couldn't even understand the simplest of human emotions until I met Shute!"

"…" She stared at him, unable to believe his words.

"The day I met him, things changed. I began to understand human feelings. I began to fit in better. But I still didn't understand humans fully!"

He released her and put a hand on the Soul-Drive compartment.

"I still didn't understand, until the final battle against Commander Sazabi."

For the first time, she noticed a hint of tears in his eyes.

"I finally understood what it meant to have a friend, to be human, and…" He choked back a sob. "…I learned how important Shute was to me."

"Captain…"

"Yet, why would you care? You just think I'm a machine," Captain muttered darkly.

He sat down on a rock not too far away.

She still couldn't believe his words. He had struggled to understand humans and fit in, and she had overlooked that he had even had a soul!

She walked over and sat down next to him.

"Look. I'm sorry, okay? It's just that we have very little data on the enemy, so we don't even really know if you can be trusted or not. But so far you've proven us wrong," she said softly.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, right," he muttered.

"I mean it. I'm sorry."

Captain merely turned away from her.

"As if," he said.

Sayla grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him to face her, "Why don't you trust me?" she asked.

For the first time, he locked gazes with her, startling her.

"You tried to torture me, you falsely accused me of being with the Dark Axis and you tried to force me to commit suicide, and now you want to know why I don't trust you?" he hissed.

She nodded.

"For all the reasons I previously stated, I don't trust you."

"Look. I really am sorry," Sayla said. And it was true. She had learned from her past mistakes.

"I don't believe it. If you even understood a bit about my past, then you'd know how hard it is to fit in with humans," Captain murmured.

"So?"

"You don't understand, and you never will."

With that, Captain pulled himself free from her and she could only stare in amazement as he walked over to the left side of their little prison.

The two sat on opposite ends for a few moments before Sayla spoke.

"Just what is it about your past that you want to keep secret anyway?" she asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Captain said. He didn't even bother to look at her.

"…Why not?"

"It's just something that I want to keep private."

"It's more than that. I can tell," Sayla said.

Silence filled the space between them.

"If I tell you, will you tell me why you even joined the military at such a young age? You don't seem that much older than Guneagle," Captain said.

Sayla shrugged. "Sure."

"It all started with the battle against Sazabi. He had stolen my Soul-Drive and he intended to use it to control Neotopia's Mobile Citizen population."

Sayla turned, stunned at this information. "He what? Are you serious?"

Captain nodded. "Yes. And he wanted to rule over Neotopia, becoming stronger. I have a feeling that it was probably to try and overtake your home dimension."

"Is that what you didn't want to talk about?" Sayla asked softly.

"Yes."

"Wow. No wonder."

"I am curious as to why you joined the military at such a young age," Captain said. "Why did you?"

Sayla looked away from him and fixed her gaze on the wall, as if she could see into the past. "Jaden gave me the idea when I needed someplace safe to be when my drunk uncle moved in. He was constantly berating me sometimes and I withdrew into myself to deal with the insults. When he attacked me in public, a soldier saved my life. It was right after I told him about the experience that Jaden came up with that plan for me."

"You joined to get away from a family problem?" Captain inquired.

"Yeah. It's also paid off, because if I hadn't joined, then I may not be here."

"Why?"

"He might have killed me in a drunken rage." As she spoke, Captain noticed how her eyes became slightly glazed over and she became a bit more quiet.

"You really don't like talking about this, don't you?" he murmured.

"No. But sometimes it helps to talk about this."

"…"

Silence again reigned before a slight rumbling filled the small prison.

Sayla's head shot up to look up at the rubble trapped in the roots. "Something's trying to dig through," she murmured.

"What? Someone's trying to dig through the rubble?" Captain asked.

She nodded.

A surge of hope filled his Soul-Drive. Maybe someone could get them out now and before their air ran out!

* * *

**The ground around** the collapsed ground was alive with human figures crawling around. Huge machinery moved close to the edge of the pit, their occupants determined to get the survivors out. Sean Tennyson maneuvered the huge backhoe out of the makeshift camp and headed over to the western edge of the two mile collapse.

He gripped a handheld radio and held it to his lips.

"Stray Zero, this is Egg Hatch Two. We're preparing to begin the excavation and the digging process," he said.

The radio crackled with static before a feminine voice answered.

"_Ready on this end, Egg Hatch Two._"

"All right. Prepare to begin the digging process on my signal."

"_Okay. Just to clear things up, do we start digging as one, or at different times?_" a male voice with a slight Southern accent asked.

"We take turns at it, Digger Ten. We can't afford to cause an unfortunate accident for the survivors of the ground collapse," Sean said.

"_Roger that, Egg Hatch Two._"

"On my signal!"

He lowered the radio to take in the status of the rest of the team. A large bulldozer moved into position on the western side of the collapse while a bright turquoise blue survey truck equipped with a large drill moved to the north of the ground collapse. Twenty four smaller transport trucks moved into position to transport the dirt and rubble out of the way.

He raised the radio and spoke to the drivers of the two teams of trucks.

"Transport One and Hauler Twelve, stand by to receive the first haul of debris!"

"_Roger that!_" a female voice with a Texan accent replied.

"_Aye! Standing by to receive first load!_" a Scottish voice replied.

"Good! Let's dig them out!"

"_Roger! Stray Zero moving in!_"

The large shovel was lowered and the driver known as Stray One began pushing the dirt and rubble out of the way. The transport trucks moved in to receive the load. The first shovelful was dumped into the truck as it sped off.

The survey truck moved in and the drill was lowered.

"_Shall I begin drilling?_" the radio squawked.

"Not yet, Digger Ten. Wait until my signal to drill!" Sean snapped.

"_Right._"

The survey truck moved off the ground collapse and he moved his backhoe into position. He lowered the huge claw into the hole dug by Stray Zero. He gripped the lever and shoved it upwards. The large claw closed and grabbed a huge shovelful of dirt and loose rocks. The second truck moved into position and the haul of debris was dumped into it. The driver sped off to have a third truck move up.

The excavation continued for another hour, the teams and drivers moving the dirt and rocks in an effort to save those trapped beneath.

Finally, they couldn't dig any further.

"_Egg Hatch Two, this is Stray Zero. We've reached a huge rock and a huge clump of dirt. We can't move it. Looks like we'll have to drill,_" she said.

"Roger that. Digger Ten, you're up."

"_Roger!_"

The blue truck moved up and the large drill was lowered into the hole. The drill operator, a burly man named Hank, gripped the drill controls and prepared to activate it.

"Ready on this end!" he said.

"Activate the drill when I say so."

The large drill hung there loosely for a few moments until Sean barked out the order.

"Now! Activate it now!"

At first there was nothing, but then the large drill began to rotate slowly at first, too slowly. There was no speaking, but the large drill increased in speed until it a high pitched whine filled the air. There were no words, just hopes as the drill was lowered until the tip was touching the bottom of the hole and the rock.

Almost immediately, a high-sounding drilling was initiated. The tip of the drill, made out of pure energon, was able to penetrate through the rock, though slowly, too slowly.

Large chunks of rock, dirt, and rubble were thrown out of the hole, and Sean used the backhoe to dump some into the transport trucks.

The trucks kept coming, for those that dumped the rubble off returned into line to receive their next haul.

The drill kept moving down, boring through the rock and rubble until the tip struck home.

It passed right down from the truck into the hole beneath. They had found the pit.

* * *

**Sayla glanced up** just as the rumbling grew louder and louder, followed by a slight vibration she knew had to come from an energon tipped drill. She instantly read the situation: they were being drilled out. A huge pile of rubble came pouring down from the ceiling of their little prison and she was forced to cover her nose and mouth to block out the dust that now filled it. A shaft of light shone down into the trap, illuminating it like a spark from Primus.

She glanced up, only to have her eyes meet a huge silver drill, the single yellow tip shimmering in the dim light.

"Is anyone down there?" a voice called down.

She took in a deep breath, and yelled out as loud as she could, though happily.

"YES! WE'RE DOWN HERE!"

They had been found.


	18. Shift the Demon Mage Attacks!

Chapter 3

The blasts from the incoming fighters became more and more intense as the battle over Orca raged. Rogue, the former Transerver operator now commander of the Orcan Military Forces, snarled as she gripped her AK87 Masterblaze machine gun.

She scanned the battlefield from her position on top of the security center in Hypta, the Orcan command center, and her golden eyes narrowed beneath her visor. Already they were taking severe hits and they couldn't hold out much longer, unless someone provided them with a bit of an edge against the Dark Axis attackers.

"Slag! How much longer can this go on for?" a soldier blurted.

"Stay calm, Seriu! We have to try and hold out just a little bit longer!"

"I know, Rogue, but we can't take any more hits or it's all over for all of us!" the soldier snapped.

Rogue drew back her hand and smacked him hard on the jaw. "Get a hold of yourself! We haven't suffered that much damage!"

Seriu clutched his jaw and looked at her like she was nuts. "Are you crazy, man?! We've taken way more hits than we should've and we still fight! Talk about a hopeless battle!"

"Not everything is hopeless, soldier. We just needed an edge and I think I found it. Take a look over there."

She pointed off into the distance. Seriu narrowed his eyes at the amount of forces coming from the north.

"So? All I see is a bunch of enemy forces coming to crush us."

"No! Not there! There!" Rogue snapped, pointing yet again, only this time, on the horizon, where he could see a large gateway opening.

"So? That's just the spacebridge they use to get in," he said.

"Exactly! And that's what we Orcans developed years before all of this happened! It's a dimensional gateway, and we need to close it and soon before their mother ship comes."

"So, what you're saying is that…"

"Yes. That is the plan."

"How are we going to close a dimensional gateway?"

"By using this!" Rogue snapped. She pointed at the large satellite on top of the Orcan command center. "That satellite doubles as a space distortion device, otherwise known as the SD Generator. We can use that to close up the gateway!"

The soldier's face paled.

"You have got to be kidding! No one can use that! You know what happened last time!"

"Last time was an unfortunate accident! This is a genuine emergency! Tell them to open fire or I'll do it for them!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

The soldier grabbed his comm unit and pressed the button. As he spoke into it, he feared that it meant the end for them all.

* * *

_On Earth..._

The next two days were hectic and busy as the school resumed normal life after the excavation team had dug out Sayla and Captain. Both now seemed to have a bit of a more friendly atmosphere about them, and that was a shock to the little group. Yet, they adjusted.

Only a few hours after the day had ended, something was happening on the edge of the grounds, something that usually attracted quite a bit of attention.

**_BA-BOOM!_**

The red, blue, green, and gold mech barely dodged the blast as it struck the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dust and debris. He slammed into the earth, creating a skid mark that threw up chunks of rock and dirt. He struck something hard, forcing him to a stop.

The taste of energon filled his mouth and he realized that he had bitten down on his lower lip. He turned and spat some out onto the grass.

"Pfft!"

He wiped his mouth and glanced around for whatever had fired that attack. Nothing was visible. Kicker snarled as he staggered to his feet.

"Alright! Where are you?!" he yelled.

No answer came from the trees surrounding him, except for a small strange humming sound.

"What be the matter? Are thou not going to fight me?" the unseen attacker purred.

"What's it to you, you coward?!" Kicker snapped.

"Did thou just call me a coward?"

Kicker snarled in response.

"Come now. Thou must have good reason, no?"

He didn't answer. He gritted his teeth and eyed the surrounding trees, optics scanning for any sign of the attacker, whether it be heat, energy, or energon signatures. Yet, there was nothing, save for a strange blob on the far left of his field of vision.

His optics widened as he realized that it was an energy signature. Yet, this one seemed to be oozing a strange malevolence, an atmosphere of fear, panic, and oppression, just like the god of Hades.

He called forth his laser rifle and primed it, the familiar whine filling his audios before fading.

The human turned to face the signature and fired, the bright blue beam of light lancing out like a signal from Poseidon's trident.

"Hmph. Is that thy best?"

The form batted the beam away as harmlessly as a fly. The explosion that occurred was enough to blow Kicker off his feet and into the ground.

His systems screamed at him as he sat up, rubbing his head, optics squeezed shut.

"Ow!"

"Kicker!"

The voice hit him full on. He realized who that was immediately. Kicker turned, his spark pounding in his chest, to face Meisha and T.J. as they ran into the clearing.

"Meisha! T.J.!" Kicker cried.

"Ooh. Thou hath a girlfriend and comrade in arms?" the voice purred.

"She's not my girlfriend, and for the record, you're up against the Energizer Squad!" Kicker said.

"That's right! Now why don't you show yourself, you coward?!" T.J. blurted.

"Uh, T.J., I don't think that such a good idea," Kicker said.

"Why not?" T.J. asked, a small question mark hovering over his head.

As if in response, Kicker crouched and lunged at the younger mech, pulling him close and crashing into the forest floor with him, leaving a skid mark behind.

A loud explosion rang in his audios as he looked down at T.J.

"That's why," he said sternly.

"Oh."

"Thou wilt pay for calling me a coward!" the attacker hissed, drifting closer to the two mechs.

"I don't think so!" Kicker snapped.

"Oh? Why does thou say so?"

Kicker scrambled to his feet and charged the attacker, his fist drawn back into a punch.

"THIS!" he yelled.

He punched as hard as he could, throwing as much power as he dared into it. The impact that occurred blew the attacker back into the trees, knocking a few over with loud groans of protesting wood.

The attacker hissed as he sat up, concealed by the dust.

"Kicker!" Meisha ran up, panting heavily. Her paintjob was messed up from the blows of the fight and she was cut on her lower cheek, energon oozing out.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Kicker replied.

"LOOK OUT!" T.J. screamed.

He called up his cannons and fired off a few bright blue beams of light. The intense beams stood out against the incoming clouds like lightning bolts and the power they emitted was enough to rival that of Madnug's powers.

"Hah! Thou makes me laugh!" the form cackled.

The beams impacted the attacker, creating a bright blue-white explosion, but when the smoke cleared, lightning flashed, exposing their attacker.

All three humans gasped, shock, horror, and amazement pounding through their wires.

In front of them stood a pure black Gundam. This Gundam's eyes were a dark yellow with dark green irises and he oozed a malevolent aura. His armor was pure black all over, save for a dark grey mouth guard and on his helmet were two large wings, yet they were not like Zero's at all. In fact, they seemed to be more like raven wings, not the graceful angel wings on Zero's helmet. His cape was pure black and seemed to move in a nonexistent breeze. In one hand he held a menacing lance and in the other, a pure black shield with dark grey wings stamped on it. His chest was adorned with a dark grey soul stone and seemed to be pulsing with pure darkness.

All in all, he seemed to be a demon, one who was more powerful than anything else they had ever encountered.

"No…slaggin'…way!" Kicker gasped.

"What in the name of Primus?!" Meisha blurted.

"Holy slag!" T.J. cried.

"Now, doth thou still wish to do battle?" the Gundam purred.

Kicker snarled and willed his weapon into subspace. He then called upon the power within himself, the power he always used when things got tough.

The Energizer Matrix flared into life, releasing the hidden powers within and sending them coursing throughout his systems and into his body and spark. A small brief instance of warmth overcame him before fading into nothing. His optics flared brightly before he clenched his fists. A blast of energy occurred around his body and blew the leaves away from around him, as if in a mini cyclone.

"…"

Kicker didn't answer. Instead, he clenched his fists and the balls of energy materialized into existence around them.

"Excellent. I do hope thou gives me a good battle."

"You wish!" Kicker spat.

Meisha gripped her laser rifle and aimed it at the Gundam that stood before them like the very god of Death himself.

"You want a battle? Well then, how about you go up against all three of us?!" she yelled.

"Three on one? Now this should be interesting," the Gundam replied calmly.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker thrust both hands forward, launching his signature move at the dark Gundam.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. clenched his fist as his signature cannon formed around his hand and the energy ball began to charge. He pointed it at the Gundam and the blast fired towards him.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha called out her guns and aimed most of them at the form and fired, followed by a few missiles.

The screen split to show each of their faces as they cried out their signature move. "ENERGIZING ANNIHILATOR!"

The three powerful blasts combined into one beam, a bright blue energy laced with golden light and electricity coursing along it, amplifying its power to greater levels. The beam sped right for the Gundam, who didn't even twitch a finger.

**_BAOOM!_**

The explosion created by the combined powers was more than enough to do the job, for the shockwave blew all three human/machines off their feet and onto their backs, energon oozing out of several wounds.

Kicker sat up and glanced around, his optics glowing a bit as he strained to penetrate the dust that was thrown up by the attack.

"Did…did we get him?" Meisha asked quietly.

"I think so. I don't see him anywhere," Kicker replied.

"Maybe he dodged it?" T.J. remarked jokingly.

"T.J., I'm serious. Nothing could have dodged that blast. The Energizing Annihilator is one of the most powerful moves we've got," Kicker said as he looked at him.

"Thou art wrong on that count!" the dark Gundam hissed.

The voice seemed to slip from the dust and coat their bodies like a layer of energon coming down from the heavens.

Kicker's optics widened in shock as the Gundam emerged from the dust, unmarked and unharmed, save for a few dust spots on his armor.

"No way! No one could've survived that!" he rasped.

"Well, then thou doth not know what I am, correct?" the Gundam asked softly, a sneer in his eyes.

"You…you can't be real!" Kicker gasped, pointing a shaking finger at him.

"Oh, but I am, dear boy. And I am something that is known in my land as a demon mage!" the dark Gundam purred.

"Demon mage?" Kicker's voice was full of disbelief as he asked the question.

"Yes. A demon mage is one who is born a demon, a demon in a mortal form, capable of shifting between both a demon body and their mortal coil. However, there is a time limit as to how long one can remain in demon form on days when the sun shines strong. This time limit is a disadvantage to the demon mages, save for a select few, one of which I hope to become. Demon magic is extraordinarily powerful, and no other magic can stop it. Not even your puny magical spells can stop me!" the demonic Gundam sneered.

"Demon magic? Is that what this is?" Kicker asked.

"You catch on quick for a mortal."

"Heh. Well, I guess you could say that it's our specialty!" Kicker yelled. "ENERGIZER BLAST!"

The powerful beam of light lanced out from both hands as the demon Gundam raised a hand and swatted it aside like a fly.

"Is that thou best?" the demonic Gundam asked casually.

"No. THIS IS!" Kicker roared.

"Huh?" The Gundam's eyes seemed to widen as he watched his opponent stand up and throw his head back.

"CYBER KEY POWER MAXIMUM!" Kicker cried out to the heavens, his best hope.

The familiar jolt of energy coursing through his body was a welcome relief, and he embraced it, feeling it coursing throughout his systems and boosting his powers to greater levels.

"HAH! Thou thinks thee can try new magic on me? Feh!" the demonic Gundam scoffed.

"NIRTO BLASTER!" Kicker cried. The golden beam of light lanced out, but the demon was faster. He raised a hand and summoning his demon magic, created a Dark Mana shield, dissipating the blast harmlessly into a shower of golden light.

"Thou art stronger, and that forces me into my full power," the demon purred.

"Oh slag!" Kicker moaned.

"KICKER!"

Kicker's head spun to face Meisha. "Meisha!" he cried.

"You've got to do something and fast!" Meisha pleaded.

Now he could see the tendrils of dark magic coursing along their bodies, snaking towards their spark chambers.

"NOOOO!"

The raw fury Kicker felt was unlike anything he had ever experienced. The power that now coursed through his body was far greater than even the Cyber Key he had just summoned down from the heavens. It seemed to snake along towards certain points on his arms and legs, charging something concealed, and something deadly.

"You let them go right now!" Kicker growled.

"Heh. As if. They may provide an excellent meal for me," the demon purred, his eyes shining with a hunger that made Kicker sick to his stomach.

"You let them go!" Kicker snarled, his anger reaching its pitch.

"Never!" the demon Gundam hissed.

A low growl formed in Kicker's vocals, starting off as little more than a purr, but building in intensity, growing to a full fledged yell of rage and anger.

The intense power was now unleashed, as hidden compartments on his arms and legs sprang open, revealing hidden guns fully charged and ready to fire.

"NITRO CANNON MODE! FIRE!!!!"

The demon Gundam's eyes widened in shock as they fired with a loud explosion of sound and energy.

The bright golden beams of light and power sped right through the darkened clearing towards his enemy, pouring out his hate and anger and rage into a single, powerful golden beam of light, intense in energy, deadly in power, and lethal in penetration. The beam neared him, he struggled to erect a shield of Dark Mana, but the beam struck home, penetrating right through his arm, but failing to penetrate his chest. The intense pain that the demon Gundam felt was expressed in a howl of pain and agony that matched Kicker's yell of hatred and anger and rage.

The explosion that occurred was far more deadly than the Energizer Explosion.

The shockwave was more than enough to level a small city, leaving nothing behind, except for remains of what had once been buildings. If that weren't enough, the explosion itself was meant to incinerate anything that got caught in it, except for those who were close to the one who had caused it.

The smoke that filled the clearing after the explosion was darker than the clouds above, and it concealed even the damaged demon Gundam from view, so they had no way of knowing whether he was still alive or not.

The dark magic holding Meisha and T.J. suspended above the ground writhed in pain as they vanished from view into the depths of the smokescreen. The two dropped to the ground, massaging their arms and legs where the tendrils had cut into their armor.

"You guys okay?" Kicker asked as he stepped out of the smoke.

"Yeah. Thanks," Meisha murmured.

"Hey! Where'd you get those new weapons?" T.J. asked as he poked one of them.

"That's Nitro Cannon Mode," Kicker explained. "Apparently it's got way more power than the Energizer Explosion, because last I saw of that demon was when he was hunched down, holding a shield against the assault."

"Maybe you destroyed him," Meisha speculated.

"No. I don't think so, Meisha. Otherwise we would have heard an explosion."

"Thou art right. I still live," a voice hissed softly.

The three fighters spun, optics scanning for the demon Gundam.

"Up here! MANA ERACTOR!"

"SCATTER!" Kicker yelled.

Almost immediately, a powerful blast of Mana energy came shrieking down from the heavens like an angry valkarie. The blast was a bright orange color and was searing with heat.

As the three scattered, a huge explosion of incredible proportions caught them all off guard and blasted them through trees and brush into the ground, leaving three large skid marks behind.

Kicker groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head again. He glanced to his left and saw T.J. sit up, his hair covered in energon and some strands hanging over one of his optics. A quick glance to his right saw Meisha sit up, a second gash covering her face, oozing more energon, making it seem like she was wearing glow-in-the-dark paint.

"You two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Meisha replied.

"Great! Just great!" T.J. grumbled as he moved the strands of hair out of his optics.

"Now, thou art providing me with a good fight!" the demon hissed from the shadows.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Kicker shouted.

The demon Gundam lunged out of the shadows, eyes glowing brightly as the dark grey soul-stone flared brightly. One of his arms was damaged and had a hole in it, penetrating right through to the other side, mech fluid oozing out, but he didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, it seemed to be _healing_ as the battle wore on. One of his hands had dark magic clustered about it, and this time, he seemed ready to finish them off.

"Time for thou to die!" the demon shrieked.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" a new voice shouted.

"What? Zane?!" Kicker was stunned to see the boy emerge from the trees, his eyes flaring as he stood there, one hand over his right eye, the other at his side loosely.

"What be this? A new comrade?" the demon asked quietly.

"In a way, yes!" Zane hissed. "SUN MISSILE!"

The glowing orbs clustered around his body grew in size till they reached their maximum size.

He threw his hand forward and the missiles launched right at the demon.

"HAH! SHIFTING TWILIGHT!"

The demon fired off a shot of demon magic at Zane's attack, but the glowing balls of light blew up against it, canceling it out.

"What? Thou stopped my attack?!"

"Yes. If you wish to harm them, you'll have to go through all of us!" Zane snarled.

"All of you?" the demonic Gundam asked questioningly.

"That's right, creep!" Sayla snapped as she dropped out of a tree, gun charged and aimed right at the demon's chest.

"You're outnumbered by eight to one!" Syrus said, emerging from the brush.

"And that doesn't count any soldiers in the area!" Baston remarked, stepping out from behind a tree.

"In short, you're going down!" Jaden said from his position on top of a rock.

"Hah! Thou jests!" the evil Gundam laughed.

"No. We're not joking any more," Zane said grimly.

"In that case, thou all shall die!" the demon screamed.

"AURA FORCE DEVASTATION!"

The five fighters prepared to assemble in their formation.

"I do not think so," the demonic Gundam hissed. He took his chance and pounced, his hands grabbing onto Baston and pulling him away from his friends before jumping up towards the top of Jaden's perch.

"BASTON!" Syrus yelled.

The demon landed on top of the rock where Jaden was and kicked him off. He landed on his back on the ground with a loud _thump_, knocking him out cold. His eye screens went dark, indicating that he was out cold.

"JADEN!" Sayla yelled.

"Heheheheheheheh! Looks like the boy be mine!" the demon purred.

"LET HIM GO!" Syrus screamed.

"Hah! Thou art weak!" the demon Gundam snapped. Syrus snarled in anger, but didn't attack. He didn't want to harm Baston.

Sayla, on the other hand, wasn't wasting any time. Her right hand shifted into her newest weapon, the bright blue energy blade standing out against the darkness just as thunder tore open the sky.

She charged right at the demon, her anger pouring out in a feral scream that reached the heavens themselves. As if in response to the scream, rain began to pour down in sheets, reaching the fighters and soaking them through to the bones in seconds.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

She slashed as hard as she could, the blade slicing through the air in a bright blue crescent wave of energy. The powerful shockwave sped right at the demon, catching him by surprise.

"What?!" The demon Gundam was caught off guard. He dropped Baston and took to the sky, his cape unfolding to reveal a pair of dark grey raven wings, flapping in the rain, making him seem like a huge bird of death.

"No slaggin' way that's possible!" Zane blurted.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is my specialty, which I kept in reserve for fights like this one!" the demon laughed. He turned his gaze to Baston. "Now, as for the boy…"

"NO YOU DON'T!" Kicker screamed. The powerful cannons on his arms and legs powered up for the second time, and he relished the power coursing through him. "NITRO CANNON MODE! FIRE!"

The beams launched again in a powerful explosion of energy and sound, but the demon rolled to the side, dodging the powerful blast with ease.

Meisha gripped her right wing and it unfolded into a wing sword, which began glowing with bright red energy. "GUARDIAN SLASH!"

The red shockwave sped through the air on a vertical angle, forcing the demon to barrel roll to the left. He went into a nosedive, forcing T.J. to transform into starfighter mode to give chase.

The demon was slightly larger than the human-turned-starfighter that chased after him, due to the wings that made him larger in length by twelve feet for a length of thirty feet.

T.J., on the other hand, was sleeker and much more agile, giving him greater speed than the demon realized. His alt mode was only nine feet in length and his wingspan was eighteen feet long, double the length of his alt mode. The Phantom EX12 Scout class starfighter was only six feet wide, enough room to provide maneuverability within the cockpit, but nothing else.

The demon Gundam tore and weaved through the trees surrounding the battlefield, T.J. giving chase. T.J. swerved around a tree and let loose with a laser burst from the twin .5 mm submachine guns located on the nose of his alt mode. With a powerful burst from his wings, the demon sped upward, dodging the rounds. T.J. followed, his engines straining against the vertical climb.

Snarling, he switched them over to space mode to compensate for the extra altitude they had gained during the chase.

Turning, the demonic Gundam unleashed a burst of Mana wind, but T.J., having experience in flying in heavy winds, adjusted his angle and fired up his engines to full throttle, heading into the wind head on, his aerodynamic shape enabling him to penetrate through the gusts.

The demon let out a howl of rage and charged at him, but T.J. dodged to the side, unleashing a missile as he did so. The projectile arrowed towards the demon's concealed form, exploding upon impact.

"GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

He fell out of the sky, smoke streaming from his body. T.J. smirked to himself as he followed, going into a full out nosedive. The demon spread both wings to full length not too far above the clearing and swooped down, his hands opening in preparation for grabbing.

"BASTON!" The collective cry echoed in the darkened night as T.J. pursued, his engines practically whining as he sped after in a blur of green, dark green, brown, black, and green grey, blue fire spewing out of his five back engines.

With a thirty foot wingspan, the demon Gundam was able to gain a lead on T.J. by only ten feet, but due to the fact that T.J. had five energon engines capable of producing a good amount of thrust, he was able to not only keep pace, but outrun the Gundam by up to Mach Seven.

Even so, he didn't wish to go full throttle, for he feared that he would overshoot his target and lose any hope of rescuing Baston.

His spark pounded in its chamber as he opened fire with his laser cannons, the two sets of lasers streaking off into the distance, exploding in bright blue bursts of light.

The demon laughed as he twisted around in midair and dove downwards, Baston screaming as loud as he could.

T.J. sped after, but not before turning sharply to the left with a burst of hot gas from his maneuvering thrusters. He leveled out above the treetops, his underbelly barely scraping them. Ahead was his target: the demon Gundam's wings were pumping to keep him far ahead of the former human. But T.J. had the advantage due to his color scheme. Having chosen it after the accident, he had used the treetops to conceal himself from an aerial view, the only way to spot him being with a satellite or by tracking his engine noise.

The demon was unaware as he increased his speed to where he could keep pace with the flying Gundam.

He glanced back, and laughed, thinking he had outrun the puny human, but he was caught by surprise as he was rammed from underneath with the front of a starfighter.

"GAH!" Flipping head over heels, he dropped Baston. T.J. dove downwards towards the screaming boy and opened his cockpit. The demon regained his senses and dove downwards, one of his fists glowing brightly.

"DIE!" he screamed.

T.J. dodged to the side, but the blast struck a tree, setting it ablaze, only to have the fire put out by the rain.

Baston kept falling, and the demon chased him down, T.J. streaking past in a blur of speed.

Had he thought it odd a machine could do this kind of stuff, he would have been able to blast the human-turned-starfighter out of the sky with a blast of Mana to turn him into a weak organic.

Yet, he failed to consider this angle, so he was unable to grab Baston in his hands, for the human-turned-machine had grasped the boy in his cockpit by clamping it shut on the very back of his blazer.

The demon Gundam snarled in anger. "No one does that to Shift and gets away with it!"

T.J. flew back to the clearing as fast as he dared, so as to not harm Baston, yet enough to keep away from the Gundam, who he now guessed was called Shift.

"Try and stop me!" he taunted.

"HAI!"

The first blast of Dark Mana missed him by inches, and he dodged the second, but he missed the third, which struck him right in the rudder. T.J. cried out in pain as he struggled to stay airborne. Knowing he only had seconds, he opened his cockpit and let Baston fall; the extra weight from the human was slowing him down and proving to be a hindrance. Released from the weight, he was able to gain enough altitude to remain airborne.

Shift laughed as he sped right under the young starfighter, making T.J. realize his mistake.

Dread filled his spark as he transformed into robot mode. He had failed.

"SUN MISSILE!" Zane roared. He thrust his arm forward and the balls of aural energy launched towards Shift.

The Sun Missiles impacted against Shift's body, forcing him to stop in midair to catch his breath.

He glanced around and his gaze fell onto Zane.

"You looking for Baston?" Zane asked.

Shift nodded.

"Well, Kicker has him, and you can't get him now!" Zane snapped.

"And I thought thou would be a good partner," Shift murmured.

"As if I'd join freaks like you!" Zane spat.

"Fine then. Join your friends in defeat!" Shift cried.

"SONIC WAVE!"

The sound blast came right at Shift, forcing him to block with his demon magic.

"HAH! That thy best?" he asked, locking gazes with Syrus.

"Not even close! AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla roared.

Shift dodged the attack with ease.

"DIE, HUMAN!" he cried. He fired off a spell, but Sayla was faster. She slashed and unleashed her signature move.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

The two attacks met and canceled out. Now, he knew, he could achieve his goal of grabbing the boy and fleeing.

Shift laughed as he called upon his magic and created clones of himself.

"ATTACK!" he commanded.

The clones obeyed, lunging at the puny defenders of the human boy. Each one attacked a specific defender, and some went for their strongest warrior, the human called Kicker.

"Stay away from him!" Kicker snapped, slashing one clone after another with his swords as they kept coming. One clone dodged the swords and delivered a powerful roundhouse to the head, knocking him down onto the wet ground.

"Unh…GA-AH!" Shock was etched onto Kicker's metallic features as the clone held a short knife to the exposed synthflesh of his neck.

"Now, the boy…"

"NO!" Meisha snapped. A clone sped at her, catching her off guard and knocking her out cold.

Sayla tried to charge him, but with a wave of his hand, he ordered a clone to attack her and keep her busy, which it did.

He approached the terrified human boy and gripped him hard by the arms and nodded.

"Ah, yes…an excellent meal for me…" he purred.

"You…you wouldn't!" he stammered.

"Oh, but I will…"

"CRTSYAL SPAR!" the human cried in panic.

Shift smirked as the crystal spars erupted from the ground in front of him. At last, he knew he had the boy cornered.

"Time to reveal thyself at last!" he yelled. "SHIFTING TWILIGHT!"

The aura blast struck the crystal shield, shattering it instantaneously. The boy panicked and bolted, but the blast struck the ground in front of him.

"SHIFTING TWILIGHT!"

The boy turned and his eyes widened as the blast struck him in the chest, right over his heart. His eyes seemed to grow larger, and then he passed out as the pain overcame him. The transformation had begun.


	19. New Transformation

Chapter 4

The rain continued to fall outside Shute's dorm room, dripping down the window. So far, things had not been going good like he had hoped. The human lay curled on his bed, holding the only reminder of his home he had left: a small badge he had received from Chief Haro when he had first joined the SDG.

That, and the fact that Captain was still with him, was all that he had left.

He closed his eyes just as the feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, and sadness overcame him, just as they had done so many times before.

Tears slipped out of his closed eyes and slid down his face, dripping onto the blankets and his shirt. He could recall all the times he had had with the Gundams and his family, yet, they seemed to be only reminders of an era long past, an era of peace and prosperity, an era that had been shattered when the Dark Axis came to invade, and succeeded.

The door slid open quietly, so he didn't even realize that he had a visitor. The form crept in, careful not to make any unwanted noise.

Shute was nearly asleep when he felt a hand on his shoulder. A firm, yet gentle hand, one he knew so well.

He turned over and his gaze met that of Captain. His friend didn't have his mouth-guard on, so he could see how concerned he actually was for the human. "Shute? You okay?"

Shute shook his head no.

"Thinking about home again?" Captain asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I…I really miss them, Captain. I miss Mom, Dad, Nanha, Chief Haro, Gunbike, the Gundivers, Guneagle, Bell Wood, Kao Lyn, Juli, Genkimaru, Rele…I miss them all so much," he murmured.

Captain didn't say anything, but he merely grasped Shute's hand in his own and squeezed gently.

"Shute, I understand that, and I miss them too, but we can't do anything right now, except hope for the best," he said.

Shute buried his head in his arms. "How can we? The Dark Axis won, and that's that. There's nothing else anyone can do to stop them."

"…" Captain was stunned. "Shute, this isn't like you. What's gotten into you?"

Shute's shoulders shook as he cried. "They beat us easily, Captain, and we weren't able to defeat them this time! They're too strong now!"

"Shute, I don't know where they got that kind of technology, but I do know this: they aren't invincible. The fights they lost against the Federation prove that," Captain said.

"Still, back home, I doubt that they can do much damage against the Dark Axis," Shute muttered darkly.

Captain let go of Shute's hand and began to rub his back calmingly. The boy stopped shaking and he glanced up at the Gundam.

"Shute, we're not alone in this. There could be thousands that need help, unable to fight back. We should be lucky that we're even in a dimension that has the power to hold them off and drive them back," he said softly.

"It's not the same, Captain. It's just not the same."

Silence filled the room between the two for a moment. Captain felt like crying himself, but he held it in. He wasn't sure why he felt like this right now. It just didn't make any sense. Did it have to do with Shute?

"Captain, I…" Shute's voice trailed off.

"Yes?"

"I…I just wanted to say thanks for being my friend, and that I don't want to lose you," Shute murmured.

"Same here, Shute," Captain replied, his face getting hot as he tucked the boy into bed…

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_The lightning flashes brightly before fading in the darkness. The cloaked figure approaches the dead Gundam with mild surprise. Then again, giving the circumstances, who wouldn't take one down?_

_He stops not too far from it and kneels down to examine the claw marks. He narrows his optics as he studies them. _Yes. It has to be him!_ he thinks to himself. He turns the body over and examines a small dart protruding from the soul stone, a neat crack going down the middle._

"_Good shot," he murmurs._

_Thunder rumbles as he grasps the body and hoists it over his shoulders. The cloak slips slightly and as lightning flashes a second time, he is revealed._

_A nasty scar goes down one side of his face, and his optics are concealed beneath a dark green visor. His armor is black, blue, and red, the only part that is green being his helmet crest. His arms are black with a blue line going down the middle and splitting into two red lines that conceal deadly energon blades. His legs are black with a blue stripe going down the middle and breaking off near his feet into two red lines, but the red lines there conceal hidden thrusters. On his chest plate is the red Autobot insignia. Two wings, black in color, extend out from his back and are attached to a blue thruster. He looks like a combination of a fighter jet and a starfighter._

_Protoform X sighs as he turns and heads off carrying the dead Gundam's body. He has to deliver this to the President to be studied for further information about the Gundam species before they can attack the camps and free those trapped within their boundaries._

_He shudders at the mere thought of the camps. Having seen the inside of one up close and personally, he knows the horror that goes on inside._

_He runs a hand along the scar, a reminder of his escape long ago. He knows what he has to do…_

* * *

**Shibaomaru snarled in** anger and frustration as he paced the floor of his office. So far, things weren't going in his favor like he had hoped. The Gundams had arrived unharmed in the dimension that they despised so much, they had escaped the trio unharmed, they had gained new allies, the Dark Axis had lost Shintamaru, Sazabi was captured and being interrogated, no doubt, and to top it all off, one of their prisoners had escaped from their prison camps!

The Master would not be pleased, that much he knew.

Glancing out at the camp beneath him, he could see thousands of prisoners working to mine the precious mineral the Master needed to complete his plans. They looked like walking skeletons: not much muscle showed on these beings. Only flesh stood out, giving them the appearance of having been hastily created by the god of life to start out in a new world. Men, women, and children alike worked the mines, no one giving much care to those that died from lack of food, water, and proper sleep. The only exercise they received was working exercise, and they had little down time, so they were overworked. The women wore only tunics that were torn and tattered, and the men were naked from the waist up and down, wearing only loin cloths like primitive organics from the Stone Ages. The children wore nothing. Their bodies were bloodied and scarred from whippings, falling stalagmites and countless other injuries they received during their shifts. Guards patrolled constantly, whipping anyone who struggled to get extra food or water, inflicting more pain on the already-beaten prisoners. Their hair was overgrown and greasy, matted down with lice and tangles, and they stank like new feces.

In short, it was the perfect operation to exterminate the organics and retrieve the metal required for the plans.

Countless defenses bristled along the edges of every camp, which shared the same layout as the main one. There were barracks along the eastern wall and the western wall was where the mining took place. Their showers and mess hall were located to the south, and they were guarded by Zako soldiers to keep them out during intense work days. The north was the main gate, and it was nothing more than a slab of solid gundanium, carved out of the ground and molded into a slab to keep the prisoners in.

The defenses themselves were impressive. Sensors dotted the area, making the perimeters hard to get by. Underground mines were buried near the camp and guards stationed in guard towers on either side of the gate kept out intruders. Antiaircraft guns stood on huge turrets and a small squad of snipers provided perimeter defense near the walls of the camp. Nothing could get in or out alive.

This was the death that all organics would receive. This was Ground Hell.

Shibaomaru sighed, enjoying the power he held over these pathetic beings. Already about half of the dimension's inhabitants were exterminated, and the other half would be done in only five more years at the rate they were moving.

Yet, the fact that one dimension in this sector remained free made his systems burn with anger. This dimension wasn't that powerful, yet it had a small power whose power equaled theirs! That was uncalled for!

Then again, things like that weren't uncommon in other dimensions. Yet, they had larger powers, and this one was puny in comparison to one power they had already faced and nearly overthrown. The small power, the Intergalactic Federation, had to be the first to go before everyone else. Or, maybe they could save them for last. Give them a chance to fight back, yet desperately. Yes, that plan would work. That much he knew.

He grinned. Time to tell the boss!

* * *

**Cerverau sighed as** he wiped his blood-covered hands on a rag. He had been working for five hours straight trying to stabilize Baston's aura, and to make matters worse, he was already suffering some intense pain in his chest, so he had been forced to perform a little emergency surgery, removing some kind of glob. He wasn't sure as to what it was, but he had a feeling that it was a part of Baston's body, possibly one of his organs. The thought alone made him sick.

He turned back to Baston's still form. The boy's skin had taken on a grayish tinge in some parts, becoming a darker color in others. He feared that it might be a new kind of cancer, but he couldn't be sure. His entire uniform had been removed, leaving him exposed completely unclothed, save for his boxers. A slit went down the center of his chest, stitches made with energon twine visible.

The engineer turned away and went back to the aural readings he had received earlier.

They showed that Baston's aura was fluctuating madly, almost like Spinout. His aura had spiked during the operation and then dwindled down to nothing. Then a new energy had appeared, almost as if it had been a replacement aura. But, if that were the case, it would be less powerful. This new energy seemed to be stronger than the aura, so he deduced that it was his primary aura, if there was such a thing.

This puzzled him beyond anything. Normally, he could solve stuff like this, yet, this time, he couldn't. Why?

Ever since they had returned from the battle scarred and beaten, they had been very anxious for Baston to be checked out. Sayla had begged him to check out the aural fluctuations that had been occurring at regular intervals, and he had agreed. Now, he doubted his decision. So far, the aural fluctuations had been impossible to discern and then that new energy had appeared. Something was strange here, and he knew that sometimes to solve the strange, one had to look at the impossible angles and eliminate all rational explanations.

This proved to be a benefit for the Federation had a knack of uncovering impossible clues to mysteries that otherwise remained unsolved, such as the loss of the Cybertronian troop transport the _Prime Zero_ during a battle that had resulted in many lives lost. The troop transport had returned without a single scratch after the battle, when clearly it had been destroyed by Decepticon forces.

It was then that the Federation had uncovered their talent for uncovering impossible clues to unsolvable mysteries.

Now, as he studied the strange new energy, a thought popped into his mind. What if it wasn't aural energy, but rather, a new kind of energy, one that hadn't been seen for over hundreds of years? What if it was really a new breed of power that drew on very life itself, almost like manna?

He shocked himself at the mere thought. Manna in a physical form? It just didn't seem possible, yet it was, right here in Baston.

The engineer then tensed as a new thought came to mind. That battle…

"SLAG NO!" he blurted. Grabbing a pair of energon scissors, he turned from his table and ran for the human boy. Already he was shuddering violently, almost as if he were going to vomit again. Quickly, Cerverau grabbed a nearby bin and held it out in front of Baston just as his stomach heaved.

Something black came out of his mouth and into the bin. He feared the worst as Baston hurled again into the bin, this time something red. He felt sick to his own stomach as the truth dawned on him: Baston was throwing up his own guts.

The reason for this phenomenon became clearer as the boy's body began to shudder again, only this time it wasn't from sickness, but rather from the pain. He dropped the bin and gathered up his courage. He had to perform the emergency procedure and fast!

Gripping the scissors in one hand, he held down Baston with the other and plunged them into the boy's body. He began to work.

As he worked, the time that he had done this once came back to him. He had saved a young girl's life when she had been impaled with a huge chunk of rubble from a Decepticon warship, penetrating right through her lower torso and he had to perform the same procedure to get it out: it had gone right through and out her back at a sharp angle, too sharp for any normal doctors to get it out without harming her.

Yet, this time, he was doing it on a whole new level: he was literally taking apart a human boy to save his life during a painful transformation. He could only hope that this didn't hurt him emotionally in any way possible.

* * *

**The extension off** to the side of the TCDA may have looked like a normal hanger, except for the fact that within that very hanger was a normal dorm room that doubled as a star-hanger for the human-turned starfighter T.J. The room was much larger than a normal dorm room and rather than have carpeting on the floor, it was pure concrete with energon markings on it. A recharge berth stood off to the right of the hanger and on the left side was a small energon storage container. A terminal was located next to the berth and a small washroom was next to the container of energon cubes. The doors were closed, yet the windows provided a view as to the world outside, which was currently shrouded in rain.

Sayla shifted on the floor, trying to get comfortable. "Jeez, T.J.! Couldn't you have at least had some carpeting installed someplace?"

"Hey! You know that starfighter tires don't work well on carpeting!" T.J. snapped.

"Sorry."

"So, what's going on with Baston?" Jaden asked from his perch on the recharge berth. He shifted uneasily. Sayla couldn't blame him. He was still getting used to being a machine instead of a human.

"Not sure. All I know is that Cerverau's trying to stabilize his aura," said Kicker uneasily.

"Last I heard Baston was throwing up his own guts," T.J. remarked. "And Cerverau had to start the emergency operation in order to save his life."

"He what?" The others were stunned by the news. Baston, throwing up his own guts? That didn't seem right, let alone possible!

"That doesn't seem possible!" Kicker blurted. He turned to face his friends. "Right, guys?"

"I know, but it happened. Just ask Cerverau," T.J. replied. He didn't even look like he was kidding.

"That's sick!" Shute exclaimed.

"Duh. I know it's sick!" said T.J.

"Enough! We need to figure out what's going on and now," said Sayla.

"How can we? I mean, Shift, or whatever his name is, may have been joking," said Meisha.

"He didn't look to be joking to me," Zane said grimly.

"If he wasn't, how can we stop him? For Primus sake, he's got way more power than even the _Energizer X_!" Syrus moaned. The blue-haired boy put his head in his hands. "You saw how easily he beat us!"

"That may be true, but we have something that he doesn't: teamwork. Maybe we can take him down if we combine our forces," Kicker suggested.

"Not really. From the assets of the battle that you have told me, Sayla, the Gundam you fought may be able to defeat us even if we combine our firepower," Captain said.

"You know you have a really bad habit of stating things in the worst possible manner," Shute groaned, a sweatdrop appearing on the side of his head.

"Sorry."

"Still, this new Gundam is a very dangerous rogue, if his powers are as strong as you claim," Bakunetsumaru said.

"We know very well what his powers are capable of, thank you very much!" Jaden grumbled as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Even so, we have very little information concerning Shift, and the Dark Axis, although our best intelligence experts are working around the clock to gather the information we need," Sayla murmured.

"…I…I hate to admit it, but…I think I can help you out with the information on Shift," Zero whispered.

"You…you know about him?" Sayla asked softly, her eyes widening in shock.

Zero nodded. "Yes. I do."

"Well, then tell us about him already!" Syrus blurted.

"Syrus! Don't force him!" Jaden remarked. "It seems that he's had a bad experience with Shift, right?" he asked, looking at the Knight Gundam.

"No. He betrayed us, so we never talk about him unless the need arises," Zero said quietly.

"This seems to be that very situation, so we could use the information you possess," Sayla stated.

"Very well. It all began years ago back in Lacroa…"

* * *

_In the Nebula Boundary Defense Command…_

A shadowy figure narrowed its eyes as the data scrolled across the screen. So far, things were not looking up for the minor powers. Already the UPA and the Federal Institute were backing up others in efforts to preserve the hierarchy of the universal power classes, while Nebula was stuck backing up the powers that wished for democracy. Even the villains in the universe were combining their forces in an effort to hold out against the Dark Axis.

Dr. Jason Regal of Nebula stepped out of the shadows, a frown on his handsome face. His skin, unlike what other leaders thought, was not pale from lack of sunlight, but rather, was a deep ruddy tan color with lines etched into the skin from working outside amongst his troops and mingling with the citizenry of his organization. His body was slightly taller than most citizens of the Nebula Defense Council, as was his organization's true name, edging slightly at five-foot-eleven. He was muscular in the sense of sinewy limbs and not like a bodybuilder. He worked out constantly if he got the chance, but he refrained from weights, instead preferring cardio workouts for extra endurance. His hair was a dark brown with a blue highlight going down to his bangs. Over his green eyes he wore a clear visor and he wore a dark blue jumpsuit.

He was a little over thirty Earth years old, making him the youngest Regal to ever command the organization. Having been born into a political family, he had proven to be a good tactician and commander, using the law to his advantage in political debates with the other two major powers. His father had been a senator and his mother a member of the three-person Defense Board. He had been given top education and had graduated with a degree in military engineering and a minor in law.

At eighteen, he had enlisted in the army before becoming a lawyer after the war with the Titan AE mercenaries. He wasn't like the stereotypes portrayed him: he was a successful military commander who had served three tours in wars across the stars and he had ten medals, each one for outstanding achievements in combat.

When he had gone into law, it had been then that his father had fallen ill with a strange disease that took his life, leaving the younger Regal in charge. Having no older siblings, he had at first left it to the Defense Board, but when his mother died in a fatal starfighter crash, he took over reluctantly. He had been twenty at the time.

A few years later, he had met the beautiful Lori Tynita, a decorated five tour veteran of the Nebula-Groonstars War. Not like the typical female fighters who were much like the men in build, she was slender with a beautiful face and captivating blue-grey eyes. Her skin was tan, like so many of the fighters in the army, and her uniform clung to her body nicely, revealing her curves and her lithe build. Her hair was blonde and long, unlike so many women in the Nebula Defense Forces who cut their hair and she kept it tied back in a braid that reached down to her mid-back. The one thing that made her so well known amongst the troops was her optimistic, playful nature, always looking at the positive side of things, even when in battle.

They had gotten married three weeks later at the Neo-Green Command Church.

She and Dr. Regal had gone back to their jobs with great reluctance, but they felt happy, knowing that they would see each other soon.

So, as he stood there, his mind flitted to his wife, who was currently on station in the Neo-Albyte Sector, monitoring the stations and enemy positions.

"Sir!"

The voice startled him out of his reverie.

An aide came scurrying in, gasping as the twin intakes on his neck strained to draw in air.

"What is it, Aquine?" he asked tiredly.

"Sorry…to…interrupt you…but…I…thought you ought to…take…a look at this," Aquine gasped. He held out a shaky hand, in which he held a screen depicting the battle movements of the Dark Axis.

Dr. Regal took them and studied them critically. He looked up, a grim look in his eyes.

"This is real?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. I…double checked it twice myself…and…it's real," Aquine panted.

"Where did you get this?" Dr. Regal asked.

"One…of our agents…managed to get inside…and steal the plans. He…sent them via express." Aquine's words were less separated by his panting, indicating he was recovering from his run up the steps.

"Who?" Dr. Regal asked, putting his hands on his desk as he leaned forward.

"His name…Greg Hithu."

"Greg?" Dr. Regal's eyebrows shot up.

"Yes."

Dr. Regal looked over the screen again, contemplating this thought. Finally, he reached a decision.

"Aquine!"

"Sir!" the alien saluted.

"Tell Greg to continue the espionage work. He's served his organization well, and when he comes home, tell him that I'm giving him a promotion to master sergeant and giving him a pay raise. His wife needs it badly."

"Yes, sir!" With that, Aquine ran out of the room, his tail swishing behind him as he ran out the door.

Dr. Regal turned and spread out the plans onto his desk.

He narrowed his eyes as he studied the formations. They vaguely resembled those of the Federation in some sense, but he knew that that wasn't the case. Instead, the formations seemed to be more menacing, and the more powerful ships were at the front of the formations instead of behind, as it was with most powers. The plans called for four manned fighters to act as a diversion so the main force could attack from the sides, the front, behind, below, and above.

'_A six-sided attack pattern. No way in or out. Brilliant. This means that they're better than we originally thought. No matter. If I'm right, then President Warren is working out a way to try and exploit a weakness in this kind of strategy. She never ceases to amaze me._' A smile crossed Dr. Regal's lips. '_Heh. For a minor power, they sure show enough guts to take on anything that comes their way. Maybe they can change this hierarchy government and create a democracy for everyone like Mom and Dad had hoped._'

The leader of Nebula sighed and folded the plans up before putting them in his jumpsuit pocket and staring out the window.

* * *

_On Earth…_

"…So that's what happened," Zero said, concluding his story.

Everyone listened, their eyes wide in amazement and for a long while, there was only silence between them.

They couldn't believe the story they had just heard. Shift, a betrayer for Lacroa? It just didn't seem possible! After what Zero had told them about the Knights being defenders and the sorcerers the ones to calibrate battle tactics, it just didn't seem right that a sorcerer of Lacroa should turn on his own people for power and survival.

"That…that's wrong!" Syrus murmured.

"Just how long ago did this occur, Zero?" Sayla asked grimly.

"It happened about…" Zero struggled to recall the amount of time that had passed. It seemed so long ago to him.

"Ten years ago!" Zane whispered.

"Years?" Zero cocked his head to the side.

"That's the time unit we use here on Earth," Kicker explained.

"Oh."

"Still, why would he abandon his own people for power and survival? It just doesn't make any sense," Meisha mused.

"I agree. That is pointless, unless there was another motive for his betrayal, right Zero?" Kicker asked.

"Yes. At least that's what I think," the Knight Gundam replied.

"So, what do you think the second reason was for his betrayal, Zero?" Meisha asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think it was—"

Zane cut Zero off abruptly. "What about those recent probing missions near _the_ site?" he asked.

"Probing missions? I don't recall anything like that going on," Sayla remarked. "Otherwise my unit would have heard of it."

"I heard about it. Remember, my father is in the Federation Senate," Zane said, smirking slightly.

"Oh."

"Wait! You're the son of Senator James Truesdale?" T.J. blurted.

"Yes. Me and Syrus both."

"No way!" T.J. exclaimed.

"Hold up! You just said _the_ site, right?" Sayla asked, her eyes suddenly widening in shock.

"Yes. That's the place where I heard the probing missions are taking place," Zane said calmly.

"As in…_THE_ site?" she asked, her voice now nothing more than a mere whisper.

"Yes. That very site, Sayla," Zane said, confirming her worst fears.

"Oh no…"

"The site?" Shute cocked his head in confusion. "What site are you talking about?" he asked.

"The place where _she_ went down all those years ago," Zane murmured softly. He knew that reference to the site was a sacred right that had been created a few years prior during the First Alliance with Cybertron and that if anyone tried to raise it, then that would create havoc amongst the Earth and Cybertronian leaders.

"She?" Shute raised an eyebrow.

No one answered the boy's inquiries. No one wished to say the name aloud, especially in the presence of foreigners from outside their universe.

"Let's just say that the 'she' refers to the greatest sea disaster in the history of mankind," Syrus whispered.

"Oh." The conversation drifted back to Baston after they dropped the topic.

"Anyway, speaking of probing, did Cerverau complete the procedure yet?" Baku asked, speaking for the first time since the group discussion had begun.

"We're not sure yet. If he has indeed completed the procedure, we should be receiving word right about…"

As in response to Jaden's statement, Sayla's comm went off.

"Yeah? Go ahead, Cerverau," she said.

She pressed the button and put it on speaker.

"_You guys had better get your afts down here to the infirmary stat! There's something you have got to see!_" the engineer said. Clearly, he sounded a bit surprised, shocked, and relieved at the same time.

"Did you…?"

"_Yes, but as soon as I finished, it fell off and…well, let's just say you have got to see for yourselves!_"

"We'll be right down!"

With that she shut down the comm and T.J. powered up the space-jump.

* * *

**The energy dissipated **from around them as they materialized into the middle of the med-bay. Cerverau was waiting for them next to a section that was sealed off.

"Cerverau!" Kicker cried. "What's happened?"

The Reploid turned at the sound of his name.

"Good timing. I was beginning to wonder if you were coming."

"Well, we came. Now, what did you want us to see?" Syrus asked.

"Well, first off, remember what happened to Jaden?" the engineer asked, poking the former human in the chest.

"Yeah. We remember. Why?" Zane asked as Jaden rubbed the spot where he had been poked.

"Well, it appears as if the same thing has happened to Baston, but on a totally different level. This time, the transformation was painful, from what I could see, and he was throwing up stuff that seemed like his very internal organs. I had to enact the procedure right away if I was to save his life. I did, but…" Cerverau's voice trailed off.

"But what?" Kicker asked.

"…Look."

Cerverau pointed at something lying on a nearby table and everyone instantly felt sick to their stomachs. Shute clasped a hand to his mouth, Baku just went pale, Zero's eyes shrank in horror, Captain just gasped in shock. Sayla narrowed her eyes, a look of disgust in them. Zane didn't even say anything. Syrus hid behind his older brother, his face tinged green from sickness. Jaden just stood there, his own eyes small with horror. Kicker stared in mute shock and Meisha was clasping a hand to her mouth while T.J. looked like he was going to puke.

On the table lay Baston's human skin.

"What…?" Sayla glanced at Cerverau. "What happened?"

Without saying a word, the engineer motioned for them to follow him. They did, but as soon as they entered the sealed off section of the infirmary, they instantly felt a burst of incredible power come from within.

In the bed they could see a new Gundam, but this one looked like a knight from Lacroa.

The Gundam's headpiece resembled that of Zero, but the wings were a bright blue instead of gold. A ruby was centered between the wings of his helmet. The Gundam's eye screens were white like Jaden's, and the eyes were closed. A bright red soul stone adorned the Gundam's chest, glittering in the light from the infirmary. A green cape was beneath him, pressed flat by his body. The armor was light grey with some purple accenting the red and green of his color scheme. A sense of incredible power emitted from this Gundam, indicating intense amounts of Mana.

Sayla called down her visor and did a quick scan.

"No way…" she murmured.

"What?" Jaden asked, gripping the side of his helmet. For some reason, his scanners were going crazy from all the energy emitted from the Gundam.

"This…this can't be right…" Sayla whispered.

"If you mean the intense energy readings, then there's no doubt that they're real, Sayla. I did the scan three times myself to prove it," Cerverau replied.

"What about me?!" Jaden complained. "My head's hurting like crazy here! What's causing this pain!?"

"Seems like your scanners are malfunctioning from the intense energy readings," Captain mused.

"Is that what's causing this pain?!" Jaden moaned.

"Yes."

"YEOWCH!" Jaden clasped both hands to his helmet as his scanners shorted out in a shower of sparks. "That hurt!" he groaned.

"Don't worry. I'll see if I can replace them after you see Baston for a bit," Cerverau said.

"Oh brother!" Jaden moaned.

"Just deal with it," Sayla groaned.

"Okay," Jaden sighed.

The engineer left the sealed off area and headed towards his lab. Sayla walked over to the Gundam and knelt down beside him.

"Hey, Baston. Wake up," she murmured.

There was no movement, save for a slight twitch of a finger. Baku snarled and ran up to the unconscious Gundam. He grasped the Gundam's armor and lifted him off the bed.

"WAKE UP!" he yelled, shaking the Gundam abruptly.

That got him awake. His eyes snapped open as he was shaken.

"GAH! Okay! Okay! I'm awake for Primus sake!" the Gundam blurted in Baston's voice. The Gundam's eyes were blue grey and when he spoke a red light came on in the slats of his mouth-guard.

"Sorry. It was the only way," the Musha said.

"I can understand why you thought that, but you didn't have to do it so hard!" Baston moaned.

"I had to. You wouldn't wake up when Sayla was right next to you," Bakunetsumaru replied.

"…" Silence filled the little area before Baston spoke, gazing at his hands in awe.

"So, this is what happened to me," he murmured softly. "I didn't think that this would be the result."

"Well, it was. Shift did it," Zane muttered angrily. His fists clenched as he remembered the demonic Gundam's attack.

"Who?" Baston cocked his head to the side.

"A demon mage called Shift. He apparently betrayed Zero's homeland of Lacroa for power and might, becoming a demon mage and gaining incredible powers," the light aura wielder replied.

"Demon mage?" Baston parroted.

"That was the question I asked when we first encountered him!" Kicker blurted.

"A demon mage is a mortal with a demon form. In short, he can shift between mortal and demon powers. He's a demonic Gundam," T.J. said harshly.

"A demonic Gundam?" Baston gaped at the revelation.

"Yes. We don't know anything else. Sorry," Meisha said sadly.

"You don't?" the former human asked.

"Nope. Sorry, Baston."

It was then that Baston noticed Jaden rubbing his helmet. "Jaden! What happened?" he asked in alarm.

"Scanners shorted," was all Jaden said.

"Did it hurt?" Baston asked.

"You bet the slag it did!" Jaden blurted angrily.

"Ouch!"

"Anyway, how are you feeling, Baston?" Syrus asked.

"Much better, aside from this strange feeling in my chest," Baston replied, placing a hand on the soul stone in his chest armor.

"That would be your Mana," Zero said.

"My what?"

"Your Mana. It is what all Knights of Lacroa have," Zero explained. "It forms the basis of all magical spells and charms and curses. It is also what makes up your special abilities. There are two kinds of Mana: Light and Dark. Together they form the Superior Mana. I wield Light Mana while Shift wields Dark Mana."

"In short, I have the ability to use both, right?" Baston asked.

"We're not sure yet. You may or may not. It all comes down to chance," Sayla explained.

"…"

Again, silence filled the room.

"So, now what?" Syrus asked.

"Well, Jaden has to get his scanners fixed, which shouldn't take long. After that, we might as well meet and discuss the next patrol plans," Sayla said.

"Okay!"

The little group left the infirmary, unaware of the role that they would play in saving the greatest landmark in Federation history…


	20. Evacuation

Chapter 5

The _Autobot Hero_ was a beehive of activity as the crew made last minute preparations for launch. Gun crews manned the guns and armed them while the communications officers and radar operators checked and rechecked the systems. The hospital on board was prepared and made ready to launch. A few missile technicians primed the warheads for attack should the need arise. Only one person stood alone amongst all the activity: the helmsman. He was the one to activate the emergency system if it came down to it.

Sayla stood on the deck of the ship as the lines were cast away and the engines were engaged. The remaining crew on land scurried up the ramp just as the clamps were disengaged and it began to retract into the ship itself. No one was left behind.

"So, how many crew members do you have on here, Commander?" Zero asked curiously a few hours later after launch.

"Five thousand to six thousand. Not sure why the President assigned me a full complement of aircraft carrier personnel to a small battleship," she said.

"Aircraft carrier?" the foreign Gundam inquired.

"A supercarrier, actually. There's a total of nine in the Nimitz class aircraft carrier. They are highly advanced and very powerful. Nothing short of a nuclear sub can stop those things. They can carry a bunch of fighter planes, normally F-18s and F-16s. Nothing else comes to mind. I just know what little I've heard," Sayla said, grinning sheepishly.

"Nimitz?" Zero asked.

"A class of supercarrier and only one country has them: the United States."

"Wow."

The knight was surprised by the number of crew on her measly vessel. It seemed like it was a joke, an irony actually.

This seemed to be a bit of a mystery. Why would the President crew a vessel of small proportions with a much larger crew?

At that instant, Sayla's comm unit beeped.

"_You'd better get up to thuh bridge, Commanduh. We have something on radah that you're not goin' tuh believe, suh!_" a Southern voice squawked at her.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," she said.

"_Understood!_" The comm went silent.

"C'mon!"

* * *

**Up on the** bridge, the whole team, along with the radar operator, was sitting around a six foot diameter table that had the center removed to reveal a glowing interior: a holographic projector that projected the latest in 3-D imagery.

"Okay, so what's the deal?" Sayla asked her.

"Here's the situation, Commander. As for the rest of you, have any of you heard of the Duel Academy?" the operator asked.

The assembled Gundam Force members shook their heads no.

"Okay. Well, here's a bit of background. The Duel Academy, or DA as it's known for short, is our rival academy. There's one major difference though: it's run like an island monarchy. The head, Dr. Crowler, has some crazy idea that he's a king, and he lives like one while his students live like common peasants, and the conditions there are terrible beyond mere words. Not even photographs can compare to the real deal," Sayla said, taking over from the radar operator.

"Why would he do that?" Shute asked.

"We're not sure, but we believe that he has a prejudice against Federation ideals and he turned that into a fury against Federation children. Those who go there are subjected to physical and emotional abuse, mental abuse, dehydration, malnutrition, and constant working conditions, just like a slave mine. In fact, we think he may have started up a mine to mine for iron," Sayla explained.

"Iron?" Captain inquired.

"Yes. We're not sure why, because there is no iron in that area. However, we have detected an anomaly in tracking around the DA, which means that their security measures are beginning to fail. This provides the students with ever increasing chances of escape. For those of you who don't know, the students began escaping during the brief times in which the security is down. We recently started our patrols two months before you came," Sayla replied.

"And you've been doing them since?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

"Yes. Now, here's the recent situation. Students have begun escaping using whatever they can get their hands on, including outhouses rigged with outboard motors, sailboats made from mattresses, a few makeshift gliders, a hot air balloon made out of sheets, and more recently, they have been stealing helicopters, a few high powered launches, and at one point, they nearly hijacked Crowler's yacht. That attempt failed and the students escaped in a special private jet from Crowler's airport," Sayla remarked.

"He has an airport?!" Shute blurted.

"Yes. Along with a small navy, air force, and army, he has security forces patrolling the island and the waters around the area are infested with sharks," Sayla replied grimly.

"Sharks?"

"Yeah. Thankfully, they are trained to attack only those who try to escape by swimming."

"How do you know all this?" Zero asked in awe.

"We've bee scouting out and students have been telling us when we save them," Jaden replied.

"If your ship is small, how can you have accommodated a jet from Crowler's airport?" Captain asked.

"I don't know. It was rainy when that happened," the former human said.

"Oh."

The atmosphere in the bridge was tense as the radar operator continued on with the briefing.

"We also noticed that there were some salvage tugs within the area, so we have to assume that he's planning to violate it," she said.

"Violate what?" Shute asked.

"The Shipwreck Protection Act passed in 2007 by the Federation Congress. It was passed when the wreck was about to be raised, so we were forced to take drastic measures to stop them from raising her," Zane told the boy.

"Who from raising what?" Bakunetsumaru asked, cocking his head.

"Simply put, we had to stop a murderous bunch of pirates from raising the greatest wreck in the history of humankind. The wreck of the _Titanic_!" Zane said.

That got the occupants. Those that knew of the Act were aware of the sacrilege of the very wreck, for it was a shrine to those lost in the tragedy, and a teacher of a valuable lesson. If anyone tried to raise it, then there were severe consequences, far more severe than anything the Federation could come up with: raising it meant exile, stripping of all Federation rights, and banishment from the organization.

"The _Titanic_..." Shute's voice trailed off. "I take it it's an important wreck then, right?"

"If you mean important enough to have an act passed in the sole purpose of protecting it, then yes," Sayla hissed.

"Whoa."

"Crowler must be planning on raising her and using her to transport student slaves back and forth between his island and no doubt a hidden slave camp somewhere," Zane said grimly.

"If that's the case, then we have to stop him!" Kicker exclaimed.

"It's not that simple. He already has security taken care of, and guess who he hired?" Zane remarked.

"Who?" Shute asked.

"Dark Axis!" T.J. spat out the name as if it were a sin of God.

"You got it. He's hired them to provide security."

"But what would they want with a hunk of rusty metal?" Baku asked.

His remark earned him a glare from Sayla and a snarl from Zane. "That _rusty hunk of metal_ isn't just what you said. It's a monument to those who lost their lives in the worst sea disaster in the history of humankind. It taught us that you can't rely too heavily on technology, but rather a combination of human spirit and technology is needed to come through. It is also a reminder of the greatest mistake in humanity's history: elegance isn't everything. Safety is key as well. You need to have a combination of both," Zane explained.

"It also is what we consider a sacred object. It became sacred when we told Optimus about it. He told us to make it a monument and a shrine to those we lost in our arrogance in the past," Sayla said.

"You humans are crazy to consider an old ship a shrine to those you lost," Baku remarked.

"Enough!" Jaden said. "We need to figure out the next escape route for the students escaping, and we can't do that by arguing about her."

"Jaden's right. We need to focus on more pressing matters," Baston said.

"Okay."

"Anyway, here's the latest escape route we plotted. The students will try to escape in a pair of copters and a cluster of lifeboats stolen from his yacht. We need the crane for the lift," Sayla said, pointing to the image. The 3D image showed a military map with an island and a small trail plotted away from it towards the complex.

"And…?" Zane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We'll let the helmsman decide what to do about the copters," the radar operator replied.

"Okay! Get to your stations! Captain, get in the starboard turret gun! Shute, man the radar with Corporal Henku! Bakunetsumaru, you take lookout! Zero, get down to the infirmary to aid the medics! Your healing skills may come in handy!" Sayla ordered.

"Roger!" Zero said.

"Affirmative!" Captain replied.

"You got it!" Shute chirped.

"Right!" Bakunetsumaru remarked.

The four ran down to their designated sections as a klaxon blared throughout the ship. Soldiers ducked inside the guns and closed the doors, locking them tightly and strapping themselves into their seats in case the ship went into battle.

The ship sped towards the island, making little more headway than a snail creeping along a busy roadway.

"Stand by for your commands!" the helmsman blurted into the comm unit.

"ROGER!" the crew cried.

* * *

**No one knew **it, but Crowler had anticipated their actions and had mobilized his entire army against them. When the _Autobot Hero_ steamed into the vicinity of his island nation a few hours later, the first lasers ricocheted around them, splashing into the water in huge plumes of steam and sound. A laser struck the side of the battleship, forcing it into a seven degree roll to starboard, but it came back onto an even keel, settling into a smooth sail.

"Sir! They somehow knew what we were planning!" a scout shouted down from the watch room located at the top of the main mast.

"Slaggit! How'd he know?" Sayla snapped.

"We think it might be a traitor, or he just took a lucky guess," she said.

"Okay then! Helmsman! Hard a port! Fifteen degrees! Get the Advanced Close Combat Systems online and get two AntiSubmarine Close Assault Missiles readied for launch!" Sayla ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the helmsman cried.

The helmsman carried out the orders while reaching for the button that activated the conversion.

As soon as the orders were completed, he drew back his fist and punched it as hard as he could. The warning lights blared and the system activated just as harsh rains came pouring down from the skies and thunder ripped the very air in two, lightning flashes accompanying the thunder and rain.

The Cybertronian transformation was well designed. Almost immediately after the button was pushed, the entire ship shuddered as the subspace was opened and the extra metal began to materialize on the sides and upper decks of the ship and the extra armor appeared on her hull. The deck plating came into existence and latched onto the ship using high powered magnets. Extra guns and armaments came out of the subspace zone specifically designed for the ship and found their places in the launchers. The bridge was lifted higher into the air as the huge crane was moved out further to the edge of the deck. The interior also underwent a change. More equipment flashed into view out of the subspace, fighter craft came into view out of the subspace patch into the newly created hanger decks along with launchers and lifts.

The name flashed as a Federation flag was raised on the mast, signifying the completion of the transformation.

Sayla stared in astonishment at the gleaming deck runway, unable to believe what she was seeing. "How…how'd…?"

"Sir, when I found out, I was sworn to secrecy until I felt the time was right, and I felt that it was right. The _Autobot Hero_ doubles as an aircraft carrier. It can change into a fully armed carrier thanks to Cybertronian transformation technology," the helmsman remarked, clearly embarrassed at the fact it had to be hidden until the time was right.

"Why…?" Sayla rasped.

"A secret weapon. That's what this is," the helmsman replied.

"Incredible," was all she said.

The total area of the ship was now four and a half acres. The bridge was now situated right near the stern, a good fifty yards away from the edge. Ten guns were mounted on the sides and twenty missile launchers were located around the newly created flight deck. A radar dish extended from the top of the bridge and on top of the flight deck were twenty fighter planes with launchers ready to go. Along the sides of the carrier were fifteen lifeboats for a total of thirty lifeboats. On the starboard side was a huge crane used for lifting containers on board while at dock. Right now, however, it was converted into a davit for boats to be hauled up to the side where the occupants would be taken down to the ship's hospital.

She stared in silence for a few more moments before the radar operator turned to her.

"Sir, we just detected Crowler's yacht. It's coming at a speed of fifteen knots!" the operator cried.

"Towards us?" Sayla asked.

"No. He's heading for the cluster of lifeboats and the two copters!"

"How far?" the commander snapped.

"About thirty miles out from the island!" the operator replied without hesitation.

"_That's suicide!_" Jaden blurted over the comm from his forward mounted gun.

"If they are heading out to sea that far out, then they must have good reason to," Zane said calmly.

"_Even so, heading out to sea in weather like this is crazy!_" Jaden replied.

"How bad are the waves?" Sayla shouted to the weatherman on board.

"About ten feet and increasing by the minute, sir! In another ten minutes, they'll be at thirty feet, and in another ten, the waves will be at an all time high of eighty feet. I'd say we're heading right into the middle of a typhoon or a tropical storm at this rate!" he said, wiping sweat off his brow.

"Slaggit! That's the last thing we need!" Sayla muttered.

"_Tell me about it,_" Syrus complained from the port missile launcher. "_I forgot to mention that I get seasick slightly in rough weather._"

"_Well, you have to tough it out, Sy, because there's something coming off the port bow!_" Jaden reported.

"If it's Crowler's yacht, I want the engine room to give me every ounce of power the engines have!" Sayla ordered.

"Every ounce? But this thing can only go twelve knots!" Shute blurted.

"Not anymore," the helmsman said. "The engines are now operating at full capacity, meaning that they can now be run at full power."

"So, only in battleship mode they can only run at twelve knots?" Shute questioned.

"Yes."

"HEADS UP!" the radar operator shouted. "Incoming missiles at twelve o'clock!"

"Type!" Sayla snapped.

"Let's see…Got it! Killer Stinger Missiles, capable of blowing out the bottom of a submarine with enough power left over to take out a forty foot fishing boat."

"Ouch!" Shute chirped.

"Corporal Henku! What's the status on the escapees?" Sayla snapped.

Corporal Jack Henku, a burly man about forty years old, narrowed his bright blue-green eyes and scratched the blonde beard that hid his mouth from view.

"Looks like they're heading in a southerly direction. I'd say they are trying to confuse Crowler and his cronies," he said with a slight African accent.

"Great! Doing a zigzag is one thing, but pulling off a four-way zigzag is just plain crazy! Not even I can get that down!" Sayla said.

"It also seems like there's a red ship with one eye hovering close by. I'd say that that would be our old friends the Dark Axis, correct?" Henku said.

"Yes, Corporal. That's them."

"What should I tell them boys in the guns?" he asked.

"Tell them to prepare to fire at my command only, and to not strike the escapees, but to fire at the Komusai or Crowler's yacht. We can't have anyone get hurt!" Sayla ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the corporal said.

The corporal turned back to the radar and studied the screen intently.

"_What if we see a salvage tug in the area? Do we have permission to fire on that?_" Jaden asked.

"Ye—wait. A salvage tug? As in a tug carrying parts of her?" Sayla questioned.

"_Yeah._"

"Whatever you do, Jaden, do not: I repeat: DO NOT fire on that tug, except to disable! If possible, try and hit the cable that is towing the part. We can't allow him to raise her successfully!" Sayla hissed.

"_Understood!_" Jaden chirped.

The comm screens went dead, showing only the guns and occupants.

"Prepare to engage the enemy! We're coming about!" Sayla snapped into the comm. "Fire missiles at the incoming missiles to cancel them out! We can't afford to take any damage!"

"ROGER!" the crew yelled.

"_Missile room standing by!_" the chief missile techie said.

"FIRE ONE!" Sayla yelled.

"_Fire one, launch!_"

"Holding steady, sir!" the radar operator cried.

The entire ship was silent as the two groups of missiles closed in on each other before exploding in a fiery explosion. Debris peppered both ships, some falling into the sea, and a small warhead portion clanged against the hull of the aircraft carrier.

"Missiles canceled out!" a lookout shouted.

"Good. Hanger deck! Get a few fighters scrambled and tell those on the deck to launch! We may need the air cover!" Sayla snapped.

"_Roger!_"

There was silence as the entire hanger crew scrambled a pair of F-14 Tomcats. The planes were outfitted with missiles and the fuel was topped off. The pilots hopped into the cockpits and closed the canopies. Within minutes, they were ready for launch.

The lifts hoisted the two jets up onto the deck and the planes taxied down the runway deck, gaining speed and lift. In a roar of sound and fire, the two jets were off the deck and banking towards the battle site.

The other jets on the deck were readied during the next two hours and launched as the aircraft carrier increased speed to the maximum of thirty knots.

As the last plane launched, the _Autobot Hero_ sped towards the site of conflict, now indicated by explosions of light and smoke.

"Looks like it's already started," a lanky captain who went by the nickname Bugs said.

"Just how many students are there, Bugs?" Henku asked.

Bugs narrowed his eyes as he studied the scene. Finally, after a moment of study, he turned towards Henku. "I'd say about twenty per boat, meaning there's a hundred total. In the copters, I'd say about five each. That's a grand total of a hundred and ten students," he said in a smooth baritone.

"Good." Henku turned towards Sayla. "Ya get all that, Commander?"

"Yes. I got it down, Henku. How far is Crowler's yacht from the action?" she asked.

"He's the one firing on them," Bugs reported.

"What about the Komusai?" Sayla asked.

"I'd say about ten meters back. Them Dark Axis creeps aren't firing a single shot at the escaping students. It's almost as if they want them to flee," Henku replied.

"Now that's strange," Sayla murmured.

"What's so strange about their actions?" Shute asked.

"That's not like them, from what we know of them," she muttered, putting a hand to her chin in thought.

"I agree, Commander. They're planning something, but I can't figure out what," Bugs murmured.

"We'll have to keep out eyes on them."

"Understood!"

The entire bridge was tense as they neared the conflict. Now they could feel the explosion shockwaves rocking the ship as they drew close to the boundaries. A particularly powerful shockwave threatened to knock the ship off course, but they kept on course and headed right into the middle of the fight.

Their planes were speeding around, firing off potshots from their guns and buzzing the aerial forces that had arrived on the scene.

"Seems like a lot of firepower to stop a hundred ten students from escaping," the helmsman mused.

"That's because there's supposed to be a key staff member on board. It seems even staff are becoming tired of Crowler's actions," Sayla said.

"But, aren't the staff the ones abusing the children?" Shute asked.

"That may be true, Shute, but it seems that even they are becoming tired of what they are being told to do to the kids there," Sayla told him.

"Then that means…"

Henku nodded at Shute. "That's right, kid. Them Duel Academy freaks are going behind bars!" he said, grinning.

Shute laughed excitedly.

"Hold on, Shute. It's not that simple. Crowler has plans to avoid this. He has a few lawyers on his side that share his insane views. They'll work hard to keep the school open, which means that the President will fall for it, unless that she's caught on, which is slightly possible, considering how she's gotten smarter in the invasion face," Sayla said.

"In other words, he's got the law on his side," Shute mused.

"Yes. That's pretty much the deal."

The ship slowed and the engines were shut down, letting the ship coast to a stop.

The anchors were dropped and the stern anchor, recently added for emergency stops, was dropped off the deck.

"We're stopped and anchored, sir!" the helmsman shouted to her.

"Good. All guns on the port side stand by!" Sayla ordered.

"ROGER!"

The entire fleet of aircraft circled, providing cover when the first blast from the Komusai struck home. The explosion rocked the _Autobot Hero_, forcing the great ship over onto the port side before she righted herself.

"WHOA!"

The crew on the bridge was thrown against the left side, their bodies impacting against the consoles of the ship, some bruising their bones, and some with scrapes on their arms and legs.

"Unh! Is everyone all right?" Sayla asked.

Moans reached her ears. She let out a sigh as they died down. At least everyone was alive and still conscious.

"Henku! Status report!" she snapped.

"Ya want a report, ask General Caleb over there!" the African American asked.

Sayla turned to face the aforementioned general.

"Caleb! Report!" she snapped.

General Caleb, a short, stocky soldier with a shock of unruly black-red hair, sat up and rubbed his head as he glanced at a schematic of the carrier.

"We received ten percent damage to the starboard side, but thankfully we suffered only slight dings. Nothing we can't fix," he said.

"Casualties?"

"Only three that I'm aware of."

"Fatalities?"

"None."

"Engine damage?"

"None. The energon engines are still functional."

"Good. Gun damage?"

"One gun down due to debris, but the main thing is that our missile launchers and antiaircraft guns are still functional."

"Good." Sayla was relieved that her ship was still mostly undamaged, save for dings and a disabled gun.

"Okay! First boat is in position!" the helmsman yelled.

"Zane! Grab that boat and let's get this over with!" Sayla ordered.

"_Roger that! Initiating rescue procedures now!_" Zane replied.

The huge crane on the side of the carrier, a large cargo crane outfitted with a sling for boats, swung out till the sling was over the ocean and lowered till the sling was in the water. The first lifeboat in the cluster rowed into the sling and the large winch was engaged, hauling the boat out of the water for unloading.

Medical personnel were standing by and as soon as the boat was brought to the side of the ship, they began unloading the injured and mistreated students. The whole process took only three minutes tops. The first boat was dropped into the water and the process was repeated with the second and so on.

While the unloading was taking place, the copters landed on the large flight deck and were secured with lines to hold them down in the middle of the battle.

The side doors were opened and the Omega Squad clambered on board and began unloading the students. The process took only two minutes max.

Due to having done drills and enacting them over and over, the reaction time and speed of efficiency with which the operation was carried out had increased dramatically, saving precious time and lives in the long run. Sayla had drilled her unit continuously until it was second nature to them for she knew that every life counted in the ongoing war against the DA. This time was no exception, except for the fact that the wreck was also at stake.

With this in mind, the whole crew, save for a few scrambling the next set of missiles, worked hard to defend those they rescued. No one really knew how hard they fought to protect the injured students, much less how hard Crowler wanted them dead.

* * *

**Beneath the Atlantic** Ocean, a sleek gleaming attack sub, the United States' _Primus Alpha_, glided along as silent as a ghost. Her engines were state of the art and she glided close to the ground, her dark grey structure blending in with the darkness of the ocean floor. This sub was not particularly powerful in terms of sheer firepower, but she more than made up for it with extreme maneuverability that made even the Kaxians jealous.

At only five hundred feet, she was hard to spot on the radar and she possessed a secret weapon: a prototype underwater laser cannon, devised and developed by Orca specifically for undersea combat missions. The small sub was currently off on a deep-sea rescue training mission close to the specific area of her wreck, unaware of the survey sub from the Dark Axis creeping up on them in their well covered blind spot.

Sergeant Lucy Hendricks stretched her five-foot ten frame in the radar seat, her muscles aching from hours sitting still. She glanced at the screen with a sigh. So far nothing had appeared on the radar and she was beginning to get bored.

"Man! Five slaggin' hours in this thing and no sign of any spies for the Dark Axis within the vicinity. How much longer are we gonna be cooped up here?" she moaned.

"Hey! Don't doubt the Commander's intensions, sergeant! She knows what's best for the unit," the captain of the sub snapped at her.

"Well, you try sitting at a radar station for five hours and let's see how—" She was cut off by the loud blaring of the siren as the sensors detected an anomaly in the area.

"What's going on?!" the captain barked.

"Hold on! It seems we've got a tail on us!" she blurted.

"Okay! All personnel buckle yourselves in and hold on tight! Helmsman! Let me have it!" the captain snapped.

"Roger!" the helmsman, a burly officer with dark green hair that hung over his eyes yelled.

The sub shuddered as something exploded in the water off to the right of the props and hydro-wings.

"WHOA!"

The crew was shaken, but not thrown off their feet. Like all Federation built subs, the _Primus Alpha_ had been built with the conductivity of the water in mind. By fusing soundproof metal and energon together, a military engineer had developed a highly armored metal, calling it the Dissipater as a joke, but the name had stuck. The new metal was able to withstand incredible pressures, making it ideal for reconnaissance subs and combat vessels should they sink.

As a result, the sub shook off the blow like it was nothing.

"Looks like we've got a sub on our radar all right. And by the make of it, I'd say it was stolen, no doubt by the Dark Axis, Captain Branson," Sergeant Hendricks reported.

"Seems that way to me," the captain, Navy Commander Sean Branson, replied.

The sub's commander twisted in his seat, letting the helmsman resume command of the vessel. He got out of his seat and walked over to where a console stood unattended by a crew member.

This sub, along with her sister sub, _Earth Zone_, lacked periscopes, but they employed the latest in surveillance technology, being high frequency sensors and underwater cams that could pick up even the faintest trace of energon from a passing tanker. Captain Branson flipped a switch ion the console and a large screen flared into view, displaying a view from one of the rear mounted cameras.

Sure enough, there was a sub behind them. It looked alien in origin, but the Dark Axis sigil could clearly be displayed. The sub itself was not much longer than the _Primus Alpha_, but it was way more powerful in terms of engine power. Three big props, almost as big as a small van, propelled her through the sea at fifteen hundred knots and she was larger widthwise, capable of lifting even a thousand-foot long shipwreck.

The truth dawned on the captain as he stared at her.

"No! They're going to try and raise her!" he blurted.

"What? Why?" asked a crewwoman from one of the communications consoles.

"I don't know, but I do know one thing: we can't allow them to raise her successfully! If they do, then, well, let's just say you don't want to know," he replied grimly.

"Understood!" The cry from the crew echoed defiantly, as if it could be heard across the universe and into the heavens for the gods to hear.

The Dark Axis sub continued its descent to the hidden wreck below.

* * *

_In Ark…_

Shibaomaru sighed as he studied the images of the entire Federation. So far things were going accordingly, well, somewhat. In truth, the plans were sort of a mix of failures and successes. He had a feeling that the failures outweighed the success factor. Then again, who knew what went on in the mind of his master?

He sighed and glanced out at the blood-red sun as it set on the horizon, sending bright red beams of light into the office of his camp. The lighting made him seem like a demon from Hades, eagerly awaiting a lust for blood and the flesh of his victims, fresh, and ready to eat. His eyes glinted menacingly and he seemed to enjoy the atmosphere the light created for him.

Shibaomaru wondered why Baku had declined an offer to join the Dark Axis in the first place. He had been offered great power, unimaginably powerful katana, way more powerful than those puny swords he wielded in combat against him, stronger armor, legions of soldiers, and a house that rivaled even the palace of Ark's emperor, and yet, he had turned it all down. What was the motivator for a Gundam like him?

He sighed and put the thoughts out of his mind. There had to be a way to get Baku over to the Dark Axis. There just had to be! If there was a way, he would find it. No one turned down the offers and got away with it!

As if it were a glimmering light, a clever, yet sadistic idea formed in his mind, a cruel ploy to get Baku over to the Dark Axis, with no hope of return.

An animalistic grin spread beneath his mouth-guard, and his eyes glinted dangerously. He wasn't sure why, but he had gotten a strange desire to do this, along with the devotion to the Dark Axis, and he had come up with this little plan. It was incredibly intricate and well detailed. There had to be no failures. There would be only success.

The musha laughed, for he would enjoy tormenting Baku, and more: much, much more.

* * *

**_FWAM!_**

The blast struck the water, rocking the _Autobot Hero_ dangerously. Several crew members were thrown from their guns onto the long flight deck and one was tossed overboard, but he grabbed onto the rail and hung there long enough for his teammates to pull him back on board.

Sayla snarled as she glanced at the yacht bearing down on them. The gun ports on the yacht had been removed and ten cannons were exposed, firing off cannonballs that had been out of date since the end of the Civil War era. The more powerful forward guns mounted on the bow and stern of the yacht fired off a combination of lasers and powder shells, making a deadly and lethal zone in front and behind the boat.

The first five cannons fired in unison, large black balls shooting out of the barrels and speeding towards the aircraft carrier.

"HARD TO STARBOARD!" she yelled at the helmsman. He responded instantly, spinning the wheel and activating three thrusters on the port side, turning the boat so that the long boat was between the remaining lifeboats drifting on the port side and the yacht. The cannonballs bore down on them, getting ever closer with each passing second.

"FIRE ALL GUNS! STARBOARD SIDE!" she ordered.

The starboard guns fired in absolute sync, linked as they were through the ship's main systems and their occupants' intense training regiments. Blue lasers lanced out, a few finding their marks and blowing the cannonballs to pieces in intense explosions. The shrapnel from several of the cannonballs peppered the side of the ship and a section of the flight deck, forcing personnel out on deck to duck into the service hatches before it got too intense.

Again the cannons roared, belching out smoke and fire, the black objects blown out the barrels and homing in on the ship again.

"FIRE TWO!" Sayla cried.

The guns screamed a second time, the lasers blasting the cannonballs to bits for the second time straight.

"FIRE HOMING MISSILES!" the commander barked.

"Missiles away!" a crew member yelled.

The hidden missiles fired from hidden underwater launch tubes, streaking towards the surface and breaching it, homing in on several hidden underwater mines. The mines exploded with incredible force, blasting one torpedo out of the water and towards Crowler's yacht.

The gleaming vessel, a four-hundred foot long triple engine boat, sped out of the way, dashing between a mine explosion and a torpedo collision with another mine.

A few submachine gunners in hidden locations on board dropped away false plating and blasted back at the aircraft carrier. The bullets bounced off harmlessly. One gunner had enough sense to load his guns with armor piercing rounds and fired them off at the carrier. Fortunately, the builders of the remarkable carrier had chosen to use energon steel instead of conventional steel in case of a full on assault, so the bullets penetrated only about three inches inward and no more.

"FIRE THREE!" Sayla snapped.

Lasers sheered through the sky as they homed in on the yacht, just as the cannons roared for the third time, this time all ten. A few cannonballs were destroyed as they arced towards the carrier and two landed in the water, throwing up plumes of smoke. One impacted against the side, making the whole ship vibrate from the impact, but it failed to explode. A second impacted on the flight deck, throwing up a huge plume of smoke and injuring three flight deck personnel and killing five. The third arced towards one of the guns, but the gunner fired off a shot and burst the cannonball into flames before it hit.

"Nice!" Shute chirped.

"INCOMING!" the radar operator screamed.

"FIRE FOUR!" Sayla cried.

The guns fired for the fourth time just as a Duel Academy copter buzzed the carrier, dropping smoke bombs and grenades onto the flight deck, forcing several personnel to open fire with .55 mm submachine guns and laser rifles. One of the personnel stitched a bullet pattern through the copter's fuselage, but missed the engines and the cockpit. A second crew member opened fire with a laser rifle and burnt a path through the side and out the other end, searing three cables for the engine in one shot. The blades began to slow and the copter edged away from the carrier, its pilot and copilot managing to get in a few potshots before they were out of range.

As the cannons on Crowler's yacht fired for a fifth time, the guns fired in perfect unity with the cannons, both lasers and cannonballs streaking towards each other. From a bird's eye perspective, it seemed unlikely that both sides would meet, but meet they did, cannonballs and lasers exploding in a burst of shrapnel and firepower that made even the naval battles of the past look like mere fist fights.

However, no one expected the cannonball to survive that cancellation, but survive it did, and as it streaked towards the ship, Sayla's eyes widened as she noticed the trajectory.

"NOOOO!" she yelled.

In a tremendous explosion of heat, sound, and light, the cannonball impacted against the starboard turret gun, rocking the ship dangerously and forcing her to an almost seventy degree angle, but with some quick thinking on the part of the helmsman, the large carrier managed to right herself and the smoke began to drift away from the impacted gun.

Sayla's eyes widened in horror.

The entire starboard turret gun was mangled and nonexistent. All that was left was a pile of metal and a large, melted dome that had once housed the gun's operator. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized that Captain was in the gun, operating it.

A few medical personnel had already assembled and gripped the side of what had once been the main gun controls in preparations of pulling it off.

Sayla turned and ran out, yelling as she went. "Commander Jackson, you have the bridge!" she yelled.

"Aye!" the commander said.

Shute, noticing this, turned and left the radar station to go down to the flight deck with her.

"What's going on?" he asked, panting.

"The starboard turret gun was hit by a stray cannonball and Captain was in there!" Sayla hissed.

"NO!" Shute cried.

"Don't worry, Shute. We'll try to save him if we can," she assured the boy.

"Thanks. I hope."

They ran through the maze of corridors, dodging personnel on duty and they ran out onto the rain slicked deck. They nearly slipped and slid into the water as they neared the mangled gun.

"Sir! We've got some trouble! The door's fused shut!" a medical officer, a Reploid named Dr. Han, yelled.

"How'd that happen?" Sayla demanded as she skidded to a stop.

"Must have been the heat from the explosion. You know how Crowler modified the cannons on his yacht!" he snapped.

"Not good…" she murmured. She bit her thumbnail before coming to a decision. "Dr. Han! Stand by! I'm going to cut it open!" she ordered.

The medical personnel parted as her laser sword ignited, coming out of its slot. She drew back her arm and drove the blade in, the laser melting the energon steel with the ease of melting an ice cube with a blowtorch. She moved the blade in a three-sided square before pulling it out and shutting it down. She grabbed the edges of the crude cut and pulled it open to the side.

Mech fluid came out almost instantly. She didn't have to be a doctor to know that he was wounded severely.

Captain lay against the console, his helmet oozing mech fluid from a gash across his right temple. His mouth-guard was missing and he had a bit of black liquid coming out of the corner of his mouth. His right arm was useless and the lower part of his left arm was mangled. His legs were damaged and a nasty scar ran across his lower torso. All his wounds were bleeding.

"Slag!" Sayla hissed.

"Not good, right?" Dr. Han asked softly.

"Doc! Get your best people up here and get Captain down to the medical bay ASAP! He's severely injured! I repeat! He's injured severely!" Sayla shouted to him.

"Roger!"

The Reploid didn't even need his best people up on deck, for he picked up the badly damaged Gundam and broke into a full out run, not Dashing, towards the hatch leading to the medical bay, Shute following not too far behind.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later…_

Pain coursed throughout his body as his systems came back online. That was the first thing that registered: pain, and lots of it! His vision came back online, fuzzy at first, but then becoming clearer. Now he could see that he was in a ship's medical facility, and Shute was beside him, looking very worried.

"Captain?" Shute asked softly.

"Shute…what…?"

He couldn't believe how raspy his voice was. It sounded like he hadn't used his vocals in years.

"Take it easy! Doc Han just finished fixing you up the best he could. Sayla says Cerverau can handle the rest," the human said.

"What…about…?"

"About the students? They're getting treated right now," Shute replied.

"The…yacht…?"

"Sayla ordered an immediate course change. While you were out, she told all gunners to open fire. We barely got away as it was."

"How…long was I…out for?" he rasped.

"You were out for twenty minutes max. Doc Han said that it's a miracle you even survived that explosion. Normally, nothing does," Shute remarked.

"AGH!" Captain let out a cry of pain as Shute called his name. That was all he remembered before blacking out.

* * *

**Shute watched his** friend with worry on his face. He had just passed out, and he couldn't blame him. The pain had been intense. That much he had known.

Cerverau's hand laid itself on his shoulder, making Shute turn to face the engineer.

"How is he?" Shute asked worriedly.

"He'll be out for a few hours, but given the time, he'll recover and be out of the infirmary in a few days. Aside from that, nothing else can be done," Cerverau replied.

"Thanks, Cerverau."

"Hey. It's my job to fix up Reploids. And Gundams now. It's what I do."

Shute smiled weakly before he turned and left the med-bay, heading aft to the mess hall.


	21. Naval Battle! Defend the Titanic!

Chapter 6

The next few hours were the most anxiety filled hours of his life. Waiting for information on his friend's condition was nerve-wracking as it was, and to top it all off, a call had come out a few minutes ago about trying to raise the wreck of the _Titanic_, making things even more nerve wracking. As Shute manned the radar during this run, he wondered if Captain was okay.

"Shute! Where's the enemy's position?!" Sayla asked harshly.

"Um, hold on!" Shute peered at the screen, making out the little sigil that marked the Dark Axis and Duel Academy team-up. "They're about fifty meters north of us!"

She narrowed her eyes and growled. "Slag! That puts them right on top of her!"

"Uh, Commander, you might want to take a look at this!" Henku reported.

"What?" Sayla snapped.

She turned and her eyes widened as the familiar purple gate they knew so well opened up in the space above the wreck's ocean position.

"Are there any subs in the area?" she asked Syrus urgently.

"Uh, yeah! There are! There's the _Earth Zone_ and _Primus Alpha_!" Syrus said.

"Good. Tell them that they need to protect the wreck at all costs!" Sayla barked.

"Right!" The boy turned to the comm and began to transmit the message.

She turned to face Jaden, who had just come in from his gun. Streams of water dripped off his armor and onto the floor. "What's the situation on deck?" Sayla asked him.

"Well, from what I can see, there's about ten of our guys down and one whose leg's been blown off by a misfired grenade," Jaden replied.

"Any fatalities?" Sayla inquired.

"Last cannonball assault left five dead."

"Slag! Names?"

"Um, Henry Kinjo, Greg Tobias, Otto White, Andrew Song, and Brandon Storm."

"They were good soldiers, and loyal to the cause. It's a shame they had to go that way."

Jaden glanced at the monitors displaying the wreck's position under the sea. He could see the shape, but other than that, nothing else.

"What about the wreck?" he asked.

"Syrus! Sub positions!" Sayla snapped.

"Um, one fore and one aft of the wreck. Seems like they caught on and are instigating their own plans for defense!" the light haired boy exclaimed.

"Good. Put the sub commanders online and route it to the bridge!"

"Right!" Syrus pressed the communications button.

The screens came online and the sub commanders' images flared into view.

While this was going on, Shute took the opportunity to slink away from the radar and down towards the infirmary.

He quietly opened the door and slipped inside, turning on the lights as he did so.

Cerverau was waiting for him as he approached Captain's bed.

"Cerverau…" Shute hesitated, but Cerverau caught on to what he wanted to do.

"Shute, you know you're not supposed to be here," the engineer said calmly.

"Please, just let me see him," Shute pleaded softly.

"…Sure. Just don't take too long."

"Thanks."

The engineer left the med-bay, leaving Shute by his best friend's still form.

"Captain…"

He grasped one of the limp hands and squeezed gently. He half-expected Captain to not squeeze back, but he did. He gasped in surprise and his eyes widened as Captain's eye screens flickered and came online.

"Shute…?"

"Cappy…CAPTAIN!" Shute let out a cry as he threw his arms around the Gundam, careful not to aggravate his injuries to the point of passing out.

"Shute, how long was I out?" Captain asked.

"You were out for a few hours, Captain," Shute said, his voice muffled by Captain's body.

"A few hours?"

"Yeah. Doc Han said that it was a miracle you even survived!" the boy murmured.

"A…miracle?"

"Yes."

Captain let that information sink into his processors. "What about…the wreck?" he asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that—" He was cut off as the ship's comm buzzed, Sayla's voice echoing throughout the ship.

"_Shute! We need you in the bridge stat! Repeat! Come to the bridge, pronto!_"

The comm went dead as he looked at Captain. "Sorry, Captain, but I have to get back to the bridge."

"I understand, Shute."

With that, he ran out of the med-bay and up several flights of stairs to the hallway that led to the bridge.

When he arrived, he could see a few officers standing around the main table and one holding a pointer to the image above it.

Sayla and the others were gathered around, studying the image, which he now realized was a large map displaying the ocean floor and in the middle of the image was the biggest shipwreck he had ever seen.

He approached the group and stared at it in awe and amazement.

"Is…is that…her?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper.

The others turned to face him.

"Yeah. That's the _Titanic_, Shute," Zane said.

He guessed the shipwreck to be less than nine hundred feet, somewhere in the early eight hundred eighties. The width seemed to be about ninety five feet in length, and her sides were coated with rust, but the paint still stood out. The two masts on her were disintegrating, but they still stood for now, one fallen across her bow. Debris littered the ocean floor around her, the most notable part being two of her great funnels, the fourth lying across her stern, the first having been lost years ago when she sank. On the side was a huge gash that stood out below the water line, a scar from that horrible collision almost a hundred years ago. The name stood out, barely visible, but it was there. It read _Titanic_.

It seemed impossible that the ship was still intact, but it was by some dumb miracle.

Shute stepped closer, reaching out a hand to the image. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a strange sort of reverence when staring at the image of the wreck.

"She…she looks…" Shute was lost for words.

"That's what happens over time. Things eventually rot away, no matter where they are, unless you're in space," Zane replied.

"The thing that gets me though is why Crowler and the Dark Axis want this thing," Kicker said. "I mean, due to the Act, shouldn't there be a special team down there or something?"

"It doesn't matter, Kicker. Crowler's got ways to try and get that wreck," Meisha replied.

"Still, what would the Dark Axis want with her?" T.J. asked.

"You know, that's a good question," Jaden remarked. "Why _do_ they want her?"

"I think it might be to repair the Komusai," Zero said.

"Repair? Or to rebuild?" Zane hissed to the knight.

"Either one."

"What about the _Magna Musai_? They could be looking for the metal to rebuild that," Shute suggested.

"I don't think so. From what we've seen, there's no way that they could be looking for a small wreck only 882 feet long," Baston said.

"_Magna Musai_? How big was it, Shute?" Sayla asked, beginning to understand where the boy was headed.

"Um, from what I can recall, it was about as big as the Gundamusai, but with much more firepower and it was able to carry the Komusai. I'm guessing that it was about five hundred feet long and four hundred feet wide."

"…"

Sayla's eyes widened as she grasped the severity of the situation.

"That's more than enough metal to rebuild the _Magna Musai_!" Baku gasped as his eyes shrank in horror.

"In short, we're faced with an interplanetary crisis here!" Syrus blurted.

"Yes. That's it," Zane simply said.

"We have to find a way to stop them from raising her!" Shute exclaimed. He placed both hands on the console as he said this.

"We're trying to! Any idea as to what the Dark Axis sub is doing?" Jaden asked Henku.

"Them Dark Axis freaks are positioning energon charges all along the hull, and they've got a detonator on board Crowler's yacht. My guess is that they offered him a part of the wreck to use on his ship!" the corporal shot back.

"Energon charges? What kind?" Sayla snapped.

"Class A-6 Beta charges! Those things can generate enough force to lift a two hundred thousand ton spacecraft from even the stickiest Gilarian swamps!" the man replied.

"Not good! They detonate those and they'll force the wreck right up from the sea floor and up through the sea until she breaches the ocean surface and right into the Zakorello Gate!" Sayla hissed as she clenched her fists.

"But, isn't there water in her corridors and compartments?" Baku asked.

"Yeah, but the force from the A-6 Beta energon charges is more than the pressure of the water down there, so they'll force her clean out of the water, providing that her hull doesn't give way after all this time!" Sayla snarled at the Musha.

"What happens if her hull gives way?" Zero quiered.

"Then she breaks in two and sinks to the ocean floor, unable to be recovered," Zane said simply.

"Well, then why don't you just blow her up?" Bakunetsumaru remarked.

"No way we can do that! The Shipwreck Protection Act was developed specifically to prevent such a thing from happening, Shute! We do that, we violate one of the most important laws of all time!" Sayla shouted harshly.

"Sorry," Baku squeaked, his face turning red beneath his mouthpiece.

"Nah. It's okay. I always thought that it would be better to do so, but I guess not," she said. She turned back to face the screen image. "If they blow the charges, then it's all over. We have to stop them now."

"YES, SIR!" The cry echoed throughout the ship, even down to the sea floor.

The sub commanders were grim-faced, but Sayla knew that they too felt the same way that they did: that they could and _would_ win this fight.

"Okay! Captains Branson and Kumis, prepare to open fire on my command, but only at the Dark Axis sub! Got that?" she asked.

"_We hear you loud and clear, Commander!_" Kumis replied in a soft-spoken voice. She may have been a pretty lady, but she wasn't one to mess with.

"_We'll hold them off and stop them from raising her!_" Branson agreed.

"Let's hope you two know what you're doing. If you accidentally hit one of the charges, then we're all in trouble. So don't screw this one up!" Sayla hissed.

"_Yes, sir!_" both commanders replied, saluting sharply.

The screen shut down to display the image of the enemy sub, this time positioning three charges next to the bow right where the gash was.

"Okay! Open fire, NOW!" Sayla shouted.

The screen split down the middle to reveal the subs, each one taking aim from their hidden positions at the Dark Axis sub.

The bright blue underwater lasers lanced through the dark water, creating streams of bubbles in the water. The beams impacted against the third propeller of the Dark Axis sub, creating an explosion of bubbles that clouded the underwater cams.

Everyone waited with baited breath, expecting the assault to have succeeded.

The bubbles cleared, revealing the sub's propeller still intact and still working. A few moments passed and the sub was dashing madly for the surface.

Dread filled Kicker as he watched in stunned realization.

"NO!" he yelled.

The sub was finished with its work, so now it was heading topside, in preparations for the detonation to take place.

"Both of you get your afts after that sub! Stop it from approaching Safety Zone Gamma!" Sayla snapped.

"_Sorry, Commander, but it's too late. They're at the safety zone!_" Branson snapped.

"HARD A PORT! ENGINES AT FULL SPEED!" Sayla yelled to the helmsman. The man replied, pressing a button that rang the engine room. "Commander wants full speed! Try and get as much power out of her as you can, boys!"

"_Roger!_" the chief engineer replied.

The helmsman fired up the three thrusters on the starboard side, turning the carrier till the bow was aimed at the Zakorello Gate.

Satisfied, Sayla turned to Jaden.

"Get to the bow gun and fire at that gate! If we can't stop the raising, then we can at least stop them from getting their hands on her!" she snapped.

Jaden nodded and bolted for the door as fast as he could, but it was not to be.

A low rumble shook the ocean, and bubbles began to form. Large explosions could be seen beneath the waves and a large batch of bubbles formed off the bow.

"SLAG NO!" Sayla yelled.

It was happening.

The image of the ship showed the bow beginning to rise from the force of the charges. It wasn't much, but it was something for the remaining two Dark Axis lords on board the Komusai.

"Hahahahahahahahah! That ship is ours!" Zeta laughed gleefully.

"Dah! I agree!" Dom said stupidly. He had a look of glee in his optical sensor as he gripped the gun controls for the Komusai. "I blow human ship to bits!"

"No, Dom! Not yet! Let them watch!" Zeta sniggered.

"Dah…"

The front of the ship settled down into the silt, but the second batch of charges near the stern went off, forcing the whole length and weight of the ship out of the sea floor in a jolt of incredible energy. The ship was forced from her resting place, and, being carried on a sea of bubbles, neared the surface at an incredible rate of speed. Zeta grinned, but just before the wreck broke the surface, something unexpected happened.

* * *

**Kicker snarled as **he strained with holding the 46,328 ton ship against his shields, trying to prevent it from surfacing. The force from the charges had given the wreck incredible thrust from the ocean floor, but he knew that sooner or later it would die down. It depended on how long he could keep this up. If he failed now, the ship would be sent into the gate, and take him with it.

"Hurry up, for Primus sake, Sayla! I can't hold this much longer!" he grunted into his comm.

"_Keep her steady for a few more minutes! We're still working on getting the energon repulsor online!_" Sayla said.

"How much longer?!" Kicker cried.

"_About ten minutes, give or take._"

"Just hurry!"

The comm went dead and he was left straining against the century old vessel.

He upped the power to his shields, but even that didn't do much to lessen the strain. Thoughts of what could possibly happen flitted through his mind, ranging from severe weather to time warps opening and history repeating itself in the present day.

During this time, Sayla glanced at the blue, green, red, and gold mech as he strained under the incredible pressure before turning back to the work at hand.

The energon repulsors were the latest naval weapon. A single repulsion blast could repel even an electromagnetic strike, leaving the ship still able to function in the middle of an electrical storm. The device looked like an energon grid generator, but it bore a satellite on top rather than a large oblong oval shape to disperse the repulsion blast.

One such repulsor was installed on the _Autobot Hero_. In theory, if it could be used to repel an electromagnetic blast, then it could also be used to repel the wreck back down to the ocean floor without harming her.

"Okay! Last connection secured, Commander!" a technician yelled as he looked over, his face streaked with oil and energon from the lines.

"Good! Power it up!" Sayla snapped.

"Powering up the repulsor now!" the engineer manning the controls yelled.

"What's the status?" Sayla asked, turning to face Zane.

"Not good! In another five minutes, the ship will break water and enter the gate!" Zane replied.

"Power levels!" Sayla snapped, turning to face the engineer.

"Fifteen percent! It'll take at least another ten minutes for it to reach one hundred percent!" the engineer replied, his face tense as sweat began to form on his forehead.

"Kicker!" Sayla yelled as her hand flew to the comm unit on her headset.

"_Sayla! How much longer, slaggit?!_" the human/machine cried.

"Try to hold out for another fifteen minutes!" Sayla pleaded.

"_I can't! You know that!_"

"Please! The repulsor is online, but it'll be another ten minutes before it reaches one hundred percent power!" Sayla protested, hoping that he _could_ hold out for ten more minutes.

"_JUST HURRY!_" Kicker cried. Then the comm went dead.

"He'll do what he can! In the meantime, try to close that fraggin' gate!" Sayla shouted.

"On it!" a gunner shouted. He aimed his weapon at the gate and opened up on it, but the bullets passed through harmlessly "SLAGGIT!"

"Twenty-five percent and climbing!" the engineer cried.

Another gun opened up on the gate while one of the fighter jets, a Harrier jet, hovered off from the flight deck and buzzed the yacht and the Komusai.

"Thirty percent!" he yelled.

Lasers and cannonballs and bullets flew through the air in the most intense naval battle the world ever saw.

"Thirty-five!"

"HURRY!" Kicker screamed at Sayla's ship, even though they couldn't hear him.

"Forty!" the engineer cried. His eyes darted over the readouts.

The boy strained as hard as he could, upping the power to the shield using the Energizer Matrix.

"Forty-five!"

Zeta laughed in glee as the ship strained to break water.

"Fifty! We're halfway there!" the engineer cried.

Dom fired like crazy at Kicker, but T.J. and Meisha opened up from the ship with their weapons.

"Fifty-five!"

"NO!" Zeta snapped. "You won't win this one! That ship is ours!"

"Sixty!"

Kicker's systems were beginning to overload as he gritted his teeth.

"Sixty-five!"

Sayla watched as the gauge crept higher.

"Seventy!"

Jaden opened up on Crowler's yacht with the bow gun just as a cannonball fired from one of his cannons.

"Seventy-five!"

"Hold on just a little longer!" Meisha called out.

"Eighty!"

"Atta boy, Dom!" Zeta crowed as Dom began blasting back with the guns on the Komusai at Kicker. T.J. took the chance to fire off a barrage of lasers at the Komusai, blowing the other bullets to bits.

"Eighty-five!"

"Keep it up!" T.J. yelled as he kept blasting with his guns.

"Ninety!"

"This is it!" a Zako blurted. All the Dark Axis Zakos were eagerly waiting as the old ship strained to break the water.

"Ninety-five!"

Kicker let loose a scream as he increased the power of the shield, hoping that this would end in their favor.

"One hundred percent! We're at maximum power!" the engineer cried hopefully.

"NOW!" Sayla yelled. The engineer drew back his fist and pounded the button down, the satellite turning to aim at the wreck, now almost halfway out of the water, Kicker almost inside the gate, optics burning brightly, crying out in his determination to stop it.

The repulsor fired.

The intense bright blue beam of energy lanced out and struck the air above the wreck, right below Kicker. Almost immediately, the energy created by the energon charges was canceled out by the repulsor and the wreck was lowered back into the water by the repulsion beam in a froth of bubbles and water.

Kicker sighed with relief as he wobbled on his flight path back to the carrier.

"NO!" Zeta shrieked in the cockpit of the Komusai. "WE FAILED?! $#%^!#"

"DAHHH!" Dom burst out crying as Zeta swore. The red ship turned and flew off, a bright white yacht with the DA sigil on it following.

The Zakorello Gate closed up and dissipated, leaving an aircraft carrier full of stunned beings behind.

The silence reigned for another full minute before it was broken by a single whistle, and then cheers from five thousand throats. Their mission was a success, even if it was by a very close margin of only fifteen seconds.

The cheering lasted for a full half hour before Sayla fired her gun into the air to get their attention.

"Good job out there, troops! We not only saved the _Titanic_, but we also rescued students and stopped the Dark Axis and exposed Crowler for who he really is! A dirty, rotten, slaggin', traitor! So keep this in mind: we may have won today, but we may lose tomorrow, yet never give up! Never give up, never surrender, and never forget!" she said.

"YEAH!"


	22. Information Well

Chapter 7

The rising sun of the following day found the _Autobot Hero_ steaming back towards the TCDA, her cargo of students being treated as best as they could on board the ship. Dr. Han and his staff worked nonstop setting injuries, stopping bleeding cuts, stitching up wounds, and removing bullets from those rescued during the firefight.

As a nurse worked at setting a patient's arm in a cast, Shute was amazed by how severe some of the injuries were. He saw students with limbs broken in more than three places, bare skin whipped raw by what he guessed were belts, the most shocking being a student with an arm broken at the elbow and his lower legs broken, gashes that looked infected, and almost all of them were undernourished, fed only by small scraps of food that they managed to scrounge up. All in all, they looked like they had been kept as pets in a zoo.

"Wow…" His voice trailed off as he walked up.

"Sick, isn't it?" Sayla asked softly.

"Yeah. These kids look like they were animals in a run down zoo."

"That's Dr. Crowler for ya," Jaden remarked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why does he act like this?" Shute asked.

"I told you earlier, we're not sure. But hopefully now we'll be able to get some insight as to why he does this kind of treatment," Jaden replied, shrugging.

"Commander, sorry to interrupt, but…" Dr. Han said, pointing at the student with his lower arm and legs broken in three places.

"Oh God!" Sayla ran over, stunned by the brutal savagery committed on this poor innocent kid.

"Geez!" Jaden blurted, running over to the kid. "Kid, you okay?"

The boy was in agony, from what he could see. The poor kid's face was twisted in agony, his eyes screwed shut against the intense waves of pain coming from his broken limbs. Sayla held his hand and looked at him, empathy in her eyes.

"It'll be okay, kid. We'll get you fixed up, just hang in there," she murmured softly.

The boy managed to open one tear-filled eye and looked at her, hope etched in that one eye. "You…AGH!...sure…?" he rasped out, gasping in between words, due to the agony caused by his injuries.

"Yes. Just hang in there…" Sayla hesitated, not knowing the kid's name.

The boy seemed to sense this and told her his name through his pain. "Ben. Ben…HFF!...Macintyre."

"Just hang in there, Ben."

He weakly smiled and closed his eye again as the pain increased.

"Who did this?" she asked quietly to no one in particular.

"I'll tell you who," a soft male voice said.

Sayla spun around, her eyes immediately locking onto a man with long black hair tied back in a ponytail and a pair of red eyes framed by glasses. He wore a white shirt and black pants and his build was lanky, yet he seemed to hide a secret, almost like a hidden talent. In his arms was a huge cat, not much bigger than a small dog. The cat had its eyes closed and meowed loudly in a satisfied manner.

"Who are _you_?" she asked.

"My name is Professor James Banner, a former teacher at the Duel Academy. I escaped with these students, especially Ben. He needs medical attention right away," Banner replied. "The reason why I escaped was because I was tired of being ordered to abuse students, especially the females. They were the target by the males, for what you consider an unspeakable crime, am I right?"

Jaden suddenly glanced up, shock and anger pouring through his systems and wires. He could feel his Soul-Drive suddenly increase rotations, and a strange feeling emitted from it, a slight warm feeling, before it faded back into dormancy.

For an instant, he felt stronger, but then that too was gone. He clenched his hand into a fist, staring right at Professor Banner.

"They…rape girls there?!" he asked.

"Yes. I was the only one who couldn't do it. It is wrong to abuse innocent females like that. The males often get them pregnant before their time," Banner explained.

"Why?" Sayla murmured.

"It's to get them to behave and accept their life there. It's a harsh way, but it is the only one Crowler knows of to make them do his bidding."

"You talk about it as if Crowler owns a slave…mine…You have got to be kidding me!" Jaden yelped.

"It's true. When they do it, it is too horrible even for me. I have witnessed it over and over until I finally decided it was time to leave," Banner said softly. He closed his eyes, trying to forget the images in his mind.

"But, why go to this extreme?" Sayla asked, glancing back at Ben.

"The one who did that was a man named Rick Paso. He is a ruthless warrior who maims for pleasure. He is the one who broke Ben's limbs. I rescued him before Rick could do any more harm," the man said, fingering a pistol in its holster.

"How did you?" Jaden asked.

"By using my pistol. Rick will maim no more."

"You killed him?!" Sayla blurted.

"Yes. It was the only way."

"Geez. Who would have thought…" Jaden murmured.

Sayla glanced at Banner, confusion etched on her face.

"Why does he even do this kind of stuff?" she asked, sweeping her arm about the medical facility filled with moaning students, some of which were in a coma, a few entering shock and one even crying like a banshee.

"He does it because he went insane during the first attack," Banner explained.

"The first assault?" Sayla questioned.

"Yes. When he witnessed one student get killed, he went insane, and he began to assault them for pleasure. He took a liking to it and he started up a monarchy. He's been doing that for a few months now," Banner replied.

"But, it seems like years!" Shute blurted.

"True it may seem that way, but it isn't. Crowler changed from a kind, caring man to a ruthless, savage who likes nothing better than to maim his students."

"In other words, it's not a school anymore, but…"

"A hellhole."

"No way…" Shute's voice trailed off in shock.

"How come Crowler didn't get medical help?" Zane asked as he stepped into the room.

"He doesn't know that he is insane. He just goes about doing what he feels is pleasurable, but in reality, is not," Banner replied grimly.

"Now that, is insane," Jaden murmured.

"Tell me about it," Sayla replied.

"…" Shute just stared in shock, unable to believe what he had heard. Students being maimed for pleasure by an insane man? What was going on here? Then, he remembered something.

"But, if he's insane, how come he was with the Dark Axis when they tried to raise the _Titanic_?" he asked.

Banner's face suddenly paled, his expression becoming serious.

"Did you say raise the _Titanic_?" he asked in shock.

"Uh-huh."

"If he is raising it, then he must have gone into an insane lust for power. As for this Dark Axis, I think that they offered him an offer that no one can refuse,"

"What would that be?" Jaden asked, although he was getting a basic idea already.

"Absolute power and forces that share his ideals." Banner's reply was as simple as that.

"What would his ideals be?" Syrus asked as he walked into the room after Zane.

"An unexplained hatred for the Federation and a crazy idea that he is a king chosen by divine power."

"Ooh!" Shute winced.

"How come no one ever bothered to stop him? You know, put him in a straightjacket or something?" Sayla asked.

"We tried, but he avoided our attempts until we finally gave up and began hoping that he would return to sanity. It seems like there is no hope, however," Banner said, closing his eyes as he looked down.

"That may be true, but if the President hears about this, then maybe he can get the help he needs," Sayla replied empathetically.

Professor Banner smiled sadly. "I appreciate your concern, however, there is no hope for him. Thank you anyway, though."

"Still, why would anyone want to deal with this kind of punishment?" Jaden asked.

"No one wants to…" Banner's voice trailed off.

"Jaden. Jaden Yuki."

"Thanks, and no, no one wants to, Jaden."

"Then why endure it?" he asked, cocking his head.

"There is no other way for them, aside from escaping."

"Slaggit."

Banner nodded in agreement, silent as a ghost. He turned to face the injured students, hurt showing itself in his eyes. He closed his eyes and a single tear slipped out, falling onto the deck of the ship.

"I only wish we could have saved more," he murmured.

"Hey. You saved a bunch, which is good enough for us. In fact, it's more than enough. Saving a hundred and ten students is something no one else could have achieved. You went above and beyond in saving them. You did more than that as well. You've given them a chance at a new life, once they're healed, of course, but that is what they are thanking you for," Jaden said.

"Even so, there are still countless others in worse condition than these kids."

"We will find a way to rescue them, and stop the Dark Axis both!" Sayla said, a grin spreading across her face.

Banner smiled back sadly, and he nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

Shute turned away from the sight of the injured students and headed into a section of the medical ward that was less crowded. He glanced back through the doorway and shook his head. Tears formed in his eyes and they fell freely. He couldn't believe the horror that those kids had gone through just to get rescued.

"Shute?"

He glanced up, his gaze locking onto Captain, who was looking right at him, concern in his eyes.

"Hey, Captain," he murmured, walking up and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You seem upset by what's happened to those kids, right?"

Shute nodded.

"I can't believe that one man did all that, terrifying them and raping the girls without even the slightest shred of remorse or concern for them," he whispered.

"I can understand that. Even I'm shocked by it. That…is just wrong. No one should do that," his friend murmured.

Shute nodded again.

"Shute, just forget about it, all right?" Captain grasped the boy's hand and pulled him close, so that way Shute was beside him on the bed.

Shute could feel the Soul-Drive purring in his friend's chest, and he closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

Captain wiped one of them away and he pulled Shute closer, so that their faces were touching.

"It's okay, Shute. It's okay," Captain murmured softly, stroking the boy's hair almost lovingly. It was then that Shute felt something close over his own lips. When he opened his eyes, he was a bit surprised to see Captain's mouth over his own, his own eyes closed in pure pleasure. Shute closed his eyes gain and just let himself get lost in the moment. It wasn't that long, but he felt much better, which was strange. His friend pulled away and smiled at Shute.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Thanks," Shute sniffed.

Captain merely smiled and rubbed the boy's back, letting him fall asleep in his bed with him.

* * *

**The next few** days were hectic as the students were checked and cared for back at the TCDA. Those that had been injured during the fight were healed by the nurses under the command of Miss Fontae, the head nurse at the TCDA. Captain was fixed up by Cerverau during that time, resulting in him being released a day sooner than he had thought.

A few hours later, the rest of the team and the Gundam Force sat outside under a tree, discussing about the recent happenings a couple of days after their patrol had ended.

"What I don't understand is why the Dark Axis went for the _Titanic_," Syrus remarked.

"We already guessed that they need the metal from the ship to repair or even to rebuild the Magnamusai or whatever it's called. What more could they want it for?" Baston replied.

"Still, the metal on the ship's hull is rusted over, meaning that those creeps have a few short circuits if they think they can use her metal to rebuild their ship," Jaden remarked, a slight trace of humor in his voice.

"Jaden, this is serious! Who knows? Maybe they found a way to reverse the rusting!" Sayla snapped.

"Sorry. Just a joke," the boy/Gundam said sheepishly.

Sayla merely rolled her eyes. "Oookay. Even so, there's just so much we don't know about the Dark Axis, and I have a feeling that we need more info than what we have."

"I have to agree," Kicker replied. He flexed his arms and stretched, feeling the aches in his muscles and joints from the last battle. "Plus, that last battle left me feeling a bit sore," he remarked.

"It left us all feeling exhausted, Kicker," T.J. said.

"Well, you try stopping a 46,328 ton ship and see how you feel later on!" Kicker snapped.

"Sorry!" the young starfighter yelped.

"Okay, you two, knock it off! We all are tired and we need some rest, so let's just forget about it and just think about our next plan of action," Zane said. He looked at each of them as he spoke.

"What kind of plan?" Zero asked gloomily.

"A plan to try and get information about the Dark Axis. Last I heard from my father, the President is planning on enacting a liberation operation," the boy said seriously.

"Huh? Liberation operation?" Baku asked, a question mark hovering over his head.

"Yes. A plan to liberate prisoners located in seriously heavily defended concentration camps located in the Dark Axis' home dimension."

"WHAT?!" That shocked the Gundam Force. In all their years of fighting the Dark Axis, they had never expected to hear about concentration camps in their home dimension.

"How…how'd that happen?" Baku asked, shocked.

"From what I heard, someone managed to get some footage and transported it to the President, along with a bound up Zako soldier. The person then told them a bit about the Dark Axis and their plans, which, unfortunately, are still unknown to us," Zane explained.

"What about the camps?" Captain asked, shock flooding his systems.

"That's one thing we don't know about. Why commit atrocities similar to the Nazis and the Axis Powers of World War II in the first place? What's to gain from that?" Meisha asked.

"World War II?" Zero asked, now curious.

"World War II. The worst war in the history of humanity. The Axis Powers tried to take over the world, and only the Allied Powers stood in their way. Our country, the United States, was the key player in the war, because of the industrial might and military capacity. We were also the only country to have successfully developed the first ever working atomic bomb. That was the main weapon. And it was also what caused the rise from world power to world superpower," Sayla summarized.

"In short, the United States was unbeatable?" Shute asked.

"Not entirely. Our country took losses just like any other power, but it was the U.S. that ended the war in the first place," Syrus said.

"Wow…" Baku was speechless.

"So, what was so horrible about World War II?" Captain asked. He didn't want to know, but a burning desire to learn more about the enemy was overcoming his logic circuits. The more they knew, no matter how horrible, the better off they were.

"The concentration camps and violation of human rights is what made it the worst war in world history. When we look back on it, almost everyone is shocked by the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the Axis Powers. Even the Soviet Union committed war crimes, but they were overlooked because they helped us out in the war when we needed it the most," Sayla said, her voice softening.

"What were the conditions of the camps and prisoners?" Bakunetsumaru inquired.

"You really want to know?" Zane asked, his voice grim.

Captain and the other Gundam Force members nodded.

"They were like walking skeletons and they were basically treated like animals. There was tons of work, little food, horrible sanitary conditions, not much water, though that is uncertain, diseases ran rampant amongst the prisoners, and they were sorted by gender, age, and health, much like cattle were. The POWs, or Prisoners Of War, as they were known, were transported in cattle cars to these camps when they were forcibly removed from their homes and businesses. The Nazis did the worst, treating the Jews as prisoners and as a race that had horribly corrupted Germany. They twisted the facts and used the law against everyone. Adolf Hitler was the man who led this new Germany into the worst war ever," Sayla said, her voice almost as emotionless as his.

"Wow. I never realized…" Shute murmured.

"That's the worst that we know of. Of course, President Warren saw even worse images than what we know of. She figured that World War II is being repeated, though on a much larger scale. In fact, I guess you could say that it is on an interdimensional scale," Zane said. He looked up at the sky, as if he could see the outcome of the war. "Besides, if we know more information about what's going on, the better the advantage we will have."

"Whoa…"

Everyone was silent at this.

"It's about to become Ground Zero out there," Baston remarked.

"Ground Zero?" Zero cocked his head in confusion.

"A term we use to describe a war zone," Sayla explained, her voice suddenly somber.

"Ooh."

"So, why are they committing these acts of war?" Zero asked.

"We're not sure, but we think they may be searching for some kind of power," Zane said.

"What kind of power?" Shute asked. He scratched his head in confusion.

"I think they may be searching for the power of the gods," Kicker said suddenly.

"What? Power of the gods?" Meisha asked, curious.

"Yes. Believe it or not, about a week ago, I had this strange dream in which someone gave me a warning," the young pilot replied.

"What kind of warning?" Zero asked, his interest suddenly piqued.

"The warning was this: Stop the Dark Axis and find the Superior Dragon, whatever that is," Kicker told them.

Zero's eyes widened in shock.

"The…the Superior Dragon?" His voice was a mere whisper as he said the name, almost reverently.

"Yeah. Why? Is it something sacred in your home dimension?" Kicker asked.

"Yes. It is what created us, and gives us our powers. We have various myths surrounding it, yet, I did not think that they were real…" Zero murmured.

"So, what you're saying is that it's real?" T.J. asked. He shifted his position on the grass and looked at them with his sky blue optics.

"I didn't say that!" Kicker blurted. "All I know is that the one who gave me the warning also gave me an assignment: Inform the Superior Dragon of the danger that is coming and to protect the descendent of Duel, whoever that is."

"Someone told you all this?" Zero asked, grabbing Kicker by his shirt.

"Yeah! He said his name was Iro, and he was a Knight Gundam, the Knight of the Superior Mana. He told me to tell you this," the boy replied.

"Iro…" The Winged Knight dropped Kicker and slumped to the ground, stunned.

"You know who he is?" Meisha asked, poking the knight on his shoulder.

"Yes. He was the one who commanded the Superior Dragon at the same time as Duel, but Duel could do it much more proficiently," Zero said, looking at his hands as if they belonged to someone else.

"What happened to this Iro?" Zane asked.

"He was killed when the Dark Warriors, a band of rogue knights, attacked the palace. He didn't stand a chance against them. Duel did. He fought and won, but he mourned the loss of his friend and brother, Iro," the foreign Gundam replied softly.

"They were brothers?" Syrus asked.

"Yes. Both were born with the powers of the Superior Dragon, but Duel could use them much better than his brother. It was what divided them several times, but it was also what drew them back together."

"In other words, Duel and Iro were both Knights of the Superior Mana, and they could use the powers together, but one could do so much more efficiently than the other, right?" Jaden asked.

"Yes."

"But, isn't this just a legend?" Baku asked.

"Apparently not," Zane said. "If Iro told Kicker about the Superior Dragon, then there is no doubt that this is indeed real. We have to assume it is in order to complete this mission. There is no other way."

"So, now that we know who told Kicker about what's going on, then we may have a chance at finding out more about the plans the Dark Axis has in store for us!" T.J. said excitedly.

"That may be the case, but you have zero chance of finding out their plans alone," a voice said.

The group spun, their eyes and optics scanning for the source of the voice.

"Don't even bother," the speaker said, stepping out of the shadows.

Everyone gasped.

The speaker was covered entirely in a brown cloak that was tattered at the bottom, revealing a pair of black feet. The form stood approximately thirty feet high and looked like it could do some serious damage.

"Who are you?!" Sayla snapped, grabbing her gun.

"Don't even bother firing on me. Besides, if you did, you could possibly destroy any valuable information I have," the figure said in a male voice.

"What kind of information?" Zane asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Information that could tell you about why the Dark Axis wants your powers," the form said.

"Why the Dark Axis wants our _powers_?" Zane repeated.

"Yes, meaning your abilities to complete seemingly impossible challenges, such as defeating the Destroyer of Worlds, Unicron. That alone is what sparked their interest, along with your uncanny knack for discovering things that seem impossible to explain."

"Anything else?" Jaden hissed, his hand going for one of his beam sabers.

"Even if you could, you wouldn't be able to damage me. I have far greater power than you alone," the form said calmly. "Much greater, except save for a special advantage lurking in orbit, even as we speak." He motioned upward with his hand.

"What kind of advantage?" Kicker asked.

"Your ship, or should I say, your _leader_?"

"Our leader? What are you talking about?" Meisha asked.

"The one you call Anderson."

"ANDERSON?!" The word escaped their mouths in shock and amazement. What did Anderson have to do with the _Destiny Star Drive_?

"You mean that crazy aura?" Baku blurted. "The one that nearly killed me?!"

"Yes."

"What about it?" Shute asked nervously.

"He is freed from the prison that he was trapped in all those years ago," the cloaked figure said.

"Prison?" Zero asked.

"Yes. He is now in charge of everything on board your ship, including the very structure itself."

"What?" Sayla couldn't believe it. This was impossible!

The figure seemed to become amused at their reactions. He laughed slightly. "I can sense your shock and disbelief, but it is true."

"How do you know all this? And who are you?!" Sayla snapped harshly.

"Just call me an informer." With that, the form turned and walked off into the brush, leaving a stunned group of Gundams and humans behind.

Silence filled the area for a few more minutes before Baku broke it.

"Did…did he…actually mean…?" His voice trailed off.

"I honestly don't know, Baku, I really don't," Sayla said.

"From what we've witnessed in the past week and a half, there is a 58.97% chance that maybe what he said is true, Bakunetsumaru, but there is also a 41.03% chance that it could be false," Captain calculated.

"In other words, there's a good chance that what he said could be true and a slim chance that it could be fake, right?" Sayla asked.

"Yes. That is correct."

"Okay. Say that it is true. What do we do then?" Jaden asked, scratching his helmet.

"From what we've all experienced, it should be safe to assume that our next plan of action is to scout out where we think they might appear next," Zane said.

"And where would that be?" Shute asked.

"The most recent attack in Federation boundaries took place on an Orcan outpost, the key one that holds all the metal necessary for their limited arms production units: Hutari," Zane explained. "It was a costly battle. The soldier who won it used the prototype SD generator, resulting in the whole attacking army being destroyed, along with over two thousand soldiers stationed on guard duty there. The complex was nearly destroyed if the generator didn't explode when it did."

"SD generator?" Bakunetsumaru cocked his head. "What's that?"

"Short for Spatial Distortion Generator. It was developed as a means of creating large spatial distortion fields meant for destroying large numbers of enemies, but instead, we developed something far more lethal: a man-made black hole. It was far more deadly than we had thought, so we used it only as a last resort means of defense against invading forces," Baston explained.

"A man-made black hole is impossible to create, let alone control. I do not see how you could have managed that feat!" Baku blurted.

"By now you should realize that here in the Federation, anything's possible," Zane smirked.

"GRRR!" Bakunetsumaru looked like he would attack the human, but Zane wasn't grinning because of that. He was grinning because he could take a wild guess as to what was coming next.

Zero smirked and waved his hands absentmindedly, as if he were swatting away a bug.

_FWOOF!_

"GAH! ZEEEEROOOO!" Baku cried. He turned towards the knight and began chasing after him, a bunch of Princess Roses sticking out of his helmet and shoulder pads.

For a short while, everyone stared in stunned silence before Syrus burst out laughing, followed a short while later by Jaden and the rest of the group.

Sayla clutched at her gun, using it as a support to keep herself from falling over while Syrus rolled on the ground, clutching his sides in pure hysteria. Jaden was on all fours, laughing as Zane laughed while standing. Baston couldn't keep it in any longer and he fell onto his back, laughing hard enough till tears came out of his eyes. Kicker gripped T.J.'s arm and struggled to stay upright, but he was soon doubled over, holding both sides as Meisha laughed on her stomach. Even Captain and Shute burst out laughing, a first for the Gundam, and a first for Shute. This was the kind of stuff they needed in between battles: a little peacetime and a little humor to boot.

"Man! That…was unexpected!" Jaden gasped in between laughs.

"Tell me about it!" Sayla said, wiping her eyes before another round of laughter erupted from the group as Bakunetsumaru ran by, eyes bugged in fright, a _very_ muddy Zero chasing after him, Buster Sword in one hand, a large rock in the other.

"YAAAAAHHHH! OKAY! OKAY! UNCLE! UNNCLEEEEE!" Baku's cries made everyone laugh even harder to the point where everyone was on the ground, holding their sides, tears coming out of their eyes.

It seemed like nothing could ruin this moment.

Nothing.


	23. New Enemy: Guardian the Assassin!

Chapter 8

**_BA-WOOM!_**

The explosion rang out across the campus as the teams approached the school for dinner.

"Whoa! What in Primus' name was that?!" Jaden blurted, his hand clenching around one of his beam sabers.

"Don't know, but I'd take a guess that it's our old friends the Dark Axis!" Sayla said.

"Why do you keep referring to them as our old friends?" Baku asked, poking her.

"Look! We keep running into them, and after a while it gets old, okay? That's what I mean!" she snapped, grabbing her gun.

"Oookay. Forget I said anything."

When she didn't answer, Baku's eyes bugged wide as he realized that he had been left behind. "WAIT FOR ME!" he yelled, running after them as fast as his legs could carry him.

The teams ran towards the site of the explosion as indicated by a large plume of smoke rising over the treetops like some huge ghostly mushroom from heaven. Sayla could instantly tell that an explosive device had caused it, but as to what kind, that was a mystery that was soon forgotten as the evidence of the explosion became clearer with each passing minute.

The explosion had clearly done more damage than they had originally thought. Trees were blown over and some were still upright, but with tons of leaves missing and a few branched were lying on the ground, some scorched and some still intact. Everywhere one looked, they would see destruction and bodies of several students, a few soldiers, and one staff member who had been blown to pieces.

The one standing in the middle of all the devastation had left, heading for the school perimeters, and right into the path of the incoming squad of students and Gundams.

Sayla skidded to a stop as she heard a twig snap, and rather loudly.

The others stopped not too far behind, stunned at the sight that grew outward from the epicenter.

"Oh, man! That is nasty!" Syrus blurted.

"You bet it is, human!" a voice said.

All twelve spun on the spot, grabbing their weapons and getting their auras ready for battle.

"Hehehe. Now this should be interesting!" the voice purred before unleashing a blast of energy from a high-powered beam weapon, the shockwave blowing everyone back right into the school perimeters, leaving a skid mark when they skidded along the ground.

**_WHAM!_**

The group slammed into the dome, leaving small dents before they faded.

"Ugh!" Sayla managed to push herself into a sitting position, her hand still holding her gun tightly. Her gaze darted about the battlefield, searching for the intruder, but finding nothing.

"Jaden! We need your Aura Sight! Now!" she snapped.

"Hey! I don't even know if I can still use it!" he blurted.

"DIIIIEEEEE!" The voice came from right above them. The group dodged to the side, splitting up into individual targets rather than a bunched target.

The impact that came forced everyone to cover their noses and mouths to keep out the dust.

_You run, run, runaway_  
_It's your heart that you betray_

The smoke began to clear, providing a little relief from the dust. What they saw surprised them.

The Gundam that stood before them was a light blue with blood red coloring on his shoulders and he had green eye screens with dark brown irises on them. His longer V-fin was pure silver in contrast to Jaden's shorter gold V-fin. He had a sleeker build and was built for what Sayla guessed to be land and air combat, judging from the pair of mechanical wings on his back. In one hand he held a laser whip and in the other was a laser mace. He had no soul stone, and he had a flame design on what Shute recognized as a Soul-Drive compartment.

_Feeding on your hungry eyes_  
_I bet you're not so civilized_

"Well, well. If it isn't the infamous Gundam Force and the teams of humans who have been giving us so much trouble," the new Gundam purred in a smooth baritone.

"Who are you!?" Sayla demanded as she aimed her gun at him.

"I am Guardian, one of the five new Dark Axis generals!" the newcomer said, the sigil on his shoulder pads standing out brightly in the setting sun.

"New Dark Axis generals? What are you talking about, you dog?!" Baku hissed. He gripped his swords tightly as he got ready to draw them out of their sheaths.

"Simple: the new hierarchy of the Dark Axis," Guardian sneered.

_Well isn't love primitive?_  
_A wild gift that you wanna give_  
_Break out of captivity_

Guardian gripped his laser whip and drew back his arm.

"SCATTER!" Sayla yelled.

The whip lashed out, but everyone dodged, barely avoiding the deadly weapon as it hissed upon contact with the ground. The laser whip drew back, eager for another go at them.

"You humans are clever, and fast, but not fast enough!" he yelled. "DEFENSIVE EXPLOSION!"

"MOVE IT!" Sayla screamed.

Again, the laser whip struck, but this time, an explosion occurred upon contact, blowing the ground open and leaving a smoldering crater behind.

"Whoa!" Everyone looked back in shock. Was this what he was capable of?!

_And follow me stereo jungle child_  
_Love is the kill_  
_Your heart's still wild_

The energy from the explosion was massive enough to blow several of the fighters off their feet and into a few trees, resulting in a few bruised ribs and a concussion.

"Okay! Gotta watch out for that!" Zane murmured, rubbing his head.

"You okay, bro?" Syrus asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine, although I think the same can't be said for Shute over there," the dark blue-haired boy said, pointing to the boy who lay curled up, clutching a scraped arm.

"I-I'm fine!" Shute managed to say between gritted teeth.

"If you say so!" Baku grumbled. He staggered to his feet, his swords coming out of their sheaths in a glinting of steel.

"Time to show him what we can do!" Sayla said.

"YEAH!" the others cried.

_Shooting at the walls of heartache_  
_Bang, bang!_  
_I am the warrior_

"Heh." Guardian smirked as he hefted his laser mace. "Bring it on, humans!"

"Oh, we will!" Kicker snapped. He gripped his starter code and raised it over his head.

"ENERGIZER X!" The cry echoed across the campus, reaching out to his starfighter in the hangar's storage section. The voice activated starter system flashed and the engines ignited. The starfighter sped out of the hangar as the massive doors opened. The hangar doors were programmed to open when a starfighter was voice activated. The _Energizer X_ streaked into the air as the doors fully opened. In a rush, the craft was airborne and banking towards the battle site.

"Hah! Is that the best you could do?" Guardian sniggered, unaware if the incoming fighter.

"If that's what you think, then you're sorely mistaken!" Kicker sneered.

"TAKE THIS! GUARDIAN IMPACT!" Guardian roared.

He drew back his mace and slammed it into the ground, unleashing a terrific surge of energy that homed in on Kicker, who stood with a smirk on his face. "DIE, HUMAN SCUM!"

**_WHAM!_**

The explosion that occurred was enough to get them to stare in astonishment. All their minds had the same thought in them: _Was Kicker dead?_

"ENERGIZER BLAST!"

The beam of intense blue-gold energy lanced out from the smoke, parting it to reveal Kicker in the New Mode, the Energizer Matrix shining brightly.

"YEAH!" Jaden cheered.

"Way to go!" Sayla said, grinning widely.

"NICE!" Shute chirped.

_Well I am the warrior_  
_And heart to heart you'll win_  
_If you survive the warrior, the warrior_

Guardian snarled as the beam neared him. He spread his wings and fired up his engines, taking to the sky to dodge the energy attack.

The attack exploded against the dome harmlessly, but the shockwave knocked him head over heels before he righted himself. "GRAH!"

"Nice shot!" Meisha remarked.

"You fool! He missed!" Guardian snapped at her.

"Who said anything about aiming for you?" Kicker asked, a smirk on his metallic features.

"What?" Guardian blinked in confusion.

"In short, he wasn't aiming for you, but for the dome!" T.J. giggled.

"You planned that?!" Guardian cried.

"What else?" Kicker said, shrugging.

_You talk, talk, talk to me_  
_Your eyes touch me physically_  
_Stay with me we'll take the night  
_  
The battle began again, only this time, Guardian was charging at them individually, hoping to get one of them down. What he hadn't counted on was their teamwork.

"Stop moving around!" he shrieked.

_As passion takes another bite, oh_  
_Who's the hunter, who's the game?_  
_I feel the beat call your name_

"Why? So you can kill us? I don't think so!" Sayla snapped as she fired off several rounds at him.

He blocked with his mace, sending them back at her, but she dodged to the side, slinging her gun over her shoulders and shifting her hand into her laser sword.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

_I hold you close in victory_  
_I don't wanna tame your animal style_  
_You won't be caged in the call of the wild_

"GUARDIAN IMPACT!"

The two attacks canceled out, leaving a cloud of smoke blinding the two combatants. Guardian narrowed his eyes as he scanned the smoke, hoping to spot the human, unaware that she was watching him with her visor down.

"I bet you don't even know that I can see you, when you can't see me!" she taunted him.

"Where are you?!" the Dark Axis general cried.

"I'm right here!"

A fist came out of nowhere, connecting with his jaw before fading into the smoke again.

_Shooting at the walls of heartache_  
_Bang, bang!_  
_I am the warrior_

The Gundam looked around, rubbing his jaw. There was no way he could detect her, let alone anticipate her actions. She had timed well. The smoke covered her movements, masking her from his sight.

"Good thing I came up with this tactic! There's no way you can track my moves, even if you tried!" she said from the smoke.

_Well I am the warrior  
And heart to heart you'll win_  
_If you survive the warrior, the warrior_  
_I am the warrior_

"GRAH!" He tried to lance out with his whip, but something snatched it from his grasp. "What?!"

He looked around, trying to spot whatever had taken the weapon from him.

_Shooting at the walls of heartache_  
_Bang, bang!_  
_I am the warrior_

"Looks like you fail this one!" she said, an unseen laugh coming from nowhere.

"How'd…Give me back my whip!"

"You want it, try and find me!" she said tauntingly.

_And heart to heart you'll win  
If you survive the warrior, the warrior_

The smoke seemed to grow thinner, and he spotted this. He smirked to himself. With this cover of hers fading, there was no way she could count on it to hide her movements for long.

However, Sayla saw this and she instantly knew that she had reached a disadvantage, save for her speed.

_Okay! I __knew__ it was a bad idea!_ she thought to herself.

_Shooting at the walls of heartache_

_Shooting at the walls of heartache_

"…" Guardian gazed about the clearing smoke, searching for her. A dark silhouette gave away her position. He grinned. Show time!

_Shooting at the walls of heartache (the warrior)_

_And heart to heart you'll win_

Sayla turned as she saw him coming in full force. She tensed and engaged her Dash, speeding away in a nanosecond.

He turned, searching for her form, but she was gone, save for a blur of speed that made him dizzy just by looking at it.

_And heart to heart you'll win  
If you survive the warrior, the warrior_

_I am the warrior!_

"Looks like you've gotten faster!" he said, drawing back his whip.

_Shooting at the walls of heartache,_

_Bang, bang!_

"No you don't!" Jaden yelled. He charged into the fray, his fist clenched tightly. His eyes flashed as his opponent grinned savagely before punching him right in the jaw, sending him back into the brush with a satisfying crunch.

She skidded to a stop, and grinned. This was going better than she had planned.

_I am the warrior_

_Yes, I am the warrior_

_Victory is mine!_

Sayla turned and grabbed her gun, hand shifting back into regular form. She gripped it and whipped it off her shoulders, holding it at the ready in laser rifle mode.

_Shooting at the walls of heartache (the warrior)_

_I am the warrior_

Sayla ducked an incoming blast as Guardian fired a single shot from a beam rifle he had called forth from subspace. The beam exploded against the ground, throwing her onto her back.

_And heart to heart you'll win,_

_If you survive the warrior, the warrior_

_Shooting at the walls of heartache,_

Guardian whirled as he heard something in the brush.

_Bang, bang!_

_I am the warrior_

_And heart to heart you'll win,_

_If you survive the warrior, the warrior!_

"Look out!" Sayla cried.

"FOOLS! You can't escape us forever!" Guardian cried as he turned back to face her. The curiosity of the movement in the brush had worn off, and that proved to be a bad mistake on his part.

"Just try us, creep!" Sayla snapped as a slight smirk crossed her face.

She aimed her gun and pulled the trigger, a laser eagerly flying out of the barrel, exploding against the ground, creating an intense blast of heat that rivaled a blast from the Pit.

She could feel her heart pounding as she engaged her Dash, speeding around the following attack. The ground behind her crumbled and blew up, sending a bunch of debris into her vector, but she dodged aside, barely avoiding the worst of it.

"Jaden! NOW!" she yelled.

Something in the brush crouched before it leapt out and landed right in front of Guardian.

"What?!" Guardian stopped dead in his tracks.

"Say lights out!" Jaden yelled. He drew back his fist and the next thing she heard was a satisfying crunch as metal struck metal.

She grinned as Guardian slumped down, eye screens dark.

The battle was over.

* * *

_Elsewhere in the universe..._

_A hidden form snarls as the screen displaying the TCDA campus goes dark._

"_Guardian may have failed that one time, but next time, they won't be so lucky! Shibaomaru! You are going next!" the form purrs._

"_I would be happy to, sire," the musha replies, a sadistic gleam in his eyes._

"_Let us hope that you can rescue Guardian and get back here in time for the next briefing. If not, your Gunsoul will belong to Shift, understand?"_

"_Yes, my lord!"_

_The musha shudders at the thought of Shift. He knows that the demon knight is strong and honorable, but to also serve as executioner? What was he thinking upon asking him to join when they invaded Lacroa and saved him?_

_The matter drifts from his mind as he focuses on the mission at hand._


	24. Soul Drive Activate! Electric Punch!

Chapter 9

Sh'boni sighed as the last of the flames died down. So far the effort to contain the fires created by the attack had been successful, but not without a price: ten of her best soldiers were killed and thirty were either injured or MIA.

Flames still licked at one of the older buildings, a wooden structure used for housing old records and paper recordings, meaning that the old records from the past were lost for all time. Streams of water were directed at the building and the flames turned into steam, the water canceling out the intense heat from the flames.

"Ma'am, I regret to inform you about this, but I felt you should know," an aide said, handing her a screen.

She took it and scanned it as he continued speaking.

"We failed to save most of the old records, but some might still be intact, providing the heat hasn't turned them to ashes by now," he said.

She turned to look him right in the eyes.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes. All records that were in the Museum Library were burned to a crisp, leaving only those that had been checked out unharmed. Nothing else remains."

"We could have used those records to help us figure out how to counter their tactics," Sh'boni murmured.

"I know, but even if we did, they would just wise up and change tactics. You know how they are."

Sighing with regret, she turned to face the big, fire-consumed building. The flames continued to lick at it, sticking out windows as if one of the gods from their mythology were taunting them, telling them that they were weaklings all along. Smoke curled upward as the flames were extinguished and the structure condemned.

"No hope, huh?" Ling asked as he approached the two.

"No. No hope at all. There is no hope anymore for anyone," Sh'boni said softly.

"Not even the Federation?" Ling inquired.

"Not even them, Ling. Not even them."

As she said these words, she began to wonder if there really was any hope left at all in the universe.

The Intergalactic Federation had proven that hope shouldn't be shunned, or lost, for it was the last thing that anybody lost, and they had proven this through their fights against the most powerful foes out there. She could recall the words of the leader, a brave male humanoid by the name of Steven James Anderson.

"_Hope isn't something that can be lost. It is what keeps you going, even in the darkest times. If you still have hope, then there is no way anyone can lose, even if they are killed. Hope is the key to winning, and, combine that with the power to believe in yourself, then you've got two forces that most enemies are afraid of. No one wants to tangle with someone who hopes to win and who believes in themselves to this extent. In truth, it is the simple act of believing that drives us, along with the capacity for destruction, which makes humanity so dangerous._"

She sighed, wondering if his words were really just that: words, words with no meaning behind them.

The thought of them losing seemed impossible, but then again, not every power lasted forever, not even the Exceptions, a breed of intergalactic powers that had lasted for eons before war and evil had corrupted them and killed off the last of them.

Then again, what if there was one last Exception out there? Were they that very power, or were they a new kind of power…?

* * *

_On Earth…_

The President paced in her office, waiting for any new information concerning the plans for the operation. So far they had managed to get an approximate idea of what the camps were like, but they couldn't be fully certain unless something went in their favor for once.

Everything so far seemed to be working against them, almost as if the gods were angered by their attempts at liberation in a dimension they knew nothing about. It was a risk, for they knew nothing of the dangers that lurked there, but it was well worth it if they were to save the prisoners.

She reviewed the plans, which lay sprawled out on her desk. They showed the blueprints for the camps. The barracks were located at the eastern side and the mines were to the west, as depicted on the plans as a small pickaxe and shovel symbol. The stunning thing was that there were showers and kitchens, but from the amount of single green dots that were shown on the plans, as she guessed, there was no way for the prisoners to get cleaned or fed properly.

What really got her though was the intense level of security shown in the plans. There were gun turrets, laser blasters, mines, and walls to keep out intruders. The main gate though, looked impossible to open, according to the plans. It showed a huge line that she took to mean a slab of some kind of metal, but whether it was energon or not remained a mystery.

Seto eyed the plans from over her shoulder, a frown on his tanned face.

"That place doesn't look easy to get in or out of," he said softly.

"Tell me about it. There are no ventilation systems, save for those leading into the guard barracks, and there is no way we can dig under the walls without setting off a mine field. These guys are good," she said.

Ciel bit her lower lip as she studied the plans.

"Isn't there a way in from above?" she asked curiously.

"No, Ciel. I doubt that. Besides, even if there was, how would we get them out if there are no ways out?" Zero asked, his steel grey eyes locking onto her blue ones.

"Oh. I guess I forgot about that."

"Forget about the way in or out! How will we manage to get past those guns? They look like they could blow a Transformer to pieces!" Sandra remarked, eyeing the gun symbols on the plans.

"She's right. Without an accurate idea of what their defenses are, there is no way we can get in and out without being harmed. What we managed to accumulate is only an approximation, meaning that there could be more defenses than we let on. In order to thoroughly carry out an operation this big, we need to conduct surveillance missions to get information on their defenses, where they are located, how many there are, and what the condition is of the camps and the prisoners inside. The more information we have the better the chances are of a successful operation," Steven said calmly. "After all, these guys aren't like our previous enemies. We need a thorough and carefully executed plan of action this time."

"I hate to say it, but Steven's right," Cassie said. "These aren't the Decepticons we're up against. No one has fought them before and lived to tell about it."

"True, but we still have one thing that they don't, and that is time. We may not know much about them or what their plans are, but whatever they're after they keep attacking us for, meaning that they are still looking for it. That means we have time on our side," Scourge replied, folding his arms, a smug expression on his face.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Optimus said.

"He means that they don't have whatever they are looking for. The universe is huge, so huge that it would take forever to find whatever they are searching for," Override said.

"They could have it already for all we know!" Sandra snapped, glaring at the two Transformers. "What good will it do if they already have it?"

"They don't. That much we determined from the previous fights we've had with them. They keep attacking us in hopes of finding something powerful. Plus, remember that failed attack on Hutari? Rogue recorded the conversation over the comm channels and the recording said that we have to hand over something or else they would open up on the colony," Zero said. He looked at Sandra calmly. "Would they do that if they had what they are looking for?"

"Hold up! Did anyone notice that intense laser battle a few days ago?" Seto asked, suddenly standing up.

"Yes. Why?" Cassie asked.

"Didn't it strike you as odd that someone would be out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at that time of night?" Seto asked, his eyes suddenly narrowing.

President Warren's head shot up and she turned to look at Seto.

"Did…you say…the Atlantic Ocean?" Her voice was softer than normal and her face was pale.

Seto nodded. "Yes. The North Atlantic, I might add."

"The…North Atlantic?" President Warren was now visibly shaking.

"Yeah. Is something wrong?"

"You bet the slag there is!" Optimus roared. "If they were out in the middle of the North Atlantic, then someone was about to violate the Shipwreck Protection Act of 2007!"

"Hold on. Shipwreck Protection Act?" Seto asked, cocking his head.

"Yes, originally passed to protect a very important part of humanity's history. It's a shipwreck that went down almost a hundred years ago," President Warren said softly.

Seto gulped. "Okay. I don't want to hear any more about it."

"…" O'hari was silent as he studied the site of battle a few days prior out through the window, his mind drifting back to when the Dark Axis had attacked his home world in search of…

"Metal. That's what they were after. Metal and lots of it, by the looks of things. And they were after someone as well, am I right?" he asked, turning to face the other leaders.

"But, what kind of metal?" Mimi asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting had begun.

"Any kind they can get their hands on be it metal that's been freshly processed into slabs or plates, or metal that's been on the bottom of the ocean for almost a hundred years. They need it desperately, and they're willing to do anything to get it, even try to raise a hundred year old wreck by the name of _Titanic_, right?" O'hari asked, recalling something he had read in an Earth history book a few months ago.

"Yes. They tried to raise it, but the 17th Division was on the site for some reason, and they put a stop to it," Tyre reported as he scanned a report that had recently been sent in.

Helena nodded. "The ones who tried to raise it were the Dark Axis."

That got the leaders.

"How can anyone, especially the Dark Axis, try to raise a shipwreck from two and a half miles under the sea?" Mokuba asked his older brother.

"Not sure, Mokuba, but whatever the method, it was pretty loud," Seto murmured, recalling the initial explosion.

For a good full minute, everyone was silent.

"Okay. Back to the plans. How are we going to get the prisoners out when we free them?" asked Seto, breaking the silence between them and getting the meeting back on track.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, we need to scout out the concentration camps and determine their level of security. Then we'll figure out where to go from there," Steven said.

"Agreed. All in favor of sending out a scout team, raise your hands," President Warren said.

Steven, Mimi, Cassie, Sandra, O'hari, Ciel, Zero, Override, Optimus, and President Warren raised their hands.

"All in favor of not, raise their hands."

Scourge, Tyre, Helena, Seto and Mokuba raised their hands.

"Okay. It's five votes no to ten votes yes. We're sending out a scout team."

Seto sighed. It wasn't the first time he had failed in a unanimous vote and he knew it.

* * *

**Things at the** TCDA weren't getting much better. They had already figured out the Dark Axis' acts of horror, yet they had no idea of the intensity of the operations that were being planned. In fact, after that recent encounter with Guardian, it seemed the whole school was on edge. The slightest noise made everyone jump, and the faintest shadow cast by a harmless tree was considered to be that of one of the Dark Axis soldiers and fired upon.

This wasn't the first time the school had been on edge. The last time it had happened the Decepticons had been attacking at unexpected times. This time however, the school's wariness was a result of carefully planned and executed attacks that normally left another organization gasping for breath in shock.

However, the Dark Axis underestimated the Federation's capacity for developing tactics that were last minute, but very effective.

This capacity was tested time and time again as the attacks continued, resulting in losses for both sides, but not as bad for the Federation.

Sayla glanced around her as they left the school building to head back to the dorm rooms. For some reason, the school day had ended early, which wasn't normal, and that bothered her.

"Something wrong, Sayla?" Syrus asked, poking her in the shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, no. Nothing's wrong, Syrus," she replied, pushing his hand away.

Zane merely narrowed his eyes. "Something _is_ wrong. That much I can tell," he said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Okay. You got me. The thing that's bothering me is the fact that the school day let out about three hours too early, if you know what I mean."

"I do. We all do. Besides, I think I know why it's ended three hours earlier than normal," Zane remarked.

"Why, Zane?" Jaden asked.

"The attacks have been getting fiercer, as you know. Especially that last battle with Shift. That alone might have forced the school commander to end the day earlier to protect the students. You know how tightly they guard this place during attacks," Zane said calmly.

"That may be the case, but that doesn't do much good in explaining why they keep attacking us, trying to get their hands on Baston. We don't even know if he _is_ the descendent of Duel, or whoever he was!" Sayla snapped.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Kicker pleaded.

"Why?" Sayla asked, looking at the pilot.

"Arguing won't solve anything. We need to come up with a plan of some kind and then we'll take it from there."

"A plan for what?" Syrus asked, folding his arms.

"How should I know?! A plan for anything! Getting information from one of them, I don't know! We just need a plan! That's all I know!" Kicker yelled, grabbing Syrus by the blazer.

"Looks like we're stuck on what to do next," Baston remarked.

"I'll say we are!" Meisha replied.

Kicker opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a single sound, a loud explosion rocked the campus, and a familiar black and dark grey form flitted in front of them, spreading its raven wings menacingly.

"Heheheheheheh. Looks like we meet again," Shift purred.

"Shift!" Zane hissed.

"Ice Spar!" The cry echoed across the campus, startling Kicker into his alert state. His head snapped up and he glanced to the left. "MOVE IT!" he screamed.

The spars of ice shot upward, but thanks to Kicker's advanced warning, they had scattered just in time to avoid getting skewered.

"Whoa! Close one!" Syrus moaned, clutching his racing heart.

"Shute, you all right?" Captain asked as he helped his friend sit up.

"Yeah. Good thing Kicker warned us," Shute replied.

"Subzero's here!" Kicker snapped.

"Like we didn't know that!" Jaden remarked, brushing off his armor.

"T.J.! We need a scouting report! Now!" Kicker told him.

T.J. nodded and took to the air in a burst of sound and fire from his engines.

He transformed into his alt mode and began circling the area, his sensors on full power. The group waited for what seemed to be an eternity before he began waggling his wings at them.

"Great. We're surrounded," Kicker translated.

"How'd you know that by his wing waggling?" Shute asked.

"Hold on." Kicker studied the waggling wing flaps and counted out twenty waggles. "Twenty of them. There's twenty Dark Axis soldiers in hiding."

"Any idea where?" Sayla asked.

Kicker watched the fighter for a moment before he glanced down. "They're everywhere. We can't see them because they're so well hidden," he replied.

"In short, we have no idea on how to flush them out?!" Baston blurted.

"Yep. That's it."

"Good dodge, Jones, but it won't save you for long!" Subzero purred from the shadows.

Kicker snarled in anger as he glanced around, looking for him.

"KENTO SLASH!" a new voice cried.

A blast of pure dark energy laced with fire sped out of the trees right at the surprised team. They dodged to the side by splitting up, but the explosion blew all of them onto their backs.

Zane groaned as he sat up, holding his side.

"Okay! This is really getting old!" he remarked through gritted teeth.

"Tell me about it!" Sayla replied, sitting up while holding her head. "This is going too far!"

"Not for me, it is not!" a voice said from the shadows.

A new form stepped out, followed by Subzero. In the light from the flames caused by the explosion, they could see that it was a new musha Gundam, and that this one was a combination of a ninja and samurai (see Episode one for his description!).

In both hands he held twin bladed katana, and he had a sadistic glint in his eyes.

"Who are _you_?!" Jaden gasped.

"My name is Shibaomaru, and I am one of the five generals of the Dark Axis forces," Shibaomaru purred.

"The five generals! Why does that keep popping up?" Syrus groaned.

"Heh. Subzero is also one of the five generals," Shift sneered.

"What?" Kicker felt shock and anger pounding through his veins and his heartbeat increased as his system was flooded with adrenaline. "You…_promoted_ him?!"

"Yes. For his efforts at eliminating someone who could have provided us with a big threat, he was made one of the generals. And I am sure you know who I mean, no?" the demonic Gundam purred.

Jaden felt his Soul-Drive stop completely. He slumped to the ground, his knees suddenly giving out from under him. "Chumly…Why?"

"I told you, Yuki, I am no loner satisfied by being a mere mortal. I have been given new powers, and I wanted this power. I chose it by my own free will," Subzero said.

"WAKE UP, CHUMLY!" Kicker screamed. He raised his starter code and held it at chest level. "Do you realize what you're doing? You're going against everything we believe in! What _you_ believe in! Snap out of it!"

"Wrong, Jones. It is my choice to betray you, and you know it," Subzero murmured softly.

Kicker gritted his teeth. "Fine. You leave me with no choice! ENERGIZER X!"

The call rang out and Subzero smirked. He knew how much Kicker hated to use the power at his command to kill a fellow student, but he was a student no more. He was a Gundam.

The familiar roar of the engines filled Kicker's ears and the gleaming shape that was his starfighter sped onto the scene, cockpit open as it swooped down. Kicker had never done this before, but he was willing to risk it for Chumly. He crouched and leapt up just as the fighter sped underneath.

He landed in the cockpit with a slight jolt, but he was unharmed.

The canopy closed and he enacted the motions that had become second nature after doing them for so long. He streaked over the battlefield, passing over Bakunetsumaru and Shibaomaru as both stood across from one another.

Shibaomaru grinned as he stood facing Baku. The samurai looked agitated, and he loved that look. He wanted to savor Baku's moves, and he wanted to hold the musha close, to get intimate with him. He gripped his twin bladed katana and tensed for his first move.

The other musha charged, but he dodged to the side and swung one of his katana around in a sweeping slash that would take another musha's head off, but he was careful not to harm him, just scare him.

Baku dodged the slash, his eyes widening in fear and shock as he scooted back, holding his own swords at the ready. This was going to be fun!

An explosion cut across the battlefield as Shift fired a spell at T.J., forcing the human-turned-starfighter to barrel roll to the side as it struck the ground.

_**BAOOM!**_

The explosion forced Kicker to roll to the side as Subzero opened fire with the guns mounted on his helmet. The boy gritted his teeth as he dodged the assault, but barely. A bullet scraped his armor, releasing a small amount of pain.

Subzero laughed maniacally as he landed on top of one of his ice spars, his eyes glinting menacingly.

"Yes! This is the kind of power I have now, Jones!" he sneered as a weird blue-grey light surrounded his chest, clearly indicating the presence of…

"A Soul-Drive?!" Kicker gasped.

"You catch on quick, Jones, and yes, I do have a Soul-Drive, but it isn't one that relies on a puny human to activate. I can activate it by myself, meaning that I have a solo type Soul-Drive," the Gundam explained.

"There are different types?" Kicker asked.

"Yes, but unfortunately for you, you won't live to hear about them. You are finished!" Subzero cried.

"I don't think so!" Kicker hissed. He clenched his fists and called upon his swords. The twin energon blades swung forward and locked into position.

Subzero sneered as he activated his beam sabers, each glowing with the power of an ice aura. The beams themselves seemed to give off a cold feeling that reminded Kicker of an ice cold world with no sunlight.

"Now, shall we?"

Kicker didn't answer but merely narrowed his optics and charged at Subzero, blades glowing with the immense power he knew so well.

The two forms collided in an intense clash of energies, unleashing an incredible shockwave that blew outward in a flash, rippling the trees.

The shockwave was enough to alert Sayla as to the combat between Subzero and Kicker. She smiled slightly as she recalled the power that Kicker held at his command.

A tingling sensation across her forehead alerted her as to the presence of a new foe. She grabbed her gun in one hand and Syrus in the other, dodging an incoming grenade, but barely.

"Good dodge, for a human, anyway," Guardian purred, stepping out of the brush.

"I don't get it! Didn't we beat you a few days ago?" Syrus asked.

"Correction: you only knocked me offline. I came to, only to find that I was missing out on the fun," he smirked.

"What else is new?" Sayla asked.

"GUARDIAN IMPACT!" Guardian drew back his mace and prepared to bring it down.

"Syrus, get out of here! He's mine!" Sayla told him. The boy nodded before running off to join his brother who was busy helping Baston duel Shift now. T.J. had been knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of the neck, so he was out of the fight, but not for long, thankfully. T.J. had woken up a few seconds ago and was now rubbing his head as he sat on the ground.

Baston dodged to the side by diving towards the ground, and after a painful landing, went rolling before winding up lying flat on his face.

"Great. Just great!" he grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his helmet.

"What be the matter?" Shift asked as he drifted up, his demon magic clustered about his hand. "Are thou not used to thy original form?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Baston hissed, clenching his fist and throwing something at him.

Shift smirked as he caught the rock Baston had thrown. "Is that thy only method of attack?"

"Until I can figure out how to use my Mana, then yes!" Baston snapped.

Back with Bakunetsumaru's fight, however, things weren't going so well.

"HAI! KENTO SLASH!"

Baku dodged to the side, barely avoiding the darkness-laced fire attack. He could feel his Gunsoul pounding in his chest as he landed on his feet in a perfect fighting stance.

"I-is that the best you got?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Shibaomaru grinned as he approached the red and white musha. He gripped Baku's faceplate and drew him close, forcibly removing the mouth-guard that hid the samurai's mouth from view. Then he opened his own and his lips landed on Baku's. He drew the musha close and held him in a vice-like grip. The Blazing Samurai began to squirm in the older musha's hold, but since he was stronger, Baku could only wriggle, and not get free.

The other musha pulled away, a hint of lust in his eyes. "Ah, yes. You taste good," he murmured, opening his mouth and licking the samurai's face, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut in hopes that this was only a dream. Shibaomaru sneered as he drew a clawed finger across the musha's cheek, drawing a bit of mech fluid to the spot. He leaned in and lapped it up, while enjoying the taste he got from it.

He kissed the spot and sucked, drawing more up to the spot. Baku began to whimper. This wasn't what he had been expecting at all! Shibaomaru was going to rape him!

With a leering grin on his face, he pulled back, grinning sadistically. "Yes. Fight me. I love it when my prey tries to escape," he purred.

"LET HIM GO!" Jaden yelled, clenching his fist as he charged into the fray. He drew it back for the blow, but Shibaomaru grabbed his wrist in a grip that made Jaden cry out.

"Out of my way, insolent Gundam!" he hissed, tossing Jaden aside like he was nothing. The boy/Gundam landed on his back and went skidding for a good forty meters before he sat up, anger visible in his eyes.

"Shift, take care of these meddling humans, will you?" Guardian asked as he dodged a blow from Sayla.

"Of course, Lord Guardian!" Shift raised his hand and aimed it right at Zane.

Zane gasped as a huge pillar of rock encased his body, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs together. He tried to bring one of his hands to his eye to use his light aura, but he couldn't. He was trapped.

The demon Gundam aimed a hand at Kicker and fired off a blast of Mana that struck the boy/machine in the back and forced him face down onto the ground, optics dark.

"KICKER!" Meisha and T.J. yelled out as one. They both ran over to his side.

Smirking, Shift pointed a finger at Syrus. The boy yelped and dove behind a tree, hoping that he wouldn't get hit with a spell or curse. He laughed slightly as the tree came to life and grabbed the human and held him tightly to the trunk.

The female human was next. He faked a blast of Mana that forced her to dodge, right into a trap. As she came to a stop, a tree root shot up out of the ground, coiling itself about her foot and hoisting her up into the air just as her right hand turned into her laser sword.

"WAGH!"

"Heheheh. Now that was easier than I thought," Shift sneered.

"I shall handle the Gundams!" Subzero shouted. "ICE ENCASEMENT!"

Zero didn't know what he was up to, but he could tell that it wasn't good. As he flew in closer, he wasn't aware that there was a slight cold feeling in his foot until a loud crackling startled him and he was trapped up to his chest in ice, unable to move or fight.

"Mana! What happened?!" he blurted.

"One down, two to go," Subzero purred.

Subzero turned and fired off a blast of ice at Shute and Captain, who barely dodged it as one, only to get grabbed by Guardian.

"Heh. Lights out!" he remarked.

The last thing the two remembered was a loud crash and then nothing.

As he dropped Shute and Captain, he smirked. With the majority down and with only two free, this would be an easy mission to grab the boy and run.

Subzero laughed evilly as he approached one of the remaining two fighters. He stared right at Jaden, his eyes glinting in the light from the setting sun.

"Looks like it's you and me now, Yuki. Let's see how much you have adapted," he purred.

"Why?" Jaden spat. "So you could steal something?"

"Why would I do that?"

"You've changed, and I know it! The Chumly we all knew never did any of this! He never would! And I know that you're still in there!" Jaden said.

"Heh. If that is what you believe, then why don't you prove it?" Subzero asked.

Jaden snarled and clenched his fist, anger surging through his systems. He activated his heel wheels and sped right at Subzero. The other Gundam sneered and caught Jaden's hand in his own. Then he snatched Jaden by his chest armor and held him close, mouthpiece right beside his audio.

"Nice try," he purred.

Jaden's eyes widened as Subzero punched him in the lower torso, causing Jaden to cough as he staggered back, holding the area.

"What…*hack* power!" he gasped.

Shift let out a small growl of satisfaction as he studied Jaden's body.

"Looks like you outdid yourself, Subzero," Guardian remarked, studying him.

"Of course, had you done something else, he wouldn't be such a bit of a nuisance," Shibaomaru replied, still holding Baku in his clutches.

"I did what I had to do, and I like him this way. He seems to be a bit of a rookie, but he's adapting well."

Jaden could feel anger pulsing in his systems, and he felt a feeling unlike anything else he had ever experienced filling his body as he staggered upright.

"You…why do you keep referring to me as an animal?" he asked.

"Heh. Simple. You are an animal in a sense. All humans are nothing more than advanced primates."

That was it! Jaden couldn't stand it. He gritted his teeth and was about to charge at Subzero, but a dark blast of energy from Shibaomaru halted him.

"You can't even utilize your Gundam capabilities, meaning that you are just as weak as you were when you were human!" he hissed.

Jaden looked up, a new feeling filling his body. Helplessness set in, reminding him that he wasn't really of any use. That is until…

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla roared.

"HAH?!" All four generals dodged to the side, barely avoiding the bright blue energy wave that was her main long-range attack.

"ARGH! That is it!" Shift yelled. He put both hands in front of him and started chanting under his breath.

Sayla glanced down at the ground, expecting another attack with a tree root to wind itself around her foot, but it wasn't to be. She tried to dodge to the side, but it was too late. Two tree roots extended out from the ground and coiled around her body, pinning her arms to her side.

"SAYLA!" Jaden yelled out her name in shock.

"Jaden! You have to stop them!" Sayla cried.

Jaden looked at her helplessly. "How can I? I mean, I don't even know how to use any of the weapons I have, aside from my heel wheels and beam sabers," he said sadly.

"Jaden, just forget about what they said! You know that's not true!" Sayla protested. She had to get him to see the truth.

"Well, how am I supposed to fight them then?! I don't even have my aura."

"That may be the case, but you have the capacity to defeat them! You just have to believe that you can!" she yelled.

"How can I?!" Jaden protested. "Look at me! I can't even fully use my new abilities!"

"…" Sayla was silent as she searched her mind for a motive for Jaden to follow. She recalled all the battles against the Dark Axis and his encounters with Subzero. Then it struck home.

"Jaden! Remember that time you gave me a motive to join the military? How you told me that I could escape my drunk uncle that way?" she asked.

Jaden nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "Yeah. So?"

"Don't you remember how you tried to save Chumly before he attacked you?" Sayla asked.

"Yes."

"Well, this is may be your _only_ chance to actually save Chumly!" Sayla cried.

"Huh?" Jaden looked at her in disbelief. Was she finally nuts?

"Jaden, just listen to me! You can save Chumly! And this may be the only chance you have! You can't let this pass up! If you do, you may never get another chance like this again! This is your only opportunity!" Sayla yelled. She was getting desperate, but there was no other way.

"So?" Jaden shrugged. "What can I do?"

"JADEN, YOU CAN'T LET HIM DOWN!" Sayla yelled. She didn't take her gaze off him.

"Yeah, so? I can't even fight back," Jaden said, looking down at his hands.

"YES, YOU CAN! YOU CAN DO IT, JADEN! _I BELIEVE IN YOU!_" Sayla screamed.

Those last four words were the trigger for it to activate.

A sudden feeling began to fill his body, a slight warmth starting from his chest and working its way throughout his systems, boosting his power. A strange feeling filled his chest and he stared in shock as one of his hands began to glow a bright gold, laced with electricity. He stared at it for what seemed to be an eternity before Subzero charged him, along with Shift and Guardian. Shibaomaru stayed back, still holding Bakunetsumaru, but his eyes were small with shock.

"What? This…this is impossible…" the Dark Axis Musha murmured.

"Heh. Just a simple light show," Guardian said.

"I-I don't think this is just a light show!" Subzero stammered. "This wasn't what I had expected!"

"You really want to see something?" Jaden asked, cocking back his fist, a fighting fire in his youthful brown eyes, chest emitting a golden glow. "Then, take this! ELECTRIC PUNCH!"

He punched as hard as he could, and a huge burst of energy sped out from his fist, the bright golden light and electric energy speeding towards the three charging generals.

Shift's eyes widened in shock as Subzero's irises shrank in horror. Guardian didn't say anything, but merely squeaked as the intense blast of energy neared them.

"Shit…"

**_BAOOM!_**

The shockwave blew the three generals back, forcing them head over heels right into a clump of trees. A loud groan of protesting wood came from the direction of the impact before a loud _wham_ signified that they had crashed into one of the generators. Smoke curled upward from the spot of impact, tainting the clear blue sky with the marks of battle.

A few birds flew away from the spot, startled by the three metal creatures that had invaded their habitat. One circled before flying off after its fellows.

The ground rumbled as the rock column encasing Zane withdrew, releasing him from the icy cold grip. He dropped to his feet and rubbed his sore arms and legs, trying to get the blood flowing back through them.

His gaze darted about the battlefield, stopping on Sayla, who by now had managed to wriggle her right arm free from the roots holding her prisoner. She was busy working on freeing her other arm by moving the blade of her sword up and down like a saw. He guessed that it would take a while, but at least she was able to try and cut herself free.

He looked at Zero, and snarled in anger. He raised his right hand and placed it over his eye, calling upon his Sun Missiles to blast the ice holding him to pieces.

Kicker by now had come around and was rubbing his head where he had hit it.

"Primus…What happened?" he groaned.

"You were knocked out for the duration of the fight," Meisha said.

"I was?"

"Yeah. And you won't believe who beat those creeps!" T.J. giggled.

"Who?" Kicker asked, cocking his head.

"I think I can take a guess," Zane said, glancing back the impact site before turning back to the trapped knight.

"Heheheh. Is that the best you got, kid?" Guardian sneered as he stepped out of the smoke.

Everyone gasped as Shift also stepped out, armor burns healing.

"Impossible!" Zero blurted. "No demon could survive that!"

"Well, I am more than just a mere demon, as thou already knows," he hissed.

"But…"

"Hold on! Didn't Jaden just beat you?" T.J. asked in confusion.

"Jaden did this?" Kicker murmured, eyeing the intense blast mark on the ground in back of the two generals.

"Yes. I must admit, I wasn't expecting the kid to be able to use his own Soul-Drive like that," Guardian said.

Kicker's optics widened in shock. Jaden using his Soul-Drive? What did they mean?

"Where's Subzero?!" he hissed, lifting up his swords.

"I am right here!" the enemy Gundam purred right in his audio. Kicker gasped as Subzero swung his beam saber downward. Then, there was the tearing of metal on metal as it struck home.

By now the others had come to, and, like his friends, they stared in horror and shock. No one could have survived.

No one.


	25. Retreat! Bakunetsumaru Is Captured!

Chapter 10

The sound of metal on metal echoed as the beam saber struck home. Meisha and T.J. stared in horror as pure black mech fluid splattered the ground in front of them. The body of their friend was still standing, leaning against a tree, unmoving.

"KIIIICKEEEEER!" Meisha cried out his name in anguish, tears streaming down her face.

"Meisha! No! There's nothing we can do for him! He's gone!" T.J. said, grabbing her and holding her close to his body. But, he too was upset. There was no masking the tears that flowed freely from his optics.

"*HACK*" A loud cough cut across the battlefield, startling everyone.

"Huh?" All combatants looked over, those fighting to protect Baston the most shocked of all. There was no way that anyone could have survived that attack!

"What? Impossible!" Subzero blurted.

"You…*hack!*…missed!" Kicker rasped, glancing up at him. Subzero's eyes widened as he stared at Kicker's face splattered with mech fluid, but his optics still shining brightly.

He glanced down at the beam saber and saw that it was indeed imbedded someplace else other than the neck of the human. He had impaled his arm and part of his chest, rendering his arm useless.

"You…you knew!" Subzero hissed, eyes narrowing in hate.

"Yes. I knew, and I knew that you would try to kill me. But, fortunately, your aim is still off, _Chumly_!" Kicker hissed, emphasizing Subzero's former name.

Subzero hissed in anger as he drew out the sword, causing a shower of sparks to go flying from the damaged limb. Kicker cried out in pain as he gripped it.

"Heh. Looks like I disabled your system of recovery!" he laughed.

"Not even close!" Kicker replied, grinning. "The only way to render it inoperable is to kill me, which you failed to do miserably. It seems as if you're still human after all!"

Subzero narrowed his eyes. "I am no longer a member of your ignorant species! I am a Gundam, and that is all I ever will become!" he yelled, the power of his ice aura channeling into his hands. "ICE BOMB!"

Kicker smirked as the bombs formed around Subzero's body. _He can try again and again, but the _Energizer X_'s recovery system won't be shut down that easily!_ he thought.

He clenched his damaged fist, cringing as the pain ran up and down his still healing arm. He recovered quickly and raised both hands in front of him.

The Ice Bombs launched in a massive flurry, each one seeming to grow a point on the tips. They neared the boy/machine, all the while extending into killer icicles. Subzero expected Kicker to be cowering in fear, but instead, he had a grin on his face as he stood there, hands out in front as if about to catch them.

"Hah! You are insane if you think you can catch my attack!" he laughed.

"You're wrong, Subzero! I'm not going to catch it. Instead, I'm going to _reflect_ on your own attacks!" Kicker yelled.

The power of the _Energizer X_ coursed into his hands, making them heat up with the intense energy. Sparks of energy danced across his glowing hands as small energy pulses lined up in the palms. "ENERGY PULSE!" Kicker roared.

Meisha and the others all stared in shock as the energy pulses fired one after another, turning the deadly icicles back at Subzero.

Subzero's eyes widened in shock and horror as the reflected attack sped right back at him.

"RETREAT!" he yelled. The gate opened behind them and all four ran in, Shibaomaru still carrying Baku!

"NO! BAKUNETSUMARU!" T.J. yelled. He tried to run for the gate, but Meisha grabbed his arm, restraining him.

"No. There's nothing you can do. They're gone," she said, although her voice indicated that she wanted to save the Musha. But she knew better. They needed to wait until further notice.

The sun shone down on the torn battlefield, but a slight wind blew up, as if warning them as to what would come soon.

* * *

_After dinner that night…_

Pain filled his body as his systems came back online. He was a bit scared to find that he couldn't see anything except static, and that his hearing was muffled somewhat. He could barely make out a voice, but he was able to recognize it as Cerverau's.

"….most…him…"

He tried to speak, only to find that he couldn't. It seemed his vocals were down. He tried again, and was surprised to find that he emitted a small chirp rather than words.

A brief noise startled him before something was busy with his chest. It felt like Cerverau was trying to open the compartment that held his Soul-Drive, which made him slightly uneasy for some reason. The engineer's fingers explored it, finally prying it open before removing themselves and exploring elsewhere on his helmet. His fingers did something with his helmet.

A burst of static suddenly filled his audios before he could hear Cerverau muttering to himself under his breath clearly.

"…surprised he's still functional after that battle," the engineer was saying. "Almost done with his eyes. Shouldn't take more than a few seconds."

His vision began to clear as the static faded. He closed his eyes instinctively as the light struck his eye screens. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes readjust to the light.

"You okay, Jaden?" Cerverau asked.

Jaden tried to speak again, only to let out another small chirp instead.

"Hold on. Let me finish fixing your vocals. I'm surprised that you're still functional after that battle."

It was then that Jaden realized that Cerverau had his hands buried in an open space of his neck. The boy/Gundam was slightly unnerved by this, but he remained calm and still as the Reploid worked on fixing him.

A few seconds later and Cerverau closed up the compartment on his neck. Jaden raised a hand to his throat and tried to speak.

"Wuh…What…happened?" he rasped.

"Hold on! Before we get into that, you have to let me finish fixing you. I'm still surprised that most of your systems are still intact, especially after that explosion," he said.

Jaden looked at the engineer. "What exactly were my injuries?" he asked.

"Well, for starters, your eyes were knocked offline and your audios were damaged, along with a good number of your movement systems and your vocals. It took me most of the afternoon to fix your movement systems and to get your audios fixed to where I could get them online again. Same with your eyes. Other than that, you're fine."

"But, why did you…you know…open it up?" he asked, pointing at his exposed Soul-Drive.

"I had to check to make sure it wasn't damaged. That is the main priority. If that gets damaged, destroyed, or stolen, you could lose your life!" Cerverau explained.

Jaden felt his systems freeze up with fear as he heard those words.

"Really?"

"Yes. So you have to make sure that it's protected at all costs."

Jaden nodded.

"And I'll admit that I'm still stunned that your Soul-Drive was activated when Sayla cheered you on like that," Cerverau added.

"Huh?" Jaden looked down at his Soul-Drive, confused. "Is that what that burst of power was? My Soul-Drive?"

"Exactly. I'm not sure how, but I think that it's tied into Sayla's emotions somehow, almost like a Resonator team," the Reploid explained.

"I don't understand. How could it have given me that much power?" Jaden asked.

"I'm just as confused as you, Jaden. But, all that matters is that you're alive, which is the main thing."

He nodded before Cerverau looked him in the eyes.

"And there's one more thing: you need to learn how to use your other weapons, such as those wrist guns of yours. Once you get that part down, then you'll be good. And try not to use your Soul-Drive unless it comes down to it, okay?"

Jaden nodded. "Okay."

Cerverau smiled at Jaden as he took another glance down at his Soul-Drive before speaking.

"Um, Cerverau?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I close this thing? I'm beginning to get a bit uneasy."

The engineer laughed as he knelt down by him. "Sure."

Jaden sighed with relief as he closed up the compartment before hopping off the bed.

"Okay. Other than a few scratches, you're fine. You're free to go," Cerverau said. He escorted Jaden to the infirmary's exit and into the waiting room, where everyone else was located.

"JADEN!"

"GYAH!" Jaden let out a surprised yelp as the gang grabbed him in a group hug. It felt like he was being suffocated under the weight of his friends.

"Okay! Could…you please…get off?!" he gasped.

"Sorry, Jaden. It's just that we were so worried about you when we saw how badly damaged you were after the battle," T.J. explained from the top of the pile. "When the smoke cleared, we could see that you needed medical help, so Sayla was the one who told Zane to jump you back to the infirmary, along with everyone else. She stayed behind to check out something before she met us in the lobby."

"We weren't sure if you would survive or not," Sayla said, taking up the story. "In fact, Zero said that there was no hope for you. But, I told him that if Cerverau couldn't fix you, then nobody else could. He was a bit reluctant, but he gave in, saying that he hoped I was right."

"We waited for about three hours before dinner came around," Syrus replied. "By dinner, we were all very worried and we didn't want to leave, but Cerverau told us that he would continue to work on you, so we left."

"We ate dinner and came right back," Kicker told him. "By that time, it was about six thirty, and he said that he was almost finished. He just needed to make sure that you were all right, so we let him do that."

"How long were you waiting for me for?" Jaden asked from the bottom of the pile.

"About five hours, and that's not counting dinner!" Meisha said.

"Hey! Where's Baku?" Jaden asked.

Zane's eyes narrowed dangerously. "He was captured by Shibaomaru, and brought back to their home dimension. T.J. tried to go after, but Meisha wouldn't allow it. He's now in the hands of the enemy," he hissed.

"No…" Jaden whispered.

"Don't worry, though. We will try to find and rescue him," Baston said.

"And how will we do that?" Zero asked. "You do not have a dimensional transport device, let alone a Zakorello Gate. You need one of the two in order to enact dimensional travel, and the spacebridge does not count."

"Actually, it might," Captain explained. "From what little Sayla told us when we first met, along with what I have read in screens, it seems that the spacebridge can be calibrated to a much higher frequency setting, enabling dimensional resonance with the Minov Sea to occur, thus making dimensional travel possible. Though the odds are long, I estimate a 34.687 percent chance of success."

"And the other percentage?" Shute asked, knowing that he would dread the answer.

"The other percentage means that we will either be lost in oblivion or trapped in an alternate reality aside from this one," Captain said.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked," Shute remarked, sweatdropping.

"Uh, okay, now how about you guys get off of me?" Jaden asked, a vein throbbing on the side of his helmet.

The group began to slide off, allowing him a little room to wriggle into a more comfortable position.

"Okay. Now that that's over, what are we going to do now?" Meisha asked.

"Well, first off, Jaden has to learn how to use his weapons, so that is the main priority," Cerverau said as he leaned out the doorway.

"And who's supposed to teach him that? As you can see, the rest of us aren't Gundams!" Sayla said.

"I was thinking maybe Captain could teach him."

"Huh? Captain?" Sayla cocked an eyebrow. "Why him?"

"Yes. He's the only other Gundam with a design like Jaden's, so why not?"

Jaden gulped. He could tell that this wasn't going to be easy. He didn't even realize how right he was.

* * *

_The next day…_

"YEOWCH!"

Jaden landed flat on his back, systems screaming in pain as he skidded a good fifteen meters away from his opponent.

He groaned as he sat up, holding a training saber in one hand, a training shield in the other.

"Your reflexes are still quite slow. You need to work on building that up," Captain explained as he walked up, one of his V-rods held in his hand.

"That's easy for you to say!" Jaden moaned. He grasped the hand Captain offered him and pulled himself to his feet. "I still don't understand why we have to work on my reaction time."

"If you have faster reaction time, you'll have a much higher success rate of taking down enemies without suffering a severe degree of damage to your systems and armor, and your Soul-Drive," Captain lectured as he put a hand on Jaden's chest, right on the compartment.

"Yeah, I know. You always keep pointing out that my Soul-Drive is the most vital unit inside me, and that if it gets stolen, damaged, or destroyed, I could lose my life. I already know all that!" Jaden snapped.

"Then you should stop arguing with me and just continue your training."

Jaden hung his head and sighed out a mushroom cloud.

"Okay."

Sayla watched as the two Gundams continued to spar against one another, Jaden working to block Captain's thrusts and slashes with his shield and sword, Zane beside her.

"You know that without using his beam sabers, Jaden has an unfair advantage, right?" the boy asked.

"Not exactly. Those are made out of energon, so that provides him with a good defense. When it gets down to using the weapons, then that will be when he can use them. For now, they're working on Jaden's reaction time," she explained.

Zane narrowed his eyes as he watched Jaden get knocked off his feet by a blow from Captain.

"I don't think that this is going too well, especially since Jaden is still getting used to being a Gundam. He needs a little more time to adapt to his new body before he can spar with anyone," he said calmly.

"Well, it's what Cerverau said, so why not let him continue?" Shute asked from underneath a tree behind them.

Zane turned to the brown-haired boy.

"Why should I?" he asked.

"Well, it's like that time Sayla went up against Shintamaru, right? She couldn't defeat him unless she had a flamethrower. So, Jaden needs to work on his reaction time if he wants to be able to fight without getting much damage," he said.

"I see."

"AH!" Sayla yelped as she watched Captain get knocked back slightly by a swing from Jaden's sword.

"Nice parry!" Captain grunted. "Your reaction time has improved by 15.78 percent!"

"That's good to hear!" Jaden grinned.

"But, it is not good enough if you're going up against Zeta Zaku. If you're going up against him, you need a much faster reaction time in order to block those bullets from his guns using your beam sabers."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Jaden asked.

"We'll get to that in time."

"ARGH!"

Kicker sighed as he sprawled out onto his back. Ever since they had met the Gundam Force, things had gotten much crazier, and the attacks made by the Dark Axis hadn't made things much better. All kinds of thoughts filled his mind, ranging from the attempt to raise the wreck to the first battle he had fought in alongside his friends.

'_Why do they want Baston, and for that matter, why are they so desperate to defeat the Gundam Force? It just doesn't make any sense. If they wanted to destroy the Gundams, they could've gotten here first and gotten us onto their side through whatever tactics they use to get others to join their cause. Then again, that goes against everything we believe in. ARGH! Man! This is way too confusing, even for me!_' Kicker thought to himself.

"Kicker? You okay?" Meisha asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Kicker said as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"You sure?" Meisha asked seriously.

"Yeah. The one thing that's bothering me though is the motive the Dark Axis has for attacking us. Raising the wreck is one thing, but doing two things at once? That just doesn't make any sense, Meisha," Kicker replied, looking out at the sea.

"It doesn't make sense for any of us either," T.J. replied from his position on the ground. T.J. lay sprawled on his stomachm his head resting on his arms.

"GAH! T.J.! You know how much I hate that!" Kicker snapped, turning to face the human-turned-starfighter.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, this is just too confusing. What's the purpose behind it?" Kicker asked.

"Well, we know why they tried to raise the wreck," T.J. said.

"Even so, we don't know why they want Baston. That is what we need to find out next," said Meisha seriously.

"I agree. If we find that out, then maybe we can develop a plan of attack," said T.J.

"Yeah. I have to agree there, guys. I have to agree there."

The air was silent, save for the clashing of the two Gundams' weapons and the chirping of the birds as they flew overhead.

Finally, it was Meisha who broke the silence between the three.

"Just how long ago did these attacks start happening?" she asked softly.

"About…to tell you the truth, I don't know, Meisha. In fact, I guess you could say that it's been a little over a month or something like that. I don't know for sure, okay?" Kicker said.

"How about you, T.J.? Do you know?" Meisha asked.

"Nope. No clue. Lost track two weeks back," the starfighter chirped.

"Bummer."

"Well, might as well just relax for now. Who knows how long it'll last?"

"Okay."

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_A lone Zako creeps around the ruined base. So far things have gone much better than expected. Forcing those humans into the ruins was a good plan, and Lord Zeta Zaku had taken them out effortlessly. No humans remained on this base._

_The Zako sniggers as it lowers its weapon. A whistle escapes its mouthpiece as it heads to what was once the command center. The base is deserted, save for a few rats and a lone organic called a cat. The Zako is so confident that there are no humans left, that it lowers its guard._

_A hidden form smirks from the shadows. A pair of golden eyes glints menacingly as the form raises a strange crystal made from an eerie green stone._

"_Now, time to finish the job," it murmurs in a male voice._

_The form runs out, holding the crystal aloft. "ORICHALCOS SEAL!"_

_A green circle inscribed with ancient symbols glows on the form's forehead before the crystal glows with the same energy. The Zako turns and yelps, fumbling with its gun in a futile effort at defending itself._

"_ZAKO! NO! ZAKO!" it pleads._

"_Time to meet your maker!" the form screams as it stops, holding the crystal outward at chest level. "LAUNCH!"_

_A glowing seal forms around the crystal before firing in a small beam of energy and striking the Zako square in the chest. The seal spreads out around it before a blast of green energy lances skyward. The form is revealed in the bright green light from the seal._

_A man not much older than President Warren stands there, his short greenish blue hair blowing in the wind created from the crystal's energy. His cape billows out behind him as the seal materializes around him. His body is lithe in build, and he has a light tan on his skin. The gold of his eyes is reflected in the green light from the strange stone. A crystal adorns his forehead, and it's glowing with an unusual energy as he holds the crystal like a gun at the Zako. On his left arm is a strange style Duel Disk, but one with a seal on the center glowing brightly._

"_Orichalcos Seal ACTIVATE!" he yells. The bright green seal flares as the Zako cries out its last cry for help. The seal shrinks in diameter before a bright green beam shoots from the center right to his crystal in his hands. The seal on his Duel Disk glows before a small chip is ejected from a slot on the side. On the chip is the Seal of the Orichalcos._

_The Zako's body slumps down, dead. The man leans down and picks up the chip, holding it in his hand._

"_All right. One down, one to go," he says._

_He glances skyward up to the stars that are the Intergalactic Federation home worlds, each one a different color, but barely noticeable from his home planet of Oricha._

"_The Dark Axis. What do they want? And why are they here?" he murmurs._

_The light from the stars shines down on the ruins as a stone falls from the roof of one of the buildings to the street._

_The man spins, his Duel Disk glowing with energy as it activates. A dark blue portion extends outward like a sword, the green energy flaring in the seal before fading._

_He sneaks over to an alley, heart pounding in his chest. His golden eyes dart about the alley, exposing a form as it darts from one side to the next, gun held at the ready._

"_No you don't!" he yells. His Duel Disk's blade glows with green energy as he calls upon the power within for his signature attack._

"_Zako!" the Zako squeaks._

"_ORICHALCOS SLASH!" The man slashes downward, then horizontally as a green cross-shaped energy attack forms in the air. He throws his hand forward and the attack launches at the Zako soldier. He grins as the Zako tries to fire on him, but the crystal on his head glows brightly with green energy as he forms a shield of Orichalcos energy._

_The bullets ricochet off the shield harmlessly as the attack nears the frightened Zako._

"_ZAKOOOOOOO!"_

_The man's attack hits the Zako squarely in the chest as the seal on his Duel Disk begins to glow with energy._

"_ACTIVATE!"_

_Immediately, the Zako screams as the seal traps the soul in pure energy. The beam strikes his Duel Disk and the chip is ejected into the air. It spins before the man catches it in his hand, a smirk on his face._

"_Heh. Now that was easy," he purrs. He slips both chips into his pocket and he backs off into the shadows, leaving a deserted base behind…_


	26. Spy Operations Commencing!

Chapter 11

Battle after battle had passed ever since they had arrived in the Federation's home dimension. It seemed like they would never end, especially since the Dark Axis was after something that the Federation clearly held, but knew nothing about.

Shute sat in his room, head in his hands as he stared out the window at the rain outside. A rumble of thunder echoed, enhancing his mood of depression. He wasn't sure why, but ever since things had gotten worse for the wear, he had been feeling more and more depressed whenever he was alone, his moody feelings cast aside when he was with Captain.

He stared down at the lone badge that was all he had left. This was the second time that he stared at it, recalling all the memories of Neotopia, particularly that final fight against Sazabi. He had felt upset when Captain had had his Soul-Drive stolen, and it wasn't the mere sadness he felt when he lost someone. It was more like the despair that someone felt when they lost an intimate partner in a fatal accident or something like that.

"Shute?" Captain asked as he crept into the room softly.

"Yeah, Captain?"

"You okay?" the Gundam inquired.

Shute turned to face his friend and nodded.

"It doesn't seem like it," Captain said as he approached the boy.

"Captain, have you ever really lost anyone special to you?" Shute asked softly.

Captain shook his head no. "No. I haven't." The Gundam knew why Shute had asked him that, and he grabbed Shute and held him close. "Shute, you really need to stop focusing on the past and focus on the present and future. We will save Neotopia somehow. I don't know how, but we will, even if the odds of success are 6.85 percent. We will save it, Shute."

"Captain…" Shute looked into his friend's eyes, feeling a little better, but not much.

"Shute, things will get better. Even if we do fail, we'll still have at least tried," Captain whispered.

Shute just buried his face in Captain's shoulder, feeling the Gundam's hand rubbing his head, calming him down.

"Captain, I…thanks."

"You're welcome, Shute."

For a while, Shute just let Captain rub his hair and calm him down, feeling the Soul-Drive rotating beneath his friend's armor, radiating the warmth he knew so well.

Shute didn't know why, but he felt like falling asleep in Captain's arms. He yawned and closed his eyes before forcing himself awake.

Captain merely smiled as he noticed Shute trying to stay awake.

"Get some sleep. I'll always be here. I promise."

"Thanks, Cappy…" Shute yawned a second time and closed his eyes, his breathing becoming even and steady as Captain carried him to his bed.

The Gundam laid him down on the bed and pulled the covers over the boy before gently rubbing his head one last time. He pulled back the covers and slipped under them himself before he closed his own eyes and falling asleep beside the boy. The last thought he had was one of Shute curled in his arms as he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

_Earth Command…_

President Warren studied the screen images of the concentration camp layout. So far the spacebridge recalibrations were going accordingly, but as to whether the tests would be successful remained an unknown factor in her plans to liberate the camps without being spotted. Opening the gateway outside their boundaries was one thing, but to get within the boundaries via a spacebridge was unheard of. Not even the Autobots had tried it during the Federation-Decepticon wars.

A buzzer beeped, signifying a communication was coming through.

She pressed a button and a screen materialized in the middle of her desk, a familiar face shown on the flexible energy device.

"_Sing Tao here_," the man on the screen said. Sing Tao was an expert Federation spy, and the best in the trade. He had a record of gathering data on even the most elusive enemies, yet the Dark Axis was a challenge to even his skills. He had bright blonde hair and blue eyes, indicating German ancestry that could be traced back to the first outpost settlers that had come from there during the Cold War era. His father had been German, but his mother had been Chinese and that part of his heritage was shown in his olive skin and slightly Asian eyes. His build suggested that he had been a former football player before heading into the armed forces to defend his country before the unification and it showed by how much he kept his hair trimmed close in a short manner. He had a beard that hid his lower face from view, but his eyes shone as if they had a fire in them, a fire of determination.

"How's it going, Sing?" President Warren asked.

"_Not too good, considering how every time we try to get close to the Dark Axis when their gate opens, it always closes before we can activate the transponder we stole from one of them!_" Sing snapped.

"Have they caught onto the operation?" the President inquired.

"_Not that I know of. If they had, they would've opened up on us the moment we came into range,_" the spy said.

"And yet, they haven't, right?" she remarked.

"_That's right. They haven't opened up on us even though our ship is clearly of Federation origin. It's almost as if they're ignoring us._"

"I doubt that, Sing. It seems as though they think that you and your team are Dark Axis soldiers that have stolen a Federation ship. They're expecting you to be able to follow them, yet you haven't."

"_So? What does that prove?_" Sing wondered.

"They may catch onto us sooner or later, but for right now, keep trying to follow them. If possible, open up communications and tell them that your ship isn't as fast as the Komusai and that you need to be towed. That should provide you with access to their dimension," President Warren instructed.

"_And when we gather information that we need?_"

"Hijack the Komusai and escape through the spacebridge. Hopefully by then we should have it fully recalibrated to the proper frequency."

"_Understood! Sing Tao out!_"

The screen shut down, leaving her to contemplate the options she had. With people inside the Dark Axis home dimension, it gave her a chance to get information that their informant hadn't supplied them with. It also gave her the chance to get information about the state of the prisoners first hand: what their life span was (for she doubted that it was only twenty days, Earth time), food and sanitation conditions, injuries, clothing, what jobs they did, and the amount of prisoners held in each camp. The main thing was that it allowed her to gather information about the defenses and actual layout. If it was like in World War II, then the camps would be easy to liberate. If not, then they would have to study the plans and figure out how to get the prisoners out, if they could even walk, which she doubted.

She didn't have a doubt for a minute that Sing Tao and his team would gather the information. The main thing that bothered her about this was the fact that if they managed to escape, they might not be able to escape through the spacebridge.

Though heavily reliable, the spacebridge was prone to having failures occasionally, as it was with all technology, even Cybertronian. Sometimes failures took months to fix and repair, sometimes it took only a few hours. With the spacebridge, most failures involved faulty destination codes, yet sometimes it involved malfunctions that took an entire week to fix. That was the uncertainty. Spacebridge failures varied, and that was what bothered the President.

She could only hope that things worked out in their favor, just as they had done so many times before.

* * *

_The other organizations are slowly becoming aware of the threat that the Dark Axis poses. Federation technicians and scientists are trying to calibrate the spacebridge to enable dimensional travel to the Dark Axis home dimension and a mystery informer has given them valuable data about the camps._

_Duel's past is revealed and new allies are coming into light as Shift and the Dark Axis generals prepare to enact a horrific act that is against all moral codes. The wreck of the _Titanic_ is revealed to play a role in the coming conflicts and the Federation prepares to send in a scout team to gather more data._

_New questions have risen and new answers are found. Why does the Dark Axis need metal to rebuild their ship? How bad are the camps? How long has this gone on? Why is it continuing? What is the status of Lacroa and Ark? And how can a small power hold the future in its hands?_

_These questions and more are revealed on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods, Part III: Unexpected Arrivals!_

Next time on _Twilight of the Gods!_

"SLAGGIT!" Sayla swore loudly as she rolled to the side, barely avoiding a blast from Demon Dom's laser cannons.

"Sayla! You okay?" Zane asked without looking at her.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Good. LOOK OUT!" Zane shouted. He whirled around and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her down to the ground just as a blast from Captain's V-rods whistled overhead at Zeta as he circled overhead.

"Thanks," she gasped.

"DAH! I blow you to pieces!" Dom yelled, waving his laser bazooka around wildly.

"INCOMING!" Kicker cried out.

The next thing both Zane and Sayla knew missiles were coming right at them. Both gulped, knowing instantly that this was their end.

_Who is this new fighter? Is it a friend, or a foe? Can they stop the Dark Axis in Lacroa and find out more about Baston's heritage, or will they fail at that? And what is this new plan the Dark Axis generals have in store for them? Find out in the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	27. Episode 2 Bloopers!

**Bloopers!**

Blooper 1:

_Sayla yelped as Captain grabbed her T-shirt. But his hands had grabbed more than just her T-shirt. His hand closed around something on her chest and she yelped. Instinctively, she kicked out with her boot, nailing the Gundam in a very vulnerable place. He squeaked in surprise and staggered back, collapsing right onto his side, clutching the area._

"_Don't do that again!" Sayla snarled. "Got that?!"_

"…_Affirmative…" Captain gasped, his eyes squinted shut in pain._

_-----_

Blooper 2:

_Shift sneered as he fired off his signature spell at Baston. Baston yelped and tried to run, only to get hit. A large explosion blew everyone defending him back, right onto their backs or into trees. The smoke faded as a gust of wind blew across the battlefield, revealing a smoking crater…_

_With a frog with Baston's hair style beside it._

_Shift sweatdropped. "Whoops."_

_He turned to look at the others as the frog-Baston croaked._

"_It will wear off in a few hours," he said, sheepishly. "I think."_

_Everyone fell down, except for Shift._

-----

Blooper 3:

_Zeta sniggered as he watched the sea below the Komusai. He waited for the bubbles to appear, but when they failed to, he swore loudly and whipped out a detonator. "Dammit! If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself!"_

_He pressed the button, but the explosion failed to occur. "What is the matter with this damn thing!?" he blurted._

_A second later, the detonator went off…in his hand._

_A brief flash of light and smoke blinded him and he coughed, waving his hands to clear the smoke as a Zako soldier looked away. Zeta finally cleared the smoke and turned to look at the poor soldier with a glare in his optic._

"_Zako…"_

-----

Blooper 4:

_Guardian glanced at the mine for a moment, unsure as to why it wasn't going off. He stepped forward and prodded it with his foot, only for the mine to explode, sending him flying into the air. A Zako soldier sweatdropped as it began to inch away. Guardian landed on the ground face first as the Zako inched off screen._


	28. Allied Help! Guneagle Arrives!

Summary: The Federation sends in a scout team to gather information on the camps and conditions there. Meanwhile, a few unexpected arrivals turn things around as the Dark Axis unveils a new secret weapon in their possession. When things get out of control and the teams go to Lacroa, can they uncover some new clues, or will they lose Baston forever? Note: I don't own any series mentioned in the story. All belong to their respective owners. I own only all original characters.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

New information concerning the Dark Axis was revealed through a new informant and a startling fact has been unveiled: Anderson is back from the dead. Several other leaders are beginning to take action to defend against the Dark Axis, but only the Intergalactic Federation takes actions to attack and save those trapped in the camps.

With new information in their possession, new clues and questions rose, and each time they uncovered more answers, even more questions arose, including some concerning Baston's heritage and Duel's past, yet the ones concerning the Superior Dragon remained unanswered. Can they find out who or what the Superior Dragon is, and can the Federation find a way to save the prisoners before it's too late? Find out in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part III_

_Unexpected Arrivals!_

Chapter 1

Stars dotting the vast expanse of outer space shimmered as the bright orange vessel sped through the dark void, its crew and captain busy with their assigned tasks. The ship that was currently out on assignment wasn't much bigger than a small cruise ship, but it packed more firepower than a military battleship. With a wingspan of well over twelve hundred feet, the _Shining Star_ was the fastest and the best spy craft the Federation had in their employment. The ship's design was based on a larger, much more reliable star freighter, yet it had been modified to carry more personnel than the original Star Groper 2.0 model. This was third generation.

The ship's color scheme was a bright orange to contrast the usual green and red color schemes chosen by most space-faring races for this one was custom built and made to carry Sing Tao and his team.

Sing Tao sat at the main control console on the bridge of the _Shining Star_, staring out at the vast expanse of space beyond the heavily pressurized reinforced energon fiberglass of the cockpit windows, studying an invisible lane of the major star lanes in this sector. He wasn't sure how he knew that they would appear; they just had a few days prior to them being here.

"Sir, we're getting ready to launch full radar capacity. If they're here, we want to be spotted, right?" a technician asked. A pretty female human by the name of Diana Larson, she had bright red hair and startling grey green eyes that reflected her slight stature and heavily tanned skin. She had a lithe build and she carried herself amongst the mostly male crew of the ship with pride. She was clothed in a bright green jumpsuit that clung nicely to her body, showing off her curves and shapely form.

"No. We can't allow them to spot us, Diana. We need to spot _them_. We won't use active radar. Instead, go to passive. That will allow us to pick them up, but not get spotted ourselves. If we get spotted, then what's the point of making our entrance as soon as the gate opens?" Sing asked.

"Sing's right, Diana. We need to be ready for when that gate opens. Besides, the boss has never let us down, right?" a burly Englishman named Signor Drake said. A former commander in the Earth Space Fleet's 15th Star Battalion, he had a history of incredibly successful military campaigns in the Federation-Decepticon war that had earned him the incredibly enduring nickname "Sharpshooter Sig", which had become his trademark battle cry, "Sharpshooter Sig strikes again!" He had bright blue eyes that sparkled under a main of incredibly shaggy brown hair that grew into a mustache that hid his upper lip from view with a pair of sideburns on his head. The one thing that served as a constant reminder of his war efforts was the fact that he had a patch over one of his eyes when it had gotten shot out during an intense firefight with a Decepticon named Barrelroll.

"How come you always take his side, Sig?" Diana asked, rolling her eyes.

"I keep telling you," he said in perfect English, "I used to be in the military before I retired to join this group of ragtags." He motioned around with a slight hint of a smile on his face.

"Okay, you two. Knock it off. Justin, how far are we from their approximate location?" Sing asked as he turned to face the man.

Justin Fervori, a former Kaxian police officer, shrugged. "Beats me, boss. Last I heard they was coming from the space lane over," he said in a laid back manner. He may have seemed like a hippie, but underneath that laid back exterior was a cunning intelligent man who had seen more than his fair share of killing, crime, and corruption. He had a slight lilt to his voice when he spoke, so it made him seem as if he were a hippie from the sixties trapped in the modern day world, when in reality, he was as sharp and observant as they come. He had greasy blonde hair that he kept in check with a bright red bandana with the Kaxian sigil on it and his eyes were a dull brown color that shone with a slight alertness that only another cop could discern. His lanky build and wiry frame served to enhance the hippie image, which he went to great lengths to keep up. It was part of his job that he had blended in with the extreme Kaxian environmentalists in order to gather information on them before he had been retired at the age of forty after a successful terrorist style attack was thwarted and put down by KaibaCorp.

"Okay. What time do you estimate they'll appear?" Sing inquired.

"About ten, Earth time," the former police officer replied.

"Good. How's communications coming, Harvey?" Sing asked the comm officer.

"All communications equipment is functional and operating at one hundred percent, sir," Harvey said. At only five foot three, Harvey Wilson could have been considered a midget when compared to the other occupants of the ship. But what he lacked in size he made up for in communications experience. Having been a communications officer in many wars on Blazia, he had been recruited when Sing had asked for his help on one mission. Harvey had accepted immediately. Despite his academic looks, which consisted of black-grey hair combed back neatly, spectacles on a beaklike nose, and a custom made tweed jacket, he was a whiz with communications devices of any type, and he could hardwire an old radio to function on a space-age level with only a small bit of iron, a silicon chip, and a small handheld phone.

Sing smiled and nodded. His five man crew was all he really needed on this mission. He would have brought a few others along, but upon his insistence that he travel light, he had asked only those with him to come, which hadn't been that many.

They had arrived at what they figured to be the next port of exit when the gate opened. It was then that they had to make their move. Harvey was to open up all communications channels with the Dark Axis ship and pretend to be a Zako asking for assistance in towing a newly captured Federation ship to dock at their base.

Once at dock, they were to sneak out and steal a cart used for repairs and supply transport to use in their search for any camps in the area. If there were, they were to study the defenses and find a weak spot. When the weakness was found, they were to sneak inside the camps, gather information, and get out before they were spotted by hijacking the Komusai and arriving at Earth where they would blow up the ship and land in the sea to be picked up by a waiting aircraft carrier that was within the immediate vicinity.

"Sing! We've got something!" Diana exclaimed, looking up from the radar console.

"What is it?" Sing demanded.

"Um…hold on. It appears to be a spatial distortion of some kind," Diana reported.

"Is it opening up?" Harvey blurted.

"Yes. It is. I think that might be the gate."

"All right! Sig, get those guns up and running. If they find out it's a ruse, blast them out of existence and we'll fly in," Sing ordered.

"Roger that, sir!" Sig replied. His fingers played over the console and the guns were charged in an instant.

The gate opened and out came a small craft unlike anything they had ever seen. This small vessel was a little less than half the length of their own ship, yet it was wider and held more engine power. Sing guessed this vessel to be a maintenance craft used to tow damaged ships to the base for repairs.

"Open up the comm and get on the line," Sing instructed the Blazian.

"Aye!" Harvey said. He punched in a few codes and the screen materialized, though he cut off all visuals and left only the audio open. He had been rehearsing his part for hours, so he had a pretty decent Zako imitation down.

"_Hello? Is anyone there, zako?_" a voice asked.

"Yes. This is the _Shining Star_, zako. We need some help towing this thing back to base, zako," Harvey said, his voice altering to the imitated Zako voice.

"_How did you get your hands on a Federation ship, zako?_" the Zako on the other end asked.

"We captured it, zako. But, we need to get it back to base for repairs. In our escape, we were fired upon before we fled into this part of the galaxy, zako," Harvey replied.

"_Understood. We'll hook up and get you back to base for repairs, zako_."

"Thanks, zako."

With that, a smirking Harvey closed down the lines and smiled. "Easy as pie!" he grinned.

"Yes, but we have only done the first step in the plan. The next phase may not be so easy," Sing said grimly.

"I agree. For now, we just have to wait and see," said Sig.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

_On Earth…_

The space time distortion had done nothing to help his circuits, which were beginning to feel like they had been shoved into places he found very uncomfortable. He rubbed his sore arms as he sped out of the glowing blue portal, into the clear blue skies of a new world, or a new dimension in this case. He looked around, as if expecting something to come soaring at him, such as a Zako soldier with a jetpack equipped to the back.

But nothing of the sort greeted his eyes. He blinked a few times, taking in the absence of enemy soldiers, and for that matter, the vehicles found so commonly all over the place in Neotopia. In their place were strange craft that sped around in widely spaced lines(space from the end of one craft to the front of the one behind that rivaled that of over ten football fields), almost like highways, but with one or two lanes mostly, and a few that cut through the spaces between the "lanes" for greater time cuts. On the roads, cars and other vehicles that _hovered_ off the ground darted around while the energy produced created a slight humming sound.

Pedestrians of all ages and types walked along the sidewalks, stopping for food, business, or just to chat. The one thing that surprised him the most was the variety of beings that he saw. There were humanoid beings that looked like they could turn into vehicles, beings that looked to be a combination of animals and humans, and humans that had weapons literally attached to their bodies. All in all, it was the strangest place he had arrived in.

"Wow…"

His voice trailed off in amazement as he studied the sprawling complex before him. He was awed by the incredible diversity of this dimension, and of this world. Nothing short of a massive alien invasion could disrupt this peaceful society, he mused.

**_BAOOM!_**

The intense explosion caught his attention and forced him to tear his gaze away from the sprawling city below.

"Oh, great. Not them again!" he moaned. He grabbed his beam rifle, gunned his engines, and sped towards the site of battle.

* * *

**BWAM!**

The force of the explosion was enough to blow all eleven fighters back away from the challengers, each one holding their signature weapon level at the group.

Kicker groaned as he sat up, holding a bloody wrist to his side. "Man! How much tougher have they gotten?" he murmured.

"I don't know, but I don't like it!" Sayla moaned from beside him.

"Ah…it…it just seems impossible…" Jaden murmured from his position on the ground.

"Tell me about it! This is the fifth time we've been attacked in only three days! How much longer is this gonna go on for?!" T.J. complained as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"Heh. Looks like we're not the only ones having trouble," Zane commented. He pointed from beside Meisha towards Zero, who was engaging Shift in a swordfight.

The Winged Knight was having some serious trouble, for when it seemed like he had the upper hand against the demon mage, he would strike the other Gundam with enough force to damage his circuits, yet every time he only nicked the armor.

"How come Shift doesn't deal the final blow?" Meisha asked curiously.

"I think it's safe to bet that Shift is only toying with him," Zane said grimly. "And you know how he toyed with us before he tried that last attack on Baston."

Everyone didn't need to be reminded of Baston's transformation from human to Gundam. Each had memories of that incident that they wished they could forget forever, and one of those had been the worst in their lives.

"Well, are you getting tired already?" Zeta asked, holding his dual-barreled machine guns in both hands, aiming the deadly barrels at each of them.

"No, we're not!" Baston hissed as he struggled to sit up. Pain lanced throughout his systems as he forced his body into a sitting position. "In fact, we're not ones to quit unless we're forced to!"

"Quite the stubborn bunch, aren't you?" Zeta purred, his optic glowing.

"I guess you could say that that is our biggest advantage!" Syrus smirked.

"How so, human boy?"

"LIKE THIS!" Captain yelled. He drew back his fist just as Shute cheered him on. "All right, Captain! Let's blow them back into the next dimension!"

The fighting fire appeared in his eyes as he clenched his fist even tighter, the power coursing along the red lines on his armor into his hand. He punched as hard as he could, but Zeta smirked himself.

"Now, Demon!" he yelled.

"DAH! Yeah! Gallop! Fire missile launchers!"

On cue, three surface-to-surface missiles streaked out from the trees, arrowing towards Captain's attack. The impact was horrendous. It blew up all three missiles, but the deadly shrapnel from the destroyed projectiles was more than enough to force the fighters to take cover under their shields, aura guards, or ESICs.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Demon Dom's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the battlefield as the group staggered to their feet. Captain glanced at the crazy Dark Axis mech like he was a monster, which, it seemed, he was.

In truth, he was about as crazy as Hades when guarding the dead.

"Slag no…" he murmured, his eyes shrinking in horror as the dark colored mech lumbered out. But what startled him more than the new fearsome arsenal Dom carried on his back was the HUGE weapons platform that followed him on two huge tank treads.

The weapons platform bristled with tons of weaponry that would make even Megatron drool with envy. Heat seeking missile launchers were mounted at the very front while in the middle of the platform was a huge tower that housed three submachine guns on top, ten missile launchers in the body, and grenade launchers hidden in the base. On each side were rotating Gatling guns, two per corner, and on each side of the platform were laser submachine guns capable of more than three thousand rounds per second. Located on the very rear of the platform was a high intensity laser blaster that could be converted into a missile firing laser cannon, along with a heavy duty ultrasonic sound blaster.

In short, Dom was now a living army.

"Oh God…" Shute murmured. This was bad.

Very, very, very bad.

Sayla took in the impressive array of weaponry with a calculating look in her steel green eyes. She knew that each gun on the weapons platform had a specific range and capacity, but the main threat was the missile launchers.

"Looks like we're gonna need to take out those launchers. Once that part's taken care of, we can attack without worrying about a long-range distance strike aimed at us," she said grimly.

"But how? That thing's got way more firepower than even an air-to-surface missile platform!" Meisha blurted, pointing at it.

"Leave that to me," Sayla said, hefting her gun in her hand. She motioned to the trees. "Zane, provide cover for me. Captain, you and Shute handle Zeta Zaku. Jaden, help them out. Kicker, see if you can help Zero against Shift. Meisha, you and T.J. help out Kicker. Syrus, we may need your sound aura to keep Mr. Firepower busy should he try to attack us."

Baston didn't like the way she had left him out of the plan.

"What about me?" he asked.

"We can't afford to have you risk yourself unnecessarily, Baston, so you're sitting this one out. Besides, you can't even control your Mana yet!" Sayla explained. "And we don't want to lose you!" She didn't even mention about the fact that he may be descended from Duel, if he was, of course.

"Still…" Baston began to protest, but Sayla cut him off sharply.

"No disobeying a direct order! You got that?" she snapped.

Baston gulped. "Y-yes. I do."

"Good. Let's go!" Sayla ordered.

The combined teams split up into the fray. Zane climbed into the trees and perched on a branch, holding his right hand over his eye. He knew that Sayla was a good strategist and tactician, but he doubted even she could come up with a plan to take down that weapons platform. Still, he had faith in her.

She ran over to the nearest clump of bushes and switched her gun to sniper mode. The barrel elongated and the scope came out and locked into place. She crouched into her sniper position and aimed the gun, sighting carefully down the barrel and through the scope. She couldn't afford to miss; not at this far a range. Her finger tightened on the trigger and she let out a deep breath in the manner that all Orcan snipers used for focus and concentration similar to Zen focus.

The fierce sounds of the battle were drowned out and her body became relaxed, becoming one with the gun, enabling her to shoot at the right time. It was thanks to this technique that she was a surefire marksman, and the best there was.

The weapons platform in her sight, she targeted the first launcher's barrel and pulled the trigger. The muzzle had a special dampener built in to minimize the flash and the sound of the laser flying out at a speed that seemed impossible to attain. The single shot sped right up to the first of the ten launchers and struck the barrel, the beam speeding down and exploding the barrel upon contact with the loaded missile inside.

The explosion that occurred was enough to get Dom's attention. His head literally spun backwards to stare at what had once been one of his missile launchers.

"No one destroys missile launcher!" he cried. He brought one of his new bazookas around to bear down on Sayla's position, although he had no clue as to where she really was. She had bolted from the protective cover of her hiding place to a new location, her gun now in submachine gun mode.

Zane smirked as he threw his arm forward.

"SUN MISSILE!" The bright balls of aural energy gathered around him until they reached their maximum size and they sped right at Dom, his eyes narrowed as the attack impacted the ground around the Dark Axis mech.

He glanced over to where Kicker, Meisha, and T.J. were helping Zero. Kicker was clearly angry at Shift for some reason, and he had a pretty good idea about why.

Kicker was angry at Shift for nearly killing his best friends in the last fight.

"Okay, Shift! This time we're not holding back anymore!" he snarled. He gripped his code and dodged to the side, his wound sending waves of pain throughout his body. He gritted his teeth and glanced down at it angrily. He landed on his feet shakily and raised his code above his head. "ENERGIZER X!"

The cry echoed across the clearing, but no engines pierced the quiet of the clearing.

"What…I don't understand…" Kicker looked at his starter code, puzzled. Normally, his starfighter responded, the cry calling it when he needed it the most.

"Heh. Thou don't realize that thy weapon is not to be used again and again," Shift sneered.

"No way! When I called, it always came!" Kicker snarled as he glared at the demonic Gundam.

"Oh? Then why doesn't it come when you need it now?" Shift asked mockingly.

Kicker snarled in anger. This wasn't what he had been expecting.

"Kicker! Get down!" T.J, yelled. The young mech grabbed Kicker by his shirt and pulled him down to the ground, sending his starter code skidding right near Shift's feet just as an explosion blew up the ground where he had been only seconds before.

Kicker gasped and clutched at his chest, feeling an intense searing in his rib cage. He guessed that he had a few broken ribs.

"Th-thanks, T.J.," he rasped out.

His hand went to his neck to grab his code, and he gasped in both shock and pain: it was gone.

"My code! Where is it?" he asked, feeling only bare skin against his hand rather than the familiar circuits and nodes that made up the code.

"Looking for this?"

Kicker spun and cried out in agony as his ribs sent waves of pain throughout his upper torso. His eyes widened in shock as he noticed Shift holding a familiar object in his hand. "GIVE THAT BACK!" he yelled.

"I don't think so. Besides, without it, even thee art just a weak human mortal," he purred, clutching it tightly. Kicker's chest seemed to explode in a pain that went beyond a few mere broken ribs. It felt like his heart was being crushed. His mind became fuzzy and he knew that if the code was crushed, so was his one link to his starfighter. But, why was _he_ feeling the pain? It didn't make any sense.

"Now, prepare to die."

He clenched his fist around the code and Kicker heard the unmistakable sound of crushing metal and plastic. The pain seemed to get worse and he cried out, an animal cry that reached T.J.'s audio receptors and made him turn around, sky blue optics wide with shock.

"No…" he murmured.

The demon mage simply grinned an animalistic grin and kept squeezing the code tighter and tighter. Kicker's cries seemed to get louder and louder with each squeeze of the starter code. In that instant, Kicker remembered the words he had first heard when he had first received the powerful fighter.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Kicker stared at the man, his eyes wide with amazement. He had never had such a powerful craft at his command before, and he was unsure if he could use it or not._

"_The main thing about this ship is that it has something called flesh memory. It recognizes the first human that touches it, and is forever bonded to that very human. So, if the code gets crushed or destroyed, that link will be severed and the pilot will die in agony. So keep it with you at all times, got that, kid?"_

"_Yes, sir!" Kicker replied, saluting crisply._

"_I knew you would, son. I knew it."_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"GAH! T…J…!" Kicker rasped.

The young starfighter's gaze locked onto Kicker. His face was riddled with agony, but he managed to open one eye and speak to him through blood-caked lips.

"T.J….You…have to…AGH…get the…code…and…bring it back!" he gasped.

"I…" T.J. hesitated before he looked back at Shift. He glanced back at Kicker, and seeing the pain he was in, made his decision.

He set his face with determination and ran right towards Shift, holding the code in his hands, crushing it.

"GIVE THAT BACK!" T.J. yelled, his optics flaring brightly with anger and rage at the killing of his best friend. He swung one of his wing blades forward and a hidden handle extended from its sheath to right in the middle of his hand. He closed his fingers around it and the other one swung forward. He grabbed the second handle and brought both blades down in an X formation, the steel glinting in the sunlight.

"Or what? Thou can't attack without harming this, right?" Shift sneered, holding up the code in his clenched fist.

T.J. hesitated, feeling frustration building up in his systems. He knew that Shift was right, but if he didn't do something, then he could kill Kicker by crushing the code.

For the first time, he wasn't sure of what to do. He bit his lower lip and stared at the trees beyond Shift, as if studying something beyond the horizon. The slightest movement of the trees caught his optic and he turned his head to face it.

The brush was moving, almost as if someone, or some_thing_, was in hiding. A smile began to tug at his lips as he studied the moving brush. He had an idea of what to do, but it required a bit of speed on his part, and that was something he had in great abundance. He turned back to face Shift, lips curled upward in a smile.

"Hey! Bird brain! Bet ya can't catch me!" he yelled, waving his arms as if in a crazy dance.

The reaction was one he had been hoping for, and it was priceless to boot. Laughing, he transformed into starfighter mode and ignited his engines just as Shift spread his great wings and flared them. With one flap, he had gained enough speed to keep pace with the starfighter.

T.J., with his greater speed and agility, was still inexperienced in most areas of flight, but Shift made up for his lack of speed with experience that T.J. didn't have. Shift considered T.J. to be a rookie at flight, which he was for the most part, save for the basics that he had mastered earlier on.

The demon mage growled in anger as he pumped his wings, speeding towards the younger, more agile flyer. T.J. had been hoping for that. With a great burst of sound and fire, the human-turned-starfighter increased his speed to Mach Seven. The twin sonic booms blew Shift out of his flight path and he flapped his wings hard to right himself.

T.J. had watched the whole thing through rear sensors located on the tips of his rear flaps. He smirked as Shift righted himself and continued the chase although he was helplessly outdistanced, save for the fact that T.J. had a new little feature installed during his last check and upgrade: he could now teleport from one place to the next through the spacebridge.

Now that he had gotten a good enough safety margin behind him, he turned around with a burst from his maneuvering thrusters and transformed into robot mode.

He closed both optics and focused on the new program. He wasn't sure if it would work or not, but he hoped to Primus it worked!

A strange tingling sensation began to dance across his body, starting from his chest and working its way down his wings, arms, and legs. His metallic organic hair began to move as if being blown in an invisible breeze. A slight hum built up around his body and there was a slight moment of nothingness before his body became solid again, though this time, right behind Shift!

He opened his optics and grinned. It had actually worked!

The demon mage was totally unaware that he was about to get his skidplate kicked, and big time! He drew back his fist as if he were going to punch out Shift's lights, but the demon mage spun and grabbed the young starfighter's arm in a vice-like grip and twisted his arm behind his back in a position that made T.J. cry out in pain.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

"Nice try, human," he purred in T.J.'s audio. "Now, for that, your little friend dies."

_SNAP!_

T.J.'s optics widened in shock and horror when he heard the snapping sound of the code being crushed.

_Kicker…_

**_A young boy plays in the trees with a girl and a brown-haired boy…_**

_You were my best friend…_

**_The boy runs from three others, holding mud balls when the brown-haired kid clobbers them…_**

_He…you didn't deserve this…_

**_The brown-haired boy smiles at the younger boy and the girl, saying that they would be best friends forever and that nothing could separate them…_**

_I…I failed…and now you're dead…_

**_The boy cries out in pain and agony as the painful transformation begins, but the brown-haired kid tells him to just hold on just as he's losing himself..._**

_But…I…I will fight…_

**_The brown-haired kid smiles as the light around his face fades into blackness…_**

_I'll fight…for you, Kicker! That much I can do!_

T.J. closed his optics as tiny energon tears formed at the very corners. He had never felt like this before. A new feeling was pounding through his systems and his sparkpulse had increased, a feeling similar to adrenaline filling his body.

"You…murderer!" he hissed.

"Huh? Murderer?" Shift cocked his head in confusion.

"You…you killed the one person who always…believed in me, and…he told me that…I should never give up…" T.J. murmured softly. His optics were clouded in shadow, so no one could see them.

"Yes, so what? He is dead. Get over it, human," Shift remarked casually. It made T.J. sick to his stomach the way he said it.

"Wrong, you slagger! Absolutely wrong!" the human/machine snarled.

"What?" Shift was stunned by the total ferociousness in T.J.'s voice. His eyes shrank in astonishment and horror as he released T.J. from his death hold.

"You killed my best friend, and I'll make sure that you live to regret that!" T.J. yelled. His optics flared brightly as he opened them, but this time, they flared with an anger that not even Shift could understand.

He clenched his fists and a strange thing began to happen. His hair began to move about as if T.J. were in the middle of a hurricane, his body glowing bright blue-gold. He gripped his swords and a new look crossed his face, one of determination, anger, and sorrow all combined into one emotion: hate.

"You will pay for killing Kicker Jones!" T.J. yelled. His spark suddenly flared bright blue as the energy suddenly spread outward, streaking skyward in a blue column that startled Shift out of his victorious state.

"WHAT?! What kind of magic be this?!" Shift murmured in shock.

"YAAAAAHHHHHHH! CYBER KEY POWER!" T.J.'s cry to the heavens reached beyond the normal emotional rage. It reached right down into Shift's very Gunsoul, making the demon mage gasp in shock as the bright blue artifact sped down right to a slot on T.J.'s back. The feeling of power that T.J. was currently experiencing was a feeling that he would never forget.

The twin blades he held in his hands began to glow with a bright blue energy, radiating off a feeling of power that rivaled Zero's at maximum power. He crossed the blades in an X formation, both leaving energy trails as he held them both in front of his chest.

"Let's see how you like it yourself, Pit spawn!" T.J. yelled. He spread both arms to either side and his Autobot sigil flared as it changed from green to pure Autobot red.

"PRIMUS SLASH!"

The dual energy attack caught Shift off guard. He put up a demon magic barrier, but he doubted it would hold against the raw fury of this young human.

T.J. drew his blades so that way his arms were crisscrossed and he spread them again, this time slashing hard. The dual energy waves created merged into a bright blue energy assault, even more powerful than anything. The blast sped right at Shift, encased in his little demon magic cocoon. T.J. smiled savagely as the impact struck, leaving a large explosion behind.

The shield had been destroyed, but Shift was unharmed, and in his open hand was…

"A _twig_?!" Shift couldn't believe it. Someone had snatched the code from him when he wasn't looking!

A low whistle caught the attention of both. They both turned in midair.

"Who art thou?" Shift asked.

"Who are you?" T.J. asked at the same time.

A flying Gundam with a navy blue and white color scheme hovered there, his hand twirling his beam rifle without a care in the world. A pair of eagle-like wings extended from the jetpack on his back and the missiles glinted dangerously in the sunlight. His twin gold V-fins gleamed as he smirked behind his mouthpiece. His green eyes displayed a mischievous glint, and he held in his other hand, a battered and partly cracked but otherwise still intact starter code.

"Thought you could use a little help." The flyer tossed the code to T.J. "Get that kid to a nearby medic. And give him his code back. It seems important."

"I will. Thanks," T.J. replied, relief evident in his voice.

"As for you, you're mine," the flyer purred, aiming his beam rifle at the demon mage.

"Try me!" Shift snarled.

With that, the new mech opened fire on Shift, but the demon mage rolled to the side, easily dodging the blast.

T.J. flew back to Meisha and Kicker's location as fast as he could. He hoped that Kicker was okay when he got there.

As he came in for a landing, he felt his spark lift at the sight of Meisha helping Kicker sit up. "KICKER!"

The boy glanced skyward, his brown eyes showing signs of happiness when he saw the code in T.J.'s waving hand. He waved weakly back before he gripped his chest and side in pain.

"Hold on! I'll be right there!" T.J. activated his hoverjets and came in for a smooth touchdown. He shut down his engines and ran over to Kicker as fast as he could. He skidded to a stop and knelt down by the injured human and handed him the code. "Here."

"Thanks, T.J.," Kicker rasped out, relieved at having it back in his possession once again.

* * *

**The flyer smirked** behind his mouthpiece. This had gone better than he had hoped. Under the cover of the battle, he had sneaked in and stolen the code, replaced it with a twig, and sped back up into the clouds, leaving an unsuspecting Dark Axis mech behind. What he had snapped wasn't the code, but the twig instead. Grinning, he turned to face the incoming attack. Time to strike!

He had aimed his missiles and fired off two of them, hoping to whoever was listening up there that they didn't get spotted or shot down, as they had in the past seven weeks.

The odds had been in his favor, for the fighting was too intense to spare a brief glance upward to see the incoming projectiles aimed right at the demon mage. In fact, the noises from the attacks and blasts drowned out the noise of the engines. That had been better than he had originally planned.

With the same force as the energy blast fired by a camouflage colored mech, the missiles had impacted the shield and blown it to bits. The mage had no idea that he had been tricked.

"Thou shall pay for mocking me!" Shift hissed.

"Well, why don't you stop arguing and start fighting?" he taunted.

"YAH!" With an angry yell, Shift launched himself at the avian Gundam. With a laugh, he barrel rolled to the side, watching as the demon tried to grab him again.

"You can't catch me that easily, birdbrain!" the flyer laughed.

"Why you little…GET BACK HERE!" Shift roared.

"I don't think so!" the flyer said in a singsong voice. He waggled his wings and waved his arms like a crazy man.

Shift snarled as he made to grab the flyer, but the younger Gundam was faster, and he seemed to move like a ghost.

"You're too slow!" he teased.

"GRRRR!" Shift could feel the frustration building up. He wanted to use his signature on the flyer and turn him into a weak organic creature, but the orders were clear: do not attack others unless they are in league with the descendent of Duel.

He growled and turned away from the flyer. He would deal with him later. Right now, he had other things to take care of, such as that human-turned-Gundam.

* * *

**Jaden growled as** Zeta Zaku opened fire on them. He clenched both his fists tightly as the trigger-happy robot turned to face him, guns blazing.

He sneered evilly as he aimed one of his guns at the boy, bullets coming at him at high speed. Jaden yelped and dodged to the side, landing on his back, clutching his racing Soul-Drive. He could hear the bullets hitting the ground around him, and one came close to his foot, nearly hitting it. He let out a frightened yelp and pulled his foot back.

He scrambled to his feet, barely dodging a large impact mark as a grenade exploded near him. The former human grabbed one of his beam sabers and unhooked it from his jetpack. His brown eyes 'narrowed' as the Dark Axis mech continued to fire on Shute and Captain, leaving them on the defense. He pressed the switch on his beam saber and the golden blade ignited.

Zeta was too busy having fun terrorizing the two that he didn't even hear Jaden running up behind him, beam saber in one hand, the other clenched in a fist.

Jaden glanced back at his jetpack briefly, wondering if he could use it to his advantage. The sounds of Zeta's guns grew louder as he neared, and he realized he needed to make a decision and fast.

He gritted his teeth and focused on his jetpack activating.

The sensation of the flames coming out to generate thrust was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Jaden yelped as he was propelled into the air by his jetpack, right at Zeta Zaku from behind. His jetpack suddenly shut down and he was falling, but right behind the other mech, beam saber poised to strike.

Zeta didn't even realize the threat that approached him was great until he felt a wave of pain spread throughout his body from the point of impact right in his lower torso where the new power source was located.

He yelled out in pain as the power began to activate, spreading throughout his body and forcing the newcomer off him, brown eyes wide with astonishment and horror. He relished the power, but despised the pain as his machine guns turned black with twin targeting scopes on them. His armor became blood-red and his optic flared as it split into two optic sensors, each a bright purple. His grill-like mouth fused into a single red mouth-guard, covering his mouth and protecting his lower face from debris and damage. His rocket launcher molded and twisted itself into a set of wings that held missiles on them, sort of similar to a set of skeletal bat wings that resembled those of the Destroyer of Worlds…

"No slaggin' way that this could be happening!" Jaden murmured.

"You…you fools! Do you think that you can destroy me now?" Zeta crowed, spreading his newly formed wings to their full width.

"How…how in Primus name did you get Unicron's powers?!" Sayla blurted, barely dodging a laser barrage fired by Dom.

"Unicron gave us a chance to actually defeat the Gundam Force for the first time. And by defeat, we mean _kill_!" Zeta sneered. "He gave us the technology to do the job, but at a price: we had to become his minions. We agreed, and he's given us free reign to do whatever we please, as long as we attacked you. We agreed. Who knew that Neotopia was in the same dimension as your pathetic world?"

"What? Neotopia…is in _this_ dimension?" Zero murmured.

"You got that right, pansy!" he chuckled.

"You idiots! Don't you get it?!" Kicker blurted through the pain of his injuries.

"Get what?" Zeta asked, cocking an optic ridge.

"Unicron just wants us dead! He's only using you! He doesn't owe you creeps anything! If anything, he deserves to belong in the Pit of Cybertron!" Kicker spat.

"HAH!" Zeta laughed as he aimed his guns at the injured boy. "He's the one who gave us the chance to kill the Gundam Force, so we owe it to him. And he wants something as well, but he won't tell us what."

"That's just the thing! He's using you to get us dead! After we're killed, he'll kill you too!" Kicker cried, hoping to get them to see reason.

"Nice try, human. But he keeps his word," Zeta purred.

"ARGH! You don't get it, do you!?" Kicker was getting frustrated. There _had_ to be a way to get them to see the truth. There just had to be!

"Still, if what you claim is true, then try us!" Zeta murmured.

"**_ENERGIZER X!_**" The cry echoed across the battlefield, reaching back to the complex. This time, something happened. There was the very faint sound of engines coming full throttle. The gleaming starfighter sped right to the battlefield before coming out of top subsonic speed and circling before landing. The cockpit opened and a ladder extended down towards the ground.

Kicker stared at his starfighter, amazed that this time it had actually come.

The appearance was more than enough to startle Shift as he fought the new flyer.

"WHAT?! How in the name of Mana did he break my spell?" Shift cried.

"Heh. Looks like your magic can't stop this team!" the flyer sniggered.

"If that is the case, then I must put more power into my spells, such as this one!" the demonic Gundam yelled, firing off a burst of Mana energy so intense that it could short out any sensors within the radius of the battle zone.

The flyer merely smirked behind his mouthpiece and opened fire on the demon mage before barrel rolling to the side. The flyer's moves were well placed, Shift mused. In fact, it seemed like he would be a good candidate, should the event come about. Then he remembered something. Subzero had said that the depths of space should prove to be a real challenge. An idea formed in the demon's mind and he smirked behind his own mouthpiece.

He turned and flapped his wings, propelling himself to far greater speeds, the flyer easily keeping pace. With a gentle nudge from his Mana, he was able to create a slight tailwind that propelled him even faster.

The dark knight grinned as the flyer increased his speed, keeping pace with the enemy.

The two flying Gundams blew over the fight with Zane and Sayla and Demon Dom. The larger robot had already had all ten missile launchers disabled by Sayla's sniping, and he had sustained a bit of damage himself.

"SLAGGIT!" Sayla swore loudly as she rolled to the side, barely avoiding a blast from Demon Dom's laser cannons.

"Sayla! You okay?" Zane asked without looking at her.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Good. LOOK OUT!" Zane shouted. He whirled around and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her down to the ground just as a blast from Captain's V-rods whistled overhead, flying right at Zeta circling overhead.

"Thanks," she gasped.

"DAH! I blow you to pieces!" Dom yelled, waving his laser bazooka around wildly.

"INCOMING!" Kicker cried out.

The next thing both Zane and Sayla knew missiles were coming right at them. Both gulped, knowing instantly that this was their end.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" The white beam of energy impacted against the missiles, exploding them with incredible force, enough to blast a crater in the ground, throwing up enough dust and debris to rival a bomb explosion.

Sayla and Zane covered their noses and mouths to keep out the dust, but by then some had seeped into their lungs and forced them to cough.

The teenage commander pried open one eye and peered through the smoke caused by the explosion. She could see forms engaged in combat, but no sign of Demon Dom.

In fact, he was the last thing she expected to be bearing down on them from the front.

"You finished now!" he hissed.

"SUN MISSILE!"

The close range impact from the light projectiles was enough to force Dom back, holding his optical sensor in one hand, his large bazooka crashing on the ground. Sayla saw her chance and engaged her Dash. She became nothing but a blur of speed as she scooped it up and skidded to a stop, hefting it in her hands.

"Let's see how you like a taste of your own weapon!" she spat. Her finger tightened on the trigger and in an instant, the gun roared, a large purple beam of light exploding out of the barrel and the recoil forcing Sayla onto her back, the wind knocked from her lungs.

The beam impacted against Dom's huge body and the resulting explosion was enough to blow the Dark Axis mech back a good fifteen meters, flat on his stomach. His weapons platform moved back, both tank treads screeching as the thing shifted gears. The treads dug twin tracks into the ground and left a smell of scorched rubber in the air.

She sat up, rubbing her chest, feeling her bruised ribs.

"Holy…" Her voice trailed off as she stared at the length of trench carved by the impact from Dom's body.

The said mech groaned and sat up, rubbing his head.

"Head hurts…" he mumbled.

The explosion shockwave sped right for Zero, Kicker, Meisha, and T.J. as they stared at Shift engaging in battle with the mystery flyer. Kicker snarled as he turned back to the battle with the others. He wondered where those missiles had come from. They hadn't come from the flyer, which was for sure. But, if not from him, then who?

"HAAAAALP!" Syrus's cry echoed, startling them all, along with one single word they knew all too well.

"ZAKO!"

"Oh, slag! Not more Zakos!" T.J. moaned.

"It must have been them!" Kicker whispered.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything," Kicker said hastily.

"Okay," Meisha said, rolling her eyes.

Kicker sighed before he fired up his engines and flew into the fray with his guns blazing. Zeta grinned as he dodged to the side, wings flapping intensely.

"Nice try, human boy!" Zeta sneered.

"ENERGIZER BARRAGE!" Kicker yelled out the first thing that popped into his mind as Zeta opened fire with his own guns.

Both fighters blasted away at each other with bullets, but each one wasn't getting wounded. In fact, the bullets were littering the ground between the two. That is until Kicker prepared a little surprise for Zeta.

"ENERGY PULSE!"

The twin pulses of energy fired from his hands, forcing Zeta to up the barrage from his own guns, but the tiny lead projectiles were no match for the powerful blast from the _Energizer X_.

The Dark Axis mech dodged upwards, but Kicker had planned on that.

"NOW, T.J.!" Kicker yelled.

The younger mech nodded and took to the air, drawing back his blades and slashing Zeta across the chest right where his Gunsoul would be if he had one. The gash caused a great deal of pain as Zeta twitched in midair. T.J. slashed again and again, each time in a vital area. If they killed Zeta, then they might stand a chance, Kicker had reasoned.

"GYAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The pain was becoming too much for him. His body was beginning to weaken under the onslaught of the young robot's blades, mech fluid pouring out of the numerous slashes and scratches sustained on his armor. Not even his powers from Unicron could stop this kind of speed!

His vision began to darken and he heard a rushing sound before he pushed off the fingers of Death one last time for a final assault.

"ZETA BARRAGE!"

The bullets fell like hail towards the young mech, but he dodged each time and continued to slash until Zeta's bullets finally ran out.

_'My bullets weren't limitless after all?!'_ was his last thought before he fell into a dark pit, unable to return to the light.

T.J. watched as the body of Zeta Zaku fell out of the sky lifelessly, panting heavily. Energon sweat streaked his youthful face and his hair hung over his optics. Both blades were dulled and needed to be sharpened again by Ratchet, a process he disliked.

The fight with Shift, Demon, and the Zakos had halted at the death of Zeta Zaku, forcing them to retreat back into the gate to regroup and plan their next attack.

* * *

**Syrus glanced out** from his little shelter cautiously. The Zako approaching him had stopped for some reason, and now, it was gone. He peeped around, curious as to what had happened.

"Uh, guys? You there?" he called.

"Yeah. We're here," Meisha panted.

Syrus let out a sigh of relief as he emerged from hiding.

"What happened to the Zakos, Shift, and Demon Dom?" he asked as he glanced around the battlefield.

"Long story short, T.J. killed Zeta," Zane said simply.

"What about Baston?" Syrus asked.

"Don't worry. I'm still here," Baston said, stepping out from behind a tree.

"What about Kicker? How's he doing?" Syrus inquired.

"I'm fine, save for a broken rib or two, and a nasty gash on my side. Other than that, I'm fine," the boy replied, running a hand through his brown hair.

"That's good."

"Hey, uh, guys?" Shute asked softly.

"Yeah, Shute?" Sayla asked.

The boy fidgeted nervously. "Um, don't you think that we should go back to the campus, because we need to have our injuries checked and patched up, plus we need to figure out how that Zeta mech received some part of a god's powers," he replied nervously.

"Shute, Unicron isn't a god, although he seems like one because he's so powerful. In truth, he's a planet-sized Transformer that eats other planets, or consumes them for energy. The only other one that can rival him in power is Primus himself," Sayla explained.

"Still, how did he receive a portion of his powers?" Shute asked, referring to Zeta and his new abilities.

"We'll discuss that later. Right now, you're right on getting ourselves patched up. Let's get back to campus," Captain said.

The group nodded in agreement and headed back to the campus, unaware of the next battles to come.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_A pair of eyes narrows in anger and hatred as the form studies the monitors displaying the weaklings that have caused him so much trouble over the brief time they have been fighting. The first shows a meeting taking place, the second shows a group of students heading back to a school, and a third displays the underwater shrine to the _Titanic_._

"_Feh. They could not have possibly been the ones to cause so much trouble. They are weaklings, and they do not have much influence in the outside world, and yet, they have caused me a ton of trouble. How are they capable of doing such feats?" the form whispers._

_The eyes dart over to a patch of shadows where a form stands, shaking slightly in its armor._

"_Zako Red! Come forth."_

_The Zako known as Zako Red steps out of the shadows. He possesses a new look to his body. He stands as tall as a normal human organic, and he has, rather than one optic a pair of bright purple optics and his body resembles that of a seeker. A mouth-guard covers his mouth and he licks his lips nervously. His helmet is now that of a seeker, yet he has a command fin that sweeps backward for greater speed in robot mode._

"_Yes, sir?" he asks._

"_I want you to go down to this pathetic organization and try to determine how they are capable of causing so much trouble. Gather information on their life, their ways, and culture. If possible, try and steal a few weapons from them and none of those experimental types, is that clear?" the form asks._

_Zako Red salutes nervously._

"_I shall, sir! You can count on me!"_

"_You had better not fail, like those three ignorant fools that call themselves the Terror Trio. If you do…"_

_The threat hangs unfinished, leaving Zako Red to imagine the worst treatment his lord has planned for him._

"_I will not, sire!"_

"_Excellent. Now go. The gate is opening. Take as many need be, and bring the last of those three fools with you. Shift shall accompany you, along with Shibaomaru, after he's had some fun with his prey," the form purrs._

"_I will not fail you, and I shall succeed!"_

_With that, he scurries out, leaving the form alone to contemplate the mystery that surrounds the Federation._


	29. Operation Lacroa! A Trap Is Set!

Chapter 2

About a week later, the team was sitting under a tree, discussing the battle last week with the Dark Axis and the mystery flyer. The setting sun shone down on the lake, making the water shimmer under the sunlight. A pair of high intense wakes indicated a speedboat race was in session, and the spectators were watching on the docks or on shore.

Kicker watched the race with a faint hint of interest in his brown eyes when Meisha nudged him on the shoulder. "Hey, Kicker! Sayla just asked you a question!" she hissed.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. What did you ask me again?" Kicker asked, feeling pretty embarrassed about having not heard the question.

"Ugh! I asked you if you knew who that cocky flyer was!" Sayla groaned.

Kicker shook his head no. "Sorry. I don't. Besides, why would I know anyway?" he said.

"Well, that stinks," Syrus grumbled. Kicker nodded in agreement as he tenderly felt the bandage that wound itself around his chest and lower torso.

"I still can't help but wonder why Unicron gave the Dark Axis portions of his powers. Is it because he's after something of great power here, or something else?" he murmured.

"I know. That's what puzzles me too," said Baston.

"Even if he _did_ give them parts of his powers, the thing that really confuses me in particular is how come and why. It's almost as if he has a reason for giving those freaks his powers," Zane explained.

"Do you think that it has to do with the wreck and the recent attempt that we thwarted a few weeks back?" T.J. asked as he sprawled out under the tree, his hands behind his head.

Zane merely narrowed his eyes as he studied the ocean beyond the lake, almost as if he could see the wreck on the bottom of the ocean, a specter lost for eternity, unable to be brought back to life. "It stands to reason that there is a connection, but as for what that connection is, that remains a mystery," he said.

"Well, how does Baston fit into all of this, along with Duel, Iro, and the Superior Dragon?" Jaden asked as a small question mark hovered over his head. "That's what this is about, isn't it?"

"That is true, but there is a connection with the _Titanic_ and Unicron that we didn't even realize existed until now," Zane remarked.

"Still, what about the generals? And what about Dr. Crowler?" Jaden scratched his head as he asked these questions. "It doesn't make any sense that he would be involved with the Dark Axis and those five generals sound to be very mysterious. Well, the first one anyway."

"True, and I'll venture to say that Crowler was given an opportunity to gain incredible powers and the Dark Axis general probably intends to live up to his word in order to ensure the full cooperation of a human being," Zane mused.

"Still, what about the _Titanic_? Do you think that they'll try again?" Shute asked.

"Shute, it's a possible chance that has a 75.65 percent chance of success and a 100 percent chance of happening again, but there is always the chance that it could fail," Captain explained to the human boy. He glanced back out to the sea. "Though the chances of us successfully stopping it this time are less than before, the odds of us stopping it are still fairly good, so that should be enough to consider going out again should it occur a second time."

"I guess you're right," Shute murmured.

"How about Bakunetsumaru?" Zero asked. "He was captured by the Dark Axis, but I have no idea why."

"Maybe they offered him something that can't normally be refused," T.J. guessed. He sat up and glanced at them. "Right?"

"That could be the case, but I somehow doubt it," Zane said, frowning.

"What about that flyer? I mean, he just came out of nowhere and stole Kicker's code right out of that demon mage's hands," Syrus reminded them.

"Hold up. A _flyer_ stole it?!" Shute blurted.

"Yeah. Though I didn't get his name…" T.J. murmured as he folded his arms.

"Maybe he doesn't have a name," Jaden joked.

"Jaden, this is serious! An unknown flyer just appears out of nowhere and helps us out. Don't you find that a bit odd?" Sayla asked him.

"Well, I do find it a _bit_ odd, but not too much."

"The flyer seemed to know that we needed help, and besides, the way he insulted Shift was funny! He called him birdbrain!" Meisha giggled.

"Yeah. That was funny," Kicker remarked, sniggering.

"Still, what does the flyer have to do with any of this? I mean, come on! We're talking about the wreck, Duel, Iro, Baston's heritage, the Superior Dragon, Crowler, the Dark Axis, the generals, Unicron, and the flyer all at the same time here! How are any of these things connected?!" Syrus blurted.

"Syrus, calm down. We're all confused, and it's like Zane said. There has to be a connection with all of this, but we just don't know what it is. Besides, how hard could it be to figure this all out?" Baston asked.

"That would be very hard," Jaden remarked.

"I didn't ask you!" Baston snapped.

"What? I can't even make a remark anymore?" Jaden blurted, waving his arms.

"I didn't say that!" Baston hissed.

"Of course you didn't, Mr. High and Mighty Knight Gundam!" Jaden replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Why you…"

"Knock it off! You two are beginning to sound just like Baku and Zero when they argue. And arguing is the last thing we need right now," Sayla said as she got in between them.

"…" Silence filled the air as both stared at her.

"At least I don't have to worry about getting my Soul-Drive stolen!" Baston snapped.

"WHAT?! You're saying I worry about getting this thing stolen?!" Jaden blurted, pointing at the compartment.

Baston nodded with a smirk on his face. "Yes."

"Hey! I don't worry that much! Only in battle!" Jaden replied.

"Well, then, how about now?!" Baston yelled as he lunged at Jaden. The boy yelped and scurried back, resulting in Baston doing a perfect face planter on the ground.

Syrus burst out laughing at the impact.

"ENOUGH!" Sayla's cry echoed across the area, forcing both Gundams to glance up. "We can't have any more fighting amongst ourselves! We can't have this going on if there's the potential for another attempt at raising the wreck!"

"Huh? There's gonna be another attempt?" Shute asked.

"I'm not saying there will be, I'm just saying that…" Her voice trailed off as her comm link went off. She reached into her pouch and pulled it out, activating the screen as she did so.

"Yeah, what is it?" she asked.

"_Commander, sorry to interrupt on such short notice, but I think that you should know about this big time!_" Henku yelled into the comm.

"What's going on?" Sayla asked.

"_Seems like them Dark Axis freaks are going to try for attempt number two. This time they're going for an effort from above rather than below._"

"WHAT?!" Her eyes widened at Henku's words.

"_You heard me._"

"How are they going to try?" Sayla inquired.

"_Don't know yet. I'll keep an eye on `em though._"

"Thanks. We'll be there soon!" She shut down the comm and turned to her friends. "Bad news guys. The Dark Axis is going for another attempt, though this time Henku said it would be from above, not below."

"Isn't that impossible?" Syrus asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Not really. If you have a very powerful crane and enough force, then you might be able to pull her free from the silt," Baston explained.

"But, the only cranes capable of hauling her free from the silt are located on Cybertron's outpost Oceania!" Jaden protested.

"The Dark Axis might have a crane capable of doing the same thing," Sayla said grimly.

"Oh."

"So, in short, we're going out on patrol, and we're supposed to stop them now, right?" Shute asked as he looked at the carrier.

"Yep. That's it," Sayla said simply.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" T.J. exclaimed.

"Hold on. How come the Dark Axis is trying again rather than Crowler raising it?" Kicker asked.

"We don't have time to be debating that!" Sayla snapped. "We'll discuss it later! Now let's go!"

The team nodded and got to their feet. They broke into a run, determined to stop the Dark Axis from raising the wreck a second time.

As they ran, Kicker couldn't help but wonder why they were attempting to raise it again. What was the purpose for that in the first place? The Dark Axis had plenty of metal at their disposal, so why go to all the trouble of raising a wreck that had been down on the bottom of the sea for almost a hundred years?

The reason seemed to elude him as he struggled to find an answer to the mysterious cause for the Dark Axis' interest in the old ship. Hundreds of other reasons might be more logical, such as a need to find a new mineral that may have been stored in the ship's vault, or a need to preserve it, although that didn't seem like their style.

"Kicker! Come on!" Meisha blurted, her voice startling him out of his reverie.

"Huh? Oh, right! Coming!" he replied.

He ran up the boarding ramp and onto the deck of the aircraft carrier.

The ramp began to withdraw into the deck of the ship and the crew cast off the lines to those on dock. A loud horn blared and the engines of the carrier were fired up, their props chewing the water in a froth to get her out to sea.

The large ship began to move away from the dock and the helmsman activated the thrusters on the starboard side, pushing her out towards the canal that enabled transit to the ocean from the man-made lake.

Sayla watched the process from the bridge as she paced back and forth in front of the main command console. Her own mind was full of thoughts concerning the purpose for their second attempt. The whole thing seemed absurd, really. No one, save for those who operated the cranes on Oceania, could pull the ship free from the silt, or raise it unless they had the necessary charges to do the job.

She recalled the first time when they had attempted. They had used charges with way too much force, and they had barely stopped it as it was, but they had. It had been a close shave. Too close.

"Sir, should we go full throttle?" the helmsman asked, his hand resting on the throttle.

"Huh? Oh, yes. Go full throttle, and don't stop! Run the guts out of the engines if you have to, but don't stop for anything! Got that, soldier?!" Sayla snapped.

"Yes, sir!" The helmsman grabbed the comm and buzzed the engine room. "The commander wants full speed, boys! Give it your all and run the guts out of them! Just don't overdo it!"

"AYE!"

The ship rumbled as the engines were upped to maximum power. The helmsman gripped the throttle and pushed it to the stops. The huge ship lurched as it came to an abrupt stop before the props began to chew the water into a froth that seemed impossible to envision by only two propellers.

The aircraft carrier lunged forward, forcing Sayla to grip the console as tight as she could while remaining upright.

She was now speeding forward at full power, and the needles that indicated speed were wavering near the red. A huge wake spread outwards to the rear of the ship like a massive pair of angel wings. The front of the carrier sliced through the water as cleanly as a laser beam through metal. The waves created by the carrier were bigger than the normal wake, and this was indicated as the needles crossed over into the red.

An alarm began to blare as the engines worked over their normal operating limits. Steam gushed out from several pipes, soaking the engineers and the chief engineer as she paced beneath the engines. The warning light flashed on the bridge, catching Sayla's eye.

She rang the engine room.

"Engine room! What's the status?" she asked.

"_Commander, we've got a few burst steam pipes and the engines are overheating big time! They weren't built to take this kind of treatment!_" the chief engineer protested.

"Who cares? Right now, the Dark Axis is planning to raise the _Titanic_, and all you can worry about are the engines!?" Sayla yelled.

"_No. That's not true, Commander!_" the chief engineer replied.

"Then shut the slag up and work on fixing those engines and keeping them cool!" Sayla ordered.

"_Yes, sir!_"

The comm line to the engine room was cut and Sayla went back to studying the horizon.

"How much farther to the site?" Zero asked. It was clear to Sayla that the knight was as anxious as anyone else on board the ship.

"At our current speed, we should be there in about three days," Sayla told him.

"That's not good enough!" Henku suddenly snapped from the radar. "I just picked up a communications between them Dark Axis and Crowler. Seems like he's involved after all, and he's going to provide cover for them. They're gonna raise her now!"

"WHAT?!" Zane's eyes widened in shock. "They're going to raise her _now_?!"

"Yeah. Them creeps were going to use some kind of crane system, I guess."

"That's it! Helmsman! Do it!" Sayla snapped.

"Roger that, Commander!" He gripped a special lever on the dashboard and pushed it forward. An alarm blared as the other alarms shut down in preparation for the emergency procedure.

A mechanical voice sounded as a small antenna on the top of the bridge sent out a signal to the vats network of spacebridges that connected the organization together.

"**_Spacebridge activation sequence engaged. Opening spacebridge. Engaging full manual controls. Commander has the helm._**"

Sayla sat down in the main command seat just as the console opened and two joysticks emerged, each connected to the main systems of the ship. She gripped them and tested the ship's systems.

The ship responded.

"Okay. Everyone, hold on tight! This is gonna get bumpy!" she said.

Those present on the bridge gripped whatever they could and held on tightly. The air in front of the ship began to shimmer as the spacebridge opened.

The carrier passed through quickly.

In an instant, the bridge closed up, leaving them to travel through the colorful warp that was the greatest engineering feat of the Cybertronian-Earthling Alliance.

The trip would take only thirty minutes.

Sayla took one of her hands off the joysticks and flipped a switch that activated all interior ship communications systems. "Okay. Here's the deal. We're going to arrive on site in just a half an hour. We need to be prepared for combat ahead of time, so no lazy slag going on. I want all weapons powered up and all air and spacecraft ready for flight. Get the missile tubes loaded and set up the guns on the sides of the ship! Is that clear, troops?!"

"_YES, SIR!_"

The crew began to work feverishly as they neared the site. With each passing minute, Sayla grew more and more worried. What if they didn't make it in time? What if it backfired? What if? There were just too many "what if's?" involved.

However, they were all unaware of the trap set for them by the Dark Axis…

* * *

_Up above the site…_

Guardian scoffed as he eyed the water below the Komusai. "How much longer?" he asked Shift. The demon mage looked at him before turning back to the Zakorello gate.

"Not much longer, my friend. Once they pick up our phony signals, they'll come. Then, we open yonder gate and send them to my homeland. There I shall finish them," the demonic Gundam purred.

"Well, for your sake, I hope so," Guardian hissed.

"Calm down. This will go accordingly. Besides, this plan will succeed. I can tell you that much, right?" Subzero remarked.

"_Do not fail, Shift, or you will be killed, demon mage or not,_" Shibaomaru hissed over the comm.

"I shall not fail," Shift sneered. It wasn't like he could be killed anyway.

"_I hope not!_" the musha said coldly.

The comm went dead as Subzero stared back out at the water below. "If we want them to come, why not actually raise the wreck? That might get them, plus it will net us the metal needed to complete the operation," he said, watching the waves beneath their ship.

"Sorry, but it's the master's orders. We can't raise it without causing a ruckus here in this dimension. The Intergalactic Federation is already getting information about our plans, thanks to that no good traitor Protoform X, and are no doubt mounting a military operation even as we speak," Guardian explained calmly.

"So?" the former human remarked.

"Look. You used to be with them. They do have a military, no?" Shift asked innocently.

"Yeah, they do, but it's nothing in comparison to the might you have," Subzero explained.

"Even so, they're still figuring out our little secret operation, so they must be terminated," Shift hissed.

"No! If you do, think of the consequences!" Subzero exclaimed. Even if he was no longer with them, he still felt that it was wrong to raise the _Titanic_.

"What's this? Are you actually showing signs of your former self, Subzero?" Guardian purred.

"No! I'm not! I'm a Gundam, and that's it," Subzero replied, looking down at his feet.

"Good. We didn't liberate you so you could continue to feel these pathetic feelings you call emotions. We liberated you so you could become one of us. Your power is untapped, and was being restrained while you were human. We are giving you a chance to fight for power, and you can use it in any way you see fit," Guardian murmured.

"I understand," Subzero obediently replied. Yet, he couldn't help but feel that this was _wrong_. What if those two humans were right? What if he was being a fool? No. He couldn't be. He was free now. And that was all that mattered. He could worry later.

He glanced out the cockpit of the Komusai and smirked. Off in the distance he could see lights coming, and tons of them. The shape of the vessel arriving resembled that of the legendary Nimitz class aircraft carrier. A strange feeling nagged at him, but he brushed it aside. It was time!

* * *

**The passengers and** crew of the _Autobot Hero_ had no idea that what they were sailing into was a trap. The spacebridge had opened a few minutes earlier and the carrier had sped out at forty-five knots. Every one of the Gundam Force members and the TCDA students had assembled out on the deck as the ship arrived on the scene.

Above them hovered the red form of the Komusai. Below were three more cargo ships, each one equipped with a heavy-duty lifting crane. Even so, it seemed a little inadequate for raising a ship that weighed almost half a hundred thousand tons.

"Huh. That's strange," Henku said.

"What's strange, Corporal?" Sayla asked.

"Seems as if them Dark Axis soldiers don't have the lifting power to heave her out of the silt," he replied. "They must be off their rockers if they think they can lift it with only three ships."

"That _is_ strange," Zane murmured.

"Okay. No time for dillydallying. I want everyone here on deck pronto!" Sayla snapped.

"Wait, Sayla! We need to think this through! What if they're planning something?" Kicker asked. "I mean, look at those cranes! I know I'm not an engineering genius like Baston is, but I do know an energon mining support crane when I see one. And those three ships are outfitted with three of them, one per ship. There is no way those things can lift a 46,328 ton ship like the _Titanic_ out of the silt without breaking down. They're designed to haul up 400 tons of energon in an hour, and they're grossly inadequate for hauling up a wreck of that kind of tonnage!"

As the son of a top energon mining expert, Dr. Ken Jones, he knew everything there was to know about some of the equipment used in the business as a result of some of the trips he had taken with his dad to the working energon mines in the vicinity of the Cybertronian colony on Earth where he had been living, Ocean City.

"Kicker, how can you be certain that those are energon mining support cranes?" Sayla asked him.

"My dad taught me all about them and I've seen enough of them to where I can identify them on site! Those there were recently stolen about a few days ago!" he snapped, pointing an accusing finger at them.

"What? They were stolen?" Jaden asked.

"Yeah. They were stolen from an energon mining deposit that was recently discovered on the northern edge of Britain. The guards were baffled. No one has ever stolen a crane before," Kicker replied.

"Well, maybe they're interested in energon," Syrus joked.

"No way! This is serious!" Meisha explained. "Kicker's right. I've seen a few in action and trust me, there is no way a crane like this could lift the _Titanic_ out of the silt!"

"Besides, how could they? That ship is stuck fast in the ocean floor! There's no known method to raise her!" T.J. added. "Unless you count those charges the Dark Axis used, and those things were way too powerful!"

"Okay. So you may be onto something. How come they're using them then?" Sayla asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think it may be some kind of a diversion for another method of some kind. We'll need to go in silently and quietly without being spotted," Kicker said.

"You mean like stealth?" Sayla inquired.

"Exactly, Sayla. This ship's lit up like an energon flare at midnight. If we want to go in, we need to use our heads and not our firepower," Kicker told her.

"Okay. We'll go in stealth."

"Thanks."

Sayla merely smiled as she turned to the bridge tower and waved her hands in the signal for stealth.

The lights were doused and the engines were put on STOP. The wake behind the ship died off as it coasted to a complete stop. The whole stopping process took fifteen minutes tops.

"Okay. Now what?" Syrus asked Kicker.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that they'll have someone waiting for us should we continue forward on the carrier, so I'm going to suggest that we use a launch to get closer to one of those ships. We'll get on board and sneak up to the Komusai," Kicker replied.

"What?! Are you crazy!?" Baston blurted.

"No. He might be onto something. Look," Zane said. He pointed with his finger at the hovering vessel. "If you were paying attention, you might notice how close it's hovering to the crane. If we can crawl along the top of the crane's arm, we might be able to get beneath it."

"Hey, yeah! You're right, Zane!" Baston murmured.

"It gets harder, however. We'll need to sneak on board without getting spotted."

"How can it be harder, Kicker?" Syrus asked.

The brown-haired boy studied the Komusai intently, almost as if he could sense something that they couldn't. "I don't know, Syrus. But I'm going to guess that they'll have sensors on board that can detect intruders."

"So then going in is out of the question," Baston remarked.

"Not entirely. There is a way, but it's very risky," Meisha said softly.

"What is it?" Captain asked; the Gundams and Shute had barely spoken beforehand.

"We get in through the rear engines. If this thing follows standard space protocol, then they'll not have any sensors on board near the rear engines. If they do, then we'll blast our way in through the cockpit. Let's hope that it doesn't come to that," Kicker murmured.

He looked back at them. "There's also a chance that we could get discovered despite the fact that we're now in stealth mode. We'll need to act fast." His gaze flitted over to Sayla. "How long can the ship remain undetected?"

"Not long, if that's what you're worried about," Sayla said. The teenage commander turned and faced the side of the ship. She gazed out over the sea at the spot where the ship had gone down all those years ago.

"Isn't there something that can remain here without being spotted?" Zero asked.

"I can't detect anything else in the vicinity that can remain stationary without getting spotted for long periods of time. The only thing that can would be a submarine, but there are none within a forty mile radius," Captain said.

At the mention of the submarine, a smirk flitted across Zane's face. "Maybe there is. Just not above the sea."

"Huh?"

Jaden looked at him like he was crazy. "How can you be so certain? I mean, last time we were here, there were subs in the area, but there might not be any here right now!" he exclaimed, waving his arms frantically.

"There is one. Before we came out on deck, I took the liberty of checking the area via a spy satellite and I spotted one sub in this very location. They're conducting a ship-to-ship boarding drill with a Kaxian military vessel, and they'll be passing this way in about a couple hours," Zane said confidently.

"Then that leaves us with a very narrow time margin to get in, look around, and get out," Sayla mused. "Not very good planning on your part, Zane."

"That may be true, but there may not be as narrow a time margin as you think. There is actually a good amount of time if we follow Kicker's plan to get on board the Komusai."

"Well, then let's go already!" Shute blurted, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Shute's right. We need to move," Kicker explained. His face was set with determination and he rubbed the bandages across his chest. "Besides, I owe those creeps for nearly killing me and they need to learn that it's wrong to mess with us!"

"I agree there!" Baston said, pounding his fist into an open palm with a slight clang of metal.

Jaden nodded in agreement. "If Subzero's there, I mean to repay him back big time for his betrayal!" he hissed.

Meisha pursed her lips as she eyed the Komusai. She couldn't explain it, but it felt like there was a trap being set for them and that they were walking into it. She brushed the feeling aside and assured herself that she was just edgy. Or she hoped so.

* * *

_The Allies of the Orichalcos Central Command…_

The office of the leader of the organization resembled that of the Oval Office in some ways, save for the highly advanced equipment in several parts of the rectangular room. A desk faced the doorway with a big window behind it showing the massive complex that was the very heart of his organization. A radar receiver was set up on the right side of the room beside a terminal that displayed the newest data with each passing day. The only other piece of equipment was a standard high-frequency interstellar radio as used by all space-faring races. The Seal of the Orichalcos was emblazoned on the carpet in bright green and it actually pulsed with the passing hours, marking time in the units known as the _opulsa_, or Orichalcos pulses.

Right now the leader of the Orichalcos, Dartz, the former king of Atlantis, paced back and forth on the bright blue carpeting, his brow furrowed in thought as he reflected back on the Zakos he had killed last week. He ran a hand through his short green hair and stopped pacing before walking over to his desk and rummaging through it for a file.

This was the umpteenth time he had read it, so he knew it by heart and recited it in his mind even as his eyes scanned the wording.

The file wasn't that big, or that thick, but it held all the information he had accumulated through intense study of the Zako intelligence he had obtained on the chips. He sat down in his seat and opened the folder.

Unlike most other races that used screens to store material they gathered, the Allies of the Orichalcos still used paper, which was supposed to be outlawed by the three main powers. But, as it was, he had always been a bit of a rebel, always following his own methods of attack, defense, and internal affairs.

Born the son of a star merchant and a lowly peasant in the seediest part of town in the capital city of Zxhaviz, he had grown up in a tough neighborhood, discovering his powers of the Orichalcos when he had been first beaten by a gang of roughhouses and paralyzing them with just a short burst. Due to a drinking problem his mother had, she had been unstable and he had moved in with his father, becoming the second in command for his ship, the _Jyasgi_.

Young Dartz had taken command when his father had died in a barroom brawl, developing a knack for stellar shipping and buying a new ship to aide him in the growing family business. He worked hard at only fifteen years old and became the top salesman in the business, buying and selling used freighters to make money and broadening his business assets. He developed a scrap yard for used star freighters, a mine for mining Orichalcos stone when he accidentally uncovered a huge deposit, and a military base for housing the elite of the armed forces.

At age twenty, he was a self-made millionaire. He used his fortunes to start up new health care programs and pushed through a bill to help disabled war veterans and he began to study law. He worked hard in school and became a lawyer before he ran for planetary representative in the Orichalcos Senate.

By the age of thirty five, he had become the vice-leader and developed a network of reliable contacts throughout the organization. He married a top lawyer and had three kids. When the leader died as a result of food poisoning, he became leader.

Despite the political aspects that went with the job, he worked hard amongst the people to make sure that they were cared for and provided the best treatment possible.

Dartz's golden eyes flicked over the report on top of the other files, even though his mind was scanning and reading it out loud.

It was a scout report filed by a mech known only as the Wanderer.

_As I compile this data into this report, I hope to reveal to the universe's inhabitants the dangers that are looming on the horizon. The dangers that are too real to ignore, as they have been in the past. The dangers that require immediate action to be taken and not just debated endlessly._

_This is the report of the Wanderer, sent August 2008 to Dartz, the Allies of the Orichalcos commander-in-chief._

He flipped the page over, taking in the detailed report.

_The things I have seen in this universe are many, and some of them are too gruesome to speak of in mere words. One has to see them for themselves if they are to understand the dangers that lurk in the depths of space and the mists of time. One such danger is the Dark Axis, a band of dimensional conquerors that hunger to become deities._

_The Dark Axis is unheard of in this universe and what little is known has been passed down throughout the ages by simple farmers and herders. These tales are little more than vague legend and have no real resemblance to the dangerous foe that now stands at our interstellar doorstep._

_These legends tell of beings that can turn others to stone, of metal bugs that flit through the skies, darkening the predawn daylight hours with their massive wings, of green humans that carry magical bows that kill with light, of a ship made from blood, of a fiery soul that shines inside the very elder of this race. They considered these beings to be evil gods and formed a religion based off of these legends to keep themselves safe, or so they believed._

_In truth, the Dark Axis has no real resemblance to these mythical deities, but rather are a real, living danger that can be a death for all of us. Such legends are considered to be untrue by the more civilized powers, but to those just starting out and to the more religious, primitive beings, the deities are very real._

_But that is beside the point. The point of this report is to reveal the truth in the camps that they have devised as a means of exterminating organic life as we know it._

_Imagine a place where beings of every kind have met for a get-together. They are happy and content with their lives. Wine flows in the city, and food is consumed while gossip is exchanged. The inhabitants are clothed and healthy. No diseases run rampant, just happiness._

_Now imagine a place without happiness and freedom. This place is a contrast to the peaceful city described above. Diseases run rampant, food is scarce though water is plentiful, the beings look like primitive organics known as Neanderthal humans, or Stone Age peoples, work is intense with no breaks, guards patrol while they whip the innocent beings for their cruel, sadistic enjoyment, and rape is carried out in abundance. This is a concentration camp at work._

_I have snuck inside to gather data, for I was well aware of the danger before it became apparent, as it always has been. I retrieved the data that I needed to compile this report, and at the same time, I liberated a lone being from the first camp I came to. I helped her escape, but I was injured in the process. A scar now is visible upon my face, yet I do not hide it like most others would. I am a wanderer, and the scar is a reminder of that sorrowful fact._

_The camps are filthy and sanitation is horrible beyond words. Only through action can this menace be stopped._

_Back to the main point. The Dark Axis needs to be stopped, no matter the cost. Only actions alone speak louder than words. If these camps are liberated, actions concerning intelligence must be carried out. You are the one I can trust with this information._

_The reason I send this report to you is because I know of your skills in combat and intelligence gathering. I request that this be forwarded to another organization, one that you may have not heard of: the Intergalactic Federation._

_The Federation is small, but they have something you may not: military power that rivals your own. To them, it is how you use the power you have that counts._

_Send this report to them. They'll know what to do._

_Protoform X_

_August 10 2008_

Dartz closed the folder and sighed. He had sent it to the Universal Post Office a few days ago, but they had never heard of the organization.

The buzzer on his desk flashed once, indicating that someone wanted to see him.

He waited as the door slid open and his most trusted advisor walked in.

"Dartz! What's happening?" he asked.

"Nothing much, Justin. What brings you here?" Dartz asked with a smile.

"Oh, usual. Have you been reading that report again?" Justin Yong asked. He was a hulking bear of a man with a big brown beard that went to his lower belly and his eyes were a keen green color. He may have looked like Santa Claus, but he had a quick intelligence that never failed to amaze Dartz.

He nodded silently. "I sent it a few days ago to the Post to have it forwarded to the Federation, yet they haven't heard of them. Have you?" he asked, getting right to the point.

Justin thought for a long minute before his green eyes twinkled. "Of course. Have you heard of the Unicron Battles?"

"Yeah. No one knows who killed him. Why?" Dartz looked at him quizzically.

"Did they happen to say, not who, but _where_ he was defeated?" Justin asked, prodding the leader in the chest with a beefy finger.

"Yes. They said near the Sol Sector of the Milky Way Galaxy."

"Well, there ya go, Dartz!" Justin replied.

"What organizations in that sector could have enough power to defeat him?" Dartz asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Not organizations, but _organization_! The ones who happened to defeat him went by the same name as the organization the Post denied exists!" the big man said, grinning.

"Wait. The Intergalactic Federation?" Dartz murmured, shock filling his very being.

Justin nodded. "That's them."

"How could they?"

"Well, they may be smaller than most powers because of their third-rate status, but they have just as much guts as even the most macho superpower! They took him on three times in a row and beat him each time. Third time was most intense, having destroyed him."

"What? Is that really true?" Dartz whispered.

Justin nodded.

"Yep. That's the truth. I swear it upon the Orichalcos."

Dartz looked out the window at the capital city and studied the skyline. His eyes flicked towards a lone star shining, the one he presumed belonged to the Federation's lead world.

"Hey, somethin' wrong?" Justin asked, noticing the sudden silence.

"No. Just thinking. You know, if the circumstances called for it, if you were the head of the Allies, what would your course of action to deal with the Dark Axis?" he asked.

Justin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Gosh. I don't know. Probably expose them as the scum they are. Why are you asking me? You're in charge."

"Yes, but you're my best advisor. And I need your advice. Not as an advisor, but as lifelong friends. Please."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I think I'd probably liberate one of the camps and get those poor saps out of there before they waste away. Once they were freed and taken care of, then I'd ask them for the layout of the camps, mines, and barracks so as to make the next raid easier."

For a long time there was silence between the two men. When it was broken, it was by Dartz.

"Justin, I'm not sure if I should. I mean, true we have the might, but they just seem to be more elusive than we thought."

"How about the Federation?"

"Huh?"

"Look. Last time I checked, they were conducting an investigation of their own. They sent out a scout team to sneak in and out of the camps with information about them."

"Why would they do that?"

"Not sure, but their determination seems to be great enough to spur them to tackle impossible tasks such as this."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Okay. They're going in because they plan to liberate the camps."

That was more than enough for Dartz. Without another word, he slipped his Duel Disk onto his left arm and strode out of his office, leaving a bewildered Justin behind.

* * *

_On Earth above the Komusai…_

The flyer hovered above the Komusai, concealed as he was in a cloud. He knew that it wasn't a very effective method of hiding himself, but it would have to do for now. He had overheard the plans for the team to sneak on board, but from what he could see, it would be impossible unless they had some means of slipping past the numerous sensors dotting the Komusai's red metallic skin.

He watched with interest as a high-powered launch detached itself from the carrier and engaged the silent magnetohydrodynamic engines. The launch, a small assault boat, actually, sped silently through the rough seas, taking a battering, but continuing to plow on ahead. The engines propelled her forward without creating a massive white wake that would expose them, rather instead teasing the water in jets from the thrusters.

The driver, a female human who was obviously military, headed straight for the nearest vessel, a three-hundred foot long survey ship that had hurriedly been outfitted with the crane for lifting. She pulled up alongside and, using silencers, fired grappling hooks onto the side of the ship, the prongs catching the lip of the rail.

He hovered closer to the edge of his hiding spot and peered down. The team, a group of eight figures and three he knew well, began to scale the lines and in an instant they were on board. No alarms flashed, no Zakos ran to intercept the intruders, making things too easy.

Way too easy.


	30. Deviation! New Plans Are Made!

Chapter 3

Like ghosts searching for a home to haunt, the team flitted about the darkened ship, dressed in dark clothing to hide themselves from any sensors or cameras that were scanning the exterior of the ship for intruders. The flyer noticed that the first of the forms, a small form that had wings sticking out of the back, was running in front of the others, twin blades held at the ready.

This proved to be an interesting development, because the form then began to change from humanoid into a strange looking craft. It looked like a combination fighter plane, spacecraft, and executive jet, but much smaller. The small craft took off and did a complete circle of the area, as if it were scanning for anything out of the ordinary on board all three ships.

A second form, a brown-haired human, studied the craft as the wings began to waggle in a coded message, though the flyer couldn't understand why the wings were waggling.

He could only hope that they didn't go right into the trap he had seen them setting up.

* * *

**Kicker studied the** waggling wing flaps and narrowed his eyes. He translated the message as being clear: _no one on board_. Ever since the accident, the three had devised a system of unheard communication amongst the three, centering on T.J. being able to waggle his wing flaps when in alt mode. Using a modified version of Morse code, they had come up with a system consisting of a specific number of waggles for each letter of the alphabet in different combinations with a slight delay between waggles. After testing this system and committing it to memory, it had become their secret weapon.

"How can there be no one on board?" he said out loud.

The waggling stopped before it resumed, this time spelling out a single phrase: _beats me._

Kicker turned to the others on the boarding party with the news. "T.J. says there's no one on board."

"How can that be?" Sayla asked.

"Don't know. T.J.'s unsure himself." The boy sighed before continuing. "I think we'd better split up into teams to check out the other ships. This way we can see if they're remotely operated or crewed by someone."

"Hold on! We can't just split up! We need to stick together!" T.J. called down from the sky.

"Kid's right. We need to stay close and not split up. Who knows how many crew are here," Baston replied.

"All right. We'll stick together. But we'll check out all three ships. If they're controlled by remote, then we'll just have to override the controls. If not, well, then I don't want to stick around any longer than we have to if we're going to go aboard the Komusai," Kicker replied.

"Okay. Let's go!"

The team split up into two groups of four and one of three. Team One was to check out the stern of the ship, Team Three got the bow, and Team Two tackled amidships.

Kicker led Team Two. He, Meisha, and T.J. had to try and take the bridge, if possible, providing they had four hours before the Dark Axis found them and the sub arrived. He glanced back at his friends tailing behind. T.J. was looking a bit antsy as he ran from cover to cover, and Meisha's eyes were darting about as she followed. He couldn't blame them for being scared. He was scared too, but he kept it hidden from them. He had to remain calm in order for the mission to go accordingly.

This had to go according to plan, or else it was all over for them.

The cargo ship, which Kicker had determined was one of the three missing TriStar class, was only four hundred feet long with a seventy foot beam, yet it made up for its lack of length with speed, as did the other two ships in the class. The ship was a bright green with a single black stripe down the side, and on the rear flagstaff was the Dark Axis sigil.

The trio made their way along the ship's deck, keeping their eyes and optics peeled for any sign of Dark Axis troops.

Strangely, there were none who barged out onto the deck to greet them at the pointed ends of machine guns and rocket launchers. Not even a small drone greeted them. Kicker narrowed his eyes as he scanned the decks of the cargo ship.

"Kicker?" Meisha asked, a little too loudly.

Kicker freaked. "SHH!" He placed a hand on her mouth. He looked around, and a faint shadow of movement caught his eye. The human released Meisha and motioned for her and T.J. to follow.

Both followed him as they crept past a large coil of cable and a pair of containers tied down with standard cable.

The three crept close to the superstructure of the ship, keeping an eye out for anyone in the area.

No one came.

Kicker crept close to the edge of the superstructure and peered around the corner to the stern of the ship. There was no one there, save for Baston, Zane, Syrus and Zero.

T.J. waved from the other side of the structure and Kicker ran over as quietly as he could.

He peeped out at the bow, where he could see Sayla, Shute, Captain, and Jaden dropping down a hole in the deck into the depths of the ship.

"So far so good," he murmured.

"How are we going to get inside?" Meisha asked, glancing upward at the immense structure.

"We go up." Kicker glanced at T.J. out of the corner of his eye. "We need someone who can get us up to the bride without being spotted and T.J., you're the one to do the job."

The young starfighter nodded and grasped his two best friends tightly close to his chest as he ignited the powerful engines located on the sides of his legs.

They hovered up quietly to the top of the superstructure, the journey taking only ten minutes. The former human let his friends down before he hovered down and landed softly on the top of the bridge.

"Okay. Time to get inside," he murmured.

"Um, how exactly are we going to do that?" Meisha asked, a sweatdrop running down the side of her head.

Kicker glanced around the roof when a suddenly noise like a door opening startled him. His eyes flicked over to a trapdoor opening and a green metallic hand reached out.

An idea formed in his mind. He smirked as he motioned T.J. and Meisha behind the huge antenna. He peeked out from around the corner and his smirk grew into a full fledged grin as he spotted two Zako soldiers coming out, one of them obviously carrying a smoldering can of oil. "Perfect."

"Kicker, how are we going to get inside?" Meisha asked impatiently.

"Look. See those Zakos?" Kicker asked, pointing.

Meisha peered out and nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Well, those two are our ticket inside."

"How so?" T.J. asked.

He looked at his friends, a grin on his face, his brown eyes glinting in a mischievous manner.

"We steal their armor and sneak inside. T.J., you'll have to use stealth, if that's okay with you."

The starfighter nodded.

"Okay. Now let's give them something to _sleep_ over," Kicker said, grinning mischieviously.

T.J.'s body immediately began to fade before their eyes in a shimmering fashion, but Meisha and Kicker were used to it, having seen it many times before. In a few seconds, T.J. was completely cloaked to all eyes and sensors. He crept out unseen towards the two Zakos, who were now busy guzzling their oil in two separate containers. They appeared to be getting drunk, in Kicker's opinion. He had seen a few mining `bots get drunk off of high grade energon before, but never standard conventional oil before.

A sudden gurgling from one of the Zakos caught his attention. The Zako appeared to be floating in midair by the throat while the other one was busy drinking. Then the second was hoisted up by the rear plate and it dropped the oil container.

The concealed human-turned-starfighter crept back over carrying the two Zakos, now busy moaning and complaining about the abrupt interruption. They were then dropped onto the rooftop with a loud clanging of metal and T.J. emerged from his stealth state, holding a wing blade to each of their necks.

"Z-zako!" one of them squeaked.

"All right, mono-eyes, listen up! We won't dismantle you if you merely cooperate with us. We need to get inside, and in order to do that, you need to give us your armor. If you don't, our friend here will take you apart piece by piece until nothing remains except for your pathetic metal skeletons!" Kicker hissed. "Now, give us the armor, or else!"

The first Zako nodded frantically, but the second wasn't so easy to convince.

"Why would we do that, zako?" it asked suspicously.

"It could mean your very lives!" Meisha purred, pointing at T.J., who now had his blade close to the Zako's chest.

"No, zako!" the Zako snapped.

Kicker grinned as he looked at T.J. "T.J.?"

"With pleasure!" the young mech grinned. He raised his blade to the sky, where it glinted dangerously before it came down in a rush, followed by a huge spurt of mech fluid landing on the rooftop, followed by a severed Zako head. The optic went dark and the human-starfighter smirked.

"Easy as pie!" he exclaimed.

"Okay. Time to de-armor these two. We're going in." Kicker reached down and picked up the lifeless Zako head.

* * *

**Kicker groaned as** he dropped his armored body down into a laboratory used for analyzing metals to determine the energon content. Meisha followed with an audible grunt, and the very faint sound of metal feet landing on a metal floor echoed last, indicating that T.J. had followed after dispatching the first Zako soldier. They could leave no trace that they had killed them, so Kicker and Meisha had cleaned up the mech fluid before having T.J. dump the bodies overboard into the sea.

Now, as they looked about the lab, Meisha groaned. "Looks like we messed up," she said.

"Yeah. I have to agree on this one. Seems like they retrofitted the ship to a whole new layout. We'll need to explore and see where the bridge is located. If we can find it, that is," Kicker said.

"I sure hope so," T.J. whispered in his ear.

"Zako!"

"Uh-oh! Here comes another Zako!" Meisha murmured.

"You stay quiet, Meisha. Let me do the talking," Kicker said.

Meisha nodded nervously. "O-okay."

The door to the lab opened and a Zako wearing a chef's hat peered in. "Zako! You done with break already, zako?"

"Yes, zako!" Kicker replied, doing a reasonably good imitation of a Zako soldier. If it came down to it, then they would have to fight their way to the bridge, which he hoped it wouldn't come down to.

The Zako studied them critically, as if he could see through their disguises. Kicker's heart pounded in his chest as he started to sweat beneath the stolen Zako armor.

"Can I take him out?" T.J. asked quietly.

Kicker shook his head no. They couldn't afford to jeopardize the mission by killing when it wasn't necessary.

The Zako took note of this gesture and walked inside, holding a frying pan in one hand.

"What's wrong, zako?" it asked with concern in its optic.

"I, uh, forgot the way to the bridge. Must've been all that oil, zako," Kicker lied. He mentally cursed himself for saying such a lame excuse for a cover story.

"That can happen, zako. Just follow this map." The Zako chef handed him a piece of paper with a clear blueprint of the ship on it. He couldn't believe his luck! The Zako had fallen for it!

The Zako turned to the door and prepared to leave, but not before glancing back. "Just make sure not too drink too much diesel oil again, zako. That can give you a nasty hangover, zako!"

"Understood, zako!"

With that fact in mind, the Zako left the lab, leaving the three behind.

Once alone, T.J. shut the door before emerging from stealth. Meisha reached up and removed her helmet, exposing her sweaty face. Kicker did the same and he wiped his sweaty forehead with a rag he had found nearby.

"Primus, I can't believe that Zako fell for it!" she grinned.

"I know. That must've been a less intelligent one," T.J. mused.

"That may be the case, but we at least now have a map of the ship. T.J., you take it and guide us to the bridge. If we can't get to it, then we'll go for the next best place," Kicker replied.

"And where would that be?" Meisha asked.

"The central controls for the crane," Kicker said, grinning broadly.

He tied the rag around his forehead to keep the sweat from getting in his eyes while Meisha tore a piece of cloth off of a nearby curtain and did the same thing. T.J. vanished back into stealth as the two humans replaced their helmets and opened the door.

The three left the lab, T.J. looking at the map in his hands.

"Okay. We have to keep going for another ten corridor intersections before we take a left. Then we keep going until we reach a set of stairs that will lead us right to it," the starfighter murmured.

As they walked down the corridors, Kicker and Meisha encountered a few more Zakos, but they went unnoticed in their disguises, or at least until one of them spotted a fleeting glimpse of a bit of brown hair sticking out of the back of Kicker's helmet.

The Zako shook its head before sighing. _Must be too much oil_.

But, had the Zako considered all the possible angles for failure, then the three intruders would've been exposed, but, like the Greek gods looking down upon Athens in battle, things went in their favor, ensuring that they didn't get spotted by a suspicious Zako.

Kicker smirked as he led Meisha and the concealed T.J. down the corridor, heading past several intersections before he suddenly felt something curl around his arm and pull him into a storage closet. He yelped as his body was roughly pulled into the small space, along with Meisha, and the door slid shut, locking into position.

He lifted up his helmet and saw Meisha doing the same thing just as T.J. emerged from stealth.

"What's the big idea, T.J.?" Meisha asked in a harsh whisper.

"SHH!" T.J. hissed sharply. He placed an audio to the door and sure enough, they could hear a couple of Zakos talking.

Kicker and Meisha dropped their helmets onto the floor with a clanging of metal and placed their ears to the door.

"…according to plan," the first Zako said.

"Good. We need to ensure that those eight intruders don't bother us again, zako," the second one said. Kicker pulled his head away and rubbed a finger in his ear. He wasn't sure if he had heard right. The second Zako lacked the slight childish tone of voice when it spoke. In fact, it sounded more like an adult male human.

"How so, zako?" the first Zako asked.

"We…no. _You_ will dump them into the Zakorello gate. Its coordinates are set for Lacroa. Our agent there will take care of that knight they call Baston, zako."

"What about the human, zako?"

"Oh, the new Gundam? He'll also be taken care of, but with his little friends."

The young mech and the two humans felt fear flood their bodies as they heard these words. All three looked at each other before continuing their eavesdropping.

"Any others, zako?"

"If you see any more intruders, zako, you'll be the one to dump them into the gate. You know where it is, correct?"

"Yes, zako. It's in the main storage bay on the lower deck levels where it always has been, zako."

"Good. Now get them out of my sight and dispose of them as you see fit."

"I will! Zako!"

Two sets of footsteps headed off in different directions, but one of them headed right for their hiding place! Kicker and Meisha and T.J. looked at one another fearfully before T.J. grasped them both by the arms and the two humans felt the familiar tingling sensation of stealth mode overcoming their bodies, hiding them from all sensors and the naked human eye.

The door slid open and a lone Zako came into the room before closing the door and locking it, trapping the three unseen eavesdroppers in with it.

It looked around, as if scanning for anything before it opened a small container. The Zako reached inside and pulled out a small object only twelve inches long and three inches wide. It appeared to resemble a miniaturized version of the strange spacebridge from before.

The Zako glanced around before exiting the closet, leaving the three unseen intruders alone. Kicker grasped the door and closed it swiftly before T.J. emerged from stealth into plain view.

"Primus spark, now that was close!" Meisha gasped.

"I'll say," Kicker said as he walked over to the open container.

"Hey, uh, Kicker? Whatcha doing?" T.J. asked as he watched his friend.

"Looking for something that may be of some help to us," the boy explained as he rummaged through the contents, tossing out strange tulip-shaped objects and a bunch of homemade bombs followed by some grenades that had a Zako face on them and a few axes.

"Wonder what these are," T.J. muttered as he knelt down to pick up one of the tulips. He held it in both hands and turned it over when Meisha yelped.

"Uh, I think you'd better put that down," she murmured.

"Why? It's just a tulip," he said, poking it with a finger.

As if in response to her warning, the tulip suddenly opened upwards to reveal a strange spike with a single blood-red optic on it. T.J. yelped and tried to drop it, but the optic flared again and the next thing she knew, there was a flash of red light that nearly blinded her and forced Kicker to look up, holding a small missile in one hand, a grenade in the other.

Kicker's heart filled with dread as the light faded. The tulip that T.J. had been holding was now attached to his chest, his formerly sky-blue optics now a pulsing blood-red, his youthful face now etched with hatred.

A low primal growl emitted from deep within his throat as he extended his wing blades forward.

"What in Primus name is that thing?!" Meisha blurted, pointing at the spiked hornlike object attached to their friend's chest.

"Not sure, but whatever it is, we have to destroy it!" Kicker explained. He dropped the missile and grenade and went for the nearest close range weapon he could find: an ax.

T.J. let out a fierce cry of rage that matched that of his previous fight with Shift. His optics flared as he swung his blades in a fury that seemed unlike him. Kicker watched as he tensed, his every muscle poised with energy as he studied the erratic attacks.

As the human-starfighter came closer, he exhaled, relaxing in the manner he normally used before combat. His body became relaxed, yet still full of stored energy, enabling him to move swiftly and quickly, almost like a fluid rather than a human being.

The first of the blades barely missed his chest and as the next one came in to sever his head, he ducked, dodging and bringing up the ax in a blocking tactic he had learned a few weeks prior. The blade glanced off the ax, the brunt of the force knocked aside. He lashed out with a sweep kick, knocking T.J, off his feet and onto his back. Kicker drew back the ax and swung it hard. But, due to the strange rage T.J. now exhibited, the former human kicked out right at the human's chest, forcing the wind from his lungs and releasing a searing pain that made him gasp in agony.

A savage grin appeared on his face as he let loose with a victorious cry of triumph, blades coming right at Kicker.

Meisha cried out in shock, but Kicker grinned. He brought an armored fist upward in an uppercut towards T.J.'s jaw, the impact knocking him back, giving the boy enough time to bring the ax upward in a slashing motion, the blade cleaving the strange device on his friend's chest in half, exposing the red Autobot sigil before it fell to the floor of the storage closet, deactivated.

T.J, slumped to the floor, optics dark. Kicker let out a sigh of relief as he dropped the ax to the ground with an audible _thump_.

Meisha walked over to the still form of T.J. and shook his shoulder gently.

A slight moan escaped T.J.'s lips and his optics slowly came on before he blinked once, revealing his optics back to their normal sky-blue hue.

He glanced about the room, confused as to what happened.

"Take it easy, T.J. We don't even know what kind of effects there will be after that thing attacked you, assuming there are any, of course, which I doubt," Kicker said.

"What are you talking about?" T.J. asked, cocking his head.

"This," Meisha said, pointing to the now damaged control device on the floor beside him. "That thing was attached to your chest. Kicker sliced it in half, so there shouldn't be any more problems with it, but I think we'd better begin looking for this Zakorello gate or whatever it is if we're going to find our friends."

"What is that thing?" T.J. asked, poking it.

"Not sure. But I'm guessing that it's a sort of control device, almost like a control horn, but I can't be sure. So I think we'd better leave these alone," Kicker explained as he motioned to the other tulips lying about on the floor.

"O-okay," T.J. stammered, not wanting to be exposed to another one of them again.

Kicker and Meisha retrieved their helmets and put them back on before T.J. vanished into stealth mode again and opened the door.

They left and headed off in the direction of what they hoped were the lower deck levels.

* * *

**The lower decks** of the _Autobot Hero_ were completely as silent as a tomb as the lone form crept throughout the holds, darting like a phantom from beyond the grave throughout the stacks of containers holding ammunition, food, spare uniforms, medical supplies, extra weaponry, and spare parts for the endless supply of equipment on board.

Distinctly feminine in shape, there was the slight air of authority that only came with those of a royal bloodline, indicating that she was of royal blood. Yet, she didn't look the part. Instead of a gown and tiara to mark her royal rankings, she wore a standard infantry uniform for the Earth Federation military forces. Her hair was much too short to be of royalty, yet she had that sense about her as she slipped into a crevasse in between two containers.

Her hair was a light brown and her eyes were a strange color not found on any of the Federation worlds. Her build was slight, yet she seemed to hold a strong force within her as she slithered out the other end of the nook like a snake would.

The princess, if she could be called that, ducked behind a stack of crates and tensed. Her ears picked up the faint word she knew so well as a black-painted Zako soldier emerged from the shadows and ducked under the beam of an automated searchlight as it swept the cargo holds for the ship. She squinted her eyes as she looked at the object the Zako was carrying. Not having that much experience in the area of weaponry, she didn't recognize a prototype Level III energon charge that had been stolen only a few days prior.

The Zako crept close to the side of the cargo hold and pressed its head against the wall, mono eye pulsing slightly.

Finally, with an approving nod, it turned and placed the charge on the side of the bay before running off, holding a detonator in its hand. The princess frowned as she aimed her hand at the shadows where the Zako was hiding. She focused on calling up her powers and a slight yelp told her that it was a success. The Zako came staggering out, holding its eye, which was dark, which was a clear indication of blindness.

"Zako! What happened?!"

"Yes!" she murmured softly.

Hopefully this Zako would be her key to getting to the first ship of the three and to the lower deck holds where the gate resided.

* * *

**Kicker barely skirted** the last patrol of Zakos as the three continued into the depths of the cargo ship. The last three corridor intersections had been packed with Zakos, so T.J. had had to carry the two humans in stealth across the sea of mono eyes, which had been nerve-wracking in itself. Each time a Zako glanced upward, he had felt like they had been discovered, which was highly unlikely.

How they managed to avoid getting caught was a miracle, but that would have to wait.

Meisha let out a silent yelp as a Zako barreled into her and forced her into T.J.'s arms. The concealed mech grabbed her and held her tight as the Zako glanced at Kicker out of the corner of its optical lens.

Kicker felt his breath catch in his throat and he gulped.

The Zako just grunted before continuing on.

"Close one," T.J. murmured.

Kicker nodded. "Tell me about it. Let's keep going."

"Right."

The two followed as Kicker led them into yet another corridor junction. T.J. emerged from stealth now that they were sure that they were alone and glanced at the map.

"Okay. We have to take a left and keep going until we reach a door that says Cargo Bay 1 on it. That'll be where the gate's held," he explained.

"Good thing too. We've nearly been discovered multiple times and we're running on borrowed time as it is. We need to make this fast and get out of here," Kicker said.

"But we haven't learned anything," Meisha said.

"We have in my opinion. They're obviously planning something that has to do with the wreck. Plus, they have the Zakorello gate, which is a clear indication that they're planning to amass their armies somewhere here in the Federation, presumably on an old abandoned outpost such as Yetai V in the Orcan sector of the Milky Way," Kicker explained.

"Primus…" Meisha whispered.

"Geez…" T.J. was speechless.

"If that happens, it's all over for all of us," the boy said grimly.

"So, now what?" Meisha asked.

"We try to see where they're hiding the gate and, if what we heard is true, then we'll find our friends there. C'mon!" Kicker said, turning and walking off. Meisha and T.J. followed after him.

Kicker reached up and removed his helmet to wipe the sweat out of his face, despite the rag tied around his forehead. Meisha did the same thing while T.J. kept his audios alert for any sounds of incoming Zakos.

He dropped it and led the other two down the corridor till they reached an intersection with a much bigger corridor. T.J. glanced quickly at the map and nodded while pointing to the left.

They turned left and kept walking for what seemed to be an eternity before T.J. suddenly snatched both humans by the arms and pulled them into an open doorway before closing it just as three Zakos came around the corner, talking in low whispers.

All three intruders had their heads against the door, listening to the whispering Zakos as they walked by.

It felt like they couldn't even breathe for fear of being detected easily. But, to their relief, the gods were smiling down upon them as they let out a collective sigh. The Zakos had left.

"Boy, that was close," T.J. murmured. T.J. turned and his mouth fell open at the sight before him.

"Tell me about it. That time I thought we would get discovered for sure," Meisha mumbled.

"Yeah. I have to agree there. Our luck's been holding so far, but who knows when it'll run out. In the meantime, we have to try and find Cargo Bay 1," Kicker said.

He then noticed that T.J. seemed a bit out of it. Reaching up with his hand, he waved it in front of his friend's face.

"Hello? T.J.? You okay, buddy?" Kicker asked.

"Uh-huh. But I think we might've found the cargo bay," T.J. said, his voice full of awe.

Confused, both humans turned and let out gasps of awe and shock.

They had indeed penetrated the desired cargo hold. In front of them stood a huge gate-shaped structure about as tall as three Autobots stacked on top of one another in robot mode, complete with weapons. The outline was a sinister yellow color and on the top were two green eyes that roamed the cargo hold. The center was pitch black, save for some purple 'teeth' that moved up and down, as if chewing something.

"Rello…"

"Holy Primus…Is that thing the Zakorello gate?" Meisha whispered.

"I think so," Kicker agreed.

"GAH!" T.J. snatched both humans and then they were gone, hidden in stealth mode as a Zako looked over, having heard the mysterious yelp. "Zako?"

Kicker and Meisha held their breath as the Zako shrugged and turned back to a screen that displayed the stats of the gate.

"C'mon!" T.J. hissed. He guided the two humans down a narrow set of stairs to a row of computer consoles that remained unmanned. Kicker guessed that these were automated controls to control the gate's functionality and status.

They continued past the controls before T.J. pulled them behind an unoccupied console that faced the gate and hid them from view.

Now certain that detection was minimal, they all emerged from stealth and peeked out around the edge of the console.

In front of the gate, they could see a cage of some kind, and in that cage were several trussed up forms.

T.J.'s optics narrowed as he zoomed in on the forms, hoping to spot their friends and the Gundams, but he couldn't get a good view without exposing himself. They were already on borrowed luck as it was.

A Zako turned to a second Zako that wore a strange badge around its neck dangling over its chest.

"Zako, are they ready, zako?"

"Yes, zako."

"Good. Powering up the gate, zako."

"Coordinates set for Lacroa, zako!"

"Gate opening, zako!"

"Rello…"

The gate suddenly began to expand into a circular shape, the 'teeth' gnashing together before parting to reveal a damaged castle with vines crawling up the sides and rubble strewn about.

"Hey! Isn't that supposed to be Zero's homeland?" Meisha asked in a quiet whisper.

"Yeah. It is. Let's see if we can get a closer look," Kicker whispered back.

T.J. nodded and prepared to grasp their arms to engage the stealth field. However, as he moved, his foot brushed a nearby bucket and sent it rolling across the floor, catching the eye of several Zakos in the area. "Zako?"

Kicker glared at T.J. just as a little vein appeared on his head. "Great. You just had to kick the bucket, didn't you?"

T.J. shook his head. "I didn't even know it was there!" he blurted.

"Um, guys? I hate to interrupt, but…" Meisha pointed at the Zakos who had stood up, exposing weapons in their grasps, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

"Okay. Time for Plan B," Kicker said, a sweatdrop running down the side of his head.

"And just what's plan B?" T.J. asked.

"RUN!" Kicker yelled. He turned and ran for the stairway, but three Zakos were in front of it, blocking them.

"This way!" T.J. yelled, waving his arm at the gate.

Meisha stared blankly at him. "You have got to be kidding me," she said.

"It's either go through the gate or get killed by a bunch of Zakos who look like they just missed dinner!" T.J. snapped. He grabbed Meisha's hand and Kicker's hand and ran for the gate. "C'mon!"

The three fugitives ran as fast as their legs could carry them to the gate. As they ran, Meisha's foot knocked against a bucket containing a bunch of little horn-shaped objects, tipping it over and sending the little horns rolling about the cargo bay, resulting in a rather humorous scene of Zakos slipping and sliding on them as they struggled to reach the fugitives.

But, thanks to the head start they had gained on the Zakos, they reached the gate just as one Zako managed to push the cage with its occupants through the gate before pulling it back out, revealing an open door and the occupants missing.

"NOW!" Kicker yelled. T.J. let go and all three dove headfirst into the gate, hoping that they would all come out in one piece, wherever they were heading.

A flash of light erupted, blinding the Zakos and forcing them to hold their hands in front of their optics as the gate's destination faded, but not before two more forms darted through the gate at the last minute, one of them carrying the other in its grasp…

The light faded, exposing the gate back in its closed state, eyes still roaming the cargo bay, but not searching for anything new as they closed for shutdown.


	31. Arrival in Lacroa! Everyone Is Separated

Chapter 4

A lone Zako waved the _Shining Star_ into the nearest dock grasped the lines to tie it up. The ship was to remain open for study, and the crew was to report back to the General of how they captured it. But, the strange thing was, there was no record of a crew being assigned to capture a Federation vessel. Then again, it might have been a mission for an elite group of Zakos.

The Zako considered this angle, and while it was busy doing that, the five man crew crept out under the cover of the darkened docks.

Sing smirked as Diana scouted ahead, holding her pistol in her hand. She turned back and waved the others forward. They continued a process of leapfrogging behind the others until they reached the end of the docks.

Ahead of them lay the first camp they saw.

Sing let out a low whistle as he took in the defenses mounted around the perimeter.

"Looks like they've got more defenses than that Fort Knox back on Earth," Justin remarked.

"Yeah. Too many. It seems as if they want to keep something in and others out. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say they're hiding something much bigger than a mere concentration camp going on," Sing said slowly as he looked around.

Diana nodded. "Not even the old Kaxian war camps had this many defenses. Look. They've got way more than enough sensors to detect intruders. It's almost too overdone, like a mad scientist's laboratory," she said.

"You've been reading too many horror texts," Sig remarked, rolling his good eye.

"Enough. We need to see how we can get in without being spotted, if that's even possible," Harvey said anxiously.

Sing knew that the communications officer tended to get a bit edgy when confronted with a problem like this one.

"We'll figure out a way in, despite the odds. Remember, the President entrusted us with this mission, and we can't blow it. This may be the mission that we can't afford to mess up. There's valuable data in there, not to mention thousands of beings who need our help. We can't fail now, nor ever. This is what we need to do, and we'll do it," he said.

"I was afraid of that," Harvey moaned.

The team turned back to the camp and began to make their plans for invasion.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_A lone figure scowls. Time to intervene. The form darts out from the cover of the nearest ship and runs for the edge of the camp where the humans are located. This time, there can be no mistakes in the plans. This has to work, or else all has failed, and that can't come to pass, not at a time when they're needed the most._

* * *

**The sound of** birds chirping was the first thing he registered as his systems slowly came back online. His vision began to clear and he blinked his eyes a few times to clear the fuzziness that remained. He felt a bit groggy, almost like he had been drugged, although that was impossible giving that he had been turned into a Gundam by that traitor Subzero.

He shook his head to lessen the pounding that accompanied the clout he had received. He raised a hand to his helmet and gently fingered the spot, feeling for a dent. He let out a sigh as he felt no dent, but the spot was rather sore.

Still holding his head, he staggered to his feet and wound up falling right into his rear plate as a wave of dizziness overcame him.

"Ugh…man! Those guys can really deliver a knockout blow," he murmured.

The dizziness passed and he got back to his feet.

He looked down at his body, hoping to spot any damage that could've been dealt while he was out cold. No damage was visible as he checked every spot he could think of.

Satisfied that there was no damage, he glanced up and let out a gasp of astonishment at his surroundings.

He was no longer on board the ship, as evident by the lack of seawater smells in the air and the sun warmed his armor, indicating that it was daytime, wherever he was.

Rubble lay strewn about in the street where he had woken up. All around him were damaged buildings, and a few strange bugs that looked like metallic beetles flitted around, eyeing him as if he were a tasty treat, their stingers moving in and out like little tongues. He shuddered as he remembered those grey clouds back on Earth that had turned people to stone. A few homes were still intact, save for some whose whole top levels had been blown off. Off to the right stood a castle with impact marks and large blast scars across its façade. The big twin oak doors had been blown open and a few windows were blown out.

He wasn't definitely on Earth anymore.

"Where am I?" he softly murmured.

No answer reached his audios, save for the birds chirping in the sky and the footsteps beyond the rubble. Wait. _Footsteps?!_

Jaden turned and grasped the edge of the rubble pile and began to clamber up to get a better view of the area. The whole thing was full of some jagged parts and he grazed his palm on a sharp piece of rock. A small bit of mech fluid oozed out, but he simply wiped it on his armor and continued to climb.

His foot slipped on a loose piece of rubble, forcing him to grab onto a pipe that extended out from on top of the pile. The small nick on his hand released a wave of pain that nearly made him let go, but he gritted his teeth and pulled himself up onto the top of the pile.

Now he had a better view of the city, but not exactly. Off in the distance, he could see people milling about, some hauling rubble away, some repairing shops and homes, a few tending to the wounded. Amongst the people Knight Gundams mingled, aiding them in the repair efforts of the city, along with Gundam _femmes_.

Jaden felt his Soul-Drive skip as a pretty femme with captivating blue eyes looked at him and winked. He waved back slightly, and she giggled before she ran off.

A noise not too far off startled him and he barely dodged a swing from a woman carrying a broomstick. A blur of speed caught him by surprise and he lost his footing. He waved his arms to try and regain his balance, but it proved to be futile. He lost his balance and went sliding down the rubble pile, throwing up dust that made him cough.

He looked up at the top of the rubble and was surprised to see a small Gundam with bright purple eyes running down the side carrying a piece of bread in her tiny hands. Her armor was a bright pink, or so he guessed, but with all the dust on her he couldn't be certain. Her soul stone was a bright green and a small pair of pixie wings stuck out of her back, glittering in the sunlight.

"And stay away, you little street urchin!" the woman called down.

She turned and walked off, carrying the broom over her shoulder before she resumed sweeping the dust off the sidewalk to her battle-scarred house.

Jaden got to his feet and brushed off his armor slightly before heading over to her. He needed to know where he was and where his friends were, and this seemed like a good place to start.

"Um, excuse me, but…"

The woman stopped sweeping and glared at Jaden through eyes that seemed to be carved from stone.

"Oh great. Not another street urchin," she snapped.

"Street urchin?" Jaden cocked an invisible eyebrow.

"What do you want? If you want food, then I don't have any. That street rat took my last batch of bread from me."

"I'm not here for food, and I'm no street urchin," Jaden explained, hoping to get her to see reason.

"Hmph." The woman turned and went back to sweeping, leaving Jaden alone. He sighed as he continued walking throughout the recovering city.

He wondered why she had mistaken him for a street urchin. He didn't look all that bad, did he?

A slight giggle reached his audios and he spun around, eyes scanning for the source of the sound.

A soft female hand landed on his arm and he turned, only to find himself staring into those same blue eyes of the femme he had waved to earlier. Her eyes were the most prominent feature she had, contrasting with the green and red of her armor. A bright purple cape fluttered behind her and she had a blue soul stone. Her helmet was flanked by two leaves that centered around a bright blue sapphire in the center of her forehead. When she giggled, a purple light came on in the slats of her mouthpiece.

"Uh…" He felt his voice trail off as she guided him through the streets of the city for what seemed to be an eternity until they reached a somewhat battle-damaged house on the far outskirts of the city.

She stopped in front of the door and pushed it open to reveal an interior that resembled something from a peasant house. A simple table stood in the center of the room where a wood-burning stove was located in the far right corner, a mirror right next to a sink made from an old rain barrel. An open doorway led to a small bedroom with three beds inside and there were no glass windows, save for an open spot in the roof where the chimney stuck out.

She released his arm and closed the door just as two humans came out from the bedroom.

"Mama! Papa!"

"Arthia!" the woman cried.

The femme ran over to the two humans who knelt down and hugged her. Jaden sat down on the floor and took the time to study them.

The female human had green hair and blue eyes and wore a simple tunic with an apron over the front. Her skin was heavily tanned, indicating a hard working mother who kept house and worked the fields with her husband.

The man's hair was brown with purple eyes like the Gundam femme, Arthia. He was clothed in a simple shirt and pants made from cloth the woman wove. He wore nothing on his feet and his calloused hands indicated a field worker's job. His build was brawny and slightly on the lanky side, but he had a sense of humor that made others laugh no matter how boring his jokes were.

"Arthia! I'm so glad you came home," the woman said.

"Now, Jesta, you know how she gets. She always brings home someone to dinner," the man said jokingly.

"Bernardo, stop making fun of her!" Jesta replied with a playful scowl on her face.

"Uh…thanks, I think," Jaden replied, looking at them. He didn't know why Arthia had brought him to this peasant house on the outskirts of the city. "Why did you bring me here anyway?"

Arthia giggled before looking at him and grabbing a broom, did a perfect imitation of the woman he had first run into. "You ran into old Gerta. She always chases street kids away from her house. She must've chased you off too."

Jaden nodded. "Yeah. She called me a street urchin, but I'm not."

Bernardo eyed him critically. "Arthia always wants to make sure that Gerta doesn't harm any of the kids she chases off, especially the young ones. She always brings them home so we can give them a place to stay for a night," the farmer said seriously.

Jaden cocked his head in confusion. "But, why me?"

Jesta sighed. "Look. Why don't you get cleaned up and we'll have dinner. Then we'll talk, okay, dear?"

Jaden merely nodded as she left to go back into the bedroom. Bernardo grabbed a hoe hanging off a rack on the wall and left out into the fields, Arthia tailing dutifully behind.

He got off the floor and headed over to the sink to wash up.

As he dipped his hands into the cool water, he glanced into the mirror to study his reflection. His body was scuffed and dirty from his fall down the rubble pile and a small streak of black across his lower torso reminded him of the injury on his right palm. The lightning design on the compartment that held his Soul-Drive was covered in dust and his V-fin had lost its usual glimmer under the dirt that covered it. The only other parts that were shown to be dirty were the white part, aside from the lightning design on his arms.

"No wonder she thought I was a street urchin," he murmured.

He grasped a nearby towel and put it in the water, soaking it. He took it out and began to wipe himself down. _Hopefully, these people could help me find my friends._ Jaden thought to himself.

* * *

**"Owww!" T.J. sat** up and rubbed his head as he looked around the field the three had landed in the middle of. Meisha lay on the ground beside Kicker, rubbing her own head and Kicker was holding his chest where his ribs had been broken a week earlier.

"Man! That was unexpected!" Meisha murmured.

"Tell me about it. Where in Primus name are we, anyway?" Kicker asked, glancing around the field.

"Beats me. Maybe we ought to do a quick scan of the area to gain an idea of the terrain. This way we can figure out where we need to go," Meisha suggested. She began to remove the stolen Zako armor she was wearing.

"Good idea," Kicker agreed. "T.J., can you do a scan of the area to get an idea of the terrain?" he asked as he began to remove his own armor.

"You got it!" T.J. replied. He transformed into alt mode and fired up his engines. The two humans watched as the young mech circled for fifteen minutes before he came in for a landing.

"Well? How does it look?" Kicker asked.

"The terrain is mostly grassy hills and fields. I counted at least ten areas where the locals are growing crops, except for a city that looks like it's been blasted to pieces with a laser cannon. There's a castle there and the place looks abandoned," T.J. reported.

"A castle? Any space ports or anything of that nature?" Meisha asked, rubbing her arms. Now that they had the heavy armor off, it was a relief to be able to move faster again.

"No, Meisha. No sign of any kind of tech save for a bunch of Gundam males and femmes. There's no other kind of technology in the area."

"Anything else, T.J.?" Kicker asked.

"Well, I did manage to get a lock on Jaden, but that's it, really. Seems like we all got split up when we arrived here."

"Where are we exactly?" Kicker asked as he looked around.

"How should I know?!" T.J. blurted. "We could be anywhere for all I know!"

"Wait. Remember how Zero told us about Lacroa? Of how it was a medieval version of Earth, but much more up-to-date in some aspects?" Meisha asked, recalling Zero's explanation of his homeland.

"Yeah. So?" T.J. said, cocking his head.

"Well, what if we are in _Lacroa?_" Meisha asked softly.

"Huh?"

"Think about it. Lacroa is a place with no technology, a land of lore, magic, and power. A land of historic Middle Age proportions."

"…Primus…" Kicker's voice fell silent in awe.

"No way…" T.J. was speechless.

Meisha nodded. "Yes way, guys. We're in Lacroa, Zero's homeland."

"Okay. So now we've got a general idea of our location, but where in Lacroa are we?" T.J. asked.

Kicker looked around, taking in the sights. Finally, he pointed off towards the kingdom. "Looks like we're in the main kingdom. That's the main city right there, right where that castle is. Seems like we've arrived during recovery."

"Recovery?" T.J. parroted.

Kicker nodded. "Yes. I just saw a mule go by carrying supplies for repairs. Tape, hammers, nails, that kind of stuff. Let's go see if we can find someone who can help us."

"I agree," T.J. said, nodding.

Meisha smiled and nodded back.

The three got to their feet and prepared to go down to the city to check it out when a loud hee-hawing caught them by surprise. They turned only to come face-to-face with a mule chewing hay.

T.J. clamped a hand to his nose and mouth to block out the stench along with Meisha and Kicker. "Geez! I didn't realize how bad these animals stank!" he blurted.

"Is that any way to treat ol' Bessie here?" a voice asked from above the animal.

"Huh?"

The humans and human-machine peered up at a peasant man who had bright green eyes and slicked back purple hair. His skin was tanned from a life of field work and he wore a brown shirt and pants. His feet were encased in sandals that were made from leather and he had a build that made T.J.'s two-foot size difference seem irrelevant. He smiled at them.

"You three look like you're doing some traveling, no?" he asked in a deep calming voice.

"Yes. We are. Can you give us a lift down to the kingdom?" Kicker asked warily.

"Sure. I'm heading down that way anyway. There's intense recovery going on down there, and I'm bringing in supplies to help with the efforts," the man said.

"Thanks, mister…" Meisha's voice trailed off.

"Hendy. James Hendy," the man said, holding out a hand.

"Thanks, Mr. Hendy," Kicker said, shaking the man's hand.

The man just laughed and waved a hand. "Please. Call me Jim. Everyone else does."

"Sure thing."

"Now, what are your names? Can't have strangers traveling without knowing their names now, can I?" Jim asked.

"No. Guess not," Kicker said with a laugh. "I'm Kicker Jones, this is Meisha Johnson, and that mech over there is Takijamu "T.J." Okashi."

"Seems like a strange name for a Gundam like him," Jim said, eyeing the human/machine.

"That's the thing. He's no Gundam. He's a human who suffered an accident some years ago back where we come from," Kicker explained. He had decided that it was too risky to explain the full story, so he had condensed it into one sentence.

Jim eyed him thoughtfully before speaking again. "Where you youngsters from? It's not that often we see kids traveling the countryside."

"We come from way out of town. We're just stopping through," Kicker said.

"Oh. Thought you'd explore and see the sights, eh? I like that. Come on. Get in the cart and I'll drive us into town. You can stay with my sister," Jim said.

"Thanks, Jim."

The peasant smiled and the three kids stepped around the mule to take a look at the cart. It wasn't much bigger than a tractor trailer truck, but it was much roomier.

T.J. clambered in first followed by Meisha and Kicker. Jim nodded his approval and smacked the reins twice. "Hap-hap!"

The mule began to move forward and the cart trundled along behind.

T.J. poked his head up from the back. "So, what kind of supplies are you brining?" he asked.

Jim turned to look down at him and smiled. "Oh, hammers, nails, metal, the works. The people of the kingdom need to rebuild the place before those Dark Axis creeps show up again. In fact, it's of the utmost important, according to the king."

"The king!?" all three kids asked.

"Yes. The king decreed it, so thousands of others are pitching in with the recovery effort," the man said simply.

"Wow," T.J. said.

"Hey, uh, Jim?" Kicker asked.

"Yeah, Kicker?"

"You wouldn't happen to have seen a few of our friends around, would you?" the boy wondered.

Jim shook his head. "No, son. Not unless you count Zero the Winged Knight as one of them, then I can't help you there."

"Zero?! He's here?" Meisha breathed.

"Yep. He's back down at the castle. Why?" Jim asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Just curious," Meisha said quickly.

Jim suddenly looked at them directly. "Well, come to think of it, I did happen to see a Gundam with wings coming out of his back. Looked like a mechanical angel almost, 'cept for the strange crest on his shoulders."

That got the three children. Kicker climbed out of the back of the cart to sit next to Jim. "What color were the Gundam's eyes?" he asked.

"Green. As green as the grass around us. Why?" Jim asked.

"Just curious. That's all."

"He wouldn't happen to be a friend of yours, would he?"

"Not really. He's helped us out a few times, but we don't know his name," Kicker said sheepishly.

"Bummer. Helps to know someone's name before you can talk to 'em," the peasant said seriously.

"I bet."

"Anyway, what's your reason for going to the kingdom?" Jim asked them.

"Just to see the sights and to try to help out if we can," Kicker said.

"Well, that's a noble reason, young one. Your mother recommend you for knighthood?" Jim asked with a smile.

"No. She didn't. It's law in our area to always try to help others when they need it the most. Guess you could say it's a code of conduct that's been ingrained into us throughout the years," Kicker said, trying to explain the Federation in a way that didn't give the fact they were from another dimension away.

"Seems that way to me."

"Anyway, thanks for giving us this lift, Jim."

"No problem. Least I can do for you youngsters. Especially since you want to help out with what you can."

"How long does it take to get to the kingdom by cart?" Meisha asked curiously.

""Bout three days, especially if you got a mule as good as Bessie here."

"That's good. This way we'll be able to help out with what we can, but first, we need to find one of our friends. He's a Gundam with a lightning bolt design on his armor and brown eyes on a white eye screen background with a gold V-fin on his head," T.J. said, drawing a V shape in the air with his fingers.

"Oh. Well, can't help ya there. But, if you want, you can stop and rest up at Kidi's."

"Kidi?" Meisha asked.

Jim nodded. "She's my sister. Runs a bed-and-breakfast out of her house. She'll book ya up with some good rooms. The place's on the edge of the kingdom. Enables you to go to the fields or to the castle. Best place to stay while you hunt for your friends."

"Thanks, Jim."

"No problem."

The cart continued on in silence for the remainder of the journey to the city. Kicker eyed the castle as it loomed ahead, seeming like a demon from Hades in the sun due to the damage it bore. He shuddered at the mere thought of the death that might have occurred. He could only hope that the others were all right, wherever they were.

* * *

**High above in** the sky over the fields, a familiar flyer darted about, emerald green eyes scanning from side to side as he flew over a peasant house cluster.

"Wow…So this is Zero's homeland. Didn't expect it to be so medieval looking," he muttered under his breath.

The flyer curled his body around and flew off to the right at a forty-five degree angle, homing in on the signals he was picking up from that camouflage colored mech. He could see them below, the starfighter that was the mech circling the area, sensors going at full power, scanning the terrain and surveying the location in relation to their current position.

He darted into a nearby cloud, being sure to stay well out of range of the starfighter's range before peeping out and down at them. He could see that they were talking about something, but what it was eluded him. This discussion continued until the three were caught by surprise by a mule and peasant farmer.

They chatted for a bit before getting in the cart the mule was towing and headed towards the kingdom. The flyer decided to not follow them and instead concentrated his search pattern on Zero. He knew that the knight had a tendency to flirt with femmes, but that fact was irrelevant in his search pattern.

He sped out of the cloud and began a systematic sweeping motion as he flitted from left to right, scanning for the energy signature he knew to be Zero's Mana. No sign of the Mana appeared on his scanners and he sighed.

"Time to start elsewhere."

* * *

**Jaden let out** a sigh as he finished toweling off his armor with the towel he had been given. He glanced back at his reflection in the mirror and smiled to himself behind his mouthpiece.

The dust and grime had been cleaned off, revealing the usual glimmer of his V-fin and the familiar bright yellow color of the lightning pattern he was used to.

He draped the towel over one of the chairs and peered back at his reflection. He poked his mouthpiece with a finger out of curiosity. _I wonder if this thing can come off_. Jaden thought to himself.

He focused on retracting it back into the sides of his helmet.

Sure enough, with a slight hiss, his mouthpiece slid back into the sides of his helmet, exposing his lower face, which mostly resembled that of his human form.

He stared for a moment before smiling and nodding in approval.

Jaden turned just as the door to the house opened and Jesta walked in carrying a basket of eggs and Arthia followed with a jug of milk.

"How did it go?" Jesta asked.

"Fine. I managed to get the grime off, which is a huge relief," Jaden explained.

"I bet. So, are you thirsty?" she asked.

Jaden nodded.

Jesta smiled. "Okay. Wait here. I'll be right back."

She turned and left, leaving Jaden alone with Arthia.

Now that he was alone, he decided to get some information. He approached Arthia as she turned to face him.

"What is it?" she asked timidly.

"Look. I just want a few answers, okay? No big deal," Jaden said simply.

"Okay."

"Great. First thing I wanted to ask you was if you knew where I am."

"…" Arthia stared in silence before she burst out laughing in amusement. "Silly! You don't even know that you're in Lacroa? You must have hit your head or something!"

Jaden fingered the spot where he had gotten hit by a Zako nervously. "Yeah. Guess you could say that."

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Yeah. Have you seen any others around?" Jaden inquired.

"Others?" Arthia cocked her head in confusion.

"Yeah. A human with a gun on her back, a boy with dark blue hair and a boy with a visor, and a Gundam with steel grey eyes," Jaden said, describing his friends simply.

Arthia shook her head. "No. I haven't. Why?"

"Just curious. That's all."

"Oh."

Jaden let out a sigh of defeat. He was considering leaving when Jesta opened the door and came back into the house carrying a clay pot, her husband behind her.

"It's not much, but it'll do."

She took an earthenware cup and poured some of the liquid inside the pot out.

"I hope you like herbal tea. It's my mother's recipe handed down through the generations."

"Well, at least it's better than nothing," Jaden muttered as she handed him the cup.

He took a sip cautiously. It tasted a bit like the spicy tea his uncle made, just without as much spice to it.

"Mmmm. It tastes good."

"Glad you like it," Jesta said happily.

Jaden took another sip.

"You know, we never learned what your name is. Could you please tell us who you are?" Bernardo asked.

Jaden's eyes snapped open and he gasped, inhaling some of the tea. He began to cough violently as he smacked himself in the chest to clear his intakes.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" Jesta was clearly alarmed.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he rasped. He coughed a few more times. "I just didn't expect you to ask me that so soon."

"Sorry. But we really want to know."

Jaden's eyes flicked down to the lightning bolt design on his chest armor. "The name's Voltage." As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately regretted it.

"Voltage, huh? Not a bad name, considering the design of your armor," Bernardo remarked.

"Huh?" Jaden couldn't believe his audios. He had said the first thing that had come to his mind, and yet, these people liked it.

The former human smiled to himself.

_'Okay. As long as I'm here in Lacroa, and until I find my friends, my name is Voltage_.' he thought.

_(Note: From this point on, Jaden's name will be replaced with Voltage until he meets up with his friends again. So don't flame me!)_

The dinner that was prepared wasn't that much, but it would have to suffice, Voltage mused.

Jesta asked him a few questions herself, but he merely avoided answering in case he let something slip. It was a wise choice. He really didn't trust these people, yet they had given him food and drink. Nonetheless, he decided to leave as soon as it was possible.

After dinner was finished and the dishes were washed in the primitive sink, he was given a space on the floor where a spare mattress had been set up for him. He lay down and closed his eyes, but didn't fall asleep.

He lay there for what seemed to be forever, when it was only an hour. The sounds of steady breathing and light snoring filled the peasant house. Voltage opened his eyes and slid off the mattress. He made sure to approach the door as silently as he could without waking them up. He grasped the door handle in his hand and opened it quietly.

He peered out into the night. No sign of anyone coming save for a traveler with a cart and a mule. Voltage focused on his mouthpiece coming on over his lower face. It slammed on over his lower face and he let out a sigh of relief. At least now he was prepared.

* * *

**Kicker glanced up** at the sky overhead as the stars shimmered overhead. The only thing that really bothered him was the lack of a moon in the night sky. He turned to look at his friends.

T.J. had closed his optics and was practically sound asleep in the hay bales that filled the cart besides the supplies for the kingdom. Meisha sat awake against a barrel that rattled every time the cart bounced over a rut in the road, looking out at the kingdom ahead. She seemed to be a bit worried about something.

"Meisha? You okay?" Kicker asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine," she said, smiling at him.

Kicker frowned. "Something's wrong, right?"

Meisha's smile faded and she nodded. "Yeah. Something _is_ wrong. I can't stop thinking about this whole thing and about what they were talking about. Just who is their agent here?"

"Not sure, but it sure as Pit can't be Jim. Otherwise he would've attacked us and bound us up with whatever he has in this thing. Plus, he's just too nice a guy," Kicker murmured.

"I would like to agree with you, but something keeps bothering me. It's almost as if they had plans to send us here, although I can't figure out why."

"I know, Meisha. But right now we have to focus on figuring out how to get back home and finding our friends. That's the main thing."

"Good idea, son," Jim said from the front of the cart.

"Huh?" Kicker's eyes snapped up to him. "How much did you overhear?" he asked, now slightly suspicious.

"Enough to tell me that you're from _way_ out of town. As in out there," the man said, waving one of his hands up at the stars.

"Okay. You got us." Kicker leaned over and shook T.J. awake.

"Huh? Are we there yet?" he moaned sleepily.

"No. Jim overheard me and Meisha talking and he figured it out," Kicker said.

"WHAT!?" T.J. blurted.

"Take it easy. He's not an enemy."

"You got that one right, kid. I'm just a simple peasant who wants to do his part in the world. Plus, with the kind of weapons you have, I doubt that Bessie and I would stand up to you," Jim said truthfully.

"How did you figure it out?" Meisha asked.

"Your friend. His secondary form is no animal that I have every seen. In fact, it looks like it was made for space, no?" Jim said, looking at T.J.

"You got it, Jim. T.J.'s alt mode is that of what we call a starfighter back home," Kicker said.

A small question mark hovered over Jim's head as he looked at them. "What is a starfighter?"

"A starfighter is a vehicle made for space combat, and there are some that are equipped for long space missions. Mostly they're used to defend our home world and the rest of the Federation worlds."

"Federation worlds?" Jim was now incredibly confused. "What are you kids talking about?"

Kicker sighed and looked Jim in the eyes. "Jim, we can't have anyone finding out about where we really come from. So, if we tell you, you have to swear to keep this a secret for life unless it's an absolute emergency, okay?"

"I swear it upon the Superior Mana."

"Good." Kicker, Meisha, and T.J, immediately launched into an explanation about the Intergalactic Federation, universal politics, battles they had fought in and how long each war was, the scientific advancements made by each world, the Shipwreck Protection Act of 2007, the military, and the economic might. They explained about the starfighter classes, the TCDA, the technology used by the organization and the latest weapon developed by Blazia and Cybertronian technologies combined into one.

The whole time Jim listened with wide eyes as he took in the information. He couldn't believe that they were from a new place that had never before been explored by the knights of Lacroa.

"Wow…I never thought…"

"Well, now you know, Jim. But remember to never tell anyone!" Kicker snapped.

"I promised, didn't I?"

"Okay."

The cart continued to trundle along, the occupants thinking about different things. That is until a form darted past Bessie, startling the animal. With a frightened shriek, she reared up, but Jim acted quickly by running his hand along Bessie's flank, saying soothing words into her ear. The mule calmed down and the three occupants peered out from the cart.

"Zakos!" T.J. spat.

"Zako! Hand over the humans or else!" one of them said.

"Humans? What are you talking about? All I have are supplies meant for the kingdom's repairs," Jim said as he winked at them.

Kicker immediately caught on. He smirked and glanced at T.J. and Meisha. "Now!" he whispered.

The young mech nodded and grabbed their arms, fading from view just as one of the Zakos peered into the back of the cart, followed by a blank-faced mech they had never seen before.

The Zako narrowed its optic and glanced at the mech, pushing it into the cart.

"WAH!"

The mech landed on its faceplate not too far from T.J.'s left foot. The three held their breath, fearing that they had been discovered. But, they were not, for the strange mech looked around and shrugged.

"No sign of any humans here," the mech said.

The Zako snarled in anger before tossing down its machine gun and storming off. "Useless Pawn Leos!"

"Pawn Leos? What's a Pawn Leo?" T.J. whispered.

"Maybe a Pawn Leo is one of those mechs we just saw, and not the Zakos," Kicker hissed.

"SHH!" Meisha abruptly shushed the two males as the Pawn Leo looked back, its yellow face scanning from side to side in a search pattern they knew too well.

"Zako, come on! Zako! There's nothing there!" the Zako snapped, grabbing the surprised Pawn Leo by the shoulder and pulling it away. The mech yelped as the Zako hauled it away into the night, the other Zakos and Pawn Leos following behind in formation.

The three humans let out a sigh of relief as they emerged from their concealed state.

"Man! That was close," Kicker murmured.

"Thanks, Jim," Meisha told him.

"No problem. It's the least I can do for you kids. Besides, you seemed kind of angry at them. Mind telling me why?" Jim asked with concern.

Kicker, Meisha, and T.J. looked at one another before nodding.

"Sorry, Jim, but that's best left kept secret for now," Kicker told him sadly.

"I understand."

"Thanks."

As the cart resumed its journey to the kingdom, Kicker couldn't help but think back to the first attack that had been made a little over a month ago.

The Dark Axis had been after something, and they had attacked the base Area 51 in an attempt to get it. What had stunned Kicker was their absolute ruthlessness in going after the base's secrets, which were to never be revealed to the public until the time was right. An old bomb had blown at the site, thanks to a stray shot, and half of the command building had caved in, sealing off the secrets to the base from the Dark Axis.

Then again, why had they attacked _Area 51_? That place held more mysteries than the oldest navy base. Yet, it seemed like there was something there that was hidden from the public. Something important, or possibly _legendary_.

"It just doesn't make any sense. Why attack Area 51? What's in there that's so important?" he murmured.

No one answered, save for the snorts of Bessie.

Kicker closed his eyes and fell asleep; he was the only one who was ever so slightly aware as to what was to come.


	32. Separation! Attempt to Reunite!

Chapter 5

A hidden form crouched, watching the few Zakos guzzle down a couple containers of oil, getting drunk off of it as they sat outside a small hut, which he guessed was a guardhouse. His brown eyes flicked over to the compound beyond the guardhouse, to what he assumed correctly to be a prison of medieval proportions.

Voltage had been hidden behind the bushes for a half an hour, watching them as they changed shifts. He didn't know how long the shifts were, so he had assumed that they had just come on duty an hour ago. He wasn't sure why, but he had felt an urge to explore and check out the city. He had stolen a map from a nearby shop and he had arrived at the prison, resulting in him crouched behind a bush.

"Geez! How long are they going to sit there for?" he muttered angrily.

The Zakos didn't even hear the angry mutter, for they were too busy joking as they got even more drunk, feeling themselves getting light-headed and a bit giddy from the overdose of diesel oil. They laughed as they enacted the failed attempt at raising the wreck and the unexpected flyer's antics.

One of the Zakos keeled over, optical sensor a hazy pink and the other kept on giggling as the oil finally took its toll and it too fell over, the optic dark.

Voltage sniggered as he watched them. "Looks like they're gonna have some hangovers tomorrow," he remarked.

He moved the brush aside and peered around.

Nothing else was there, save for the Zakos and a small bat hanging from the roof of the guardhouse. The full moon shone down, illuminating the prison and guardhouse in an eerie silvery glow.

He felt his Soul-Drive in his throat as he cautiously crept past the two drunken Zakos. They didn't even stir, indicating that they had had way too much oil to drink, meaning that they were out for the night. Sighing in relief, he bolted past the guardhouse and into the edge of the prison's perimeters.

"I sure hope that I don't get caught," he murmured.

He took a breath and positioned his feet into little nooks formed by rainwater. The wall resembled a piece of bread with all the nooks and crannies formed over the centuries. He slipped his hands into a couple of cracks and began climbing up the rock wall, careful so as to not send a loose stone falling to land on the ground with a clatter. If he did, then what good would stealth be?

Voltage pulled himself up onto the top of the wall and he slipped off, landing on the ground beyond with a slight _thump_.

A cloud drifted over the moon, concealing him from view. He bolted for the only spot that was still open to the outside world: the old first floor cell block. He peeked in and seeing that no one was there, he hauled himself into the old cell and ducked down as the moon came back out.

He began to crawl along the floor and out into the corridor, unaware of the fights to come.

* * *

_In Ground Hell…_

Harvey glanced back at his teammates and nodded. Sing nodded back in acknowledgement and waved to the others in the shadows.

The defenses dismantled around their chosen point of entry, the leader of the team grasped the edge of the vent and hauled it up, while being careful as to not set off any traps they might have missed. Holding the grate in his hands, he nodded at them.

"Move it! We don't have much time before the defenses come back online!" he hissed.

Grasping their packs of equipment, Diana, Sig, and Justin dropped down into the shaft, Harvey and Sing following behind. The grate slammed back into place, the sound sounding like a gunshot in the silence of the camp.

Sig glanced at a digital computer strapped to his right arm, the screen glowing an eerie-blue-green color in the darkness of the shaft. A small golden dot flashed in the middle of a detailed approximate layout of the camp that had been programmed in prior to the mission.

"Okay. Here's our location. We need to go straight until we come to an intersection of shafts and we take the left one," he said. "We'll also need to keep our eyes peeled for any Zakos who might be maintaining these vents."

"How many Zakos do you estimate will be working in here?" Diana asked.

"About…ten, I think. I can't be sure if they even _do_ maintenance here," the former military officer replied sheepishly.

"Okay. So let's say that there are Zakos maintaining these vents. What'll we do when we see one of them?" Justin asked.

"We can't kill, so we're out of options on that part," Harvey replied disappointedly.

"True, but we can at least manage to get one of them to keep quiet. If there's a Zako here, we'll capture it and disable its vocals, but in a way that makes it seem like it was an accident," Sing said quietly.

"Anything else, boss?" Justin asked.

"Yes. Don't make a loud sound once we're inside the camp!" Sing snapped.

The four members nodded and Sing nodded back. They continued on till they reached the specified intersection. Sure enough, just around the bend, they could faintly hear a Zako singing a song as it worked on the ventilation shaft entrance.

"_Tonight we'll change our lives…_"

"Wow. Who knew that some Zakos had good singing voices?" Diana remarked.

"Now's not the time to criticize their singing!" Sig hissed in her ear. "We need to take out that thing's vocals and fast!"

"But, what if it sees us?" Harvey asked.

"We'll use the prototype stealth field generator developed by Yuki. He's always coming up with new inventions based off of starfighter technology, and this is the latest," Sing said as he took it out of his pocket.

Not much bigger than a communicator, it was much different in shape and design. It was shaped like a triangle with a small star in the center and buttons on the right side. If the star was pressed, it was activated and the one using it was cloaked in a field similar to a starfighter's stealth shield. The main problem with it was the fact that it couldn't be used more than three times in a row.

"Are you sure about that? Because last I checked, it didn't work out as well as I had hoped. Last time we nearly bungled the mission because of it!" Harvey snapped.

"Last time was just a test. This is the real deal. We'll use it to disable the Zako's vocals and after that, we'll sneak out and hopefully find a place where we can find some armor to disguise ourselves in. That clear?" Sing asked.

The others nodded.

"Okay. We'll have to make this fast and get out of this vent before we're spotted," Sing said.

"Right!" the four members of his team replied.

"Diana, you'll handle the operation. Is that okay?" Sing asked her.

Diana nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Then take this and make it fast."

"Roger!"

She grabbed the device and pressed the star, vanishing before her friends' eyes and creeping out, concealed.

The Zako never knew what hit it.

* * *

**Zane glanced around** as he crept throughout the battered kingdom. So far he had gone unnoticed along with Zero and Baston, but sooner or later their luck was going to run out. He knew that even luck couldn't last forever.

"Uh, Zero?" Baston asked nervously.

"Yes, Baston?" the Knight Gundam asked.

"Do any of the Gundams here have blank faces?" Baston inquired.

"No, unless you count the Pawn Leos. Why?" Zero asked, cocking an invisible eyebrow.

"Because someone is watching following us, and he has a blank face," Baston pointed out, aiming a shaky finger at a form huddled behind a pile of rubble.

"Slaggit! We've been spotted!" Zane hissed.

"Intruders!" the form yelled, standing up. Sure enough, the mech that stood before them had brown armor on, and it held a crossbow in one hand while pointing with the other. Its blank face displayed no emotion that they could see.

"I don't think so!" Zane snapped.

He threw his arm forward. "SUN MISSILE!"

The attack blew against the unknown mech and exploded in a huge burst of sound and smoke. Dust thrown up by the explosion filled their noses and throats, forcing them to cough. Zane covered his mouth and coughed, but he managed to keep one eye open as he studied the unknown mech's body as it stood up shakily aiming the crossbow at them.

_'Great! Just great!_' Zane thought.

He snatched Baston and Zero both by the arms, and, with a burst of adrenaline flooding his body, managed to pull them out of the firing range of the crossbow's arrow. The shaft impaled the ground, quivering before it stopped.

Zane peeked out around the corner as the mech glanced around, its blank face scanning for them.

"Time for thou to die!" it screamed.

"Not today!" Zane whispered. He leapt out from his hiding place and held his hand over his eye.

"Hah!" The crossbow launched an arrow just as Zane threw his arm forward again, but this time, the attack wasn't just mere balls of light. The light gathered around Zane's outstretched hand in a ball of light before it faded, concentrating into a point in between his fingers.

"SOLAR FLARE!"

The mech's head jerked back in what he assumed was surprise or fear. But it had nothing else to do, for the beam of light launched from in between his fingers in a bright lance, streaking towards the mech like a celestial arrow fired from Diana's bow.

"eep!"

**_BWAM!_**

The explosion that occurred was enough to blow a cloud of dust up in a mushroom shape, along with a moderately-sized shockwave. The wave didn't do much damage, but it did rock the buildings with an eerie moan as they struggled to stay upright.

The dust cleared, revealing only a crater left behind and a small die in the place of the mech, but scorched beyond recognition.

Zane's arm dropped to his side and he sighed as weariness took its toll on his body.

He slumped to the ground, panting heavily as he landed on his hands and knees. His face was streaked with sweat and his hair hung over his eyes as he eyed the smoldering crater.

"Primus…Never thought I'd have to use that…" he murmured.

"Mana…what was that?" Zero asked softly.

"That, Zero…was my most powerful move…the Solar Flare. It…takes a lot out of me…because it's so powerful…" Zane rasped.

"No wonder you're exhausted…" Zero murmured softly.

Zane nodded as he stood shakily, still wiped from the attack. He approached the crater and peered in, blinking when he saw the die.

"Zero, what happens when a Pawn Leo is hit?" the boy asked.

"They turn into dice. Why?" Zero remarked.

Zane said nothing, but merely pointed into the crater. Zero peered in, and he glanced at the human. "Is that why?"

Again, he nodded. "Yes. But I didn't realize that they turned into dice when struck hard enough. It appears that that thing is scorched beyond recognition."

"Then you killed it."

"He did?" Baston asked, a small question mark hovering near his head.

"Yes. He did. If you can crush, burn, or destroy a die, then the Pawn Leos are killed. Other than that, it's just a simple manner of using a summoning spell to call them back," Zero explained.

"In short, they can't be killed unless you destroy their secondary forms," Zane mused.

"Correct."

Zane sweatdropped as he took in the information.

"That means a lot of blasting," he remarked.

"Not if you have your friends with you," a voice said.

The three foreigners spun, eyes widening as they stared at the form hidden in the shadows, twin optics glowing bright golden.

"Who are you?!" Zane blurted, pointing a finger.

"Call me a friend."

The form that stood in the shadows resembled that of the cloaked figure they first encountered back on Earth before the whole adventure got to a whole new level.

"Wait. You're that being who informed us back on Earth before this whole thing began!" Baston exclaimed.

"You're right. I am indeed that very being."

"Why are you here?" Baston asked.

"To tell you that there is more going on here than you will ever know. With the Dark Axis getting stronger, you must begin to explore this place if you wish to find out more about your friend's mystery heritage," the form said, motioning to Baston.

"And why would we do that?" Zero asked, growing suspicious of this mysterious figure.

"It may be the very action that saves your lives."

"And if we don't?" Zane hissed as his eyes narrowed.

"Then all is lost."

"This wouldn't happen to do with the mysterious Superior Dragon, would it?" Zane asked, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"As a matter of fact, it does. The Superior Dragon is a total mystery when compared to me. I'm not that much of a mystery if you keep up to date with current events amongst the other powers, which, I might add, are becoming slowly aware of the threat. Too slowly, however, when compared to you."

"How can you be easily identified if we've never even seen you in full light?" Baston wondered.

"That remains an irrelevant part of this meeting. I am here to inform you that the mystery surrounding the Superior Dragon is much deeper than a mere explanation. You need to go deeper into the realms of the spirits if you wish to find out the truth."

"The Spirit Realm?" Zero's voice was full of awe as he reflected back on the mythical realm of origin for the spirits of Lacroa.

"Yes, but not as in the realms of Lacroan mythology."

"What do you mean?" Zero asked.

"I can't reveal that. You will know in time."

The form vanished back into the shadows, leaving no trace of the presence that had been there previously.

"Who _was_ that?" Zero asked, still awestruck.

"Beats me, but all we know is that that being is very mysterious, and talks in nonsense. I still can't understand how this spirit realm ties in with all of this."

"Neither do I, but I do know that it has to do with the Superior Dragon."

"I bet," Zane scoffed. But, deep down, he wondered if it really was true.

* * *

_In Ground Hell…_

Shibaomaru grinned as he approached his room. The musha had eagerly prepared his sleeping quarters for his little 'playtime' with his prisoner by changing the sheets and closing the blinds to peeping toms. No one would disturb him in his throes of enjoyment.

He grasped the side of the sliding door and opened it without so much as a whisper.

"Are you ready?" he asked the terrified musha before him.

"W-w-why are you d-d-d-doing this?" he stammered, obviously frightened by the treatment.

"Simple, my friend. You declined our offers for the honor of Ark, and that cannot be forgiven in the Dark Axis. When I'm through with you, you'll come crawling back to me in hopes for being spared the treatment I have planned for you," Shibaomaru purred as he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"Besides, it has been a while since I engaged in this with another male. It should be fun." He had a leer of lust on his exposed face, making the other musha shudder in fright.

"Y-you can't!" he squeaked.

"Oh, but I can, I have, and I will. I hope that you shall satisfy my needs."

The red-and-white musha's brown eyes widened in horror as he removed his upper armor, exposing his gundanium synthflesh in the dim light from the burning candles. Shibaomaru took off his helmet and laid it aside as he began to strip the terrified musha of his own armor.

He felt a sense of power and enjoyment as he removed his prey's armor, revealing the soft synthflesh beneath the samurai armor and removing the helmet. He wouldn't get intimate right now, but later, he would. Right now, he just grinned lustfully as he crawled onto the bed on top of the other musha.

"No! NO! PLEASE!" the musha pleaded.

Shibaomaru just leaned in and began placing butterfly kisses on his lips, face, and neck, enjoying the moment. This was going to be fun!


	33. The Concentration Camps Are Revealed!

Chapter 6

The general misconception of the Dark Axis prison camps was that they couldn't be penetrated by normal means. No one had managed to get in through the door, by air, or by plane, making this misconception a reality to those who failed. Many had tried and failed, claiming it to be a solid fact. Even the most top rated spies failed to get in by the conventional methods listed in the spy books. Such methods included sneaking in through skylights, windows, and back entrances. Some even went as far as phony identification, obviously fake disguises, and false ID cards. The most popular were disguises that make the spy seem like a female being of whatever species they were blending in with, the skylight entry, the back entrance barge in, and the voice tablet gambit.

The Intergalactic Federation, however, refused to play by the rules. They found ways in and out of places that were otherwise impenetrable through normal spy means through the most unlikely routes, normally consisting of ventilation shafts, maintenance ducts, guard restrooms, and occasionally, underground bunkers. Once inside the installation, they took whatever uniforms there were in order to blend in, using state-of-the-art Federation tech to get the job done without being spotted.

One such occasion had resulted in them being mistaken for a nosy third-rate power using amateurish tactics for infiltration.

But these so-called beginners' tactics were working for the five man crew of the _Shining Star_. They had managed to get into the camp's main barracks through the vents, making things easier for them. Then, under cover of the dim flickering lights, they had donned Zako armor and had installed little Resconian voice changers into the Zako helmets to disguise their voices. Now, as they crept about in disguise, Sing glanced about, cursing the decision to steal a Zako helmet that lacked good peripheral vision.

"How much farther?" he asked Diana.

"About ten yards, give or take a foot. Beyond this door should be the courtyard of the camp. Once we get outside, we'll activate the voice changers. Then we blend in and act as if we were there all along," she said, reciting the plan they had gone over word for word.

"Good. Harvey?" Sing asked, looking at the communications specialist.

"I record the data on the hidden camcorder I have located in the wrist of this armor we stole," Harvey replied.

"Justin?" Sing looked at the ex-cop.

"I keep my eyes open for any Zako that gets too suspicious. I got it covered, boss," Justin said, grinning.

Sing had no doubt that Justin would keep an eye out. He had been a first-rate cop back on Kax and he had served for fourteen Earth years as a field officer with distinction. He never let his guard down, even when in the Federation, and was one of the top intelligence agents on the team.

"Excellent. Sig?"

"I provide backup if they figure out the ruse. Then we bolt," Sig said.

Sing nodded. "Good. Now, activate voice changers. We're going out."

They raised their hands to the chest armor.

"Remember, once we go out, we refer to each other as Zakos. We'll use hand signals to identify ourselves. That will be the only method of communication amongst us. Is that clear?" Sing asked.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Let's do it."

They pressed the buttons and the devices beeped.

Sing grasped the door handle and opened the door. All five humans stepped out into the world of Ground Hell.

Harvey pressed the hidden camera in his gauntlet and the little recorder kicked into action, emitting a slight humming that became indistinguishable amongst the other sounds of the camp.

He swept the device about and began capturing video footage of the horrifying conditions. He began to wonder if they even could save these helpless beings. They seemed beyond saving in his opinion.

The conditions reminded Sing of the Nazi war camps and the horrifying conditions in them. This, however, was taken to the extreme. He had never seen so much suffering, nor felt such hopelessness in one place. The feelings of depression, anguish, and hopelessness flooded his very being and made his soul ache. The hopelessness he felt at watching these beings suffer was replaced by pure rage when he saw women and children in these unsanitary conditions. The little ones seemed weaker than he had thought. As he watched, a little girl of about ten Earth years stumbled and fell, her arm bones breaking with an audible crack.

He winced, instantly knowing that time wasn't on their side. Once they had enough footage, then it would rely on mostly miracles. That much he knew.

The unimaginable degree of suffering made his heart ache in his chest as he approached one of the beings. The being, a small humanoid male only five Earth years old, whimpered as Sing knelt down and placed a hand on him. His eyes threatened to well up with tears, but in this place, it seemed like all emotions were robbed from them, rendering them unable to feel anything, save for hopelessness, depression, and anguish.

Sing felt rage building up in his chest as he stood. The Dark Axis had gone too far, and they needed to complete the mission and fast.

He signaled the others with brief motions that looked normal, but were in reality part of a secret coded system they had devised.

They came over and stood around him, mingling as if they were part of the Zako guards.

"Let's see if the camp commander needs any help, zako," he said.

"Good idea, zako!" Harvey said.

"Zako! Zako!" the other three chorused.

Turning their backs on the whimpering, suffering beings, they headed for what they guessed to be the main command center, determined to gather information, and possibly, save those suffering from even more harm, if they could, that is.

Harvey led the team to the front doors of the command center. The building loomed over the camp like Cerberus guarding the gates of Hades. The roof sloped upward at a sharp point that reminded them of a chateau, one of the immense houses on New Earth in the Alpha Sector. The windows were fashioned in Gothic style, but the doors were more of a modern day style with a keypad wired into the automatic lock systems. The walls were made of pure stone, and the windows were inlaid with glass stones, making them seem even more menacing. The only difference between this place and the rest of the Earth colonial style was the fact that the building was ten stories tall, going upwards, and it covered only an acre of land on this Primus-forsaken rock they called the main base.

"Geez! This place looks like a Frankenstein of housing nightmares!" Harvey muttered under his breath. He aimed the hidden camera at the ominous structure, taking in the automated defense systems and the security cameras spying on the front doors, which he guessed were reinforced with primitive bars to keep it from opening unexpectedly.

He only hoped that this wasn't a mission they would fail, and big time, like the last mission they had messed up during the war with Titan AE.

The team headed up to the main doors, but decided against going in through the conventional methods. Diana, who was a good foot shorter than Sing and slightly skinnier than Sig, would be the one to sneak in through the vents and Harvey was to follow, backed up by Justin. The three of them were the ultimate team, for they seemed to have a telepathic connection that enabled them to know the others' movements and plans.

Diana led the two men around the corner to the shaft and, using an energon tipped knife, cut through the welds holding the grate in place. Harvey snatched the thing and moved it aside, enabling the three to slip inside. Sing knew that they would get a little footage of the place and get out before they were spotted by what he guessed was the night watch, if night even existed in this place, which he doubted.

"_Sing, we're in. We'll get only thirty frames of footage then meet you by the shaft and bolt for it. We can't afford to jeopardize the mission any more than we have,_" Harvey said over their private comm frequency.

"Good. How much longer?" he asked.

"_We're finished already. Heading back out._"

A few moments later and they met back up. The mission time limit was getting closer.

"Looks like the plan for major infiltration has failed, but our backup plan has succeeded," Harvey muttered in Sing's covered ear.

"Yeah. C'mon. Time to blast outta here!" he whispered back.

The five spies slipped off the command center's covered porch and were preparing to leave when a loud scream echoed across the camp. No one looked up, which bothered him.

"Whoa! What in Primus name was that?!" Diana blurted.

"ZAKO!"

"oops!"

"Great. Just great! You _had_ to give us away, didn't you?" Sig remarked, a vein appearing on his helmet.

"Sorry!" Diana cried.

"Enough! Our cover's been blown, which means, full battle formations!" Sing snapped.

"Roger!"

The five humans threw off their armor, exposing their true clothing, Federation built armor designed to deflect anything from handheld projectile weapons, except for grenades, missiles, and high intensity laser cannons.

"Okay! Sig! Blast down that door! Diana, lay down cover fire! Justin, back them up!" Sing snapped to his team.

"Roger!" Diana cried.

"Got it!" Sig said, nodding.

"Aye, boss!" Justin remarked.

Sing and Harvey bolted for the door just as Sig fired off a handheld grenade launcher, sending the rocket-propelled-grenade through the air and exploding against the metal doors. The primitive bars buckled under the incredible power of the forced entry and the doors blew inward, landing on the tiled floor of the lobby with a loud _clang_ that reverberated throughout the camp.

Diana opened up with her assault rifle and blew the guards, who had come to apprehend the intruders, back into the next life without a single remark, save for a yell as she kept up the attack. Justin picked them off one by one with his old, yet still reliable single-barrel shotgun, smirking as each one fell, a neat round hole blasted through their optical sensors and their chests.

Harvey grasped a flash-bang grenade and pulled the pin, flipping it right at the next group of guards, forcing them to cover their optics as it exploded with enough power to blind an Autobot's optics for three whole days before they recovered somewhat.

Sing glanced back just as Diana entered the opened command center, followed by Justin. Harvey tossed a stink bomb down at the ground and the horrible odor it released was enough to make even a Zako soldier gag.

He knew that the stink came from the most odorous plant in the Federation, the Kaxian _Grosta_ weed. The odor had been found to be potent enough to knock out a normal human, but when used on mechanical life, it made them gag enough to throw up whatever they used for food.

"Nice one!" Sig yelled over the sharp barking of the grenade launcher.

"C'mon! The emergency doors are closing!" Diana yelled back. The foursome turned just as the emergency assault doors began to slide down, sealing off the outside.

"Right!" Sing yelled. He tossed a flare bomb at a group of Zakos before bolting into the command center just as the doors slammed shut, sealing them inside, safe from harm.

Sig let out a sigh of relief as he slumped against the reinforced steel emergency blast doors.

"That was close," he murmured, rubbing his forehead with a free hand.

"Too close for my comfort," Diana remarked, tossing her hair back before straightening her armored jumpsuit.

"I know, Diana."

"Something wrong, Sing?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah. This whole mission is starting to go down the black hole. You blabbing blew our cover, so now they know intruders are in the camp's command center and are no doubt going to alert the commander, whoever it is, that we're here. We need to find a way out and fast without being spotted," Sing remarked seriously.

"Um, boss? I think it's a little late for that!" Justin remarked, pointing up at the ceiling.

"What's up?" Harvey asked.

"I think we're already in some pretty deep slag!" the ex-cop replied.

Sure enough, in the center of the camp's lobby, a dimensional gateway was opening up.

* * *

**He hadn't expected** to find himself tumbling through the dimensional gateway as he pursued the group of Zako soldiers into the gaping Zakorello portal. He had only intended on buzzing them to keep them in Lacroa, but instead, he had miscalculated and was now speeding through the gateway, trying to gain some sense of control as the portal opened and he was spit out right into a huge room with five humans dressed in strange armor beneath him.

"What is that!?" one of them blurted.

"Dunno, but whatever it is, it needs to be destroyed!" a man who looked like a hippie shouted. He aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

"GAH!" The flyer dodged to the side as a bullet barely clipped his right wing.

"Justin! Stand down!" the first man shouted. He looked to be of German ancestry and he had a slight Asian look to his face.

"But, sir! He's with the enemy!" the hippie remarked, aiming his gun at the flying Gundam.

"That is a direct order!" the first man said harshly.

"Please, Justin. Just do it," a young woman said.

The hippie, Justin, sighed. "Okay." He reluctantly lowered his weapon, but he didn't take his gaze away from the flyer.

The last man, who he guessed to be a teacher, was pointing what he figured was a small camera at him before he moved it away.

"Who are you anyway?" the second man asked harshly.

"I…" The flyer hesitated. He didn't even know if they could be trusted, for they seemed to be wary of him.

"I asked you a question, slaghead!" the second man blurted, pointing a wicked-looking futuristic weapon at his chest.

"Sig, stand down!" the leader snapped. The burly man sighed and dropped his weapon to his side, but he refused to let go of it.

The leader walked up to him and holstered his weapon. "Sorry about that. Sig tends to get a bit antsy in the middle of missions, like this one. I'm Sing Tao, the leader of this spy team. The man with the gun is Signor "Sig" Drake, the woman is Diana Larson. The academic is Harvey Wilson and the hippie is Justin Fervori, but don't let his appearance fool you. He used to be an officer in the Kaxian police force."

The flyer let out a low whistle.

"Hold up, Sing. How can we be sure that he isn't with the enemy?" Diana asked, her grey-green eyes studying him intently.

"Trust me. He would've opened up on us if he was with them, but he didn't, so he's not with them, right?" Sing asked, eyeing the flyer.

"Y-yes. That's right," he stammered. He hadn't expected them to figure it out so quickly.

"Still, I don't trust him!" Sig snapped.

"Why not?" asked Harvey.

"For two good reasons: One, we don't know his name, nor do we know who he works for. And two, he could be an undercover spy trying to get into the organization to take us down from inside!" Sig snarled.

"Look. Just because that happened once doesn't mean that this guy is with them. In fact, he seemed to be surprised that he was in this place. That alone is enough for me," Justin said calmly.

The flyer immediately took a liking to the ex-cop. He may have been a bit laid back, but under that relaxed outlook was a man who was calm even in the heat of battle. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now, why don't you tell us who you are and we'll call it even, okay?"

"Sure. The name's Guneagle, by the way. And I'm the fastest flyer out of the Gundam Force!" he said proudly as he struck a pose.

The five humans looked at one another blankly before Guneagle sighed.

"The Gundam Force is a top secret military division formed to keep the peace back home," he explained.

"Oh. And you're one of the members?" Harvey asked, suddenly interested.

"Yeah. Aerial combat specialist, to be precise," he remarked.

"Incredible. And you are one of these 'Gundams'?" Harvey inquired.

"Yeah. Why?" Guneagle asked. He was beginning to get a bit nervous now.

"This is an incredible breakthrough! Maybe we can finally finish developing our prototype!" Harvey exclaimed as he looked at his teammates. He had an excited glint in his eyes.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Prototype? What's going on here?!" Guneagle blurted.

"No time to explain. We heard a scream coming from inside this building, on the top floor I might add," Sing explained sharply.

"Top floor?" Guneagle asked, completely confused.

"Yes. We need to get up to the last floor without being spotted, and our cover was blown right after we heard it, thanks to Diana blabbing when she wasn't supposed to!" Sig hissed, glaring at the woman.

"Hey! It was entirely my fault!" she snapped at him.

"Enough!" Sing snapped. "We could use your help in providing us with aerial support. Think you can do that?" he asked the flyer.

"Sure. They don't call me Mach Wings for nothing!" Guneagle remarked excitedly.

The five humans sighed and hung their heads, mushroom clouds coming out of their mouths.

"C'mon. Let's just see where that scream came from," Sing said.

* * *

**The journey to** the top floor took less time that one would think. The building, despite its large size, was surprisingly Spartan in design and military in function. There were no large baths, no big bedrooms, no extensive collections, nothing. Only the bare essentials and a few extras consisting of weapons systems and lookout stations monitoring the camp beneath from different levels. The last floor, however, seemed to resemble an ancient Japanese palace, or a miniature one, anyway.

"Primus' spark, this looks like the set from that Japanese holo I saw a few weeks back," Justin whispered.

"SHHH!" The command came from Sing, who was in the lead of this mission. The man's eyes were locked on a pair of sliding futon doors and a small camera mounted outside.

"Harvey! We need a jammer, now!" he hissed.

The diminutive man nodded, holding up a small device that looked like a garage door opener, but was far from it. The jammer kicked in and the camera fizzled out, its signal blocked. He placed it on the wall in front of them, hidden from view but still exposed enough to block the signal to the camera.

With the camera out of commission, the six intruders crept forward to the futon doors and pressed their ears and audios to the side.

A low whimpering was coming from inside, and it wasn't animal, but more like someone in fright and terror.

Sing tensed his jaw and bit his lower lip. They needed to find a way in without giving themselves away. The whimpering escalated into a high pitched scream that made them all wince, holding their heads to try and block it out.

"Slaggit, I can't take this anymore!" Sig yelled. He grasped his grenade launcher and stepped back from the door. "Stand back!" he snapped.

Sing instantly read the situation. He made ready to grab Sig, but Justin grasped his arm and shook his head.

"No. I've seen this before, and it's the only way in," he said softly.

Sing understood the other man and waved for everyone, including Guneagle, to step back.

"YAAAAAHHHHH!" Sig let loose his customary war cry as he fired the grenade launcher.

Unlike the old types used before, this one fired without a funny '_bloop_' sound. Instead, it fired with a loud _whoosh_ of air, sending the energon grenade forward with incredible thrust and power. The shaped charge blew the twin futon doors open, releasing a concealing cloud of smoke.

The six of them burst through the smoke and landed in the room, guns charged and aimed. The smoke, however, hid the activity going on in the room from their eyes. As Harvey stood, he flipped down a set of infrared goggles, enabling him to see the forms beyond the smoke.

His eyes widened as he took it in.

"Um, sir?" Harvey's voice was full of concern and worry as he looked back at his teammates.

"What is it, Harvey?" Sing asked.

"It looks like we arrived just in time." The tone in Harvey's voice gave it away to the others, especially Diana and Guneagle.

"Primus, no!" Diana yelped.

"That's sick!" Guneagle spat, his green eyes flashing dangerously.

"Who dares to interrupt me?" a soft male voice asked.

"Who dares to interrupt you?! The Intergalactic Federation! That's who!" Sing snapped.

"And Guneagle of the Gundam Force!" Guneagle added.

"Well, now isn't this a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect you to come in here carrying weapons," the voice said, the speaker stepping forward out of the smoke.

Sing instantly regretted letting Sig blast the doors open.

The Gundam before them had almost all his armor removed and in his hands he held a small knife, a little mech fluid coating his mouth. He licked it away absently.

"What did you do!?" Sing hissed.

"Nothing, except an act which I haven't engaged in with another male in a long time," the Gundam said calmly.

"You monster!" Diana roared. She pointed a finger at him. "You will pay for that!"

"Heh. Monster. Is that the best you could come up with, femme?" he asked softly.

"No way, slagger! If you did what I think you did…Oh, you're gonna regret it!" Sig snapped harshly. His hands tightened on the grenade launcher, making his knuckles turn white.

"What will you do to me if I did?" the Gundam purred.

"THIS!" Justin yelled. He grasped his customary shotgun and blazed away at the Gundam, but he dodged to the side with surprising ease.

"Is that all?" the Dark Axis mecha sniggered.

"Negative on that one, creep! In fact, that was just what I had been planning!" Justin remarked, aiming his gun at the Gundam's Gunsoul, making him smirk.

"You think you can kill me so easily?"

Justin knew from experience that sometimes beings weren't killed so easily, and he guessed that this Gundam had some kind of special ability to prevent himself from dying unless he was taken out before it could kick in.

"I know it," he whispered.

"Try me."

_BLAM!_

The bullet impaled the Gundam right below the Gunsoul, making him cough up mech fluid in a large glop.

His eyes widened as he stared at the mech fluid beneath him.

"H….How…?"

"A little trick from my police days: go for the area of least resistance, in this case, your unarmored stomach. That always gets them down and out, no matter what," Justin said.

"Nice!" Guneagle cheered.

Justin glanced at the young military Gundam.

"Go see who he was doing it to. I want you to get that being out of here and back to the lobby," he said swiftly.

Guneagle nodded, stunned at his abrupt return to seriousness.

The avian robot ran past the former police officer and over to the bed, staring in shock at a form he knew so well.

The Musha lay curled in the fetal position, holding his unarmored section in fear as he whimpered, tears coming down his face, staining his features. His gundanium hair was disheveled and he looked like he had had his face cut, a small amount of mech fluid oozing out of a couple of scratches on his cheeks.

"No more…no more…no more…"

He was whimpering the same thing over and over, and instantly, Guneagle knew.

"YOU GLITCH!" he screamed, whirling to face the injured Musha Gundam.

"Guneagle, now!" Justin snapped.

Pushing aside his rage, Guneagle reluctantly nodded and cautiously walked over to the scared Musha. He laid a hand on his shoulder gently, and at his touch, he burst into sobs, throwing his arms around the flyer, and Guneagle, doing the same thing, lifted him off the bed and carried him out of the room while Diana snatched up the armor that lay scattered about the room.

Justin walked up to the bleeding Gundam, and he swiftly slapped a pair of high density energon cuffs onto his wrists behind his back.

Harvey glanced at the camera on his wrist and sighed.

"Well, I think we've gotten more footage than we needed, but maybe it's more than enough," he said.

"Good. That may be what we need," Sing agreed. Then he turned to Sig. "Okay. We'll blast our way back to the docks and get our craft. We can't risk stealing the Komusai this time, but maybe next time we can."

"All right! Nothing beats good ol' fashioned firefights!" Sig cheered.

Sing sighed. He knew how excited the former space commander got when it came down to battles. They were his element, not Sing's.

This time, it may have been the decision that saved their lives, though they didn't know it yet.

The team ran out of the room, leaving a bound up musha Gundam behind, bleeding profoundly from his lower torso.

They ran through the building and into the lobby, the emergency doors beginning to buckle under the relentless assault of the Zako forces guarding the prisoners.

"Geez! No way we're getting out that way!" Justin remarked.

"Sometimes straightforward attacking is the best way out," Sing said somberly. He cocked his pistol and looked at Sig. "Your show, bud."

"As always!" Sig said with a grin. He blew the doors outward with a concussion energon grenade and Diana followed, lobbing stun grenades everywhere she could.

The explosive attack drove back the Zakos attacking the command center and forced them to regroup and reengage from positions elsewhere in the camp.

Fortunately, Zakos weren't that good at strategy as humans were.

They kept firing from obvious places, except for one Zako who seemed to grow a brain to Justin.

"Boss! They've got a Zako in sniping!" he blurted.

"Take it out! Sig, blast those frontal gates open! Use the standard projectile!" Sing snapped.

"Roger, Sing!" Sig remarked.

Sig loaded a rocket launcher with a portable armor piercing laser guided ARMPAT missile, or ARMor Piercing ATtack Missile.

With a _whoosh_ of fire and sound, the projectile screamed through the air above the Zakos' heads, making them stare dumbly at it as it impacted the frontal doors with enough firepower to blow them outwards onto the ground a good four miles away from the camp, mangled and scorched.

"Zako! No way that can happen! Zako!" one of the exposed Zakos blurted.

"NOW!" Sing yelled at Guneagle.

Guneagle took to the skies, but not before dumping the Musha in his arms into Justin's grasp.

The avian military robot opened up with his beam rifle, the red lasers searing the sky and exploding against the Zakos as they retreated.

A few Zakos started blasting back with their machine guns, but Guneagle let loose four of his missiles and the warheads streaked through the dark purple smoke caused by the exploding grenades, hitting their targets.

Zako parts flew through the air, killing them in spectacular explosions sure to make a small army proud.

"…" Guneagle stared in shock and amazement at the explosive power his missiles now packed. "…No…way…" he murmured.

"Guneagle! Heads up!" The yell from Harvey caught the flyer's attention, forcing him out of his stunned reverie. "We need to get back to the docks, and fast!" he shouted.

"How far?" Guneagle called.

"Not too far, about three kilometers away!"

"I sure hope so!" he yelled as he streaked off after them.

* * *

_In the Tri-Elite Command Base…_

His optics narrowed as he studied the reports from the scouts. So far, according to the reports, large numbers of enemy soldiers were beginning to appear in the organization two galaxies over, and without military aid, they would soon fall.

Powerglide didn't like this, but he decided to cancel all military operations in the vicinity to protect the forces stationed there. This was the part of the job he despised: leaving others to fend for themselves.

His spark ached as he scanned the next report, this one an intelligence report picked up by a passing star freighter pilot who had been tapping into the universal communications band on accident. For some reason, this one showed that a small power, one he had never heard of before in his life, was conducting an extensive investigation project, and so far, they had retrieved a bunch of valuable data on the enemy.

"…"

Powerglide hadn't always been the leader of the Tri-Elite, an organization that specialized in offense, defense, and medical industries. He had once been a top Autobot soldier under the command of Optimus Prime. But, once the war had come to an uneasy halt, he had quit when he learned that his lover had died in the crossfire during an intense battle outside Iacon City back on Cybertron.

He had traveled the stars, searching for a place that needed some help, and he had come upon the Tri-Elite, a struggling power in conflict with another mightier organization. Through extensive combat and leadership, he had become the commander of this organization and had established an uneasy, but stable alliance with the enemy power. Relations remained strained, but both powers now traded as economic partners and aided one another when they were attacked.

Now, as he sat staring at this report, he wondered if his allied power knew of them.

He was about to press the button that called the other leader when the screen popped up in front of his face.

"_Powerglide, I hope I've caught you at a good time_," the leader said.

"You have. I was just about to call you to see if you knew of this Intergalactic Federation, as they are known," the former Autobot said.

The other leader's eyes narrowed. "_Of course we do. They were the ones who defeated Titan AE a little over a stellar rotation ago._"

"Do you know of any investigations they've been conducting recently?" Powerglide asked.

His alien ally nodded. "_Yes. We do. It seems that they're busy trying to gain information about a band of conquerors called the Dark Axis. As for what they are, that remains a mystery. All we know about this Dark Axis is that they come from another dimension_."

"I already know that, but what about the Federation? Anything about them?"

"_Just that they have as much determination and courage as the mightiest power out of all of them: the Universal Power Association. Seems that they've been the ones to defeat even Unicron, which is said to be impossible_."

Powerglide swore his spark stopped beating.

"They did what?" he whispered.

"_I know it sounds hard to believe, but it's true. They destroyed Unicron and sent him back to where he came from._"

The aerial Transformer slumped back in his seat, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"No…slaggin'…way…" he murmured.

"_Oh. And there's one more thing. Despite their small size, they should never be underestimated. Last foe that did that's still nursing wounds today, ten years later!_"

"Impossible for a small power to have that much military capacity…" Powerglide murmured, staring at the image of his ally's face.

"_Well, it's true. I doubt it even myself, but for some reason, it's true._"

"Why did you call me, anyway?" Powerglide asked, returning to the matter at hand.

"_We just received word about an organization that's about to fall and I noticed that you called off your forces. Why_?"

"Until we can figure out more about what they're capable of, I'm not attacking."

The alien leader chuckled, his shoulders shaking. "_Still the same as always, Powerglide. Still the same._"

"I can't help it. It's in my programming. Besides, how can I attack if we don't know what they can do to us and the others we're allied with?"

"_I can understand your frustration, for I too have called off my forces._"

"And I thought we could both attack."

"_Maybe we can, if we can send down a combined force to gather data._"

"How can we? My organization sucks at that, and so does yours. We're outmatched."

"_No. I mean fly above them and see what kind of tactics, weapons, and maneuvers they use. Then we can devise tactics to use against them_."

"Good idea. See you at the next meeting. Powerglide out."

Powerglide slumped back in his chair and sighed, staring out at the many stars splashed against the backdrop of space.

Many eons had passed since he had quit the Autobots, and even though he stayed in constant contact, the feeling of camaraderie that he had had with them was gone, and he missed being with them at times, but he constantly reminded himself to focus on what mattered the most: peace.

"Optimus…are you dealing with the same thing? If so, how are you overcoming it?" he murmured.

* * *

_On Earth…_

The spacebridge generator was the greatest structure out of the whole complex. Standing at over ten stories tall, the spacebridge generator was the largest piece of complex equipment they had. It possessed a large amount of power, enough to keep it going, even in the event of a power outage. The basic design of the generator was exactly like that of a tall tower with a spire on the top, but instead of a spire and tower-like structure, it bore two huge antennae, one on each side. The basic shape was like that of a gateway opening to a new world, except that this one warped space and time, thus creating the bridge between Federation worlds and outposts.

Currently, the gate was opening, yet, unlike the previous gateways that opened here, this one was not multicolored, but rather, a bright green, indicating that the recalibration was in effect. Around the generator, a slight twisting sensation filled the air before fading.

President Warren glanced at Wheeljack, the one who had been in charge of the recalibration project.

"Are you sure that this thing won't blow like your other inventions?" Seto asked nervously.

"I'm sure of it," Wheeljack said confidently.

The Autobot engineer was about as tall as Ratchet, yet his vehicle form and colors were vastly different, as was his appearance. He had a faceplate guarding his mouth, like many Autobots did, and his optics were replaced with a band of bright blue metal, making things easier for him when working. Two 'ear' bulbs protruded from the sides of his head and flashed with each word he spoke. Currently, they were flashing blue. The familiar red sigil was displayed on his chest plate, as it was with a lot of the Autobots.

"Last time you said that we lost power to the generator for three solid weeks!" Seto growled. "It took us a lot of effort just to get the network back online before we could tap into the Intergalactic Bridge Network!"

"Okay! Enough, Seto. This time, I asked Preceptor to help out," President Warren assured him.

"How did you manage that?" he asked.

"She just asked me and I agreed to lend Wheeljack my expertise in this field. We can't have our networks going offline now, do we?" the red scientist said. Unlike his fellow engineer, he was able to turn into a microscope, enabling him to see things most Autobots couldn't.

"I sure hope that you were able to prevent the last 'accident' from happening again!" Seto mumbled.

"I assure you that this time, it will work," Preceptor said, nodding at the bridge.

"Now all we have to do is wait for—" She was cut off abruptly as a slight rumbling filled the air.

"What's going on?" asked Ciel nervously.

"Look!" Mokuba blurted, pointing at the bridge.

Sure enough, it was rippling as whatever was trying to get through began to emerge.

The leaders tensed, waiting for the Komusai to come barreling through, attempting to prevent the organics inside from taking control. But, what came out was not the Komusai, but rather the _Shining Star_, engines racing full throttle.

"What?!" She couldn't believe it! They had defied orders to steal the Komusai and returned in their own ship!

Angrily, she grabbed her comm unit and pressed the button. On the ten centimeter wide screen, the face of Sing appeared.

"What's the big idea?" she asked.

"_Look. Sorry for disobeying orders, but this time, we have something that you _have_ to see, ma'am! Plus, I think that with this footage, you'll also learn why we didn't take the Komusai and abandoned the original plan in the first place._"

"And if not?" President Warren snarled.

"_Then I'll accept whatever punishment you have planned for us._"

She thought for a moment before she nodded.

"Okay. Send me the footage and we'll take it from there."

"_You won't be sorry_."

With those last words, he cut the comm link and she turned to face her friends.

"Guys, meet me in the meeting room stat. I think you'll be surprised."

And she was, for when the door to the ship opened, a sonic boom startled them out of their discussion, forcing them to cover their ears as whatever made it flew overhead at top speed.

"Geez! What _was_ that?!" Steven moaned, rubbing his ears.

"I don't know, Steven. I really don't," President Warren whispered.

The sound from the boom died down completely, leaving the leaders in silence.


	34. Allies in the Shadows

Chapter 7

The flyer rocked back and forth as he waited outside the infirmary. So far, according to the engineer, (Wasn't it Cerverau?) things weren't looking too good for the musha.

Guneagle had known by his voice tone and body language that he had been raped. He felt sorry for the samurai, and he hoped that Cerverau could calm him down.

His hopes were shattered when the door slid open and the engineer leaned out.

"Sorry, Guneagle, but I can't seem to calm him down. He just keeps shoving me away, and he won't let me check him for any injuries. I'm worried about this," he said.

"You sure there's nothing you can do?" Guneagle asked softly.

"Nothing. I'm an engineer, not a psychiatrist," the engineer said sadly.

Guneagle hung his head. "Oh. Well, then at least you tried."

The engineer glanced back before shifting his gaze back to Guneagle. "However, there is something that I may be able to do. But, I'm not sure if he'll let me."

Guneagle's head shot up. "Huh? There's something you can do?"

Cerverau nodded. "Yes, but it may not be worth it."

"Just tell me!" Guneagle cried.

"Okay. I can erase the memories, but I doubt he'll let me because he's too shaken up."

Guneagle sighed. 'So much for that.'

"G-Guneagle? I-I-Is that y-y-you?" a weak voice stammered.

The flyer was on his feet in a flash, shoving Cerverau aside as he barged into the room, his eyes locking onto Baku's unarmored body, now covered with a blanket and three IV's of different colors hooked into his fuel lines. He was at the Musha's side in an instant.

"Yes, it's me," he murmured.

"I…Thank you…" Baku whispered.

"What happened?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Baku said nothing, merely glanced down at his waist area. "I…I don't want to talk about it."

"I understand," Guneagle said.

"It was just…he was inside of me…I…I never experienced this before and…I don't know if I can live with myself now…" Baku said uneasily.

"Don't say that. What he did was an act that was wrong. He deserved to get shot in the lower torso," Guneagle whispered. He placed a hand on Baku's shoulder, making the samurai jump.

"Guneagle…"

Those brown eyes found his own emerald green ones, the two Gundams staring at each other before Baku's hand reached up and touched Guneagle's faceplate.

The young flying Gundam removed his hand gently and for the first time since his activation, removed his mouthpiece.

It slid into the recesses of his helmet, exposing his lower face to the other. He felt his Gunsoul ache as Baku covered his own mouth with his hand.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything," he said. "I…I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to save you sooner."

"Don't be. Heaven knows what he would've done if you hadn't arrived when you did."

"Still, you don't deserve to be raped like that. I…I just can't stand seeing it, especially if it's done to another male, and one of my friends at that. It's wrong," Guneagle murmured, running his hand along Bakunetsumaru's gundanium hair comfortingly.

The Musha let out a frightened whimper at the gesture and tried to back away, but the younger Gundam grasped his friend's body and held him tight, murmuring into his audio. Baku closed his eyes and let the tears forming at their edges fall freely, striking Guneagle's shoulder armor, but he didn't mind.

"It's okay, Baku. It's okay."

The two just stayed like that for a few minutes, the flyer calming the other Gundam as best as he could.

"Baku…I'm sorry," he murmured. He wasn't even sure if Baku had heard him, but he felt Baku's hands grip his armor tighter as if he had.

"I…I…" Baku tried to speak, but he couldn't. Guneagle felt his Gunsoul ache as he whimpered before he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

_In Lacroa…_

Voices were the first thing he heard as his systems booted back up. There were four of them, three of which sounded familiar, but the fourth one was a mystery to him. As his systems returned to full functionality, he became aware that he was lying on a mattress with a set of covers over his body.

He opened his eyes as his vision became clearer. The faces of Sayla, Shute, and Syrus swam into view. All three looked like they had stumbled through a forest, which they had about three hours ago.

Sayla's hair was disheveled and a small nick ran across her lower face from her right jaw up to her eye before it stopped. Her uniform was slightly torn from the branches they had scraped against and her skin was covered in mud from her fall into the ditch.

Syrus wasn't looking much better for his visor was cracked and he had three gashes on his left cheek. His uniform was covered in mud and dirt, and he had three branches sticking out of his hair, which looked like it had been sent through a blender.

Shute, on the other hand, wasn't as bad as Syrus, but still worse than Sayla. The only real thing he had was a nasty scratch on his chest where his shirt had gotten torn during the fall down the rocks, only now it was bandaged up, along with the wounds of the other two.

"Captain, how ya feeling?" Shute asked.

"I've felt worse."

"That's good to hear," a feminine voice said.

Captain sat up abruptly, his eyes locking onto a female human not much older than Chief Haro, yet she wore a simple tunic and apron. Her eyes were a kind blue color and her hair was pure white contrasting her almost black-tan skin.

"Where are we?" he asked her.

"Thou be in my home. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Tatha. I brought thee here to recover from thy wounds," the woman said.

"…"

Sayla began to explain to him. "She found us while we were wandering through the forest…"

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The full moon sent an eerie glow down onto the forest beneath its watchful gaze, making the trees a ghastly white and the leaves a shimmering gray. Beneath these branches was a world of contrasting color. The underside of the trees was almost black and the ground was a dark grey color. It was in this forestry that the four of them walked._

_Sayla's gun-mounted searchlight beamed ahead, searching out anything out of the ordinary. Her steel green eyes scanned from side to side as she led them forward._

_Behind her went Syrus, grey eyes wide with fright. She couldn't blame him for being scared. She was too, but she didn't let it show._

_In the rear were Shute and Captain, his own head-mounted light shining ahead._

_"How much longer till we reach the kingdom?" Syrus moaned._

_"Not much longer, if we keep going," Captain said calmly._

_"How can you be so sure, Captain?" Syrus asked._

_"I was here a few times before, so I have a pretty good idea about this," Captain explained._

_"I don't know about this," Syrus muttered._

_"Syrus, just keep a lid on it, okay? We have to find shelter before it gets too dark out!" Sayla snapped. She swept her gun about, the light chasing away the shadows before they returned in the darkness behind the beam._

_"Still…"_

_"Quiet!" Captain hissed._

_Sayla and Syrus stopped their bickering long enough to look at him._

_"Something up?" Syrus asked._

_"SHH!" Sayla tensed, her eyes now sweeping from side to side, her military training kicking in, sharpening her mind and body reflexes for combat._

_Silence filled the shadowy forest. No sounds could be heard, save for their breathing, the faint charge of Sayla's gun, and…_

_"MOVE!" Sayla yelled, suddenly turning and running back the way they had come._

_Syrus, Shute, and Captain didn't need to be told twice. All three ran for it as fast as they could, following behind the teenage commander as something roared from deep within the forest._

_A big black form spread its great wings and, with one mighty flap, overtook them in less than a second. Sayla looked up in time to see two big red eyes glowing fiercely as the form landed in front of them, blocking their escape route._

_"Not good!" she muttered._

_"Now what?" Syrus whined._

_"…" Sayla was silent as she thought through possible scenarios and their outcomes. Then she looked at Captain._

_"Captain, take Shute and Syrus in any direction. I don't care which one, just go!" she ordered._

_"But…" Shute couldn't understand her plan._

_"Just trust me, Shute!" Sayla said._

_Shute nodded and grabbed onto Captain's arm just as the Gundam grabbed Syrus's blazer._

_Without another word, he turned and activated his heel wheels, speeding away in the first direction he thought of: back the way they had come._

_Sayla grasped her gun and fired off three rounds into the distance, hoping that it would distract the huge beast in front of her._

_The explosions echoed faintly, but it was enough to provide her with the distraction she needed. The dragon's head turned and she was able to engage her Dash, speeding away before the eyes looked back and the creature roared in frustration._

_The four ran through the forest as fast as they could, hoping to put as much distance as possible between them and that beast. They didn't even slow despite the fact that they were running into trenches and ditches. The last thing that Captain recalled was sliding down a steep slope and colliding with the ground before blackness came up and overcame him._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"You were out cold for an hour and a half, but your injuries weren't as severe as we originally thought. All that you really had was a nasty scratch on your helmet, but other than that, you're fine," Sayla concluded, running a hand through her hair.

"…"

Captain was silent as he took in the information. "How did Tatha find us?" he finally asked.

"She didn't find us. I found her, and asked her if we could have a place to stay for the night. She was more than grateful to give us rooms at her house," Sayla said.

"She also patched up your wound," Shute explained.

"She did?" Captain reached up to his helmet and touched the side, only to have his fingers meet a soft, gauzy material that he knew had to be bandages.

He looked at her and nodded. "Thank you."

Sayla glanced at Tatha before she spoke. "Thanks for all you've done, Tatha."

"No problem. I always do my best to help needy travelers such as yourselves," Tatha said, waving her hand.

"One last question. Mind telling us where the nearest city would be?" Shute inquired.

"Oh. Thou art on the outskirts of the main kingdom."

Sayla's eyes narrowed slightly before she nodded. "Thanks."

* * *

**Voltage shuddered slightly **as he crept throughout the old prison corridors. The place seemed eerily similar to an old horror holo he had seen back on Earth during English class about two months ago.

Old cobwebs hung down from the ceiling and a few tree roots had somehow found their way in through the cracks in the stone and now, a few webs hung down like Spanish moss, giving the place an even spookier feel to it. Cells that once held prisoners now stood forlorn and empty, their occupants long gone. Only a few skeletons remained, the flesh long since rotted away and the clothing now nothing more than mere scraps clinging to the bare bones. A few metallic skeletons hung from one cell's walls, the armor rusted beyond recognition and the eye screens dark and blank. No sounds echoed, save for his footsteps.

The prisoners' skeletons looked as if they could come to life at any moment, their bony hands reaching out towards him through the rusted bars of the cages, which he doubted were strong enough to block a well placed kick.

It was so silent that he could've sworn he heard a low moan come from somewhere in the old prison.

'Great. Just great. First I'm separated from my friends, I get an unexplained urge to explore this old dump, and now my audios are malfunctioning!' Voltage thought angrily as he kicked a rock on the floor.

The rock went rolling before it clattered against something in the middle of the corridor.

Voltage looked over the form, taking in the shape slumped against the wall, the hand reaching for his chest.

He yelped and scurried backwards, closing his eyes and wishing that he had some kind of a light to see with.

His body responded. He heard the faintest click and his eyes snapped open, only to see the shaft of light shining from the top of his helmet. He didn't even bother to ask why or how, but he felt much better. Now a little more confident, but still wary, he crept forward, the beam from his light playing over the body lying against the old wall.

He let out a slight laugh as he realized that it was just an old skeleton.

"Maybe I'm just getting jumpy," he murmured.

Even the sound of his own voice did nothing to calm his shaken nerves. In fact, it only seemed to amplify the forlorn atmosphere of the old prison corridor. He shuddered as he gripped his beam sabers tightly in his hands, but even the reassuring presence of the weapons did nothing to calm him down.

He continued on, eyes scanning from side to side as if expecting a ghoul or whatever lurked in the dungeons in horror films to come out and devour him right then and there, but there was nothing, save for a few rats that scuttled over the old bones and rusting skeletons of former Gundams.

A loud squeaking caught his attention just as he felt something soft and furry skitter over his foot. He yelped and pulled away from the rat as it scurried off into the depths of the prison.

He didn't even know it, but he was now inside the dungeons of Lacroa Castle.

So, as he continued on unaware of his new location, a slight moan reached out again, forcing him to spin around, weapons at the ready, his Soul-Drive racing in his chest.

Voltage wasn't aware of the slight feeling he was getting in his gut where his stomach would be if he was still human, but he was aware of something happening.

It felt almost like a tingling sensation, one that worked its way down his back, right along where his spine would've been.

He knew instantly what that feeling was: that ancient, human instinct that told one if there was a supernatural presence in the area. Normally, since he was a Gundam, he would've had sensors that told him the same thing, but apparently there were still some instincts that had carried over during his change.

"Slaggit! That's not good!" he moaned.

As if in response to his statement, a faint tingling sensation became apparent on his right shoulder pad. He glanced at his shoulder and he felt his Soul-Drive stop completely in his horror. The hand that had laid itself upon him was ghostly white and spectral in form, shimmery almost, but still retaining enough of an outline to be discerned as a Gundam's hand.

He didn't want to look back, but he wanted to find out what had snuck up on him, so he peered back over his shoulder and immediately regretted it.

The Gundam that was behind him was pure white, but the armor design was enough to prove to him that it was a Knight Gundam, and one who had been long dead. The eye screens were blank, no emotion showing, with no shine on the irises. The mouthpiece was missing, exposing a partly open mouth to him.

"GAH!" He scurried back, Soul-Drive in his throat as he stared at the ghostly form behind him.

"W-w-who are you?" Voltage stammered, shakily pointing one of his wrist guns at it.

The Gundam didn't answer, but merely extended a hand towards him and pointing it right at his chest.

"W-w-what do you want?"

No answer, save for a slight movement from the Gundam ghost's head. It was slight enough to mean that the ghost meant his Soul-Drive.

"M-my Soul-Drive?"

The ghost nodded.

"W-why d-do you w-want it?"

The ghostly Gundam shook its head.

"B-but…"

The specter pointed at his compartment before pointing to itself.

Voltage's eyes widened as he took in the meaning.

"Y-You were the one who called me?"

The ghost nodded.

Now Voltage was confused.

"Why did you call me?" he asked, now slightly braver, but still scared.

No answer came from the dead Gundam, so it merely turned and beckoned with one of its ghostly hands.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Voltage put both beam sabers back on the sides of his jetpack before running after.

The ghost vanished around a bend in the corridor, the other Gundam right behind it.

As they worked their way through the maze of passages and corridors, Voltage began to get a bad feeling in his Soul-Drive as they got closer to whatever destination the ghost was heading for. In fact, he felt as if a lead brick had been tied to his body when they stopped at a dead end, a long dead body clamped to it using chains that were now rusted all the way through, resulting in a pile of bones lying on the floor in front of him, the grinning skull looking right at him as if to mock his fright.

Angry now, he turned to the ghost.

"What's the big idea?" he snapped.

The ghost merely motioned to the wall before heading over and pointing to no particular point in the wall before turning and beckoning again, this time, melting into the wall as it continued to beckon him.

Voltage gulped as he approached the walls, kicking aside the bones as he did so.

He knelt and eyed the spot the ghost had motioned to. The stone that the ghost had pointed at wasn't anything special, save for the fact that it had a strange marking inscribed on it. He poked it, as if expecting something to happen.

Nothing happened.

Now curious, he stood up and placed his hand on it, pushing slightly. The stone moved.

He stepped back, but nothing happened.

Confused, he scratched his helmet. What does that ghost expect me to do, push it harder or something? Voltage thought.

The last part struck him as a sweatdrop ran down the side of his helmet. "Okay. That was a little too obvious for my liking," he muttered.

He approached again and pressed harder, the stone literally vanishing into the niche. A sudden rumbling filled the air and he gasped, backing up from the wall just as a shower of stones cascaded down, releasing dust into the air as the very wall began to vanish upward, like a huge primitive sliding door.

The dust thrown up forced him to cover his mouthpiece as the tiny particles invaded his intakes. He coughed as the dust began to settle, the rumbling growing fainter until it was nothing but a slight thunk as the door locked into place.

He opened his eyes, which he had closed to prevent himself from being blinded, and removed his hands from his mouthpiece, staring in awe at the room beyond the wall.

Voltage stepped into the newly opened room, the ghost waiting beyond the doorway, beckoning him again.

'_Okay. This ghost is really beginning to get under my armor!_' he thought angrily as he stopped in front of it.

"Now what?"

The ghost pointed before fading into the darkness of the room just as the door began to slide shut. Voltage gasped as he spun around, his Soul-Drive whirring in his chest.

"NO!" he shouted. He ran for the doorway, but the rumbling grew louder and louder until the huge stone door dropped down in front of him, trapping him in the secret room with the ghost.

Sighing in defeat, he turned to the ghost behind him, now illuminated by its unearthly glow.

"Okay. You got me. Now what?"

The spectral Gundam pointed over into the darkness of the chamber before fading in a mist of light. The mist parted, and the ghost was gone.

Voltage gulped nervously as he grasped one of his beam sabers, intent on fighting his way out if there was something dangerous lurking down here.

"H-hello?"

No one answered his call.

He crept forward, the beam from his head-mounted light chasing the shadows away, creating a barrier of luminescence around him.

Nothing approached him, giving him a bit more of a sense of control and protection as he continued into the depths of the chamber, which he guessed was a prison cell of the utmost importance.

His beam began to illuminate something off in the distance. It seemed to him that this form was the body of the long dead knight Gundam he had encountered in a ghostly form. The body seemed to be still intact, except for the fact that the armor was hanging loosely on it, almost as if it were still alive, which he doubted.

Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right in this chamber.

The form twitched, forcing him to get into a fighting stance, his beam saber held in front at an angle to protect his Soul-Drive, one wrist gun aimed at the still body.

The head rose upward and a gasp escaped his mouthpiece, and he swore that his Soul-Drive ceased to rotate as he stared at the living form of the ghostly knight he had just seen.

* * *

**Shute glanced at** Captain out of the corner of his eye as he ate his simple dinner which consisted of nothing but a hunk of bread, some goat milk, butter, cheese, and a slice of a fruit he couldn't name.

Sayla was off doing some training in the back of Tatha's house and Syrus was snoozing in the bedroom off to the left.

The boy had chosen to eat his dinner near his friend so he could keep an eye on him. And yet, for some reason, he felt like he wanted to spend some time with him too.

He finished his dinner and drank the last of his milk. He brought the dishes to the sink and left them there.

As he sat down next to Captain again, he suddenly got an urge to crawl under the covers with him and curl up next to him, feeling the warmth of the Soul-Drive and his friend's soft synthflesh against his own skin.

He shook his head. "Not that again!" he muttered.

Captain opened his eyes and looked at Shute. "What?"

Shute felt his face flush as his friend looked at him with those beautiful sapphire blue eyes. "N-nothing!" he stammered, feeling foolish as he said it.

The Gundam merely grasped Shute's hand and pulled him close so that way he was lying right next to him.

"Something's up. I estimate a 35.62 percent chance that it has to do with your strange behavior when around me," he said calmly.

Shute shook his head no. "No! Nothing's up!"

His friend looked at him with genuine sympathy in those eyes.

"You can tell me, Shute."

Shute felt his heart in his throat as he bit his lower lip. How could he tell the Gundam how he felt right then and there? How could he when he didn't even know why?

Finally, he shook his head. "Sorry. I just can't."

Captain pulled Shute close and lifted up the covers so that way they were both covered.

"Captain…what're you doing?" Shute asked. What was going on with him?

"Shute, you'd best sleep here. I'll be here if you need me." With that remark, Captain retracted his mouthpiece and nuzzled Shute's cheek with his own, a slight smile on his face, his eyes closed as he nuzzled him.

Shute yelped as he felt Captain's warm cheek against his face. It was totally unexpected, and he wasn't prepared for the wave of emotion that swamped him. He wanted to hold Captain right then and there, to never let him go, to always remain by his side, within range of those beautiful, captivating blue eyes…

* * *

_In The Liberty Confederation Capitol Building…_

Dr. Yuchiharo Hikari, the leader of the democratic universal war power, the Liberty Confederation, narrowed his eyes as he studied the screen displaying the mysterious energy surge from nowhere. So far, his scouts had failed to pick up any sign of the source of the surge, and the only real lead he had was a strange portal that appeared every few weeks to launch surprise raids on their many military outposts.

He may have sounded like an academic, but those who knew him well knew that beneath that misleading voice lurked a very powerful warrior. His hair, formerly combed back, now hung over one of his grey-brown eyes, a tribute to his son Lan who had given his life to save the organization during the last raid. His skin was slightly pale, but with the hint of a tan from spending some time outside every now and then and his build was slightly more muscular than a normal scientist's due to his ever increasing combat time. He no longer wore lab coats and suits, instead now preferring a jumpsuit that had his organization's sigil on the chest. On both his forearms were the latest in Net technology: the Battle Chip Personal Terminal, or as a joke, the Dimensional Transponders, as they were called.

No one really knew his past, but that was fine by him for he had forgotten his own past in his efforts to stop the enemies from conquering many others in the last ten years since the revival had taken place.

He let out a slight growl of frustration as he studied the wavering lines that made up the energy surge. On the left hand side were symbols that marked the written language used by his people, and they were constantly shifting from one set to the next.

"How can I get a lock on this energy surge?" he muttered angrily.

A beeping from his desk comm unit forced him to draw his attention away from the screen and to the mini-screen on the unit.

He pressed a button and an image of his most reliable ally came on the line.

"What is it this time, Styoga?" he asked.

Styoga's three eyes flitted around in circles before locking onto the human's face. The alien rattled off a series of clicks and whistles that were common amongst the species.

"Look. I'm in the middle of something important here. Can't it wait?" Dr. Hikari asked wearily.

More clicks and a shriek.

"No? Why can't it?" the human asked.

A series of clicks accompanied by diagrams and tactical data echoed as the diagrams flashed over the screen, each one with specific parts highlighted.

"And you feel this is a threat why?" Dr. Hikari asked, his eyes narrowing.

One loud shriek was enough for him.

"You mean to tell me that they are invading?!" he blurted.

Styoga nodded. The alien clicked and pointed to the window as the camera moved over to expose explosions outside the office.

"There's a fight going on?!" the leader cried, standing up in his seat.

A click and whistle confirmed it. Dr. Hikari snarled as he spoke into the comm. "I'll send someone to help. Try to hold out until then. If not, is there anyone we can contact for backup?"

A lone click told him.

"The Intergalactic Federation?" Dr. Hikari inquired.

Styoga nodded as the alien displayed the sigil of the organization. The image displayed the least obvious sigil to him. The image of a world was one he had been expecting, but not the red Autobot insignia in the center and the twin rings crisscrossing the planet with the words _Intergalactic Federation_ scrawled across it.

"Aren't they supposed to be a third-rate power?"

The alien clicked and whistled, saying that they were, but they weren't to be underestimated because of their size.

"Okay. Say they are powerful. But how can we be sure that they're trustworthy?" Dr. Hikari asked.

The little alien clicked off an explanation, briefly describing the battles with Unicron and his defeat, along with the vanquishing of Titan AE and the thwarting of the Decepticon invasion party.

"They may have defeated many foes, but they could still be an enemy!" Dr. Hikari snapped.

The alien clicked off a frenzy describing their aid to others despite what the stereotypes portrayed them as.

"So, in short, they're a power who believes in achieving the dreams they set for themselves and others' dreams as well, all without falling victim to what they consider to be the evil of the universe, in this case, stereotypes, rampaging wars, and beings who wish to conquer. Hmmm." He closed his eyes and thought, finally coming to a decision.

"Try to hold out. I'll see if I can contact them."

A relieved series of clicks and whistles signaled the end of the communications between the two.

When the screen died down, he called up all the data he could find on them. Better to learn what they could do before taking a chance, he mused.

He pressed a few buttons and a network of spies across the galaxies sent him the data they had accumulated on the Federation during the time they had been monitoring him.

Several reports came up on the screen, each report dealing with a foe the Federation had either defeated or killed. There weren't that many, but they had been the most powerful to date, and Titan AE was the most notable for having been defeated by their own power supply when it blew up thanks to a team sent in from the Federation.

"God…These guys are good…" he murmured.

If they were that powerful, than enemies had no chance against them.

In fact, it seemed that the Federation had a special power, one that enabled them to become stronger with each battle, and yet, they had their fair share of losses when the first battle had taken place. They had lost well over three billion lives per world that day.

He smiled. Now was the time to act.

* * *

_In Lacroa Castle's dungeons…_

Voltage stared in shock at the living form of the dead knight, disbelieving what his eyes showed him. He closed his eyes and rubbed them, hoping that the effort would've made the knight fade from view, but when he opened his eyes, he was disappointed. The knight was still there.

He gripped his beam saber tighter and, still aiming one of his wrist guns at the ghostly knight's living corpse, he approached.

"W-who are you?" he stammered.

There was no answer, save for a slight, weak moan from the form chained to the wall.

Feeling his Soul-Drive in his throat, he crept forward before speaking again. "Who are you?"

"Who…art thou?" the Gundam asked.

Voltage shuddered involuntarily. "I-I'm here to…rescue you…I think." He cursed himself for making up a lame story like that, but it seemed to fit right now.

"Thou…heard me?"

"Huh?" Now Voltage was confused. "Heard you? I don't get it."

"I…sent out…a feeble moan in…the hopes that…someone might hear it…and I was right," the knight said weakly.

"You called me?" Voltage asked.

"Yes. I did not know…if my Mana pulse would…reach anyone."

"Your Mana pulse?"

"Yes. It can only…be felt…in the souls…of those within…the area…of this prison."

"…" Voltage suddenly remembered the strange urge to explore the prison. "That was you? You gave me the urge to explore this place?" he asked, unconsciously touching his chest, right on the compartment of his Soul-Drive.

"Not…exactly, but…somewhat."

"I don't understand. Why?" Voltage asked.

"I need…to break out," the Knight Gundam said weakly.

Voltage looked at him seriously. "Why? So you can attack us?" he hissed.

"No. Because…I need to defeat…the Dark Axis."

"So, you want to get free, and in order to do that, you had to call someone here, and that person happened to be me. Big deal. You could've busted free on your own, couldn't you?" Voltage asked.

The knight shook his head sadly.

"Alas, I cannot. I…have been trapped here…for a long time."

"Oh."

Voltage took the opportunity to study the Gundam who had called him here. His armor seemed like it was ready to fall off his body, and his synthetic muscles seemed as if they had wasted away to nothing but a bare minimum. His eye screens were dull and had no shine to them, even though they were on. The knight's cape was torn off and shredded around him, indicating that someone had stripped him before beating him, as was evident by the bruises on the synthflesh beneath. The chains that held him to the wall were rusting, but still in good condition and his soul stone had a nasty crack on it.

He placed his beam saber back on his jetpack and approached the imprisoned Gundam.

"So, why do you need to defeat the Dark Axis?" he asked.

The Knight Gundam looked at him directly. "Let me just say that…it's a matter…of survival for all…of existence."

"A matter of survival?" Voltage murmured.

"Yes."

"Why is that?" Voltage asked.

"I cannot reveal."

Voltage eyes him seriously. "Seriously. If I'm gonna help you get out of here, you need to tell me why it's a matter of survival. Otherwise, I'm not helping you."

The knight simply lowered his gaze before looking the other Gundam in the eyes. "If I tell thee, thou…must not reveal…what thy have heard."

"Okay. You got it…" Voltage's voice trailed off.

"Deed. My name is Deed."

"Okay. You got it, Deed. I won't say anything."

"Good."

Deed took a breath and began speaking.

* * *

_On Planet Zi, headquarters of the Intergalactic Defense Federation…_

The dual suns shone down on the planet below at different intensities, giving it warm weather and comfortable temps, but powerful storms and hurricane force winds. Today, however, there were no clouds in the sky and on the only road through the field a lone transport was heading back to the main city of Ziaxpher.

The person occupying this transport happened to be the leader of the Intergalactic Defense Federation, Van Yhaxo. He was a few years younger than Mimi, but he didn't let his age stop him. In fact, it motivated him to prove to the Council that he was a good choice for the position.

With a thatch of black hair that he kept in check with a small ponytail, he had tan skin that showed from his long hours of spending time outside. A single red stripe ran down his left cheek and he wore a white T-shirt with brown gloves on his hands. His legs were covered in blue jean shorts and he wore hiking boots on his feet.

Having been chosen by his dying parents to head the organization, he had been criticized by the Council, but he had stuck to his parents' wish to be leader, even if he was only twelve years old, making him the youngest leader in the universe.

Van sighed as he turned the wheel, keeping his eyes locked on the city in the distance. The whole mission had been a success, meaning that the new shields were standing by, ready to be activated at a moment's notice from the main command center in his office.

A soft, faint beeping sound caught his attention. Flicking one eye over to the screen, he spoke to the computer in the dashboard of the transport. "Transport: Video feed activate. Autopilot: activate."

The transport's computer complied, turning the control over to the autopilot software that he used when communicating with one of his allies.

The screen materialized in a small _blip_, showing the face of his first and only ally, Greason, head of the Universal War Board.

Greason eyed Van with his four eyes before speaking in Basic with a slight slithery accent.

"_Van! What hassss been going on, my friend?_" he asked.

"Not much, Greason. You?" Van asked, a smirk on his face.

The alien grinned, exposing a set of snakelike teeth. "_Everything isss going fine._" Then he grew serious. "_I have ssssome important information for you, and it is essential that you read thisss._"

"What's up?" Van asked, suddenly becoming serious as well.

"_A new enemy hasss exposed themselves in a form called the Dark Axisssssss,_" Greason hissed.

Van's eyes widened as he leaned forward to speak with his ally and friend. "Dark Axis? What do they want?" he asked.

"_They are not piratesss, if that is what you think. They are a band of conquerorsss bent on controlling some great power that isss supposed to be only a myth,_" Greason said grimly.

"Greason, I can understand the threat of this Dark Axis, but what I don't get is how they can be after some kind of power. I mean, didn't we prove to the universe last time that there was no great power?" Van inquired, reminding Greason of the collaboration mission they had pulled during the IDF-UWB/Huntagas War.

Greason hissed before speaking again, this time more seriously. "_Last time we did, but thisss time there **isss** a great power and they have the proof. They showed me imagesss from a land of myth, some place called Lacroa or something like that._"

Van cocked an eyebrow as he spun the wheel to the left, shifting lanes to allow a tank transport to pass by. "Lacroa? Never heard of it."

"_That wasss what I said when I first heard of it,_" Greason remarked.

"About this Dark Axis. Is there any data on them we can use?" Van asked.

"_None. Sorry, Van._"

Van sighed. "So much for that then."

"_But, I do have some newsss concerning that small power,_" the snake said, grinning slightly.

"Small power? You mean the Universal Trade Confederation?" Van asked, wondering which power Greason was talking about.

"_No! That other power! The ones who defeated Unicron!_" the snake alien snapped angrily.

"Oh. Wait. Unicron's Vanquishers?" Van blurted.

"_Yes, but that is not their name. Their real name isss the Intergalactic Federation. They have begun conducting intense investigations into the Dark Axisssssss,_" Greason said. "_And it issss this very invesssstigation's information that I am sending to you._"

"Investigations, huh? Well, anything else about this small power?" Van wondered.

"_Just that they have sent out a team to infiltrate them, which they have done. They have retrieved data that could expossse the Dark Axis's inhumane behaviors towards organics such as ourselvessss,_" Greason hissed.

Van became serious as he took in the news. Inhumane behavior was not something he tolerated, unlike the Universal Power Association, or the Federal Institute. Nebula, he was sure, despised this information because they supported democracy at levels that were proven by the other democratic powers.

He looked up to make eye contact with his friend. "Greason, meet me at the command center in three _shree_. Any later, and you know what the price is," he said, a smirk on his face.

Greason nodded, knowing that his human friend liked his freshly homemade Hytharian wine.

"_You got it, old friend._"

With that, the screen shut down and he resumed manual control. As he grasped the steering wheel, he began to rehearse what he was going to say at the meeting with the Council and Greason.

Thoughts about the Federation formed in his mind before fading as he recalled the threat that had forced him to come up with new defense measures three _icyado_ before. The threat had proven to be three mechanical beings with the power to transform into vehicles, tanks specifically, which made it harder to come up with new shields to counteract their cannons.

The last report sent by his scouts from the area surrounding the latest outpost had proven to be very valuable for the data had shown him that there were flaws in the Dark Axis' technology, especially those little bugs they called BagguBaggu.

It seemed that the little critters weren't immune to strange electromagnetic waves that were found only on certain worlds, one of which was Planet Zi. He wasn't sure of the other four worlds in this sector of the universe, but he was pretty certain that one other of the four had the same field as his home planet.

He thought about the four worlds and their statistics as he spun the wheel to the left, detouring from the usual route.

The first world of the batch, Grion, a world of warriors that worshipped multiple gods and goddesses, had been shown to be somewhat protected from the BagguBaggu, but not to the extent of Zi. He recalled that the warrior beings had a reputation for pulling off sacrifices in the names of their deities, just so they could continue to have a prosperous existence.

Thresitia, a planet inhabited by scientists and craftsmen, was developing a technique to amplify their planet's electromagnetic field to protect themselves from the Dark Axis, but so far, it hadn't been going well, for their field was still weak when it came to shorting out the systems of the BagguBaggu. It seemed to him that they were slowly doomed to extinction, meaning that there was no hope for them.

The third planet, Bj'kotee, was the only one of the four whose electromagnetic waves were weaker than those of Zi. That world had already been invaded and looted of all technology useful to the Dark Axis and petrified into nothing but a huge ball of stone drifting through space for all eternity. He sighed at the loss of the people who had lived there. They had been skilled space travelers, having developed the industry many stellar ages ago.

His thoughts drifted towards the last planet of the batch, a world that had been determined to be a leader of a small organization, the Intergalactic Federation. He laughed. The name seemed to be popping up whenever he recalled data on the Dark Axis' tactics. He recalled in the report that the name of the head planet was Earth.

Earth seemed to hold the most potential for being protected against the BagguBaggu, but he couldn't be certain. The report hadn't listed any encounters with the deadly force of millions of BagguBaggu in the last three months.

Their electromagnetic field's frequency was right on the money, for it was erratic, and the high quantity of energon hidden beneath the surface also had a small contribution in the effects of the field, enhancing it to the point where he guessed the bugs would be rendered useless.

If that were the case, then there was hope, if he could ally himself with them somehow.

* * *

_On Earth..._

**Earth Command**

**Time: 16:15, 4:15pm local time**

**Main Office**

President Warren let out a surprised breath as she stared at the footage that Sing and his team had gathered on their mission. Her eyes took in the scarred flesh, the severe malnutrition, and the filthy living conditions.

"Holy shit…" Seto cursed, stunned at the brutal ruthlessness of them.

"Jeez! Are they nuts?!" Famous swore.

"That's…sick…" Zero whispered, his grey eyes locked onto the screen, his face pale.

Ciel had her hands to her mouth the whole time, unable to believe the sheer destruction being committed by the Dark Axis. "How can anyone be so…destructive…to living, thinking beings?" she murmured.

"Looks like not even the Decepticons would be pleased at this," Optimus said softly.

"So, it looks like the invasion plans are a go?" Sandra asked, her gaze hard as steel.

"Yes. All in favor of the invasion raise your hands," President Warren said.

Everyone raised their hands in unison. President Warren nodded her approval.

"Okay. I'll run this by the Federation Congress, and if they approve of our plans, then we'll do whatever is necessary to stop these atrocious acts," she said grimly.

"Do whatever you feel is right. We'll begin preps immediately," Seto said.

"Okay. Good luck."

The leaders stood and filed out of the room, except for Optimus, Metroplex, Scourge, and Override.

"Are you sure that this is such a good idea?" asked Metroplex.

"Yes. You saw the footage. Besides, do you want a repeat of World War II on an intergalactic scale?!" President Warren snapped.

"No, but 'tis a better idea to wait before we begin the invasion," the massive Transformer said.

"I have to agree with Metroplex on this one," said Override.

"Why is that?" Optimus wondered.

"Simply put, the invasion could be a fluke. Last time we decided on an invasion, it backfired. We barely got out of that one alive."

"Oh yeah. The failed invasion of Titan AE headquarters. I remember," President Warren grumbled.

"We need to see what the enemy plans to do before we invade, now that they know we infiltrated them and retrieved some vital data," Scourge agreed.

"Okay. I'll hold off until we see what they do. After that, it's fair game."

"Aye."

"Right."

"Got it."

"Understood."

"Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Optimus said calmly.

"It's the least we can do for you," Override said.

"Besides, you helped us when the black hole nearly devoured our home world," Scourge said.

"Aye. Tis the best way we know how," Metroplex said.

President Warren smiled, unaware of the fight that was coming up soon…

* * *

_In the Dark Axis main base..._

_The mystery form grins as a lone Zako soldier comes running in carrying something in its hands._

"_Did you finish it?" the form purrs._

"_Yes, zako. The new control chip is complete, as is the new control horn we devised, zako."_

"_Good. Do you have a test subject?"_

"_Yes, zako."_

"_Who is the test subject?"_

"_Who else other than the leader, zako? It seems perfect, no?"_

_The form's grin grows even wider at the thought. So tempting, so simple, so obvious. The plan can't go wrong this time; even if the Federation does find a way to reverse it, it will be too late, for the program inside will have taken effect two weeks later._

"_Excellent. With the leader under our command, we'll soon have the plans needed to make an army of them!" the form murmurs softly._

"_Y-yes, sir, zako!" the Zako squeaks out._

"_Now, prepare for the invasion to their planet. If they arrive in the time frame to stop the raiding, tell Zako Red to place it on him. This one will not be a failure, I hope."_

"_It will not, zako!" the Zako cries._

"_Good. Now go. Let me know how it works out."_

_The Zako nods and runs off, leaving the form to sneer as the door slides shut, throwing the room into absolute darkness once again._


	35. Plans for a Counterattack

Chapter 8

Voltage stared in stunned silence as Deed finished his tale. So many things had happened since the Federation had been formed, but this…this was absolutely incomprehensible. There was no way such a thing existed, even if there was evidence right in front of his eyes.

"There's no slaggin' way that can be true," he murmured.

"Ah, but…it is, my friend," Deed rasped.

"I…I just need time to think about all this. It's too much to take in all at once."

"I understand."

He slumped against the wall, still unable to believe what he had just heard. There had to be some mistake, there just had to be! The fact that such a power existed was beyond him, beyond even the Federation's abilities. They had great powers, but not like this. If the Dark Axis got their hands on it, then it was all over for everyone.

"The Superior Dragon is real after all," he whispered. "And it does exist, meaning…Doomsday's coming."

He couldn't believe it. Doomsday was who knew how long from being brought about, and there was only so much time before the Dark Axis got their hands on the Superior Dragon's powers. The Federation had no data on it, save for what he now knew, and there was no known method of locating it, making their job harder than it already was.

"'Doomsday…the end of all life on Earth as we know it.'"

The former President's quote before contact had been made came back to him. The whole time he had thought it unbelievable to comprehend that Doomsday was approaching, but now, the fact became crystal clear in his memory files as he sat there.

"Are thou alright?"

Voltage didn't even hear him; he was too absorbed in his own thoughts. Instead, Deed let out a yelp that caught his attention.

"Deed…Sorry," Voltage murmured, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"No. Do not…be sorry. I have heard…thee speaking about Doomsday…and I fear…that thou may be right…on that count," Deed murmured.

"Deed, can you tell me anything more about the Superior Dragon?" Voltage asked urgently.

"I…cannot."

"Slag!" Voltage swore.

Deed then grew thoughtful. "But, if…thee can get me out…then I may be able to."

Voltage nodded.

"Okay." He grasped one of his beam sabers and ignited the glowing blade. With one quick slash, he severed the chains holding the knight in place. He put it back on his jetpack and grabbed the other Gundam carefully.

"Hold on."

Deed grasped him as tightly as he could, which wasn't very tight. Voltage sighed and grasped his passenger even tighter before he lifted him onto his back.

The two Gundams bolted out of the hidden chamber, Voltage following Deed's directions. As he ran, he couldn't help but wonder why the Dark Axis was after the Superior Dragon. If they were after its power, couldn't they just have stolen it in the first place? The whole thing didn't make any sense to him. Then again, things didn't make sense in the Federation that often.

* * *

In Earth orbit…

The massive silvery vessel hovered motionlessly, no movement or life indicated by lights or engine noise. It was as silent as a graveyard on a misty night.

But, within the systems, there was indeed life as he became more familiar with his new body. He had become aware of the situation when he had tapped into the universal cross-communications system with the powerful communications array. The name Dark Axis turned up many thoughts, but not about little green robots with one eye that said Zako all the time. It seemed to him that there was something more behind all of this. And to figure it out, he needed to figure out what they really were.

So, once he had become adapted to his new form, he lay in wait, listening in on conversations between organizations and worlds as they described attacks, the most recent being a failed attempt on an organization known as the Alliance for Unity, a small diplomatic power dedicated to resolving conflicts through peaceful means rather than combat.

The description of the attacks he heard about were something like the battles of World War II, particularly the Battle of France, in which the country had fallen to the Nazi Party. It seemed impossible, but it was true. World War II had expanded to a new scale, and the Federation was caught in the middle of it.

A new bit of surprising info came in the form of a report submitted by the Universal Post Office through a series of connections. The report stated that the Dark Axis was after some kind of great power, yet, he didn't recall anything of great power hidden in the Federation's boundaries.

'_What's this great power they seek? Is it something that Unicron can use to rebuild himself? Or is it something new that we haven't heard of?_'

These questions bothered him greatly. He decided to wait for anything new concerning the Dark Axis' search for this great power.

He hoped it didn't come down to the worst case he could imagine.

* * *

**Location: Jungle Planet**

**Place: Head Temple**

**Time: 21:10, 9:10pm local time**

Scourge sighed as he sat in his office later that night. So far things were working out in the Federation's favor. The Dark Axis didn't even know that they were planning to liberate those trapped in the camps. From what little he had read on Earth's history, he knew that the war known to them as World War II had resulted in tens of millions of lives lost and untold amounts of damage in money, not to mention the exposure to the worst kinds of treatment and the revelation of humanity's capacity for destruction in the form of the atomic bombs. He found it strange that humans could be so devastating, yet so caring for one another when they fought for it.

The one thing that bothered him though was the constant mention of the Dark Axis' hunt for something. What was it they were searching for? Was it Primus? If so, then why didn't they just convert the creator of the Transformers to their side?

He was so busy thinking that he didn't even hear the Zako creeping up with a control horn in hand, along with a control chip…

* * *

_On Earth…_

**Location: Earth Command**

**Place: Main Office**

**Time: 22:15, 10:15pm local time**

"WHAT?! Scourge didn't answer the communications?" President Warren blurted to her aide, a young man named Grey.

He nodded. "That's right, ma'am. He failed to respond to the numerous calls we sent him during the past fifteen minutes. The operator says that she suspects something's going on down on Jungle Planet."

"…" President Warren was silent as she took in this information. "This isn't like Scourge to not respond to our calls. Something must be up. I'll contact him myself."

"A-are you sure about that, ma'am? I mean, what if he doesn't respond?" Grey asked nervously.

"That I'll take into consideration. Right now, we need to focus on what's most important. I'll contact him to see what's going on. If it concerns the Dark Axis, then we have reason to be worried," President Warren said.

"I understand, ma'am." Grey grabbed his screens and backed out of the room, leaving the President alone to contemplate this.

Strange as it was, she knew that Scourge always contacted her if something arose that he couldn't handle by himself, and this seemed to be one of those times. Years of combat had ingrained her with a sort of sixth sense that buzzed whenever something was wrong, and right now, she was getting a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She began to fear the worst as she activated interplanetary communications.

The screen materialized, showing nothing but static.

"Scourge, come in. This is President Warren. Do you copy? Over," she said clearly.

No answer, except for static.

"Scourge, do you copy?" she asked again.

Again no answer.

Now worried, she bit her lower lip as she tried again. This time, however, someone _did_ answer, but not who she expected. "_What do you want, human scum?_"

The voice she recognized as that of Scourge, but it somehow sounded different than him. It sort of had more of an evil sound to it rather than pure honor and compassion, but she couldn't be certain.

"Scourge, this is President Warren. What's going on down there? Do you need assistance?" she wondered.

Scourge's voice held a sneer in it as he spoke. "_I don't need help from the likes of you, human! I can handle myself, and so can my planet. We're cutting all ties to your puny organization and allying ourselves with the Dark Axis._"

That sent shivers down her spine. The _Dark Axis_?! What was with him?

"Scourge, what's gotten into you? The Dark Axis is the enemy! Not an ally!" she yelled, now fearing the worst as he laughed menacingly into the communications network.

"_You fools! Did you think that…what? No! STOP!_" his voice cried.

"…Huh?" She stared in confusion as the screen's static began to give way to a clear image of Scourge, yet he seemed a bit different.

"_P-President Warren. This i-is Scourge. I d-don't have much time. I can only remain free for so long_," Scourge stammered.

"Scourge, what's going on?" President Warren asked urgently.

"_The…the Dark Axis…planted some kind…of horn onto my head. I can't hold him back forever._"

Hatred at the enemy shot through her like a bolt of lightning. "What? They did what?!" she blurted.

"_A…control horn. You must remove it before it takes complete contr—AAAAAGH!_"

"SCOURGE!" President Warren stood up as Scourge's optics flared from soft green to pure blood red as the control horn took effect on his body. The red optic flared as he cried out, his spark flashing blue, then red. His armor began to change from the normal sunset orange and purple and green to a dark blue, blood red, and dark purple, his optics shining brightly as a set of wings spread from behind his back and his claws elongated to deadly lengths. His fangs grew outward, giving him the look of a vampire Transformer from legend.

"_AAAAAAAAGH!_"

"Scourge, you've got to fight it!" she cried, placing her hands on the desk and leaning in closer.

"_I can…cannot! It's too late for me! Fight! And win! TILL ALL ARE ONE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!_"

"NOOOOOO!" The screen went back to static for a moment before it cleared to reveal Scourge standing there, the Dark Axis sigil planted on his chest armor.

"_The fool thought he could shun me out of this body, eh? No matter. I'm back in control,_" the 'new' mech said.

President Warren licked her lips before speaking softly. "S-s-scourge?"

"_The name's Deathstorm, human!_" the mech snapped.

"Deathstorm?" she repeated.

"_Yes, and remember it, for it may be the last thing you ever hear! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_"

The screen fizzled back to static before a black background with the words _Connection Terminated_ appeared. The green-blue words flashed again and again as she sat, stunned at what had just occurred. Scourge, under the control of the Dark Axis? It just didn't seem possible! He was too strong-willed for that to happen to him! He was an honorable fighter who believed strongly in Federation ideals, yet now, here he was, a traitor to their cause!

"No…This can't be…" She slumped back in her chair, her head in her hands. In the two years she had been in office, she had never expected this to happen while she was in command.

Still stunned, she pressed the button on her desk and spoke into the mike.

"Grey, call the leaders together for an emergency meeting. Why? Let's just say it's an emergency that could change everything."

* * *

_Two hours later…_

"HAH?!" The other leaders let out surprised gasps as she finished explaining the whole deal to them.

"You have _got_ to be kidding!" Seto blurted, his eyes wide in shock.

President Warren shook her head. "No. I'm not, guys. Scourge is now under the control of the Dark Axis, and his name is now Deathstorm. We need to find a way to reverse this, if there is one."

"Well, from what we've seen during the last few days, the Dark Axis has begun making bolder moves and moving in to attack the Cybertronian colonies and allies. We even intercepted one of them on their way to Earth. During that raid, we stole from them three of those 'control horns' as they are known amongst Dark Axis troops," said Zero. He glanced at Ciel, who held a small stack of screens and a tulip in her hands.

She held up the tulip. "This is a control horn in its dormant state, which looks like a harmless flower. But, when it's activated, it changes to its actual form to enact control over the being it's attached to; in this case, it's Scourge," she explained.

She passed out the stack of screens which were reports on the data about control horns. "If you read this report, the whole thing is actually quite simple, although the program is quite complex. The program, a personality altering program, is downloaded into the subject's mainframe, and their own personality is shoved aside or deleted temporarily and trapped within the horn in a small space. They're still aware, but unable to act or do anything on their own. It's the same concept with other mind-altering tech used by the Blazians during their war for independence twelve years ago," Ciel said.

"Any way to reverse it?" Steven asked as he opened the screen.

"There is a way to reverse it, but it requires writing a program that can nullify the Dark Axis program's effects. It will take some time to write and create such a program, but it can be done," Ciel explained.

"How long?" Cassie asked, eyes scanning the report.

"It will take about three weeks to write a program capable of canceling out the effects, but it could take less time if we had help from Primus."

"Three weeks…we don't have that kind of time!" President Warren snapped.

"Why not?" asked Famous.

"Three weeks is too long, and the Dark Axis could easily attack us during that time. We need to be ready to counterattack, and we can't do that while we're busy writing programs!" President Warren exclaimed.

"…Hold on. Isn't there another way?" Optimus asked.

"Huh? How so?" asked Mimi.

"There has to be a way in which we can cancel it out without lengthy time periods. Is there such a method, Ciel?" Optimus inquired.

Ciel hesitated before speaking. "Well, yes, but it's very risky," she said, wringing her hands.

"What is it?" Sandra asked.

"The second method involves using a high intensity electromagnetic frequency to cancel out the horn's effects, but the downside is that it could rewire the subject's basic programming to primal levels, delete them altogether, or shut them down permanently," the Orcan scientist/leader explained.

"What about a highly focused beam much like our communications array?" O'hari inquired, his eyes locked onto Ciel.

"It _is_ possible that a highly focused beam could do the job, but it would have to be fired at the right time. Too soon, and you'd miss. Too late, and you'd never get another chance to fire it again. It's a one time deal," she said, shrugging.

"So, in short, we have two options. Waste three weeks writing programs or take the easy, but risky way and use electromagnetic waves to disable them and risk losing Scourge forever. Not many choices we can pick from," Override said grimly.

"There is also a third method, but I'm not sure if it will work," Ciel said.

"Huh? A third method?" Mokuba looked at her with confusion in his eyes.

Ciel nodded. "Yes. In theory, if we can use a jammer, we can sort of cancel out the effects, then use the frequency to short it out. It's never been tested before, so I'm not sure if it'll work."

"Looks like we'll have to see what happens."

"I agree."

The leaders filed out in the order they had entered in. Deep down, President Warren hoped for a miracle.

This time, it seemed only miracles could occur, and only then, did they have a chance at winning this, or so she hoped.

* * *

_In Lacroa…_

Voltage grunted as he helped Deed stagger along the dank, musty corridors of the prison. Already his back was beginning to ache from the effort of carrying him, even though he had obviously been deprived of food and water for who knew how long.

"Are thou alright?" Deed rasped.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he replied, hiding his discomfort from the knight.

He adjusted Deed's body slightly before continuing on. The knight looked at him from over his shoulder.

"If thee are…uncomfortable, we can stop…for a while," he suggested.

Voltage shook his head. "No. I'm getting you out even if I have to crawl with you strapped to a slab of stone," he said stubbornly.

"Thee would do that?"

"Yeah. I'm not about to let whoever did that to you do it again. Now, which way?"

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_The mists of time drift around, hiding many secrets, concealing many treasures, tragedies, triumphs, and sacrifice. Time never stands still in this place, and many events occur in this nonexistent place._

_A set of red optics gaze out at the worlds in the mists, their owner contemplating the facts of the war. He knows the truth, the reason why the Dark Axis yearns to become gods and why they seek the ship the humans call the _Titanic_._

_Vector Prime, Keeper of Space and Time, gazes out at them with ageless wisdom, and watches as the humans successfully stop an attempt to raise it. He forwards to the future, the future that is constantly looming closer with each passing battle. In his misty screens he can see countless beings struggling for survival, a handful struggling to reclaim their homes and dreams and futures through futile fights against a massive enemy that has conquered them successfully._

_He sees a small handful of humans lurking in submarines near the site, trying to keep what little debris remains of her safe from Dark Axis hands. He can see Dark Axis forces commandeering a hulking ship, one that bears the remains of the great liner and the Dark Axis sigil flapping on the mast._

_He closes the misty screen and switches to the future the small power yearns for: a future of peace, of hope, and of life. He can see the main headquarters, Earth Command, glimmering brightly in the sun of Earth. He homes in on the small power's greatest monument in the future: a detailed image of the ship in life size proportions, made out of steel, metal, wood, and glass: a life-sized replica that actually allows beings to experience the ship firsthand before that fateful day in the final battle._

_Vector frowns. This future seems more distant by the day, and the Dark Axis's future is becoming clearer as time passes. The gods are getting angrier, and the darkness is overcoming the light. No hope remains._

_He knows that their mission will end in failure unless they can stop the Dark Axis leaders, which doesn't seem to be happening; the generals are not being killed by the Federation. In fact, it seems that they are only stalling the inevitable._

"_They are doomed…"_

* * *

_In Lacroa…_

The sun shone down on the four travelers as they entered into the kingdom, led by Tatha. As soon as they had woken up, the decision had been made to head to Lacroa Castle to see if there was anyone there who could send them back home in time to stop the Dark Axis from getting their hands on the wreck. Tatha had agreed to take them to the castle.

They had spent the morning getting ready to leave, packing up food, water, and their weapons, not to mention a map of the castle in case Tatha didn't go inside with them.

Shute walked next to Captain behind Syrus and Sayla, Tatha in front of them. He let his mind wander as he walked, not even paying attention to their surroundings. He was too focused on the strange feelings he was having when around his friend and not when around his crush back home.

Why was he having them around _Captain_? For Primus' sake, he was a _Gundam_, and Shute was a human. It just didn't seem right. Such things were unheard of back home. No human had ever had a relationship with a robot, and he found it disturbing. Then again, what about in other lands, other dimensions, other worlds like Earth? Was it possible to have a relationship with another being, even one that wasn't human? Was it?

He closed his eyes and looked back at his friend and his comrades. Ever since they had arrived, things had gotten weirder and stranger to boot. Humans with auras, hybrid beings, shipwrecks that held some hidden meaning to a certain race…he just couldn't absorb it all.

Things had just moved too quickly after they had fled, leading up to this predicament they were in: separated from one another in Lacroa, unable to return home unless they found someone who could help. He wondered if things were moving way too fast, even for the Gundam Force to deal with.

Then again, what was so special about this organization? What made them so deadly to the Dark Axis? Why did they fight so hard in the face of defeat to win wars that normally would end up with them destroyed? What was their secret weapon? What secrets did they hold? And what was so important about the wreck? He just couldn't understand it, especially the part about the wreck's importance and the fact that there had been an act passed to protect it.

And what about his feelings towards Captain? Was he really falling in love with him? If so, why didn't he just tell him straight out? Was it possible to fall for a robot, and a Gundam at that? What kept holding him back? And did Captain feel the same way towards him? If so, why hadn't he just said '_I love you_' to the boy?

What was holding them back?


	36. Return from Lacroa

Chapter 9

Thunder rumbled as Deathstorm stepped out onto the main temple's steps, a sneer on his face. The feeling of power he felt coursing through his body made him laugh with pure pleasure as lightning tore open the sky on Jungle Planet. Rain began to fall in sheets as he transformed from robot mode to dragon form. His great wings spread and with just a single flap, he was forty-five yards above the temple roof, circling before letting loose a roar and flying off towards the mountains in the distance.

The pair of golden optics that watched him narrowed as the form scowled. The form was covered in a brown traveling cloak that hid its body from view, but as thunder roared, the sky being torn open yet again, the form grasped the cloak and whipped it away from itself, exposing its true form, the brown cloak flapping about its neck.

Protoform X frowned as the deadly new addition to the Dark Axis forces faded into the distance. He hadn't expected the band of conquerors to successfully control the strong will of a Cybertronian with a small device like that. It seemed impossible, but then again, if there was anything he recalled from his past experience with small organizations like this, it was that nothing was totally impossible.

He shifted his gaze towards the stars, taking in the locations of the worlds that made up this small power that held the future in their hands. It seemed ironic, really. Rather than a much larger, more experienced, well-known power, only a small, inexperienced, third-rate power was actually aware of the danger and were using whatever methods they had to investigate and they were willing to use their meager resources to try and stop a massive band of dimensional conquerors. The Dark Axis seemed to consider the Intergalactic Federation not much of a threat, but they were becoming aware of the capacities of this meager power.

Protoform X himself was all too aware of the Federation's abilities in battle, for he himself had been engaged in one with them as his opponent. He had learned the hard way that they were to never be underestimated, especially when the freedom of others was threatened. Humanity, the main species in the organization, was a deadly race due to their capacity for forgiving and destruction merged into one force.

It was strange, really. Humans were weaker than the Dark Axis soldiers, yet they were more powerful in groups, especially when armed with lasers, starfighters, and alien tech that they knew little about. They seemed to find information about the tech they took from other powers and incorporated that information into their own, making it more powerful, deadlier, and tougher in many ways that didn't make sense.

The one thing that puzzled him about the humans was the fact that their hunger for freedom was far stronger than that in the beings he had fought alongside many times in his past. They seemed to yearn for it more than those who had been fighting for it for many years, human time. It seemed to be the force that drove them to unite into one world and spread outwards, becoming the leader in an alliance that was considered weaker than the others.

Yet, something else seemed to be driving them, and this one feeling was one that was a mystery to even himself. He had seen many beings during his lifetime fight and die in the name of freedom, yet they weren't considered true freedom fighters like it was with the humans.

"Humanity…what does that mean?" he murmured, watching the stars as they began to fade from view.

* * *

_In Lacroa…_

The setting sun shone brightly in his eyes as they emerged from the prison corridors into some kind of chamber. He squinted his eyes shut, trying to keep the light from blinding him. He waited a few seconds before he opened them, slowly taking in their location.

"Where are we?" he murmured.

Deed moaned slightly on his back. Voltage glanced at him before he adjusted his grasp. "You okay, Deed?"

"Ugh…Not really. I need something to eat before I pass out," he whispered.

"I bet. Sorry if I don't have anything on me," Voltage said apologetically.

Deed managed a weak grin. "It is all right, my friend."

Voltage glanced about the chamber. "So, where are we, anyway?" he asked.

Deed pointed with a shaky finger. "We are in the main entrance chamber for Lacroa Castle. See the double Mana Circle there? That is the family crest for the king and his family," he said.

"Family crest? You mean this place is the central command center?" Voltage asked.

Deed cocked an invisible eyebrow. "Central command center? I do not know what thy be talking about."

"…" Voltage sighed before speaking. "Back home where I come from, the central command center is sort of like a castle, only there is no royal family crest. It's sort of like…" His voice trailed off as he struggled to come up with a comparison. "…do you know what a command post is?"

Deed nodded. "Yes. We have them on the ramparts to house the heads of the guards during combat."

"Good. Well, it's sort of like that, only it's not located on anything. In fact, it's much different. The central command center is where the commands of battle are given from. It's also the storehouse for many different weapons including shield generators, blasters, and long range weapons. There are also runways for launching our fighter craft and some even have docks for warships," Voltage explained.

"Fighter craft?" Deed inquired.

"Yeah. They are flying vehicles capable of great power and speed, powered by energon engines and they use rigid wings for lift. A rudder and a set of flaps enables steering and adjustment for altitude. There's even a set of flaps on the wings used for adjusting the angle of the craft's climb or dive," Voltage stated.

"Engines?"

"Yeah. Did you think we used simple methods to power our machines?" Voltage asked.

"Machinery that does not use manual power? Mana…"

"Big shock, huh?" Voltage remarked, looking back at him with a glint in his youthful brown eyes.

"Yes. I must say it is…" Deed's voice trailed off.

"Voltage. The name's Voltage," the Gundam carrying him said.

"Well, then I must say that it is a big shock indeed, Voltage."

"Anyway, if you don't know what a warship is, then…"

"I know what a warship is," Deed remarked.

"Good. The only difference is that there's a metal hull, energon engines to power it, and many weapons that you haven't heard of," Voltage remarked, shifting his grip on the Knight Gundam.

"Energon?"

"Yeah. It's the mineral we use to power our vehicles and machinery. Almost everything is powered by energon, except for the basics."

"Almost?" Deed asked, obviously wondering what his rescuer was talking about.

"Let's just say that there's one thing that doesn't use energon for power," Voltage said, his voice suddenly growing soft as he recalled the shape underneath the water of the Atlantic Ocean.

"What be that?"

"You don't want to know."

"Oh."

Voltage adjusted his grasp a second time when suddenly a blast of cold air struck him head on. He barely dodged to the side, Deed's arms tightening painfully around his throat. "Whoa!"

"Heh. Well, well. Seems like you managed to find someone here," Subzero's voice purred from the shadows.

"What's it to you, you traitor!?" Voltage snapped.

"Now, is that any way to greet an old friend?" Subzero asked mockingly.

"You're not my friend anymore! If you were, then you wouldn't be a traitor!" Voltage spat.

"I'm sorry you feel that way about me," Subzero mocked. "I guess we'll have to change that…"

"Voltage! It's Voltage, traitor!"

"Ooh. You changed your name? Not something I expected, but nonetheless, it will be a pleasure to kill you!" Subzero sneered.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Voltage yelled.

"This. ICE BOMB!"

Voltage felt his Soul-Drive seize up in his chest as the bombs of ice formed in the air in front of him. His eyes shrank in horror and he braced for the impact he knew was coming.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

"SHOCKER CANNON!"

"SOLAR FLARE!"

"SONIC WAVE!"

"Super Magical Violet Tornado!"

"Captain Punch!"

"MANA PULSE!"

**_BAOOM!_**

The explosion rocked the whole castle as the eight attacks collided. The shockwave blew the two Gundams flat onto their backs, the wind knocked out of their bodies.

"…" Subzero didn't even say anything as he stepped out of the shadows, puzzled.

"Looks like we'll finally settle the score now!" Sayla said as she stepped out of the smoke, laser sword glowing brightly.

Deed struggled to sit up, stunned by the sudden appearance of these mysterious warriors.

"Who art thou?" he murmured.

"Who we are isn't important right now. Right now you need to stay back behind me," Sayla said, glancing back at the injured Gundam.

"Still the same as always, Yashaki. I should've known that you would protect the weak," Subzero murmured as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Doesn't matter. You still owe us for that betrayal you pulled, and you know it!" Sayla snapped. Her laser sword began to glow brighter.

"Where are the rest of your little teammates?" Subzero asked.

"Right here!" T.J. yelled, darting out of the smoke, fist clenched tightly, drawn back for the punch.

"…ATTACK!" the Dark Axis Gundam roared.

"ZAKOOOOO!"

"Incoming!" Sayla snapped, her hand shifting back to normal.

"DAH! I kill you for Zeta and Gouf!" Demon Dom cried as he suddenly barreled through the charging Zako hoard.

"Great! Just great! Why did they have to bring him along?!" T.J. moaned as he dodged a bullet.

"Not sure, but this time, we must be prepared," Zero murmured.

"What? Why?" Shute asked as the others emerged from the smoke.

"I sense that he has gained new powers."

"Powers? As in Unicron's powers?" Shute breathed.

"I fear that may be so, Shute, but we cannot be certain without further evidence," the knight said grimly.

"What're you guys doing here?" Voltage blurted.

"Here to save your aft, that's what," Meisha said, hefting her laser pistol.

"Heh. What can you guys do now?" Subzero remarked, holding his beam sabers at the ready. "Especially with more of my Zako army and Demon Dom?"

"Zane, you and the others keep the Zakos busy. I'll handle Demon!" Sayla said.

"Right!"

"Are you sure, because if he has Unicron's powers, you won't stand a chance!" Kicker said worriedly.

"I may not, but it's better than sitting around and doing nothing!" Sayla remarked getting her gun ready for battle.

"Dahhhh…"

"ATTACK!" Subzero screamed.

"Now!" Zane yelled.

The battle began immediately. Voltage barely dodged Subzero's thrusts as it was, but with a knight Gundam in bad condition on his back, there was no way he could fight. He jumped to the side and laid Deed on the ground.

"Why are you here?" Voltage asked, glaring at Subzero.

"Simple: I'm here to destroy you and prevent you from getting your hands on the Superior Dragon!" Subzero hissed.

"You won't stop us because we are the Intergalactic Federation!" Voltage snapped.

"Heh. Your ideals are puny against the might of the Dark Axis!" Subzero said with an evil glint in his eyes.

"Why do you want to stop us from getting the Superior Dragon?!" Voltage screamed.

"Simple really. You are too weak to handle its immense powers! Only one such as the Supreme Commander of the Dark Axis can wield its powers!" Subzero cried.

"…" Deed was silent during this whole exchange. The power he had fought so hard to protect was about to become that of the Dark Axis…

And yet, here were these fighters from a land unknown even to him…

"EVERYONE! COMBO MANEUVER! NOW!" Sayla yelled.

"Roger!"

"Sun Missile! Level 40!" Zane thrust his arm forward, unleashing his signature attack.

"Sonic Wave! Level 10!" Syrus fired off a sound wave that forced a bunch of Zakos to cover their audios.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla slashed as hard as she could, unleashing her signature move.

"AURA FORCE DEVESTATION!"

"HAI! ICE IMPACT!" Subzero roared.

Both attacks collided in an explosion of light and sound, but the oncoming shockwaves weren't as powerful as they were normally. Voltage felt his Soul-Drive stop in shock as the realization sank in: they were doomed unless a miracle occurred.

"Mana Shield!"

As a hail of machine gun bullets came right at them, Voltage braced for the impact on his body armor, expecting to feel surges of electricity along the wounds, but instead, what he heard sounded similar to bullets ricocheting off an energon shield.

"Huh?" He opened one of his eyes cautiously. A surprising sight greeted his eyes.

"What?"

He opened both eyes just in time to take in the sight of a female soldier holding her hands out in front of her, a strange seal similar to Zero's Mana Disks in front of them, her short hair blowing about her face, violet eyes narrowed in determination as the hail of bullets continued to impact her shield.

"…Can it be…?" Deed was shocked. She was back?!

"Voltage! Get Deed out of here!" the soldier yelled. "I can't hold this back forever!"

"Uh, right!" Voltage hesitated, but he grasped Deed's limp form and picked up the knight Gundam. "C'mon! We're getting outta here!"

The soldier gritted her teeth and upped the power to her shield, her muscles straining to hold back the ever increasing bullet numbers.

"Halt! Cease fire!" Subzero hissed.

The bullets stopped, giving the soldier enough time to grin.

"Take this! Mana Disk!" She gripped the edges of the disk and twisted her body, throwing it like a Frisbee at him.

Subzero snarled and activated his jetpack, hovering above the incoming disk.

"Fire Wave!" the soldier cried.

"WHA!" The wave of fire barely nicked his armor, making him realize that she was toying with him.

"INCOMING!" Sayla cried.

The soldier glanced back and barely dodged as a powerful shockwave came right at Subzero. His eyes shrank as it impacted with a satisfying explosion.

Sayla ran up, hand in weapon mode. She stopped at the soldier.

"Name and rank, soldier!" she barked.

"No time! Incoming!" Zane yelled, shoving Sayla to the floor just as a rocket launched from Demon Dom and a few Zakos impacted the palace wall behind her.

Debris fell around them, held off by only Zane's aura guard.

"AGH! Man! How much power does this guy pack!" Zane grunted.

Kicker stood next to the wall, hand on his code. He felt like calling out his starfighter's name, but he doubted it would even come to this new dimension.

"Primus…I sure hope a miracle occurs," he murmured.

* * *

_On Earth…_

President Warren shifted in her seat as she studied the reports sent by Ciel and her team dealing with the investigations into the control horns and their control mechanisms.

_The values of life are very important to all of us here in the Intergalactic Federation and to those of us who wish to see a peaceful universe with no war, no poverty, no hunger and no famine, let alone savage practices amongst some of the other space-faring races._

_The Dark Axis is our complete opposite. They have no value for life in any form, especially organics and mechanicals alike. They tend to prefer control over the mechanical beings of the universe, and they gain this control through the devices known as control horns._

_In their closed state, they look relatively harmless and are pretty much powerless, unless given a time to activate and initiate complete control over the mechanical being it's attached to._

_When activated, the control horns use a complex algorithm to completely override the mechanical being's personality programming and rewrite it to a standard the Dark Axis can connect with. The personality programming is shut down and stored in some kind of small point in a void that we have taken to calling the Brain World. Not much is known about it, just that somehow it connects to the mechanical being's central programming and connected also to a central hub called the Brain Center._

_We are still working on researching this, President Warren, so it will take some time to fully take apart the control horn's complex functions. I hope this is good enough for now._

_Ciel Lang_

_Orca_

_Agricultural Department, Intergalactic Federation_

The President set the report down on her desk and laced her fingers behind her head. So far, the investigations were going well, but she knew from personal experience that things always had some kind of hidden cost.

The mention of this Brain Center was the most mysterious aspect so far. What was it exactly? And what was the connection?

"The Brain World…what is it?"

She knew that Primus had many Autobot, Decepticon, and Minicon sparks located in him, but she wondered if there was a much deeper level beyond that. A level that no Cybertronian bothered to investigate. A level that could be very well the key to discovering more about the control horns and a way to disrupt the programming within.

She shifted through the stack of reports, finding one that had been sent from Seto on Kax, where they were conducting intense research into the BagguBaggu and the petrification process and ways to reverse it.

_President Warren._

_Seto here. Thought I'd send you what we've managed to gather._

_Seems like the Dark Axis discovered a way on how to alter molecules in those they petrify and turn to stone. It's supposed to be scientifically impossible, but somehow, some way, they did it._

_It's actually a very ingenious method, although it's very complex. The simplified version: those critters have the ability to transform the flesh and blood of those that are stung into pure stone using nanotechnology. The nanotech they use utilizes taking stone molecules then swapping them out with the organic molecules inside the bug's body. Nanotech isn't supposed to be used like that, although they have taken it to the most extreme level possible and taught us that it is possible to use nanotech to change the appearance of someone._

_We're working on a method to reverse it, but without one of the BagguBaggu for a test subject, we can't test out any of the methods._

_One of these methods uses the same kind of nanotech the Dark Axis uses, but in reverse. We swap out the stone molecules in the organic's body for the organic ones. It's bound to work, although I think there is a much easier method._

_Hope this helps._

_Seto Kaiba_

_Kax_

_Engineering Department, Intergalactic Federation_

President Warren smiled. Seto and his people were skilled engineers, and they were the best there was. If anyone had to find a way to reverse the process, then they could.

She set the report aside and grasped the next one in the stack, this time from Famous concerning the internal systems of the Dark Axis soldiers they had captured.

_Famous here._

_Look. I'll just say it straight out. These guys are very intelligent, although we have discovered something surprising. We're still not sure as to what this is, but we're pretty sure that it has to do with whatever method they use to produce some kind of strange power source. It looks like a sphere with rings around it, normally two, but some have three or one. There's a surprising variety of these things. Some have flames in them, but most have lightning and dark energy inside of them, almost like Unicron's spark energy. I'm enclosing an image as to what they look like._

_Anyhow, the Dark Axis is very smart when it comes to designing their Zako soldiers. We've been working nonstop since yesterday trying to figure out how all their systems interlink with one another. They have set up all weapons systems with their mind chips and movement systems, but not like the Transformers._

_It's much different. Their weapons are linked to their limbs in a unique fashion. They're almost like extensions of the original limb. But this is only for those that can transform._

_Most are designed in a normal fashion, and only one or two had these 'Soul-Drives' as we call them. We've removed them and are studying them currently in a high security facility on Connection Seven._

_Here's what little we've learned about them:_

_They are not mechanical. They are sort of a combination of mechanical and organic technology, almost technoorganic, but not quite. We're not sure fully, but here's what we think. They may have removed human souls to make these things, although some of them show signs of having been created by normal technical means and manifesting it into a highly advanced artificial intelligence system in the form of a flame or lightning._

_This may help._

_Famous_

_Netopia_

_Networking and Energy Department, Intergalactic Federation_

Her eyes widened as she read the information. Human souls being used to create Soul-Drives? Some being created by normal means was acceptable, but using human souls was way out of line.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Huh?" She hit the button on her desk. "Yes?"

"_President Warren? Someone's here to see you,_" Grey said.

"Okay. Send them in."

She had no sooner removed her finger from the comm unit when the door slid open and Xenphyr, the head technician at Earth Federation Medical University, the top medical school in the organization, stepped in.

His red-brown hair was disheveled and his grey-green eyes were a little glassy, but he carried himself with urgency. His lab coat sported numerous black stains and a few energon splotches here and there. Underneath his lab coat, his shirt was rumpled and his pants were wrinkled, as if he had spent the night working on studying something important, which he had.

"President Warren…"

"Xenphyr. What brings you here?" she asked. "Normally you don't come down here. What's going on?"

"Did you read the report Famous sent?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes. I did. Why?" she asked, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well, remember that intense battle down by the TCDA a little over a month ago?" Xenphyr asked.

"Yes. Why?" the President asked.

"The one who attacked the school…Commander Sazabi, I think…was just brought in by Sayla before they went out on patrol."

"So?" President Warren remarked.

"We did a bit of intense study on him to determine how he got Unicron's powers…and well…" His voice trailed off.

"Hold on! Back up! Did you say_ Unicron's powers_?" she blurted.

Xenphyr nodded grimly. "Yes. I did."

"But…didn't we just destroy him?" President Warren murmured.

"Apparently not, for we discovered that he had been infused with a small portion. Not much, but enough to do some major damage to the entire complex. We also did some study on the power source he had and…" Here Xenphyr hesitated.

"Yeah? Go on," President Warren urged him.

"We found out that it was developed artificially, but a second source we studied revealed that it was human," Xenphyr said quietly. He put his hands to his temples and rubbed them. Obviously he had been working late last night.

"What?" President Warren whispered.

Xenphyr nodded. "It's true. Remember the Orcan technology that Ciel had me develop to save lives?"

"Yeah. It works by transferring human minds into a Reploid body. So?"

"We just did a scan and we found out that the frequency of energy given off by this thing was the same as that of a human soul. Further examination confirmed the worst. The human soul trapped inside the second Soul-Drive had been corrupted by something." Xenphyr removed his hands and looked her in the eyes.

"Human souls in Soul-Drives?" President Warren murmured softly.

the medical officer nodded grimly. "Yes. The human soul, when out of its body, is in an extremely vulnerable state, meaning it can be corrupted by software or by a negative emotion, such as hate or rage. We think that Sazabi, in his human life, was overcome by hatred for something, such as an experiment or something of that nature."

"How did you determine this?" President Warren asked, standing up.

"Like I said. Study. We also know that when horrible experiments are carried out, such as using human test subjects in World War II for deadly germ warfare, the negative emotions run rampant, further tainting others. Same thing happens with normally created Soul-Drives." He looked at her with a grim look in his eyes.

"How did you find that out?" President Warren asked, now suspicious.

"I found something in my office a few days ago. It was a Soul-Drive, but with a note that said 'Study this. You'll be surprised at the results' with a strange sigil beneath it."

"A strange sigil?" She blinked her eyes in confusion.

"Yes, but I don't have the note with me. It's back at the University in my office," Xenphyr admitted.

"But what about this Soul-Drive you found?" she prodded.

"We studied it and it turns out that this one was created through normal means. You remember that we Orcans specialize in AI's, right?"

President Warren nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, this was taken to the next level. The studies we conducted confirmed that it was indeed one that had been programmed, but it had a blank template. In short, it was one that had been created. We've got it in storage now, undergoing study. We're thinking of building a body for it."

"Okay. But why?"

"Look. We need extra backup in case the Dark Axis attacks again. We know that they're after some kind of Gun Utilizing Nano Driven Automated Mecha, so we might as well build one of our own designs."

"Using the Soul-Drive you found?" President Warren asked.

"Yeah. That's the idea."

"Do you have an idea for the design planned out?" she asked.

Xenphyr nodded. "Yeah. It's all set."

"Gender?"

"We're not sure yet, but we think the Soul-Drive might have a female personality. We're only guessing on that part."

"Name?" President Warren asked.

"I'm not sure, but there was a strip of tape on it that said 'Solar'. I think it might be the Gundam's name."

"Okay. Do you have a name for the project you're proposing?" the President asked as she sat back down.

"Yeah. I'm thinking of calling it the S Project," the medical officer replied.

"Okay. I'll ask Ciel to help you out on this."

"No need. I informed her a few hours ago. She gave me the okay."

"…Okay then. It's in your hands."

"Thanks, President Warren."

She merely smiled as Xenphyr stepped out of her office. But deep down, she felt shocked, and horrified beyond mere words.

What she had learned was the most awful thing she could've imagined…

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_A pair of brown eyes flits about the camp, taking in the locations of the guards and the blast marks reminiscent from the battle a few weeks ago. The doors are still lying four miles away and the Zako bodies have begun rusting over, the prisoners long gone, having taken the opportunity to bolt after the mysterious intruders had left in their ship._

_Only the guards remain on station, highly alert, although it is pointless now that the doors have been broken off._

_He laughs slightly at the sight. He knows that the Intergalactic Federation often left telltale clues they had been there, but not all the time._

"_They are sure not that smart, especially since the Intergalactic Federation left their calling card behind," he murmurs, knowing full well that their calling card was the devastation of the areas they visited and liberated._

_One of the guards looks over, barely spotting him as he ducks behind an overturned army tank used by the foot soldiers._

_He tenses as a guard comes close, his hand closing around his sword._

_The guard peers around, only to meet a gruesome end as a spurt of mech fluid and oil flies, landing on the ground behind the still body. He opens his eyes, wiping the mech fluid out of one of them and spitting some out onto the ground._

"_Pfft!"_

_He removes his sword and pulls the body behind the tank, disposing of it in a crudely dug hole. He wipes his sword with a cloth and sheathes it._

"_One down, nine hundred more to go," he murmurs…_

* * *

_In Lacroa Castle…_

The grenade barely missed her as she flipped to the side, landing on the ground with her gun at the ready. Sweat streaked her face and soaked her uniform, making it stick to her body. She narrowed her eyes as Demon Dom unleashed a slew of bullets at her.

Snarling, she fired off several lasers, but they did little to interrupt his killing spree. His optic was flaring with rage and enjoyment for his sport.

Sayla rolled to the side and grasped a grenade in her hand and pulled the pin. She flipped it right at Dom, bouncing off his armor and landing near him.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" she yelled, diving to the ground.

**_FWAM!_**

The explosive charge went off, scorching Dom's body and making him cry out in pain as the intense heat enveloped his form, making his armor melt and fuse with his weapons. His arms seemed to fuse to his sides and his large bulk began to sag as the gundanium metal was exposed to intense temperatures created by energon explosives.

"GYAAAAHHHHH!"

She smirked as the Dark Axis weapons expert melted into a heap of slag, his optic lens flaring with rage, hatred, and despair as his life ebbed away from several opened fuel lines.

The black liquid pooled around his body, making him seem like a demon from the Pit rising from a chasm opened in the earth. He also looked like a demon, his guns fused to his back, hunched over like menacing horns. His arms seemed to extend from his sides and his head resembled a skull that had flesh still attached. (Imagine a zombie, but taken to the extreme.)

His cry of pain echoed for a few more seconds until the last of his life force poured out and his optic went dark, signaling that he was dead.

"What?!" Subzero whirled around, eyes small in shock as he took in the distorted form and mech fluid pooled around it, Sayla grinning as she stood up.

"Looks like your little minion is out for the picture," she said confidently.

"I doubt it," Subzero hissed.

"He is. That energon grenade was positioned right in front of him, and I'm sure that _Chumly_ still remembers how lethal they can be at close range!" Sayla remarked, suddenly growing serious. She clenched her fist and her right hand changed into her laser sword. "I know that he's still in there!"

"FOOL! He no longer exists! Just me, Subzero! I won't go back to being a human!" Subzero screamed, ice shards clustering around his body.

"Oh, boy!" Sayla squeaked.

Subzero thrust his arms forward, launching the shards right at her.

She braced for impact.

* * *

_On Earth…_

Guneagle sat next to Baku's bed that evening, holding the musha close. He could tell that he was still scared by the experience and he felt sorry for him.

Baku whimpered in his sleep, prompting the young flyer to start rubbing the musha's head, running his hand through the soft gundanium hair lovingly. He began to shudder a little at the motion, but he didn't even shy away, for right now, Guneagle was the only one he could turn to.

He felt frustrated at not being able to help Baku in any way. It felt like he had been stripped of his wings during a battle with the Dark Axis, fighting on the ground, unable to provide any help to them from the air. The fact that he wasn't able to help left him feeling also a bit sad.

He closed his eyes and murmured in Baku's audio one last time. Not much, just three little words. Yet those words made him feel better all the same.

"I love you…"

* * *

_In Lacroa…_

The shards homed in on Sayla's form, making Subzero smirk all the more. Zane's eyes widened in shock and surprise as they came right at her.

"NO!" he shouted.

He broke off from his fight with a few Zakos and ran towards Sayla who was braced for impact. Adrenaline boosted his speed, enhancing his reflexes and muscles for fight or flight. His heart pounded in his chest as he increased his speed. He gritted his teeth, gathering his aural energy for one shot. If he failed, then Sayla would be dead, as would he.

"Here goes nothing! SOLAR SURGE!" he roared.

The energy began to gather around his body, making the air waiver as the light waves were bent to his will. His hair began to move as if in an invisible wind, and his blazer began to wave behind him. He threw his arms forward, the light energy gathering around them. "HAAAAH!" He clenched his fists and the light energy fired in a pulse of energy, streaking towards the shards of ice and impacting them.

The ice shards disintegrated into many pieces before a larger, more solid shard impacted, causing an explosion that blew the two humans onto their backs.

Sayla went skidding on her back, her gun taking the brunt of the impact. A few military rations flew from her belt and landed on the floor next to the two Gundams.

Voltage stared at one of the packs before he glanced back at Deed. His gaze shifted back to the military rations and an idea formed in his mind.

He dove for one of the packs and his hand closed around it just as a Zako opened up on him. He pulled it close to his chest as he landed on the ground, the bullets impacting the stone wall behind him, sending chips raining down on him and nicking his armor, drawing little bits of mech fluid.

He commando-crawled back towards Deed, holding the pack in hand.

Deed looked up at him as he got onto his knees and placed a hand on his shoulder. He opened his mouthpiece and grasped one end of the pack in his teeth. He tore it open and spit out the top before handing it to the famished knight.

"Here. It's not much, but it'll restore your strength somewhat," Voltage explained as he handed the pack to the knight. Deed took it and looked at the contents.

"What…?"

"Look. Just eat. We need your help," the Earth-Gundam explained.

"O-okay." Deed reached in and took out the rations inside. He opened his own mouthpiece and crammed the food in his mouth.

As soon as it touched his tongue, he began to feel slightly better. The feeling began to come back to his body and he felt his strength returning. His whole body tingled as the Mana began to course back through his circuits and systems. He felt his Gunsoul pulse increase with power and he smiled.

He finished eating and looked at Voltage. "Thanks."

The other Gundam removed his hand from his shoulder and he staggered to his feet, feeling his strength gathering again.

He focused his Mana and he began to hover off the ground. He felt a fluttering sensation in his gut as he stared in shock and amazement.

"Mana…!" he whispered.

"Looks like you regained your strength, Deed!" Subzero hissed, his beam sabers glowing brightly as he lunged at the knight.

"Mana! Give me your power!" the Knight Gundam yelled. The blue energy began to glow along his hands and he pushed them out in front. "MANA SHIELD!"

"Impossible! You weren't given enough food!" Subzero yelped.

"That's the beauty of Federation rations. They can give someone enough strength to keep fighting, depending on what world they're made on. For Earth, the rations restore your strength to almost half," Sayla explained as she dodged a grenade from a Zako soldier.

"…" Subzero was silent.

"You still recall, right _Chumly_?!" Sayla purred.

"NO! I'M NOT HUMAN ANYMORE!" Subzero roared. But something stirred in his Soul-Drive, something he had sealed away...

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The three friends ran through the grass, laughing, playing innocently as the sun shone down on them._

_One of the humans was a boy with messy brown-black hair and brown-grey eyes and a stocky build. He wore a simple T-shirt and shorts, nothing on his bare feet._

_The second, a boy with short reddish-brown hair and youthful brown eyes laughed as the first boy tackled him, rumpling his blue shirt and red shorts._

_The third boy jumped on top of the other two, laughing as the wind teased his light blue hair._

"_Hey, Chumly?" the second boy asked._

"_Yeah, Jaden?" the first boy, Chumly, wondered._

"_Do you think we'll be friends forever?" Jaden asked._

"_I know it, Jaden!" Chumlu chirped._

"_What about me?" the blue-haired boy pouted._

"_You too, Syrus, you too…" Jaden giggled._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Subzero stood there, unable to launch the attack as he had planned. _What…What's happening?!_ he thought. He couldn't be regaining his humanity, could he? If so, then he had to kill himself to prevent it, and yet…he couldn't. It felt like his body was unable to move.

"This…this can't be happening…" he murmured.

Sayla watched in amazement as he hesitated. Her eyes widened as she noticed how his body seemed to be unable to move. His eyes glinted strangely, almost as if something were trying to reach out to her. Was it possible…?

The teenage commander knew that it was foolish to get her hopes up, especially in a fight that she knew they couldn't win, yet this time it seemed right to get her hopes up. She gripped her gun and charged at Subzero, knowing that time wasn't on their side if he could keep his humanity at bay.

"CHUUUUUMLYYYY!" she yelled.

Subzero didn't answer. Instead he clenched his fists and yelled out in rage, startling her. "DIE, HUMAN SCUM!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" She fired off a barrage of bullets that peppered the ground in front of him, stitching a pattern towards him.

He sneered at her attack and tensed. Just as the bullets neared him, he jumped to the side, his hand going for one of his beam sabers and he gripped it.

He removed it from its slot and ran right at her, the glowing blue-grey blade igniting and shining menacingly at her in the dim light from the sun. "HAAAAAAH!"

He slashed as hard as he could, the unexpected force from the assault knocking her gun clean out of her hands. The weapon went sailing end over end before clattering to the ground a good ten yards away from her. She glanced over her shoulder at the spot and cursed. She had let her guard down.

"Now, time to die!" Subzero screamed.

"NO!" Sayla tensed her body and brought her hand up in a blocking motion.

"Heh. You think you can block my weapons with your bare hand?" Subzero sneered.

"I don't think it, I know it!" Sayla said, hearing the familiar phrase that had helped them out so many times before slipping past her lips.

Subzero grinned as the blade came down, ready to cleave her in half.

Instead of feeling the familiar jolt of the blade cutting through flesh, what he felt was a sudden jolt of pure force as something closed around his beam saber's blade. He glanced at her, stunned that she had indeed managed to catch the blade in, not one hand, but _both_ hands!

"WHAT?! Impossible! No human can stop the laser without having their hands cleaved off!" Subzero blurted.

"That's because you think in terms of pure power now! You forgot what it means to _be_ human, and that is what is going to lead to your downfall!" Sayla said.

"So? What does being a human have to do with the fact that you stopped my beam saber with both hands?!" Subzero snapped.

"A human learns to deal with the pain, to accept their limitations, even if it means that they lose something! But you obviously forgot that I'm a hybrid of two races! Human and Reploid!" the hybrid spat.

"Hah! Even a hybrid can't stand this for long!"

By now, the other battles had stopped and the fighters were watching Subzero and Sayla duke it out.

She knew that he was right, for the flesh on her left hand was beginning to feel too hot for her liking. She tensed her body and, with a sudden jerk of her arms, sent the blade downward at an angle. Subzero's eyes shrank in amazement as she planted her smoking hand on the ground and brought her foot up in a Metalikido kick. Her foot made contact with his lower jaw and he was sent sailing back for fifteen yards. He skidded onto the ground, throwing up dust and dirt before springing back into action with a handspring. She flipped onto her feet and clenched her fist tightly before throwing a punch at his lower torso. He dodged to the side and lashed out with a side kick, nailing her in the lower torso. She grunted, but didn't let up as she used her momentum to amplify her next punch. Her armored fist made contact with his chest and he staggered back, struggling to draw air into his intakes. She didn't give him any time to take in air. She leapt into the air and using her momentum, spun around before delivering her signature move combination: She lashed out with three punches at the same time, one after another: one to his face, one to his chest, and one to his lower torso. The triple punches forced him back. By now he was gasping, drawing air into his intakes. He glanced up, only to receive a roundhouse kick to the side of his head before he staggered back, rubbing the area of impact. As he looked up, his eyes shrank in horror as her palm impacted his chest, right over his Soul-Drive.

"Yeah! Nothing can survive that combo!" T.J. grinned.

"Hmph. Just as I figured. No one, and I mean no one, messes with her after that," Zane said, a slight smile visible on his face.

"Zako! No! Zako!" the Zakos moaned.

"Good timing," Kicker sighed.

"All right!" Voltage yelled excitedly.

"Finally," Baston murmured.

"What…? How…?" Subzero slumped to the ground, beaten, battered and worn out from the fight.

"It's over. We win," Sayla remarked, panting heavily, her uniform now obviously soaked with sweat, yet she still stood strong.

"Not…by a long shot!" Subzero rasped. He struggled to sit up, but he couldn't. His body wouldn't let him.

"Sorry, Chumly, but it is. You can't fight us now and hope to win. We're the winners here. Not you," Meisha remarked.

"…" Subzero looked at her menacingly, but she didn't yield.

"It's over."

"Okay. We won, but now there's one question that I can't find an answer to," said Syrus. "How in Primus' name are we going to get back home?!"

"…" No one had an answer for that.

* * *

_In the shadows of Lacroa Castle…_

_The intruder looks at them with his brown eyes. He grips a huge fan in one hand and sighs._

"_And I thought they would have figured out dimensional travel by now…"_

_He snaps the fan shut and draws a crude square in midair. The portal shimmers before fading and appearing in front of the groups outside his hiding place._

"_This will get them back, hopefully in time to stop the third one…"_


	37. New Technology Emerges

Chapter 10

The crude square materialized in front of the team, making them cock their heads in confusion. Only the Gundam Force smiled in hidden relief. Even the soldier smiled in hidden relief.

"Geez! Where did that come from?!" Voltage blurted.

"Who cares? As long as it's a way home, who cares where it came from?" Baston snapped.

"Hey!" Voltage turned to face the other Gundam. "Watch it!"

"Break it up!" Sayla snapped, grasping both Gundams by the shoulders and pushing them apart before a fistfight broke out between the two.

"But…"

"No buts, Voltage!" Sayla snarled.

"C'mon. Let's just get back home," Shute said wearily.

"Hold on. What about Baston's past? I mean, we haven't found anyone or anything that can give us a lead!" T.J. remarked.

"That may be the case, but as of right now, we should be glad we're even alive," Kicker reminded him. "Besides, the Dark Axis is much tougher than we thought."

"True, but maybe I can help with something," the soldier said.

Sayla snapped her head back towards the soldier. "Okay. Name and rank, soldier!" she ordered.

"Name is Princess Relehimana Mia De Lacroa! Rank is heir to the throne!" the soldier said.

"What?" Zero's eyes widened as he stared at her. "Princess?"

The princess ('_Is she really a princess?_' Sayla wondered) spread her arms and spoke one word clearly. "Mana!"

Her uniform faded as magical light engulfed her. Wherever it faded, there was new clothing. Arm length gloves covered her hands and arms while her body was covered in a short dress with high heeled boots covering her legs. Her military helmet gave way to a tiara perched on her head, though her hair remained the same length.

"…P-Princess!" Zero flitted over to her and embraced her in his arms.

"O-okay, Zero. You can let me go now!" she gasped.

"I thought you were a goner," he murmured.

"Well, I managed to sneak into the dimension where you guys reside, and I disguised myself as one of her soldiers. I was there ever since," the princess said.

"How long were you hidden in my unit?" Sayla asked as her eyes narrowed at the princess.

"About three months."

"…" Sayla stared, speechless.

"No way…" Zane whispered. "No one has managed to evade her for that long…"

"Evade? You mean that no one has snuck inside her unit?" Rele asked.

"No. Last person who tried that wound up nursing three broken limbs and a sprained ankle for three months straight!" Syrus blurted.

"What? Are you serious?" Rele blurted.

"Yep."

"…" Rele was silent at the remark.

"Enough. We need to get back home. Princess Relehimana, do you mind coming with us?" Sayla asked.

"No. Not at all, and it's Rele. Just Rele," Rele said.

"Okay. That I can deal with," Sayla replied, a smile appearing on her face.

Voltage grasped Sayla's arm before she turned to head into the portal. "What about Deed?" he asked, pointing at the weakened knight.

"What? Deed?! He's here?!" Zero gasped.

"Yeah. He's right there," Voltage said.

"Impossible! Deed is dead! I killed him!" Zero protested.

"No…Zero. What thee killed…was a clone," Deed murmured, collapsing to his knees, his strength fading from his body.

"A…clone?" Zero rasped.

"Yes."

Zero placed his head in his hands. "How…I don't understand…"

"I think I do," Zane said calmly. "It seems that someone created a clone of Deed in an attempt to spare his life, only to imprison him and torture him into this state."

"That…is correct."

"Any idea as to who would do that?" Meisha asked.

"I think I can take a pretty good guess," Zane said simply. "Shift."

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_Visions of the future pass by in his mind, each one becoming cloudier than the next. One vision is remarkably clear, but only because it is becoming closer with each battle. The future that they are working so hard to prevent crosses the very edge of his consciousness before fading into the mists of time and the ageless wisdom of the ages. Dread fills his very spark as he takes in the fact of defeat._

_Never has he been dealt such a devastating blow in his life. Defeat…it was as alien to him as death was to Primus. Victory has always been his calling, and peace his drive._

_Vector Prime sighs heavily as he closes his optics. The future is now becoming certain, and sealed._

_Time is running out._

* * *

_On Orca…_

Night was beginning to fall upon the great Orcan city. The many lights twinkled in the darkness and the fading light from the sun. The twin moons of the planet came into clear view, the smaller one dwarfed by the larger. If one looked closely, then they could see the many lights on the outposts faintly against the moons' light.

It was on one such outpost that there was an intense study being conducted on the Soul-Drive they had taken from a Zako a few days ago.

The lab in which the study was being done wasn't anything special, save for the fact that it housed the latest in Orcan medical and scientific knowledge: the soul transfer machine. The machine itself was similar to a Cybertronian medical laser, but it was wired to a portable generator and the beam was designed to remove the soul from the dying body and preserving it in the form of a computer chip or a Reploid power core.

The machine could also be used to study different effects that intense emotions had on disembodied souls.

This time, a small analyzing beam was shining down on the Soul-Drive which was clamped down to a table.

Ciel studied the readouts from the scanners, her blue eyes narrowing. This just didn't seem right to her. The entire scan seemed to be malfunctioning.

She hit a couple keys on the keyboard, resulting in the laser shutting down and rebooting, scanning again from the top of the Soul-Drive to the bottom. The beam of light reached into the depths and began scanning the lightning energy inside, resulting in a flurry of activity from it.

"Looks like we've hit the jackpot," a techie murmured.

"No. We couldn't have. The scanners must be malfunctioning," Ciel said.

"What? No way! If they were, then would we have detected a human soul?!" one of the engineers asked her.

"That's just the thing. We couldn't have. The soul of a human can't be picked up by our scanners. They're meant to scan for the _presence_ of a soul, not the actual thing," Ciel stated, shaking her head in disbelief.

"The presence is the same thing as the actual thing being there," the techie said.

"…" Ciel was silent as she scanned the data again. She hated to admit it, but the techie was right. The data did seem to be pointing towards the indication of an imprisoned soul, unable to reach out from the depths of the hatred encasing it.

"Even so, how can we free it from this?" she asked finally.

"We're not entirely sure, so we'll just have to go along with the studies until we can figure out a way for reversing the amplification of negative emotions, focusing on restoring this thing to normal, if it's even possible," the techie said as he rubbed his head.

"It may be possible, or it may not. It all comes down to chance," the engineer replied.

"That's what I hate about these kinds of things. Chance isn't always working in our favor," Ciel said softly.

"Why not?"

"First time we fought in a universal war, we nearly lost ourselves. And chance wasn't working in our favor that time," Ciel replied.

"Maybe, but sometimes it can."

"I sure hope this time it does turn in our favor…" Ciel murmured. She turned back to face the windows. "I hope so."

* * *

_On Earth…_

The portal closed up behind them as they emerged back on Earth, the light and warmth from the sun relieving them of their tension. Shute let out a sigh of relief as he looked around the campus of the TCDA.

"Man! I'd never thought I'd be glad to see Earth again," he murmured.

"Tell me about it," said Sayla. "After that battle with Subzero, I have to agree, although seeing Lacroa up close and personally has given me a new respect for the medieval ages. They knew what they were doing back then."

"Yeah, we already knew that. We were there, remember?" Kicker said, poking her in the shoulder.

While the others were chatting, Shute and Captain broke off from the main group and snuck off to be alone together.

Shute flopped onto his back under a tree, staring up at the cloudless blue sky. A few starfighters flew overhead and he squinted his eyes, trying to identify them. He knew that they were supposed to be in the attack class, but the type eluded him.

"Hey, uh, Captain?" Shute asked.

"Yes, Shute?"

"Can you tell me what type of starfighters those are?" the boy asked, pointing to them.

"They are of the Alpine Wind type, built for attack and speed," Captain explained casually.

"Attack and speed, huh?" Shute's eyes clouded over and he instantly fell silent.

"Shute…" Captain could tell what Shute was thinking.

"Still can't believe that the Dark Axis is much stronger…" the boy murmured.

"Shute, we're also getting stronger, and the Federation is learning as well. We will beat them," Captain said, placing a hand on Shute's shoulder.

"You sure?"

"Of course, Shute."

"Captain, um, well, there's something I wanted to tell you…but…how can I put it?" Shute closed his eyes and began tracing a squiggle on Captain's stomach. The Gundam jerked slightly at the touch, and he grasped Shute's hand gently, yet firmly enough to get the boy's attention.

"Shute…don't do that."

"Huh? What? You mean this?" Shute asked, tracing yet another squiggle on his friend's stomach.

"That," Captain said, grasping the boy's other hand.

"Why?" Shute asked, a small question mark hovering over his head.

"Just don't do it, okay Shute?"

"Okay."

Captain released Shute's hands and the two continued to stare at the clear blue sky.

* * *

**Earth Command**

**12:30, 12:30p.m. Local Time**

President Warren sighed as she finished reviewing the reports from the scouts and the data they had accumulated. Screens littered her desk and were tossed on the floor as if she had just skimmed them before tossing them aside. Her hair was disheveled and her jumpsuit was wrinkled, her eyes glazed over as she set the screen she had been reading down on her desk, losing it amongst the other clutter.

"Almost…has it really been four months?" She couldn't believe that so little time had passed. Already it seemed as if they had been fighting for four _years_, not months.

"President Warren?" a voice asked.

"Yes, that's me. And who are…you…?" Her voice trailed off as she stared at the form before her.

"That is not the important thing. What is important is that you must make a decision and fast. That decision could very well mean the difference between freedom and destruction of your universe," the visitor said softly.

"Why? What does this have to do with anything?" she asked, sweeping her arm about the cluttered office.

"What little data you have is—" Her guest was cut off abruptly by a wave of her hand.

"Little? You call all this…a little amount of data?! We've been sending in teams, gathering data from other organizations, and we even risked a scouting mission just so we could get some idea of the conditions within the camps, and you call that amount of data insignificant?! Huh?!" she cried, again motioning to the screens littering her office.

"I can see how hard you have worked to gather the data that you need, but there is one part that is key to your victory, and that is what you lack," the figure murmured.

"So? You're saying that we can't win with what data we have?" she snapped.

The guest shook his head. "No."

"Then what _are_ you saying?" she asked.

"That your knowledge of what they do to humans is insignificant," her visitor said simply.

"What makes you think that? We have teams studying the Soul-Drives we found and—" This time it was her who was cut off, not her unexpected guest.

"The Soul-Drives are merely part of their experiments. Try capturing a Zako and studying that. You'll be surprised," her guest said.

"We have. We've also uncovered some surprising facts. The Soul-Drives they use are humans who have been corrupted by amplifying the negative emotions within their souls. It's a very complicated technique, but we're working on cracking it."

"It is not that simple. It is not like a computer program that can be cracked. It is much more than that," the form quietly muttered.

"Then, what is it?" President Warren asked, narrowing her eyes.

"…Are you sure you want to know?" the form whispered.

President Warren's face was set in determination. "Yes."

"It is a process that removes humanity from the souls that are used and the emotions are selected to boost the specific Soul-Drive's power. All positive emotions are robbed from the human soul and the negative ones are allowed to grow stronger, making them dark. Only three hundred remained untainted by evil power," the form explained.

"Three hundred Soul-Drives?" President Warren asked.

"Yes. And they can be found in the main base, although some have been turning up in labs across your organization, right?" the form inquired, a smirk underlining the voice.

"Yeah. As a matter of fact, they have. Who's been leaving them there?" the President asked.

The form spread his arms. "That would be me."

"You?! _You_ left them there?!" President Warren blurted.

"Yes. I feel that you can find a way to return those humans back to their original bodies, no?" the form remarked, smirking beneath the cloak, although she couldn't see it.

"I doubt that. We don't even know how long they were stuck like that," the President admitted.

"…" Her guest was silent.

"You know, don't you?" she asked, suddenly jabbing a finger at her guest.

The visitor nodded. "Yes."

"How long?" she prodded.

"Ten years."

"What? _Ten years_? Then, there's no way we can return them to normal," the Federation leader whispered.

"Then, can you give them a second chance?" the form asked softly.

President Warren nodded. "It depends. We need bodies that can house them, so we need the mineral needed to build them. Unfortunately, we don't have enough to build them."

"The Dark Axis has tons of bodies being built even as we speak. If you can find them bodies that you feel will be suitable for them…" Her guest's voice trailed off.

"Then things would look up for them, and us, right?" President Warren finished.

"Yes. You catch on quickly."

"I do what I have to do. Now, who are you?" she asked.

"In time, President Warren. In time…" the form whispered

The figure vanished into the shadows of her room, leaving her staring in shock and wonder.

* * *

_Two hours later…_

Kicker let out a sigh of relief as he flopped down onto his back. The light from the sun shone in through his window, illuminating his room. The light touched his face, warming his flesh as he narrowed his brown eyes. Something had gone wrong with one of the recent patrols, and one of their students, a boy named Coby Hansen, one of the Omega Squadron, a group of kids able to hear the Omega frequency, had gone missing.

He ran over what he had heard from the 17th Division's patrol forces.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Private Greg Jackson narrowed his blue eyes as he watched the Zako soldiers creeping off with Coby bound and gagged, unable to even move, although his eyes were blazing with hatred towards them._

"_Sir? Shouldn't we try to save them?" he asked the lieutenant in front of him._

"_Not yet, Private. We need to see what—" Lieutenant Zack Kenneth was cut off abruptly as a Zako looked over in their direction._

"_Crud! We've been spotted!" Jackson blurted._

"_Don't think I don't know that!" Kenneth snapped._

"_Zako! Get them! And begin the project! Zako!"_

"_I don't think so!" Kenneth hissed. He grabbed a grenade on his belt and pulled the pin. He drew it back and chucked it as hard as he could. The shaped projectile flew through the air and exploded against the Zako in front of Coby._

"_Zako! Project commencing! NOW!" the Zako cried._

"_WHAT?!" Jackson's eyes widened._

"_NOOO!" Kenneth cried._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

He frowned slightly. What had happened to Coby? What was this project?

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

"Huh?" Kicker sat up abruptly, his hand going for his code instinctively, even though he knew he couldn't enter the New Mode, let alone Matrix. He moved his hand away and grasped a nearby laser pistol that he had been given right after he had become partnered with Ironhide.

He swung his legs off the bed and landed on the floor.

He tensed, listening.

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

"Something's here…" he murmured. He clicked the safety off his pistol and crept towards the bathroom door. He pulled back the trigger and placed a hand on the scanner.

"Open." The command came out as a mere whisper, but it did the job. Kicker flattened himself on the wall and held his pistol close to his body.

The door slid open with a soft _hiss_ and he tensed, ready for whatever was lurking in there.

Nothing came out, except for a slight moan.

"Hello?"

No answer, except for a muffled groan, followed by what he recognized as Japanese swearing, but muffled.

"Sayla?"

More swearing, followed by a slight _thump_.

A hunch began to form in his mind and he took a wild guess, hoping that he was right on the money.

"Who's in there?"

A slight _thunk_, then slight moaning.

Kicker lowered his pistol and peered in, only to let out a gasp and back up, pointing the pistol at the form inside.

A Gundam lay in the bathtub, bound up with energon twine.

Kicker's eyes darted over the Gundam's body. From what he could see, the Gundam had a strange helmet with a Japanese symbol with a pair of wings flanking it acting as the helmet crest. A strange purple symbol adorned the chest and a pair of golden shoulder pads stood out. Armor covered the Gundam's wrists and lower arms, emeralds located in strategic places. What appeared to be a mustache covered the Gundam's mouthpiece. The eyes were displaying the dizzy emotion, indicating that he was out cold. A shampoo bottle lay beside him.

"What in Primus name?!"

* * *

Captain stared out the window to their quarters, thinking about the efforts of the Dark Axis to try and get the power they sought. For some reason, it bothered him that they would try to become so powerful. They had the weapons to take it, so why didn't they? This wasn't their style.

He was so busy thinking that he failed to hear the door to the room slide open and Shute walking in with bare feet.

"Hey Captain."

"Huh? Oh. Hey, Shute," Captain said without turning.

"Just came back from the hot springs. I really needed it."

At the mention of the hot springs, Captain turned, and immediately felt his face flush at the sight of Shute in nothing but his boxers. Water dripped down from Shute's hair which lay flat against his head, his hair tuft somehow defying gravity, even when it was wet. His skin was covered in the remnants of the spring water and his boxer shorts were plastered to his legs, a towel draped over one shoulder.

"What?" Shute shrugged.

"N-nothing," Captain stammered, slamming his mouthpiece on over his mouth to hide his blush.

Shute shrugged again and began toweling off his hair. He turned away from Captain, leaving the Gundam to take in Shute's wiry frame. His body was sort of scrawny, but he more than made up for it in his ever increasing reflexes.

For some reason, he found his eyes wandering over Shute's body, looking him up and down. The skin looked untouched by battle scars, but he could barely see a few wounds that had never fully healed, such as a slight nick to his back that Grappler Gouf had given him before the formation of the Genki Energy Force.

He shook his head, wondering what was coming over him.

"Hmm?" Shute looked over. "Something wrong, Captain?"

"No. Nothing's wrong," Captain said quickly, his gaze darting to the floor.

"Okay."

Captain glanced up and found himself wondering what it would be like to feel Shute's flesh against his armor, the soft, gentle beating of his heart against his chest. He brushed those thoughts aside, but for some reason, his Soul-Drive began to purr softly in its compartment, making him blush even more.

What _was_ happening between them?

* * *

_On Kax…_

Seto sighed as he stepped into his office, holding three new reports concerning the petrification process sent up from his scientists in his hands, a small folder held on the top of the reports.

"Man. All these theories and no test subjects. How are we supposed to reverse this if we don't have any test subjects?" he muttered.

He glanced down at the file on top and shrugged. He had gotten it from one of his scientists, who had, strangely enough, been visited by someone. As to who, that remained a mystery.

The CEO of KaibaCorp set the reports and the file folder down and began to examine the data they had recently discovered. The data was the usual mix of theories and methods of reversal, along with a few diagrams. But there was something else thrown in.

As he scanned the third report, it became obvious: they had discovered it through a test. But, then again, how could they test it when they didn't have a test subject?

His gaze flitted over to the file folder and he picked it up. Something was inside it. He opened it up, and his eyes widened.

Trapped in the folder was a BagguBaggu, stuck down with energon paste. The wings fluttered madly as the little stinger flitted in and out like a tongue. He placed the folder down and picked up a small leaf from a plant on his desk.

He dropped it next to the critter and it jabbed out the stinger, striking the leaf. Seto watched in fascination as the process took place before his very eyes.

"Wow…"

He grasped the interplanetary comm system and activated it.

* * *

_In President Warren's office…_

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

President Warren glanced up from a few screens and pressed the comm button just as a screen came up, showing Seto's face. "President Warren here."

"_Good. President Warren? You there?_" Seto asked.

"Seto?" Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice.

"_One and only. Look. Remember that report I sent you?_" the CEO asked.

"Yeah. So?" President Warren remarked, cocking an eyebrow.

"_Well, this time, I'll be sending you some new data. Give me at least three days and by then we'll have something that may be of some help to us,_" Seto said. Relief and happiness was evident in his voice.

"What're you getting at?" President Warren asked.

"_Just trust me, okay?_"

President Warren sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you, I just want to know what you're getting at. Does it have to do with petrification by any chance?"

Seto's image smirked.

"_I'm getting a cure for this._" With that last remark, he closed down the connection.

"…A cure…? Could he have possibly found a way…?" Her voice trailed off as she placed her hands in front of her on the desk. She glanced out at the complex below her office windows, wondering what kind of method Seto had found to reverse the process. If it even worked, maybe then they stood a chance of reversing it on those who had been turned into stone statues.

If it worked…


	38. Oceanic Protector VS RMS Titanic!

Chapter 11

Three days passed, enabling the group to recover from their excursion to a new dimension. During those three days, Princess Rele got to understand Earth conduct, as well as Deed. The knight Gundam regained his strength, and he and Zero reformed their friendship. They spent the days getting caught up on key events, and Deed was surprised by their level of technology.

However, on the fourth day, their latest plan to stop an attempt would go awry, forcing them into battle against the one thing they couldn't destroy.

Voltage stood outside on the balcony of his quarters, staring out at the horizon where huge towering thunderclouds had begun forming. Lightning flashed briefly before thunder rumbled softly. A slight ocean wind blew up against his armor, making him shudder involuntarily. These ocean breezes always made him feel cold slightly, even as a Gundam.

By now, he had been a Gundam for about…

"How long was I like this?" he murmured softly.

"How long were you like what?"

Voltage felt his Soul-Drive seize up as he recognized the voice of the princess. '_Great! Just great! Why'd she have to come in now!?_' he thought to himself.

"Voltage?" The princess walked into the room, concern on her face.

"Nothing. I was just talking to myself. That's all," he said. He didn't even turn to face her.

She crossed her arms and huffed. "You don't even look at me when you speak to me?" she asked, a red vein pulsing on her head.

"Sorry, Princess, but sometimes I just need some time to think, okay?" Voltage said, turning to face her.

"I understand. But at least try to make eye contact with me when speaking, okay?" she asked, her face softening.

Voltage nodded. "I will."

"Now, what did you mean exactly when you said how long you were like something?" she asked.

Voltage felt his Soul-Drive in his throat as she said those words. He gulped nervously before speaking.

"Well, I…" His voice trailed off.

"Yes?" Rele waited.

He opened his mouthpiece, but before he could open his mouth to speak, something beeped. He looked around before Rele grabbed his hand and pointed at his V-fin. "Your V-fin is flashing."

"Huh?" Voltage turned and looked in the mirror, and sure enough, he could see it flashing. He hesitated, unsure of what to make of this. This hadn't happened before.

"_Hey, Jaden? Can you hear me?_" Sayla's voice was right in his audio. He jerked back in surprise before speaking.

"Yeah, I can hear you," he said nervously.

"_Good. I wanted to see if your communications systems worked or not. But aside from that, we've got big trouble!_" the commander cried.

"What kind of trouble?" he asked.

"_Let's just say that the carrier didn't return from a usual patrol, and we need to get _there_, and fast!_" Sayla replied.

"Huh?" He couldn't be sure if he had heard correctly. "The carrier didn't return?"

"_Negative on that one. Now get your rear plate down to the docks and bring Rele with you_."

"Roger that." He turned to face Rele. "C'mon. We need to meet Sayla down by the docks. She says it's urgent."

"Does it have to do with what the Dark Axis is doing here?" Rele asked as she was led out by Voltage.

"That, and maybe much more," Voltage said, his voice grim.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

The rain lashed at his armor as he squinted his eyes, struggling to see through the intense downpour. He could barely make out the forms of his friends and the Gundam Force. "Geez! How long is it gonna take for them to get here?!" Sayla yelled over a loud rumble of thunder.

"Give it time, Sayla!" Zane shouted to her.

"Just what is going on here?" Rele yelled.

"Let's just say it has to do with what the Dark Axis is after!" Sayla told her.

"And what would that be?"

"One of the greatest sea disasters ever recorded by mankind!" Voltage said.

"Hold it! I see something coming!" Kicker shouted, pointing off into the distance.

"That's them!" Zane said. He turned to Sayla and grinned, but it was barely visible in the downpour and the intense darkness. "Looks like they arrived on time!"

"Barely!" Sayla muttered, although it was lost in the harsh winds.

"Enough! What's the situation?" Captain called.

"They're going at it again!" Sayla yelled to him.

"Oh Mana! Last time we barely stopped it as it was, and now they're going for it again?!" Zero moaned.

"Yes. It appears so," Captain said, taking in the information Sayla had told him.

"Going after what?" Rele was now considerably confused.

"You'll find out!" Shute said.

They waited for another half hour, enduring the cold and wind and rain as the mysterious new ship approached. Sayla gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes as she watched the new ship come closer. The wind made it hard to see the details, but once the ship passed close to the docks, her breath was taken away. "Holy...!" she murmured.

"What in the name of Ark…?" Bakunetsumaru's voice trailed off. He had recently been released from the medbay at the school, enabling him to be brought up to date with the events that had happened in Lacroa.

"Mana…" Zero was awed by the new ship.

"Wow…" Shute was lost for words.

"…" Captain merely stared at the vessel, clearly impressed by the design.

The new vessel was much sleeker and shorter than the carrier, capable of great speeds. The bow was swept inward for extra speed and the bridge was slope back at a forty-five degree angle. The twin masts, one fore, one aft, were also swept back. No funnels were visible, but there was a radar tower, also swept back. Three guns stood out on the bow, looking menacing in the pouring rain. A small helipad was located near the rear mast and the stern was shaped more like a crystal rather than the rounded stern like with so many vessels. Twin plates were located near the sides of the ship, Voltage guessed, for reinforcement for icebreaking capabilities. At the very point of the bow was an eight-barreled laser submachine gun, capable of firing one continuous beam of energy at the target. The name _Oceanic Protector_ stood out on the bow.

"_Oceanic Protector_?" Sayla looked at Zane. "What's this all about, Zane?" she asked harshly.

"My father requested that as enforcement for the Shipwreck Protection Act of 2007, a special kind of vessel was to be built, capable of high speeds, armored to be able to withstand the pressure of an underwater energon mine and for icebreaking, and armed enough to hold out till reinforcements arrived. However, who knew that the _Autobot Hero_, and all four subs, _Primus Alpha_, _Earth Zone_, _Jungle Rage_, and _Velocitron Annihilation_, would be disabled?" Zane explained.

"What?! All four subs _and _the carrier were disabled?!" Sayla blurted.

"Yes. We need to get there and fast, so let's get on board and I'll explain things on the way!" Zane said.

It didn't take long for them to get on board and soon, the _Protector_ was speeding out of the channel, her energon thrusters going at 125 knots an hour.

* * *

_At the site…_

Shift growled as he hovered over the spot, holding something in his hands, gazing down as he strained to see through the murky black waters.

Above him hovered a newly stolen ship, taken from one of their enemies in this dimension, a small power called the Galactic Forces. The ship looked somewhat like the old _Magna Musai_, though he had never really seen images of it. Unlike the old ship, this one had wings extending from the sides, although the rest was similar, except for the twin 'eyes' on the main bridge.

He wondered what was taking those goddamn Zako soldiers so long to set the charges.

"What's taking them so long?!" he murmured angrily.

"Settle down, Shift. They are almost finished," Shibaomaru said, something on his back twitching slightly.

"Yes, but how much longer?" Shift hissed.

"Not much, my friend."

Shift snarled as he glanced back out over the site. Shibaomaru grinned as he gazed out at the carrier, which was drifting broadside into the wind, her engines blown out. Already the BagguBaggu were taking effect, though he guessed that the majority of the crew were sealed up inside. Beneath the sea, positioned together in a cluster, the subs were also disabled, their engines crumpled and the conning towers buckled inward. There was no way anyone could stop them now.

"INCOMING!" a Doga sentry shouted.

"What?! Incoming? From what?" Shift demanded of the Doga as he turned.

"There's an unknown ship approaching full speed, and it looks like the humans from your previous attempt are coming back!" the Doga replied.

"How'd they commandeer another craft?!" Shift hissed.

"Not sure, but this one is coming in and fast!" the Doga said, pointing at the ship speeding closer and closer with every passing second.

"Arm the guns and prepare to fire on my command!" Shibaomaru said. "And what's the status?"

"Ready to fire the charges, sir."

"Then tell those damn Zakos to press the detonators and get out of there when it comes up!" Shift hissed, holding the mystery object close to his soul stone.

"Yes, sir!" the Doga saluted.

"And any sign of _them_?" Shibaomaru hissed.

"Oh, you mean those two?" The Doga shrugged. "No sign anywhere. My guess is that they were chased off."

"Good. We can't have our operation jeopardized this time!" Shift spat.

"Understood!" The Doga turned to the Zako manning the detonator. "We're ready to fire on your command, sir!"

"Fire!" Shift snapped.

The Zako pressed the detonator and the explosives went off, releasing a watery explosion beneath the raging waves.

**_BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!_**

"First set fired. Second set firing now," the Zako said.

**_BWOOOM! BWOOOM! BWOOOM!_**

"Second set fired! Third and final set going off now!"

**_BWAOOM! BWAOOM! BWAOOM!_**

"Third set fired!" the Zako said, looking at Shift.

"Status?"

"Coming up!"

"Good." Shift gripped the object and flared his Mana wings, hovering down close to the surface of the sea. Whitecaps showered him with salt spray, but he just ignored it, his gaze focused on the water, which was beginning to bubble for the second time. "Yes. Keep coming."

The huge form emerged from the depths again, forced from her resting place.

He grinned as he watched the water streaming off her rusted hull plates and the bridge itself, which was his target.

"NOW!" He folded his wings close to his body and dove downward, hands outstretched, the mystery object ready for positioning.

* * *

**"WHAT!?" Sayla's eyes **widened as the soldier nodded anxiously, his wet hair flinging water against her face.

"It's true, sir. Something just broke water off the starboard side, but radar can't identify it thanks to a jamming field the Dark Axis set up from their new ship," the soldier said.

"…" Sayla bit her lower lip as she began to fear the worst.

"What's the wreck's status?" she suddenly snapped.

"No clue, sir!" Henku said from his position at the communications console. "Them subs won't report in. I think the Dark Axis did somethin' to 'em."

"…" Sayla was silent. If the subs weren't reporting in, then...

**_WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!_**

"Huh? What's going on?" Syrus blurted from near one of the bridge windows.

"Why's the alarm going off?" Sayla snapped.

"Hold on!" the radar operator snapped. He glanced at the console, his skin underlit by the green glow. "Something's going on. I'm picking up huge energy surges, and large amounts of activity."

"What kind of activity?" Sayla asked.

"Not sure. But we're gonna need to charge up the guns and fast!" the operator replied.

"Why?" Sayla inquired.

"…I…I…I…" The operator stammered, trying to figure out how to put it into words without enraging her, or Zane.

"Why?!" Sayla snapped.

"We…we can't."

"Why not?" Sayla asked, now confused. One minute the radar operator wanted to fire the guns, now he was telling her that they couldn't?

The radar operator merely pointed out just as the _Oceanic Protector_'s helmsman slowed the nimble ship down.

"INCOMING!" Bugs yelled, his eyes widening just as three massive objects came at the smaller vessel.

"Helmsman! Hard to port!" Sayla ordered.

"Aye, Commander!" The helmsman gripped the throttles and goosed them to maximum speed while firing three thrusters on the bow of the _Protector_, forcing her into a sharp turn.

Going against her own forward momentum, the recon-combat ship spun sharply forty-five degrees, her stern barely grazed by the first of the three objects. The other two went way off, splashing into the sea before exploding.

"Undersea energon mines!" Sayla snapped.

"Undersea what?" Shute blurted, confused as to the type of weapons they were.

"Underwater energon mines. No time to explain, Shute. Just…" The corporal's voice trailed off as he caught a glimpse of the activity going on. "Uh, Commander? Ya might want to take a lookie."

"Huh? Why?" Sayla asked Henku.

He said nothing, but merely pointed. This time, she looked out the bridge windows. Her eyes took in the sight of the wreck, but what she saw next made her cry out in shock and astonishment.

On top of the bridge was a specially designed control horn, meant to integrate into any electronic systems ever built. The single red mono eye flared on the control horn before red light flared from the bridge of the wreck.

"NO!" Voltage snapped. "They can't!"

"RRRRRRRRGH!"

"W-what's going on?!" Bakunetsumaru stammered over the loud rumbling of thunder.

"_Destroy…DESTROY ALL!_"

As these words emitted from nowhere, a red orb flared into existence on the bridge of the wreck before fading to reveal a single, red optical sensor, locked onto the _Oceanic Protector_. The entire ship shuddered as red circuitry lines snaked away from the horn and throughout the electric systems. The huge gash on the side of the ship began to close up, the penetrated metal merging back together in a reverse motion of the penetration by the iceberg. From one of the funnel casings burst a huge cloud of black smoke as something crashed onto it, revealing the object to be one of the four great funnels, coated with rust. The other three slammed down from their positions on the Dark Axis ship, fusing into place with huge flares of bright red light. On the corroded mast on the stern, a pure energy flag flared into existence, the Dark Axis emblem standing out amongst the freezing rain.

"What… Oh, shit! Shitshitshitshit!" Zane swore loudly, his eyes widening as the transformation completed.

"_How do thee like our new minion_?!" Shift's voice called over the comm. Lightning flashed brightly, illuminating the huge rusting hulk menacingly, the demon mage laughing maniacally.

"You have got to be kidding me…" Baston murmured.

"You can't!" Voltage hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"_Oh, but we did! If we can't take it through other methods, then we shall liberate it from the confines of your race's puny honor!_"

"Well, then we'll just have to attack!" Baku snapped. He turned and ran for the nearest gun. His hands closed on the controls and he was about to power it up when the others caught on to his actions.

"NO!" they all yelled, grabbing the Musha and pulling him away from the controls for the guns.

"What?! Why not?!" Bakunetsumaru blurted, struggling in their collective hold.

"If you even try to strike it, then you'll have broken the most important seafaring law of all time!" Sayla said, fear present in her voice.

"_Heheheheh. Seems that thou can't destroy what you value the most!_" Shift laughed.

"We'll find some way to stop you!" Voltage hissed.

"_I doubt it. Now, face your defeat! _Titanic_, attack!_" With that, the comm shut down just as smoke belched out of the first three funnels, along with a huge shower of sparks. A wake began to curl around the bow, the three rusting propellers pushing the newest addition to the Dark Axis through the water.

"We're on a collision course!" Bugs blurted, eyes wide with horror.

"Helmsman! Full power! Get us out of that hulk's way!" Sayla barked.

"Roger, Commander!" The helmsman pushed the throttled upward and the ship lunged forward.

The twin energon thrusters chewed the water in a frenzy as the smaller vessel shot ahead of the damaged liner, the guns coming down to bear on the resurrected ship's bow. A loud growl emitted from the ship itself as the great vessel turned sharply, one of the three props spinning madly in reverse, the huge mass slamming into the smaller ship, forcing it into a 360 degree spin. Everyone was tossed about the bridge like rag dolls, bruising bones and muscles, a few injuries becoming apparent.

The _Oceanic Protector_ righted herself before the helmsman aimed the bow right at the ship's side. Racing the smaller 250 foot long craft down the liner's long flank, the gunners in the three guns aimed right at the control horn before firing off three rounds. Each round missed, but one barely grazed the top of the liner's great smokestacks.

"Crap! We can't get a good lock!" the first gunner snapped.

"How about you guys?" the second gunner asked.

"_Tell me abou' it! We're tryun' like crazy heruh to aim righ' a' the thing, but we can't git uh good lock!_" a third gunner snarled over the comm.

"_Seems like they've done a good job this time. I think that ve need a miracle here!_" the fourth gunner hissed, his German accented voice laced with anger.

"_What's going on? Why aren't you guys hitting the slaggin' thing?!_" Sayla snapped over the comm link.

"We can't get a good lock. It's too high up," the first gunner said, his eyes narrowed in frustration.

"_Slag!_"

"Any ideas?" the second gunner asked.

"_Keep trying to knock it off. I'm gonna see if I can call out for some aerial support to try and rip it off,_" Sayla said.

"Understood! Gunners out!"

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

_Two sets of green eyes blink in the darkness of the deserted Dark Axis ship. One set of eyes glances at the other before a male voice speaks._

"_Are you sure we should be hiding out here?" it asks._

_A younger voice replies. "Sure, bro. I mean, we've evaded capture for this long, haven't we?"_

"_True, but…"_

_Snarling reaches their audios. The first of the two forms looks over just as a huge ship slides by, a control horn perched on top of the bridge, a smaller, sleeker, somewhat more nimble vessel darting and firing beams of light at the horn, trying to knock it off the larger vessel. The first ship looks as if it has been out of service for a long time, for streaks of rust decorate the hull and superstructure. The smaller ship is newer, armed, and faster in terms of speed._

_The form hunches down, backing up, eyes small in terror._

"_What? Not scared of an old ship, are you?" the second form teases._

"_Shut it! I can't help it!" the first form squeaks._

"_Sure you can. Anyway, wonder what's going on down there."_

"_No clue, but it looks like they need some help. Let's see if we can tear that control horn off that thing."_

"_Right."_

_The two forms slip off the Dark Axis vessel into the rain._

* * *

**Sayla snarled as** the huge vessel continued to pursue them, engines thrashing the water behind it. The _Titanic_'s rusting hull plates were closing in on them from the rear, which was impossible unless you counted the fact that the wreck was being pushed far beyond anything that it could handle in this rusting state.

"Helmsman! Try and get us more power! That thing's closing in fast!" she snapped.

"No can do, Commander! The engines are giving it all they've got! Any more power and they'll blow! And that's the last thing we want right now!" the helmsman protested.

"We've got no choice! We need to boost our speed and now!" she snarled.

"But…"

"No buts! JUST DO IT!" she yelled.

"…All right. Let's just hope the engines hold," the helmsman muttered.

"They will," Sayla assured him.

"Powering up auxiliary fuel pumps now. Readying to transfer all available power to the energon thrusters. Engine readings climbing. Power output increased. Engines running at one hundred and ten percent and climbing. Here we go," the helmsman murmured. His finger hovered over the button. Sayla glanced at him angrily.

"DO IT! NOW!" she yelled.

He pressed it.

Behind the stern of the _Oceanic Protector_, a huge froth of water erupted as water was drawn in through the auxiliary pumps and pushed out in huge jets. The massive jets of water, combined with the power of the thrusters, drove the stern down into the water about three feet before settling down, the bow's plates coming together into an old-style up and down steel bow for reinforcement at high speeds. Twin wakes spread on either side of her like the wings of a massive angel.

The wreck continued to give chase, optical lens flaring madly.

"Slagslagslagslag!" Sayla swore loudly as two forms hopped down from the Dark Axis ship, landing right on the bow of the _Protector_ before running right for the bridge.

"Intruders on A Deck!" Henku yelled. "They're headin' right for us!"

"What? Who are they?" Sayla asked.

"Not sure, sir."

"Any idea as to what they're up to?" Sayla wondered.

Henku shook his head. "No, sir."

"Try and—" She never got to speak any more, for the next thing they knew, the wreck's bow had slammed into the stern of the _Protector_, throwing all of them to the ground.

"WHAAAAAA!"

The entire ship was jolted as the wreck moved astern, lightning from the storm exposing the ghostly silhouette of the ship. Sayla gritted her teeth as a familiar dark grey and grey form flitted in front of the bridge to the _Protector._

He moved his hands in a motion that clearly meant for them to open communications channels.

Sayla looked at the communications officer who was about to open the channel.

"Don't even do it!" she snapped.

"Why not? We can't harm the ship, so we're at a loss. They positioned the control horn too far up and we can't even strike it with the guns. And Kicker and T.J. are out of the question because they can't fly in this weather," the communications officer said, shaking his head.

"Trust me! I'm getting a bad feeling from him!" Sayla hissed.

"Still…"

"Sayla, at least hear what he has to say. It might give us a little time to send someone out to try and tear that thing off," Zane said calmly.

"…But…who's going to go out there?" T.J. wondered.

"I will."

"Huh?" Everyone's heads turned to face Captain standing there, flight boosters raised and ready for flight.

"You…you'd be willing to risk your life to take that control horn out?" Shute asked, stunned at his actions.

"…I may not know that much about the _Titanic_, but I do know that if the Dark Axis gets their hands on her then a great piece of humanity's history is lost forever, right?" Captain said, looking at Zane.

"That's right," Zane said grimly.

"Plus, if she gets stolen, destroyed, or scrapped, then who knows what might happen? History might repeat itself, time warps might appear, or for all we know, ghost ships might begin appearing!" Sayla added.

"That means ghosts, right?" Baku asked, his eyes widening in fright.

T.J. shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to be certain."

"Captain, if you go out there, then you might not come back alive. We might find your body, but you might never return alive. Are you sure you want to take that risk?" Zane asked.

The Gundam nodded. "Yes."

"What about Shute?" Sayla asked him, her eyes now showing a hint of compassion mixed in with that cold military gaze.

"I'll do it, but I might need Shute's help."

"You really mean that?" Shute asked.

"Yes. You're my friend, and I made a promise to you. I will keep it," Captain stated.

Shute smiled as Sayla looked at him.

"Promise? What kind of promise?" she asked.

Captain locked gazes with her. "That I would never leave him alone."

"Why?" Sayla asked softly.

"…" Captain was silent as Shute hung his head. "You wouldn't understand," Shute murmured. "You've never lost your whole home planet to the Dark Axis, so you wouldn't understand. You Intergalactic Federation members are lucky to be able to hold off the Dark Axis when we couldn't."

"Shute…" Voltage stared in stunned disbelief as the news sank in. He had lost his whole _planet_? It just didn't seem possible to them, for they had never lost a member world, let alone their own home planet or any of the outposts.

"You…your home planet was overrun?" Zane murmured.

"Yeah. It was. There was nothing any of us could do, except run. Run as far away as we could, to another dimension, an unknown realm with nothing but the clothes on our backs and what belongings we could bring with. On the way, we all got ambushed and attacked. The entire Super Dimensional Guard fell to the Dark Axis. Only we managed to escape," Shute explained. "We fled through the Minov Boundary Sea to your home dimension in hopes that we could find someone with enough might and power to overthrow the Dark Axis and to reclaim our home planet. We expected to find a dimensional power with incredible might that could save our home in only two hours, not some small, third-rate power with a small military and some really powerful vessel that you can't even control."

"Shute, we're strong, but not that strong. Our power doesn't enable us to free planets in impossibly short time spans, especially when facing off against Unicron's power. It can take up to three decades or even longer just to liberate one planet in most organizations, but with us, it takes only a month or even a year. We can't free planets in only two hours," Sayla said sadly.

"Humanity can do many things, but even we can't accomplish that, Shute. Thing's aren't easy to do here. It requires incredible efforts to do even the simplest of rapid-strike tactics. The other worlds also use incredible efforts to do even half the stuff we do. Take Kax for example. They're a planet that excels in industries such as starfighter manufacture and military hardware, but they lack in agriculture and private ownership. Orca excels in those fields while lacking in heavy artillery and a massive space force. Earth excels in that, as well as destruction and devastation. Earth lacks strength in only one field: the power to cause deception. We just don't do it like some of the other, more power-hungry organizations. Even with all this capacity and flexibility, we just can't accomplish the ability to save worlds in only two hours max," Syrus explained.

"The _Destiny Star Drive_ may be powerful and hard to control at times, but that is not what makes us so powerful. In truth, we're not even sure ourselves, but Iro thinks that it might be the work of the Superior Dragon, although I doubt that highly," Kicker said. "Our abilities just don't enable us to make worlds, destroy them with a wave of the hand, or create life with our wills. But here's what I think: it's something that unites us, yet keeps us diverse."

"Kicker's right, but even our power can't make miracles like that come true, Shute. Only through hard efforts, a bit of luck, our skills and strengths and weaknesses, and the determination of the leaders are we able to do what we can do," Meisha remarked.

"So, you guys can't help us?" Shute asked darkly.

"No. We're not saying that. What we're trying to say is that not even we, with all our might, can make miracles such as that come true. We may have accomplished space travel in short amounts of time, destroying great foes, and saving others for selfless reasons, but we just can't save an entire world in two short hours. We can only do so much. But we do it with our hearts and souls in it. It's our passion to save others, and our drive is to destroy all evil in the universe. Our mission is to create a peaceful future, and our philosophy is that all are created equal with the same basic rights of life as other beings. No one is greater, superior, or inferior when compared with others. Even if they are mechanical, crystalline, organic, or even pure energy, everyone in the universe is the same. We all share it and we work together to make a peaceful society," Sayla explained.

"Your mission is to create peace," Captain murmured, recalling Cerverau's words.

"Yes. And it's also to obliterate all war, famine, disease, poverty, and the stereotypes that most beings plaster to others due to millennia of unresolved conflicts and warfare. Only through action can we stop this," Zane said solemnly. He gazed out at the wreck, which had begun to circle them. "There is one other thing that we have learned through that day. Wealth is the main force that drives others and society as it is isn't perfect. Many other beings think that, but we are out to stop that. The wreck proves it."

"So, the wreck is also what drives you? If that is the case, then why not just raise it and be done with it?" Zero asked.

"My father passed the Shipwreck Protection Act of 2007 because the _Titanic_ taught us those very lessons. He presented it to the President, who was initially impressed with it, but she denied allowing him the power to raise it. She felt it was better to leave it down there without anyone harming it. She formed the Earth Federation Shipwreck Protection Squad for that very reason. Their mission was to prevent the raising and to ensure that the law was followed at all times. No one was to harm or raise her. She wanted the wreck to remain a memorial to those lost at sea all those years ago," Zane explained.

"But why not raise it? Did she not consider the consequence of her actions?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

"She did, but she felt that it was right to leave it down there for all time. It turns out that it was a big mistake," the boy said.

Now everyone was silent. Even the helmsman had stopped driving the vessel, having put it into neutral, leaving her drifting at the mercy of the Dark Axis.

"Why did she think that? Not even my dad knows," Zane concluded.

"Anyway, Captain, good luck out there. Primus watch over you," Sayla murmured.

"Thank you."

Without another word, the two friends turned and left the bridge.

Sayla watched them leave, a distant look in her eyes, one of pain, of sorrow, and…hope. She turned back to the helmsman and nodded.

"Resume previous course. We'll give them covering fire."

* * *

_Outside…_

The rain soaked Shute's body to the bone, making the boy shiver as he clung to Captain's wet armored body. The speed at which they were traveling, coupled with the storm, made it difficult to speak, but they knew what the other was feeling through their connection.

Both were scared and worried that they wouldn't make it. Shute peered over his friend's shoulder and he gasped.

Down on the top of the bridge were two forms, tugging on the control horn. They could see from the sparks being thrown up by the forced separation that they were two Gundams, but exactly alike, save for the eye colors.

One Gundam had bright blue eyes on a green background while the other had gold eyes on a green background. Both had the same armor design and color scheme. Their armor was typical of all musha Gundams, but it was black and green and yellow, the shoulder pads being black with green lines on them and a yellow triangle. Their lower arms were green with yellow lines and a black triangle and their Gunsouls were the same color, bright yellow, but with two different symbols.

"Who are those guys?" Shute asked, his words snatched and carried away by the wind.

Captain didn't hear him, but he answered anyway, having felt Shute's confusion.

"They appear to be Musha Gundams, but I've never seen two that look exactly alike," he replied, although it was lost in the wind.

One of the two musha looked at the control horn before climbing up and grabbing the top, pulling back on it. Now the bottom was exposed, the wires straining to remain connected to the wreck underneath it.

"Looks like they're pulling it loose!" Shute exclaimed excitedly.

"It seems that way, Shute. It seems that way."

* * *

**Hikamaru and Genmaru** kept tugging on the control horn, the sparks thrown out by the flailing wires striking the bridge roof around them. Hikamaru, the younger of the two, narrowed his blue eyes and tugged at the bottom even more, hoping to tear it free. But it wasn't budging.

"Genmaru! Get up on the top of this thing and pull it loose! We have to tear it off and dump it overboard!" he cried.

"Right!"

Genmaru scrambled up the control horn and grasped the top, pulling with every ounce of strength his Gundam body could give.

Three more wires snapped, indicating their progress. The horn jerked once, then twice as the last three wires gave way. With a loud tearing of metal, the control horn came loose, and the optic in the bridge winked out. The wake around the bow of the _Titanic_ faded as her three propellers slowed to a stop.

Hikamaru peered over and grinned.

"Ready, bro?" he asked.

"Ready as ever!" Genmaru grinned.

"On the count of three. Ready? One, two, three!"

With a heave, the twin Musha Gundams sent the control horn sailing over the seas, straight towards the water.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Shift's cry of rage echoed over the loud rumble of thunder, forcing both twins to look up. "You dare interfere with my plans!? I'll kill you and eat your souls!" he snarled.

"Uh, bro?" Genmaru asked, his eyes widening in fright.

"What, Genmaru?" Hikamaru asked.

"Run!" Genmaru squeaked. His brother nodded in agreement as Shift powered up a spell to destroy them and the wreck.

The twins bolted, but it was not to be.

Shift fired.

* * *

**"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Shute cried** out over the storm as he let go of Captain's body.

"SHUTE!" The Gundam Force leader's cry was lost as he watched his human friend falling towards the wreck.

Shute landed with a jolt on the top of the bridge, but he slipped on some rusting slime and he landed on his butt. He looked up and gasped as the blast neared the bridge of the wreck. He spread his arms in a futile attempt to block the powerful spell, hoping that somehow, some way, it would be diverted, but nothing happened.

**_BWAAM!_**

The explosion echoed across the sea, forcing everyone on board the _Oceanic Protector_, the _Autobot Hero_, and the four subs to look up as the fireball expanded, consuming the wreck.

On the bridge of the _Protector, _Sayla watched with tears in her eyes as the fireball began to fade, smoke curling upwards. "Primus no…" she murmured.

"Shit…" Voltage cursed softly.

"No…" Bakunetsumaru murmured.

"…" Zane said nothing, but merely stared out the window calm as ever.

"Mana…" Zero said softly, his voice cracking slightly

"Great Mana…" Rele's voice trailed off.

"Shute…" Syrus murmured.

"That's…there's no way…" Kicker couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Why…?" Meisha was at a loss for real words.

"…" T.J. said nothing, tears streaming down his face, his shoulders shaking.

"Crap…" Baston cursed sadly.

"…" The division members present lowered their heads in silence as the smoke began to fade, blown away by the winds, which had strangely died down.

"Uh, Commander?" Bugs murmured in shock.

"What is it, Bugs?" Sayla asked him.

Bugs rubbed his eyes before he opened them again. "You might want to take a lookie, sir. I think that you really should see this."

"Okay, but what…is…" Her voice was lost as the shape of the _Titanic_ materialized in the smoke, some serious damage done to her superstructure, but mostly the first funnel, which looked as if three dozen energon grenades had gone off in it. The debris littered the top of the bridge and a huge gaping hole was visible where the control horn had been only a few minutes prior, smoke trailing upward. Her gaze flicked to the bow, where she could see pieces of the funnel and rigging lying scattered about, and amongst that debris was a small, human form, a human form with chestnut brown hair…

"SHUTE!" The collective cry was full of relief and urgency, yet also with grief, for they didn't know if their friend had survived like the wreck had.

"Contact Captain and have him check Shute for any major injuries!" Sayla snapped.

"Right!" the comm officer shouted.

He pressed the button and began speaking, but his calls went unanswered by Captain.

* * *

Captain stared in shock and horror at the still form of Shute. He could vaguely hear the communications attempts, but he blocked them from his mind in his horror at seeing Shute so still, almost as if he were dead.

_**I'm so tired of being here**_

_**Suppressed by all my childish fears**_

"Shute…Shute! SHUTE!" Captain didn't even hesitate as he dove down towards the debris covered decks of the _Titanic_. He focused only on Shute, and Shute alone.

He landed and ran over to the boy's still form.

"Shute! Can you hear me? Shute!"

He knelt down beside him and gently cradled the boy's head, holding it in his hand.

"Shute, wake up!"

No movement.

**_And if you have to leave_**

**_I wish that you would just leave_**

Shute's skin was deathly pale, blood oozing from three major gashes across his chest, side, and head. His shirt was soaked with the crimson liquid and his hair was plastered down with it. Captain placed a hand on the boy's neck, feeling for a pulse, but there was nothing.

A strange feeling filled his Soul-Drive, almost as if a piece had been torn free and destroyed. He felt as if a piece of equipment had been forcibly removed and destroyed, leaving him unable to use it. He felt something warm behind his eyes and he didn't even bother to focus on them.

He closed his eyes and he felt something warm trickle down the side of his mouthpiece. He opened it and another warm trickle ran down his cheek.

**_'Cause your presence still lingers here_**

**_And it won't leave me alone_**

All the memories he had of Shute filled his memory files and played before his mind's eye, recalling each and every one down to the last one. He recalled the day he first had met Shute to the last final moments he had seen his friend. Yet, only a select few played clearly: those of when he and Shute had been together here on Earth, the time they had kissed for the first time unknowingly.

Now he knew. He loved Shute more than anything, more than even his most prized piece of equipment and the satisfaction he had gotten after a mission had been completed.

"Shute…"

**_These wounds won't seem to heal_**

**_This pain is just too real_**

**_There's just too much that time cannot erase_**

Two more tears fell from the corners of his eyes, followed by two more. He could feel them on his face as he cuddled Shute's body close to his chest, an aching feeling filling his Soul-Drive. His friend dead? It just didn't seem possible.

It just didn't compute. This wasn't supposed to have happened.

The tears began to fall more freely. Maybe there was a slight chance that he was somehow still alive, maybe a 7.25 percent chance…

_**When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears**_

_**When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears**_

_**And I held your hand through all of these years**_

_**But you still have**_

_**All of me**_

'_No. This can't be happening! This just can't!_' Captain thought frantically. He refused to accept it, but his Soul-Drive continued to ache with sadness. He placed a hand on Shute's face, hoping to feel some shred of warmth, but there was none. Only cold.

"Shute…"

He murmured his friend's name and held him closely, caressing his friend's face gently so as to not cause any more damage to the already broken flesh on his cheek. "Please wake up…"

No movement or answer. No sign of life, no rising and falling of the chest, no warmth, only a cold, still, dead body.

"Shute, please wake up. Please let this be a bad dream. Please…"

_**You used to captivate me**_

_**By your resonating life**_

He held Shute close, the tears now threatening to blur his vision. He wiped his eyes fiercely with one hand, holding Shute with the other.

He closed his eyes, letting the tears continue to fall. He couldn't even bear leaving Shute's body out here in the rain. He just couldn't. Not after the promise he had made.

"Shute…*hic*…Please don't die…" He choked back a sob, his shoulders shaking as he did so.

_**Now I'm bound by the life you've left behind**_

_**Your face it haunts**_

_**My once pleasant dreams**_

The bright, optimistic green eyes he knew so well were now closed, their light forever extinguished. He would never see them again, never lose himself in them, never hear that cheerful voice, and never feel Shute's emotions ever again.

"No…This can't be…Please…"

The awful truth was sinking in slowly. He would never see Shute again.

_**Your voice it chased away**_

_**All the sanity in me**_

_No more visiting the boy after school, no more hanging out with him__…_

The horrific concept of losing his best friend was just too much. He felt like his Soul-Drive would burst from all the conflicting feelings he was having right then.

_No more seeing him at the base, no more hearing his encouragement during fights…_

He began to cry more openly, the tears now blurring his eyesight. His shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as he let the tears fall.

_No more…No more…_

_**These wounds won't seem to heal**_

_**This pain is just too real**_

_**There's just too much that time cannot erase**_

"Shute…Please…Primus, whoever is listening up there…please…"

There was no reply, no light, no nothing. Just him and Shute's still body on an old lifeless wreck that had been forcibly raised from the depths of the sea. He felt the rain falling against his armor, but it only served to heighten his sense of losing Shute.

"No…No…NO!"

_**When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears**_

_**When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears**_

_**And I held your hand through all of these years**_

_**But you still have**_

_**All of me**_

He was now crying uncontrollably as the tears streamed down his cheeks, spattering against the bloodstained rotting teak decks, pooling around the two forms amongst all the debris of the wreck's funnel.

A single tear landed on Shute's body, but still no movement. He could now feel grief and anguish building in his body as he held the body close to his own.

He closed his eyes even tighter, not even looking up. His Soul-Drive now ached terribly.

_**I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone**_

_**But though you're still with me**_

_**I've been alone all along**_

He forced back a scream, but as he did so, he felt a desperate urge to take off, to leave, to never come back to this wreck, to abandon the fight, to just quit.

"Shute…Shute…Shute…"

He murmured the boy's name over and over like a mantra before he gritted his teeth and he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!"

He threw his head back and let out a cry of anguish and pain, his cry reaching to the very heavens themselves, reaching those on board the carrier, the recon-combat ship, and the submarines beneath the sea.

_**When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears**_  
_**When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears**_  
_**And I held your hand through all of these years**_  
_**But you still have**_  
_**All of me**_

Everyone who heard it felt his pain, for it was mirrored in their own eyes, but not in their reactions. Each expressed it differently, but each one felt the same.

Shute…

Was dead.

* * *

_The Dark Axis has raised the wreck and is planning to take it. Shute is gone, or so they think. Many lives will be lost, and each one will play a key role in the battles to come. Will their alliances be forged completely?_

_And what about Anderson? What kind of role will he play in the coming fights? Will he reveal himself? And what about the Superior Dragon? Will they find new clues? Or not?_

_Many new questions and answers will be forged on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods: Part IV: Fledgling Alliances._

_Next time on Twilight of the Gods!_

"Anderson? Is that really you?" President Warren asked.

"Yeah. It's me, Heather," the voice said.

"What…what happened?"

"I…I really don't know. All I can recall is finding the vessel and inserting the sphere I found into the compartment, then nothing."

"Are you sure? Because we could try and find a way to reverse it."

"Sorry. I doubt that there's anything that can be done about it now."

"Still, there must be something that we can do."

"All we can do right now is continue the fight and win. That's the first thing."

"Okay."

_Is there a way to reverse the process for Anderson? Can the Federation find out more before the Dark Axis gains their first victory against the Federation? All this, and much more on the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	39. Episode 3 Bloopers

**Bloopers!**

Blooper 1:

_The ghost pointed before fading into the darkness of the room just as the door began to slide shut. Voltage gasped as he spun around, his Soul-Drive whirring in his chest._

"_NO!" he shouted. He ran for the doorway, but the rumbling grew louder and louder until the huge stone door dropped down in front of him, trapping him in the secret room with the ghost._

_Sighing in defeat, he turned to the ghost behind him, now illuminated by its unearthly glow._

"_Okay. You got me. Now what?"_

_The ghost seemed to waiver before he heard laughing. He turned to face the source._

"_What? What's so funny?" Voltage asked, cocking his head to the side. Deed sniggered._

"_It's…you've got something on your helmet," he said._

"_What?" Voltage asked._

_Deed merely pointed just as a skeleton's hand fell over one of his eyes. Voltage blanched, his eyes shrinking in shock._

"_AAAAAH!" Voltage began to smack at his helmet, sending the skeletal hand clattering to the floor as Deed burst out laughing._

_-----_

_The form twitched, forcing him to get into a fighting stance, his beam saber held in front at an angle to protect his Soul-Drive, one wrist gun aimed at the still body._

_The head rose upward and a gasp escaped his mouthpiece, and he swore that his Soul-Drive ceased to rotate as he stared at the living form of the ghostly knight he had just seen._

_But something wasn't right._

_A large furry bat was located on the knight's helmet and mouthpiece, exposing only his eyes. Voltage suddenly bit his lower lip in an attempt to keep himself from laughing._

"_What is funny?" Deed asked._

_Voltage pointed at his face. "You've got something on your face," he sniggered._

"_What is upon my face that makes you laugh?" Deed wondered._

"_Bat." That was the only word Voltage said._

_Deed cocked his head before he crossed his eyes, locking them onto the furry critter. For a moment, there was only silence._

"_GET OFF!" Deed roared, smacking his face repeatedly in an attempt to dislodge the bat. Voltage finally couldn't hold it in any more. He burst out laughing as the bat flew off into the depths of the dungeon._

Blooper 2:

"_ATTACK!" Subzero screamed. Demon Dom took this opportunity to open fire—right on his comrades!_

_Subzero screamed as a shell exploded against him. Sayla and the others watched in astonishment as the smoke faded, showing a blackened Subzero, his eyes bugged in shock._

"_Dah…oopsies!" Dom squeaked._

Blooper 3:

_Hikamaru peered over and grinned._

"_Ready, bro?"_

"_Ready as ever."_

"_On the count of three. Ready? One, two, three!"_

_With a heave, the twin musha Gundams sent the control horn sailing over the seas, straight towards the water._

_But their aim was off. The control horn went sailing and landed right on the deck of the _Oceanic Protector_, rolling towards the stunned crew._

_-----_

_Genmaru and Hikamaru tossed the control horn overboard, but again, their aim was off. This time, it smacked right into Captain, causing him to groan in pain._

"_Oops!" both Mushas said as one._

_-----_

_The two Mushas tried once more, and this time they succeeded in chucking it farther out, but a little _too_ far._

_With a flurry of sparks and shrieking metal, the control horn was skewered…right on the carrier's main communications mast._

_Genmaru grinned. "Hey, look! It's a control horn on a stick!" he quipped._

_Hikamaru smacked his head._


	40. Aftermath: The Titanic Makes Port!

Summary: The Dark Axis nearly gets their hands on the wreck, but the team puts a stop to it and tows the wreck back to port for a serious upgrade. The next few months prove to be crucial as the Federation begins to establish alliances between themselves and the other powers in the universe that are aware of the threat. Can they cement their newfound alliances before it's too late? Note: I don't own any series mentioned in the story. All belong to their respective owners. I only own all original characters.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

After returning from Lacroa, the team began to uncover new information concerning the Dark Axis while the scout teams returned with information about the camps. Anderson had not revealed himself and the mysterious new Gundam found in Kicker's bathtub is under guard by Sayla's team.

These new events have unleashed the wreck from her resting place, briefly under the control of the Dark Axis till two new arrivals removed the control horn. After an intense battle, the Dark Axis member Shift unleashed an explosion on the two, resulting in an explosion that left Shute injured badly. Yet so many questions remained unanswered, and the Superior Dragon has still not been uncovered. Find out what happens in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part IV:_

_Fledgling Alliances_

Chapter 1

"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!"

Captain's cry of pain and anguish reached the heavens, mirrored in Sayla's eyes. She also felt like crying out. In the four years she had served, she had seen many losses and expressed pain and anguish at losing a teammate she had been close to, but not like this. Not like this at all.

"Captain…" She looked at the huddled form on the bow of the _Titanic_, holding Shute's lifeless body to his chest, crying uncontrollably. No thunder rumbled, no lightning flashed, no high winds battered the sea. It was as if the whole world was mourning the loss of Shute Marxworth.

Rain fell in light sheets, and the wreck itself loomed in the night sky, looking surprisingly enough like a safe haven from the fury of battles, a quiet place to mourn.

One funnel was missing, having been blown to pieces recently and a gaping hole was in the roof of the bridge, yet since the rain was blowing at an angle in a light three knot wind, the rain didn't enter through the hole. The masts still stood tall, proud reminders of the liner's heritage, and on the aft mast, faintly, the Federation sigil began to wave.

Sayla rubbed her eyes as it became more visible. The flag waved lightly and beside the mast, tying the flag into place, was a cloaked form, a brown cloak flapping in the light breeze. The form stepped back before fading before her eyes.

She glanced back at the form of Captain Gundam. She felt sorry for him. She knew what it was like to lose one of your best friends. Tears stung her eyes as she recalled the loss of one of her best soldiers, a man named Hugo Noonan. He had been her best friend and a good role model for her. It was he who had placed her in charge of the division after the loss of his right arm and legs in combat.

He died from a heart attack.

"Sir, what now?" Henku asked.

"We take her in tow. The gash is closed, and maybe, just maybe, we can utilize her for combat this time. After all, Shute took the blast and it seems right to honor him this way," Sayla said. She didn't take her eyes off the wreck.

"But…the Shipwreck Protection Act…" Henku protested

"Doesn't say that we can't use her in honor of someone who gave their life for us during an attempt!" Sayla hissed as she turned to glare at him.

"Still…"

Zane shook his head."No. She's right. The act doesn't say that we can't use her if someone died trying to stop the theft. In fact, my father included a clause that enables it. It may be going against our respect for her, but this time, I agree. The _Titanic_ must be brought back for an upgrade."

"…" Everyone stared at him. Normally, he had been the one who had objected, but this time, he was actually _agreeing_ to what Sayla had said!

"Bro…why?" Syrus asked, astonishment crossing his face.

Zane glanced at his younger brother. "Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices, and my respect for the _Titanic_ is one of them. I respect the souls of those lost here, but Shute gave his life for us. It seems right," the older boy explained.

"But…normally you object to stuff like this!" Syrus blurted.

"Syrus, this time, I think we have to do something for Shute," Zane said. He knelt and placed his hands on his brother's shoulders. "He deserves it."

Syrus closed his eyes and rubbed them just as tears threatened to fall. "Okay. Let's do it for Shute."

Zane smiled and turned to face Sayla.

"What kind of guns does the _Autobot Hero_ carry?" he asked.

"For upgrades?" Sayla asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Zane shook his head. "No. Temporary weapon fittings."

"Three cannons, one missile, and three laser cannons. Why?" Sayla remarked.

"How soon can they be brought on board to upgrade?" he asked, glancing out at the wreck.

"Ten minutes if we use the crane. We'll need to also upgrade the engines."

"For now, she'll be under tow by the carrier," Zane said as he turned to look at the ship drifting in the water.

"Good idea. We'll use the carrier as a shield too," Sayla said.

Zane grinned. "Okay."

As the plans were finalized, Syrus suddenly grabbed Zane's blazer.

"Bro! Look!" he shouted, pointing out the window.

"Huh?" Zane turned, his eyes suddenly widening in shock. "What is he doing?!" the boy cried.

"No way! He's crazy!" Sayla blurted, her eyes wide with shock.

Captain had lunged right for Shift, the fighting fire in his eyes, his fist glowing brightly.

"SHIFT! YOU'RE MINE!" Captain cried, his rage reaching new heights, the glow from the Soul-Drive bathing his entire body in a golden light, making his armor shine brightly.

"Hah! That human deserved it!" Shift laughed as he dodged Captain's charge.

"NO HE DIDN'T!" Captain roared. He drew back his fist for the finishing blow. "CAPTAIN PUNCH!"

The bright blast of energy sped from his fist, the power of the blast amplified by his sadness and rage towards Shift.

The demon mage laughed and raised both hands. "Mana!"

The energy punch impacted the shield of Mana, bursting into bright lights. However, that served only to distract Shift. The next thing he knew, a powerful right cross smacked into his lower jaw, sending him head over heels. He righted himself, only to receive a double punch to his lower torso and a roundhouse kick to the head.

Captain fired off a volley of bullets from his head-mounted guns, the impact of the bullets startling Shift out of his disoriented state.

"What!?" Shift's eyes widened in shock at the pure rage this Gundam now exhibited. He tried to destroy the bullets with a spell, but the V-shaped beam fired from Captain's V-fin intercepted the blast. The resulting explosion rocked the three vessels, the carrier heeling over as if she were going to go under, the recon-combat ship rocking back and forth, the wreck remaining stationary, if not beginning to drift broadside into the light wind.

Sayla glanced at the carrier and grabbed the comm unit as the recon-combat ship settled onto an even keel.

"Attention _Autobot Hero_! This is Commander Yashaki! Can you hear me?" she barked.

Static filled the bridge before the voice of her second-in-command on board the carrier broke through.

"_Commander! You don't know how happy I am to hear you!_" he said. "_We're being attacked by these strange bugs that have turned about one tenth of the crew to stone. And to top it all off, we have to now sink the wreck again!_"

"No! Forget sinking her! I want you to tell those boys down in the gun holds to remove the three backup laser cannons and the lone missile, complete with launcher, along with the backup engines for the carrier!" Sayla ordered. Her eyes flashed dangerously. "And I mean it!"

"_What?! Why?_" her SIC asked in disbelief.

"Like I said, forget sinking her! Get those guns and the engines readied to be hoisted on board the _Titanic_ immediately! And bring a portable generator and backup console along with nine hundred feet of wiring! We're upgrading her!" Sayla snapped.

"_But…_"

"No buts! Do it now!" Sayla hissed.

"_Do you have any idea how long it'll take?!_" her SIC protested.

"Yes. Hopefully we can complete it in less time here and now. This is only temporary," Sayla murmured.

"_Oh. Well, that, we can do. Just try and keep the Dark Axis busy for the next half hour._"

"We will. Hopefully we can capture one of them to boot."

"_That'll be the day!_" her SIC remarked.

The comm unit went dead in her hand as he cut the connection. She watched as the carrier fired its port thrusters to bring herself alongside the smaller ship. The huge crane normally used to rescue students during patrols turned broadside and aimed itself over the carrier's deck, where she watched as a huge elevator began to descend, exposing the hanger deck and the carrier's interior.

"Sayla, how long will it take?" Zane asked as he approached her.

"Half an hour. We'll also try to grab Shift, if possible," Sayla said, turning to face him.

Bugs rubbed his eyes before speaking. "Uh, sir?"

"Huh? What is it, Bugs?" she asked, turning to face the lanky man.

"Look." Her eyes followed his outstretched finger and arm right to where he was pointing.

The sea was turning to ice before her very eyes, and the ice was heading right for the wreck and the carrier. "SLAG NO!"

She turned to the helmsman of the _Protector_. "Get us between that ice sheet and the two ships! Power up all guns and fire at that advancing ice sheet, blast it with energon mines, do whatever it takes; crash the ship into it if you have to, but stop that ice sheet!" she screamed, determination showing in her eyes.

"Roger that!" The helmsman gripped the throttles and shoved them to full, the wake churning behind the smaller vessel at top speed. The _Oceanic Protector_ was going to live up to her name.

* * *

**Subzero laughed as** he stood on top of an iceberg, the ice spreading out at his command. The feeling of power coursing through his systems was incredible. No one could stop him now! The ice sheet was spreading in all directions outward, but mostly on a course set for the wreck and the carrier. He had overheard their plans to upgrade her, and he couldn't allow that to come to pass. If they did, then the Dark Axis would lose their metal and the master would lose his method of resurrection.

"Subzero!"

He turned to face a lone Zako running up the sloping iceberg's sides to his position.

"What is it, Zako?" he asked, a tone of annoyance filling his voice.

"Shift has requested your presence on the battlefield, zako," the Zako reported.

"Shift has asked me for help, huh? All right. Tell him I will be there shortly."

"Yes, sir! Zako!" The green minion ran off, leaving Subzero to growl at his chance to freeze the wreck stripped from him.

He gripped both beam sabers and ignited the grey-blue blades.

The time had finally come to go all out!

He grinned.

"DARK AXIS!"

* * *

_On the _Titanic…

The captain in charge of the operation, a large bull of a man named Charles Ting, stood over the wreck's position on the carrier. He could see that the operation to upgrade her temporarily was going along smoothly. The guns were already set in place on the bow which had been cleared of all debris from the funnel, now in storage below deck in a few crates. Shute's body had been airlifted back to the carrier for emergency treatment, which was pretty useless since the boy was dead. Still, they had to try something.

The backup engines had been transported on board and were being wired into the former boiler rooms, integrated with the remaining boilers and the boilers themselves wired up to the makeshift control console they had assembled in the bridge. The hole over the bridge had been patched up with a slab of energon, making the area glow bright yellow, contrasting the rust on her hull, but complementing the dull golden yellow of her three remaining funnels.

The missile and launcher had been assembled on the slab of energon and wired into the bridge's console, enabling firing of the missile. As an added precaution for close range combat, twin Gatling guns and .580 mm submachine guns also brought on board and manned by the best gunners the division had.

"How's it looking?" Captain Ting asked one of the workers.

"Good so far, sir. The engines are almost done being hooked up. After this, it's your show," she said.

"All right. And the blood?" he asked, glancing down at the deck on the bow.

"Cleaned up and the debris is right where we stashed it in the main holds," the officer reported.

"Good. Tell the Commander that we're finished here."

"Roger!" She grasped the portable comm unit and brought it up to her mouth.

"Commander, this is Ensign Callie. We just finished rigging everything to the makeshift console. The ship's under the command of the Federation," she reported.

The commander's voice issued over the speaker, relief in her voice.

"_That's the best news I've heard so far! Tell Captain Ting to begin preparations for battle immediately! See if you guys can put some muscle back into the old girl!_" Sayla said.

"Will do! Ensign Callie out." The ensign handed him the comm.

"Commander, we'll do what we can from here. But you should know that this thing is a dead ship brought back to life. Who knows how well things will work?" Captain Ting said.

"_Just do what you can!_" Sayla ordered.

"Affirmative." The comm unit went silent as he looked up at the carrier and smiled.

"Battle stations!" he yelled, punching his fist forward.

"YEAH!" the entire crew cheered.

The engineers sent over from the carrier scurried down towards the engine room while two lookouts took up positions on the old masts. The gunners assembled and got behind their weapons while Captain Ting grasped the makeshift steering wheel in his hands. It was a strange feeling, being in command of the world's most legendary liner.

But he had a job to do.

"Everyone ready?" he asked.

There was silence before the replies came through. Everyone was ready.

Hoping for the best, he grasped the key and turned it.

Nothing happened.

Then, deep in the bowels of the old liner, a shuddering took place, followed by a faint sputtering before a loud clank came through. Steam began to form in the long dormant engines, this time fueled by energon chunks and electric power, turning the rusting gears and forcing clouds of rust into the old boiler rooms. There were only ten left, but the boilers flared as the engineers tossed in thousands of energon chunks.

Light feebly flickered as the century-old lights began to come online. The light was really dim, and there wasn't enough to illuminate the entire vessel, but after a century of being trapped beneath the water in a black graveyard, the _Titanic_ was slowly coming back to life.

Two huge black clouds of steam smoke followed by a huge flurry of sparks shot out of the remaining two funnels, the third firing out sparks alone. The three huge rusting propellers began to turn ever so slowly, but gradually the revolutions increased as the century-old gears of the steam engines shed their coating of rust, the steam pistons moving up and down in a fast rate of motion, the steam now coming out of the two funnels, and a bit emitting from some of the ventilators.

A small wake began to form behind the ship, the bow slowly moving through the water, a wake forming around the faded Plimsoll's marking…and growing stronger.

The _Titanic_ was operational and she was back in action!

He felt the pulsing power of the ship's engines and he gazed out the windows of the bridge, the old windows hastily patched up with glass from the carrier. He felt…strangely proud of this. The Federation had regained a valuable piece of history, and a living legend to boot.

He glanced at the throttle, wondering if he should push it to full.

A loud explosion shook him out of his reverie and he glanced out the bridge windows in alarm.

Shift came rocketing past, wings pumping madly, followed by an enraged Captain. The rattling from the twin blasts of wind knocked some of the rust loose from the superstructure and off the hull partly.

"Sean! Engine room! Requesting full speed!" he snapped into the comm.

"_But, sir…We don't know how fast she'll be able to go without falling to pieces!_" one of the engineers cried.

"Just do it!" Captain Ting barked.

"_O-okay. Engine room out_."

He felt a slight shuddering before he pushed the throttle to full, boosting the power to the energon engines. The old bow began to slice through the water as the _Titanic_ sped full steam ahead. He watched as the large Dark Axis ship hovered down, intent on snatching the newly resurrected liner from them using twin clamps.

"Gunners! Open fire!" he yelled.

"_Sir!_" the gunners cried.

Twin streams of bullets lanced out from the starboard side of the ship while the three guns were turned to face it. Lasers streaked out, joining and merging with the hailstorm of bullets impacting the mothership. The explosions startled the Dark Axis officer in charge, forcing him to back off. Obviously whoever was in command hadn't been expecting the _Titanic_ to be able to bite back after all these years.

He grinned as he cranked the wheel to the left. The old rudder shuddered before becoming stuck, but then the effect began to tell. The rust began to fall freely in a shower from it as the old steering bearings came into long forgotten action. One of the three props was thrown into reverse as well, making the old ship turn sharper in a move that might have very well saved her from striking the iceberg in the first place.

It came not a moment too soon, for a huge ice spar erupted from where the bow had been only moments prior.

"Jeez! What in Primus' name was that?!" the captain asked, a sweatdrop running down the side of his head.

"_Sir! That looks like the work of Subzero! We need more maneuverability if we're too—SHIT!_" the engineer swore.

"What's going on down there?!" Captain Ting asked harshly.

"_Not down here! Topside! Subzero has appeared on the stern!_"

"…" He bit his lower lip. If he blasted the stern, then the _Titanic_ would sink stern first. They couldn't allow that.

"Gun 10! Turn aft and fire on Subzero! Get him off there stat!" Captain Ting roared.

"_YEEEEEE-Haw! I've bin waitin' fer this!_" the burly Texan yelled into the comm.

"Just don't overdo it, Sheriff Larson!" Captain Ting teased. He knew that Larry Larson, the best marksman on the team, was a huge fan of the Wild West stories, since he had come from Texas to begin with, and the nickname, couple with his no-nonsense, down-to-earth, calm style made him a good fighter.

"_Roger!_"

He heard the faint chainsaw buzzing of the gun as it opened fire.

Subzero was finished!

* * *

**Shift yelped as** he barrel-rolled to the side, barely avoiding Captain's attack. He had never felt fear before in his life, and he was scared of this Gundam and all because he had killed a human! Humans were weak and worthless! They didn't deserve to cause this kind of a reaction amongst their comrades!

He sped down, hoping that if he could get in front of the _Titanic_ a second time, he could cause Captain to damage it. He swooped down towards her, but was driven off by a series of depleted energon rounds from the guns mounted on the Promenade Deck…

Right into Captain's flight path.

Captain hovered there in front of him, his eyes flaring with hate, anger, and grief at losing his human friend. His body was tensed up, flight boosters flared in anger.

Shift squeaked out a small sound of horror. He turned and, with one flap of his wings, was flying away from the enraged Gundam. Captain snarled in anger and gave chase, his fist glowing brightly for the second time that night.

He unleashed the Captain Punch, forcing Shift to dodge, right towards the carrier.

Guns opened up on him, making him fly upwards just as the recon-combat vessel fired off three laser blasts, one after another, exploding in the air around him.

He was now truly terrified.

* * *

_Later…_

The mist drifting into the seaport was thicker than pea soup, as the old expression went. It was thick enough to block out the headlights from hovercars coming from long distance, reducing visibility to only thirty feet maximum. So as a result, the President had to finish up the inspections and soon.

She turned towards the stern of her private yacht, glancing back at the fleet of submarines housed in their sub pen. The freighters had all checked out on the inspection, same with the cruisers. A few research vessels had had guns added to their inventory for repelling boarders, but other than that, things were going accordingly.

Her yacht was only three feet shorter than most others, but it was sleeker and still able to house all the comforts of a private vessel owned by a company owner, and then some. Twin energon engines propelled it at speeds up to 180 miles per hour and hidden away in the bow was a lone energon cannon, meant only as a last resort defense if the yacht's superior speed didn't outrun most vessels. The craft had a bright gold stripe on the bow and a blue racing stripe on the stern, the name _Earth Command_ standing out on the side in bright Autobot red.

The water churned behind the stern as she steered the yacht towards her private dock. She had chosen a shipping dock in case she needed to move in farther to allow other ships to pass by. President Warren glanced out to sea, hoping that she would hear something from the carrier and soon.

Then, she heard it.

A faint horn, one so faint that it sounded as if it had been stuffed into a saltwater tank for a century.

Unable to believe what she was hearing, she turned the wheel of her yacht towards the sea, the radar sending out intense bursts of electromagnetic waves to detect anything in the area.

What she picked up was beyond description. The first one was the unmistakable shape of the carrier, the second the recon-combat vessel that had been launched three months prior, and the third was a shape that was oblong, but much different in design when compared to the newer ships.

The comm unit on the dashboard buzzed and she picked it up. "Yeah? Go ahead."

"_President Warren, this is Commander Yashaki of the 17__th__ Division,_" the voice of Sayla said.

"I hear you loud and clear, Commander. What's the situation?" President Warren asked.

"_We're coming into port. We should be passing the buoys by now_."

"Negative on that. Wait. Hold on. Yeah, now I see you."

Sure enough, she could see three ships approaching. Wait. _Three?!_

She blinked before speaking into the comm. "Hold on, Commander. Last I checked there were only two ships out on patrol, not three."

There was tense silence before Sayla spoke. Her voice was soft, indicating guilt. "_That's just the thing. We have another vessel with us, and it's one that you may not approve of._"

"What in God's name are you…talking….about…?" President Warren's voice trailed off as the three ships slid past the buoys.

The _Autobot Hero_ sported three huge dents on her hull and the main runways were battered all to hell. Burn marks stood out on the top of the main conning tower and one of her guns had been blown off, exposing the wiring. Windows had been blown out and half the fighters on the deck had been shot down. She guessed that the engines had suffered a major hit, judging by the slower speed. The rudder, she knew, had to be damaged beyond repair for the carrier was being maneuvered by two of her launches and two starfighters to her dock.

The _Oceanic Protector_ looked a little better than the carrier, but not much. Her guns had been damaged and were jammed as it was. One of her masts was missing, the second bent out of proportion and leaning to the left at a forty-five degree angle. The engines were also run beyond their limits, and the windows all along the ship were cracked and some blown out. One of the anchors had been lost at sea and the other was barely hanging on as it was.

The third ship, the _Titanic_, on the other hand, was in much worse shape than both other vessels, and yet, she still carried the grace and serenity of the past. She looked as if she had been hastily fitted for combat, judging by the guns on the port and starboard sides of the Promenade Deck, the missile launcher on top of the bridge where one of the four funnels was missing, and the three backup laser cannons mounted on the bow. Engine noise filled the air and President Warren guessed that they had wired the backup energon engines of the carrier into her systems with a makeshift control console. Lights glittered faintly along the hull and beyond the slime covered portholes. The bridge had been outfitted with hastily applied windows and the hole had been patched with an energon slab and welded in place. Tied to the front of the bow was a robot, one that had been obviously captured in a surprise attack that had backfired. A small, cloth Federation flag hung from the aft mast, waving weakly, but proudly.

The _Titanic_ had made her first port after all.

"What…? What just…what is the _Titanic_ doing here?" she murmured in shock.

Two launches from the carrier pulled alongside the massive liner and began pushing and pulling the ship into a dock that was too large for her. Three astounded dock workers tossed down lines that were hastily tied to her rotting capstans. A docking ramp was lowered to the deck and a hundred and fifty soldiers emerged from the ship, coated in rust and slime from working in the bowels of the old liner.

The _Autobot Hero_ extended her ramp shakily and the carrier's crew disembarked, followed by a crew carrying a stretcher with a covered body on it.

"Who's the casualty?" President Warren asked Sayla's SIC as he came forward.

"Shute Marxworth," the man replied.

"Huh?" She hadn't heard the name before, but things suddenly began to fall into place as she watched two robots run down the carrier's ramp.

The ramp of the _Oceanic Protector_ disengaged and locked onto the dock, Sayla emerging from the recon-combat vessel with the others of the TCDA elite team that had been present.

"Yashaki, front and center!" she snapped.

"Huh? Sir, yes, sir!" Sayla yelled, saluting sharply.

"Sayla, what is the meaning of this?" President Warren demanded, pointing at the liner tied to the dock.

"The _Titanic_?" Sayla asked.

"Yes. Why did you even raise her? Do you know that you've broken the Shipwreck Protection Act of 2007 by doing so? I should have you stripped from command and demoted to a mere guard for this!" President Warren raged.

"Wait! You don't understand! The Dark Axis was trying to get their hands on her! We had to take control of the ship and save her!" Sayla protested.

"That was precisely the reason I formed the Earth Federation Shipwreck Protection Squad! To prevent anyone from getting their hands on her! And yet, you raised her!" the President snapped.

"No way! The Dark Axis did the slaggin' job! Not us!" Sayla cried, pointing at the bow of the old liner.

"And you think I'm supposed to believe that load of shit?" President Warren hissed.

"It's true! We even have the control horn they used right on board the carrier!" the commander screamed at her.

"You think that that fraggin' story is going to check out with me?" President Warren murmured harshly.

"I have the proof!" Sayla said, her jaw set with determination.

"Well, then where is it?" President Warren asked sarcastically.

"Take a look!" Sayla snapped, pointing at the bow of the _Titanic_. President Warren looked at the tied up robot.

"And your point is?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Subzero was one of those in charge of the overall operation. You can interrogate him and get the information," Sayla explained.

"Subzero?" President Warren cocked her head as a small question mark appeared beside her.

Sayla nodded. "That's his name. He used to be one of us before he went missing. You might recognize the ice aura of Chumly."

"What? Chumly is one of the Dark Axis?" President Warren murmured in shock.

Sayla shook her head. "Not really. We're not sure as to how this happened, but it may be due to the nature of a Soul-Drive."

"I'll look into this."

"Thanks. But, what about…?" Sayla's voice trailed off as she looked at the old ship.

"Sayla, I may have to strip you from command for not sinking her."

"But the _Titanic_ just saved our afts out there! She proved to be as useful as any modern day vessel! She took a beating from Shift and still stood up to it! Her first funnel was blown off and she had a gaping hole in the bridge, but it didn't penetrate down to the bottom of the hull! No other ship could've stood up to that and survived!" Sayla was practically crying as she yelled at her superior. "Shute died while trying to save the wreck! He took some of the blast, and now he's dead! It's only fitting! Didn't you see the clause Zane's father had written into that slaggin' act!? He stated that the _Titanic_ could be used for combat and upgraded only if someone died trying to protect her from an attempted rising! And Shute slaggin' died for Primus' sake! He died trying to save that slaggin' liner, and by Primus, if you won't upgrade her, then the division and I will do it ourselves back at the TCDA! They've got the materials, and we'll use them to upgrade her ourselves for Shute Marxworth!"

Sayla turned and ran off, tears streaming down her face. She ran towards the rusting liner and down the deck ramp, right to the bow, where she hunched down, her face buried in her arms.

She stayed there for a few minutes before she heard someone's voice. Her second-in-command's. "Sir? What'll we do now?" he asked.

"T-tell them to cast off the lines. W-we're going back," Sayla stammered.

"To the TCDA?"

"Yes."

"I think you should hold off on that. President Warren wants to tell you something," her SIC told her.

"Tell her to slag off. I'm not letting her sink this thing again. We need her now more than ever," Sayla murmured.

"She said she understands that and she wants to propose something."

Sayla looked up. "Are you serious?"

Her SIC nodded. "Yes. She's waiting by the deck ramp."

Sayla got to her feet and headed over to the ramp.

"Okay. You wanted to tell me something?" she asked, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. Sayla, after hearing what you just said back there, I want to tell you something. The reason I didn't want the _Titanic_ to be raised was because we might lose her in combat. It's important to keep this thing preserved, even if she is corroding and wasting away down there."

"Yeah, I figured," Sayla hissed.

"Just listen. But, after what you just said about Shute, and after everything you've been through in protecting the _Titanic_, I've decided to accept your request," the President said.

"Huh?" Sayla blinked in confusion.

"The request that she be upgraded to modern day proportions. But on one condition."

"What's that?" Sayla asked.

"The condition is this: she becomes the property of the Earth Federation Army, and the 17th Division."

"Huh?" Sayla's eyes went wide with shock. Was she hearing things?

"You yourself, Sayla, will get a special code that marks you and the division as a backup crew, but the ship is used by the main army. That a deal?" President Warren asked.

"You…you mean it?" Sayla felt tears of happiness fill her eyes and stream down her face.

Her superior nodded with a smile. "Yes. I mean it."

"Thank you. Thank you so much," she murmured.

"Sayla, this is the least I can do after all your efforts. You gave us the ability to study the Soul-Drives by bringing Commander Sazabi to us for study, and maybe even more. Things just might work out after all," President Warren said softly.

"But, will the ship's dimensions be changed, along with the name and appearance?" Sayla asked hesitantly.

The President shook her head. "No. Her appearance will be altered slightly to compensate for the extra speed that she'll be capable of, along with her firepower, but for the most part, she'll be the same, aside from being heavily armored."

A grin spread across Sayla's face. Her request had been granted...and the ship was being put into the service to boot! She pumped her fist into the air, letting out a cry of happiness. "YES!"

* * *

_At the Earth Federation Medical University…_

The Earth Federation Medical University was the best medical school combination hospital the Federation had. Built close to the boundaries, only two miles away from the TCDA campus, the building was shaped like a standard hospital, except for the coloring and building material on the outside. The windows were not like the usual hospital windows, but instead were homier. Bricks dotted the main entrance, the rest covered with aluminum siding, lending the homey feeling a bit more to the outside. The interior matched the outside, for it was nice and warm, a gentle atmosphere for the patients inside. The rooms were small, yet functional, and there were three levels of individual rooms, no double rooms or huge infirmaries loaded with sick beings. This was a homey, caring place, contrasted by the high-tech equipment and techniques used. Every person on the staff was caring and compassionate, working hard to ensure that their patients felt more at home here than a more industrial-like hospital. Both men and women worked here, making it the best place for equal employment opportunities. A small school was built thirty yards away and a small outdoor park offered patients and staff alike the time to get outdoors and spend time together.

In short, it was the best facility around.

Captain sat nervously outside Xenphyr's office, wringing his hands as he waited for the tragic news.

The door slid open and Xenphyr stepped out, a grim look on his face, but a very faint trace of hope in his green-brown eyes. "He's comatose."

"Huh?" Captain's head shot up. "He's still alive?"

Xenphyr nodded. "Yeah, but barely. That explosion really did some damage to his body, but I'm still pretty sure we can save him."

"Is…Are you serious?" Captain asked.

"You can bet your life on it!" Xenphyr said seriously.

"How…how can he still be alive, even with internal injuries?" Captain asked softly.

"We're not sure, but we do know that we can try to save him. The odds are leaning towards that, that much I can tell. I just have one question. What did it?" Xenphyr inquired.

Captain looked down at his feet. "An explosion meant to destroy the _Titanic_."

Xenphyr cocked his head. "What? The what?"

"The _Titanic_. The Dark Axis was trying to destroy her, but…" Captain choked back a sob. "…but Shute…Shute took some of the explosion, and…" Tears streamed freely from his eyes.

Xenphyr knelt down by the upset Gundam.

"Captain, would you like to see him?" he asked softly.

Captain nodded.

Xenphyr made a motion with his head to follow him. "Come on."

Both males got to their feet and Xenphyr led him into the room.

Shute was lying on a bed, stripped of his shirt, wires and sensor nodes strapped to his chest and head, an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, A heart rate monitor was hooked up to him and his heart rate was shown, along with his vitals. A chair had been pulled close to the bed and Captain sat down in it.

Xenphyr closed the door, smiling sadly, but smiling nonetheless.

As soon as the two were alone, Captain removed his mouthpiece and took in a deep breath before letting it out.

"Shute…" He closed his eyes as a single tear slipped down his cheek. "You were there for me when I needed it the most, and I thank you for that. I also want you to know that I didn't break my promise. When I said I wouldn't leave you, I meant it."

He reached out and touched the boy's cold face.

"Shute, I'll always be here for you. I promise," he murmured.

He leaned in and kissed Shute's forehead before he pulled back. He drew the covers over his friend's body just as exhaustion set in. Staggering to his feet, he managed to make his way over to the couch in the room where he promptly fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	41. Invasion: A Traitor Uncovered!

Chapter 2

The next few days were hectic as the _Titanic_ was brought to the shipyard and stripped down to the original structure. The original skeleton of the old liner was de-rusted and the newest ship plating was applied using the same method: rivets and the roof-shingle style. The funnels were removed and the masts were cut down. The up-and-down bow was cut away and a newer, reinforced up-and-down style was placed on. All her original boilers were removed and the bulkheads in between the boiler rooms were removed, energon boilers being installed in the rear of the ship. The old stern was cut off and a crystal-shaped stern installed. The masts were reattached, same with the funnels, but they were now sloped back for extra aerodynamics, the extra three capable of being removed if the need arose. The guns were welded down and wired into the main console while the rudder was replaced, along with the propellers. The original superstructure was cleaned up and replaced with a newer version, but the same design. The name was taken off and new lettering was placed on using high intensity magnets. The Federation sigil was raised on the aft mast and the original pennant of the former White Star Line was raised on the rear flagpole.

The _Titanic_ had been upgraded.

But, during those same five days, Captain never left Shute's side, not even to go get something to eat. He kept his word, right until the day he woke up, except for a battle that resulted in a failed invasion of the Duel Academy campus.

As Captain sat beside Shute's bed for the second day straight, the door slid open and Zero flitted in. "Captain!"

"Huh?" Captain looked at Zero. "What is it, Zero?"

"Sayla requests that you come with us on patrol," the knight said.

"Why?" Captain asked, looking back at Shute.

"She said that we're going to try an invasion to expose Dr. Crowler for the traitor he is, and to prove that he's working with the Dark Axis," Zero said.

Captain shook his head. "No. I'm not coming."

"But…"

"I said no!" Captain said, turning away.

"Just come on!" Zero grabbed Captain's arm and pulled him out from the chair towards the door. Captain tried to pull loose, but the knight wouldn't have it.

"No. We need you. Besides, you'll be doing Shute a favor by doing this" he said.

"…" Captain stopped struggling and let Zero take him away from the room and down to the docks at the TCDA campus where the _Autobot Hero_ was already stationed.

The carrier had had the dents in her hull banged out and the windows had been repaired. The runways were still pretty battered, but they were straightened out and the planes were strapped back down by the wings. The engines had been overhauled and the rudder fixed up.

"Captain?"

"Huh?" His eyes locked onto Sayla, who could see that he was pretty upset at leaving Shute's side. "What?"

"Listen. You do know that in a solid fifty-fifty comatose state, the person could either die or survive. If Shute dies, I want you to keep fighting for him. It's what he would've wanted," Sayla said softly.

She turned and headed up the ramp.

Captain just followed her.

The anchors were pulled up and the carrier sped out to sea before taking a turn and the spacebridge opened.

* * *

**The Pacific Ocean**

**Time: 00:30, 12:30a.m. Local Time**

Sayla glanced about the war room on board the carrier. Everyone had assembled for the final battle against the Duel Academy. Even Captain was there.

"This time, we're going to invade and rescue the students at the Duel Academy. There's going to be no holding back. If the Dark Axis is there, trying to exploit more children for their experiments, we'll catch them and stop them here and now. There may be casualties in this fight, and we may lose, or we may win. Who knows? There's always a chance of victory, and a chance of failure. That's the way war is. So, in the coming fights, I want everyone to give it their all in combat, especially now. We need to free those students and shut down the island monarchy that Crowler has established. We need to close down that hellhole and release the staff from Crowler's command, not to mention help those trapped there get back to normal lives. It's our duty as the 17th Division, and as the TCDA Army," she explained.

She sighed before she looked at her second-in-command, a man named General Chuck Callaghan. He was a bear of a man, standing at six-foot three, with a barrel chest and huge weightlifter arms. His hair was cut short in the standard military style crew cut and his eyes were a piercing steel blue.

"General? It's yours," she said, nodding.

The general nodded before looking at the radar operator. "Here's the scope of the situation on the island," he said in a low baritone. "The security measures have become tighter around the airport and the docks. There is no way off now, save for the cliffs, which is suicide since they're ten stories high."

"So, in short, there is no way off?" Rele asked softly.

General Callaghan nodded grimly. "That's the truth. We sent in a scout drone a few hours ago and we noticed that the sharks around the water have become more agitated and anxious at the prospect of eating fresh meat."

"Jeez! They're nuts!" she said.

The general shook his head. "Not really, when you consider the fact that he was once a fairly sane man till about a little over seven months ago."

"Seven months?" Zero asked in shock.

General Callaghan nodded. "Yes. In truth, he's been doing this for almost two thirds of a year. The Dark Axis had attacked his island academy about three months before the TCDA. After he watched several students and close staff die, he went insane. There was nothing that could be done." The general hung his head. "Nothing at all."

"…" Everyone was silent before Zero spoke.

"So, this invasion is in reality, a last ditch effort to save this man?" he asked.

"That, but also a method for locating the Dark Axis and cutting off all ties they have to the Duel Academy," Sayla explained.

"And that's it?" Rele asked.

The teenage commander nodded. "Yes."

The radar operator turned to face Sayla, a look on her face. "Sir? We're approaching. Looks like Crowler's assembled his entire force to stop us."

"That's useless against a carrier," Zero said, a smile appearing on his face beneath his mouthpiece.

"Not this time. He's got the Dark Axis with him," the radar operator replied, shaking her head.

"Crap!" Sayla swore.

She turned to face her friends. "Now that we have the scope of the situation, we'll need to plan accordingly and mobilize our forces. Zane, you'll take the Alpha Regiment and try to sneak by the sharks to get to shore. Then you'll try to rescue the students trapped on the island and bring them back to the carrier. Baston, you'll take the 151st Regiment and keep the Dark Axis busy if they're there. Try and disable most of their Zako soldiers if you can. Captain, you'll command the Gamma Regiment and try to stop the guards from attacking Zane and his team. That's the main thing. Finally, I'll stay here with the Omega Regiment and we'll take care of getting the students on board. Everyone else that I didn't mention, you'll be part of the initial invasion force. So pick your groups and get in there!" she ordered.

"RIGHT!"

The carrier's anchors were dropped and the launches were cast away into the water, each one manned by at least twenty troops of the regiment. The other soldiers were clinging onto the outside and some were swimming using scuba gear.

The remainder launched in starfighters and sped towards the island where they would leave them behind during the retreat.

Sayla watched as they neared the island. Baston's team was already searching out the enemy and the others were approaching the invasion point.

All she could do now was see how things turned out.

* * *

**The general in** charge of the 11th Battalion looked at the ship and laughed. "You have got to be pulling my beer keg this time! This story is pure gold! A wreck upgraded to modern day proportions? That's rich! Do you really expect me to believe that there ship is the White Star steamer the R.M.S. _Titanic_? She sank down into the sea all those years ago! This here ship is brand spankin' new with not a scratch on her hull, and those funnels? Nice touch! I don't expect her to be an old steamer like you claim. She's got to have energon engines," he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Not really," the President said. "Sayla and her team brought that very wreck back here to be upgraded."

"Hoo, boy, in all my years, that is the richest story ever, President Warren!"

She narrowed her eyes as she looked the old general in the eyes.

General George Patterson, the former commander of the 18th Tank Assault Regiment, was a short stocky man of only four-foot-two and, with a mane of curly grey hair and playful green eyes, looked like an imp from a fairy tale, but the numerous scars his body held were a whole other story. A war hero of incredible proportions during the initial Federation-Decepticon war, he had a reputation of making the best out of even the worst battle scenarios and for taking care of his troops under heavy fire. It had been he who taught Sayla about tank driving and how to maintain them in the field.

"So, you think this is a joke?" President Warren asked, narrowing her eyes.

"You betcha, ma'am! There is no way that can be the _Titanic!_" he said.

"Trust me. There's evidence right on the ship itself." She pointed towards the bow. Although the rust had been cleaned off, there was still the damaged hole that had been fixed.

Patterson narrowed his eyes as he studied the metal around the hole. He could barely see the weld marks, but they were there.

"So? What's a few weld marks gonna tell me about this thing?" he asked in confusion.

"Just trust me. The ship you see before you is indeed the _Titanic_, but in a modern day form. Her hull plates have been replaced with modern day plates made of Mineral G and laced with energon. The engines have been replaced with modern day energon boiler engines and an arsenal was added for defense and combat," President Warren explained.

"What about the gash?"

"We left that intact. We made a similar gash in the new plating, and covered it."

Patterson rolled his eyes. "Sure. So, where are the keys?"

"On board."

He shrugged and walked down the ramp, expecting the usual sensation of getting on a new ship. But, instead, this time, he got a feeling of…reverence.

He couldn't explain it. It felt as if he had stepped out of the twenty-first century and back into the early twentieth century, when the great steamships sailed the seas. But, in a sense, it still retained the modern day feel he was so used to.

"My God…This…this is no ordinary ship…" He turned and gazed up at the bridge, which seemed to be gazing down at him. He could see the history this ship had to tell, and here he was, experiencing it in a whole new way. He could see her story, the stories of those still embedded within her very structure, the rivets, and the new upgrades. Those who still resided here resided in memory and in the hearts of those who set foot on her decks.

"This…this _is_ the _Titanic_, isn't it?" he asked, slowly turning to look at the ship's new upgrades.

"You understand now, General?" President Warren asked as she too stepped onto the deck.

The general nodded in awe. "Yeah. I've never experienced this feeling before. It feels as if this ship is a connection between two time periods, the 20th and 21st centuries, each with its own story to tell." He gazed up at the bridge again before looking back at his leader. "She also seems to be willing to tell her history in some way."

President Warren smiled. "Yeah. That's what I've experienced once myself when I stepped on board during the upgrades."

"So, she's mine to command?"

"Yes. She is. Just make sure that we don't lose her. She's a monument to the greatest sea tragedy in history, so I want to keep her safe," President Warren said seriously.

"I understand."

"Good. Now get going."

* * *

**Zane crept through** the brush as quietly as he could, considering the new stealth armor he was wearing made some noise when touching itself.

His hair was pulled back in a commando-style headband consisting of only a rag and his face was streaked with brown-green camouflage paint in order to blend in better. A semi-automatic submachine gun was slung over his shoulder and a small missile launcher was held in his hands, completing his military gear.

Behind him, the Alpha Regiment was taking their time to check for any snipers and guards, but they were also moving fast. He always marveled at the efficiency with which the division did things.

Little did he know that they were about to go above and beyond in this mission, saving more than a hundred thousand students and over five hundred staff, and taking out thousands of Zako soldiers at the same time.

At the same time, Captain's group crept by, their guns ready for combat. As they crept closer to the academy, they all began to see the horrors that had been inflicted on the helpless students. Each student wore nothing but a tattered uniform that did little to shield them from the elements. Most of them looked like little subhuman animals, their skin was so filthy. Their hair was matted down and greasy, and most of them had wounds that had caked blood on them, flies crowding around. Only two bore infected, pus-filled wounds. Zane's eyes narrowed in disgust as he stopped in front of them, gun ready.

One of the two students, a girl, backed up, giving a frightened squeak much like a scared mouse would. He slung his gun over his shoulder and approached her, hands spread apart.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to harm you," he said soothingly.

She gazed up at him with terror filled eyes. He placed his hands away from his guns and held out some bread.

Her eyes gleamed greedily and she scampered forward on all fours like an animal and snatched it, eating hungrily.

"Can you speak?" he asked.

She looked up, food in her mouth.

"Can you talk like me?" Zane asked again.

She swallowed and nodded before speaking in a terrified whisper. "Yes, but we are not allowed to, for they will surely whip us so."

"We are here to rescue you and take you back to civilization, where you belong," Zane whispered.

"Civilization?" the girl asked.

Zane nodded. "Yes. Buildings, food, water, shelter. You don't have to forage for food. You can train at the TCDA campus, where we go to school. You can learn the basics there, and beyond. There is Earth Command, where you will be living with your family again. You don't have to live like an animal back in the world beyond this island you call home."

"R-really?" she asked, her eyes wide with hope.

"Yes…" Zane hesitated.

"Blare. The name is Blare Hiako," the girl replied.

"Yes, Blare. No more foraging for food. You can live in peace there."

"No tribes?" Blare asked.

Zane shook his head. "No. Only families."

"…" She was silent as she took in all this information.

"So, you coming?" Zane asked.

"Yes, but how will we get to where we are going?" Blare wondered.

"The _Autobot Hero_ will take us there," Zane told her.

"What is that? A mystical ship?" Blare whispered.

"No, not mystical, but a ship, yes," Zane explained.

"Thank you so much!" she whispered, hugging Zane tightly.

He merely smiled before the other students gathered around, most all entranced by this land of which he had spoken. Eager to go, they lined up into tribes of two to twenty students, awaiting orders. Zane motioned for them to follow him.

They did so, crawling on all fours, hunched over like animals. Zane felt a pang of sympathy for them as they tailed. He knew that they would have to be reeducated back to normal levels of intelligence before they could be reunited with their families and friends, which would probably take years. And that was the least thing on his mind.

What bothered him was how anyone could do this, forcing students to act like animals on an island as isolated as this one. No civilization, only the wilderness, falling savage and losing their humanity. No way to speak, no math, no writing, no nothing. Not even a shred of their former selves.

Zane led this group back to the cove where the boats were moored. He made gestures for the students to get in them, which they did, but fearfully. He sighed as one student backed away from the boats, freaked out by the mere sight of these strange metal monsters that floated on the sea by some mystical power.

This was going to take longer than he thought.

* * *

_Above the academy…_

Guneagle hovered close to the treetops, watching in amazement as the human in charge of the squad of soldiers helped the students into the boats, one of them squealing like a pig. The boy dumped the female into the boat, where she huddled fearfully, now whimpering like a dog as the others got in. The lines were cast away and the next squad, led by his superior, Captain Gundam, emerged from the woods, also with a group of students in tow. They weren't as hesitant as the first group, and in fact, they seemed pretty eager to get in, surprised and amazed by the boats.

One student grasped the throttle, and was surprised when he pushed it forward, releasing a smooth roar from the engine. He seemed to enjoy it, so he was given the task of driving the boat back to the carrier.

Captain ushered in three small girls into another boat and was about to hop in himself when he glanced back at a shrill scream that pierced the night air. Guneagle watched as the Gundam turned and ran in the direction of the scream.

Guneagle got a bad feeling in his gut as his superior leapt into the brush, searching for whoever had made the scream. He hovered closer slowly, his hand going for his beam rifle when his worst fear came true.

**_FWOOM!_**

A gasp escaped his mouthpiece as the explosion took place, flames leaping up into the air, followed by chunks of shrapnel from what he guessed had to be some kind of a shrapnel mine. The avian Gundam darted forward, his eyes shrinking in horror as he grew closer. He could only hope that the worst hadn't happened.

He was wrong.

It had.

* * *

_A form watches as the avian mech hovers down, waving his arms frantically, trying to get attention. A few soldiers look over and come over, their eyes widening in shock and horror._

_The mech fires off his beam rifle, alerting a nearby helicopter pilot. The chopper flies over, the medical team inside getting ready for an emergency evacuation. He positions the chopper over the blast area and the personnel jump out, their equipment ready. A few soldiers grab pieces of rubble and toss it aside, in time for them to haul out a badly damaged mech._

_The form's green optics narrow as the other mech is loaded onto the copter. He can see that the mech's left arm is mangled and his right ankle is damaged. Several nasty gashes cover his lower torso and chest. His eyes are dark._

This doesn't bode well,_ the form thinks to himself._

_The chopper flies back to an already battle damaged aircraft carrier, but as it flies back, three black assault copters emerge from hiding amongst the trees and speed towards the medical copter._

__

_Then, the unexpected happens._

* * *

**The helicopter pilot**, Bugs, snarled in anger as the three assault copters converged on his location. He already had had to haul thirty injured students back to the carrier, and three fourth's of the girls were already suffering the trauma of r-a-p-e as it was, and now, he had to take Captain back to the carrier for emergency treatment.

A few bursts peppered the air in front of them as he yanked on the copter's controls, moving it left and right in an attempt to avoid the explosions.

He kept the chopper on a straight course, the blades beating the air in a frenzy as he homed in on the carrier's homing beacon. The medical copter he was using wasn't equipped for combat, nor was it as maneuverable as the other helicopters he had flown over his three years as a part of the division, which greatly reduced his advantage. The only real advantage he had was in terms of speed and fuel time.

"Holy frag!" a medical technician yelled, leaning out the door, her hair being whipped in a frenzy.

"What is it?" he snapped, trying to keep the helicopter's landing destination in sight.

"It looks like they're going to shoot us down!" the techie cried, turning to face him.

"WHAT?!" Bugs felt fear fill his body as she said those words. "How?"

"I…I don't know…" she stammered.

"What's going on?" Bugs snapped.

"INCOMING!" the copilot yelled, hauling on the controls, forcing the chopper into a nosedive. Bugs glanced at him before he grasped his own controls and regained control of the aircraft.

"Not good! Not good! Not good!" Bugs repeated under his breath.

In the rear of the craft, Captain was barely online as it was, but he was still conscious enough to hear the rotor blades as they darted through the barrage of explosions.

He could barely make out the swearwords of Bugs as he jerked the copter left and right, avoiding the shrapnel...

* * *

_In the Pacific Ocean…_

The wake spread out from behind the stern, looking like the wings of some massive angel sent by Primus. The light from the moon was hidden by the clouds drifting overhead, shrouding her in darkness, the only indication of activity being the cloud of energon steam as it came out of the first three funnels. The bow cut through the water easily as the guns were charged. A few lights were visible, but they were so faint that they were mistaken to be stars from a far distance.

Patterson gritted his teeth as he paced the bridge of the ship, his eyes darting over the officers manning the various consoles, the blueprints of the ship, the engine readouts, the gun power levels, and the speed readouts in both knots and miles per hour. So far things were working in his favor, for they were running ahead of their designated arrival time.

What he didn't expect, however, were the three squads of Doga commandos hovering over the island hidden in the clouds.

The first thing that alerted him to the ambush was the way the radar was beeping constantly. He glanced at it, his eyes widening at the sight of all the blips on it. The radar operator glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Sir, we've got a number of enemies waiting for us," he said grimly.

"I figured as much. How are the guns?" Patterson asked.

"All guns at optimal power levels. Ready to fire at your command."

"Then fire at will!" Patterson screamed.

The ship's guns came about to bear on the hidden ambush squads, each targeting computer aiming and locking on.

* * *

_On the carrier…_

The helicopter neared the edge of the massive vessel, the runway lights illuminating her in all her glory. She may have been battle worn and beaten, but she still stood strong and tall, guns blasting at the naval forces of Dr. Crowler as they circled the vessel, hoping to regain their students, which wasn't happening on her watch.

The last student was just being loaded on board the carrier, her eyes wide with fright as the small tugboats and barges began to fire their outdated cannons at the carrier, the cannonballs denting and ricocheting off the sides and the deck plating. She let out a squeal as she dove behind a burly soldier, covering her ears and whimpering.

"Hey! Get her down below, Private Brown!" Sayla snapped at the man.

"Affirmative, sir!" He knelt and gently helped the student to her feet, urging her down below the deck. As the two faded into the depths of the ship, she got a bad feeling in her gut.

She let loose with a harsh string of swearing, both human and Cybertronian just as three private planes began buzzing the carrier, blasting away with their guns.

She pressed the button on her comm unit and snapped into it harshly. "Fire and blast those planes out of the sky!"

"_Roger!_" the lead gunner yelled.

The guns located on the starboard side of the ship opened up, their lasers streaking through the sky, exploding against the planes and sending them spiraling down into the sea, smoke trailing from their rears.

One plane fired off a small missile at the carrier, striking it in the port side, forcing her to heel over at twenty-seven degrees to starboard. Sayla yelped and grabbed onto one of the railings as the carrier nearly rolled over, but she stayed upright.

After coming back on an even keel, her eyes widened at the sight of three assault copters after the medical chopper. She began swearing under her breath.

The attack continued for a few hours, the 17th Division risking everything they could to save the students and staff, but the Dark Axis coming out of nowhere proved that there was something more going on than just abusing students. Sayla ordered her remaining planes to take to the skies and to bombard the island with energon bombs, small, shaped charges that exploded with enough force to make a three kilometer-wide crater that was two kilometers deep.

The force didn't get very far, for soon, they were busy engaging the Dark Axis Doga squads, and they could barely get in any hits.

The medical helicopter carrying an injured Captain couldn't make a landing on the deck of the carrier without being buzzed by the attack copters, resulting in a chase that went on for three hours before the unexpected arrival showed up.

In fact, it was less than three hours when she showed up.

In the middle the smoke created from an explosion, the massive shape that marked the new addition to the fleet began to emerge, the lights on her exterior shining brightly in the night sky. Her bridge was lit up like a pair of optics shining with hatred and rage for the enemy, and her huge form looked menacing and imposing, much like a huge beast from mythical tales told on the more out-of-the-way outposts. Her funnels belched out yellowish-black energon steam and the masts stood tall and strong, both pennants flapping as her bow cut through the turbulent battle-churned waters.

Sayla stared in amazement as the huge form let loose three laser blasts from her guns, one right after another, striking the assault choppers, sending them spiraling into the sea.

The Titanic had arrived in the nick of time.

"How…?"

So shocked was she that she failed to hear the voice over her comm unit 'til she heard a loud order. "_Yashaki, pick up, will ya?!_"

"Huh? General Patterson? Is that you?" she asked, stunned.

"_You bet it is! Who else did ya think?_" Patterson asked.

"Wow! You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice!" she remarked, relief filling her voice.

"_Ya like the upgrades we did?_" Patterson remarked, laughing.

"I must admit, I didn't expect to see the _Titanic _armed with laser cannons of that kind of caliber. In fact, she looks largely unchanged," Sayla said.

"_Oh, that's not even the best part. All right, boys! Take 'er up to full!_"

"Huh?"

A loud rumbling filled the air before the front of the _Titanic _began to move aside, exposing a standard, backwards-sloped bow for extra speed. The up-and-down bow plates attached to the sides, extending outwards like a makeshift set of wings. The masts began to turn so that they were leaning backwards at a forty-five degree angle, and the "crystal" stern separated, revealing a set of thrusters similar to those used for emergency acceleration.

"What…?"

"_This is a little somethin' she thought up!_" Patterson chuckled.

"But…"

"_Just watch._"

Sayla's swearing was drowned out by the initial burst of thrust from the rear of the vessel, propelling her forward at speeds that seemed to make the liner-turned-battleship glide over the water.

The bow began to lift from the water as the air rushed over the "wings" attached to either side, and the stern dug in, propelling her faster than anything. In the wave-churned waters around the island, the ship looked like a racing boat speeding her way to the finish line.

What Sayla hadn't expected was a wave to form in front of the _Titanic_. She yelled into the comm, but her call went unanswered.

The keel of the ship smashed into the wave as it was forming. Some guns, she knew, could create a wave of immense proportions, and one such gun had been fired. The wave grew from ten feet to thirty, then fifty, then seventy, then ninety feet, reaching great heights and speeds.

The former liner sped up the rapidly forming wave before the bow, followed by the rest of the ship, broke over the crest, literally taking flight as the battle raged.

"Holy shit…"

She couldn't believe her eyes. The Titanic had literally become an airborne battleship. She knew that talk about such a vessel being under construction had been going around through the ranks of the military hierarchy, but she had never expected to see one in action, much less an old liner that had been upgraded.

* * *

**"YAAAAAAHOO!"**

**General Patterson's** yell of excitement echoed on the bridge as the helmsman adjusted the angle of the bow "wings" and the thruster output. He hadn't felt the rush of adrenaline like this ever since he had quit flying bombers for the navy in WWII. His eyes gleamed as he gripped the control console.

"Okay, boys! Open fire on 'em!" he yelled happily.

"Aye!" The gunners on the bow opened fire with everything they had, the lasers exploding against the Dark Axis troops hidden in the clouds.

"Helmsman! Adjust thruster angle and take us in a circle!" Patterson ordered.

"Roger!" the helmsman said. The thrusters were trimmed and turned to put the great liner into a turn.

To those on the carrier, it looked odd, seeing a flight-capable battleship circling like a great hawk, guns blasting like crazy as the Dark Axis attacked.

In fact, to Bugs, it was a huge salvation as he watched the Dark Axis forces falling out of the sky into the Pacific Ocean.

He put the helicopter into a turn as he aimed for the carrier's long runway deck. Three soldiers were standing by as he came in for a landing.

As soon as the skids touched down, the door was opened and the medical technician lowered Captain down to the deck where he was loaded onto a stretcher.

"Take him down to the medical bay. He needs immediate treatment!" she said urgently.

"Right away!" Two of the soldiers grasped the stretcher and hoisted him up, bringing him down to the infirmary on board the ship.

Bugs watched with concern in his eyes as the Gundam was brought into the depths of the carrier, her blast-proof doors sliding shut in an instant.

Now was the time to leave.

"Sir! We're all set here!"

Sayla glanced back at the liner-turned-battleship, wondering how she was going to land.

As if in answer to the question, the front of the liner began to descend as the other exposed thrusters engaged, reducing her forward momentum, forcing her bow into the sea as the stern came back onto an even keel, smacking into place with a loud splash. Her bow was closed and the stern remerged.

The battle had been won, but not exactly.

They had lost in shutting down the Duel Academy.

* * *

**The next few** hours were hectic and anxiety filled as the battle-worn fighters and those injured were treated. But the most pressing injuries were on Captain Gundam, and he was the top priority on the ship. Dr. Han worked for three hours straight without taking a break patching up Captain's wounds and sealing off the gashes.

As the ship neared port, the _Titanic_ sped on ahead, her propellers thrashing the water behind her stern. Luckily, the new energon boilers in her hull were able to use huge quantities of energon, and thus propelled her faster than the old boilers could have.

As they sped away, the head of the former academy stepped out, a snarl on his face.

"Drat! And after I worked so hard!" he snarled.

"Just be patient, human. Soon, you will have the ship under your command, and things will work out for both of us," Shibaomaru purred.

"I hope so," Crowler said.

"You know, if you want, we can upgrade you…" Shibaomaru purred.

"Huh? Upgrade?" He looked at the Gundam with interest in his eyes. "Are you serious?"

Shibaomaru nodded. "Yes. It doesn't hurt, and you can be given the choice of body you can have. We shall allow you to pick the body you want ahead of time, and we shall insert the Soul-Drive into it once it is completed."

"And I won't be changed?" Crowler asked skeptically.

The Dark Axis Musha shook his head. "No, you will not. In fact, you will be given power that only normal humans could dream of."

Dr. Crowler was silent as he contemplated the options.

"Well?"

"I accept," Crowler said, sneering. This was going to be good, and he knew it.


	42. New Alliances! Nebula Emerges!

Chapter 3

The lights from the Nebula Spaceport glowed in the night as the twin moons entered their new phases, leaving only the stars behind. Dr. Regal stepped out of the customs office, holding his interstellar passport in hand.

He detested the way that the customs were carried out in other organizations and star systems. Under interstellar law, one's organization had to monitor the customs officials and the beings coming and going with numerous security cams that scanned the entire body, and the clothing. This was a direct violation of the rights that all Nebulan citizens had. Many beings accused Nebula of championing these violations, forcing Dr. Regal to argue with the other two major powers about this issue. In their usual manner, the Universal Power Association and the Federal Institute had deliberated the issue and had voted to keep it in effect. They didn't even know that he had canceled all observation and privacy violations in his organization, leaving them the only of the three powers to be respectful of these basic rights.

He knew that the other threat, the one that was unnoticed by the UPA, had to be taken down, and from his reports, it seemed that the only ones who knew about the danger more so than the others was a small, third-rate power called the Intergalactic Federation. After putting it to the Nebulan Defense Board, they had voted to allow him to leave to see if this third-rate power could be a useful ally in battle. So, here he was.

Unlike the leaders of the UPA and the FI, he didn't travel in style in overly luxurious star yachts. Instead, he preferred to travel like the rest of his people by star liner or in his own private starfighter to stay away from the fact that all beings with wealth and power were superior. It was going against the code of the Nebulan Founding Council to show off one's wealth.

As was common amongst the three powers, he gave no indication of his destination to others who were allied with him. This was a common tactic amongst the powers to prevent an attempt on his life, a takeover of his ship, and those at his destination safe.

He approached his private starfighter, Lightning Assault. The ship wasn't that impressive design-wise, since all it had was a black color scheme and a lightning design on the black paint, but what made it impressive was the speed at which it was capable of striking.

Dr. Regal presented his passport to the custom official that stood near his fighter.

"Going somewhere out of the boundaries, sir?" he asked.

"Yes. I am," Dr. Regal replied.

"Usual procedure?" the official asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"May I ask your destination?"

The leader sighed, but a smile was visible upon his face. "Okay. But only because I've known you too long, Shai."

Shai smiled. "Thanks, Dr. Regal."

"Have you heard of the Intergalactic Federation?" the Nebulan leader asked.

"You mean that third-rate power that busted Unicron's chops? That Intergalactic Federation?! Hoo, boy! You'll have to tell me all about it when you get back!" Shai said as a grin spread across his face. "They're not supposed to have done it, but they did!"

"I know. And that's why I'm going to try and form an alliance with them. I'm sure you understand about the threat that is looming?" Dr. Regal asked seriously.

"If you're talking about that Dark Axis, then yep. But, why get the Federation on our side?" Shai inquired.

"They're conducting investigations into the Dark Axis, and maybe they know something that could be of some help to us."

"So? They're just doin' investigations. Last I checked, they came back with info about some kinda camps in their home dimension or somethin' like that," Shai said.

"Wait. Camps?" Dr. Regal asked, now confused.

"Yeah. Didn't ya read the news?" Shai asked.

"No. I'll read it when I get there."

"Okay. But boy, let me tell you. If you do manage to get them onto our side, then we'll have to teach them a few tricks," Shai remarked.

Dr. Regal smiled. "I think they have a few of their own. With the power they have, there is no doubt that they can't be defeated that easily."

"Oh. Well, good luck, sir."

"Thanks, Shai."

Dr. Regal opened the cockpit. There was no turning back now.

* * *

On Earth…

**Earth Federation Medical University**

**Time: 16:45, 4:45p.m. Local Time**

Zane stood outside the university entrance, his hands in his blazer pockets, his eyes locked onto the man-made lake in which the carrier was docked. The Titanic was docked on the other side of the same dock, though he didn't know why since the old liner wasn't under the command of the division.

The thoughts of the Dark Axis flitted around in his mind as he looked at the ships, battles that involved them surfacing, starting with the first one. He recalled everything clearly, right down to the last detail.

His photographic memory had captured all of the details, yet each battle had had no other motive other than the wreck, or the Superior Dragon. Was there a connection? He doubted it highly, but something nagged at him. Did it have to do with the ship sinking on her maiden voyage, or did it have to do with the fact that the Dark Axis wanted something from them?

These thoughts bothered him, making him wonder if what they were fighting for was just a myth.

A sudden noise startled him out of his reverie. He glanced up at the fourth floor balcony, where there was a sudden commotion going on. He scowled as he activated his jump ability, his body vanishing in a flare of energy and sound.

The room in which the commotion was taking place was that of Captain. His body had been fixed up, but he was beginning to show signs of battle fatigue. Sayla stared at the shaking Gundam, his eyes shrinking slightly before he recalled where he was.

He relaxed visibly, and she left him alone with Xenphyr.

Xenphyr approached Captain and gently tucked him in, making sure that he wasn't aggravating his injuries.

When he was tucked in, the head technician left, leaving him alone.

Captain lay there, a few tears beginning to run down his face. He closed his eyes and sobbed slightly. "I-I'm sorry, Shute. I…I left, and…I broke my promise. I'm sorry. I really am."

* * *

_In the mists of space and time, Vector Prime studies the prophecy made eons ago by the first Autobot commander, Prima himself. The misty screen flashes the words, and he recites them in his mind._

Those who fight…

Aware of the death and dark…

Neither one shall continue...

But one shall live…

The one of equal power and might…

That is united in their quest…

Only one can live…

While the other dies in battle…

And that one…

Shall lead to a new era…

_He closes down the screen and looks out at the Federation, struggling to uncover the mysteries that may be their salvation: The mystery of the Soul-Drive, and the Superior Dragon's connection to the Titanic, and the reason for the Dark Axis's interest in them._

_Yet…he wonders if the one above Primus and himself will make an appearance. If he does, then who knows what will happen…_

_Again the prophecy fills his mind. The prophecy of the final battle…_

_Who will win? The Federation or the Dark Axis?_

_He closes his optics as he fades from the mists of time and space…_

* * *

**In Earth Command**, President Warren sat in her office, busy looking through her files on the Dark Axis tactics and weapons, which weren't that many from the brief attacks they had had seen. The one thing they seemed to have the most data on was the camps and the conditions there. Her eyes darted to the top file, the latest report sent by Shie-rae.

_President Warren, I hope I'm not interrupting anything with this, but you must see this. It is a file on the latest experiments we have found during an attack on our largest colony outpost. We studied and deciphered it, for it was in code. Here. I'm enclosing it, but I'll tell you straight out what it has said._

_It states that there is some kind of facility for mass production of these Soul-Drives, or whatever they are called. They outline the facility in clear detail, but they don't specify which department is on what floor. I could only take rough guesses and I made a detailed map of the facility, though it is only an estimate as to the layout itself._

_I have also discovered plans for some kind of extraction machine that is similar in design to the mind-scan machines on Orca, but not precisely. For one thing, the beam itself is shot out from a three pronged claw-like mechanism that they say is used for holding whatever is extracted. They call it the soul extractor. I have enclosed the plans for this machine. Hopefully we can use it to save lives rather than destroy them as they have done._

_We must build these machines in different designs. I have also discovered the central control source used for this is Federation in design._

_I think there might be a dishonest being amongst us. As to who, that is a mystery._

_Hope this is relevant._

_Shie-rae Lo-sar_

_Liberar_

_Species Relations Department, Intergalactic Federation_

The mere thought of using Dark Axis technology, even if it were used to save lives,sent shivers down her back. She despised using enemy technology if it were from an enemy that violated all basic rights.

She tossed the report down onto the top of her desk and snatched one that was from Ciel again. This time, it was describing the Brain World.

_Many beings of mechanical origins often have a central network that is supposed to act if they have no commander or leader or emperor, or whatever. It is like a huge web of interconnecting minds, almost like a hive network, but not exactly. They still have awareness and individual thoughts, and are still able to move and act on their own free will, but they are able to communicate mind-to-mind with each other through this extensive network. If possible, one of them can also enact complete control over the others and turn them into a fighting force._

_The Brain World is made up of these interconnecting networks, and each one is only a small point in a major central hub that seems to connect the other mechanical species of the universe to one another, called the Brain Center. We're not sure how this center came into being, but our scientists and engineers all agree that it may have had something to do with the electromagnetic and radio waves that link the species with their allied races._

_We have recently discovered a central point in space that we have taken to calling the Brain Hub. It is a point in which all radio, radar, light, and electromagnetic waves overlap, creating a massive space that enables connection to the Brain World and our own. This intense energy has created a rift in our dimensions, linking them. If the Dark Axis finds out about this hub, then it means certain doom for all of us._

_Through this connection, we have also discovered a surprising fact about Primus and Cybertronians as a whole. While they are also connected to this realm, they do not share a direct link to it. It seems as though their intelligence is somehow shielded. We're still researching that._

_Anyway, I have enclosed a sketchy map that we have made of this region. Hope it helps…somewhat._

_Ciel Lang_

_Orca_

_Agricultural Department, Intergalactic Federation_

She read the report three times to be certain. It had only taken her a short amount of time and they had already compiled enough data to ensure that they were one step ahead of the Dark Axis, if this could be called being a step ahead.

She set it aside and picked one up from Optimus himself.

_To my ally and friend, President Warren:_

_In light of recent events, we have started to uncover the mysteries that surround the Soul-Drives, although we have no idea if this can really be called a comparison._

_After Xenphyr sent us the Soul-Drive from Commander Sazabi, we asked Preceptor, Ratchet, and Wheeljack to study it. We are working on a way to reverse the effects of the negative emotions in his soul and restore him to normal. But it's not going so well. In fact, we may fail._

_We have figured that the Soul-Drives act as containers for human souls, much like a spark acts as a container for a Cybertronian soul. We have found that their basic shape and design is exactly the same: a flame. I've enclosed an image._

_Primus help us all._

_Optimus Prime_

_Cybertron_

_Communications Department, Intergalactic Federation_

The next report she picked up was from Cassie, which surprised her. Normally the Resconian commander didn't send a report unless it was important. She figured this had to be really important to get her to send a report.

_President Warren:_

_This is Cassie Masaki of Rescon. I'm sending this report because it's very important._

_It concerns the Superior Dragon._

_After we first learned about this so-called dragon, I had my people scrounge up every bit of data that we had on mythical powers in the universe from our archives. We spent the last few weeks pouring over this data, and what we found was beyond us. I had been called down to check out the data, and what I read was beyond my imagination._

_The article, printed in 3091 our time, told of great powers in the universe, though it didn't go into that much detail about the rest of them. It told mostly about the legendary power of the Superior Dragon._

_Apparently, this "dragon" or whatever it is really, has the power to create spatial distortions, causing black holes to appear, but there was no data on this ability, so we wrote it off as being a myth. The rest was comparable to what others had seen in their lifetimes._

_According to one Resconian account, written by a man named Fireball Lachia, the Superior Dragon's powers included being able to warp space and time. The other skills of the dragon are faster-than-light travel, which as you know is impossible, creating defense shields, powerful lasers fired from the wingtips and the mouth, and the ability to become cloaked from all sensors and all light-waves._

_This was a total shock to all of us. I even included a sketch that he drew. Hope this helps._

_Cassie Masaki_

_Rescon_

_Energy Department, Intergalactic Federation_

President Warren set the report down and sighed. So far things were going well in some aspects, but as for the rest, things weren't going so good. They had very little data on the Dark Axis tactics, weapons, and plans, but they were gathering all this data on other things that seemed irrelevant, that is until she caught a glimpse of the report sent by Mimi.

_If you get this, President Warren, then time is running out. We have just uncovered the worst possible plan by using the data we have. This plan requires that we take drastic action before it's too late._

_As you know, my people are skilled in some areas of intelligence gathering, but this really tested our skills to their max and beyond._

_The Dark Axis plan was very intricate and laid out in a very thoughtful manner. One thing that really caught us by surprise was the lack of sources used to compile this plan, but then again, they have a knack for using unexpected resources. They only had one source: a double agent. This agent, we think, might be stationed somewhere on Earth. That's how they were able to compile this plan._

_The plan is as follows:_

_1: Gather data on the Titanic._

_2: Raise ship_

_3: Take boy._

_4: Get back to home base._

_5: Take out boy's soul and insert it into Soul-Drive._

_6: Return to retrieve spy._

_7: Ally comes with us._

_8: Attack Earth Command._

_9: Obtain Destiny Star class vessel._

_10: Uncover secrets of ultimate power._

_11: Revive Unicron_

_12: Fight and overthrow UPA._

_13: Wait ten years._

_14: Overthrow and destroy Unicron._

_15: Obliterate universe._

_16: Create new universe in our image, where organics are slaves and we rule!_

_This is only a brief summary. I'm enclosing the full plan. This also includes the destruction of the Brain Hub, meaning it's Doomsday on a universal scale!_

_We need to do something or all life is lost!_

_Mimi Kia_

_Kaija_

_Federation Intelligence Agency, Intergalactic Federation_

Her entire world seemed to halt at this. The destruction of the entire universe?! To become gods?! What was going on?

She grabbed her papers and reviewed the data on what they had gathered.

It all seemed to fit, but where did the Titanic come in? Was it a part of their plan in some way? Or was it just there to serve as material to melt down for supplies? That was what seemed to be the missing link.

Then, it hit her.

The ship had been a part of the plan in the sense that they had been intent on not only reviving Unicron, but it also would have served as a warship for the Dark Axis.

By not raising it, she had placed it at risk, only to be redeemed by Sayla's actions in saving her during combat.

Things now fit into place.

The Dark Axis had to be stopped, no matter the cost.

* * *

_Outside Earth boundaries…_

The lone fighter emerged from Warp Space, the blue-green portal closing up behind it. Dr. Regal stared in astonishment at the world beyond the cockpit canopy of his craft. Unlike so many of the worlds he had been to, where there had been not much life, this world was abundant in life and technology merged together. The oceans seemed to be clean and free from contaminants, and the clouds were a fluffy white. Satellites in key locations orbited the planet, eight huge satellite dishes and antennae sticking out from them orbiting around the planet, six surrounding the equator, one at the North Pole, and one at the South Pole. Above these strange satellites orbited a huge colony, combined with a space station. On the moon he could see the dome that marked a moon colony, along with hidden defenses on the edges of the cliffs surrounding the colony. What surprised him the most however, was the presence of a massive, silvery vessel that bore no name, no markings, not even a color scheme. The ship itself was plain, but the design was obviously meant for combat. Twin protrudences stuck out from the front of the ship and the wings were extended to maximum length. The rudders were standard shape for most craft and the engines were massive, almost as big as the Nebulan Radar Command's radar dish.

He checked the coordinates of the planet and found them to be on the mark.

He had arrived in the Intergalactic Federation.

It wasn't what he had been expecting. He had been expecting them to be displaying their trophies of war, as did so many powers who accomplished great things. The mere thought of this not happening made him puzzled and confused. Normally any power that could do this kind of stuff would be recognized, but as he recalled this, a bitter taste filled his mouth.

He knew why instantly.

The UPA and the FI had denied them recognition, and they were thought of as a third-rate power. They were victims of stereotyping. But, then again, why did they wield this kind of power?

The answer was lost to him as he descended through the atmosphere, unaware that he had set off an alarm to scramble fighters to intercept him.

* * *

_In the Earth Defense Force Air Division command center…_

"Sir! We just got word!" a soldier cried as he ran in.

"What?" Major Gregory Jackson of the 187th Air Company, commonly called the Phantoms, glanced up. "What's going on?"

The private held up the screen. "It's all on here. Some kind of fighter-we think it may be Dark Axis in origin-has breached our defenses!"

"How can that be?" Major Jackson asked.

"Not sure. What should we do?" the private asked.

"I'll take my boys and we'll see if we can't shoot him down. No one escapes us for long!" Jackson snapped.

The big man of five-foot ten stretched his lanky frame and brushed back his mane of wild blue-tipped black hair. His green-black eyes glinted as he placed his helmet over his hair, indicating that he wasn't joking.

"Good luck, sir," the private murmured.

"Thanks."

He ran down the massive, metallic hallways of the base, his feet pounding on the metal deck beneath his feet. An interception mission…This alone sent the adrenaline coursing through his body, giving him an added speed boost to his run.

The mere thought of capturing another Dark Axis soldier lurked in his mind, making him grin at the result. If they caught a high-ranking member, then they might have a chance as to figure out the rest of the Dark Axis's plans for their completely crazy scheme.

Already only a few hours had passed, yet the military already knew the whole plan from the beginning to the end. It seemed impossible, but things didn't stay with the President for long in times like this. The only other time he could recall a situation like this was when Unicron had threatened to destroy all of Earth and the whole universe by devouring it and leaving nothing behind to satisfy his godly hunger.

He emerged from the corridor and into the hanger deck, where the entire company's planes were stored. The procedure for launch went smoothly, getting him in the air sooner than planned.

He circled the base that was home to the Phantom Company, as they were called.

It wasn't much, but it did serve the purpose needed. The base had been designed by Earth and Cybertron as a Mobile Military Base, or MMB for short. The MMB, however, had proven too costly to build and maintain, so they had stopped the program, handing over the first MMB to the company for a base of operations.

The base itself was longer than fifteen football fields and was about as wide as a four acre mansion. The height was only ten stories, but the remaining twenty were below the sea. The maximum capacity had been for half of the entire army, but now, it was manned by only the company and their families. It had a swimming pool, three training facilities, a large combat practice arena, a football field and baseball field built in, a video arcade, a small school facility for the children, a weapons storeroom on each level, a cafeteria, a movie theater, a hanger for the planes, a small shipyard for three destroyers, and over five hundred million quarters, now mostly used for storage or for in-base training maneuvers.

It was driven by three huge propellers, each as massive as the center of the complex itself, and each propeller was driven by three energon reactors, tied into the massive controls used to steer the base. At the front, a large energon thruster provided braking and the unexpected: a massive laser cannon that could destroy a mountain of solid energon concrete.

He shook off the reverie and found himself pointing his fighter plane's nose at the black and yellow starfighter speeding through the sky.

He grinned.

"You're going down, Dark Axis creep!" he yelled loudly. He grasped the controls and put his fighter into a climb before curving to the rear, his guns lining up for the shot.

"_Wait! I'm not with the enemy!_" a voice suddenly blurted over his comm.

"And why should I believe that load of slag?!" the major yelled.

"_Because I might have some information that might just save your lives!_" the voice of the other craft's pilot said.

That got him. His head snapped towards the starfighter, and his eyes narrowed.

"What kind of information?" he asked suspiciously.

"_Just trust me! I also want to make an alliance for God's sake!_" the pilot cried.

"An alliance? With whom?" Jackson asked.

"_With you guys! Just trust me on this!_" the pilot pleaded.

"Why should we?" Jackson asked, his finger twitching on the trigger for the plane's missiles.

"_Would it help if I said I knew a way on how to get inside their main base?!_"

"Hold on." Jackson took his finger off the trigger. "You know how to get _into their base_?" he asked.

"_Yes! And this may help you solve the mystery of those strange spheres that we found in there!_" the pilot said.

"Hold up! You found Soul-Drives?!" Jackson asked in shock.

"_Yeah. Now don't shoot and take me to your leader. I need to speak with him or her stat!_" the pilot cried.

"…" Jackson was silent as he considered this. If he took whoever this was back, then things might go badly for the organization. But, then again, the information sounded promising. This meant that they could shut down mass production, thwart their plan, and save the universe at the same time.

"Okay. But if you try anything…" He left the sentence hanging, leaving this mysterious contact to imagine the worst possible.

"_I understand._"

* * *

_Back at the university…_

Shute was still comatose when Captain limped into his room. He still lay there, not moving, unable to respond to his surroundings.

The Gundam sat down heavily in his chair beside Shute, sighing before he took the boy's limp hand in his own.

"Shute, I'm sorry I left. I…I had no choice. We had to invade the Duel Academy, but it backfired. Crowler is still in power, but we have footage of the battle, which should prove his treasonous activities to the President." He felt foolish talking to a comatose human, but he had nothing else to do. "I hope you can forgive me."

He placed a hand on Shute's cheek, caressing it gently. "I promise to never leave you again."

He leaned in, removing his mouthpiece as he did so, and lightly brushed his lips on Shute's, feeling his Soul-Drive skip lightly in his chest as he did so. Yet, it didn't bring him any joy, for he was too worried about Shute living or dying to even register it.

He slumped back in the chair, and closed his eyes, falling into a deep recharge.

* * *

_The next day…_

Sayla fired off a few shots from her gun, the bullets impacting against the far-distant target. She wore a blindfold over both eyes, so as to increase her other senses, and reduce her reliance on sight should she ever get blinded by thick smoke.

Adjusting her aim, she tensed, letting her ears guide her. She could hear faint sounds in the distance, and she turned, firing in that general direction.

The bullets hit the tree dead on, startling Voltage, or Jaden, out of the tree.

"GAH!"

She looked up, her head turning to face Jaden. "Jaden? Is that you?"

"You bet it is! And why are you training with a blindfold on?" Jaden said, standing up and brushing off his armor.

"Hold on." She reached up and grabbed the knot, untying it. She removed it from her forehead and opened her eyes. "I was trying to build up my marksmanship. Plus, who knows what kind of spells Shift knows? Never hurts to be prepared for anything."

"So? What does that have to do with blasting at a target blindfolded?" Jaden asked.

"Look. He may know spells to blind his opponents. I may need to fire at him to try and lift it, so I need to use my other senses rather than sight alone," Sayla explained as she stuffed the blindfold into her pocket.

"Oh."

"Why are you here anyway?" she asked.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that Shute's woken up," Jaden said.

"Huh? He woke up?!" Sayla was shocked. Normally no one woke up so soon after being blasted into a coma by a large shockwave like that.

Jaden nodded. "Yeah. He's waiting for us back at the university."

"Okay. But, once we're there, you'll need to go by Voltage again," she said seriously.

"Yeah." He seemed to become more serious, and a little depressed. "I'm beginning to wonder if we should even tell them the truth. I mean, Rele and Deed, anyway."

"…" She grew silent as she ran through ten possible scenarios, each with its own outcome and consequences. Finally, she looked up. "Jaden, we'll tell them, but we may need to break it to them slowly. That seems to be the best option for now."

Jaden relaxed as she said those words. "Thanks."

"Hey. No problem."

Jaden/Voltage turned and headed off, Sayla shouldering her gun and following him.

* * *

**Shute stirred ever **so slightly. He could feel something covering his body, and something stuck to his chest, arms, and head. Also, he felt something holding his hand, something warm, and familiar…

"Shute?"

Wait. That voice…

Captain? What was he doing here? Was he dead? If so, why was Captain here? Did the explosion kill him as well? And what about the others? Were they also dead?

"Shute? Can you hear me?"

He tried to speak, but only managed a croak. He coughed before he opened his eyes. The light struck his eyes, forcing him to close them before opening them again.

The light shining behind his friend's body made him think of the angels that he had heard so much about during study of Greek religious writings for literature class. His eyes locked onto Captain's blue ones, and he felt his friend's hand on his face.

"Cap…tun…?"

"Shh. It's okay, Shute. I'm here," Captain murmured, rubbing Shute's hair softly.

"What….happened…?"

"You were in a coma. I was worried about you," the Gundam said.

"The…wreck…" Shute was now concerned. Did the ship sink?

"The explosion did some damage, but not enough to where she sank. Surprisingly, she was upgraded to a more modern form," Captain said.

"How…? The…Act…" Shute was confused. How could they upgrade her if it meant violating the Act?

"It turns out there was a clause that said she could be used for combat if someone died trying to save it. The President of the Federation enabled that clause to be used, and now, the ship's under the command of the 11th Battalion," the Gundam explained.

"Why…even…do it?" Shute rasped.

"We didn't even know until Xenphyr told us."

"Who…Xenphyr…?" Shute murmured softly.

"He's the head technician here."

"Head…technician…" At these words, Shute broke down crying. Captain took Shute's battered form into his arms, holding him gently so as to not further aggravate his injuries.

"Shhh. It's okay, Shute. It's okay."

"C-Captain…"

Shute laid his head against Captain's chest, feeling himself becoming sleepy…

He felt himself slipping back into unconsciousness, but he was vaguely aware of Captain tucking him into bed…

Captain…

Cappy…

* * *

**The next time** he woke up, it was nighttime, and the lights were dim. He opened his eyes and blinked again, taking in his surroundings. The room he was in was small, but functional. There was a bathroom, a small bed, a couch, and a little potted plant on the side of the door. Beside his bed was a heart rate monitor, and three wires led from it to his chest, where three sensors were attached. He pulled back the covers, and he saw that there was a sensor on each arm, leading to a machine that monitored his blood pressure and one on each side of his head took scans of his brain activity. He had no shirt on, except for his pants and socks. His shoes had been removed and were placed on the floor beside his bed.

He sat up and looked around. There was no sign of Captain anywhere, save for a light grey shape lying at the foot of his bed…

He blinked as he realized that it was an unarmored Gundam, one that had a familiar V-fin…

Shute gasped as he recognized Captain lying there, unmoving. He seemed so still…almost as if he were dead…

But then a hand twitched, and a slight groan escaped the mouthpiece. Shute let out a sigh of relief. He was just asleep, but without his armor on. He was lying flat on his stomach, his legs sort of curled behind him, and one of his arms hung partially off the bed, his other arm lying in front of his mouth.

Shute blushed.

His friend's unarmored chest rose and fell slightly with each breath, something inside him taking in air and expelling it out in the same manner as a human's lungs would. His synthetic muscles were visible under the synthflesh, but not much and he looked absolutely peaceful.

He found his eyes wandering over Captain's body, taking in the strong frame, the broad shoulders, and the firm, yet gentle hands. His eyes locked onto a certain part of Captain's body that still had thin armor on it. (Imagine a pair of boxers for a Gundam.)

Shute smiled slightly. _'Looks like he's wearing boxers…_' the boy thought to himself.

The thought made him blush even more.

He continued to look at Captain lying on the foot of his bed, his synthflesh untouched by the years of war, the countless battles they had fought together, and the injuries sustained and repaired countless times by Kao Lyn. No scars were visible.

He was too busy taking in Captain's body to even register the female commander standing behind the door, her face blushing as red as his.

She pulled back, her face bright red.

'_Man! He is_ hot!_ I can't believe I just saw that!'_ Sayla thought. She shook her head, but the image of the unarmored Captain just wouldn't leave. "Maybe some training will help…"

She turned and ran off, leaving Shute alone with Captain once again.

Shute reached out tentatively, not wanting to wake his friend, but also wanting to touch the warm synthflesh softly.

"Captain…" He murmured his friend's name ever so softly, so as to not wake him.

He let his hand fall back down onto the bed. He just couldn't. Something wouldn't let him.

He closed his eyes and fell back in his bed, letting sleep overcome him. But the image of Captain lying on his bed wouldn't leave just yet. That was the last thing he saw in his mind's eye before he fell asleep.

* * *

**Earth Command**

**Time: 03:27, 3:27a.m., Local Time**

The President narrowed her eyes as she looked at the man before her. "So let me get this straight. You're coming to us to form an alliance, and you tell me that you know a way into their main base without being detected. And yet, you came here without revealing your organization of origin. How can we trust you?" she asked.

"Believe me when I say that Nebula is one of the three major powers in the universe," the man said.

"Wait. _Three_ major powers? The only one we know of is the UPA," she said, now suspicious.

"There are three major powers, each representing the major forms of government in the universe. There's the UPA, which represents a hierarchy, the Federal Institute, which embraces a form of government in which there is no capitalism…" The man hesitated, trying to find the right word.

"Communism."

"Huh?" He looked up at the President.

"Communism. A form of government that is the opposite of democracy. No voting, one party, no freedom of religion, and no free market," she explained.

"Is that what it is?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Okay. Anyway, they represent communism, and then there's Nebula. We represent democracy, which is the least popular form of government in the outer sectors."

"How did Nebula come about?" she asked.

"The Regal family line. Every leader that we've had was a Regal. We were elected at first, but then we established the tradition of passing down leadership from parent to child. I was the most recent to inherit leadership. We kept the democracy aspects, such as having a Congress, a Supreme Court, and the office of President," the man said.

"So in short, you combine the monarchy traditions with democracy?" President Warren asked.

"Yep. That's basically it. Though I didn't come here to discuss government forms. I came to ask for an alliance."

"And the reason why, Regal?" she inquired.

"Dr. Jason Regal. That's my full name."

"Oh. Well, anyway, the reason you came for an alliance?" she prodded.

Dr. Regal took in a breath and let it out. "I'll say it straight out. We need your help."

"Why? If you're the head of a major power, then why ask us for help?" President Warren wondered.

"The other two powers just spend time deliberating things and they never get anything done. We need to take action, but they won't listen. So, I came to you. You are the ones who are the most aware of this threat, aren't you?" He seemed pleading.

She nodded, stunned that he even knew of the Dark Axis threat. "Yes. We are."

"Then I can assume that you know of the plan they came up with?"

"If you mean the one to become gods…then yes," she said, nodding.

"Yes." Dr. Regal's voice was so soft she could barely hear it. "They are crazy, and this is very dangerous. I kept trying to tell the other two leaders this fact, but they just won't believe me."

"So, you came to us looking for help," President Warren concluded.

Dr. Regal nodded. "Exactly. You're the only ones who have discovered this plan aside from me, and we may need to work together if we are to overcome this."

"We can hold our own—" He cut her off.

"Not for long. My organization has way more manpower and firepower than you do. You may need it," he stated firmly.

"True, but we have the power to hold our own."

"How so?" Dr. Regal asked, cocking an eyebrow.

She smirked. "Ever hear of the _Destiny Star Drive_?"

"T-t-the _Destiny Star Drive_? As in THE _Destiny Star Drive_?!" Dr. Regal suddenly blurted.

"Yes. That very ship."

"But…how did you get your hands on it?" he asked, stunned.

She shrugged. "Don't know. We found it one day on the moon, and we've had it ever since."

"So, will you help us?" Dr. Regal asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yes, but only on one condition."

"Just name it."

"You cut all ties with the other two powers. They're just slagheads. Besides, why are you even allied with them?" she asked.

"It's to keep balance in the universe, or so they claim. I'd be happy to sever all ties to them, even if it means forever."

"Good. Then, we're allied together forever," President Warren said.

Dr. Regal smiled, relief flooding his face. The alliance had gone better than he had hoped. Now, maybe there was a chance to try and reveal to the rest of the universe the threat that lay at their doorstep.


	43. Alliances Are Forged!

Chapter 4

Shute stirred again just as the light from the sun hit his face. He opened his eyes, and he was surprised to see that the sensors had been removed from his body and his shirt had been put back on.

He glanced at the foot of his bed, but Captain wasn't even there.

The boy grasped the covers and attempted to sit up, but someone placed a strong hand on his shoulders and laid him back down.

"I wouldn't advise it, kid," Xenphyr said, a small smile upon his face.

"Why not?" Shute asked. "And are you Xenphyr?"

"You're still wounded, plus you need to let the nanobots in your bloodstream patch up the internal bleeding," the medic replied. "And yes, that's me. Xenphyr Lacosa, head technician here at the Medical University," he added grinning.

"Nanobots?" Shute cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes. We use them to patch up internal bleeding, meaning that we can now save lives before they die, or mostly anyway," Xenphyr said, suddenly becoming serious again.

"So, how long will it take?" Shute asked.

"A few more hours. I administered the solution containing them to you when we were transferring blood to you. Once the job is finished, they will come out in your urine. We'll take it and remove them, and place them into a decontamination solution. Shouldn't take more than a few hours," the medic said, a smile creeping onto his face.

"You reuse nanobots?" Shute asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Saves us the trouble of making more when we don't need them. Only if we're running low do we request orders for more," Xenphyr said.

"…" Shute looked at the covers before he spoke. "And, once the bleeding is patched up, then what?"

"Then you'll be checked for any other injuries, and you'll be released."

"Okay."

Shute sighed and fell back onto the bed. At least he was healing. Xenphyr turned and left the room, but as he did so, Sayla stepped into the room, a small smile on her face.

"How ya doing, Shute?" she asked softly.

"Better," the boy replied.

"Good. Those injuries were pretty nasty," Sayla said.

"I know. Xenphyr said so." Shute then noticed something odd around her neck. "What's that?" he asked, pointing.

"Huh? Oh, this?" Sayla held it up. "This is the key for the _Titanic_."

"What?!" Shute couldn't believe it. She had gotten a key for the old liner?!

"Just so you know we're the backup crew. We're to only crew her if the 11th Battalion is killed or can't man the ship," Sayla said hastily.

"Why you guys?" Shute wondered.

"It's the President's orders."

"…" Shute was at a loss for words. They had been given permission to crew the liner if something happened to the normal crew?

"Shute? You okay?" Sayla asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Still stunned. That's all," Shute said.

"In that case, everyone's been anxious to see you."

"How long can they stay for?" Shute wondered.

"Well, we can only stay for a few hours, so we might as well check in on you," Voltage remarked as he stepped into the room.

"And that goes for the rest of us," Kicker said as the rest of the group followed Voltage.

Shute felt a smile creep across his face at the sight of all of them. He felt much better already. But then he grew serious.

"So, what happened with the wreck while I was out?" he asked.

"I already told you, Shute. She's been upgraded to modern day proportions, and get this: the ship is also capable of flight," Sayla said.

"HAH!? Flight?! As in flying?!" Shute blurted.

"Yes."

"How…how's that even possible?"

Sayla shrugged. "Dunno. But the military's been talking about such a ship for years, but they've never gotten around to building it, until we brought the wreck back to Earth Command. I think that the President managed to persuade the ones in charge of the refit to add that feature."

"But…I thought that ships like that couldn't be upgraded to that degree," Shute whispered.

"Well, we did. And let me tell you, it's a good thing," Zero said seriously.

"Why?"

"During a failed invasion attempt with Crowler, we were outnumbered and being beaten till the _Titanic_ arrived. Had General Patterson of the 11th Battalion arrived when he did, then we might not be here," Sayla murmured.

"Oh."

"Shute, we were pretty worried about you while you were in a coma. In fact, we thought you had died," Baston replied. So far he had been very silent, not speaking a word.

"Captain never left your side," Zane said.

"He didn't?" Shute asked.

Syrus shook his head. "No. Not even to get a bite to eat. Food was brought to the room by Xenphyr."

"W-wow…"

"In fact, he thought you were dead while you were lying there on the wreck comatose," T.J. chirped.

"He did?" Shute breathed. He had no idea that Captain actually cared that much for him.

"Yes. I did," a new voice said softly.

"Huh?" The group turned to face the door. Captain stood there, his mouthpiece open and his eyes sort of glazed over.

"Shute, I…I…" His voice trailed off as tears formed at the corners of his eyes. He closed his eyes and let them fall. "I was afraid I had lost you forever. And…I…I broke my promise."

"Huh?" Shute stared in confusion. What was Captain talking about?

"I had to go help the division with the attempted invasion, but…" He looked at Shute before turning away. "I didn't want to."

"Captain…" Shute fell silent.

"Shute, I…I want you to know something," the Gundam murmured.

"Can it wait?" Bakunetsumaru asked as he too stepped into the room, a rice ball in his hand. "We just got word. Someone's approaching by sea."

"Again?" Voltage moaned.

"Apparently they can't get enough of the sea," Syrus joked.

"Syrus!" Voltage blurted, turning to face him.

"What? Can't I make a joke?" Syrus asked.

"This is serious!" Voltage snapped.

"I know that!"

"Enough!" Zane snapped, stepping between the two. "This is getting out of hand. We're all tense and anxious, so if we can stop whoever this is, then we can relax. We need it."

"Okay." Both human and Gundam backed off from each other.

"What's the plan?" Kicker asked.

"…" Sayla was silent before she looked towards the battle-damaged carrier at her dock. "We go out once Shute's healed and we find out if it's friend or foe."

"What about the Titanic?" Zero asked.

"We let Patterson decide what to do with her."

"Oh."

The teenage commander turned and walked off, but stopped just before the door. "Meet me at the dock in two hours. Later than that and we may be stuck at dock for three days. You know the canal patrol routine."

"Roger!"

With that, everyone left, save for Captain.

"What did you want to tell me, Captain?" Shute asked as he looked at the Gundam.

"Shute, I…" He took a breath and closed his eyes. How was he going to say this? Was he just going to say 'I love you' and be done with it? What was he going to do?

Something in his Soul-Drive told him to tell him straight out, but the logical part of him told him to wait a few days before telling, just giving out hints as to what he felt towards the boy.

For once, he wasn't sure of what to do.

Not at all.

* * *

_On Orca…_

Ciel sighed as she sifted through the many leaves in the field. The twin suns of Orca, one smaller than the other, beat down on her, making her sweat as she worked.

She leaned down and plucked a small veggie from the vine. It was the same shape and size as a potato, but the color, smell, and flavor was different. She took a small nibble, and smiled. The patch was ripe.

Gathering the veggies in the basket, she reflected on the data that the scientists had gathered about the Brain Hub. It was just too hard to comprehend for a mere organic, but then again, the Federation organics weren't just ordinary organics. They had accomplished much more, much, much more than anyone else and they still didn't understand the most puzzling of mysteries.

"If we could just send someone into the Brain World…" she murmured, picking one last veggie.

"Send someone in?" She turned, dropping the veggie she held to the ground, blushing furiously as she recognized Zero's voice.

"Zero!" she squeaked.

"Are you thinking of sending someone in?" he repeated.

Ciel nodded, still blushing. "Yes. Why?"

"Isn't that a bit dangerous? Normally we would send in a probe." The Reploid grew serious. "Unless there's another reason, isn't there?" he asked.

"Y-yes. There is. I fear that if we send in an unmanned, robotic probe that it may affect this place in a negative fashion. So if we send in an organic, or even a Cybertronian, then maybe we can explore it somewhat, mapping a few regions, then heading back to Earth," Ciel said nervously, holding the basket up to her face to hide her redness.

"But, even if we were to do that, wouldn't they be unable to tap into the network?" Zero asked.

"Preceptor told us that there is a possibility to recalibrate the bridge to tap into this region, and maybe it can be done, but not exactly. It requires mostly luck," Ciel said softly.

"…Ciel, this is a risk. A very grave risk. We may lose someone, and they may never be able to return. Are you sure we should be taking this risk?" Zero asked her.

"Yes. We need more data, and if possible, then we can use the data we gather to try and reverse the effects of the control horns and possibly free Scourge."

"I see, Well, I'm not stopping you. Just remember: risks aren't always worth it," Zero reminded her.

"I understand."

Ciel stood up, holding the basket of veggies in her hands. "I understand perfectly well, Zero. But, this time, we can't afford to just gather data. We need to take action. This I learned from spending time with you, Zero, and I'm not about to let it go to waste. We need action, and now."

"…" Zero was silent for a moment, surprised at how Ciel was now a little like him in a way. "I'm surprised, Ciel. Normally you're not one to suggest actions like the one you just did, and normally, you always doubt our using violence to protect."

"Well, I guess that the time has come for some changes," Ciel said. Her blue eyes glazed over slightly. "I still dislike fighting, but…" She closed her eyes. "…sometimes it can't be helped. The Federation has taught me that much, as did you."

"…I see."

"Plus, it's not always easy to use science to create new sources of peace, such as new energies or even a new source of power for an entire planet. We need to try new things, and for me, using force is a new thing. I have to, Zero. Sometimes even we human scientists have to fight." She turned and held out a veggie to him. "Want to try it?"

He shrugged and took it in his hand.

"Ciel, as for who's going to go into the Brain World, who will we send in? There are thousands who are compatible with the region," Zero asked.

"I haven't decided yet, but we'll find someone."

"Oh, yes. I came to tell you that there's a meeting in a few hours. We need to leave right away if we're to make it on time."

"Okay. Just let me place these veggies in the house and we'll go."

"Good." Zero frowned as he watched her leave. "Ciel, you may be right…But the Brain World is a region we know so little about…are we doing the right thing?"

* * *

_A few hours later…_

"Is everyone here?" President Warren asked.

"Yeah, we're all here," Seto said.

"So, what's the big idea?" asked Sandra. "You called a meeting, yet you wouldn't tell us why. What's up with that?"

"This." President Warren nodded at a figure in the shadows. The form stepped forward and out into the light of the office.

"Who is this?" Zero asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"My name is Dr. Jason Regal of Nebula. I came here to ask for your help," the man said.

"Wait. Nebula? I've never heard of it," Famous remarked. "Is it a new organization or something?"

"No. According to Dr. Regal, it's been around for years. He's the last in the family line to assume command of the organization," President Warren explained. "The organization combines both a monarchy and a democracy into a democratic monarchy," President Warren explained.

"W-wow…"

"…" Seto narrowed his eyes at the man, his tail bristling with slight agitation.

"I've heard of you," he said, his voice icy calm. "You parade around, championing ideals that violate the basic rights of all organizations in the universe."

"Wrong. We don't. The UPA and the Federal Institute do," Dr. Regal said.

"Huh? The UPA?!" Seto blurted. He couldn't believe his ears. The UPA of all organizations?

"Yes. They idolize those ideals and make them a reality," Dr. Regal explained.

"Crap…"

"Anyway, he came to us asking for our help in combating the Dark Axis regime that is growing stronger each day," the President explained.

"Wait. Regime? I didn't think they'd have that much influence out there," Steven murmured. "I always thought they were a mere band of conquerors."

"They are, and much more. Dr. Regal has faced off against other organizations that have fallen to them, and they still keep growing stronger while the other two major powers continue to deliberate the issue, and many others are taking action, but slowly. Too slowly," President Warren said grimly.

"And they still aren't acting fast enough." Dr. Regal grew serious. "That's why I'm asking you, and specifically you, for help."

"In short, you can't combat this threat on your own?" Sandra asked.

Dr. Regal shook his head. "No. We can't, not when they have innocents under their command."

"No…" Ciel's face grew pale as she heard those words. "Innocents…unable to fight back…for their freedom?"

"No. They can't. And they keep losing freedoms as we speak. They are even losing their natural bodies, since they have mass production facilities currently in operation in their main base. Plus, only I know how to get in and out without being spotted. A lucky accident led me to the discovery of a hidden passage that is cloaked to all sensors and even to the Dark Axis themselves. I did a bit more research into the facility, and that led me to learn that it was once an old military munitions plant, and the tunnel used to be an old loading passage for top secret weapons," he explained.

"Figures they would use something like that," Override remarked seriously.

"And it gets better. This passage leads right into the old loading docks, which are right below the main assembly lines two floors above. An old elevator that still works goes right up to a closed off room. The room itself is blocked by huge crates of Soul-Drives ready for usage, meaning that we can sneak in and out without being discovered," Dr. Regal said.

"Wait. We? As in together?!" Seto blurted.

"Yes. Together,' Dr. Regal said.

"As in allies?" Mimi murmured.

"Exactly."

"Oh boy," Seto murmured, a small sweatdrop running down the side of his head.

"Now, hold on. How can we trust you?" O'hari asked.

"Wait. What's going on, O'hari?" the President asked.

"I don't trust him because he always hangs out with the UPA and the Institute, who, believe it or not, once overthrew our planet, forcing us into exile for ten long years!" O'hari yelled.

"Wait! We never meant for that to happen!" Dr. Regal protested. "We tried to stop it, but they just did it anyway."

"And they deliberated the motion?" Zero asked harshly.

"Yeah. I can't stand that," the Nebulan leader said.

"Okay. We get that point, but why ask us and not someone else for help?" asked Mimi.

"You guys are the only ones aside from us who know of the plan of the Dark Axis to become deities. A few others suspect, but they have no proof. You guys do. We don't," Dr. Regal explained.

"Then how did you learn of their plans?" asked Optimus.

"We tapped into their mainframe and found out on accident. We didn't know what it was, so we just left it alone, but someone made a copy and gave it to me, saying that it was important. I didn't look at it until they began their attacks. Then, I lost the data," Dr. Regal said sadly.

"How did you lose a data chip?" Famous inquired. "It's impossible to lose a data chip's data because it's stored on the hard drive of whatever it was installed into."

Dr. Regal shrugged. "I think it might have been a hacker, but I can't be certain."

"I also assume that you know of the rift in our dimensions called the Brain Rift?" President Warren asked him.

"I'm not sure what that is, but I'm pretty aware that it exists," Dr. Regal said.

"Good. Because we need to try and find someone to explore it."

"I may not be able to help you there, but I'll see what I can do," the Nebulan replied.

"And we'll check things out on this end," Seto said, catching on.

"Good," President Warren said. "Meeting dismissed."

* * *

_At the TCDA…_

Sayla sat under a tree, reviewing the data on the Brain Rift that she had managed to download from the military's main computer network. It hadn't been easy, but she had done it.

The others sat around her, waiting to hear what she had to say. She didn't really like being designated a leader, but she was sort of.

"Well?" Voltage asked.

She looked up and passed the data pad around. "Well, it's kinda hard to explain. Even I'm having a hard time understanding how such a place can exist. This 'Brain Rift' is a new one on me."

"Brain Rift?" Syrus repeated.

"Yeah. Apparently it's some kind of tear between our dimension and a realm in which all mechanical life in the universe, with the exception of the Cybertronians and Primus, is connected to. This realm, the Brain World, is made up of different regions, each one representing the different races in the universe. And each region is consisting of thousands upon thousands of mechanical beings linked through little spaces sort of like containers. These regions are where the minds of these beings are held. The Cybertronians, on the other hand, are exempt from this realm, even though their minds are present in the area. They are unable to be connected to other regions. There's still research going on into this though. Anyway, we've sent out probes into the Brain World, and we have a little data on each region within the space with the tear, but the rest is entirely unexplored," Zane explained.

"How did you know of it?" asked Shute.

"Like I said, research, and, I forgot to mention, accidental discovery," Baston replied.

"They're also thinking of sending someone in to fully explore the areas we've mapped out, and I think that I should be the one to go. Who knows what lurks in there?" Kicker remarked.

"No. I'll go." This last remark came from Captain, which surprised everyone.

"Huh? You want to go?" T.J. asked, multiple question marks appearing around his head.

"Yes. I'll go." Captain was determined, and they knew it.

"How can you be the one to go in there?" Sayla asked.

"Just trust me."

"…" Sayla stared at him critically. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. This way, you guys can get the data you need in order to shut down the mass production facility," Captain said, nodding.

"But what about you?" Syrus asked.

"I might not make it back, but I'll be doing this in order to help save Neotopia," Captain said softly.

"…to save Neotopia…" Sayla's eyes narrowed as she took in this last phrase. "To save your planet…you'd be willing to die to do it?"

"No. I may become trapped, but…"

"Then we'll get you out." His gaze locked onto her own. "We won't leave you trapped in there forever, not when you've helped us."

"Why? Why would you even risk pulling me out?"

"Like I said, we never leave anyone behind. It's not our style, and it's the unwritten Federation law that no one is to be left behind. Plus, even if we have to go in there ourselves and physically drag you out, we will. We're not leaving anyone to get nabbed by the Dark Axis, especially after what happened to Chumly, Baku, and…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at his chest.

His hand went to the compartment unconsciously as she resumed speaking.

"…we always look out for everyone."

"But, why?"

"It's our code, and our code states that we'll never abandon another being, even to save our own lives. It's the way humanity works. We focus on that ancient instinct called survival, and it helps us keep our comrades alive, especially during times like war."

"…" Captain was confused by this. They obeyed an instinct long forgotten, but with concern for others?

"In short, we never leave anyone behind. Life is important to us. We learned that much after the sinking, several wars, two world wars, and a terrorist attack on the WTC back in '01. Don't ask about the last one. You'll find out soon," Kicker said.

* * *

_The full moon is partially concealed by clouds, making the war-torn land below even more ominous than before. Dead bodies covered in mech fluid lie scattered about, weapons sticking out from their armor and lying on the old battlefield. Old emblems hang raggedly from their poles, now beginning to rot from year-long exposure to the elements._

_Atop a hill overlooking this battlefield stands a lone castle, surrounded by legions of infantry and heavy artillery. The castle itself is a masterpiece of engineering, for guns are visible on the structure, as well as huge treads that move it along the ground, backing up the infantry before it._

_Standing on a balcony overlooking the old battlefield is a battle-worn musha Gundam, Kibaomaru. His brown eyes study the formations before he turns and heads into the castle._

_The futon doors close behind him._

_His guest, a leader from another dimension, steps out of the shadows, revealing a man of about twenty, but with messy hair that is as black as his armor. His eyes are a piercing blue color, and his skin is slightly reddish, but also tan at the same time._

_"So, I take it we are now alone?" the man asks._

_"Yes. All enemy forces have been eradicated," Kibaomaru says calmly._

_"Good. Have you heard rumors about a new Dark Axis attack from your spies?" the man asks._

_"Yes, I have. It takes place in another land, does it not?" Kibaomaru remarks._

_"That's right. It's in a dimension called…" The man's voice trails off._

_"…" Kibaomaru is silent._

_"Earthspace."_

_"Earthspace?" the Musha questions._

_"Home of the Intergalactic Federation."_

_"The Intergalactic Federation?" Kibaomaru swears he has heard the name once before._

_"Yes. They are the ones who defeated Unicron."_

_The Musha nods. "Ah. You told me about him once."_

_"Yes, but anyway, the Dark Axis is attacking them, and the strange thing is, they are after the Superior Drive," the man says grimly._

_"The Superior Drive?" Kibaomaru asks._

_His guest nods. "Yes. A Drive of great power, otherwise called the Superior Dragon in Lacroa. It is often mistaken for that, when in reality, it is a force that is not a creature, but a thing. An object of great power, and intelligence."_

_"Then, I take it that this Drive is the one key that the Dark Axis needs to become gods," Kibaomaru states._

_The man nods. "Yes."_

_"Yet, isn't there something that can be done to prevent it?" Kibaomaru wonders._

_"Yes, there is. You must take your son and the Energy Force and go there to their dimension," the man says._

_"How?"_

_"My portal will drop you off in the general region of their main HQ. After than, you're on your own."_

_"Ah. I understand."_

_"Good. The fate of everyone here rests with you."_

_The musha nods. Things are set and in place._

* * *

**"SLAGGITALL!" Steven yelled**. He pounded his fist onto the desk, scattering the screens about, panting heavily. His hair hung over his steel grey eyes as he looked up.

The plans for the Dark Axis base lay on his desk, each room outlined and highlighted in a different color. The main room, the one that had the Soul-Drives, was outlined in bright blue, meaning that it was their target. But, that was not what had made him frustrated.

It was the level of security protecting that room.

Sensors dotted the doorways and the windows, preventing an exterior break-in, and the vents leading in had been sealed off with plates of metal that couldn't be removed without three hours of using an energon torch. The one thing that had thrown them off was the fact that the door had been indeed blocked off, but not by crates, as they had originally heard from Dr. Regal. It had been sealed off by large plates of metal that weren't able to be removed at all. The only way in now was through intense security systems that automatically killed any organics and foreign mechanical life in disguise.

In short, there was no way in.

None at all.

"Three hours of studying these fraggin' plans and still no way in. These guys are good… Very good," Steven murmured.

He checked the plans for the third time, and sighed.

There really was no way in.

Sighing in defeat, he grasped the comm unit and pressed the button.

"James, could you please report to the office? I have a question to ask you."

The comm unit chirped in reply. "_You do?_"

"Yes. And it has to do with the plans of the Dark Axis base."

"_I'll be right there_."

The unit shut down and he waited.

Less than fifteen minutes passed before he heard the door slide open and a lanky man with bright lavender hair ran in, face streaked with sweat.

"You wanted…to…see me?" he panted.

"Yes. As a former member of Team Rocket, you know ways to sneak into bases that normally can't be penetrated, right?" Steven questioned him.

"T-that's…right," James stammered.

"I need help on something."

"What?"

Wordlessly, Steven pushed the plans towards him.

"…"

Silence filled the space between the two men as James studied them. His brow furrowed in concentration as his eyes darted to the lone room sealed off.

"There is a way in, but it's risky," he said without looking up.

"How?" Steven asked.

James pointed. "See here, there's a sewage pipe that leads right into the main assembly plant. The pipe itself is sealed off, meaning that there is no way through unless you take a high intensity energon torch with. There are no sensors dotting the perimeter, meaning you can sneak in without being detected."

"What's the risk?"

"It could be flooded with sewage water at any time, so you'd be out of luck."

"Thanks, James."

"No problem."

As James turned and left, he turned back to the plans. '_A sewage pipe, huh? Well, then I guess we'll have to rethink the plans this time._'


	44. Allies of the Orichalcos Arrive!

Chapter 5

_**SCOOCH! SCOOCH! SCOOCH!**_

"Huh?" Sayla glanced back, eyes darting about.

"What's up, Sayla?" Voltage asked, stopping.

"I thought I heard something," she murmured.

"What? I don't hear anything."

_**SCOOCH! SCOOCH! SCOOCH!**_

"Now do you?" Sayla asked.

"Yeah. I definitely hear something, but I can't tell what it is," Voltage remarked, his own eyes darting about.

"Sounds like something's scooting along the ground," Syrus said. He gripped Zane's blazer tighter.

"You heard it too?" Baston asked.

"Yeah. Kinda obvious, isn't it?" Syrus said.

Silence filled the space between the group members as they all came to a stop, everyone having heard the strange noise.

"Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that we're being followed," Zane stated calmly. He didn't even have to look around to get the feeling.

"Followed? By who?" T.J. asked.

"No doubt Dark Axis," Zane hissed.

"How'd they know what we were planning?" Kicker blurted, his hand going for the code around his neck.

"Hold on, Kicker. We don't know for certain if they are onto our plans. In fact, we can't be certain of that until we have more evidence," Zane said, placing a hand on Kicker's wrist.

"How can you be so calm?!" Baston exclaimed.

"My father always told me that a level head is the best thing to have in a combat situation. Same thing applies in the Congress. A level head and clear thinking is what you need to work through the politics," Zane explained.

"Oh."

"Zane's right. We need to keep level heads and we need to figure out who's following us," Sayla said.

"So, you don't think it's the Dark Axis?" asked Syrus.

"No. I don't think it is, but rather, it may be someone else, almost like a ninja," Sayla murmured, her eyes narrowing in thought.

_**SCOOCH! SCOOCH! SCOOCH!**_

"…" Everyone fell silent as the unseen prowler came closer. Sayla tensed, her hand resting on her gun's strap. Kicker's eyes darted about, his code clenched tightly in his fist. T.J. stood still, optics locked onto something only he could see. Meisha held her hands over her mouth before having one drift to her pistol. Voltage gripped his beam sabers tightly. Baston didn't even move a muscle, or a finger as the form kept coming. Syrus hid behind his brother who glared at something hidden. Captain and Shute stood close together, the Gundam's hand resting on the boy's shoulder reassuringly. Baku gripped his katana, body shivering slightly as Guneagle's hand went for his beam rifle hanging from his waist armor. Zero and the princess stood ready, sword and shield in hand, Mana powered to attack.

Nothing came through the brush.

Nothing, except for a snake.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. "Just a snake," Syrus murmured.

"Yeah. And for a moment I thought it was an enemy unit," Sayla said, releasing her gun's strap.

"Hold on." Zane studied the snake carefully.

"Huh? What is it, bro?" Syrus asked, looking up at him.

"Something's not right," Zane remarked.

"How so?" asked Meisha.

Zane pointed at the creature. "That thing is way too big to be a normal Earth snake."

"So?" T.J. asked, scratching his head.

Zane turned to look at his friends. "It's got to be a Cybertronian whistle snake."

"A what?" Baku cocked his head.

"A Cybertronian whistle snake. Very deadly. Well, the females are. The males aren't," Zane explained.

"How can you tell the difference?" Captain asked.

Zane pointed at the snake's tail. "The tail. Females have a large stinger. Males don't."

"And this one is…" Zero's voice trailed off as he studied the snake.

"Male. Doesn't have a stinger. And it's more of a bolder color than the females," Zane said.

"Oh."

"So, now what?" Shute asked, inching closer to his friend.

"We walk past it slowly. The males may not be poisonous like the females, but they can still deal a nasty bite wound," Zane told them calmly.

"Ouch!" Shute winced.

Zane stepped slowly towards the snake, careful to stay clear of its mouth. He crept around it, being sure to not anger it. "Just follow in my footsteps."

The Gundam Force did so, followed closely by the rest of the TCDA fighters.

They failed to register the pair of brown eyes watching their every movement…

* * *

_Later…_

The carrier sped through the sea, the wake created reaching back a good half mile. So far nothing had been spotted for the past few hours, and it seemed to Captain that this was a wild goose chase.

Shute glanced at his friend curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Yes. It seems that this is nothing more than a wild goose chase," Captain said, looking at Shute.

"Why do you say that?" Shute asked.

"I…I'm…not sure…" His voice trailed off. For once, he really was unsure. His processors couldn't come up with an answer, leaving him unsure of the chances of it being a trap.

What was happening? Normally he came up with answers easily, but why was it so hard this time? Was he becoming more human than he thought?

He shook his head. 'Why can't I come up with the percentages?' Captain thought.

"Captain? You okay?" Shute asked, worried at his friend's unusual silence.

"No. For once, I can't seem to come up with the chances of this being a trap. And…that worries me," Captain admitted.

"Captain, sometimes you can't rely on percentages. You have to go with what you feel is right. I think you're learning something important: how to rely on your feelings. All humans do," Shute said, catching on immediately.

"Rely on my feelings?" Captain blinked in confusion.

Shute nodded. "Yeah. You know, if you feel that something isn't right, you can take action to correct that. It's about going with what you feel is right."

"I don't understand."

"I'm not talking about your emotions, Captain. I mean the feelings of right and wrong," Shute replied.

"Oh. Now I understand."

Shute fell silent and looked at the sun over on the horizon. The light from the setting sun made Captain's armor shine slightly, giving him sort of a glow. His V-fin reflected the light off in a way that made it shimmer slightly, and Shute found himself taking in Captain's body again.

He let his eyes roam over his strong frame, and he saw the faint indications of injuries long repaired on his armor. Battle scars he hadn't even seen before were visible, but ever so slight.

The one thing that stood out the most though was his face. The light shining on his face made him seem even more human than machine. In fact, if Shute hadn't known any better, he would've mistaken Captain for a human being.

'_Wow… I never knew…_' Shute thought to himself. He hadn't even known how often Captain had thrown himself onto the front lines in battle.

"Captain, back at the university, you wanted to tell me something. What did you want to tell me?" Shute asked.

Captain turned to face the human. "Shute…I…I just wanted to tell you that…" The words caught in his throat as he looked at Shute. He still didn't know whether he should tell the boy straight out or wait.

He bit his lower lip, unsure.

"Yeah?" Shute asked.

"I…"

"…" Shute waited.

_Just go with what your heart tells you._ The words from Kao Lyn surfaced in his memories. Back during the last battle, when he had told Kao Lyn about the first time he had experienced being unable to perform calculations during a mission, he had said those very words.

Now, they stood out.

He didn't know what Kao Lyn meant by heart. He wasn't human, so he didn't have a heart. But, did it mean something more? Did it mean listening to his soul?

He closed his eyes, wondering what he should do. '_What should I do? I don't know what to do anymore…_'

"Captain?" Shute's voice caught his attention.

Captain looked up and gulped nervously before speaking. "Shute…"

He approached, unsure of whether this was the right course of action he should take. "I…I meant to tell you something but…I wasn't sure how."

"Yeah?" Shute nodded slowly.

"I didn't know how to tell you. I was at a tough decision. But, then I remembered Kao Lyn saying that I should go with what my heart tells me. I didn't know what he meant, until now. It means listening to your soul, and your feelings," Captain said.

"I understood that part," Shute said, unsure of where his friend was going with this.

"Shute, I…I wanted to tell you that…" he hesitated before continuing. "I…"

Before he could speak any further, a slight shape moving in the air caught his eye,

"Something's coming!" he hissed.

"Huh?" Shute looked over.

"Something's coming off the side of the carrier!" Captain told the boy.

"Is it the Dark Axis?" Shute asked.

"It's too far off for me to get a good visual," Captain admitted.

"Oh crud!"

The mysterious object took shape in the air, forming into a strange triangle connected by three lines in the center. The portal (if it could be called that) opened to reveal a strange "tunnel" that was bright blue, but at the same time, white, almost sky blue.

It opened just as the familiar shape of the Zakorello gate opened at the same time.

"No…" Shute's voice trailed off into a mere whisper.

"Zako?" A lone Zako peered out, optic peering from side to side before stepping out, holding a small device in one hand, a gun in the other.

The soldier crept over the flight deck of the carrier, barely noticing the human and Gundam hidden behind one of the airplanes strapped down.

"…Zako! It's clear!"

A second Zako peered out, followed by a third, a fourth, and so on. Then, a slight rumbling filled the air as hundreds of Zakos swarmed out of the gate, each holding a gun in their hands.

"Crap!" Shute swore softly.

"Zakos! Are you ready for battle?" a new voice asked.

"Hey! Isn't that Guardian?" Shute murmured to his friend, peering out.

"Yes. It is," Captain confirmed.

The two fell silent as Guardian addressed the forces.

"Today, we reclaim our lost goods! Those Federation forces have taken from us our greatest warship and we shall reclaim her by force if necessary! But, today, we shall not only gain her, but a new ship to boot! Our naval forces shall excel beyond even that of Satyron!" he cried.

"ZAKOOOOO!"

"Satyron, in addition to this pathetic mudball-led organization, the Intergalactic Federation, has been the only dimension to defy our powers and has managed to drive us back. And how have they done so? They haven't said, and yet, they have given hints that it lies in their power to fight for their beliefs. The abilities of both are matched, yet the one difference is their size! How can a small organization have as much power as an entire dimension? That is what makes them a threat!" Guardian spat.

"ZAKOOOOO!"

"So, we shall fight and reclaim our dignity and our weapons! FOR THE DARK AXIS!" Guardian shouted, thrusting his fist into the air.

"ZAKOOOOOOOOO!"

Shute's eyes widened in shock and horror as the Zako forces began to march across the flight deck, their optics locking onto the bridge where everyone else was gathered.

"No…"

Shute watched as Guardian sneered and spread his wings behind him.

"CHAAAAAARGE!" Guardian roared.

"ZAKOOOOOO!"

Yells echoed from the Zakos' vocals as they ran across towards the planes and the main doors on the control tower.

A few soldiers, having heard the commotion, poked their heads out, only to receive a shocking sight of the Zakos storming the carrier.

Up on the bridge, one of the soldiers pulled back from the windows and ran over to Sayla, clearly anxious.

"Bad news, Commander! Zakos are storming the carrier!" he blurted.

"What? How can that be?" Sayla asked, suspicion in her voice. She stepped up to the window and peered out, only to let loose a string of swearing that would make even Scavenger stunned.

"What's up?" Voltage asked.

"Zakos! They're storming the ship!" Sayla cried, whirling to face her friends.

"HAH?!" Everyone else gasped in shock.

"It's true. The Dark Axis seems to be desperate since they can't get their hands on the wreck," Zane said as he looked back from the windows.

"So, what'll we do?" asked Henku.

"We try to drive them off," Sayla said.

"But, there are hundreds of them!" Syrus protested from his perch by the radar console.

"That may be true, but we—" Her voice was cut off as a loud explosion echoed across the carrier's flight deck.

"What's going on now?!" she snapped, glancing back towards the windows.

"Not sure, Commander, but it seems as if something has bowled through a bunch of Zakos like they were ten pins!" the soldier said, disbelief on his face.

"What?" Sayla ran over to the windows of the bridge and peered out.

Her eyes widened as she watched what appeared to be a huge spike ball rolling across the deck of the ship, leaving Zakos littering the deck behind it.

"What in Primus name is that?!" she blurted.

"Not sure, sir," the soldier said, shaking his head. "It just appeared out of some kind of triangular dimensional portal."

The spike ball stopped rolling and the two halves began to separate, revealing a hidden Musha Gundam, one with a silvery V-fin and brown eyes, looking right at the bridge. From what she could see, the Gundam had black chest armor and his lower legs were brown. The armor on his arms was black and on his waist armor was the sigil of the Dark Axis, yet, he was fighting against them.

"Who _is_ that?!" Sayla blurted.

"Hold on! What's going on?" Kicker asked as he ran over to the bridge windows, peering out. "Hey! I don't recognize him!" he snapped, pointing.

"Looks like he's against the Dark Axis," Zane mused.

"But…" Kicker fell silent just as Henku turned to face the commander.

"Hold on! Incoming objects!" he yelled.

"What? What kind of objects?" Sayla snapped.

"Looks like high velocity impact shells," the corporal said.

"Who fired them?" Sayla asked.

"It looks like…HOLY SLAG! THAT'S A MUSHA!" Henku cried.

"Huh?" Sayla's head whirled to lock her gaze onto the Musha perched on top of one of the planes.

She could see that his hands were replaced with guns that had huge claws on them. It looked like he was meant for combat, both close range and long range. His eyes were also brown, but a lighter shade than the spike ball Musha's eyes. He had a red V-fin and his armor was mostly black and purple. On his shoulder pads was the same sigil.

"…" She was silent as she looked around for any other unidentified Musha Gundams.

A blur of grey-blue caught her eye. She turned to face it, in time to see a Musha Gundam with blue-grey armor and what appeared to be flame-like shoulder armor and helmet crest stop, his own grey-brown eyes scanning from side to side, a huge golden blade in his hands. He too bore the same sigil as the other two.

The massive hammer that the fourth Musha held made him stand out the most. His helmet looked sort of like a pirate's, but the "wings" sticking out of the back of his armor contrasted. His armor was a dark purple with hints of red and gold, while his eyes were brown like the other three. He also had the same sigil.

"What…?"

"Fifth Musha! Over on the starboard side!" Zane exclaimed.

"What?!" Again, she spun. Her eyes widened as she stared as a bolt of lighting lanced out from nowhere, striking a squadron of Zakos in front. When the explosion faded from view, she could see that the one responsible was a black Musha with an electric armor design, almost similar to Voltage's, but not exactly. For one thing, he had lightning points sticking out from his shoulder pads, a lightning-shaped V-fin, and lightning-designed wings. His eyes were an intense brown color and he too bore the same insignia as the other four.

He held in his hands a single sword, but he was capable of great damage.

A younger, smaller Musha peered out from behind the larger.

His eyes were a bright, youthful brown and he didn't have a mouthpiece to cover his mouth, which was hanging open at the mere sight of the carrier. He carried on his back a small axe and his symbol was planted directly on his chest, unlike the other four. He clearly looked like a kid.

The seventh Musha to make his appearance did so right then and there.

He was clearly a ninja of some sort, Sayla guessed. His snake-like armor resembled that of a Cybertronian whistle snake. His brown eyes were clearly visible against a red eye screen background. She couldn't see his symbol, but she guessed that it was placed right on his forehead. He had claw-like fingers and twin blades on his lower arms that suggested he was skilled in hand-to-hand combat. His armor was mostly black, but there were hints of red along his body.

"Hey! That's the snake we saw back in the woods!" Syrus yelped.

"Yeah. Looks like we've got more Dark Axis Gundams to contend with!" she hissed.

The teenage commander grabbed her gun and flicked the master safety switch off. "Besides, I'm not going to be taking any more chances."

Syrus gulped.

It was common knowledge amongst the group that if Sayla flipped the master safety on her gun off, she wasn't going to be holding back, like she normally did.

Without the master safety on, she could switch between gun modes simultaneously and still be able to use her gun's primary mode. In short, it disabled the limit of modes she could use.

"Sayla, you really have to consider their actions. Do they act like Dark Axis soldiers?" Zane asked.

"No, but they could be pulling a trick. Ever think about that?" she asked softly.

"…" Zane fell silent.

"Plus, Shute and Captain are out there. They could be in trouble!" she spat.

Zane tensed. "They're out there in the middle of a potential death field?!"

"Yes. So, I'm not going to be taking any more chances. Especially after what happened to Baku and ever since this whole thing began!" Sayla said.

She cradled her gun in her arms and ran out of the bridge, but not before snapping out an order to Henku. "You have the bridge!"

"Aye!"

* * *

**She emerged out** onto the deck of the carrier, her gun held at the ready. Sure enough, she could make out the huddled forms of Shute and Captain crouched behind a plane.

"Shute! Captain!"

They couldn't hear her over the constant fire of the bullets from the Zakos as they tried to strike down the Mushas that attacked them from six different angles.

"YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She let out a battle cry as she charged into the fray, gun blazing away at the enemies.

Scores of Zakos fell as the bullets impacted them. Each Zako bore a hole in its head, body, or limb as it fell. Most didn't survive the first round of high-velocity shells.

"SHUTE! CAPTAIN! I'M HERE!" she yelled. She swept the gun from side to side as the bullets kept coming. A Zako cried out as its arm was severed by about ten bullets, falling to the deck in a moaning heap.

"CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME?!"

No answer from the two forms. Instead, Shute looked up and waved his hands. She responded with a burst of firepower from her gun as she neared them.

The last Zako fell to the deck and she leapt over the twitching body.

"You guys are crazy! You can't be out here in the middle of a fight!" she explained.

"We didn't know. Plus, we couldn't leave without being spotted," Shute explained, looking at the ground sheepishly.

"Well, the bad news is that all three of us are stuck outside the bridge, but the good news is that we can still get back there," Sayla said.

"How can we?" Captain asked.

"Like this." Sayla flipped three switches on her gun and the barrel elongated as a targeting scope came out.

She stood up and motioned for the two to get behind her.

"C'mon!" She pulled the trigger and a burst of fire came from the front of her gun, forcing three Zakos back.

She swept it around, creating a shield of fire before firing off a few more rounds.

Shute caught on instantly and he fell behind Sayla, holding his glue gun at the ready. "Captain! C'mon!" the boy cried.

The Gundam fell behind the boy, his V-rods ready to fire if necessary.

"Zako!"

A Zako jumped them, but Sayla spun and slashed with her gun as a stream of fire came from the barrel. The fire wave created melted the Zako's armor at close range, making it fall back, optic dark and lifeless. She looked back and motioned with her head to follow. Both did so.

However, they failed to notice the Zako creeping up behind them…

* * *

_In space…_

Dartz gripped the controls for his starfighter, forcing jets of hot gas from the maneuvering thrusters, putting it into a barrel roll.

His opponent did the same, but Dartz pushed the throttle to full, and accelerated to his top speed. The smaller, green and black fighter sped past the larger mono green craft, making the cockpit's optic lens flare red in anger.

"Try and catch me now, Zako creep!" he yelled, even though he knew that no noise could get outside the canopy.

The green fighter sped after his own, and Dartz grinned.

He reached out and pressed a button on the console of his ship, a button with the Seal on it.

As his finger pressed it down, the Seal, emblazoned on his starfighter, flared bright green before spinning at top speed. The power lines along the seal began to course with green energy, the light green circuits sending power to the cockpit and the other systems, causing it to undergo a transformation.

The short wings that were so common amongst the luxury class starfighters began to elongate into the standard issue combat wings for most fighters. Coverings on the other three engines opened to allow the flames to spew out in bursts just as the rudder extended up from the body of the craft, allowing the flaps on top to be revealed. The set of winglets on the front extended out to expose the three cannons hidden in the nose of the craft before snapping into a horizontal position. The name flared as the transformation was completed.

He brought his fighter around to face the Zako starfighter.

"EAT THIS!" he yelled.

He pressed twin buttons on the controls and the cannons mounted beneath the wings began to rotate at high speeds, sending bursts of Orichalcos energy right at the Zako.

The thing dodged to the side, forcing Dartz into a sudden spin using the thrusters on his ship.

It let loose a slew of missiles, but the man pressed a button on the console, one that depicted an image of an orb on it.

The shield materialized into existence, blowing the missiles harmlessly to pieces.

Dartz smirked as he pressed the button for his own missiles.

The three cannons let out belches of fire and compressed gas as the projectiles screamed through space towards the Zako.

Firing bursts of gas from its own jets, the Zako dodged the first, but the other two impacted with a huge explosion, sending out a huge fireball before it faded entirely.

All that was left was debris scattered about.

Dartz let out a sigh before he fired bursts of hot gas to turn his fighter to face the world before him.

The planet itself was a sight to behold. The land that made up forty percent of the planet was contrasting in red and green coloring. The oceans were a bright blue and he could see faint clouds, indicating an atmosphere suited for life. The one thing that puzzled him were the red spots on the continents and islands. Satellites orbited the planet, each one with a specific purpose, most armed for surveillance with cameras and long-ranged sensors. No colonies were visible, but he could see a small habitat on the only habitable moon in the system.

"Well, now this is interesting…" he mused.

He pressed the button to activate his comm system.

"Attention leader of this planet. Can you hear me?" he asked.

A screen popped up, the face of the leader glaring at him.

"_Who is this?!_" the leader demanded.

"This is Dartz, the leader of the Allies of the Orichalcos! I want to speak with you urgently!" Dartz said.

"_And might I ask why?_" the leader asked.

"You ever hear of the Dark Axis?"

"_What?! How do _you_ know of them?!_" the leader hissed, his bug-like eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"That's none of your business!" Dartz said.

"_Tell me now, and I won't contact our commander-in-chief!_" the leader snarled.

"Who would be your commander-in-chief?" Dartz asked urgently.

"_Like I would tell you!_" the leader spat.

"Tell me now!" Dartz snapped.

"_No way!_" the alien remarked.

Dartz let out a growl of anger and frustration as he gritted his teeth. "Why won't you trust me?"

"_You might be one of them! That sigil on your ship isn't like anything we've ever seen!_" the leader snapped.

"That is the Seal of the Orichalcos. And here. Maybe this will convince you," Dartz explained, holding out a data chip with a Zako face on it.

"_Hey! If you think that that's gonna convince me that you guys are against them, then you're wrong!_" the leader hissed, his eyes narrowing.

* * *

**President Ju'chi O'hari** narrowed his eyes as the man on the screen held up a chip with a Zako face on it.

"Hey! If you think that that's gonna convince me that you guys are against them, then you're wrong!" he snapped.

"_What will convince you?_" Dartz asked.

"If you can convince me that you are against them, _then_ I might consider speaking to you, but until then, we'll have to assume that you are with the enemy. That's how things work here in the Federation," O'hari said simply.

"_Federation? As in the Intergalactic Federation?_" Dartz asked, suddenly awed.

O'hari nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"_That is the whole reason I came to speak with you! To tell you about the danger that the Dark Axis poses to all of existence!_" Dartz exclaimed.

"We're already well aware of that!" O'hari spat.

"_You know of their plans!?_" Dartz blurted.

"Yes. Mimi and her people came through big time with uncovering the Dark Axis plans. We learned that they hunger to become gods and…" His voice cut off as Dartz's eyes widened.

"_They yearn to become gods?_" he asked, his voice soft.

Again, O'hari nodded. "Yeah. They do. And we're going to try and stop them."

"_That won't do much good!_" Dartz said, suddenly flippant. "_Your power won't be enough to stop them!_"

"And why not?" O'hari asked seriously.

"_There is no way to defeat the gods. They have powers far beyond mere mortals!_" Dartz cried.

"Well, we have something that may give us the upper hand."

"_And what would that be?_" Dartz asked skeptically.

O'hari smirked. "The _Destiny Star Drive_."

"_A…a Destiny Star class ship?_" Dartz's voice was soft with shock.

"Yeah. We don't know much about it, just that it can warp space and time. Although we noticed something odd before a large explosion erupted in space during the war with Titan AE. The enemy ship seemed to stretch and then, the explosion. After that, there wasn't even a shred of debris remaining," O'hari explained.

Dartz seemed to lose the ability to stand upright, for he slumped back in the cockpit chair, eyes wide in amazement and…was that fear in his eyes?

"Dartz?"

"_I…I never thought…that anyone would find it…_" he murmured.

"Why? Is that bad?" O'hari asked.

Dartz shook his head. "_No. It's just that…your ship…is one of the only two Obliterator subclass ships out there._"

"Wait. Obliterator subclass? What does that mean?" O'hari asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"_It means that your ship has the capacity to do what no other ship can do: destroy large forces using the one thing no force, even light, can escape from: a black hole._"

O'hari's eyes widened at the words _black hole_. He felt his legs go weak and he had to cling onto the sides of his desk just to stay upright. His face paled beneath his tannish-green skin, giving him the look of having been dumped in mud.

"You…that can't be right…No one can make a black hole and control it…absolutely no one…" he murmured, still stunned.

Dartz nodded. "_Well, it's true. Your ship is the only one that can do that. Warping space and time is only one of the abilities that it possesses._"

"Only one…?"

"_Yes. Only one of its special abilities._"

"What others…does it…possess?" O'hari asked softly.

"_It can change its configuration to be able to travel across any terrain. For instance, it can become a submarine for underwater missions, and it can be used in atmospheric battle. For land, its landing skids can be used like tank treads, making it a mobile command center._"

"How is it you know so much about it?" O'hari asked, now getting suspicious and worried at the same time.

"_We only heard rumors about it, but the real shock came when we heard about the utter destruction of Titan AE,_" Dartz told him.

"I asked you a question!" O'hari hissed.

Dartz seemed to become afraid of O'hari at that point. "_Okay. To be honest, we only know what we heard in legends. Other than that, nothing else. The real mystery is its power source. That's the one thing no one has been able to solve._"

O'hari narrowed his eyes.

"_According to legends, of course,_" Dartz hastily added.

"What about the Dark Axis?" O'hari asked, getting right to the point.

"_That's another thing. I know a little bit about what they're after. If you would just let me talk with you, maybe we can settle this distrust between us._"

"What do you know?"

"_Not much, just that it has to do with some dragon._"

O'hari gasped.

"Okay. We'll talk."

"_Thanks._"

* * *

_On Earth…_

Sayla let out a yell of rage and anger as the Zakos blocked her path. Three of them had jumped Captain, and now, he had been captured. And all because she had let her guard down.

She gritted her teeth as the Zakos swarmed towards the gate, the limp form in their grasp. There had to be something that she could do, and fast!

"NO! YOU WON'T GET AWAY THAT EASILY!" she yelled, her eyes flashing in anger.

"Zako! Just try us!" a Zako spat.

"I will!" Sayla yelled.

"I think not," a mysterious voice said.

"What?!" Sayla skidded to a stop. "Who's there?"

As if in response to her statement, the gate began to shimmer. Sayla tensed as she watched a strange new Gundam emerge from the gate, holding a wicked-looking sword. The Gundam had no irises on the green eye screens that glared right at her. His armor red and deep maroon with hints of black on his arms, legs, and chest. His wings resembled those of a dragonfly and he had a strange wing-shaped crest on his helmet. In his other hand he held a shield stamped with twin dragon heads on it.

"…" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"My name is Epyon, and I…will devour you," the Gundam murmured.

"Epyon? Never heard of you!" Sayla snapped.

"Hrgh!" Epyon drew back his sword and prepared to strike.

"Hold it!" Zero's voice echoed as he flitted down from the bridge. His eyes were small with horror as he stopped in a hover in front of her. "Do you have any idea who you're going up against?"

Sayla shrugged. "Some Gundam named Epyon. Big deal."

"He's Berserker Epyon, and he can absorb those who are wounded by his sword. If you get scratched, he'll absorb you and take your powers!" Zero explained.

"Feh. I don't have any special powers," Sayla scoffed.

"He'll take your Aura Shockwave!"

"…" She fell silent at that.

"He's also the most evil Gundam that I've faced. So be careful! If possible, try to destroy the sword, but don't touch it or use it!" Zero pleaded.

"Right!" Zero flitted off, barely avoiding Epyon's strike.

Sayla gritted her teeth and glanced back at the gate, wondering if she should go after Captain, but her thoughts were brought back to the battle at hand when the sword nearly impaled her.

She dodged to the side, her hand shifting into laser sword mode.

"AGH!" She grunted as she blocked the strike intended to kill her.

"Shute! Rele! Go after Captain!" Sayla yelled.

"What? Why us?" Shute asked.

"You two are the only ones who can get there and back!" Sayla cried.

"How so?" Shute asked.

"Trust me! Once Epyon is defeated, we'll try to recalibrate the ship's spacebridge to be able to open a gateway to wherever you're going!" Sayla hissed through gritted teeth.

"But…Rele isn't here!" Shute protested.

"Yes, I am, Shute."

"Huh?" Shute turned in time to see Rele running out of the carrier's doorway and onto the flight deck, jumping over Zako bodies and wounded Zakos.

"Good timing, Rele," Sayla panted.

Shute turned to Sayla. "Be careful."

"I will. Now go! Captain needs you!" Sayla ordered.

"Right!" Both children turned and ran down the flight deck towards the rapidly closing gate.

"Now, you're mine!" Epyon shouted, his wings flaring as she brought her foot up in a kick that would take a normal human's head off.

"HAH!" Her foot made contact with the side of his jaw, sending him tumbling to the right of her body. She planted her left hand on the ground and spun, slashing and kicking before she stopped and sprang upright with a hand spring.

"Devour!"

"I don't think so!" She slashed as hard as she could. "AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

Epyon didn't say anything, but merely spread his wings and transformed. The shockwave struck, but not before Epyon opened his twin mouths and let loose a burst of lightning and wind. The combined attacks canceled it out, catching her by surprise.

"GAH!"

She barely dodged the tail as it impaled the deck of the carrier.

The teenage commander turned her right hand back to normal, grabbing a grenade and arming it. She narrowed her eyes as the wyvern transformed back into the Gundam from before.

"EAT THIS!" she yelled, tossing it like a fastball.

The evil Gundam merely scowled and swung his sword, exploding it with incredible force.

Sayla glanced back at the gate, seeing Shute and Rele head inside just before it closed up.

"Primus watch over them now," she murmured before blocking another sword strike.

* * *

_On Gilar…_

O'hari stood behind his desk, back to Dartz as he entered. He spoke without even turning.

"Dartz."

"…" Dartz was silent as O'hari turned to face him.

"I'm President Ju'chi O'hari of Gilar. We are one of the worlds that make up the Federation," he said, introducing himself.

"Pleasure to meet you," Dartz said as he extended his hand. O'hari grasped it in a firm grip and returned the handshake.

"And you. Now, you said that you knew something about them over the transmission and that it had to do with some dragon, right?" he asked, referring to their prior communications.

"Wrong."

"Huh?" O'hari cocked his head.

"They were monitoring the transmissions, so I had to say that. In truth, we managed to send in a scout and he was totally surprised by the plans they had for the Soul-Drives they were making," Dartz said seriously.

"What? They had plans for them?" O'hari cried, stepping back in shock.

Dartz nodded grimly. "Yes. And this is major."

"Tell me."

"Okay. You got any screens lying about?" Dartz asked.

"Here." O'hari tossed him a blank screen. "That's the only one I got."

"Good. It'll do. Now, look here." Dartz began to draw as he explained. "Here's the main command center and here's the main cargo elevator. Over here to the left of the elevator is a hidden shaft that has a maintenance ladder bolted to the wall inside. He went down that ladder and stumbled upon a bunch of Gundam bodies, all with their chests open, ready for battle. Every one had been built and all that was needed was a Soul-Drive to power each and every one of them."

"Whoa whoa whoa! Back up! They _built_ Gundam bodies? I thought they took stuff!" O'hari blurted.

"Well, apparently, they can and they did. Now, here's where things get really unbelievable," Dartz said.

"How so?"

"Ever hear of ghosts?" Dartz asked simply.

O'hari's eyes widened in confusion. "Ghosts?"

"Yeah. You know, spirits, souls, and that kind of stuff."

"What do souls have to do with any of this unless…Wait! We already knew that!" O'hari snapped at him.

"You knew that they were using organic human souls to power them?" Dartz asked in shock.

O'hari nodded. "Yeah. It's common knowledge amongst the Federation leaders."

"Great. Just great. And I sent that report for nothing," Dartz moaned.

"Wait. Report? What kind of report?"

"A report from the Wanderer himself. He said that he helped a being escape from a prison camp of some kind and that the Dark Axis must be stopped, no matter what," Dartz replied.

"Wait. You mean the one that was recently sent out to the military?" O'hari asked.

"You got it?" Dartz murmured in shock.

O'hari nodded his head. "Yes."

"Well, then I see no reason to form an alliance with you."

"Is that why you came? To form an alliance?" O'hari asked.

"Yeah. Basically."

"…" O'hari fell silent as he looked back out the window before turning to speak with Dartz directly. "Anything else you can tell us?"

"About what?" Dartz asked.

"The Gundam bodies they built."

Dartz grew thoughtful for a moment. "Well, there really isn't a whole lot to tell, just that they had three on reserve."

"What? They had three bodies on reserve?" O'hari asked, stunned at this news.

Dartz nodded. "Yeah. Not sure why though. It doesn't make much sense."

"…I've got to inform her about this," he murmured, reaching for the comm.

"Wait. Not yet. It's best if I go with you," Dartz said.

O'hari fell silent as he considered this.

Dartz bit his lower lip, expecting a negative response.

"Well, all right, but if you try anything…" His voice fell silent as Dartz looked at him.

"Okay."

The two turned and left the office, unaware of how important this would be for the whole organization and the war in general.

* * *

_SDGIGSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Epyon growled as the energy from the spirits around him coursed into his body, preventing him from moving, let alone being able to summon his powers._

_Ever since that damned Winged Knight Zero trapped him in this realm, he had been unable to fulfill his mission and annihilate the Gundam Force. He felt so foolish, so helpless, so weak and angry at himself for allowing that knight to kill him._

_As he floated there, powerless, he thought that he felt something flit by him._

_He tried to move his head, and found that he could, but slightly._

_He turned to the side, and he stared in amazement as a black form hovered close to him, not saying a word, but it held out a sword: a familiar red sword, the Evil Sword Epyon._

_He struggled to reach out, and his hand barely clenched around it. The hilt's touch sent power flooding through his body, boosting his power and strength back to normal levels._

"_Thank you," he murmured._

_The form merely nodded, something gleaming right where its eyes would be…_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

That had freed him from the prison he had been trapped in for many months after the war had ended. He felt gratitude, but also anger for allowing someone else to free him. It was a strange mix. Nonetheless, he was now able to finish his mission. But first, he had to exterminate this female organic who stood in his way.

The dark Gundam slashed as hard as he could, the blade intended to impale the female human on his sword, but she grabbed onto the blade with both hands. He could see her body tensing with the strain of just holding it back.

"Devour…"

"I don't think so!" she hissed.

She pumped her arms upward, then down, wrenching his sword clean out of his grasp!

"NO!" Epyon spread his wings and lunged forward, forcing her to dodge to the side, one hand clenched around the hilt.

"LADY SAYLA! What are you thinking?!" the voice of the Winged Knight cried out.

A spark of hope flared within Epyon. Here was his chance to kill that knight and end the Royal Knights forever!

The female organic, Sayla, spun. "Zero!"

The knight hovered to a stop in front of her. "How could you?! I told you to not use that sword!"

"Doesn't matter right now, does it?" she snapped.

Epyon grinned beneath his mouthpiece and lunged outward, his hands going for the knight's throat. "Devour!"

"No, you won't!" Sayla snapped. She gripped the sword and swung as hard as she could, the blade flashing in the flames.

Epyon sneered. As if he could be harmed by his own weapon! It had been built for him and him alone. He stood still as the blade struck.

**_SCRINCH!_**

Pain!

Lots and lots of pain!

This hadn't been what he had been expecting!

He stared down at the injury caused by the sword, right through his torso. What had he been thinking?! She had used his own weapon against him! How dare she! She was a mere organic, not a Gundam! How could she use it?!

"Let's see how _you_ like being devoured, you freak!" she spat.

She pushed the sword in further, releasing more waves of pain that threatened to offline him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

She angled it upward right into his Gunsoul.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He unleashed an animalistic cry of pain that made her squint her eyes, but she didn't stop on the attack. Something began to spread outward from the sword, and it wasn't the blackness of the Dark Mana he used to absorb others with. No. This was much different.

It was a bluish color, but also, a bright golden with hints of silver and red. The gems on the sword's blade flashed from green to bright red, then to blue.

He could feel his body fading from view, fading from existence and his power…It was flowing into the sword, making her stronger!

"SAYLA!" Zero roared.

The dark Gundam cried out as his body and Gunsoul became pure energy and were absorbed into the sword.

"_I will devour yoooouuuu…_" His voice trailed off as he was finally absorbed.

Sayla stood there, the sword in her hands, panting heavily, sweat staining her uniform and her gun streaked with the stuff.

"Mana…" Zero was stunned at the change that had occurred. No one had been able to tame the Evil Sword Epyon other than Epyon himself! And she had absorbed him with it, without becoming tainted by its evil magic. Was there something in humans that had caused this change? If so, what was it?

* * *

_In the depths of the Dark Axis main base…_

"Talk!"

"AGH!"

The energy whip lashed across his armor, making him cry out in pain. The area sparked, making him hiss in agony. He braced for it to impact him again, but when it didn't, he took the brief time to reflect on his capture.

As soon as they had jumped him, he had been knocked out and he had woken up in this torture chamber in the depths of what he guessed to be the Dark Axis headquarters. Ever since he had woken up, he had been tortured to try and gather information. So far this was his second day trapped here, and he had accumulated three scratches on his armor, his flight boosters were nicked here and there, and one of his eyes had a scratch across it.

"Well? You ready to talk, Gundam?" Guardian purred, stepping closer to his battered form.

"N-never!" Captain hissed.

"Fine. We'll just let you stay here for another day or so. By then I'm sure you'll be ready to talk."

"As if, slagger!"

Guardian spat in his face.

The spit hit Captain, making him groan in disgust.

"See you tomorrow, Gundam!"


	45. Infiltration and the TriElite Arrives!

Chapter 6

_Freedom is as important as we want it to be. Without freedom, there is no hope, and no chance of recovery from the dark shackles that make up the bondage of darkness, oppression and greed._

The quote from the Ancients always made Sh'boni feel proud of her people and their incredible might. But, today, it made her feel weak and powerless. The one thing that made her feel strong now was the sense that someone was going to aid them in the fight against the Dark Axis, for someone had indeed aided them when all had seemed lost.

She stood on the top of her ship as it descended, unseen and unnoticed, onto Blazia's central complex.

The leader stood outside the main building as if expecting her, which she sort of was.

"Are you Sh'boni?" she called up.

Sh'boni could sense her suspicion for seeing her standing on top of a cloaked ship, thinking her to be some kind of a goddess from ancient mythology. She simply nodded her head.

The ship landed before uncloaking.

The leader's eyes widened in shock and amazement at the sheer size of the vessel. The ship on which Sh'boni stood was as large as an Earth ship called a freighter, but much wider for more cargo space. The wings were short, as it was customary for all freight ships due to the fact that they had to haul a lot of cargo. Freighters were also heavily armored to prevent loss of cargo and crew. This one had had that feature removed for greater speed, but still retained the strength of the armored layers. The sigil for the Chosen, a bright blue crystal with a laser lancing out in four directions, shone in the light from the sun as the ship settled onto the landing pad.

Sh'boni hopped off the top of the ship, using the power of the Chosen Crystal hanging around her neck to hover down gently.

"Wow…I never expected a ship like this," the leader murmured.

"Yes. This is our flagship, the _Chosen Crystal_. It is our most important ship, even though it has a brief history as a freighter," Sh'boni explained.

"I figured," the leader smirked.

"Are you by any chance Sandra Johnson of Blazia?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. That's me."

"Good. I must speak with you immediately."

"Why?" Sandra asked.

"To talk to you about the Dark Axis," Sh'boni stated.

"We already have a bit of data on them, but not much. It only fills about point two percent of the supercomputer's memory files," Sandra replied.

"Point two percent? How much data can it hold?" Sh'boni wondered.

"Almost as much as Vector Sigma, but what we've gathered isn't much," Sandra admitted.

"I see. What data do you have on them?"

"Only information about the concentration camps that we've gathered, a few eyewitness accounts to battles involving them, a few battle tactics we've managed to copy, almost zero weapons data, interviews with organizational refugees from outside our boundaries, a report from the Wanderer, which isn't much, and countless intergalactic waveband broadcasts, warning everyone about them," Sandra explained.

Sh'boni nodded. "I see. Anything else?"

"Well, we are currently studying something called a Soul-Drive, and we're trying to figure out why the Dark Axis is starting to mass produce them," Sandra replied.

"Soul-Drives?" Sh'boni's voice grew soft, almost like a whisper.

"Yes, why?" Sandra asked.

"They stole the technology needed to create such a device from us. We found out when we captured one of their leaders, a robot named Burn. He informed us that there were hundreds being mass produced a year, but he didn't say how or why," Sh'boni said softly.

"…" Sh'boni noticed that Sandra had gone silent. "Something wrong?"

"They…they use…"

"They use what?" Sh'boni asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"You know how they are created?"

The Chosen leader shook her head. "No. Do you?" Sh'boni asked.

Sandra nodded slowly. "Yes."

"How?"

"First, tell me what you know and I'll tell you what we know," Sandra said.

"Are you sure?" Sh'boni asked.

Sandra nodded, determination visible in her eyes. "Yes."

"…" Sh'boni thought about it, turning over different concepts. If they knew something about how they were created, then maybe the Chosen could figure out a way on how to stop it for good. Then again, if they were with the Dark Axis, then things would backfire and the Galaxy Organization would fall. "Okay. But be warned: the Chosen don't tolerate any kind of treachery."

Sandra pursed her lips and nodded. "Right."

Sh'boni wondered if this small power could even defeat them…

* * *

_In another dimension…_

The battles had ended weeks before, but the planet was still in a state of destruction and as a result, it was completely vulnerable. The ruins of Blanc Base were still attached to the cables, but they were battle-scarred and looked as if they would fall apart at any time. The base itself was a mass of twisted wreckage and blasted metal fused with the great glass dome that encased the natural parts. The runways were missing and one was still hanging on but barely as it was.

Gunperries flew around the ruined base, keeping an eye on things as the former city struggled to repair itself. Even now, Chief Haro marveled at how well the Mobile Citizen population had adjusted to being outfitted with weapons. There had been no rebellions, no outbreaks of machine versus human, but rather, a state of acceptance, and, miraculously, a state of…unity between the machine and human populations. The newly equipped Mobile Citizens had been assigned the designation of Neotopian Army Reserve Forces, or the NARF for short.

Mayor Gathermoon, having proposed this plan to the World Union, had pushed for years to have it passed into law, but they had declined, fearing a rebellion outbreak if they were equipped. But, when the planet had been in danger of being overrun, seeing as they had no other options, they had passed it with the greatest of reluctance. Nonetheless, the law had been passed, and after a lull in the fighting, they had been outfitted for battle.

The next few months had been some of the toughest, forcing untrained Mobile Citizens into combat, but they had adapted quickly, proving that even without weapons, they were capable of combat tactics and planning. The Dark Axis had been caught by surprise when a force of Mobile Citizens and humans had attacked their central base located near the capital of the planet, forcing them to retreat back to their next base.

It had taken eight months, but they had been driven away.

Now, as he watched from the ruins of the base, he wondered how the Gundam Force was doing in the unknown dimension. He wondered if they had found some allies that could actually defeat the Dark Axis, and for good this time.

"Sir?"

Chief Haro turned to face his communications officer, Juli.

"What is it, Juli?" he asked calmly.

"Sir, the Gundivers just send back their report. There is no trace of anything unusual from what they can pick up," Juli replied.

"Not even a hint of a dimensional portal?" Chief Haro asked.

"Nothing at all, sir," she said, shaking her head.

"Captain…" Chief Haro was silent. He hoped to God that the Gundam Force was all right.

"But, they did send back some interesting data," Juli added.

"What?" Chief Haro turned to look at her.

"It's right here, sir." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a data screen displaying an unusual sigil.

"Hmm?" He took the screen and studied the sigil. It showed an image of the world shown in the image from Bell Wood's transport device, but with a set of twin gold rings similar to those of a Soul-Drive encompassing the image, crisscrossing in front of the world, a red robotic face planted on the image of the twin rings and the planet, the words Intergalactic Federation scrawled across it in pure silver.

This image seemed to inspire a sense of unity, yet diversity at the same time. It confused him.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Apparently, the sigil is from some kind of dimensional portal," Juli explained.

"So…they have dimensional travel…" Chief Haro took in this information with interest. If this new dimension's inhabitants had dimensional travel, then they would have no doubt attracted the interest of the Dark Axis, and if they were interested, they would attack the dimension and no doubt control it. And if they controlled it, then the Gundam Force would be…

"No…"

"Sir? Is something wrong?" Juli asked.

"Yes. If this dimension has dimensional travel, then they no doubt have attracted the Dark Axis's attention. And the Gundam Force is trapped there…" His voice trailed off, leaving her to imagine the worst possible.

"In short, it's over for them?"

"Yes it is, unless we can bring them back," Chief Haro said grimly.

"_Sorry, Chief, but we can't,_" Bell Wood said over the comm. On the screen, Chief Haro could see that the scientist was clearly overwhelmed with the work of trying to reestablish contact with the Gundams and Shute. His hair hung over his eyes and he looked like he hadn't slept for three days.

"Why not?" the chief asked.

"_Apparently, there seems to be some kind of network blocking the dimensional communications signals,_" Bell Wood explained.

"Can you tell me what makes up the network?" Chief Haro inquired.

Bell Wood rubbed his eyes before guzzling down a cup of coffee. "_Some kinda system they use for transporting goods and beings between their worlds. That's all I can tell ya, Chief_."

"Not good…"

"Sir? What'll we do?" Juli asked.

"…" Chief Haro fell silent as he pondered.

"Chief Haro?"

"…Keep trying," the SDG commander said.

"_Huh?_" Bell Wood looked at the camera.

"Keep trying to reestablish contact. We need to warn them," Chief Haro ordered.

"_Roger that!_"

The scientist cut off the communications channels, but before the screen closed down, a burst of static filled it before garbled words came through.

"_Hold on! Receiving…mission…it…now!_"

The static began to clear, revealing a very fuzzy image of the Dark Axis main base's central command center. The image was of poor quality, so all they could see were shadowy forms. The words, however, were clear.

"Huh?" Chief Haro's "ears" flipped slightly, tossing his hat loosely over one of his eyes.

"_Well, it seems as if we're about to find out what the Federation knows about the Superior Dragon,_" a voice said.

"_And what would that be?_" a new voice asked.

"_I'd rather not say,_" the first voice said.

"_If it has to do with that Neotopian that was nabbed, then you're mistaken, Gerbera_."

"…" The first speaker was silent.

"_Look. You're mistaken, and you know it_."

"_Wrong, Burn. They were there, and they are beginning to uncover the power that we seek. They are not like the others we have conquered. I have seen their power and it is beyond anything we have encountered. The power they wield is incredibly destructive, yet it also enables life to be given anew,_" Gerbera said.

"_But, what is this power?_" Burn asked.

"_That is unable to be determined. There is also a matter of the humans that inhabit that organization._"

"_What do the humans have to do with this?_" Burn asked harshly.

"_Simple. They're the ones who wield this power, as well as the others that inhabit it._"

"_In short, humans are the ones who wield this power and they can use it?_" Burn asked, stunned.

"_Yes, and it makes them very meddlesome. If they gain their hands on the Superior Dragon, then it is over, for they will destroy all of us Gundams and we will be nothing more than slaves,_" Gerbera said.

"…" Burn was silent.

"_I must go. I will try to talk to our prisoner myself._"

With that, the image was cut off and the screen shut down.

Chief Haro stared in shock and amazement. The humans inhabiting the unknown dimension, part of an intergalactic power called the Intergalactic Federation, were the ones who had given them so much trouble during their time there? And they were looking for the Superior Dragon to boot? What was their motive for searching for it? Were they really looking for it to defeat the Dark Axis forever? And the Neotopian prisoner they mentioned, was it Guneagle, Shute or Captain?

"Chief Haro? What's the plan?" asked Juli.

"…We wait to see if we can establish contact with the Intergalactic Federation," the SDG chief said softly.

"Why?"

"It's important that we do so. I have a feeling that this may determine the very fate of existence itself," Chief Haro said grimly.

"What? Determine the very fate of existence itself?"

"Yes. That transmission we intercepted mentioned a power, a power that was deadly, yet life-giving as well. I think that they are after something new rather than conquering other dimensions. I think they seek to become gods."

"What? But that's impossible!" Juli protested.

"It may be, but they are stubborn. The near takeover of our planet proves that."

"So, we have to wait for communications to be reestablished?" Juli asked.

"Yes. As much as I hate to say it, we have no other choice."

"…" Juli fell silent. She hated it as much as he did, and he knew it.

"Okay, sir. We'll wait."

"Good. After that, we'll see what can be done from our end."

Juli nodded with a slight hint of relief on her face.

* * *

_The war continues in other dimensions, from what Vector Prime can see, but the power that the Dark Axis seeks resides in the dimension of the Intergalactic Federation. He knows that the Federation is getting closer to uncovering the mysteries that surround it, yet it is also a futile gesture and effort. The Dark Axis knows where it is hidden, and the Federation doesn't. The enemy is getting closer, while the Federation remains in the dark about its location. Yet, the Federation is uncovering the mystery that surrounds the Soul-Drives, and the Dark Axis is unaware of this. They seem to be figuring out new angles that may lead them to solving the mystery of the Superior Dragon._

_It seems impossible, but it is happening._

_Something on one of the screens catches his optic and he looks over, bringing it closer for a better view._

_It shows a battle, one between an armored human and a Gun Utilizing Nano Driven Automated Mecha from the Dark Axis, but one that looks exactly like the Neotopian._

_He is surprised by this future outcome. He hasn't seen it._

_He looks back into the past and is shocked to see the abrupt capture of the mech, Subzero, after a fierce naval battle between the mother ship of the Dark Axis, the old ocean liner, the carrier, and the recon-combat ship._

_His spark stops beating in shock and amazement._

_They have captured a general, and are getting closer to the future they yearn for._

_He forwards to the future, just in time to see another fight, but this time, between a new GUNDAM and the demon mage called Shift. He closes down the screen, not wishing to see the outcome. He wants to be surprised._

_Vector Prime smiles. For the first time in history, a small power is making a difference. This small power, the Intergalactic Federation, may very well be the one described in the prophecy, although he doubts it a little._

_The Elders have forbidden him from making any changes in the time stream, but he knows that the outcome of this fight may force him to make a change that could very well leave the Federation and Dark Axis still battling, but without the intense energies from the Superior Dragon, if the need arises._

_He hopes it doesn't come down to that._

_For if it does, then the Elders will remove him from power. He can only hope that that emergency law isn't used, not at all._

* * *

_In the Dark Axis main base…_

The Dark Axis main base was a frenzy of activity as Zakos scurried around, each one focused on their assigned tasks. A few Gundams visible in the frenzy directed them, ordering them to carry out different tasks and commands. In all this chaos, no one took note of the two humans sneaking around in old Zako armor, one of them carrying some kind of device they had found in the storeroom.

"Ugh! Man! This is heavy!" Shute grunted beneath his armor.

"Well, maybe…Hold it! Down this way!" Rele said, motioning down another hallway. Shute followed, carrying the cumbersome device.

The boy barely made it as Shift walked past, his dark green eyes darting about, looking for organic intruders.

"…" Shute shuddered slightly. He still couldn't get used to Shift's appearance, much less the fact that he ate souls to boost his powers.

The demon mage stopped, almost as if he had sensed the two humans hiding. He glanced back, his gaze locking with their own. Shute felt for a moment that they had been discovered, but instead, he merely scowled before continuing on.

"I must get to the prisoner…" he murmured.

"…" Shute bit his lower lip. If they had a prisoner, then they had Captain! He glanced at Rele before she motioned him into an unused storeroom.

The boy dragged the device inside.

Rele closed the door and locked it before removing her armor. She turned to Shute, instantly catching on.

"Before you ask, yes, I heard. And I do have a plan, in case you're wondering," she said.

"Great! Tell me!" Shute chirped.

"Well, since we know that Captain may be being held in the prisoner section, we have to assume that it is highly guarded and that only select members can get in, such as Gerbera, or even Shift himself," Rele explained.

"Okay…" Shute wondered where she was going with this.

"So, in order to sneak inside, one of us will have to be disguised as Gerbera, or Shift."

"Hold on. What if they have sensors that will detect the spell?" Shute asked.

"Not this one."

"Alright, but since there's only two of us…" Shute suddenly got an idea. "How about we flip a coin? Heads, I get disguised, tails, you're disguised."

"Okay, but do you have a coin on you?" Rele asked hesitantly.

"Yes. I remember Sayla gave me an energon credit to use if I needed to buy something," Shute said.

"Okay."

Shute took out the credit and flipped it with his finger.

It landed in his hand and he slapped it on top of his wrist.

"Heads."

Rele nodded. "Okay, Shute. Take off that armor and hold still."

Shute nodded and immediately stripped himself free from the armor. Once he was out of the armor, he stepped away from it and Rele closed her eyes.

"Oh Mana, who dwell in all the universe!"

Her hands began to glow with a strange energy that Shute found unnerving. She stepped close to the boy, opening her eyes as she did so. She placed both her hands on Shute's body, one on his chest, directly in the center, and another on his forehead.

"What…?"

His voice trailed off as a strange sensation began to fill his body. He couldn't feel anything, other than the magic surrounding him. He closed his eyes and let the changes commence.

It took only two minutes, but it felt like it had gone on for two _hours_. As the magic faded from around his body, he was assaulted by all kinds of new sensations. His eyes snapped open and he staggered forward, overwhelmed by the sudden feelings in his body and outside.

"What…happened?" he asked. He clamped a hand to his mouth, hearing Madnug's voice coming from his own mouth. His hand touched something metal covering his mouth. He didn't even want to know, but he snuck a look down at his own body.

He nearly passed out at the sight of Madnug's chest.

"Rele!" He turned to face her, panic rising in his chest.

"Shute! Take it easy! This is the only way!" Rele assured him.

"Why? You just turned me into a Gundam!" Shute cried. "And I look like Gerbera!"

"It's the only way to sneak by them. Plus, this way, if there are any sensors, preferably X-ray scanners, they'll see only Madnug, and not some human in a disguise spell. Also, you'll have to act as though you captured me and are bringing me back to the prison section. Once there, the spell will wear off, and you'll return to normal," Rele told him.

"…" Shute was silent.

"The only real difference here is your personality, Shute. Trust me. If you act the part, they won't suspect a thing," Rele said, grinning.

Shute turned to face a reflective surface, and he studied his new reflection.

He could see the dark golden V-fin positioned right in the center of his helmet, which was a black color. His faceplate was dark grey and his eyes were now a purple color, but with the faintest hint of emerald green in there. The compartment that marked the Soul-Drive was also black with dark golden vents on either side of it and his shoulder pads were dark grey and black. His lower arms and legs were black with hints of gold on them, while his upper arms and legs were dark grey. On his back was a red laser rifle to complete the illusion. The one thing missing were the three flight boosters.

He turned to face her. "Uh, Rele, won't they suspect something when they don't see the flight boosters?"

The princess merely smiled. "Don't worry. You'll just have to tell them that I blasted them off, but the spell missed your back armor."

"Oh."

"Now, I want you to tie my hands in front of me," Rele said.

"But…" Shute was about to protest when she cut him off.

"How else will this plan be seen through to completion? If we don't do this, then they'll suspect something. We have to make it seem as convincing as possible. It's the only way to get to Captain," she said.

"…Well, now that you mention it…" Shute glanced around the room, his eyes darting around looking for rope, or something similar. Rele also helped out by fishing around in a small crate.

The search lasted for a few minutes before Rele grinned. "I found some cable."

"Huh? Cable?" Shute turned to look at her.

"Yes. This will do nicely."

"…All right…" Shute stepped towards the princess, still trying to get used to his new body. He nearly fell a couple times, but he managed to get over to her.

"Okay. Now, tie my hands in front of me," Rele instructed him.

Shute nodded and took the cable. "We have to make it seem convincing, so make sure it's nice and tight."

"I don't really know…" he murmured, eyeing the cable.

"Shute, if the bonds are loose, they'll suspect something. We need to do this right," Rele said.

He nodded and went to work.

A few minutes later, "Madnug" emerged from the storeroom, holding a "captive" Princess Rele in tow.

He didn't know what the Zako murmurings he heard were about, but he guessed that they were about the fact that he had "captured" an "intruder." To make it seem even more convincing, he squared his shoulders and tightened his grip on the cable in his hand. A Zako came scurrying up to him.

"M-Madnug, sir! What're you doing with that organic, zako?" it squeaked.

Shute shuddered slightly, but he glared at the Zako and spoke in Madnug's voice directly to the Zako. "I'm taking this organic to the prison sector."

"Why?"

"To see if I can gather some information about the Superior Dragon," Shute said.

"Oh! Zako! I can see that you've captured the princess, right?"

Shute nodded. "Yes. She tried to rescue the prisoner, but I caught her."

"Zako?"

Shute felt something in his chest suddenly seize up. He guessed it to be his Soul-Drive. "Where are your flight boosters, zako?" the Zako asked.

"She attacked me when I caught her, and she managed to blow them off, but the spell missed my armor, fortunately," Shute said, the lie slipping past his lips easily.

"Oh."

"Now, if you don't mind…" He tugged on the cable and continued down the corridor. Rele followed. She winked at Shute, making him feel slightly better, but not much.

'_Great. Where are the cells?_' Shute thought to himself. If he couldn't find the cells, then there was no way to see it through to completion.

He was so busy thinking that he failed to notice the form in his path.

"OOMPH!" The "Gundam" and human tumbled to the ground in a pile of arms and legs.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" Shute asked, forcing as much anger into his voice as possible.

"Hold on there, Gerbera."

Shute's eyes traveled up the form, only to have his gaze lock with that of Guardian. _'Slaggit!_'

"Are you taking her down to the prison section?" Guardian asked.

"Yes. I am," Shute said. He had to struggle to keep his voice from wavering.

"Here. Let me do that. Besides, there's a meeting in three hours. You're required to be there," Guardian said casually.

"…" Shute was silent at this. A meeting?

"See you there, Gerbera."

Shute felt the cable pulled out of his hand and he spun, nearly falling on his rear plate as he did so. He spread his arms to steady himself, but with limited success.

"Wait!" he cried.

"Hmm?" Guardian turned to look at him.

"Why are _you_ doing it? I was the one who caught her, so I should be the one to do it!" Shute snapped at him.

Guardian shook his head. "Sorry. You'd better let me do it."

Shute hesitated, but he forced himself to relax. "Alright. But make sure you don't harm my catch."

"I won't," Guardian purred.

He watched helplessly as the princess was dragged away down the corridor, her eyes full of silent pleading.

He backed down the corridor a little further, his hand groping for an open doorway. His hand found an open section of wall and he darted into another unused room. It surprised Shute how many rooms were unused in the Dark Axis.

He quietly shut the door and locked it.

Shute slumped against the door and let out a sigh of relief. At least now no one would bother him. He had to become more familiar with the body he now wore if he was to act the part convincingly. He had seen the suspicion in Guardian's eyes when he had nearly fallen over.

He stood up and looked around the room. "Okay. Good. No one's watching."

The boy/Gundam let out a breath and began trying out different moves, slowly becoming more comfortable with the way the body moved. He could feel his confidence increasing as he practiced. It seemed to him that this was taking forever. He didn't know how long he had been in here, but he knew that time was growing short.

Before he left, however, he wanted to check something out.

He glanced down at his chest and prodded the closed compartment with one finger. "How do I open this thing?"

His body responded. He could actually feel his systems unlocking a couple of latches, and it swung open, exposing a Soul-Drive similar to Madnug's, but with a concealed flame in the center of the lightning.

"So it _was_ my Soul-Drive…" he murmured softly. He closed up the compartment and opened the door. He poked his head out and glanced up and down the corridor. "Good. No one's here."

As soon as he stepped out into the hallway, however, he felt someone's hand clamp itself around his arm. He spun, looking right into Shift's eyes.

His Soul-Drive seemed to stop.

"Thou art late, Gerbera!" Shift hissed.

Shute felt a strange tingling sensation filling his body. He glanced down at his chest, and saw that a dark mist was covering both him and Shift.

"What…?" He blinked in shock.

"I am teleporting us both there. This way, we will not be late," Shift said.

Shute gasped as the mist closed over his face and he found that he couldn't breathe! His systems felt like thousands of pins and needles were stabbing them, and he felt something holding him tightly. '_Is this what teleportation feels like?!_' Shute thought to himself frantically.

Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, the strange feelings seemed to end and he gulped in air gratefully.

He fell to his hands and knees, hoping that someone didn't see him.

"Gerbera, you're late!" Guardian spat.

Shute glanced up, his Soul-Drive spinning faster in his chest.

"Sorry. I had something to take care of," he said, getting to his feet. He still felt shaky from the experience, but he didn't let it show.

"Well, take your seat. We're about to begin," Shibaomaru said.

Shute glanced at the empty seat. He hesitated slightly, but he sat down.

"Okay. The meeting can now commence."

"Do we even know why we are here?" Shift asked quietly.

"Simple, really. To discuss plans on how to infiltrate their main command center and free Subzero!" Shibaomaru snarled.

Shute let out an involuntary gasp. He had been brought to a war meeting!

"Gerbera? You okay?" Guardian asked.

Shute nodded nervously. "…Yes. I'm fine. I just didn't think that Subzero was that important to us."

"Well, he is. He used to be one of them before Shibaomaru enacted his 'project'. It was a success, and we reprogrammed the human, making him one of us. All thanks to you, of course," Shift purred.

Shute gulped.

"Now, as to how to rescue him, the methods we have are many, yet we only have very little time until they figure out what we did with him," Guardian said. He turned to look at Shute. "Any ideas, Gerbera?"

Shute hesitated, not knowing what to say. He bit his lower lip beneath his mouthpiece.

Guardian seemed to take this as thinking, so he turned away from him. "Hmm. Well, we'll get back to you. How about it, Shift?"

"Well, my idea is very simple. We use the newest soldier we are developing from another human and we'll get him to bring Subzero back. Once he's finished the task, his soul will be no more," Shift said.

Shute wrung his hands nervously beneath the table. He couldn't mess up, but he didn't enjoy being here. Determined to get this over with, he stood up.

"I have an idea," he said, trying to make himself sound confident.

"Hmm? You do, Gerbera?" Shibaomaru asked, cocking an invisible eyebrow.

Shute nodded. "Yes. Why not, instead of using the new soldier, we…dump…the new soldier outside the complex, and that will get the Federation guards to go investigate?"

"Your point?" Shift asked seriously.

"We use the opportunity to go in, find Subzero and get out. We could send Zako Red to head the Zako forces that will bring the soldier with and they can hold onto him while one of us goes in and gets him out," Shute explained.

"…" The other generals were silent.

His Soul-Drive seemed to leap into his throat at the silence. He wondered if it would even do the trick.

"Not a bad idea, Gerbera. Not bad at all. In fact, it seems as though it may work."

Shute glanced up. "I'm glad you think so," he said, feeling slightly better.

"Now that we have a plan in place, the meeting is dismissed."

Two of the other generals stood, but before they could leave, Guardian glanced at them. "Hold on. What about our prisoner? The Neotopian?"

Shute spun to face him.

"What about him?" Shift asked, glancing out of the corner of his eye.

"What will we do with him?"

"Give him to me. I'll deal with him."

Shute gulped nervously.

* * *

**The darkness that** enveloped him was absolute. There was no way he could see anything, especially since there was no way for him to activate his night vision sensors after that last interrogation.

His whole body was in pain, and his systems screamed at him every time he tried to move. His right eye was damaged and he could barely move his flight boosters due to the amount of mech fluid coating them. In his damaged state, there was no way he could make his escape plan work. The only option now was to go into absolute shutdown.

He closed his eyes and began the process of archiving his memories. It would take some time, and there would be no way to unlock him unless someone found him, but it would be worth it, for no one would be able to see into his memories once they were heavily encrypted.

Memories flitted through his mind as they were compressed and archived. He saw images of his time with Baku and Zero, and other times with his friends. Memories of his time with the Intergalactic Federation were archived in a secure area of his mind. The memories of Shute were the last thing to be archived, and he felt a pang of despair and sadness at not being able to say good-bye to his best friend.

As the memories were archived in the deepest, most secure area of his mind and heavily encrypted with the best firewalls he had, he finally resigned to the destiny the Fates had assigned him.

Blissful silence overcame him and his body shut down entirely.

* * *

**The door to** the meeting slid open and the generals filed out in single file, "Madnug" sneaking away to another area of the base.

Shute glanced back nervously, certain that someone would follow him. But, from what he could tell, no one was tailing him. He had to find the princess so they could get Captain out of here. However, where was the prison sector?

He couldn't remain out in the open for long. He wondered if anyone else would mistake him for Gerbera and bring him to someplace he didn't want to be in.

He shuddered slightly at the thought.

He had to find out where the prison sector was, and fast. His eyes darted about for anyone to talk to, any Zako for that matter. There were tons of them wandering around, holding everything from keys to boxes to prison locks…

Prison locks?

Shute looked at one of the Zakos carrying a prison lock in both hands, clearly looking hurried. "Zako!"

A grin spread beneath his mouthpiece.

He took in a breath and let it out, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

He approached the Zako.

"Where do you think you're going, soldier?" he asked, trying to sound as menacing as possible, which wasn't easy to do.

"Z-z-z-z-z-zako!" The poor Zako was so startled that it dropped the lock before leaning down and picking it up.

"I asked you a question!" Shute snapped.

"I-I was bringing this down to the prison sector, zako!" it squeaked out.

"And might I ask why?" Shute asked menacingly.

The Zako began to fidget nervously. "T-to replace one of the locks, zako. Apparently someone tried to bust free a few weeks ago, zako, and the lock needs to be replaced."

"Take me there, now!" he hissed, grabbing the Zako by its throat.

"Z-zako! Yes, sir!" the Zako gasped.

He released his grip on the Zako, and it scurried off, its "boss" right behind it.

Shute felt a bit proud of himself for having played the part to perfection, but at the same time, he felt a bit scared. He didn't like pretending to act like one of the Dark Axis officers, especially Madnug, but right now he had no choice. As soon as they had Captain, the spell would wear off and he would return to his human form.

The Zako periodically glanced back to see if Shute was still tailing it. He glared at the Zako.

"Zako!"

It increased its pace and Shute was now forced to jog to keep up.

'_Man! Who knew they could move so quickly?_' Shute thought.

The Zako led Shute through a maze of hallways and corridors, ducking in and out of a few rooms before stopping at a door that looked as if it hadn't been used in years.

"Z-zako! Here we are, sir."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some…" His voice trailed off as he stared at a Zako standing in front of the door.

"What is going on here?" he snapped, spinning to face the Zako.

"Z-zako, since we have two of the Gundam Force, Shift d-d-demanded that they be under constant guard. Not even I know the pattern, zako," the Zako admitted.

Shute let out a growl of frustration. There would be no way for him to get in there now.

"Zako?" The Zako cocked its head in confusion to "Gerbera's" strange reaction.

He turned and walked off, leaving a very confused Zako behind.

A sweatdrop ran down the side of the Zako's head.

"Zako?"

* * *

**Shute ducked into** an open doorway, and after getting behind a stack of crates, he placed his head in his hands. There was no way that he could get in there without having to tangle with Shift, especially if Captain was in there, even if he _did_ look like Gerbera.

"Okay. What would Sayla do if she were here?" he murmured. He tried to recall what she would do. He knew from seeing her in action that she would try to figure out the pattern that the Zako had mentioned, and then try to find a way in.

But the question here was how? How long did each shift, if there were any, last for? How many Zakos were there in total? There were so many unknown factors that made Shute frustrated. He gritted his teeth behind his mouthpiece as he clenched his hands into fists.

He sighed and looked out of the doorway, his eyes watching the Zako in front.

"Looks like I'm going to be here a while."

* * *

_On Cybertron…_

Optimus leaned against the doorway, a smile on his face as he looked at his caller. He knew that Powerglide, even after he had left, still retained _some_ Autobot honor and loyalty to his faction.

"…and that's why I came back to ask you for help, Prime."

"Powerglide, I somehow knew that you would," Optimus remarked as his smile grew larger.

"So, will you help?" Powerglide asked.

Optimus nodded. "Yes, but first I have to see if anyone else is busy right now so we can try to set up a meeting and try to formulate a plan of action."

"Why? I never knew that that was the procedure," Powerglide remarked.

"We made some new allies while you were gone. Earth isn't the only world in the alliance anymore. We have other organic worlds in it as well," Optimus explained.

"Cybertron and Earth joined with other worlds?" the Seeker asked in shock.

Optimus nodded in response. "Yes. That is how the Intergalactic Federation came into being."

"Then, it was your combined power that took down all those baddies?" Powerglide asked.

"And more, but the Dark Axis is the top priority here," Optimus reminded him.

Powerglide saluted in response. "I understand sir, and that is why I came to ask you for help."

"I figured, but there is another reason, right?"

"…" Powerglide fell silent.

"Powerglide, I'm right, aren't I?" Optimus asked gently.

Powerglide finally relented and nodded. "Yes. There _is_ another reason, and it concerns the other two powers, the UPA and the FI."

"Why would it concern those two?" the Autobot commander wondered.

"Apparently, in the wake of the threat, they have brushed it aside and have voted to do nothing except let them conquer all," Powerglide said grimly.

"Why would they do that?" Optimus asked, cocking an optic ridge.

"To try and keep their peoples safe. Those two slagger powers don't even understand what we do," Powerglide said through gritted teeth.

"That all existence is in danger?" Optimus inquired.

"Yes, but…how did you guys know?" Powerglide asked in disbelief.

"Kaija. The leader is a young woman named Mimi Kia, and she also happens to head the Federation Intelligence Agency, named after the CIA back in the US. She and her people were able to use the data we have been gathering on the Dark Axis and what they uncovered was the worst plan possible: to become gods," Optimus explained to his former soldier.

"But…how could they do that with just the barest amount of data?" Powerglide asked as his optics widened.

"We didn't have a bare amount. We have a pretty good sized accumulation, but it only takes up a fraction of the supercomputer's memory files."

"…" Powerglide was silent and Optimus could guess why. He hadn't heard of an organization uncovering a plan in as little time as the Federation did.

"Surprised, right?" Optimus said, grinning.

"No. Just shocked. You and President Anderson did a good job," Powerglide said, smiling behind his faceplate. "Hey, where _is_ Anderson anyhow?" he asked, looking around.

"Long story, Powerglide, long story," Optimus said as he put a hand on the Seeker's shoulder.


	46. Two New Allies Arrive!

Chapter 7

Guneagle peeped into Baku's room, his eyes searching for the Musha. He knew that Baku still didn't want to be touched after the experience with that glitch of a musha Shibaomaru, and he felt sorry for him.

The Musha wasn't in his bed, but he could see the form of the samurai Gundam lying on the couch, his helmet lying on the floor beside it. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even and steady.

The flyer didn't know what to think as he looked at the sleeping Gundam. He seemed so peaceful, so free from his pain…

He blushed as he looked away.

Guneagle wasn't sure why, but after that incident with Shibaomaru, Baku seemed to latch onto him, seeking comfort like a small child would. This made Guneagle worry as he looked at the sleeping form. "Baku…"

He still had trouble pronouncing the Musha's full name, but he could at least pronounce his nickname.

The flying Gundam crept in and stopped near the still Musha. "Baku…I…I'll make sure that you never go through that again. I promise."

* * *

_Somewhere else…_

Genmaru spat out the worms his brother had given to him. "Pfth! Couldn't you have…pft!...found something better?" he snapped.

"No. This was all I could find, Genmaru," Hikamaru said, holding out the wooden slab with worms wriggling all over it.

"No way! I am not eating worms!"

"We have no other food, and besides, that building over there looks heavily armed. There's no way we can sneak inside and steal food from them. Plus, that battleship's ramp isn't down, so we can't board to raid the food supply, and that old liner is elsewhere by now."

"How can you be so certain that that old thing was a passenger liner of some sort? It looked like a ghost ship to me!" Genmaru spat.

"Trust me. As I was hunting for worms, I overheard a few of this planet's defenders talking about it, and they mentioned that it had been upgraded from some old rusting ocean liner that sank someodd years ago. Wonder why they even bothered to refit it."

"Not sure, but…no more worms!"

"Hey! It's all I can find, okay? Unless you'd like to eat the fungus I found a few days ago!"

"No! I'm not about to become a savage!"

"Well, get used to it! It's all we've got, so just deal with it!"

Genmaru growled as he took the "plate" of worms.

* * *

_Back at the TCDA…_

T.J. let out a sigh as he approached the office of Cerverau, the resident engineer. He had just finished up a sparring session with Deed, and he needed to have his weapons checked to see if they needed to be upgraded.

The door to the engineer's office was open, which T.J. found odd, but he merely brushed it off as a coincidence.

The voices he heard inside were not.

Confused, the young mech plastered his body against the wall and wriggled his way over to the doorway, leaning in to try and hear what they were saying.

One of them was that of Guardian.

'_What? Why is Guardian here? And why is he talking with Cerverau?_' T.J. thought to himself. Now more confused than ever, he leaned in a little more.

"…did a good job, Agent C. They don't even know that you're a traitor," Guardian was saying.

"Well, I just do what you order me to," Cerverau said.

"Even so, they suspect nothing, do they?" Guardian asked calmly.

"Well, there is the matter of that Yashaki kid. She's getting a bit suspicious of me, but I could exterminate her if you wish," Cerverau sneered.

"This is your terrain. You do what you please, as long as it seems like an accident, got it?" Guardian said.

"Yes. I do, sir."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing else, aside from the human-starfighter. He's proven to be a bit of a hassle, but with any luck, I should have the next control chip finished and installed in his systems by early next week," Cerverau said.

"And if you fail?" Guardian asked, prodding the engineer onward.

"Then I will kill him," the engineer said with evil in his voice.

T.J. felt his spark stop at these words. Cerverau, a traitor?! How…?

He let out an involuntary gasp.

"Hmm? Who's there?"

T.J. clamped a hand to his mouth and swore in his mind as he engaged his stealth field. The form of Guardian peered out, looking around.

"Drat. I thought someone was out here," the Gundam said.

"Well, there may have been just a few Cybertronian whistle snakes about. They sometimes emit a gasp-like sound when startled," Cerverau explained.

"Okay…"

T.J. crept off, sure that this would be big news for the others.

* * *

_In the Dark Axis base…_

Shute peered out of the storeroom, keeping an eye on the Zakos walking by. There were dozens of them wandering around, so it was impossible to tell which one was standing guard. The Zakos, he knew were exactly alike, save for the different voices and personalities, making it even harder for him.

He decided to take a risk. Risk taking, he had learned, was sometimes the best option for achieving what you needed to do. He stood up and sighed before squaring his shoulders and stepping out from the storeroom.

"Zako!"

"Gerbera's coming, zako!"

"Zako! Let's beat it!"

"Zako!"

Zako cries echoed as he approached. He wondered if Madnug, or Gerbera, actually, caused this much fuss whenever he appeared.

As soon as he stepped around the corner, the Zakos were gone, save for a lone Zako standing in front of the door, shaking in its armor, its single optic darting about frantically.

"G-Gerbera, sir! W-what are you doing here, zako?" the lone Zako asked.

"I'm here to see the prisoner," Shute said.

"W-which one, zako?"

"The princess. I captured her two days ago when she tried to sneak in to rescue Captain," Shute replied.

"Z-zako! R-right away, sir, zako zako!" the Zako chirped.

The Zako fumbled for the keys and dropped them before blushing and dropping to the floor to pick them all up. It grasped the ring and stood up, gripping a large silver key. The Zako inserted the key into the lock and turned it. With a loud clanking, the door unlocked and the Zako pulled it open. "G-g-good luck, zako!"

Shute merely glared at the Zako as he stepped into the prison sector beyond.

The door closed shut behind him, sealing him inside.

He glanced back and gulped nervously. The door was locked tight, meaning he was trapped here. 'At least I'm armed.' Shute thought as his gaze drifted towards the gun on his back.

He grasped it and unhooked it from the spot.

"Okay. Time to find the princess and Captain," he murmured, hefting the rifle.

He began walking into the prison hallways. He could see several beings trapped in the cells along the walls cowering in fear as he walked past. He figured that they were somehow frightened of him.

A few hisses came his way, making him shudder. Insults and cursing were thrown at him as he passed by the cells, each containing prisoners of war, beings captured for amusement, or experiments that the real Madnug must have been carrying out.

He kept going, ignoring the beings that insulted, jeered, and cursed at him.

It seemed like it took forever, but he finally reached the end of the hallway after thirty minutes, unaware of what lay beyond the door.

* * *

_Back in the Federation…_

"Okay. So let me get this straight. You came here to ask us if we wanted to form an alliance, and that you may have some information on the strange frequencies that can cancel out the BagguBaggu?" Famous asked the boy before him.

"Yes. And maybe even try to help out those that are petrified, somehow…" the boy replied.

"Listen…uh, what's your name?" Famous asked.

"Van Yhaxo. I'm in charge of the Intergalactic Defense Federation," the boy replied proudly.

"The Intergalactic Defense Federation?" Famous cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes. An organization dedicated to defending the weak, and the same as you: peace. We use our defensive technology to put up new shields and defense systems around the worlds that are under attack," Van explained.

"What about firepower?" Famous inquired. He had never heard of an organization that relied only on defense before.

"Well, that's where we're kinda lacking. Our firepower is sufficient to hold of a small invasion, but in a full blown war like this, all we can do is pull off raids and stay on the defense," Van replied, looking ashamed.

"Hey. Well, I can't blame you, Van. But, anyway, what about these strange frequencies you told me about? Do you know what they are?" Famous asked.

Van nodded. "Yes. The electromagnetic frequencies I told you about tie into the magnetic fields of certain worlds. The most promising by far is the leader of your organization, Earth. Though, we don't show any invasions of the BagguBaggu in the past stellar cycles."

"You mean years, right?" Famous remarked, a sweatdrop running down the side of his head.

Van nodded quickly. "Yeah. Anyway, that's what I meant by the frequencies."

"Hmmm." Famous became thoughtful as he took in the information. If the electromagnetic fields of certain worlds acted as natural defenses, then maybe they could develop something similar, though on a smaller scale, sort of like a pulse weapon.

"Van…how would you like to help me on a new weapon I've got planned?" he asked.

The young leader looked startled. "H-help you? Look, even though I know the frequencies, there is no way that I can help you with that. It's not our strength."

Famous laughed slightly. "It's okay. Just tell us what the frequencies are and we'll do the rest. You can even help us find the focusing point for them. Is that okay?"

Van grew thoughtful as he considered the offer. "If I help, will we become allies?"

The older man's face grew serious. "I'll have to contact the President about this, but yeah. If she says yes, then you're in. Right now we have another ally, Dr. Regal of Nebula. Ever hear of him?"

Van nodded. "Yes. I have."

"Then, you're aware of what happened between him and the other two major powers?" Famous asked, raising an eyebrow.

Van shook his head. "No. What happened?"

"He broke off their alliance and became our ally because we believe in the same causes he does and we actually do something about it. The other two just deliberate the issue and do nothing about it. We do," Famous replied.

Van laughed at these words. "Just like us. We do what is necessary too."

Famous laughed at this remark too. "Heh. Then I guess we've got more in common than I thought."

"I guess so, Famous, I guess so."

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

"Whoa whoa whoa! Back up! You guys come from some place called Ark?" Sayla blurted.

"That is correct, Commander," Kibaomaru replied. "Ark is a land of Mushas, where we were currently engaged in a civil war before it was disrupted during the final battle with General Zeong."

"General Zeong? Who's he?" Sayla asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Who he was, to be precise. He was the supreme leader of the Dark Axis, though I suspect that there is one more above him that is even tougher than he was," the Musha replied.

"Uh-huh…" Sayla eyed him seriously, her steel green gaze making the older, more experienced Musha shudder in uneasiness.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Kibaomaru, but I have some disturbing news," the snake ninja (Cobramaru, was it?) hissed, locking his brown eyes onto his master.

"What is it, Cobramaru?" Kibaomaru asked.

"It appears that there is some kind of commotion going on," he said.

"What kind of commotion?" Sayla asked.

"That I can't answer."

Sayla glanced at the snake. "Where's it located?" she asked.

"How should I know? The fighting began and…" His voice trailed off when she looked right at him.

"Fighting? What kind of fighting?" she asked, suddenly becoming more serious.

"The fighting is between two strange vessels flying through the air. One is bright white with a red stripe and a green star on the front. The other is pure black with the Dark Axis sigil on it," the ninja Gundam hissed.

"…" She grew silent as she considered what that meant. She knew instantly that if there were two starfighters engaged in combat, it usually meant a starbattle was going on.

"Starbattle! There's a starbattle going on!" Sayla suddenly exclaimed.

"What, may I ask, is a starbattle?" Kibaomaru asked.

"A starbattle is a fight between two starfighters. There are no rules, aside from the ones the combatants come up with. So, it varies from fight to fight," Sayla said, looking at him.

"Ah."

"Anyway, where's it taking place?" Sayla asked as she turned back to the snake Gundam.

Cobramaru glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "How should I know? They keep zipping around, firing beams of light at each other. It's almost as if they wish to destroy one another."

She narrowed her eyes, realizing that this meant a full scale starbattle.

"I'm going to go find out where it's taking place. You guys stay here until I say so!" She shouldered her gun and ran off in the direction of the combat.

* * *

_Back in the Dark Axis main base…_

Shute opened the door cautiously, keeping his hand on his rifle as he did so. The boy/Gundam peered into the gloom beyond, but could barely see anything. Just semidarkness.

He stepped in and closed the door, being sure to keep his body plastered to one of the walls. His Soul-Drive increased its rotations, making him shudder slightly at the feeling. He still wasn't used to being a Gundam, but he knew that Rele had done it to enable them to get to Captain. Right now, however, he had to find Rele so they could get Captain out, which wasn't going to be easy.

He inched along the wall, hoping that he could find Rele in this place, if he could, anyway.

The boy peeped around a corner, hoping to spot another doorway, but in the semidarkness, it was hard to see beyond thirty feet. All he could really see was darkness beyond the first three cells.

He gritted his teeth behind his mouthpiece. '_Man! If only I could see better!_' Shute thought to himself.

As in response to his plea, he heard the faintest click and a light streamed down the corridor from the top of his helmet.

He glanced up at it before sighing in relief. Now, as he peered down the corridor again, he could see somewhat farther than before, but not much.

"At least it's a start," he murmured.

There wasn't much beyond what he could see, just cells, cells, and more cells. He sweatdropped, realizing that this was going to be much harder than he thought.

Something stirred in the cells beyond his light. He yelped and plastered himself against the wall, grateful for the dark color scheme of his armor. The dark grey and black coloring made him almost invisible, save for his eyes. That was the dead giveaway. Realizing his disadvantage with his light on, he turned it off, making sure to stick close to the wall.

His Soul-Drive spun faster in his chest in anticipation of the worst, which he hoped wasn't coming. In fact, it seemed to be the opposite. The boy peered around the corner, and he gasped slightly. He could see some kind of lab open. And in it was a human body, a Soul-Drive perched on the table next to it. He pulled back and ran to the next doorway, unable to forget that image he had just seen.

"Okay. Looks like someone's been busy with something," he whispered. "Was it one of their experiments?"

A soft moan confirmed his answer. Deciding not to stick around, he bolted for the nearest doorway and ducked inside.

He was met with pure blackness.

The darkness was absolute. There was no way he could see anything.

Nothing at all.

Plus, there was a horrific stench that made him gag beneath his mouthpiece. He gagged, wondering where it had come from.

He strained his eyes, looking around for whatever was causing the stench, but he couldn't see anything.

'_Great! Not only am I blind in this darkness, but there's a horrific stench that makes me want to puke! Looks like I'm gonna have to use my light after all.'_ Shute thought to himself.

He flicked on his head-mounted light and shone it into the depths beyond. Rows and rows of cells that looked as if they had been in a state of neglect for years greeted his eyes.

"What in Primus name…?"

He couldn't believe his eyes. All he saw were dead, rotting bodies in the cells, either with flesh rotting, or lost. Armor from long dead Gundams littered the ground before him and made him shudder in horror and disgust. He backed away from one, and his hand brushed an open doorway. He glanced in, his light illuminating a long dead skull grinning right at him.

He yelped and backed away into the darkness again.

The stench overwhelmed him again and he grasped his gun tighter, his hand almost breaking the barrel.

He hoped that Rele wasn't down here.

To his dismay, he was wrong. His light shining ahead, he ventured closer to a cell that looked as if it had demon magic surrounding it. From his past experiences, he knew that it had to be Shift's doing. He peered closely through the demon magic, and his eyes shrank in horror as he recognized Rele trapped against the wall, her hands and feet bound tight with Dark Mana.

"Rele!" he cried, his voice sounding loud in the eerie silence of the prison block.

She looked up, revealing her bruised and battered face.

"Shute?" She sounded a bit weary, but her eyes still shone with life and determination.

"Rele, what happened?" Shute asked as he ran up to the cell.

"Shift…he…he did this to me…" Rele rasped.

"I kinda guessed that. What about Captain? Did he mention anything about him?" Shute asked, worry in his voice.

Rele shook her head. "No. He…he didn't."

"Hold on. I'll try and get you out." Shute stepped back and aimed the red rifle at the bars.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" Confused, he lowered the rifle. "Why?"

"There's…a reflective spell…on the bars. You fire, it will deflect. Try…the keys…" Rele rasped.

"Keys?" He turned, eyes darting about in the gloom. As he turned his head, his light caught a glimmer of silver. He snapped his gaze over to it and he felt his Soul-Drive speed up in joy. It was kind of strange, really. He shook his head and forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. He approached and grasped the keys, removing them slowly so as to not trigger any spells that might have been set up by the demon mage.

Nothing happened.

Holding them in his hand, he crept back over and inserted them into the lock.

It took a few minutes and he was soon cutting away the Mana bands with a knife Rele had given to him a few Earth days before.

She stood up and stretched her arms before rubbing her wrists and ankles to get the blood flowing again. "Thanks."

"Hey. No problem. Now let's find Captain and get out of here," Shute said urgently.

She nodded, knowing how uneasy he got in places like this.

The two of them left the cell, Rele weak from lack of food and water, but still able to walk on her own.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Shute asked.

The princess nodded. "Yes. I managed to conjure up some food and water when Shift was away. It was not much, but it held me over till you came and rescued me."

He nodded, still uncertain about her overall fighting condition.

In truth, he didn't even know if they could escape without being caught by the Dark Axis themselves.

* * *

_On Earth…_

Dr. Hikari barrel-rolled his starfighter to the side, barely dodging the opponent's attack. His eyes narrowed as he punched the drive to full.

The other fighter sped out of the way, its occupant feeling the sudden acceleration as he sped past, creating twin sonic booms as a result.

He pressed the laser button on the control console and instantly three bright green lasers on each wing fired, the blasts striking the enemy fighter in the middle. The green explosions signified a hit, but not exactly. The fighter sped off, smoke trailing from it.

"Not this time!" he snarled.

He again pressed a button on the console and three missile launched from their clusters, speeding after the enemy craft.

"_Are you serious, human?!_" the voice of one of the generals snapped over the comm.

"You bet I am, you sick freak!" the leader spat.

"_Heh. And why would that be, do you know?_" Guardian asked mockingly.

"Are you mocking our knowledge of what you freaks pull?! Because if you are, then you've made a bad choice!" Dr. Hikari said angrily.

"_What do you know of our operations?_"

"Enough to want to stop you!" the former scientist spat. "We know that you use human souls to power most of the Soul-Drives you create using stolen technology from another organization! You remove them from the humans and insert them into Soul-Drive containers that you manufacture! You then place the containers into bodies that you built using stolen robotics technology from our people! And to top it all off, you destroy human lives by doing so!"

"_How so, human?_" Guardian purred

"Geez! Are you this ignorant?! You take their free will away once you insert them into bodies that you've placed countless limitations on! There is no free thought, no free speech, no free movement, and nothing except total and absolute slavery to your sick causes! And to boot, you even reprogram some of the humans that you've turned into Gundams against their will! You wipe their souls clean and then reprogram them to standards you accept! Some even try to rebel, but the programs you install cancel them out, killing them!" Dr. Hikari roared.

"_So? And how will you stop it, human?_" Guardian said, his voice holding a sneer.

"I'm not going to do it alone! There are others who know of your whacko scheme to become gods and by God we're going to stop you!" Dr. Hikari screamed.

"_What do you mean by others?_"

"I mean, others like me! The Intergalactic Federation being one of them!" Dr. Hikari yelled.

A sharp intake of breath on the other end of the comm told him that he had struck a nerve.

"And besides, you can't even handle a mere power like them?" he smirked, the insult striking home.

"_Those organics are nothing but trouble! They have stopped our plans to obtain the _Titanic_, and captured one of our generals to boot! We'll find a way to kill them all, and by General Above, the Dark Axis _will_ become gods! We will not permit any freedom of any kind, and soon, there will be no organics left!_" Guardian shrieked.

Dr. Hikari grinned. It had worked.

He could see a sweatdrop appear on the side of the other fighter.

"_Great. I just blabbed, didn't I_?" the pilot murmured.

"Thanks for the information! Now I know what to tell the President during our meetings! As for you, say good-bye!" Dr. Hikari said, still grinning. With this remark, the Net specialist pressed down on the button for the Cyber Cannon.

The cannon emerged from the nose of his ship and the glittering green-blue blast powered up. In an instant, the beam fired, lancing out in a bright light, creating a dimensional area around it as it sped towards the enemy ship.

"Time for you to be sent to Cyberspace!" Dr. Hikari cried.

"_NOOOOOOO!_" The beam struck, impaling the second general's ship, digitizing it and fizzing out of existence in the human world. The blast increased in radius as the explosion came next.

The smoke faded to reveal nothing left, save for a battle chip that Dr. Hikari drew into his fighter using a tractor beam.

He smirked and caught it as it fell into the cockpit. On the front it showed the face of the general, Guardian.

"That's that."

He glanced down at the chip, a frown emerging on his features. _'__Why would they be after the Federation? And why try to destroy them? This doesn't make any sense.'_ Dr. Hikari thought to himself.

He glanced skyward and reflected on what had brought him here to the organization.

After the first battle against the Dark Axis in which he had lost his son Lan, he had begun to delve into their motives and plans for the future. It had been then that he had uncovered the plot to destroy all of existence. He had kept it a secret from the other leaders in the Confederation, believing it to be a danger to the universe and the fragile alliance that kept them bound together. Only when they too had heard of it had they formed a full alliance board, with Dr. Hikari at its head.

When the next battle came, he had been under pressure to try and gather more data on why they wanted to do this, and he had come up blank. Further investigations had turned up the same results: nothing. By that time, he had become desperate, and, relying on other allies the Confederation had made during their first year of conflict, he had sought out new information.

Again nothing turned up.

Except for one investigation that had led him to research smaller powers, in hopes of finding someone with data on the Dark Axis, and with enough power to hold them off. His research had led him to the Intergalactic Federation's doorstep.

So now, here he was, about to tell them what little he knew, although he had the feeling that they already knew what he knew.

Still, he had to try.

Especially with the most horrific aspect of it all…

* * *

_On Earth…_

He stirred slightly, feeling something soft, yet hard beneath him.

He opened his eyes and blinked three times, taking in the cell and the human guard standing outside his door.

The Daishogun of Perfect Virtue sat up and rubbed his sore limbs to try and get the mech fluid flowing back into them.

"This was not what I had planned on," he muttered.

"Hey! You awake already?" the guard asked as he peered in through the window in the door.

"Yes. And might I ask why you are holding me prisoner in this cell?" the Musha asked.

"That's not for me to tell you. So, I suggest you be quiet until the commander comes back!" the guard snapped.

"…" The Daishogun sighed and obeyed the command.


	47. Meeting of the Minds

Chapter 8

Traces of energy flowed along the screen as Ciel studied the readings the probe was sending back to the main command center on Orca. After having sent a probe into the Brian Rift's region through the spacebridge, it had been a simple matter of programming in the coordinates and sending it through the rift.

Now, as she sat and gazed at the screen, the probe's visual sensors relaying back what it picked up, she was surprised by the layout of the Brain Realm.

All in all, it looked like a series of interconnecting tunnels with many branching pathways that led to a specific region, further broken down into interconnecting mind pathways that led to a mechanical being's mind region. Each mind region was shaped like a cube, and guarding each "cube" was a firewall barrier.

Zero sat beside her, his intense grey eyes locked onto several smaller probes exploring the smaller regions.

"Did they find anything important?" the Reploid asked.

"Hold on," a technician replied.

Silence filled the room for a brief moment.

"Yes. They got something. There seem to be several anomalies in this particular region. It seems to have the signature of the Dark Axis control horns," she said.

"What?" Ciel glanced at the screen showing three "cubes" and sure enough, she could see the Dark Axis sigil on them. She studied them critically.

"How is that even possible…I mean, we studied the control horns and found no link to the Brain Realm, but here we see evidence that contradicts what we know…" the technician murmured.

"The control horns do indeed have a link to the Brain Realm. They can tap into it and turn the being it's attached to into a minion of the Dark Axis. Sometimes if there is no artificial intelligence, the control horn creates it and a new 'mind cube' is created. Once the horn is removed, it fades out of existence. Other than that, if a 'mind cube' is affected by a control horn, the cube returns to normal once the horn is removed," Ciel explained.

"So, it's like a personality swapping device, right?" the techie asked.

"Not exactly. More like a reprogramming device. It's more for reprogramming than swapping one's personality," Zero explained. "Neo Arcadia tried something similar before we met the Federation."

"Yes. I remember that," Ciel replied solemnly.

"What about Scourge?" a scientist asked. "How does this tie into him?"

"Since he's being controlled by a control horn, a 'mind cube' should be open to us if we are to free him," Ciel said. "Well, in theory anyway."

"How so?" asked the technician.

"Leave that to me," Zero said, grinning.

Ciel instantly caught on.

The Reploid grabbed the control for the probe and maneuvered the little device to enter the region in which the Cybertronians' minds were present, but not connected. He scanned the area, searching for something. His grey eyes narrowed as he bit his lower lip.

With deft fingers, he maneuvered it around three 'mind cubes' and found what he was looking for a few seconds later.

"Bingo," he said, a grin spreading across his lips.

"What? What'd you find, Zero?" Ciel asked.

"Take a look," he said, turning the screen to face her.

Ciel peered closely at the screen. The 'mind cube' that Zero had found was a deep red with the Dark Axis symbol on it.

"That…that's Scourge…I'm sure of it," she murmured.

"Yes. Now we need to figure out how to release him since the Cybertronians aren't connected to this realm," Zero told her.

"But…that's going to be difficult," she said.

"I know, but it will be worth it if we can find a way to do so."

The Reploid seemed to be determined to save Scourge, even if it meant his destruction. She had known him to be stubborn, but not like this. He seemed to have changed in a sense, become more determined to fight for peace ever since they had made contact five years earlier.

"I sure hope so," she whispered.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The door to her office opened up and President Warren turned to face her friends as they entered. Ciel and Zero entered first, carrying data disks and the others followed suit. The one thing that surprised her though was that there were two humans with President O'hari and Famous, followed by Optimus and a new Transformer that she identified as a Seeker and a strange humanoid being with glittery blue eyes. To top it all off, a human scientist came running in after them.

The leader glanced at her friends.

"What's going on here?" she demanded.

"Long story short. These guys are here to help us with the Dark Axis threat. They know quite a bit about them," said Famous.

"And how so?" President Warren asked.

The boy stepped forward and spoke. "My name is Van Yhaxo of the Intergalactic Defense Federation. My home planet is Zi and we specialize in total defense tactics."

The humanoid female introduced herself next. "My name is Sh'boni La'torai of the Galaxy Organization. My home planet is Chosai and we specialize in weaponry and historical knowledge of all past enemies."

The scientist blew his hair out of his face and locked gazes with each of them. "My name is Dr. Hikari of the Liberty Confederation. My home planet is NetEarth and we specialize in dimensional combat systems by fusing the Cyber Worlds and human worlds together."

The green-haired man stepped forward as well, his golden eyes glinting. "My name is Dartz and I was once the king of Atlantis ten thousand years ago. My home world is named Oricha and I head the Allies of the Orichalcos and we specialize in soul engineering."

The last member of the group, the Seeker, cleared his throat. "The name's Powerglide. I'm a former Autobot and I lead the Tri-Elite. My home planet is Cybertron and my organization specializes in three things: attack, defense, and medical."

"…" She was caught off guard by these newcomers.

She turned to her friends.

"What are they doing here?" she snapped.

"Like Famous said, we're here to help deal with the Dark Axis. We each have data on them that may come in handy. Besides, we know more about the things that they call the Soul-Drives through extensive research into them," Dartz explained.

"We know how to cancel out the BagguBaggu they use," said Van.

"We have tactics that they use," said Sh'boni.

"Got a few data disks on how they use the soul extractor and how to rescue those trapped inside. Of course, we got that part from an old friend of mine," said Powerglide.

"And we know how they use dimensional travel," Dr. Hikari concluded.

"And they all know about the Dark Axis' plans to become gods," Famous finished.

"How…?" President Warren was stunned. How did they know all of this?

The newcomers seemed to read her mind at that point. "Research, data, and experience. We've all encountered them in our own time," Dartz stated.

"…" She fell silent before speaking again. "How can we be so sure that you can be trusted?" she asked.

"Look. We know some things that you don't. And one of those is how they can actually remove the human spirit from its original body!" Dartz hissed.

"And we've worked like scraplets compiling the data for you to read," Powerglide explained.

"In short, either you let us help and we give you the data that you may need, or decline and go to war and have us destroy the data once and for all," Van stated.

"…" For once, she was caught off guard. Here were five new leaders she had never seen before and each one had data that they desperately needed. But, how could she even be sure they could be trusted? For all she knew, Powerglide could be allied with them, even though he used to be an Autobot.

"Look. Even though it may seem hard to trust us, just…trust us, okay? We know what we're dealing with. And you guys…" She cut off Van before he could speak any further.

"We experienced them multiple times ourselves, and we've faced the generals themselves. Sayla and her friends know what they are capable of, and our soldiers have had problems with the tank Zakos. Not to mention Scourge had betrayed us due to a control horn on his head, and we have no way to get it off. Topping that, we're looking for this Superior Dragon in order to stop them from getting to it first. If they do, it's over," she explained.

"Huh? Superior Dragon?" Powerglide was now confused.

"Yes. The Superior Dragon. A legendary dragon of great power in Lacroa. With it, they could rule all of existence," President Warren replied grimly.

"…That's what they're after…" Van said softly.

"You knew?" Mimi blurted, whirling to look at him.

The boy nodded. "Yes. We thought it was only a myth, but I guess not."

"Well, myth or not, they're after it and we have to stop them," said Sandra.

"Not alone you can't," Dartz said grimly.

Seto turned to face Dartz. "And why not?" he hissed.

Dartz didn't even flinch. He merely looked Seto in the eye and said, "You haven't seen what they can do with the power they already have."

"Power they already…have…?" Seto's voice trailed off.

Dartz nodded. "Yes. They have mere portions of its power."

"No…" Her worst fear was coming true. They were going to lose.

As if she had read her mind, Sh'boni placed a hand on the crystal hanging around her neck. "But that doesn't mean that we all can't try."

"Huh?" President Warren looked at the Chosen leader.

She smiled at the Earthling. "There is still a way, but we need to find it and fast."

"What way?" President Warren asked.

"That's what we need to find."

"How can you be so certain?"

"…" Sh'boni looked down at the floor of the office. "A friend once told me that hope isn't something that we should lose. In fact, this friend also said that believing and hoping are the two forces all enemies are afraid of."

"Anderson always said those words to me before he went missing," President Warren said.

"He was a brave man, and I respect that."

"Thanks, Sh'boni." For some reason, she felt as if she _could_ trust these beings, even if they didn't know much about them. Then again, the more help they received, the better.

And with their knowledge of tactics and specialties, especially Dartz and his organization's specialty, soul engineering, they just might be able to pull it off.

Or so she hoped.

* * *

_Across the dimensional sea…_

The sun shining down on the magnificent city of Satyron made each building shimmer with a beautiful light. The hovercars that traversed the streets were entirely environmentally friendly and the starfighters that flew the skies were of the latest kind: the energon electric starfighters. The beings that walked the sidewalks were of a more impressive variety than in the Intergalactic Federation, for this was a _universal_ alliance rather than one galaxy.

The main building of this complex stood over ten stories tall, much shorter than that of Earth Command and the buildings were no taller than eight stories at the most. At the top of this building was a big energy sigil that showed a swirl that marked the universe with a set of rings circling around it. The words _Satyron Command_ were written on this image.

The man standing on the top of this building was twenty years of age, but his build was lanky and his armor was replaced with his usual outfit of tan slacks and a green T-shirt. His eyes were bright blue and his black hair was tied back with a bright red bandana.

Ron White of Satyron was a great politician, having been elected recently by the public. He had no political experience, but he was a natural born leader that made friends and allies easily without many words. This quality, combined with his easy going personality and keen intelligence made him a great leader that inspired loyalty to the cause for peace across the dimensions.

"Ron, we're ready for the meeting to begin," a feminine voice said from behind him.

"Tell them I'll be there shortly," Ron said.

"But…" the woman said, stepping out of the shadows. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Silence filled the void between the two for a few seconds before the woman spoke.

"Still thinking about the Superior Drive?" she asked.

"Yeah. Hard to believe that they're after it, huh?" Ron said, looking at her.

"Who, the Dark Axis?" the woman asked.

Ron nodded. "Yes. Them."

"Well, it's not surprising when you consider the fact that they wish to be able to revive their general, Zeong, was it?"

Ron looked skyward, his eyes locking onto the clouds that drifted overhead. "That's what puzzles me. If they yearn to become gods, then why go to all this trouble to obtain metal for his revival? I mean, with god-like powers, they could revive him in an instant."

"Look. Gods can't revive the dead. You know that as well as anyone. The Last War proved that," the woman remarked.

"I can't help but wonder if there are different rules for god-like beings in other dimensions though. You know that recent investigations to other dimensions have shown that there are other beings of such power in them," Ron said thoughtfully.

"I know, but the rules might be the same. The God Laws aren't different for every being of that kind of power."

(_Note: The God Laws state that any such being possesses such powers can't disrupt the laws of nature. The Laws also state that life must be given in exchange for any lives lost, aside from warfare. They also can't revive the dead without using immense amounts of their powers, leaving them defenseless and weak.)_

The leader sighed before nodding. "Yeah. Still, there _have_ to be some variations of the laws."

"I don't know why you're so interested in this stuff, even now. The Last War ended millennia ago," she said.

Ron nodded. "I'm well aware of that, but it's best to learn from the past so this way we can be better prepared, since we may be fighting a new war."

"The Dark Axis-Satyron conflict," the woman said softly.

"That and many other dimensions as well, most notably Earthspace."

"Earthspace, huh?" the woman said, looking at the floor beneath her feet.

Ron nodded, finally turning his head back to look at her. "Yeah. Earthspace is the most mysterious out of the dimensions. We hardly ever sent probes there and yet…"

"I know where you're going with this, so I suggest you wrap it up and get your behind to that meeting or I'll have to drag you there myself!"

"Okay. I'm coming. Tell them I'll be there shortly."

"Very well."

She backed away, leaving Ron to himself.

'_Earthspace… They have so much potential, and still… I hope they make it out okay…_' Ron thought to himself.

He hoped it didn't come down to the one weapon he despised using, even after all these years.

If it did, then all was lost…

* * *

_In the Dark Axis main base…_

Shute and Rele crept forward, their weapons and Mana ready for attacking when they were ambushed, which didn't happen.

In fact, it proved to be a blessing as they neared the cell in which Captain was held.

Shute let out a cry of joy as the two ran over. "Captain!"

No response came from the still form.

It was then that they saw the wounds inflicted by Shift and his cronies.

"No…" Rele's voice trailed off. Shute's eyes shrank in horror at the sight.

"Captain…"

The Gundam Force leader was badly wounded. Scratches crisscrossed his armor and his V-fin was covered in mech fluid. His flight boosters were also scratched up and in the spaces where the armor was missing they could see that some circuits and systems were melted. His eyes were dark and lifeless, indicating something wasn't right…

They had to get him out and fast.

Rele glanced at Shute and he glanced at her.

They nodded.

Rele powered up a Mana spell to blast the bars open. Shute ducked to the side, covering his head with his hands. The explosion would be powerful, and he knew it.

**_BWAM!_**

The sound of the explosion rang throughout the base. He felt dread fill his Soul-Drive as he realized that if it had been heard, they could get caught and interrogated. They had to speed this up.

Shute got to his feet in a hurry and ran into the cell, keeping a hand over his lower face despite the mouthpiece covering his nose and mouth.

"Captain! I'm here to get you out," he murmured, wondering if his friend was online.

No twitch, meaning he wasn't.

Shute slung the rifle onto his back and slipped his free arm under the Gundam's shoulders, hoisting him to his feet.

The still form wasn't that easy to lift, so he removed his hand from his mouthpiece and grunted, shifting his offline friend onto his back in a fireman's carry.

Rele waved her hand frantically.

He wondered what was causing the hurried rush. Confused, he stopped and listened. He could faintly hear Zako soldiers running down the corridors, accompanied by heavy footsteps, indicating that there was a Gundam or two with them.

Time was running out.

"C'mon!" Rele hissed.

Shute nodded and both ran for it. The two ducked down a corridor just as something landed behind them.

"Well, well. Look what I caught," Shift purred.

Shute spun, realizing that he had one chance.

"Stop this at once!" he snapped, putting as much anger into his voice as he possible could.

"Sorry, but thou art not Gerbera," Shift sneered.

Shute gasped, his Soul-Drive seizing up at this. How had they found out?! "How did you…?"

The demon mage sneered. "The real Gerbera was found and is undergoing repairs; ever since someone damaged him incredibly severely back in thy dimension, he's been here, resting and recovering."

"But…" Shute was now baffled. How had they saved Gerbera?!

"He sent out a dimensional call that we received and intercepted. We arrived back under the cover of dark and returned him here," Shift explained.

Shute stifled a gasp. Could he _read minds_?! "No way…"

"Now, as for who thou really are, I can take a guess," the demonic Gundam purred.

"…" Shute was silent.

"Thou art that human boy, Shute, right?" Shift asked softly.

In response, Shute dropped the limp form of Captain and grabbed his rifle in both hands. "So what? This worked for a while, and it helped us get this far, so we'll be taking him back, and you can't stop us!" he hissed.

Shift glanced around, his eyes roaming for any unexpected reinforcements, but seeing that there were none, he sneered again and attacked.

Shute replied with a burst of fire from his rifle, striking the ground in front of the mage.

"GAH!" Shift stepped back from the sudden assault.

"Rele! Hurry up! I don't know how long I can hold him off!" Shute yelled over the firing.

"I…I don't know if I can…" Rele protested.

"There has to be _something_ that you can do!" Shute cried.

She thought for a moment before an idea glimmered in her mind. A light bulb went off over her head.

"I got it!" She clasped her hands over her chest and began focusing her Mana into a bright energy ball.

Shute didn't know what she was doing, but he hoped that it worked.

* * *

_On Earth…_

"Sayla! We just got a transmission!" Jaden said over her shoulder.

"Huh?" Sayla looked up from her tactical planning and glanced at him. "You serious, Jaden?"

"Yeah."

"Is it the Princess?" Deed asked anxiously.

"We're not sure yet, Deed," the other Gundam replied sheepishly.

"…" Deed was silent as a bird flew behind his head in the background.

"Hold on. A transmission? From where?" asked Sayla, interrupting the moment.

"It looks like it was originating from these coordinates," the boy/Gundam replied, handing her a screen with a list of numbers on it.

She took it and scanned it over, her steel green eyes taking it in. "Is Guneagle near the spacebridge?" she asked.

Jaden nodded his head. "Yeah. He's already trying to recalibrate it to higher frequencies. I think he said he'd have it ready in a half hour, maybe less, depending."

"Depending on what?" Sayla asked.

"Whether there's any traffic coming through."

"Oh."

"But, other than that, he's almost done," Jaden explained.

"Good."

"_Sayla, Guneagle here. We're all good to go. The spacebridge has been recalibrated and is up and running,_" the aerial Gundam told them over the comm.

"Good. We'll be there soon," Sayla said.

They ran off to join the flyer.

* * *

_At the spacebridge gateway…_

The group was tense as the bridge opened, exposing the green-blue gateway that marked Neotopian dimensional travel. The humans and Gundams crowded around, anticipating the worst.

Instead, they got the best thing possible.

The first person to emerge from the gateway was none other than Rele, followed by a battered Captain Gundam, and Shute bringing up the rear.

"CAPTAIN!"

The collective cry they let out was enough to reveal their worry and concern for him at the sight of his battered and beaten body. Sayla immediately asked what happened and Shute and Rele told her.

The story took three hours to explain, condensed to a summary of it altogether. The teenage commander was impressed with Rele's idea to disguise Shute, but when she learned that his cover had been blown, she exploded into a fury. It took Deed, Zane, and Jaden just to calm her down.

After she calmed down, the whole team decided to have Ciel and Xenphyr take a look at the injured Gundam to see if there was anything that could be done for him.

With T.J.'s space-jump program, they teleported to the Medical University where Ciel had decided to stop by to chat with Xenphyr about a top secret project.

When they arrived there, the head technician was astonished to see them carrying a badly injured Gundam.

"What in Primus' name happened?" he exclaimed.

"Long story short. He was beaten badly and we need to see if there's anything that can be done for him!" Sayla explained.

"How…?" Xenphyr was silent before Shute cut in.

"No time. Please!" Shute pleaded.

Xenphyr was silent as he looked at the battered body, the melted systems, and the injuries that covered his flight boosters. He knew that they had a slim chance, but they would try anyway.

"I'll see what I can do."

Shute let out a sigh of relief.

"But, there are risks."

"I don't really care. Just try to save him. Please," Shute pleaded him.

"I will try. That I can guarantee. Nothing else."

The boy let out a second sigh of relief.

"But, if he's offline, then we'll have to perform some kind of a systems check to make sure that we can even save him first," Xenphyr said.

"What?" Shute was really worried now.

Xenphyr seemed to read the worry in his eyes correctly, for when he spoke, it was to reassure Shute. "The systems check normally doesn't take long, but in this case, it could take a few days before we can perform any procedures to save his life."

"If he can't be saved…" Shute's voice trailed off.

The Reploid smiled. "Then we'll do everything we can to bring him back."

"Thanks, Xenphyr."

However, none of them even knew just how important this venture would be, for it would show them the very thing they yearned to stop the Dark Axis from getting…

* * *

_Across the dimensional boundaries…_

Ron pushed his black hair out of his eyes, glancing at the reports on his desk from his scouts in numerous other dimensions. Over the past few weeks, the scouts had sent a collaboration of data from their assigned dimensions, and each one had reported two or three Dark Axis attacks during their time there. Two others had sent full detailed reports back in the form of firsthand accounts, considering that they had been in them themselves. One had sent back footage, and one audio, but a particular scout had gone above and beyond and sent back live visual feed _during_ an attack, capturing their tactics and weaponry on film and sending it back to Satyron for analysis.

With this information, they had more data on the Dark Axis, but not the Superior Dragon, as they called it.

"Sir?"

"Hmm?" He turned to face one of his most trusted advisors and a lifelong friend, Greg Hunt.

"Looking over the reports again?" Greg asked.

Ron nodded. "Yeah. So far, all we've obtained is countless data on the Dark Axis, but nothing on the Superior Drive. The Drive is the one thing they're after, and we need data on it if we are to stop it."

"Only data on the Dark Axis, huh? Well, maybe I can help with the information you need," Greg replied.

Ron looked at the older man. "You serious?"

Greg nodded. "Yeah. Look. It's not much, but maybe it will provide us with a lead if we are to find more data on it."

"Just tell me the information, okay?" Ron told him.

Greg sighed. "Okay. Here's what I know. The Superior Drive has been seen in Earthspace, which I'm sure you already know, but there's more. Since it was seen many years ago, we've figured that it's gone into hiding to avoid getting nabbed by the Dark Axis. We've been tracking it over the years and each time it's been seen, we've tried to place a tracker on it with no luck. In short, we can't trace its location."

"No way whatsoever?" asked Ron.

His advisor shook his head. "Negative. But, with luck, we can, and will. I hope."

"I sure hope so. Because soon, a new ally with the same powers as they have will soon be found. And I met with him in Ark," Ron said as he shifted his gaze back to the reports.

"You mean Kibaomaru?"

Ron nodded as he grabbed one of particular interest. "Yes. Him. I sensed an unusual power around him, and he has a small portion, as do the rest of them. It just needs a motivator to awaken. After that's done, then things will begin to turn the tide of battle in the Federation's favor. With the power of the Superior Dragon, then maybe they can win this war."

"What about the Dark Axis?" Greg asked softly.

"That…I'm not sure about. But, one thing is clear to me and that is this: nothing is impossible for them. That much I know. And all we have to do is hope that thing will work out in the end," Ron murmured as he began to read.

* * *

_On Earth…_

**_BWAM!_**

The explosion blew Sayla flat onto her back, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Her gun had been blown free from her steel-like grasp and now hung on the branches of an old tree by its strap, unreachable from the ground unless she climbed it. But, seeing as how she was stunned from the blast, she couldn't even move very far, save for a few movements of her arms and legs.

Shibaomaru smirked as he approached the stunned human. "Pathetic. I was expecting more than this," he scoffed.

He raised his sword to finish her off, but before he could even bring it home, a blur of yellow and black caught him by surprise.

"What?!" Shibaomaru spun, his eyes landing on the form of his twin brother, Kibaomaru. In his arms was the still form of the human.

"Shibaomaru, stop this at once!" he snapped, laying her down and withdrawing his own blade.

"Oh? And why should I, dear _brother_?!" the other Musha snapped.

"This isn't right!" Kibaomaru yelled.

"Oh, but to me, it is!" Shibaomaru sneered.

The blue and red armored Musha charged the black and yellow Gundam, but Kibaomaru spread his wings out and with a jump, leapt into the air, hovering there for a brief instant.

"Not so fast!" Shibaomaru jumped into the air as well, but the other Musha darted to the side swiftly. He folded his wings and landed on his feet, bringing his blade up in a blocking tactic that caught the attacker by surprise. Shibaomaru gritted his teeth and held his ground.

"So, brother, are you still fighting for the Dark Axis?" Kibaomaru hissed.

"What is it to you? Of course I am! And I won't stop till my goal is achieved!" Shibaomaru spat.

"What, your goal of becoming Ark's savior? Forget it!" the other Musha snarled.

"Hah! I won't, not until you are destroyed, along with these humans!" Kibaomaru's brother sneered.

"And why is that you also wish to destroy these humans?" Kibaomaru asked as he pushed back against his brother's large sword.

"Ever hear of the Superior Dragon?"

Kibaomaru's body tensed, his muscle cables tightening beneath his armor.

"So what?"

Shibaomaru smirked. This was going to be fun.

"I bet that you didn't know that the Superior Dragon has manifested its power into the humans around you, including that female you're fighting hard to defend!" Shibaomaru sneered.

His brother glanced back at the human girl behind him. She was clearly coming around, but it would be another five minutes before she could get into combat, from what he could see. "So?"

"Well, the humans here on this pathetic mudball have the power, but they can't even use it, which makes them weak and unfit to have it. In short, they need to be killed!" Shibaomaru smirked. He broke away from his brother, startling him.

"And why is that?" Kibaomaru asked, a question mark hovering over his head.

"They're useless organics who can't even stop fighting amongst themselves long enough to form a truly centralized government. They crave war, and only war. That is their major flaw. No other species can fight as much as they can, and that alone makes them weak." As he said these words, he crept closer to the female human, sword poised to strike.

He raised his sword high as if he were about to cut through the air. "NO YOU DON'T! TENHAZA!" Kibaomaru roared. As Kibaomaru brought his sword down, electricity began to crackle around him before firing from the tip of his sword blade in a powerful electrical laser. The beam sped right for Shibaomaru, striking him in the leg before he dodged to the side.

He landed on his feet, clutching the damaged limb.

"What…How did you…?" He was caught by surprise, for he had not expected his own brother to have a part of the power of the Superior Dragon.

He smirked as the realization dawned on him. "Heh…Looks like Ark too has a connection to the Superior Dragon."

"So?" Kibaomaru spat.

Shibaomaru knew that his brother was surprised by the magnitude of his attack as well, but he wasn't as shocked as he had thought.

"It seems, dear brother, that it is time for you to also rejoin the Dark Axis," he purred.

"Never!" the younger Musha hissed.

He couldn't believe the nerve of his older brother to ask him to rejoin the enemy he despised so very much now.

He had to stop him.

But, before Kibaomaru could do anything, Shibaomaru sheathed his sword and charged, wrapping his own hands around his brother's neck, intent on either choking him to death or knocking him out cold. Even though he was a shogi master, there was no way he could read his enemy's movements due to the fact that he was pinned beneath him.

In fact, that very intent saved his life.

That slightest hesitation enabled him to see beyond his brother's murderous intent. It enabled him to see the real truth behind the yearning to obtain human souls. It also enabled him to see the very future that the Dark Axis desired, conflicting in nature with the Federation's future.

This brief moment…

It gave him a new reason to fight. A reason not just to stop his brother, but for something more. He didn't know how to describe it. It felt like a new drive had been integrated into his original desire for Ark's unification. A drive that relied on fighting for a new cause. The drive that united humanity into the powerful force that it was today.

The drive for peace.

"Shibaomaru…" He rasped out his brother's name in anger and rage.

"Yes, brother?" the other Musha purred.

"Your…desires…Is that what you really…fight for? To destroy all…and become a god?" he gasped, clutching at his brother's hands.

Shibaomaru hissed in anger as he began to squeeze the warlord's neck. "Why should you care, especially after you were named as the savior of Ark described in the prophecy?!" he spat.

"I…don't know how to describe it…just that…there should be no reason to become a god…due to a need for revenge…" Kibaomaru whispered. His voice was now becoming hoarse. He had to act and fast.

"So, you say that my desires and the desires of the Dark Axis are wrong?!" the Dark Axis Musha snarled.

"Yes!" the warlord hissed. He gripped Shibaomaru's hands tighter and began to pry them off his throat, but not very far. His brother had always been the stronger one. "No one should…have to have their homes destroyed…and the humans…"

"What about them?" Shibaomaru asked.

"They…deserve something better than the…fate you've forced onto them. Humans…deserve to be free and in their own bodies, not in those…shells you've developed for them!" Kibaomaru murmured.

"And why do you think that?" Shibaomaru asked softly.

"Because it's the wrong thing to do!" Kibaomaru shouted, his hands wrenching his brother's hands off his throat in a great burst of artifical adrenaline and strength.

"WHAT!?" Shibaomaru stepped back in shock. What had happened?!

"Now, prepare to suffer your defeat!" the warlord snapped. He gripped his sword, but before he could swing it down and end the fight, his brother grinned savagely.

"KENTO BARRAGE!" Shibaomaru suddenly vanished and struck with his sword.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kibaomaru cried out in intense pain as the other Musha attacked him relentlessly, slashing at every weak spot he could find. Again and again he kept it up, forcing the other Musha back until he was backed up against the dome.

"Now, time to end this!" Shibaomaru sneered.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

**_BWAM!_**

The force of the impact knocked the Dark Axis general back, forcing him to release the Musha warrior. Kibaomaru gasped as he struggled to take in air. He glanced at the female human who had managed to get to her feet, her sword ignited, the energy gathered about it.

"How…?" Shibaomaru was caught off guard by this. He hadn't expected her to regain her senses so soon!

"No way are you gonna kill him!" she snarled.

"And how will you do that? Your weapon is gone, and you don't have any other weapons besides your little sword!" Shibaomaru laughed.

"I'm not sure how, but I am gonna defeat you!" she hissed.

"Heh. I'd like to see you try."

"Fine! You asked for it!" the human soldier snapped.

In a flash she was gone, her Dash engaged full speed.

Shibaomaru sneered as he spun, but when he slashed right at her location, the blade struck only the ground. "What? Where'd she go?" He glanced around, unaware that she was charging at him from behind.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

He barely dodged the blast as it impacted the ground.

"That is it!" he snarled.

The Musha grasped his sword and charged at Kibaomaru.

"NO!" the human yelled, skidding to a stop. She swerved and charged at the other Musha, hoping to strike him first.

_SCRANCH!_

"GA-ACK!" Kibaomaru coughed violently as his body was stabbed right through the chest.

"…no…" Her voice fell silent as Kibaomaru's body fell limp. "You…didn't…" Her steel green eyes were wide with shock as the Musha Gundam stood up, holding a blackened blade.

"Now, you're next," he hissed.

He had a savage, almost battle-crazy look in his eyes as he began to walk towards her.

"You…bastard…" Her voice was low, and angry, but he could swear she had sworn at him.

"Hmm? What did you say?" he asked mockingly.

"You…slagger…!" She was now standing up, her sword glowing a bit brighter.

"Huh?" Now Shibaomaru was interested.

"YOU SLAGGIN MURDERER!" she suddenly screamed. "You murdered him and you never even bothered to think about your action!? Are you that cold blooded!? Are you that ruthless to murder your own sibling without a second thought!? And you _enjoy_ it!?" Her eyes began to flare with anger, almost like a familiar fighting fire…

"Why not? Ever since I joined them, battle has been my calling. I enjoy it. Battle is now my way of life," Shibaomaru said casually.

"No it isn't! Not while I'm still here!" the human spat.

"Then, you must be killed. That is the only way to end this silly little fight," the Dark Axis Musha said, sneering.

"YOU ARE GOING DOWN, SHIBAOMARU, AND I WILL MAKE SURE YOU REGRET YOUR ACTIONS!" the human roared.

"How so, human?"

"Like this!" she snarled. Now, the fighting fire was clearly visible in her steel green eyes as she shifted her hand back to normal.

"How will you do it?" he purred.

"I said, like this!" she yelled. She thrust her right hand forward and almost immediately a strange feeling emitted from it as the ESIC in her hand engaged a magnetic field, drawing her gun from the tree and back into her grasp.

She hefted it and leveled the barrel right at Shibaomaru. "Let's see how you like being given a taste of your own medicine!"

Shibaomaru cocked his head as a question mark appeared above it. "Huh?"

Sayla didn't even flinch as she gritted her teeth. She was so angry at him that she didn't even register the power coursing into her gun, making the whole weapon shudder as the blue ball of aural energy gathered at its tip.

Her finger released the trigger, and she let loose her latest and most powerful technique to date.

"AURA CHARGE!"

"meep"

**_BWAM!_**

The sound echoed all across the campus, forcing Kicker, Meisha and T.J. to glance up.

"Oh, slag no…"

* * *

_Elsewhere in the dimensional boundaries…_

The sleek red ship sped through the white expanse of Zero-space that served as the dimensional boundary for Earth's dimension and the Minov Boundary Sea. The red vessel was sort of bullet shaped, but it was more like a bullet fused with twin engines and a pair of manipulator arms on either side. This ship belonged to a group of beings called the Renegades, beings who fought for neither side, but to make a living. It was common knowledge amongst the intergalactic powers that Renegades normally hired themselves out as mercenaries and sometimes even soldiers for the military.

Only one small group of renegades, however, chose to fight for peace, spreading democracy across the stars.

This group was the crew of the _Outlaw Star_.

The man who sat in the cockpit was almost in his early twenties with short red hair and scars from countless battles across his body. A star tattoo was located on his right shoulder and he wore the usual gear for humanoid Renegades: brown tank top and blue jeans with stains on them and a pistol holstered on his right hip. This was Gene Starwind.

Next to him sat a young boy with messy blonde hair and freckles spattered across his nose. He wore a grey blue hoodie and black pants. His name was Jim Hawking and he was the SIC for the ship.

The woman who sat behind the boy was dressed in a kimono and she carried a sword strapped to her waist. Her long black hair was tied back in a bun-ponytail and her eyes were hardened, indicating that she was a warrior. Her name was Twilight Suzuka.

Another woman sat with her feet up, but her species was different than the humans. She had fur covering her skin and her ears were pointy. Her cream-colored hair was tied back in a big braid, and she was sleeping, drool coming out of her mouth. This was Aisha of the Ctarl Ctarl.

The last woman wasn't in a seat, but she was rather integrated into the ship's systems. Her name was Melfina and she was the one who acted as operator system when it was necessary.

In the cargo hold of the ship was another key player of this little ragtag team. He was a big mech, about as tall as Optimus in some way, but his alt mode was that of a rescue copter. His entire body was blue and orange, with white splattered here and there, his sky blue optics dimmed, indicating that he was deep in recharge. His name was Evac, and he was the guardian of Earth's Cyber Planet Key.

This was the crew of the ship that was currently en route to Federation space boundaries.

Gene looked at the radar screen displaying their current vector. So far they had remained on target, but due to the ever changing nature of Z-space, they could pop out anywhere from right in the atmosphere of Earth to right in the center of the planet they called Blazia. It was a matter of luck and chance that they had remained on course this long.

"Hey, Gene, how much longer?" Jim moaned.

"Not much. So far we're on course and we should be emerging within a few klicks according to the clock," the red-haired outlaw said.

"You do realize that Z-space is always changing, right?" Suzuka asked, her eyes fixed on the young man.

"I'm aware of that," Gene remarked. "I'm actually surprised that we managed to remain on course for this long."

"Hey, how much longer to our exit point?" Gene asked the console.

"_About three more hours Earth time. Until then, we'll keep on course. That is all I can determine, Gene,_" a mechanical male sounding voice said from the console.

"Good. Let's hope that things keep working in our favor."

The next three hours were intense as they neared their exit point.

As soon as they reached it, the huge Z-space generator within the bowels of the ship shut down, and the white void that was Z-space vanished entirely, exposing the stars beyond.

In front of them was the planet they had been aiming for.

"Uh, Gene, is that supposed to happen?" Jim asked, pointing to one of the huge cannons that was located on the moon.

"Huh?" Gene peered over and his heart sank. That was no ordinary cannon.

"Aisha! Wake up!" Gene snapped to her.

"W…Whu…Wuzzgoinon?" she murmured, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.

"We need to have everyone on station for this. We're about to be attacked by the colonists on this world's moon!" Gene explained.

"So?" Aisha cocked her head.

"They have a Gamma-Sigma Heavy Fire Cannon!" Jim yelped.

"A what?" Aisha sat up and peered out.

A sweatdrop appeared on her head and rolled down the side of it.

"Oh boy."

* * *

_On Tycho Colony…_

"Okay, everyone! Don't forget!" Tyre snapped. "As soon as that ship comes within range, blast it down!"

"YES, SIR!" the gunners yelled.

"Let 'em have it!"

* * *

_On Earth…_

The battlefield was covered in thick blue smoke as the explosion faded. Black mech fluid pooled around the injured Gundam warlord and the battered form of Sayla as she stood there, holding her gun in her hands, the muzzle issuing blue smoke. As Kicker, Meisha, and T.J. arrived on the scene, they were shocked by the amount of power that had been accumulated into that one blast.

"Primus…what happened here?" asked Meisha.

"Looks like someone left a very powerful calling card," T.J. joked.

"No…it's Sayla. She's…" Kicker didn't know how to describe it, but merely seeing the smoke issuing from her gun's barrel was more than enough to prove that she was the one who had done it. As for how, he could take a wild guess, although it was impossible.

The damage done by the explosion was incredible, but the most impressive feat was the fact that the Gundam that was injured had survived.

A nasty wound went straight through his arm and into his side so that when he took a breath his body shuddered with the pain of doing so.

"Is…he even supposed to still be alive?" Meisha murmured.

"I can't believe it myself, but I think he is. Maybe whoever attacked him wasn't that good an aim," T.J. remarked.

"I think you may be right, T.J. Looks like the attacker failed to kill him, whoever he is," Kicker said seriously.

Sayla, still panting, glanced over at her friends. "Guys…"

"What happened here?" asked Kicker.

"Long story short…an attack…backfired big time. Well, it nearly succeeded, but…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the Musha warlord.

Kicker glanced at him. "Is he…?" His voice trailed off.

Sayla nodded her head. "Yes, he—" She was cut off by a small groan from the Musha.

"How can he still be alive?" Meisha asked.

"The sword… I guess it barely missed his Gunsoul," Sayla rasped.

"So, how bad is it?" T.J. inquired.

"Enough to where he needs medical attention," the commander murmured.

"Oh."

The wounded Musha Gundam glanced up. One of his brown eyes was squinted shut in pain, but he was still alive.

"How…?" he rasped.

"We saw the explosion," Meisha stated.

"Good thing, too," Kicker added.

* * *

_Back at Earth Command…_

President Warren looked over Dartz's shoulder as he scanned one of the Soul-Drives recently found in Sandra's office a few weeks ago.

"Well?" she asked. "How does it look?"

The former king looked up from the scanner he was using and shut off the pulsing red-green beam. He turned to face her.

"Well, the process they've been using to reprogram these human souls is a new form of soul engineering, meaning they can wipe the soul clean of its former heritage and insert Dark Axis codes into it. This way, they can create an artificial spark in a sense. With this process, it's been proven by Orichalcos tech that it can be possible to reprogram a human's soul to a new cause, whatever it may be. Apparently the Dark Axis has been using this process to instill a fanatical sense of duty to their cause, destruction of the organic races in the dimensions. Or in this case, absolute slavery," Dartz explained.

"We sort of guessed on that one. What about the process? How is it carried out?" she asked.

Dartz sighed. "The process works like this. Once a human soul is removed from its body, it's entirely vulnerable to everything they throw at it, whether it be assaults of the voice, a physical blow, or even a gunshot."

"But, won't those things pass right through the soul?" President Warren was now confused.

"To an extent, yes, but if done in repeated fashion it could destroy the soul and break it into pieces. Anyway, in this vulnerable state, the soul can be subjected to computer software if it's in a container wired to a high speed computer. The soul engineering programs on one of our computers can be used to wipe a soul clean from everything in life. Its feelings, even its very core drive: the thing that makes it whatever species it is. For humans, it's survival. If that's removed, then there's nothing that can be done. The soul, once wiped clean, then becomes a blank template on which a new, artificially created soul can be based. The basic soul is still there, but the instincts and memories and thoughts that make up the core drive are gone forever. It's sort of like a missing file. The basic file coding is still there, but the file itself is lost forever," he told her.

"So, in short, the soul is now a template?" the Federation leader wondered.

"Yes." Dartz's golden eyes hardened. "The soul is now a template that can be used to create new souls through artificial means. By plugging in complex algorithms into the program, it is actually possible to alter the fundamental nature of a species' soul. This is not supposed to be done, but it is possible."

"Then why even do it?" asked President Warren.

He shrugged. "Truth is we don't. But, there is talk that we should do it, but I say no for a good reason: souls are the universe's method of creating new life. We alter them, we risk altering the laws of nature themselves. That's why we don't do it."

"But the Dark Axis apparently thinks that they can, right?" she asked softly.

He nodded grimly. "Yes. In fact, one of our programs for altering souls was recently stolen, and we're still trying to track the intruder down."

"Maybe we can help."

"I appreciate it, and I accept your offer."

She glanced back at the Soul-Drive on the table. "Just who's is that, anyway?" she asked softly.

Dartz shook his head sadly. "I'm not sure. There wasn't enough data in it to try and trace the soul down. But I can tell you that it's not from your organization."

"Oh."

"And, there's more."

"Huh?" Her gaze locked with Dartz's. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I never told anyone this but…" He took in a breath and let it out. "There is a way to return them to normal."

"That's just what we've been looking to do for months now!" President Warren blurted.

"Well, then here's how. But first, do you have any machines that can transfer minds or souls or such?" Dartz asked her.

She nodded. "Well, yeah. We have the Psitransfer. We use it to transfer human minds to computer chips to save their lives when their human bodies are mortally wounded in the middle of combat. It's a portable machine that can be set up on the field in the middle of combat and it's small enough to where it can be mistaken for a gun or a mine. It spits out a chip and can be inserted into a Reploid body back at the camp. Very handy."

"Then the procedure should be very simple. How does it work, first off?"

"A psychic transfer beam shoots out and hits the wounded soldier in the forehead and removes their mind from the human body and scans it into code, placing it on a chip. Then it's ejected. Why?" President Warren asked. She wondered where he was going with this.

"There you go. The Soul Transfer machine uses the same kind of tech, but much differently. It extracts souls, but with what you told me, can it also be used in reverse?" Dartz inquired.

"Again, she nodded. "Yeah. We've done it before. It's risky and takes a while, but it can be done."

"Great. Then all you have to do is reverse the process to remove the organic soul from the Soul-Drive and insert it into an organic body if you have one handy."

"…" She was silent as she pondered this. It seemed too easy to her. Way _too_ easy.

"Something about the procedure bothering you?" Dartz asked.

"Yeah. How can it be that easy? I thought it would be more difficult," she said.

"In truth, it is. It requires a very powerful energy source to remove the soul from its prison within the Soul-Drive container," Dartz murmured.

"How powerful? I mean, our machine uses a high power energon generator to power it, and that's more than enough to remove a human's mind from a wounded body," President Warren said.

Dartz looked at her like she was nuts. "How much power does the energon generator have?" he asked suddenly.

"About…4500 megawatts of electricity," she said, doing some mental calculations.

"…That's just over the amount of power needed," Dartz murmured softly.

"It is?" President Warren cocked an eyebrow.

The green-haired leader nodded. "Yes. Normally it requires about 4200 megawatts, but yours is 300 megawatts over the amount of power needed."

"So…?"

"In short, you've got the power needed."

President Warren fell silent as she processed the information.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us this time," she murmured.

She didn't even know how prophetic her words were.


	48. Planning Begins

Chapter 9

Xenphyr gritted his teeth as he checked the scanners depicting the numerous firewalls erected in Captain's memory files. Each one was highly complex and required intense algorithms to break through even the first layer of defenses. But, with the resources at his disposal, he had no doubt that they could break through to unlock Captain from his own mind.

"Well?" Ciel asked from behind him. "Is it going to be difficult or what?"

The Reploid turned to face her.

"The whole thing's top notch. I mean, come on. These firewalls require algorithms of far greater complexity than we've got," he explained. "But, I feel confident we can break through the defenses, considering we've got a top-rate supercomputer that is a combination of Earth and Cybertronian tech, and we've even got some of KaibaCorp's top rate computers jacked into the network."

"So, we can't break them?" Ciel asked.

Xenphyr shook his head. "I didn't say that. I said they require greater codes in order to break. We can do it, that much I know, but it will take some time and effort."

Ciel felt a smile cross her lips at this information. She knew that he was right. The Federation's computers were some of the best in the universe, and they could no doubt break down a top rated security system in half a year, depending on the strength of the firewalls. In fact, one such occasion had occurred during the Unicron Wars when they had broken into the Quintesson mainframe to gather information about him. Their mainframe had been heavily guarded by all kind of firewalls, some which surpassed all other systems they had designed. It had taken the Federation's main supercomputer, code-named CyberEarth, and three KaibaCorp supercomputers to break through and it had been in only nine months, when it normally took nine _years_ to do the job.

That had been a test of Federation resilience and determination to overcome the odds.

And they had passed.

"Well, let's get to work," she said, sliding her visor down over her sky blue eyes.

Xenphyr adjusted his seat and began typing away at the keyboard.

It took a few seconds to call up the programs needed to break through the firewalls.

As standard equipment from the Interstellar Software Foundation, each power was given top rated decoding programs, but the Federation didn't have any such programs. Instead, they had programs they themselves had developed out of curiosity and through experience. Each world had written them while they had been individual planets about eighteen years ago, but recent research had led to the creation of a universal program capable of breaking into highly guarded files and documents. This program was a key one in breaking through firewalls.

"Is the program up and running?" Ciel asked.

The medic nodded. "Yes, and so far things are right on track. I'm jacking into the network right now. In a few minutes, the data should be displayed. Depending on how many layers it has, we'll both have to tackle a set amount of firewall coding."

"Okay," Ciel replied.

They worked in silence for the next three minutes when Xenphyr spoke.

"Got it! Code's coming up now. You see it?" he asked.

"Yes. I am. How many layers?" Ciel asked.

"About three each. Total of six. Same with the other firewalls, but each firewall set is increasing in difficulty levels to breach. Hopefully this won't take too long," the technician said grimly.

She nodded. "I hope so too."

* * *

_In the main building…_

Dr. Hikari punched in a few codes and worked his hands around in the blue space that he had activated prior to the experiments. Beside him stood a few technicians for Earth and Cybertron together. Each of them had high-intensity energy shields in front of their faces and they all wore radioactivity protection vests to protect their hearts and sparks.

"So, what exactly are you doing?" one of the techies asked.

"I'm about to show you just how they can travel through the dimensional barriers," he said.

"And the purpose?" a female scientist asked.

"The purpose of this experiment is to try and come up with a device that can jam even dimensional signals, rendering them unable to be sent to a certain area in the space-time continuum," Dr. Hikari said seriously.

"But, why?" an engineer inquired.

"To try and stop them from coming in and attacking others," Dr. Hikari said, his voice growing soft.

"…" Silence filled the room as Dr. Hikari spoke.

"Look. I lost my only son in the first attack we were in. It was horrific beyond words. Many lives were lost, unnecessary casualties in a war that was never intended for us to be involved in. I want to try and stop them right here and now, but to do that, we need to buy ourselves some more time so as to be better prepared for future combat," he said, his voice somber.

"So this jamming thing…are you sure it will even work?" the engineer asked.

Dr. Hikari shrugged. "Possibly, but we have to first build it, then test it in the lab."

"How long will it take to build such a device?" asked a submarine Transformer.

"About three hours, depending on how much everyone contributes."

"Well, you have our word that we'll all pull our fair share," the sub mech said.

"Thanks." Dr. Hikari turned to the blue orb in the glass case. "Here's how it shapes up. The gate they use can actually disrupt the natural flow of space-time, meaning they can literally tear it open from their home base, traveling through the many different realities and emerging in ours. But, for this to be accomplished, this intense energy needs to be rerouted someplace other than the dimension they want to emerge in. The gate taps into Z-space and drops the excess energy off there. I assume you know of Z-space?"

"Yeah. It's some kind of barrier that can shield us from some kind of attackers, or so we think. We're not sure, really," the sub mech replied.

"Well, it turns out you're right. The void that we know as Z-space does indeed act as a barrier to prevent dimensional pirates from invading, but not to the degree that we thought. There are ways to penetrate this barrier, but for the most part it's largely impenetrable," Dr. Hikari explained.

"How can the Dark Axis break through it then?" a German engineer asked.

"Like I mentioned earlier, the gates dump off the excess energy into Z-space, and while that energy transfer is going on, it creates a tear in the Z-space boundaries, making it easier for someone outside our reality to enter into our own. This can be prevented, hopefully, through this experiment to cut off their access to our dimension through Z-space," Dr. Hikari said as he adjusted the frequency of the orb.

"And what if it fails?"

"We can't allow that option to be taken!" Dr. Hikari snapped. "We have to succeed in cutting off their entry."

The sub Transformer glanced at them before speaking. "What about the spacebridge? Several times I noticed that the gate and the bridge overlap, causing the gate to be canceled out. Can't we just use that?"

"While your idea is sound and has actual proof that it works, there is no way we can link the bridges to Z-space to enact a barrier. It's just not possible," Dr. Hikari said.

"So, we're creating this device as a last resort jammer," the female scientist said.

"Pretty much. Let's just hope it actually works."

* * *

_In the depths of space-time, Vector Prime watches from his ever changing position. The screens still show the Federation's efforts, and several screens depict the Dark Axis busy with war preparations._

_Both sides are getting closer, the Federation struggling to make the connections, and the Dark Axis getting prepped for an assault on them._

_His optics narrow as he takes in the sight._

_On one side of the screens, he can see the Dark Axis soldiers milling about, carrying weapons and massive guns to arm their floating fortress. The Komusai hovers as the Zakorello gate is opened and a massive new ship comes out. On the top stands Shift, Shibaomaru, and another being he knows all too well._

_A shudder creeps down his back, making his whole frame shudder._

_The center being is the Supreme General of the Dark Axis himself._

_His gaze shifts to the Federation's side. The screens show their efforts at analyzing the Soul-Drives, and the allies they have gained working with them in their mission._

_He turns to face the lone screen showing the mysterious dimension called Satyron. The efforts there aren't as big as those in the Dark Axis' home dimension, but nonetheless, they too, prepare for war as the first major battle draws close._

_This is not going to end well, he knows._

* * *

The bright blue screens flashed as they showed the next battle scenario. Tiny virtual organics ran around, screaming as little images of Zakos ran around firing at them. It showed blood and gore flooding the ground and many guts spilling over.

President Warren narrowed her eyes and glanced at the man before her.

"Are you sure this is what they could do to us?" she asked.

"I'm sure of it, ma'am. They are prepping for war even as we speak," the top general said.

"And you know of this how?" President Warren asked.

"Lucky interception of their transmissions. We're not sure how, but the boys down at the communications center managed to tap into their bands and we overheard everything. I sent the command to the tech boys to create scenarios like this one and they did. They went above and beyond to create such a thing," he said.

"General Lopez, thank you for your efforts. We now know what to expect, and we'll have to plan accordingly to prevent it."

"Anything else they try we'll pick up. I hope."

"Still, how did you even manage to pick it up?" the President inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said, lucky guess. Who knows how we picked it up? It was by pure luck, okay," General Lopez remarked, shrugging.

"Okay…" President Warren's voice trailed off, but she let it slide.

"Anything else you want me to tell those boys down at the tech center?" Lopez asked.

"No. Nothing else. Just keep doing your job, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

General Lopez turned and left, leaving the leader behind.

She glanced back at the scenario depicting the whole attack, and she shuddered. She didn't even want to think of how it was possible, but it was. Now that they had conquered other dimensions besides theirs, Lacroa, and a few others, they had more than enough manpower to finish the Federation off, meaning that it was going to be a fight for survival if they wished to win.

It seemed to her that things had begun to accelerate rapidly for them. Too rapidly.

The President looked away from the screen and out the window as a few starfighters zipped by, barely rattling the windows with their speed.

She wondered how they could cope with this, if at all.

* * *

_The Elders look about, Vector Prime sitting amongst them. The first of the Elders glances at each of his fellow members and speaks, a deep resonating sound coming out of his mouth._

"_Is everyone present?"_

_The Elders nod and sound off._

"_Aye."_

"_Aye."_

"_Aye."_

"_Aye."_

"_Aye."_

_Each of the five Elders sounds off present._

"_Good. Now that the whole Council is here, we must begin to discuss for the Fate of the Universe."_

_Vector Prime looks at the chief Elder like he is nuts. "What? And have them condemned for their actions against the Dark Axis?" he snaps._

_The Elder looks at him._

"_Why do you say that? I am merely wishing to discuss for what the outcome of the next fight should be."_

"_Xia is right. You cannot decide what the Council does," a female Elder says._

"…" _Vector Prime stares for a moment before taking his seat._

"_Now, about this Dark Axis. Does anyone know about them?" Xia asks, his ever changing eyes sweeping the gathered council._

"_The Dark Axis? Who are they really?" the female says._

"_Vector Prime knows, for he has a power we have not."_

_Vector Prime stands and looks at each of them before speaking._

"_Honored Elders, here is what I have seen from the past, present, and future. It concerns the Dark Axis, and I shall indeed tell you, but from this you must learn to take action as soon as possible."_

_He opens a time screen._

"_Here is the current situation. The Dark Axis is expanding their forces for military might and are preparing to assault the Intergalactic Federation, a small third-rate power that many just brush aside."_

"_Why would they do that? The Federation has no powers that we have not."_

"_Ah, but they do. They possess the _Destiny Star Drive_, a powerful Destiny Star Class ship. They also have Primus on their side."_

"_What of this ship they possess?" Xia asks._

"_The ship itself has not been seen in combat yet, but I have a feeling that it will be shortly," Vector Prime explains._

"_And they have your creator on their side?"_

"_Yes."_

_Murmurs form amongst the other four members of the Council._

"_Also, according to future events and past outcomes, the Dark Axis has some kind of plan that threatens all of existence itself. They yearn to become—"_

"_ENOUGH! I will not listen to this outrage! Vector Prime must be condemned for his treason to the Council of Elders!" an older man hisses._

"_Vector Prime is lying and must be kicked off!" a second female agrees._

"_Calm down," Xia says sharply. The murmuring and shouting dies down. Vector Prime looks at Xia and nods. "Thank you."_

_He simply nods for him to continue._

"_Anyway, they yearn to become…"_

_Silence fills the chamber._

"_They yearn to become gods."_

_Shouting erupts again and Xia waves his hand swiftly._

"_NO! No talk of exile!"_

_They reluctantly sit down._

"_Now, Vector Prime, can you tell me why they yearn for this?"_

"_It is to rule all of existence, and to become unstoppable. In short, they wish to defeat everyone who stands in their way, including you."_

_The council members think for a moment._

"_And, they wish to do this because…?"_

"_Ever since their defeat by the Gundam Force, they have suffered several more defeats until they couldn't stand it. After a horrific battle a while back, they met up with Unicron's spark and they allied themselves with him, gaining part of his powers and becoming his new minions. Then they attacked Neotopia, sending the Gundam Force to another dimension, that of Earth. There they have taken refuge, but the war has followed them."_

"_And what of the Federation? How do they come into the picture?"_

"_They are the ones the Dark Axis is attacking. At first, it was just raids, but it has quickly accelerated into a small war. They are starting to take losses, but not many."_

"…"

"_That, and the fact that they are beginning to uncover certain mysteries that lead up to the Superior Dragon. They yearn to gain this power and stop the Federation, who they have learned, has small portions of the Dragon's power. However, I can foresee that that will be a fight no one wins. So, I ask your permission to use the emergency law."_

"_No. No such permission shall be granted until you can see the outcome," Xia says. "Plus, if what you say is true, then we shall not meddle in their affairs. It is their duty to fight, whatever the outcome may be."_

_Vector hangs his head and nods dutifully. However, he can tell that this will not be easy…_

* * *

**_FWAOOM!_**

"What in Primus name is going on out there?!" President Warren swore, running out onto the balcony of her office.

The blast of energy caught her by surprise as she ran out onto the balcony. It created a gust of wind that made her yelp as she threw her hands up in front of her face to prevent her eyes from getting blinded by the dust.

"I missed!" a voice snarled.

"Huh?" Her gaze lifted skyward and she gasped, recognizing one of her foes. "MEGATRON!" she cried in shock.

"President Warren of Earth. We meet again," the Decepticon leader purred.

"What are you doing here?!" she snapped. "Can't you see we're in the middle of a major war here?!"

He narrowed his blood-red optics as he gazed right at her.

"Of course I do! In fact, that's why I want to help you!" he snarled.

"What? You want to help?" She was struck dumb by his offer.

"Yes. And the reason why is because several of my Decepticon soldiers have turned on me, claiming allegiance to this Dark Axis. Plus…" His voice trailed off as he looked down at something in his hands. "…this belonged to one of the attackers."

Her eyes widened as she recognized the Soul-Drive in his grasp. "How did…?"

"A lucky shot from one of my soldiers. The attacker fell down a nearby ridge and his chest burst open. I had Leader One remove it and bring it to me. I figured that you would be the ones to bring it to, so I did," Megatron said.

"…This isn't like you, Megatron. Why do you want to help us all of a sudden?" President Warren asked suspiciously.

He didn't say anything, but merely laid it on the top story balcony.

"Let's hope that this fight can be brought to an end before it is too late…" he murmured.

"…" She was silent as she looked down at the small object in front of her. Megatron turned to leave, but she looked up and spoke. "Wait!"

"Hmm?" He turned to face her. "What?"

"If you wish to help…" Silence filled the area for a brief moment before the President spoke again. "I take it you also are aware?"

"Yes. And if they take over the universe, then that is interfering with what I want out there," Megatron replied, nodding.

"And what would that be? Universal domination?" President Warren hissed, her eyes narrowing.

The Decepticon nodded. "Yes, in a sense. But mostly…" Megatron's voice trailed off as he looked at her directly.

"…" President Warren studied his expression critically. What was he suggesting?

"I think you already know. You fight for it constantly and you always champion these ideals," he said, suddenly looking down.

The realization struck her. She gaped at him, dumbstruck. "Peace?"

"Yes. I just want the fighting to stop. If beings understood how horrible it really is…" Megatron murmured, lifting his hands and studying them as if they belonged to someone other than him.

"So, you want to force beings to feel fear, fear of fighting, and thus, establish peace," President Warren murmured, catching on.

"Yes."

She could now understand the real reason behind his campaigns against them. He had wanted them to be the first to understand how horrible fighting really was. But, they had already known from the very beginning, due to the basic instincts of the member worlds, save for Cybertron and her colonies.

He had wanted peace, even if it meant peace of fear.

"I…I don't get it. If you just wanted peace, then why fight us? Why not just join in the fight for peace?" she asked.

"You don't get it. Our kinds are extremely different. One can never be the next. And the next can never be the first. Your kind isn't compatible with the peace of fear that we want. It is completely different. You want freedom, we don't. We both don't want war, but the methods are vastly different. Peace of freedom means war still will continue, but outside of the universe. Peace of fear means it will still continue within the universe, but to a much lesser degree," Megatron explained.

"In short, they can't be together. One must exist while the other doesn't," President Warren remarked. She turned her gaze to look at the sun on the horizon.

"Exactly, human. Your version of the future contradicts mine, but it will be there. Our futures will collide again until one of us wins," Megatron remarked, following her gaze.

"The future…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at the stars. She could envision a massive spacebridge network connecting the stars in many ways, but it was hard to envision Megatron's future.

"War is what every being yearns to end, but they can't. Not even you, despite your efforts," Megatron remarked, catching her off guard.

"What?" She glanced at him, stunned. "Why not?"

He turned to look back at her. "Your forces and mine will continue to clash for years to come. But, for now, we will set aside these differences and work to end this fight. We can't allow the Dark Axis to succeed. If they do, they will surely kill even me and my race. So, if we wish to continue our fight, we must work together."

"You want to fight us, but with honor?" This was a shocking revelation to her. He actually _respected_ her and her friends, despite them being weak humans and other weak races?

Megatron nodded at her question. "Yes."

"I don't understand…"

"You are a worthy opponent. Your tactics and skills, not to mention the passion with which you fight to achieve your goals…that is truly second to none," Megatron said.

"Are you referring to me alone?" President Warren asked him.

Her former enemy shook his head. "No. I am referring to all of you as a whole. You all have earned my respect, because of how strong you have become over the years, and because of how willingly you risk your own souls in battle."

"…You respect us for that?" she asked, stunned.

"Yes. So, are we allies?" he asked, looking down on her with a smile.

She blinked dumbly first before smiling and nodding. "Yes. Until this war is over, we're allies. Afterwards, that's when things are back to normal."

He nodded in agreement.

'_Looks like this won't be easy, but maybe, we can make it work._' she thought.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

"_GRAH! How much longer must I put up with this?!" the commander snarls angrily. "So far two of my generals have been taken down; one is captured, the other is missing. Not to mention that one of my camps has been raided and the prisoners freed, and Sazabi is also captured. And those three fools, Zapper, Grappler, and Destroyer, are in Ark, working for the good guys now, making things worse!"_

_He slams a fist down on his desk. The Zakos nearby huddle in fear, their optics darting for a way out, of which there is none._

"_And to top it all off, that small, inferior power, the Intergalactic Federation or whatever their stupid name is, is trying to stop us from attaining our goal of becoming gods and ruling the universe!"_

_He glances at the Zakos, who hurriedly shove one of their brethren forward._

_He fires a shot, striking the ground in front of the Zako. It shudders and faints on the spot._

"_Damn Zakos."_

_He turns back to the screen showing the small power's progress. One screen on the right of his desk depicts the leaders meeting and talking, another showing the massive silvery vessel up in orbit over their home world, and a third shows their military preparing for war. On the left side, one screen shows the school they call the TCDA, another shows a small red ship engaged in battle with one of their colonies, and the third shows a few shadowy forms, who he knows are his former foes from years past._

"_Blast those Satyronians! They always try to foil my plans," he murmurs._

"_Uh, sir, zako? What about t-the Intergalactic F-Federation?" a Zako stammers._

"_Them…Now _they _are the major threat. Those blasted organics always mess things up," he hisses._

"_So, which one is the organization that messes up your plans, zako?"_

"_Both, you scrap heap!"_

"_Z-zako!"_

_A frightened squeak emits from the Zako's mouthpiece as it shrinks back and huddles._

"_Both of them. But mostly the Intergalactic Federation. Mostly the Federation, so they must be the first to go…"_


	49. Renegades Arrive! The Outlaw Star!

Chapter 10

The blue coding danced over the screen as Xenphyr adjusted the program's decoding speed with incredible skill. His fingers danced over the keyboard like those of a pianist, but with the speed and precision of a programmer. His eyes narrowed as he typed in a string of code into the program.

A few seconds passed before the program beeped, a signal that the first firewall was broken.

"Okay. Looks like we broke through the first one," he said.

"That's good," Ciel gasped. Her eyes were glazed over and her hair was hanging loosely from around her visor.

"And it took us only three hours."

"How many firewalls are there?"

"About two per file. That's a total of twenty, or two for each file batch that's been sealed away. And each set increases in difficulty, so the time will increase."

"Primus…"

"Look. Why don't you get some sleep? I'll handle the rest, but if the need arises, I'll call you, okay?" Xenphyr suggested.

"No. Forget about that. We both need to work on this."

"It's almost ten, Ciel."

"Still…"

"No buts. Let me handle it. I don't need to sleep, so you just let me handle it until morning, okay?"

Seeing as how Xenphyr was stubborn once his mind was made up, she reluctantly stood up and stretched before yawning.

"See? You need to rest."

She nodded wearily. "Okay. I will. See you."

"Night."

Ciel turned and left, leaving Xenphyr to his work.

During the course of the evening, he worked on trying to break through the next firewall. His efforts were hampered slightly by the absence of Ciel, but by one in the morning, he had broken through the second set of firewalls. His fingers were a blur of speed as he got to work on breaking the third set of firewalls. His eyes darted across the screen as he tapped into the main supercomputer's mainframe. A few failed tries later and he had succeeded in bursting down the third set around six in the morning.

At seven, Ciel entered the room, still tired from last night, but much better and fully refreshed.

When she entered his office, she was surprised to see him still up and working, screens and scraps of paper with a bunch of letters and numbers written on them littering the floor, his desk, and his private quarters. Xenphyr himself was sitting amongst a pile of screens and papers, his fingers still flying across the keyboard.

"Xenphyr?"

"Hey, Ciel," he said without even looking up.

"How's it going?" she asked as she sat down beside him.

"Good so far. I managed to break through the next two sets while you were sleeping, and I'm working on the fourth," Xenphyr replied.

"You need any help?" Ciel asked.

"You bet the slag I do! This firewall's tougher than the last one!" the Reploid snapped.

Ciel blinked in shock. "Really?"

Xenphyr nodded. "Yeah. This set's really difficult."

"Okay. I'll see what I can do."

She sat down and they both began working on it. The fourth set was harder to break through, but by eleven they had broken through. The fifth set was proving the toughest, however, as they had found the most secure set of files in Captain's memory banks.

Around five in the afternoon, after some intense hacking and probing, the fifth set of firewalls gave way and they began to work on the sixth set.

Again, Ciel fell asleep and Xenphyr worked through the night trying to break through. The seventh and eighth sets of firewalls gave way to his attempts at twelve at night and five in the morning.

The final two sets proved to be easier than the last eight sets of firewalls, as these contained memories of days before he met Shute and the other members of the Gundam Force. They worked together the next day to break them and by three in the afternoon, all twenty firewalls had been broken.

Ciel let out a sigh as she flopped back onto Xenphyr's couch. The Reploid was leaning back in his chair and she could see how haggard his eyes were. His hair was disheveled and his clothing was a rumpled up mess, but his eyes were still alert, despite their bloodshot appearance.

"Well, we did it," she murmured.

"Yeah. We sure did. The only question now is whether or not he'll even wake up, despite the effort we did," the medical officer said hoarsely.

"What do you mean, Xenphyr?"

The technician looked at her and his eyes clouded over.

"His body was heavily damaged, and a lot of his systems were damaged beyond repair, so his chances of survival are slim," he told her grimly.

"But…?" Ciel's voice trailed off, leaving her to imagine the worst possible.

Xenphyr shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he will, maybe not. You can't really tell for long here."

She knew he was right. The Federation did have a knack for accomplishing the impossible…

But was it really worth it?

* * *

_In Earth orbit three days ago…_

Gene snarled as the lasers barely missed the nose of his ship. "Jim! Status on the engines, now!" he snapped.

"Um…" Jim glanced at the gauges for the ship's engines. "...about fifty percent power to all three thrusters. Why?" he asked, looking at Gene.

"Take 'em up to seventy!" the red-haired outlaw ordered.

"Seventy percent?! That's crazy!" Jim blurted.

"Not for what I've got planned," Gene said grimly.

Jim gulped, but did as he was ordered anyway. The ship's engines whined as power was fed into them, increasing forward thrust. Gene released bursts of gas from the maneuvering thrusters and put the ship into a turn that took them right out of a laser's trajectory. It exploded in the depths of space near one of the asteroids beyond the orbit of the planet called Mars, briefly illuminating the shielded colony they called Omega X, which also doubled as a max-security prison.

Gene glanced at the tactical radar on the screen in front of his face, his lips pursed in a straight line. He ran through the current battle plan and discovered there was a major flaw.

"Oh crap!" he swore.

The laser cannon had been modified to include radar tracking, capable of homing in on the signature of the enemy's vessel and continuously tracking it no matter what moves it pulled.

He glanced at Suzuka out of the corner of his eye. "Location of the gun! Now!" he ordered.

"It's still on our tail. The laser's charging again. In a few minutes it will fire, so we must prepare to dodge," she said without hesitation.

"Aisha, what about the range? How far?" Gene asked.

"That gun seems to have a range of…how much range does it have?" she asked, glancing at Jim. He sweatdroppped.

"Fifty mile range for maximum power," the boy said.

"Uh…does that include double?" the CtarlCtarl asked.

"_Huh?_" Melfina's head jerked upward in the pod she was currently using to interface with the ship's more advanced systems. "_Double the laser power?_"

Aisha shook her head. "No. Double the range."

"_That…that means that…_" Her voice trailed off as she tapped into the radar systems of the ship, her intelligence merging with that of the ship's AI. "_Gene! Turn to starboard and give full thrust as well! That should buy us some time!_" she exclaimed, her voice shrill.

"Roger that!" Gene said. The outlaw punched the ship's controls and the red Grappler ship darted to the side as a huge blue laser lanced across their previous path.

"Geez! Talk about a close one," Aisha yelped.

"Gilliam! How long until the cannon fires again!" Gene snapped.

"_About three minutes. Not enough time to turn and get some distance between us if that is what you are thinking,_" the AI replied.

Gene slapped his head. "Just great! Anyone got any ideas as to how we can shut the cannon down?" he asked.

"_We could try using the Assault Bolt,_" Melfina suggested.

"What do you guys think?" Gene asked his comrades.

"I say go for it! It's not like we've got anything to lose, aside from our lives, so let's do it!" the CtarlCtarl said.

"I agree. We have a better chance of using it and winning than winning without it, so let's go for it," the female assassin said, nodding.

"We may have no other choice," Jim agreed.

"Okay. It's settled then. Gilliam, power up the Assault Bolt and let's hit 'em hard!" Gene said to the ship's console.

"_Roger, Gene._"

The ship's powerful generator kicked in and the Assault Bolt began to charge.

The powerful weapon fired just as the massive cannon let loose its own blast of energy, the two beams canceling each other out in a massive explosion of light before it faded.

"Grappler Combat activated!" The whole crew shouted out the words as the twin Grappler arms on the sides of the ship activated. They extended outwards as the ship sped over to the moon colony, Grapplers extended. Each arm pushed against the cannon and with a burst of thrust from the engines, the _Outlaw Star_'s powerful Grapplers began to turn the cannon upward towards space with a whine of protesting hydraulics. The weapon shuddered, making the whole ship vibrate with the building energy as the laser again charged up.

It would take mere seconds before they could fire the cannon, which was what Gene and the others couldn't afford to let happen. The powerful thrusters whined as Gilliam and Melfina pushed the ship's engines to maximum power. With the hydraulics the Federation had built into it, they were evenly matched, and the cannon's barrel was aimed at the planet, meaning that if it fired, the beam would strike the planet and blow a huge crater in its surface. And that, they couldn't let happen.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! We need the power!" Gene muttered angrily under his breath.

The ship's engines were now at critical overload. Gene felt sweat breaking out on his face and forehead. The whole bridge seemed to be full of tension as the _Outlaw Star_ was pushed to its limits and beyond. Aisha's eyes were wide as she watched the process of descent and ascent cancel out due to the efforts of man and machine.

"Gilliam, turn off the safety and amp up the engines to overmax! We need it now!" Gene snapped.

"_But…_" Melfina looked at him from her capsule nervously. "_Who knows what could happen?_"

"I'd rather take the chance than not take it at all. So, let's do it!" Gene hissed.

"…_Right._" The bioandroid nodded her head.

The safeties were shut off and the ship's entire frame shuddered as pent up energy was sent racing throughout the wires and circuitry that made up the vessel.

"NOW!" Melfina yelled.

The thrusters whined and screeched as the smaller Grappler vessel pushed the cannon upwards and away from the planet, sending unheard screeching of hydraulics throughout the depths of space just as the laser fired.

They began grunting as the ship shuddered from the intense vibrations.

"Break off now!" Jim yelled.

With a screech and a loud roar of space thrusters, the red-colored spacecraft shot away from the cannon as the beam reached maximum output.

The beam fired off into the depths of space, exploding as it hit an unseen target.

Gene smirked as the stars shimmered, exposing another vessel.

"Wait. You knew?!" Aisha yelped.

"Hey. Sometimes you get lucky," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "It just happens that we picked it up a few minutes before we entered this system, so I asked Gilliam to keep an eye on it during the time we were engaged in combat. That's why I wanted to aim that cannon into space."

"Oh."

"_Gene. Incoming transmission_," Melfina reported.

Gene nodded. "Patch it through."

The screen was brought online, but instead of the other vessel's captain, like he had been expecting, it showed static as a strange sound emitted from the speakers. The sound was strangely like that of a vibrating tuning fork, but it became fainter as the static cleared to show a human face.

The man in the image, Gene guessed, was the head of the moon colony.

"_What in Primus name did you just pull?!_" he snapped.

"Look. I'm not one for big explanations, but I will say this: Had we not intervened, you might have been blasted to pieces!" the outlaw shot back.

"_You think I'm gonna buy a load o' slag like that? You could be in cahoots with that enemy vessel you blasted!_" the man snapped angrily.

Gene let out a low growl as he stood up in his seat. "Look here. We're not ones to really help people, but we will help even if you don't like it! Plus, are you aware that the Dark Axis is already working to achieve their goal of becoming gods? Or are you unaware of that as well? Because if you are—"

He was cut off by the man on the screen. "_Wait! How'd you know about that?!_" he yelped.

"We're one of the Renegade vessels, the _Outlaw Star_. I'm Gene Starwind and this is my crew. Melfina is the bioandroid in the capsule back there. She controls the ship's more advanced systems. Aisha ClanClan is a CtarlCtarl, and the only one on the crew. Twilight Suzuka is the assassin over there and this is my partner Jim Hawking. Gilliam is our ship's AI, and the one that controls the Grappler ship. Our last member, Evac, is in the cargo hold. He's in recharge, so he probably missed out on the fight," Gene said, motioning to each of his crew as he introduced them.

"_..._" The man was silent as he took in the information. "_That still doesn't explain your presence in Federation space and the enemy ship that you just blasted with our cannon._"

"Look. We're here to ask to aid you in your fight. That's why we're here. As for that ship…" When his voice trailed off, the man's face suddenly seemed to harden as the realization dawned on him.

"_You can't be serious…I mean…no ship would even…_" he murmured in shock.

"I have the footage to prove it," Gene said softly.

"…_Hold on._"

* * *

_On Earth…_

President Warren looked up from her desk as the comm link beeped. "Yeah? Go ahead."

The image of Tyre appeared on a screen in front of her. "_President Warren, Tyre here. We've got a bit of a situation going on here._"

"What is it?" the President asked.

"_There's a group of Renegades here that claim to be fighting against the Dark Axis. Their ship is called the _Outlaw Star_ and it's a Grappler ship. Ever hear of them?_" he asked.

"Wait. Grappler ships?" She had heard of the Grappler class ships from Optimus and Sandra. She knew that they had a system of Grappler arms that could be used in what the pilots called Grappler combat, a fight where one ship had to destroy the other ship's Grappler arms by using their own or whatever weapons they possessed. The ships also had capsules for beings called bioandroids, beings that could hook up to the ship's systems and boost them to new levels. Each ship also had a secret weapon, and in this case, it would be some kind of a beam weapon.

Tyre nodded. "_Yeah. You hear of them before?_"

"Sandra and Optimus told me about them. If it _is_ a Grappler ship…" Her voice trailed off.

"_Well, they want to help us out. They say they're aware of the Dark Axis' plan to become gods, and they just used our cannon to blast a Dark Axis vessel. And…well, I'm sure you can figure it out,_" Tyre told her.

Her eyes widened as she began to grasp the horrors that lay within the enemy vessel.

"You can't be serious…" she murmured.

Tyre's face was grim. "_I am. He says he has footage._"

"Okay. Tell him that he can land, just keep an eye on him. If he tries anything, kill the outlaw and his crew, if he has one," President Warren said seriously. Even though she suspected they were honest, it was best to not take any chances on the ground that the Dark Axis could be working through them.

Tyre nodded again. "_Yes, and he does have a crew._"

"Okay. You know what to do," President Warren said.

"_Right. Tyre out._"

The screen shut down as she glanced skyward. "Renegades that fight for peace…now that's unusual…"

* * *

_At the university…_

The first thing that he heard was Xenphyr's voice. He sounded worried, but at the same time, relieved.

His eye screens flared briefly before his eyes came online. He opened them and immediately closed them as the light struck them. "AH"

A strong hand was placed on his shoulder as he struggled to sit up. His body was gently pushed down and someone began covering him up.

"Take it easy, okay? Just let your body rest. After this, everything will be explained…" a voice said softly.

That was all he remembered before he passed out again.


	50. Revelation! Anderson Returns!

Chapter 11

"President Warren, are you sure about this?" Seto asked nervously. He eyed the silvery vessel in orbit right above them. "I mean, what if…?"

"Look. Not even I'm sure about this, but we have to see if what we received was indeed genuine," she said, looking at a small screen she held in her hands. The screen had Cybertronian symbols scrawled across its surface, which she had figured to be a note after having translated it into English.

"Still…what if the ship attacks us?" the CEO asked.

President Warren shook her head. "I doubt it will. And no trying to convince me otherwise, Seto. We need to see if this was indeed sent by him."

It had been not too long ago, about three hours, actually, that they had received a garbled transmission from somewhere in Earth orbit. The message had not been clear, but it had been enough for her to get an idea that someone was sending them a message. After repeated failed attempts to establish communications with the sender, they had gotten a message in Cybertronian lettering from the Communications Department.

"Ciel, how much farther till we're in position for docking?" President Warren asked, looking at the Orcan leader.

"About ten minutes, give or take," she reported.

"Sandra, weapons status?"

"One hundred percent efficiency and still climbing," the Blazian replied.

"Overmax activated?"

Sandra nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Mimi, shields?"

Mimi looked over at the President. "Shields are active and we're transmitting five-by-five."

"Excellent. Engine power?"

"All engines are at max," Famous reported.

"Good. Any enemies in the area, Cassie?"

Cassie shook her head. "None. No Dark Axis forces in the area."

President Warren nodded. "Okay. Take us in, Ciel."

Ciel nodded and she maneuvered the little shuttlecraft into position for docking. The next ten minutes were stressful as everyone prepped and checked their weapons for in case things got a little hairy.

The ship docked alongside the larger vessel a short while later and each member of the Federation leadership stepped out into the corridors, each wearing a customized spacesuit.

Ciel gripped her gun nervously as she noticed a camera aimed right at them. She aimed at it, but nothing happened.

She lowered her gun and turned nervously away, half expecting the ship to come alive and attack them.

Looks like we're gonna have to be careful, the President said, careful to speak in Cybertronian to avoid the ship's AI tapping into their comm links.

Right. the leaders agreed, keeping together as they ventured throughout the ship, weapons at the ready.

They made the wise decision to split up, for they had less chance of being caught individually, but they kept their comm links open at all times, each one set to the hidden frequency everyone had agreed upon.

Anyone find anything besides a bunch of combat drones littering the hallways? Seto asked.

No. Why? Mimi asked.

Hold up. I think what Seto is asking is what have we been able to detect on the scans, right? Famous asked.

Yeah, the CEO replied.

Well, nothing on this end, Mimi replied. Unless you count a gaping hole in the wall where an attack failed last time.

And I don't mean from last time! Seto snapped.

So, does that include a doorway on the far side of the bridge, because that's where I am right now, Mimi said.

That got Seto. What? A doorway? Was it there when you passed by?

No. It wasn't, but the next time I passed by, I saw a drone skittering off. That's when I saw it.

'_Seems like someone's trying to send us a message_.' the Kaxian thought to himself.

We'll be right there, Zero replied.

The leaders ran throughout the ship, homing on the comm signal from Mimi's spacesuit. They encountered no resistance from the ship as they neared her location. As the team approached the bridge, the tension grew amongst them, making them grip their weapons tighter. But, no movement, save for their own, occurred. No shuddering, no loud moaning, no screeching as the metal support beams for the ship burst through the walls, no wires flailing around, nothing. Not even a lone drone. The ship was utterly silent.

Looks like nothing's happening. Famous reported. I'm detecting no signs of activity from the ship, save for a few drones skittering around a few levels below. The place is deserted now.

Maybe the entity fled, Cassie suggested.

I doubt that highly. In fact… The President's voice trailed off as they neared the bridge. The door was wide open and they could see into it.

Unlike last time when it had been active, this time, it was completely still, exposing the interior to all of them.

A control console was situated in front of the main windows and a series of other consoles were lined up along the sides of the bridge. A main command station was placed a few yards away from the main console, which she guessed to be the place for the pilot or even the commander of the ship, should the need arise. An observation deck was located above the entryway they had come through, and on that deck were three other stations, which they guessed to be for sensors, stealth, and engine controls.

Beforehand, the place had been a major danger zone. Support beams had been jutting out of the walls, floor, and ceiling as wires had been slithering around on the floor like many snakes. The walls had opened and closed like gaping mouths while the floor had been open to the very bottom of the ship.

'_W-wow…_' Seto thought. He couldn't believe the sight of the bridge before him. _'It looks nothing like the bridge of the Blue Typhoon._'

And it wasn't.

In fact, this…was much, much better.

Wowee. This is impressive, Mokuba said, his eyes roaming over the whole bridge station.

President Warren, I found Mimi. And she is sure shocked by something, Steven said.

I'll be right there.

The President sort of half-hopped, half-walked over to the two humans standing in front of an open doorway, just like she had reported.

Holy shit…! Her voice trailed off as she stared into a strange room with wires snaking out to the walls, ceiling and flooring. In the middle of the room was a strange holding chamber. The bottom and top halves were connected by a clear glass tube that held within its grasp a small sphere with three rings around it. This sphere was bright blue-green with a golden flame inside, but the rings were bright white-blue, a clear indication of a Soul-Drive of Earthly origins. The twin halves of the holding chamber themselves were simply two cylinders that connected to the ceiling and floor of the strange room. The leaders were shocked by the simplicity of the room, along with the amount of wiring that snaked into the sides.

Seems like there isn't a whole lot of wiring that's connected to the ship itself, but maybe that's been bypassed due to system switches that tie into the systems themselves. Ciel mused.

Maybe, but that doesn't mean that they aren't connected in other ways. Remember, Optimus said that sometimes things aren't always what they seem, Zero stated.

Even so, we now know what powers the ship, but we still don't know if Anderson's here or no, Sandra said.

Wait. What's that? Mimi asked.

What's what? Cassie asked.

Static at irregular intervals could be heard in the bridge.

Static. And lots of it. Hold it! I'm picking up faint words! President O'hari reported. He had a hand to his comm unit on the side of his space helmet, his bug-eyes narrowed in concentration as he adjusted the frequency. Yeah. I got something. Hold on.

He dropped of the frequency, but they could clearly hear him over their standard comm units. "This is President O'hari of Gilar. Whoever this is, please respond."

"O….i…at…ou?"

"I can't understand you. Try a different frequency," O'hari suggested.

Again the words came through, still garbled, but not as badly. "O'hari…that…ou?"

"Almost there. Try 125.6 GH," O'hari instructed.

"O'hari? Is that really you?" a voice asked.

O'hari nodded. "Yes. It is."

"What…happened?" the voice asked.

"You don't remember?" the Gilarian breathed in shock.

"Not really," the voice murmured.

Hold on. Is that who I think it is? Ciel asked.

O'hari came back on the hidden frequency. It's him.

How…?

He says he doesn't remember much, but he does remember somewhat. O'hari said.

Is that really him? Cassie asked.

I already said it was. Clearly O'hari was getting ticked. She shut her mouth after that.

Now what? I mean…

Hold on. This time, it was President Warren who dropped off the frequency.

"Anderson? Is that really you?" President Warren asked.

"Yeah. It's me, Heather," the voice said.

"What…what happened?" she inquired.

"I…I really don't know. All I can recall is finding the vessel and inserting the sphere I found into the compartment, then nothing," Anderson said.

"Are you sure? Because we could try and find a way to reverse it," President Warren suggested.

"Sorry. I doubt that there's anything that can be done about it now."

"Still, there must be something that we can do."

"All we can do right now is continue the fight and win. That's the first thing."

President Warren nodded. "Okay."

"Just how long was I gone?" Anderson asked.

President Warren shrugged. "I don't know. It's been so long I've forgotten."

"Oh."

She glanced at her friends. "But, we managed to find some new allies, and we're grateful for that, considering how bad the conflict is about to get."

"I can take a guess," Anderson remarked.

"You knew?" she asked, shocked.

"Sort of. I managed to tap into the universal broadband, but the info I gained wasn't much."

"Slag…"

Hey, you done yet? Seto asked impatiently.

Unable to answer, she held up a hand for him to hold on just a minute longer.

"Anderson, we're going to get going now, but we'll be back."

"Okay. Just…"

She merely smiled and nodded. "We won't."

Getting back on the frequency, she turned to her friends. Okay, guys. Let's go home.

* * *

_At the university…_

Shute glanced at the Gundam who lay still in the bed beyond the glass of the observation deck, his armor removed to heal the wounds that had been inflicted by the Dark Axis during his imprisonment.

So far, most of them had been healed, save for the last few. Xenphyr was busy working on replacing one of the more destroyed components with a fresh one, so Shute could only see his back and a few other techies working alongside him.

He could only hope that his friend fully recovered soon.

As if he could read his mind, Xenphyr glanced up from his work and smiled at Shute, giving him the thumbs up.

Shute let out a sigh of relief, as he knew that the gesture was one of success and relief, or so he thought.

In truth, Xenphyr had done it so as to not reveal the truth: Captain was fading and fast.

But, he wasn't about to give up. The day wore on, the technicians, Xenphyr, and the medical personnel working hard to make sure Captain's internal bleeding was stabilized before they worked on fixing the external injuries.

Around two in the afternoon, the Reploid fell back into a chair, his face streaked with mech fluid and oil from the Gundam's injuries. His hair was disheveled and his white lab coat was rumpled, not to mention stained from drops of life blood for the military robot falling on it. His eyes were sort of glazed, but were still alert, as his mind was working in overdrive.

"Whew. At least the internal bleeding's stopped," he murmured.

"That's good though. Now we can work on the external injuries and fix him up," a nurse said.

"I doubt it. We still need to patch up all severed fuel lines and transfuse some more mech fluid into his body to keep his Soul-Drive going. And that could take till night," Xenphyr said seriously.

"…" The nurse was silent, unsure of how to respond to this. She glanced back at the badly injured Gundam before looking at him. "Then what?"

"_Then_ we can patch him up." Xenphyr may have been serious, but a ghost of a smile flitted over his lips, making her smile back. She knew that underneath that hardened exterior was a man who worked hard to make sure his patients survived, even if it meant going to the Allspark and back, if it came down to it.

* * *

_Outside near the boundaries of the university…_

"Zako!"

"Quiet!" Shift hissed, his hand clamping over the Zako's mouthpiece. "No one must know we're here! Or else this won't work!"

The Zako nodded nervously as Shibaomaru glanced back at the unconscious form behind him.

Another Zako ran forward, holding a sack in its hands, clearly looking disgusted by the contents.

"Okay. Now, remember the plan. Shift, you attack the building and draw them out. Then I will come forth with our cargo, both of them. The Zakos will provide a distraction long enough for me to prepare myself for this," the Musha said.

Shift nodded, releasing the Zako in his grasp.

"Okay, now!" Shibaomaru cried.

The seventeen other members of the team ran out, weapons held and Mana powered for attack.

The Musha Gundam watched as the demon mage unleashed a barrage of Mana blasts on the grounds before him, setting a few trees ablaze, catching the attention of the pedestrians and fighters outside. The three fighters ran into the building, no doubt to get one of their own inside it. A few civilian organics were caught in the first attack, leaving their bodies charred beyond recognition.

He smirked.

Shift himself was having a good time attacking and destroying organics, as well as devouring their souls as he flitted over. He fired off another Mana bolt, exploding it against the side of the building, catching Sayla and the others by surprise.

"WHAG!"

They were thrown to the floor as the explosion rocked the building, shattering a few windows as it struck.

"Ugh, man! I hate it when this happens!" Zane snarled.

"Shift's here, no doubt!" Zero murmured, rubbing his helmet.

"Looks like you're right," Baston replied, pointing out the window. "And he's not alone. He's got some troops with him."

"Okay! Everyone get outside now!" Sayla snapped.

Just as she said those words, Kicker, Meisha, and T.J. burst into the room, all looking flustered and anxious to get out there.

"Guys, Shift's here!" Meisha said.

"We already know that," Syrus explained. "He blew the windows in."

"Oh. Well, it appears that Shibaomaru is also here, and he's got two beings with him. One of them might be Coby!"

That got everyone. "WHAT?!"

Sayla glanced at Kicker. "You serious?"

"Look. It's just a guess, but I'm guessing yeah. So, we'd better get out there and fast!" Kicker said urgently.

The teenage commander nodded. "Right."

They all ran out of the room and emerged into the sunlight a few minutes later.

Sure enough, the demon mage was going at the building before he broke off the attack and charged at them, his wings spread to full. Shift let loose a battle cry that rivaled those of the Indians long ago.

"NOW!" Sayla cried. "ATTACK!"

Zane threw his arm forward. "SUN MISSILE! LEVEL 40!"

The balls of energy gathered near his body, before launching in a flurry. The demon mage dodged them all and let out a cry that sounded like the howl of Cerberus.

Kicker gritted his teeth and ran for his fighter parked close by.

He needed the power and fast.

He hopped into the cockpit and closed it while pressing the button for the mode he knew would help him in this fight.

A flash of light erupted from the console and in a second, it began.

A bright light surrounded him as armor materialized onto his unclothed body. The Energizer Matrix was first to lay itself upon his naked chest. A set of armored gloves appeared on his lower arms and hands, a pair of blades sweeping back till about halfway up his upper arms. A chest plate appeared over his chest, shielding his heart and vital organs from fatal injury. His lower legs and feet were covered in armored boots with the same kind of blades sweeping off to the sides as a set of shoulder pads covered his shoulders. A set of waist armor appeared to cover his lower torso and on his back, the _Energizer X_ took on the function of a jetpack. The last thing to appear on him was a helmet that nestled itself on his hair, clamping into place. A pentagonal gem flared as he opened his eyes and he struck his usual battle pose.

Kicker's armor was bright blue with a small hint of green on the gauntlets and boots, but near the edges. Red lines ran down his leg and shoulder armor, the bright gold of the gauntlets standing out. The blades were bright silver, as was the swept back design of his helmet. The exposed parts of his skin had been covered with some kind of black material to complete Matrix Mode.

Shift smirked. "What? A new form? That is nothing."

"Just tell us where Coby is!" Kicker snarled, clenching his fists.

"Oh, you mean your human friend?" Shift sneered.

"Yes!" Kicker hissed.

"Simple. I have him." Shibaomaru stepped out of the brush, holding in his grasp Coby's limp form.

"COBY!" The collective cry was enough to make him grin.

"You want him back, you'll have to fight me for him, as well as this," he said, motioning to a second form lying on the ground, bound up, eye screens dark.

Everyone gasped in shock as he grinned satanically. "Well? What will it be?"

"You are going down!" Jaden hissed.

"Heh. Try me, human!" Shibaomaru purred.

Jaden didn't even give him a chance to draw his katana from its sheath. He gripped his beam sabers and ignited the glowing golden blades. He charged at the musha Gundam, catching him off guard.

"GAH! You little…!" Shibaomaru was cut off guard by the sudden assault, especially from Sayla.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" The blue energy wave came right at him, but he dodged to the side.

Shibaomaru gripped his katana and unsheathed the blade. He held it in front of him as Sayla charged, her laser sword emerging from where her right hand had been. She slashed, but he parried the blow.

Just then, Zane fired off his Sun Missiles, impacting the ground around the Musha.

"Whoa!" He dropped Coby's form, and T.J. acted swiftly, engaging his engines and speeding low to the ground, scooping up Coby's body in his arms.

"Huh?" Shibaomaru looked around in confusion. What just happened?

"Nice try," T.J. chirped.

Demon magic suddenly erupted behind him, making him spin around.

_**You got the touch**_  
_**You got the power**_

Kicker was engaged in battle with Shift, a full on fight between the _Energizer X_'s pilot and the demon mage. His teeth were gritted and his eyes were narrowed in determination as he fired off the Energy Pulse. The pulses streaked towards the demon mage, but he barrel rolled out of the way as it struck the ground behind him.

"Now, time for you to die!" Shift hissed.

"I doubt that this time!" Kicker snapped.

_**After all is said and done**_  
_**You've never walked, you've never run,**_  
_**You're a winner**_

Kicker dodged to the side, his hands clenched into fists as he called upon the Energizer Matrix. The power coursed into his hands, releasing a warm tingling feeling as it gathered in his palms. "ENERGZIER BLAST!"

Shift sneered evilly before flaring his Mana wings and darting upward with a mighty pump. The blast sped right under him, causing Kicker to snarl in rage.

The boy fired the engines of his starfighter and flew right up after the demonic Gundam. Shift laughed as Kicker closed in on him, his eyes narrowed in fierce determination.

_**You got the moves, you know the streets**_  
_**Break the rules, take the heat**_  
_**You're nobody's fool**_

"So, you think you can defeat me and rescue your friends alone? Well, that is noble, but it will ultimately cost you your life," Shift purred.

"Not this time!" Kicker yelled. "ENERGIZER SHCOKWAVE!"

He spun around midair as his right foot began to glow with the power, unleashing a shockwave from his foot, right at the enemy in front of him.

Shift dodged to the left, but the human was ahead of him this time.

"ENERGIZER SLASH!" He slashed as hard as he could with the blades on his arms, unleashing that familiar shockwave he knew so well.

Smirking, his opponent erected a Dark Mana shield, the attack dissipating in front of it in a shower of white sparks. "Nice try, human."

_**You're at your best when the goin' gets rough**_  
_**You've been put to the test, but it's never enough**_

"Kicker! LOOK OUT!" Sayla yelled. She spun in midair and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to the head of a Zako soldier, taking its head clean off in a spurt of mech fluid and oil. She leapt on top of the body and kicked off, using her momentum to propel herself forward. The force from her jump added to her momentum, boosting her forward motion and she kicked out in a front snap kick. The Zako in front of her wasn't so lucky, for the treads on the bottom of her combat boots penetrated through its chest armor.

The two landed on the ground, Sayla already yanking her foot free before it even struck the ground. She began running, her lithe body seeming to move more like a fluid than a human being.

She lashed out with a double punch before kicking out in a side thrust, catching a Zako soldier in the lower torso, making it cough. She wrapped her arms around its arm and yanked, using the force from her tug to flip the soldier flat onto its back, the wind knocked out of its intakes.

She jumped over its still body and, using her gun as leverage, launched herself at Shift. Her hand transformed into her weapon and she slashed as hard as she could, catching the demon mage by surprise as he flitted up behind Kicker.

"GAH!" He barely dodged the strike, but it nicked him in the face, drawing mech fluid to the spot.

_**You got the touch**_  
_**You got the power**_

"No one tries that while we're here!" she hissed.

"Oh, really?" Shift asked mockingly.

"Yes!" Sayla growled.

Shift cocked his head as if in deep thought, but then he sneered and teleported in a cloud of black mist.

Sayla instantly knew who he was targeting.

_**When all hell's breakin' loose**_  
_**You'll be riding the eye of the storm**_

"JADEN! HE'S COMING!" she cried, whirling in his direction.

"Huh?" The human/Gundam glanced up, just in time to see Shift hovering there, Mana gathering about his hands, ready to attack Baston!

"NO!" Jaden cried, fear flooding his systems and circuits.

"JADEN! SEND HIM PACKING!" Sayla yelled, fierce determination filling her voice.

Jaden glanced down at his chest just as warmth flooded his systems, his Soul-Drive spinning at full power. A soft golden glow emitted from the compartment just as the fighting fire appeared in his brown eyes, his right fist glowing with bright light, electricity lacing the energy. "ELECTRIC PUNCH!"

He punched as hard as he could, the energy attack speeding right at the demon mage.

_**You got the heart**_  
_**You got the motion**_

The attack struck, unleashing an incredible explosion that blew everyone back. Again, smoke curled upward from the spot, but not as thick as it had been the first time Jaden had unleashed his signature attack.

Shift spread his wings, throwing aside his cover. "HAH! Is that the best you could throw at me?" he crowed.

"Not even close!" Jaden smirked.

**_You know that when things get too tough_**  
**_You got the touch_**

"SUN MISSILE! LEVEL 40!" Zane's signature attack, and his most powerful, sped out of the smoke that covered him and impacted around Shift, creating smaller craters and throwing up clouds of dust.

A few narrowly missed him, but one or two found their targets and impacted him and a few Zakos that had managed to find their way to him. A Zako cried out as one of Zane's missiles blew its chest plate open, exposing its power core before it was blown to bits from the force of the explosion. "Zako!"

Shift looked up, barley dodging the attack unleashed by Syrus. "SONIC WAVE!"

The demon mage smirked as the attack struck the ground, barely making a crater.

"Heh. Seems like that's the strongest attack you have," he purred. "You shall be first to die!"

"I don't think so!" T.J. yelled, his wing blades glinting dangerously as he sped right at Shift.

**_You never bend, you never break_**  
**_You seem to know just what it takes_**  
**_You're a fighter_**

The demon mage dodged the young mech's attack before delivering a punch that T.J. blocked, but barely.

His teeth were visibly pressed together as he struggled to prevent Shift from attacking him.

"Nice try," the Gundam demon purred.

Instead, T.J. smirked as he kicked Shift in the torso, forcing him back. Now, T.J. could unleash it. His wing blades swung back as he held his right hand out in front of him, the barrel for his signature Shocker Cannon emerging from its subspace compartment. The barrel formed around his hand, which was now clenching the trigger within the weapon itself.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. roared.

The ball of electricity gathered at the tip, growing larger in size and power, boosting its lethality as it did so.

He released the trigger, and it fired in a blast of energy and sound, making even Guneagle's beam rifle seem pale in comparison.

**_It's in the blood, it's in the will_**  
**_It's in the mighty hands of steel_**  
**_When you're standin' your ground_**

The beam sped right at Shift, who wasn't prepared for an attack like this. It struck him, blasting him to sparks.

"SLAG! A clone!" T.J. hissed.

"That's right. You underestimate me," the demon mage purred from behind.

"TAKE THIS!" T.J. cried. He fired off a second shot from the weapon, but it missed his hiding spot by only a millimeter.

Shift sped upward, his hands glowing with demonic Mana.

"HAH!" He fired off a blast, but T.J. dodged to the side.

**_And you never get hit when your back's to the wall_**  
**_Gonna fight to the end and you're takin' it all_**

The beam of Mana exploded against the ground, tossing up a huge plume of dust, shielding T.J. from view. He smirked and locked onto Shift's energy signature, using his infrared vision.

"Gotcha!" he purred.

Shift gasped as T.J. aimed one of his submachine guns at him, firing off several rounds.

The bullets impacted Shift's body, damaging him, but not life threateningly. He shouldered the pain aside and forced himself to focus on his prey.

"Meisha! Your turn!" T.J. shouted.

_**You got the touch**_  
_**You got the power**_

"Right!" Meisha replied. She aimed her pistol, locking onto Shift's location and firing off a few shots. Most missed him, but one struck him in the chest, damaging him a little more, and drawing out mech fluid.

"GAH!" Shift winced in pain as the wound sparked.

She smirked.

Even though she may have lacked the skills the others had, but she more than made up for it with her skills with a pistol, especially one like the one she held in her hands, and her ability to solve problems.

"How did you like that?" she quipped.

**_When all hell's breakin' loose_**  
**_You'll be riding the eye of the storm_**

Shift let loose a cry that rivaled those in the Pit. He fired off three Mana spells, one after another, hoping to strike them and incinerate them, but instead, they missed and burst three trees into flames before automatic fire cannons came out of the ground and let loose gallons of seawater onto them, suppressing it.

"Nice try!" Sayla shouted, a smirk on her face.

Kicker nodded, his hands glowing with the power of the Energizer Matrix.

"Just try me!" Shift hissed.

Deed decided to get into the fray at that point, forcing Shift onto the defensive with a powerful spell launched from his scythe.

"Deed!" Sayla blurted, shocked. She hadn't even known that he had arrived via a teleportation spell!

"Looks like you all could use some assistance," he remarked.

"Boy, are we glad to see you!" Sayla said, relief evident on her face.

Shift growled as he let out a howl of rage and hatred.

**_You got the heart_**  
**_You got the motion_**

The demon mage unleashed spell after spell, but Rele was fast with her own spells, firing them off and blowing Shift's spells into oblivion with her own. A few missed, forcing her to throw up a Mana shield to deflect them.

"Close one," Baston murmured.

"I'll say," Jaden whispered, clutching his racing Soul-Drive.

Guneagle, who had been lurking behind, sped up holding his beam rifle. "Eat laser, you freak!"

The bright pink beam sped out the barrel and right at Shift who barrel rolled to the side, firing off a spell as he did so.

Guneagle barely dodged it, but it was close enough to make his Gunsoul pound in his chest. "YIKES!"

**_You know that when things get too tough_**  
**_You got the touch_**

The flyer jerked his body upward horizontally as the spell sped beneath him, striking one of the trees and turning it into metal coated with rust.

"Geez! Is that what he was planning!?" Guneagle remarked, a large sweatdrop running down the side of his head.

"Looks like he got the idea from the _Titanic_," Jaden gulped.

"We'd better be careful," Zane said grimly.

"I shall turn you into scraps!" Shift yelled.

"I don't think so this time!" a new voice yelled. "Tenkyouken!"

A bright, fiery X sped out of the smoke caused by the recent spell explosion and nailed Shift, scorching his body and making him cry out in pain.

"Bakunetsumaru!" Zero gasped.

The red and white Musha Gundam emerged from the smoke, his katana drawn and ready for battle.

_**You're fightin' fire with fire**_  
_**You know you got the touch**_

Baku stopped in front of them, holding both katana in his battle stance.

"You want to turn them into scrap, you'll have to deal with me, and the others, in battle!" Baku spat.

"Oh, really?" Shift asked.

"Yes!" Bakunetsumaru hissed.

"Very well. MANA DESTRUCTION!" Shift roared.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker thrust both hands forward, launching his signature move in a blaze of white light and heat.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. fired off his own move, the beam combining with the Energizer Blast.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha called forth her starfighter's weaponry and blasted back with everything she had, the assault combining with the other two moves.

The screen showed their three faces as they called out their combination move. "ENERGIZER ANNIHILATION!"

Both attacks sped right at each other, one a combination, and the other, a devastating concentration of Dark Mana. The first, created by three separate attacks, impacted the second, holding it off before an explosion occurred at their meeting point. The shockwave blew Shift back, along with Kicker, Meisha, and T.J.

The three humans landed on their feet, Shift on his backside in a very painful position.

**_You're at your best when the road gets rough_**  
**_You've been put to the test, but it's never enough_**

"Owwww!" Shift moaned as he sat up, holding his head.

"Nice one!" Guneagle cheered from the sky.

"We just did what we had to do. We couldn't let him destroy Baku, so we had to attack," Kicker explained.

"GRAH! You shall pay for that!" Shift snarled, his eyes narrowing.

"I doubt it this time!" Zero purred, holding his Vatras sword in one hand, his shield in the other. "For now, you must face _all_ of us!"

"Heh. I still have the human," Shift sneered.

"Oh really?" The Gundams and the others looked around, eyes searching for the source of the voice. Kicker was the first to spot the source, a red mechanical spider with four legs and one single cannon mounted on it, with the Autobot sigil planted firmly on one part of it.

"Coby's scrapmetal vehicle!" he gasped. "Then that means…" He smirked. "Nice try, but I guess you don't realize the benefits of Federation tech! Once a procedure is done once, and you try another, the procedure from before will occur again!" he explained.

"So that explains why he did not turn into a Gundam with my spell," Shift muttered.

"And that's why I'm still here!" Coby explained.

**_You got the touch_**  
**_You got the power_**

"If that is the case, then you must be destroyed!" Shift hissed.

"Not this time!" Zero shouted. "SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!" The magical winds laced with violet petals sped at Shift, striking the demon mage and throwing him a good fifteen meters before he landed on his head and falling down.

"OWCH!" Kicker and the others winced, but Shift just groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"That does it! Oh Dark Mana, grant me my sacred lance and shield, become my weapons and help me defeat my foes!" Shift roared, holding his hand to the skies. But Sayla and the others didn't give him the chance to summon them forth.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla slashed as hard as she could, unleashing her shockwave.

"SUN MISSILE! LEVEL 40!" Zane threw his arm forward, firing all of his Sun Missiles at Shift.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker thrust both hands forward, launching his signature move in a blaze of white light and heat.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. fired off his own move, the beam combining with the Energizer Blast.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha called forth her starfighter's weaponry and blasted back with everything she had, the assault combining with the other two moves.

The screen showed their three faces as they called out their combination move. "ENERGIZER ANNIHILATION!"

"TENKYOUKEN!" Bakunetsumaru slashed with both katana, unleasing his own move.

"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!" Zero swiped with his sword, summoning forth a whirlwind with violet petals mixed in.

"MANA BLAST!" Rele fired off a blast of Mana, aiming it right at Shift.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" Jaden thrust his fist forward, unleashing his own move once again.

"SONIC WAVE!" Syrus fired a blast of sound from his outstretched hands, right at Shift.

"CRYSTAL MANA! COME TO ME!" The last one came from Baston, who had recently learned how to call upon his Mana and concentrate it into a powerful attack, something similar to his Crystal Lance.

The eleven attacks merged into one, backed up by Guneagle's missiles and Shute's glue. The powerful beam slammed into Shift's shield just as it dropped down from the Mana circle above his head. "GRAH!"

"NOW!" Sayla roared.

_**You got the touch**_  
_**You got the power**_

The screen showed all eleven of their faces as they called out a new combination maneuver. "TRIPLE DEVASTATION MAX!"

The beam exploded against Shift's shield, causing the demon mage to go sailing and slam right into the ground.

The smoke that covered the area was so thick it seemed to block out the sun, but thanks to a light breeze, it was fading.

The battle worn fighters emerged from the smoke, and each one glanced down into the crater made by Shift's impact.

"Well, he got away," Sayla muttered angrily as she kicked a stone down into the crater.

"Yeah, but at least we saved Coby and Genkimaru," Guneagle said, glancing at the young Musha child, who lay not too far from the battlefield.

"And we have Zako prisoners," Baston remarked.

"Not exactly. Before the explosion, I saw them all escaping through the Zakorello gate," Zane explained.

"Slag!" Baston swore.

"Just drop it already, guys, all right?" Jaden moaned.

"What happened?" Syrus asked.

"I think it has to do with his Soul-Drive. Maybe using it more than once wears him out," Zane mused.

"You may be onto something. We'll have to check it out with Cerverau," Sayla mused.

"Uh, that may not be such a good idea," T.J. cautioned.

"Why not?" Guneagle asked.

T.J. bit his lower lip before speaking. "Well, I kinda overheard him and Guardian talking about a week ago, and that's not good."

"What!?" The collective gasp was full of shock and amazement at his betrayal. "Cerverau's…a traitor?" Sayla murmured.

"Yeah. And…well…he was planning on implanting something into my systems, so…" T.J.'s voice trailed off as the others got the basic idea.

"Oh. That's not good," Syrus moaned.

"You bet the slag it's not!" Zane hissed.

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to let this slide for now. We need to find out why he's a traitor, so let's talk to Xenphyr. Hopefully he'll have some answers," Sayla said.

"I sure hope so," Zane murmured.

* * *

_In the university's ICU…_

Shute sat out in the waiting room, holding his legs close to his chest. The memories of everything that had happened during the time they had been here played over and over in his mind's eye as he waited for the news.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss, and the human boy glanced up, seeing Xenphyr emerge from the room, his hands covered in Captain's mech fluid.

"How is he?" Shute immediately asked.

Xenphyr had a grim look on his face, but he could tell what Shute was thinking. "The good news is that he's not in danger of passing on, but he's seriously injured. It will take about ten days for his wounds to heal, but the greatest damage I fear was done to his mind during the intense interrogation done by the Dark Axis."

"So…" Shute feared the worst.

"He'll be fine, but I fear that he'll never be the same again emotionally, or at least, not the same as he was before," Xenphyr said, reassuring the boy's fears. But when he saw Shute's worried expression, he understood Shute's concern.

Xenphyr looked at Shute and sat down beside him.

"Shute, listen. Before I became a doctor, I was once a political assassin for the Orcan government. I usually took out many enemy leaders who threatened Orcan interests, and sometimes corrupt politicians. Mostly enemy leaders though. I would go in and find out a little about what they did in their home organizations, and I've seen this kind of stuff before," he said.

"You have?" Shute asked.

Xenphyr nodded. "Yes. And many of the beings who went through the intense interrogation weren't the same afterwards. Some were reduced to childlike intelligence, and some weren't able to do anything at all. They didn't even know who they were."

"And that was intense?" the boy asked, worry filling his voice.

"Yes. The more moderate version, which is what the Dark Axis used, normally left beings in an emotionally wrecked state. They were unable to cope with even the most basic of human touches, because they felt that it meant pain. And that is the most horrific of all. Unable to hold the ones you love, unable to touch them, help them, comfort them; now that is the most horrible experience I've seen. It makes my soul ache just thinking about it," the Reploid said.

"But, what did you mean when you said that he won't be the same as before?" Shute asked.

"He may be a bit traumatized by this, so you'll need to be there for him. He may need you more than ever. A few who have escaped the emotional trauma of being tortured…" Xenphyr's voice trailed off. Even now it still bothered him.

"Yeah?" Shute prodded.

"They were given a chance to start anew. But, they never fully recovered. It haunted them for the rest of their lives. One took his own life, one lived ten years before she jumped off a cliff, and one is still alive, struggling to put it behind him, but so far, it's failing," the medic said.

"And that being is an Orcan?" Shute inquired.

"Cybertronian, actually. A former prisoner of war. It's only because of his friends and family and bondmate that he's able to live this long," the Reploid said, looking down at his hands.

"Really?"

Xenphyr looked at Shute and nodded. "Yes. So, if you really love him, you'll be there for him."

"Huh? I don't love him!" Shute cried, his face turning red at the mere thought of what Xenphyr was implying.

"Shute, don't be afraid to hide it. It's actually encouraged here, even if you both are male. It increases diversity, and it further inspires others to finally be with the one they love the most," the former assassin said.

"It does?" Shute asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Xenphyr nodded. "Yes. Freedom to be with your true lover…that is another freedom we fight hard to achieve. Freedom to pick your life, your love, and your future."

"…" Shute was silent. He couldn't believe that this man, a former assassin, could be so kind and caring.

Xenphyr laughed. "And don't be fooled by the stereotype that others paint for us assassins. We're not cold and ruthless killers who kill for enjoyment and who care mostly about money and pathetic goals like that. In fact, most are actually quite humane when you think about it. Out there in the universe, there are probably more humane assassins than there are corrupt ones. Most fight for democracy, really. That's how the democratic powers have survived this long. An extensive assassin network tied into the central organization that keeps it all together: the Universal Assassin Corps."

"Really?" Shute asked. He never had even guessed that there were even humane assassins to begin with!

The retired assassin nodded. "In fact, it's because of that that most organizations look upon them as ruthless, uncaring, and money loving."

"Assassins get paid?" Shute blurted.

Xenphyr grinned at the boy."Yep. Large amounts, depending on the organization that's hiring them."

"Wow…"

"So, Shute, don't be afraid to reveal how you truly feel for Captain. In fact, if anything, I think he feels the same way about you. He just won't admit it. If you tell him, maybe he'll tell you," the medical Reploid said.

Shute fell silent as he considered Xenphyr's words.

"You really think that?" he asked softly.

"I know it," Xenphyr assured him.

"How…?" Shute's voice trailed off. How _had_ Xenphyr known in the first place?!

He seemed to sense Shute's thoughts and he grinned. "I've seen it in the way he was looking at you when you were in a coma after that attack, and in the way you were urgently asking me to save his life. Shute, it's okay. Just remember, here in the Federation, no one is holding you back. It's all up to you how things can turn out."

With that, he stood up and left, leaving the door open for Shute to see into the room.

Shute stood up and walked over to the room, peering in, looking at the still form of Captain Gundam. He let his eyes roam over his friend's body, taking in the damage that had been fixed up. Flexible metal bandages covered his wounds, hiding them from view.

"Captain…"

As he looked at him, he made a decision.

'_If we win this war, if we do, then I'm gonna tell him how I truly feel!_' he thought to himself.

* * *

_The end of the first infiltration mission ending in failure and success, Shute and co. prepare to begin a new mission: to find out more about the Dark Axis' past, and the Federation's past. While they search for information, the Orcan leaders go to see an old friend from a war long past. Calling an emergency meeting, the Federation leaders arrive on Earth, and new information is uncovered. But, what does this friend have to say? How does it tie in with the Dark Axis?_

_What new answers lie in the mysteries of time? And what about the Elders? What is their decision regarding Vector Prime? What new keys lurk as they struggle to uncover new clues?_

_Many new answers will be found and new revelations uncovered on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods: Part V: New Revelations._

_Next time on Twilight of the Gods!_

**"_NO!" My voice was hoarse as I yelled as loudly as I could. The attacker didn't even stop from going after my friend._**

**_Hunter barely dodged, but he got impaled on the side with the glowing beam sword. Xenphyr spun around, slashing with his assassin knife, cleaving the head off and he was blinded by the mech fluid that splattered across his face._**

**_He wiped it clean off, but boy, was he pissed!_**

**_I have never seen anyone as angry as Xenphyr got when he lunged and hacked that Zako away to pieces that day. His body was covered in mech fluid when he was through with it. All he held in his hand was the memory chip, and his knife in the other._**

**"_Nice one!" Hunter cheered. I'm not sure why he looked up to as cold blooded a killer as Xenphyr, especially when enemies were concerned._**

**_He was a good fighter, Hunter was, and it showed as he attacked a Zako, blowing it to pieces with his secret weapon._**

**_Not even I know what it was, for he never told me, nor did he reveal it in battle, except for when he needed it the most._**

**_That day, we lost quite a few soldiers, but it was well worth it, for we had gained some information that truly surprised us all._**

_What information was gained? How does it tie into the present day? And what happened on Orca that caused the Dark Axis to attack them? How does this reveal anything about the Superior Dragon, and Baston's heritage? All this, and much more will be revealed on the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	51. Episode 4 Bloopers

**Bloopers!**

Blooper 1:

_S__hute stirred again just as the light from the sun hit his face. He opened his eyes, and he was surprised to see that the sensors had been removed from his body and his shirt had been put back on._

_He glanced at the foot of his bed, but Captain wasn't even there._

_The boy grasped the covers and attempted to sit up, but someone placed a strong hand on his shoulders and laid him back down._

"_I wouldn't advise it, kid," Xenphyr said, a small smile upon his face._

"_Why not?" Shute asked._

_Xenphyr merely sweatdropped as a large wet spot appeared on the bed._

_-----_

Blooper 2:

_The Gundam Force did so, followed closely by the rest of the TCDA fighters._

_They failed to register the pair of brown eyes watching their every movement…_

_That is until they heard a loud sneeze. "ACHOO!"_

_Everyone turned just as Cobramaru sweatdropped. "Oops."_

-----

Blooper 3:

"_Oh Mana, who dwell in all the universe!"_

_Her hands began to glow with a strange energy that Shute found unnerving. She stepped close to the boy, opening her eyes as she did so. She placed both her hands on Shute's body, one on his chest, directly in the center, and another on his forehead._

"_What…?"_

_His voice trailed off as a strange sensation began to fill his body. He couldn't feel anything, other than the magic surrounding him. He closed his eyes and let the changes commence._

_It took only two minutes, but it felt like it had gone on for two hours. As the magic faded from around his body, he was assaulted by all kinds of new sensations. His eyes snapped open and he staggered forward, overwhelmed by the sudden feelings in his body and outside._

_Shute tried to speak, only to find that he couldn't. He turned to look in a mirror and blanched. His mouth was covered by tape._

"_Oops!" Rele squeaked._


	52. The Tale Unfolds

Summary: The Dark Axis' mysterious past is about to come to light as the Federation prepares for war against them. New allies, new friends, and new powers are uncovered in this as both sides begin to discover new tactics that can make the other side seem weaker. But can the Federation find a surprising weakness in the story they are about to hear? Note: I don't own any of the series mentioned, except for all original characters and the plot itself.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

During several intense battles, a new surprise was revealed: a traitor was amongst them. Shute was found to be in a coma, and while he recovered, a battle at the DA took place, exposing Crowler as a traitor to the Federation cause. Anderson was finally revealed and the Federation leaders met some new allies that could help them in the war efforts.

These surprising allies brought with them new information that the Federation needed badly, and surprising information was revealed: soul engineering was being taken to the extreme. Dartz, head of the Allies of the Orichalcos, explained what it was, and the Federation leader was surprised to learn that it could be reversed, using the Psitransfer developed by Orcan scientists and technicians. Now, new information is about to be revealed today in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part V_

_New Revelations_

Chapter 1

The twin moons of Orca were beginning to fade as the sun rose over the horizon, throwing the mountains ahead of them into bright light. A few birds flitted over, chirping, and one buzzed the cart, making Ciel groan as she swatted at the air with her hand.

"Ciel, wake up," a familiar voice said.

"Unh…Zero….what time is it?" she moaned.

"We're almost there, Ciel. Look." The red armored Reploid pointed out in front of the cart, and Ciel sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"What…?" She blinked a few times, and her eyes widened. "Oh, my…"

"That's our destination," Zero told her.

Ciel looked at her fellow leader, a question mark appearing beside her head. "It is?"

Zero nodded. "Yes. Who else knows more about their tactics than him?"

"But…what if he forgot?" Ciel asked uncertainly.

"No. I fought alongside him briefly, and he never forgets things. He's got a photographic memory that makes even mine seem weak," Zero told her, shaking his head.

She grabbed a pair of binoculars from the cart and held them to her eyes. Her eyes roamed over the majestic Grindee Mountains, looking for their destination. "Where is his house?" she asked.

Zero turned her head gently in the direction of his finger. "Right there. You can barely see it, but it's there. See that smoke?"

Her eyes locked onto a small thin column of smoke curling up into the morning sky. It was so thin that even with the high-powered binoculars she was using it was hard to make out.

"That's his house?" she asked.

Zero lowered his arm and nodded. "Yes. That's the place."

"How long will it take us to get there?" Ciel asked, replacing the binoculars in the cart.

"About ten hours by _skareeg_, if we go quick enough to make it before dusk," Zero replied, knowing how treacherous the mountain roads were after dark.

"Okay." She glanced at him before she raised the binoculars to her eyes a second time. The smoke was growing thinner, and finally, it faded away entirely. "Oh boy," she murmured.

The journey up to the entrance was pretty rough, but when they got there, a man with a shaved scalp approached, holding a park ranger's hat in one hand.

"Ciel, Zero. Now this is unexpected," he said as he placed it on his head.

"Good to see you too, John," Zero remarked, raising one hand in a brief salute.

Former soldier Major John Walls smirked. "What's it about this time?" he asked.

"The usual. We need to see him, and now," Zero said sternly.

"Oh. Him." John let his voice grow silent briefly. Then he spoke again. "Look. I don't think this is the time to see him. He might not be in the mood. You know how he gets."

"Now," Zero repeated.

John backed away. "Okay, okay. Just take those two _skareegs_ and go."

Zero nodded and the two hopped off the cart.

The _skareegs_ of Orca were hardy creatures that looked similar to an Earth horse in form, but could live up in the highest mountain ranges like goats. They had an extra set of legs for a total of six, making them efficient climbers. The fur on their coats ranged from red and green for the males to dark grey, brown, and sometimes black for the females. To further differentiate them from Earth horses, _skareegs_ had an antenna sticking up from their foreheads due to them not having any eyes. This antenna served as a guide for them, sending out echolocation waves to pinpoint an object, whether it be food or a predator or even a cliff. As a result, they were exceptional navigators of the mountain paths, especially after dark.

These two were no different, except for the height difference.

Zero effortlessly swung one leg over his mount's saddle before hoisting himself up.

Ciel had some trouble, but she got it.

"Okay. Remember, don't travel after dark unless your mounts can guide you," the ex-major told them.

"We will," Zero said.

Grasping the reins, Zero slapped them a few times before his mount headed off, Ciel following behind him.

Now the real journey began as they climbed throughout the day, going over ravines and crossing rotting log bridges that seemed as if they were going to collapse at any given moment. They crossed streams fed from the mountaintop glaciers, ducked under thick overhanging tree limbs, and stopped for lunch at an out of the way trading station at the nearest ridge.

By ten that evening, they arrived at their destination.

In a small clearing, overlooking the whole valley and the far distant Orcan capital city stood a small shack built from the surrounding trees. A little garden was planted beside it, and not too far off was an old Hummer, still in good condition, even after all the years that it had been up here. The paint was worn, but no rust was visible. Off to the left of the small house was a firing range, and an old starfighter, one of the very first to be built and used during the Dark Axis-Orcan conflict. The whole frame was rusted through, but it was still there.

"Are you sure this is the place, Zero?" Ciel asked, uncertainty visible in her eyes.

"I'm sure of it. He may be a bit of a recluse now, but he's still sane. He would never abandon his home unless there was a major fire or something like that," he replied.

"Okay, but I'm still having doubts about this," Ciel replied, biting her lower lip.

"Don't worry. If anything does happen, you have me to protect you," he said, looking at her affectionately. She blushed and giggled a little. It wasn't this often that he hinted towards their hidden relationship, but when he did, it made her feel warm inside, knowing that he loved her as she loved him.

The two hopped off their mounts, and proceeded to work on setting up for a meeting with the one they had come to see.

It didn't take long for them to hear the faint sounds of footsteps coming in from the woods.

Ciel and Zero turned to face the direction from which they were coming.

A few bushes moved before parting to reveal a male Reploid with a build like a warrior from the Roman era. His combat shirt and fatigues were stretched taught against his bulging muscles, revealing how strong he really was. An old trench coat hung loosely from his shoulders with the sleeves missing, revealing well muscles arms with scars crisscrossing the tan skin. His combat fatigues were now worn and covered with dirt and grass stains, while his combat boots were scuffed and beginning to fade as well. His orange hair was still cropped short in a military style crew cut, but it was growing back slightly. His eyes were an intense brown color with hints of blue in them and he had a scar across the bridge of his nose.

"Wait." The man dropped the logs he was carrying over his shoulder and he walked up to the twosome. "Z? Is that you?"

"You bet it is, Shiner," Zero replied.

The man smiled. "Well, now this is a pleasant surprise. And this must be Ciel, right?"

Ciel nodded. "Yes."

He grinned and knelt down before her. "You sure are a pretty lady, Ciel. And I wouldn't be surprised if Zero was involved with you," he murmured.

"Well…" Ciel blushed at his implications.

"Enough, Shiner," Zero said. "We came here to ask you for some help on something, and you know what it is."

Shiner's face paled beneath his tan and his eyes widened. "You're kidding, right?" he asked.

The former Maverick Hunter shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Shiner. And you're the only one who knows their tactics in and out."

Shiner shook his head. "Sorry. I'm retired from the Army. After that last battle, I retired and set up a small house out here in the mountains. I needed the solitude, and badly."

"We already know that, but it's not to ask you to rejoin," Zero told the former soldier.

"Then why come?" Shiner inquired.

"To ask you to tell us everything you know about their tactics, strategies and weaponry," Zero said simply/

Shiner scratched his head. "Why, Zero? You know as much as I do."

"Um, actually, he's kind of forgotten that part of his past," Ciel explained. "Hibernation sickness and amnesia caused him to forget. He's lost all memories of previous battles."

"Hmm." Shiner grew thoughtful at this.

"So, will you help?" Zero asked.

"…" Shiner looked down as he thought.

Seeing that they were getting nowhere, Zero grasped Ciel's arm and led her away. "C'mon, Ciel. Coming here was a waste of time. He can't help us anyway."

"Okay…" Ciel followed Zero, but she glanced back, silently pleading to Primus for some help.

"Wait," Shiner suddenly said, looking up.

The red armored Reploid turned back, his grey eyes locking onto those of Shiner. "What is it?"

"Why have they returned?" Shiner asked.

"That's what we're hoping you could answer. We know only a little bit about them in general, but we know a lot about the efforts to mass produce something that they call a Soul-Drive. Ever hear of it?" Zero asked seriously.

Shiner shook his head. "No. And they're planning to mass produce them?"

Zero nodded. "Yes. So, if we tell you what we know, you tell us what you know and we'll call it even, okay?"

The former army Reploid frowned, but decided that it was a fair trade. "Okay. C'mon in."

He grasped the wood and hoisted it up, leading the two into his home.

Once inside, Shiner set up a small fire in the fireplace and had it going in less than ten seconds. He walked over to a large water bucket with something swimming around inside it and pulled out a fish before swiftly skinning it and gutting it over a sink. In less than fifteen minutes, he had fried fish and a few slices of bread for them to eat.

"So, what can you tell me about their plans now?" he asked as he sat down across from them at a small wooden table.

"Well, to start off with, it's not much," Ciel explained as she sat down beside Zero. "But we do know that they are yearning to become gods. To do so, however, they need to eradicate the Universal Power Association, along with Unicron. They have obtained some of his powers, but it's not enough to destroy us, which is fortunate. Anyway, once the UPA and Unicron are out of the way, they plan to destroy all of existence and reshape the universe in their own image, in which organics are enslaved and mechanical beings rule all."

Shiner's eyes widend and his mouth fell open slightly. "Oh. That's not good."

"It gets worse," Zero replied, his grey eyes hard. "A recently discovered section of the universe that ties into a new realm we call the Brain Realm is also in danger, for if that is destroyed, then all mechanical beings lose their connection to this region, and they become easy targets to capture and control. We know that 'mind cubes' exist within and that they serve as a barrier to prevent control from within taking hold. However, if they're destroyed, then the minds inside the cubes are doomed. A single electromagnetic pulse within the Brain Realm could easily alter or even kill them. We don't know the exact frequency of the pulse needed to control, but we're working on finding that out so we can create a counterfrequency to block the main frequency for control."

"And to top it all off, there's some kind of connection with one of Earth's most important possessions," Ciel added.

"The Luna Colony?" Shiner asked, cocking en eyebrow.

Ciel shook her head. "No. Not that. Although it is important, it doesn't have a connection to anything, save for how advanced humanity has become since making contact in 1993. Instead, it's something else."

"What?" Shiner inquired.

"Some old shipwreck they call the _R.M.S. Titanic_. It sank in 1912 due to an iceberg, but there seems to be some kind of connection with it. A few attempts to take it carried out by the Dark Axis backfired thanks to a rogue unit interfering and stopping them. First attempt they tried to take it, but the second time, they actually took control and used it in combat against them," Zero said seriously.

"What kind of a connection is that?" Shiner asked, scratching his head.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Ciel told him.

"What about these Soul-Drives, as they're called?" Shiner asked, bringing the subject back on track.

Both leaders looked at one another and nodded.

Ciel took a breath and began speaking. "Okay. Here's what we know. The Soul-Drives they use are usually created through artificial means by creating a physical form of what they determine as the true personality of the being inside. But, sometimes, Soul-Drives are created using human souls. That is only as a last resort. However, due to the nature of the Dark Axis, they actually have stolen a few programs from the Allies of the Orichalcos and technology from the Chosen, as well as a few Orcan design plans for the Psitransfer. They combined these three elements into a machine that we now know is called the Soul Extraction Machine or SEM for short." She drew out a screen and showed him the image. Shiner took the screen and whistled softly.

"So, by using the programs stolen, they have removed human souls from their normal bodies against their will and have implanted them into containers that are usually spherical in shape with two or three rings around them. The container then becomes a Soul-Drive. Of course, before they begin the insertion process, they use a soul engineering program developed by Dartz's top engineers and technicians to remove the soul's core drive, and make it into a blank template that they then alter using that very program. The soul is then inserted, and you have an altered soul trapped forever in a metallic body that it can't control, due to its core drive being removed," she explained. She shifted slightly in her seat.

"…I never thought it was even possible…" Shiner's voice trailed off.

"Well, it is," Zero said. "And to make matters worse, the Dark Axis also has gained new tech such as long range missiles and high-intensity rocket launchers."

Shiner blinked in disbelief. "What…? Last I checked, they only had machine guns, bombs, and axes. No other technology, save for the control horns, and those pesky BagguBaggu," he protested.

"They have it, so there's nothing that can be done about it," Zero told him.

"Oh. Well, what about their plans to mass produce those things?" Shiner asked.

"The Soul-Drives?" Zero remarked, knowing of what he was speaking.

The former Army Reploid nodded. "Yes."

Zero took up the explanation. "From what we know so far, we believe that they plan to create some kind of army to try and take us out, along with someone else. As to who, we can only guess. Lucky transmission breaks in their frequencies have enabled us to glean information from their conversations with their superiors. They usually revolve around destruction of the Federation, as well as something we now know of called the Superior Dragon. Apparently the Resconians have seen it before in combat as described by a Resconian officer during a conflict. The one thing that we haven't been able to figure out though was our connection to this," he said.

"There's a connection with the Federation?" Shiner asked.

Zero nodded. "Yes, but we don't know what it is."

"Anything else?" Shiner remarked.

"Yes. We gained new allies, and each one is contributing greatly to the war effort. We have on our side one of the three major powers out there: Nebula. The leader broke all ties with the UPA and the Federal Institute, allying himself with us because he feels that his former allies won't take any action, which they haven't. Dartz joined us because he knows how soul engineering works. Van knows the electromagnetic frequency to render BagguBaggu inoperable, Dr. Hikari is looking into dimensional jammers and Sh'boni knows a thing or two about their motives," the Reploid explained.

"…" Shiner was silent. New allies and a new war... It seemed impossible, but it was true.

"With this information, we've been trying to locate the Superior Dragon as well as prevent the Dark Axis from getting to it," Ciel added.

"Wow…Looks like you were busy since I left," Shiner said to Zero.

"We were. We've been working nonstop since this whole thing began," his former comrade said.

"So, what else is going down?" Shiner asked.

Zero shrugged. "Not much, just that we also discovered that there's something else odd going on."

"Such as?" Shiner prodded, cocking an eyebrow.

Ciel stepped forward. "Recent attacks have proven that things are getting worse. Scourge, one of our allies, was recently taken control of, and we're hoping we can save him before it's too late," she said.

"Oh…" Shiner fell silent.

"But, we're also getting help from the Wanderer," Zero stated.

"The Wanderer?" Shiner asked, cocking his head.

"A wandering Transformer," Ciel said.

"Oh. Anything else?"

Zero nodded grimly. "Yes. Ever hear of the concentration camps used during the Maverick Wars?"

Shiner gave Zero an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? It was global news for years until you went missing, and then things got really hairy."

"Well, the Dark Axis is also using concentration camps, as well as giving the beings trapped inside little food and water, no sleep, no clothing, meaning they wear nothing except tunics and loincloths, and they are constantly being worked in mines they have operational in there. We recently sent in a scout team and they returned with the footage. They discovered that since the beings there aren't given adequate conditions for living in slave camps by today's standards, they are effectively exterminating the organics and enslaving the mechanicals. The half breeds, we discovered after a surprise raid a couple days ago, are killed and left in the middle of the camps, where the organic prisoners cannibalize them, eating their flesh and bones. It's horrific beyond mere words. Rape is carried out in abundance, as well as beatings and whippings, much like before the American Civil War, and diseases are in high supply, meaning that no one lives for longer than a month there," Zero said, his voice grim. "We've dubbed that place Ground Hell."

"An appropriate name," Shiner murmured.

"Also, with the camps, they have exterminated about half the organics in the dimension in which they reside. In doing so, they are killing their labor supply," Ciel said sadly. "But, they are thinking about forcing the females to breed so that way they can keep the labor going and their enjoyment of killing in abundance. It…it's just so horrible…" She shivered at the mere thought of what the Dark Axis was doing and planning.

"And it makes me sick," Zero spat.

The three were silent for a moment before Zero began speaking again. "Finally, we've figured out one angle that may be of some benefit, even if it isn't much."

"What angle?" Shiner asked.

"We're still not sure, but we think it has to do with an alternate dimension we have discovered they call Satyron. We're looking into it even as we speak," Ciel said.

Shiner looked out the simple window at the glowing lights of the Orcan capital city. "Satyron, huh? Well, can't say I heard of it, but I do think that it is something you should look into," he told them.

"We are," Zero told his old friend.

"So, is that all?" Shiner asked, looking at them.

"That's it," Ciel said.

"You have your work really cut out for you this time, Z," Shiner remarked with a grin.

"Now, why don't you tell us what you know?" Zero asked.

"Well, since you told me all you know, might as well, considering the deal we made." He took a bite of one of his sandwiches before speaking. "Okay. It all began long before the Maverick Wars, the Elf Wars, that kind of stuff. It was a peaceful day like any other; of course there were plenty of peaceful days back then…"

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The sun was shining down on the streets of the capital city, known back then as Liberty Central. It was a peaceful place, and everywhere you looked, you could see Reploids and humans living in perfect harmony. No one was discriminated against, that kind of slag._

_Anyhow, me, Zero, X, Axl, and another Reploid by the name of Hunter fresh off the assembly lines were given the task of patrolling the borders of Liberty Central East, the eastern suburbs of the city._

_Now, the five of us, we were a good team, but Zero, Axl, and X were the real fighters out of us. Me and Hunter, we were the loners. We provided our comrades with covering fire, but those three were the main force to be reckoned with. If we were there, it was a good time to run. No one wanted to mess with us._

_When we were out on patrol that day…it was Wednesday, the first day of our new team being in full session. We were out to see if there was anything unusual going on by the borders. Zero was in charge of this patrol, while X was to be reported to if he found anything._

_And boy, were we surprised to actually see Zero coming back with some surprising information._

"_X! There's something you've got to see, sir!" he said. He sounded pretty excited from what I can recall._

_Anyway, we followed Zero to see what this strange thing was. And we were shocked beyond our wits._

"_What is this?" Axl asked as he prodded the body in front of us._

"_Not sure," I replied, "but it looks like some kind of new model Reploid."_

"_Hold on. What about the mysterious disappearance of our colony?" X asked. "Doesn't that somehow tie in with this?"_

"_Maybe, maybe not," Hunter said. "We don't know for sure until we can reestablish communications with them."_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"Wait. Colony? I don't recall anything about that," Ciel said as she took a bite of her own sandwich.

"Well, we had two of them. One was right near us, the other was somewhere on the other side of the galaxy. Back then we had no idea how long the distance really was. We called them Alpha One and Beta Two. Beta Two was the one to go missing…" Shiner said.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_So, Beta Two is unable to be reached?" Axl asked Hunter._

"_Yeah. No communications signals were picked up in recent weeks, which really bothers me. Do you think we should let Dr. Wes know about this?" Hunter asked, glancing at X._

_X sighed and closed his eyes. "Yes, we should."_

_Now, if you don't recall, Dr. Wes was the one in charge of the colonization program back then. He was a big bear of a man, and he loved to be outdoors. He worked every day with his crew and fellow scientists beneath him to make sure that his projects were going smoothly. He was loved by his crew and his superiors alike. No one could say no to him, and he was honest. When he wanted to help someone, he did. If he said he would give money, he did._

_Dr. Wes was in his office when we contacted him._

"_Something wrong, guys?" he asked._

"_Yes, Doctor. We still haven't received any report from Colony Beta Two, which means that something must be going on there. And we're beginning to get worried," Axl said._

"_Hmmm." He frowned as his brow furrowed._

"…" _We waited patiently as he thought about this._

"_And there haven't been any reports at all?" Wes asked._

_X shook his head. _"_None, sir."_

_Wes frowned a little more before he looked at us with a serious look in his eyes. _"_That's bad indeed. If we can't reestablish contact…then we'll have to write them off."_

_We knew what that meant: cutting all ties with them._

"_Understood sir," X replied._

"_Is that the main reason why you reached me?" Wes asked._

"_No, sir. It's only a concern we have. The real reason is this," Axl replied, showing the new Reploid, if it was a Reploid, to him._

_His eyes widened._

"_No…"_

_And that's when we knew we were cut off from the colony for good._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Ciel and Zero stared in shock. A colony…missing? It didn't seem possible.

"That…just doesn't fit the scientific parameters…it's completely impossible, both scientifically and realistically," Ciel murmured.

Shiner nodded. "I know, but it happened. Ties were cut off, and we couldn't reestablish them. They were on their own."

"And no one could place the robot you found?" Zero asked.

"No one at all, no one at all. That was the strange thing, but then again, maybe it was for the best…" Shiner murmured, continuing with the tale.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_So, you can't tell us where this robot is from?" I asked._

"_No, Shiner. It's not in any of our databases, and the files that Colony Beta Two sent us three months prior have all been deleted by someone," the guard said._

"_Any idea who?" Zero asked._

"_None at all, sir. We can only guess that some hacker broke into our database and erased it or destroyed it with a virus," the guard replied, shaking his head._

_Axl gazed at the data screen, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "The hacker had to have been inhuman if they were to break into our database, due to the fact that our tech is much greater than theirs, whoever we're up against," he murmured._

_Boy, was he right. The guard literally paled before us, and he began to push us out frantically, as if he wanted us out, which he did. I guess he knew who did it, but he didn't say. Maybe he was being threatened, I don't know._

_Anyway, once we were out of the library, things got a bit hairy. For the first time in years, we were witnessing a full on fight between two Reploids, but one of them was obviously strange in design._

_The first one we knew as Cerverau, and yes, back then he was an assassin for the Universal Assassin Corps. We had just made contact with them three years prior, and we had applied to have an assassin cell set up on Orca._

_The second Reploid was different entirely. A strange V-shaped fin stuck up from his forehead and he had intense purple eyes. His armor was black and brown in color, and his skin was as pale as snow. But, boy was he fast! Cerverau had a hard time keeping up with him!_

"_Cerverau!" Hunter yelled._

"_Hunter! Stay back!" Cerverau yelled, throwing his hand out to prevent him from getting closer._

"_What? Why?" Hunter cried._

"_This guy's too powerful for you to handle!" Cerverau snapped._

"_How powerful is he?" Axl whispered._

"_HNH!" __Cerverau dodged to the side, holding his assassin knife in one hand, his pistol in the other. He landed on his feet and fired off a shot, but the Reploid countered with a shield mounted to his right arm._

"_Heh. That the best you have, Reploid?" __This mysterious Reploid had a voice that was calm, very calm, but also had a hint of hatred and…something more, almost like a lust for power, but at the same time, not. It was strange._

"_What do you mean by that!?" X yelled. "You're a Reploid too!"_

"_Not exactly," he said, turning to face us. "I am something more. I am a new breed of machine, a new type called the Gun Utilizing Nano Driven Automated Mechas, and my name is Cypher. David Cypher."_

"_What? A GUNDAM?" Axl asked in shock._

"_Yes," Cypher replied, sneering._

"_What is a GUNDAM?" Zero asked, his hand going for his Z-Saber._

"_A GUNDAM is a new kind of Reploid, a new breed, if you will. We are far superior in terms of weaponry, speed, and endurance. You normal Reploids are nothing," Cypher purred._

"_But…GUNDAMs aren't supposed to be in existence for another ten years!" X murmured. "How is it you are one of them, and you are out of the manufacturing plant ten years early?"_

"_That is for me to know and you to find out," the GUNDAM whispered._

"_X BUSTER!" X cried._

"_TAKE THIS!" Cypher surprised all of us by unleashing a new move that cut right through our leader's X Buster's Chargeshot. The purple shockwave exploded as it hit the energy bullet._

_X and Cypher's blasts canceled each other out in an explosion of light and sound._

"_Hmmm. Seems you have a few tricks up your sleeve," Cypher murmured._

"_That's because I put as much power as I could into that shot!" X snapped._

_Our leader was right about that, for he was panting and his face was streaked with sweat. He looked as if he would drop to the ground at any moment._

"_Let me handle this," Cerverau snarled. "He owes me big time!"_

"_What does he owe you?" I asked._

"_I owe him nothing. He just likes to make a fuss," Cypher sneered._

"_Wrong! You took my love from me and you know it!" Cerverau screamed. With a yell, he lunged at the GUNDAM, but he was knocked back by a single swipe of the hand._

"_AGH!" __Cerverau landed in the parking lot, creating a crater between two parked hovercars. He lay there, stunned and dazed. We couldn't believe the strength that Cypher possessed! He had knocked aside the best assassin we had!_

"_CERVERAU!" Axl yelled. He prepared to attack Cypher, but Zero and X grabbed him, restraining him._

"_No, Axl! He's too strong!" X hissed. "We need to take him on as a team!"_

"_But he just knocked him aside like he was a piece of shit!" Axl swore._

"_I know, but we can't attack him head on!" X said. "We need a plan!"_

_Axl relaxed in X and Zero's arms, sighing in defeat. "Okay. What have you got?"_

_X outlined his plan._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"X…he was one of those who fought against them?" Ciel asked.

"Yes. This was before the Maverick Wars, and the Elf Wars, as you know," Shiner said.

"And Cypher…he was one of the GUNDAM built by Orcan technicians?" Zero asked.

"Yes. And a strong one, too. In fact, it was on Beta Two that we first started building stronger Reploids. That was the birth place of the GUNDAM Class Reploids," Shiner replied.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The plan sounded simple, but it was also complex. If we were to attack Cypher and deal some damage, we had to attack at specific times, leaving enough time for us to get away before he struck us and did us in. The math and vectors involved were complex, but X had it down for us. Of course, I didn't think it would work, but it did._

"_This has to be the craziest plan you've come up with yet," I murmured from my position in a tree._

"_Just shut it, Shiner. You know your part and we can't screw this one up!" X hissed._

_I sighed and nodded. "Okay."_

_X shut off the comm._

_I gripped my double staff and tensed._

_X launched his attack first, firing off his X Buster with deadly precision. The beam struck Cypher from behind, forcing him to turn._

_Zero attacked the same time as Axl did. Both of them slashed him across the chest with their swords and in minutes, he was standing there, face contorted in agony. He was clearly pissed by the dual attack, and before he could strike the two, they split and attacked again, this time going for his arms._

_They missed, but that was Hunter's cue and my cue to jump out and attack with our own weapons. My staff made a nasty ding on his right leg while Hunter's crossbow weapon made near perfect strikes against his back._

_The plan had worked. Cypher, in pain and agony, glared at us before he, strangely enough, warped out using the Zakorello Gate, although we didn't know what it was called at the time. The gate closed up as he stepped inside, and we were left staring after him._

_A new breed of Reploid, stronger than anything we had encountered…_

_What was the world coming to?_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"With that new Reploid on the loose, we had to keep our eyes peeled for him, which was easier said than done," Shiner explained.

"What about the colony?" Ciel asked. She had finished her sandwich and was now eating one of the fish Shiner had prepared for them eariler. Zero nibbled on a small fin as Shiner spoke to Ciel.

"Oh, them. Well, with the communications shut down, there was no way they could be reached, but that didn't stop us from trying…" Shiner told her.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_C'mon, c'mon! What's taking this goddamn thing so long?" X muttered angrily, his hand tapping the table as we waited for the satellite transmissions to come in. The screen in front of him was showing the symbol for Colony Beta Two, shown merely as a set of wings with a golden star behind it and a V-shape in front. From the speakers came static, and only static._

_We had been here for two hours, and we were getting tired and bored._

"_How much longer?" Hunter moaned. He was the newbie, and still a rookie, so he didn't have as much patience as the rest of us._

"_Give him some time, kid," Axl said. He was the one who had been in this business far longer than any of us._

"_No. Really. It's been what, two hours, and still no transmissions," Hunter groaned._

"_It takes time, kid. And you know it. Time can't be rushed for anyone," Axl said philosophically._

"_Well, I don't really give a shit," Hunter swore._

"_Watch it!" Zero hissed, glaring at the rookie._

"_Enough," I said. "No arguing."_

_We waited for another three minutes before the transmissions got through. It had been by pure luck that we had received this one transmission._

_The screen flared as the speakers lost their static and emitted sounds of panic and fear._

_An image came on showing a man of about fifty with a scar over one eye and his graying hair was frizzled out. His eyes were wide with fear beneath his blue visor and he was clearly scared. He was locked in a room of some kind with heavy steel doors over the wooden door that he had installed about twenty years ago._

"_Orca, this is Beta Two! I repeat! This is Beta Two!"_

_We watched as he repeated the message a second time before speaking again._

"_This is Jeff Shelly of Colony Beta Two. The experiments were a success. The GUNDAM exceeded expectations and even the Reploids were awed. The sheer power of their weaponry and their agility was incredible. All hopes seemed set on a new future, one in which Reploids, mankind, and GUNDAM could live in harmony. But…sadly, things didn't work out."_

_He looked back at the door. Now we could hear pounding coming over the speakers._

"_I don't have much time, so I'll make this quick: something went wrong and now, all the GUNDAM we ever built are rebelling against us, and turning us into slaves. A few humans have joined forces with them, and they have agreed to spare me, if I work for them. But I can't, not after seeing what my creations have done to society and the Orcan way of life. The Reploids are being reprogrammed and they are being changed. Humans are dying and a few are going to be changed as well._

"_I had hoped that one day, peace would reign amongst all the peoples of the universe, not war. War can only bring about more death and destruction. I have worked tirelessly trying to find a way to end it, but alas, I could not."_

_He sighed._

"_That was the original purpose of the GUNDAM experiments: to try to end war, though through aggressive negotiations, meaning taking out primary enemy leaders and taking control of their organizations, thus ending the conflicts. But, things failed miserably. Now, I am about to be killed and the GUNDAM will run rampant and kill us all. God help us."_

_The screen then showed the door being burst open and GUNDAM running in, and the next thing we knew, the screen shut down, showing nothing more._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"But…I thought…" Ciel didn't understand what was going on.

"I don't get it…" Zero murmured, looking up from his fish.

"Long story short: a lucky break in their broken communications grid enabled one last transmission to be sent out. After that, nothing more," Shiner said.

"…" Zero's eyes narrowed as he took in the information. "Something doesn't seem right. I thought you said that the communications were down. Then you tell us of a last transmission from how long ago?" he asked.

Shiner nodded as he took a drink from a small earthen cup full of tea. "About two months prior. That is how long ago the transmissions were cut off," he said, placing his drink down on the table.

"You tell us about a last transmission sent two months before they were cut off, and you picked it up two months later?" Ciel clarified.

"Yes," Shiner said seriously.

"I think that maybe it was sent before something went wrong with the communications grid, right?" Zero asked.

"Yes. Of course, we didn't really know, which still bothers me, even today…" Shiner said, continuing the story.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The whole time we stared at the screen, I couldn't believe it. Beta Two was overrun, and now…the GUNDAM ruled? What had gone wrong?_

_Confused, I turned to X. "Sir, we need to figure out what's going on!"_

"_I already know, Shiner. Just let me hack into the transmission grid for Beta Two. Hopefully this will help," X replied._

_He was wrong. After about two hours of hacking, he finally gave up. There was no way anyone could breach the grid now that someone else ruled Beta Two. In short, everyone was screwed._

_("Even Orca?" Zero asked.)_

_Yes, even Orca._

_(Note: When I put parentheses around italicized text with quotation marks, it means either Ciel or Zero is speaking.)_

_There was no way we could save Beta Two. It was doomed._

_("And Alpha One?" Ciel asked.)_

_Axl had the same idea you did. He wanted to check for Alpha One to make sure that that particular colony was still intact, which it was, but only for a short amount of time._

_After we lost Beta Two, Alpha One was the next to go. The comm was cut, as it was with Beta Two, but for some reason, it was due to a huge electromagnetic flare from their sun. Now both colonies were isolated._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"Both colonies were cut off?" Ciel murmured softly.

"Yeah. No way we could reestablish contact with either one of them. At least Alpha One had enough tech and resources to survive, whereas Beta Two didn't," Shiner murmured.

"So, with one colony destroyed and the other thriving, you just gave up the colonization program?" Zero asked, pushing his plate back.

"Yes. For our own protection, the ruling council decided to abandon further colonization attempts until we could figure out what had happened to Beta Two. Over the years, we began to find ourselves in conflict with more forces from the former colony. In fact, it was about three years after that we learned something horrifying..." Shiner explained.


	53. The Tale Unfolds Part 2

Chapter 2

Around the same time that Ciel and Zero were talking to Shiner, Optimus was busy on Cybertron researching the Cybertronian origins. But, alas, he couldn't find anything, save for what little they knew. He searched through the screens and his optics locked onto something that he felt was a lead.

He lifted the screen to his face and his optics scanned the text, his translator software working to turn it into Cybertronian, for it was in a language unknown to him.

_The History of Cybertron_

_The history of our home world has puzzled us for many vorns, leading to research that usually winds up in failure, or with information that is inadequate. Over the eons many have struggled to understand our methods of creation and origins, and yet, it remains a mystery. That is until today._

_There are many ways we can understand our heritage, and this is one of them. It deals with the colonization of three different worlds from an alternate reality, sent out to expand from their ever expanding borders within. This alternate reality, one of peace and prosperity, is a place where individual rule is encouraged, and life is seen as a gift that can never be taken away, despite the efforts of so many evil entities over the course of time._

_This place is called Satyron._

_A few orns ago, we sent out a probe, going through a wormhole, hoping to emerge in Satyron._

_We didn't._

_Instead, it emerged in a reality different from theirs, and ours. This place we have dubbed the Pit of Spawn._

_Here, there are huge buildings where many small organics are killed and destroyed in manners that make even me sick. This realm…it is like the soul of Unicron himself in everything. Pits of molten rock boil beneath floating rock islands of varying sizes, the largest of these housing a massive fortress in a hanger that puts even ours to shame. There is a stench of burning flesh and hair that tinges the soul, making one yearn for their home immediately after setting foot there. Many smaller mechanical beings run about, holding small guns, axes, and bombs, along with small bottles filled with little bugs._

_In this place, no one is safe._

_Except for Satyron._

_Back to my original point. Satyron sent out three ships for colonization and each one was sent to a different world. One was sent to a moon that held tons and tons of metal on its surface. This world was to become Cybertron. Another was sent to a world of organic proportions, and thus it thrived. This was to become Orca. The third, however, went missing and crashed on an out of the way planet, killing off the dominant species there, a race of huge lizards and flying reptiles, enabling smaller beings to grow into the dominant species. But, the radiation from the ship caused changes and mutations in their genes, integrating knowledge of higher science into their brain patterns and enabling technological advances to occur. Slowly, at first, but it increased over time._

_During this time, the first colonization ship made a small outpost and struggled to survive, but alas, it failed. So, left on their own, they began to adapt, as it is with every species here. They began to evolve into their machines, becoming one with them until a new technological being came into play: Primus._

_He developed from the collective intelligence of the former colonists and he gained great power from within them, as well as the power source for the colony. Over time, he grew more and more powerful, until he developed enough energy and strength to create a new race: the Cybertronians._

_Thus, ends our history. The rest is already known, save for this much. Let us hope that it comes in handy in the far future._

Optimus studied it thoughtfully. The history had always puzzled him, but this…this seemed probable, even if it was far fetched.

He pressed the comm button and almost instantly, a screen came up, showing his key archivist, a mech named Windstorm.

Windstorm's green optics widened in surprise and shock.

"_Optimus, sir! What a surprise! I didn't expect to hear from you for at least another half cycle!_" he exclaimed, nearly dropping the screens he held.

"I'm sorry, Windstorm, but I need to ask you something," Optimus said.

"_Sure. Ask away,_" Windstorm replied.

"Did you happen to find the name of the being that wrote the data pad you recently sent me?" Optimus asked.

"_Oh, you mean _The History of Cybertron_?_" Windstorm remarked.

Optimus nodded. "Yes. That."

"_Sorry. It wasn't marked with the name of the one who wrote it. I searched each time for three days, Earth time, and nothing turned up,_" Windstorm admitted with a shake of the head.

Optimus nodded. "I see. Well, thanks for trying, and let me know if anything new comes up. Oh, and one more thing: try to ask Preceptor and Wheeljack to hack into the Quintesson computer mainframe. We may need it."

"_Oh, I don't think that's such a good idea,_" Windstorm cautioned. "_Remember last time?_"

Optimus nodded thoughtfully. "I am well aware of their methods of retaliation, but this time, we have no choice. So, please carry out my orders or else."

"_Yes, sir. Windstorm out._"

The Autobot Commander shut down the screen and turned away, but he was deep in thought as he did so.

So far things were beginning to become clearer in terms of their history and a few other aspects, such as how humanity had been born. The one thing that puzzled him though was how the Dark Axis fit into this. He sat down at his desk and reviewed the data that he had been going over before the conversation with Windstorm.

According to what they had gathered, the Dark Axis apparently had their origins somewhere here in their universe, but as to where, that was a mystery. He didn't even know that it was within their own boundaries…

* * *

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_What we learned that day was horrifying beyond mere words. What we were witnessing on the monitor back in the Headquarters was similar to a scene from the Pit, just taken to the next level. We could see experiments being carried out on humans who had been strapped down to tables, the new prototype machinery being used. Each human cried out as their very humanity was removed and inserted into small containers shaped like boxes._

_Hunter was shocked beyond words. His face was pale and he was visibly shaking, his whole body shuddering with fear and hatred towards the new enemies. Our leader X was as calm as ever, yet he was also horrified. I could see it in the way he stood, his fists clenched and his whole body shuddering every now and then. Axl was silent, merely scowling in anger. Zero himself was impassive, but I could see his rage in the way he was standing against the wall. And me, I wanted to see this horror stopped._

_But, unfortunately, we couldn't do anything due to our communications being cut off and our Transerver being disabled from the other end. Nothing could be done._

_The only thing we could do was watch and hope the horror stopped._

_Instead, it didn't._

_New footage popped up and man, were we horrified._

_Human bodies were slowly being dismembered…and the worst part was they were still alive. Humans in excruciating pain…it was a sight I never wanted to see again._

_Right then and there, X shut it off. He couldn't stand it anymore; none of us could. But mostly X. He was never the same after that._

_No one was._

_X now looked as if he had aged well beyond his years. He slumped back in his seat, his blue eyes glazed over. I approached him slowly._

"_X…was that really…live footage?" I asked softly._

"_It was," he rasped. He sounded like an old man now. "It was live footage, and it was meant for us to see."_

"_Who sent it?" Hunter asked, looking like he was going to throw up. I couldn't blame the poor kid. I'm sure we all felt that way._

"_I'm not sure, but I'm guessing Cypher," Axl remarked. "It has to be him. He's the only one I can think of at this very moment."_

"_But why even want us to see it? Why not just contact us and tell us about it? That alone might make a difference," Zero said._

"_Maybe, lad, but I think he wants the humans and Reploids to become distrustful of one another and shatter our unity," Axl said grimly._

"_That may be the case, but it just doesn't make any sense as to how come he wants humans and machines to lose the unity we've gained. Is it some kind of superiority complex, or is he just plain insane?" Hunter asked._

"_Neither," X murmured._

"_Huh?" We all turned to face X._

"_It's neither. He just thinks that he's better than us, him and his people. So, he thinks he can do whatever he pleases with them. And he's doing it." __X gritted his teeth. _"_We have to stop him, no matter what."_

_He didn't know how wrong he truly was._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Ciel held her hands over her mouth and she looked like she was going to cry, her eyes shimmering with tears. Her face was pale and she was shaking.

Zero merely scowled and narrowed his eyes.

"That's…that's horrible…" Ciel murmured.

"And this was his plan?" Zero asked quietly.

Shiner nodded. "Yes. And it got worse. The battles began a few weeks after we saw the footage…"

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_Shit! Just what we need! A bunch of GUNDAM soldiers attacking us during a simple recon mission!" Hunter snapped._

"_Shut the f*** up, will ya, kid?! That mouth of yours is gonna get us all killed unless you shut your yap!" Axl snarled._

"_Quiet!" X hissed at them._

_Both of them fell silent as we waited for the GUNDAM soldiers to pass our hiding place. What had started out as a simple recon mission for Liberty Central had spiraled out of control; causing us to become engaged in a fight with some of them. The recon mission had been to scope out the skirts of the city to see if there were any enemies in the area, which there had been. But way more than we originally thought._

_It was during this fight that we made the discovery of the Soul-Drives ourselves, but we lacked knowledge as to what it was._

_So, after we sent them packing…_

_("How did you manage that?" Zero asked.)_

_Correction: How did _we_ manage that? Well, it wasn't easy, but with your help, we were able to deal some heavy damage to some of them, thanks to your Z-Saber. This was when we discovered the Soul-Drive in the chest of one of the GUNDAM._

_X was astounded by it. He reached in and pulled it out, but what he didn't realize that this thing was not a mere power source. From what you told me and what we saw on the monitor a few weeks back, I can take a guess that it was a human soul forcibly removed from its natural body._

_Axl grabbed it out of X's hands, but Zero, you snatched it and gave it back to me._

_We brought it back to Liberty Central to have a friend of mine analyze it. His name was Xenphyr. An assassin himself, he was busy training to become a top rate assassin, for right now, he was in the medical field, studying anatomy so he could become more acquainted with the places in the human body that were most vulnerable to a fatal strike._

_He was also a top rate scientist and engineer._

_It was he who was stunned the most at the sight of it._

"_Where did you find this?" he asked._

"_In the chest of one of the GUNDAM," I explained._

"_What? One of the GUNDAM?" Xenphyr whispered._

"_Yes," I said, nodding grimly._

_By now, pretty much the whole planet knew about the GUNDAM menace and the coming fights. So, after we handed Xenphyr the Soul-Drive, he began working on analyzing it, but each time he came up blank. There was no way to tell if it was indeed a human soul that had been removed against its will._

_He finally dumped it on his desk and left it there before heading back to his current patient._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"So, no one knew how it was created, or what it was?" Zero wondered.

"No one. Back then, things were different, and no one had knowledge of the truth like today, from what you told me," Shiner explained.

"What about Alpha One? It seems to me that that colony also had a bit of a connection," Ciel mused.

"That's because they did," Shiner explained. "They were once a key player in the development of the GUNDAM Class Reploids, but due to a transmission failure, their plans for the next class of GUNDAM were left on their database, unable to be transferred. It proved to be a key point in the war…"

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The new army from the old colony had now given itself a name that echoed throughout the history of the Orcan people so far: the Dark Axis, taken after the code name AXIS for the colonization program. AXIS stood for Alliance X In Space. In short, it was named after X himself for he had unified the planet during an invasion of Energy Beings. Alliance X was the name of the council back then._

_("What about the Dark Axis?" Zero asked. "You were telling us about them, not another war prior.")_

_Oh. Sorry._

_Anyway, battles raged as the Dark Axis became more and more advanced. We soon discovered that they were cannibalizing our tech and turning it into weapons of their own design. One of these was the BagguBaggu. The last remaining humans on Beta Two were the victims of these critters, and of a new process that they called petrification. It literally turned them to stone using Orcan nanobots programmed to alter the molecular makeup of the being it stung._

_This was a leap forward for it gave them a new technology that we had no defense for, save for our magnetic field around the planet. Of course, it was effective to a limited extent, but at least it gave us _some_ defense. Without it, we might have been petrified and they might rule Orca and the Federation._

_Another device they created using Orcan computer technology was something called the control horn. It attached itself to a robot and then integrated itself into their brain circuits and released a small program that altered their mind to the Dark Axis codes. If it was removed, the mechanical life form was freed._

_Their weaponry, however, was nothing short of a combination of medieval weaponry and modern day assault weapons. But, they also developed a ship and base from the materials of the attacked colony. This ship they dubbed the _Royal Musai_. They even developed the Zakorello gate from our Transerver technology, enabling them to spread out._

_They abandoned the colony world after they developed these weapons and fled to another plane of reality, enabling them to attack us from their new home base while we were left scrambling to come up with new technology and ways on how to counterattack their tactics._

_It was easier said than done._

_About five years into the conflict, we had no other data on their whereabouts, making them hard to find._

_In fact, five years after we lost contact with Alpha One, we got a transmission from them saying that they were now on their own, but that they would maintain ties with us for about three years longer, aiding us in the war effort._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"Alpha One declared their independence, but they decided to aid us?" Ciel asked, shock etching itself onto her pretty features.

"Yeah. They may have been free, but their devotion was nothing short of amazing," Shiner said.

"And they finally ended their aid after three years?" Zero asked seriously.

Shiner nodded as he took a sip of his tea. "Yeah. It was sad, but it had been worth the efforts…"

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Around Wednesday of July in the year 2045, Orcan time, we were in battle against a few soldiers they had dubbed Zakos. We knew that the Orcan word for "death" was pronounced "Zha", so we figured that they were using a variation of the word. It sounded like a combination of Zha and Koh, meaning "machine". So, we figured that they called themselves "death machines" in Orcan. This suited them well._

_Everywhere they went, they left death and destruction in their path. Each city of the planet, including Liberty Central, now called Fortress Liberty, had been fortified with stronger walls and automated defenses that were designed to attack Zako forces wherever they appeared._

_These defenses were very useful, for now, the Dark Axis had been forced to withdraw, temporarily, anyway._

_The brief respite in fighting gave us time to patch up our wounds and heal. But, it lasted for only four months. Now, four months later, we were in combat yet again, and this time, we were losing…_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

* * *

_On Earth…_

President Warren sighed. So far things weren't going as well as she had hoped. After countless hours of delving into Earth's past, she had found no record of any alien activity over the millennia. That is, until a few days ago.

It wasn't much; in fact it could barely be considered a lead. But, it was all she had.

An ancient Roman account of fighting taking place near the capital city between two of the gods had caught her attention.

It told of how the god of light and the god of dark had clashed, destroying all in their path. Each "god" described in the story had some characteristics similar to that of Optimus Prime and Megatron, who, she guessed, had been there fighting during the war between the two Cybertronian factions.

But nothing else had come up.

No alien ships crashing, no nothing…

She sighed in frustration and closed her eyes.

"Now what? There's nothing here about mysterious parts of humanity's past, so there's nothing key that can help us," she murmured. "Not even one shred of extraterrestrial aliens beyond our galaxy…"

That got her. Signs of aliens from beyond the galaxy were pretty common, as they usually marked contact in the forms of alien symbols engraved in crops on other worlds, including Blazia, but most notably Orca due to its huge agriculturally centered industry. No crop field was left without one symbol at least once. Earth had had its fair share of alien contact over the years and the symbols left weren't Cybertronian, Blazian, or any of the other races' writing in origin, but rather from beyond their galaxy.

And recent satellite transmissions had showed that more crop symbols had popped up.

If they were indeed alien in origin, then they could, in theory, be decoded to decipher the message inside.

She brought up the transmission on Earth's crop systems and checked them for any symbols. Finding a bunch, about as many that were contained in a message, she highlighted them and contacted the Intergalactic Decoding Facility on Prima Colony in Earth's sector.

"Hey, John? President Warren here. I've got a job for you."

* * *

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The battle was intense, and all around us, explosions raged. The more powerful ones tossed debris at least thirty feet before the shockwaves came. A few other explosions actually damaged some of our forces, and boy, was it intense._

_X was crouched behind a few rocks that had been tossed in front of our little barrier, firing his X Buster at a few Zakos._

_Zero was firing his Z-Buster from behind the same barrier, taking them out with deadly precision._

_Hunter used his crossbow to fire at a few from one of the craters in front of us, and as for me and Axl, we couldn't do anything except lob grenades at them. This attack was all we could manage until help arrived from Fortress Liberty._

_Of course, the communications were down due to a shitty jamming field set up by the Zakos, but the good thing was that we were on the outskirts of a recent patrol that had come back before the whole fight broke out. So, we figured that they would be sending reinforcements to our location._

_Before they arrived, however, we were stuck engaged in combat with them for a long while._

"_Shit! How many of these guys are there?!" Zero swore._

"_Well, from what I can see, there are about five hundred of them," Axl said grimly._

"_F***!" Hunter blurted._

"_Watch it, foul-mouth!" Axl growled at him._

"_Shut it! Both of you! We're engaged in combat here, so could you leave the swearing for some other time?" X snapped._

"_Sorry." Hunter continued to fire at them, along with the human forces that had been assigned to our patrol._

_One of the humans, a man named Henry Green, aimed his sniper rifle and picked off a Zako approaching the main defenses. "No. He's right. We need to keep clear heads and focus," he said. He was probably the most clear-headed out of all of us. He could stay focused on a mission with such clarity that we called him "Crystal-Mind" for a nickname. And it stuck._

"_Besides, it seems as if they're going to rally for a charge," he said._

"_A charge? Crap!" X swore._

_Zero spun and addressed the forces assembled there. "The Zakos are going to try a charge at us! We need all forces to repel them at all costs!"_

"_Roger!" the troops cried._

_As the unit assembled, the Zakos lined up in ranks of fifteen Zakos long and ten Zakos deep. This was a standard tactic that they had started using against us about two weeks back. They charged at us, holding their axes in front of their bodies, ready to mow down our defenses._

_Which they did._

_The humans who got in the middle of the fight to intercept and take them out were the first to go. Blades cleaved through flesh and armor, and some had their heads cleaved off. Blood pooled around the ground, while guts began to splatter in front and in between the two sides. Screams of pain and agony reached our audios and ears, making us shudder. Body parts strewn across the ground provided somewhat of an obstacle for our enemies, but not much. They brushed them aside and continued their march to our defenses._

_Our machine gunners opened up on them, mowing down their ranks as if there was no tomorrow. Mech fluid mingled with blood and parts mixed with guts. Zako cries mingled with those of the humans in pain. And in the middle of it all were our comrades. We were fighting to defend them, but it was failing. We were running out of ammunition and supplies, meaning that our end was nearing with each passing moment._

_So, to conserve ammo, we began to chuck rocks and pieces of debris, hoping to whittle their ranks down even further._

_Nothing that we threw worked. The rocks just bounced off their armor and made them annoyed. We began to redouble our efforts, but without using any weaponry, we were doomed._

_We were doomed._

_Only with weapons could we hold them off, but our weaponry was limited greatly. In fact, it was down to about fifteen rounds per person, and three grenades per soldier. Our hand weapons such as swords, lances, and guns were either destroyed or lost in the fight._

"_Guys, what'll we do now?" asked a female sergeant as she lobbed a rock at a Zako's head._

"_Call off the attack. I have an idea," X said._

"_What's that?" asked Green._

"_We pool our ammunition and give it to those with long range weapons," X said._

_That got our attention._

"_Are you nuts!?" Hunter blurted. "If we do that, then we'll all be dead!"_

"_Not if we do this right," X said with a grin._

_A soldier raised her hand._

_X nodded at her._

"_How many soldiers have long range weaponry?" she asked._

"_About ten. Five machine guns and five grenade launchers. And there's two hundred and fifty of us left, so that means 3750 bullets and 750 grenades total. We divide that by five and we get seven hundred fifty bullets per gunner and 150 grenades per launcher," X calculated._

"_So? How's a total of 3750 bullets and 750 grenades gonna do some major damage to five hundred and seventy five Zakos? It's not gonna do us much good if they keep coming like they have," a male captain said grimly. "That Zakorello Gate thing of theirs just keeps spittin' them out like a sick person chucks up puke on a regular basis."_

"_That's where we're going to concentrate the majority of the firepower we have left," X replied._

"_But, then that will leave us defenseless!" a corporal shouted._

"_Not exactly. If we do this right, we can save ourselves and destroy them at the same time," X said confidently._

_He outlined his plan._

_When he was done, we got into position for our attack._

_It was crazy, his plan. Just plain crazy._

_Our machine gunners were to carve a swath through the Zako ranks and go for the gate while our grenadiers were to provide them with covering fire. It was desperate, but he was confident it could work._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Shiner paused in his story as Ciel and Zero looked at one another.

"A plan that was completely crazy, and yet, he believed it could work?" Ciel asked.

"Yeah. That was how X worked back then. He was a good leader, but his plans needed some serious work to them. They weren't even supposed to work, but they did. It was usually all about timing, timing that we couldn't afford to mess up. That was the key element. He always made sure that each plan was carried out efficiently and right on time…" Shiner said.

* * *

_On Prima Colony…_

John Kingston scratched his bearded chin as he studied the photos sent via transmission a few hours ago.

He knew that different civilizations used different kinds of writing to transmit messages, stories, letters, and legends to one another, but this was new to him. For one thing, the circular writing reminded him of previous crop circles on Earth a few decades ago.

John reached into his drawer and drew out a screen that described the different languages used in this sector of the universe. Many different symbols and writing forms were shown on the first screen alone, but the depth was what mattered: they were talked about immensely as the screen unfolded in the air in front of him.

Different screens showed sample symbols of the different writing styles and he ran a finger down the side of one of them, scanning a type of language commonly known throughout the organization as Alien Scripture. It showed triangular and circular symbols along with pictographs and abstract writings.

He checked the crop circles against different forms of Alien Scripture, looking for a match. Alien Scripture was used by the more primitive space-faring species, such as those clustered near the outer rims of the universal sectors. Only a few advanced races continued to use it based on its simplicity and the fact that it worked as an excellent code. Only Cybertronian could outmatch it for it was used more widely in codes across the universe.

John's blue-brown eyes scanned the scriptures, searching for a match until he found one.

"Bingo!" he murmured.

He pressed the symbol and the whole alphabet came up, showing the symbols and the English lettering, along with the corresponding Cybertronian symbol.

Everybody who worked in the facility knew that Vector Sigma had been programmed to translate many different languages, including some forms of Alien Scripture, which also included the circular symbols used by certain races.

It was the computer that the facility was hooked up to for decoding messages, such as this one.

He began checking the symbols and writing them down in Cybertronian. It was merely a simple process after the search he had done.

It took only a few moments, and soon, the whole process was done, but what puzzled him was in the order it had been written. Certain symbols were out of place, and others were missing entirely. It seemed to him that someone had gone to incredible lengths to prevent them from reading the message that had been sent, but that wasn't the case.

Curious, and suspicious, he tapped a button on his desk, calling in one of his key agents.

"Harry, I want you to try and decode this message. It seems to me that something or someone has messed it up," John said.

The other man, a lanky, wiry man with a mane of bluish brown hair, took the screen and scanned it with his green eyes. "Looks like a mess of Cybertronian to me," Harry remarked.

"That's because something's not right with that message. Some of the symbols are misplaced while it seems others are missing," John explained.

"Why call me down then?" Harry asked.

"You're the only one I know of that can decode a message like this one. Remember that message from the Quintessons a while back?" John asked.

Harry nodded. "Oh, yeah. The one that concerned Unicron. That was a doozy of a message. Took me three days just to get the first half translated."

"Can you do it?" John asked.

"I'll try. But I can't guarantee the results right away. It'll take about three days, maybe more, maybe less. Who knows?" Harry said, shrugging.

"Okay. How long it takes, I don't really want to know. Just try to do the best you can. Okay?"

"I will, sir."

With that, Harry left.

John sighed and fell back into his chair. He knew that Harry was a good decoder, but even he had his limits. He had passed out after he had gone six days without any real sleep when he had finished decoding that message from the Quintessons.

Now all he could do was wait to see what happened.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

Rain lashed against the buildings as the dome was raised. The pounding dwindled down to a mere rumble against the dome, leaving the buildings dry and keeping the students from getting wet.

As the dome closed over the TCDA campus, Shute sat on his dorm room's balcony, staring at the rain streaming down the dome's sides. He still marveled at how the technology could keep out rain, but let air and beings in and out.

But, aside from that, his thoughts were revolving mostly around his home.

He wondered if Neotopia was even fighting back. Were they winning, or were they losing? If so, would they ever get the upper hand? Was the SDG still around?

At this, new hope filled his body. If the SDG was still around, then that meant that Neotopia had a fighting chance, even if it was very slim.

Maybe they stood a chance of winning after all.

Maybe…

Shute was so busy thinking that he failed to hear the footsteps of his best friend.

A hand laid itself on his shoulder and he turned, coming face to face with Captain.

"Shute? Are you all right?" the Gundam asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just…for some reason, I can't stop thinking about Neotopia. And, this time…I think they may be fighting back, if the SDG is still around," he murmured. "But, I doubt it highly."

"Your feelings are conflicting?" Captain murmured.

Shute nodded. "Yeah."

Silence filled the air between them as they watched the rain beyond the dome. Then, Captain's arms were curled around Shute, his body held close to Captain's.

"Shute, things are going to be okay. I promise," he whispered, rubbing the boy's back.

Shute just closed his eyes and let Captain hold him close. He felt so confused now. Hope and pessimism were conflicting, making him even more confused. He wasn't sure of what to believe anymore.

"It's okay…"


	54. The Tale Unfolds Part 3

Chapter 3

_N__o one had expected the assault to begin so soon. The least expected time, too. It happened around noon as we charged. The Dark Axis soldiers were running at us, their guns ready and we fired on them, their numbers being cut down at a rate that made us very anxious._

_Our ammo was running low already and our morale was dropping. The one thing that kept us going was our determination to stop them._

_And that's just what happened._

_At the exact moment we felt that we would lose, something happened. I'm still not sure what it was, but for some reason, the Dark Axis forces then retreated._

_It left us baffled, but we had won for now._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"So they just retreated?" Ciel asked.

Shiner nodded. "Yes."

"Hold on. I think I may have a guess as to why they retreated," Zero said.

"Why did they?" Ciel asked, looking at Zero.

"I think it may have been that someone had called them over a private comm link and informed them that they had successfully carried out a mission, am I right?" Zero remarked.

Shiner let out a bark of laughter at this. "Hardly. In fact, we didn't even know the real reason until a few months later."

"Why did they retreat anyway?" Ciel asked impatiently.

"The real reason was this: they had successfully developed a new type of body shell for the GUNDAM Reploids. So, all units had to fall back to begin the process immediately," Shiner told her.

Silence filled the room.

Now, they were getting into the more vital parts of the story, the two leaders knew. This knowledge, though they didn't know it at the time, was the mortal equivalent of the wisdom of Zeus and the Greek gods of mythology. This information was the first step in their key to victory, and the mystery of the Soul-Drives.

Ciel glanced at the clock, for she could see that it was very late. "Uh, Shiner?"

"Hmm?" Shiner looked at her.

"Can we stop for tonight? It's late," she pointed out.

Shiner glanced at the clock and laughed. "Sure. We'll pick up tomorrow."

Both human and Reploid nodded. Then, Ciel sweat-dropped. "Um, wouldn't you have a place to sleep for us?"

Shiner smiled. "Sure. I got an extra bedroom you two could use. Just remember, no making out, or sex. Got it?"

Both nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Sleep well."

Ciel and Zero headed into the room and closed the door. Zero turned and allowed Ciel to undress herself before taking off his armor. His orange hair flowed freely as he removed his helmet, letting his bangs fall over his steel grey eyes.

"Ciel? You in bed?" he asked.

"Yes, Zero," she replied.

Zero slid under the covers and glanced at her. She looked beautiful without her visor, for her own blonde hair made her sky blue eyes stand out the most. He ran a hand along her face gently before she spoke.

"Zero?" she murmured.

"Yes?" Zero whispered.

"Do you think this is the right thing to do? I mean, how will the information we hear help us in the war against the Dark Axis? It's all in the past, not the present…" Her voice was cut off when Zero shushed her by placing a finger on her lips.

"Ciel, this information may prove to be vital, because it also tells us about the origins of the Dark Axis. If we can tell the others, then maybe we might be able to find a way to end this without some big battle that will ultimately cost us all our lives or even the whole universe. You know how things have turned out in the past with other powers in the legends," he murmured, removing his finger from her lips.

"But, Zero, this isn't a legend. It's reality," she told him.

"I know. I know, Ciel, and that's why we are going to prevent legends from coming true. Also, remember the UPA and FI's policies? This will also help others see that their views are wrong. And we may be able to spread democracy, along with the warning that the whole universe is in danger. If other beings can see that, then maybe we can ensure that the future we yearn for becomes a reality," he whispered, his lips sliding over hers.

"Zero…" She wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into the kiss.

Only during private moments between them did they actually show how much they loved each other. This was one such moment.

Her tongue slid past his, and they tasted the other's mouth, exploring and probing, but not getting too intimate. Only back at their headquarters in the capital city did they actually get more intimate, because then no one could interrupt them.

Both fell asleep as soon as the kiss ended, falling into a deep slumber, dreaming of the peaceful future that was on the horizon.

* * *

_The next night on Earth…_

**Location: Earth Command**

**Time: 315, 3:15 a.m. civilian time**

**Date: 14 August 2009**

The stars shone brightly in the night sky as the lights from the complex shut down for the evening, save for those of the _IF Tribune_, the INN or Intergalactic News Network, and a few other businesses. The one other place that they refused to shut down was Earth Command Central, the main building for the whole complex.

On the very top of the structure stood a lone human female, President Warren. She stared up at the stars, her mind full of thoughts concerning the Soul-Drives. What was up with her organization receiving them? Was there some kind of connection that they were overlooking? If so, what was it?

These thoughts buzzed around in her mind, but were quickly scattered at the sound of approaching footsteps. Footsteps she knew all too well.

"Things not going so well?" Vice President Jacob White asked. A man of about forty, he had green eyes contrasted by red hair with orange streaks in it, as was typical of all Earthers. He had tan skin and had the build of a wrestler, but much less bulky and with a little more height. His jumpsuit, standard Earth style, fit his body nicely. A kind man, he never hesitated to suggest new plans for warfare and solutions to interior problems within the boundaries. A good politician, he knew what to do and when to say it, unlike the new senators from each world.

"No, it's not that. Information is coming in from all over the organization and it's getting better in many ways, but we still lack the basic information: where did the Dark Axis come from and why attack us?" President Warren asked.

White cocked his head before he grew thoughtful. "Well, it just so happens that I got a message from Ciel about three hours ago saying that they were talking to someone. Apparently, this male Reploid once fought against the Dark Axis years before trouble in another dimension began," he told her, taking out a screen.

That got her attention.

"What? Are you serious?" she asked.

White nodded. "Yeah. She said that his name was Shiner and he was a former Dark Axis Exterminator, taking out soldiers with the whole Orcan Army."

"And?" President Warren prodded.

"And here's the strange thing: the GUNDAM that we've encountered over the last four and a half months have been developed by Orcan engineers four hundred and fifty years back!" White said.

"What? Is she nuts?!" President Warren blurted.

White shook his head. "No. According to her report, Shiner has detailed a ton about Dark Axis tactics and their motives."

"You mean…?" Her voice trailed off as the realization came home.

White nodded with a grin. "Exactly. Shiner has given them the information about them that we have been lacking all this time. Meaning we can now get the upper hand in combat against them."

"What about their motives?" President Warren asked.

"Their motives are actually not as complex as we thought. They only want to exist in peace, but in order to do that, they need to eradicate enemies they feel are threatening, but also they want to exist with organics, but as slaves. So, they want to reform the universe in their image to satisfy their need," White said, looking down at the screen.

"…" President Warren was silent as she took this in.

"According to a scientist from Orca, a Dr. Jeff Shelly, the GUNDAM class Reploids were developed in an attempt to end all warfare, but something went wrong with the basic programs needed to ensure this was a success. A bug developed during the initial test runs, spreading throughout the whole class through the copying of the original GUNDAM intelligence. This caused the GUNDAM to go out of control, enslaving all humans and forcing other Reploids to do the same. They began to cannibalize the colony remains after it was overthrown and the whole place went downhill. Without aid, they were forced to create new bodies, adapting. This is where it gets a little horrific," White said, looking his leader in the eyes.

"How so?" President Warren asked.

"The attackers began to go for Orca, as well as another colony called Alpha One, the central headquarters for the GUNDAM Reploid blueprints. However, due to a huge solar flare recently near Alpha One, the whole colony was isolated, but it continued to thrive. A stable population had been reached and they used the data from the GUNDAM Reploids to build their own version, but much less humanlike. In fact, they were a little more advanced in terms of intelligence. They created AI systems that matched those of Cybertronians, and they began to create a society of both machine and human living in perfect harmony," White told her, returning his gaze to the screen.

"And the other colony?" President Warren inquired.

"Totally destroyed. But, it thrived in terms of military firepower. New weapons created, they began a conquest of the dimension in which they were colonized. Orcans had developed dimensional travel technology, but it was in use only until the Maverick Wars and the Elf Wars began. Then it was destroyed during a bombing run for Neo Arcadia. Now totally isolated, they began a massive offense by using their own version of the dimensional gateway, the Zakorello Gate," White explained.

"Did they know where the name Zako originated?" Now President Warren was really interested.

White nodded. "Yeah. Shiner reports that it was because the words Zha and Koh sound like Zako when combined. In fact, the words mean "death" and "machine" in Orcan."

"Death machines…" Her voice trailed off.

"Good name too," White told her. "Anyway, after the former colony fell apart, they developed the name Dark Axis after the original code name for the colonization project: A.X.I.S. A.X.I.S. stood for Alliance X In Space. It was an effort to spread the ideals of peace across the stars, but it didn't work out, as you know. This effort was abandoned by the ruling Orcan council to make sure that nothing like this happened again. It was put on halt indefinitely, but nonetheless, it was indeed a partial success and failure."

"What about the Soul-Drives?" President Warren asked urgently.

"I'm getting to that!" White snapped. "As the battles raged, they discovered that the Dark Axis was creating a new kind of power source using Orcan technology, along with what they considered at the time to be unknown technology that they may have developed. So, they began studying these things, but it failed big time. No one could figure out what it was."

"They failed?" President Warren asked in shock.

White nodded as he looked at her. "Yeah. And the strange thing is, they were the ones who had originally developed the tech in the first place."

"Go on, Jake."

White nodded, flipping his screen over to reveal the next part in the story.

"When the war reached the Orcan home world, the whole planet mobilized for war. It was war unlike anything they had ever seen. Using new technology, they were able to force the Orcans back before the armed forces retaliated with impressive firepower. This caused huge losses to the Dark Axis, forcing them to retreat. No invasion was as bloody as that one. Thousands…no. I stand corrected. _Millions_ died that day. The Orcan population was reduced back three generations, but they repopulated quickly to stable levels. The Orcans never forgot the lessons learned during that war. That they weren't ready to advance just yet. This made them hardened, but they still remembered it, even during the Maverick and Elf Wars," he said, conclusing the report.

White shut the screen down and looked at her. "That's the whole story."

"…" President Warren looked at him with a grim look in her eyes.

"Call an emergency meeting. Get everyone down here stat. They need to hear this. Pronto. And tell Ciel to bring Shiner. We may need to hear some more information about their tactics from the one who fought them."

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

_A few hours later…_

"…so that's the whole thing." President Warren's eyes locked onto each of her friends' gazes and roamed around the room.

"That's…just crazy! How could the Dark Axis be developed by Orca? If that were true, then th—" Seto was cut off by a wave of her hand.

"No, Seto. This was done four hundred fifty years back. It has no ties to the present day, other than the fact that there is still one colony thriving, but due to their isolation, they probably forgot their original location," President Warren told him.

"In effect, they were developed for peace a long time ago, but that bug…I think I can help with that one," Famous said.

"You can?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow.

Famous nodded. "Yes. Something similar happened a few years ago, but we caught it before it spread and got out of hand. This bug was simply a little too much coding into the rage programs of a Netnavi, making him go haywire. We isolated him and took out his rage programs and deleted the line of bad code."

"What about AI chips?" Cassie asked.

"That probably happened with the AI chip used in the first GUNDAM model Reploid. However, due to the primitive equipment used, there was no way it was found or deleted," Famous said.

"Good theory," Sandra commented.

"And a sound one too," Steven remarked. "It seems to be the only conclusion."

"And it's right on track," Zero said as he stepped into the room, followed by Ciel and another Reploid they guessed to be Shiner.

"Good timing, guys. And I take it this Reploid is Shiner?" President Warren asked, motioning to the Reploid.

"That's right. But I'm retired. Haven't fought in the Army since the Dark Axis Wars," Shiner said, nodding.

"I can understand that." She looked at Ciel. "I heard the report you sent. I must admit I was surprised when I heard about it."

"I was too," Ciel admitted, "but it's true. Shiner knows for sure that the Dark Axis is Orcan in origin."

"What about you, Zero?" Mimi asked.

"Okay. You got me. I was just as shocked as Ciel, and President Warren. I thought that Shiner was nuts, but then things started to come back to me. Memories. They were sketchy at best, but there were a few clear ones here and there," Zero told the others.

"What kind of memories?" Cassie asked. It was common knowledge amongst all the leaders that Zero had lost his memories due to hibernation sickness.

"Battles, mostly. But all involved the Dark Axis. So, that accounts for something," Zero remarked.

"It sure does," Override muttered. "Especially since we still have no way on how to free Scourge."

"Actually, I think maybe we might," Seto said, smirking.

"You do?" Sandra asked.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. It's a basic program that we developed some years back. It actually was intended to purge any of our machines of whacko viruses created by some wannabe hackers, and one of these was much like the Dark Axis control horns in a way. The program, code named Liberator, worked like a charm."

"How can you be so sure that it works on a control horn?" President Warren asked.

"Yes. Don't they take control of all machines?" Shie-rae asked.

"That may be the case, but with Optimus's help, we were able to amplify the program to remove the control horn without harming the individual's personality. We put a control horn on Snarl and used the program. Can you guess what the result was?" he asked, his smirk becoming a grin.

Only silence.

"The result was success. It worked, and it shorted out the control horn, releasing Snarl and restoring his personality to regular state. It also has the added benefit of immunity to the control horn's effects for as long as the being lives," he said.

"How did _that_ come into play?" President Warren asked in shock.

Seto shrugged. "Not sure. It just happened, but it's a very special side effect. I suggest we use it wisely."

President Warren narrowed her eyes. "How did it come into play?" she repeated.

"Look. How should I know? I can only guess that it was a combination of some kind of system developed by Vector Sigma and Primus that fused with our program, boosting its power and adding an immunity effect. Probably a bit of Primus' spark, but what it really is remains a mystery. All I know is that this effect is very useful, and that perhaps it somehow boosts the ability of Transformers to resist enemy control. Other than that, nothing," Seto said.

"Well, at least that something we can use," O'hari said seriously.

"And it gets better," Optimus said quietly.

"How so?" Ciel asked.

"With the immunity effect, it prevents the control horn from being reattached, and…here's the weird thing: it cancels out anything that they try. It also acts as a shield for those who are…" His voice trailed off.

"Wait. You mean…a defense? A spark-based defense? An actual shield that will terminate force-bonding?" President Warren asked.

Optimus nodded. "Exactly. And more."

"W-wow…" For the first time since the whole war began, she could feel pleasure and happiness filling her very being. And not just the short term stuff. Long term happiness.

Those trapped in the camps could be helped. But…

"Does it work on organics?" she asked.

"We don't know if it will or not, but in theory, yeah," Seto replied.

"Give it a test run," President Warren ordered.

"But without a prisoner to test it out on, we can't be certain," Seto pointed out.

"Well, you can now, because the Congress just gave the green light for the invasion plans," President Warren said.

"The plans are a go?" Mimi asked softly.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. One hundred percent. They approved it last week."

"Awesome!" three leaders cried.

"WAHOO!" four leaders cheered.

"Way to go!" Seto remarked, grinning.

"Those creeps are going down!" Sandra laughed.

"Look out Dark Axis! Here comes trouble!" Cassie remarked.

"Finally! Those poor beings can be helped at last!" Ciel murmured.

"Hopefully, they can be helped…" Zero added seriously.

President Warren looked at Shiner as the cheers died down. "Okay, Shiner. Can you tell us about a few battles you've been in?" she asked.

Shiner nodded. "A few, yes. But not key ones, if that's what you're thinking."

"We need the data. Please, Shiner." Normally, she didn't demand it, but this time, it felt like there had to be something done. And since the plans were a go, there was no holding anything back now.

"Okay. But only if you promise to use this knowledge to save those trapped in the camps, especially the women. Okay?"

President Warren nodded. "Okay. You have my word."

* * *

_Down in the military planning center…_

Sergeant Amy Green, head of the Earth Federation Defense Forces, paced impatiently as she glanced at the clock and back.

So far things were going smoothly, but the commander of the squad to lead the invasion was late.

"How much longer is he gonna be?" she muttered, glancing at her watch before looking at the clock.

"Uh, ma'am?" A private peeped into the room.

"What is it, Private?" she snapped.

"He's here," the man said.

Green threw up her arms. "About time! Send him in."

The private nodded and motioned for an older man to step in.

"Lieutenant, how much longer are the plans gonna take?" Green demanded.

"The invasion can't begin without the proper equipment. You know that. We need to get the right tanks, the guns, everything has to be planned out before we can consider the invasion an actual go," the lieutenant said. "Plus, with the time that we've been given, which isn't much, considering the time span of the life expectancy in the camps, we need to be prepared in order for this to actually work."

Green snarled in anger. "Well, tell them to hurry up."

"No can do. We need time to prepare for the invasion. Ever since it was given the green light by the Congress, you've been itching to get in there and stop them. I can understand where you're going with this, but at least allow us more time to prepare," the lieutenant pleaded.

She normally didn't take insubordination lightly, but she realized that her subordinate had a point. She sighed with great reluctance. "Okay. Just don't take up to a year, okay?"

"The invasion force will be ready in three weeks," he said.

"Three weeks? Try two and a half and we'll call it even, okay?"

The soldier nodded.

"Okay. Two and a half weeks, you got it."

* * *

_The light from the stars illuminate the prison in the Dark Axis home dimension. The prison, dubbed Ground Pit by the Federation, is hidden in an asteroid itself, the only parts being visible the ramparts and the gun towers. A lone watch tower sticks up from the middle of the asteroid and a huge landing bay is concealed by twin doors disguised as a set of craters. Three sensor satellites orbit close to the prison using small magnetic tracers to keep themselves in the vicinity of the prison's metal structure._

_The layout is much different than one might expect. Rather than have the top ranking criminals on the top level, this prison has cells for the top criminals on the lowest level where they can't escape. The top levels are guard quarters and the main command center for the whole prison. The middle levels hold offices and a few cells. Below that are the heavy duty cells._

_The hallways are dimly lit, making it easier for the lone figure to creep around, holding twin machine guns at the ready. Another form follows, a clawed hand groping against the wall. The third is sneaking by, a bazooka held in one hand._

"_I can't believe we're stuck here searching for weapons," the first form mutters._

"_Shut it, will ya, Zipper?! We need to find a few of our weapons and Dom's Gallop! When that's done, we get outta here and back down to that mudball called Earth!" the second form hisses._

"_Dah…Me want Gallop!" the third form moans._

_The second form whacks the third form upside the head with its clawed hand. "Shut it, idiot!"_

_The third form rubs its head before following the second and first forms._

"_What makes you think our stuff's here anyway?" the first asks._

"_This is their top secure facility, according to Genkimaru, Zapper, so it seems logical that they would stash our weaponry here," the second whispers._

_Zapper Zaku, one of the three former Dark Axis lords, sighs. "Why do we even have to steal our weapons back anyway, Grappler?" he asks. "That mudball of theirs has way more security than this dump!"_

"_Dahhhh…"_

_Grappler Gouf smacks Dom and Zapper upside the heads with his hands._

"_Quiet! Guards!" he hisses._

_The three former lords fall silent as a guard walks by, talking with another guard._

_Both guards walk by, and they sneak out, darting past the cameras and going towards the weapons storeroom._

_Grappler slips his claw inside the space between the door and the wall, wriggling it. A slight click makes him smile._

_Both Destroyer Dom and Zapper grip the door and help Grappler pull it open._

_All three peer inside, their optics darting about._

_No guards are on station. They sneak inside and close the door._

"_Okay. Find your weapons and let's bolt!" Grappler whispers._

_Dom and Zapper nod before splitting up._

_The three robots search before finding their weaponry and Dom's Gallop, chained to a wall._

_Grappler slices the chains on Dom's Gallop and he begins stuffing all kinds of weapons inside. A few grenades go rolling, but he picks them up and stuffs them in. The big mech then closes his Gallop._

"_C'mon! We got what we needed, so let's bolt!" Grappler hisses._

_Zapper nods and Dom nods. Both follow Grappler to the door, but then alarms blare, the red light flashing and filling their optics for a brief moment._

"_MOVE!" Grappler shouts._

_The three robots run for it, Grappler holding a small generator built by Cobramaru. He throws it against the wall and it latches on, the bright blue light flaring as a connection is established with the Intergalactic Spacebridge Network._

_The gateway opens and all three run inside just as a few Zakos follow them._

_The gate closes up, leaving nothing but a lone hallway abandoned and forlorn…_

* * *

**The sounds of** the wind howling reached his ears as he tensed, feeling his muscles tightening. Glancing back the way he had come, he could see the footprints made in the snow, although other than that, he couldn't see anything in the blizzard-like conditions. The snow seemed to be as thick as molasses, in his opinion.

"Zako! He came this way! Zako!"

Vega Lancer cursed. This wasn't what he had been expecting.

His green eyes narrowed beneath the winter visor used by the military to keep one's eyes from getting stung by the snow. He gritted his teeth as he studied the horizon. A pair of red mono eyes glinted in the meager light created by his flashlight. "Crap!"

He turned and ran, his blue hair flapping in the intense winds. Behind him he could hear the Zakos coming after him, following his footprints.

The old trees served as a shield, but not as much as he had hoped. The Zakos no doubt had scouted out the area well before he had, and he was with only his laser daggers, which weren't as effective as he thought, especially not in this kind of weather.

The only real advantage he had was time, because he had about thirty seconds before they caught up to him. Each second, he knew, was passing by and each second lost was precious time gone by. Now he only had twenty-eight seconds left.

He decided to take his course of action.

He turned and ducked behind a fallen tree, his body shivering in the light clothing he wore. Vega tensed his body and activated his laser daggers, the sharp blue blades extending out in a flash of energy. He lay, and waited.

The first Zako to pass by his hiding place was the most unfortunate, because the moment it peered at him, Vega pounced, his laser daggers carving a blue swath of energy into the dark night, followed by a spurt of mech fluid and oil, staining the pure white snow a dark grey color.

The body fell silently. Vega gripped it and dragged it behind the tree, making sure to leave it in a place where it could be seen. He didn't even bother to wipe away the trail the body made when dragged.

The second Zako didn't meet as unfortunate an end as its comrade, but it was still pretty gruesome as the boy leapt at it, twin laser daggers on his ankles igniting and cutting the head off in one sweep kick.

As the body touched down, something rang out across the forest. He glanced up just as the scenery around him began to grow fuzzy, almost like static, and faded into nothing, except blackness.

Beneath his feet, a platform appeared and the railings extended up into existence. The blackness faded to reveal many small cells, or rather, small camera lenses, as the hologram shut down. Vega sighed and stretched his body.

It had taken him two hours just to complete the fourteenth level training facility.

And that had been on normal mode.

"Man. I really need to start training more," he murmured.

"Vega Lancer: Training session is complete. Please leave the chamber and have a nice day." The feminine artificial intelligence voice made him shudder.

"Geez. They just _had_ to make it say that," he muttered.

He turned and left the training chamber, his entire body aching from the intense cold.

The training chambers, while not new in function or design, were the latest piece of technology added to the TCDA over the last three weeks. The chambers were basically shaped like a normal storage building, but with hundreds of small holographic projectors that made the best holograms, and added to that, they had several different weather settings developed by Cybertron and added in to make it more convincing. The scenarios that the chambers could predict were numerous; in fact, they numbered in the thousands. One could pick from a battle in the desert to an Antarctic base invasion at midnight.

Vega had been in this very chamber for the last few days, trying to increase his skills to new levels, but alas, it had failed.

Sighing, he turned and left the chamber, the door closing behind him and the outer door opening to the warm weather outside.

Vega was not that much older than Jaden, but in reality, he could be considered a young adult. He had bright green eyes and shocking blue hair that stood out amongst the others of his small team. He had a warrior's build and it showed by the way his TCDA uniform stretched against his taught muscles. Not much of a body builder, he kept his strength and speed and endurance up with cardio training and weightlifting in the TCDA gym. His skin was light tan, much like all Blazians and he had four laser daggers: one on his left ankle, one on his right ankle, one on his left wrist, and one on his right wrist.

Looking to the sky, his eyes locked onto the stars above. It was hard to believe that things were getting out of hand now, especially since the Dark Axis was arming for war with them.

"Vega!" a feminine voice called out.

"Huh?" Vega turned, his gaze locking onto the form of Michelle Cook approaching him. She was about the same age as him, but her hair was blonde with a red streak going down the back and her eyes were bright blue. Her skin was tan and she wore the TCDA blazer of the Autobot Defense rank. Her lanky build was what made her slower in combat, for her intelligence was as great as Baston's, but she lacked an aura or any other type of weapon, save for a standard laser pistol.

"Michelle. What brings you here?" he asked as she came to a stop in front of him.

She didn't answer, but by the amount of panting she was doing, he could instantly tell that she had run a long way to reach him.

Then, it hit him.

"Wait. The Dark Axis is back?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes…and this time…they've brought…someone…"

"Who?" Vega asked, grabbing her by the shoulders.

She gasped out the word. "Shift…"

"Shift? As in that demonic robot that attacked us a few days earlier?" Vega remarked.

"Yes."

Vega snarled in anger. If Shift was back, then that meant trouble. And he had a feeling that it had to do with the mysterious events concerning Baston's unexpected change into a robot himself. He looked Michelle in the eyes and spoke. "Where's his location?'

"I'm…not sure…" Michelle whispered.

"What about Baston?" Vega remarked.

"Last I saw…he was with the others."

He gritted his teeth.

"Okay. Gather up the others and meet me by the docks!" he ordered.

"Right."

Michelle turned and ran off, Vega running off in the direction of the docks.

* * *

_At the docks…_

Vega was shocked. When he arrived at the docks, he was shocked to see a new ship stationed there, in addition to the carrier. "Holy slag!"

Moored off to the starboard side of the carrier was the RMS _Titanic_, armed with weaponry and she looked as if she hadn't even been under the sea for almost a hundred years. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, taking in the sight.

"No way. This shouldn't be happening!" he blurted.

He shook his head. "The Shipwreck Protection Act…I thought that…"

He looked up at the former ocean liner, taking in her strong lines and graceful shape. Only one funnel remained, the other three having been removed for extra combat speed. Her black and white shape stood tall and proud in the moonlight, and the entire superstructure itself was lit up, with the exception of the lower decks. The gangplank had been lowered and it stood silent and still, as if beckoning Vega to set foot on her.

He considered telling the commander of the school, but decided against it. Also, against his better judgment, he ventured closer, stepping up to the gangplank and putting his left foot on it.

As soon as he did so, a brief burst of energy overwhelmed him and he found himself seeing battles in his mind's eye, all from the perspective of one who had been in the combat. The most surprising memory however, was a fight between the carrier and the _Oceanic Protector_ and something else. He could feel something controlling his body, and then he suddenly had an idea as to what was happening.

He was seeing things from the ship's perspective.

He could hear the silent cries of the ship as she/he was controlled by the Dark Axis, Shift laughing above her/him. Lasers exploded against the structure of the ship, grazing her/his sides, barely missing the control horn. As the great propellers were thrown into reverse, he could feel his/her bearings screeching in protest, the great bow swinging about to ram the smaller _Oceanic Protector_.

The battle then switched to a scene, but this time, something was different. He could feel the Federation in command this time.

An unknown source of rejoice filled his soul as he/she opened up on the Dark Axis with Federation weaponry and he blinked, finding himself back on the dock, one foot on the gangplank to the ship.

"Wow…" He felt a bit…unnerved…by the experience. Never had he felt such pain, such…anger…from a machine before, even though all Blazians, to some extent, possessed the ability to resonate with machinery. For him, however, he had never experienced this.

He had only experienced memories, but never the emotions, the _feelings_ of a machine as grand as this one.

Vega was too deep in thought about this to hear Michelle run up, followed by a young boy carrying a huge bazooka and a small, human-sized Autobot.

"T.K.! Mike!" he chirped.

"Vega!" Mike Fedara yelled. He skidded to a stop before his friend, and looked him in the optics. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. But…" Vega's voice trailed off.

Mike looked at his quizzically with his blue optics. He may have been human-sized, but he was still an Autobot. His main colors were green and black, with a hint of red along his arms and legs, the Autobot sigil on his wings. His alt mode was that of a mini F-15 fighter jet. "Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong!" Vega said.

T.K. Yatso frowned slightly. Even though he was only a few months older than T.J., he knew what it was like to grow up with lying. He was shorter than the other three, but he was able to carry a bazooka on his back due to his half-Kaxian heritage. Kaxians could carry a few hundred pounds more than a human, so as a result, he could too. His hair was brown and he had silvery green eyes. "Something's bothering you, Vega. We can tell," he said.

Vega sighed. He knew when he had been caught.

"Okay. Well, first off, look." He pointed behind him, and his three friends gasped.

"No…way…!" Michelle murmured, her eyes wide in shock.

"You've got to be kidding!" Mike blurted.

"What the slag is that thing doing here?!" T.K. exclaimed.

"Looks like someone broke the Protection Act," Michelle murmured once the shock wore off.

"Not really…" Vega said.

"What? What are you talking about, Vega?" Michelle asked.

"You know how we Blazians can resonate with machinery to a very limited extent?" he asked.

"Yeah. Of course. We've seen you do it multiple times," Mike answered. "What's your point?"

"…Well, it's just that…" Vega fell silent.

"Didn't you _see_ anything?" T.K. asked.

"That's just the thing! I did, but I also _felt_ emotions! I actually picked up feelings from her!" Vega blurted, waving his arms.

"You mean…emotion?" Mike whispered, his optics widening.

Vega nodded. "Yes. As soon as I set foot on her gangplank, I was overcome with memories of fighting, but also pain, anger, hatred, and rejoice. It seems as if the _Titanic_ wants to tell her story."

"So? A lot of people say that about some ships that have been refitted," Mike stated. His father worked at a salvage yard not too far from Earth Command, so he knew what it was like.

"Yeah, but not like this." Vega glanced back at the _Titanic_. "Something seems to be connected to her, almost as if someone _wanted_ her to sink. I saw that as well. I could see it in the memories. She seemed to be…despaired…at being unable to continue her maiden voyage."

"So? That's not uncommon. A lot of people came up with wild theories about her sinking over the years," Michelle explained.

"Still, before the ship sank, I saw something…hovering above her gravesite. It looked like Shift, but I couldn't be certain. It was too brief," Vega said, placing a hand to his head.

The human-Autobot looked at the ship nervously. "What if…?" Vega instantly caught on to what he was thinking.

Vega shook his head. "No. She isn't haunted. Instead, it seems as if she's free from that curse."

"But…" Mike was about to protest, but Vega cut him off.

"Look. I'm not sure why the ship's 'feelings' were there, but all I know is that I saw the events happening. And Shift seems like he wants her, although as to why, that's what's bothering me. Why would he want her?" the Blazian asked.

His friends had no answer.

Little did he know that he was right…

* * *

_At the Medical University…_

Xenphyr looked up from the machine, the screen beeping as Coby's vitals came back online. His heartbeat was strong and measured, his breathing even and steady, his blood pressure at normal levels and his mind back in his normal body. He removed the helmet from the human's head and his eyes opened.

"Xenphyr…" Coby's voice was hoarse, but at least his voice was still strong, somewhat.

"Glad to see you're back in your human form, Coby," Xenphyr joked.

"I'm sure glad to _be_ back in it, Xenphyr," he laughed.

Coby Hansen, while not much older than Kicker, had blonde hair and grey-blue eyes, contrasting his tan skin. His clothing was the standard TCDA blazer and pants, while around his neck hung the code for his scrapmetal vehicle.

His brother Bud and friend Lori Whiteman were there as well. Bud wore a dark brown hat on top of his blonde hair and his eyes were a playful brown color. His uniform was the same as his brother's, but he had a small pistol tucked into his left pocket.

Lori, on the other hand, had long black hair and green-brown eyes. Her uniform was like that of the boys, but it was much shorter in the length of the coattails. She had no weapon aside from a simple laser whip, preferring diplomacy as her weapon of choice.

"Glad to see you're okay, Coby," Bud remarked.

"I know. Sorry about worrying you two," Coby murmured.

"Hey. Those Dark Axis creeps did this, so we had to reverse it," Lori replied. Xenphyr cleared his throat, making Lori blush. "Well, Xenphyr did, anyway. We just helped out," she added sheepishly.

"Heh. Thanks. Both of you. Anyway, what's going on?" Coby asked as he sat up and stretched.

"Well, long story short. Remember_ her_?" Lori asked.

"Yeah. So?" Coby asked, nodding.

"…" At Lori's silence, Coby gasped. "Someone broke the Act?"

"No, but…Sayla and her team…they had to fight her," Lori explained.

"Did they…?" Coby's voice trailed off, the boy fearing the worst.

"No. They didn't, but it came close when Bakunetsumaru got to the guns," Bud said quickly.

"Bakunetsumaru? You mean that red and white GUNDAM?" Coby asked.

"Yes. He tried to sink her, but…" Lori was cut off by Xenphyr.

"Wait. They had to _fight_ her? What was up with that?" the medic asked.

Bud grimaced, for he had been present at the sight of combat. "They used a control horn on her. And…she came to life. The division had to fight, but…someone tore it off and…" his voice trailed off, leaving Coby and Lori to get the idea.

Coby could take an accurate guess as to the rest. "We won?"

Both nodded.

"What about the Dark Axis?" Coby asked.

"We drove them back," Lori assured him.

"And the DA? Last I heard we were going to plan an invasion, but…" Again he was cut off by Bud.

"It backfired. But, we did manage to save the children there and we exposed Dr. Crowler for a traitor. And…not to mention we have another traitor too," his younger brother told him.

"Who?" Coby asked.

Here Lori, Bud, and Xenphyr all became serious. "Cerverau," the medic said.

"What?" Coby's eyes widened.

"It's true," Xenphyr said sadly. "He betrayed us."

"Why?" Coby was shocked. Cerverau, a traitor? It just didn't make any sense.

Xenphyr shrugged. "We're not sure, but we're looking into that right now even as we speak."

He could only hope that they found out why soon.


	55. Beginnings of Invasion Planning

Chapter 4

Genmaru spit out the fungus as soon as it touched his tongue. "Blech! Geez, Hikamaru! I thought you had found something that tasted better this time!" He grabbed a nearby jug of water that they had stolen from the carrier a few days prior and drank about half before putting it back.

"Sorry, Genmaru, but you know how defended that place is!" his brother remarked. "And it doesn't help that the carrier is under guard right now!"

"What about sneaking into the kitchen for the school? We could try that," Genmaru suggested. "It's been about a month since I had something decent to eat."

Hikamaru glanced at the school sitting in the dome, guns glinting dangerously in the moonlight. He frowned beneath his mouthpiece at the idea, but then again, it seemed like it just might work. If it even did.

"Okay. We'll give it a try. Besides, I have to agree with you. Eating fungus after a while makes me sick," he said.

Genmaru grinned.

Both Mushas left their "dinner" on the grass and snuck off, intent on getting some real food into their stomachs. They crept past a few guards who were too busy glancing skyward to even notice them. The guns were silent as they slipped past the many sensors dotting the campus grounds and into the school itself. No alarms blared, no nothing. It was pure silence.

The twin Mushas knew where the food was; they had been inside only once, and that was to get water. So, it took them only ten minutes to find the school's kitchen.

As Hikamaru pulled open the door, Genmaru kept a lookout for anyone coming down the hallways. The younger Musha darted in with a sack held in one hand, the other grabbing the pantry door and pulling it open.

He began stuffing food into the sack like there was no tomorrow. All the while, Genmaru kept an eye out for any late-night eaters.

A slight footstep caught his audio.

"Hikamaru! We've got company!" he hissed to his brother. Hikamaru glanced up, blue eyes wide with fear. He closed the pantry door and looked at his brother.

Both ran for it, but before they could get any further, something penetrated Genmaru's back armor and began pulling him back!

The younger stopped and glanced back, dropping the sack as he did so. "GENMARU!"

He reached out, only to receive a blow to the back of the neck. The last thing he recalled was seeing Genmaru getting the same treatment before his vision went dark and he blacked out.

* * *

**Sayla looked at** the Musha Gundam trapped in her gun's grappling claw, the device impaled in the Gundam's back armor, drawing warm mech fluid to the spot. The three prongs were imbedded below where the jetpack would be, and he lay facedown on the floor from the blow to his head.

She glanced up at Zane who held a wrench in his hand. She didn't even want to know where he had gotten it and let the question die before it even formed.

"So, now what?" she asked.

Zane spoke to her without looking up from the Musha on the ground beside him. "We bring them to Xenphyr. He'll know what to do."

"I don't know, Zane. Why not let me handle them? I can try to get some information," she suggested.

"Okay, but don't go overboard with it. They may not be with the enemy," Zane said.

"But if they are?" Sayla asked.

"Then you can do what you want. Just no real bad stuff, okay?" Zane told her.

Sayla nodded. "Understood."

She slung her gun's grappling line over the second Musha's foot and began dragging them back down the hallway towards the elevator that led down to the 17th Division's interrogation chambers. The weight was incredible, and it put strain on her body, forcing her to grunt as she dragged them along, but she dealt with it.

It took her a good fifteen minutes to drag them down there, but she did.

She closed the door to the chamber as she stepped out after shackling them to the walls. It wasn't necessary to do that, but it made her feel a bit more secure knowing her prisoners wouldn't be able to escape during the interrogations.

Sayla headed off in the direction of her quarters, intent on getting to sleep.

However, she didn't even register the form lurking behind her door…

* * *

_The next day…_

"HAAAAH!" Kicker powered up his signature attack and let it loose. The powerful beam of energy sped right at the target, striking it and blowing it to bits in seconds. Various other targets exploded as the energy shockwave reached them, scorching them to cinders.

The explosion that followed made short work of the remains, leaving nothing but ashes behind. Smoke filled his vision and he stood up, panting heavily as his mouthpiece retracted, exposing his soot-covered face.

His visor slid up as well, and he rubbed the focusers on the palms of his hands.

"Have I gotten any better?" he murmured.

The pilot had been training constantly since the defection of Subzero from the Federation, trying to become stronger and gain greater control over his starfighter's powers. His eyes were haggard and glazed over from an intense three hours of training, but at least he wasn't depriving himself of sleep like Syrus was.

"How much stronger have I become?" No one answered, save for the breeze rustling the trees, almost as if someone were whispering to him. He shuddered. Every time he thought that, it seemed to him as if someone _were_ whispering.

The most unexpected thing happened right then and there.

"AGH!" Kicker clutched at the sides of his head, the Energizer Matrix flaring within his chest armor, releasing its calming warmth, but a bit more intense. '_What in Primus name?_' the boy thought to himself. He hadn't expected this!

Suddenly, he was drifting, away from the training field, his mind hovering over someplace new. He could see someone busy working a huge pulley and crane system that looked like a salvage crane from one of the outposts. Beneath the water, something massive was rising up, and it was not the _Titanic_. Instead, it looked like…

"NO WAY!" he blurted.

No one heard his cry, for he was unseen to them.

No one, except for Shift.

The demon mage sneered as he glanced in Kicker's direction, and he felt fear flooding his body and soul. He blinked…

And found himself back at the training field, lying on the grass, the light from the Matrix fading.

"What…?"

Then, the realization hit him.

"I have to warn the others!"

He scrambled to his feet and ran off, desperate to tell them his latest information.

The first people he had to find were Meisha and T.J., for they were usually the first to know what happened.

He was able to find them over by the lake, as usual. T.J. was busy training with his wing blades while Meisha was trying out new dueling strategies she had come up with against a computerized opponent.

"GUYS!"

Both his friends looked up, Meisha shutting down her Duel Disk and T.J. folding his wing blades back.

"Kicker! Something's up, right?" Meisha asked.

Kicker nodded. "Yeah. You won't believe what happened."

His two friends looked at one another, then at Kicker. "What happened?" both asked as one.

Kicker immediately launched into an explanation about what happened, his passing out, the raising, and the demon mage spotting him. The whole time, both human and human-starfighter listened in amazement, shock and horror. As he described the other ship being raised from the depths of the ocean's cold grip, Meisha gasped and T.J. cursed under his breath.

By the time Kicker was finished, both were amazed and angry at what was going on.

"So, in short, Shift is raising another wreck to be put under his control?" Meisha summarized.

"Exactly. We need to tell the others and fast!" Kicker exclaimed.

"I'm not so sure. I mean, what if it was a trick?" T.J. remarked.

"No way! It wasn't! I saw it with my own two eyes!" Kicker protested.

"Look. I did a sweep of the area a few days ago, ever since the _Titanic_'s resurrection, and there was no one there. Not even a sign of the Dark Axis," T.J. told him.

"But maybe they came while we were busy elsewhere!" Kicker pointed out.

"Yeah? And where would that be?" T.J. asked mockingly.

"Here!" Kicker cried, pointing at the spot where they stood/

"Okay, you two. Knock it off. So what if Kicker saw something about that? Maybe it _was_ a trick, maybe not. Who knows? We can't take things seriously here anymore. We need to look into this a bit further," Meisha said, stepping in between the two.

"Meisha…" Kicker was about to protest, but Meisha looked at him seriously.

"No, buts, Kicker," she said.

He knew that when Meisha made up her mind, it was hard to get her to change it. "Okay. We'll take it easy and look into it."

She smiled and nodded.

T.J. merely scowled, but kept his remarks to himself.

He had a feeling that something wasn't right, and he knew it.

As the three got to their feet and headed back to the school, he could only hope that it _was_ a trick…

* * *

_In Deed's room…_

The former knight of Lacroa sighed as he stretched his body, flexing his aching joints and sore muscle cables. He threw his arms back over his head and leaned back, the tension in his lower back being released.

"Mana…how long has it been now?" he murmured. He let his arms drop back to his sides and he headed over to the window, looking out at the rain sliding down the dome beyond the guns. He knew that, if possible, the dome could expand beyond the guns and encase a few training fields and the docks on the lake for added protection. This was one such occasion, although he didn't know why.

He let his mind wander for a few moments, until he heard it.

**_CRASH!_**

The sound of glass breaking got his attention. Deed shot to his feet instantly, grabbing his scythe and taking to the air, his flight magic propelling him in the direction of Jaden's room.

It had been a few weeks ago that he had found out the truth about "Voltage" and now, he feared the worst as he neared the Earth-Gundam's room.

When he approached, the Lacroan Gundam gasped.

Shift stood on the windowsill, his hands glowing with dark magic. In the dim light from the charging spells, he could see Jaden huddled in the corner, holding one hand to his chest, no doubt covering the compartment that held his Soul-Drive.

"Now, thou will come with me, and I shall make sure that thee is unharmed," the demon mage purred, reaching out towards the scared Gundam. Jaden backed up as far as he could, almost as if he wanted the wall to envelop him and shield him from Shift, but it was not to be. At least not while Deed was still functional.

"NO!" Deed roared.

Shift looked up, only to dodge to the side as Deed slashed with his scythe, catching the mage across the cheek. "GAH!" His hand flew to his cheek and he pulled it away, his dark green eyes 'narrowing' in anger and hatred. "Thou shall pay for that!" he hissed.

"Not a chance!" Deed hissed.

He dodged to the side as Shift lunged, his hands groping for his neck. The demon Gundam spun and delivered a powerful roundhouse to the other Gundam's head. Deed was thrown a good fifteen yards from Jaden's window, and Shift chuckled at this.

"Is that all?" the mage asked.

"Not even close," Deed murmured. He gripped his scythe and charged at Shift, his eyes flashing in hatred. "MANA! GIVE ME YOUR POWER!" he screamed.

The blade of his weapon began to glow, and he slashed as hard as he could. The bright blue shockwave caught Shift off guard. The explosion made a few windows rattle, but no serious damage was done.

Jaden cautiously approached, peering out the window nervously. "Deed?"

"Are you okay, Jaden?" Deed asked softly.

He nodded silently. Then, suddenly, Jaden felt a hand curl about his throat, cutting off the air coming into his intakes. He coughed and gripped the demon mage's hand, trying to pry it off. But, he couldn't. Shift was stronger than he was in pretty much every aspect, including strength. He could feel his systems screaming for oxygen, and he was becoming lightheaded.

"NO!" Deed yelled. Slashing as hard as he could, the Royal Knight Gundam caught Shift in the wing joint, making him cry out and drop Jaden. Deed spun in midair and dove down, grabbing Jaden's hand and holding him close to his own body.

Jaden held a hand to his throat and coughed a few times before speaking. "T-Thanks."

Deed merely smiled. "I'm only repaying the favor you did for me," he murmured.

"MANA FIRE!" The powerful burst of Mana struck the ground below the two Gundams, and Deed cried out as the heat scorched his armor and burned his systems. Jaden felt Deed's grip loosening and he clenched his hand tighter around the loosening hand. "Deed!"

"Hold on!" Deed cried. The next thing Jaden knew, he was being shielded by Deed's body as something exploded in the background, making his audios ring from the explosive force. He squinted his eyes shut, feeling the heat on his own body. He felt something in one of his legs give way and he winced. His Soul-Drive spun faster in his chest, and he put his arms in front of the compartment, doubling over as he did so.

The heat faded, and he found himself lying on his side on the ground, the grass crushed beneath his body. He opened his eyes slowly, and uncurled his body. He could now see the damage that had been done. Trees were burnt along the tops, and a few windows were blown out by the explosive force of the spell. The entire front face of the building was burnt and scorched, but the good news was that the doors weren't fused to the building itself.

Deed, however, was a different story.

His body was burnt here and there, his armor slightly melted in some parts and his cape was burned away. His eyes were squinted shut in pain and he was moaning in agony.

Jaden glanced down at his own body and sighed with relief when he saw only nicks on his armor, save for the scratch on his chest, exposing his Soul-Drive. He staggered to his feet, but at that point, his legs buckled and he landed on his stomach, pain suddenly coursing over his right leg. Something sparked and he cried out, glancing back.

Electricity danced over the damaged limb, and he hissed in pain as he grabbed the injured leg. This was the first time he had actually _felt_ his systems damaged like this, not counting the time he had gotten severely damaged as a result from using his Soul-Drive that one day.

Now he could only hope that someone found him and Deed, and soon.

* * *

_On Kaija…_

Mimi Kia sat at her desk, her head buried in her hands. It had been a few days since the invasion plans were given the green light, meaning that the Federation leaders needed more information, which was easier said than done now that the Dark Axis was aware of their presence in their home dimension.

Already she was feeling stressed out, and she needed a break from the constant demands of her job. But, she couldn't take a break because of the need for information. They needed it and fast.

She sat up and shook her head before looking down at the massive amount of notes that had been accumulated for the invasion plans. There wasn't much on the defenses they used, but there was a ton of data on the layout of the camps. The last raid had proven that the camps shared the same layout, so that eliminated a serious factor in the equation. Now, all they had to do was figure out how many guards there were per camp so they could bring the number of troops needed to overcome them.

She grasped a nearby report submitted by her spy team sent into the camps a few days ago.

It stated that the Dark Axis camps had about 4,000 guards total, and the number of prisoners was twice that amount. It seemed like the Dark Axis didn't take any chances, so they had set one guard per two prisoners. And that wasn't counting the staff, which numbered only two hundred tops. She ran a quick check of the defenses, and checked the weaponry needed to get past the defenses.

Each weapon was stored in the Federation arsenal, meaning they had everything needed to overcome the defenses and invade the camps. Now they just had to train until they got it right. And that would take the majority of their time.

The events that had led up to this point played themselves in her mind, but she had no time to dwell upon them. She had a plan to complete.

She pressed a button and the door to her office slid open to reveal a friend of hers, Shobu Kirifuda. The boy wasn't that much older than she was, but he was vastly different. His hair was black with a white highlight and he wore a light purple T-shirt, light brown pants and combat boots. His skin was tan and his eyes were dark brown.

"Mimi…What's going on?" Shobu asked.

"Shobu, how's the plan coming?" Mimi wondered.

Shobu grew thoughtful as he ran the plan through his mind. "Well, so far, the only real wrench in the machinery would be the timing. Our boys are doing well when it comes to the maneuvers, but the timing is way off. We need it to be perfect if we're going to overcome these guys and free the prisoners within those camps," he explained.

"I know, but I mean in terms of phases," Mimi clarified.

"Oh. That. Well, the usual number is required. Two phases: Phase One: break in and go all out. Phase Two: liberate the prisoners and get the hell out of there before reinforcements show up. The usual plans for liberation," Shobu remarked, shrugging.

"That's it?" Mimi asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Shobu nodded. "That's it."

For a moment silence filled the vicinity between the two. Then, Shobu spoke.

"How long until the invasion commences?" he asked.

"About two weeks, give or take a few days. That's what the President said," Mimi replied. "Of course, there are bound to be changes, but we'll handle it."

Shobu nodded, smiling. "Yeah. After all, we managed an invasion once, so we can do it again."

She nodded, but she wasn't smiling. She was busy thinking about the cost in lives. How many lives would it take to free them, if at all?

* * *

_Across the Z-Space barrier…_

Chief Haro glanced at Bell Wood, anxiety in his hidden eyes. "How much longer?"

"I said give me a few minutes, Chief! It's not easy you know!" the scientist snapped. He pressed a few buttons and hit the enter key. "Okay. Try it now!"

"Banana going in," Juli reported. She placed a banana on the platform and Bell Wood entered the coordinates.

"Activating Dimensional Transport Device now!" Bell Wood cried.

For a moment, the entire area began to waver before a flash of light erupted, sending the banana through space and time towards its destination. The team watched expectantly as the fruit neared the coordinates.

A small blip came on screen near the command center of the dimension they were aiming for.

The banana had arrived right on target.

"Bingo! I've got it! Banana has arrived on target!" Bell Wood remarked, a grin on his face.

"Good work. What else?" Chief Haro asked.

"Well, I was planning on sending a pig through next, but he kinda ran off," Bell Wood said sheepishly. Chief Haro sweat-dropped.

"But, I got a replacement," he added, holding up a snake. "This snake's goin' through next."

"Okay. Let's hope it works."

"It will. Trust me," the dimensional travel expert remarked. He walked forward and placed the snake on the platform. The creature hissed threateningly, but Bell Wood backed off and headed over to his console.

He inserted the same coordinates as he had for the banana, but off by a few degrees.

"And…NOW!"

He punched the button and the device powered up, sending the snake through the barrier to the next dimension.

The animal appeared and slithered away, indicating that it worked.

* * *

_On Earth a day later…_

**Earth Command Medical University**

**Time: 2015, 8:15 civilian time**

Xenphyr sighed as he checked on his latest patient, Deed. The knight Gundam had had his armor removed, exposing his metal synthflesh to the Reploid technician. He gripped his laser knife and finished removing the pieces of his cape that had fused to his back.

It had only been a few hours after Sayla had received a call from one of her soldiers about a badly damaged Deed and a moderately damaged Jaden. He had spotted them and had alerted her. She had managed to somehow get them both down to the university; how, he didn't even want to know.

It had taken him the better part of the whole day to stabilize Deed's life signs and to heal up the majority of his burns. Now, he turned to face Jaden who lay on a second table, his right leg sparking.

"Okay, Jaden. Let's take a look at that leg." Xenphyr knelt down and examined the damaged limb.

"All right. I can't wait till it's fixed," Jaden hissed as he gritted his teeth.

Xenphyr studied the sparking leg before he took a scanner from a nearby repair table. He keyed in the code needed to conduct a medical scan and watched as the beam scanned Jaden's leg up and down. A schematic of Jaden's body appeared on the screen before zooming in on his right leg. About fifteen damaged parts flashed red as ten others flashed purple, signifying intense damage.

"…" Xenphyr was silent as he realized what he had to do.

"Well?" Jaden asked.

"Bad news. Your leg's busted up pretty badly. So…" Xenphyr fingered a nearby gas mask.

"Anything as long as you can fix it," Jaden murmured.

Xenphyr nodded, without revealing his real plan.

He attached the gas mask and cranked up the energon gas. He could see Jaden's body tense for a few seconds before his eyes slipped closed.

Xenphyr waited a few minutes before turning off the gas. "Okay. Time to do it." He flexed his fingers before approaching.

He knew from Sayla's report that Jaden's Soul-Drive was located in his chest, and he had done a few simulations before, so he knew how to open it. He let his fingers gently run along the edges of the compartment in Jaden's chest before they found the latches. He slowly opened them and the compartment hissed as air was released.

Slipping a finger into it, he gently pried it open somewhat, only enough to check to see if his Soul-Drive was undamaged. The rotations were at a steady pace, so there was no real damage. Xenphyr sighed in relief as he slowly, gently eased it open a little more. No resistance met his attempts.

It took him a couple minutes to get it open slowly, but he did it. Now that Jaden's Soul-Drive was exposed, he lightly laid a finger on one of the rings and it came to a stop. He repeated the process with the second ring and once it had ceased to rotate, he cupped his hands around it and gently tugged.

It came free without any trouble.

He gently laid it on the table, careful so as to not damage it or send it rolling to the edge where it could fall and shatter.

Now, he could get to work.

* * *

_Vector Prime waits anxiously as the Elders confer about the future. He has told them the plans of the Dark Axis and the outcome, so now they are debating it, as is usual. He bites his lower lip. He wonders if the Federation is learning more about them._

_The head Elder, Xia, suddenly stands up. "Vector Prime, we have reached a decision."_

_Vector Prime feels his spark stop. "You have?"_

"_Yes. You shall be given the power to call upon the Emergency Law of Space and Time, but it is to be used only if it is necessary. Understand?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

_Vector Prime knows what this means. It means they see the danger of the Dark Axis and their plans. If he is given this power, then all of existence rests in his hands. He can now use its incredible powers._

_Xia holds his hand out and Vector Prime takes it. He can feel the power coursing into his body and he smiles. This…is it._

"_Now, remember, this law is only reserved for such emergencies, and it can only be used once, as is dictated by the Great Leader. No other times can it be actually used because of its powers, am I right?"_

_Vector nods._

"_Good. Now, use it wisely."_

_The lead Elder removes his hand._

_Now, Vector Prime is the most powerful being in existence, with enough power to rival one of the gods of past mythology. He is the most powerful being, aside from the Supreme Leader himself. Now, he is his equal._

_It is time!_

* * *

_Earth Command…_

"Okay, Shiner. Tell us more about the Dark Axis tactics." It had been about three days since Shiner had come to Earth. Today was an important day because the President had called a major meeting.

Shiner glanced at her before nodding. "Even better. I'll tell you about a battle that took place. They used quite a few tactics that day…"

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_That day was one of the worst, but also one of the most beneficial to you guys, since this battle was one of the biggest since the colonies were cut off._

_Anyway, Axl, X, Hunter, Zero and I were all out on patrol with Xenphyr and Cerverau. All seven of us had been given a sector to keep guard over. This was Sector Alpha, the biggest sector on the entire planet. And it was a major target for Dark Axis forces._

_Axl barely dodged a Zako soldier that had come at him from behind, forcing us into combat against them. Now, we could hold our own, which we did, but man, was it a tough fight! Cerverau was the first to go down with a badly damaged arm and a mangled leg._

"_CERVERAU!" I yelled._

_He turned to me and grinned through bloody lips. "Don't worry! I'll be fine! Just don't stop!"_

_I nodded, but I wouldn't leave his side._

_Cerverau and I had known each other as soon as we had come online together. I knew him better than I even knew myself and he knew me better than he knew himself. We were that close._

_In fact, that was the reason why a Zako nearly attacked him and killed him._

"_NO!" My voice was hoarse as I yelled as loudly as I could. The attacker didn't even stop from going after my friend._

_Hunter barely dodged, but he got impaled on the side with the glowing beam sword. Xenphyr spun around, slashing with his assassin knife, cleaving the head off and he was blinded by the mech fluid that splattered across his face._

_He wiped it clean off, but boy, was he pissed!_

_I have never seen anyone as angry as Xenphyr got when he lunged and hacked that Zako away to pieces that day. His body was covered in mech fluid when he was through with it. All he held in his hand was the memory chip, and his knife in the other._

"_Nice one!" Hunter cheered. I'm not sure why he looked up to as cold blooded a killer as Xenphyr, especially when enemies were concerned._

_He was a good fighter, Hunter was, and it showed as he attacked a Zako, blowing it to pieces with his secret weapon._

_Not even I know what it was, for he never told me, nor did he reveal it in battle, except for when he needed it the most._

_That day, we lost quite a few soldiers, but it was well worth it, for we had gained some information that truly surprised us all._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"What kind of information?" Optimus asked.

"We learned what kind of tactics they used that day," Shiner said.

"Well, what are they?" President Warren asked.

Shiner grinned seriously. "First, they sneak up from behind and strike you down when you least expect it. Then they try to go after the biggest threat."

"Any others?" Tyre asked. He and Helena had both been briefed on what was going on so far, and they had also read the report, so they had a basic idea as to when and how the Dark Axis had been created. Both had decided to show up at this meeting, and so far it was proving to be a good thing.

"Yeah. Like I told Ciel and Zero, they also go after humans and petrify them using BagguBaggu, although I think you guys might have a way to reverse it, right?" Shiner asked.

"Close to it," Seto replied. "We're almost done perfecting the method. We just need a test subject to test it out on, and if it's a success, then we'll have no problem saving those who were petrified."

"Good," Shiner said.

"Is that all?" Helena asked.

Shiner shook his head. "No. There's more. Much, much more where that came from."

The meeting continued well into the night, and by two in the morning, everyone had heard enough about their tactics to come up with counterstrategies that could cancel them out, even though they already had.

As Shiner, Ciel, and Zero headed out from Earth Command towards their starfighters, Shiner glanced up at the stars.

"Something wrong?" Ciel asked.

"No. Just thinking," Shiner said, his voice soft.

"About what?" Zero wondered.

"You know how sometimes soldiers just get right back in the fights after they've been decommissioned from the armed forces?" Shiner asked.

"Yeah. So?" Ciel asked.

Zero's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?" he wondered.

"Look. Even though you guys can hold your own, you may need someone who knows their tactics better than anyone. And that someone is me. So…" Shiner's voice trailed off.

Both leaders held their breath.

"In short, I want in," the former Army Reploid said.

"In to what?" Ciel asked.

Zero looked at her like she was nuts, but Shiner said it anyway. "Back into the army. What else?"

"You want back into the army?" Ciel asked.

"Yeah. So, am I in?"

Both human and Reploid glanced at one another. He had retired, so why was he asking to rejoin? Unless he knew something they didn't, there was no need to re-commission him…was there?

Finally, Zero spoke. "All right. But on one condition."

"What?" Ciel couldn't believe her lover's words. "Are you serious, Zero?"

"Yes. We may need his help, even if we don't want it. Right now, we need all the help we can get," Zero replied grimly.

Sighing, Ciel turned to face Shiner. "Major Shiner, as of right now, you are assigned to Unit 317 of the Orcan Armed Forces. Unit 317 is a top espionage unit that has never been caught or tracked back here. So, are you going to do it?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

He saluted crisply, making Zero smile and Ciel laugh.

They now had a new ally.

* * *

_The next day…_

The first thing Jaden realized when he came to was that he was unable to hear, see, speak, or even move. He felt a bolt of fear shoot through his bodiless form as he drifted in a dark void. Where was he? And how come he was here in the first place?

Then, he could sense something. Something was surrounding him, holding him close. It felt like hands. A set of hands was holding his form close. Then the slight sensation of being lowered into something overcame his awareness. Then nothing.

He was alone again, trapped in this dark void, unable to see, hear, speak, or do anything of the sort. Loneliness overcame him and he yearned to be able to see, even if it were his Heads-Up-Display.

He now understood what it was like to be bodiless, to be unable to do anything. He dimly recalled something about his Soul-Drive that Cerverau had once said before he had turned traitor to them.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_I had to check to make sure it wasn't damaged. That is the main priority. If that gets damaged, destroyed, or stolen, you could lose your life!" Cerverau explained._

_Jaden felt his systems freeze up with fear as he heard those words._

"_Really?"_

"_Yes. So you have to make sure that it's protected at all costs."_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Fear again shot through his awareness. What if his Soul-Drive had been stolen? Or…

Wait. Now he could feel something happening. His body's systems were slowly coming online. He willed his eyes to come online and they did. His vision at first showed only static, but then it began to clear. A face swam into view. The blurriness faded to reveal the blurred outline of Xenphyr's face. He blinked a few times, clearing his vision. He could make out Xenphyr's mouth moving, but he couldn't hear what the Reploid was saying.

Then his audios came online and he could hear Xenphyr's voice. "Jaden? Can you hear me?"

Jaden nodded slowly, feeling his systems moving again. Xenphyr sighed. "Good. Can you talk?"

He tried, but he couldn't. His vocals only emitted a slight burst of static before he tried again. "X…Xen…phur?"

"Yeah."

"W…Whu…What…hap…penned?" Jaden asked.

"Take it easy. Your systems are still coming online, so wait a little bit, okay?" Xenphyr told him.

Jaden nodded again and relaxed.

Now he could feel his weapons systems coming online, along with the rest of his movement systems. Xenphyr sat beside him, watching him closely.

He waited for about three minutes before he tried to move one of his hands. He could feel his hand clench into a fist, signifying that he was back in control of his body.

Xenphyr, having watched this, got to his feet and helped Jaden sit up. As he did so, Jaden noticed that his leg wasn't sparking, nor was there any pain. He glanced down, marveling at the repair job Xenphyr had done.

"You…fixed…my leg?" he whispered.

"And the hole in your Soul-Drive compartment, not to mention the nicks in your armor," the Reploid replied.

"Thanks…" Jaden let his voice trail off.

"Although your leg was pretty banged up, so…I kinda…had to remove your Soul-Drive so you wouldn't feel the pain," Xenphyr admitted.

Fear shot through Jaden's body like a bolt of lightning. "What?"

"Take it easy, Jaden. Nothing happened to it. I did it because I was concerned for you," Xenphyr reassured him.

"…" Jaden didn't know what to make of this. He glanced down at his chest, but the compartment was closed, shielding his Soul-Drive from harm. He could feel it rotating in his chest, keeping him alive.

Xenphyr had removed it so he could repair him?

"How…how did you?" he asked, finally lifting his gaze to meet the medic's.

"I had to gently ease open the compartment before I removed your Soul-Drive, Jaden. I was concerned that if I repaired your leg while you were out because of the energon gas, that the pain would wake you up. So, that's why." Xenphyr hid his guilt well physically, but not emotionally. Jaden could hear it in his voice. He was guilty about having done so, but Jaden now knew it had been for the best.

"Xenphyr…thanks," Jaden murmured.

"Huh?" Xenphyr looked at him.

"For fixing my leg and…well…" He glanced down at the compartment. "For doing what you did. You did it because you cared, and…thanks."

Xenphyr smiled. "You're welcome, Jaden."

Jaden smiled back.

Then Xenphyr grew serious. "But, before you can leave, I have to make sure that your leg is fully functional again. So, stand up, okay?"

Jaden complied. He swung both legs around and landed on both feet. He felt his balance give out and he grabbed onto the edge, steadying himself.

"Just let your body get used to moving again. Then we'll finish," Xenphyr cautioned.

Jaden nodded. He tried a few basic movements, such as a kick, punch, and a few simple moves with his beam sabers. Xenphyr nodded his approval. "Now down to business."

Xenphyr had Jaden try a few moves with his right leg, and he passed each one. When it came down to the balancing test, he passed that with an excellent report from Xenphyr. A few minutes later, he checked Jaden over one last time and nodded.

"Okay. You're good to go. Your leg's fully healed and there are no marks left over. Just be careful and don't tangle with any Dark Axis creeps for a while, okay?" he teased.

Jaden laughed at Xenphyr's remark. "I won't, cause there aren't any and there haven't been for a while now, right?"

"Yeah. No more attacks, so you're good."

Jaden turned and left the recovery room, leaving Xenphyr behind to consider what he had just done.

He had noticed how Cerverau had actually _forced_ open the compartment rather than eased it open. He had been hidden in the area for a few hours during Jaden's recovery operation a while back, and he had seen the engineer force it open. He may have been retired, but he still remembered how to read eyes for emotions hidden underneath the causes of something else. And he had seen the obvious disgust in Cerverau's eyes when he had been forced to repair Jaden's damage. He had also seen the uncontrollable bloodlust of a cold killer: a true, emotionless assassin.

Now, he, on the other hand, killed only when necessary and even then he wasn't truly emotionless. He could kill effortlessly, but not like a true machine. He still retained his humanity, a trait most assassins retained when fighting for democracy. He knew what it was like to be a killer, but one who knew what it meant. Cerverau had forgotten that and now, he only cared for the money involved. He had become an emotionless killer, susceptible to dislike of emotions that invaded his mind and body during a mission. He guessed this trait was what drove him to become a traitor to the Federation cause.

Xenphyr sighed. If only some beings remained human…

Human…like himself and the rest of the Federation.

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

Dartz paced in front of the office windows, his golden gaze flicking about the leaders assembled. Only the Federation leaders weren't present, for this was a meeting only for the allies, and some of the information they possessed was not meant for them to hear just yet.

"So, are we clear on the plan?" he asked.

"Yes," Sh'boni remarked.

Dartz sighed with relief. "Good. We can't have the Federation finding out just yet."

"Why not?" asked Powerglide.

"It's simple. They're not ready to handle this kind of information yet. True they may be powerful and advanced, but they are just a small power. They don't know the _real_ horrors of warfare, even though they may have experienced it themselves to some extent," Dartz told the Seeker.

"Hold on. I recall something about Earth," Dr. Hikari explained. "While I was doing research, I found out some surprising information about them."

"What?" Dartz asked.

"It turns out that they were involved in two world wars, the second being the worst out of all of them. Certain laws of warfare were abandoned when the human leader of a country called Germany sent thousands of innocent people to their deaths in concentration camps. It was unbelievable, even for me. It turns out that through those two wars, humanity experienced the real horrors of warfare all right, but to a much lesser extent. They were spared the more gruesome details, and yet, they still experienced it and became hardened veterans of that war," the scientist explained.

"So, I guess they did," Van replied.

"Hold on. Just because they somewhat did doesn't mean that they are ready for the real facts that lurk beyond their comprehension," Sh'boni said grimly. "They need to see it in order to become accustomed to it."

"True, but what about the rest of the worlds in the organization? They may have—" Dr. Regal was cut off by Dartz. "No, Dr. Regal. The organization's worlds have not seen it like we have, even if humanity did sort of experience the horrors."

"But…" The Nebulan was about to protest when Dartz waved him down.

"Look. I trust your judgment on their abilities and their military prowess, but they lack the experience of seeing real horrors that we have. They may become squeamish and retreat in the face of combat. We need to slowly expose the horrors or they may not be of any help to us. They need to be introduced slowly," he said.

Dartz glanced at each of them. "So, any objections?"

"No. It's just that we need to show them before it gets out of hand," Van protested.

"I understand your concern, but it can't be done straightaway. We need to do it slowly," Dartz told the Zian.

Van opened his mouth to protest again, but then he closed it and fell back into his seat, defeated. He knew when he was beaten.

"Now, do we understand the plan?" Dartz asked.

The others nodded their agreement.

"Okay. We'll begin tomorrow morning."

The leaders stood up and left the room. Dartz was the last to leave, unaware of the hidden form behind him.

Protoform X had been watching the whole thing, and he knew that the Federation was actually getting exposure to the horrors that the Dark Axis was inflicting on others. It had been he who had first exposed the horrors to them. It had been he who had showed them the concentration camps, and showed the true reality of warfare.

And yet…here were beings who wanted to expose them slowly to these horrors.

His frame shuddered as he considered the possibilities of other horrors that lay beneath the others he had shown them. What other horrors did the Dark Axis do?

He didn't want to know.

* * *

_Later at Earth Command…_

President Warren studied the footage of the conditions in the camps, her green eyes narrowed in thought. She had spent the last six hours viewing the data and checking out the conditions, along with the most recent scouting mission's reports. What she didn't understand is why they would do this. Who in their right mind would allow such atrocious acts to be carried out, especially for the women and children?

Ever since the Congress had approved her invasion plans, she had been reviewing the data countless times, and each time she had learned nothing new.

She closed down the screen and brought up a report recently sent from Prima Colony.

_President Warren, we have the message on file. We've sent you a copy. It's not really a message much less a bunch of mere coordinates, but you get the idea. We did a scan of the region depicted in the message and we found out that it sort of matches the description of the Brain Rift, although we already knew of it._

_Hope this helps somewhat._

_John_

"Looks like we bungled up on that part," she muttered.

She set the report aside and reached for the next report in the pile. This one was from Meta Colony.

_President Warren, this is Wilson Barlow of Meta Colony._

_Hope that I'm not disturbing you, but I think that you need to know this, especially since it has to do with the most recent site we were exploring for the next colony. You know how we all read the reports sent by Ciel and Zero? Well, this time, I think we may have found that other colony that went missing._

_Here's how it shaped up. We were out on the usual runs when someone, an old friend of mine named Shan Thai, stumbled upon this incredible vista overlooking a vast valley that looked as if it had been carved by the hand of Zeus himself. It was amazing. With the view, we were able to determine that this new location would suffice for not just one, but _two_ colony outposts and a nearby spaceport. We were overjoyed and we estimated its length and width at being about 450 miles wide and 700 miles long. Way more than enough space._

_To confirm it, however, we went down together to further explore, and we were shocked._

_When we got down there, the team also followed, thinking that we would need backup. You know how hostile the environment is here. Anyway, they followed us down that cliff, and we spotted what appeared to be the ruins of an ancient civilization. But, the thing was, the buildings were still intact and the overgrowth that covered them was much less than over a thousand, or even two thousand, years. It looked more recent._

_So, we explored further. We set up camp and rigged up defenses to ward of the usual critters. The night came and went. By the next morning we were exploring in the old buildings and blasting our way through the thick jungle-like overgrowth. It was Shan and Danny Thoreau who first uncovered the command center._

_The entire building was stripped down right to the original structure. All that remained really were the original framing and support struts. Nothing else, save for the windows. No wiring, flooring, or even the smallest defense cell remained. Even the computers were gutted._

_Stunned, I ordered us to explore further away from it, and we stumbled upon the wreckage of the colony's symbol._

_I've enclosed a layout of what it looks like, so hope that this part helps._

_Wilson Barlow_

Now curious, she opened the file that he had sent via star-mail and her eyes widened at the sight of the colony remains.

She closed down the file.

Now they had a basic idea of what the colony looked like. But what about the other one? The one that had been isolated due to a magnetic flare from the sun that the world orbited? Was that one still even in existence? And if so, how could they reach it?

No answers came. None at all…

Except for one.

A beeping reached her ears and she pressed the comm link. "Yeah? Go ahead."

"_President Warren, this is Mimi. The plans have been finalized. We still need to work on the timing for the maneuvers, but other than that, we're good on this end,_" the girl told her.

President Warren nodded. "Understood."

A second screen came up, showing Seto and Optimus's faces both, with Mokuba standing beside the CEO of KaibaCorp.

"_We're all good here. The program's being downloaded to the broadcasters even as we speak,_" Seto told her.

"_The Autobots are good here. Transmission should be commencing when you get there,_" Optimus reported.

"Thanks."

A third screen showing Sandra came online. "_All good to go in the weapon department. All guns and cannons are loaded on board. The explosives teams are assembled and should arrive at the scheduled rendezvous in ten days,_" Sandra replied.

"Excellent work. You guys excelled and you did good," President Warren said with a smile.

Seto's image smiled. "_We just do what we can,_" he remarked.

Sandra nodded. "_And we'll be ready for the invasion when it commences in three weeks._"

President Warren nodded. "Good. We'll meet again in a week to discuss the invasion points and how it will be carried out. Until then, good luck."

The screens shut down and she was left to think.

Now, all they had to do was wait and see if all their efforts could pay off.


	56. Battle! Everyone VS Subzero!

Chapter 5

Groaning filled the room as Jaden sat up in his bed the next morning. He still couldn't get used to the fact that Xenphyr had removed his Soul-Drive in order to repair his leg a few days ago. He sat up and rubbed his eyes (even though he was a Gundam, he still felt a need to do that. Who can blame him?) He blinked a few times to clear his fuzzy vision.

He swung his legs off the bed and hopped off, stretching his muscle cables to help himself wake up. A yawn escaped Jaden's mouthpiece and he stood up straight.

"Man…what a night…" he murmured.

Last night had been an intense one as Shibaomaru had made an appearance at ten at night and had demanded that they had over Baston, which they had refused. The following battle had left them with a few wounds, but Shibaomaru had escaped with a badly mangled arm, courtesy of T.J. and Zane, along with the unexpected assistance of the Omega Cell and the Blazian Earthlings.

Now, he stood in his room, rubbing where he had gotten punched the previous night. The blow had left him with a nasty aching feeling in his left arm, but he had avoided the majority of the blow, thanks to Captain's training.

"Thank Primus for Captain's training…"

His head suddenly shot upward as he remembered the buzzer he had heard. "Aw, crap! I'm gonna be late for breakfast!"

He ran out the door and down the hallways, his feet pounding on the carpeted flooring of the dorm. By the time he reached the cafeteria, breakfast was already being served. He grabbed a nearby plate and grabbed a few pancakes and a fork before heading over to where the rest of the group sat.

Blare had been recently released from the university's hospital section a few days prior, so she too sat nearby, her wounds bandaged and her uniform hanging loosely on her undernourished body. She had regained her confidence and she carried herself with a grace that rivaled Meisha's at times.

Now, as Jaden sat down, Sayla bit into an orange slice and began speaking. "Okay. Here's the deal. Somehow, someway, Subzero has escaped from Xenphyr's lab. It happened while the rest of us were sleeping, so we were unaware until this morning. When we got there, the place was in a shambles and Xenphyr was nursing a frozen arm."

"What?!" Shute blinked in shock, along with the Gundams.

"No way!"Meisha, Kicker, and T.J. murmured.

"Primus…" Blare whispered.

The murmurings of astonishment and shock echoed around the table before Zane interrupted. "How come?"

"Look. All I know is that he broke out. I can only take a guess, but I think that he used his ice aura. You know how strong Chumly's ice aura was," Sayla said.

Jaden nearly choked on his pancake as shock shot through his body, his systems rippling in shock.

Subzero…had _escaped_? And before Xenphyr could find a way to reverse whatever process had been done on him? He coughed a few times before he put his fork down and wiped his mouth with his hand. "H-how could he?" he stammered.

Sayla shrugged. "He's smart. I'll give him credit for that."

"…" Jaden glanced down at his chest, feeling the spot where he had gotten hit. His Soul-Drive had seemed to suddenly leap into his throat at the mention of Subzero escaping from Xenphyr's lab. "…"

"Jaden? You okay?" Kicker asked.

"…No. I'm not," Jaden whispered.

"Why?" the pilot inquired.

Jaden didn't know how to put what he was going through into words. "I…I can't explain it. But…right now…I just don't know _what_ to believe…or _feel_, for that matter."

"…" Everyone stared in shock. Was this even really Jaden? T.J. leaned over and glanced into the brown eyes, his blue optics narrowing in suspicion. Jaden glanced up, suddenly feeling very uneasy as T.J. studied him.

"Jaden…something's bothering you," Meisha explained.

Jaden glanced at her, closing his eyes and smiling. "No. Nothing's wrong."

A sharp clang echoed as T.J. socked the Earth-Gundam in the chest. The force of the blow knocked Jaden out of his seat and flat onto his back, his systems screaming as he landed on the ground. "Owwww!"

"…" Everyone was silent as T.J, walked up to him, his seven foot frame looming over menacingly. His blue optics, once flaring, now dimmed as he hung his head. "Jaden, I may not know what you're going through, but I do know this: whatever happened between Subzero and you is now in the past. And…you're not alone in this," the human/starfighter murmured.

"Huh?" Jaden looked up at T.J., confusion in his eyes. "What?"

"Kicker also wants to try and save Chumly. In truth, we _all_ do. He was there for me when I underwent my transformation from human to starfighter. He was there for Sayla when she needed to get out of her house, especially when he encouraged her to keep on training when she wanted to quit. He was there for everyone, even you. Remember?" T.J. asked.

"…" Jaden _did_ remember. He remembered the day that Chumly had risked his life to save him from a Dark Axis Zako soldier the first time they attacked the complex.

T.J., continued speaking. "Jaden, he was there for us, and we're not gonna give up on him, even if you have. It may be too late, but…I'm not sure how, but we will rescue him somehow."

Now, Jaden wasn't feeling depressed, but he _had_ been feeling like it had been hopeless. And yet…his friends…everyone he knew wasn't going to abandon Chumly?

"T.J...."

The young mech turned and walked off, leaving Jaden lying there on the floor, stunned. He wasn't one to give speeches like that, so why had he? Grunting, he got to his feet. "T.J., wait."

T.J. stopped. "What?"

"…Thanks," Jaden murmured.

T.J. turned back and smiled.

"No problem."

Jaden smiled in relief. T.J. had just reminded him of why everyone wanted to save Chumly. It was to remind the Dark Axis of how strong humanity's willpower could be. And if they could, then they might stand a chance after all.

* * *

_Outside the TCDA…_

Subzero snarled in anger as he ripped off the last of the sensors that had been placed on his armor. "Those fools! They think they can try to stop me? Hah! I'm no longer a member of their ignorant species, no matter _what_ they say!"

He tossed the last one down onto the ground and stomped on it, smashing it to pieces. "There. Now they won't be able to trace me, no matter where I go!"

As he stood and prepared to leave, something stopped him.

"What…?" He could feel something stirring in his Soul-Drive. Almost like something was fighting for control…

"No! You won't escape!" he hissed.

The feeling stopped and he smirked. "Nice try, human, but I command this body, not you."

He turned to face the campus of where he had once been. "Now, time for a little fun!"

* * *

_**FWAOOM!**_

The explosion caught everyone by surprise as the windows were blown inward by the force of cold air. Glass shards rained down on the unsuspecting students, resulting in screams and shrieks that rang throughout the cafeteria. A few ducked under the tables, but it proved to be futile as the gust blew them away.

T.J. threw up his defense shield around the cluster of tables near the doorway, shielding his friends from harm. "GET DOWN!"

The others complied instantly, covering their heads with their hands, Jaden and Captain doubling over to protect their Soul-Drives. Only T.J. remained standing, his organic-metallic hair blowing in the wind that rippled outside the shield. His teeth were visibly gritted as he leaned into the wind, every inch of his seven-foot frame visibly straining to keep the shield up.

The wind died down and he slowly put down his shield.

"Everyone all right?" he asked in a strained voice.

Murmurs of their state reached his audios and he smiled. "Good."

"Humans!" a familiar voice cried.

"Huh?" The entire group of twenty, including Guneagle, looked up, their eyes locked onto the form of Subzero as he perched on the open window frame.

"What do you want?" Kicker hissed.

"Nothing. Just to finish the job that I failed in Lacroa!" Subzero purred. "And I'll start right here!"

As soon as he said those words, he powered up his infamous Ice Bomb, forcing Kicker to yell at T.J. "NOW!"

The young mech crouched, and using the strong muscle cables in his legs and the thrusters on his lower legs, leapt up into the air, his thrusters going full power. He yelled out as he grabbed onto Subzero and pushed him out of the cafeteria and out into the clear morning sky.

Subzero gritted his teeth and punched T.J., but the stubborn human-machine refused to let go. He kept his hands wrapped around the Gundam's shoulders and upper arms, hissing in pain each time a punch made contact with his armor.

"Let…me…GO!" Subzero hissed with each punch.

"GAH!" T.J. cried out as he was socked in the lower stomach area. He let go of Subzero, dropping him right onto the ground near the man-made lake and channel leading out to sea. T.J. landed not too far from him.

"Well. About time," Subzero snarled, standing up as he brushed off his armor.

T.J, stood up straight, his youthful blue optics now harboring a dangerous icy glint to them. His seven foot frame made him seem all the more menacing as his twin wing blades swung forward, the steel glinting dangerously in the morning sun. The wings on his back flared dangerously and a camouflage-colored mouthpiece slammed on over his lower face.

"Subzero! This time, we aren't holding back!" he hissed.

"Oh? Is that so?" Subzero asked mockingly.

"Yes! Last time we were holding back because we hoped that you would fight whatever they did to you! But, now I can see that we're gonna have to go full force if we're going to save you!" T.J. snapped.

Subzero was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing. T.J. stepped forward, his blades held ready. "What's so funny?!" he asked.

"Fool! Your little human friend is no more! I command this body now, not him! Before we were one in mind and soul, but then when we were captured by you guys and when we were fighting in Lacroa, I was able to separate from him and seal him away! Now, there is only Subzero. Chumly is no more!" Subzero crowed.

"What?" T.J.'s optics widened in amazement. Subzero had split away from Chumly…and sealed him away? This…it didn't seem right. "How…how can that be?"

Subzero laughed evilly. "Simple. The Dark Axis programmed us to be one, but they underestimated my intelligence. I am the true general that they promoted. I am Subzero!"

"I already know your name, blabbermouth! I want to hear your screams! Not your boasting!" And with that, T.J. charged Subzero, forcing the Gundam to dodge his strikes.

"Hah! You fool! You can't even hit me!" Subzero giggled.

"Oh yeah?" T.J. hissed. He suddenly spun, his blades impacting against Subzero's body.

_SWASH!_

"GYAH!"

"How'd ya like _that_, you creep!" T.J. smirked as he held one blade close to Subzero's throat, the other close to his legs. Mech fluid ran down Subzero's side, but it was only a surface scratch. Nothing more.

Subzero sneered. He punched T.J. hard...right in the lower torso.

_CRASH!_

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!" T.J. was thrown back by the powerful punch, his systems screaming in pain as he skidded a good fifteen meters before coming to a stop.

"Owwww!" T.J. groaned as he sat up, rubbing his lower torso.

"Nice try, human," Subzero purred.

"HOW ABOUT THIS!?" a new voice cried.

"Huh?" Subzero turned at the voice, only to stare in shock at the two forms before him.

"ENERGIZER SLASH!" Kicker's voice cried.

"TENKYOUKEN!" Bakunetsumaru's voice roared.

The twin X-shaped attacks, one a fiery red and the other a bright crystal blue, sped right at him, forcing him to dodge as they struck the ground in a huge explosion of light and sound.

'What?" Subzero glanced arouned in shock.

The two forms emerged from the concealing smoke. One Subzero recognized as being Kicker Jones, the other he knew to be Bakunetsumaru, the samurai from Ark. But…

"Subzero, your time has come to be destroyed!" Kicker hissed.

"Heh. Try me, human," Subzero sneered.

"CAPTAIN PUNCH!"

Subzero barely dodged this attack as it struck the ground, throwing up dust and smoke. He landed and covered his mouthpiece as he coughed. Captain, Shute, and the others emerged from the smoke, their faces filled with determination.

"When I said we wouldn't hold back, I meant it!" T.J. hissed.

"Fools! You think that you can destroy me and rescue your little friend from my powers? He is trapped within me, and I am him. We are not just two separate beings, but we are one! In short, you can't rescue him!" Subzero laughed.

"Stop spouting nonsense and release him now!" Meisha said slowly.

"No. I cannot. If I do, he will try to reclaim my body," Subzero replied, shaking his head.

"If that's the case, then we might as well go full power!" Guneagle yelled.

"Bring it!" Subzero roared.

The twenty-one warriors didn't hesitate. They each grabbed a weapon and/or powered up an attack. They weren't going to mess around, and he knew it.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Subzero's cry matched their collective cry as he unleashed his ice aura full power. The many attacks streaked out from around his body, striking their attacks and canceling them out.

As each one unleashed their moves, he canceled them out. Now, it seemed as if it truly was a fight with a god as Subzero's power not only matched theirs, but surpassed it as well.

Sayla grunted as she dodged an attack that would have impaled her had she not dodged to the side using her speed and reflexes.

"Chumly! If you can hear me, we're here for you!" she cried.

No answer, except for Subzero's laughter. "Go ahead and try to reach him, but it's useless! He is sealed away, and nothing can stop me!"

"CHUMLY!" The collective cry was more than enough to reach deep into his mind and soul, reaching the one they so desired to save…

Subzero cried out as his power increased. Now, he was going all out, the power of his attacks at its maximum. Cold blasts of air streaked away from his body and forced the others to dodge them as ice shards were carried on the winds.

"You are dead!" Subzero screamed, both hands glowing with ice white energy, ice shards forming behind him and launching with the force of missiles.

Sayla gritted her teeth and yelled out as loud as she could. "CHUMLY!"

Her voice reached across the battlefield, but Subzero laughed maniacally as her cry reached his audios. "Nice try!" he laughed. By now, his forces within himself would force-merge the two forever, and he wanted that so this way, he could become unstoppable. "Your little friend shall soon be force-merged with me, and I shall be unstoppable! I shall become the god of ice, and there will be nothing you humans can do to stop me!"

"You're insane!" Jaden hissed.

"No. I'm not. And in fact, it has been my dream ever since we were merged since the beginning, but your friend denied me the pleasure, so now, I shall engage it by force! I can and will succeed!" Subzero screamed excitedly.

Now they could see the manic gleam in his eyes, and his grin could practically be seen beneath his mouthpiece. He was truly a being of godly proportions.

"No! There is no slaggin' way in Primus' name we would let you get away with this!" T.J. hissed. "And we'll stop you, whether you like it or not!"

"Oh? You really think so?" Subzero smirked.

"We don't think it, WE KNOW IT!" the humans screamed, the familiar phrase slipping past their lips. "AND WE'LL TAKE YOU DOWN TOGETHER!"

"And that includes us!" Guneagle said.

"Why is that? You don't even know him!" Subzero purred.

"That may be the case, but they seem to think rather fondly of the human they call Chumly, so I estimate a 55% chance that he has helped them out before!" Captain snapped. "So you will stop this now and release that human!"

"Oh, so you would attack me and save a human you don't even know, Gundam?" Subzero asked.

"Yes! After all, friends don't leave friends behind!" Captain spat.

"You think you know the meaning of friendship?"

"I know I know it! And the reason is this: Shute is my best friend, and we have always been there for each other, so I know what a friend is!" Captain snarled.

Subzero let out a bark of laughter. "Hah! I doubt it!"

"SHUT UP, SLAGGER!" Baston yelled. "CRYSTAL MANA!"

"HAH! Nice try!" Subzero dodged Baston's attack as it struck the ground, throwing up smoke.

"SUBZERO! YOU ARE MINE!"

Kicker's cry of rage echoed across the battlefield, his eyes flaring blue for a moment before fading as the Energizer Matrix flared in his chest armor. The burst of power that erupted from his body spread outward in all directions as the energy shockwave blew Subzero back. "GAH!"

"NOW! THIS IS OUR ONLY CHANCE!" Zane yelled.

"What are you talking about, Zane?" Syrus asked.

"If we combine our power, maybe we can beat him! He's incredibly strong, but not invincible! This may be our only chance to save Chumly once and for all! Now, let's do it!" Zane snapped.

"But what if it isn't strong enough?" Sayla asked uncertainly.

"Then maybe we'll just need to do it with all our heart and spirit," Zane murmured, a grim look in his eyes.

"But…who will be in the center of the attack?" Shute asked.

Zane knew instantly. His gaze drifted towards Jaden.

"Wait. Me?" Jaden blurted, pointing at himself.

Zane nodded. "Yes. You, Jaden."

"O-okay," Jaden stammered.

"ALL RIGHT! LET'S GO!" Sayla yelled.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker thrust his arms forward, firing off the beam of white energy he knew so well.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. called out his signature weapon and let loose his own move.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha's starfighter weaponry materialized around her and she fired all weapons at once.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla's hand transformed into her laser sword and she slashed as hard as she could.

"CRYSTAL MANA!" Baston formed three crystals from pure Mana energy, firing them like missiles at Subzero.

"SUN MISSILE!" Zane threw his arm forward, the Sun Missiles launching in a flurry from around his body.

"SONIC WAVE!" Syrus thrust his arms in front, a blast of sound firing from his outstretched hands.

"GRAVITY FIELD!" Blare put a hand up in the air and formed an orb of gravity before launching it.

"CHEMICAL EXPLOSION!" Michelle grabbed a grenade and pulled the pin before chucking it.

"AERO SPIN!" Mike transformed into vehicle mode and sped right alongside the other attacks, rotating and creating a whirlwind around himself.

"BLAZIAN SLASH!" Vega leapt into the air and ignited all four of his laser daggers, slashing with each one and releasing four different shockwaves of energy.

"GRENADE BAZOOKA!" T.K. jammed a grenade into his bazooka and pulled the trigger, releasing the shaped charge from the gun.

"ROCKY MOUNTAIN FASTBALL!" Coby drew back his arm and tossed his signature fastball.

"OMEGA BALL!" Bud thrust his hands forward, forming a blue and red ball of energy before firing it.

"JUNGLE LASH!" Lori ignited the green laser whip she carried and slashed with it, creating three green shockwaves.

"CAPTAIN PUNCH!" Captain punched as hard as he could, unleashing his Soul-Drive's power from his fist.

"TENKYOUKEN!" Bakunetsumaru slashed with both katana in an X-formation, sending a fiery X right at Subzero.

"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!" Zero swung his sword, casting his signature spell.

"SDG GLUE GUN!" Shute pulled off the glue gun he carried on his jetpack and pulled the trigger, releasing the sticky globs of goo.

"MISSILES LAUNCH!" Guneagle fired off all of his missiles at once, combining them into the others' moves.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" Jaden's Soul-Drive increased its rotations and he leapt into the center of the blast.

"HAAAAAAAAAAH! ICE DEVASTATION!" Subzero thrust his arms forward just as the blasts of ice finished forming. They launched in a flurry of icicles, right at the incoming attacks.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The combined attacks began to speed at him, but in a much spectacular fashion than with the Triple Attack or any of the other combined moves.

A massive beam of light with golden electricity crackling along its surface with a stream of energy missiles and a sonic barrier backing it up, penetrated by a bright blue shockwave and a chemical smell that smelled faintly of gunpowder, while in the back of it, a huge gust of wind and a few projectile weapons provided lethal firepower if the frontal attack failed. In the center of this impressive blast, Jaden's Soul-Drive was spinning at max output, his right fist vibrating with its power. He spun his arm in a circle to boost his punch's power, and his eyes flared with that familiar fighting fire.

The screen suddenly split into different fragments showing each of their faces as they cried out their new combined move. "TRI-FORCE LIBERATION!"

The twin attacks collided in an impressive display of firepower and energy, throwing up a huge cloud of smoke that blocked out the sun for a brief instant before the shockwave blew away the smoke. And in the middle, was a big crater, the last remnants of the explosive power collision. But, in that moment, as the two had collided, a new event had taken place, one that ensured their friend's liberation, once and for all.

* * *

_Chumly ran through the cold air, his lungs feeling like they had a thousand needles jabbing at their sensitive tissues. His chest heaved as he ducked under a few icicles and weaved behind a snowdrift. In the Stygian blackness of his prison, he could hear his captor laughing and crying out as he fought someone of incredible power._

_Like demons from Hades, forms of darkness slithered around him, haunting him, preventing him from using his ice aura, not that he could ever since the forced programming had taken place. He was effectively trapped and helpless in this place, unable to reach out through the fields that his captor had thrown up._

_Now, as he huddled behind the snowdrift, a form reached behind him and grabbed his arm, making him cry out as a cold much worse than frostbite bit into his vulnerable skin._

"_AAAAAH!" __The boy wrenched his arm free, but it was too late. The forms were surrounding him, gripping his legs and arms, one slithering towards his chest and his beating heart._

"_NO! STAY BACK!" His cry went unheard, unheard in the inky blackness, save for a small light…_

_Wait. A light?_

"Chumly…"

_His eyes widened as he recognized that faint voice. "Sayla? Where are you?"_

_No one answered his call. No one. Again he was trapped, alone in this darkness that Subzero had cast him into when they had split. He yearned for someone to hear his cry, his pleas for release, even if it were just a mirage…_

"Chumly!"

"_Huh?" Again the voice echoed, slightly louder, but still very faint. He struggled to break the grip of the forms holding him, but he couldn't. They still held him, and soon, he would be force-merged with Subzero again, his humanity erased forever. "NO! PLEASE!"_

_A new voice broke in, one he didn't recognize, but one that had a bit of an air of authority to it. This new voice was reaching past the defenses that Subzero had erected, slowly enabling him to hear others, along with the very faint sounds of combat._

"Stop this now and release that human."

_The voice was faint, as with Sayla's, but it was still loud enough for him to make it out. Who was that?_

_Then, a third voice. One that had more determination in it than anything. The voice of Kicker Jones, the one he had confided in his deepest fears of being controlled like this._

"SUBZERO! YOU ARE MINE!"

_Kicker's voice seemed to be the loudest as he suddenly felt this surge of incredible power reaching deep into the dark recesses of the Soul-Drive where he was held. He could vaguely sense this as the power of the _Energizer X_, meaning that Kicker was either in Matrix Mode or the New Mode._

"_Kicker!"_

_The surge of power had sent the forms scattering, but they were slowly coming back, determined to merge him and Subzero together forevermore._

_That is until it happened._

SCRINCH!

"_Huh?" __Chumly looked up, just in time to see a bright glowing blade penetrating through the darkness, shedding soft, warm, gentle light onto the icy cold snow below him. A form caught in the beam evaporated, screeching as the body faded forever. He glanced up, one hand over his eyes just in time to see the blue blade move downwards, then across, then up before withdrawing and a metallic fist punched the dark shielding inward._

"_CHUMLY!"_

_The form of Sayla was leaning in, her hand outstretched, her steely green eyes full of desperation for him. "Grab my hand!"_

_He didn't know why until he saw the forms curling about his feet, grabbing him and curling up towards his chest. _"_No! Please! Stop this!"_

_He tried to throw them off, but his efforts were useless. The creatures sneered at his attempts and snaked upwards towards his head and throat. His arms were already held back, except for one which he tore free. His legs were becoming part of the creatures, and he was slowly succumbing to the darkness inside. "Sayla!"_

_He tried to reach out, but he couldn't fully grasp her hand._

_Then, the form of Subzero materialized in the darkness, his icy blue eyes locking onto his own. "Where do you think you are going?" he purred. "Do you not want the power I've promised you?"_

"_Power?" Sayla's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean?!"_

_He didn't hear her. It was as if she was invisible, which she was. "Chumly! Stop and think about what you're doing!" she pleaded. He could hear her, but he couldn't respond. Subzero was grinning as he placed a hand on Chumly's chest, right where their shared Soul-Drive was._

"_You can have more power than ever if you think about it," he whispered._

"_Yes, master," Chumly obediantly replied._

"_CHUMLY! STOP!" __The sudden urgent cry of Sayla's military tones reached his ears and he could suddenly feel something released from him. He looked up, as if noticing her for the very first time._

"_SAYLA!"_

_Subzero turned at the mention of her name and his eyes shrank in shock. "What are you doing here?" he asked in shock._

"_Chumly! C'mon!" __She reached out her hand again, and this time, she held onto one side of the shielding while she leaned in closer. Chumly took the opportunity and ran for it, but then a firm hand grasped onto his leg and he was pulled back._

"_AAAAAAAAAH!"_

"_NO!" Sayla shot her hand out and snatched the edge of Chumly's sleeve, pulling with all her might. "You won't go back!" she hissed. Now he could see how determined she really was. "Think about what your values really are! You once told Kicker that this would be the last thing you ever did, and now look at yourself! You're slowly becoming tainted!"_

_At first the words didn't register until Subzero purred in his ear. "C'mon. You know you really want power. And lots of it. I can give it to you, and you won't be bound to these human weaklings. I can make you far stronger, and you won't have to rely on your so-called friends for strength. They just abandoned you to me, and you very well know it. I saved you. I gave you power. And I can give you more. Only if you come with me and leave all this nonsense behind."_

_The prospect of power was too tempting, and he knew it. He could feel himself slowly losing sight of his real goals, which had been fading slowly ever since he had become trapped here. That is until Sayla hissed out an insult he had never thought she could produce._

"_You stop this right now, you piece of shit! You release him this instant!" she spat._

"_Never!" Subzero sneered. He grasped Chumly's other leg and began pulling, but Sayla refused to let go. She suddenly latched onto his hand with her other, and she nearly fell in, until someone else grabbed onto her. He recognized Zane's tall form as he gritted his teeth._

"_Chumly! Whatever he's telling you is a lie! We would never abandon you!" Her eyes narrowed. "We never stopped trying to save you! And we won't now, not after what you did for us!"_

_He stared at her. "Sayla…"_

"_You were there for us when we needed help, and now, it's our turn to repay the favor!" Sayla murmured._

_It wasn't enough. Even though he reached out both hands and grasped onto both Zane's hands and Sayla's, Subzero was still stronger than their combined strength. "No! You won't go back to them!" he snapped._

"_CHUMLY!" T.J. cried._

_A second pair of forms appeared as T.J. and Vega grasped his sleeves, then Michelle, Coby, Lori, Bud, Meisha, Syrus, T.K., and Mike. The twelve members refused to let go of him as they pulled as hard as they could._

_Now the pulling of both sides was evenly matched. Chumly could feel himself being pulled apart by the combined forces. "AAAAAGH!"_

"_No…one…is…gonna leave…you again!" Sayla hissed._

"_But…" He tried to protest, but Sayla shook her head._

"_No buts, Chumly! We're your friends, and friends don't abandon friends! Especially now!" she snapped. "And you know that better than anyone!"_

"_But he said…" He tried again, but this time he was cut off by Vega._

"_Forget what he said to you! That's just a load of slag!" Vega hissed._

"_Vega…" Chumly let his voice trail off._

_Now, he didn't realize it at the time, but Vega, Michelle, Mike, and T.K., along with Coby, Lori, and Bud had battled Subzero themselves a few times, but not much. They had fought him once on the edge of the lake, while Mike and his group had battled him along the edge of the campus grounds. Now, however, they were going to repay the times he had helped them by saving him from Subzero…and himself._

"_He told me that you abandoned me and left me in the woods to starve to death…" Chumly whispered._

"_No way we would do that! We'd never do that to you!" Zane snapped. "Think this through! Would we really do that?"_

"…" _He fell silent as he closed his eyes._

"_Stop blaming yourself for this and wake up!" a new voice shouted. It sounded like…_

"_Baston?" Chumly blurted._

_But the form that grabbed on next wasn't Baston, but rather a Knight Gundam speaking in Baston's voice. Then a girl who looked like she had been rescued from the DA grabbed on. As she grabbed onto him, he didn't even realize that she was the girl he had tried to stop Crowler from abducting from her home six months before this all began. "C'mon!" the girl pleaded._

"_NO!" Subzero roared. He began pulling even harder, so hard that Chumly felt like his legs were being torn away. "AAAAAAAAH"_

"_I don't think so!" a new voice shouted. A new boy and four other Gundams reached in and grabbed on to his arms and began tugging. He didn't even know them, and they had only seen him in his evil side, but they had guessed that he was a close friend of theirs, so it only made sense to help them out._

"_NO! Release him to me!" Subzero snapped._

"_Just hang on!" the voice of Kicker shouted through the opening. His hand lashed out and snagged his sleeve, along with a new Gundam that had Jaden's youthful brown eyes, but laced with determination._

_As the other two made contact, a small light began to fill the space between the light and dark._

_He closed his eyes and hoped for the best as the other twenty-one fighters tugged, their muscles and muscle cables straining with the effort._

_For a moment, both sides were matched, until Subzero's grip began to loosen. For some reason, it felt like he was fading from existence, fading from reality. All he could see were the faces of his friends, those mysterious warriors, and the light that surrounded them._

_The light began to envelop his vision as they faded. "Hold on, Chumly. You'll be home soon," the voices of his friends murmured._

_Then he knew no more._

* * *

The light from the massive explosion faded from view, revealing a huge cloud of smoke that covered the whole area of the canal. The crater within the smoke was massive enough to have made a small lagoon in place of the canal. Seawater was rushing in at an incredible rate, as well as freshwater, mixing the two together. On one end of the crater stood the cluster of twenty-one warriors sporting battle damage and wounds from the conflict. On the other side stood Subzero, his body now battered and beaten.

For a moment, it seemed like no one had won. But then after a few mere seconds, Subzero collapsed.

The battle was over.

Everyone else stood up, stretching their sore muscles and bodies. Groans and cries came from them as they turned to face Subzero lying there on the opposite side of the crater.

"Looks like we won," Bakunetsumaru remarked.

"Yeah. Let's hope that we rescued Chumly," Sayla murmured.

As if in response to her remark, a loud coughing was heard from the opposite side of the crater. She tensed, her body ready for battle, but all they saw was a splotch of mech fluid staining the grass around him.

"He's hurt!" Michelle remarked.

"Don't remind us," T.J. grumbled as he activated the space-jump. In seconds they were on the other side, gathering around the battered form of Subzero's body.

"…" Everyone was silent. They wondered if he was even alive. Their question was answered a few seconds later.

"*HACK*!" Mech fluid splattered the ground in front of them, forcing them to step back. "…" Subzero, or rather, _Chumly_, stared at the mech fluid on the ground. Then he gazed at his own body, feeling the damage coursing along his entire frame. "I…I'm…free…?"

"Yeah. You are," Jaden murmured, kneeling down beside him.

Chumly turned to face him, disbelief in his eyes. "Jaden…? Is…that you?"

Jaden nodded. "Yeah. It's me."

"What…?" Chumy's voice trailed off.

"Long story short. Subzero blasted me and turned me into a Gundam," Jaden explained.

"He…did?" Chumly rasped.

"Yeah."

"…" Chumly fell silent as he looked at his own body, taking in the damage.

"You okay?" Jaden asked.

Chumly shook his head. "No…I'm not. I…I think…I'm dying…"

Jaden bit his lower lip, feeling his Soul-Drive in his throat. How was he going to tell Chumly that he _was_ dying?

"I am…right?" Chumly murmured.

Jaden, deciding to tell the truth, nodded sadly. "You are. The damage is just…I think it's beyond repair. We just…we had to go full power in order to save you. And…I'm sorry, but this is the result."

Chumly smiled sadly beneath his own mouthpiece. "I understand."

Jaden smiled back. "But…at least you'll die a free being again."

"And…I have you to thank for that. But…there is…something you must know before I move on," the other Gundam said.

"What?" Jaden asked, his voice cracking.

"The…the process they used…was incomplete. The program…wasn't fully finished yet. They…used only a prototype…and…and it failed. So, I was able to retain…my humanity…until Subzero forced us to separate. Then…I was trapped there…but…then you guys freed me…" Chumly explained.

Chumly coughed again, more mech fluid splattering on his chest. Clearly the explanation was taking its toll on him.

"Don't speak any more, please," Jaden murmured, feeling tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"No…Listen. This time…please," Chumly pleaded.

"Just rest. Please," Jaden protested.

"No. You were right. The damage…is beyond repair. *HACK* Look. Jaden…as for what happened…to you…the effect…will last…about seven more months…then it will wear off. And…" Chumly fell silent as he struggled to take in a breath. "I have a last request…for all of you."

"What?" Jaden leaned in.

"Jaden…stop…stop the Dark Axis…and make sure that this…doesn't happen again…to anyone." He slowly raised a shaking hand. "You and…your friends…may be the only hope left…here," Chumly whispered.

Jaden took his hand in his own, feeling the slowly cooling gundanium metal of Chumly's hand in his own. His Soul-Drive skipped a few rotations as Chumly's eye screens began to dim. "Please…stop them…and save…the others."

"Others?" Jaden asked.

Chumly nodded slowly. "Others…who have…suffered this same fate. Please…"

"…I promise," Jaden murmured. He watched as Chumly smiled one last time, mouthing the words '_Thank you_' as his eye screens went dark and his body went limp. He hung his head, a feeling of sadness filling his Soul-Drive, tears streaming down his face. "I promise," he murmured. He closed his eyes, and released the limp hand, placing it on the chest of the body.

It was finally over.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

The sun shone down as Jaden stood near the simple marked grave that held the dead body of Chumly Huffington, one of his best friends. A strange feeling filled his Soul-Drive as he gently laid a bouquet of flowers on it before standing up. The grave itself was simple, as was the marker. It was merely an energon slab that had the words _Rest in Peace_ on it. Below that was Chumly's name, and the date of his birth and death. The last thing on it was a set of words: _A true warrior, a true friend 'til the end_.

Jaden's shoulders began shaking slightly as he stood there, tears streaming down his face. "Chumly, we won't abandon your promise. I swear it."

He turned and left, the breeze gently teasing the leaves of the tree which stood over the grave. They had picked this spot for a burial because it had been his last request before he had betrayed them.

The mere thought of a betrayal made Jaden's entire frame shudder. Tears streamed from his eyes for the second time that day, and he felt ashamed for having killed Chumly like that.

Jaden stopped walking and glanced skyward, his brown eyes still slightly teary from the crying he had done. "How many more lives?" he murmured. "How many more lives must we lose before this battle is over?"

No one answered, save for the wind.

"Jaden?" He turned at the mention of his name, only to come face to face with Sayla and the rest of the group.

"You okay?" Sayla asked.

"…Sayla, how many more lives must be lost before this war is over?" he murmured.

"Jaden, look. Losing life is natural, and that's the nature of warfare. Sometimes, however, beings can break that and claim that the Law of the Jungle exists, commanding them to take way more lives in battle than is necessary. The battle average is only about ten beings killed per war veteran, and that isn't enough to satisfy the claims of the Law of the Jungle. In combat, lives lost are a necessary part of winning a war. I think that Chumly understood that better than anyone. That's why he accepted his death, and why he told us the information we needed to know." She sighed before speaking again. "The war of good versus evil can continue for a long time, but even that war has an end to it. It's all in how you will attain it that makes it worthwhile."

"…" Jaden was stunned. Sayla had never been one to study philosophy, and yet, here she was, speaking philosophically. He guessed it to be the combat that had driven this into her.

"Sayla…you normally aren't one to say stuff like this…" Kicker murmured.

Sayla nodded. "I know it may seem a bit strange, but it's true. Good and evil can only keep fighting for so long. And soon, that war may come to an end. An end…created by us," she murmured.


	57. New Horrors Unfold

Chapter 6

No one expected it to succeed. An invasion to another dimension entirely had succeeded. Thousands of beings cheered as the ship flew overhead, the logo shining brightly. The entire ship gleamed in the setting sun as the spacebridge opened and it flew home.

The scenario represented the best hope that they had of freeing the beings trapped in the Dark Axis concentration camps. It also represented a new future, a future of hope, life, and liberty for many beings that was being denied by the Dark Axis' plans for them. She smiled. The screen closed down and Sergeant Green stepped forward, along with Mimi and Shobu.

"So, as you can see, President, the scenario pans out to be likely to succeed, with a success rate of 95 percent and a five percent margin of failure. The overall success rate will be a key factor in this, for we can't afford to mess this one up. Thousands of beings are depending on us to save them, and we need to live up to our words. So, as a result, we need to be thorough on everything. Even the slightest margin for error is not allowed," she said.

President Warren nodded her head. "I agree on the no error margin part, but we need to allow room for at least _some_ failure. We didn't get to be where we are today without suffering failures. Understand, soldier?"

Sergeant Green nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Now, what do you two have to say?" President Warren asked, addressing the two Kaijans.

"Well, the plans are going accordingly, and should be finished in about a week," Mimi replied. "And if all goes as well as we hope, then maybe we can stop the Dark Axis right then and there."

"But, there is a significant risk," Shobu remarked. "If we even allow one mess-up in the initial assault, we may not be able to get by the countless defenses that ring the camps. It requires key timing on our part to be able to dodge the synchronized attacks. If we even mess up once, then we won't get a second chance to pull it off. The whole plan will fall apart, and last time we messed up big time because someone fell asleep at their controls for a few mere seconds."

"So, we need everyone to be ready then," President Warren mused.

Mimi nodded. "And more. We need everyone to be on full alert. No sleeping during the assault, no hesitations whatsoever. It's really key that we get this part down, and we're still having trouble getting the timing down," she stated. "And you know that accomplishing machinelike synchrony is impossible, especially since we're only mortal and we can't shed aside our humanity so easily."

A smile played across the President's lips. "Then, I guess we'll just have to use our humanity to our advantage."

"How so?" Shobu asked.

"First off, tell your troops to stop relying on getting perfect timing. It's impossible to achieve perfection, so we'll have to do one better. We'll _avoid_ it," she replied, grinning broadly.

"What? Avoid perfection?" Mimi blurted.

The President nodded. "Yes. And there's a key reason why. Humans are very flexible and are able to adapt to any situation that is thrown at them. Just tell your troops to keep an eye on the guns and go where the guns won't follow them, which would be right in front of another gun. It will not only catch them off guard, but it will also enable us to destroy the camps' defenses and then we'll launch the assault teams."

"The guns won't fire on their own," Mimi said grimly.

"Oh, I think they will. Especially since they won't expect that maneuver," President Warren replied.

"How can you be so sure?" Mimi asked.

President Warren shrugged. "I'm just guessing, so this plan _may_ fail, but that won't stop us. It's about learning from your past mistakes that makes us stronger."

"Okay…" Mimi's voice trailed off uncertainly, but she said nothing more after that.

* * *

_That night…_

Despite all their efforts and plans that were finalized and established, the real reason behind the Dark Axis' reign of terror would come from the most unexpected source possible. And it was this night when it was revealed to the President herself.

She stood in her office, eyeing the bustling city-like complex before her. Even now she still couldn't believe how far they had come in the war for peace. It had seemed like fifty someodd years ago that the war had broken out, and now here they were, with all this power at their disposal, especially with Primus on their side.

"President Warren?" a voice asked.

"Huh?" She spun to face the unknown speaker. "Who are you?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"In due time. I assume you know of the Dark Axis' threat to existence?" the form murmured.

"Why does everyone assume that we don't? Of course we're aware!" she snapped.

"Good. Then you have surely seen the images of the camps and the conditions there?" the form asked. She gasped as she recognized the form as the one she had encountered before.

"Yes. In fact that's why we're planning Operation Federation Liberation," she said, nodding.

"A good name for such a campaign, but it is doomed to failure," the form mused.

"Why is that?" she asked, her hand going for the hidden alarm button under her desk.

The form turned his hidden gaze to lock onto her own. "They are on to you," he said quietly.

Her eyes widened as she took in the information. "Wait. How can they be on to us? We always make sure that our meetings can't be overheard!" she exclaimed.

The figure made no comment, but merely reached behind a nearby bookcase and removed a small sensor. "Well? How did that get there?" the figure asked.

She blinked in shock. "How…?"

"Look. This sensor was picking up everything that was said at the meetings. You need to adjust your strategy again, and make sure that the people who enter aren't being tailed. From now on, every thing you say and do could mean the difference between life and death," the form purred.

"How so?" President Warren asked seriously.

"In combat, you must now think before you act, rather than act before you think," her uninvited guest said softly.

"We always think before we act! Why do you think that we don't?" she asked harshly.

"Because you don't know how ruthless they can be," the figure murmured.

"How ruthless they can be? Of course we do!" President Warren snapped.

The form shook his head. "No. You don't."

President Warren blinked as she struggled to get an understanding of what her guest was telling her. "Huh? I…I don't understand…"

"See here?" The figure brought up a screen, and she gasped. Fear…actual fear, coursed through her veins and her eyes widened in absolute shock as the horrific scene played out before her. She could feel bile rising in her throat and she resisted the urge to throw up right then and there. She swallowed, grimacing at the bitter taste of her vomit.

"Now do you see?" the form whispered.

"How…that…that's supposed to be…outlawed…for…forever…" she murmured, rubbing her mouth.

The form shook his head. "Not in their dimension. They are purely insane when it comes to the methods of torture they use. Even this kind of torture. In the most heavily defended camps, _every_thing is dictated. When you can sleep, what you can eat, how much, how much you can drink, what you can drink, when you breathe, blink, what you think, say, and read, what movements are acceptable, what's forbidden, everything. One isn't free. One is reduced to nothing there. Especially…here." The figure waved a hand as the screen shifted to another scene, this time one in a mine run by the Dark Axis.

Her eyes widened as the horrific state of the miners trapped deep in the bowels of the camps. A few male beings so wasted they looked like walking skeletons lurched on by, their eyes glazed over, moving almost mechanically. They wore one piece jumpsuits so soiled they looked like the dark green color of the Zakos and they looked as though they had been robbed of _all_ emotions, including their very souls. "No…" she whispered, shocked and horrified beyond belief.

A female being cried out as a Zako soldier sneered, inserting something into the spot between her legs and she screamed in agony. Fortunately the sound was muted. "That's…this is…"

Her eyes were now shimmering with tears as she watched a child get the same treatment as the adults back in the torture chambers. Her very humanity screamed at her to order a full on invasion and stop this kind of treatment, but her logical side ruled out the thought due to the consequences, and her more reasonable side issued an order to put through an intense armament package to arm anyone willing to fight alongside them for the liberation of all these innocent beings.

"How can…MPH!" She clamped a hand to her mouth and leaned over into a garbage can. There came the sound of puke hitting the bag and she vomited three more times before she looked up, wiping the leftover upchuck off her face.

"Geeze…that is just SICK!" President Warren whispered hoarsely.

"Now do you see the dangers?" the form asked.

She nodded, keeping her gaze locked on the screen.

The screen had shifted scenes again, and this time, she could feel her stomach lurch a second time, but she suppressed the urge to vomit a second time. She needed to have a strong stomach for the next set.

When it shifted scenes for the last time, she nearly puked on her visitor, but she held it in. Her eyes shimmered and she wiped them vigorously. "No more. This can't go on anymore," she murmured.

"I can see that you are struggling to hold in your disgust, but alas, it shows just how squeamish you really are, President Warren," her "visitor" told her.

President Warren shook her head defiantly. "No. I just can't stand that kind of treatment. And the fact that it's being carried out on children…now that is sickening!" she hissed.

"Ah. Is that why you vomited?" the form inquired.

She nodded. "Yes."

"So, you are not squeamish?" her guest asked lightly.

President Warren shook her head fiercely. "No. And that's why we're going to go ahead and do this plan anyway, despite what they overheard! It's our mission, and our duty to save everyone there. And we won't give up!" she said.

The figure chuckled at her defiance. "Very well. I wish you luck, but remember…those you free from these horrors must be given a new chance at life. You must figure out how before it is too late."

"Wait!" she cried, holding out a hand.

But it was too late. The cloaked figure had vanished, right in front of her eyes. Stunned, she fell back into her seat, staring at where the form had been a few seconds before.

From the shadows, Protoform X watched in interest. Someone else had brought a new set of horrors, and they had been the worst that he had seen yet. Even he felt grossed out by it.

'_Looks like they got some more exposure, but is it the last?_' he wondered.

It was. In fact, it had been the worst of the worst, and they had seen it without even shrieking in horror once.

Now, he knew. They _were_ truly immune to the horrors that had killed off the Exceptions during the last Great War. And maybe…just maybe…they could end this threat once and for all.

He hoped.


	58. New Tactics! The Dark Axis Pulls a Raid!

Chapter 7

The lone form crept throughout the bustling camp, a small explosive charge held in one hand, a detonator in the other. No one even took notice of this mysterious figure as they were too busy focusing on keeping the prisoners in line. This proved to be the advantage the mysterious person was hoping for.

Sneaking past a set of guard chatting over the latest war plans, the humanoid male slipped into the old command center long since abandoned for the newer, more advanced version that towered thirty stories overhead. The dust thrown up by his entry through the old doorway made him cough, forcing him to cover his mouth with both hands.

The dust settled, enabling him to open his eyes and peer out into the darkened room. He smirked. This was the place to pull it off.

Smirking, he placed the explosive charge near the old computer terminals and wired it into the power supply. When he pressed the detonator, it would blow the place sky-high and eradicate any trace of him having been there, as well as keep the Dark Axis busy for the next three months, enabling the Federation to gain an advantage in military firepower, due to the fact that the Dark Axis had a three month head start on them in planning an invasion full force.

He set the timer for two minutes and ran out of there as fast as his legs would take him. He ducked behind a nearby pile of rubble from the gundanium mines and pressed the trigger.

**_BWAOOM!_**

The explosive force caught a few unfortunate Zakos in the shockwave, destroying them in seconds. The fire licked skyward, seeming like a fiery pyre for the dead of Hades. Thick black smoke curled upward as a klaxon began to blare in the background of the fiery blaze.

Now was his chance!

Turning, he ran for the spacebridge as it opened. He couldn't wait to tell his superior about the successful mission.

As the figure ran inside, the Dark Axis forces began to swarm around carrying fire extinguishers and water hoses. The flames licked into the sky, and a few licked at the feet of the Zakos using the high pressure water hoses, but they didn't stop.

Nor did the fire. For this was no ordinary blaze: it was Greek fire, used especially for emergencies like this one. And they had timed it just right.

Now, the Dark Axis had no way to gain the upper hand for three months.

Or so it seemed…

* * *

_On Earth…_

Dartz smirked as he watched his agent escape through the spacebridge after setting off the Greek firebomb. The leader had been expecting this for some time now, and it had finally paid off. With no way to keep their information secret, the Dark Axis was now ready to be invaded. It would take three weeks to commence the invasion, but it could be done.

He turned to face the President.

"Now do you see? The invasion plans can be carried out without a hitch now that their command center has been destroyed, even if it is an old one," he said.

"But why target an old command center? Why not go for the newer one?" asked Ciel.

"The old command center was being used as their main base of operations in hopes of catching us off guard. But, my agent was able to figure it out and alerted me," Dartz explained.

"Wait. Agent? You mean you have a spy there?" asked Sandra.

Dartz nodded. "Yes. I do. And he's been very helpful. He pretended to ally himself with them, and he's sent data to me about all kinds of things, especially the kinds of torture they use. And I think it's time you saw for yourselves how horrific the Dark Axis can truly be," he murmured.

"No," Sandra said softly.

"Huh?" Dartz looked up in confusion

"We don't need to see to know how truly horrific they really are," Mimi whispered.

"But…you haven't seen the horrors that they carry out on others!" he protested.

"We have," Ciel murmured.

"How?" Dartz asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"That not even I'm sure of. Someone showed us the footage, and we are shocked by these acts of savagery that can't continue," Cassie whispered, her voice hoarse.

"So…you know what they do to the organics?" Dr. Hikari asked.

"And more," Optimus murmured. "They have to be stopped."

"I know. And that's why we need your help. You've faced them on a scale that only we can dream of. We lost to them in many battles, but you won many battles. Not even Nebula can do that," Sh'boni murmured.

"We will."

"Huh?" She looked at the Federation leader like she was nuts. "What did you just say?"

"We will help. But, there's a price," President Warren said.

"Just name it," Powerglide said, his voice full of relief.

"We need some help in developing bodies for those whose souls are trapped in Soul-Drives. And…we may need some more information on their weaponry," the Federation commander-in-chief explained.

"…" Van hung his head. "I know of one, but it's too powerful, even for my organization's defense shields. It can't be stopped."

"What is it?" President Warren asked.

"They…they call it…the Mobile Attacker. It's…about as tall as a Transformer…and it has more power in strength that makes it impossible to stop in close combat situations," Van whispered.

"…" President Warren bit her lower lip.

"So, we may need a weapon that can stand up to it. And the _Destiny Star Drive_ doesn't count," Seto said grimly. "This may be the time to reveal what you've been hiding from all of us."

"Wait. Hiding? You mean that Earth has been hiding a secret weapon from us this whole time?" Famous blurted.

"…yeah. A very powerful weapon to boot. It was used during the last Cybertron-Earth-Decepticon war. This weapon was misused even after the war, so it was sealed away forever, never to be used again," President Warren murmured.

"And…you never told us?" Sandra asked.

President Warren shook her head. "I didn't want to use it again, but it seems we may have no choice should it come down to it."

"What kind of weapon is it called?" Ciel asked.

"Mobile Suits. The Mobile Suits. There are countless numbers of them stored beneath Area 51 for safekeeping. In fact, that was where they were sealed away, never to be seen again in combat," the President said softly.

"You know of a way to get to Area 51, right?" Optimus asked.

She nodded. "C'mon."

The leaders filed out after her as she led them to a section of her office that was sealed off. The energon tape was torn off and she entered a code into the disused keypad.

With a screeching of metal gears, this door slid open to reveal a small spacebridge generator. "This was the first prototype developed by Earth alone using Cybertronian plans. It worked, and it may still work. This was the only way for the President to get to Area 51 should an emergency arise," she told her friends.

Ciel looked at the leader of the Federation. "But…what if it…" Her voice trailed off, lettign the President catch on to her fears.

"It does. Trust me," she said.

Grimly, President Warren entered the coordinates for Area 51 and pressed the button. A slight hum built up and the gateway opened, revealing the base that was Area 51.

She stepped into the bridge, followed by her friends and almost instantaneously, they were transported to the military base's underground network. Ciel looked around as the gateway closed up. "Where are we?"

"This is Area 51's massive underground network. It was built after the last war ended, just as a precaution should the organization get overrun. Hopefully, it won't come down to that," President Warren explained.

"So, where are these…Mobile Suits…stored?" asked Sandra.

"This way." The President turned and led her friends down the hallway, giving a few passing guards a brief nod. Once did she stop, but only to identify herself to the guard in charge of the checkpoint.

The leaders continued on for a few more minutes before President Warren stopped in front of something. The lights were dimmer in this part of the base, and they flickered with an annoying buzzing sound, but the light was still bright enough for them to see a massive door in front of them. Huge rusting links left over from the construction of the Olympic-class liners were draped across the front, giving it the look of having been built hundreds of years ago, when it really hadn't. The doorway was covered in rust and cobwebs, while overhead stood an old gun that was no longer working. A musty smell filled the air. Carved into the front of the door, hidden by the chains, were the words _Do Not Open. Mobile Suit Containment Chamber._

"…" Silence filled the air as they looked on at the massive door in front of them.

"Is…is this…?" O'hari asked in awe.

President Warren nodded grimly. "Yes. This is it. The storage chamber for the Mobile Suits."

"So…behind this door…" Mimi murmured.

"Lies humanity's greatest and deadliest achievement to date," the President finished.

"And it's humanity's deadliest achievement because…?" Cassie inquired.

The President sighed. "Humans used the Mobile Suits in what we called Gundam fights. It was a bit of a pastime till it got out of hand and sparked a civil war that drove some remnants of humanity to the very reaches of the universe. The war lasted for three months, but it caused heavy casualties and very high amounts of damage done to the cities. After the end of the war, the Federation Congress voted to seal them away, never to be used again. They've been in storage for the last ten years until now."

"Until now?" Override asked.

The human nodded. "We may have to bring them out again, but I don't want to go through another reminder of the war that cost us so many lives in so little time."

"Why even bring them out again then?" asked Cassie.

President Warren looked down at the ground. "We may have no choice in the matter. For now, all we can do is hope that it doesn't come down to this, whatsoever."

The others nodded, not fully understanding, except for Optimus Prime himself.

The time would come, however, for the Mobile Suits to be used again, despite her hopes…

* * *

_Back at Earth Command…_

Shute paced the ground nervously as the light from the setting sun reached the horizon. The whole TCDA campus was lit up for the night, the light shining into the sky like many stars above. The one thing he didn't quite understand was the reason the Dark Axis wanted to use human souls to power their Soul-Drives. Didn't they have technology capable of creating a Soul-Drive through normal methods? If so, why didn't they use it?

"Shute?" Sayla's voice caught his attention.

"Huh?" Shute turned to face the teenage commander.

"You okay?" Sayla asked, stepping closer to him.

Shute shook his head. "Not really. I'm just confused as to why the Dark Axis wants to use human souls to power the Soul-Drives they create. And I didn't even know that they had that kind of technological capacity."

"Shute, we all didn't know it. And it's still hard to believe. Plus, we don't even know if it's true or not," Sayla replied.

"But…" Shute's voice trailed off as the teenage commander looked down at the ground.

"Look. All we know for sure is that something is going on that involves the Soul-Drives. For all we know, they could be manufacturing them and installing them elsewhere. Who knows?" she said, shrugging helplessly.

"But…what your friend said…"

"What he said doesn't really make much sense. What kind of program did they use, and how did it work? Why even go to this length? That's what I want to find out," Sayla murmured, lifting her gaze to meet his, green eyes meeting green eyes.

"But, you're in the military, so surely you can gain access to the government's records!" Shute protested.

"True I may be in the military, but even I can't access certain records," Sayla said sadly. "There are some things that they just feel should remain secret. Sorry."

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Sayla pressed a hand to her comm. "Yeah? Go ahead."

"_Commander, we've got some data that I think you ought to see,_" a soldier said.

"What? What kind of data?" she asked.

"_This was given to me by the President. She said that you need to read it._"

Sayla nodded. "Okay. I'll be there shortly. Over and out."

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

The universal feelings of sorrow and hatred ran rampant here, seeking out new beings to infect and bestow their cargo of helplessness and depression upon. The destroyed complex was a massive haven of these feelings. The wreckage of countless buildings lay all across the horizon as one being limped along. His right eye was covered in blood and his left leg was mangled from a falling piece of debris, the bone poking through the skin and barely held in place by the makeshift splint he had made.

_**Spend all your time waiting**_  
_**For that second chance**_  
_**For a break that would make it okay**_  
_**There's always one reason**_

"Got…to…find…help…" he murmured. He continued on for a few more feet before his body finally gave out and he collapsed, his eyes closing as his life ebbed away.

_**To feel not good enough**_  
_**And it's hard at the end of the day**_  
_**I need some distraction**_  
_**Oh beautiful release**_

The sight was horrific, even for him. Protoform X opened his optics and surveyed the scene around him. Blood pooled from under a building that had once been a rebel base, and a few arms stuck out from under the huge pile of debris. Pipes lay broken and scattered like bones across a battlefield. A small fire flickered feebly, a last haven of hope for those who had survived the massive bombings a few hours ago. No one had survived, save for two or three children and a few others. The survivors were pitifully few, and this world had run out of time to rebuild itself. A glint on the horizon promised another day of hopelessness and fear. Even the Wanderer himself felt infected by the feelings of helplessness as he stood here. But, deep inside him, conflicting these feelings was another feeling of hope. One that he knew came from the Federation.

_**Memory seeps from my veins**_  
_**Let me be empty**_  
_**And weightless and maybe**_  
_**I'll find some peace tonight**_

He recalled a few other times he had felt this feeling. But, it hadn't been as strong as it was now. Things were now getting worse as the Dark Axis began pulling raids on the helpless organizations.

_**In the arms of an angel**_  
_**Fly away from here**_  
_**From this dark cold hotel room**_  
_**And the endlessness that you fear**_

"Now they're pulling raids… Hmm…"

* * *

_Back in the Federation…_

The one thing that no one expected was the news screen to suddenly come on during what was otherwise a normal day.

As the screen flared into existence, the people of the whole organization were stunned to see the Intergalactic News Board announcer standing in front of what had once been a bustling complex a few galaxies over. No buildings remained standing, and the Dark Axis sigil flapped in the breeze on top of an old pipe that had miraculously remained standing in defiance of the gods.

_**You are pulled from the wreckage**_  
_**Of your silent reverie**_  
_**You're in the arms of the angel**_  
_**May you find some comfort there**_

She opened her mouth to speak and the Intergalactic Federation's supercomputer began translating it into English for all the residents in the organization's boundaries.

"_This is Preya Hiyrao of the Intergalactic News Board here at what was once the bustling complex of the Interstellar Trade Confederation. As you can see behind me, there isn't much left of the former headquarters. All that really remains now are ruins of the buildings, and…there are very few survivors._" Her voice was strained as she spoke into the microphone she held. It was hard to believe for anyone to have survived such a massive assault.

"_Very few beings wander this desolate landscape, and there is zero chance of survival for anyone whom lived here in the past. Debris covers the streets and bodies, cars and vehicles are either crushed or obliterated by the blasts, bomb parts still litter the fields, and huge craters mark the graves of thousands. Thousands of other organizations are beginning to mobilize their troops in the hopes of bringing down the ones who just killed thousands of beings for pleasure on a normal day of work. All these innocent beings…men…women…children…it is just too horrible, even for me, and I've seen worse than this…_" Her eyes were shimmering with tears and a single tear slid down her feathery cheek.

_**So tired of the straight line**_  
_**And everywhere you turn**_  
_**There's vultures and thieves at your back**_  
_**And the storm keeps on twisting**_

"_Here's what a few other organization members have to say._"

The screen gave way to reveal an alien with four eyes and a set of wings emerging from his back. His six fingered hands were clasped around a microphone he himself carried. "_This is Zacho Origta of the Universal Health Association, and what I've seen here is a hazard to any being who ventures close here. We're mobilizing our troops to try and bring these beasts to justice!_"

The screen fizzled before shifting to show a male bear wearing a tunic and carrying a rifle strapped to his back. His fierce brown eyes flashed as he spoke into the camera. "_Hear me, fellow citizens of the universe! This is Great Bear of the Species Alliance. We have seen chaos brought upon our fellow brethren. We must bring these savages to justice if peace is to reign supreme in the universe! So join me, and we shall triumph over the injustice that has been served here and now!_"

The screen shifted scenes again, this time showing a man with dark green hair and intense orange eyes. A red line snaked down his right cheek and he held in one hand a laser pistol, but the safety was off. "…_This is Juya of the Unity Trio. We have seen this carried out, and we simply ask that we unite and stop this once and for all._"

The screen shifted back to show Preya in front of the ruins of the capital city. "_You heard it here, folks. All kinds of efforts are coming together._" Her hand suddenly shot up to press against the comm unit she wore."_Hold on. I got an incoming call from someone else. Go ahead._"

At this point, one could hear the President's strong voice over the speakers, and they could see her image form in the lower right hand corner of the screen, along with their organization's sigil.

_**You keep on building the lie**_  
_**That you make up for all that you lack**_  
_**It don't make no difference**_  
_**Escaping one last time**_

"_This is President Heather Jen Warren, Leader of the Intergalactic Federation. This is Preya Hiyrao, right?_" President Warren asked.

Preya nodded. "_Yes. That's right._"

"_Listen. We may know who did this,_" President Warren said.

"_Really?_" Preya asked, her eyes widening.

The President nodded grimly. "_Yes._"

"_Who did this horrific act, President Warren?_" Preya inquired, although it was clear from her tone that she would regret the answer.

The President's image hung her head and she looked up, her eyes filled with determination. "_A band of dimensional conquerors called the Dark Axis…but they aren't a mere band anymore. They have become a danger that needs to be stopped, no matter what the cost._"

"…" Preya was silent.

_**It's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh**_  
_**This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees**_

President Warren continued speaking. "_Listen. The Dark Axis is now becoming bolder and more dangerous every day. We need to unite our forces and come together not just as an alliance, but as one universe. We have to forget the differences that keep us divided and focus on a single cause that we all can believe in and fight for. This cause is peace. In order for us to be at peace, we need to defeat the Dark Axis once and for all. They hunger to become gods, for Primus' sake! And that is why they need to be defeated once and for all._"

"_Are you serious?_" Preya whispered.

"_Does that devastation look like I'm joking?_" President Warren asked, her eyes hard.

"_No…_" Preya murmured.

President Warren nodded. "_Then there you go. That attack proves just how bold they've become. And not to mention the camps._"

"…" Again, Preya was silent.

"_Please. Set aside all your differences and help us bring down the Dark Axis together. Together, we can win,_" President Warren murmured.

The comm shut down, and the announcer turned to face the camera again.

_**In the arms of an angel**_  
_**Fly away from here**_  
_**From this dark cold hotel room**_  
_**And the endlessness that you fear**_

"_You heard it here from the words of a very brave woman. So, let us hope that we can stop this from happening again._"

Her eyes shimmered a second time and she burst out crying right then and there. "_Please. Before more lives are lost. Please…for all those who died here, and for the others who are dying right now as a result of all of this. Please…for their sake, and for the sake of others._"

Her hand went limp and she dropped the mike. It let out a screeching sound as it hit the rubble covered street and her cameraman draped one of his four arms over her shoulders and comforted her. His other two arms held the camera and he turned it to face the debris. The scene played out and now, every being across the stars could see the horror brought down by this one act of destruction.

Young bodies, old bodies, male, female, mechanical, organic, crystalline, and energy, they were endless. All the bodies lay covered in white sheets and the camera crew wore black as a sign of mourning. The entire universe seemed to come to a silent halt, but it didn't last long. Not everyone knew who had really done it, and they didn't believe the President's story about the Dark Axis, despite her telling them over universal news!

Fires began to spring into life as the gas from busted gas mains came into contact with downed power lines. Countless types of life fluid ran through the streets and a few mingled together as they ran in little rivulets down the sides of collapsed buildings. Smoke and haze covered the scene, and only the few fires that existed now provided a meager illumination in the dying lights of the camera crew's star transport and the engines from starfighters circling overhead, lights dimmed in respect of the dead.

Now, one could see just how powerful the Dark Axis had become.

_**You are pulled from the wreckage**_  
_**Of your silent reverie**_  
_**You're in the arms of the angel**_  
_**May you find some comfort there**_

It was a scene of horror that reminded President Warren of Germany after World War Two, and Japan after the atomic bombings. Her eyes shimmered as she gazed at the sight, a new kind of feeling forming in her chest, one of anger, hate, and determination merged into another: revenge. She kept her cool, though, for she knew that revenge wasn't the key. But, she couldn't help but feel this way.

At the TCDA, feelings were running high as Shute and the Gundam Force stared in shock and horror. This wasn't what they had been expecting. Not even the attack on Neotopia had resulted in this. Even Captain was shocked. For once, he wasn't sure what to do. He had never felt so helpless, much less so hopeless.

Now, there was nothing that anyone could do.

Nothing, except fight.

Fight…for those who died…and for peace.

_**You're in the arms of the angel**_  
_**May you find some comfort here**_

* * *

_Later that night…_

The sun had finally set on the horizon, and all that could be seen was a small sliver of light, but even that was fading as the complex lights came into existence, chasing away the shadows and creating a beacon of hope for the universe. However, they came on much dimmer in respect of those who had died a few galaxies over.

Dartz stood on top of the main building, his eyes holding the glazed look of one who had seen much more destruction than necessary. He was powerful, yes, but now…in the face of all that destruction and devastation, he could finally see that even he himself was a mere mortal, and that even mortals were subject to witnessing death and destruction on a scale that resembled that of Judgment Day.

"Dartz?" The form of President Warren emerged from the shadows. She held a look in her eyes that was unknown, one that would soon be revealed.

"Yeah?" He didn't even turn to face her.

"You okay?"

The former king shook his head. "No. I'm not."

"Want to talk about it?" she asked.

He turned to face her, shocked. "Why?"

"Look. I know this may not really apply, but…it turns out that if you talk about something that's bothering you, then you'll feel a bit better about it. Primus knows how many times it's helped me and my friends. Trust me," President Warren said softly.

"Well…" His voice trailed off. "It's just that…after seeing all of that…that destruction…I finally realize something important. That even despite my power, I'm still a mere mortal. I guess I just forgot that."

"Dartz, not everyone can have the power of the gods, and we sure as hell don't," President Warren said with a slight laugh. "I mean, true our power is greater than that of any normal superpower, but we can't create worlds or bring back the dead by our will, or a wave of the hand. We accept our limitations and we use what we have to our advantage."

"So?" Dartz asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Look. What I'm trying to say is that we all have to witness something we can't stand, and we have to move on. You may not like that kind of death and destruction, but you have to overcome it and focus on what really matters for you. This will make you stronger, and you know it," President Warren said.

Now Dartz was getting angry. "Open your eyes, woman! Can't you see the death that the Dark Axis just pulled off?" he cried.

The President's gaze dropped to the roof beneath her feet. "I did. And that's why we need to focus on the invasion. If we can destroy their base of operations, and take out their fleet of whatever they used, then we may prevent this from happening again."

"Huh?" Now Dartz was confused again. What was she getting at?

She looked up, her eyes now determined again. "We're going to invade them soon. We need to be ready."

"That soon?" Dartz blurted, shocked.

The Federation President nodded. "After seeing that, the whole organization began to work on preparing for the invasion double time. And, now…everything's ready."

"How soon before it begins?" Dartz asked softly.

"As soon as we see another attack carried out."

"Okay."

* * *

_On Kax…_

"Just how was that horrid act carried out, bro?" Mokuba sobbed. His bright purplish-blue eyes were full of tears as he sobbed into Seto's arms. A few strands of black hair fell over his face and the CEO moved them aside.

"Well, it's a good thing that one of my employees was in the area, and thanks to his quick action he survived. And he told me everything," Seto said softly.

"Really?" Mokuba murmured.

"Yeah." Seto's voice was comforting as he held his little brother close.

"How…how'd it happen?" Mokuba whispered.

Seto took in a breath and began speaking. "It was carried out in a fashion that reminded me of something from the last Century War. Planes flew overhead and dropped incendiary bombs down onto the buildings and the civilians. Fires burst out immediately upon contact, and trees went up in huge bursts of flames. Beings were burnt beyond recognition, and some were even fused together. Then…the bunker-buster bombs."

"Bunker busters?" Mokuba cocked his head.

Seto nodded. "Bombs that can penetrate into an enemy stronghold and explode upon impact. Very devastating weapons. They were dropped in huge numbers, breaking the structures and causing the buildings to collapse. Streets were destroyed by the falling rubble and all kinds of vehicles were crushed by the debris. Next up was chemical weaponry. That was the last stage. Survivors were killed by the thousands and…" His voice trailed off before he began speaking again. "…and many other organics were killed as a result."

"What kind of chemical did they use?" Mokuba whispered.

"Poison gas. Very lethal poison gas. No being survived it, save for a pitiful few who were trapped in the rubble. In short, it was very efficient, and…very…effective." Now Seto himself was beginning to cry, but he held it in.

"Were the leaders…?" Mokuba didn't even want to know, but Seto told him anyway.

"They were. Roland said that they were killed in a very effective manner. The first building to get hit by a bunker buster was the main command center. Take out the leaders, and the whole organization falls apart. That's what happened. And since it was carried out during a meeting, this resulted in countless others getting killed for no reason," the CEO said quietly.

"What about…" Mokuba choked back a sob. "…the children?"

Here, Seto looked down, his steel-green eyes glazing over. His hair hung over his eyes, making him seem younger than he really was, and his tan skin had taken on a pale tinge, making him seem like an older man, even though he was really in his twenties. "The children…were the worst part."

"What happened?" Mokuba asked, his voice cracking.

"They were killed in huge numbers…that was the next part. Get the youth. They bombed the schools, bus garages, and huge centers where children meet: shopping malls, playgrounds, movie theaters, museums, and libraries. The third stage was to bomb military targets. That was where they came in using huge numbers of air and spacecraft. There were hundreds of targets spread out over the city, so it made sense to level the place, save for a few that did survive underground, but those were empty." Seto sighed. "In the end, there was hardly a building that had survived intact. The civilian targets were the last thing to be bombed."

"But…why go for the youth next?" Mokuba cried, his shoulders suddenly shaking.

Seto held his little brother closer, rubbing his back to comfort him. "They wanted to spread panic. And killing children is the best way to do that. Panic coming from families and their friends…is the worst yet. Nothing that can be done, nothing that can be stopped. In short, very effective, and very…" His voice trailed off.

"Very what?" Mokuba sobbed.

"Very…" Seto couldn't bring himself to say it, but he had no choice. "Very…sadistic, inhumane, and…savage."

"Savage?" Mokuba echoed.

Seto nodded as his brother removed his head from his chest. "I don't know how else to describe it, Mokuba. All I know is that it was very barbaric, and very ruthless. Not even our worst enemy did this. Not even Titan AE and they were the worst yet."

"Not even Unicron?" the younger Kaiba asked.

Seto shook his head. "No. Not even Unicron."

Mokuba turned and buried his face in the CEO's chest, his sobbing muffled by his brother's body. "Why can't they just stop this…this senseless violence?"

"They can't. But we can, little bro. We can, and we will." Seto rubbed Mokuba's back, calming him down. "We will. Just calm down. We will stop them, somehow."

"Somehow?"

"Yeah. Somehow, we will. I promise."

* * *

_On Mars Colony…_

Helena Hope sobbed into her arms as she sat at her desk. Just seeing that kind of death and destruction made her feel so helpless, and unable to do anything. She wanted to go out and help them, but she knew that it was impossible. Without a spacebridge linkup in that region of space, there was no way for them to send help.

"Why does this always have to result in this kind of violence?" she murmured. "Why?"

No one answered, save for the slight howl of a Martian dust storm. Like the war, it now seemed endless. A constant fight that never seemed to end. She could only hope for an end, an end that seemed as distant as the sun from Mars itself.

"Helena?" the voice of an old friend asked.

"What is it, David?" she asked, turning to face him.

David Whitestone stood in the doorway, his own eyes glazed over. "You saw the news?"

Helena nodded. "Yes. I did."

"Horrible, isn't it?"

She nodded again. "Yes. Very."

"Look I stopped by to see how you were dealing with this, and…I understand it's hard, but…" David hesitated, but she knew what he was thinking in the way he spoke.

"I know. We have to move on and stop this," she murmured, turning back to look out at the dust storm.

"Still, I can tell that it also impacted you in another way, right?" David murmured.

Helena nodded sadly. "Yes. Killing children…that was wrong. They had dreams, lives, futures ahead of them, and now…all of them are dead."

"I know."

"Why even do that in the first place?" Helena asked him.

David shrugged. "Not even I know the answer to that one, Helena. All I know for sure is that it was ruthless and barbaric. So, we have to get this invasion rolling as soon as that gate opens and exposes their dimension to our forces."

"Okay."

"Look. Just let the leaders and the invasion team carry this out. They know what to do, and they'll do it. They always have, and always will."

"Okay. Thanks," Helena said, turning and smiling at him.

David smiled back. "You're welcome."


	59. Preparations Begin!

Chapter 8

Shibaomaru howled in rage as he took in the sight of the command center destroyed. The Greek fire formula that the human had used had done the damage, and killed multiple Zako soldiers, though they could easily be replaced. It was the equipment and information that had been destroyed that could not be replaced.

"Shibaomaru…I can understand your anger, even though it was 32.75 percent of the guards' fault for not keeping an eye on the agent," Gerbera purred from beside him.

"I know that!" the Dark Axis Musha snapped at him.

"Still, now our plans for invasion have been brought to a halt for the next three point two five months, meaning that they enemy can now gain an advantage over us in terms of firepower," Gerbera calculated.

"What about the fact that we still have the Zakorello Gate?" Shift purred.

"…" Gerbera fell silent.

"_Enough, you three. You must prepare for the invasion that will come soon_," a new voice said.

All three Generals tensed, feeling the first tendrils of fear slithering into their minds. The voice of the Supreme Commander always gave them the chills, and this was no exception.

"But…sire, there is no invasion. We checked it ourselves!" Gerbera pleaded.

"_Ah, but there will be. My little listening device has picked up their plans for an invasion in three Earth months, at which time they will target our camps. So, you must prepare for the invasion and drive them back. Is that clear?_" the voice asked harshly.

"But, why?" Shift asked.

"_They cannot be allowed to discover that we already have a small part of the Superior Dragon's powers, and so therefore they cannot be allowed to get at it. Is that clear, my Generals?_" the voice asked.

"Yes, sir," all three replied.

"_Good. I shall expect good results after the invasion has been repelled._"

The commander's voice faded into the background and his image faded from view.

Now, they had to prepare for an invasion that was to come in less than four weeks Earth time…

* * *

_In the main base…_

The commander paced back and forth as he watched the efforts that his people were making. So far the efforts were proving to be futile. If the invasion came through, then there was no way they could prevent an all out assault by the enemy.

He glanced at the monitors and scowled.

"Not this time, Federation scum," he purred.

He turned away from them as his laughter echoed throughout the base. He had already come up with a plan, one that was sure to win. His secret weapon was soon to be charged, and the invasion fleet would have no option but to surrender…or so he thought.

One flaw that he had overlooked in the initial design of the powerful weapon was the time it took to charge up. The maximum amount of time it needed to reach maximum optimum power levels was three weeks, Earth time. This flaw was what made it a last resort weapon by most organizations that possessed it. It had to be charged by the time a full blown assault began, or else it would only take out a small fraction of the fleet. With this powerful weapon in the hands of the Dark Axis, there was no way it could be used effectively. It required careful anticipation, not full on battle lust, to use it effectively.

Only one other organization possessed such a weapon, and that very organization they were fighting, though they didn't know it…

He grinned as he stepped into his office.

Now, all would go according to his plans, and no one could stop him.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The President glanced at the troops as they ran in a flanking maneuver, protecting the cargo trucks as they dodged and weaved in a zigzag pattern to try and confuse the enemy. Explosions rang around them, debris flying and glancing off the armored ATVs as they flanked the infantry. The blasts barely missed the soldiers, and they ducked behind a few rocks and fired into the distance. The rounds exploded against their distant targets, which fell without a sound. A loud whistle filled the air and a soldier gasped. "INCOMING!"

The large heavy duty laser cannon mounted on one of the cargo trucks opened fire on it, blowing the missile to bits. The shrapnel impacted the ground around the caravan and the large convoy of medical trucks in back. Blasts and explosions forced the trucks to dodge and weave, but one clipped an explosive mine. The truck heeled over, but it fell back onto an even keel, both sets of engines racing.

"Enough!" she called.

Her voice went unheard normally, so she was using a megaphone to yell out over the attacks.

The whole invasion force came to a halt.

"You did good, but Private Davidson, be careful next time in dodging that mine. Remember, timing is the key element here. One mess-up and you're Zako chow," President Warren said.

"Don't remind me about that. I'm just glad I only clipped it," the female soldier remarked.

"Anyway, good job. You will do well three weeks from now. Until then, keep training and get these maneuvers down and ingrained into your instincts. They may very well save your lives in combat. Is that clear?" President Warren asked.

"Yes, ma'am!" the soldiers chorused as one.

"Okay. Team dismissed." She turned and headed off, leaving the unit to discuss their next maneuvers.

Seto was waiting for her at the rise of the hill overlooking the "battlefield."

"How'd it go?" he asked softly.

"Good. They seem to have it down, but Davidson keeps messing up on dodging that one mine," President Warren reported. "Still, she shows promise. She seems to have a knack of keeping things on a level playing field, especially with the Dark Axis."

"I noticed," Seto said. He looked at her. "So, what's the result?"

"They're ready," President Warren said.

"Good." He closed his eyes and sighed. "This may cost us a lot of lives. Are you sure about this?"

She nodded. "Yes. This needs to be ended before it gets to the Point of No Return. You know that as well as anyone." Her eyes glazed over. "Besides, do you really want a repeat of World War II?"

"You know I haven't really seen the horrors, but…no," Seto whispered.

"Well, this time, you may, because we're all going," President Warren told him.

Seto's eyes widened in shock. "All of us leaders?"

"And the whole elite team," President Warren finished, nodding.

"Are we going to…?" His voice trailed off.

"Take the _Destiny Star Drive_? Yes," the President said, knowing what he was going to ask.

Seto stared at her wide-eyed. "You have got to be kidding me! We don't even know how powerful it really is now that Anderson is in command!"

"We'll just have to find out," she remarked.

"…Okay."

The two fell silent. It was finally time to make final preparations.

The next four hours were intense as they studied the plans of the camps and began to figure out where the mine entrances were and how many guards. With so much riding on their invasion, they couldn't afford to blow this one. So many innocent lives hung in the balance, and she knew very well the losses that they would be burdened with if they failed.

As they went over the finalized plans, she began to wonder...was this their calling? It seemed wrong to ignore this kind of destruction. So many lives…killed….for what purpose?

It confused her. At first they had fought to save others and to create peace, but now…it seemed as if something were…calling them.

Eternal peace…was it even possible?

Was it?

The mere thought made her smile. No more war…it was very tempting, but was it actually possible to achieve?

Was it?

Seto's voice in her ears got her attention. "Hey! I asked a question. When the invasion force attacks and if the Dark Axis lets loose with their major firepower, how will they dodge the attacks?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Well, the key thing is to enact a flanking technique that will enable the force to not only dodge the brunt of the assault, but also be able to keep the medical personnel safe. That is the key thing. Got it?" President Warren said.

"Yes," Ciel said.

"Good. Now, what else?" President Warren asked.

"…" No one answered.

"Okay. Then this meeting is dismissed."

The leaders left the room, leaving her alone, save for Optimus who lingered behind.

"Still thinking about the last war in which they were used?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. Optimus…" Her voice trailed off as he stood there, waiting for her to speak.

"What?" he asked quietly.

"Do…do you think we _should_ bring them out again? I mean…so many lives were lost during that war…and…cities were damaged greatly…" President Warren's voice trailed off as she recalled what had happened during the war.

"President Warren, you just have to go with what your heart tells you. Only you can make that call. They were built by humans, for humans, and they were humanity's ace-in-the-hole during our greatest civil war yet. So, personally, I'm hoping for it, but if you feel that they should remain in storage, it's your call. I won't try to force you into doing something you don't want to do," Optimus told her.

"…" She considered the possibilities that lay at her fingertips. Humanity's greatest weapon…and its worst. Primus. The _Destiny Star Drive_ with all its untold powers. The solar panel laser system. The spacebridge. And of course…the LAUs, or Light Assault Units, hidden on Mars for thirty years. The massive space forces of the Federation. Land troops. Naval units. Air forces. Colonial armies. And their allies. All possibilities, each with its own consequences and successes. Each one held failures and successes that seemed remote. Yet, how could she choose one, especially the Mobile Suits? "…"

At last, she made her decision.

"Well?" Optimus asked.

President Warren turned to face him. "…Optimus…"

"Yes?"

"We…it's time…to stop holding back," the Federation leader murmured.

Optimus knew what that meant. "…"

"No more holding back. This time, the Dark Axis has to pay," she said, her eyes hard as she looked up.

"I understand," Optimus said, nodding.

The Autobot turned and left the room, leaving her to wonder if her decision…was the right one.

* * *

_At the TCDA…_

The school day had just come to an end as the last of the sun's rays were blocked off by the cloud cover. Students exited the school buildings and milled around as the dome was raised. Lightning flashed as thunder rumbled in the distance. Birds circled before flying back to their nests to keep their young eggs safe from the coming downpour.

A shadowy form slipped into the dome just as the left side closed up. It glanced around before sneaking towards the students gathered near the school's center. A set of lips curled upward into a grin as it recognized the students it despised so much.

"…hard to believe that Cerverau is now a traitor," one of them, Sayla, was saying.

"I know. He always helped fix us up," T.J. remarked.

"Still, we have to accept the fact that he's now against us," Zane said. "It won't do us any good if we continue to think of him as our medical officer. He's not one of us, and that's that."

Jaden fingered the compartment of his Soul-Drive, remembering what Cerverau had done when he was being fixed. "I remember when he was fixing me up, he opened the compartment rather forcefully, and…if he was a traitor, he could've destroyed it right then and there," he murmured.

"I don't think he wanted to blow his cover," Kicker said.

"You got that one right," a voice said.

"Huh?" Everyone scattered just as a black clothed form leapt out from behind the brush and tossed a grenade at them.

**_FWAOOM!_**

The explosion blew the ground to bits, tossing up chunks of rubble and dust just as the rain began to pour down in sheets.

"Cerverau!" Jaden hissed, his hand going for his beam sabers.

"Been a while, Yuki. Have you adapted further?" the former engineer sneered.

Lightning flashed and everyone gasped.

Cerverau had changed.

His uniform was no loner Federation issue. He now wore a black tight fitting jumpsuit that showed his muscular build and he now had a visor that was pure purple. A black trench coat hung from his shoulders and on his chest was the Dark Axis sigil. He now carried a gun similar to Sayla's, but it was black all over in contrast to the metallic grey of her weapon. It also had the Dark Axis sigil on the side.

"Looks like you're now a full blown traitor!" Kicker spat.

"Very good, Jones, but too late!" Cerverau pulled the pin on another grenade, this time, one with a set of twin arrows on it, and tossed it right at the group.

"T.J.! Defense shield! Now!" Kicker yelled.

"Right!" The young mech threw his hands out in front and the bright blue orb of energy encased them all, the grenade exploding harmlessly against it, but the energy force throwing them back. "AAAAAAAAAH!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Nice try, kid!" Cerverau laughed.

"That wasn't even our best!" Meisha snapped.

"Try me!" the traitor sneered.

The entire team scrambled to their feet, getting ready for combat. Jaden was the first to charge at the former engineer. He drew his beam sabers and ignited the bright golden blades. He charged at the Reploid and slashed. Cerverau dodged to the side, smirking. He punched as hard as he could, but Jaden dodged, giving Meisha time to unleash a roundhouse kick at Cerverau's head. He ducked under, but a punch from her hand landed on his jaw and he went skidding.

"Ugh…HNH!" He rolled to the side as T.J.'s wing blades nearly missed his throat. He slashed, spinning in a three-sixty degree circle, the blades glinting as they made contact with his body. Mech blood splattered them, dulling the sheen they held. Cerverau grimaced in pain and he danced aside, his hands going for the gun on his back. He whipped it off his shoulders and he leaned back, the lasers spitting out the barrel at the young mech.

"ACK!" T.J. darted upward, the lasers zooming beneath him.

Cerverau spun, firing at Zane, but his quick reflexes with his aura guard meant that it was up shortly before the blasts made contact with it. "SUN MISSILE!"

The attack caught Cerverau by surprise, but he dodged most of them, save for a few that narrowly missed his body. "Nice try, Truesdale!" he said, grinning evilly.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker roared. He concentrated the power of his starfighter into a ball of energy before firing it off. The ball of energy impacted the ground before Cerverau, forcing the former assassin back. "GAH!"

"Try this on for size!" Vega shouted. "BLAZIAN SLASH!" The Blazian boy jumped up and slashed twice with the blades on his wrists, once per blade, and twice with the blades on his ankles, again, once per blade. The four shockwaves sped right at the engineer, forcing him to dodge each one.

"DARK AXIS BARRAGE!" Cerverau roared. He pulled the trigger on his gun and a hail of bullets came out from the barrel.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. cried. He aimed his cannon and fired off his signature move to cancel it out.

The two attacks, one a barrage of bullets, and the other a laser blast of electricity, collided, unleashing a shockwave of incredible proportions.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" The shockwave faded and Cerverau landed on both feet, T.J. slumping down, one of his legs damaged.

"Now, who's next?" Cerverau asked mockingly.

"How about this!? Now, Jaden! LET THAT TRAITOR HAVE IT!" Sayla roared.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" Jaden drew back his fist as he charged at Cerverau, that fighting fire in his eyes, his fist glowing with golden energy, a soft golden glow coming from his chest.

"What?!" Cerverau stepped back in shock.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla slashed as hard as she could, unleashing her signature technique.

"SUN MISSILE!" Zane threw an arm forward, releasing his Sun Missiles in a flurry of light and energy.

"SONIC WAVE!" Syrus clapped his hands together, releasing a blast of sound that forced Cerverau to cover his ears.

"CRYSTAL MANA!" Baston put a hand out in front and fired off several crystals of Mana energy.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker powered up a ball of energy before firing it at the former engineer.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. reacted by firing his own cannon, merging the beam with the other attacks.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha called forth her own weapons and fired, letting loose the power of her own starfighter.

The screen suddenly split to show all eight of their faces as they cried out their combo move. "ENERGIZER DEVASTATION!"

"HAH! Nice try!" Cerverau laughed.

"Well, how about us?" Shute cried.

"GUNDAM FORCE TRIPLE ATTACK!" the Gundam Force roared.

The twin combo attacks neared one another, Cerverau in the middle. He smirked, and began to spin, the gun in his hands barking multiple times, spitting out energy blasts that penetrated the other attacks and dissipated them instantly.

"HAH! Like I said, nice try! You can't hit me, nor can you kill me. I used to be an assassin before I quit," he said, grinning.

"So?" Jaden hissed as he stood there, holding a hand to his side.

"Don't you get it? That drive…the drive to kill…is what led to my salvation by the Dark Axis! They promised to free me, and they have! I am now free to kill as much as I please!" Cerverau crowed.

"Why would you do that?" Sayla snapped.

"Simple. They needed someone with my talents in order to carry out the next phase in their plans. And they have succeeded. All that we need now is to defeat you and soon, they will be free to become gods!" the traitor yelled.

"We'll never back down, and we won't now!" Captain hissed.

"Why not, Gundam?" Cerverau asked mockingly.

"THIS!" Guneagle yelled. He fired off three missiles, but Cerverau sneered. He crouched down low and leapt up, his Reploid reflexes paying off. He kicked out with his foot and nailed one of the missiles, forcing it off course. The missile exploded against the second and the third exploded thanks to the concussion wave.

"TENKYOUKEN!" Bakunetsumaru unleashed his special technique, cutting a fiery X in the air as it sped at Cerverau.

"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!" Zero swiped with his blade, summoning forth a gust of wind with violet petals mixed in.

"SUN MISSILE!" Zane flung an arm forward, releasing his Sun Missiles for the second time that night.

The three attacks sped at the assassin, and he dodged each one, but the Sun Missile clipped him on the cheek. "…" His hand flew to his face and came away bloody.

"Now!" Bud cried.

"Huh?!" His head spun to face Lori, her laser whip out and in her hand instantly. "JUNGLE LASH!" The green energy whip lashed through the air and nicked him on his leg, but he shrugged it aside.

"OMEGA BALL!" Bud's signature attack, which he gained from Vector Prime a few days before his death, formed in his hands and he fired it off, the blue and red ball slamming into Cerverau's chest. "GA-AH!"

"Now, Coby!" Lori screamed at him.

"ROCKY MOUNTAIN FASTBALL!" Coby chucked his fastball at the engineer. The grey ball, filled with energon cement, splattered the ground and forced the engineer to dodge.

"Nice try!" Cerverau chuckled.

"CHEMICAL EXPLOSION!" A grenade filled with twin chemicals, energon and potassium, exploded in front of him, forcing him to jump backwards.

"AERO SPIN!" Mike's attack nailed the assassin Reploid in the back, forcing him onto the ground face first. Mike spun upward in vehicle mode before transforming to robot mode. He smirked at the Reploid as he sat up, spitting out dirt from his mouth. "Pfft!"

"How'd ya like eating dirt?" Mike quipped.

Cerverau growled in rage as he spun, but then the unexpected happened.

"GRENADE BAZOOKA!" T.K.'s bazooka burped once and a grenade came speeding in his direction, striking the ground and forcing him back.

"I told you, it's useless!" Cerverau yelled.

"Not for long!" Rele cried. "MANA EXPLOSION!" A red Mana circle glowed beneath his feet and exploded, blowing him head over heels into a generator with a dull _WHAM!_

"NOW EVERYONE!" Sayla cried.

"TRI-FORCE LIBERATION!"

The entire team unleashed their signature attacks right at the engineer, Jaden again in the center, his Soul-Drive spinning at max. He spun his right arm just as he felt his right hand beginning to rotate, further boosting his punch's force.

"HAH!" Cerverau pushed off the generator and punched, his fist glowing as well, but with dark energy from his newly upgraded ESICs.

The twin attacks collided, one with more power, one with the determination of an assassin behind it. The explosion created was pretty powerful, but not as powerful as when outside the dome. They had held back.

But, nonetheless, it was enough to blow the former engineer back.

"Well, seems like you held back," he murmured.

"That's because we don't want to harm anyone else!" Zane hissed.

Cerverau smirked. "Then, maybe we should continue our battle elsewhere," he said, reaching into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Kicker asked.

"This!" He tossed down a teleportation device, one built by the Dark Axis and everyone felt their bodies fading before reappearing elsewhere.

"Where are we?" asked Mike, looking around.

"Don't you recognize this place?" Cerverau asked with a sneer.

Everyone glanced around, and Kicker gasped as the recognition took place. "You brought us to the site of the first battle!" he snapped, pointing a finger at him.

"You bet. Now, let us continue!" Cerverau yelled. He charged at Kicker, forcing the young pilot to take to the skies. He hovered above the former assassin, panting. "Geez!"

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. screamed.

"Heh." The Federation traitor dodged to the side as the blast exploded against the ground behind him.

"NOW!" Sayla cried. "AND NO HOLDING BACK!"

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker powered up his signature move and fired it off in a blast of energy.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. aimed his cannon at Kicker's attack and fired.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha called out her weapons and let loose her entire arsenal at the two combined beams.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla slashed as hard as she could with her laser sword, creating a bright blue shockwave that merged into the center of the beams.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" Jaden leapt into the center of the blast, his fist glowing golden again.

"CRYSTAL MANA!" Baston fired off several crystals of Mana energy, each one merging with the beams.

"SONIC WAVE!" Syrus clapped his hands together, releasing a more powerful blast of sound than last time.

"SUN MISSILE!" Zane thrust his arm forward, launching his Sun Missiles in a flurry.

"OMEGA BALL!" Bud drew his hands close to his chest as the energy ball formed and he fired it by pushing his arms out front.

"JUNGLE LASH!" Lori slashed three times with her whip, unleashing three shockwaves of green energy that merged in a triangle pattern with the beams.

"ROCKY MOUNTAIN FASTBALL!" Coby chucked his fastball, merging it with the attacks.

"BLAZIAN SLASH!" Vega leapt up into the air and slashed four times, merging the shockwaves with the attacks.

"GRENADE BAZOOKA!" T.K.'s bazooka barked a few times, sending grenades into the attacks.

"AERO SPIN!" Mike transformed into vehicle mode and sped at the attacks before breaking off and letting the wind tornado he had created carry them on.

"CHEMICAL EXPLOSION!" Michelle armed a grenade and chucked it into the blast, boosting the explosive power.

"GRAVITY FIELD!" Blare summoned a gravitational field and fired it at the attacks, encasing them and enabling them to stick together.

"CAPTAIN PUNCH!" Captain drew back his fist and punched, unleashing his special move and merging it with the attacks.

"SDG GLUE GUN!" Shute aimed his glue gun and pulled the trigger, releasing the greenish globs of goo.

"TENKYUOKEN!" Bakunetsumaru slashed again with his katana, releasing the fiery X that cut a path to the attacks and merged with them.

"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!" Zero swiped with his sword, summoning a third violet tornado that night.

"MANA EXPLOSION!" Rele fired off a red Mana disk that shielded the attack from the front.

"MISSILES AWAY!" Guneagle releashed the projectiles, allowing them to aid the explosive power from the sides.

The screen split to show all of their faces as they cried out their combination move. "TRI-FORCE LIBERATION! LAUNCH!"

Cerverau smirked.

This was what he had been waiting for.

"NOW!" he screamed.

On his command, the Zakorello Gate opened, and the _Magna Musai II_'s laser cannons stuck out, glowing menacingly as the attack sped closer and closer. The twin guns fired, the blast speeding out from the gate. The twin beams collided with the energy of the Tri-Force Liberation, the shockwave spreading out in all directions, and knocking the TCDA elite team out could.

The smoke concealed him as he slipped towards Baston's still form. He picked up the Gundam, but before he left, he eyed Jaden's still form and an idea formed in his mind. His lips curled upward into a smirk. He set Baston down and opened the compartment in Jaden's chest, exposing his Soul-Drive. He reached in and plucked it out before chucking it into the brush.

"That should keep them busy."

He turned and left, carrying Baston's still body.

Now, things could go according to plan…

* * *

_Across the dimensional barriers…_

Chief Haro eyed the screen nervously. So far things were going according to plan. Bell Wood had spent the last few days trying to perfect the dimensional transfer, resulting in many things being sent through, the most recent being a probe that enabled them to explore the command center of their next destination. They had seen countless beings, both mechanical and organic, along with what appeared to be a race of hybrid beings, and they were blown away by the sheer amount of beings that inhabited the command center.

Spacecraft had been seen speeding through the skies, engaged in mock fighting trials, and a few others that lacked pilots had been seen as well. Ever since the invasion of Neotopia had been thwarted, they had spent the last five months exploring the new dimension, getting a better idea of what it was capable of and what resources they had that Neotopia lacked. One thing was numbers and weaponry. They also possessed outposts, a huge number of them, and a few allies that were of greater size than they were.

The most surprising thing was the fact that they had a government funded school that allowed its students into combat under the supervision of more experienced soldiers, backed up by a rogue unit of soldiers that was under the command of a teenage human.

"Sir, we're ready to retrieve the probe," Juli reported from beside him.

"Good. Bell Wood?" Chief Haro turned to face the teen.

"I'm not even sure if it will work or not," the scientist said skeptically.

"Just do it," Chief Haro said.

"Okay. Engaging transportation device, Beginning probe retrieval now," Bell Wood said. He turned to face the console.

The massive device began to shudder as energy coursed through the many wires and circuits. A small ball of energy began to form above the transportation device and the whole area began to feel the slight twisting that marked the dimensional portals opening. But this time, the device was spinning in the opposite direction.

The small probe began to materialize slowly, coming through the tear generated by the DTD. As soon as the light shattered, it was there, perched on the platform from which it had been launched a few days ago.

"Well. How about that? It worked," Bell Wood remarked.

"Good. Now, let's see what the probe's obtained."

* * *

_On Earth a few hours later…_

"…owww!"

Sayla opened her eyes and rubbed her head where she had hit her head a few hours ago. "Man! Didn't expect that." She turned to check on the status of her friends.

"Syrus? You okay?" A moan assured her that he was fine.

"Zane?" She looked at the boy.

"I'm all right. Except for a bruised rib," Zane murmured.

"Kicker?" She looked at the pilot.

"I'm good. Thank Primus I was in Matrix Mode," Kicker groaned.

"T.J.?" Her gaze flicked over to the human/starfighter.

"I'm okay," T.J. assured her.

"Meisha?" She locked her gaze onto the other girl.

"Good here. Owww!" Meisha said, clutching her head.

"Captain?" She looked at the Gundam.

Captain nodded. "I'm functional."

"Bakunetsumaru?" Sayla glanced at the Musha.

Bakunetsumaru moane, but he nodded. "Owwww! I'm fine. Just fine."

"Zero?" Sayla glanced at the Knight Gundam lying not too far from her.

"I am all right," Zero told her.

"Rele?" The teenage commander looked at the Princess.

"I'll be okay," Rele said.

"Shute?" Sayla glanced at Shute, who was being helped to his feet by Captain.

"I'm fine, save for a few bruises and a scratch," the boy chirped.

"Guneagle?" Sayla glanced at the flyin Gundam.

"I'm good," he said with a nod.

"Vega?" The hybrid human turned to look at the Blazian.

"Same here," he confirmed.

"Michelle?" Sayla glanced at the Chemist.

"Nothing a Band-Aid can't fix," Michelle said with a strained grin.

"Mike?" She glanced at the human-sized Autobot.

"Does having dirt in your engines count as being okay?" Mike quipped.

"T.K.?" Sayla looked at the other hybrid.

"I'm fine. My bazooka's just dented. That's all," T.K. told her.

"Blare?" Sayla looked at Blare to see how she fared.

"I've been worse," Blare reminded her.

"Coby?" The teen looked at the blonde-haired boy.

"We're good," Coby assured her.

"Lori?" She looked at Lori with concern.

"Same here," Lori nodded.

"Bud?" She looked over at Coby's little brother.

"I'm fine," Bud said through gritted teeth as he sat up.

"Jaden?" Sayla glanced around, but no answer came from Jaden.

"…"

"Baston?" She looked around for Baston.

No answer from Baston.

"Wait." Sayla glanced at her friends and did a quick head count. "Where's Baston?"

"What? Baston's missing?" Shute yelped.

"Yeah. And…hold on. Could you move aside for a minute, T.J.?" Sayla asked, motioning to the human/machine.

"Sure. Why?" T.J. asked, stepping aside.

"…no…" Her voice trailed off as she stared at the opened compartment in Jaden's chest. "No…"

"What?" Shute asked.

"Jaden…his Soul-Drive…it's missing!" Sayla cried.

"HAH?!" Her friends gasped in shock and amazement.

"Missing…as in _stolen_?!" Shute blurted.

"I'm not sure, but just to be safe, we'll have to look for it," Sayla said seriously.

"You think that it's still here?" Guneagle asked.

"Like I said, I'm not sure, but we'll have to see," the teenage commander said.

The others nodded. "Okay. Let's split up and see if we can find it," Bud said.

Everyone nodded and split into their respective groups.

Unlike most other battlefields, this one was starting to grow over with brush. Already the craters and blast marks were becoming obscured by the encroaching nature. Birds were starting to make their nests in several fallen trees and one crater was filling with water to become a pond. Bushes were coming back and a few remains of the building that had been destroyed in the battle still stood.

Syrus split off from the rest of the team as they began to search. He wandered through the brush, his eyes peeled for anything that resembled a Soul-Drive. He was so busy looking that he didn't even register the round object beneath his left foot. As soon as his foot landed on it, the object slipped out from under his foot and he landed flat on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs.

He coughed and sat up, rubbing his butt where he had landed on a rock. "Owwww!" He looked around for whatever he had slipped on, and his eyes landed on the familiar sphere with the flame in the center.

"Hah! I found it!" He scrambled to his feet and knelt down. He picked it up and he smiled. "SAYLA!"

"Syrus? Did you find it?" she asked, looking over.

"Um, actually, I kinda…slipped…on it," Syrus admitted, looking a bit sheepish.

"What!? You _slipped_ on it?" Sayla blurted.

Syrus nodded. "Yeah."

"Bring it on over here then!" Sayla ordered.

"Okay!" Syrus chirped.

The boy grabbed the Soul-Drive and scrambled to his feet, careful to avoid slipping on moss and some wet leaves. He danced around a few rocks and reached the rest of the team. "Got it!" he said, waving it.

"Good. Zane?" Sayla looked at the older boy who nodded.

"Right," he said.

In a few minutes, they were gone from the battlefield.

However, they remained unaware of the next fight to come…

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

**Kea Channel**

**Date: 29 August 2009**

**Time: 19:45, 7:45 p.m. civilian time**

A lone fish darted through the darkened waters of the underwater realm, unaware of the intruder behind it. A small orb of light crept up behind it, forcing it to dance to the side, letting a strange object slip by. The fish didn't stick around for observation, for the creatures inside weren't focused on the wildlife.

The men inside the submersible were focused solely on tracing the mysterious events that had occurred here almost a week ago. The first man was short and stocky and had the build of a warrior. His hair was dark and curly, and he looked to be Italian. The second man was taller and had a lankier build, but still somewhat muscular. His hair was black and he had green eyes that attracted many women.

Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino, workers for the National Underwater and Marine Agency, had been asked by the representative of Britain to check out some mysterious events near the grave of the _Britannic_. They both had agreed immediately, and soon, they had rendezvoused with the research ship, _Deep Searcher_. A few hours later, they had launched the submersible _Sea Scout_ and were traveling along the floor of the channel in the region of the wreck's site.

Pitt looked at the monitor showing the layout of the channel, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"Something wrong, Dirk?" Al asked.

Pitt looked at his best friend for more than twenty years. "Yeah. For some reason, there's no signal from the buoys deployed a couple days ago. And you know how they're designed," he remarked.

Giordino nodded. "I know very well how they're designed, so how could the signals stop transmitting?"

"That's what bothers me. Those things are supposed to be able to keep sending signals no matter what the conditions," Pitt mused.

"And you think it's connected to the Dark Axis somehow?" Giordino remarked sarcastically.

Pitt nodded. "Yeah."

Even though NUMA was an oceanographic organization, even they had to be informed of the Dark Axis threat due to the large numbers of battles occurring on the other worlds, including Earth. With a huge fleet of ships capable of traveling to the most remote outposts, they were considered the civilian's version of the Intergalactic Federation Navy.

It was this very fleet that led them to be considered a major threat to Dark Axis ship salvaging operations, resulting in the whole organization being informed of the threat.

"What does the Admiral think?" Giordino asked, referring to the leader of NUMA, Admiral James Sandecker.

"That's why he sent us on this mission. He thinks that something went on here that involves the second sister of the Olympic class ships," Pitt said.

"I understand that part. But why would the Dark Axis be after an old ship?" Giordino asked.

"That's what we're supposed to fins out," Pitt replied grimly. He put the submersible into a brief turn before coming up on the wreck's site.

At a hundred thirty-five feet in length, the _Sea Scout_ was the largest submersible out of the NUMA underwater fleet, capable of diving up to ten thousand feet under the Gilarian Ocean. The submersible was a departure from traditional submarine shapes. The front was rounded with a point on the end, making it seem like an underwater bullet. The props were traded for thrusters for more speed and the color was a bright turquoise with the letters _NUMA_ on the side. At the very front of the submersible was a pair of manipulator arms that ended in three pronged grappling claws. The claws could pick up a penny underwater and could crush reinforced steel in their strong grip. In addition, for emergency uses only, a pair of underwater Seastriker torpedoes was mounted on the sides in case of an enemy attack. The bridge was located in the rounded nose and could carry up to three passengers for two weeks and carried a small stash of rations for that occasion.

Pitt flicked on two powerful headlights on the front of the submersible, the twin beams playing over the seabed. The three buoys were still mounted where they had been deployed, but the signal transmitters were melted and destroyed.

"Well, looks like we now know how the transmitters were destroyed," he remarked.

"And the wreck's missing," Giordino added.

"Yeah. Looks like they cleared out after they got what they needed," Pitt said seriously.

"Hold on."

"What?" Pitt brought the sub to a hover as Giordino pointed out the window. "Look there."

The green eyes followed his outstretched finger and he narrowed them.

"They seem to have left something behind," the little Italian said.

Pitt's eyes hardened. "Let's see."

The submersible crept closer, the thrusters kicking up very little muck to obscure the view. The headlights played along the underwater ground and soon came to rest on a pair of salvage tugs that looked as if they had been scuttled.

Pitt's eyes traveled along the neat cuts on their hulls, his brow furrowed as he considered the possibility. He brought the submersible closer and he extended the manipulator arms. The controls for the sub also worked the arms, enabling the pilot to do two things at once.

"What're you doing, Dirk?" Giordino asked as he watched his friend work.

"Look." He curled one of the grappler claws around the twisted wreckage of an underwater explosive and lifted it up. "Our friends used underwater cutter explosives to scuttle the tugs. Very clever, but not enough."

"Should we inform the Admiral?" Giordino asked.

Pitt shook his head. "Not yet. I want to check something else out."

The submersible continued on for another three meters before Giordino grabbed his hand. "Wait." The shorter man had spotted something on the radar.

"What? What is it?" Pitt asked.

"Look. The radar's picked up something. Something big," the smaller man said.

"What do you think it could be?" Pitt wondered.

"I can only guess that it's another wreck, but I'd like to check it out further," Giordino said seriously.

"Okay."

Pitt put the submersible into a slight turn, homing in on the coordinates for this new object. As the little sub drew closer, it began to become apparent that the mysterious wreck wasn't a wreck at all, but rather a missing ship. "Whoa…"

"…" Giordino was silent as he observed what Pitt was seeing.

In front of the submersible was a Federation warship. The hull was scarred from a cutting charge, and the bottom half was missing. But the other thing that was missing was its armament. Scars and burns marked the location of where the guns had once been located. Again, Pitt noted that there was a cutting charge used to blast open the hull and to remove the guns.

"Looks like they did a number," he mused.

"Tell me about it," Giordino remarked. "That ship looks like it was scuttled a few days ago, along with the tugs. But, why take the guns?"

As if in response to his statement, Pitt suddenly shushed his friend and glanced skyward. "Listen."

Both men listened for any kind of noise, but nothing filled their ears, save for a slight vibration throughout the submersible's hull. "So? The sub's hull is vibrating."

"Hush," Pitt said harshly.

Again, silence filled the cockpit, until Giordino caught on. "Wait. This vibration…it's coming from propellers, isn't it?"

"Yes. And, judging by the size of the vibrations, big ones," Pitt said, listening closely.

"But…" Giordino's voice trailed off as he noticed something gliding overhead. "Aw, crap…"

Pitt fell silent himself as he watched the rusting hull slide on by overhead, the three huge propellers thrashing the water behind the stern, pushing the hulk forward.

"…I think we now know what happened to the _Britannic_," he remarked.

* * *

**Shift sneered as** the great ship let out a small purr from deep within the structure, making him vibrate slightly. "Yes. Soon, my pet, you shall have the opportunity to strike…"


	60. Operation Collapse Activation

Chapter 9

The days had passed by in a flurry, leading to the middle of September. School, battles, and the unexpected closing of Duel Academy had led to a pretty stressful two weeks, but they had dealt with it. The most unexpected thing, however, was about to come.

Zane glanced at his opponent out of the corner of his eye, his hand shifting to the makeshift sword he held in his grasp. The glowing aural blade flashed as he slashed in the direction of his opponent, forcing her to dodge. Blare landed on her feet, sweat running down her face. It was only forty-five minutes into the session and already she was getting tired. Zane couldn't help but feel bad for her. She had spent nearly her entire school life at Duel Academy, getting very little training in endurance and strength, making her really weak and pathetic by TCDA standards.

But, she had the will of an ox. Unbreakable, unwavering, and determined to do her best.

"Good dodge, Blare, but in battle, one must remember to attack as well as dodge. So, let's try that again," Zane said.

"Okay. But…can I ask one question?" Blare panted.

Zane nodded. "Ask away."

"How can…you stand up…to this? I'm getting exhausted," Blare rasped.

"Training can do that. Now, let's try that maneuver again. Attack as though you mean to kill. Don't hold back, and concentrate your aura into shattering my sword and break through my defenses. No hesitation. In combat, hesitation can be a downfall," Zane explained.

Blare nodded, her face streaked with sweat. "Okay."

Willing herself to vanish using her jump technique, she vanished. Zane waited, and then spun, slashing as he did so. Blare dodged his attack and unleashed her Gravity Field, but more concentrated into her hands as she grabbed onto his blade.

"HAAAAAH! BREAK!" The burst of energy emitting from the colliding attacks finally broke through, Blare shattering his energy sword and clipping him with the slight distortion. He grunted as the force pushed him back. His hair fell over his eyes and he smiled.

"Good job, Blare. That was a little above my expectations," he murmured.

"Glad you think so," she panted.

"Okay. That's enough," Xenphyr said as he stepped forward. "Blare, you can take a break. Zane, give me a report on her condition in training in fifteen minutes."

"Right."

The boy turned and left for the school with Blare not too far behind. It took them only ten minutes to change out of their aural training uniforms and back into their normal clothing. The two left the changing room and Zane headed for his dorm room to fill out the report on the progress of Blare's aural training.

As he typed up the report, he recalled how terrible she had been at first. She had had no control over her aura and she had nearly sent the two of them into the atmosphere with her Gravity Suspension the first few times, but she had readily improved over the next few weeks, becoming stronger and more skilled in controlling her gravity aura.

Zane's fingers danced across the keyboard in a blur of speed and he hit the _Enter_ key, sending the information to Xenphyr for study and progress monitoring.

He sighed and closed down the monitor. As he leaned back, his mind drifted to the last few battles, all of which had been only with Shibaomaru. Shift had been elsewhere, and the other one…Gerbera, was it? ...had been back at their headquarters, busy with a secret project of some kind.

Now, as for the tactics being used, there was a variety that made even the Federation's vast strategy collection seem puny in comparison. The one thing that made their strategies more effective than those of the Dark Axis was their effectiveness and the speed at which they were carried out. It was thanks to their vast network of spacebridges that they could mobilize tons of troops in short amounts of time and across vast distances to boot. The other thing was their unwavering flexibility. The Dark Axis had more tactics than they did, but the flexibility of the Federation made theirs very adaptive, as is the way of the human race to survive: adaptability.

Zane closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift free.

* * *

_Out at sea…_

Shift glanced at the communications device he had stolen from the Federation and checked the time. "C'mon, Mana, how much longer?"

The device beeped. He grinned and pressed the button. A screen appeared in front of him, exposing Gerbera.

"_How is the plan proceeding, Shift?_" the scientist asked.

"All going accordingly. I have one of their ships under my control and I am hoping to gain the other three," Shift purred, grinning.

"_Good. Things are proceeding on my end accordingly. We have our greatest weapon charging, and we are hoping to send out the generators in three point two weeks, Earth time. By then, you know what to do,_" Gerbera said.

"Yes. And soon, we shall be victorious…"

* * *

**What they didn't** realize was that a major meeting was taking place right then and there in Earth Command, and that the President was very worried, and angry both at the same time.

"How could this have happened?!" she blurted, glancing at the report.

"Look. Not even we know how it happened, but it did. They have the capacity that Unicron had, and they've figured out a way on how to make it a more dangerous force now," Seto replied. "It was only by luck that we were able to overhear it through the transmission breaks."

"Well, what about the plans that were recently transmitted to our command center? Do you call that pure luck?" Cassie asked.

"Huh? Wait. Are you suggesting that we're getting help?" Seto asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Not even I'm sure about this, Seto, but I do know that the note we received along with the plans was written in Cybertronian, albight a much more advanced version, but Cybertronian nonetheless. And it was clear to me that this being who sent us the note is a friend and not an enemy," Cassie said.

"So, how did you find out about this exactly, Seto?" Steven asked.

"A squad of spies for KaibaCorp went in through the stolen gate generator that we wired into the spacebridge," the CEO replied. "They appeared in this massive production facility, and it was there that we uncovered the generators. And they're being mass produced on a scale unlike anything that even Yuki can manage."

"How long before they send them out to their forces?" Sandra asked nervously.

"About three weeks, from what I can guess."

"…" President Warren was silent as she ran the options through her mind. But in truth, she knew they had no options left. Except for one.

"What?" Seto cocked his head as he observed her silence.

"No time left. We have to step up the invasion plans now," President Warren said as she looked up.

"But there's only a week left before we begin!" Mimi protested.

"No more holding back. And we're going in within three _days_. That's my order," the President said.

"So, we'd better begin now?" Sandra asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. Start prepping the troops and order everyone to get ready. We're going in!"

The command was sent out to the whole Federation invasion force, currently on standby. The surprise that shot through them was nothing when compared to the horror and shock at the fact that the Dark Axis now had portable spatial distortion generators that were being mass produced at an alarming rate.

Efforts to ready the equipment for the invasion took place at a rapid pace, far faster than any being thought possible. Their incredible rate of efficiency would have even surprised the UPA had they bothered to watch the Federation's war efforts. The machinelike frenzy was not that of a standard machine, but rather a unified effort that the forces of the Federation were capable of. Their efforts were not like those of the Dark Axis, a monotonous effort, but rather a collaboration of efforts that only organics were capable of.

And this was their key advantage. Their unpredictability was their greatest asset.

However, it would become their best quality that even the UPA would soon come to admire…

* * *

_Across the dimensional barriers…_

In the office of Satyron's command center, Ron White watched as the glistening silver bank of monitors displayed the Federation's efforts and the Dark Axis attack plans. His face was grim, and he eyed the monitors with dread in his eyes. He knew very well what they could do, given the time and efforts. But…this….this was beyond their technical capacity. So, how had they done it?

A small chime echoed on his desk comm, signifying entry into his room.

"What is it, Jenny?" he asked, addressing the woman as she stepped into the room.

"Sir, it seems like they're planning to enact Operation Collapse," she said.

"I know," Ron murmured.

"So, what are your orders?" Jenny asked.

"We let this one slide," Ron told her.

"What? Why? That organization…" Jenny's protest was cut off as he finished her sentence.

"Is capable of doing what no one else has the guts to do. They have the courage to face off against the death and destruction of a black hole, and try to overcome it," Ron remarked from his position by the window.

"But…no one can destroy a black hole. They just gobble everything up," Jenny told him.

"Not if you have the Obliterator subclass Destiny Star Class ship!" the leader hissed, turning to face her.

"Wait. The Obliterator subclass?" Jenny's eyes widened in shock.

Ron nodded. "Yes. The Alpha prototype, hidden years ago, has this very same capacity, but to a much more controlled extent. The Beta prototype, hidden across the universe, has the capacity to cause a supernova-like explosion, destroying all in its wake."

"So…which type is in their control?" Jenny asked cautiously.

"From what I heard, they have control of the Alpha prototype. But we'll know for sure when they launch their invasion," Ron said, turning back to look out the window.

"How long?" Jenny asked.

"They've stepped it up to three days," Ron told her.

"But…how?" Jenny asked softly.

"Let's just say that they're getting faster at mobilizing their forces in short amounts of time," Ron explained.

"But…that's impossible…"

"That's what they said about defeating Unicron, and they did it. You should know by now that this organization is far from normal. They exceed even the expectations of the Exceptions. They're a new breed, one that can't be swayed from their goals…" Ron fell silent at this.

"That's what the Exceptions said," Jenny whispered.

"And it is what led to their downfall. But, not with these guys. They have something more. But…what it is remains a mystery. Until we know for sure, we'll have to keep an eye on them."

"And spy on them for the course of the war?" she asked.

Ron nodded. "Until whatever makes them stronger than the Exceptions is revealed to us."

"Okay. I understand."

"Good."

Silence filled the space between the two humans for a moment.

"Just how come the Exceptions died out?" she asked softly.

"War. Constant war. It finally drove them mad and they began to fight one another, claiming that they were all fighting for evil. Then…they died out. Their legacy was one of the best…but the worst as well. No one wants to fight for peace anymore. No one…except for them," Ron murmured, looking towards the screen showing the Federation.

* * *

_Up in Earth orbit…_

The _Destiny Star Drive_ was busy being checked and prepped for combat, even though it already was fully armed and loaded. Ciel glanced at the President. "Okay. All weapons check out. We're armed and ready."

"Good. We need to be ready before the invasion begins in two days," President Warren said.

"Don't you think pushing the invasion forward to two days is a bit rushed?" Ciel asked.

"Not if we want to get in there and out before the conditions get worse," President Warren hissed.

"But…we don't have the time necessary to do this right," Zero protested.

"We do, and by Primus, we're gonna use it good!" the President hissed.


	61. Counteractions Are Taken

Chapter 10

The one thing that Ron had not expected was their timetable being pushed ever closer to the invasion point. He recalled the death and destruction of his own universe's wars, forcing beings into refugee camps that were no better than a one star motel. The wars had been the most horrific aspect of his campaign for peace and prosperity. Several times he had witnessed beings he knew, beings he considered close friends and family, die by the hands of an enemy of far greater power than they.

He shuddered as the battles played in his mind. Even though he may have been in his twenties, the truth was he was much older than that, having elected to have his body cryogenically frozen a few times after combat, particularly hard fought wars that had altered history forevermore. His memories of past wars were the next aspect that made him a good leader.

"Slag…they're going full force. And…they're not going to hold back." The mention of going full force made him recall the last battle he had been in. It had been five thousand years ago, and he had been a major in the army during that time. The battle had been against the Dark Congress, the last evil organization in the universe. It had resulted in many lives lost, and half of his friends had died in combat. The rest had died going full force.

Tears pricked at his eyes and he wiped them. Lives lost in the wars had been a necessary aspect, but even so, he still regretted going to war. In truth, he didn't want any more war. No one wanted it.

He gritted his teeth and glanced down at the city below him.

"How long must war be rampant?" he murmured.

No one answered. No one ever did. It was just him and his thoughts.

It was like always. No one ever answered his inquires. That alone made him yearn for someone else, someone like him, someone who had experienced way more combat than they should have. Only then could he figure out the answers to the questions he yearned to answer.

Until then, it was just him.

The soldier who had fought many wars that made him a hardened battle veteran.

* * *

_Back across the dimensional barriers…_

Zero glanced at the spacebridge, his steel grey eyes locked onto the massive structure. The final preparations were being made to activate it, though recent reports stated that it would be a couple of days before it could actually be opened; as it was, their timetable was a couple days later, so it was good timing on their part.

"The calibrations going okay?" he asked the scientist in charge.

"Yes. By our calculations, the bridge should be opening a gateway through the dimensional barriers that block our dimension from theirs. It could take a few days, which I'm told will be the key point for our invasion. Other than that, we're all set," she said.

"Looks like all we can do wait to see if the bridge will open," Zero murmured.

"Yes. But I'm sure that it will."

"Good. Because if it doesn't, then we're too late," the Reploid said softly.

The techie nodded and turned back to the spacebridge generator.

Zero turned and walked over to where the other leaders were chatting, his blonde hair shining in the sunlight.

"How'd it go?" asked President Warren.

"Good. She says that it'll be open in two days," Zero told her.

"Excellent. Until then, we'll continue our preps and when it opens, we go through."

"And when we go through, should we bring the whole elite team?" Cassie asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. Everyone. Including those robots back at the TCDA."

"Okay."

Ciel glanced at the President. "Are you sure that we should be bringing the students?"

"Yes. They're members of the elite team, so we need to," the President said.

"Okay. But…" Ciel's voice trailed off.

"Don't worry. They can handle themselves," President Warren assured her.

"Okay. I sure hope so…" Ciel murmured softly.

* * *

_At the Dark Axis command center…_

"Good…everything's in place. Now, all we need is the signal…" Gerbera muttered.

He glanced at the massive amounts of spatial distortion generators that lay in ten storage containers. In design, the generators resembled that of the Matrix of Leadership, but rather than a blue orb of concentrated light and power that contained the essence of Primus, they contained a small particle accelerator capable of creating a distortion in space and time. The device was intricately designed and very well wired, so nothing could stop it. Only now could one see the destruction they were planning.

This, in reality, was a last ditch effort to destroy the Federation. Destroy the Federation, and nothing would stand in their way. But with that many, it meant their own doom.

He felt a strange feeling filling his body, and he knew what it was: euphoria. Not even serving the exalted General Zeong could produce this kind of feeling. He enjoyed this, being in control like this. No one had such power. No one at all, and he loved it.

If this was what it was like to be a god, then he loved it.

That is until his thoughts were interrupted by a loud alarm.

The invasion had begun.

* * *

_A few days before across the dimensional barriers…_

Dr. Regal ran a hand through his hair as he studied the files. The files showed the Dark Axis fortress layout and the layout of the camps, but also they held the types of weaponry they had in their possession, including the generators.

He sighed and shifted them to the pile he had read and grabbed another batch. This time, it showed the progress of the enemy's attempts to mount an operation they had deemed Operation Collapse.

His eyes ran over it thoroughly, from beginning to end and he felt tension mounting in the air. If this even happened…

He angrily stuffed the folders into the top pocket of his jumpsuit and left his office. He followed a path that had become key to him, and it was one that led straight to the Nebulan War Board.

The first man on the war board was actually a male being named Geraso. His body seemed to be made from plants, and his hair was very leafy. His eyes were a bright green and his shirt and trousers were simple in design. However, the laser pistol strapped to his right thigh betrayed how advanced his people were. And he himself was not to be underestimated. He was a four tour veteran of the last Fifty Cycle War, and he had thirty medals from different organizations each for outstanding conduct in combat.

The second being was a Nebulan woman named Yashi Natako. Her eyes were bright blue and her hair was blue black. Her build was slight, but she was very intelligent, having served on board the Nebula-class star destroyer _MB54_. She was a three tour vet of a small skirmish that took place within the boundaries of the organization, and she held three medals for bravery and one for courage under fire.

The third was his old friend Naturaki Wong, a seven tour veteran of three different wars and a key diplomat on the war board. He was husky in build and his eyes were a green color that rivaled the darkest green moss possible. His hair was a light brown color with grey streaks in it, and that alone made him a standout amongst his closest allies.

"Jason. What brings you here?" Geraso asked, his voice as soft as silk.

"You know very well why," Dr. Regal snapped, slapping the files down on the desk. "But first, have any of you heard of the spatial distortion generators?"

"Yes. We have. The Federation has one, don't they?" Naturaki asked.

"That may be the case, but this time, they aren't the ones who are planning Operation Collapse. The ones planning that operation are the Dark Axis!" Dr. Regal hissed.

"Operation Collapse?" Geraso asked softly.

Dr. Regal nodded. "An operation meant to take out the entire Intergalactic Federation. However, if you read the files, you'll find that the Dark Axis has way more than needed to wipe out the Federation."

The three members of the War Board picked up the files and read them, their eyes widening in shock, horror, and fear. He could see Geraso's face go from astonishment to fear to rage. Yashi was as calm as ever, but her body was shaking slightly and Naturaki looked as if he would rip the file to pieces in an instant.

"This…this is INSANE!" he blurted. "How could anyone be this insane?!"

"That's what I first thought when I read the reports," Dr. Regal reported. "But the real reason I'm here is to inform you about the invasion plans the Federation has in motion, as well as a way on how to stop this atrocity from happening."

"Look. You know that no one can stop a black hole. They just suck everything inside, and not even light can escape it. The gravity needed to close it up has to be at unheard of levels, or even bigger," Yashi protested.

"Not to the Federation. Remember the battle with Titan AE? They acquired and used the _Destiny Star Drive_'s power to destroy anything, and guess what form it took? A black hole. Could they control it? Yes. Could it be closed up afterwards? Yes. And was it unstoppable? Yes. The point is, it can be done," Dr. Regal explained.

"What can be done?" Yashi asked.

"The plan I have for you," Dr. Regal said seriously.

Yashi looked at her fellow Board members and nodded. "Okay. Lay it on us."

"The plan is simple: if they activate all those generators and destroy the Federation, we need to be prepared and fire all available gravity distortion generators at the core of the black hole. We'll keep them running until all power is drained from the organization's reserves, or until the black hole closes up," Dr. Regal told them.

"That doesn't sound like it will work," Naturaki said.

"It will. I ran this through a few simulations on the way here, so I know it will," Dr. Regal said confidently.

"Okay…" Naturaki frowned, but he let it slide.

"Anything else?" Geraso asked.

Dr. Regal nodded. "Yes. The Federation's moved up their invasion plans from a week to three days."

"How can they? No one can just mobilize that many forces in so very little time!" Yashi blurted.

"They did. And let me tell you, they're going in as soon as their spacebridge is opened to the coordinates of the dimension they're going for," Dr. Regal told her.

"And where would that be?" Naturaki asked.

"The Dark Axis home dimension: Ground Hell," Dr. Regal said grimly, his eyes hard.

"…" Everyone in the room was silent before Yashi stood up.

"So, what are you asking of us?" Yashi asked.

"I'm asking you to pass a bill that will allow us to provide more arms to the Federation if they need it. And I'm asking you to increase defense spending for the Nebulan Defense Forces. We can't be allowed to be caught off guard any more. This war is becoming more and more vital by the minute. If the Dark Axis wins, then all of existence will cease to well…exist. We can't allow this to happen. And if we do, then what are we, but our own worst enemy?" Dr. Regal said softly.

Dr. Regal had a talent for exposing the real dangers through words, rather than actions. But, as insignificant as this skill was in comparison to the Federation's actions, it had the desired effect as it would have if the Federation had barged in carrying footage of the conditions within the camps and the attacks the Dark Axis was pulling. The three War Board members looked at one another before looking at Dr. Regal.

"If what you say is true, then we will pass the bills," Geraso said.

"Okay. I'll go with it, but only if you don't send any of our most vital weapons," Naturaki said.

"I agree. The defense spending will be boosted, but not too much. We need to keep the economy stable," Yashi said.

"Thanks."

Dr. Regal turned and left, satisfied that the plan had gone accordingly. The next phase, he knew, would be even tougher.

Now if only he could ask Dartz and the others to do the same…

* * *

_In the Allies of the Orichalcos…_

Dartz glanced at the generals of the different space divisions as they sat around the table. None of them were newbies, either. They were all battle hardened space veterans of some of the harshest wars any being had ever faced, and they carried the battle scars to prove it.

"Okay. I'm sure you're all aware of the situation, right?" Dartz asked.

"Of course, sir. Why wouldn't we be? That last incident took a whole world. And stuff like that tends to stick with ya," one of the generals replied.

"That world…was an old one, so no one lived there. The star was about to go nova anyway, General Grievance," Dartz told him.

Grievance sighed. "Okay. So what? The point I'm trying to make is that none of us forgot that battle, nor the losses."

"Right. Anyway, the situation is becoming worse by the minute. Every moment we waste lets the Dark Axis arm their forces with these generators and space them around the Federation. We need to be on the ready for this. So, I'm asking all of you to alert your forces and to tell them to be at top alert status for this. No hesitations. Got that?" Dartz ordered.

"We understand sir, but what kind of tactics are you asking us to use?" a female general asked. "We have countless, and you're asking us to pull off invasion tactics on an ally."

"Try using Strategy Deck B-22. That's the only one we've got that can handle this kind of situation, General Lukai," Dartz told her.

"Yes, sir!" she replied, saluting.

"So, now that we got that part down, what about the Federation? What'll we do?" a big hulking bear of a general asked.

"We can't stop them from carrying out their invasion plans. That's where you come in, General Brigador. Send your best fighters out to be on the ready. Tell them that they're to aid the Federation only if it comes down to it. And bring the Heavy Laser Assault Cannon," Dartz said.

"Yes, sir!" the big general cried, saluting sharply.

The HELAC was the newest in the Allies' arsenal. At ten feet diameter and capable of firing a beam in a massive arc, it could rotate three hundred and sixty degrees in any direction except downwards. The beam itself was the equivalent to the Energizer Blast, but multiplied by three times, the amount of power produced rivaled that of the Matrix of Leadership itself.

The cannon's design was not that advanced, or even really that up-to-date. The design was taken from the previous Exception's heavy weapons assault platform and modified to be able to accommodate three massive Orichalcos crystals, each hardwired into the main systems. The barrel was about thirty meters in length with power lines that snaked up from the firing console to the mouth of the barrel. The pivoting system was mounted below the firing platform and it consisted of hydraulics to turn it in any direction, even downward if the platform was suspended in empty space.

The firing console was the simplest system of the whole thing: it was simply aim, target, charge, fire, and repeat. Five basic functions, five basic commands. Nothing too complex.

With this cannon, the Allies had become one of the seven major powers out there, as well as their mastery over the Orichalcos stone itself.

Now, they were going to use it in the key invasion of the Dark Axis' home dimension.

A fourth general stood up. "So, what about the rest of us?"

Dartz locked his gaze with that of the other man. "I'm getting to that, Ozzo. So just remain calm."

Ozzo huffed and folded his arms, but he sat down anyway.

"Okay. As I was saying, Ozzo will take his forces and set up a barrier of no return if they do activate the generators. This will ensure that the rest of the universe is unharmed until a way to close it is found," Dartz said, looking at the assembled generals.

He glanced at two other generals, both of whom were twins. "Gerthai, you and Gerthao will take care of the planning of the backup invasion plan should the Federation's plan fails. Got that?"

"Yes, sir!" both twins said.

"Finally, General Hisari, you will investigate the next point of invasion should the Dark Axis begin a counterattack, got it?" Dartz said, looking at a general with one eye missing.

"Yes, sir!" the general snapped.

"Okay. Now go!"

The seven generals turned and ran out of the room, leaving Dartz to ponder his course of action.

* * *

**In the other** allied organizations, the plans to back them up were under way, as well as possible actions that could be done to prevent the initiation of Operation Collapse successfully. However, each one was bound to fail, and they knew it. Still, they had to try. At least until the Federation's invasion plans succeeded.


	62. Operation Collapse Commences!

Chapter 11

_T__he wise red optics of Vector Prime narrowed as the light from the spacebridge faded from view on his screen. So far, ever since he had been given the power of the Emergency Law, he had held back from using it. The time wasn't right._

_He sighed. The enemy was getting desperate, and the amount of generators indicated that. He reflected back on the fight that had drawn them together in the first place. In fact, the chances of them successfully overcoming the MPA had been very slim, so slim that it was thought that they might fail. But, alas, they didn't._

_In fact, after that first battle, their unity had begun to grow, grow until all differences were shunned aside and their common cause was found. Still, things had been rocky, as the humans said, at least until that second battle._

_Then, their rise to power had gone unchecked, except for the UPA, which _still_ denied them the ranking of superpower._

_He gritted his teeth. He alone knew what they were capable of, for he, even if it had been brief, had been a member of their organization, and it was he who had exposed them to the dangers of Unicron and urged them to back down when they had said they were going to take him down. But, they hadn't backed down. In fact, they had gone forward with their plans and suffered heavy losses, but they defeated him._

_After that fight, he had urged them to quit and let someone else defeat Unicron._

_He remembered that the President back then, Anderson, had flatly refused and they had plunged into combat again after a few weeks recovery. They defeated him thanks to the energon grid reducing their losses._

_Again, he urged them to quit, but deep down, he had known that they could do it._

_In fact, when Unicron had been defeated, he had felt so relieved and happy for them._

_It was then that he discovered their true potential when they tackled Titan AE and won._

_He alone now knew what they could do, and what they were capable of achieving: power strong enough to rival that of the Commander himself. However, he hoped that they would not gain that much power, for then, they would be seen as a threat, and attacked…and killed._

_First, the Dark Axis threat. Then he could worry about what came after later._

* * *

**"INCOMING!" The cry** echoed across the battle zone as Dr. Hikari lobbed a bomb into the middle of a group of enemy soldiers. The bomb exploded, vaporizing sixteen Zakos into ashes in six seconds flat.

"ZAKOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Now!" he yelled.

A few soldiers opened fire and blew the enemy soldiers to bits in seconds. A few still lingered, however, despite the intense fire that mowed down their ranks. Those that survived the withering assault tossed a few grenades at Dr. Hikari's forces, forcing them to duck down behind the debris left behind by the initial assault on their colony outpost.

"Sir, we're running out of options here!" a soldier cried.

"Destroy them! Use Program Advance Combo Halt!" Dr. Hikari ordered.

"Right!" five soldiers cried.

"PROGRAM ADVANCE! OMEGA ARROW!" A female soldier with a massive gun aimed her weapon just as a group of twenty Zakos charged. She pulled the trigger and arrows streaked forth from it.

"PROGRAM ADVANCE! GIGA CANNON!" A male soldier put his hand into the air and a cannon materialized around his hand and aimed it, firing the bright orange beam.

"PROGRAM ADVANCE! LIFE SWORD!" A man with hair hanging over one eye put up both hands and called out the massive glowing blue blade before slashing, unleashing a massive shockwave.

"PROGRAM ADVANCE! H-BURST!" A woman with green eyes and black hair shoved her hands forward just as a cannon appeared on both hands, unleashing a burst of air shots in one burst.

"PROGRAM ADVANCE! TIMEBOMB PLUS!" A man with green hair that stuck up in a mohawk put his hands in front and a massive bomb appeared as he tossed it into the other attacks.

"PROGRAM ADVANCE COMBINATION HALT! ACTIVATE!" The five soldiers fired off the combination attack, blasting through a hundred Zakos and eradicating fifty more, blowing them to pieces.

The scenery around them fizzled and shorted out, revealing a holo-training image chamber not that much different than the Federation's in design and function, but with more combos. Dr. Hikari glanced at the soldiers and nodded.

"Good work. With this tactic, the Dark Axis will be caught off guard. And to top it all off, we've developed a method of attack that can really send them packing should they try anything with us," he remarked.

"Good. Speaking of which, how's the project with the Federation coming along?" a soldier asked.

"So far so good. The plan's a success. We've managed to develop a jammer that can block dimensional signals in Z-space, but only for a short amount of time. And to top it off, there's a glitch in the program. The whole thing's pretty much a bust," Dr. Hikari said.

"Well, that stinks," a female soldier with orange hair muttered.

"Tell me about it. Even if we do manage to get it to work, there's still too many unknowns, and one of them is what Z-space is exactly. Is it a natural defense against dimensional invaders, or is it something else? Like a sealed gateway?" Dr. Hikari asked.

"That's what's bothering you, huh, sir?" the orange haired soldier said.

Dr. Hikari nodded. "Yeah. If we only knew what Z-space really was…then we could develop a generator that actually works."

"How long will it take to develop a generator that works?" a brown eyed general asked.

"Until we know…the length of time is indefinite," Dr. Hikari murmured softly.

As he said these words, the truth dawned on all the soldiers there. There was no time. They had no time left. Time…was running out.

"How much longer until…?" a soldier asked, turning to face one of the soldiers.

"They activate them?" a scout asked.

"Yes," the soldier said.

"…" Dr. Hikari was silent. He knew that time was out.

"Well?" the scout asked.

"Time…is running out," Dr. Hikari said softly as he walked over to the door.

"I asked how much time is left, sir," the scout repeated.

"There…isn't any time left," Dr. Hikari told him.

"What? Why?" the scout asked, cocking his head.

Dr. Hikari merely pointed. "Look."

The soldier headed over to the door and peered out.

Time had run out…for everyone.

* * *

_Time has finally run out as the Dark Axis activates the newest weapon in their arsenal: the black hole generators. Black holes begin appearing, and the Federation's invasion has begun. The Federation's allies plan to try to halt the creation of these destructive natural forces, but their plans are futile as black holes destroy everything that comes into contact with them. All of the universe's existence is riding on the Federation's invasion plans to succeed, but can they, and with only the meager resources of a third rate power?_

_Can they succeed and save lives as well as their own dimension's existence before it's too late?_

_See the surprising conclusion to the invasion plans as they seek out new clues to the Superior Dragon and more, as the universe's fate hangs in the balance when the Dark Axis activates the generators on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods: Part VI: Commence Invasion._

_Next time on Twilight of the Gods!_

President Warren snarled in anger and slammed her fist down on the two way communications. Just as the screen came up, she yelled as loud as she could. "DARK AXIS! This is the Federation leader, President Heather Jen Warren of Earth! You will surrender immediately or suffer!"

Her command was harsh and very serious as it echoed across the desolate wasteland before them.

No one answered for a while. Then, a voice came over the comm.

"_You want us to surrender, human? Well, forget it! We will never surrender!_" Gerbera purred.

"And why not?" she asked.

"_Simple: we do not take orders from humans!_" Gerbera snapped.

"This comes from all of us!" President Warren snapped.

"_Then, no. We will not. The chances of you successfully stopping us are 9.57 percent, which means that you are going to fail._"

"That may be the case, but we'll do it anyway! We don't back down from what we say, and when we say we're gonna stop you, we mean it!" the President roared.

"_Do your worst,_" Gerbera sneered.

"We will," President Warren hissed.

_What is the President going to do to win this one? Will they be able to uncover information about the Superior Dragon as well? And why is Gerbera so confident they will fail? Is there something that the Dark Axis is hiding? If so, what is it? All these questions and more will be answered on the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	63. Episode 5 Bloopers

**Bloopers!**

Blooper 1:

_Sayla gripped her gun and fired the grappling line right at one of the twin Mushas. Her aim, however, was off by a few degrees and the hook got impaled…_

_Right on the fridge door._

Blooper 2:

_Genmaru spat out the fungus, but unfortunately some slid down his throat and he clenched his fists before doubling over and vomiting on the spot. Hikamaru blanched. "Oops!_

Blooper 3:

_Syrus held up Jaden's Soul-Drive, waving it excitedly. "Got it!"_

_He was so excited that he failed to notice a small banana peel in his path. He slipped and landed flat on his face, right in some bird poop._

_Sayla sweatdropped._


	64. Operation Federation Liberation! Part 1

Summary: The Federation has launched Operation Federation Liberation and is invading the Dark Axis' home dimension. The Dark Axis' past has been revealed and the most surprising information is revealed: the Dark Axis develops a new secret weapon and it's capable of creating a black hole. With this weapon, all of existence is doomed. Can they stop it before it's too late: Note: I don't own any of the series mentioned, except for all original characters and the plot.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

The Federation planned to invade the Dark Axis' home dimension and free the beings trapped within. A traitor was discovered and new arrivals captured. Also, the Dark Axis' past was revealed and their world of origin, surprisingly, was Orca and a second colony went missing all those years ago.

A new ally was brought out of hiding and the Dark Axis pulled a surprisingly bold move: a raid that caught the attention of the universe. However, despite the Federation's efforts, the universe still wasn't unified. When the Federation discovered the Dark Axis had created spatial distortion generators on a massive production level, it then became a race against time to launch the invasion before the black holes were activated. Now, it's a race against time in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part VI_

_Commence Invasion_

Chapter 1

The intense cries forced Protoform X to cover his audios. He winced, instantly knowing that the torture had begun. The cries seemed to last for hours, when in reality, they lasted for a few minutes. Then, silence.

Peaceful, blissful, silence.

Worry filled Protoform X's spark. The boy…the descendent of Duel…he wasn't meant to die this young, especially when a war was going on.

Gritting his teeth, the Wanderer whipped the hood of his cloak on over his face, hiding the scar that went down the right side of his cheek. A door slid open and he instantly ducked into the shadows, the dark brown hiding him from detection.

This was it.

The Wanderer slipped into the room as a lone Zako wandered out, carrying a whip with a metal tip. The tip was covered in mech fluid. His spark stopped.

'_No…_' he thought.

Then, a low groan came from inside the chamber. His head snapped towards it and he peeped inside. He gasped.

The boy's Gundam body was badly damaged. Scratches were crisscrossing the elegant armor and his cape was torn and tattered. Mech fluid oozed from three scratches on his lower torso, one on his side, and his back. The mouthpiece on his lower face was dented and half of it was missing, mech fluid dribbling down the left side of his mouth. His soul stone had a crack across it and his eye screens were barely online as it was. All in all, he was much worse than he had originally thought.

Across from him stood his interrogator, Shibaomaru.

"Now, talk! Where is the Superior Dragon?" he asked.

The boy-Gundam licked his lips and sat up, his eyes squinted shut in pain. "As…if…I'd…tell scum…like you!" he hissed. "I…don't…even know…where it is!"

"LIAR!" Shibaomaru spat.

A smaller whip lashed out and nipped at one of the already bleeding wounds. "AGH!" The boy-Gundam cried out as the pain lanced upward from the wound.

"Now, you will tell me, or else!" Shibaomaru purred, his voice low…and husky. Protoform X knew what he meant by that.

"You…can't!" the boy-Gundam rasped, his eyes shrinking in horror.

"Oh, but I can, and I will!" he sneered, approaching. His waist armor came off first, as always. It clattered to the floor and Shibaomaru reached for the young one's waist armor.

"NO!" Protoform X's voice was harsh as he stepped out into the chamber's bright lighting. "You will not engage in that action again!"

"Huh?!" Shibaomaru spun, his eyes locking onto his newcomer. "What are _you_ doing here?!" he asked, eyes wide.

"The very same reason that the Federation is coming for! To end your insane scheme to destroy the universe and all who live there!" the Wanderer hissed.

"How can they? They lack what we lack: the Superior Dragon!" the Dark Axis Musha exclaimed.

"Who needs it? They do indeed have power, but far greater than yours," Protoform X murmured quietly.

"How so? The Superior Dragon is the most powerful being in existence!" he shouted.

The Transformer shook his head. "Not now."

"What? What do you mean?" Shibaomaru asked, now suspicious.

The Wanderer smirked. He knew. They were coming, and they were not going to hold back.

_WHEEEEEEEOP! WHEEEEEEEOP! WHEEEEEEEOP!_

"What?!" He glanced around, surprised that the alarm was blaring. "What is this?!"

Protoform X's smirk grew into a mysterious grin. "Your answer."

* * *

**What the Dark** Axis hadn't been expecting was a full on invasion assault. The camps were the first to be attacked. The Dark Axis soldiers had been so sure that no one could invade them, so they had become relaxed and lost their alert status. This had left them wide open for the assault to commence.

It started a few days ago, when the whole Dark Axis fortress had been expecting them immediately. But, when they hadn't come, the whole organization had laughed it off, thinking that it had been a mistake. They had gone about their usual business, and, having started up the generators, they were sure the Federation was destroyed. What they hadn't counted on was the Federation's spacebridge network.

The Dark Axis soldiers didn't even notice the sparkles of light as they began to move up in separate crystal-like halves. In fact, it proved to be the key advantage. The one thing about the spacebridge was that it had a unique ability developed by Kaxian and Orcan technicians: it had the ability to create a linkup with another bridge, creating a gateway to another location that was concealed. This very ability was key, for it not only enabled Federation troops to enter, but it also allowed them to retain the element of surprise, a very useful tactic in their invasion methods.

Most other invasion plans involved huge numbers of the stereotypical flying saucers used by the UPA and their allies. They usually used the ray guns that shot out single lasers and made a funny _pew-pew_ sound when fired. They also had blinking lights and no defenses, but very top-rate endurance. The only flaw was that one could strike them down through the middle with any kind of major projectile weapon. This is why they were not used by the rest of the universe.

The Federation, on the other hand, used different invasion plans that caught the enemy off guard. They sent in scouts on Hummers first, then the infantry, backed up by transports with more troops and the heavy tanks behind the second line. The air and space support came next, followed by the heavier equipment. This invasion style was called the Level Omega Tactic. LOT style maneuvers were considered unusable by the UPA, but for the Federation, it worked.

However, this time, they were also bringing in something more.

They were bringing in the big guns.

The first pair of Hummers burst out of the concealed spacebridge gateway, their engines racing, and the gunners seated behind the twin barreled machine guns mounted across the windshield from their position. The tires dug into the rocky surface and gained traction almost immediately.

Zako soldiers were caught off guard as the speedy off road vehicles sped right at them. The gunners squinted into their laser sights and squeezed the triggers. Bullets sped out at a high rate, almost like a Gatling gun, which they were, in a sense.

Cries were heard as the bullets impacted their targets, taking out chunks of armor, fuel lines, even power cores. The assault was as swift as it was deadly. The Federation forces were not holding back.

A second, third and fourth pair of Hummers sped out, their laser machine rifles spitting out lasers at a high rate of speed. The Zakos by now had regained their senses and were firing at the speeding vehicles from behind rubble and rocks. One of the other soldiers in the first leading Hummer gripped a grenade and pulled the pin before flipping it at the nearest batch of concealed Zakos.

"Zako!" a Zako squeaked in terror as the grenade exploded.

_**FWAOOM!**_

The blast tore open the ground and sent Zako bodies flying through the air before colliding with the ground in sickening crunches.

Two final pairs of Hummers broke through the dust cloud created by the explosion and skidded to a stop.

"First camp secure! Okay, troops! Let's get those poor beings out of that hellhole and into civilization again!" the first driver, a big man named Jake Churchill said.

"Right!" his forces shouted.

"Okay. Team M, fire!" Churchill roared.

_WHOOOSH!_

_SHREEEEOM!_

The first missile sped at the door and impacted against solid gundanium with a loud _THUMP!_ The smoke cleared, revealing only slight damage.

"Team A! Fire!" Churchill waved his hand at the second team. The team loaded the missile and let it loose.

_WHOOOSH!_

_SHREEEEOM!_

_**FWUMP!**_

"Team T! Fire!" Churchill nodded at the third team just as they released their own missile from its launcher.

_WHOOOSH!_

_SHREEEEOM!_

_**FWAUMP!**_

"Team R! Fire!" Churchill shouted at the fourth team as they pulled the trigger. The warhead streaked out of its launcher in a blaze of fire and energy.

_WHOOOSH!_

_SHREEEEOM!_

_**FWAOUMP!**_

"Team I! Fire!" Churchill screamed. The fifth team manning the launcher let loose a battle cry just as the missile roared forth.

_WHOOOSH!_

_SHREEEOM!_

_**FWAOOOUMP!**_

"Team X! FIRE!" Churchill's voice was harsh as he barked out the order to the last missile team. They nodded and flipped down goggles before sighting and releasing the warhead.

_WHOOOSH!_

_SHREEEOM!_

_**FWAOOM!**_

"ALL UNITS! FIRE!" Churchill screamed. The teams loaded their launchers and pulled the triggers, releasing a barrage of missiles from the guns as one.

_WHOOOSH!_

_SHREEEOM!_

_**BWAOOM!**_

The seventh barrage of missiles from all the teams impacted against the doors, covering them with smoke. It was thick, and everyone held their breath. What if it had failed?

Then, came the sound of screeching metal, and the loud _THUD_ of something solid landing on the ground. The smoke was blown away with the wind created by the falling doors. The sound shocked the camp guards, who tried to kill the remaining 2000 beings inside. But their plans fell short as the Hummers sped inside the camps, guns blazing away as Zakos fell by the hundreds. Beings screamed and ducked behind parked tanks and cars, hoping to not get hit in the crossfire. But, they underestimated the Federation's intelligence and their accuracy with their marksmanship.

The Federation bullets and lasers missed the beings, but homed in on the Zako forces, surprising them.

"Okay! Let's get these beings out of here and get them some medical attention stat!" Churchill ordered.

"Right!" his forces shouted.

The Hummers formed a flanking maneuver, scaring the beings there. Several whimpered and some even broke out crying for their mothers. Churchill felt a pang of guilt as he stepped out of the leading Hummer and slipped his gun off his shoulders.

"Take it easy. We're not here to harm you," he said soothingly. He spread his arms in a gesture of goodwill.

It seemed to be an eternity before one of the beings stepped forward, her entire fur-covered body splattered with blood and mech fluid both. She hesitantly held out her hand, but ready to yank it back at the first sign of pain on her almost skeletal fingers. Churchill held his hand out and gently touched the tips of her fingers.

A second being stepped forward, the three eyes narrowing in suspicion before it spoke in a harsh tongue of growls and snorts.

The translator on the Hummers and in the soldiers' ears registered the language and it was translated into English for their benefit.

"Who are you humans?" the being asked.

"We are the Intergalactic Federation. We come in peace, and we are here to save you," Churchill said, knowing that the translator was translating his words into grunts and snorts for it to hear.

"We don't need help from scum like you!" the being spat. With that, it drew back its long mouth and spat out a glob of goop that landed on Churchill's chest.

The being turned and walked off, but not before Churchill fired a shot from his handheld pistol right at the being's back. The shot hit, and with shock and rage in the eyes, the being turned and fell down, dead.

"Now who's the scum?" he whispered.

He turned back to face the horrified beings. "I did not want to, but it left me no choice," he said sadly. "We do not wish to harm beings, but sometimes it comes down to it and we cannot really avoid it. Still, we do it in the name of freedom."

The female being pulled her hand away and she opened her mouth. "…H…How…can that…be?" she whispered, her voice very hoarse from screaming in pain day and night. The female's language, a slight growling dialect, was easy to understand, meaning that they didn't need the translators.

"We fight to defend the weak, and we do not oppress. We save, we liberate, and we free beings from the chains of slavery," Churchill murmured.

"You…were…sent to…free us?" the being asked.

Churchill shook his head. "We came of our own accord."

"You…came…to free us…from this wretched place?" a plant-like creature asked.

Churchill nodded. "Yes. We will not stand by while this kind of torture is carried out on you. Especially the females and youth."

"You…are knights?" the female being whispered.

Again, Churchill shook his head. "No. We are soldiers. Soldiers from another dimension. The Intergalactic Federation's home dimension: Earthspace."

Her eyes widened and she held her hands to her mouth. A few female beings huddled around, holding their malnourished youth close to their own skinny bodies. The males tensed and held nothing in their bare fists, tentacles, and pincers, ready for a fight. But, before such a fight could break out, Churchill held out something that very readily changed their opinion on outsiders: a medical kit and food. The female being shuddered before she reached out.

Churchill held it out and another soldier opened it. Inside, rather than bombs and wiring like the males feared, there were real medical bandages, gauze, iodine, energon spray, and several medical tools. A third soldier, a female, stepped forward and held out the military rations packets in her arms.

"See? We are not here to harm, but rather to help," he said soothingly.

The camp was full of silence before sudden whistles, cheers, shrieks, hisses, growls, roars, and hawk cries filled the large courtyard. The Federation had gotten through to the first camp's prisoners.

The next camp wasn't as bad, nor did it take as long to free it. The third and fourth camps proved to also be easy.

By the time they reached the fifth camp, however, it proved to be harder.

The first scout teams to arrive were forced to flee, some without their weapons. They arrived back at the base camp the assault force had set up. Sweat streamed down their bodies and faces, their uniforms soaked through.

"What happened?" the commander, Sergeant Green, demanded.

"Sorry. The camp guards caught us off guard with a massive grenade assault. We were forced to retreat and come straight back here," one of the scouts replied.

"Great," Green muttered angrily.

"Now what, sir?" the scout asked.

"We bring in the infantry. But first, what were the defenses of the camp?" Green asked.

"About ten guns per side. The entire area was crawling with Zakos in foxholes. They're getting smarter. That much I can tell," the scout reported.

"What else?"

"Antiaircraft guns are located around the main doorway. Obviously they think we're going to bring in the air support. Not to mention the guard towers have double shifts. The guns have been double manned by Zakos and the other guards are beginning a systematic extermination of the beings inside. There's not much time for them."

"Any other defenses?" Green inquired.

The scout nodded. "Yeah. Mines. Lots and lots of claymore mines. They're rigged to blow as soon as one of us sets foot inside that place."

"Snipers?"

The man nodded again. "Yeah. Three per side. Total of twelve. They've also got something new."

"What?" Green snapped.

"Some kind of new defense shielding. Not as advanced as an energon grid, nor Resconian force fields, but strong enough to hold back one major assault by air," the scout told her.

"One assault?"

"Yes," the scout said.

"Anything else?"

"Just a bunch of satellite dishes. I think they're radar jammers. Of course, we're not sure entirely, but you get the idea."

"Okay. We'll send in a few spies and disable the defenses from the inside," Green said.

"Bad idea," the scout said grimly.

"Huh? Why is that, soldier?" Green asked.

"Basically, they've got ID chips implanted into their bodies, so we can't just waltz in there in disguise like we've done in the past. It's time for a bit of a change if we're gonna get in this one," the scout replied, shaking his head.

Green eyed the young man for a moment. He seemed to be a good tactician and fighter, not to mention he had a keen knack for leadership.

"Okay. What's your idea?" she asked.

"My plan is this: we use our own jammers to cancel theirs out. If that works, then we run in and take the camp commander by surprise. It's the only way I know of," the scout explained.

"Okay. We'll do it."

Around the exact same time, the Federation's elite invasion forces were mounting a full on assault against the first of four key camps. The scouts had set up a few base camps and had established defenses that could easily be taken out from the air, as well as the ground.

From a bird's-eye perspective, the entire camp looked like a huge version of the Dark Axis main symbol crossed with the Nazi symbol. It was truly horrific. The mini base camps for the Federation were located fifty miles away on different floating rocks, and some were a bit closer. The defenses of the camp were spaced out evenly on different floating rocks: antiaircraft guns, machine gun nests, including a few runways on one huge rock, meaning it functioned as a hanger for aircraft. The camp itself was a metal and stone monstrosity. Guns bristled from every side and from the ground itself. Snipers patrolled routinely, as did three shifts of guards. Watch towers stood on either side of the massive twin gundanium doors, sealing the prisoners within the camp to their fate. Barbed wire prevented the prisoners from clambering over the edge of the walls, making it an effective prison. No one could escape…and live to tell about it.

The mere sight was enough to make one shudder in fear as the imagination took hold and forced them to conjure terrible images of the horrors taking place within those very walls.

On the opposite side of the gap between the floating rocks, stood another massive structure, but one made out of fabric and bristling with Federation style defenses: this was the main base camp for the invasion parties.

The main base camp was split out across different rocks as well, to prevent an invasion force from successfully thwarting their plans. On one rock was a small vehicle bay, and this bay held a few key vehicles that would be very key in breaking through this camp's defenses: the star driller.

The star driller looked like a huge tank equipped with starfighter engines and a huge drill mounted on the front. The drill was coated in energon, meaning that it could drill right through anything that was thrown at it. The body was painted in camouflage colors and the drill was pure silver with the slightest energon sheen to it. The main control bridge was located further behind the drill, marked by a single band of glass covered with energon reinforced struts here and there and on the back was the Federation sigil, tied to a single antenna that served as the radio communications array.

Originally developed as mining vehicles, the star driller's military potential had been seen during the Decepticon-Federation Wars, prompting the organization to expand their small military infiltration unit to be able to drill into enemy mines and claim them as their own.

By intergalactic law, the first organization that established a transportation system within another organization's mine claimed ownership of that very mine to be used however they saw fit. This was one way to keep the universe divided and to keep them fighting constantly. However, as with all universal laws, there was a loophole: third-rate powers _couldn't_ claim mine ownership unless they had a star driller. And since the Federation had multiple, they could claim mines for their ownership.

The only downside: any organization can claim only one mine for their use.

The leading guard paced about nervously as the timer showing the time till the invasion ticked down.

So far the preps were going good, but there were still a few problems with getting the star driller up and running, as with the star fleet that was on standby. The leader shifted his weight before a soldier ran up to him. "Sir!"

"What is it, soldier?" the man asked.

"The star driller's almost set. We just need to figure out which entry point we're going to use," the female sniper said.

"All right. Let's get to work."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Kibaomaru glanced back at his best warriors, the feared Kiabo Hoard: Kijuumaru, Mokinmaru, Bakuhamaru, and Hanganamaru, along with the snake ninja Cobramaru. His son Genkimaru was being treated back at their main medical facility for his injuries._

"_Sir, are you sure that we should be getting involved in the humans' conflict?" Mokinmaru asked._

"_Yes. They may need our help, should the need arise," Kibaomaru said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he said these words._

"_Still, it seems rather foolish to get involved in a major conflict on the organics' side," Bakuhamaru hissed._

"_I do not need you to question my orders, Bakuhamaru. We _will_ be getting involved," Kibaomaru said calmly._

"_I am not questioning your orders, sir. Only your motive for doing so," the hammer-wielding Musha replied._

_The Musha warlord's brown eyes hardened as he remembered the fight with his brother. "There are some reasons that are best left unsaid for the moment. When the time is right, I shall tell. For now, only know this: we are getting involved to prevent a catastrophe in the making."_

"_And what would that be?" Cobramaru purred._

"_The destruction of all realms," Kibaomaru said grimly_

"_Including Ark?"_

"…" _Kibaomaru's silence was enough to confirm it. The snake Musha's Gunsoul seized up in his chest and he gasped._

"_You're kidding, my lord," the snake blurted._

"_No. I am not," the warlord said, shaking his head._

_Kijuumaru shifted his own weight. "So, we get to blast stuff?" he asked._

"_Yes, but not right away. We must wait."_

_Mokinmaru gripped his sword as he glanced up at the silvery dot that was their great vessel. "Still, I wonder as to why we should get involved. It is not our fight," he said._

"_We must. If we do not, then all is doomed. I have already explained it, Mokinmaru. Are you forgetting this?" Kibaomaru asked, glaring at the gray-blue Musha._

"_N-no, my lord. I am just curious. That's all." Mokinmaru was a bit taken back by the lightning Musha's question._

"_Well, then let us prepare for battle ourselves," Kibaomaru murmured._

"_Y-yes, my lord."_

_Haganamaru said nothing the whole time, but before they could go to their little meeting place, he spoke._

"_My lord, I have a suggestion," he said._

"_What is it, Haganamaru?" Kibaomaru asked, eyeing the Spike Ball Musha._

_The spike Musha gripped his spike-ball halves tightly. "I suggest that we at least get a better idea of the tactical situation before charging into the fight without even planning things out properly. Last time that cost us a lot of Musha lives," he said, referring to the major fight against Zeong back in Ark._

"…_Very well. We shall wait, and when the time is right, we shall go aid them. We will see how the situation shapes up, and if it is bad enough, we help," Kibaomaru said._

"_Thank you, my lord."_

_Haganamaru bowed, and Kibaomaru grinned. '_Sometimes, it's a benefit to have someone as clear-headed as Haganamaru,_' the warlord thought to himself._

_The Musha rubbed his injuries, which began to bother him slightly._

"_Something wrong, my lord?" Haganamaru asked._

"_No. Just a wound that's bothering me, that's all."_

"_If you say so…"_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

The Musha sighed as he recalled that little conversation a few days ago before the black holes had appeared in space outside Federation boundaries, and across the universe, from what he heard over the comm systems. Now, there was no time for hesitation. It was time to strike, and end this once and for all!

He glanced at the sword that hung about his waist. It had been so long since he had actually used it. He wondered if he should even use it again. That sword held many memories, both good and bad, but mostly bad. Very few times it had actually been used for good.

"Kazi…"

He fingered his sword, the carved hilt resting in his hand for a moment. It felt odd…but then again, when had using it ever felt normal? After the loss of his wife, Kazuma, he had sworn to never use the sword of their two clans ever again. But…

Circumstances had forced him to break his vow. Now, he wondered if it was the right thing to do. The power coursing through it made him shudder. This power…was the unified efforts of both clans to defeat evil in Ark, especially the Dark Axis.

Now, however, it was time to break loose, and fight for peace once again.

He hoped it would go better this time.

He hoped.

Especially since Kazuma had died during one of the attacks.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Kazuma coughed as the mech fluid flooded her intakes. She could feel her body beginning to shut down, but she struggled to remain online for her husband's sake. _"_Ki…ba…"_

"_Kazi…Just hang on!" he murmured._

"_It's…no use…Kiba. I'm…not going to make it," she rasped._

"_Yes you will! Just hang on!" Kibaomaru protested._

"_Kiba…"_

"_Yes, my love?" he whispered, leaning in._

"_T-take…good care of Genkimaru for me."_

"_Kazi…don't talk like this!" he suddenly cried, holding her tightly, as if his strong will could force her to stop dying._

"_Kiba…I…I love you. And…don't forget me, okay?"_

"_Kazi…I-I won't, but please hang on!" he blurted._

_Kazuma coughed weakly before taking her husband's hand and holding it in her own._

_She closed her eyes and slowly, her Gunsoul pulse faded, her body becoming lifeless. He clenched his fists and began crying. Tears streamed down his face and he gritted his teeth. "Kazi…Kazi…KAAAAAAAAZIIIIIIIII!"_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

He closed his eyes and began to cry.


	65. Operation Federation Liberation! Part 2

Chapter 2

_**BAWOOM!**_

The explosion rocked the concentration camp's doors, nearly blowing them down. Zako soldiers gripped the guns and kept firing at the metal monstrosities that swarmed around them from all sides. The tanks kept coming as the shells bounced off the armor and a few deflected right back at the camp's concrete walls. Chips flew through the air and blinded the Zakos, keeping them from aiming accurately. All they could really do now was aim and fire in the direction of the sound of the tanks' engines and hope that one of them got a lucky hit in.

But, thanks to Federation technology, the bullets were merely making dents in the tough energon-steel plating covering the vehicles. The shells weren't doing much damage either, save for denting the metal a little more. Zako snipers tried to get a shot in at the treads, but due to the dust, they failed to get in accurate hits.

The Federation, on the other hand, had radar that could easily penetrate the smoke and show them the location of the Zako forces. They were able to fire accurately at the doors and the sides of the camp, resulting in massive dents in the concrete and gundanium doors. The bullets whistled through the air, the high speed shells slamming into the sides and doors, creating explosions that threw up dark clouds of smoke.

An opening attack like this was all part of Operation Federation Liberation, and would normally be frowned upon by the UPA. But since the UPA wasn't there to berate them on their methods of attack and invasion, it gave them the liberty to pull it off without hesitation.

Ever since they had witnessed the bold move pulled by the Dark Axis about two weeks ago, they had vowed to use every resource at their disposal to take down the ones that had committed the horrible act. And they would fight to avenge those who had died for no reason that day.

"Okay! No holding back! Open fire with everything you've got!" the commander, Tank Division 121 leader Butch Burk yelled, his voice echoing over the approaching force.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers yelled.

The guns barked again and again, sending high speed shells right at the doors and concrete sides, the craters becoming larger with each impact. The deadlier the shells, the more powerful the resulting mark.

Finally, it was time.

"Fire all lasers at maximum power! Go into overmax if you have to; just blast those doors and walls down!" he screamed.

"Roger!" the soldiers cried.

"Lasers powering up, sir!" a gunner yelled.

"Maximum safety limits turned off! Overmax is engaged!" a technician shouted.

"All right, boys and girls! BLAST THEM BACK TO KINGDOM COME!" Burke roared.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Countless energy beams powered up, the shriek of the laser generators echoing on the battlefield. The power of each beam was nothing to laugh at. These beings needed to be rescued, and lives needed to be saved. Now was their time to attack.

"FIRE!" Burke screamed.

The command cried out as the guns roared, each beam streaking forth, only to be replaced by another in the barrel.

"Zako!" The Zakos got ready to open fire as a lead Zako armed with a bazooka leaned out and snapped out an order.

"Fire, zako!" the gun-wielding Zako cried.

"ZAKOOOOOOOOOO!" The cries of Zakos rose just as the Federation let loose a cry of their own.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The Federation forces aiding screamed out their hearts and souls as they opened up.

"Take this, humans!" a Zako screamed. A large gun suddenly belched, sending a mortar shell right at the attacking forces. Only with quick thinking on the Federation's part did they manage to avoid getting hit.

The blue beams of the energon grid lanced forth, creating a shield around the tanks as they sped forward, leaving trails of dust in their wakes. The first tank suddenly veered off, heading in another direction.

"Hey! What are you doing, soldier?!" the commander snapped.

"_I'm going in from behind!_" the soldier yelled over the comm.

"That's suicide!" Burke snapped.

"_Not if you want to get in from another direction that will catch them off guard!_" the soldier pointed out.

"Soldier, get back here!" Burke ordered.

"_Sorry, sir. But this is the only way that we can get them off guard! Our shields won't hold for long against those explosive mortar shells!_" the soldier protested.

"DON'T DO IT!" Burke screamed.

It was too late. The tank had vanished into the heat of battle.

Snarling, Burke gunned the engine on his own tank and sped ahead of the force. "Sergeant Grayson, you're in command!"

"_AYE!_" the sergeant snapped.

He gripped the steering wheel and glanced at the nearby screen monitors. They showed the invasion force's progress, as well as his own position in relation to the exit gate they had come out of. The tank that had sped behind the camp wasn't visible and he cursed in his mind.

"C'mon, c'mon!" he urged his tank.

The vehicle was still moving slowly in comparison with some other of the Federation's vehicles, but still moving fast for a tank. And even then it really wasn't very fast. He could only urge it on and hope for the best, which didn't really help in situations like this. It usually required some kind of miracle to even make a slow vehicle go faster.

And one such miracle was happening, though he didn't even realize it at the time.

He didn't even know that his tank's speed was increasing to new levels. The treads began to grip the ground more efficiently and the dust cloud began to grow bigger as the engine revved.

His eyes widened as he heard the sound of the engine revving. "No way…"

The loud shriek of a massive energy laser caught his attention. Snarling, he spun the steering wheel hard to the left and the massive vehicle responded instantly. The energy blast sped right past and struck the ground as the huge tank got right back on course. "Let's see how you like this, freaks!" he spat.

He pressed a button on the console and the missile launcher on the back spun around, firing off three missiles right at the Zakos positioned on top of the camp walls.

"Zako!" A Zako squeaked in surprise at the sudden assault.

One missile sped right down the barrel of one of the guns, striking the gun's shell and blowing it to pieces, shattering the gun and sending a Zako spinning through the air, right over the camp wall. "ZAKOOOOOOOO!"

The next missile sped right down the barrel again, this time causing the barrel to peel back like a freshly peeled banana. The Zako manning the gun peeped over and sweatdropped. "Zako."

The third, however, caused much more devastating effects. It sped right down the barrel, as with the first two, but it happened just as the Zako pulled the trigger. "ZAKO!"

Two different shells, one a missile, the other an armor-piercing round, exploded and blew the gun to smithereens, creating a massive explosion and killing the Zako. A loud cry was heard and the shockwave incinerated the other Zako and their guns as well. It was awesome and horrific at the same time.

Mech fluid streamed down from the former gun mount, along with a stream of twisted wreckage and debris. Burke felt a bit disgusted and proud at the same time. He knew it was for the cause of freedom, but at the same time, he felt guilty about killing like this. But, it couldn't be helped. War was like that, and he knew it all too well.

The tank continued to increase speed as he drove through the intense fighting. Lasers and bullets ricocheted off the armor and struck the ground and sheer, towering cliffs, making small dents in their scarred faces. The huge titans of the earth didn't even flinch as they were wounded by the small mortals below them. They watched, emotionless as always, as the small two vehicles below sped right down a hidden path behind the camp.

The first tank was still far ahead of his own, but Burke could now see the tread marks left behind. He knew he was getting close.

He veered to the left and his vehicle's rear end smacked against the side of the cliff, releasing a small pile of rubble. But he didn't stop. He simply gritted his teeth and pushed on.

"C'mon, where are you?" he hissed.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

"_Tank 01 spotted_," a cool computer voice stated.

"Thank Primus…" he murmured softly. He drove the tank onward, and soon, the first tank's rear end came into view. The cloud of dust thrown up nearly obscured his own tank's sensors, but he refused to back down.

Burke grew closer and closer with each passing minute. "Hey! Stop!"

The other tank driver didn't respond. "Stop!"

Again no answer.

Then came the sound of gears grinding in protest as the first tank suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Burke actually had to cram his vehicle into reverse in order to avoid hitting the tank on the rear missile launcher.

Snarling, he popped the hatch and clambered out. He stepped onto the gun and yelled out. "HEY! WHY DID YOU STOP!?"

The other tank's hatch didn't open, but the driver's voice echoed over the comm unit in his own tank's cockpit.

"_Look…_" the soldier murmured.

Confused, Burke glanced over at the first tank, only to see the gun aiming at some holes in the base of the cliff towering over them like a Titan of Greek mythology.

"What…? Hold on!" Burke grabbed the binoculars hanging around his neck and brought them up to his eyes. The high-image resolution amplifier made the image as clear as a photograph on a sunny day, and his eyes widened in shock and horror as he stared right down the shaft of a working gundanium mine.

"No way…we stumbled onto a mining operation!" he murmured.

He swept the binoculars over the mine workers and he felt his blood run cold as he saw that they were dressed in dank green uniforms of the same color and that they were pretty much wasted down to mere bones and flesh. "God…those poor beings…they're slaves," he whispered.

What he saw next made his entire body tense and rage built up in his chest and heart. He gritted his teeth and gripped the binoculars so hard that he thought they would break. In fact, he could hear slight cracking of the casing, but nothing too severe.

The images he saw were forever embedded in his mind for as long as he lived. He would never be able to forget it as long as he lived. The acts of Zakos beating the helpless slaves with leather whips, cutting them with laser knives and prodding them with cattle prods enraged him. No one should have to suffer that, and he knew it.

A low snarl came from deep within him and he tossed the binoculars down onto the top of his tank, breaking them. "NO! This can't go on!" he snapped.

He turned and scrambled back into the hatch and slammed it shut.

Snatching up the comm, he dialed up the other tank. "Is that what you wanted to show me?" he asked.

"_Yes, sir. Those poor beings are…_" The soldier's voice trailed off.

"I already know. And as of right now, we're calling off this particular invasion plan!" Burke snapped.

"_But…sir!_" The soldier was about to protest when Burke cut him off.

"No buts, soldier. We're heading back. I don't want to harm them. We'll find another way in and get those beings out of the mines and give them basic humane treatment! It's the only way!" he hissed.

"_Y-yes, sir…_" the soldier murmured.

With great reluctance, both tanks turned and headed back, intent on getting reinforcements for the plan they knew was coming.

* * *

_The entire plan is going downhill, sir. We need to rethink this._

_Rethink what, soldier?_

_If the Dark Axis gets their way, then the Intergalactic Federation won't be of any more use. They'll have been destroyed._

_We are not using them like they would us, if they knew we existed._

_But sir…_

_No buts, soldier. We need to prepare for the next phase of the plan._

_But that's just it, sir. We don't know if the next phase will go as well as the first one did!_

_Then I guess we'll need to expose the power the Dark Axis has stolen from us…_

(Note: the above speakers are of the Steel Dragon and the Griffin. No flames please!)

* * *

_Across the dimensional barriers…_

The hidden eyes of Chief Haro narrowed as he studied the unexpected extensions of the Brain World. It had been only recently that a mini probe sent in had detected a large amount of other "mind cubes" and they had checked it out. Upon further investigation, they had discovered multiple other regions, and a large expansive intergalactic network called the Brain Hub, linked into the Brain Realm.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Juli?" Chief Haro asked, looking at her.

The female officer shifted her weight before glancing down at the data pad she held. "We're almost done with the Re-Equip Ring. With any luck, we'll be able to send it to Captain's coordinates."

"_I doubt that_," Bell Wood replied. "_That place is so advanced they can jam up any dimensional transmits with that vast network of theirs!_"

"Vast network?" Chief Haro cocked a hidden eyebrow.

"_That spacebridge network! I can't even get a lock on Captain's locator beacon!_" the scientist said.

"How is that even possible?" the chief asked.

"_It seems that the number of bridges crisscrossing their organization has created some kind of a barrier around them. Somehow, it disrupts dimensional travel, resulting in the travelers unable to warp in and out. I think because they resonate so closely with the same dimensional plane as ours that it somehow erects a shield, but I can't be sure,_" Bell Wood said.

"Hmmm. Well, then we'll have to find another way."

"There is one way, but it's really risky," Kao Lyn said. Chief Haro looked at him.

"In theory, the dimensional transport device can be recalibrated to be able to break through their network. However, due to the need of a huge power supply, it can only be used twice: once to the destination programmed in and back here. In short, we have to use it wisely!" the R&D director explained.

"Well, Bell Wood? Can you do that?" Chief Haro asked him.

"_I'll try my best, Chief! I can't guarantee immediate results, but I'll see what I can do!_" the dimensional scientist said.

"Good luck. And if you do find a way, inform me immediately."

"_I will!_"

Chief Haro turned to face the Re-Equip Ring. If what he feared was coming to pass, then they needed to get it to Captain as soon as possible, along with the energy needed to power up the system.

However, he didn't even know that the Federation already had a similar network, one that would enable them to send in Captain during a key mission…

* * *

_In the Federation's home dimension…_

Xenphyr glanced at Captain like he was nuts. "You want me to do what!?"

"Send me into the Brain Realm. It's the only way!" Captain pleaded.

"No way! I am not doing that!" Xenphyr said, shaking his head vigorously.

"Why not?" Captain asked.

"We don't have the equipment needed here! The pod needed is back at Earth Command! And we're in the middle of an invasion here! We can't just call it off right away! If we do, tons of lives will be lost!" the medic snapped.

"So…you won't do it?" Captain asked.

"I didn't say that! I said we don't have the equipment needed!" the medic hissed.

"In short, no."

"Exactly."

Then Xenphyr grew serious. "If you really want to go, then wait until the invasion succeeds!"

"Okay. I guess I can wait."

The decision was a good one, and it may have very well saved Captain's life…

* * *

**_FWASH!_**

The explosion rocked the Dark Axis camp walls, shaking loose a bunch of rubble and debris. Soldiers ran for cover, holding their hands over their heads to try to ward off the falling chunks of concrete and steel. They swarmed like ants, running for their ships or their cover positions set up amongst barriers created out of the stone the Federation troops had found. The entire time, the Dark Axis soldiers fired back with their rifles and machine guns, the bullets spitting out of the barrels at an incredible rate.

The shells ricocheted off the ground, the stone barriers, and the armor the Federation fighters wore, but a few found their marks, impacting with dull, wet _thunks_.

Fire from the Federation retaliated, striking Zakos and taking them down. The soldiers fell with a cry, and their bodies either struck the ground or fell off the wall into the camp's interior. The commander of this attack force, Sergeant Green, snarled as a bullet streaked by her ear, singeing the skin with the passing heat. She glanced at the camp walls, anger in her eyes.

"Okay! Fire the Heavy Assault Penetration Projectiles!" she snapped.

"Roger!" the soldiers cried.

"HAPP missiles away!" a private yelled.

With a loud _whoosh_ of air from the launchers, five HAPP missiles were launched, the warheads homing in on the nearest guard tower. They exploded against the wall, rocking the whole structure and throwing a few Zakos out to the ground. Thick light blue smoke coated the area and hid the enemy stronghold from view.

"All soldiers! Activate energy detection mode!" the sergeant snapped.

"Roger!" her forces cried.

She flipped her night vision goggles down over her eyes and pressed a green button on the side. The entire field she was seeing became a light blue color with hints of red and green, making a slightly brownish bluish tinge. Now she could see thousands of energy signatures inside the camp, and multiple were fading from view.

"NOW! FIRE ALL GUNS AT THE DOORS! BLAST THEM OPEN!" The sergeant's command was sharp and to the point. The soldiers didn't even need to know that the prisoners were being shot down at an incredible rate.

All guns were aimed at the twin gundanium doors and new HAPP missiles were loaded into the launchers. Lasers pierced through the smoke, each red dot locking onto the center of the doors and the guns whining as they charged up. The guns shuddered as the power built in the barrels, the orbs of light concentrating at the tips.

"FIRE!" With a single command, all guns opened up on the doors. Missiles launched from their launchers and massive laser assaults homed in on the slabs of gundanium separating the beings inside the camps from salvation. It was like a full-on Doomsday attack, but without the nuclear radiation or the moans of those who had been affected by it.

The only real screams came from the Zakos as they fell in large numbers from the perimeter around the camp's walls, mixed in with the pain and anger they felt towards the humans and organics who dared to defy them. It was this that made their assault much different than nuclear fallout.

The smoke cover parted like a curtain at the lasers' touch, dispersing to reveal the camp's doors. With a loud _wham_, the lasers impacted against it, and the assault continued. The large twin slabs began to buckle under the enormous power of the lasers, dents becoming more and more visible with every passing minute. Then…

"IMPACT!" a soldier yelled.

"Huh?" Sergeant Green looked at him. "Are you serious?"

"We did it! We managed to penetrate through the doors!" he exclaimed.

"Well, then keep blasting! We need those doors down now!" she snapped.

"Right! Okay, boys! Let 'em have it! Federation style!" the soldier cried excitedly.

The soldiers cried out as the assault grew more and more fierce. It seemed impossible, but the guns were now discharging three lasers for every one they fired. The dents became more and more until they finally began to give under the enormous power of the Federation's guns. A loud screeching filled the air as the hinges began to give way due to the incredible rate of fire they were receiving. The sound was horrendous, but not to the point where they were giving up. In fact, it was exactly the opposite.

It only drove them on.

The screeching got louder and louder until finally, the hinges broke. The force of the repeated laser fire forced the doors back right into the camp command center barracks.

Dark Axis Zako soldiers scurried back into the depths of the camp, and let loose with retaliating fire that struck down their parked cars and tanks. It was an exercise in futility, for the ground in the center of the camp was beginning to buckle and curve upwards as if something was trying to burst free from an underground prison. Chunks of dirt began to fly away as the tip of a drill broke through, slowly emerging from the depths of the rock.

"Operation Ant begins now!" a soldier cried.

The drill finally broke the ground loose and the star driller emerged from its hiding place, revealing a tunnel behind it and a huge invasion force beneath. Miners' lamps were perched on their heads and in their hands they held the Federation Stinger assault rifle, capable of stunning multiple soldiers with one shot. A few transports followed, bringing up the rear.

"Okay! Operation Ant is now in effect!" Green screamed.

The rest of the soldiers brought up the rear, swarming in through the broken doorway and shattering the rest of the Dark Axis' morale at this camp. Prisoners were caught in the crossfire as Federation soldiers approached them from all sides, breaking the shackles clamped around their hands and ankles. The Zakos located next to some prisoners were engaged in hand-to-hand combat, laser swords flashing as they lost their arms, and sometimes their heads. It was warfare at its worst and best, as Federation forces broke through the remaining defenses to the camp's command center.

It was over in less than three hours. The Federation sigil took the place of the Dark Axis ensign on the camp's flagstaff and the remaining Zako soldiers were rounded up and escorted to the prisoners' barracks for confinement until a team could bring them back to Earth's maximum security prison for questioning.

Sergeant Green surveyed the bodies piled at least three high and forty deep alongside one wall of the camp. It was the best they could do, given the lack of ground needed to bury the dead here. It only seemed to be fitting until a team could bring back the dead for a proper burial. Prisoners who were in bad shape were given medical treatment at the Federation's makeshift base and massive amounts of food and water were handed out to them.

They greedily devoured the food and water, their malnourished bodies feeling relieved at the first taste of even the simplest crumb and the most meager drop of water. It was very relieving to the Federation forces as well, for they had prevented a massacre at an unimaginable level. Male beings were given decent food, as were the females and youth, especially the young. Their young bodies needed food and water the most, but due to a shortage after only three hours, the best the Federation had to offer were vitamins and salt tablets, as well as reserve water from the Dark Axis camp's supply.

At the very least, it made her feel like she was finally stopping a repeat of WWII, especially with the camps. At the most, it had given the Federation hope. Hope for the new future, the future of peace.

"Sergeant Green!"

"Huh?" She turned to face the Second-in-Command. "What's going on?"

"We're running out of vitamins, salt tabs, and reserve water. We'll need to open another spacebridge gate to bring in more supplies," he said.

"Okay. Tell them to just hold on 'til we complete the invasion," she ordered.

"Right!" The SIC saluted and ran off to relay the message.

As she watched him run off, she wondered how come the Dark Axis was doing the same thing the Nazis had done all those years ago during World War II. Was it because they felt it was the right thing? Or was there some other meaning?

Why were they repeating the Holocaust?

* * *

_Not too far from the slave mines…_

"Okay. As soon as we get the signal, we're going in!" the commander shouted to his troops.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers yelled.

He turned back to view the mines. His heart was full of despair at seeing those poor slaves being whipped and beaten with no regard for their lives or rights and anger at the Dark Axis for caring out such horrible acts. He gritted his teeth as he shut down the viewing screen. He couldn't bear to see anymore abuse like this.

Just then, the signal came. A loud series of beeping sounds reached the communications array on the back of his tank, and it was sent to the others behind him.

"That's it, boys! We're rolling out!" he barked into the handheld comm.

"Yes, sir!"

Loud rumbles filled the air as a thousand tank engines turned over. The rumbling resonated through the air and he let out his trademark yell of "Time to roll!" with four thousand soldiers yelling as the massive column of vehicles rolled forward.

Gunning their engines, each tank sped forward, their speed increasing in miles per hour until they were all traveling at a decent speed. At the rear of the column, a huge cloud of dust concealed their path. A thousand pairs of headlights cut through the dim lighting between the two cliffs. The column narrowed to two tanks per row, with one backing up the other.

The radar on each one showed the mines getting closer and closer. It was almost time to launch Operation Humanity's Rage.

As the tanks drew closer, Zakos came pouring out from the mine shafts, each carrying a five millimeter machine gun. They knelt and opened up on the incoming forces, but the bullets just bounced off the energon-coated metal of the tanks' armor. Generators on the exterior suddenly flared, releasing bright blue beams of energy that overlapped, forming an energon grid to protect the vulnerable point on the guns: the barrel.

Bullets bounced off the grids, striking mostly the Zakos, but every once in a while an organic slave. The commander winced, knowing that each death meant the loss of a potential helper in this kind of experience. He thought about attacking full force, but decided against it.

Instead, he ordered all tanks to swarm around the mines and to trap both Zakos and slaves alike inside the shafts.

"Are you crazy?!" a soldier blurted, disbelief etched on her face.

"It's the only choice we've got. Besides, they won't even be able to really kill the prisoners if they're trapped inside the mine shafts. And we're ready for that. Remember, we've got star drillers. And we can drill right into the mines, establish a spacebridge connection, and claim that mine as ours," he said.

"Okay…" The soldier let her voice trail off, still uncertain, but she didn't question his orders again.

The commander gripped his mike and opened up the channel to the star driller and his troops.

"Okay, boys! Begin Operation Humanity's Rage!" the commander cried.

"_Roger!_"

The entire tank division emerged from the narrow canyon between the mines and began flanking out in all directions. The guns began to open up on the mines, collapsing the entrances, shielding the prisoners from the worst of the firefight, but also trapping the Zakos inside. It was key to do this move, for then the Zakos wouldn't be able to kill the prisoners without really hurting some of their own.

"Satrys, your turn!" the commander shouted to his tankmate.

"_Yes, Commander! I will make sure that we have a key move into the mines!_" the Liberarian soldier said.

"Good. Make sure that it counts!" the commander said.

"_I shall! Satrys out!_"

Inside the mine shafts, a major earthquake was taking place, or what they thought was an earthquake. The rumbling was severe enough to make the Zakos and prisoners stagger and struggle to stay upright, a task that demanded all their concentration and diverted their attention from the center of the mines where the ground was beginning to buckle upwards.

The whole operation was based on key timing, and they had timed it just right.

The rumbling got louder and more severe as lights began to short out and fall from the ceiling. A few of the older shafts collapsed, but for the most part the mines remained intact.

A slight glow began to emit from the pile of rubble that was being pushed upward. Then, the drill broke through. The light from the twin headlights mounted on either side of the drill penetrated through the darkness of the mines, blinding Zakos and prisoners alike. The driller emerged from the tunnel dug behind it, and a swarm of troops emerged, each carrying a nasty-looking Federation built weapon of their choice. This was the elite Special Forces, combining different races of the organization into a special fighting force.

The soldiers opened up on the Zakos, catching them off guard and blasting them through the eyes, chests, and foreheads. Many prisoners were caught in the crossfire, but fortunately, the lethal shots missed and they only sustained minor injuries. The rest of the noncombatant Federation forces grasped the glowing blue twine that snaked into the tunnel and heaved, their bodies exerting everything they had.

A long form, one that looked as if it were a crystal split down the middle, and attached to a central base, began to emerge from the darkness of the tunnel. A loud scraping echoed down the mine shafts as the spacebridge itself was hauled out of the tunnel and into the mine's central shaft. This was the key part. They had to wire it up and get it up and running before the Dark Axis Zakos could destroy it.

It all hinged on this. If they didn't do it right, then there was no hope for them to get the rest of the mobilizing forces here on time. As the fighting raged around them, the few technicians that had come with the forces began to work on wiring the spacebridge into the generator for the mine's lighting systems.

It seemed to take forever before finally the light on the console to the spacebridge flashed green, signifying a connection had been established. "We're good! Everything's green across the board and all systems are go!" a technician shouted.

"Okay! Activate it now!" the commander yelled.

"Right!"

As soon as the words escaped the commander's mouth, it sealed the fate of the Dark Axis forces. Victory…was in the Federation's favor.

And they knew it.

* * *

**Kax's most prominent** secret was that they were also experts in creating new warships for the Intergalactic Space Defense Forces, the main space branch for the Federation Armed Forces. They had been the ones who had developed the Finality Class attack starfighters, the Master Invader Class defense starfighters, and so on.

This secret was their most well kept, and their best to date.

Having used this secret, they had developed a secondary flagship should the Federation lose the _Destiny Star Drive_ in combat: the _Blue Typhoon_. The ship itself was shaped like a log almost, but without the holes at the front and end of the structure. In fact, they were sealed off. The back end of the ship was used to house three engines, each with enough horsepower to push her to greater speeds than the _Miranda II_, the first Earth-built starship. The front end was flattened, and unlike other starships of the same design, the top part of the deck was flattened as well. But there was a reason for this: they had a high powered laser cannon secreted into the ship itself. The bridge of the ship was also situated near the rear, a strategic move on their part. Knowing that the front of the ship was a vulnerable target for the bridge structure, the technicians and engineers who had developed this ship had built it to keep the bridge safe from harm.

The colors were pure white and a deep ocean blue. The structure was pure white, as was the deck and the rear engines. The sides and front of the ship were ocean blue with the name scrawled along the side in bright Autobot red.

This was where Kibaomaru was currently on station, along with the mighty Kibao Horde and his son, Genkimaru. He had recently arrived three hours ago, and the invasion was still in its beginning stages.

This was not surprising, even for the Musha warlord himself.

Invasions normally took much longer, and even the Federation was pushing it, especially since they were nothing when compared to the much larger powers.

But what was really surprising was the fact that they had found _Musha Gundams from Ark_ in the concentration camps as well as organics. Now, as he stood on the bridge of the _Blue Typhoon_, he reflected back on a certain Musha femme, one he hadn't seen in so long.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Two little Musha Gundams scampered through the bamboo fields, one a mischievous young femme, the other a feisty little male. The older femme yelped as the male leapt at her, tackling her to the ground._

_She giggled as he crawled over her, tickling her armor with his still-growing wings. "Stop! That's tickles! Stop it!" she laughed._

_The youngling shook his head no, and kept crawling on his older sister. "Nu-uh!" he said._

"_C'mon, please! You're tickling me!" the femme protested._

"_Why swould I?" the little Musha asked._

"_Because I said so!" the femme remarked._

"_If I do, will you stop chasing me?" he asked._

"_Sure."_

_The little Musha crawled off her, making her laugh as he stimulated her pleasure sensors on accident. "Kibaomaru, next time I will get you for that!" she smirked._

"_You'll have to catch me first, Maki!" little Kibaomaru yelled._

"_Get back here!" Makinaomaru laughed._

_Both began their chase again, this time Maki catching her youngest brother and lifting him up. "Gotcha!"_

_The youngling giggled as she brought him close to her own body. "You sure are a feisty little one," she remarked, tickling his wings._

_He giggled at her touch._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"Maki…where are you?" Kibaomaru murmured. The Musha glanced at the small object he held in his hand. It was nothing more than a mere artificial leaf, created out of a special thread that made it look and feel like a real leaf. He thought for a moment, then placed it against his mouthpiece, right on the two slats. He closed his eyes and began to whistle, a beautiful sound resonating from the leaf.

This song, one he had learned from his wife when they had just been children, was called the Forgotten Song due to the fact that most Mushas were beginning to forget it, save for those who were trained as priests and priestesses. It was a very special song, and every night, since he could recall, he had played it in secret, not wanting to be found out. It was his best kept secret.

As he played, memories flooded his mind. Memories of his past with Makinaomaru and his wife, Kazuma. It was his way of coping with the past, dealing with the loss of his wife and sister. It also helped him calm down after a rather intense battle in which lives were lost.

Such a song was well known on several Federation worlds, but rather than be called the Forgotten Song, it had a name: _Araseon_. It was a song that had been played many times on Pokeon and even heard once or twice on Earth, and even during a special time on Cybertron. He didn't even know what it really translated to in Earth's language.

He kept playing it on the leaf, his eyes closed as he did so. It was rather beautiful, an angelic sound that calmed those who heard it.

The Musha kept it up for another fifteen minutes before the door to the bridge of the _Blue Typhoon_ opened and he stopped suddenly, hearing a familiar voice he knew well.

"You okay?" a female voice asked.

"Yes. I'm fine, Mai," the Musha warlord responded, turning to face the speaker.

A woman with long blonde hair and light purple eyes stood beside the door, her lithe body clothed in a Kaxian flight suit that revealed her curves nicely. Her Duel Disk was strapped to her left arm and on her right thigh was a holster for an Earth-built Guardian laser pistol. Mai Valentine, Kax's best female duelist, smiled.

"Good. Because there's something you ought to know," Mai said.

"What would that be?" Kibaomaru asked.

"We've liberated a concentration camp full of Mushas. They're leaving to Ark even as we speak," she said.

That got him. His Gunsoul literally skipped a beat and he looked at her. "Are you serious?"

Mai nodded. "Yes. One of them, a female, was in bad condition when we found her, but she'll make a full recovery. In fact, she's being transported back to Earth even as we speak."

"What…" Kibaomaru gulped, feeling his Gunsoul in his throat. "What…does she look like?"

Mai scoffed. "What does she look like? She's got blue and light green armor, a silver Gunsoul, and her eyes are a pretty green color. Why?"

The Musha warlord felt his body literally go weak at the mention of the female's description. He slumped to his knees, unable to believe that she was still alive. He kept his gaze locked onto Mai's eyes. "Is…is she…all right?" he asked softly.

"She is. She's being brought to Earth Command. She needs medical treatment for her injuries. She's been wounded in…" As Mai listed the injuries, he didn't even hear her, due to the relief of being able to see his sister again. It had swamped him, and he just kept murmuring a single phrase over and over. "Thank Primus she's alive…"

Mai raised an eyebrow. "I take it you know her?"

He nodded. "Yes. She's my sister."

The woman's face softened. "Oh. I…I didn't know you had a sister."

"I do, however. Her name is Makinaomaru," Kibaomaru said.

Mai smiled. "Well, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again."

"I hope so," Kibaomaru murmured.

Mai watched him as he walked off. She understood where he was coming from. She had been very happy to even see her old friend Joey Wheeler after the Unicron Wars, especially since he was now deployed into the Eastern Sector of the organization's boundary defenses.

"Kibaomaru…"


	66. Operation Federation Liberation! Part 3

Chapter 3

The invasion was already well into the second day as the Federation leader paced the war room, her entire body tense as she glanced at the communications console not too far from the central command console. In front of her was a map of the entire invasion currently in progress, each division marked by a small symbol and their name. Off to the left side was the coordination officer's console, her hand clasped to her headset as she snapped out invasion orders to the whole Federation Army, save for the Navy and Marines who had been ordered to remain in the Federation. The right side was taken up by a massive glowing table that showed the layout of a few camps and their positions in relation to the latest invasion team approaching them. Below her feet was the massive Federation sigil, glowing faintly in the dim lighting of the room.

"How's it coming?" she asked.

"Well, the message is being composed right now, but the real status of the operation is still in the preparations stage," the communications officer reported.

President Warren nodded. "Okay. Do you have what the message will say planned out?"

"Yes. I do. It will inform the Dark Axis generals of the operation, but we won't say when it will be carried out," he said.

"Good. And do you have a fake date set?" she asked.

"Yeah. We'll send it so that way it will inform them that it will be in four days, when it will really be in two days," the man replied with a nod.

She smiled. "All right. As soon as the message is sent, inform me."

"Will do." The officer turned back and resumed typing on his console. Satisfied that the operation was under way, she turned back to speak to the officers standing around the chart table, their faces illuminated by the blue light.

"Okay. What's the status on the major invasion plans for the base camps?" President Warren asked.

The General of the Federation Army, a big bear of a man named Yuji Po glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "So far the main bulk of the forces are going for the doors and breaking them down. A few of the smaller camps have been taken by us using behind the back sneak attacks, going in from behind and taking the camps. Two used star drillers to invade and overcome them with overwhelming force. Similar to the old blitzkrieg style used by the Nazis back in World War II," he said.

"And it's worked?" President Warren asked, stunned that the style of fighting from the past enemy had been incorporated into modern day warfare.

"And more," the General agreed. "It's helped us when we unleashed it on them in the most unexpected ways they knew of."

"What about the air force?" the female President asked.

The General of the Air Force, a woman of British heritage named Lady Serine Thatcher, turned to face her leader and spoke. "The Federation Air Force has launched a bombing campaign on a few other camps surrounding a base camp. With any luck, we'll have it under Federation control this time tomorrow."

"What about the operation's status?" President Warren inquired.

"That's still in the preparation stage. But, given enough time, we'll have the necessary planes and star carriers in position for the operation in two days," Lady Thatcher reported.

"Good." Then she turned to face the Commander of the Space Forces, a Reploid named Searcher Hong. "What about the star carriers? Are all the planes stowed aboard?"

He nodded. "Yes. But we're still in the process of getting them fueled and armed for the operation."

"Okay."

Then Searcher glanced at her, seriousness on his face. "Just one question."

"Go ahead," President Warren said.

"Why pull off something similar to what you humans did in World War II? Didn't you vow to never experience this again?" Searcher asked.

The President solemnly nodded. "We did. But we made it so this way we _humans_ wouldn't experience it. But we're seeing it on a whole new level, so we need to pull this off. And we need to use whatever tactics were used in the war and whatever tactics we possess," she explained.

"Oh." Searcher grew silent.

"So that's why we're doing this. Any other questions?" the President asked softly.

The Space Force Commander shook his head. "No."

"Then I assume we're clear as to the operation's date?" President Warren asked her assembled commanders.

"Yes," they all said.

"Okay. Meeting dismissed."

She turned and walked back over to the communications console. The officer glanced at her, but didn't stop typing. He had to get it done before the deadline, and fast.

* * *

_In the Medical University…_

The first thing she heard was a faint voice speaking. She struggled to open her eyes, but discovered they were offline.

Then a burst of static filled her audios before a voice reached her. "…okay? Hey, are you okay?"

She moved her head, hoping that she was nodding. The voice sighed. "That's good. Now, just hold still. I'm gonna try to bring your eyes online. It may a bit disorienting, but that should fade shortly."

A hand began probing on her head before something sparked. Her vision became static before the static faded to reveal a blurry face slowly becoming clearer.

When her vision had cleared, she could see that the Musha above her wasn't a Musha at all, but a creature she could only describe as being a human. His eyes were kind and caring, but she sensed a strange hardness in them at the same time. She guessed him to be a former assassin or soldier, but since she couldn't talk, she could only make guesses until her vocals were back online.

The human seemed to sense her inability to talk, for he smiled at her and spoke. "And don't worry. Your vocals are still online. It will just take a little time for them to come back to full power."

She nodded, feeling relief flooding her systems.

He glanced back for a moment before turning to speak to her again. "By the way, my name's Xenphyr. I'm the head medic here at the Medical University. And as for where you are, that's simple: Earth Command, the headquarters of the Intergalactic Federation."

She was surprised that he seemed to know the answers to her unheard questions. Could he read minds?

He laughed. "No. I can't. I can take a guess as to why, but the reason I know this is because we've encountered this multiple times here. And I used to be an assassin, so I still know how to read someone's emotions through their eyes."

She tried to speak and let out a small yelp instead.

Xenphyr smiled. "Looks like your vocals are back up to full power."

"Yes. And…what happened exactly? How'd I wind up here?" she asked.

The former assassin sighed before kneeling down beside her. "What's the last thing you can recall?" he asked.

She grew thoughtful before speaking. "Well, the last thing I recall is being beaten by Zakos and tormented. Then there was this loud explosion and these strange vehicles on treads came in, guns blasting beams of light at the Zakos. They fell in huge numbers before a new kind of vehicle came in, drilling right through the center of the camp and these soldiers began herding us into a transport and then…everything went black. Next thing I know, I woke up here."

Xenphyr sighed. "That…that was the invasion force."

Her eyes widened and she sat up abruptly. "Invasion force? Someone invaded the camp and brought us someplace else to be tortured?" she asked, scared now.

Xenphyr placed a gentle but firm hand on her shoulders and pushed her down gently. "No. No one here would even think about torture, extortion, or even being inhumane. There's a reason why the invasion force attacked: to get you the best medical treatment possible," he said reassuringly.

She looked at him in confusion.

"And for the record, it was us that sent that invasion force to the camp where you were being held. The President ordered it to be carried out and so far, things are going accordingly," the medic replied. "The reason we brought you here was to help you get better and the major reason that this kind of invasion is being carried out is because we're going to try to disrupt their labor force and end this kind of inhumane treatment."

"So…" Her voice trailed off.

"You're safe now," Xenphyr said softly, a smile on his tanned features.

"Thank goodness…" she murmured.

"And there's someone here to see you," he said.

"Huh? A visitor?" She cocked an invisible eyebrow.

Xenphyr nodded. "Yeah. He said he wants to see you. You think you're up for it?"

She nodded. "Okay…"

"Oh. Before I let him in, what's your name? Xenphyr asked.

"It's Makinaomaru. But you can call me Maki if you want," she said.

"Okay, Maki. I'll leave you alone with your visitor. But if you need anything, just punch that button right beside your bed," Xenphyr said, pointing to a blue-golden switch beside her bed. "I'll run right back, okay?"

She nodded.

"All right, Maki. Just don't take too long." With that, Xenphyr opened the door and a Musha Gundam stepped into the room.

Maki gasped. She hadn't seen a Musha like this before in all her life. And yet…there was something…_familiar_…about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The medic smiled and stepped out of the room, closing it softly behind him.

"Um…Hi…" Maki struggled to say.

The Musha glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before he spoke. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.

She nodded. "Yes…thanks to Xenphyr." Then she paused. "And the invasion force."

"That's good," the male Musha murmured.

"Is it true he used to be an assassin?" she asked.

"Yes, from what I've heard. And he used to be a damn good one, too," he said.

"But…he seems so caring…" Maki's voice trailed off.

"That's because he's worked for a real cause: peace," the Musha told her.

"Oh."

"But enough about that. What about you? Are your wounds hurting?" Clearly the Musha was concerned for her.

"A little," Maki replied. Then she suddenly smiled. "I'm Makinaomaru. But if you want, you can just call me Maki."

"…" The Musha was silent as he looked at her before closing his eyes. "You…you have the same name…as my sister," he murmured.

"Oh. Is that bad?" she asked.

"No. It's just that…she was captured…when the Dark Axis first attacked Ark all those years ago." The Musha's shoulders shook as he began to cry.

"Oh…I'm sorry," Maki said.

"No. It's okay. I've learned to deal with it," he said.

"No, you haven't. Would you like to talk about it?" the femme asked.

"Not right now. Besides, you need to rest," the Musha said. Clearly he didn't want to talk at the moment.

"I'm feeling well enough to talk," Maki said stubbornly.

"Okay." The Musha sat down in the chair not too far from her.

"Just what is your name?" she asked.

"I'd…rather not say right now," the Musha whispered softly.

"Oh…Well, then, what rank are you?" Maki asked.

That got his attention. The Musha looked over at Maki. "Huh?"

"What rank are you? Clearly you look like you're a samurai," Maki said.

"That's my rank in the Emperor's army," the Musha explained.

"Wow…" Maki's voice fell silent. Here was a powerful warrior, and he was concerned about her. Who was he?

"I joined right after you were captured," he said.

She blinked her eyes in surprise. "What? What are you talking about? I don't even know you," she said.

The Musha suddenly clasped a hand to his mouthpiece before coughing. "Sorry."

Maki looked at him before she spoke again. "You know, for some reason, you remind me of someone," she pointed out.

"I do?" The male Gundam blinked.

"Yes. You remind me of my youngest brother," Maki replied. "His name…was…" She choked back a sob. "His name was Kibaomaru."

The Musha seemed to tense at this. He glanced at her, now a bit…nervous.

"What…what do you remember about him?" he asked.

"Well, he was always very sickly and frail. He got sick quite often and usually with life threatening diseases. But aside from that, he always put everyone else's safety before his own health," Maki explained.

"I remember…" the Musha murmured.

Maki nodded. "Yes. He…wait. What?" She blinked her eyes in confusion.

"N-nothing!" the lightning Musha stammered, suddenly waving his hands.

"Oh. Anyway, as I was saying, he once stood up to a couple of bullies for me when he was only five years old. He took a punch right to the face and he was knocked offline for a week straight. Our family thought he wasn't going to make it…" Maki murmured. Then she giggled. "But I do recall that he got knocked right into Stinky. He let off a good fart and…those bullies were sick for a few weeks after!"

"I remember," the Musha said with a laugh.

"Uh…" Maki stared at him. A bird chirped as it flew by behind her head.

"N-nothing!" the Musha stammered, sweatdropping.

"Anyway, we thought that little Kiba wasn't going to make it. And…we were afraid that he had died," Maki whispered sadly.

"Why?" the Musha asked.

"That's just how we were. Plus, Kibaomaru was always pretty frail for a little Musha. His armor didn't even fit him right," Maki giggled. She could still recall how tiny he looked in his armor.

"I bet," her companion murmured.

"By the way, why did you say that you remember Kibaomaru? You weren't there…were you?" Maki asked at that point, her voice soft.

The Musha gulped before fidgeting. "Well, actually, I was. I…I saw that incident," he said softly.

"Then…you could've stopped it?" Maki asked.

"No. I was just a young Musha at that time," he said.

"Oh. Well, then do you recall hearing about that accident on the cliffs as our father was bringing me and my brothers to town?" Maki asked her guest.

The Musha nodded. "Yes. I remember that well. That was when bandits attacked, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. They jumped our wagon and captured our father. But…no one even knew that the bandits were really Dark Axis soldiers coming to obtain new prisoners for their concentration camps."

"…" The Gundam was silent as he observed her closely. She could feel his gaze on her and she shivered, but she continued speaking to her visitor.

"The bandits attacked our wagon and forced it to come to a stop. A few landed in front of us and spooked the horses. Our father tried to calm them, but it was no use. They reared up and the wagon tilted. My little brother fell off the wagon and down the cliff right into a stream below. I can still hear his cries even now…" Maki sobbed slightly as she recalled the screams of her youngest brother.

"Did…do you know if…if he survived?" the Musha asked uncertainly.

She shook her head no. "No. I don't. In fact, right after the bandits attacked, they grabbed me and took me to their camp. I never heard anything since. For all I know he could be dead somewhere in Ark, his body slowly rusting away."

Her companion was silent, but she could see that he was no doubt concerned for her. And had she had the ability to read minds, she would have learned that he was indeed the one Gundam she thought lost…

* * *

_Back in Earth Command Center…_

The message was now finally finished. The President previewed the small screen, the writing clearly visible. She smiled.

"That's perfect. Now all we have to do is somehow get it to them," she said.

One of the officers sitting at the console in front of her glanced back out of his seat. "I have an idea," he said. "Why don't you give it to me and I'll encrypt it in a code that they'll be sure to break."

President Warren eyed him critically. "Encode it?"

The cryptographer nodded. "Yes. The Dark Axis has been trying to break our codes for a while now, but they can't. So why not leak this message to them through a code that they _can_ break?" He smiled. "This way, they'll get it and think that they've broken our codes."

"What will be the purpose of that?" the female President asked.

The man kept smiling. "Even if that officer of theirs, Madnug or whatever his name is, figures out the real date, then the other two will be convinced that it's actually the date that the operation will take place. From what we've seen in the battles we've been in, all five generals, or in this case, all _three_, have to agree unanimously on the current operation or project in order for it to be carried out. So if they argue, then they won't be able to agree on a plan of action to counter the operation. That alone will give us some extra time to fully prepare and equip the forces needed to carry it out!" he exclaimed.

Realization dawned in her eyes and she slowly began to grin. "Oh, I get it now! If they argue about what day we're going to launch it, then that will slow them down and divide up the generals, giving us a little extra time, depending on how long the division in their unity lasts! I like it!" she said, her grin becoming wider.

"I'm glad you do," the code expert said.

She nodded. "Good idea. Your pay has just doubled. Not to mention that your weapon will be upgraded."

"Thanks, President Warren," he said.

She turned back to the Generals and held out the message. "This is what it will say."

General Po took it and scanned it thoroughly, his eyes taking in every word and number in the message. He looked up and handed it back to her. "I have to say, this is a very good message, but what if all three see through it?" he asked skeptically.

"They won't. I made sure of that," the comm officer said, turning back to face them. "I ran it through a simulation and a mental test run, and I almost convinced myself of the false date. It's good. Really good."

Lady Thatcher plucked it out of the President's hands and read through it. A smile appeared on her face. "Forget good. This is a masterwork!" she exclaimed. "Where did you learn how to do this?"

The comm officer blushed. "Well, I studied communications at Earth's Cyber Technical Institute out of London," he said softly.

"Enough. Let me see it," Searcher said. He took it from Lady Thatcher and his eyes quickly scanned it.

"Nice. No one would ever disbelieve something as good as this," he said. He handed it back to the President. "Certainly not Shibaomaru or Shift. Both aren't as intelligent as Madnug, so they'll fall for it. And I must say this is way beyond master work. It's top notch."

"Thanks," the officer blushed.

"Okay. So you all agree?" President Warren asked.

"Yes," all three Generals replied.

"Good. Jenson, you can begin the encoding process."

"Right!" He turned and began to work.

* * *

_Back at Medical University…_

Maki blinked as the Musha glanced around, as if he were searching for something. "Something the matter?" she asked.

"N-no. I'm…just thinking, that's all," he said.

"About what?" Maki asked.

"About my own sister." The Musha's voice was soft as he said those words. "How…she used to always look out for me."

"Oh."

For a moment silence filled the area between them before it was broken by Maki again.

"Just why did you want to stop by to see me?" she inquired.

"Because…" For a long moment, he was quiet, fidgeting nervously, but then he continued to speak, slowly becoming more confident. "Because I wanted to see you again."

"Wait. Again? How can that be?" Maki asked. "I don't even know who you are!"

The Musha sighed and reached into a hidden compartment in his armor. "Maybe this will help," he said. He pulled out a mysterious object concealed by his hand. Maki blinked in mild surprise before he uncurled his fingers, exposing a small pendant inscribed with the word _hope_ in ancient Arkian symbols.

Her eyes widened slightly as she recognized the pendant she had given to her youngest brother. "That…where did you get that?" she whispered.

"I kept it all this time, Maki," the Musha murmured.

"What? You…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at the male Gundam before her. Come to think of it, he did sort of resemble Kibaomaru in a way, but she couldn't be sure. And yet, he had that feeling around him. "How…?"

The Musha closed his eyes. "I never really expected to find you here, recently rescued from a camp," he whispered.

Her eyes widened. "Wait…" Could it be? After all these years? Hesitantly she reached out towards her visitor.

The male Musha shifted uncomfortably before she lowered her hand. "Wait. How can I be sure that it's really you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Maybe this will convince you," he murmured. He reached into a small compartment on his armor and removed the small artificial leaf. He pressed it to his mouthpiece and began to play the song. His eyes slipped closed and he leaned against the wall, the soft, angelic melody of _Araseon_ filling the room.

Maki's eyes suddenly widened as she recognized that song. "Is…is that…is that…The Forgotten Song?" she asked, her voice suddenly soft.

The Musha didn't hear her; he was too busy playing the song, the whistles filling the silence in the room. As he continued to play it, she suddenly felt tears pricking at her eyes, threatening to fall and strike the soft cloth of the bed sheets.

It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. It sounded…angelic…rather than the strained version she had heard played by an Arkian priest before he had died. The sound was perfect, as were the notes. Each sound mixed, and created the most miraculous song to date. She slowly raised her hands to her mouthpiece, shocked at how lovely the sound was.

Just before he reached the end, however, he put his heart and soul into the music, blending with the already angelic sounds to make something much more heavenly. This music…was just perfect.

The song continued on for another fifteen minutes, the Musha repeating the first and third parts again and mixing it up. She then gasped as she recognized the full version of the Forgotten Song. She now recalled something else, something she had once given her youngest brother.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_What is this?" young Kibaomaru asked, his big brown eyes glancing down at the small leaf he held in his hands._

_Maki smiled softly. "That, Kibaomaru, is a special leaf Mother made for me when I set out to become a priestess. She said that I could use it to play the Forgotten Song."_

"_Then…" Little Kibaomaru's head looked down at it before he glanced up into the green eyes of his oldest sibling. "…why are you giving it to me?"_

"_Because I can't really play the song on that leaf," Maki admitted._

"_And you think I can?" Kibaomaru asked._

"_Yes. I know you can. I heard you whistling it once. It was just so beautiful. That's why I'm giving you the leaf. Try learning to play the Forgotten Song on it. I'm sure it will become even more beautiful," she murmured._

"_But…what if the other Mushas find out?" her brother asked, suddenly embarrassed._

"_Don't worry. You can do it. And if you're so concerned, just practice at the old palace," she said, pointing towards the old Nakamura palace._

"_Okay…" Little Kibaomaru stuffed the leaf down the front of his armor, which hung loosely on his thin chest._

"_I wouldn't keep it there," Maki cautioned. "C'mere."_

_She pulled her little brother closer and removed the leaf from his chest armor. She grabbed a section of his forearm armor and pried it open to reveal a small compartment. Maki placed the leaf inside and closed it. Kibaomaru stared at the spot before looking at his sister again. _"_There. No one will know, except for me."_

_He rubbed the spot nervously before smiling shyly. "Thanks…" he whispered._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

The Musha finished the song and opened his eyes, removing the leaf from his mouthpiece. "Now do you remember?" he asked.

"K…K…Kibaomaru?" Maki's voice was nothing mor than a mere whisper as she looked at the Musha before her. "Is that really you?"

He stepped closer, placing his strong arms around her smaller frame. "Yes. It's me," he whispered.

She threw her arms around him and began to cry into his chest, feeling the strong beat of his Gunsoul against her own.

It just seemed impossible, but he was really alive and well, even after all those years. Her shoulders shook as she cried, her brother comforting her. It was not a dream, but rather reality.

After all these years, he was finally back.

* * *

_Back in Earth Command Center…_

President Warren glanced at the screen showing the next plan of attack for one of the camps. But this was no ordinary camp. This was the main camp where they carried out all extermination of prisoners of war and other beings that were considered useless slave labor. She could see the location of the gas chambers, the shooting range, the factories where prisoners were forced to produce countless amounts of weapons for the Dark Axis, the barracks, the command center, and other buildings dedicated to the extermination or experimentation of the beings at this camp. Her eyes narrowed and shimmered as tears pricked at them.

This place…was the Pit and beyond. Countless lives being killed, exterminated, and terminated…it was horrific.

"President Warren?"

"Huh?" She turned from the screen to face the VP of the organization. "What is it, Jacob?"

He shifted before he handed the report he held in his hand to her. "This. It just came in the mail. It was sent from the officer in charge of the operation."

She took it and read it over.

_President Warren:_

_This is the commander in charge of Operation PH. Things are going smoothly and are nearing completion. In a few hours, the preparations will be completed. We just need to await the signal and we will be good to go._

_Lieutenant Mason Brooke_


	67. Operation Federation Liberation! Part 4

Chapter 4

The entire command center was in chaos as Zakos scurried around, carrying memos, plans, and commands to and from their destinations. A few others stood off to the side repairing a heavy-duty assault rifle, while three were loading a newly repaired mortar gun with a few heavy shells. The front of the room was a big screen displaying the enemy and the camps that had been taken from their side and freed. Each camp was denoted with a big black X in its place; those that were still in their control were marked by a small Zako head. The left side of the room was given over to weapons repair and arming; the right side was filled with consoles displaying radar screens and tactical information on the Federation. The back wall was blank, save for a big Dark Axis ensign on the center, two doors on each side of the symbol. In the center of the room stood the three remaining generals, each one with a look of loathing and hate in their eyes.

Gerbera stood off to the side, his newly repaired body hidden by the shadows. This was one thing he did not wish his comrades to see; it was to be his secret mission.

Shift hovered behind the other Gundam, his eyes darkened by hate and Shibaomaru sat in the central control console, his eyes locked onto the approaching Zako.

"What is it?" he snapped.

The poor Zako shuddered, its optical lens darting about frantically. "Z-z-z-zako! I h-have some very i-important news," it stammered.

"And what would that be?" Gerbera asked softly.

The Zako began sweating bullets as it held out the report in a shaky hand. "Z-zako. W-we managed to d-d-decode their messages, and this i-is what we picked up, zako!"

"Wait. How could thee manage to penetrate their codes? They are unbreakable!" Shift exclaimed. He glanced at Gerbera. "You said so yourself!"

"Merely a lucky break," Gerbera purred.

"Well, then let's see what this Zako was able to bring us," Shibaomaru whispered. He reached down and plucked the report out of the smaller robot's hand.

The Musha Gundam then placed the screen on the central console and plugged in a set of numbers. A small green beam scanned it and the massive monitor on the forward facing wall flared, showing the message.

"So…they plan to bomb us in three days…" Shift murmured.

"Yes. But…when? And where?" Shibaomaru mused.

"Hold on. How can we be sure that this message is genuine?" Gerbera asked. "I have seen their ways, and they are shrewd at hiding their intentions from us. Especially with messages like this."

"How can you have seen their ways if you were not an undercover agent?" Shibaomaru inquired.

"I studied them while I was being repaired. I had a Zako send me some data from their previous fights. It turns out that they make no effort to hide their battles. In fact, they are very proud of their accomplishments for someone so weak," the former SDG member replied.

"Then, when do _you_ think they will launch their invasion?" Shift asked suspiciously.

"In a day's time. They have been known to launch surprise attacks earlier than the dates they usually specified," Gerbera said confidently.

"I doubt that," Shibaomaru snapped.

"What? You doubt me?" Gerbera yelled.

"Yes!" Shibaomaru growled.

"As do I!" Shift hissed. "There is no way that your claim can be true! In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that thou art in collaboration with the enemy!"

"What?! Me? Working with those miserable organics? Not likely! The chances of that are point zero two percent!" Gerbera screamed.

Of course, due to their arguing and squabbling, they failed to notice a small probe skittering off into the depths of the base before cloaking. A Zako marched by, unaware of the small drone. With no real strategy, the little machine had to wing it, coming up with last minute tactics based on the situation at hand.

Data poured into its processors and a plan was formulated in seconds. Emerging from stealth, the small machine scurried up the wall, blending with the drab metal gray of the corridor walls and becoming almost invisible. Its four legs moved in tandem with the small electrical currents it was picking up in the wiring beneath its small current sensors, following the pulsing current until it reached a designated location for a miniature spacebridge to open.

Right on cue, the small gateway opened and the probe scurried in, the little gate closing afterwards, leaving no trace that the Federation had been there. A Zako glanced up, a small sweatdrop running down the side of its head. "Zako…"

* * *

_Back at Earth Command…_

President Warren smirked as the probe emerged from the portable generator they had installed recently in the main war room. A technician stepped close and held it out. "Judging from what we've seen in using this probe, we were able to determine that the message was indeed received and—"

Seto cut her off. "No scientific blabber. Just get to the point."

The technician blushed, but she kept speaking. "Um…okay. As I was saying, it looks like they got the message, but they're now arguing over whether or not it's real. Gerbera apparently figured it out, but the other two don't believe him. They accused him of being a traitor and working with us."

She glanced at the President. "This was not part of the plan."

President Warren nodded, suddenly growing serious. "Yeah. I didn't expect them to accuse him of working with us. But if all goes well, we'll be good to launch the operation in 24 hours."

"I sure hope so," the techie replied.

As luck would have it, the message to get the go ahead to move into position was received a few second later.

The beeping of the comm caught her attention and she spun to face the console. "Patch it through!" she snapped.

"Right!" The officer at the console punched a few buttons and the screen gave way to show the face of Lieutenant Mason Brooke.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" President Warren asked.

"_Everything's ready,_" Brooke said.

"What?" Those two words were a shocker. Everything needed for the operation…was ready ahead of schedule?

"_We just need to get the green light,_" he told her.

"Hold on. Let's make sure we got everything covered. Planes?" President Warren asked.

"_Check._"

"Missiles?" President Warren asked, suddenly grabbing a list lying on a nearby table.

"_Check._"

"Fuel tanks full?" She looked up from the list.

"_Check._"

"Lasers charged?" She ran a finger down it, trying to understand if it was really ready to go.

"_Check._"

"Guns loaded?" She pressed a button and up came the specs for the operation.

"_Check._"

"Crews suited up?" The President let the list float in front of her and she turned to check the planned date.

"_Check._"

"Comms working?" President Warren returned her gaze to the list and placed a hand on it, grabbing it and pulling it close as she checked things off.

"_Check._"

"Star carriers topped off?" The last part was crucial. If it was set, then the operation was good to go.

"_Check._"

"…" Her voice fell silent for a moment. It _was_ true. Everything was ready for the operation.

"Okay. You have the green light. But wait until the signal is given!" she snapped.

"_Right! Brooke out!_"

The screen shut down. As it shut down, the leader turned to face the others. "So, now that that's taken care of, does anyone have any questions about the coming op?"

No one raised their hands. President Warren nodded in approval. "Okay. Then in twenty-four hours, we begin the operation."

With that, she left the war room, satisfied about the possible outcome of the operation.

* * *

_A day later…_

The entire hunching form that was the Dark Axis main camp bustled with activity, the occupants unaware of the oncoming force that would soon rain death and destruction down onto the guards and enemy soldiers below it. This would soon be a marked turning point in the war, a serious disruption of every bit of their labor force, and a potential mistake in falling for the message that had been purposely leaked.

Six massive silvery craft, each built to resemble an aircraft carrier to a much larger scale, silently drifted towards the camp, hidden by radar dampeners that were located along the hulls and the bridges. The engines were equipped with ventilators, venting the exhaust out the sides rather than the rear, further concealing them from view. On the decks of these massive craft were rows of starfighters and bombers, the first of the two waves to attack the camp's defenses.

It was a brilliant operation, one taken from the Second World War and incorporated into the modern day era through the use of star carriers. The surprise attack of December 7, 1941 had left many American human military fighters dead and wounded, about half the fleet's battleships damaged, and one sunk. So successful was the surprise that it had been decided to copy this tactic and use it against the Dark Axis in an attempt to show them how resilient the humans and other races in the organization were.

This was the operation that had drawn the United States into World War II, the very operation that had sealed their fate as the strongest nation on the planet. The very operation that had ended the Japanese military expansion and the very operation that brought a sleeping giant out of slumber, awakening a beast of incredible and underestimated military, civilian, and economic might. The very operation that had cost the Axis powers their chance at victory.

This was…

Operation Pearl Harbor!

The first planes were beginning to be armed and loaded with the bombs that were to be used in the bombing campaign. The crews ran for the planes and the pilots scrambled out of the interior of the star carriers. Voices were heard over the comm links as the canopies slid shut, sealing their occupants inside. Cockpits hissed shut, the fighter pilots getting their oxygen masks on over their noses and mouths. Pre-flight checklists were carried out and the planes' wings were unfolded for takeoff. The lines were disconnected and a few crew members dashed off the runways to make room for the attacking forces.

The first plane took off in a loud roar of sound and fire, smoke curling from its wings and engines, propelling it forward at an incredible speed. The operation had begun!

* * *

**The first few** hours were blissful and silent, the enemy unaware of the incoming doom and destruction. Beings carried on their normal lives, their slave lives, that is. No one even bothered to consider the incoming bombing force, over 2500 strong. It was only a few hours out, and the time at which it began would mark the biggest Federation victory in the whole time they had been fighting the war.

Gerbera paced angrily in his office, still frustrated at why his own team thought him to be with the enemy. It was hard to believe that they even considered him an ally of those filthy organic weaklings. He didn't even see how it was possible for them to have such a powerful advantage over the Dark Axis. And since the generators were now online, it seemed to him that this invasion was in reality a doomed effort to try and remove the slaves from Dark Axis control.

What really puzzled him was why they would even do it. Was it because they really wanted the Dark Axis to be set back on their goals? Or was it because of something more? This whole fiasco seemed ridiculous to him. They had only a 5.67 percent chance of successfully stopping the generators, and that was a very difficult task because they were located within the basement of the camp's command center. It would take nothing short of a full bombing raid to destroy them.

A shiver ran through his body as he recognized the real danger they were in. The bombing raid…what if it was all a plan to do two things at once? Free the slaves _and_ destroy the generators at the same time? The mere thought made him shudder. What if it was actually _him_ who had miscalculated? If so, where did he go wrong?

He spent the next three hours going over his calculations, and in doing so, he made the biggest mistake of his life. This would cost him dearly. It would cost him his position and his teammates. For when the first plane sped overhead, it was the signal of his downfall…and his eventual defeat.

_VRMMMMMMMMMM!_

The engine of the first bomber raced as it sped low, the wind rushing over its wings. The pilot peered out through her targeting scope, the crosshair lining up with the desired target. It took only a minute for the pilot to press the button. That single moment…was the beginning of the end.

The bomb bay doors opened and out fell three bombs, each one guided by a laser scope to a specific target. The fins on each one adjusted the angle of impact and shortly after, three fantastic explosions went off, each releasing smoke that curled skyward…and set off Dark Axis panics. The Zakos began to realize that something was wrong, and when they saw the smoke, they realized that they were being bombed.

Twenty Zakos ran for the guns around the camp, intent on shooting down the bomber force, but it was not to be. A single bomb fell right in front of the cluster, startling them before it blew, throwing the charred Zako bodies in every direction before the flames were spread by a low flying starfighter. The craft released its own bomb payload, the six bombs striking the guard barracks.

During the bombing, planes and starfighters kept flying over in small squads, releasing their cargo of bombs and mines. The explosions caused huge clouds of smoke to curl outward, crawling around the debris of the tanks and snaking up into the sky, obscuring the view of the twin moons of darkness. Flames licked at buildings, their light making the whole camp seem like it was situated within the depths of the Pits itself. The prisoners were herded into the mines by Zakos that tried to follow, but a few starfighters broke off from the bombing runs and streaked down towards the mine entrances, their lasers blasting out their fury and rage at such inhumane treatment of living thinking beings that held their own free will. The explosions caused a cascade of rubble and rocks to fall in front of the entrances, effectively sealing the mines off from the Dark Axis Zakos. Smoke hid the remainder of the bombers from view before larger shapes streaked out, letting loose one laser blast after another. It was to be total destruction of the camp's defenses, command center, and guard barracks.

The first wave was ending as the fighters sped back to their ships, only to be relieved by the second wave. The second wave was much more destructive than the first wave had been. And there was good reason for this: there was one plane among them that carried a special weapon. This plane was surrounded by thirty-six military starfighters: six in front, six in back, six on the left and right, six above and below it. Such a formation was meant to protect, and this was another reason why they had sealed off the mine entrances. Again, as in the first wave, the destruction was great, and a large portion of the camp was aflame as a few fighters buzzed the exterior defenses, blasting them and turning them into melted slag. A few even dropped frag-bombs down into a guard hut, resulting in an explosion of shells, shards of glass, fragments of metal within the grenade, and shrapnel from a few other weapons that had blown.

Finally, as the conclusion to Operation Pearl Harbor, the thirty-six military starfighters split off from the plane and the aircraft darted upward to gain maximum altitude. The weapon stowed within would kill many of the remaining guards, but if they had calculated right, then the aftershock would disperse the remaining radiation waves. Both wings flared, the plane dove down before leveling off and circling for the drop. The bomb bay doors opened, revealing a specially built bomb inscribed with the Cybertronian characters for the word _dreams can be achieved_. This weapon was code-named "Dream Blast", and there was good reason for it: this weapon was the last in Earth's atomic-based arsenal, the atomic bomb.

As the plane flew lower, the bomb was released. It fell straight out of the clamps towards the camp based below, a slight whistle accompanying its descent. Now, even though it was old and outdated by most standards, it had been decided to combine Operation Pearl Harbor with the operation that dropped the atomic bombs in World War II. And the choice was the right one.

The bomb struck.

The flash that followed lasted only an instant, but it was more than enough for the task. The shockwave came next. Any remains were torn up or fused together, and the radiation spread out in a huge dome shape before the final explosion took place. They had struck true with the command center. The final explosion was far more powerful than what they had originally calculated, and as a result, the radiation spread outwards away from the camp much faster than thought possible. The smoke, a slight greenish hue to it, was blown in all directions, but mostly upwards rather than out. A mushroom cloud did form, but then it spread outwards like a pair of wings, white-greenish wings. Now that was a new miracle.

The aftermath was even worse. Not one building was left standing, save for the prisoners' barracks, the hanger bay, the hospital, and the mine entrances. Tanks were nothing more than burning hulks, starfighters and aircraft were scorched beyond recognition, and cars were tossed over by the explosions. Shattered glass littered the ground, rebar was scattered around, and the bodies of countless Zakos were illuminated in the fires that raged near the fuel tanks, now shattered hulks themselves. Only one or two squads had survived, but they were now disarmed and unable to carry out any effective resistance. Even the perimeter guns were destroyed, now hanging pieces of molten metal and fused wires.

A few prisoners hadn't made it during the bombing, but the majority had. So when the first prisoner stepped out of the mines, the first thing he saw was the sight of six massive star carriers coming in for a landing around the camp's exits. He called out to the other prisoners within the mine, and they swarmed out for the first time since being imprisoned. A few females ducked back inside, but for the most part, they remained with their male partners, some holding youth in their arms.

The ramp of the first star carrier lowered and out stepped the man in command of the mission. He saluted the first being he saw, and the male returned the salute rather weakly, but with a grin on his face, all six eyes alight in hope. It was then that the Federation knew it had been a success.

* * *

_Deep within the basement of the camp's command center…_

The smoke curled upward from the countless control consoles that had been the signal for the generators. Debris and rubble had fallen upon them, breaking and damaging them beyond repair. Only one or two wires sparked faintly, but not enough to show that the consoles could be repaired. It had been total destruction of the consoles for their only means of destroying the Federation, and now they had lost it.

Lieutenant Mason Brooke eyed the consoles for a long moment before sighing. "Well, at least the bombing took them out," he murmured.

One of his aides nodded. "Yeah. Who knew they were stashed down here?"

"I have to hand it to them. They're smart," Brooke said.

"Still, with that many generators, it's a wonder the black holes didn't fully form." The lieutenant swept his gaze over the destroyed generators. It was hard to believe that catastrophe had been avoided, especially by the atomic bomb. By targeting the command center, they had prevented a deadly tragedy in their home universe, and maybe even countless others as well. Who could tell? One could never tell in war.

Even now, things still seemed hard to predict. There was no real way to tell how the war would turn out, especially now that the reality behind the Dark Axis had come to light entirely. No turning back, backing out, or quitting. No way to draw back to the way things had once been. There was just no way. Both the unpredictability of the Dark Axis war and the new revelations of their own might had drawn them into a fight that was impossible to back out of. There was just no way they could. Their fate had been sealed.

A war against an unknown entity of the Dark Axis…and the possibility of the Superior Dragon under Dark Axis command…

These two factors had condemned all of existence to destruction. Such a war was now inevitable, meaning that no one could hold back. It was time to draw the lines of war and choose a side. The rest of the universe had to make a choice or else die caught in the crossfire. It was time to choose…and stick with the choice…

To the very end.

* * *

_Back at Earth Command…_

"…" Silence filled the war room as the footage from the bombing came back, showing mostly destroyed guard buildings and devastated facilities for the prisoners, save for the hospital.

Prisoners were being brought out of the mines and shown the Federation ships. Federation soldiers were cutting their shackles using the one method they knew how: energon knives and laser daggers. The marks left behind by them would fade over time. The uniforms were stripped from their malnourished bodies and they were ushered on board the star carriers, where they were immediately brought into the medical bays, their young being the main priority. Medical officers carried the offspring to tables where they were sedated, needles filled with solutions inserted into their arms, pumping vital fluids and vitamins back into their starving bodies, saline being the key one for the organics, energon for the more energy-based beings. A few beings tried to object, but the officers pushed them back, focusing only on their work.

Once most of the medical bays were filled, they turned their attention to the adult beings. Food and liquid were dispersed out along with clean uniforms for them to wear. A few, however, rejected and tried to resist, forcing Federation soldiers to put them under for a few hours. Once that was done, they were brought back to the hanger decks and were treated for their malnutrition, resulting in them vomiting it up and dying afterwards. Most began to get a sense of their freedom coming back, and they began to actually smile. A few were shocked at what they had done, and one even began to cry while laughing.

The sight of that was more than enough.

Wild cheering broke out amongst the entire military staff of the highest command in the organization. People laughed and slapped each other on the back, some people hugged, and two women even kissed General Po on both cheeks, making him blink in amazement. A couple men slapped the President and gave her a high five while one woman saluted. The happiness filling the room was more than enough to make President Warren smile as well.

They had done it.

But even more good news was to come shortly after.

The comm beeped, catching her attention. She grabbed the comm and opened the link to Lieutenant Brooke. "Report, soldier."

"_The operation went well, President Warren. All the beings we freed from the mines are being treated for their malnutrition and are being treated for their injuries medically,_" he said.

"What about the bomb? Did you use it?" she asked.

Brooke nodded. "_Yeah. We did._"

"Were there any fatalities?" President Warren inquired.

"_Only on the Dark Axis side. No prisoners got hit by it. They were all sealed within the mines just like we planned. The aftershock forced the rest of the nuclear radiation skyward, so there are no problems down here,_" he grinned.

"Good. What else? I assume you're contacting me because something big happened, right?" President Warren remarked.

"_Yeah. You know those black hole generators they built?_" Brooke told her.

"Yes. Why?" President Warren cocked an eyebrow.

"_Well, there was an unexpected side effect from the nuke we used,_" Brooke replied, his grin growing into a full smile.

"What?" President Warren asked.

"_We bombed the generators, destroying the consoles used to control them. In effect, we shut down their operations for Operation Collapse. No way are they using those things again,_" the lieutenant said.

Disbelief etched itself on the President's features. "Are you serious?" she breathed.

"_Positive. There's no chance of it succeeding now. That nuke was way more powerful than we anticipated, blowing those generators to bits. And…get this. The smoke formed a pair of wings. Angel wings,_" Brooke said.

"No way…" she murmured.

"_It's true. We even have the footage,_" Brooke said.

"I don't need to see the footage. I think I get the idea. But how did you guys know that the generators were down there?" she asked, puzzled.

"_That's the thing. We didn't. It shocked us just as much as you. This was an unexpected bonus, so we thought we'd let you know._" Then he grew serious. "_With any luck, the black holes in the beginning stages of formation are closing up, I hope._"

President Warren glanced back at her military staff, wondering if what he said was true. The satellite monitoring officer looked over her shoulder and smiled. "He's right. The holes are closing up, so there are no fatalities or unnecessary loss of life."

The sense of pride and hope intensified, boosting Federation morale. They had done it again.

"What about the other camps? Have they mounted any attempt to regain control?" she asked.

"_No. From what I've seen, they've basically abandoned the main camp. I think they've got a few others scattered throughout their home dimension. It might take us years to map the place out, so who knows?_" Brooke shrugged.

"Well, good job, Brooke. You served the organization well, and this leader is very proud of you. So, as a result, I'm promoting you to commander and leaving you in charge of the camp you just overthrew," President Warren said.

Brooke's face brightened. "_Thanks._"

"No problem, soldier."

With that, the comm shut down, showing only the blue background of the screen before it vanished. She turned back to the leaders and military planners for the organization's armed forces. "Phase Two has been completed. Operation Pearl Harbor was a success, and the camp is freed. Phase Three will take place a week later. Until then, rest up and get some relaxation time in. But keep your skills sharp. All of you. It's hardly begun, and we're going in to back up Phase Three. Got it?"

The soldiers and staff there nodded and saluted. This was the first time the entire military staff was being brought along on an invasion operation, but it would also mark a new era in universal invasion tactics. They just didn't know it at the time.

* * *

_Deep within the universe…_

A set of red eyes flitted over to the screen and back to the report held in one hand. The report talked about how the invasion was commencing and the screen showed the progress itself. The person sitting in the chair could have been described as a man in his late twenties, being a Marine, and having chosen to spend time outdoors. But he was not.

In fact, he was much, much more than a mere mortal man. The man here was the only one out of the HEAVEN Corps to be chosen to monitor this section of the universes, primarily Earthspace.

Vulcan Varos, Chief of the Heaven's Defense Corps, was twenty–five Earth years of age in appearance, but in reality, he was as old as time itself. He was five foot eleven with a shock of bright red hair and intense blood red eyes. His skin was tan from spending countless eons outside and he had a powerful build, as evident of the stretching jumpsuit straining against his bulging muscles.

His specialty, as was typical of all GODs, or Generals of Defense, was based around the elements and a skill. His was metalworking and fire. His signature move was the Fire Sword, a blade made out of metal that was enveloped in the flames of his rage and hatred towards his enemies. His temper made him a bit of a threat to both the other Generals and their enemies, but it was because of his clever thinking that he was even a General to begin with.

HEAVEN wasn't like what everyone thought it was. There were no clouds with angels flitting about dressed in white robes and playing harps. There were no gates with little cupids on top of them ready to open. No little old man stood ready to admit entrance to the cloudy paradise. No great man of timeless wisdom gave them eternal bliss.

True there were angels, but they were really called the Angels. They didn't have halos over their heads, nor did they wear robes and play harps. They didn't even have the short stubby angel wings of lore. Instead, they wore battle armor and their wingspans were as long as two park benches put side by side. The halos were replaced by battle helmets and highly advanced guns were in place of the harps.

Then there was the Battle Force Brigades, the guards and armed forces of the Heaven's Defense Corps. These groups took the place of the little old man that admitted the souls of the dead to HEAVEN, preferring to guide them to the central command center, United Command. If anyone tried to launch an attack, the BFB drove them back and sent them to the major prisons in the HELL or Holding Energy Liaisons Library.

No old man of timeless wisdom presided here. It was run by the Supreme Leader. He had elected to have his name removed in favor of a more anonymous title. The Leader made the choices, but the people of HEAVEN elected him to be commander-in-chief of this realm, making him the strongest being out there. He didn't have the ability to create worlds at will, nor did he have the power to send souls to endless torture like the legends of old said. He had the ability to grant permission to actually create new universes through scientific methods rather than through willpower.

The process for creating a new universe utilized a method that was used in the mortal world. Using a particle accelerator, they smashed atoms together, but then they sent it out into the void beyond their world, thus creating a new explosion which grew and took form. They then tuned each universe to a different frequency, creating a dimensional barrier around it. This was a very simple process, but then the real work began. Worlds had to be named, life forms had to be given free will, religions set up, and potential adversaries picked for each universe. So it was a very time consuming process…and very expensive to boot.

By doing so, however, they wanted to see if it was possible to create a new universe free from war and strife. So far, however, the experiments had failed.

Furthermore, there were no gates that admitted the souls of the dead. Instead, they went through a selection process that was similar to getting screened. The soul's accomplishments, life, and past were all cross examined with another's, and if they were both of good deeds, then they were admitted. If not, they were sent through to a second room where they were checked for any fanatical ideals. If they had none, they were allowed in, but under surveillance for three eons, eons being the time units in HEAVEN.

Rather than clouds like others predicted, the place looked a lot like Earth, but endless. Each GOD had his or her own bases to overlook, usually ranging from one to over a thousand. It was such an organization that made this place so unique. Finally, there was another difference from the legends of old, a difference that tied it into Earthspace.

In the center of United Command was a massive reactor, but not a nuclear reactor. Instead, it stood as tall as a three story house and was as wide as a three car garage, if not a little wider. The sides and top were pure metal, a shining silver color. The top was adorned with a massive satellite dish that sent out radiation from this core and into the homes and businesses of this world. The center of the reactor was pure white, the whitest possible, and the hottest temperature possible in HEAVEN. This massive generator was called the Heaven's Core, and it was the most powerful reactor in all of existence. Such power was to only be controlled by the GODs and the Leader himself. This was the only weapon far greater than that of the Superior Dragon itself.

However, in spite of the equality and freedom that the beings of HEAVEN had, there was a counter to this: the DEVILS, or Devastation Intelligence Squad, a former branch of the Heaven Intelligence Bureau. They had broken away from the Bureau when they were discovered to have been abusing and torturing the innocent souls that came through to them. Since then, they had retreated into the darkness and were never seen again…until today.

And this was what Vulcan had feared. The General placed the report down on his desk and leaned back in his chair, placing his booted feet up on the desk's surface. He stuffed the end of his lightpen into his mouth, chewing on it.

"Feh. Hard to believe that these guys are such a threat to the might of the Dark Axis…" he muttered. He closed his eyes. "Sure is strange for them to have this kind of power. Must be luck."

But something told him otherwise. In fact, that something was actually some_one_.

"Hey! Vulcan!" The slight male General of Defense came running up to him, his chest heaving as he skidded to a stop, his light tan hair falling about his handsome features, his sky blue eyes shining with excitement.

"What is it, Hermes?" Vulcan snapped to the man.

Hermes Hura reached into his uniform and pulled out a small data screen, his hand shaking as he did so. "This just came through. Hades sent it to me."

'_Hades…clever bastard._' Vulcan thought to himself. Hades Hotai was the leader of the Cerberus Corps, a special intelligence gathering division of the HIB that sent spies to the DEVILS to gather information about their activities.

"Tell him that I'm grateful. What kind of plans did he just send?" Vulcan asked.

"Some kind of contraption to seize and control the Superior Dragon. He wants you to analyze it and see if there's any way to take it offline without disrupting the mortal worlds we're still studying," Hermes said.

Vulcan nodded. "Okay. I will. And tell him thanks."

The man nodded. He turned and flexed the mechanical winglets on his boots before firing up the thrusters. He darted off, weaving in between some of the other workers in the building. Vulcan closed the office doors and leaned back in his chair once again.

"Might as well get started," he murmured.

But before he could, he shifted the screen back to show Earthspace. He selected the lead world of the organization currently in combat against the Dark Axis and chose to monitor the leading hospital in that region: the Medical University.

The screen zoomed in through the window to show a Musha Gundam from Arcroa, the one called Kibaomaru. He was with another, more feminine Musha, one who was probably his sister. The two were talking, and Vulcan scowled.

"Don't see why the boss wants him to be admitted when the time comes. He's done more bad than good in his lifetime. Seems like a waste of time and money to me," he scoffed.

But then again, he seemed to be redeeming himself. And it showed in his actions. His actions of fighting against an incredibly powerful foe, and helping them to win. Vulcan huffed. If this was what things were going to come to, he might as well quit. Maybe become a mortal and live a normal life. Then again, he despised the experiments, claiming they were a waste of time and money, so he might as well deal with it.

For now…

* * *

**"Impossible! How could** the Intergalactic Federation pull off such a successful operation?!" Shibaomaru cried. "They weren't scheduled to attack until two days later! What happened?"

"Clearly you fell for their deception, which was designed to fool us into thinking that they were going to invade us later than sooner. But I wasn't. I knew that they were coming, but I just didn't know where they were going to attack," Gerbera admitted.

"So, thou did not know that they would strike the main camp?" Shift purred.

"No. I did not. Such an assault was not considered possible at the time, but I guess I underestimated their knack for warfare," Shibaomaru said.

"It is because of their human allies," Shift said.

"Huh?" The other two generals looked at him. "How so?" asked Shibaomaru.

"The humans of Earth are unusually destructive, so I can take a guess that they have had millennia of warfare, meaning that they are the first and foremost the most dangerous species out there," the demon mage replied.

"I didn't think that _you_ would be the one to give such a conclusion, Shift," Gerbera remarked.

"The fights I have fought in against them have proven that possible, and remember we have one of them amongst us, so I was able to obtain a little more history on them from him," the demonic Gundam said.

"Oh." The former SDG mech grew serious as he glared at the demon mage. "Even so, you still fell for their ruse, which is what they had counted on."

"Well, then what kind of weapon did they use? Clearly it was of a type of bomb we aren't aware of," Shibaomaru said.

"That was an atomic bomb," Gerbera explained. "It is an incredibly destructive piece of weaponry that most other organizations or nations cannot stand up to. The radiation wave is what makes it so deadly. Anyone or anything caught in the blast is incinerated, except if you have key minerals to block the radiation surges."

"And we have such minerals," Shift said.

"Yes, and that is why the Federation blew the mine entrances to pieces. They used the mineral to shield the prisoners from harm," Gerbera stated.

"So, now what?" Shibaomaru asked.

Gerbera glared at him. "You shall go to their lead world and demand the return of our slaves. If they do not, use Shift's new pet to convince them. And bring the traitor with you."

"Yes, Gerbera." With that, Shibaomaru faded away into the shadows.

Unaware to them, however, someone smirked as a pair of dark grey eyes faded…

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The entire medical university was full to pretty much the maximum. Only a few beings had escaped being malnourished, and that was only those who had recently arrived at the camps before the invasion force had arrived. The majority were being treated, reeducated, and reinstated into their normal lives, as well as a few others getting new jobs. Mostly the femmes and the offspring were being treated for the mental problems of torture and loss of free will.

Xenphyr had his hands full, as did the rest of the staff at the university. Even a few others from the TCDA had volunteered their time to help.

Currently, the only room that was sealed off was that of Makinaomaru, the recently rescued sister of Kibaomaru, the Musha Emperor of Ark. The Musha warlord himself was standing outside the room, a small little Musha standing beside him, his little body almost entirely covered with bandages: his son, Genkimaru.

"Itchy! These bandages are so itchy!" the little Musha complained.

"Be grateful Xenphyr was able to fix your injuries. So don't complain about the bandages," Kibaomaru said.

"But…" Genkimaru was about to protest when his father waved a hand.

"No buts." With that remark, the subject was dropped.

And it was just in time, too. The door slid open and Xenphyr stepped out of the room, wiping his hands on a rag. "You guys came to see her?" he asked.

"Yes," the Musha warlord replied.

The medical engineer glanced into the room. "Well, I guess I can permit it, but she's still very weak. Any longer than a half an hour and you're out, got it?" he said.

The emperor nodded. "Yes. I understand."

"Good. But I'm not so sure if your son should come in with you, considering his own injuries," Xenphyr remarked.

"I have it under control," the warlord said calmly.

Xenphyr nodded in response. "Okay. And remember, only a half an hour. No more." With that, he draped the rag over his shoulder and walked off. Genkimaru turned to watch him as he left, only to blink his brown eyes at a little blue and white form clinging to the back of Xenphyr's lab coat. He raised a hand and was about to call out to the medic when his father snatched him by the arm and literally dragged the poor little Musha into the room with him. "WHAG!"

The door slid shut behind him.

Inside the room, Genkimaru broke away from his father and began to scratch at the bandages, almost like a dog trying to get rid of a persistent flea.

"Itchy! Itchyitchyitchyitchy!" He kept scratching at his back for a few more moments until he felt his father's hand on his arms.

"No, Genkimaru. We can't have you reopening your wounds. Not after Xenphyr healed them for you," Kibaomaru said firmly.

"But, father! They're so itchy!" the little Musha protested.

"No." And with that, Kibaomaru turned and walked off, leaving Genkimaru. The younger Musha scampered after, still attempting to scratch at his bandages, but not too obviously.

Maki glanced up, her eyes locking onto those of her brother as he stepped up closer.

"Kiba!" she yelped. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you are feeling," he murmured.

"I'm feeling better now, thanks to Xenphyr," Maki said as she fingered the sheets.

"That's good to hear," Kibaomaru murmured.

"So, what about you?" Maki asked.

Kibaomaru sighed as he looked at her. "I'm being deployed to aid the invasion force."

Maki's eyes widened in amazement and shock. "You…you can't be serious…" she murmured.

Her brother hung his head, and sighed. "I'm serious. It's necessary. They need all the help they can get, and that includes me."

"Why…Why can't you just stay here?" Tears were forming in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you again!"

Kibaomaru stepped closer, placing a hand on her face. "You won't. The Federation is far stronger than you were led to believe. If I am with them, I will not die that easily. If I do, you'll know I died in caring hands," he whispered.

"Kiba…"

"Trust me. I will be back." With that, he hugged her tightly, and she let herself get lost in his embrace. It was something she didn't want to forget: his strong arms wrapped around her thin frame, the strong beat of his Gunsoul against her own chest, and his deep brown eyes closed as he hugged her.

"I will be back," he murmured softly.

She nodded, hoping to whatever god that had rescued her that he would return.

She hoped with all her heart and soul for the rest of the invasion.

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

"HAAAAAAAAH!" The cry of rage and hatred rang out across the battlefield as Bakunetsumaru let loose his Tenkyouken, the fiery X standing out in the dim light of the home dimension of their hated enemy. It seemed to draw upon the remaining light to become brighter than ever, like it had been carved from the very power of the heavenly fire itself.

The attack slammed into a squadron of Zako commandos, blowing them back and clearing out a small crater in the rock they were fighting upon. The rubble cascading down into the hole threw up dust and debris, concealing from view the rest of the force that had come with.

A Zako cried out its last cry as a bright blue blade slashed its head clean off in a spurt of mech fluid and oil. The body fell limp as Sayla stepped out, her eyes roaming over the battlefield. A sharp crack caused her to spin, the bullet speeding by her body and impacting a second Zako right in the eye.

"Geez! Is this place a death field or what?" Mike quipped from the air as he fired off a laser from his rifle.

"Heads up, Mike! Don't let your guard down!" Guneagle shouted as he barrel-rolled away from a Zako firing a missile at him.

"Right!" Mike barrel rolled to the side, coming back-to-back with the flier. "Okay. One, two, three!"

Both fliers split up, their guns barking in unison and cutting down two Zakos from above.

"Jaden! Now!" Sayla shouted. Jaden's fist began to glow as his brown eyes lit aflame with that fighting fire, his Souk-Drive rotating at maximum power.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" The glowing energy blast slammed into a few Zakos from behind, and one was sent spinning. "ZAKOOOOOO!"

"Nice!" she smiled.

Jaden managed a slight grin beneath his mouthpiece before he was forced to dodge a slash of the blade from someone they knew all too well.

"Shibaomaru!" the entire group cried.

"So, it seems like you have decided to try a futile invasion attempt," the Musha purred, his hand tightening around the large sword at his side. The blade glinted dangerously before he swiped with it, scattering the fighters.

"Everyone! NOW!" Kicker cried.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla ignited her laser sword, slashing as hard as she could. The bright blue shockwave cut a path through the dim light, making it stand out even more.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" Jaden leapt into the center of the shockwave, his fist glowing golden once again.

"SUN MISSILE!" Zane thrust his arm forward, launching his Sun Missiles in a flurry of light and sound.

"SONIC BOOM!" Syrus put his hands together and released a sonic blast that startled Shibaomaru.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker thrust his hands forward as the balls of energy he knew so well fired off the signature beam of his attack.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha called forth her weapons and fired all of them at once, merging them with the other attacks.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. aimed his cannon as it formed around his hand and fired the bright blue-golden light.

"OMEGA BALL!" Bud aimed his hands as the red and blue ball of energy fired from his palms.

"ROCKY MOUNTAIN FASTBALL!" Coby drew back his arm and threw the gray ball filled with cement.

"JUNGLE LASH!" Lori ignited her laser whip and whipped it through the air three times, unleashing green shockwaves that blended with the other attacks.

"BLAZIAN SLASH!" Vega leapt into the air and slashed four times, sending four blue shockwaves into the combination.

"GRENADE BAZOOKA!" T.K. fired off three grenades that exploded and added to the explosive power already contained within the attack.

"AERO SPIN!" Mike transformed to vehicle mode and began to rotate, creating a tornado of wind that merged into the other combined moves, boosting its speed and lethality.

"CHEMICAL EXPLOSION!" Michelle grabbed a grenade and armed it before chucking it into the attacks, causing it to explode and further boost the explosive power.

"GRAVITY DISRUPTION!" Blare held a hand skyward as a ball of gravity formed in her palm. She brought her arm forward, throwing the ball just like a fastball, merging it with the others' moves.

"CAPTAIN PUNCH!" Captain drew back his fist just as his own Soul-Drive activated, lighting his sapphire-blue eyes aflame. He punched as hard as he could, sending the energy blast right into the attacks.

"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!" Zero swiped with his sword, calling forth a burst of wind laced with violet petals. The powerful gust of wind made the speed even greater, boosting its impact force.

"TENKYOUKEN!" Bakunetsumaru slashed with his twin katana, sending a fiery X right into the oncoming attack, making it glow brighter with the red radiance.

"SDG GLUE GUN!" Shute pulled the trigger on his glue gun, sending the green glops of goo into the attack, not that it did any good, really.

"MANA EXPLOSION!" Rele aimed her hands and fired off a red Mana disk that shielded the attack from the front.

"MISSILES FIRE!" Guneagle sped down low and releashed all ten missiles, giving the combination even greater explosive power.

The screen suddenly split to show their faces as they called out their signature combination. "TRI-FORCE LIBERATION!"

The combination attack was much more powerful than when they had faced Cerverau for the first time when he had turned traitor. But even so, Shibaomaru had a secret, one that no one in the Federation knew until now…

"SUPERIOR SLASH!" Shibaomaru slashed as hard as he could with his blade, sending forth a shockwave that collided with the incoming combination move.

The combined powers of the TCDA elite team and the entire Gundam Force were strong, but the Superior Slash was stronger, canceling out the attack after a second's hesitation. And it was then that they realized the truth.

They were doomed.


	68. Operation Federation Liberation! Part 5

Chapter 5

The entire group scattered moments before the attack struck, sending up chunks of rubble and debris from the fighting into the air. The debris rained down, creating more small craters, but not harming them.

Syrus peeped out from behind a bunch of rocks, his gray eyes wide with fright. "Geez! How'd he get so much power?" he yelped.

"Not sure, but STAY DOWN!" Sayla cried. She grasped the boy's blazer and pulled him down just as a second slash came their way, passing over them and ruffling their hair. It barely missed the trench-like formations carved out recently by Kicker's Energizer Slash and T.J.'s Shocker Cannon, but it missed, making everyone sigh in temporary relief.

Shute huddled closer to Captain and glanced at him nervously. "I…I didn't…I guess I didn't realize how often we've been getting into combat," he murmured.

Captain nodded, pulling Shute closer. "I didn't, either. Not until now, anyway. Even our fights against the Dark Axis weren't as destructive as these," the Gundam said softly.

"Well, now you know!" Zane hissed. "And we can't afford to let our guard down now!" The words were barely audible over the explosion as a grenade lobbed by a Zako exploded against the stone barrier they were all huddled behind, sending chips of rock raining down on them. It merely clattered off the armor of the Gundams, but it drew blood from the humans. Small drops of crimson appeared on their bodies where the rock chips had struck them, but nothing too serious.

"But…how can it be so destructive?" Shute whispered. "Back on Neotopia, the Dark Axis Zakos were about half the height of a Gundam."

"Like we said before, things are much different here. Power is amplified, as is strength, speed, and agility. But it also comes with a change in height. So, in reality, your chances of survival have increased," Zane said seriously.

"Hold on. Wouldn't it decrease a Gundam's armor strength?" Rele asked.

"No. In fact, it remains the same in strength, just thinner in terms of thickness. The armor we use is thinner than normal, but it has greater strength and better quality," the older boy explained.

"So…AH!" Shute was pulled down abruptly by the back of his shirt as a large explosion occurred close by.

"Thanks," he murmured, glancing at Captain, who was shielding him with his body.

Captain nodded. "No problem."

It was then and there that Shute noticed something different about his friend. For starters, his body was more human-like in build and proportion rather than merely five feet tall on Neotopia. His armor also fit him a little more comfortably and revealed how strong he actually was. Shute could faintly see how taught Captain's muscle cables were underneath, giving him the look of a well-muscled human male. He let his eyes roam over his friend's form, unable to believe this himself.

He licked his lips before speaking. "Captain…"

"Yes, Shute?" Captain asked.

"You…You're…" Shute's voice trailed off as he struggled to find a way to tell his friend about the changes.

"What?" Captain cocked his head.

"You're taller," Shute said, suddenly feeling embarrassed for letting the words slip out of his mouth like that.

Captain blinked in mild surprise, but then he grabbed Shute and pulled him away. "GET BACK!"

_**FWAOOM!**_

The explosion blew apart part of the barrier and forced the group to split into two teams of ten, one on each side of the hole in the defenses. But, on the one hand, there was now a good thing: the barrier piles had become higher as a result, so now the two teams could stand up and peep out through holes.

As they got to their feet, Captain noticed something different, all right. He actually had to look down slightly in order to make eye contact with Shute. He put a hand on Shute's head before moving it, finding that he was indeed taller than his friend, and by six inches, he figured.

He was surprised at this. How come he hadn't noticed it before?

"I…I am taller," he said softly. "Six inches taller, to be precise."

"Okay, so what? Can't you see we're in the middle of a firefight here?!" Sayla snapped as she propped her gun on the top of the barrier. She squeezed the trigger and a barrage of bullets sped out, stitching a pattern along the ground towards a Zako getting ready to fire off a rocket in their direction. The bullets struck home, making it cry out as the launcher fell, followed shortly after by the body.

"She's right," Guneagle said. "We need to send these guys packing and fast!"

"A lot easier said than done, thank you very much!" Baku snapped, motioning to the many Zakos getting ready for a flanking attack.

"It doesn't matter about those guys! We need to go for the main enemies: the generals!" Kicker said as he hovered off the ground. Meisha and T.J. snatched him and pulled him back just as bullets sped right through the spot where he had been mere seconds before. "ACK!"

"We know that!" Meisha hissed. "But it's going to be much more difficult with those guys blocking our progress!" She peeped out and fired off a shot from her pistol before pulling back.

"So then how are we supposed to get past them? Unleash our combo again?" Syrus replied. "You saw how easily Shibaomaru blasted it to bits with that Superior Slash!"

"Then we'll have to go full force!" Jaden said.

"But that's much easier with Baston here!" Michelle moaned.

"We'll have to do it without him. We need to defeat them if we're to find out where he is!" Vega said seriously.

"Oh. Right." Michelle blushed furiously. "Sorry."

"Sorry's not gonna cut it! We need to figure out how to get past those Zakos!" Guneagle hissed as he fired off his beam rifle before pulling back.

"How though?" Shute asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Maximum power," Coby said grimly, even though his voice could hardly be heard over the sharp reports of the Zakos' submachine guns.

"But without Baston…" Shute fell silent.

"Forget it! We need it and now!" Sayla said as she armed a grenade and threw it at a squad of incoming Zakos. The grenade exploded, forcing the fighters to duck as the shockwave passed overhead.

"But what can we do?" Shute asked.

"You guys must have some kind of secret weapon!" Bud protested as he tossed a shard of metal right through a Zako's optic. The body fell to the ground with a _thud._

"We don't," Zero said sadly.

"That's because you don't have them yet," a familiar voice said.

The group spun, barely avoiding the shockwave from an incoming explosion as it sped between their barriers.

"It's you!" Sayla blurted.

"Yes. And I'm sure you'll recognize me now." The crouching figure reached up and removed the hood of its cloak, exposing a familiar face with a nasty scar…

"Protoform X!?" the group blurted as one.

The Wanderer nodded his head. "Yes."

"So, it was _you_ who brought that information to the President?" Sayla asked.

"Yes. It was, along with a close confident of mine. His name will be told later on. But for now, you must trust me," the Transformer said seriously.

"Why should we?" Baku hissed, his hand going for his swords.

The Wanderer glared at him with shimmering gold optics. "Look. I can bring your strongest weapons and assets here. But in order for me to do so, you must trust me. Otherwise I won't."

"Well, you did bring some very valuable information, so I trust you. But if you try anything sneaky…" Bakunetsumaru let his voice trail off. Protoform X took the basic hint and nodded.

"I understand." He closed his optics and placed both hands on the ground, the symbol of the Autobots flaring into existence before a small hole opened up and closed. "Primus, hear my cry. Bring these fighters their weapons before they die!" he cried.

The golden sigil flared bright blue and merging with the golden light, opening a spacebridge to their respective home worlds, save for Neotopia.

A bright blue-white light flared from inside the bridge, a red light following soon after. The lights came closer and closer to the opening, the blue-white one emerging first. A loud roar was heard as it disintegrated, revealing a beautiful blue and white dragon with bright green optics and a golden V-fin right on its forehead. A glimmering green emerald glinted right in the center of its chest and both wings were a bright white color, almost like angel wings. Rather than four talons as seen on dragons in Earth mythology, this dragon had two talons on each foot. A set of three bright tail feathers with green circles on them stood out.

The dragon swooped down low and opened its mouth, a bright blue-white ball of light forming before firing in a bright blue-white laser of unimaginable power. The beam slammed right into the ground, throwing up debris and dust, blinding the enemy. Everyone else gasped, except for the Gundam Force who cheered out his name in happiness. "FENN!"

Fenn gave a loud roar of greeting before swooping down towards Zero. "Fenn! Now is the time!" he cried.

The dragon roared again before a flash of light emerged from them both. The Earthlings, Blazian, and the two half-breeds watched in amazement as Fenn's body merged with Zero's, forming a new set of armor over his original. A new V-fin was set on Zero's forehead while his cape had been replaced with a set of wings. A new emerald and a set of wing-like vents on either side of it adorned his chest. On either arm was a protective gauntlet, each with a wing-like protrusion. His shoulder pads were now covered with wing-like shoulder guards to complete the transformation. He looked up, his eyes flaring blue-white for the briefest of instances.

"Zero Custom! Knight of Silver Winds!" He cried it out as he flared his wings, feathers blowing outward in all directions.

"All right, Zero!" Shute cheered.

The second ball of light that streaked out came out of the ground, erupting with the force of a geyser, but emitting fire behind it instead of steam and water. Once it reached a good height, a burst of fire came out and erupted out in all directions above. Bakunetsumaru glanced up, his eyes widening as he recognized that light.

"The Bakushin armor…" he murmured.

He felt that familiar flood of power as his shoulder pads, his arm gauntlets, his ankle guards, helmet, waist armor, and jetpack disconnected, flying off in all directions before the armor attached to him. The first thing to attach was the new chest armor. There was a distinct clacking as it attached, along with his new waist armor. A blue gem adorned the armor and held in it the symbol of a flame raging. His new shoulder pads were bigger than his original and held blue gems as well, also with the same design. The phoenix emblem also adorned them, and his arm gauntlets were blue and gold with the same blue gems in the golden parts. His new ankle guards attached to his feet and the jetpack attached to his back before the wings on it moved up to a forty-five degree tilt. The last thing to attach was the new helmet. It settled onto his head and his eyes flared with a familiar fighting fire. The helmet itself held two flame-like extensions on each side, one per side. The outside edge was golden and the interior was red. Two more stuck out from a sapphire-like jewel settled in the middle of the helmet, both bright orange. A red V-fin was also visible behind a dragon-like head set on the top of the helmet of the armor.

Bakunetsumaru had become Bakushinmaru.

"Yeah! We got the Bakushin armor!" Shute cried excitedly.

The spacebridge shimmered gold for a moment before closing up. Protoform X sighed heavily as his systems became overwhelmed with exhaustion.

"Primus…I never thought that that move would take so much out of me…" he murmured.

"Well, you did just open dimensional gateways," Captain said.

Protoform X merely glared at the Gundam before he closed his optics. "I have to go. I need to recharge my powers. If you need me, I will come," he said.

That familiar whine associated with the space-jump came and just like that, in a flash of bright golden light, he was gone.

"C'mon! Let's kick their skidplates already!" Blare cried as she pumped a fist.

The others nodded. "Right. Let's go!" Sayla ordered.

"CHAAAAAAAAARGE!" With a cry, they all leapt out from behind their barriers, their guns and aural attacks blazing away as they fought through the hoard of Zakos to reach the three main generals. Shibaomaru's eyes widened as he noticed that two of them had gotten upgraded. One he recognized as Bakunetsumaru, the other as that knight, Zero.

"Shift! They're coming!" he cried.

"What, do thou think I am dumb?" Shift snapped. He spun before unleashing a new spell at them. "Eat hot death!"

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla's attack dissipated at the touch of the spell, forcing her to dodge the flames.

"Great…just great!" she growled.

"Hey! Incoming!" Kicker cried. Sayla turned and barely dodged a strike from Gerbera. "Hnh!"

"Nice dodge, human!" he purred. Sayla's eyes widened. "What…?" She couldn't believe it. Was it really possible that they had…?

"GET OUTTA THERE!" Zane yelled.

Sayla dodged to the side as Shibaomaru's blade missed her, but barely.

"Now!" Shute cried.

"SUPER SPIRIT MAGIC! INFINITY WINDS!" The powerful gust of Mana combined with Fenn's powers exploded in front of Gerbera, forcing the Dark Axis Gundam back. Sayla glanced at Zero and smiled. "Thanks, Zero! I owe you one!"

The knight smiled in return.

Bakushinmaru, however, was engaged in fighting Shibaomaru, forcing him to dodge each strike the other Musha made. His twin blades collided against the big sword, making him grunt with the effort of holding them off. Shibaomaru grinned.

"Come on, now. You think you can win?" he purred seductively.

Bakushinmaru's eyes narrowed in anger. "So what? You tried to rape me, get me to join through the threat of rape, and you still want me? Forget it! I chose to decline for the honor of Ark. No one in their right mind would join you after seeing this kind of shit!" he spat.

"What? You call us shit?" Shibaomaru said angrily.

"Yes! You treat organics like filth, and you think of yourselves as gods! You have no humanity, no honor, and no soul! No being with any sense would do this! Not even the devil himself!" Bakushinmaru snarled.

"Oh and why do you think that?" the Dark Axis Musha hissed.

"This!" Bakushinmaru spread his arms and held out his swords. The gems on his armor began to glow with bright yellow light, fire racing throughout his body. "Bakkai Tenshou…IGNITE!"

His wings flared open with slight sparkles, the power igniting and spreading out from his body in a massive orb of flaming fury. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Shibaomaru gasped as he dodged to the side, but he was caught in the expanding ball of fire, and he cried out in pain and anger.

The fire spread out in a shockwave as it exploded, scorching a few Zakos as it died down.

As the smoke faded, the light and heat died away, revealing Shibaomaru still standing, but heavily burned with smoke curling from a few scratches inflicted by some shrapnel as the explosion had carved a crater out of the rock as it occurred.

Shibaomaru panted heavily as he stood there using his giant sword as a crutch. He glared at the other Musha, who stood with his wings still flared.

"How did you like that?" he asked.

"You…you may have wounded me, but I still stand!" Shibaomaru cried.

"Not for long," Bakushinmaru whispered. "Not for long."

He gritted his teeth and tensed as Shibaomaru charged at him, his sword drawn back for the strike. Bakushinmaru dodged to the side, barely avoiding the massive blade. He drew back his own swords and slashed, catching the other Musha off guard.

The move forced him to block, and soon, both Mushas were pressing against each other's blades, straining to break through the other's defenses.

Meanwhile, Captain and Gerbera were engaged in their own fight. The former SDG mecha and the Gundam Force commander both had their beam weapons out and as they charged, their V-fins flashed in the light from the V-rods.

"Why are you doing this!?" Captain cried. "Why are you torturing and killing innocent lives!?"

Gerbera cackled evilly as he swung his own sword, both red blades flashing right towards Captain. He crouched and jumped over the blades, kicking Gerbera in the chest with his foot. The evil Gundam staggered back, sneering as he glared at Captain.

"Want to know why, Captain?" he sneered.

"Yes!" Captain snapped, his eyes flashing in righteous anger.

"The reason why we are doing this is to show the universes that the Dark Axis shall not be repressed by any of the laws that they try to set! Especially your universe! It is to show that we will triumph over all organics and all those mecha that fight alongside them in their insignificant dreams of democracy and freedom for all beings! We are much different than organic life forms, and we shall be their masters!" Gerbera cried, his eyes glinting with insanity.

"You've lost it!" Captain blurted.

"No, Captain. I have not lost my mind. I am not mad. I am only fighting for the glory of the Dark Axis!" the former SDG mecha shouted.

"You will not get away with this!" Captain hissed, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Oh, but we already have! Concentration camps. Slavery. These are the very things the Dark Axis likes about humans. They can be cruel to one another at times, and we have copied their skills and tactics into our own, making us stronger! When we studied their most destructive war in history, we were awed and impressed, not to mention angered at how hard the Allies fought against world domination under the National Socialist Workers Party. It was then that we decided to take it to the next level and begin it anew," Gerbera said softly.

"The Nazis!?" Captain's eyes widened in horror. "You took tactics from the NAZIS!?"

"Yes. We have," Gerbera purred.

"YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Captain roared, his eyes suddenly lighting aflame as his Soul-Drive revved up to full power. The golden glow enveloped his body and his flight thrusters flared as two golden wings formed on his back. His right hand became pure golden as he charged at Gerbera, eyes flaring with that familiar fighting fire.

"HYPER CAPTAIN PUNCH!" The attack sped out from his fist, homing in on Gerbera. The Dark Axis mecha dodged to the side, his eyes glinting evilly. "Perfect, Captain. Feel the rage! The hatred! The very fury of your anger against me! Turn it into your weapon! Your power, and your sword! Use it, and defeat me! Show me that you have what it takes to be a Dark Axis warrior!" he cried.

"Never in a million years!" Captain spat.

He dodged Gerbera's next strike—a sword slash to the chest—and countered with a roundhouse to his face.

A blast of Mana whirled by them, and Zero flashed by, his flight Mana propelling him as fast as he could go. Shift flitted on after him, his own Mana gathered about his hands. The demon mage shrieked out his rage and hatred as the other knight cried out in anger at the very ideals that were now being carried out.

Zero spun in midair, his twin Vatras swords slashing through the eternal twilight, their blades glinting as Shift fired off his spell. The spell barely touched the blades.

"SHIFT! YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR DEEDS!" Zero cried.

"I think not!" Shift hissed, his eyes flaring with dark power. "Demon Mana! Come to me and give me your power! Cause the internal darkness in these organics to flower!"

The ball of dark energy formed in his grasp before it floated skyward, its core flashing sinisterly. Every fighter in the TCDA elite team, Shute, Rele, and Guneagle all stopped fighting to watch as the ball began to flash with dark purple energy. Then massive beams of light purple energy shot out and struck them, scanning their bodies and prompting cries of surprise.

"Heheheheheh…HAHAHAHAHAHA! Now, let us see how thou enjoys thy own attack!" he cried.

Sayla, Kicker, Zane, Blare, Syrus, and everyone else tensed as the ground began to warp and distort as the darkness morphed into humanoid shapes, becoming clearer as the seconds ticked by.

Kicker was the first to see that his own ball of darkness had formed into an exact copy of himself, save for the eye color and armor color. The armor on his evil clone was dark gray, deep purple, blood red, and black while the black skintight material was the deepest shade of blue possible. The eye color was dark purple and the Matrix copy was glowing with dark power.

T.J.'s evil self was many shades of gray and white and black, the optics deep purple and the face pure black. Even the Autobot sigil on his chest was dark purple.

Meisha's clone had dark purple eyes and was dressed in a black jumpsuit that showed off her curves nicely. Her hair was bright white and in her hand she held a wicked looking pistol. The starfighter on her belt was white and black, completing her outfit.

Syrus's clone had an evil sneer on his face and his eyes were dark purple, same as the other clones. His hair was dark gray and he wore a black and white uniform, a black blazer over a white T-shirt, black pants, and white shoes. Even the visor was evil looking with twin spikes jutting out from the sides.

Zane's clone had dark red hair and dark purple eyes. He too wore the same uniform as Dark Syrus, but without the visor.

Jaden's clone, however, was much different. His clone was human, not a Gundam. His hair was dark brown with gray on the bangs, and he had dark purple eyes. The same uniform covered his body and dark purple electricity was coursing along his hands.

Sayla's clone was in every way like her, except for the color of her own uniform. It was dark gray with lighter shades of gray and black and white on the camouflage colored pants. The trench coat was dark gray and her hair was dark blonde. Dark purple eyes stared into steel-green eyes beneath a blood-red visor. The gun was also different, for the barrel was replaced with a large spike that fired lasers, not other projectiles. A secondary barrel was available for that.

Blare's clone was dressed in the same uniform as the other clones, and her hair was blood red, complementing her dark purple eyes. Her only other addition was a nasty looking whip in her hand.

Coby's clone was like him as well, save for purple hair with gray streaks on the bangs. Even the uniform was the same, except for the colors.

Lori's clone bore only a skintight jumpsuit, her gray hair falling about her shoulders rather seductively. Her own weapon, a dark purple whip, hung loosely in her hands.

Bud's clone was dressed in samurai armor and held an energy katana in both hands, his dark purple eyes narrowed at his foe.

Vega's clone possessed strong armor and held twin blades in both hands, his teeth bared at the enemy. His own dark purple eyes flashed angrily as he tensed for battle.

Michelle's clone was clothed in a dark gray scientist's outfit, holding a sinister looking rifle in her hands, a sadistic sneer on her pretty face. She looked ready for the attack.

T.K.'s clone held a massive grenade launcher that also doubled as a missile launcher, twin warheads already mounted inside. He was cackling eagerly as he aimed it.

Mike's clone, however, was dark gray, blood red, and deep purple all over. Only a pair of blood red optics gleamed from a dark purple face. On his wings was a dark blue Autobot symbol.

Rele's clone looked exactly like her in every aspect, except for Mana. Dark Mana was gathering about her hands as Rele tensed, her own Mana charged.

Guneagle's clone bore the same colors as he did, but the eyes were dark purple. And the missiles were much deadlier too, he figured.

The real shocker though was Shute's clone. Instead of being a human like the others, his clone was a Gundam. Dark green eyes gazed back at Shute from beneath a dark gray helmet. A dark gold V-fin shimmered lightly, accenting the dark blue portions of his armor. Dark red lines snaked down the arms and black heel wheels stood out on the back of his clone's feet. His clone was an exact copy of Captain Gundam, but evil.

This was what Shift had been planning all along.

* * *

**"This…this is** impossible…" Kicker murmured as he stared at his dark self.

Dark Kicker smirked. "Nothing is impossible when you think about it," he sneered.

Kicker tensed, suddenly forced to dodge to the side as the dark power began to charge in Dark Kicker's hands. He took to the skies, the engines spewing flame as he jetted upwards. He clenched his fist and swung with a punch, but his evil self dodged to the side.

"Come on, Kicker. I am you, and you are I! There is no way for you to win!" Dark Kicker cried, his own fist glowing with dark energy. "DARK MATRIX IMPACT!"

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker roared.

The two attacks collided, forcing an explosion to occur as Sayla barely dodged a swipe from her own clone's laser sword.

She spun in midair and landed on her feet, her gun already in hand. "EAT LASER!" she spat, pulling the trigger. Lasers sped out of the barrel at high speed, the blue glow seeming to be encased in ice as they neared Dark Sayla.

"Hah! Nice try, fool!" Dark Sayla laughed, her own gun barking once, releasing a massive barrage of bullets. Sayla placed one hand down on the ground and spun, her gun now slung over her shoulder again. A hilt of some kind of sword stuck out from under her trench coat and her hand went right for it as she avoided the bullets…

"AURA SLASH!" Sayla whipped the red sword out as it began to glow with light blue energy, unleashing her newest aural move.

"DARKNESS WAVE!" Dark Sayla ignited her own laser sword and slashed, unleashing a dark purple energy wave.

Both attacks exploded against one another, releasing a dark bluish colored smoke, blinding Sayla and her clone. Sayla's visor slid down over her eyes and flashed blue for the briefest of instances, locking onto her opponent's body heat.

She spun, the dark-red sword inlaid with blue gems flashing blue as she came about to face her concealed clone. "AURA SLASH!"

The blue blast of energy tore through the smoke, parting it like a curtain. Her clone dodged to the side, nothing more than a dark gray blur of speed as she avoided the attack.

"Face it, Sayla. You and I are evenly matched! You can't win!" Dark Sayla sneered as she delivered a roundhouse to the original, catching her on the jaw and sending her skidding a good fifteen yards before she rebounded with a handspring.

Off to the side, Shute was staring at his own clone, unable to believe that he was facing a _Gundam_, not a human. Dark Shute smirked, the dark green eyes flashing evilly as he withdrew his V-rods from their respective slots on his back.

"C'mon, Shute," he purred in an exact imitation of Captain's voice.

"You asked for it!" Shute cried. He drew out his glue gun and fired off three shots of the sticky green substance. Dark Shute just flexed his flight thrusters before engaging them, hovering above the globs of glue as they struck the rock below him.

He aimed his V-rods and fired off several lasers at the boy, forcing the human to duck behind some debris. Dark Shute sneered. "Forget it, kid. I can track you from up here, and there is no place you can hide!" he said softly, the green scanner coming down over his eye as he said those words.

Shute gulped and tensed, grabbing a nearby rock and chucking it at the clone. It merely clattered off his armor, doing nothing but annoying him. "Is that all you had?"

Shute said nothing. He had run out of ideas and options. All he could do right now was call him names and insult him until a miracle occurred.

In fact, as Sayla dodged one of her clone's lasers, she went skidding and something small flew out of her trench coat's pocket. The object clattered to the ground near him and he scrambled over, picking it up just seconds before a laser impacted the spot where it had been.

He ducked into one of the trenches, his eyes looking it over. It was a small hexagonal shaped device with the V-fin design of a Gundam on it. He hesitated before he raised his finger to it. What was this thing? Was it some kind of weapon?

Shute suddenly spun at hearing his clone flying at him. His eyes widened in terror and he raised the small object in his hand towards it, as if warding off an evil spirit. He hoped somehow, some_way_, a miracle would occur, enabling him to fight off his clone. No sooner had he thought it than a beam of bright blue light shot forth, scanning Captain's body up and down, while a second beam of light emerged from the device and scanned Guneagle's body up and down as well.

A bright light then erupted from the device, which split into many pieces before they formed around his body, encasing him in a strange material. The material seemed to be melding to his form, altering his body to fit the new armor that was forming in place of his skin. A strange sensation came from his back as wings emerged, and other sensations overcame his consciousness. It was amazing, and it seemed to last for a while before his mind was suddenly flooded with information: how to fly, how to fire missiles, how to scan for enemy targets, etc.

The light faded and Shute found himself lying flat on his back, unseen by the others under the cover of dense smoke that had been thrown up after an explosion. He sat up, rubbing his head, feeling a helmet in place of his hair. He looked down at his body, and sure enough, he saw armor in place of his skin and clothing. He felt a sense of elation in his chest at this point. He could actually now fight!

In short, he had become a Gundam, a combination of both Guneagle and Captain.

His V-fin was the same design as Captain's, but his helmet was colored like Guneagle's. A set of wings emerged from his back and his jetpack, equipped with what he guessed to be energon missiles. His chest armor was mostly black with a blue triangle in the middle going down to the center of his chest and partly onto his shoulder armor. The SDG badge was present on his shoulder pads, like with Captain and he also had a compartment of some kind: he knew that it held his Soul-Drive. His mouthpiece was exactly like Captain's, except instead of two slats, it held three. A pair of heel wheels provided speed over land for him and he also had jet thrusters built into the bottoms of his feet like Guneagle did.

Now he could fight back.

Off to the side, T.J. and his clone were slugging it out with their weapons, each firing their lasers at the other. Both were evenly matched in all aspects, including speed and strength.

Dark T.J. had already powered his Shocker Cannon; it was the same with T.J. It was then that they both fired, shouting out the name of the attack at the same time. "SHOCKER CANNON!"

Two beams—one bright yellow-blue, one dark purple-red—collided with incredible power, releasing a shockwave that caused T.J. to throw up his defense shield mere seconds before it struck. He lowered it, only to get a fist to the jaw as his clone materialized from Stealth Mode. He flipped head over heels before he righted himself and glared at his clone.

It took his clone a mere second to have sped up close, wing blades extended and pointed at his throat. The young mecha dodged to the side, both wings flared to maximum length. The glint of the dark gray blades flashed menacingly as they were swung at him again, but he blocked with his own wing blades.

Clashing rang out as the two fliers sped over Meisha and her own clone. Both were going at it with the power of their own starfighters. Explosion craters marked the area around both females and smoke curled skyward from their guns, dark gray and light blue. Yet, they were not hesitating. Meisha and Dark Meisha put away their guns and charged at full speed, exchanging punches and kicks, each landing a blow to the other.

An explosion rocked the small combat arena as Zane and his clone battled it out with their aural attacks, Zane's Sun Missile canceling out the Twilight Missiles of his clone. Both attacks had been evenly matched, but Zane had hidden away one missile until now. The bright white-yellow light streaked out from behind his body, surprising his clone.

"Take this!" Zane roared.

His clone sneered and raised an arm. "Sorry, kid. Try and dodge this!" he cried.

Seven powerful missiles formed around his clone's body before firing at his lone projectile. "TWILIGHT MISSILE!" he screamed.

"SUN MISSILE! LEVEL 40!" Zane roared.

The lone missile split into over a hundred. Zane smirked. "You were saying?"

"SHIT!" Dark Zane swore loudly as his missiles impacted uselessly against Zane's far more powerful and numerous missiles, causing only two to explode.

The shockwave carried over to where T.K. and his clone's fight, barely missing the grenades that both were firing at each other. It was hard for T.K. to fire his bazooka without being targeted by Dark T.K.'s own bazooka. So he had only two choices: hide or fight. He gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

He peeped out from behind his barrier and aimed his bazooka. He stuffed a grenade in the back and pulled the trigger. It fired with a large bang of sound and energy, the grenade speeding out the barrel propelled by energon gas. The projectile smashed into his clone's location, throwing up smoke and dust.

Dark T.K. popped up and released a single missile from his bazooka. T.K. countered with a Mark II energon grenade. Unlike the standard issue Mark III, MKII energon grenades were able to blow half an infantry force to pieces and still have enough power to blast an entire tank to smithereens. Such power was reserved for emergency uses only, however. And this was one such emergency. T.K. smirked as the grenade exploded against the missile, blowing it to pieces. "Nice try!" he quipped.

Dark T.K. scowled. "You got lucky!"

"I don't think that was luck!" T.K. spat.

The argument was barely heard by Jaden as he dodged an aural blast from his own clone. He gripped his beam saber and ignited the golden blade just as the attack struck the ground behind him.

"Hold still!" Dark Jaden snarled.

Jaden dodged again, his Soul-Drive now racing in his chest. He landed on his feet and turned, firing off several rounds from his head-mounted guns as he did so. "EAT THIS!" he bellowed.

Dark Jaden was caught off guard as the bullets slammed into his aura guard, hastily erected at the last minute. The explosion blew smoke in all directions, concealing him from view. Jaden switched his vision to infrared, and he smirked as he saw his clone's body heat. "I've got you now!" he said.

Dark Jaden raised a hand and screamed to the heavens. "DARKNESS ELECTRIC SRTIKE!"

The blast barely missed him, but it caught the attention of Coby, distracting him from his own fight. "AGH!"

The force of the punch knocked him back a good fifteen feet before he sat up, a bit of blood dribbling down his chin. Dark Coby sneered as Coby wiped the blood away from his mouth. "Okay! You asked for it!" Coby screamed. He ran at his clone, his fist drawn back for the punch.

Dark Coby dodged the punch and lashed out with a kick, but Coby reacted faster than he thought possible. He gripped his clone's foot and, in a karate sweep, brought his foot behind and knocked his clone's feet out from under him while simultaneously pushing against Dark Coby's shoulder. The force knocked him to the ground.

The least expected move was what caught Coby off guard. Dark Coby brought his feet up and kicked Coby in the chest, forcing the air out of his lungs and knocking him to the ground as well. He rolled to the side before Dark Coby could grasp his neck in between his legs. The move saved his life, but barely.

Dark Syrus snarled as he watched that move out of the corner of his eye, leaving him vulnerable to an attack from Syrus. "SONIC BOOM!"

The attack exploded against Dark Syrus and threw him five meters before he staggered to his feet, anger and hatred reflected in his eyes. "DARKNESS BOOM!"

"SONIC WAVE!" Syrus screamed.

Both attacks impacted, releasing a shockwave that ruffled Dark Bud's hair. Bud was holding a makeshift sword of rock, blood running down one of his arms, staining the white sleeves of his uniform red.

Dark Bud sneered as he swung his katana downward in a slashing motion. "OMEGA SLASH!" Bud yelped as he ducked into one of the trenches. Without an attack like that, there was no way he could impact his clone. Or was there?

Finally, an idea formed in his mind and he scrambled out of his trench. Desperately, he tossed aside his sword and thrust his hand forward, the red and blue energy beginning to form his signature move.

"TAKE THIS! OMEGA BALL!" Bud cried.

The blue and red orb of energy fired from his outstretched hands and sped right towards Dark Bud. The attack shattered the Omega Slash, catching him off guard. "What? No!"

An explosion threw up dust that concealed Dark Lori from view as Lori lashed out with her whip. "JUNGLE LASH!"

"Hah! You can't even see me!" Dark Lori crowed. "DARKNESS WHIP!"

Lori dodged the darkness-coated whip, barely avoiding the tip as it nipped at where she had been mere seconds before. With a cry, she lashed out with her own green whip. "JUNGLE LASH!"

The green energy whip swished through the mist, striking flesh and drawing blood as Dark Lori cried out. "AH!"

The smoke faded, revealing Dark Lori standing there, holding her whip in one hand, her left arm clutched tightly as dark purple blood ran down the sleeve of her jumpsuit. "Why you little wench!" she hissed.

"That is a serious insult!" Lori snapped. She gripped her whip and it began to shine a brighter green. "You take that back! JUNGLE LASH!"

"I will not! DARKNESS WHIP!" Dark Lori hissed.

Both whips clashed and sparks were thrown off them both, illuminating the rock beneath the combatants.

A few sparks flew by Dark Mike's face, shining their meager light onto his face, exposing a sneer. Mike stood a few feet away, his own optics narrowed.

"C'mon," Dark Mike purred. "This shouldn't be so hard. Defeating pathetic scum like you."

Mike gritted his teeth as he engaged his engines and hovered off the ground. "Take that back!" he snarled in a low voice.

"Heh. Looks like that got you," Dark Mike muttered. He also hovered off the ground. "DARKNESS WIND!"

"AERO SPIN!"

Both mechas transformed into their vehicle modes and streaked at one another, dark energy spinning around one and the air funneling around the other. Mike's attack struck first, dissipating the Darkness Spin before it even fully formed.

He spun and did a 180-degree flip before diving downward and pulling up, again rotating at incredible speeds. "MACH 1 IMPACT!"

Mike slammed head on into his clone, throwing him off balance and forcing him into a spin that sent him down towards the ground.

Dark Mike impacted the ground not too far from Blare and her clone, both fighting it out with their gravity auras. Blare had somehow managed to disable Dark Blare's Gravity Crusher, rendering her unable to create a temporary black hole. And this proved to be a godsend to them.

Blare snarled as she fired off a Gravity Well at Dark Blare, pinning her to the ground. "Hah! You wanted pressure, now you got it!" Blare quipped.

"I don't think so, girl! GRAVITY CANCELLATION!" Blare gasped as her clone's attack dissipated the Gravity Well pinning her.

"I…I…That was my strongest move…" she murmured.

"I guess I'm stronger after all," Dark Blare purred huskily.

"No you are not! GRAVITY SUSPENSION ZONE ACTIVATE!" Blare screamed.

Dark Blare yelped as she felt the gravity around her fade, leaving her suspended in the air. Blare had created a zero-g bubble around her, effectively trapping her and rendering her gravity aura useless.

"Now how do you like that?" Blare asked, a smirk on her face.

Dark Blare sneered. She shouted something unheard in the bubble before it burst, letting her land on her feet rather gently. "Gravity Cancellation. Works on all gravity attacks," she said casually.

Blare's swearing reached both Michelle and her own clone as they both armed grenades. Michelle had already pulled the pin and tossed it just before Dark Michelle could. The grenade held a combination sulfur and energon, releasing an explosive gas that could blow with a match.

Michelle gripped a match and lit it, tossing it into the gas before ducking behind a nearby rock.

The explosion that occurred was powerful, but not enough to cancel out the next one, an explosion that blew the gas away.

Dark Michelle held a broken vial in her hand and she grinned. "Nice try."

"That's where you're wrong," Michelle said softly. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a packet that contained energon paste. She tore it open and dumped the paste onto the ground before dropping a match close to it. She turned and ran before ducking into a trench just as Dark Michelle tossed a fire-retardant foam onto the paste.

This earned a smirk from Dark Vega as Vega countered a slash with his laser daggers.

"Good block," Dark Vega muttered. "But not good enough to block this!" He brought up his foot and kicked Vega in the stomach. "A-HUH!" Vega coughed as he staggered back, holding his stomach.

"Pathetic," Dark Vega murmured.

"Oh…yeah? Well…think again!" Vega rasped. "BLAZIAN SLASH!" He jumped up, spinning and slashing with all four blades on his body. Dark Vega sneered evilly. "DARKNESS SLASH!"

Both sets of attacks exploded in the air and forced both back a few feet. Only Vega remained standing entirely, but barely. He was doubled over, panting heavily while Dark Vega was on his hands and knees. Both were getting tired, as was everyone else. They had to finish this and quick.

Above the fighters, Dark Guneagle and Guneagle were going at it. Both fliers had used up their missiles and were now trading punches and kicks in midair with slashes from their beam sabers in between. Guneagle was running low on fuel while his clone, he realized, was not. Were they even really their opposites at all, or just creations of Shift's?

This question also pondered Rele's mind as she dodged a blast of Dark Mana from her own clone. She ducked behind a rock and flattened herself against it, waiting fearfully for her clone to pass by. "Oh, Rele? Why don't you come out and play?" she asked seductively.

A few minutes passed before everyone else regrouped, their clones left either nursing wounds or trying to search them out.

Mike glanced over his shoulder, panting heavily as energon sweat ran down his face. "Geez. How long does it take for us to defeat these guys?" he rasped.

"I…I'm not sure…but…we…we have to do something or else…we…we won't win this fight," Blare murmured softly.

"I think maybe I can help," Protoform X said. The group turned and gasped.

"What…what are you doing here?" Shute gasped. By now the strange device he had used had returned to its original form, and it was battered, but still intact. He held it in his hand, sort of concealing it.

Protoform X noticed this and slightly narrowed his optics, but refused to say anything about it right now.

"I brought someone who can help you out," he said. He parted his cloak, which had been drawn to his body, exposing a battered Baston, but he was definitely alive…and angry.

"Baston?!" The collective murmur was etched with amazement and disbelief.

The Wanderer nodded as Baston stepped forward. "You don't know how happy I am to see you guys!" he murmured, wrapping his arms around his friends as they hugged him back.

"How'd you rescue him?" Shute asked, looking at the Wanderer with relief on his face.

"It took a while, but I managed to release him from his bonds and sort of heal his wounds with Primus's power. Had I not arrived when I did, you all might be dead by now," Protoform X replied.

"Thanks," Sayla murmured.

The Wanderer nodded before he turned and prepared to leave. As the energy from the space-jump built up, he spoke to them. "I suggest you guys finish off this group of clones and their allies before it's too late. They also happen to have someone else here, and it just so happens that it's Scourge, or as he calls himself now, Deathstorm. He'll be the one in the center of the attack. Good luck."

In an instant, he was gone.

"So, shall we?" Bakushinmaru asked.

"Yes. Let's finish this!" Jaden agreed.

Everyone else nodded as the clones, Shift, Gerbera, and Shibaomaru gathered around. In the distance, all could hear the cries of Deathstorm, a signal as to the fight to come.

"Heh. Looks like our comrade Deathstorm hath arrived," Shift purred.

"And now it is time to finish you pathetic scum!" Gerbera hissed.

Shibaomaru smirked evilly. "And end your invasion attempts!"

"I doubt it this time!" Sayla hissed.

"And why do you say that, human?" Deathstorm snarled.

She smirked. "You may be surprised to see one of your captives freed." As she said those words, Baston stepped forward, surprising the generals, all right. They gasped in amazement and it was then that the real reason for the invasion struck home.

Of course, no one even considered the unexpected event occurring on Earth at that very moment…

* * *

_Back on Earth at the TCDA…_

The 17th Division was awaiting the orders to move out as they stood near the spacebridge, but as they waited, a few glanced over at the _Titanic_ every now and then, questions regarding her being in the service flitting around in their minds.

No one even bothered to stare long enough at her, and if they had, then they would have seen an unfamiliar light flitting about the bridge, a light that had been following the liner ever since her resurrection.

This small light darted into the open bridge windows, floating about the room, as if searching for something important. It hovered around, looking for the central control console. Finally, the orb of light flared as it spotted the console. It drifted over and slowly floated down towards the console, as if about to touch it. Instead of making contact, however, the orb began to pass _through_ the metal, merging with the controls, wires, and circuits that made up the very heart of the ship. A small flash emitted from the console as screens lit up.

Then, sensations began to flood as the small orb, a fractional amount of Primus' power, took root and merged with the structure, slowly becoming awareness. Awareness grew to curiosity as the intelligence came online.

Intense curiosity overcame the new intelligence. Questions flooded its thoughts. '_Where am I?_' the intelligence wondered.

From what little could be seen, the intelligence determined that it was at a dock. But, what kind of a dock was it? The sight of the water led to the intelligence to conclude that it was at a ship dock right in a lake of some kind, with a cluster of buildings located close by. The intelligence determined further by the students in uniforms that it was some kind of a school. But if it was a school, then why were there armed soldiers on the campus?

The sight of an aircraft carrier docked nearby led to the intelligence's conclusion that this school must be government funded. '_So that explains the soldiers…_' the intelligence thought.

More questions surfaced in the intelligence's mind, questions regarding its existence. How had it come to be? And what was _it_ exactly? Was it male or female? And what was _its_ name?

The intelligence strained to hear, and it perked up at the sounds of two soldiers talking on the nearby dock.

"…wonder if it was a good idea to put this old thing in the service," one soldier was saying to his comrade.

"Ah, c'mon, John. The President knows what she's doing when it comes to this," the second soldier replied, slapping his buddy on the back.

"I don't know, Dan. Something tells me that the old girl isn't meant for this kind of service. She was originally a cruise liner," the soldier named John said.

"True, but she's proven her worth in battle," Dan said with a grin.

The intelligence wondered if they were referring to it, or rather, _her_. A silent laugh emitted from the intelligence. '_Heh. At least I know I'm female, now._'

"But why the _Titanic_? Why not another ship?" John asked.

"It's because of that very fact! She sank on April 15, 1912 and took 1500 souls with her. She is a reminder of the fact that we humans were too arrogant for our own good. She served as a monument to those lost at sea, as well as humanity's flaws. We learned from her over the years, and we still do learn. Even now," Dan said.

Her thoughts perked up at the name John had said. 'Titanic_…_' she thought to herself. '_Is that my name?_'

The soldiers began to leave, and she pondered what they had said.

'Titanic…_ that name somehow fits…_' Memories then surfaced in her mind. The calm waters parting before her bow, the intense pain as the iceberg gashed her side, the rush of the icy cold water flooding into her compartments, the cries of all those souls lost…

The pain as she slipped beneath the sea, the intense emotional pain of not knowing her sister ships, the sadness of not completing her maiden voyage, the anger at her owner for the recklessness he had exhibited. The rage at her own arrogance and the grief at becoming a graveyard for all those souls lost. The love she had felt for her dad as he had gone down with her. Her love for her crew, and her sisters, even in death. The pain of losing it all on that one fateful journey to America.

Then more current memories flooded her mind, memories of a battle at sea that had changed the course of a current conflict. She remembered the sensation of being controlled by that damned control horn, and the liberation that had overcome her.

She also remembered other memories over the years.

'Titanic_… That name…is _my_ name. My name is Titanic,_' she thought to herself.


	69. Operation Federation Liberation! Part 6

Chapter 6

Xenphyr glanced around as he ducked into his office, his arms loaded with files and papers. He shut the door behind him with some difficulty, but he managed. He walked over to his desk and dumped the files and papers on the top and stretched his arms over his head. Then he sat down, suddenly reaching behind him and groping for something.

He smiled when his hand made contact with a little foot. "Gotcha!"

A small chirp was heard as a small Gundam not much older than five years of age was plucked from his back. The Gundam had bright blue eyes on an extremely light blue eye screen, and his chest was adorned with a green gem that also served as a shield for the Soul-Drive in his chest. His chest armor was blue and he had shoulder pads that had a red edge on them. The majority of his little body was white, save for part of his feet and his V-fin. He lacked a mouthpiece at this age, so his mouth was visible as Xenphyr held him by his jetpack.

"So _that's_ where you were!" Xenphyr remarked, tickling the little Gundam on his stomach. A slight giggle escaped his young lips and the medic grinned. He just tickled the young mecha's sides and the little guy burst out laughing, his little hands clutching his stomach.

Xenphyr scooped him up, prompting a little yelp from the young Gundam.

Both nuzzled cheeks, laughing as they did so. This little Gundam was the very reason he often worked in his office.

His last mission before he had been hired by the Medical University as their head medical technician was to assassinate a corrupt political leader who had been threatening the public of his home city with mass killings, executions, beatings, rape, and torture. The reason for his mission had been to free the beings from oppression and help the rebels establish a new government. The mission had gone smoothly and he had been prepared to leave the following day. But something had told him to stay behind for one more day. It had been that morning five years ago that he had found a pair of Gundams, one male and one female, lying dead in the middle of the street, the black mecha fluid flowing around their bodies, and in between them, a small bundle.

Upon closer inspection, he had discovered the bundle as being a _baby_ Gundam. Seeing an innocent child left with no one to take care of him had torn at Xenphyr's heart and prompted him to take the bundle with him back to Earth to raise the child.

Now, at five years old, Shining Lacosa was still Xenphyr's best kept secret. In secret each day, he took little Shining out to play near the university, and he always made sure that his adopted son was in the office when he was working.

"Okay, Shining! Hey! Don't even think about it!" Xenphyr scolded playfully as Shining scrambled up on top of his head, giggling.

"Not until you play with me, Daddy!" the small Gundam replied. Even though he was only five, he could speak quite well already.

"Shining, I have work to do," Xenphyr replied, slowly reaching up and removing his son from his head.

"Aw, you're no fun!" Shining pouted, crossing his arms.

"Well, if you insist!" Xenphyr smirked suddenly, tickling his son on the sides, prompting a fresh round of laughter to come from the small mecha in his arms.

"Stop! Stopstopstop!" Shining laughed. Xenphyr shook his head.

"No way!" he remarked.

Shining kept laughing until tears streamed from his eyes. Xenphyr stopped to let his son catch his breath, but then a sneaky smirk spread across Shining's face.

Xenphyr sweatdropped as the smirk grew into a full-fledged grin. "Uh…oh!"

Shining crouched, and jumped at his father, landing on his chest and sending Xenphyr sprawling. He began crawling over Xenphyr's body, tickling every place his small hands could reach. Xenphyr burst out into laughter as his son crawled across his stomach, his little feet rubbing lightly against his taught stomach muscles.

A few seconds later and Xenphyr was laughing uncontrollably. He sat up, gasping for breath as Shining landed on his feet, his blue eyes shining in excitement. "How'd ya like that?" he asked.

Xenphyr took in a breath and let it out before turning to his son. "You really got me good, son."

Shining grinned and blushed before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Heh. Thanks!"

"Anyway, I have some work to do, and besides, I have a small surprise for you," the medic said.

Shining's eyes lit up excitedly at the remark. "What? What is it, Daddy?" he asked eagerly.

Xenphyr smiled and put his hands into his lab coat pockets. "Close your eyes and hold out your hand."

Shining squeezed his eyes shut and held out one of his hands. Xenphyr withdrew his hand from his pocket and placed the object into his son's hand.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

The blue eyes opened and he grew curious as he looked over the strange object in his hand. "Huh? Dad, what the heck is this thing? I expected something better!" he complained.

"Shining, that thing you're holding is the newest Federation weapon. It's something that's still being worked on, but that one I gave you is the first fully functional prototype. It's called a kakugane, and it can transform into a unique weapon called a Buso Renkin," Xenphyr explained.

Shining prodded it with one of his fingers. "How's it work?" he asked.

"It works by tapping into your fighting instincts and resonating with your will to fight. We're still studying how it's done, but we think these things may become useful later on in the future. If we win the Dark Axis war, that is," Xenphyr said.

"Dark Axis war?" Shining's head cocked to one side. "What's that?"

"Look. I can't really explain it fully, but here's the condensed version: we're at war with some very bad people out there. They want to become gods, but we won't let them."

"Really?" Shining asked.

"Yes, Shining. We won't let them. And we will win," the medic murmured.

He picked up his son and held him close. "Don't worry, okay?"

"I won't, Daddy! The Intergalactic Federation is unstoppable!" Shining chirped.

"Yeah. We sure are. We sure are."

* * *

_In another sector of the galaxy…_

_Five shadowy forms run down the hallways of the Space Forces military base, determined to reach their destination. One of the forms glances at the first._

"_Are you sure about this?" it asks in a male voice._

"_Of course," the second form says. It's clear that this form is the leader. "We're being mobilized to help out in the invasion attempt being carried out by the Intergalactic Federation."_

"_But why us? Why not Team Star Hawk or Team Star Shark?" the third form asks in a female voice._

"_Because we're the only ones who could respond," the fourth form says in a Spanish accented voice._

"_So shut your yaps and keep moving!" the fifth form gasps_

_The other four forms nod and emerge into the vast hangar bay where their ship is parked. They run past several others being serviced and dart up the ramp of the seventh ship down the line. The ramp folds up as the last form staggers on board._

_It doesn't take more than thirty seconds for the lines to disengage and the crew to find their way to their seats on the bridge._

"Okay. You're clear for launch,_" a voice says over the comm._

"_Roger!" the leading form says. "Engines powering up. Guns prepped, everyone's set."_

_The ship hovers off the ground as the engines come online. A set of strange rods extend from the walls and ceiling around the entrance to the outside world and they glow bright blue-green._

"Activating dimensional warp system. All systems go. Good luck!_" the voice says._

"_Thanks," the leader replies. "_Great Fox_, launch!"_

_The ship speeds down the length of the hangar, a light beginning to overcome it as it nears the portal, now shining brilliant green-blue. The entire ship is now glowing white as it becomes a beam and streaks into the rapidly closing portal._

_With a soft boom, it closes and the hangar is silent once more._

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

President Warren shifted in her seat as she read over the reports from the rest of the invasion force. The latest report had just come in from the second of four camps surrounding the main one. The attack from behind had gone smoothly and as a result, the Federation had two camps under their command.

All that was left was to overrun or weaken the third and fourth camps, and they would have the main camp surrounded. The rest was all a matter of overcoming the defenses and liberating it before any more lives were lost.

But at the same time, she doubted it would be easy.

That was why she had called a meeting to discuss the next phase of the operation. "Okay. You all know why we're here, right?"

The leaders nodded.

President Warren smiled. "Good. Then let's get right to it."

Sandra immediately raised her hand. "President Warren, if I may, I suggest that we postpone the attacks on the other two camps and focus the rest of the campaign on the main camps. Based on the computer models, two camps is adequate for our forces to launch their attacks."

President Warren looked her in the eye for a moment before speaking. "And the reason for this is?"

"We need to finish up the campaign before we lose too many forces." Sandra was serious on this issue.

"We're not losing too many forces," Cassie assured her. "Otherwise we'd be retreating, not continuing the campaign."

"I don't mean in that aspect!" Sandra snapped. "Our forces are bound to get tired sooner or later and they may need to be replaced. If we keep sending in too many troops, we won't have enough left to defend the organization should an attack be launched!"

Seto turned to the President, his face grim. "She may have a point. At this stage of the game, we're throwing everything we have into overrunning the camps and not even considering the potential for an attack."

"Okay, so there is the potential for an attack. But why should we abandon the camps in favor of ending the campaign sooner?" she asked.

"Like Sandra said, we are putting too much on the line. We keep throwing our forces in and we won't have enough to ward off an attack. Even with the _Destiny Star Drive_," Optimus said quietly.

The President grew silent at this. Sandra did have a point she had to admit. But then again, the prospect of liberating all camps was greater than the dedication to her troops. How was she supposed to balance this out?

"You guys have given me a bit of a problem here. Either we abandon the campaign and let those beings die, or we continue it with more forces sent in via spacebridge," she said, placing her head in her hands.

"I think the most reasonable option in which to conclude this would be to go in ourselves. We spent all that time prepping and we have yet to go into the fray ourselves," Zero said.

President Warren looked up. Then she nodded.

"Right. That seems to be the only way now," she agreed.

"Good thinking, Zero," Ciel whispered in his ear.

The Reploid just blushed.

"This meeting is dismissed. Everyone, let's go!"

"RIGHT!"

* * *

_Back in the Dark Axis home dimension…_

"DARK ENERGIZER BLAST!" Dark Kicker thrust his hands forward, unleashing his special move.

"DARK GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Dark Meisha called forth her weapons and unleashed them in one move, blending the bullets, missiles, and lasers into the blast.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" Dark T.J. fired his signature move at the beam, merging it into the other two moves.

"DARKNESS WAVE!" Dark Sayla slashed with her sword, unleashing the dark energy wave, cutting through the other attacks.

"DARK ELECTRIC STRIKE!" Dark Jaden fired off a dark blast of electricity, merging it into the blasts.

"TWILIGHT MISSILES!" Dark Zane thrust his arm forward, releasing seven Twilight Missiles into the other attacks.

"DARKNESS BOOM!" Dark Syrus thrust his hands forward, releasing a blast of dark energy mixed in with a sonic boom.

"DEMON MANA!" Shift grinned as he unleashed a barrage of dark spells into the attacks.

"DARNKESS PUNCH!" Dark Shute drew back his fist and unleashed a punch of dark energy, no doubt from his Soul-Drive.

"BAZOOKA MISSILE!" Dark T.K. releashed a slew of missiles from his bazooka, merging them into the other attacks.

"DARKNESS FASTBALL!" Dark Coby grabbed a black ball and chucked it into the blast.

"DARKNESS WHIP!" Dark Lori released five shockwaves of darkened energy from her whip.

"OMEGA SLASH!" Dark Bud slashed with his katana, merging the red and blue shockwave into the darkness-based attacks.

"GRAVITY CANCELLATION!" Dark Blare threw her hand forward, sending a pulse of zero-gravity racing along the ground.

"DARKNESS SLASH!" Dark Vega leapt into the air and slashed, releasing black energy waves from the dark energy laser daggers on his hands and feet.

"DARKNESS WIND!" Dark Mike transformed into vehicle mode and sped at the attacks, releasing a tornado of darkness that shielded the attack from the sides.

"DARKNESS MISSILE!" Dark Guneagle sped down low and released his missiles, merging them into the attacks.

"DARKNESS EXPLOSION!" Dark Rele released a Dark Mana disk that shielded the attack from the front.

"SUPERIOR SLASH!" Shibaomaru slashed with his sword, releasing a powerful shockwave that merged into the attacks, boosting their power.

"DEATH FLAMES!" Deathstorm transformed into dragon mode and sped down into the middle of the attacks, his mouths open and the balls of flame ready to fire.

"DARKNESS LASER!" Gerbera thrust both arms forward and the energy beams fired from the guns.

The screen suddenly split to show their faces as they cried out their most powerful combo move. "TRI-FORCE DARKNESS!"

The twenty-one Dark Axis fighters launched off their most powerful moves in hopes of destroying their counterparts in one fell swoop. But that hope was dashed as they all scattered, causing a huge burst of energy to erupt right where they had been a split second before. Smoke curled outward as the explosion died down.

"Keep at it!" Gerbera screamed. "DESTROY THEM ALL!"

"I don't think so!" Sayla snarled. "Whatever you try to do we will find a way to stop!"

"That is where you are wrong!" Gerbera hissed. "AGAIN!"

"TRI-FORCE DARKNESS! MAXIMUM POWER!" the Dark Axis warriors cried.

All their eyes and optics widened as they heard that cry. Sayla glanced at her friends. For once, uncertainty was on her face, something which she hadn't really felt before until now.

"Uh, guys? Now what?" she asked.

"We do what's necessary. We attack," Zane said grimly.

"At maximum power?" Shute asked.

"Yes. And no holding back. We have to defeat them, and we will, along with saving Scourge. Remember what we did with Chumly?" Zane asked.

"But that was different!" Baston protested.

"No. It wasn't. Chumly was controlled by Dark Axis programming, even if it was forced onto him in his soul. With Scourge, there's a control horn planted on his head. By now it may have merged into his systems, much the same way Chumly was forced over. So in short, it's basically the same principle, just applied in different methods," the older boy said, shaking his head.

"Oh." Baston fell silent at these words.

"Now c'mon! Let's go!" Zane snapped.

"Right!" everyone said as one. They turned to face the oncoming move.

"CYBER KEY POWER MAXIMUM! NITRO CANNON MODE! FIRE!" Kicker turned back to starfighter form while simultaneously calling down his Cyber Key. Just as the artifact slammed into his back, he transformed into robot mode as the gun ports on his arms and legs sprang open, releasing the beams of energy in one fell swoop.

"GUARDIAN ANNIHILATION!" Meisha turned back to starfighter and transformed into robot mode while caling out her weapons. Once in robot mode, she released every single weapon she had, backed up by the Guardian Shockwave.

"SHOCKER CANNON MAXIMUM!" T.J. called out both his cannons and placed them side-by-side, extra metal suddenly connecting them together to create a double-barrelled cannon. He fired off both at once, the beams combining with the attacks of his two best friends.

"AURA SLASH!" Sayla swiftly drew out the red sword inlaid with blue gems and slashed with it horizontally, merging the shockwave into the blasts.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" Jaden leapt into the center of the attacks, his Soul-Drive revving at full power, his eyes aflame with that fighting fire. His right fist began to rotate as he began to spin his arm.

"SOLAR LASER ASSAULT!" Zane gathered his light aura into his fingertips before releasing it in a massive blast of pure white energy. The beam cut through the dim lighting of the eternal twilight like a holy arrow fired from Diana's bow.

"SONIC DISRUPTION!" Syrus thrust his arms forward and fired off a huge blast of sound that rocked the very ground they stood upon, and momentarily disrupted the enemy's assault.

"CRYSTAL MANA LANCER!" Baston drew his hands back and crystal energy formed in them, forming into two lances with a third in the air above him. He used his Mana to launch the third lance into the attacks while he threw the other two.

"BLAZIAN SLASH!" Vega leapt into the air as he ignited his laser daggers, slashing twice with all four, releasing eight shockwaves rather than four.

"CHEMICAL EXPLOSION!" Michelle armed a grenade and threw it into the beam, unleashing the contents in the form of an explosion that added a fiery glow to the blast.

"GRENADE BAZOOKA!" T.K. fired off four grenades that exploded, boosting the lethality with their added force. The shockwaves from all four were merged into the attack.

"WIND TORNADO!" Mike transformed into vehicle mode and sped at the attacks, rotating with enough speed to create a small tornado that shielded the attack from the sides.

"OMEGA BALL!" Bud drew back his hands and formed in the palms a larger Omega Ball, firing it off at the attacks. It merged with them, adding its power to the already overwhelming force.

"ROCKY MOUNTAIN LASER!" Coby grabbed a laser rifle he carried with him and flipped the safety off, allowing him to draw on the power stored in a power pack on his upper thigh. He pulled the trigger, releasing an orange-blue laser, merging the beam with the others' moves.

"JUNGLE LASH!" Lori slashed three times with her whip, creating a green triangle that merged into the blasts, adding on to the powerful move.

"GRAVITY WELL!" Blare held both hands in front of her before firing off a powerful wave of Z-Gravity to hold the attacks together. It also boosted the power contained within.

"HYPER CAPTAIN PUNCH!" Captain's Soul-Drive revved up to maximum as he felt Shute's encouragement. His fist glowed brightly and he punched as hard as he could, merging the golden blast with the other attacks.

"BAKKAI TENSHOU…IGNITE!" Bakushinmaru's armor wings flared open and he aimed both katana like guns, channeling the power into them and focusing the energy into a fireball before firing it off, merging the devastating fireball into the moves.

"SUPER SPIRIT MAGIC! INFINITY WINDS!" Zero slashed with his twin swords, unleashing a blue-white beam of energy that resembled the blades. It cut into the other moves, boosting its power even further.

"AERIAL STINGER…ACTIVATE!" Guneagle sped down low, going supersonic and rotating, a yellow aura forming around his body. He broke off, letting the pressure front carry on, still retaining a slight glow from his attack.

"MANA EXPLOSION!" Rele aimed her hands and again fired off a red Mana disk, but this one had two circles instead of one, boosting its power. The twin disks shielded the attack from the front.

"SPIRIT DRIVE ACTIVATE!" Shute had activated the strange device he held and was now in his Gundam form. He drew back his fist as he somehow activated his own Soul-Drive, his green eyes lighting aflame and his fist glowing pure white. He punched as hard as he could, merging the blast into the other moves.

This time, rather than be a meager combination of their special attacks, it was a combination of all their ultimate moves. The screen suddenly split to show the faces of everyone as they cried out the name of their new move. "TRI-FORCE LIBERATION MAXIMUM POWER!"

The two combination attacks sped right at one another and collided with enough force to crack the rock beneath both sides. Deathstorm growled in anger as he struggled to unleash his Death Flames at the boy-Gundam in the center of the other attack, but without success. "HAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Both attacks were evenly matched. Every now and then, one would try to destroy the other but without success. Deathstorm cried out in frustration as he glared at the enemy. "Why? Why struggle so hard to defeat us?"

"Because we're not going to let you win!" Jaden spat. "You Dark Axis creeps have killed many innocent lives and you still want to destroy more lives!"

"Well, it's futile. Resistance can only bring about more pain!" Deathstorm sneered.

"Wrong! We're not going to give up, and we will fight 'til we win!" Jaden snarled. "And I'm sure Scourge knows that better than anybody!"

Deathstorm's optics widened at the mention his former name. "What? You dare address me by that name?" he hissed.

"Yes! And for good reason! Scourge was one of us until you sickos took control of him! And we're gonna release him from your control!" Jaden hissed, his eyes narrowing, making the fire burning in them seem even brighter.

"Wrong. Scourge is now one of us. I am formerly Scourge, now addressed by Deathstorm. In short, we have merged!" Deathstorm growled.

Jaden's eyes shrank in horror and shock at this revelation. "What?!"

"And you, too, shall join us!" Deathstorm murmured.

"No! I'll never join you!" Jaden snapped. He clenched his fist tighter, putting all of his strength into his punch. But Deathstorm was far stronger.

"Come on. You know you want too," he purred.

Jaden's eyes flashed dangerously as he gritted his teeth. "Snap out of it, Scourge! You've got to fight it! You've got to fight their control!" he pleaded.

Deathstorm laughed at the pathetic attempt he was making. "Nice try! I shall never go back!" he crowed.

"You've got to! Remember what you told the leaders? That you'd never surrender to anyone but us? Well, what of it? Do you still recall that? Huh!?" Jaden was now desperate. He felt a sinking feeling in his Soul-Drive, despite the fact that it was putting out energy at maximum. There was no way he was getting through.

That is until Deathstorm's optics flickered for the briefest of instances. He noticed this and a feeling of happiness and hope filled his Soul-Drive. "Why do you keep addressing me as if I were a part of your little organization!?" Deathstorm screamed. "I am not a member any more!"

"You are still a Federation citizen! You can't forget that, no matter how hard you try!" Jaden shouted.

"SHUT UP!" the former Federation leader roared. "DEATHLY INFERNO!" He reared back all three dragon heads and unleashed a burst of flames far stronger than the rest.

Jaden strained against the raging flames as they struggled to penetrate the combined attack, and as soon as he felt the tiniest hint of heat on his armor he hoped the others had put all their strength into the attacks. But Deathstorm's flames were much more powerful.

Still, he had one thing that he didn't have: friends.

In the background, he could hear them cheering him on, encouraging him on. His Soul-Drive flared with even more power at the cheering, and his eyes flared, that fighting fire growing even brighter. "Scourge!"

"AAAAAAH!" The anger that poured forth from Deathstorm's body was almost thick enough to be felt. Jaden knew he had only one chance, and he was determined to pull it off with_out_ killing Scourge. He drew back his fist and revved up the rotations of his right hand, while spinning his arm to further boost his punch's force.

"SCOURGE!" He cried out the leader's name with all his energy as he punched with his spinning hand. "It's time for you to see the light once again!"

The screen suddenly split again to show the faces of Jaden and his friends as they cried out. "TRI-FORCE LIBERATION MAXIMUM ENERGY!"

His punch impacted Deathstorm right in the chest, forcing the air out of his intakes. He coughed up some energon, but it wasn't enough to kill him. Then, it happened.

Something fast sped right out of the combined attack of the TCDA elite team and the Gundam Force, its form obscured by the bright light before the attack was terminated. The object was now revealed in the dim light of the Dark Axis home dimension. However, due to the speed it was moving at, it was hard to get a good glimpse. All Jaden saw as he was blown back by the powerful wind it generated was a pair of green lasers lancing forth and blowing up the rock around the two of them. He cried out and landed flat on his back, oblivious to the strange spacecraft slamming full on into the control horn and tearing it off without any trouble.

It was the last thing he saw before his systems finally shut down, sending him into the peaceful oblivion of unconsciousness.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

The first thing that happened was that his audios came online. He could hear Xenphyr busy working on something because he was muttering under his breath.

"…eyes online, which is good. Gotta check his Soul-Drive…"

Xenphyr's fingers crawled along the edges of his chest, opening the compartment gently and slowly to a crack big enough for him to peep inside.

"Good. Looks good." The fingers faded from his chest and the compartment closed up automatically. Jaden struggled to open his eyes and barely succeeded. He closed them again as the medic shone a light into them.

"AH! Xenphyr! I'm awake!" the former human yelped.

"Sorry. It's medical procedure." The Reploid technician narrowed his eyes for a moment.

"Okay! Just don't shine it right in my eyes!" Jaden cried.

"All right. Just let me check your eyes. Follow my finger…" Xenphyr moved his finger around, Jaden following it with his eyes. After a few minutes, he nodded. "Okay. You're good."

Jaden sighed and sat up, throwing the covers off his body.

Of course, while this was going on, other fights were taking place elsewhere…

* * *

_Somewhere out in space…_

The stars glistened as if this was their last day to exist. The blackness of space was filled with many of these wondrous stars and off in the distance, the Milky Way Galaxy lay as if splashed on by an artist with a creative streak. However, off to the right of the magnificent sight, something not so wondrous was going on.

Two forms clashed and weaved in the blackness of space, the light from their lasers barely missing one another. One of the forms fired off a red barrage of lasers, barely catching the other form on the wings. The second form spun and let off three blasts in quick succession, startling the first form. An unheard yelp escaped the first form's lips and it darted upward. As it did so, the lasers sped on underneath and the form was revealed in the purple lights.

The form was that of an Autobot, a certain army green and white Autobot by the name of Jetfire. His body was powerfully built, as seen by his broad chest and shoulders. His wings covered his shoulders, which served as the first pair of turbines in vehicle mode. The rear of his alt mode formed a jetpack that could be also used as a gun, and on the lower portion of his chest were two missile racks holding four missiles each. His legs became the middle of his vehicle mode and his chest served as the front portion. When in alt mode, his arms served as the second pair of turbines. His body was mostly white, but his chest was green and so were his lower legs and feet. His hands were pure black and his wings held hints of green on the edges. The red Autobot insignia on his chest was flashing proudly in the glint of the lasers. His optics were covered with a red visor, and his lower face was protected by a mouthpiece that he rarely took off, except to have energon.

Currently, Jetfire was engaged in combat against a space-mode Zako. The Zako itself could transform into a starfighter and it was heavily armed with massive blasters, one per wing.

Jetfire gritted his teeth as he charged up a second round of lasers.

"Eat plasma!" he cried, although in space, the sound could not be heard due to the lack of air molecules to transmit the sound.

The Zako sneered and transformed into alt mode, using compressed gas to dodge the blasts as soon as they were discharged from his twin guns.

"Nice try, zako!" it sneered over the comm.

"What is your reason for attacking the Intergalactic Federation?" Jetfire asked.

"That's for our boss to know, and you to find out, Autobot!" the Zako snarled.

"Not if I can help it!" the Autobot roared. And with a battle cry, he let loose with the guns in his hands, both barrels blazing away full power. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The Zako yelped and barrel rolled to the side before opening up on him with twin missiles. The projectiles homed in on his spark signature, never even deviating once from their course. The heat seekers locked onto his chest, and the glowing blue orb in the center.

Jetfire saw this and reacted swiftly, transforming into his alt mode and speeding away as fast as he could, trying to confuse the missiles. It worked, but only for a millisecond.

He gulped.

This would hurt.

Or so he thought. As he fled from the incoming missiles, he swerved around a nearby asteroid and the twin warheads exploded against it, throwing off chunks large enough conceal him from view.

The Zako blurted out intense swearing into the emptiness of space as Jetfire fled into the vast star field beyond, a glimmer of light marking his destination…

* * *

_En route to Earth…_

The massive silvery vessel dashed through space as if it were on its last gasp of fuel. The ship was about as big as the _Miranda II_, but without the twin hulls. Instead, it looked like the space shuttle, but with flaps and airplane wings instead of glider wings. The nose cone was also more rounded and sharper for atmospheric combat. In addition, there were twin air-to-air missile pods located underneath the wings, along with laser cannons and 75mm submachine guns.

This ship's color scheme was also much different. Along with silver, there were white lines snaking along the sides and down to the wings. The wings bore a blue triangle on them with a set of golden diamonds at the very bottom of the triangle to represent fire. This was Vulcan's personal ship, the _Fire Star_.

Vulcan sat at the controls, weaving it throughout the solar system's many natural defenses. He scowled. The humans had to have the Kuiper and Oort Clouds to defend them. Why them? Why not have another system have these defenses? Why the humans? Was it because of their potential for destructive powers?

He shook his head. Sometimes the Leader's way of thinking didn't make sense. Even so, he had chosen to have Vulcan go down and see about the humans and how they were coming along in the war.

Vulcan sighed as he reflected back on that meeting.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_Do you understand the mission, Vulcan?" The Leader asked._

"_Yes, sir. But I have one question," Vulcan said._

"_What?"_

_"Why are you even checking up on the humans?" he asked, his red eyes blazing._

_The Leader merely sighed and turned to face his top General. "Vulcan, there is a reason for it, but for now, it is best that that remains secret for now. If the enemy were to find out…"_

"_That's just it! Why even speak of an enemy when clearly we have none? You saw how the DEVILS retreated in the face of our power! And that's our only foe! They aren't even tough enough to really be considered an enemy!" Vulcan shouted._

"_There is indeed an enemy, Vulcan. And they keep growing stronger by the minute. This enemy the humans are calling the Dark Axis. They possess the Superior Dragon's might, along with the might of another source," the Leader said softly._

_Vulcan scoffed. "The Superior Dragon? That little lizard? What can they do with that? That thing lacks the power needed to overcome us! You know how the last battle turned out!" he replied._

"_And that is precisely why they are after it!" the Leader shouted, his own ever-changing eyes flashing dangerously. "If they can figure out how to merge it with the power from a secondary source, then it could become unstoppable!"_

_Vulcan's face paled. Was he even serious? "Are you serious, boss?"_

_The Leader nodded, his face grim. His eyes softened. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Vulcan. If this comes to pass, then even we shall fall. True our might is greater than that of even the strongest of mortals, but if the Dark Axis gains the combined powers of two powerful sources, then it will mean the end of HEAVEN and all who live here." __His eyes locked onto his General's red ones. "Understand, Vulcan?"_

_Vulcan nodded. "Yes, sir…"_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Vulcan turned to face the cockpit windows and sighed. The stars speeding past reminded him that the universes they created were small and insignificant when it came down to the real reason why they were doing this. The reason was simple: they wanted to create a universe free of war and chaos. Their efforts had failed each time, and yet now here he was, being sent down to this universe to see what was happening in the Federation's campaign.

He turned away and glanced at the image of the Federation sigil. It was hard to believe that this small group was becoming so powerful. What was it that drove them?


	70. Operation Federation Liberation! Part 7

Chapter 7

The smoke from the explosion faded and low groaning was heard as Gerbera sat up, rubbing his head. "God…such power!" he murmured. He glanced around, unable to believe how much force the group had thrown into the attack.

It had been ten hours since that battle and here he sat, battle scarred and scuffed from the rubble as it had fallen onto his armor. His new ally was defeated and rescued, the clones were nothing more that small piles of ashes, Shibaomaru was dead, and Shift had retreated into the night. So here he was, all alone in the middle of this battlefield.

"Hmph. No matter. Soon, I shall be able to take down this team by myself…" he purred.

He laughed as he went over the plan in his mind. It was flawless, and it would be able to be carried out. And the best part was the fact that they could blame their little friend Captain. No one would suspect that he was really still alive, and he knew it.

Plus, he would be able to see if they had the power of the Superior Dragon…like he feared. He sneered as he stood up. This would be fun and they would not be able to stop it. It was the perfect plan.

No one even knew of it…

Except for one.

Hades.

His grey eyes narrowed as he stood in the shadows of the battlefield rubble, unable to be seen by most mortal eyes and sensors. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail that went down to the middle of his back and his skin was a deep dark color, almost as if the flesh were pure black. He wore a pair of dark gray pants and a dark brown T-shirt that outlined his thick muscular physique. The thin material was stretched taught against his bulging chest, shoulder, and arm muscles. His feet were encased in combat boots and he held in one hand a small scanner that showed him Gerbera. A small antenna was aimed at the Gundam and he smirked.

This was going to be easier than he thought. After all, he had been the one who had been informing the Federation of the events being carried out in the Dark Axis concentration camps.

As head of the Cerberus Corps, he had access to a lot of the top secret equipment of the Heaven's Corps, and he was also given free reign to carry out intelligence operations in the manner he saw fit. His specialty, the Underworld Blaster, was unable to be stopped by most conventional weaponry of the Heaven caliber. Like all the GODs, he had the ability to control a certain element, or in Hades' case, the supernatural power that existed within the mortal world. His personality was cool, calm, and a bit intimidating, but he never let that stop him from carrying out his duty to the Leader and the rest of the Corps.

He put the scanner back into the pocket of his pants and slipped into the shadows further, blending with them as easily as a specter would with the walls and ceiling of a structure. He moved so fluidly that it was hard to spot him unless one knew where to look, which was almost impossible.

When he was out of the line of sight for Gerbera, he peered out and smirked again. Now to get back to the Federation's home dimension and begin the second phase of the operation.

* * *

_Back in the Federation's home dimension…_

President Warren glanced at the ship as it was prepped to launch through the spacebridge. There was no time to lose as the mighty vessel's engines began to fire. The flames that spewed forth were small in comparison to their normal length and height, but it was enough to show that the very ship's intelligence itself was as tense as they were.

"President Warren, we're all set. The ship's loaded and all weapons are primed. We're getting everyone on board and we'll move out," an officer said.

"Roger." President Warren turned and walked over to the ramp. "All right, guys. Let's fly!"

The leaders nodded and ran towards the ramp. It was a flood of Federation members as they all swarmed on board, some heading for the guns and missile launchers, most for the cargo hold and the bridge. A few scurried towards the onboard medical bay and a couple for the kitchen. This was a massive ship that required a good-sized crew to run it, even though Anderson controlled all aspects.

It was natural as well for emergencies.

The ship's interior resembled that of an aircraft carrier with some exceptions. For instance, the medical bay was bigger and it held top notch equipment for treating major injuries and minor wounds. The cargo hold was much, much larger and was capable of even launching a massive group of tanks in midair, and the tow cables stowed inside had an unheard of lifting strength of 5,000,000 tons. Security drones scuttled about, each able to fire a powerful beam in a thin or wide laser. Hidden security guns were located all throughout the halls, each tied into the security cameras at intersections.

There was even a small bay for shuttles that could hold up to five hundred people and five Transformers. In it were ten shuttles total. Each shuttle was given a unique assignment and name, and a massive armory held an arsenal large enough to invade a heavily nuke-armed country.

The Federation leaders emerged onto the bridge and found their seating arrangements as the control console flashed and Anderson spoke.

"Is everyone ready?" he asked.

The leaders nodded. "Yes, we're all set," Mimi replied.

"Okay. This is gonna be a bit bumpy, so hold on tight!" Anderson said.

The massive vessel shuddered as the power to the engines was increased. The flames spewed forth in massive blue jets that made the _Destiny Star Drive_ shudder at the taught lines that held it in place.

"Release the lines and let's fly!" Seto shouted into the comm.

A crew member outside the ship near the men handling the lines nodded. He turned to face the Kaxians. "Okay, boys! Let loose the lines and it's time to go!"

"Roger!" they shouted.

The lines were released from the massive bollards that were tied into the spaceport's docks and the massive silvery ship began to move away, nothing more than a sleek, gunmetal gray missile as it sped into the spacebridge. The bridge began to glow and the image of the Dark Axis fortress appeared as the gateway grew to fill the whole space between the generator towers.

"Let's go!" President Warren said, pointing into the bridge at the image of the fortress.

"YEAH!" the leaders cried as one, putting their fists into the air.

The gleaming ship streaked away from its dock and into the spacebridge, causing a rippling effect on the image.

It lasted for only a minute, but it was more than enough to reveal the ship was gone.

They were on their way.

* * *

_En route to the Dark Axis…_

The ship's weapons were armed and prepped in anticipation of a massive attack force waiting for them. The weapons themselves were impressive, for not even a whole fleet of attack class starfighters could outmatch them. Missile tubes and launchers were hidden all along the sides and torpedo tubes were hidden near the nose right below the winglets. Antiaircraft guns were hidden near the rear of the ship as well as sets of turreted guns. A massive array of laser cannons, rifles, and blasters were hidden near the wings and in the front of the ship were the cannons. The protrudences also held a secret: they were focusers for the cannon, as well as the SpaceWarp. A particle accelerator tapped into the cannon to force the energy out and intensified the gravity of the beam to create a controlled black hole. With these weapons, it was considered a weapon of mass destruction since it was bristling with them.

The massive vessel was heading for the center of the entire invasion force to back them up. It was no longer an option to stand on the sidelines. It was time to go in and get it done.

It took only a half an hour to travel through the dimensional barrier and soon, the gate to the bleak dimensional stronghold opened and the ship emerged. President Warren's green eyes flashed with determination as the mighty vessel flashed over the rocks and concentration camps that now bore the Federation sigil in place of the Dark Axis ensign.

She smiled grimly. Things were going as planned.

Seto stepped up beside her, his eyes sort of glazed. "Things are going all right?" he asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yeah." She looked at him. "You all right?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm not."

"What's wrong?" President Warren asked.

"I'm…concerned about well…the generators that they built. That kind of power…why use it? It's just…insane. They could've destroyed everything," Seto said softly.

"I know. All those particle accelerators could have done us in, but we stopped them," President Warren murmured.

"No. It's not that. Why go to that length if they knew that it would destroy us all?" Seto asked.

President Warren glanced down at the floor of the ship. "Because they will stop at nothing to win, even if it means creating unstoppable black holes. If we hadn't bombed that camp when we did…" Her voice trailed off.

"Oh." Both leaders stood silently next to one another. It was hard to accept that defeat had been inevitable, only to be stopped by the Federation, but it had been. And they felt relieved at having done so.

They stared at the massive structure of the fortress concealed by the darkness that loomed around them.

"Are you ready, Seto?" President Warren asked.

"I'm always ready," he replied.

The two leaders turned and walked over to the rest of the Federation leaders, each one sitting at their assigned seats.

"Is everything all set for the main attack?" she asked.

"Yeah. We're all set. The weapons are charged and the missiles are loaded into their tubes," Ciel said.

"Good."

The ship continued speeding onward until the wing flaps were adjusted and the massive vessel slowly banked to come around toward the camp where the latest assault was going on. The battle was getting fiercer and the energy from the lasers seemed to reach out and touch the Federation ship.

"Let's go!"

* * *

_In the reaches of the Sol System…_

Vulcan watched as the outermost defenses of the Sol System came into view. Automated laser cannons had been built on Pluto and Charon, but then they weren't even the most powerful that they had.

The cannons had locked onto his ship's energy signature and had identified it as a foe after failing to find it in the vast database of ships the Federation had compiled over the years they had been in existence. The guns shuddered as lasers came streaking out of the rotating barrels at high speeds, right at his ship.

His ship shuddered as the lasers struck the shields, exploding harmlessly against them. He smirked.

"Well, their outermost defenses can't even touch my ship," he said.

His ship streaked past the guns without even harming them. He neared Neptune's orbit and their outermost colony outpost, Neptune City. The city, more like an orbiting satellite, was encased in a huge orb-like structure that clearly showed the city-like buildings. Guns bristled along the outer "shell" and a huge energon grid generator provided protection against meteors and comets that strayed into the Sol System.

The alarm had reached the city and inside the colony, alarms were blaring. The head of the city, a man named Ben Hardy, was anxiously awaiting news as to how the outer defenses had been breached when the guns hadn't been destroyed.

His eyes flashed as he turned to an officer who was glancing at the console before him. "What happened?" he asked. Ben Hardy was a slim-built man with a shock of black hair and dark grey eyes, but he was well respected for his administrative skills.

"Looks like the ship didn't even need to destroy the guns. All it needed to do was activate its shields and it slipped past without harm," the officer said.

"Great, just great!" Ben snarled.

"Should we fire the cannons?" the officer asked.

"Yes! And do it now!" Ben snapped.

"Yes, sir!"

The massive cannons of the colony turned and locked onto the incoming ship. The lasers began to charge and in five short seconds, the guns were charged and the lasers fired.

Streaks of light lanced out from the guns and homed in on the ship, striking the shields and rocking the vessel. Vulcan snarled as he retaliated with his own guns, but much more powerful than those of the colony.

Ben could now only hope for the best.

No one outside the Federation's boundaries even considered the massive threat that had nearly destroyed them, only to be stopped by the Intergalactic Federation's last ditch invasion attempt. In fact, it went unheard of by the Federation's major rival, the Universal Power Association.

But not for long.

* * *

**A report recently** submitted by the organization's own news team had somehow made its way to the leader's desk, uncensored and unfiltered, along with a pile of other reports, bills, and laws waiting to be passed. It lay in plain view, waiting to capture the leader's attention.

King President Li-chi Dajar'o emerged from his bathroom, a richly decorated bathrobe adorning his thin frame like a massive set of furs. Atop his head he wore his trademark crown, a symbol of leadership amongst his people. His skin was a very pale green, almost like faded green wallpaper, and his eyes were an intense green-black color.

He scowled as he took note of the massive amount of screens atop his desk. Even when he needed a little downtime, he always got reports, bills, and laws. A leader's work was never done. He stepped up to the desk and sat down in a throne to read over the screens. The report on top of them all caught his eye.

Dajar'o reached over and picked it up.

"Hmmm. Now what could this be?" he murmured. His voice was cultured like an upper-class Brit, and it carried a slight hint of universal arrogance.

He read it over, shock suddenly flooding his thin body like adrenaline.

_Sire, I hate to bring you this news, but it is imperative that you read it._

_Ever since the defeat of Unicron at the hands of the minor power, the Intergalactic Federation, I have been watching them very closely. What I have seen surprised me._

_It deals with the threat that they spoke of over the universal news networks. The Dark Axis threat. I have at first believed it to be a lie, but recent events and current evidence says otherwise._

_I was shocked to my bones to see that many tears in the space-time continuum have begun forming, but they failed to achieve full status as black holes. I can only stand to reason that they had some kind of a plan to toss in debris to expand them and unleash the destructive forces of nature upon us all. But what happened next was most shocking and it has led me to believe that the Federation has launched an unplanned, unexplained invasion of wherever the Dark Axis resides._

_They have planned this for three weeks and have trained for three weeks getting ready, and thus I can only infer that they have successfully destroyed wherever these tears originated from._

_This is very unexpected, and it has led me to fear that if we do not start to take this threat seriously, then all of existence is doomed. And I am not sure why I believe it, but I do. So do not kill me!_

_Hu'a Kip'io_

His eyes narrowed in anger and rage as he tossed the screen aside, unable to accept that a minor power was outdoing his organization in this aspect.

In contrast to the humble beginnings of the other leaders in the fight against the Dark Axis, he had been born and raised in a family of wealth and glory. He had been the son of a very prominent politician and a very successful housewife. He had been give the best education possible and he had gone to the best boarding schools his father could send him to. His life had been perfect in every aspect until his father had been murdered by an assassin. His mother took her life soon after, and he had been raised by his aunt and uncle. He became a successful businessman a few years after graduating law school, running a very exclusive law firm until he retired and ran for King President.

Now, having been in power for thirty Earth years, he was still in charge and he ran his organization with deadly efficiency.

He may have had the best education possible and ran an organization with incredible might and power at its command, but he was being bested by a small, mere third-rate power that possessed nothing but a small military, a small batch of powerful weapons, and a really powerful vessel they couldn't even control properly!

It was ironic that this small power was facing off against a deadly threat when his own organization should.

He had seen the report, yes, but he didn't even believe it. Not even after his wife had been captured by strange beings in the dead of night.

His organization had mightier armies, more powerful spacecraft, far stronger weapons and the ability to control the public of the universe. He had countless Star Saucers, warp systems, and massive numbers of factories at his command. Nothing short of a far more powerful organization could stop him.

The Intergalactic Federation, in contrast, had a small army, less powerful spacecraft, weaker weapons, and they lacked the ability to control the public. They had a small batch of legendary weapons that he already had in far greater numbers, smaller numbers of factories, and a vast network of spacebridges that no doubt confused even themselves. They were a diverse group while his organization was not.

Both types of government were democracies, yes, but the Federation's was a mere confederacy and his was a monarchial democracy. Both also had dreams of peace, but the Federation's dreams differed from his: a dream of peace for all, yet under his rule, each power grouped according to size.

And the Federation also defied his very laws! No one did that for long and got away with it! No one at all!

He would make sure that the Intergalactic Federation paid for defying him…

* * *

_Vector Prime watched in anticipation as the Federation's flagship sped through the skies of the Dark Axis home dimension, looking like a silvery arrow fired from a celestial bow in the dim light of the eternal twilight. The two sets of contrails coming from the wings and winglets were barely visible, but it was just as well, for the shimmering of the ship itself was enough to send a few Dark Axis camps into total lockdown._

_Two others opened up on the mighty vessel in hopes that the massive ship was slow and unable to turn quickly. In truth, even Vector Prime believed it, at least until the ship suddenly turned so sharply and quickly it caught him by surprise._

_He stopped the scene and played it in reverse, trying to figure out how such a ship of huge proportions could turn so fast. His optics narrowed as he watched it, hoping to spot some kind of other ship towing it, but when he saw none, he grew a bit frustrated._

_Vector Prime returned the scene to normal speed and watched as the camps had their defenses obliterated by the Federation ship's guns. Lasers and missiles sped out from the ship's sides and turrets, impacting the enemy weapons and blowing them to pieces. Fires raged as the heaps of metal and wires fell to the ground, the flames still licking at them like vultures unwilling to leave their prey behind._

_It was incredible to watch, even for him. He still couldn't believe that this kind of power lay at their fingertips. Then he activated a second screen, showing the progress the Federation was making towards their goal of universal peace. It was getting closer, but at the same time, it was still far away. The golden-blue marker that was the indicator for the Federation was halfway between that of the Dark Axis' future and their own, meaning that if they failed, it could still go either way._

_The next battle could decide the future, and possibly the fate of trillions._

_This was what always bothered him. Despite being the Guardian of Space and Time, and now holding the power of the Emergency Law at his command, he could not interfere with the affairs of mortals and attempt to change reality. That was not how things worked, and if he made even one change in the timeline, it would alter the universe's balance forever._

_This frustrated him and made him wish to see beyond the thick veils of time, into the center of all things and see what made this reality come into being. But, unfortunately, he couldn't, due to some kind of force blocking his time-vision._

_He could only wait now for the future to become a reality._

_The only problem was…which future was it?_

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

President Warren watched as the camps they had attacked were overrun by the Federation forces, changing hands of ownership and bringing with it a new prospect for the futures of those trapped within. The ship itself was proving to be an effective weapon against the Dark Axis forces, and she smiled at the prospect of using it in combat against them.

But something bothered her. The attack should have been much harder to carry out. There should have been more forces to destroy rather than the crews that manned the camps. It made her a bit uneasy, and she began to wonder if it had been planned…

Then, she saw why there had been very few forces to counter their invasion.

A newly built battleship was hovering in front of them.

Blood-red in color, the sigil of the Dark Axis flashed dangerously in the bright lights from the Intergalactic Federation's ship. Two sets of wings reminded them of their own ship, except these were much different in shape, design, and location. They were located at the middle of the ship and resembled flattened spikes rather than the regular wings used by most spacecraft. Two massive engines provided speed and mobility while many thrusters located on the sides granted incredible agility. The bridge was one long strip of glass and above it was the Dark Axis sigil. On the front were two spikes jutting out over the nose and the rudders at the back also resembled flattened spikes. No other colors were visible, and the arsenal on the wings rivaled that of their own ship.

Below it was the wasteland that had once held a powerful concentration camp; nothing but debris, skeletons, and bodies charred beyond recognition remained.

President Warren snarled in anger and slammed her fist down on the two way communications. Just as the screen came up, she yelled as loud as she could. "DARK AXIS! This is the Federation leader, President Heather Jen Warren of Earth! You will surrender immediately or suffer!"

Her command was harsh and very serious as it echoed across the desolate wasteland before them. No one answered for a while. Then, a voice came over the comm.

"_You want us to surrender, human? Well, forget it! We will never surrender!_" Gerbera's voice purred.

"And why not?" she asked.

"_Simple: we do not take orders from humans!_" the science officer sneered.

"This comes from all of us!" President Warren cried.

"_Then, no. We will not. The chances of you successfully stopping us are 9.57 percent, which means that you are going to fail._"

"That may be the case, but we'll do it anyway! We don't back down from what we say, and when we say we're gonna stop you, we mean it!" she screamed.

"_Do your worst._"

"We will."

She shut down the comm and turned to her friends. "Prepare to open fire! We're bringing that ship down!"

The leaders nodded grimly and assumed battle stations. The battle was about to commence.

* * *

**Both ships hovered** a good fifty kilometers away from each other, all weapons powered. Yet, neither ship made the first move; it was as if they were two cowboys facing each other in the middle of a Western town. They each wanted the other to make the first move.

President Warren narrowed her eyes as she watched the opposing ship, waiting for the first move to be made. It came one short second later when a single gun belched out an armor-piercing shell that homed straight in on their ship. She barked out the one word that began the battle. "FIRE!"

The ship's crew and Anderson responded instantly. Turrets came around and opened fire on the Dark Axis vessel, the bright blue lasers piercing through the twilight that eternally stood in this place. A bright purple orb of energy, no doubt a shield, she mused, encased the ship and deflected the lasers with barely any effort. It was as if they were using a slingshot against a Panzer tank.

Even so, they were not without the advantage themselves.

When the turrets stopped firing in order to let them cool, the Dark Axis responded with a blistering fusillade of lasers, bullets, and shells. She responded with an order to the shield engineers. "Activate defense shields!"

They complied without saying a word. They knew very well what would happen if they failed to activate them. The glowing blue energy encircled the _Destiny Star Drive_, encasing it like armor around a soldier. The fusillade bounced off it, ricocheting in every direction that was conceivable. Even so, it was not enough to penetrate the Dark Axis vessel's own shielding.

It required much more power, and power was something they had in abundance.

The Federation's ship stayed on the defensive until one of the officers manning the turrets contacted President Warren.

"_Ma'am, we're requesting that we fire the turrets!_" the officer cried.

President Warren nodded. "Okay. You have permission."

The officer thanked her and closed down the communications screen.

It now resembled a battle that could only be depicted by the best science-fiction writer. Lasers and plasma streaked through the sky, impacting against the defenses of one ship and striking the other, but not doing much damage. Missiles were fired in the next wave, again failing to penetrate the shields, but with deadlier results.

Dents were now visible on both sides' ships, but not to a great extent on the _Destiny Star Drive_ due to the incredible endurance it possessed. The Dark Axis battleship, on the other hand, bore more damage than the Federation's ship. Wires sparked and a few fires raged on board, forcing personnel to try and put them out, but with less than hoped for results.

The final blow came when it was least expected.

Gerbera, by this time, had snuck to the escape pod and had ejected. His plan was put into motion, and soon, he would be in command of this mighty organization if all went well.

If it went well indeed…

Little did he know that his plan was doomed to fail, due to an unexpected occurrence that saved the friends of the one he planned to impersonate…


	71. The Invasion Ends

Chapter 8

The setting sun illuminated the complex as the spacebridge opened and out of it emerged the _Destiny Star Drive_. Battle scars and dents marred the sleek silver ship, but nothing to the extent that normally crippled many other ships. It was remarkable that they had even avoided destruction, but also major damage.

President Warren replayed the unexpected turn in events in her mind's eye as the ship came in for a landing.

They had been preparing to take down the Dark Axis battleship with a well placed laser assault from the main cannon when two green-blue-gold plasma beams ripped through the ship and ignited the power core in one fell swoop. The red ship had then plunged to its death in the acidic pools far below, smoke trailing from the rear. It had been then that they also saw something that possibly indicated another helper. But if that were the case, then why didn't they reveal themselves?

Her lips curved downward into a frown as she tried to recall any mention of a ship that matched the one she and the other leaders had witnessed. But nothing came to mind, despite having seen many foes and fights across the stars. In fact, it seemed to remain an elusive type, unable to be seen or picked up by mortal eyes. It lay hidden, waiting until the time was right to reveal itself.

Only time would tell if it would be revealed or not.

A slight hiss of the door sliding open caught her attention. She spun, coming face to face with her lifetime friend and closest advisor on military issues, General Kyle Polski. At four-foot nine, he was shorter than most military personnel, but his ambitious drive and calm demeanor was enough to make an even bigger impression on even the most stubborn Federation military personnel. His hair was starting to gray, yet his eyes were still alert in contrast to his age of seventy-seven.

"Heather, how's it going?" he asked in a deep gravelly voice.

"Kyle…it's been a while," she said.

"Yes. I came back from my last patrol, and what do I find? A full-scale invasion being carried out in the home dimension of the Dark Axis," he said, wagging a finger playfully.

"Well, we had no other choice," President Warren explained.

"Yeah? Like that time we failed miserably?" the general laughed. "Seems you've learned from that one!"

"Hey. We all learned from that failed invasion. And if there's one thing we definitely learned, it's to target the most defended structures. In this case, it would be concentration camps," the President said.

General Polski's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? You've gotta be pulling my leg, Heather. The Second World War ended sixty-someodd years ago!"

"It's not like that anymore, Kyle," President Warren said grimly. "There's a new kind of World War II being fought. It's not against the Nazis or even against the Axis Powers. It's now against the Dark Axis. Believe it or not, before this whole war began, we discovered a huge hacking had taken place at the Museum of Human History in Chicago. The database was hacked into and a huge amount of military data on World War II pertaining to the Axis Powers was stolen, copied, and/or destroyed. An investigation carried out three days later determined the source of the hacking as being that of the Dark Axis forces. We didn't know who or what they were until they started attacking us."

"So, what's your point?" the general asked. "It's not like they hacked the database for some old Nazi files, was it?"

She didn't answer, but she merely nodded.

General Polski's face paled, almost as if the blood had rushed out of his body. "Shit…You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm not," President Warren replied. "We're up against tactics similar to World War II Nazi and Axis tactics, and as a result, we have to start using tactics from the war as well as our current stash of tactics and strategies."

"In short, they're nuts." His reply made her smile, but grimly.

"Yes. They are indeed nuts. The Dark Axis is like a non-human version of the Axis Powers, so we have to muster up all our forces like the Allies did back in World War II."

The seventy-seven year old blinked, then shook his head. "Look, I can understand the threat and the need for more forces and firepower, but we just don't have the necessary resources to do that. We're severely limited in our capacity to carry on a war like this. Pretty soon, we'll run out of troops, guns, and ammunition. Our factories are already being pushed over their limits as it is. The Dark Axis has more numbers than us, so why even fight?"

"Because of all the innocent beings being tortured, killed, raped, and murdered in those concentration camps!" President Warren hissed, her voice dangerously low. "We vowed to never let this happen again, and we won't! If you do let it happen again, then what good are you? You're no better than your predecessors. You understand?"

He nodded, stunned at her determination. "But…"

"And the reason for us wanting to end this is because we've seen it carried out once as a race when we fought in World War II. It was carried out on innocent humans and we can't allow it to be repeated on an interdimensional and intergalactic scale!" she snapped.

"Oh."

General Polski closed his eyes and turned away from her, walking over to the bridge windows and looking out at the bustling complex before him.

"Why even do it?"

"Huh?"

"Why even repeat the most destructive war in human history, but on a much bigger scale? What good can come out of it?" he asked.

"They want us gone so they can rule the universe. And now, it's our mission to stop them." President Warren's eyes were hard as she stepped up beside him. "It's what we need to do."

"But why us? What do we owe these beings? None of them ever saved us. We always saved them," the general replied.

"If we don't, then what good is our cause? It's what we want, and it's what we fight for. Our purpose is to save everyone from a fate worse than death: eternal enslavement to the Dark Axis. If we can do that, then it will be something that we can die knowing we helped accomplish it," President Warren told him.

President Warren's little speech was enough to remind him of the real efforts they had put forth when others had quit.

And it also reminded him of the dangers that lurked if they held back.

They couldn't stop now, and he knew it.

* * *

_Somewhere on Earth…_

**Location: North Atlantic**

**Time: 1230, 12:30 civilian time**

The shape of the mystery ship slid close by to the site, a single optic shining an eerie blood-red as it locked onto the spot of combat. A few Zako body parts still floated near the ocean's surface, held afloat by the salty waters.

Cerverau narrowed his eyes as he studied the site, and he scoffed.

"Even though they successfully kept her out of our hands, it's only a matter of time until we get that ship back."

"Just one question," a soft voice asked. The speaker stepped out to reveal a muscular dark skinned man dressed in a dark brown shirt and dark grey pants. "Why even go for that ship in the first place?"

"Simple, my friend," Cerverau said. "I spent enough time with them to discover that the ship they call the _Titanic_ is a part of their history. They put their hearts and souls into constructing her and they felt immense sorrow when she went down. It's a partial embodiment of their achievements, and their failures. It can't be described any other way."

The man narrowed his dark gray eyes and nodded. "Yes. If that is the case, then the Dark Axis shall gain a great victory," he said.

Cerverau nodded. "You're right. And since we completed the upgrades Crowler requested, he shall be the next one to engage them."

"Crowler? You mean Prefera?" the man asked, his eyes widening in amazement.

"Yes. Prefera is his new name, and he will eagerly attack them. Plus, we have successfully resurrected Tallgeese. He, too, shall play a role in the coming drama." Cerverau sneered.

"Drama…"

The man let his voice trail off.

"Yes," Cerverau said.

The ship beneath both men shuddered slightly, and Cerverau grinned. "Don't worry…soon, your sister will be with us…"

* * *

_At Earth Command…_

Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino stepped into the office of the director for the National Underwater and Marine Agency, Admiral James Sandecker. The admiral was a short man, not that much taller than Cobramaru, but he was still a force to be reckoned with, especially in the political arena. His hair was bright red, his eyes a clear blue and his skin was tanned from working outside occasionally. He normally sported a red Vandyke beard, but recent circumstances had made him realize the necessity of maintaining a more casual appearance, especially in the presence of the Federation leaders. Currently, an unlit cigar from his private stash was sitting on his desk.

Beside him stood NUMA's head computer whiz, Hiram Yaeger. The computer whiz had been given free reign by the admiral to create the Federation's largest computer system to date. Although vast and powerful in its own way, this system lacked the computing power and brute force of CyberEarth. Yet it was still special to the NUMA team.

Yaeger was also given a leeway with the dress code for NUMA. He was dressed in Levi's jeans and jacket, and he wore leather cowboy boots on his feet. His hair, although gray, was shortened on account of Sandecker bothering him about it and he no longer wore granny glasses. His eyesight had been corrected via laser surgery, giving him excellent 20/20 vision. It was hard to believe, but he had created an artificial intelligence he dubbed Max.

Recent technological advances had enabled the NUMA tech staff to install holographic imagers in several rooms on each floor so Max could go from room to room, and the admiral's office was one such room. The female image was an avatar created for Max to use. The hair was auburn and her eyes were a pretty topaz color. Her figure was that of a twenty-year old woman and she was dressed in a Federation jumpsuit with the sleeves missing and a good portion of the legs missing, exposing a good amount of shapely leg for the males to see.

Rudi Gunn, the second-in-command for NUMA, stood not too far from the image. Although he was a small man, his body had filled out from the weight deck, courtesy of the admiral pestering him about it at times, especially ever since the first battle against the Dark Axis had broken out on Earth. His hair was thinning somewhat and his glasses had been replaced by an analyst's visor, giving him the ability to analyze things in the field.

This was the whole NUMA team that worked with Dirk and Al, and they had assembled after receiving the report from the two men.

"Dirk, Al. Good to see you made it," the admiral said seriously.

"Why wouldn't we?" Pitt asked.

"Jokes aside, this is actually a pretty serious issue," Gunn noted.

"I understand, Rudi. And it's why I called this meeting. I want to cover all possible angles and motives for this to have occurred," Sandecker said.

He turned to face the image. "Max, we may need you to help us with this."

The image nodded. "I understand, Admiral. That's why I'm here," Max said in a feminine voice.

Even though she was an AI, she was considered to be a member of NUMA as much as any of the humans she knew well.

"Okay. Now let's see what we know. We know that the Dark Axis scuttled a Federation battleship and raised the ship by using charges that were sufficient enough to do the job. The question is why, and what do they want her for?" Sandecker shifted through the sheaf of screens on his desk. "And based on the report, it seems like they neglected to clean her up."

"But why even go for the _Britannic_?" Giordino asked.

"That's the question we have to answer," Pitt replied, looking at his friend.

"And it may be the whole key to the reason," Yaeger said grimly.

"Any ideas as to why, gentlemen…and ladies?" the admiral asked.

Max's holographic face darkened. "Well, I may have one," she said.

"What is it?" Yaeger asked.

"First off, have any of you actually considered the reason why the Olympic class ships were given their status as the White Star Line's most luxurious ships?" she asked.

"Yes. It's common knowledge amongst those that study the ships that they were that status because the White Star Line did what they do best: cater to luxury," Gunn said.

"But there's also another reason," Max explained. "They were created to be the best of the best, and so, as a result, the workers and designers put their hearts and souls into building them, especially the first two."

"The _Olympic_ and _Titanic_," Pitt mused.

"Yes. And as a result, it was unheard of when the _Titanic_ went down on her maiden voyage. The reason why it was unheard of was because the two were labeled unsinkable, especially the _Titanic_. She was not built exactly to specifications and as a result, when she sank, it caused quite a stir among people…and the whole world," Max explained. "Even with the safety innovations, the ship was not unsinkable, and was doomed from the beginning."

"But why attempt to go for the sister ship?" Pitt asked her.

"The reason is because somehow, her hull and structure retained the souls of those lost at sea. The _Titanic_'s sister sank at war, while the _Titanic_ sank on her maiden voyage. The two are connected through tragedy," Max said.

"And if the _Britannic_ meets up with the _Titanic_?" Sandecker asked, rolling his cigar around on the desk.

"Then the _Britannic_ will clash with her sister ship," the AI explained.

"But what about the _Olympic_? How come she escaped the bad luck that befell the other two ships?" Yaeger asked.

"That's a good question. The people who built her didn't consider her to be unsinkable, even though they put their hearts and souls into her construction. They secretly hoped that she would give them good service, and she did."

"But why?"

"The reason is because they knew that she was their first ship, and, no one knew it at the time, but it was because she was the first one built that she escaped the bad luck that claimed both the _Britannic_ and the _Titanic_," Max explained. "If she had been the second, they might have not expected her to survive. If the roles had been reversed, maybe the _Titanic_ might have served much longer than normal. Who knows?" She shrugged.

"Now, how come the Dark Axis raised the _Britannic_?" Gunn asked.

"It's hard for me to explain because I lack the data required, but I can take a guess based on the information at hand," Max said.

"Then guess," Sandecker said. He scowled as he watched Giordino remove a cigar from his jumpsuit pocket, recognizing it as one of his stash, although due to the fact that everyone except the admiral knew they shared the same source, it frustrated him because he couldn't find any missing.

"Well, based on the information we know, the Dark Axis believes the _Titanic_ and _Britannic_ are somehow connected, and they are," Max lectured. She raised her hand and a screen showing the two ships appeared. The image of the two ships was connected with a line, as well as the number of souls lost. "But what they don't know is that the _Titanic_ doesn't need a control horn. It turns out that the souls of those lost at sea provide the ship with an intelligence of sorts, but it needs a few more to become a full intelligence; just not like Anderson. Instead, the ship will be able to communicate through radar signals, communications bursts, or even text, depending on the kind of method it wishes to use to communicate."

"And where would these few extra souls come from?" Sandecker asked.

"Possible sources could be those that fell in the conflict against the Dark Axis, although a few other sources include Primus, the dead here in the Federation cemetery, or even those dying right now."

"Max, you've been a great help," Pitt commended her.

Max's face turned red slightly and she smiled. "Thanks, Dirk," she murmured.

"Okay. So we now have possible sources and reasons why, but the real question remains: why go for the _Titanic_? Surely it can't be for the metal," Sandecker murmured, recalling his last meeting with the Federation leaders.

"It's not. It's because of the fifteen hundred souls lost that day." Max grew serious as she waved a hand and the screen changed images to show an image of the ship's hulk, but a weird energy surrounded it. "With those souls lost, they could develop Soul-Drives that use those emotions that were shown that day. There is so much grief and loss down there, and believe it or not, but those emotions hold the most negative energy, meaning they could have an almost limitless supply of power on their hands."

"You said almost. That means that it's limited," Giordino mused, chewing on one end of his own cigar.

"It's true that it may have limits, but it's energy is so vast that it could supply them with enough power to last for years, maybe even centuries or millennia. Who knows how long?" Max said.

"Great…so we have to keep the _Titanic_ out of Dark Axis hands," Pitt said.

"Exactly," Max said as the screen shut down.

Silence filled the room for a moment before Gunn turned to face Sandecker.

"Should we inform the President about this?" he asked.

Sandecker nodded. "Yes. And make it snappy. The sooner she learns of this the better." He placed his head in his hands before he sighed. "Let's just hope that no harm befalls the _Titanic_," he murmured.

He had no idea that soon, things would change drastically…

* * *

_Up in Earth orbit…_

The interior of the ship was almost entirely dark, save for the light of the sun shining through tinted windows. Six forms sat in shadow around a table, a few lights dotting the edge in blue. Computer screens glowed faintly, their light barely penetrating the darkness that shrouded its occupants. Outside the windows was a magnificent view of Earth as the sun broke over the horizon, the moon off to one side with the dome that marked Tycho colony visibly shimmering. The ISS hovered off to the left, its new additions shining bright silver and the logo of the Federation bright against the silver backdrop. The silvery form of the _Destiny Star Drive_ stood out against the blackness of space, enhancing the view.

"Okay. Let's review the situation with the humans and their allies," one of the forms said.

"Why should we?" a second form asked, speaking in a Spanish accented voice.

"Because it's important to do so, considering how we may have gotten involved in a conflict between them and a new force," the first form replied.

"Oh." The second form hung its head.

"What we know so far isn't much," a third form remarked in a feminine voice.

"True, but it's essential to do so." The first form stood and walked over to the window, peering out at the world below. "This fight is something that we've never been involved in before. So if we're going to get involved, it's best to know the situation at hand so we can come up with plans for future events."

"Oh."

"Anyway, as for the situation, do you have any ideas?" the first form asked.

"Well, from what we've seen in combat on our long-range satellites, it seems that the forces the humans are facing started out invading a world of both humans and machines. They were forced to send a concentration towards some kind of gate and it turns out that four of them escaped in an escape pod from a battleship," a fourth form explained. The light from the computer screens revealed it to be short in stature and the outline of a mechanic's suit was revealed.

"I asked for a sit rep, not a history report!" the first form snapped, spinning to face the smaller one. The hands of the first form grabbed the mechanic's suit and lifted the smaller form off the floor of the spacecraft they were in. "Got it?"

The smaller form nodded before it was released.

"Anyway, as for the situation, we were able to determine that the situation is getting worse by the day. Each day brings new dangers and new threats to this group. With the fighting as bad as it is, I'm surprised that the humans have not given up," the first form remarked.

"Well yeah. There's a good reason for that," an older, fifth form said. The first form turned to face the speaker.

"There is?" it asked.

The fifth form nodded. "Yes. The reason is that the humans and their allies have a tendency to keep fighting even in the face of certain defeat. It seems that the humans have a reason for this fighting."

"Any ideas as to why?" the smaller form asked.

"Yes. Historically, humans have been unified by wartime efforts to bring down threats to the reign of others, mostly those who wanted peace and unity among their peoples. One such effort took place in the Earth year 1939-1945. That period of time was the worst war in their history. The humans had split into two factions: one was bent on world domination; the other was determined to stop them. It was much like this fight, but without the advanced technologies that have advanced warfare to new levels," the older form said.

"So, humans have a tendency to unite against a common threat and bring down the foes they face," the sixth form murmured. This form was feminine in build, but an observer couldn't be sure.

"Yes. And it is what makes them such a dangerous species. Plus, not to mention that there are humans of different kinds in this organization, so it makes them a perfect fighting force, as well as being teamed up with the Cybertronian forces," the older form explained.

"With that kind of unity and determination, I'm surprised they won against such powerful foes," the Spanish form mused.

"They did indeed win, and it was not just because of their species. It was the fact that somehow, legendary weapons were placed in their star system to avoid them falling into the wrong hands."

"But why do that in the first place? Why not just destroy them?" the Spanish form asked.

"Because those weapons were meant to be weapons of war, and as you know, sometimes weapons of great power can't be destroyed without setting off a chain reaction of conflicts. These powerful weapons were concealed to prevent anyone from finding them, but apparently they were found and are now being used in a cause that they were never meant to be used for: the fight for peace," the older form explained.

"So, in short, they're being used for something different than what they were meant to do," the first female form murmured.

"Correct," the older form said.

"I see…" The first form turned back to the older form. "And because of this, their foes, the Dark Axis or whatever they're called, are going for the humans and conducting experiments that can be considered as inhumane."

"What kind of experiments?" the smaller form asked, its unseen eyes widening in fright.

"Soul engineering. A kind of technology developed by the Allies of the Orichalcos as an alternative to reincarnation using the Orichalcos stone. But due to consequences that were unforeseen at the time, they stopped using soul engineering and it was banned by the leader. But now, apparently, the Dark Axis has gotten their hands on this kind of technology and is using it in experiments to create something called a Soul-Drive," the Spanish form said.

The first form gritted its teeth at these words. Thoughts of family flitted through the mind of the form as it watched the sun gleam as the planet below glimmered faintly like a sapphire jewel.

The other forms could sense what their leader was going through, so they knew better than to bring it up. They just remained silent, each with only their thoughts as they recalled past events.

A betrayal to their leader's family had led to this point, and they knew it. Such a pain made it hard for their commander to carry out missions at times, and that led to bad command decisions. With such pain, there was no way a successful mission could be carried out without an injury or something of that nature. It was only by luck and instinct that their leader had managed to avoid losing the lives of those that were considered close friends or lovers.

Such pain…

Such loss…

Such anguish.

They hoped that somehow, someway, their leader would be able to overcome this pain and successfully avenge his family.

They hoped.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Not a cloud was visible in the clear blue sky of Corneria, and that made the little kit smile in happiness. His big green eyes shimmered as he scampered through the yard outside his home. Young Fox McCloud laughed as the wind teased his reddish-orange fur. It was an absolutely perfect day to his young mind._

_His father was home from a mission, his oldest brother, Albus McCloud, was busy trying to find some work, and Anders McCloud had come home from the Academy for the summer holidays. His mother was cooking his favorite lunch, Neka McCloud was off playing with Danny McCloud, and he was free to play in the yard._

_Nothing could ruin this day._

_Nothing at all._

"_Fox! Hey, Fox!" His father's voice drifted through the open door and his ears perked up. "Fox! C'mere for a minute!"_

_Little Fox turned and ran towards the house as fast as his young legs would take him. "Daddy! Daddy!" he cried._

_James McCloud knelt and scooped up his son in his arms with a chuckle. "You're pretty wound up today," he remarked, his violet eyes twinkling with happiness._

_Fox nodded. "I had some sugar!" he chirped._

_James laughed as he heard the news. "I guessed you did. Anyway, wait right here. I'll be back." He let his son down and then walked off, leaving a young kit squirming in anticipation of a surprise._

_It took only a few minutes and James came back with something cupped in his hands. "Okay, Fox. Close your eyes."_

_Fox squeezed his eyes shut and held out his hand._

_Something sharp pricked his skin and he yelped, dropping the object to the floor with a clatter of metal. "OWWW!" Tears pricked at his eyes and he struggled to hold them in. He put his finger in his mouth and started sucking._

_James knelt and opened his son's other hand, this time, gently laying the object from before in his hand. "Fox, it's a bit sharp, so please be careful," he said._

_Fox managed to open one of his eyes. What he saw made him forget the pain in his thumb and he stopped sucking his finger. Instead, curiosity overcame the young kit and he gently prodded the model spacecraft with one finger. "What is it?" he asked, gazing up at his dad with innocent green eyes._

_James laughed. "It's the newest model spacecraft. It's called an Arwing, and…get this. Star Fox is getting the first batch."_

_Fox's eyes widened in amazement. "W-What?" he stammered. "Are you serious!?"_

_James nodded. "Yes. I am, Fox."_

_Fox let out a whoop of excitement as he heard the news. "AWESOME!"_

"_And when I get my Arwing, Fox, you'll be my first passenger."_

_Little Fox's eyes shimmered in gratitude as he jumped on his father, tackling him and smiling. "Thank you, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" he murmured softly._

"_You're welcome," James murmured in response._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

The memory faded from the first form's mind and a sigh was heard. "Dad…"

* * *

_Deep in the bowels of space and time, Vector Prime watched as the fighting grew worse in the main invasion force's wake. Such power…and determination. It marveled him still how the humans could wield such power, even though they were much weaker physically than the Dark Axis._

_He reflected back on the history of their race. It was brief, when compared to the long lives and long existence of the Transformers. To him, their history was nothing more than a drop of energon in a cube. And yet…here they were, with all this power at their command._

_He wondered what could make them so powerful. He wanted to know so badly so he could stop pondering that question. And yet, at the same time, he sort of knew the answer, but he didn't know why. It confused him to no end._

_Certain parts of humanity's history, he knew, held major advancements in war machines and weapons, and that was part of the reason they had become so strong. But other reasons remained unknown. He recalled the worst war in humanity's history, World War II. That alone had been sparked from the First World War, and it had ended in devastation unlike anything ever seen before. Lives of civilians and soldiers both taken, and buildings flattened by bombings._

_The war itself had changed the way the humans saw each other and how their rights could easily be revoked. Especially for certain races. He felt a bit ashamed by their actions, for he had been watching over them ever since the day they had come into existence._

_Yet, they also held potential to do much good with their destructive natures. He had seen how the Allies had fought with their hearts and souls against the Axis Powers and how the United States united around the destruction of Pearl Harbor, leading to a united front that became the global conflict called World War II. He had seen how they fought against the Nazi forces and freed the concentration camps, becoming shocked and horrified by the conditions the prisoners lived in. It had changed the whole aspect of the war, leading to a new world organization coming into being, the result of the united efforts of the Allies to bring down the Axis threat._

_Yet, deep down, he already knew the answer, even if he himself was unaware of it._

_The reason humanity had become so powerful was because of the power with which they put themselves into their goals. It was their souls that made them so powerful; their emotions, their common drive, and the determination with which they fought to see that goal through to the very end._

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The sky was as clear as the ocean, with barely a cloud in the sky. The barest whisper of wind teased the leaves of the trees as the TCDA elite team and the Gundam Force all assembled under a tree with a simple gravestone under it.

They had recently returned from the Medical University, each having had their wounds bandaged and fixed up by Xenphyr. But for some reason, Xenphyr seemed to be a bit busy…but on what project?

Shute reached into his pocket and pulled out the device he had used during the fight with the clones. The hexagonal object had been fixed and the scuffs were cleaned off. It glimmered in the sunlight as he turned it over in his hand. Now that they weren't fighting the Dark Axis, he could actually study it. The shape of the V-fin resembled that of Captain, but not exactly. On the back side was the Intergalactic Federation sigil, and the device itself was pure silver with hints of blue, gold, and red on the edges.

Ever since Xenphyr had explained what it was, he kept repeating the word in his mind over and over until now. He opened his mouth and tried speaking the word out loud.

"Kakugane…"

It seemed to fit. And the weapon it created… the Buso Renkin.

"Shute?"

"Huh?" Shute turned at Captain's voice. "Oh, hey, Captain."

"What do you have there?" the Gundam asked.

"Oh, this is something called a kakugane. Apparently, it's some kind of weapon developed by the Federation for some reason. I'm not sure why though." Shute looked down at it before looking up and locking gazes with Captain.

"Well, it saved your life. And…well, I'm grateful for that," Captain murmured, his eyes suddenly shifting to the ground.

"Captain…you okay?" Shute didn't know what was going on with him. Normally, he wasn't like this. He was normally more innocent to what was going on around him.

Yet Captain himself knew what was going on. For some reason, after the fight against Gerbera, he had become more aware to the situation of the humans, and so, when they had arrived back on Earth a few days ago, the first thing he had done was grab a screen detailing the whole Second World War from its beginnings to its end. The thing that had shocked him as he read was the destruction that had been caused by all the battles, as well as the horrific conditions that the prisoners in the concentration camps had been living in. When he had read that, he had actually cried himself to bed that night.

After that, he had been concerned for Shute's safety, especially on the field of battle. He wanted to protect Shute as much as he could without making him feel restrained. Still…after he had read that screen report, he had felt emotions he had never experienced before: hate, rage, and anger all in one: revenge.

Now, as he sat beside Shute, thoughts of what could happen came to mind and he closed his eyes, the first shimmer of tears appearing in the corners of his eyes. He clenched his fists and opened his eyes.

He remembered the promise he had made Shute a while ago, vowing to uphold it 'til the end.

* * *

_Deep in the confines of Area 51…_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_The first thing he remembered when he woke up was the bright light. It shone right down into his eyes, forcing him to close them. He let out a small groan as the light faded only to be replaced by a dimmer light._

"_Looks like he's awake," a male voice said._

"_Yes. Now to see if the project worked like we wanted it too," a second male voice said in a smooth baritone._

_The second speaker waited until he opened both eyes once again. "Good. Now, what's your name?" the man asked. He looked to be about fifty and he had a nasty scar going down the left side of his face._

_He told him._

"_Good. Do you know where you are?" the man asked._

"_Yes. I'm in Area 51," he replied._

"_Excellent. Looks like you're still the same."_

_At this point, the first speaker, a scientist in his early thirties, stepped forwards. "Um, Sergeant Tsukai, I have some news."_

_The man, Tsukai, turned to face the scientist. "Not now, Uchiha."_

_Uchiha shifted slightly. "It has to do with Destiny. Someone got to him before we could. He's been converted to the enemy's side. We…we failed in saving him."_

_The sergeant sighed. "Well, at least we still have Justice on our side…"_

_The relief was evident in Tsukai's voice, and Uchiha smiled. At least things were working out, even if one of them had been swayed by the enemy._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

He sighed as he looked back at his reflection in the mirror. It had been only three days ago that the project had been successfully completed, and he was still getting used to the fact that he was no longer human, but something more than human. He had been one of fifteen Coordinators selected for this project to create a group called the Mobile Coordinators.

It had worked.

Now he stood alone in his room, observing his reflection in his mirror, taking in his new body's details. He flexed his hands, curling them into fists.

"Hard to believe that it actually worked," he murmured. He had gotten used to his voice's changes, especially since he sounded more like one of the Gundams at the TCDA. But if there was one thing he still couldn't get used to, it was the fact that this had been aimed at finding ways that could reduce the pain inflicted during the process of creating Soul-Drives. The project's goals had been accomplished, but it came with a price: those who took part in it couldn't be returned to their human state.

All they could do now was watch and wait to see if they needed to be deployed, and where.

* * *

_Three hours later…_

The sun had just finished setting as the first stars began to come out. It was a clear night, and the lights from the complex seemed like a vast galaxy that never ceased to rest. It was a tremendous sight when viewed from above; on the ground, however, it was not as impressive.

For the last few weeks, Captain had been having nightmares due to the torture he had gone through. Every night it was the same: going through the torture, feeling the pain, seeing the leering grins of Gerbera and Shift, the warm flowing of mecha fluid from his wounds. He wanted to be able to sleep without the nightmares, but the psychological impact of the intense interrogation had made its mark. He couldn't sleep normally now.

At least, not yet.

Currently, Captain stood outside on the balcony of his and Shute's dorm room, his blue eyes locked onto the glistening lights of the complex beyond the TCDA campus boundaries. His hands gripped the metal railing tight enough to be able to break it, but due to the energon reinforcement of the steel, it was practically impossible to break unless more sufficient force was applied.

He closed his eyes and hung his head just as a sigh escaped his lips.

"Hey, Captain?" He knew without turning who had asked that.

Shute stepped up close to his friend. "You okay?" he asked.

When the Gundam didn't reply, Shute took a wild guess.

"Been having nightmares?" he asked jokingly.

Although the question was meant as a joke, the reaction he got from Captain confirmed the answer.

His friend's hands removed themselves from the railing and the next thing he knew, he was pinned against the glass door of the dorm room, those same hands holding him by the front of his shirt.

"What do you mean by that?!" Captain screamed. "It's not funny!"

Shute's eyes widened. "Wait…you have…haven't you?" he asked cautiously.

Captain relaxed his hold and removed his hands from Shute's shirt. He turned his gaze down towards them. "Every night…it's been the same…" he murmured. "The pain…I just want it to stop…"

Shute stepped forward and placed a hand on Captain's shoulder pad, wondering what his reaction would be. At the touch of Shute's hand, Captain winced slightly, but didn't pull away. Instead, he merely averted his gaze from his human companion.

The boy knew that this had to be some reaction left over from the interrogation, and he was right. "Captain, everything's going to be fine."

Now, Captain didn't know it, but ever since that day he had been rescued and brought back online, Shute had been comforting him when he had been asleep. The boy's voice had cut through the worst of the nightmares, reducing their impact considerably, just not to the extent that would have been expected under these circumstances.

He felt sadness at the pain his friend must have been feeling during that time. And he didn't blame him. He could only hope that time weakened the impact of the torture.


	72. Intergalactic Federation VS Vulcan!

Chapter 9

Silence filled the sky as the sleek silvery vessel approached. Vulcan smiled as he watched the mass of lights grow until it practically filled the windshield of his ship. Smaller lights dashed along the roads, coming and going from the central part of the command center. The tall building that served as the landmark for the city was all lit up, the logo for the Federation standing out against the darkened night sky.

The time on his ship's clock read 11:00 p.m.

He had arrived right on time.

Now all he needed to do was get the attention of all the leaders. And he had just the method to use in mind. He smirked.

Showtime!

He pressed a button on his ship's console, triggering the release mechanism for the small satellite dish underneath. The twin doors slid open and the dish emerged into the glittering lights of the complex below. No one even noticed the slight pulse of radio waves that triggered the alarms, sending the pulse along the wires at 150 mps.

It happened to catch the attention of the leaders; just like he had hoped.

* * *

**In the main** office on the very top floor, on the main command console for the whole complex, a single blue-red light flashed repeatedly. President Warren took note of this and walked over, breaking off from the important meeting currently taking place.

Seto noticed her action and glanced at her. "Something going on?" he asked.

"The alarm's been triggered!" President Warren exclaimed, suddenly noticing that it was for the complex boundary sensors. "Someone managed to infiltrate the complex!"

"WHAT!?" Seto's eyes widened. "But how? No one can get past those sensors!"

"I thought that too," President Warren said grimly.

"Seems like the Dark Axis got past us," Famous muttered.

"No…It's not them," Ciel murmured from over by the window.

"Then who is it?" Sandra asked.

"I…I'm not sure." The simple explanation from Ciel managed to get the attention of the other leaders and they all swarmed over to the window.

"Geez! What the heck is that?!" Sandra cried.

Above the complex hovered a silvery spacecraft that had a strange logo on the wings. A small radar dish was extended outward, and it appeared to be searching for something.

"No clue," Zero snarled. "But whoever it is, they picked the wrong organization to mess with!"

* * *

**Above the complex,** Vulcan grinned. He had gotten their attention. Now all he had to do was find a suitable place for the coming battle. His red eyes swept the geography of the area, and his gaze landed on the field that sprawled out before the main entrance to the city-like complex. "Good," he murmured. "That will do nicely."

He turned his ship around and programmed in the destination. The computer registered the course change and adjusted the angle of the elevators and wing flaps accordingly. The ship's hull glistened as it swooped around in a low arc, barely rustling the trees far below. It weaved a course through the taller buildings, swinging around the main building and emerging from between two tall hotels into the western suburbs.

Vulcan watched on the video screen as the leaders emerged from the main building, following his ship like flies following the stench of garbage. It was too perfect. Now he could test their strength and see if they really were as strong as the Leader hoped.

His ship landed five minutes later outside the vast complex. He waited for a half an hour, checking over his moves and the tactics he planned to use against them, He even practiced his Fire Sword a few times before his ship's radar picked them up.

"Perfect."

He adjusted his jumpsuit and walked over to the door. He swiftly entered his computer password and hit the enter key, allowing the ship's computer to unlock the door and expose him to the mortal air of Earth for the first time.

It was much like that of HEAVEN, just without the extra energy. He took a breath into his lungs and he let it out. The air was clean, too. He smiled. Maybe they were not so different from HEAVEN after all. Even if they were mortals.

The leaders of the small organization had arrived at the battle site. Each one held a weapon or had some kind of attack powered. "Well, we finally meet," Vulcan said.

From the Intergalactic Federation's perspective, Vulcan looked much like a menacing specter in the dim light from his ship's landing lights, his powerful body silhouetted by the light from the interior of his craft. His red eyes were glinting dangerously and he held in one hand his signature sword. Faint heat waves could be seen emitting from the metal blade.

"Who are you?!" Optimus blurted.

"I am Vulcan Varos, and I am one of the GODs of HEAVEN," the man said in a low voice.

Shock flooded the bodies of the Federation leaders. Their eyes and optics widened in amazement at this revelation. One of the gods, here? For what purpose, and why? How was this even possible?

The door to the silvery vessel closed behind the man, throwing the whole battlefield into darkness. Only the lights from the complex in the background now provided any kind of light, along with the slight sliver of moonlight that could be seen as the new moon began to expand.

Then, a flickering flame began to come from the darkness in front of them. The light from the flame began to grow until it was illuminating Vulcan's face. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth was etched in a snarl, his teeth bared in hatred. Now they could see that the flame was forming around the sword he held in his right hand. "Now, time to see what you've got!" he snarled.

"Wait! Why attack us to begin with?" Ciel asked, gambling that maybe diplomacy could work.

"That is classified information. I cannot reveal that to anyone, let alone a group of mortals such as you!" Vulcan hissed.

"If it's so classified, then there must be a logical reason!" Zero snapped.

"All I can say is that the Leader sees you as a threat, and that you must be terminated!" Vulcan snarled, the fire around his sword flaring brighter. "You have killed many mortals and you seek to upset the natural balance of the universe! So for that, you must be exterminated!"

"What?" Ciel's blue eyes shimmered with tears as the accusation struck home.

"That's a lie!" Famous snapped. His dark green eyes flashed dangerously. "We've never killed anyone for pleasure or even because we wanted to! We have to because we desire to create universal peace, not upset some ridiculous heavenly balance that some god wants to continue!"

"And that is exactly why you must be exterminated," Vulcan whispered.

"Why? Because we want universal peace? That seems like a lame excuse to come here and kill us all!" Famous shouted.

_**Don't try to explain your mind**_

_**I know what's happening here**_

"If you want to kill us, then you'll have to fight to do so!" Shie-rae cried. "LION'S ROAR!" She thrust her hands forward, the ESICs releasing a powerful sound barrage right at him. Vulcan smirked and simply waved his sword. The flames on it began to coalesce into a circular formation that became a shield of fire. The blast of sound struck the dome, dissipating on impact. Shie-rae let out a string of swearwords that would make even the most battle-hardened veteran impressed.

Vulcan swung his sword, scattering the flaming shield and charging at them, his eyes flashing in anger at them. "HAAAAAAH! FIRE SWORD!" He swung the blade, releasing a blast of fire right at the leaders.

Everyone scattered just before the flaming shockwave slammed into the ground, tossing up rocks and debris. President Warren landed on her feet and glanced back at her fellow leaders and friends. They all lay on the ground nursing an injury of some kind, but for the most part, everyone had avoided getting seriously hurt.

_**One minute it's love**_

_**And suddenly it's like a battlefield**_

Ciel glanced up, tears streaming down her face. "W-Why accuse us of killing innocent beings for the pleasure of it?!" she screamed. "We would never do such a thing!"

"That's where you're wrong," Vulcan whispered. "Plenty of mortals have seen how much destruction you have wrought on the universe and its inhabitants. You have attacked and killed major organizations that have fought to maintain the balance of the universe, and so you must be killed as a result!"

"We don't want to rule, we just want universal peace! If you accuse us one more time of killing for pleasure…oh, you'll be sorry!" Sandra snarled.

"You think you're fighting for peace, but you're not. You want to rule, and become stronger than any mortals. You yearn to become gods!" Vulcan shouted.

"NO WE DON'T!" the leaders yelled as one.

"We only want to free the universe, not become gods!" Cassie screamed.

"Nice try. I've seen you in action, and that is clear to me as day. You are a threat, and must be destroyed!" the GOD hissed.

_**One word turns into a**_

_**Why is it the smallest things that tear us down**_

_**My world's nothing when you don't**_

Vulcan raised his sword and held it above his head. "Now, die!" Flames began to gather around his blade until it resembled a jet of flames shooting skyward. His entire face seemed to be aflame itself, and his eyes were enhanced by the effect. He looked positively evil.

"FIRE JET!" He aimed his sword at the group and it fired in a huge roar of energy, sound, and heat. The flaming jet struck them, or so he thought. A glint of blue could be seen through the flaming searing jet, and he snarled in anger and frustration.

Optimus had reacted swiftly, engaging the Matrix of Leadership, creating a shield around them all. It proved to be an effective defense, but even so, his power seemed to be useless against the godly flames. Heat was seeping through, and already the humans were starting to sweat.

"Ciel! Zero! Now's your chance!" he shouted.

The two Orcan leaders nodded. Both human and Reploid gripped their sword hilts and ignited the blades; one was pink and the other was green. Ciel glanced at Zero and they both nodded once. They crouched and jumped, their blades glinting in the light from the firestorm outside.

"HAAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAAAH!"

Their screams echoed as one as they slashed, both blades releasing energy waves that merged into one. "ORCAN SLASH!"

The double attack sped out of the Matrix shield, cutting through the flames like a knife through butter. Vulcan sneered as the attacks dissipated before even reaching the halfway point. "Nice try!" he cried. "My flames are too strong for your puny attacks to penetrate!"

"Damnit!" Ciel cursed.

_**I'm not here without a shield**_

_**Can't go back now**_

"Okay. Now what?" Steven asked. "We can't even get close to him!"

"Who said anything about getting close?" Cassie asked.

The leaders took notice of the twin balls of blue-green light in her hands, and they smiled. "Alright, Cassie! Let 'im have it!" O'hari cheered.

She nodded and thrust her arms forward so that the balls were aimed right at Vulcan. "MEGA RESCUE BEAM!"

The twin energy beams launched from her palms, streaking through the flames, barely even touching them. The beam slammed into an unseen barrier, but didn't stop firing. Cassie's face was streaked with sweat as she amped up the power in her attack.

Vulcan sneered at her attempt, but his grin vanished when he noticed that the beam was getting closer slowly. "WHAT!? How's that possible?" he cried.

"This is how!" Cassie shouted. "MEGA RESCUE BEAM, MAXIMUM!"

The blue-green beam increased in size and power, becoming stronger. Vulcan's eyes widened in amazement and shock as the attack penetrated through his defenses. He cried out as he slashed with his sword, shattering the powerful blast with ease.

_**Both hands tied behind my back with nothing**_

_**Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again**_

Everyone scattered as the shockwave unleashed cut through the air, impacting the road behind them and melting the black pavement into a pool of sludge. Sandra glanced back nervously before she shifted her gaze forward. She gritted her teeth and grasped one of the three grenades around her belt.

"Let's see how you like this!" she yelled. She pulled the pin and tossed it like a fastball. The grenade whizzed through the air before Vulcan reached out and caught it in his hand. He smirked as he squeezed it, using his control over metal to disengage the firing mechanism. What he didn't count on though was the explosive force that was contained within it.

Energon grenades could also be detonated by remote control or they went off if their shell casing was penetrated. And that was what had happened when Vulcan had squeezed it. The blast that spread out from the grenade was enough to throw all the Federation leaders back, especially Optimus Prime. The Autobot commander wound up flat on his back in pain.

Sandra gasped and ran over to him. "Optimus!"

A groan escaped Optimus's lips as he sat up, rubbing his chest where the shockwave had impacted him. "I'm fine," he murmured.

"That's good," Sandra murmured.

_**Why we gotta fall for it now**_

_**I never meant to start a war**_

Vulcan snarled in anger as he charged out of the smoke, his flaming sword carving a trail through the night sky. "AAAAAAAH! FIRE WAVE!" The massive weapon swung down, the flaming arc flying towards them all. Steven snarled as he gripped a small object in his hand. This had to be timed just right or else they all would die.

The arc came closer and closer. He bit his lower lip as he waited. Then, he opened his hand.

His fingers were curled around a small shield generator. He pressed the button just as the arc of flames exploded in front of them all.

Vulcan watched as the black smoke curved skyward. The blast had impacted directly in front of them, so he figured that they had been killed. At least until a blast of orange-white light cut across the battlefield. He cried out as the beam struck him in the leg, burning through his jumpsuit and searing his flesh.

A gust of wind whirled across the field, the smoke being blown away to reveal the shield generator activated, and Steven standing there with his most trusted Pokemon, Flygon at his side. The Pokemon trainer/leader had a grim determination etched on his face as he stared Vulcan in the face.

"That was not even a nice try!" he hissed.

_**You know I never wanna hurt you**_

_**Don't even know what we're fighting for**_

Vulcan's eyes narrowed in anger. "Huh. You seem determined to overcome everything I throw at you, considering the fact that you will stop at nothing to achieve your goals of universal destruction!" he snarled.

"Why do you keep calling us evil?" Mimi asked. She had tears in her own eyes, but she spoke with wisdom someone three times her age would have. "We don't want to rule. We want freedom. We want to eliminate all evil beings in the universe that want to become the rulers over all. That is why we fight!"

"No. You don't," Vulcan hissed. "Those who fight for freedom don't use weapons of mass destruction. They don't use military means. They use peace. They use other methods."

"Such as putting flowers in guns and preaching about peace and love and communing with nature?!" Seto snapped. "Because that's not how we do things! We fight against evil because it's the only method that works when diplomacy and all other peaceful channels fail!"

Vulcan laughed. "Oh, really? Is that why you fight? Because all other methods fail?"

"Exactly!" the Kaxian hissed.

"And why compare us to the Dark Axis?" Mimi asked calmly. "They are the ones who yearn to become gods. Not us. We only want to see them gone."

"The Dark Axis? Hah! As if!" Vulcan chuckled. "The Dark Axis is weak. They can't become a threat to us!"

"That is where you're wrong!" Mokuba yelled. "They are a threat! We've seen what they can do, and we want it to stop! Didn't you see all the souls that have been killed because of their insane methods? Didn't you hear them begging for release from their mechanical prisons? Huh?! Didn't you?!"

Vulcan snickered. In truth, they didn't even know it, but he had. And he was just as enraged as they were. But he couldn't let them find out. That would ruin his whole plan. And he had to carry it out to see if they really were capable of defeating the Dark Axis.

_**Why does love always feel like a battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield?**_

"Of course. But that was by you. And you can't deny it," he whispered.

"That is it! You are so going down!" Seto yelled. "Mokuba! Let's show him our power!"

The younger Kaiba nodded. "Right, Seto!"

Both Kaiba brothers gripped their pistols and withdrew them from their holsters. The two pistols were outfitted with a special kind of scale found on Kax's main moon, a scale that came from a creature that bore a resemblance to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. They flicked the safety off their pistols and pressed the triggers.

"BLUE-EYES STRIKE!"

The twin beams fired from the guns at the exact same time, arrowing through the darkness toward Vulcan. He laughed as he erected a shield of fire once again, but it was useless against the powerful beams.

Mokuba's pistol shot struck first, followed by Seto's. The explosions created blew the shield away and forced Vulcan to jump to the side to avoid getting shot through the chest. The blast struck the ground and threw up debris that made him cough.

_**Why does love always feel like a battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield?**_

"HOPE DISK!"

Vulcan turned at the cry, and his eyes widened in shock as he saw the shockerdisk spinning through the air, electricity coursing over the blades in a shower of sparks. He thrust his hand out and grabbed it by one of the blades, but that proved to be a big mistake on his part. Due to his incredible power levels, the jolt that he received was beyond fatal for even a Transformer. He felt his muscles spasm as the shock coursed through his body.

He tried to let go, but it was impossible. With a shock, Vulcan realized that since he was in the mortal world, the laws of physics applied to him even though he was a GOD. The horror that he might be killed overcame him and he let out an animalistic cry of pain and agony that echoed over the entire battlefield.

His eyes widened as the shocks got even worse. It felt as though he had been plugged into the Heaven's Core, the energy was so intense. But it was far from it. It was weaker, but still packed enough juice to make him cry in pain. The flames around his sword faded and he dropped the blade. Then, the shockerdisk's stun circuits exploded.

The force of the explosion knocked Vulcan flat onto his back and sent the shockerdisk skidding towards its owner.

Mimi leaned down and picked it up.

There was so much smoke caused by the explosion that it was hard to determine if they had killed Vulcan.

_**Why does love always feel like…**_

The leaders watched with baited breath as the smoke began to clear. The only thing that marked the impact of the disk was a huge circle of charred grass and hardened dirt. Then, Vulcan's voice echoed as he staggered out of the smoke, his eyes filled with anger.

"That's it. You mortals have caused me enough pain as it is! Now, time for you to be incinerated!" he yelled.

"Not on our watch!" O'hari screamed. He jumped skyward and his eyes flashed in determination. "GILARIAN CROSS!"

The twin laser daggers in his hands glowed with bright blue energy as he fell towards the enraged GOD. He slashed with both, creating a cross with them. The blue energy cross sped right towards Vulcan who watched in shock and amazement.

His eyes widened as the energy cross impacted against his body, throwing him back and creating a cross-shaped burn on his chest. He staggered upright, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"You…you all will die!" he hissed.

Famous gripped the device on his belt and tensed. "Not this time!" he murmured. He drew it off and held it out in front of him. It looked like a small cell phone, but without the buttons. Only the screen was visible. "PET, ACTIVATE! CROSS FUSION!" A flash of light erupted out of the device and spread over Famous' body, enveloping him. Within the light, armor began to materialize around him, covering his vital organs and protecting his body from fatal wounds.

_**Can't swallow our pride**_

_**Neither of us wanna raise that flag**_

Vulcan smirked as the light faded from around the human's body. He was now clad in the same armor as his Network Navigator, or Netnavi, Kendoman, except that there were some differences in the armor. A single red stripe snaked down his chest armor and his wrist guards were red at the very edges. His helmet had a red command fin on top and he held a glowing energy blade in both hands.

"So what? You can create armor. Big deal," he remarked.

Famous' eyes narrowed behind his face guard. "And this is what we can do when we work as a team!" he cried. "KENDO SLASH!"

The cross-fused human jumped up into the air, his blade shining a bright yellow-gold color. He yelled out a battle cry as he slashed downward, the arc of energy streaking away from it and speeding for Vulcan. Vulcan barely dodged it as it cut a trench through the earth, illuminating the road behind him.

"Nice try!" he quipped.

"SPEED BLASTER!"

_**If we can't surrender, then we both gonna lose what we had, oh no**_

The cry caught Vulcan's attention, forcing him to turn in time to see the red beams erupting out of Override's twin gun barrels. He dodged the femme's attack, but barely. His eyes glinted dangerously as he landed forty meters away from them.

"That is it! Time for you all to die!" he hissed.

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, a slight energy building around him. Then, Ciel gasped. "No!" she cried.

Around Vulcan's body were small flames. They continued to grow until his entire body was enveloped within them. His eyes snapped open to reveal a fire flaring within them. "FLAMING INFERNO!" he cried.

"Everyone, fall back!" President Warren ordered.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Vulcan snarled. He thrust one of his hands outwards, a small ball of flaming metal forming in the palm of his hand. "FLAME BOMB!"

The ball launched out from his hand right into the path of the fleeing leaders.

_**FWAOOM!**_

The explosion of flames caught them all by surprise and they screamed as the heat seared the air, making it painful to breathe.

_**Both hands tied behind my back with nothing**_

_**Oh no, these times when we climb so fast to fall again**_

He laughed as they ran back in his direction. "Nice try, mortals! You can't stop the power of a GOD!" he crowed. His eyes flared bright red, making him seem possessed. President Warren narrowed her eyes as she searched the battlefield for a way to douse his flames.

"Forget it, human! It's useless to try and defeat me!" Vulcan laughed.

"C'mon, c'mon! There _has_ to be some way to defeat him! There just _has_ to be!" she murmured.

Her gaze roamed over the field, taking in the crater, the trenches, and the damaged road. Wait. The road…

At that moment, a light bulb went off right above her head as an idea formed. She smirked and glanced at her friend and fellow leader, Metroplex. The giant Transformer was holding his ax in both hands and his red optics were narrowed as he glared at the GOD before him.

"Metroplex!" she cried.

His gaze snapped towards President Warren. "What?"

"I think it's time to douse Vulcan's flames!" she remarked.

"How so?" Metroplex asked, confusion etched on his face.

President Warren motioned to the nearby road. "I think it's time we _hit the road!_"

_**Why we gotta fall for it now**_

_**I never meant to start a war**_

Metroplex's optics widened as the realization hit home. A gleam appeared in them and he grinned. "Aye, I see your plan!" he murmured, his Scottish-accented voice low.

The President nodded. "Yes. And we have to now!"

He nodded back and turned to face the black strip of tar and pavement.

Vulcan took notice of this and laughed. "What are you going to do? Hit the road?" he roared.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of redoing the plumbing!" the President quipped.

"What do you mean?" Vulcan asked suspiciously.

"She means this!" Metroplex roared, his voice echoing over the battlefield. "CYBER KEY POWER!"

Vulcan's eyes widened in mild surprise as the energy beam streaked down from the heavens, impacting itself into a slot on Metroplex's ax. The head split into two halves and he drew it up. "AX OF FREEDOM!"

The massive Transformer from Gigantian swung his ax hard, the first half striking the road and carving a massive trench out. Vulcan let out a guffaw at the gesture. "Pathetic!" he laughed.

"Not when you consider that the main pipeline for the whole water system for the entire complex is located underneath there!" President Warren remarked, a smirk showing itself on her face.

_**You know I never wanna hurt you**_

_**Don't even know what we're fighting for**_

Vulcan's eyes widened in horror as the road's pavement split and fell into the trench, exposing the gleaming silver pipeline. The metal began to buckle and twist under the force from Metroplex's attack. Small spurts of water began to come out in little misty portions, and Vulcan backed away from it.

"No! This can't happen!" he murmured in shock.

"Oh, but it will!" President Warren smirked.

The pipe finally burst in a squeal of tortured metal and the water began gushing out with enough force to push the pipe's halves away from each other. Metroplex grabbed the first half, the half leading away from the complex, and turned it with some difficulty, to face Vulcan's flaming body.

"Hope you like your flames ice cold!" the Transformer quipped.

Vulcan barely erected a flaming shield, but the jet of water proved to be more than enough to create steam.

_**Why does love always feel like a battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield?**_

He cried out as the icy water struck his body. Steam began to emit from his form and the pain from the cool liquid raced all over him, making him shudder in agony. "AAAAAAAH!"

The roar of the water coming out of the pipe rivaled that of a hydroelectric dam going at maximum capacity. Vulcan couldn't believe how they had reacted to this whole lie. They had not only sworn to defeat him, but they had also found out how to douse his flames without using any water-based attacks. They were much more resourceful than he thought.

The leaders let out cheers as the flames around his body began to die. He cried out as he upped the intensity of his flaming shield.

But it was useless when against a torrent of ice cold water coming from the pipe with the force of a shell fired from a mortar gun. He squinted his eyes against the oncoming torrent and he stared angrily at them.

"You…you mortals will pay for this!" he cried, but his voice was lost in the roar of the water.

_**Why does love always feel like a battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield?**_

They all smiled in relief as the flames around Vulcan's body died down.

But then…

"FLAMING DESTRUCTION!"

Vulcan's voice echoed across the complex, even beyond the roar of the oncoming water. Metroplex nearly dropped the pipe as he heard this. "No…" he murmured.

"Optimus! Grab that second pipe! We need it now!" President Warren ordered.

"Right!" the Autobot replied. He ran over and, with the help of Zero and Override, they managed to haul it out of the ground part way and point it right at the flaming GOD's body. A new inferno had sprung to life around him, incinerating the grass and scorching the earth around him. Sweat streamed down the faces of all the combatants as they faced Vulcan's second-most powerful move.

The second pipe was aimed at Vulcan and again, a gushing torrent of water slammed into his body. He cried out as he attempted to further increase the flames, but he was already at his limit. Even though he was still more powerful than the mortals he was facing, he was still limited by this dimension's laws of nature.

_**Why does love always feel like…**_

The twin jets of water were now causing him incredible pain. It felt like thousands of icicles were stabbing against his skin, giving him frostbite. His skin was already beginning to turn pale under the onslaught.

He closed his eyes and focused on the power around him. "FIRE SPEAR!"

Rods of metal detached themselves from his ship and small clusters of fire streamed away from his shield to envelop the metal spears. Within seconds, he had a hundred flaming spears armed and ready at them.

"TAKE THIS!" he cried.

With little bursts of speed, the spears flew from in front of his ship towards the leaders struggling to keep the pipes aimed at him.

President Warren noticed them incoming and glanced at Optimus. "Optimus!" she called.

The red and blue Autobot nodded and activated the Matrix of Leadership, calling upon its power to shield himself and his comrades from harm. It was not a moment too soon.

The spears struck the shield and struggled to penetrate through, but the flaming tips got no further than a few centimeters before the others struck the shield and got through a little further. A few spears even struck other spears, pushing them through halfway before being stopped.

_**I guess you better go get your armor (get your armor) get your armor**_

_**I guess you better go get your armor (get your armor) get your armor**_

_**I guess you getter go get your…**_

Vulcan was now in unbearable agony. It was a miracle he was even able to stay sane for so long. By now, a normal human, even a GOD, would have gone insane from the intense pain. His eyes were barely open as he leaned into the streams of water, the icy cold droplets making him shiver even more.

He clenched his fists and thrust his hands out to the sides, more fire gathering around his hands. "FLAMING SHURIKEN!" he cried.

Little bits of metal from the busted pipes streaked towards his hands and coalesced into the shapes of shuriken, small fires dancing at the tips of the blades. The GOD tensed his body and, with an incredible burst of willpower, forced the flames around his body to part the water, even with a bit of difficulty. Once he had a good enough margin in which to move, he shakily stood up straight, his body shivering from the cold.

He twisted his body and threw the flaming ninja weapons through the air, now resembling flaming stars as they whizzed through the night air.

_**We could pretend that we are friends tonight (oh-oh-oh)**_

_**And in the morning we'll wake up and we'll be alright**_

"Cassie! Now!" Seto cried.

Cassie nodded and powered up her signature attack. The twin balls of light began to dim, but the other leaders knew what that meant. "MEGA RESCUE BEAM MAXIMUM! WIDE FORMATION!"

The beams fired off from her outstretched palms, covering a wide radius and range. The flaming shuriken were deadly, and they could cut through most beam attacks, but at a wide setting like this, it was useless. The shuriken were destroyed.

Vulcan cried out in rage and anger at the realization that his weapons were running low. He had enough energy to try for one more move, and this one would have to be the finishing blow. But due to the loss of his flames and the fact that he had been hit with jets of icy cold water from the main pipeline, he doubted he could pull it off.

Still, he had to try. If they could defeat this last move, then they would be the ones to defeat the Dark Axis.

_**Cause baby we don't have to fight**_

_**And I don't want this love to feel like…**_

"I can't believe it…we're actually winning!" Ciel murmured. "We're actually defeating a god!"

"That may be true, but he's still got more power to spare!" President Warren said. "And we're beginning to run low on water pressure!"

Sure enough, the intense water jets were beginning to shrink down to a smaller size. The pressure was fading to nothing.

"She's right, Ciel. We need to wrap this up before we lose water pressure entirely!" Zero snapped.

Ciel nodded. "Right."

"I doubt it," Seto said. "The drop in pressure seems to have encouraged him on."

Seto was right on that count. Vulcan had indeed detected a drop in the water pressure. This provided him with a slight amount of hope. If he could just hold on a bit longer, then he could unleash his ultimate move.

"This is it…" he murmured.

He closed his eyes and threw his head and arms back, crying out his most powerful move to the heavens themselves. "FLAMING ANNIHILATION! THERMONUCLEAR EXPLOSION!"

The Federation leaders gasped.

A nuclear explosion…similar to the hydrogen bomb? Was this his most powerful move?

It was. President Warren glanced at her friends, determination in her eyes.

_**A battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield,**_

_**Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield**_

"Everyone, we have to stop him before he unleashes that!" she said.

"But how?" Ciel asked. "We can't stop a nuclear explosion of that magnitude!"

"That may be true, but it requires incredible heat in order for it to work. We need to somehow increase the pressure in the pipes to douse the flames before they go critical!" the President snapped.

"But how? The nearest hydro plant is about ten miles away!" Seto exclaimed. "There's no way any of us could get there in time, and it requires Zero, Metroplex, Override, and Optimus just to hold the pipes in place!"

"There is a way!" President Warren said.

"How?" O'hari asked.

"See that valve?" The President pointed down at the pipeline. Not too far off was a valve that regulated the water pressure coming and going from the complex.

Cassie instantly caught on. "I get it! You want one of us to open that valve and increase the water pressure!" she blurted.

President Warren nodded. "Exactly!"

_**I guess you better go get your armor…**_

_**I never meant to start a war**_

_**You know I never wanna hurt you**_

_**Don't even know what we're fighting for (fighting, fighting for)**_

Steven glanced at his Pokemon, then at Vulcan's flaming form. Already the temperature around them had gone up by fifteen degrees. He bit his lower lip as he made his decision.

"Okay. I'll provide aerial cover for whoever is gonna open that valve!" he said.

"But who's going to open it?" Ciel asked.

"I will," O'hari said. Everyone looked at him like he was nuts.

"Aside from Optimus, Metroplex, Override, and Zero, I'm the strongest organic being here," he explained. "I'm the only one who can open that valve."

Ciel bit her lower lip, unsure of what to say.

"O'hari, be careful," Mimi said.

"Good luck," Famous muttered.

"May Primus watch over you," Shie-rae whispered.

O'hari nodded. "I will."

_**Why does love always feel like a battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield?**_

The temperature by now had increased by seventy-five degrees. Even though Optimus had somehow managed to get the shield solid enough to protect the organics (and eject the flaming spears), the heat still managed to penetrate through. His optics flared as he struggled to keep the pipe held in place and keep the shield up.

O'hari turned and ran for the valve, his heart pounding with the effort of clambering into the trench and running along the edge of the pipe. He slipped on the water that still spurted along the length, but he still kept running.

"C'mon, c'mon!" he muttered.

If he didn't get there, then all was lost for them. He had to get there. He just had to!

His eyes burned from the smoke and dust thrown up by the battle, but he pushed it from his mind. "C'mon…"

He was almost to the valve when his foot suddenly slid out from under him and he grabbed onto the edge of the pipe. He was now dangling fifty feet above the bottom of the trench. He glanced back at his friends, still struggling to keep the flames from growing brighter…and hotter.

He gritted his teeth and struggled to pull himself up.

_**Why does love always feel like a battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**Battlefield?**_

He managed to haul himself back up onto the pipe, right in front of the valve. He stood there, leaning against it, panting heavily. He was now getting exhausted, but he still had to focus. O'hari gritted his teeth in preparation for the effort and he heaved with every ounce of strength his body had.

The valve turned a good fifteen degrees before halting. He glanced back at the battle and his heart sank at seeing the pressure drop even further. Now the water was coming out with the force of a small garden hose, but much larger in width.

He turned back to the valve and heaved again, this time putting his whole body into the effort. It cranked forty-five degrees, then stopped. He had to get the thing to turn. He had to! Everyone was counting on him.

By now the temperature had reached the two hundreds and was climbing rapidly. Even he was beginning to feel dizzy and lightheaded, despite his people's tolerance for incredibly hot temperatures.

The feeling of failure was bitter in his mouth. He slumped down over the valve, his body beginning to fail him. His vision began to go dark, but he pushed it off as he glanced back at his friends.

Huddled in their little shield, they were also beginning to suffer, but mostly from dehydration. The shield had managed to halt the temperature increase to a good one hundred and five degrees within, but outside, it was far more brutal.

President Warren glanced at him with determination in her eyes, and at that instant, he knew he had to try one more time.

_**I guess you better go get your armor…**_

_**I never meant to start a war**_

_**You know I never wanna hurt you**_

_**Don't even know what we're fighting for (fighting, fighting for)**_

O'hari painfully, slowly staggered to his feet and tensed his body for one final effort. He closed his eyes and sighed. "This is it…please work."

He heaved with every ounce of his heart and soul. The valve turned five degrees, then stopped before turning freely. The pipe shuddered as more valves along the length of the whole line were opened and more water was dumped in.

The hose jets became torrents, which became beams of water. The force was enough to douse the flames surrounding Vulcan's body, sending forth immense clouds of steam. It was impressive to see, the leaders holding the shuddering pipes in place as the light from the flames illuminated their determined faces.

_**I never meant**_

_**To start a war**_

_**Don't even know what**_

_**We're fighting for**_

The force of the water "beams" was enough to extinguish the flames of Vulcan's most powerful move, releasing massive clouds of steam that blinded everyone. Vulcan screamed loudly enough to force everyone to cover his or her ears or audios.

They couldn't believe how powerful the jets of water were. It had taken just two to put out his thermonuclear attack. The temperature was beginning to drop, making everyone, including O'hari, sigh with relief.

The battle was over.

Vulcan hissed in pain as he closed his eyes and warped out of the battle zone in a flare of flame.

He had to withdraw. He had been injured by their attacks, but he also had lost a good amount of his power and he was freezing thanks to the water.

At least he had measured their skills.

He smiled. They were more than ready for the battles that were to come. He was sure of it.

_**I never meant**_

_**To start a war**_

_**Don't even know what**_

_**We're fighting for…**_

* * *

_A few days later…_

The last few days had been intense. Battles had raged not too far from the complex, making it dangerous for anyone to venture outside the boundaries. The leader of the force was eventually destroyed, and the assault squad had been forced to withdraw.

Now, five days after the success of the invasion, the TCDA elite team assembled in the school's starfighter hangar for Starfighter Repair and Maintenance. Tristan Taylor, a former soldier in the Kaxian Cyber Defense Division, headed this class. And today, they were getting a brand new student.

The starfighters that they worked on had either been battle damaged or were beginning to fall apart. A few were even rusting on the sides. Student attendances normally numbered in the five hundreds and were split up into groups. The TCDA elite team and the Gundam Force were two such groups, although they had been assigned to work together. The project they supposed to be working on was repairing a heavily damaged Fortitude Defense class fighter.

Shute peered out from behind the others, his green eyes scanning the crowded hangar. He could see that everyone was sitting in their assigned groups, but he didn't see the teacher at the front of the class.

"Where's Tristan?" he asked.

Sayla looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I don't know, Shute. I think he's getting the newbie."

"Newbie?" A question mark appeared over Shute's head. "We're getting a new student?"

She nodded. "Yeah. At least from what I've heard." It wasn't uncommon for her to find out information before everyone else. It came with having the 17th Division stationed at the school. Her troops provided useful information about students coming and students leaving.

"So, who is this new student?" Zane asked.

Sayla shrugged. "Beats me. All I heard from Corporal Henku was that there was a new student coming and that he's from one of the outposts."

"Even with all your soldiers roaming around, you couldn't find out the student's name or anything else about him?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

She nodded. "And that's the odd thing."

"Well, it seems that we'll be able to find out. Here comes Tristan!" T.J. remarked. He pointed to the door as it slid open.

Tristan Taylor stepped into the room and faced the class. His gray eyes swept over the assembled students and he ran a hand through his brown hair. He glanced back at the door and nodded. "It's okay. Come on in," he murmured.

An uncertain voice emitted from the doorway. "Are you sure?" the voice asked.

"Of course," Tristan smiled. "These kids won't harm you."

"I sure hope so," the voice murmured.

The speaker stepped into the room to reveal a boy not that much older than Sayla. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were purple in color. He was dressed in a blue shirt with a red jacket over it. His cargo shorts were torn at the bottom and he wore scuffed up work boots on his feet. On his back was a jetpack of some kind, but that didn't really matter. What caught the attention of the Gundam Force and the TCDA elite team was the fact that he carried around a pair of laser guns that was strapped to his thighs.

"Whoa," Shute murmured.

"SHH!" Sayla shushed him.

"Class, this is Kira Yamato. He's a transfer student, recently arrived from Alphard Nine in the Outer Rim sector. Please make him feel welcome," Tristan said.

A few student groups murmured their consent.

"Kira, why don't you work with the group by the Fortitude?" Tristan suggested.

Kira glanced at him nervously. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," he murmured. "What if they…?"

Tristan smiled. "Don't worry. They won't make fun of you," he assured the boy.

Kira's eyes glanced over at the group assembled by the starfighter. "Okay…"

Once Kira had been seated, Tristan turned to face the class. "Okay. Now before we begin repairs and maintenance, I want all of you to hand in your essays on starfighter power core regulations. Then begin working on your projects. I expect you to be at least halfway done when the period ends. Good luck."

The whole class assembled in neat columns of ten, fifty students per column, and handed in their papers in neat stacks. Tristan nodded. "Okay. Get to work."

By the Fortitude Defense fighter, Sayla shifted as she reached into the toolbox for an arc welder. "So, Kira…what brings you to Earth?" she asked.

The boy bit his lower lip before speaking. "Family. My parents moved back to Earth from Alphard Nine. We lived there for a long time, since I was born."

Sayla nodded. "I understand how hard it must be to leave your home."

Kira smiled. "I'm glad for that." He reached over and grabbed a small tangled cluster of wires.

The soldier watched him with interest before her gaze drifted down to the guns strapped to his legs. "Hey, Kira?"

"Hmm?" Kira looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah?"

Sayla bit her lower lip, wondering if she should ask. But her curiosity proved to be stronger than her honor, and she asked. "Where did you get those guns?"

Kira glanced down at them. Sayla wondered if she had offended him in some way, but when she saw him smiling, she felt better, although she was confused.

"My mother. She's a weapons specialist, so she developed these guns for me," he replied.

"Is that so?" Sayla asked.

Kira nodded in response. "Yes. The reason she developed them was because she figured that I may need them if I ran into any enemies."

Sayla's eyes narrowed at this information. It was a bit suspicious to her. There was no way this boy could have knowledge of the conflict that was raging, especially if he was from Alphard Nine. Information hardly reached that place due to the fact that there was no spacebridge node in that region of the Outer Rim sector.

Unless…

She bit her lip, but kept her comments to herself.

The class went by without any unusual events, aside from Shute dropping a very delicate piece of equipment and Zero and Baku getting into an argument over who should fix what.

As they left the hangar forty-five minutes later, the group chatted with Kira about the life on the outpost and he eagerly responded to their questions. It seemed to Sayla that he had been sheltered from others and he was eager to make new friends. She didn't even know how right she really was…


	73. NUMA's Story

Chapter 10

The next few classes were nothing special, and when lunchtime came about, Sayla excused herself to check out the school's database, which prompted a bit of surprise from the others. She wasn't one to normally do that unless something made her suspicious. But what was there about this student that caught her attention?

Captain turned to Kira who was busy poking at his spaghetti with his fork. "Kira, is something wrong?" he asked.

Kira didn't answer as he glanced at the military mecha. "Not really. I just have a bit of trouble going on right now," he murmured.

"I can understand. It must have been hard to leave your home and come to a new world," Captain said.

"That's what your friend Sayla said," Kira whispered. "She seems to be a bit suspicious of me. But I don't know why. I'm just like the rest of you guys here: a student."

Captain pondered what he said. "Maybe it's because you have such unusual weapons," he mused.

Kira laughed nervously. "Yeah. Maybe."

"Kira, listen. Sayla really does care for everyone here at this table, and she will fight hard to defend those under attack. But when she gets suspicious, it is usually when she sees weapons of unusual caliber like your guns. Then she does checks on their backgrounds, but don't worry. She will see that you're just a normal student," Captain explained. He had been around Sayla long enough to figure out how she thought.

Kira grinned. "Yeah. Nothing to worry about."

But deep down, Kira couldn't help but feel nervous. '_These guys don't even realize how different I really am._' Kira thought nervously.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

_The light shone down onto the still form before them. The eyes observing the form grinned before a light snapped on to reveal the shadowy form of the Supreme Commander of the Dark Axis. His optics flashed as he watched the form stir._

_A pair of red eyes opened._

"_Are you ready, Destiny?" the commander asked._

"_Destiny? Is that my name?" the form questioned._

"_Yes. It is," the commander said._

"_Where am I?" Destiny asked._

"_You are in my headquarters. It is here that the battle shall begin. The battle for all of existence," the commander purred. "And I need your help with something in particular…"_

_Destiny listened as the commander outlined his plan. His red eyes widened before he smiled beneath his mouthpiece. "Yes. I shall help you."_

"_Excellent. Destiny, you shall help a new era be born."_

_The Gundam smirked._

_This would go perfectly…_

* * *

_Back on Neotopia…_

The entire team was now assembled at the Dimensional Transport Device test site. Chief Haro, Bell Wood, Kao Lyn, and the rest of the SDG crew stood on the massive platforms that overlooked the device.

It had taken three weeks to reconfigure the device, and it had been a success, although they were unsure if it would actually work. Tensions ran high as Bell Wood typed in a few commands.

"Okay, Chief! We're good to go on this end. Now let's cross our fingers and hope for the best," the inventor remarked.

"Good. Do it," the chief replied.

The young man nodded and typed madly on the keyboard. "And….NOW!" His hand hit one of the buttons and the device went right into action.

The device itself had been undergoing modifications ever since the Neotopian invasion force for the Dark Axis had been pushed back. Rather than a mishmash of pendulums and protruding objects, it now had a definite shape and form. It looked much like a spacebridge in a sense, but rather than having the two towers in a crystal shape, it was straight up and down, a series of antennae on either side of the interior to open the gateway.

The many antennae on the interior of the device began to power up, little electric beams shooting across to make contact with the other. The connecting beams opened up the dimensional gateway and in a flash, the entire gate's interior was taken up by the gateway, showing the command center for Earth.

It seemed to work…

Until the warning lights flashed.

The alarm blared over the entire site and the young inventor glanced up, his eyes wide with fear. "Now what?" he moaned.

"Bell Wood, what's happening?" Juli asked.

"I don't know! All I can tell you is that the gateway won't stay open! We're being blocked!" Bell Wood yelped.

"If it's that spacebridge network, then those guys are goners," a massive, tank-like mecha remarked.

"Gunpanzer's right, sir," Kao Lyn said. "It has to be the only explanation."

The device was now indeed straining to stay open as something else began to shimmer into view in front of the gateway. It showed the colorful interior of the spacebridge, blocking the view of the command center.

"Great! Now we can't even send anyone through!" Bell Wood snapped.

"Well, we'll try again."

The dimensional travel expert nodded and typed in several commands before punching the button that activated the device.

The DTD powered up a second time, this time searching for a gap in the bridge network. It proved to be easier said than done, for as soon as one gap was found, it would close up and then they would have to search for another.

'_God help them now…_' Chief Haro thought to himself.

* * *

_On Earth…_

The massive ship was docked. It was hard to believe that a ship the size of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier was docked at a spaceport made for much smaller vessels. In truth, the workers there had had to remove seventeen docks just to enable the big ship to pull alongside.

The reason why it had been docked was because the time had come to paint a color scheme on it. And so far some of the ideas submitted by the workers and some of the public had been pretty outrageous. There was no slaggin' way that they were going to paint flowers or even a batch of water spouts on a warship!

First Earth Army Group Commander Jackson Southland stared at the request he held in his hand with a bit of surprise. It was so simple, yet it also held great potential. The one who had sent it wanted the ship to be painted with red, blue, and gold stripes on it.

He smiled a bit. "Well, at least there's someone who thinks simple is best," he remarked.

He turned and handed the screen to one of the lead workers. "Gordon, I want you to take this to the workers. Tell them that we have a taker. We are going to paint the ship in this color scheme, and follow the directions on this exactly."

Gordon Kissinger nodded. "Right!" he said.

He turned and ran off towards the workers.

"Okay, people! We have a taker! So let's get to work!"

The crews worked for three hours crawling over the outside of the ship with paint cans and spray cans. Slowly, but surely, the colors and design were beginning to take shape. Blue and red lines appeared on the sides and golden portions of the ship began to come into form. The protrudences were painted light blue and right near the bridge, the red lines came to an end.

The wingtips were painted red and it slowly faded into silver, a color blend that seemed to stand out from the standard color design and scheme for other ships. The engines and rudders were painted golden with fades to silver, and the rudder tips were spray-painted red with a fade to gold. It was a magnificent color scheme, and it was unique. The last thing that had to be put on was the Federation logo.

That was done using a stencil and spray paint of different colors. It was emblazoned onto the ship and within the hour, the ship's new colors were complete.

The entire crew glanced at one another and smiled.

Their ship was now ready.

* * *

_In President Warren's office…_

The leaders gathered around the main table in the meeting room. Each of them looked grim as Pitt, Giordino, and Sandecker walked in accompanied by Yaeger and Gunn.

"What's going on that you had to call an emergency meeting for anyway?" Seto grumbled.

President Warren's eyes flashed as she glanced at Seto. "I think the Admiral can explain himself, right?" she asked, glancing back at Sandecker.

"That's right. And we have some very disturbing information for you," the admiral replied.

"What kind of information could warrant an emergency meeting, especially since Scourge has been undergoing repairs for the last week?" Override asked.

"It has to do with the _Titanic_," Pitt calmly explained.

"WHAT?!" All the leaders looked at him in shock.

"Are you serious?" Ciel asked.

"Yes. In fact, I haven't been more serious than I am now," the NUMA man replied. Pitt's green eyes had hardened, and his face was etched with grim determination.

"Okay. What do you have for us?" Zero asked.

Sandecker nodded at the President. "May I?"

She nodded. "Go for it."

The light dimmed just as blast-proof shielding came down, throwing the room into semidarkness. The center of the table began to glow and a 3-D image came up. It showed the _Titanic_ in her past state and the _Britannic_ beside the other ship. Above them showed the number of dead lost.

"I'm sure you are all aware that the _Titanic_ was lost with 1500 souls on board her, right?" Sandecker asked.

The leaders nodded.

"And the _Britannic_ lost quite a few as well, but not to the extent of the _Titanic_, Well, we know why the Dark Axis wants the _Titanic,_" Sandecker told them.

"Why?" Vice-President White asked.

"Yeah. Why do they want her?" O'hari asked.

Here, Pitt took over.

"With the information we discussed, President Warren, we were able to come to the conclusion that the Dark Axis wants the _Titanic_ not for the metal, but for the power she carries." He became silent as he let the information sink in.

"What kind of power? The ship doesn't have a power," Famous protested.

"That's where you're wrong," Gunn remarked. "The ship does indeed have a power; or rather, a huge amount of power that the Dark Axis is after. Max was able to inform us that the _Titanic_ and _Britannic_ are both connected through tragedy and that as a result, the Dark Axis is after them both."

"What does this have to do with the _Titanic_?" Sandra asked.

"I'm getting to that," Gunn told her. "Anyway, as a result of sinking with 1500 people on board, the _Titanic_ carries in her hull and structure a tremendous amount of negative emotional energy, and that is what the Dark Axis is after. With it, they can create a huge amount of Soul-Drives and it can also power their troops for years!"

The leaders grew silent at this information. It seemed impossible for this to be the case, but it was. Slowly, Mimi opened her mouth to speak. "Is that really true?"

Yaeger nodded. "Yes. Take a look at the image you see before you." He pointed at the two images of the ships. "The _Titanic_'s number of dead exceeds that of the _Britannic_, and as a result, she's the emotional powerhouse that the Dark Axis is searching for. That is why they need her. All that emotional energy."

"But why the _Britannic_?" asked Optimus.

"That's next." Yaeger pressed a button and the image shifted to show the two ships again, but this time with a green line connecting them. "Both are connected through tragic accidents. The _Titanic_ sank on her maiden voyage, and the _Britannic_ sank during war. Both got impacted in the sides and water rushed in. Both sank and took with them a certain number of individuals who didn't survive."

"This is all fine and dandy, but what about the Dark Axis? You mentioned they wanted both. But why?" Zero hissed.

"We're getting there, Zero. Be patient," Gunn said.

Giordino took up the story next. "That's where this comes in." The image shifted to show the scuttled Federation warship and salvage tugs. "These tugs and warship were scuttled, and the warship was stripped of all guns. The Dark Axis then used underwater charges to blast the wreck of the _Britannic_ off the sea floor of her resting place. And as a result, the Dark Axis has the second sister ship under their command."

"Wait. From what I can recall, there were three ships. What about the third?" Steven asked.

"The _Olympic_ was saved this tragic fate. And she was scrapped, so we don't have to worry about her," Giordino replied. "But what we _do_ have to worry about is the potential for the ships, the _Titanic_ and the _Britannic_, to meet one another in combat. If they do, then both will fight, and as a result, only one will survive."

"Hold on. Why are you worried about this?" Cassie asked. "Couldn't we just rip the control horn off the _Britannic_ and be done with it?"

"We can't just take it off the _Britannic_. It would be impossible. Plus, it has to be the _Titanic_ that sinks her sister ship." Pitt's eyes were hard as he said these words. "Max also told us that the _Titanic_ has an intelligence of sorts."

"Hold on one slaggin' minute, Pitt! How could an old ocean liner of that size even have an AI chip? That thing was built way before computerized technology even came into play!" O'hari blurted.

"True, but the souls of the dead had a role to play in it. When they died, their souls coalesced into awareness, creating an intelligence that probably is in dormancy even as we speak. So the Dark Axis wants to get her because of that very fact. And to repeat our other point, they also want her because of the dead within her structure and hull. That emotional energy could keep them powered for years to come," Pitt countered.

"So what you're asking us to do is to sink her again?" Mokuba asked.

Sandecker shook his head. "No. We're not asking you anything, Mokuba. Instead, we came here to inform you of the reason why they want the ship."

"And as a result, we're going to take action," President Warren said.

Sandecker's eyes widened. "What?"

"We will do everything in our power to try and prevent the Dark Axis from getting the _Titanic_. Plus, for informing us of this, NUMA will receive three million extra credits for the next few years," President Warren told him.

The admiral of the agency nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem," President Warren said.

Of course, things were just about to get worse…

* * *

_En route to Earth…_

Jetfire snarled as he pushed his engines faster. Already his energy was nearing redline, but he kept pushing himself. He had to get back to Earth Command with the information he had gathered a few days ago!

Just then, warnings began flashing across his vision.

_LOW ENERGY! LOW ENERGY! LOW ENERGY!_

'_Crap! I'm running low on juice. But I can't stop now. Not yet! I have to reach Earth Command!_' Jetfire thought to himself. He could feel the energy drain finally beginning to take its toll on his body. A slight edge of darkness was visible at the edge of his vision, but he pushed it off. His wounds throbbed as he neared the edges of the defenses for Planet Earth. The satellites glistened in the sun and the colony shimmered like a newborn sparkling's optics. Over to the left was the _Destiny Star Drive_, recently painted.

He chuckled. '_They _had_ to paint it._' he thought. He shook his head to clear the lightheadedness he was beginning to feel. He was almost there. He just had to get through the grid and back to Earth Command…

Jetfire was halfway to the edge of the defensive perimeter when his body finally shut down and he went into stasis lock.

It proved to be a good thing, because an incoming star freighter from Kax picked him up and brought him down to Earth. The Kaxian pilots didn't even know that the information Jetfire had obtained could affect the very outcome of the whole war, and that it would soon lead to a confrontation with the UPA council members.


	74. New Information! Jetfire Returns!

Chapter 11

One of the first things he remembered when he woke up was the information. His optics snapped open and he sat up abruptly. "The information!"

Pain shot across his body and he shuddered before a stern voice spoke to him directly. "Take it easy, Jetfire, or do I have to disable your movement servos?"

The green and white jet glanced at the medic with his golden optics. "Ratchet…"

Ratchet huffed. "Some 'bots still don't listen," he grumbled.

Jetfire sighed as the medical Autobot gently pushed him back down onto the recharge berth. "Ratchet…how'd I wind up here?" he asked.

"A Kaxian freighter picked you up and brought you here to the Medical Bay," Ratchet said simply.

"Tell them thanks," Jetfire murmured.

"I will. Now, what was this about information?" the medic asked.

"Look. Ratchet, I can't stay here for long. I need to get to the President's office and fast!" the jet replied.

"Not until your wounds are healed!" Ratchet snapped.

"Primus…I forgot how stubborn you are at times," Jetfire muttered to himself.

"What was that!?" Ratchet snarled, glaring at him.

Jetfire sweatdropped and waved his hands frantically. "N-nothing!" he stammered.

Ratchet turned away, grumbling to himself under his breath. When he turned back, he held a bottle of energon spray in one hand. "Okay. Hold still and let this energon spray do the job," he said.

Jetfire nodded as he lay still.

"Might as well tell me what is so important about this information you gained," the medic said. "It may be helpful."

Jetfire hesitated, but seeing as how he was stuck in medical bay until his wounds had been healed, he relented. "Fine. But only if you promise to relay this to the President."

Ratchet nodded without making optic contact. "Right, sure. Whatever."

The jet took in a breath and began to speak.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

Ratchet's mouth was hanging open as Jetfire finished his story. The whole time, the medical Autobot had been fixing the jet's injuries, but when he had revealed what it was that was so important, he had dropped his tools and just sat down to listen.

Now he was shocked. There was no slaggin' way that what Jetfire had just told him was true. There had to be some kind of mistake. But when he made that comment, Jetfire shook his head. "There is no mistake, Ratchet. It's true. Every single word of it."

"But how? How could they have found it when we were looking for it ourselves?" the medic asked in disbelief.

"Apparently, they had locked onto its energy signature a few months ago before we launched the invasion, and they concealed it within their main fortress. Its energy was masked by the massive energy given off by the Soul-Drive production facilities located deep within the fortress themselves. But that was before the invasion was launched." Jetfire grew serious. "After the invasion, the Dark Axis sent a few squads out into Earth's dimension in an attempt to see what we had discovered. But they didn't get very far. Federation Perimeter Defense spotted them and drove them off. I was able to catch a few and…ask…them a few questions."

Ratchet understood what he had meant by that. A few times, the Federation themselves had toed the line between torture and interrogation, but had never gone over it. They always knew when to stop short of breaking the law they believed in.

In this case, Jetfire had done such a thing. He had managed to get the information, and he had done so by using methods that were considered borderline between the two.

Now he knew why Jetfire had been injured. The Dark Axis had wanted to prevent him from getting this vital information back to the President. And they had nearly killed him in doing so.

He made his decision that night.

* * *

_That night…_

President Warren stepped out of the shower and dried her hair. "Man…that felt good," she murmured. She wore only a T-shirt and shorts that hung loosely over her body. She draped the towel over her shoulder and grabbed a nearby cup of juice before heading into her office quarters for the night.

She sat down and grabbed a screen that lay beside her dresser and began reading.

She had barely gotten halfway through the first segment of the screen when her communications line beeped. Grumbling about late night calls, she answered it. "Yes?"

"_President Warren, sorry to disturb you this late at night, but I think you should hear what I have to say,_" Ratchet said.

"Ratchet, it's ten at night. Can't it wait 'til morning?" she asked.

"_I'm sorry, but this can't wait!_" the Autobot replied.

"What is it this time? Another attack on us?" President Warren inquired.

"_No. It's not that. In fact, it has to do with some very vital information that Jetfire brought to us!_" Clearly the medic was alarmed, and that got her attention.

"Jetfire's back?" she asked, suddenly sitting up and laying her screen aside.

"_Yes. Jetfire returned earlier today and he was pretty banged up. I spent the next four hours fixing him before he came online. He told me everything._"

President Warren's eyes hardened. "What kind of information is it?" she asked.

"_You got a screen handy?_" Ratchet asked.

She nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"_Because you might want to write some of this down._"

She grabbed a blank screen from a pile and a light pen. "Okay. Go ahead."

For the next two and a half hours, Ratchet told her everything that Jetfire had told him. She was shocked by the information, much like he had been. When he told her what to write down, her hand actually began to shake as she took down the information.

When he was done, she stared wide-eyed at the screen, full of her handwriting. "Primus, Ratchet. Are you sure?" she murmured in shock.

"_I've never been so sure in my life. I even asked Jetfire if it was a joke and he said no,_" the medical officer assured her.

Now she understood what the Dark Axis had been after, and what they wanted from the Federation.

She also understood why they were attacking in the first place.

And what it all came down to.

It was time to confront the UPA and enlist their help.

* * *

_Operation Federation Liberation has been a success, and the major concentration camps have been freed. The black hole generators have been destroyed and new information has been uncovered, as well as a few new allies in hiding. But many more questions remain unanswered, and new questions have arisen. What is this vital information that Jetfire nearly died bringing to Earth? What does it have to do with? And can the Federation find a way to contact their new unexpected allies?_

_And what is Gerbera's new plan? What is the role of HEAVEN in all of this?_

_New allies await discovery and new plans are revealed as the small power begins to launch an investigation campaign designed to find out if this new information is true. Find out the conclusion to this campaign in the next segment of Twilight of the Gods: Part VII: Transmission Engaged._

_**Next time on Twilight of the Gods!**_

President Warren cleared her throat. "Attention Neotopia! This is President Heather Jen Warren of Planet Earth, the leading world in the Intergalactic Federation! Can you hear me?"

The huge floating cloud that was shown on the screen gave way to showing a male figure dressed in a blue uniform with medals on the shoulders and an aviator's hat perched on the round mask he wore to hide his face.

"_What is going on here?_" the man asked.

"I am President—" She was cut off by his hand. "_I already heard you. But what is the meaning of this?_" he asked.

"Simply put, we're fighting against a common enemy, same as you."

Her simple explanation caught him off guard. "_WHAT?!_"

"I mean, we fight the Dark Axis as well," she said.

_Can the two sides attempt to get along? And what of the UPA and HEAVEN? How do both others play into this? And what is Satyron's role? All these questions and more will be answered on the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	75. Episode 6 Bloopers

**Bloopers!**

Blooper 1:

_Maki gasped. She hadn't seen a Musha like this before in all her life. And yet…there was something…_familiar…_about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it._

_The Musha Gundam stared at her for a long while…and stared…and stared._

_A loud clang echoed in the room as Maki punched the Musha on the face, yelling as loud as she could. "PERV!"_

Blooper 2:

_Xenphyr reached behind him, only to find something missing. His eyes widened and he ran out into the hall just as he heard loud clatters of metal on metal. He looked over, only to see all of his medical tools magnetized to the wall, Kibaomaru frozen in the middle of them all, his eyes smaller than normal. A soft chirp caught his attention and he whirled to see Shining pinned on the wall too, his big blue eyes looking at Xenphyr._

_Confused, and shocked, he turned to look at the one who triggered the magnetic wall. Genkimaru sweatdropped._

"_Oops!"_

Blooper 3:

_The invasion was already well into the second day as the Federation leader paced the war room, her entire body tense as she glanced at the communications console not too far from the central command console. She glanced back at the map in front of her, only to stare in shock._

_In front of her was an image of Seto in a bathing suit. The officers looked up, and were silent before someone whistled._

_Catcalls and whistles suddenly filled the room and President Warren found herself smirking. "Nice abs," she muttered._

_Off to the side, Seto blushed._

Blooper 4:

_The entire command center was in chaos as Zakos scurried around, carrying memos, plans, and commands to and from their destinations. A few others stood off to the side repairing a heavy-duty assault rifle, while three were loading a newly repaired mortar gun with a few heavy shells. The front of the room was a big screen displaying the enemy and the camps that had been taken from their side and freed._

_Shift sneered, but then suddenly the image fizzled and went dark. Confused, he pressed a button on the central console…_

_Only to have a Hello Kitty image pop up, and Shift snuggling a stuffed Hello Kitty doll._

_All Zako optics turned to face him._

_Shift paled. "Oops."_


	76. Secrets Start To Come Out

Summary: After the invasion, plans are made to try and make contact with the Gundam Force's home world to alert them as to the situation. But unknown to the Federation, the Super Dimensional Guard is already aware of the threat that the Dark Axis now represents. Both sides are about to come together, and new allies are found as the Dark Axis makes plans to launch a second attempt at dividing the universe even further. Note: I don't own any of the series mentioned, except for all original characters and the plot.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

The Federation launched their invasion plans, known collectively as Operation Federation Liberation in an attempt to disrupt the labor supply of the Dark Axis. Due to the fact that the Dark Axis also activated black hole generators, the invasion took on the aspect of a race against time to save everyone from certain doom.

Surprisingly, the invasion went smoothly and several key camps, including a major one, were liberated and the Federation gained some possible new allies. Plus, a new student arrived at the TCDA. The UPA also received a report on the invasion and slowly, they began to become aware of a new threat. Now, both sides, Federation and Dark Axis alike, race to activate transmissions that could very well turn the tide of war in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part VII_

_Transmission Engaged!_

Chapter 1

Li'chi Dajar'o, the leader of the Universal Power Association, glanced at the screen showing the small Intergalactic Federation and their achievements. His bug-like eyes narrowed as he studied their records, and anger burned within him.

How could such a small power have done so much in only a few years since their formation? This one question nagged at him constantly and made him even angrier. It just didn't make any sense. Was it something within their boundaries that led to this? Or was there some hidden extension of the organization that he had overlooked?

There was always that possibility, but something told him otherwise.

Something didn't seem quite right about that theory. How could they have hidden a whole extension without him finding out about it? If that were the case, of course.

He frowned as he switched screens. This new screen described a news reporter's witness to the incredible power that they seemed to wield. This alone made him suspicious of this small organization. Why would they claim that someone wanted to rule all of existence? This bothered him greatly.

Unless it was some sort of a trick to get him to step down and begin dismantling the hierarchy his ancestors had worked so hard to create. The thought nagged at him continuously and he grimaced.

But that still didn't explain how the Federation seemed to be able to defeat more powerful organizations such as Titan AE. And they had had far greater power than Nebula. How was it that the Federation could pull off such feats? It didn't make any sense, and he frowned.

There was something about the Federation that made them so powerful, and made them a threat to all who stood in their path for their mission. But what was it? Was it some massive extension in another galaxy? Was it a super powerful weapon that could destroy all enemies in one shot, like a mega laser cannon? Or was it something more?

What was it that made them so powerful? It sure couldn't be their numbers. And their tactics were amateurish in combat. Attacking with waves of invasion forces was not the way that other organizations did things. Plus, their tactics in espionage were pathetic. No organization would fall for such tactics, unless it was with a dumb enemy.

He laughed at that thought. But deep down, it also bothered him. There had to be an explanation as to how they were able to take on such foes, including this new threat, the Dark Axis. If what they said was true, of course. And he doubted that highly.

At that moment, the communicator on his desk chimed. Dajar'o pressed the button and spoke into the speaker. "Go ahead."

"_Sire, this is Ku'tai Na'raco, head of the Intelligence Detection Committee,_" a male voice said.

"Yes, what is it?" the UPA leader asked.

"_I have some recent information that was gathered by the committee. However, due to…ah, certain circumstances, I am unable to send it to you via screen. I thought it would be best if I told you over the communications lines,_" Ku'tai reported.

"What kind of information?" Dajar'o inquired. He was a bit curious now.

"_The information I have gathered pertains to recent possible transmissions that have been breached by our military intelligence. They have reported that it has to do with the Dark Axis threat. Apparently what the Intergalactic Federation said over the Universal News Board is true. The Dark Axis does indeed wish to become gods!_" Ku'tai's voice was full of panic.

Dajar'o glared at the mike.

"Calm yourself! There is no reason to be afraid of them! They are nothing to us," he replied.

"_I don't know if that's true anymore, sire. I'm beginning to think that maybe they were right all along._"

The UPA leader snarled.

"So, they think they can fool us into working alongside them, hmm? Well, they will have to try harder to fool me!"

In anger, he shut down the communications line and stormed over to the window, his eyes sweeping down to gaze at the city below. "If it is a transmission war they want, then it is a war they shall get!"

* * *

_In the Milky Way Galaxy on Planet Earth…_

President Warren's eyes flicked around to each of her friends and fellow leaders situated around the war room table. "Since you all are present, I must assume that you all got the message, am I right?"

Ciel nodded. "Yes. We did receive it."

"Good. Now, if you all could direct your attention to the center of the table, you'll all see why I called this meeting." The lights dimmed as the blast shields came down again. The center of the table glowed bright blue and shifted to white, displaying an image showing a mysterious glowing orb. The orb itself was very blurry and it was sort of transparent, enabling them to vaguely see a world encased within it.

"This world is called Neotopia. We recently discovered that someone has been sending in probes, food, and animals into our area of space. We tracked the signals back to this planet, which we now know is encased within a dimensional sphere," President Warren explained.

"But how could a world become encased within a dimensional sphere? It doesn't make any sense!" Mimi exclaimed.

President Warren looked at her before speaking. "We asked Perceptor and Dr. Hikari to look into it. They ran a few scans and came to the conclusion that this world has some sort of dimensional transportation system that links them to other dimensions, as well as the Brain Hub. This barrier acts as a shield to some extent, altering the reality within it to levels that result in power levels being reduced and stature for robots being reduced to five feet or less". Here the image shifted to show an image of space with distortion lines around the world.

"So, this…dimensional barrier…can affect reality?" Sandra asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yes, but to a very limited extent. Anyway, this world is where the whole thing began. It began about two years ago when the Dark Axis first launched an invasion attempt. But for some reason a few months later, they were defeated. Then, less than four weeks later, a second invasion attempt was carried out, but it too was stopped. We can only guess as to how this happened, but from what we know, it appears that this world has been the source of Dark Axis attention and it has also led them to attacking us."

"But why?" Cassie asked.

Here President Warren became grim. "They were after the robots on that very world. And in turn, that attracted their attention to us."

"But what about the Soul-Drives?" Seto suddenly blurted. "How does that tie into this?"

"Like this, Seto. After capturing the robots and enslaving them, they would then use the humans on this world to increase their forces by transferring their souls into Soul-Drives. But thankfully, the invasions were stopped. And a recent third invasion was thwarted due to combined efforts between the humans and machines on this very planet," President Warren explained.

"So, basically, this world is what first attracted the Dark Axis' attention, and as a result, it also drew their attention to us," Scourge murmured. Ever since his liberation from Dark Axis control, he had been very ashamed for his actions and he had vowed to try and make up for all the trouble he caused.

Even now he felt guilty, but he hid it well.

"Yes. And we also discovered that a few other dimensions overlap with ours in this barrier. A few include the Dark Axis home dimension, although they don't know about it, the mysterious dimension of Saytron, a totally unknown dimension, Gigantian's home dimension, the Brain Hub, our dimension, and one other. We aren't sure about the other two, but we figure that because of this overlapping, there may be other dimensional rifts within that very vicinity," President Warren said.

"Geez. No wonder!" Sandra murmured.

"Hold on! If that's the case, then we must destroy that world!" Scourge blurted.

"No, Scourge! We can't destroy an inhabited world like that! It's not our way of doing things! Plus, the rest of the universe would then see us as destroyers of life, not defenders!" President Warren snapped.

"What, and let the Dark Axis discover that overlapping?" the dragon Transformer hissed.

"No. That's why I called this meeting." Here the image shifted to show the communications satellites above Neotopia. "We ran a few scans a few days ago and we concluded that their technology, while much less than ours, is still sufficiently advanced enough to be able to communicate dimensionally. As we speak, our best communications specialists on each world are working to try and establish a dimensional communications link with this world. If we can do so, then we can inform them of the Dark Axis threat beyond their planet's system and tell them of the dimensional overlays." President Warren looked at her friends.

"What happens when they're informed of this?" Famous inquired.

"Then we can only hope that they develop some way to shield themselves and establish a firm link with our dimensional plane," President Warren explained. "If not, then we'll have to figure out how to do so ourselves, and as you know, dimensional travel and transportation is still a relatively new field of study. So we can only hope that we can pull it off."

"Oh." Famous fell silent. Mimi took this opportunity to speak up.

"If this dimensional sphere is broken, what will happen?" she asked.

President Warren fixed her gaze on the girl's own. "We don't know for sure, but the computer simulations we ran a few hours ago gave us a pretty good idea. If the dimensional sphere is broken or terminated in any way, then Neotopia will either find itself in an unknown dimension or it could wind up becoming a part of our dimension for good."

"So, in short, it's fifty-fifty, solid," Steven said quietly.

"You got it, Steven," President Warren remarked.

"And what if the Dark Axis learns of this overlap?" Metroplex inquired.

"That is what we have to prevent," President Warren remarked grimly. "If they were to find out this link existed, then everyone is doomed. So we have to prevent it no matter what the cost!"

Zero's gray eyes narrowed. "And the only way to do that is to no doubt tell the planet's leaders of this threat," he remarked.

President Warren nodded. "Bingo."

"But how can we tell them if we don't have dimensional communications?" Ciel asked.

"That's what we're working on. I already told you this." President Warren turned to face the table. "Any other questions?"

O'hari raised his hand. "What about the fact that the other dimensions are unknown of? How can we be so sure that they aren't working for or with the Dark Axis?"

President Warren looked at him for a moment before speaking. "O'hari, you may have a point on that part, but based on what we've heard from the Dark Axis transmissions over the last five and a half months, we can conclude that the other two dimensions are against them as well."

"Oh." O'hari let the subject drop at that moment.

"So, now that that's cleared up, I have one last thing to tell you before we call this meeting adjourned. First off, we need to make sure that the Dark Axis does not find out about this link. Second, I am requesting that you all have your communications departments work extra hard to try and breach this barrier's wavelength. Once that's done, then we'll meet again and transmit a message collectively to Neotopia. Is that understood?" President Warren asked.

"Yes, ma'am!" the other leaders replied.

"Good. Meeting adjourned."

* * *

_At the TCDA…_

**Date: 22 October, 2009**

**Time: 1600pm, 4:00 pm Local Time**

The buzzer rang just as the doors slammed open and students swarmed out, happy to be released for the day. The sun was shining in the clear blue sky and a wind rustled the leaves of the trees, teasing the remaining leaves and sending newly fallen leaves swirling through the crisp autumn air. A few students went to go play in a few leaf piles that had been blown up as a result of the wind, completely forgetting about the war.

It had been only a few weeks since the last member of the invasion force had returned home. With forty of the camps out of commission and the main camp in ruins, the Dark Axis would be unable to fight for a while. It was perfect timing as well, for Halloween was in a little over a week's time. Students were already chatting about possible costumes for the day, their chatter mingling with that of the TCDA elite team and the Gundam Force as they sat under their usual tree.

"So, what are you guys going as this year?" Jaden asked his friends.

"Well, it all depends on what's available," Coby remarked.

"Such as?" Bud asked.

Coby rolled his eyes as he received the remark from his brother. "Such as if they have the costumes we want," he muttered.

"Oh."

"I'm going as a party ball!" T.K. replied.

"A what?" Bakunetsumaru blinked in confusion.

The half-Kaxian smiled. "A party ball. One of those big balls at parties here on Earth!"

Baku blinked, but he didn't say anything else.

"I'm going to go as a clown this year," Syrus said.

"I'm going as a mysterious duelist," Meisha replied.

"A what duelist?" Zero asked.

"A mystery duelist. I'll be wearing a black cape to disguise myself and I'll have a purple mask on," Meisha explained.

"Oh."

"What about you guys?" Mike asked, his gaze flitting over to where the Gundams sat.

"I'm not sure yet," Zero replied.

"Same here," Baku said.

The other members of the Force nodded in agreement.

"Well, you might want to figure it out soon because Halloween is a little over a week away," Jaden said.

"Don't remind me," Baku grumbled.

"And why shouldn't we remind you?" Guneagle asked, a mysterious gleam in his green eyes.

"You know why!" the Musha snapped.

"Oh, is it because you're afraid?" the flier asked.

"Afraid of what?" Sayla asked.

Guneagle's eyes glinted as he smirked at her. "Watch." Then he pointed off to the side with his finger and yelled. "AH! A ghost!"

Baku's eyes bugged, growing as big as dinner plates before he spun, drawing out his swords and holding them in front of his body. "Ghost!? Where?!"

A few of the TCDA elite team burst out laughing as he glanced around with bugged eyes.

"What? It's not funny!" he cried.

"You're scared of ghosts? Now that's funny!" Vega exclaimed in between laughing fits. "I never met a samurai who is afraid of ghosts!"

"What? Ghosts freak me out!" Bakunetsumaru blurted, his voice higher due to his embarrassment.

"Bakunetsumaru, ghosts are not even real. So therefore your fear of them is completely illogical," Captain stated.

"But that doesn't mean that we haven't seen _our_ fair share of supernatural events!" Kicker replied.

"Supernatural events?" Captain inquired. "How can there be? There is no scientific data that proves ghosts actually exist. There can be any number of real world reasons for the explanations that many claim are supernatural in origin."

"That may be true where you guys come from, but here in the Federation, things are much different," Meisha said. "Besides, how else do you explain the events that happen around Mystique Manor?"

Now it was the Gundam Force's turn to be confused. "Mystique Manor?" they all asked as a huge question mark appeared over their heads.

She nodded. "Yes." Meisha pointed with her finger off to the southwestern section of the suburbs. "Mystique Manor lies in that direction, so it's kinda hard to miss, especially with the huge front lawn."

"Is it some kind of mansion?" Zero asked.

"Close to it," Jaden replied. "It's actually more of a manor than a mansion."

"What is the difference between the two?" Captain asked. "Are they not the same thing?"

"Not when you look at it from the Federation's perspective," Sayla said.

"How is it different in your view?" Shute asked.

"For one thing, Shute, manors are slightly smaller than a mansion, which is larger in terms of structural size and space. Manors have much larger grounds and they usually have more elaborate gates than mansions do," Zane explained.

"Oh. I get it now!" Shute remarked.

"What kinds of events have been taking place there?" Captain asked.

"Events such as people vanishing, and mysterious noises heard from there. Some people have managed to come back from there, but they have had their explanations denied because they claim the place has some kind of curse on it," Zane scoffed.

"Curses do not exist, unless you count Mana," the Gundam stated.

"Supernatural or not, something strange is going on down there, and it's been getting weirder the closer we get to Halloween, and ever since the Dark Axis showed up," T.K. said.

"Weird? How so?" Guneagle questioned.

"Stuff like moans and at one time we all thought we saw some kind of light flickering in one of the windows before it faded," the boy said. "It really freaked us out."

"I can understand why, but the events you described can be explained," Captain interjected.

"Not like this. There is no way that they can be explained rationally. Sometimes you have to forget the facts and consider the impossible!" Coby snapped.

Captain blinked his eyes, stunned at the blonde-haired boy's reaction. He had never considered the impossible before. And he wondered if it was possible for the impossible to become…possible. It confused him as to how though. Then again, things in the Federation were much different than they seemed.

"Okay. So now that we got that out of the way, does anyone have any idea as to what the theme is this year?" Bud asked.

"I overheard a few kids chatting about quite a few possibilities. And this year it seems the theme could be any of the three main choices: a graveyard theme, a haunted fortress, and a jungle village," Sayla said, ticking off the choices on her fingers.

"A jungle village sounds appropriate in some cases," Zero said.

"Yeah! The school is surrounded by trees, and it is located in the woods somewhat," Shute chirped.

"But that is also an unlikely choice. So it seems that it's a toss-up between the graveyard and fortress," Zane replied.

"Well, we'll have to see which one they pick," Blare commented.

"Good point."

They continued chatting for a few more minutes before a large explosion caught their attention. "What? A fight already?" Vega blurted.

"If it's the Dark Axis, we'll be ready for 'em!" Mike quipped.

"Let's go!" Sayla ordered.

They all got up and ran for the edge of the TCDA grounds.

* * *

**The entire explosion** site was covered in smoke and dust, forcing them to cover their noses and mouths as they ran out of the trees. Sayla's green visor slid down from her headset and flashed blue as she scanned for the source of the explosion. Her eyes widened when she saw the familiar shape of Shift hidden amongst the black smoke.

"Shift's here!" she snapped.

"Well, then I guess we'd better get ready for battle!" Michelle remarked.

"What? Aren't thou glad to see me?" Shift purred from inside the smoke.

"No, we aren't!" Sayla hissed.

"Well, that is too bad. I guess that I have to destroy thee," the demon mage murmured.

"Just try us! We're ready!" Guneagle spat.

"HAAAAAH! DEMONIC EXPLOSION!" Shift cried.

Suddenly, a blast of pure dark magic shot out from the smoke, parting it like a curtain to reveal Shift with his wings flared to full length, the energy shooting out from the tip of his lance.

Sayla and the others scattered just as the blast struck the ground, sending up chunks of earth and rocks, also knocking down a tree with a loud groaning of protesting wood. The massive plant slammed onto the rocky ground, forcing those beneath its leafy limbs to scatter a second time.

"God! He's not holding back!" Shute panted.

"Tell me about it!" Baston murmured.

"Hey!"

The familiar voice of Kira echoed down to the battle site, shocking the other fighters. Horror and fear flooded their bodies as they all turned in the direction of his voice.

"KIRA!"

"Hmm?" Shift turned to look in their direction and his dark green eyes glinted as he spotted the newcomer. "Well…Looks like you have gained a new comrade," he whispered.

The boy stepped out from his hiding place, holding his twin guns in both hands. His purple eyes flashed dangerously as he glared at the demonic Gundam and his face was etched with determination. But what really got the others was the twin set of wings that had emerged from his jetpack.

"Kira! Get back!" Sayla shouted. "You're not ready to fight him!"

"And why not?" Kira asked, looking at Sayla.

"He's a demonic Gundam! A demon mage! You're not strong enough to do anything against him!" the commander cried.

"I think I am ready," Kira murmured.

"WHAT?! NO! I'm ordering you to stand down and retreat, soldier! That is a direct order!" Sayla yelled.

"I'm not going anywhere. Besides, you may need my help," Kira remarked.

"How _can_ you help? I doubt those twin guns of yours will be able to really do anything against Shift!" Vega snapped.

"Watch me!" Kira snapped back. He crouched down and the jetpack on his back ignited, fire spewing out to propel him skyward. His jetpack's wings flexed before he did a barrel roll, aiming one of the guns at Shift.

A green beam shot sped out of the barrel, striking the ground before the demon mage, startling him. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at the human in the air above him.

"Why you…" Shift's eyes narrowed to mere slits as he aimed one of his hands at the boy and fired off a spell.

Kira smirked and dodged to the side, firing again with his guns. This time, six beam shots exploded right against the Gundam's body, making him hiss as sparks danced across his damaged form.

The others watched in amazement before a familiar word resounded in their ears and audios. "Zako!"

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me they brought in the Zakos!" Syrus moaned.

"They did, Sy. And we have to fight them!" Sayla hissed.

"And you also have to fight me," Cerverau's voice said from the brush.

"CERVERAU!" Mike cried. "You're here too?!"

"Of course, you piece of scrap!" the traitor hissed, stepping out of the brush. His gun was aimed right at the team, and they tensed for battle.

* * *

_Back at Earth Command…_

The communications array flashed as the communications antenna sent out different communications frequencies, each attempting to break through the dimensional barrier around Neotopia and establish a communications link with them. This broadband communications method was used to try and find proper frequencies for communications with other organizations, and it usually worked wonders, but this time, it seemed to be impossible, for none of the frequencies that they were looking at were able to outmatch the wavelength of Neotopia's barrier.

President Warren snarled as she watched the fiftieth failure in a row. So far things weren't going in their favor. The one thing that was stopping them from finding the proper frequencies seemed to be their lack of interdimensional communications. But that didn't explain how they had been able to tap into the Dark Axis' communications frequencies and overhear their conversations.

Unless it had something to do with Zero-space.

The communications officer turned to face the President. "Ma'am, we're getting nowhere at this rate. The only other spectrum that we haven't tried would be the Z-Space broadband," he said.

"Fine. Activate the Z-Space broadband," President Warren ordered.

"Right."

The communications antenna flashed blue-green for a moment before an unseen signal was sent skyward, connecting with the only Zero-Space communications satellite in the entire organization. It registered the signal and relayed it to the Cybertronian Communications Center, where it was then broadcast throughout the whole organization. Scanners analyzed thousands of different frequencies every second, searching and trying to find the right wavelength frequency that was able to breach Neotopia's dimensional barrier.

It took fifteen minutes before the computer's screen went dark and the words _Frequency Identified_ appeared in bright blue lettering. The screen then changed to static before a logo showing the twin towers of Neotopia and the world's name below them appeared. The supercomputer's cool female voice echoed throughout the communications room. "Frequency identified and registered. Beginning dimensional communications. Activate two way visuals?"

The President nodded. "Activate two-way communications. Tap into the planet's defense organization network, if they have one." She hoped they _did_ have a defense organization, because if they did, then it was better for both their world and the Federation.

The screen shifted to static and the computer spoke a second time. "Communications activated. Signal routed."

It took less than a minute before the static cleared to show the most unusual sight any of them had ever seen. The communications officer blinked a few times before the President stepped forward, her mouth hanging open. She spoke softly to herself, but it was enough to be picked up by the supercomputer. "Tap into Federation network communications. Send this transmission to the other leaders."

"Affirmative," the machine replied.

The screen shifted to the standard broadband spectrum for interplanetary communications, showing each world's logo before changing to the leaders' faces.

"_What's going on?_" Seto asked.

"We established communications. Right now, we're on standby. The transmission is being routed to each of the satellites above your home worlds. You'll be able to communicate with me and with the leader of the planet, if they have one," President Warren said.

"_Gotcha,_" Seto replied.

The President then shifted her attention to the supercomputer and the technicians. "Activate the two way speakers. Shift to audio and visual communications. We're going on the air."

"Yes, ma'am!" a gray-haired technician remarked.

The speakers emitted a slight static signal for a second before it switched to silence.

President Warren cleared her throat. "Attention Neotopia! This is President Heather Jen Warren of Planet Earth, the leading world in the Intergalactic Federation! Can you hear me?"

The huge floating cloud that was shown on the screen gave way to showing a male figure dressed in a blue uniform with medals on the shoulders and an aviator's hat perched on the round mask he wore to hide his face.

"_What is going on here?_" the man asked.

"I am President—" She was cut off by his hand. "_I already heard you. But what is the meaning of this?_" he asked.

"Simply put, we're fighting against a common enemy, same as you," the President said.

Her simple explanation caught him off guard. "_WHAT?!_"

"I mean, we fight the Dark Axis as well," she said.

"_You're fighting them too?_" the man asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. But before we get into the gist of things, may I please have your name?" she asked.

The man seemed to sense her honesty, but not enough to where he could tell her his real name. "_My name is Chief Haro, the head of the Super Dimensional Guard,_" he said.

"Chief Haro?" President Warren cocked an eyebrow at the weird name. "You have got to be joking."

"_I assure you that I am not joking. But enough about that. Why have you contacted the SDG via our dimensional equipment?_" Chief Haro asked.

"We didn't. We used something back over here called a Zero-Space communications band, or as you call it, dimensional communications." President Warren fell silent for a moment before continuing to speak. "Essentially, we are contacting you via a Z-Space frequency."

Chief Haro was silent before he spoke. "_Zero-Space?_"

President Warren nodded. "Yes. It's the vast whiteness that lurks beyond the normal realm of space-time. It's like a dimensional barrier of some kind, but we can't be quite sure."

Something on both sides of Chief Haro's "head" flapped, revealing them to be "ears" of some kind. His hat was sent flying before it landed over one of his eyes. "_WHAT?! You know of the Minov Boundary Sea?_"

Seto's voice came over the transmission and cut in. "_Okay, we have no idea what that is, but we think that Z-Space somehow ties into other dimensional boundaries. It's kind of hard to explain. We're only beginning to study dimensional travel and communications._"

Silence filled the room before Chief Haro spoke again. "_Why have you contacted us?_" he asked.

"The reason we contacted you was to inform you of the threat that the Dark Axis now poses to everything, including your world," President Warren explained.

"_I see. But we are also aware of how powerful they have become. It took a few months before they were driven from Neotopia after they tried to conquer it a second time._" Here, Chief Haro's voice became grim.

"_Wait…you know?!_" Famous cut in.

"_Yes. We do know about their new power and technology,_" the chief explained.

"We also contacted you to inform you about the fact that your world is in the middle of seven dimensions overlapping one another. The Dark Axis doesn't know about this overlay, but it's only a matter of time before they do find out. The reason for this fear is because they have already started looking for others with dimensional travel technology," the President said grimly.

Only silence emitted from the speakers. The screen showed Chief Haro looking down, as if deep in thought. Then, he glanced up.

"_What is a dimensional overlay?_" he asked.

Famous jumped in at this. "_Basically, sir, a dimensional overlay is where three or more dimensions occupy the same dimensional plane in a particular spot. That usually happens where there is a dimensional transportation system and it can cause others to overlap as well, causing the laws of reality to be slightly altered. The dimensional overlays can cause a dimensional barrier to form, and as a result, things within the barrier are different than outside it_."

Chief Haro grew silent again before he addressed them directly. "_What is going on here?_"

"Chief Haro, we are the ones who might be the last hope anyone has, including your world. Everyone here in the organization, including myself, is prepared to fight to defeat the Dark Axis. In short, you don't stand a chance this time, especially after the invasion we pulled," President Warren said.

Chief Haro's "ears" flapped, causing his hat to land over both eyes. "_What? You pulled an invasion on them?_"

Famous nodded. "_Yeah. And we discovered that they are going to extreme lengths to exterminate the organics._"

"_How are they?_" Chief Haro asked.

"_Ever hear of concentration camps?_" Famous asked softly.

"_Concentration camps…in the Dark Axis home dimension?_" Chief Haro's voice was soft, and full of horror.

"_It's true. We liberated a good amount of them, but we think there may be others scattered throughout. And the only way to free them all is to take down the leader of the Dark Axis once and for all!_" Seto snarled.

"_How…I thought…I never knew about this,_" Chief Haro whispered.

"Well, it's true. We also launched a massive bombing campaign and stopped their last resort strategy, called Operation Collapse. They intended to use mini particle accelerators that had been heavily modified to create black holes to destroy everything," President Warren said. Her voice became choked with emotion as she said this and tears threatened to streak down her cheeks.

"_Black holes…this is unusual. Why would they do this?_" Chief Haro asked.

"_They want to destroy all organic life, and…to do so, they will create…Soul-Drives,_" Sandra whispered.

Silence filled the room again before Chief Haro raised a hand to his "face". "_How…why go this low? And how…can they? All I thought was that they had stolen technology. I never knew they had this kind of capacity,_" he murmured.

"_That's because they were given this technology by one of our most powerful foes to date: Unicron!_" Steven hissed. "_And just so you know, Unicron is a very powerful Transformer than consumes entire planets and he's only matched in power by Primus himself._"

"Primus is the creator of the Transformers race," President Warren explained.

"_It seems that we have a ton of explaining to do,_" Cassie said, seeing Chief Haro sweat-drop.

"Looks like we'll be here a while, indeed," President Warren admitted, a large sweat-drop running down the side of her head.

* * *

**_BAOOM!_**

The blast sent both Jaden and Syrus head over heels into the grass, skidding a good fifteen feet before they both sat up, glancing back at their friends, who also lay scattered on the ground. Sayla held her head in her hand, her steel-like green eyes flashing dangerously as she sat up.

"Geez! I never thought Cerverau could deliver quite a punch like that," she murmured.

"Tell me about it," Kicker grumbled. He held his hand to his side, blood oozing between his fingers, staining his white jacket red.

The former Federation engineer sneered as he stepped out of the smoke that concealed him from view. "You sure have put up quite a fight," he murmured softly. "But as it is, all good things must come to an end."

"Not yet!" Zane hissed. He threw his right arm forward, the glowing orbs of light clustered around his body shining brighter. "SUN MISSILE!"

The missiles launched from around his body, streaking towards Cerverau. He smirked and crouched, waiting for them to get closer.

At the last minute it seemed, he jumped skyward, the missiles speeding beneath his feet and into the smoke behind him. The explosion was muffled, but they got a general idea of what happened: Zane had missed, and his attack had struck a nearby tree, setting it on fire.

"Crap!" Zane hissed.

Cerverau sneered as he held up a grenade. "Now, say good night, kids!" he cried. He chucked the grenade as fast as he could, but before it could strike any of them, a shield went up, the blue energy deflecting it right back at him.

His eyes widened as he recognized the shield color of T.J.'s shield, and he snarled in anger, dodging to the side as the grenade struck the ground, sending up small chunks of dirt and rock. He landed on his feet and skidded before glancing up.

"You forgot, Cerverau! The one thing that you can't ever forget is that T.J. is a starfighter!" Kicker hissed from inside the shield.

True to the spoken words, the glowing shield went down to reveal T.J. standing there in front, arms crossed over his chest and in front of his face. Cerverau snarled in anger as a Zako soldier ran up, holding a machine gun in both hands.

"Kill them!" he barked at the soldier.

"Zako!" The Zako knelt and aimed the gun at them all. The sight of the gun aimed was enough to remind them of the danger they were in. It also reminded them of the second enemy that lurked close by in the smoke, and of their fellow student.

"NO! STOP!"

The voice of Kira echoed through the smoke, and Cerverau sneered. "Good-bye, humans!"

"SCATTER!" Sayla cried.

It didn't take them long to scatter as the guns of the Zako soldiers opened fire on them. Bullets impacted the ground, sending dirt flying everywhere. A single rocket sped out from its launcher and homed in on their position. The warhead split into three segments, releasing shrapnel. Sayla's eyes widened as she saw it incoming.

"Shrapnel rocket!" she blurted. "Take cover!"

The group didn't need to be told twice as they ducked beneath trees and brush. The fragments struck the ground around them, but some of the shrapnel grazed their skin, drawing blood to the surface.

"Great! Just great! This was not what I was expecting," Zane grumbled.

"Yeah. It seems that they have the upper hand now," Captain muttered grimly.

"Not exactly," Blare said. "We have one thing they don't have."

"What?" Zero asked.

Blare glanced at the smoke where Kira was fighting. "We have Kira on our side."

"I don't see how that's a good thing," Bakunetsumaru said. "He's just a kid, and he doesn't even know how strong Shift really is."

"I know, but right now, he's the only one keeping that demonic Gundam occupied. Don't you see? If Shift had aided Cerverau, we'd be dead by now! See the advantage?" Blare asked.

Realization dawned in the Musha Gundam's brown eyes. "Oh. I get it now! This also helps us by reducing the number of opponents we have to fight!"

Blare nodded, a small smile crossing her face.

"Okay! Enough about that! Can't you two see we're in the middle of a fight here?!" Sayla snapped.

"Oh. Right. Sorry," Blare murmured.

The group returned their attention to the battle at hand, but not before they each cast a worried glance back towards where Kira was fighting. They didn't even realize that they were all thinking the exact same thing: '_be careful, Kira._'

Over in the smoke, Kira was having a hard time himself, but thanks to his jetpack and his skills, he was able to avoid the majority of Shift's attacks.

This forced Shift to try and strike him when he was hovering, which was impossible to do in the thick smoke from the blazing tree. His dark green eyes narrowed as he searched the black smoke for his opponent. "Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm up here!" Kira yelled.

The boy's gun materialized out of the smoke and let loose a discharge of green plasma bolts. The bolts slammed into Shift's body, forcing the demonic Gundam to fold his wings around him in a cocoon-like shape. He snarled in anger as the explosions died down. He spread his wings and glanced around.

"Where are you hiding, human? You can't hide from me forever!" Shift called.

"That's where you're wrong!" Kira said from somewhere behind him.

Shift spun and fired off a spell, but the spell missed and struck the ocean beyond the smoke. "Nice try! You missed me!" Kira's voice taunted.

"ARGH!" Shift cried out in rage, firing off spells in different directions, intent on striking the human, wherever he was.

The spells began to part the smoke as they whizzed through it, scattering it to the winds that were beginning to blow off the Atlantic Ocean. A few missed the other fighters, forcing them to dodge, and one struck an unfortunate Zako, blasting it to pieces.

Kira barely dodged one spell, but the second one he didn't count on. It struck him head on.

_**BAOOM!**_

The explosion rocked the whole battle site, forcing everyone else to glance up. Sayla's eyes widened in shock and horror as she watched him fall from inside the smoke. Jaden gasped in horror while Syrus placed both hands over his mouth. Captain and Shute both glanced at one another, fearing the worst. Kicker and his two friends, Meisha and T.J., stared in absolute amazement, unable to even say a word. Zane's eyes had grown wide and he was actually a bit pale. Baston held one hand to his mouthpiece in shock and he barely even moved. Bakunetsumaru cried out Kira's name, but to no avail. Blare and Vega each stood still, back-to-back facing a Zako soldier each, but their eyes were locked onto Kira's still body. Michelle and Mike didn't even blink, save for once or twice, as they watched the boy's plunge. Zero murmured Kira's name a few times before he closed his eyes. T.K. turned his head away, tears streaming down his cheeks. Bud and his brother Coby closed their eyes and bowed their heads. Lori placed a hand on T.K's shoulder and hugged him close. Deed didn't even tear his gaze away from the sight, and Guneagle cried to himself while Rele prayed to God to let Kira live.

Despite having known him for only a little over three weeks, they had gotten attached to Kira and they thought of him as a member of their little group. So to see him die was a shock to all of them.

All they could do now was continue the fight, and hope that Kira had survived his fall.

They hoped so, for the sake of everyone there.


	77. Escape from Tycho Colony

Chapter 2

The air was full of tension as the group watched the smoke curling skyward from where Kira had crashed. Cerverau laughed as they broke off the fight, running through the Zako hoard to reach his location. "Nice try, Federation scum! Your little friend is dead, and there is nothing that any of you can do for him!" he crowed.

"KIRA!" The collective cry was full of anguish and despair. This brought a smirk to Shift's face as he shifted his shape into a cluster of bats, flying away into the setting sun. Cerverau activated the Zakorello Gate and vanished inside with the Zakos they had brought with.

Sayla weaved her way skillfully through the trees and brush, her military training putting her right into her element. Her friends followed her, carefully picking their way over branches and tree limbs that had been blown off during the fight. As a result, Sayla reached the crater first.

"Kira! Can you hear me?!" she called.

No answer came from the crater's depths. The rubble had ceased to fall on the pile, and she felt tears prick at her eyes. "Kira!" She gathered her courage and braced herself for the horrific image of a crushed body. She slid down the side of the crater, kicking up dust and sending smaller rocks clattering down after her.

She reached the bottom just as her friends and teammates appeared at the top. They slid down to join her in staring at the mound of debris and rubble.

"Oh, Primus…" Syrus's voice was soft as he looked it over. "There's no way anyone could've survived that."

"So…Kira's dead?" Shute whispered.

Captain's green scanner flicked down over his right eye and he was silent as he ran a scan of the rubble pile. He finally withdrew the scanner and shook his head. "I'm detecting no life signs, Shute."

"Kira…" Rele let her voice trail off.

"Let's begin moving this debris, guys. The sooner we find the body, the better," Sayla murmured.

"Oh boy…" Shute murmured.

"Look, Shute. You're in the middle of a real war zone now. You have to accept that there will be deaths, and casualties on the battlefield. Kira was one of them," Zane said.

"Real…war zone?" Shute's voice was hoarse.

Zane nodded grimly. "Yes. Things are not like back on your home world of Neotopia. Here on Earth, the death and destruction are very real."

Shute's face paled and his green eyes widened in horror.

Captain looked at Zane, confusion in his eyes. "How can things be different here?" he asked.

Zane glanced at the Gundam before he spoke. "I just told Shute. The death and destruction are very real here. Back on your home planet, you may have faced the Dark Axis, but they were smaller and less threatening, unless they were in huge numbers. Only here on Earth one can experience the life of a front-line soldier."

Captain was silent for a moment. "How…how'd you know that?" he asked, stunned that Zane had known how the Zakos had been shorter and much less of a threat individually.

He smirked. "My father. He had a recent meeting with the President, and it turns out that the President informed him that contact had been made with Neotopia."

"WHAT?!" The Gundam Force was shocked. They were so shocked that they completely forgot about the rubble pile behind them. Even the rest of the team was listening.

"Are you serious?" Guneagle asked. "Contact was made with them?"

Zane nodded. "Yes. And the leaders are currently informing them of the situation and how long you guys have been here. It seems that the leaders of the World Union have been worried about you six," he said.

"What about me?" Deed blurted.

"We're not sure about you," Zane remarked.

"Great. Just great!" the knight grumbled.

While they were chatting, however, they were unaware of the rubble moving. For beneath it, Kira was very much alive. His eyes opened for him to see that he was trapped underneath the rubble. He groaned inwardly. This was not what he had been expecting. And to top it all off, his clothing was torn and tattered from the rubble, plus he had a nasty gash on his chest. Not to mention that his nanotech projector was damaged. He could only hope that it wouldn't go down for another three hours. Back to the matter at hand, however.

'_Okay. How am I gonna get outta this one?_' he thought to himself.

He could hear the others' voices, and he desperately wanted to be out there with him. Except for one little problem.

He had lost his guns, and he couldn't do anything else except try to move the rocks.

Kira grunted as he shifted within his little rock room, trying to find a good position to shove the rocks aside from within. His jetpack scraped a rock and he hissed as pain danced across his back.

Wait…pain?

Why was he feeling pain in his back if he had scraped his jetpack? He wasn't even a full Gundam!

Oh. Right. The jetpack was pushing into the flesh of his back, so that was why.

He shifted in his little prison until he had positioned his legs behind a rock. He pushed as hard as he could, and he succeeded in moving it partly, but not enough. He grunted and pushed again, this time using the full strength in his legs and upper body.

The rock moved again, this time sliding out of its position and sending other tocks cascading down the side of the rubble pile. The sunlight streamed in from the outside, striking his exposed face and forcing him to cover his eyes with his hand in order to prevent himself from going blind. "AH!"

Voices reached his ears and he managed to pry open an eye before scurrying out from his little prison. The others were there, trying to pry off the rocks and not even aware that he was right behind their current location. Kira turned and scrambled up the rock pile, sending some smaller stones clattering into the crater. He peered over and waved his hands. "Hey guys! I'm up here!"

His cry seemed to reach their ears and audios, catching their attention. They glanced up in his direction and smiled, astonishment visible on a few of their faces, but mostly happiness. The group waved and he waved back.

He was alive.

* * *

**President Warren kept** her gaze steady as things were explained to Chief Haro. He had been silent so far, only speaking to ask a few questions about things that confused him. The whole time, however, the story of how the small power had come to be had never strayed far from the main point: that all of existence was doomed.

"_I see. You are a small intergalactic power that is dedicated to fighting for freedom across the stars. You all strive for peace and wish to see the end of the more horrific aspects of combat,_" Chief Haro said.

"That's it," President Warren said.

"_But that still doesn't explain how the Dark Axis became so determined to rule all of existence,_" the chief murmured.

"I think we have a reason for that," President Warren remarked.

"_What kind of reason?_" Chief Haro asked.

"_Based on the information we gathered from the transmission breaks we overheard, we came to the conclusion that they just want to exist in peace, but in a world of their own making,_" Seto said grimly.

"_How could they want to exist in peace?_" Chief Haro blurted. "_They did nothing but attack and harm innocents in other dimensions!_"

President Warren took in a breath and let it out. It was either time to reveal or not. She desperately wanted to, but at the same time, something told her not to. She wasn't sure what to do. She glanced at Ciel, who shook her head no. For some reason, she felt as if she understood Ciel's unsaid motive: revealing their true origins could affect the war in a negative fashion.

So she decided on an alternative.

"We discovered a surprising aspect of their programming when we ran scans on them. Our technicians and engineers came across a line of coding that said to not kill organics unless they threaten everyone else. And this coding became affected by a virus or something. We aren't entirely sure, but we can infer that they were once created to be peacekeepers and defenders, not conquerors and killers," President Warren explained.

"_But by whom?_" Chief Haro asked.

"That's the mystery," she said.

"_I see._" Chief Haro grew silent.

Cassie took the opportunity to tell her side of the story. "_Through intense research, we also discovered what the Dark Axis is looking for, and we think that you really need to hear this,_" she said.

"_What?_" Chief Haro inquired.

"_The Dark Axis is after something called the Superior Dragon. We think it might give them the power needed to overcome even the UPA and Unicron, becoming strong enough to rival the gods themselves. And not to mention that in doing so, they could gain control over all of existence!_" Cassie exclaimed.

"_Oh, God…_" Chief Haro's voice trailed off.

The truth about the Dark Axis' motives was now clear.

They had to be stopped, once and for all!

* * *

_On Tycho Colony…_

Tyre glanced at the screens in his office on the moon colony, otherwise known as Luna Colony, or Tycho Colony. His eyes flicked over them, taking in the scenes of daily life.

The office he resided in was not that much bigger than the main office of President Warren, but it had many different furnishings. The desk was positioned so that way it faced the window behind him, showing the breathtaking sight of Earth beyond the moon. Many who entered his office were often blown away by the sheer beauty of it, and Tyre himself was frequently found standing in front of the window, thinking. The rest of the office held a bed near the door, a small kitchen in one corner of the room, a bathroom for himself, and a small study for working on reports.

The colony itself wasn't too huge, but it was located in a large crater and covered by an energon dome that reflected not only harmful UV rays, but also any stray asteroids or meteorites that struck the moon's surface on an occasional basis. There was a small training field for Zero-G combat training, an exterior spaceport for spacecraft coming and going from the other worlds and a spacebridge generator outside the colony. Twin guns were secreted in the cliffs that surrounded the only open entrance to the colony's crater, their barrels never still as they scanned for any incoming enemies. There were also a few other laser cannons positioned around the perimeter of the crater.

Beneath the dome, there were only five buildings and seventeen hundred homes, a small general store, and tunnels that led to the spaceport. Tycho Colony had been built in the early twenty-first century for scientists and engineers alone, but some other people, including a few soldiers, had decided to come along on the unique project. The Earth Federation had agreed to allow them to come, but no more than seventeen hundred at the maximum. The whole project had taken almost five years to complete, and the colony had been in operation for only four years, but already it had proven its military value, as well as its economic value.

Several new weapons had been built and successfully tested within the colony and the methods needed to create such weapons were perfected for civilian use. So as a result, Tycho Colony had become a key part in Earth's defense and trade.

Tyre himself was often impressed by the colony's reputation, but he had no reason to marvel at it now. Now all that really mattered was the fight against the Dark Axis.

The door buzzer chimed once, interrupting his thoughts. He turned away from the screens and faced the door.

"Come in."

The door slid open and in stepped the chief of the colony's defenses, Major Jacob Walls. Jacob was a big bear of a man and he had a scruff of blonde hair that hung over one of his intense red-brown eyes.

"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt your thinking time, but…" Jacob let his voice trail off.

"What's going on?" Tyre asked.

"It has to do with some of the colony's lighting, sir. It seems that the lights are on the fritz near the exterior. They've been flickering nonstop for three days straight," Jacob reported.

Tyre grew thoughtful for a moment. "Have someone run a diagnostics check on the electrical systems of the exterior tunnels. If there's an electrical problem, contact the electrical engineers and tell them to fix it."

Jacob nodded. "Yes, sir. But…I don't think that it's a mere electrical glitch. I think someone's here in the colony."

"Inside the colony?" Tyre blinked in confusion. "How?"

"We aren't sure if it's true, but someone's been eating out of the food stocks, as well. Not to mention that a few weapons have been stolen," Jacob said.

"Weapons stolen?" Now Tyre was getting a bit anxious. If there were intruders, they had to be flushed out. "Send in a few soldiers into the exterior tunnels. If there's someone there, we'll drive them out," he ordered.

"Right!" Jacob turned and ran off.

Of course, they didn't even realize that the intruders were making preparations to leave.

* * *

**Deep in Tycho** Colony's exterior tunnels, Grappler Gouf shifted his weight, trying to remain steady while his partner, Zapper Zaku, and Destroyer Dom, their weapons specialist, tried to pry open a nearby vent. "Geez! Next time, lay off the oil, _Zipper_!" Gouf grunted.

"Quiet! I'm trying to open the vent, Grappler!" Zapper hissed.

Dom was standing on top of his weapons tank, Gallop, and shifted his own weight, slipping one of his hands into the corner of the vent. He said nothing, but his lone optical sensor was focused on the grate as he tried to pry it open.

"That's it, Dom. Just a little more!" Zapper murmured.

The bigger mecha grunted and pulled, along with Zapper. The grate came off the vent in their hands and they swayed in place, trying to maintain balance and to not drop the metal covering to the floor and arouse the attention of the guards patrolling the tunnels.

"I don't understand why we had to wind up here, of all the places that have a spacebridge generator!" Grappler hissed beneath Zapper.

"That thing had random coordinates installed on it, so there was no way any of us could have changed it!" Zapper snarled.

The maroon mecha slowly slipped off Grappler's shoulders and Dom slid off his Gallop, both still holding the grate. They laid it down and glanced up at the vent.

"Dom goes first. With those weapons, he'll need to be first inside. Along with his Gallop," Zapper muttered.

Grappler nodded and looked at Dom, who shifted slightly, trying to lift the yellow tank into the vent. The other two ran over and slipped their hands under it, hoisting it into the vent shaft before helping Dom get inside. Zapper was next, followed by Grappler, who pulled the metal grate up with him. He pulled it into place and all three former Dark Axis lords stayed still as a few human soldiers ran past their location.

Zapper's eye blinked before he sighed in relief. "That was close," he muttered.

"Too close, and it would have been closer if you had only pried that vent off sooner!" Grappler snarled.

"Dahhhhh…" Dom's voice cut through the silence of the vent and both other mechas gasped, slapping both their hands over right where his mouth would have been if he had one. A guard's footsteps could be heard outside.

"I thought I heard something down this way!" a male voice called.

"Are you sure, because I only heard your imagination," a female voice snapped.

"Both of you, be quiet!" a third voice with a slight Japanese accent hissed. "Listen for anything. If there is nothing, then we move on."

The guards ran back to their location, guns held in their hands and their eyes looking, their ears pricked for any sound that was out of place.

All three robots lay still, trying to not make any noise, save for a few movements every now and then. The moments they were silent were tense, and each moment seemed to drag on forever. Zapper swore that his power core would cease to function as a guard glanced in his direction. The guard reached for the vent, but was halted by his comrades. "C'mon, David. There's nothing here. Let's get back to the command center," the female said.

"Right. Coming, Sarah!" David turned and ran off.

All three former Dark Axis robots sighed with relief. They hadn't been found, which was a huge relief. Now all they had to do was sneak on board a transport bound for Earth. Hopefully they wouldn't get spotted.

They hoped.

* * *

**The one thing** that no one counted on was the fact that the transports were shut down due to repairs. Someone had set off a bomb inside the hangar and damaged three of them, destroying two and severely damaging a couple of the engines on three others. Only one was operational, but even then, no one even dared to use it for fear that it may be damaged beyond repair. Grappler studied it with a critical eye as his comrades lugged the Gallop out from the vent, their grunts sounding too loud in the eerie silence of the flight hangar.

"Now what?" Zapper asked.

"We take that transport," Grappler remarked, pointing with one of his claws towards it.

The transport looked nothing like the Komusai, but it was built on the same basic principle. The transport's shape was more like that of a shuttle, and it had three engines on the back. A set of flaps was positioned on the rudder and the wings were in glider formation. The colors were also much different. It was painted in silver with a blue line on the side and a red star on the nose. The words _Tycho Colony_ were inscribed on the side and wings, the symbol of Earth on the wings below the colony's name.

"That thing looks nothing like the Komusai," Zapper muttered.

"Quiet! That thing is the only one operational, so we're taking it, whether you like it or not!" Grappler hissed.

"But how are we supposed to fly it? Clearly it wasn't meant for robots our size!" Zapper spat.

"Leave that to me," Grappler smirked. His optical sensor gleamed in the dim light of the hangar and he flexed his claws.

The three robots snuck over to the transport, glancing about for any guards. So far no guards had spotted them, or stopped them.

It proved to be a godsend to them as they crept up the ramp. Gallop trailed behind Dom, struggling before the weapons specialist snatched it and hauled it on board. A few seconds passed by as Grappler darted over to the control panel for the ramp. He swiftly entered a code, and the transport shuddered as the ramp withdrew, closing up and sealing them inside.

Once the ramp was closed, Zapper glanced around the interior. "Hmph. This place could use a cleaning," he muttered.

Grappler glanced back angrily and swung his clawed hand at Zapper, smacking him upside the head. "Not now!" he hissed. "Let's get this rust bucket of bolts down to Earth and the sooner, the better!"

Zapper nodded, rubbing where he had been smacked. "Next time, be careful where you smack me," he growled.

The three former Dark Axis lords ran for the cockpit of the transport. The door was shut, but Grappler inserted his claw into the old-style key lock and jiggled it around before he heard a satisfying _click_. He smirked as he drew his claw out and pried open the door. "C'mon, you gearheads!"

Zapper muttered and grumbled his way into the cockpit and Dom followed, his eye fixed on the door of the hangar. Grappler sat himself in the seat of the transport and studied the controls for a moment. "Good. The controls are somewhat similar to those of the Komusai. The only difference is that there's a control yoke, not a control stick. I'll have to get used to this." He muttered that last sentence more to himself than anyone else.

"Great. Now can we get this thing airborne?" Zapper snapped.

"Hold on, motormouth! I'm trying!" Grappler spat.

He shifted his gaze from Zapper Zaku back to the controls and hissed through his vents. This was not what he had been expecting: they needed a code to start the transport. "Damn humans! Why'd they have to have codes for almost everything?" he snarled.

"What's the holdup?" Zapper asked. "We're on borrowed time as it is!"

"I'm trying, you dim bulb!"

"Why you…" Zapper shook with rage, but he kept his cool. At least he was able to maintain his cool, unlike his cousin, Zeta Zaku.

Grappler glanced back to the controls and wriggled down underneath. "If I can bypass the control code, then maybe I can get it started," he said.

"Well, hurry then! Who knows how long we've got until the guards of this place find us?" Zapper was clearly getting anxious, and Grappler couldn't blame him. He felt anxious himself, but he forced his mind back onto the matter at hand.

He jammed one of his claws into the bottom panel that covered the wiring and circuits for the controls. It took a bit of wiggling his claw around to finally pry it off. Once it was off, the blue robot shifted underneath and reached in, gently removing a blue wire and a gold wire before looking at a green wire. "I think I can bypass the starting mechanism by crossing these three wires. If I insert the gold wire into the blue wire's position and shift the blue wire to the green wire's location, then if I put the green wire in the gold wire's location, the transport should start." He shifted the three wires into their new positions, closed up the panel, and clambered out from under the seat. His clawed hand gently pressed the button for starting, and the transport shuddered with power as the engines ignited.

"All right! Now get us outta here!" Zapper remarked.

"I'm on it, Zapper!" Grappler snarled. He turned the transport to face the closed doors of the hangar. Zapper sweat-dropped as he realized what Grappler was planning. He turned and grabbed the other robot by the chest.

"You idiot! You're gonna blow us sky high!" he cried.

"No I'm not!" Grappler hissed. "Trust me on this!"

Zapper snarled but he let the other go. He sat down in the co-pilot's seat. "Okay, but if you get us all killed, then I'll hunt you down in the afterlife!"

Grappler nodded and grasped the control yoke in his hands. Dom sat down on top of his Gallop, shuddering slightly.

The former Dark Axis lord shifted his red optic to the location of the guns. "Perfect," he murmured. He pressed the button and the guns of the transport emerged from the sides, gleaming dangerously in the faint light outside. The crosshair appeared on the cockpit window and Zapper glanced at Grappler for a moment. "Uh, who's gonna shoot?"

"You are, gear-head!" Grappler snarled.

"Oh. Right." Zapper turned back to the controls just as a portion of the console flipped outward to expose twin joysticks. He grabbed them and adjusted his aim.

"Fire!" Grappler shouted.

Zapper didn't need to be told twice as he pressed the triggers. Blue blasts of energy erupted out from the guns at the speed of a machine gun and Zapper smiled in appreciation. "Maybe these humans aren't so shabby in terms of weaponry," he commented.

"Just shut it and keep blasting!" Grappler ordered.

Zapper's eye narrowed, but he kept his mouth shut. He shifted his gaze back to the doors and kept his fingers on the triggers of the guns.

Already dents were forming, and he snarled. "C'mon, c'mon!" he muttered.

Grappler curled his claws around the throttle and pushed it forward to half speed. "Hold on!" he cried.

The thrust was so sudden that it pushed Zapper back into his seat and sent Dom and his Gallop rolling back at high speed, right into the back of the cockpit. A loud clang marked their impact. "What are you doing, you lunatic?!" Zapper screamed over the roar of the thrusters.

"I'm getting us outta here! What's it look like, you buffoon!" Grappler cried.

The ship streaked towards the doors that separated them from space…and Earth. It took only a few minutes before a massive clang resonated throughout the cockpit and the doors gave way under the incredible speed of the transport. It flew out of the hangar bay, the pressure suddenly being drawn out into the depths of outer space. A few pieces of the other transports were sucked out, along with their own ship and the twin doors. A single human who happened to be in the vicinity was also sucked out, but luckily he had been wearing his spacesuit.

Grappler turned the ship to face the planet, and pushed the throttle to maximum throttle.

The transport dashed away towards the planet, becoming a gleam against the brown-green color of the continent.

* * *

_Back on Planet Earth…_

It took less than fifteen minutes to get back to the TCDA campus. The group was intensely relieved that Kira was still alive, but something wasn't quite right. He kept rubbing his arm in a certain spot, and that worried everyone. Sayla glanced at him before he stopped.

"You okay, Kira?" she asked.

Kira nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. It's just that my arm hurts from the battle."

Sayla frowned. She could tell that there was something he was hiding, but she couldn't be sure. "Okay. But just to be on the safe side, I think you should have that checked out."

The boy nodded before he turned and ran.

She watched him for a few moments before she and her friends continued on back to the campus.

As he ran, Kira's worries became his greatest fear: his nanotech projector had shorted out. He groaned in despair. If anyone was watching, they would see what he really was. And he didn't want that to happen. He ducked under the brush and sprawled flat out on his stomach, waiting.

The first tendrils of pain crept into his body, forcing him to bite down on his lower lip. He couldn't scream. He didn't want to give away his position. The pain in his back became more noticeable as he cried out in his mind.

When the procedure had been done, he had been briefly given a glimpse at his new body. The next thing he had known, he had fallen unconscious and when he woke up again, he had been human, thanks to a new piece of technology known as the nanotech projector.

Now his nanotech projector was damaged, and he was turning back into his new form. His clothing began to tear as wings extended from his back, his jetpack fusing to his body and becoming a part of him. He closed his eyes and waited as the transformation continued. The pain got worse, but he didn't scream. He forced himself to ignore the pain, and to endure it.

It didn't help much, for the pain finally got to a point where he couldn't hold it in any longer. He screamed.

* * *

**Sayla suddenly stopped**, her sharp hearing picking up the faint sound of screaming. It sounded like…

"Kira!" she blurted.

"Huh? What about him?" Jaden asked.

"Jaden, did you notice anything odd about Kira's behavior after the battle?" Sayla remarked, turning to face her friend.

"Well, come to think of it, yeah. I noticed how he kept rubbing his arm for a moment. Did he hurt himself or something?" the boy/Gundam asked.

Sayla nodded. "Yeah. Or so he said. But I think he was hiding something."

The screaming got louder. The rest of their friends had gone back to the school already, except for Sayla and Jaden. Both glanced at one another, then they turned and ran back in the direction of the screaming.

They started searching immediately. Jaden stuck his hand in the brush and began feeling around while Sayla scanned the area with her visor. Nothing showed up.

"Jaden, I'll take the left side of the path, you take the right!" Sayla shouted to him.

"Roger!" Jaden called back. He turned and ran into the brush, the branches scraping at his armor. He broke through into the woods, his brown eyes roaming over the bushes and fallen trees from previous battles. The screaming had stopped, and the eerie silence sent shivers down Jaden's back. He gulped nervously before gripping one of his beam sabers and removing it from his jetpack.

The hilt of the weapon gave him some relief, but not as much as he had hoped.

Jaden crept through the woods, his eyes darting from side to side. Nothing out of the ordinary greeted his sight.

"Kira? You here?" he cried.

No answer.

Now getting a bad feeling in his Soul-Drive, Jaden broke into a run, looking worriedly for Kira. "Kira! Where are you?"

Again, no answer reached his audios.

"KIRA!" His cry echoed, but only silence returned his cry. Jaden kept running, looking around before his foot suddenly caught on something and he went sprawling right onto his face. "Oof!"

Jaden lay on the ground, moaning as birds twittered around his head before he snapped out of his stunned state. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and twisted his body so that way he was looking over his shoulder.

He gasped as his eyes became smaller.

His foot had gotten caught on a Gundam's leg.

He scrambled to his hands and knees and crawled over to the still form. Clearly this mecha was designed for flight, from what he could see. A pair of black wings with blue "feathers" of some kind lay folded against the new Gundam's body. Nothing else was visible because the poor mecha was laying face first on the ground. Jaden sat back on his knees and slipped his hands under the Gundam's form.

Jaden gently turned the Gundam over so that way he was lying flat on his back. Now he could see more of the Gundam. Some kind of beam cannon was built right into the chest and the Gundam's eyes were closed. Blue and white shoulder pads were visible and the edges of the feet were blue. The hands were golden and on the Gundam's legs were twin beam rifles of a brand new design. The Gundam had twin V-fins, one shorter, golden V-fin beneath a silver, longer V-fin.

"Whoa…" Jaden's voice was soft as he stared at the mecha.

Jaden glanced around, suddenly worried that the Dark Axis might make a sudden reappearance. If there was an unknown Gundam here, then there was a good chance that they might come for him.

"Okay. Stay calm, Jaden," Jaden murmured to himself. "If they come back, you've got the home field advantage. There's no way they could attack in the woods."

Still, he glanced around again, just to make sure that no one was there, except for him and the unconscious Gundam before him.

Nothing was in the area, from what he could see, anyway. He needed to get the unconscious form out of the woods and back to Medical University for a checkup immediately, but without Sayla and the others there, he was on his own. Plus, since he was a Gundam himself, he couldn't use his aura, and that proved to be a disadvantage.

Jaden knelt and slipped his arms under the other Gundam's back, lifting him up off the forest floor. "Now to get back to Earth Command."

He turned and ran back in the direction he had come from.


	78. Kira's Secret Revealed!

Chapter 3

Groans slipped past Kira's lips as he slowly opened his eyes. He could now see that he was in the Medical University's recovery ward. But why was he here? Unless…

Kira then gasped as the memory of the battle a few hours ago came back to him. He remembered getting hit in the arm, and feeling the nanotech projector he wore short out. Then the pain had come fifteen minutes later.

He slowly lifted up the sheets that covered his body, and he let out a yelp of surprise. His body had reverted to its new form. He sat up abruptly, throwing the covers off himself and glancing down at his whole body.

He sighed, realizing that there was no option but to reveal his true self. "I sure hope the others don't think of me in the wrong fashion," he murmured.

* * *

_At the cafeteria…_

Kicker stirred his spaghetti with his fork, his mind wandering and trying to make sense of the last few battles. The only one who had really been attacking them was Shift, and even that was suspicious in its own nature. Normally the demonic Gundam had someone else to back him up. Unless he counted the fact that Cerverau was also amongst those they fought. That was one thing that bothered him.

Cerverau had formerly been a Federation citizen, but now he was working for the Dark Axis. And there was no way he could attack a former friend. It was not how they worked, or how they did things.

"Kicker? You okay?" Meisha asked.

"Huh?" Kicker glanced up and turned to face her. "Oh, sorry, Meisha. It's just these last few battles have really gotten me confused."

"How so?" she asked.

"Well, normally Shift has someone to back him up, and it's normally one of the other generals of the Dark Axis. And from what we've seen in the last few weeks, he normally doesn't attack unless someone is providing covering fire for him. But since there is no one to cover him, he shouldn't be attacking. So, why is he?" Kicker remarked.

"Oh. Is that it?" Meisha inquired.

"Yeah. And it really bothers me. It's almost as if there's some other motive for his attacks. But the question is…what is it?" Kicker murmured. He leaned forward and placed his hand on his forehead. "What is the motive?"

"That's one thing we can't count on, Kicker. Right now, we need to focus on how we're going to defeat Cerverau," Meisha replied.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. But I don't know if we can even do it. You know, defeat him. He used to be one of us, and I don't know if we can kill him," Kicker whispered.

"I understand how that feels. I don't want to kill him either, but his actions tell us that we have no choice but to kill him. Actions speak louder than words, remember?" Meisha told him.

"I know. But sometimes actions aren't enough," Kicker said softly.

"Tell me about it," T.J. remarked. He stepped over to the table and sat down beside his best friends. "Even I'm confused."

"By the battles?" Meisha asked.

The young mech nodded. "Yep. You got it, Meisha."

Kicker turned and glanced out the windows, his brown eyes locked onto something only he could see. "What is it the Dark Axis is looking for? And why?" he asked.

* * *

_At Earth Command…_

President Warren narrowed her eyes as she watched the transmission signal flash three times before the words _Access Denied_ popped up on the screen. It was the third time she had tried to contact the Universal Power Association, and the third time she had failed.

"C'mon…c'mon…" she murmured.

She hit the voice activation button again and spoke into it. "Voice Identification: President Heather Jen Warren. Outgoing call: Universal Power Association." She was determined to get through, even if she had to reach them by using the Z-Space broadband.

She bit her lower lip as the call was sent to the Universal Communications Commission and routed to the UPA's communications center. The tension was almost visible to her, making her even more anxious to get through to the UPA leader.

It seemed to take forever as the screen flashed the words _Access Pending…_ over and over again. A beep came through the speakers, and she waited.

The screen flashed three times…

And the words _Access Granted_ appeared on the screen in bright green.

The words became static as she watched, and she straightened herself up a bit before the static cleared to show the secretary of the UPA. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion as he watched her. "_What is the meaning of this transmission in the middle of the night?_" he demanded.

President Warren cleared her throat before speaking. "This is President Warren of Planet Earth. I am requesting an appointment to speak before the UPA Council in five days, Earth time."

"_What is the reason for this?_" the secretary asked, suddenly becoming more official.

President Warren mentally steeled herself for the outburst she knew would be coming. "It is to inform and warn the UPA leaders of the Dark Axis threat and to determine a plan of action in order to bring them down," she said.

The secretary watched her critically for a few seconds. But those three seconds seemed to last for an eternity. Then, the being before her seemed to undergo a change. A light of hope began to shine in his eyes and a small smile appeared on his face. "_You…want to…inform them of the Dark Axis threat?_" he asked softly.

President Warren nodded, dumbstruck by how his whole demeanor had changed. "Yeah," she said dumbly.

"_You don't know how happy I am to hear that!_" the being cried, startling her.

"Huh? You're actually glad of this?" she asked, now becoming extremely confused.

"_Yes. And for a good reason. The UPA Council has done nothing about it for the last five and a half Earth months. But you have! I have read all your exploits to expose the danger to the rest of the universe, and I watched your report on the news. It was so moving._" The secretary began to get a bit nervous and he lowered his voice. "_Believe it or not, but some of us here in the UPA have been trying to call for action to defeat the Dark Axis, but the Council overrules us each and every time. The President himself has ordered all soldiers and those who have contacts in the army to remain quiet about this threat. He feels that no harm will come to him, but we know otherwise._"

President Warren blinked in amazement. "You say that some of the people in the UPA actually _want_ to go to war with them and win?" she asked.

The secretary nodded, but he kept his voice low. "_Yes. But the President will not allow it to come to pass. That is why I am going to grant you an appointment with the whole Council. If anyone can convince them, it's you._"

"Huh? Why do you say that?" President Warren asked, a small question mark hovering close to her head.

The secretary glanced around before leaning in closer to the screen. "_Look. You didn't hear this from me, but…_" A quick glance to the left and right assured him that he was alone. "_But some of the older, more respectable powers, including a few of the UPA's allies, actually believe your story. They have cut off all military alliances with them and have begun collective rearming in secret. They even assumed an allied name: The Universal Freedom Force. The UPA has no idea, but it's only a matter of time before they find out._" He winked at her before sitting up straight again.

"_President Warren, your appointment has been scheduled for ten a.m. Earth time, in five Earth days. We hope to see you then._" He gave her a secret smile before he closed down the communications.

President Warren smiled to herself, a bit stunned and amazed that some of the UPA's allies had actually begun collective military action in secret. She was also confused. What had happened that inspired this? Was it something she had said during that news report? Or was it something else? Was the Dark Axis threat finally catching the attention of others? Or was the UPA's hierarchy beginning to crumble under the inevitable unification that lay in the future?

What had happened?

She turned and walked over to the window, glancing out at the setting sun beyond the complex buildings and boundaries. The sun seemed to be a bit more menacing, for the red color that radiated off the buildings made it seem as though the whole complex was aflame. She hoped to God that it wasn't an omen of what was to come.

Even so, as she stared outside, thoughts about the recent meetings turned back to the day the Dark Axis had pulled a full on raid on a helpless organization. She still had the footage from that day, and she wondered if it would be enough to convince the UPA Council of this incoming threat. If it wasn't, she needed to find some more footage. But where else could she look? All they had was audio and screens with reports written on them. No real footage, aside from the invasion's progress…

Wait…

"The invasion footage!" she blurted. "Of course! The footage from the invasion! Why didn't I think of it before? That may also be useful! If we can expose it…we can also ask one of the former prisoners!"

Realization and a plan began to form in her mind. The speech began to take form, and she grabbed a nearby screen, preparing to write it down.

This would work, and she knew it.

* * *

_The next day…_

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The drone of the alarm clock woke Sayla from a deep sleep. She turned over and placed the pillow on her head, groaning in protest. "Ugh…" The alarm clock kept beeping until she finally lashed out with her hand, slamming down on the snooze button. The alarm ceased to function and she moaned, rolling over in her bed.

She sat up sleepily and rubbed her eyes. "Man…I knew I shouldn't have set my alarm for five in the morning…" she murmured. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got out of bed, clothed in only a large green T-shirt and boxer shorts. Even though she was female, she wore boxers because they were more comfortable in her opinion.

She walked over to the window and pulled back the blinds, revealing an intense veil of fog beyond the glass. She blinked in confusion. There hadn't been any rain last night, so how had fog formed?

Turning away from the window, she shook her head. Maybe a few more hours of sleep would do her good.

She slipped back under the covers and her head didn't even hit the pillow before she fell back asleep…for a few seconds, anyway.

Her military instincts kicked in and she suddenly opened her eyes, something feeling out of place. She sat up and glanced around the room, her eyes scanning for anything unusual. But nothing was out of place in her room.

Her trench coat hung on a coat hook on the wall and her combat vest was slung over her desk chair. Her combat fatigues and combat boots lay on the couch and her gun was propped against the wall close to her bed and her headset was placed on her nightstand. Her Duel Disk and deck were perched on her desk and the rest of her arsenal was lying in a neat heap in the corner of her room. Other objects of obvious military use were scattered here and there, and one or two screens were lying on the desk beside her Duel Disk and dueling deck.

Nothing was out of place in her room, so what was wrong?

She got out of bed and approached the window, pulling up the blinds and opening the door that led out onto her balcony.

Since she had a room near the corner of the dorm, her balcony offered her a strategic view of the surrounding campus and facilities. Her steely green eyes flicked from one side of the campus to the other, searching for anything out of the ordinary. But there was nothing.

Or was there?

Her gaze swept the campus, trying to spot the source of the fog. But nothing was visible, making her even more suspicious. "Hmmm."

She turned and walked over to her gun. She grabbed it and ran back out onto the balcony, using the energon twine ladder that she kept coiled near the railing to get down to the ground. It wasn't that long a drop and she landed a few minutes later.

She ran through the grass, her bare feet making little noise. She plastered herself against the tanks that lined the repair field below her room. Nothing reached her ears, save for the whisper of the morning breeze through the trees. It was almost too normal for her.

Then, she heard it.

"Now, where are they?"

The voice was familiar and she tensed. "Shift!" she hissed.

Sayla knew that without her military gear she was at a disadvantage, except for the fact that she was more agile now. But that did nothing to conceal her confusion. What was Shift doing here at five a.m. in the morning?

Was he somehow the source of this unnatural fog?

She waited, hoping that her pounding heart didn't give away her position.

* * *

**Kicker stirred as** a faint vibration caused the building to shudder ever so slightly. It wasn't that too big a vibration, but it was enough to cause him to wake up. He blinked his eyes, clearing the sleep out of them and sitting up in his bed. "Whuzzgoinon?" he murmured.

He slid out from under the covers and walked over to the window, pulling back the blinds and rubbing his eyes with his hand. "It's five in the morning…"

The fog that greeted him wasn't unusual to him, but something in his mind screamed at him to press the alarm and rouse the others. He didn't even heed this warning as he dropped the blinds back down and walked over to the bed. "Maybe a little extra sleep…"

**_CRASH!_**

The shattering of his window caused him to spin and duck under the flying shards of glass. The boy smacked into the floor of his room, bruising his chest right where he had broken his ribs a while ago. He hissed in pain slightly, managing to pry one eye open just in time to see a black and dark gray form dart past his window.

His body tensed and he knew instantly who it was.

"Slaggit! Why now?" he muttered angrily. He scrambled to his feet and ran over to the desk where his starfighter's code lay. He scooped it up in his hand and ran back towards the alarm positioned near the doorway.

He drew back his fist and punched it, shattering glass and striking the red button beneath. The shards of glass went sailing on impact and cut into his skin, drawing blood to the surface. Yet he didn't cry in pain. He kept his mind focused on one thing: getting help.

The sensors outside the school's perimeter didn't detect anything out of the ordinary, but the interior sensors picked up an anomaly in the dome and sent the signal racing along the cables beneath the ground right to the school's supercomputer. The computer recognized the signal for the alarm and in a tenth of a second the signal had been transmitted to all alarms across the campus.

A slow whine began to build in power before a second whine followed, and a third. It took five seconds maximum for the whole alarm system to go off. The klaxons along the campus perimeter and inside the Resconian force field began to whine in sync with one another before dimming and building in power.

**_WHOOOP! WHOOOP! WHOOOP!_**

The alarm roused the students, and some were still half asleep as they staggered to the windows of their rooms. Some students remarked that it had been a prank to get them out of bed early, but most agreed that it was for a good reason. And they were right, for those that noticed the dark gray and black shape instantly knew who it was, for they had fought him before.

Syrus, Jaden, Zane, Meisha, T.J., Baston, Captain, Shute, Bakunetsumaru, Zero, Deed, Rele, Blare, Mike, Vega, Michelle, T.K., Coby, Lori, Bud, and Guneagle were those who had gone out to fight at five.

It also proved to be a godsend.

* * *

**The sounds of** battle reached his audios and he smirked behind his mouthpiece. Shift had managed to lure the humans and the Gundams out, but not the one he hoped to fight. This made him frown. His red eyes searched the combatants as they fought.

He could see the humans putting up a good fight against a few Zakos, and the Gundams were combining their moves against the traitor Cerverau, while Shift was clashing against the human-turned-starfighter. He snarled in anger. He had wanted to fight Kira, but unfortunately for him, the other Mobile Coordinator was nowhere to be found.

Destiny crossed his arms and bowed his head. He had to figure out some way to get Kira out of hiding and onto the field of battle.

But then again maybe he didn't need to. He could faintly hear the sound of engines coming closer, and he smirked.

"Perfect…" he murmured.

* * *

**Kira snarled as** he drew closer to the form hovering over the battlefield.

"SHINN!" he cried. The blue, red, and white Gundam turned, his red eyes glinting in anticipation. "You back off right now!"

The Gundam shook his head. "No… I don't think I will," he purred.

Kira's eyes flashed dangerously as he gripped his beam sabers tightly in his hands. His wings flared to full width and he let out a battle cry as he ignited the golden blades. His jetpack purred loudly as he charged at his opponent. "SHIIIIIIIINNNNNNN!" His cry echoed loudly and long over the battlefield.

"Shinn Asuka's dead now," the other Gundam murmured softly. "My name is now Destiny!"

"I don't care!" Kira cried. "Just back off now!"

"Heh. Try me," Destiny purred.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Kira screamed as loud as he could while swinging his beam sabers right at his enemy. Destiny's eyes reflected his eagerness at combat as he extended his hand outward to expose a beam shield generator in the palm.

Kira gasped as his blades made contact with the beam shield as it activated.

Destiny laughed as he drew back his other fist and punched, nailing Kira on his mouthpiece and sending him head over heels before he righted himself. "Nice try, Yamato!" Destiny said quietly.

"Shinn, why are you doing this?" Kira asked, rubbing his lower jaw.

"It's quite simple, Yamato. I was given the chance to do what no other Mobile Coordinator could ever do," Destiny said. "And I said my name is now Destiny!"

"I don't understand. Mobile Coordinators are supposed to help others, not attack them!" Kira snapped.

Destiny seemed to smile beneath his mouthpiece. "I wanted to be able to finally finish the score with you," he murmured.

Kira's eyes widened. He was doing this for revenge?!

"Revenge? Is that why you're aiding the enemy?" he blurted.

"Exactly," Destiny whispered.

Kira gritted his teeth and gripped his beam sabers tighter. "That is not a logical reason to aid them! They did something to you! I know you wouldn't do this!" Kira screamed.

"You're wrong, Yamato. I joined because I wanted to settle this score between us!" Destiny hissed.

"Shinn, snap out of it!" Kira yelled.

"I told you, my name is now Destiny!" Destiny screamed, his red eyes suddenly flashing dangerously. He drew his sword and slashed while simultaneously charging at Kira. Kira darted upward, barely avoiding the blade.

Kira's golden eyes narrowed as he watched Destiny come around, his own wings flaring to full width.

"This has gone far enough!" Kira yelled. "This is no reason to fight! Unless you have a cause worth fighting for, it's not meaningful to fight like this! And revenge is not the cause that we fight for!"

As Kira shouted this out, he detached the bits attached to his wings. These bits were a part of his signature system, the DRAGOON system. The bits hovered around his body and he put his beam sabers back in storage. He grabbed his twin rifles and aimed them, along with the guns on his legs. The cannon mounted in his chest began to power up with the other weapons. "This senseless fighting has got to stop!" Kira cried.

All his weapons let loose their assault. The beams streaked right for Destiny who was caught off guard. He threw his hands outward, activating his beam shields, but the assault of lasers slammed into it, forcing him back a good five meters. He grunted and struggled against Kira's lasers, but it was useless. The beam shields gave way to the massive assault, and he was struck by it, even if he had dodged to the side.

A line of electricity ran down his left leg and he grunted in pain.

"Nice effort, but it was useless. There is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise, Yamato!" Destiny hissed. "And next time, you will not be so lucky!"

He turned and flew off into the distance.

* * *

**Sayla watched the** aerial battle between the two Gundams come to its conclusion. One she saw had a primarily blue and white color scheme with some hints of gold along the body and with golden hands. The Gundam had a pair of black wings that apparently held some kind of weapon that could be detached and on his forehead were twin V-fins: one of them was silver and the other was gold. His eyes were also golden, which made her blink in surprise. They were a pure golden color, much like that of the setting sun.

The second one was primarily red, white, and blue. The red wings were a dead giveaway that this one was also built for flight. A huge sword was mounted on his back and it could be detached for hand-to-hand combat, and his eyes were a deep red color. A golden V-fin was positioned on his forehead, and on his chest was the Dark Axis sigil.

The real shocker, though, was the fact that the blue and white Gundam had been called Kira Yamato. Her eyes widened as she realized that all along he had been a Gundam.

And he hadn't even told them.


	79. New Allies! Star Fox Arrives!

Chapter 4

By six in the morning, the group had met near the TCDA's tank repair field. They were tired and a bit weary from having fought so early in the morning, but it was worth it, for they had discovered another enemy as well as Shift and Cerverau.

Sayla was waiting as Kira landed and began walking towards them, his wings folding close to his body. He looked a bit guilty to her, but then again, who could tell with his lower face hidden by a mouthpiece?

"So…Kira was a Gundam this whole time?" Shute whispered.

"It seems that way," Captain remarked.

Kira didn't even make eye contact with his friends. He just kept walking, or at least until Sayla grabbed him by his arm. "Kira, why didn't you tell us?" she asked a bit harshly.

He closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I…I didn't want you to think that I was with the enemy. And…the reason for this is classified. I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

Sayla pulled him off to the side and turned him to face her. "Kira, listen! I'm in the military, so I know classified. If it's so classified that you can't even tell another soldier, then I don't know what is!" she said.

"It's not the kind of classified that you're familiar with," Kira murmured softly.

Sayla blinked her eyes in confusion. "What?"

Kira turned his head away from her. "It's so classified that not even the President herself knows," he said quietly.

She gasped. Level Seven classification was the highest possible, and no one even dared to use it, unless it held some military significance that couldn't be revealed until the time was right. And here she was, learning that Level Seven classification was in use right now.

"Level Seven classification?" she murmured.

Kira nodded. "Yeah. At Area 51."

Now it made sense to her: the attacks on Area 51, the mysterious messages to the President saying to not come, and Level Seven classification. There was something going on down there and she knew it.

"What's going on at Area 51?" she asked.

Kira kept silent, but Sayla's eyes told him otherwise. He sighed before he addressed his friends. "If I tell, you must swear to never reveal this to anyone, or talk about it unless it's amongst yourselves."

The group nodded.

Kira took a breath and began explaining.

* * *

_At Area 51…_

The President opened the door of the hovercar and stepped out into the dim morning light. Already the sun had risen partly, but it was still mostly obscured by the darkness and the clouds that loomed beyond the mountains. There was really nothing out here, except for an air force base and a lone satellite communications center.

"President Warren!" The soldier standing guard at the gate snapped to attention as she approached. "I didn't expect you to be out here for another four days! Why the sudden change in plans?"

President Warren glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Something tells me that it's time for a surprise inspection," she said.

The soldier nodded and hurriedly gave her a pass into the complex. "You know the usual rules. And don't stray too far from the guide."

"That won't be necessary. I'm going straight to the commander himself," President Warren said.

"T-th-the commander?!" the soldier blurted.

"Yes, the commander. And if you don't call him down, I'll find him myself."

The soldier nodded and grabbed the comm unit hanging around his neck. He pressed the button and the screen activated. "Sir, President Warren is here to give a surprise inspection."

For a moment silence filled the area before he spoke again. "Yes, sir. I'll send her right away."

He let the comm unit fall back against his chest and he turned to face President Warren. "President Warren, the base commander will see you right away. He says he has something to show you anyway."

"About time," she said softly. She had to check out what they were working on. If it was what she feared, then she would have no choice but to drop an energon bomb on Area 51.

The soldier led her to the base command center and she was admitted by a guard of five soldiers. The whole trip there took less than fifteen minutes and soon, she was seated in his office and was talking with him.

Base Commander Frederick Stone was a huge man of six foot seven, and his build reminded President Warren of a former Marine who had turned to boxing for a career. In fact, he had been a boxer after leaving a fifteen year career in the Marine Corps. His hair was now graying, but it was still sandy blonde in some areas. His face was full of wrinkles and his skin was a tan color that was not uncommon amongst the farmers on Orca. His old uniform was stretched taught against his muscles and he still carried himself with the grace of a boxer.

He turned to face the President and regarded her with intense blue-gray eyes. "I see. You want to see what we've been working on, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "That's right, Commander. And I want to be sure that it's not what I think it is."

He laughed lightly. "Don't worry. I won't humor you and say that we're creating Soul-Drives here. In fact, we're doing the exact opposite: we're preventing them from being created in the first place."

"But how? That's what I want to check out. You informed me of this right after I showed the other leaders the old Mobile Suit Storage Chamber," President Warren pointed out.

"And I will show you. But first, what do you know of AIs?" he asked.

"Artificial intelligence has come a long ways since we made contact. I was there," she said. "Why?"

"This has everything to do with it, and with the Soul-Drives, too. C'mon." Commander Stone got out of his seat and walked out of the office with President Warren close behind. "Plus, it also has to do with the fact that the MS's are no longer available for use."

"WHAT?! The MS's are gone?" President Warren blurted.

"Yes. And there's a good reason why." The base commander was silent the rest of the trip to the old doorway.

She was intensely surprised to see that it had been upgraded and that the old door was missing, replaced by a steel wall with a pair of sliding doors at precisely human height. There was also a set of doors for the Transformers at the base.

"What happened here?" she asked.

"We upgraded everything. While the invasion was being carried out, we worked on remodeling the old storage hangar and we began our project a few hours after it was complete. Inside, you'll be surprised," Commander Stone remarked.

"We're both going in!" President Warren hissed.

He nodded, relenting to her automatically. She let him lead her over to the doors. He entered a code on a keypad beside it and pressed the _Enter_ key. The doors slid open and they stepped into a new extension of Area 51.

Her eyes widened as she watched technicians and scientists running about, some carrying trays of something and some pushing carts loaded with what she recognized as parts. "What's going on here?" she asked.

Commander Stone nodded in the direction they were to head, and she followed. "You see, President Warren, here in this new extension, we enacted Level Seven classification. It's beyond Top Secret classification, and we are currently in the middle of a program that can not only help stop the Soul-Drive process, but also a new defense program," he said. "There was the program years ago, as you know, called the Covert Operations Unit. It was the planet's last line of defense, but then a war broke out before we made contact. You know of it."

She nodded. "Yes. I do. So?"

Here Commander Stone grew serious. "Well, we decided it was time to advance that program once again, and create a new force, a new generation of Mobile Coordinators. And this is where that program is being carried out."

Both humans stopped in front of a security guard bristling with weaponry. Commander Stone nodded at her and she stepped aside from the sliding door. "We have tight security around this part. The developmental sequence," he said.

"Developmental sequence?" President Warren asked.

Commander Stone nodded. "Yes. And here is where it takes place."

The door slid open to reveal a couple of humans sitting at terminals and at the far end of the room stood a machine that was all too familiar, but at the same time, not. A pod was built not too far from the machine and a tray lay at one end of the room. A medical table was in the middle of the room, but it was currently empty.

"What is this?" President Warren asked.

"This is the SEED Generator," the commander said.

"SEED?" President Warren cocked an eyebrow. "As in plant seeds?"

Commander Stone let out a bark of laughter. "Not even close," he remarked. He reached into his uniform's pocket and pulled out a small seed-like object. It was green and pulsed with an energy that reminded her eerily of a Soul-Drive.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing at it.

"This is a SEED," the man explained. He handed it to her so she could examine it more closely. "It's the complete opposite of a Soul-Drive. Rather than use a human's soul, we digitize their memories and transfer them into another form. It was supposed to be a chip, but instead, we got these."

"So, it's like the Orcan Mind Transfer, but more Earth based?" she asked.

Commander Stone nodded. "Yes. But there is an unfortunate side effect: those that undergo the process can't become human again. It's a permanent thing. But thankfully, it's one of the two things we're working on. The second is a pulser that can release energy to terminate the extraction beam. That one's still in the works, but we're getting closer."

"Now I get it. But what about the MS's? What happened to them?" President Warren asked.

"That's the next part. C'mon." Commander Stone took the SEED from her and led her through a set of double doors into the next room, which also housed the same machine, but now she could see that the medical table in this room had a Gundam body on it, much like the others she had seen.

"You see, we took the MS's and melted them down. Then we started making these smaller versions that can house the newly created SEEDs. In the place of the old COU, we created a new Covert Operations Unit. This new unit is trained in covert operations, and they use a new kind of technology developed for the military: the nanotech projector. It works like a holographic projector, but instead, it uses tiny nanobots programmed to disguise the wearer as a human or whatever the nanobots are programmed to disguise them as," Commander Stone explained. "This may very well save the lives of everyone here."

"How so?" President Warren asked.

"Check this out." Commander Stone led her out of the room and into a hallway that overlooked a training field. "We also excavated part of the old hangar to make room for this training field. It's quite useful."

"But I'm still confused as to how this unit could save our lives," President Warren reminded him.

Commander Stone smiled. "Simple. The Coordinators and Naturals who piloted the Mobile Suits are now the ones that underwent the process to develop the Mobile Coordinators. Their new bodies give them power and speed that only Reploids can match. We use limitations to prevent them from going too far."

"But not to the extent of the Dark Axis," President Warren remarked, realization dawning on her face.

"Exactly," Commander Stone said. "Now watch this."

Both turned to watch the training session, along with a few extra workers. The doors on either end of the field opened up and a couple soldiers, armed with laser guns, stepped out from one door. A completely golden Gundam stepped out of the other door.

"Who's that?" President Warren asked, pointing at the Gundam femme.

"That's Akatsuki, also called Tsuki by her friends. She's one of our best fighters. Well, one of the best female fighters. There are also two others, but that's not the point. What you're about to see could very well impress you," Commander Stone smiled.

Both watched as the Gundam femme charged at the soldiers who opened fire on her. The President was sure that she would be pierced by the lasers, considering the power they radiated. But to her astonishment and awe, the beams bounced _off_ her armor, ricocheting all around the training field and blowing against the walls and energon grid that protected the overlooking hallway.

Tsuki drew her beam sabers and slashed, forcing both soldiers to dodge. One soldier landed on her left, the other on her right. She glanced at both with green eyes before she crouched. The two soldiers fired and she jumped, spreading her wings to full width.

The lasers streaked beneath her feet and the soldiers dodged their own beams. One soldier, a female, aimed her gun upwards at Tsuki, but the Gundam femme glanced down and took notice of this. The male soldier fired with a grenade launcher he had picked up from a weapons cart nearby.

The golden Gundam dodged the grenade as the shaped charge exploded against the grid and the President watched with amazement as Tsuki then spun and darted downward, slashing her beam saber and cutting the soldier's grenade launcher in half. He dropped the half he was holding and held up his hands. The female soldier followed suit.

Commander Stone turned to face President Warren with a smile on his face. "Well? What do you think?" he asked.

"I'm impressed, Commander Stone. Not only have you given the Earth a new generation of defense, you've given a new generation a chance at fighting for peace. That's something to be proud of," she said. "But, as for the process to terminate the extraction beam, I wish to see that next. Then I shall give you my full opinion."

He nodded. "Okay."

He led her down the hallway and they turned down a corridor to their left, passing through three more rooms before they emerged in a huge room with one of the Soul Extraction Machines and a small ray gun aimed at it. "Here's where the testing begins. In fact, we're about to test it now," the commander explained.

He led her behind a shield of energon and handed her a visor. "The pulser gives off a bright flash when in use, so use this to protect your eyes."

She took it and slipped it on over her eyes.

Then both turned back to watch as a struggling organic was brought in. It was not a human, but rather a space pirate from the very outreaches of Nebulan territory. He was struggling against his captors, two strapping male Reploids, and he was clearly trying to scream through the muzzle on his protruding mouth.

"Watch." Commander Stone nodded at the two Reploids who strapped the male pirate down onto the table and removed the tunic covering his chest.

The lights in the room dimmed as the beam began to charge. Simultaneously, the ray gun mounted in front of the shield powered up. The glowing purple energy of the extraction laser came online and fired off a laser that struck the pirate in the chest. He began to scream, muffled by the muzzle. A small orb of blue energy powered up in front of the ray gun and Commander Stone gripped a small remote in his hand.

The laser increased in intensity and she watched as a miniature orb of light began to emerge from the pirate's chest. "Now!" Commander Stone barked. He pressed the green button on the remote and the orb of blue energy began to glow brighter. "Cover your eyes!" he snapped. "Even with the visor, there's still a risk of eye damage!"

President Warren covered her eyes with her arms as the flash went off, sending off a pulse of energy. It passed harmlessly around the shield and into the surrounding walls, the pirate's screams dying down.

The stars faded from her vision as she blinked her eyes. She removed the visor and rubbed them before replacing it. "What was that? Was that the pulser?" she asked.

Commander Stone nodded. "Yes, but like I said, it's still in the testing stage."

She peeped around the shield and she stared at the pulser smoking and sparking. The pirate was laying still, the extraction laser also smoking and smoldering. "Wow… It still needs work."

"Yes, but you can vastly see the potential here," Commander Stone explained. "It's supposed to use regular plasma energy to cancel out the beam, and it works, but as a result of the incredible power of the pulse, it shorts out both machines, and we can't have that. We're trying to figure out a way to stabilize the core of the pulser so it can run for unlimited time and not short out, although shorting out the SEM works so we want to keep that property."

"Have you tried an energon based plutonium core?" President Warren asked.

"We're using that, but it's kind of unstable," Commander Stone admitted.

"What about a uranium based energon core?" she suggested.

"Huh. That never occurred to me. I'll have the tech boys try it out." Commander Stone turned back to the SEM. "We'll have to fix that now. It's a pain to replace those parts. But it's worth it."

President Warren glanced at the pulser before nodding. "Yes. It is worth it. Overall, Commander Stone, I'm impressed. Both with the program you've developed, and with the potential for this new weapon of yours. In short, you surpassed my expectations. You will receive some funding from the Earth Federation itself to further this research and development. When it's fully perfected, I want it brought straight to Kax. There they can begin mass production."

Commander Stone nodded. "Yes, ma'am!" He saluted crisply.

President Warren smiled in response. "Commander Stone, with this, we may just have a chance to invade their Soul-Drive production facilities. How soon can you have it perfected?"

"Give me three weeks and by November it will be good to go!" he said.

"Excellent. I expect great results then."

* * *

_On Netopia…_

Famous glanced at the screen showing the communications with their unknown helpers. The screen was displaying the words _Access Denied_ in bright red, making him frustrated. He bit his lower lip and began typing in commands on the keyboard.

The screen flashed before the words flashed again.

"Damn! How many times must this fail?" he muttered angrily.

He sighed and fell back in his seat. "Primus, help me!" he murmured.

Famous ran a hand along the desk before his wandering fingers found the image of his wife and daughter. He lifted it up and traced his fingertips across it. '_Donna…Lucy…I miss you both so much._' Famous thought to himself.

He stared at the picture for a few more minutes before his computer terminal beeped. He turned in his seat and set the photo back down on the desk before pressing the communications button. "Yeah, go ahead."

The leading communications officer on Netopia, a short petite woman named Janet San, was on the line. "_Sir, we've received a transmission message from a sector outside our boundaries. We ran a check on the transmission's signal and we found that it originated in a small system called the Lylat System. It is home to a group of worlds that call themselves the Cornerians. It's a collective group that runs the system. They seem to have a sense of kinship with themselves and they don't take to kindly to invaders. I've detected a bunch of Dark Axis ships around there, but the ships are in pieces and are almost totally destroyed. I can only guess that the Cornerians unleashed an attack on them and destroyed them._"

"What? A star system tried to contact us?" Famous asked.

"_Yes, sir. The signal we pinpointed further. It came from the lead world in the system, called Corneria, in its capital city of Corneria City,_" Janet said.

Famous put a hand to his chin in thought. "Does the transmission say why they would contact us?" he asked.

"_Apparently it has to do with the Dark Axis invasion that was thwarted, and with Operation Federation Liberation,_" Janet explained.

"All right. Try to contact them and tell them that I'll speak with their leader," Famous ordered.

"_I've already done just that, sir. Their leader's on the line right now._"

Famous blinked in surprise. "Already?"

"_Yes. While you were busy trying to contact them through the Omega spectrum, they used the Beta spectrum to contact us._"

Famous nodded. "All right. Put him through."

"_Yes, sir._" Janet shut down the comm and a screen appeared in front of Famous. He straightened his lab coat and sat up straighter.

The static gave way to show an unfamiliar insignia, one that was unheard of. Famous' eyes widened before the logo gave way to showing an anthropoid dog. He smirked a little, but kept it hidden from the contactor.

"_Are you one of the Intergalactic Federation leaders?_" the bulldog asked.

Famous nodded. "Yes. My friends call me Famous, but my real name is Jake Cook. I'm one of the leaders, and my world is called Netopia. We specialize in communications as does another of our allies," he said.

"_I have no need for your introductions. I already know of your capabilities,_" the dog said. "_By the way, my name is General Pepper. I'm the head of Corneria and the commander-in-chief of the Lylat Military._"

"Pleasure to meet you, General Pepper," Famous remarked.

"_I wish to talk to you about the Dark Axis invasion attempt, and about the role that one of my teams played in your Operation Federation Liberation,_" General Pepper explained.

"And what do you want to talk about regarding those two topics?" Famous asked, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head.

"_I want to know why the Dark Axis has been launching attacks on us and why that invasion was carried out, along with why you pulled off an invasion of your own._"

"So, in short, you want to know everything, right?" Famous inquired.

General Pepper said nothing, but he nodded.

"I see. Well, I can't help you with the invasion that was nearly attempted on your worlds, but I can tell you that the invasion we pulled on them, Operation Federation Liberation, was exactly as it said: Liberation pulled off by us. And there was a good reason for it." Famous reached for the lone Soul-Drive he had still on his desk. He held it up in front of General Pepper's face. "This was the reason why. We had to stop them from tormenting innocent beings and we stopped them from creating more Soul-Drives in one of the camps. But we think there may be other facilities, although we can't be sure."

General Pepper's face seemed to become pale as he said this. He gulped nervously before speaking. "_And…is that what they do to most beings they don't petrify?_"

Famous nodded grimly as he put the Soul-Drive back. "Yes. And it's why we pulled off the invasion to begin with."

The general nodded slowly. "_I see._"

"And you say that a team of yours helped us out. Well, I can tell you that we did see a silvery ship with a strange logo on it. It was of a red fox with wings on it," Famous said.

"_What? Are you sure?_" General Pepper asked, suddenly leaning forward into the camera.

Famous nodded. "Yep. I'm a hundred percent sure on that one. I take it that this team's ship was the team that you say helped us?"

The general nodded, his eyes suddenly wider than normal. "_Yes. That's Team StarFox's ship, the_ Great Fox!"

This got Famous interested. "Hmmm. StarFox…"

General Pepper became serious again. "_But what I don't understand is why the Dark Axis is after organic souls to create these…Soul-Spheres?_"

"Soul-Drives," Famous corrected. "They're called Soul-Drives, and I could tell you, but it would take a while. Why don't you come down to Netopia and I'll give you a full explanation then?"

The general nodded in agreement. "_All right. What day?_"

Famous grew thoughtful before he spoke. "The President has a meeting in four days with the UPA, so why not in two? Be here by twelve noon."

"_All right. General Pepper out_."

With that, the screen shut down and Famous smirked. "Well, looks like we found another ally," he murmured.

* * *

_At the TCDA…_

**Date: 23 October 2009**

**Time: 0825, 8:25 am, Local Time**

Sayla tensed as she watched the unknown form move about at high speed. It had been only three hours ago that they had driven off Shift and his two allies, but now there just _had_ to be a newcomer! And a good fighter at that! She growled slightly as the unknown opponent tried to nail her with a high roundhouse, but she dodged to the side.

"Great! Just great!" she murmured. "I _had_ to get the good one!"

"Hey! At least be grateful you got that form, Sayla! I'm having trouble here!" Jaden moaned from beside her. He was currently engaged in combat against a second form, definitely feminine in build.

"Jaden, would you shut it?!" Zane snapped. He crouched and leapt aside as a shorter form ran at him with a blaster held in its hand. He landed on his feet and turned to face his friend. "We can't make this any harder than it already is!"

"Both of you shut the slag up! We need to figure out a way to bring these guys down!" Sayla snapped. She back flipped over the form she was fighting as it tried to grab her from behind and she landed on her feet, her gun aimed and ready to fire.

"EAT LASER!" she cried. Laser bolts sped out from the barrel, as though her weapon itself was eager to defeat these newcomers.

The form spun around and in a move she had never seen before, sprang back and jumped off one of the trees, a blaster held in its own hand. The form pulled the trigger and fired off three shots in quick succession, the red bolts speeding through the air and striking the ground around her, one nicking her leg and making her hiss in pain. She glanced down at her smoldering pants leg for a moment before shifting her gaze back to her opponent.

Off to the side, she could hear Syrus and a more agile form fighting it out. This form was also feminine in build, but it also held catlike qualities. "SONIC BOOM!" Syrus unleashed a blast of sound from his outstretched palms, creating a strong shockwave that blew his opponent back and making the others rub at their ears and audio receptors.

"Geez, Sy! Next time try to warn us, will you?" Jaden moaned, one of his eyes squinted shut in pain.

"Sorry, Jaden. I just did the first thing that came to my mind," Syrus murmured.

"Enough! Incoming!" Sayla cried. She grabbed Syrus by the arm and dashed to the side just as a flaming welder arced through the air towards them. The active tool landed on the ground and set fire to a small bush, creating smoke in the misty morning air.

"Yipes! That was a close one!" Syrus gulped.

"Too close for comfort!" Sayla replied.

"And it's about to get closer! We've got reinforcements!" Baston cried. He unleashed a small burst of Mana energy from his hand, the circle they knew so well firing in the direction of a concealed form. This form was much larger than the others, and he was clearly having trouble against it.

"What? Who is it?" Sayla asked.

"That would be me!" a new voice cried. "RAZING AIR!"

A sudden gust of wind cut through the air, forcing the female form Syrus had been fighting initially to dodge to the side. The newcomer stepped out from the shadows of the trees to reveal a female human with long blonde hair flowing in the breeze. Her eyes were gray and she was dressed in a blue and white blazer with a pair of dark pants that covered her legs. She wore blue shoes on her feet and her face was set with grim determination.

Everyone smiled at once. "Alexis!" Sayla cried. "Good timing!"

Alexis Rhodes smiled back. "You guys look like you could use some help."

"Tell me about it! I can't even get a hit in!" Jaden cried.

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm here!" Alexis remarked. "AIR BLADES!"

Twin gusts of wind blew across the battlefield and a few bushes were cut in half as the blades of wind tore through. The female form dodged and landed on the ground, crouched like a cat.

"Now, Zane!" Sayla yelled. "Do it!"

Zane nodded and raised one of his hands skyward. Around his raised hand they could see light beginning to gather. His hair and blazer began to move as the energy coalesced. He began to cry out as the ball of light became brighter and brighter. "HAAAAAAAAH!"

The energy kept gathering until it was big enough to cover his whole hand. "SOLAR LUMINESENCE!"

The energy fired off in a huge radiating wave, illuminating the entire battlefield and sending the shadows scattering into the depths of the mist.

The six forms the TCDA elite team members were fighting scattered to try and escape the light, but it failed. They were exposed.

Everyone gasped.

The first form was of a fox-like alien that had orange-reddish fur and green eyes that shimmered like freshly cut emeralds. He wore a green flight suit and white jacket that also doubled as a vest. A set of combat boots encased his feet and fingerless gloves were revealed. He held his blaster in one hand and he clenched the other on a hexagonal shaped device.

A toad dressed in a mechanic's suit was next. He held a wrench like a baseball bat and he was clearly nervous about being in a brawl. His reddish brown eyes were wide as he kept them on Sayla.

The blue feathered avian anthropoid was dressed in a red flight suit with the same vest/jacket. He held a blaster in both hands and his blue eyes were locked on Zane with clear determination. He seemed to be confident, from what Sayla could tell.

The fourth form was a blue-furred vixen and she was clad in a bluish gray tank top that revealed her bare waist and blue-gray pants and boots covered her lower body. A few scrunchies were visible on her tail and she held in her hands a battle staff. Her green eyes gleamed with a ruthlessness that was contrasted by her feminine build and the way her tail twitched seductively.

The fifth form was also female, but it was revealed to be a pink-furred cat. Her brown eyes flashed as she held a blaster aimed at Alexis and her teeth were bared menacingly. Like her male comrades, she was dressed in a flight suit but dark brown to contrast her pink fur.

The sixth and final form was revealed to be an older looking hare. His fur was starting to gray here and there and his eyes were haggard, an indication that he had been in several wars and one or two beyond his years. He wore merely a coat over a T-shirt and pants that were wrinkled here and there. He too held a blaster, but not aimed at anyone. Sayla could sense that this being was apparently the veteran of the team, and her guess was right on.

The only thing that caught her attention was the fact that all six bore the same logo on their uniforms: a shape of a flying fox in profile, wings spread to their maximum width.

"Who are you guys?" Sayla asked.

The team didn't answer. Instead, they got ready for a second round of fighting.

Sayla gritted her teeth as she watched this. "These guys aren't goofing around," she murmured.

"Tell me about it!" Jaden exclaimed. "How much more can these guys take?"

"Not much, from what I've seen," Zane said calmly.

"What? Are you sure, because they look like they're ready for round two!" Syrus remarked.

Zane nodded. "Yes. Trust me."

They watched and waited for a few seconds before Baston took note of the way that the avian was holding his gun in rather shaky hands. He gently tugged on Sayla's trench coat, getting her attention.

She glanced at him with a look in her eyes that told him everything: she had seen the shaky grip as well. The others facing the newcomers also noticed this, and a smirk slowly spread across their faces.

"Now!" Sayla yelled.

The plan didn't need to be communicated directly to each of them, because they each knew what they had to do and how. Zane shifted his position and ran at the avian, his fist drawn back. Sayla tensed and shifted her hand from normal mode to her laser sword and engaged her Dash while Syrus fired off a Sonic Boom at the elderly hare. Baston formed a lance of crystal in his hand and ran at the toad, Alexis calling forth an air attack that blew the female feline back. Jaden barely dodged a swing from the vixen's staff and he landed on his feet, beam sabers held at the ready.

The vixen gritted her teeth and shifted her stance, her tail twitching as she gripped her staff tightly. She charged at him with a battle cry. Jaden dodged to the side and spun around, his beam sabers coming up in a blocking maneuver. A hissing sound emitted from the contact of the weapons. His eyes narrowed slightly as he struggled to hold the vixen back.

Then, as he gazed into her eyes, he felt the oddest sensation. It was almost as if someone was probing in his mind, searching through his memory files for something. He gasped in shock when the realization hit home: she was reading his mind.

"No!" he cried. He broke off from eye contact and jumped a safe distance back, panting slightly from the shock.

"What? Haven't you had your mind read before?" the vixen asked.

"No, but that doesn't mean I like it!" Jaden hissed.

"Oh. That's too bad. I was hoping to find out a little bit about you," she murmured.

"That's not what I meant!" Jaden cried.

The vixen merely giggled and dodged his attempted grab.

"Stop toying with me!" he yelled.

She landed and jumped gracefully, doing a handspring over Jaden's head and landing in between Sayla and the vulpine before darting off.

Sayla swung her laser sword in an attempt to hit the vulpine in the arm, but he dodged with such incredible speed she could have sworn he had teleported. She spun around and blocked three blaster shots in quick succession before jumping to the side as the vulpine charged her.

"TAKE THIS!" he cried.

He lashed out with a devastating roundhouse, forcing Sayla to block with her right arm, the metal armor absorbing the blow with ease. She felt a momentary jolt as the energy raced through her limb, but she didn't back down.

Her eyes narrowed in determination as she pushed, sending the vulpine flipping backwards onto the ground. He struck the ground and the air was knocked out of his lungs. Sayla saw an opportunity to strike. Her sword shifted back to her hand and she reached into one of her belt's pouches, pulling out a single glowing line of energon twine. She ran forward and skidded to a stop, not too far from her opponent. She knelt down and grabbed the vulpine by the jacket/vest just as he struggled to get air into his deflated lungs. He gasped when he realized what she was about to do.

He kicked out with his booted feet, catching her in the chest and forcing her flat onto her back, still holding the twine. He scrambled to his feet and crouched before jumping and landing on top of her. She coughed as he reached down and grabbed the twine.

"You're not tying me up!" he hissed.

Sayla smirked as she suddenly twisted her body, bringing her right hand up in an uppercut that nailed him on the jaw and sent him flying. She had been careful to not use her full strength, but the blow was more than enough to cause him to obtain a bruise under his fur.

"Nice try!" she quipped.

She scrambled to her own feet and grabbed the energon twine from where it had landed on the ground. This time, she was ready as the vulpine scrambled to his feet for the second time.

With Zane and his opponent, the fight was getting fierce. Zane had just shot off a few of his Sun Missiles, but the orbs of light had missed the avian, making Zane snarl in frustration. '_Great! How in the world am I supposed to hit this bird?_' Zane thought to himself.

It was clear to the boy that his opponent was a much tougher fighter than he had anticipated. "Okay. If that's how things are going to be…" Zane's voice trailed off as the avian fired off a few blaster shots at the human.

Zane focused his aural energy and in seconds his aura guard flew up around him, deflecting the blue bolts back at the avian. The avian's eyes widened as he dodged, barely missing getting his feathers fried with his own blaster bolts.

"Geez! Talk about serious firepower!" the avian remarked, his eyes as big as dinner plates.

"And that's not even my full power!" Zane replied.

The avian seemed to have a retort ready, but Zane was first in making his move. "SOLAR FLASH!" he cried.

The bright white flash blinded anyone within the radius of it, but the avian seemed to have known what was coming because he threw his arms up to block the flash from harming his eyes. "AH!"

Zane smirked as the flash faded. He noticed the avian's position and he snarled slightly. "Okay. That's not what I expected…"

* * *

_On Orca…_

Zero stared at Ciel. "Are you serious, Ciel? You want to cancel the plan to investigate the Brain Realm?"

Ciel nodded. "Yes. Based on the fact that the war is progressing rapidly, we just don't have the time to further study it. We'll have to send in probes only from now on. We'll hold off on actually sending someone in until the war is over."

Zero couldn't believe it. But then again, she had a point, he had to admit. The war with the Dark Axis was getting much worse and they needed to be prepared for whatever was thrown at them. They needed all able soldiers, and they couldn't afford to send anyone into the Brain Realm as a result. Plus, once the war was over, there was no guarantee that the four refugees, the Gundam Force or whatever they were called, would remain on Earth to assist in the investigation. This was strictly for the Federation alone.

"I understand, Ciel. But what if we've got no other choice?" the Reploid asked.

"There is no option to send someone in. I realize that it's a great scientific breakthrough, but my more practical side is telling me to hold off until the time is right," his human companion said. It was clear to Zero that she was torn between the urge to explore and the urge to fight, but she had made up her mind to focus on the war.

And Zero agreed with her. The investigation of the Brain Realm could wait.

At least until the war was over.

* * *

_On Kax…_

Seto glanced at the clock on his office wall. It was already 8:45. So far there had been no word from Roland about the latest efforts to try and interrupt the Dark Axis communication bands. Even though Kax wasn't as skilled as the Netopians in communications networking, they were still sufficiently skilled enough to be able to terminate certain kinds of communication frequencies. And two of the Dark Axis' communications frequencies lay within Kax's range.

It was going to be difficult, but when the terminal beeped with a signal that someone was trying to contact him, he got the feeling that something big was about to become known.

The CEO of KaibaCorp spun his chair to face the screen and he pressed the button.

"Go ahead, Roland."

Roland's face came on the screen, looking visibly flustered and worried. "_Sir, something's not right here,_" he said.

Seto's face became filled with concern. "What's happened?" he asked sharply.

"_We managed to hack into the Dark Axis communications network, and well, what we found out wasn't good at all._" Roland was purely worried now.

Seto bit his lower lip. "What can you tell me about what you found?" he inquired.

"_I…Is the line secure?_" Roland asked.

Seto nodded. "Netopia designed it."

"_Good. Because what you're about to hear should go directly to the President._" Roland glanced around as if afraid someone would spot him on his end. "_First off, the Dark Axis is about to launch an attack on the UPA in the hopes that they can further divide up the universe. Second, they plan to try and broadcast a transmission saying that we were the ones that pulled the attack._"

Seto's face paled.

"_And it gets worse, sir. In doing so, they hope to destroy us and use the universe against us. Then they are going to enact their plans to remove all organic life from our dimension and enslave several different organic species for slaves. They also are going to take control of all the mechanical races that exist here,_" Roland continued. "_If this is allowed to happen, then it's all over._"

Seto raised his hands and stared at them for a moment; they were shaking. He placed his shaking hands on the desk and stared at Roland as if he had sprouted a third eye. "Are…are you serious?" he murmured.

Roland nodded grimly. "_Yes. And we also managed to get a bit of information concerning something else. They have the Superior Dragon._"

Seto felt his legs grow weak and he slumped back in his seat. "Oh, God…" He stared at Roland for a few seconds more before speaking. "Have you verified this information?"

Roland nodded. "_Yes, sir. And it's true._"

The CEO closed his eyes and shook his head. "This wasn't supposed to happen…" he murmured. "It wasn't supposed to. We were searching for the Superior Dragon, and they obtained it before we could."

"_It may be grim news, sir, but there is one bright side._"

Seto glanced up at Roland, confused. "How can there be a bright side, Roland? The war is as good as won by the Dark Axis if they have the Superior Dragon."

"_Not quite. There are hints in the transmissions about something else that may have a chance at matching the Superior Dragon, but as to what, that is a mystery,_" Roland explained.

Seto blinked before nodding. "All right. Find out what this mysterious force or object is and report back soon!"

Roland nodded and closed down the comm. Seto leaned forward and put his head in his hands. This was not what he had been expecting. And it was bad news for all of them.

"If the Dark Axis has the Superior Dragon…" His voice trailed off as he looked up from his hands. He gazed at the sky, watching the clouds drift by without a care in the word. "Then it's over for all of us."

He didn't even want to consider the consequences of their losing. He already knew.

He shifted his gaze to a nearby photograph of him, his brother, and their fellow leaders gathered in front of Earth Command. The date was 2007, a month after their victory over the Murder Pirates Association. They all had that same look on their faces: a look of hope, determination, and unity. They had been innocent as to the full horrors of war, and it had slowly faded to this day.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "If only there was a way to prevent them from winning…"

Seto had no idea how right he was.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The battle was a draw. Sayla and her friends had proven to be a challenge, and so had their opponents. Both sides were streaked with sweat and had several injuries here and there, blood oozing from their wounds.

The opposite team was exhausted…well, most of them were, anyway. The hare was lying sprawled on his back, his chest heaving with each breath he took. He had been the first one to collapse after his fight with Syrus.

The toad was also exhausted; he was doubled over on his hands and knees, panting heavily. Sweat stained his mechanic's suit. Baston held his head, rubbing a dent he had sustained from a wrench being chucked at him.

The pink feline had managed to put up a much better fight than Alexis had anticipated, but in the end, even she was exhausted from dodging the constant air attacks. She lay on her stomach, her eyes fixed on Alexis with a glare that could have killed her, if looks could kill.

Jaden had managed to defeat the blue vixen, and he was holding a damaged arm. Sparks emitted from the wound he had sustained. Opposite him, the vixen herself was nursing a laser burn on her right thigh, hissing in pain every now and then as she struggled to bind it with a bandage.

Meanwhile, Sayla and Zane had formed a tag-team to take on the other two as they had also teamed up. Sayla barely dodged a blast from the avian's blaster and she grabbed a grenade in her hand and had it armed before she landed on the ground. She drew back her arm and chucked the grenade like a fastball. It smacked into the ground, startling the vulpine and avian both.

Their eyes widened as Sayla turned to Zane. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" she yelled. Zane nodded and ducked to the ground, erecting an aura guard as he did so. Sayla too hit the deck and covered her ears with her hands, leaving her mouth open to equalize the pressure and to prevent her eardrums from exploding.

The grenade blew, throwing up chunks of rubble and debris, the shockwave striking the avian and vulpine at the same time. They had managed to dodge the brunt of the wave, but not enough. The force that did manage to reach them threw them back a good fifteen feet before they could scramble to their feet.

Sayla looked up as the shockwave passed, and she smirked. The vulpine and avian were both tired, and they looked as if they were about to collapse where they stood. "So, are you ready to quit?" she asked.

The vulpine shook his head no. "No. Not yet!" he hissed.

He knelt as if he were about to jump, but instead, he dashed forward, leaving a blur behind him. She dodged his attack and lashed out with a roundhouse, forcing him to block and kick out in a side thrust. Sayla grabbed his foot as it nearly made contact with her rib cage and he twisted his body, using his tail as a weapon. The tip smacked her in the hand and she pulled her hand away from his tail. She ducked a punch and attacked with an uppercut that would have dislocated his jaw had he not dodged at the last second. The vulpine spun in midair and kicked out, his booted foot making contact with her right arm, the armor of her right hand absorbing the impact. He gasped as he saw the glinting metal in the dim light of the fog and he tried to pull away. But she wouldn't let him. Sayla grabbed his jacket/vest and spun around, releasing her grip and sending him sailing into a bush. He landed amongst the brush with a loud _CRASH_ and sat up, rubbing his head.

But he wasn't down just yet. He crouched and sprang forward in a dash that caught her off guard. She barely dodged his next punch-a right cross-and blocked with an inward block.

Sayla was actually grateful for her hybrid status as her opponent tried to do her in with a punch that would have shattered a normal human's skull. She ducked the punch and kicked out to the side while simultaneously planting her left hand on the ground and spinning, using her momentum to pull off a spinning roundhouse. It struck the vulpine's gun hand and sent the blaster skidding along the ground. He glanced back and cursed. "Shit!"

Sayla took the opportunity to attack. She bent her arm and did a one handed handspring that sent her flying overhead, her foot extended out in front. Her combat boot made a nice impact with his chest, forcing the air from his lungs a second time and knocking him back.

He went skidding before he sprang back to his feet. Sayla blinked in amazement. "No way…he shouldn't even be on his feet after that blow!" she murmured. It was impossible yes, but not impossible as well. Even though the odds were long, she knew that there was a way to get him down, but she wondered if she should even do it. With the speeds she was capable of, a simple nick from her laser sword could kill him.

But when she glanced back at Zane struggling to hold back the avian, she made up her mind.

She gritted her teeth and stood up before engaging her laser sword. "Time to end this!" she hissed.

In a flash, she was gone. The vulpine's eyes widened as he glanced around, trying to spot her. "Where are you?" he asked.

"Right here!" Sayla's voice seemed to come from nowhere and he had absolutely no advanced warning as to the blow. He cried out in pain as the barest of blows struck his flesh, creating a wound that oozed red blood at a good pace. He curled his fingers around it and gasped as a gash appeared in the ground beside him.

"What…?"

He rolled to the side as a trench was carved in the ground from her sword. "Geez! How fast _is_ she?" he blurted.

"Fast enough to take you down!" Sayla hissed.

The impact of the next strike made him scream in pain. It wasn't deep, but it hurt like hell. His eyes watered with the pain, but he blinked them away. He had to remain focused.

It was easier said than done for even Zane to focus as the cries of pain from the vulpine interrupted his concentration. He gritted his teeth as he grabbed onto the avian's arm. He lashed out with a punch that would make a pro boxer proud. The blow struck the avian in the head, bruising the skin beneath the feathers, but not doing much damage to the skull. He was strong, but not as strong as Sayla was physically.

The blow made the avian's eyes flutter, but he remained standing as Zane kicked his foot out in a sweep kick, bringing his opponent to the ground swiftly. He grabbed onto the avian's legs and flipped him over in a classic judo throw before kneeling in his back with a small amount of light aura energy gathered near the tip of his finger. "You done?" Zane hissed.

The avian didn't make a single move, except for his eyes, which locked onto Zane in a death glare. The way he glared at Zane said it all.

At least until the vulpine's cries of pain stopped. Zane glanced over out of the corner of his eye and watched as Sayla appeared. Her laser sword was bloodied and covered in fur here and there, but the vulpine was alive. He was unconscious, but alive.

The avian saw his fallen leader and hung his head, his eyes now full of weariness. "It's over," he murmured. "You guys win."

* * *

_In the Universal Power Association…_

Dajar'o scoffed as he read the latest appointments. The latest report read that the President of some minor third-rate power wished to talk to him and the rest of the Council about a grave threat. As if he cared about that kind of stuff.

He glanced at it, then smirked. Maybe he would offer her a chance to make her case. If it sounded silly, then he would tell her that. Even if it undermined his own position in the Council.

He handed the reports to his waiting butler and spoke. "Hi-tok, send these reports to the Council. And bring me a drink while you're at it."

The butler bowed. "Yes, sir. Your drink shall be here shortly."

Dajar'o smiled as his butler left the vast office. He turned back to his desk and called up a communications screen. He wanted to speak to the President of the Intergalactic Federation personally, just to see what made her tick, what drove her, and what inspired her to take on such powerful enemies and to be able to defeat them without the size advantage of a superpower.

The screen flashed bright green before fading to show the words _Communications Signal Routing…_ in a shimmering blue-green color. The UPA sigil came up before fading to show the Intergalactic Federation's insignia. The insignia faded to static before the words _Access Denied_ flashed bright red on the screen.

He snarled in frustration. He had no choice now but to wait for the meeting.

And then, only then, he would learn how strong a leader she really was.


	80. Mystique Manor Mystery!

Chapter 5

Xenphyr jerked his hand back just as a yelp came from his latest patient. "Hey! Stay still, or do you want to have a scar for the rest of your life?" he asked the blue vixen before him.

"Sorry! It's just that it hurts!" she hissed.

"Well, if you hadn't attacked these guys, then maybe you wouldn't be in this position!" the former assassin snapped.

"Hey! They attacked us first!" the male vulpine snarled.

"We were just defending ourselves!" Sayla hissed.

"Enough!" Zane shouted. "Arguing isn't going to get us nowhere. It doesn't matter who's fault it was. All that matters is that we both attacked when we shouldn't have. We each are at fault."

"Spoken like a true politician," the avian muttered.

Zane shot him a glare that made him shut his beak.

Xenphyr sighed as he finished dressing the wound on the vixen's leg. "Well, there you go. The best thing to do now would be to take it easy for the rest of the day. Laser burns tend to linger for twelve hours before they go away."

The vixen hopped off the bed and smiled. "On behalf of Team StarFox, we thank you," she said.

"What? Team what?" Xenphyr blinked in confusion.

"Team StarFox. We're a group of mercenaries that fights for freedom and equality, not to mention peace," the vixen said. "I'm Krystal." She pointed at the other members of the team. "That's Fox McCloud. He's our leader and ace pilot. Falco Lombardi is the prankster and roughhouse of the team at times, but he's a good friend to have. Slippy Toad is our engineer and mechanic, although sometimes he'll get into the field to aid us. Katt Monroe is a good friend of ours who recently joined, and she's a good hand-to-hand fighter. Peppy Hare is our senior member, and he was a member of the original Team StarFox that Fox's father commanded."

Xenphyr's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" he asked.

Krystal nodded. "Yes."

The medical officer blinked before he spoke. "Team StarFox…who would've thought that you guys would be here, of all places!" Then he grew serious again. "But seriously. Why are you here in the first place?"

The vulpine, Fox, glared at him. "The answer should be pretty obvious, considering the fact that you're currently at war with them!" he hissed.

"Wait…the Dark Axis, right?" Xenphyr asked.

Fox nodded. "Exactly."

"Wait…you guys are fighting them too?" Syrus asked.

Fox nodded. "Yes. We were the ones who assisted you in the invasion of their home dimension."

Sayla blinked her eyes. "Wait. If you helped us, why didn't you just reveal yourselves flat out? Why the secrecy?"

Falco huffed. "Like we should know. All we know is that you guys needed help. But something told us that secrecy was the way to go. If the Dark Axis had found out that someone else had developed dimensional transport technology like that world, Neotopia or whatever it's called, then they would be onto us like flies to a garbage can."

"So, the reason why is because you have a dimensional gateway of your own," Zane mused.

"Close to it," Slippy remarked. "It sort of works like a spacebridge, but at the same time, it breaks through dimensional barriers, enabling warp travel to take place."

"Oh. It's really a warp system!" Syrus blurted.

Slippy nodded. "You got it, kid!"

"Now I get it. You aided us because you felt it was necessary to expose the truth to the rest of the universe," Baston murmured.

Fox nodded. "Yes. And with the UPA not doing a single thing about it, we can only hope that the leader of your organization can make them all see that the universe is in grave danger."

"I see…" Zane's voice fell silent.

"Well, since you guys are all patched up, I think you should get back to the school. Well, you six can. StarFox needs to remain here until they're fully healed," Xenphyr said.

"Thanks, Xenphyr," Jaden remarked. He flexed his newly repaired arm. "C'mon, guys. Let's get going!"

The other five members of the little group nodded and ran off after Jaden.

Xenphyr sighed and began to clean up the bandages.

* * *

_The next day…_

**Date: October 24**

**Time: 1218, 12:18 p.m., Local time**

Jaden glanced at the misty shapes around them. "Is it just me or did the mist seem to get thicker overnight?" he asked.

Sayla looked around slowly before speaking. "Seems that way to me," she remarked.

It had been only a day ago that a group of new allies was discovered and nearly two days ago they had battled Shift and a new ally, as well as Cerverau. They had also discovered that Kira was actually a Gundam and that a top secret program was underway at Area 51.

Now, Sayla and all of her friends stood outside the dome of the TCDA, searching for anything unusual. It seemed strange to Sayla that this mist was becoming thicker by the day, and she wondered if it had anything to do with Shift. She hoped that it didn't. If it did, then there was no doubt that it had to do with his demonic Mana. That last part she didn't even want to think about. It gave her goosebumps just thinking about it.

She shook her head and forced herself to focus.

"Okay, guys. We need to figure out where this mist is coming from," she said.

"Well, I can already take a guess!" Kicker hissed. "Shift!"

"I'm not so sure about that, Kicker. It seems to me that there's a bit of a supernatural feel to it," she stated.

"So? It's not like that anything else Shift does is supernatural!" T.J. remarked.

"Shift or not, this mist needs to have a source of origin," Mike said. "And I think that we'll need to split up in order to find out where it's coming from."

"Mike's got a point," Guneagle said. "So we may as well."

Sayla scoffed, but she agreed. "Fine. Shute, Captain, Baku, Zero, Guneagle, Deed, Rele, you guys will search along the suburbs not too far from here. Meisha, T.J., Kicker, you three search where you feel is best. Blare, Mike, T.K., Michelle, Vega, you five take the old site of Moss Manor. Coby, Lori, Bud, you three can search near the docks. Jaden, Baston, Zane, Syrus, Alexis, Kira, you guys are with me. We're searching Mystique Manor."

The group nodded and split up into their respective subgroups. They each then turned and ran or flew in a different direction.

Sayla and her friends ran down the path through the woods leading to the main road. They emerged from it a few minutes later and followed the main road for four miles before coming up to the weed-covered fence that surrounded Mystique Manor.

They followed the fence until they came to the main gates, an elaborate pair of wrought iron gates that curved at the tops. The bars were topped with spikes and gave the place an eerie feel. Sayla narrowed her eyes as she stared at the gates.

"Looks like they're locked," she said. Sure enough, a rusting padlock with old chains was attached to the front, preventing entry into the manor's expansive lawn.

"And there's something else, too!" Alexis remarked. She pointed up above the gates. The other five lifted their gazes up to the sign above.

"'CONDEMNED'," Sayla read. "Huh. I wonder why."

"Well, since it's condemned, we may as well go back to the school!" Syrus replied.

"No. I want to get a closer look," Sayla said.

"Why? The gates are locked, and as you can see, the place is condemned," Syrus explained.

"True, but maybe we can get in anyway," Sayla remarked, a smirk on her face.

"Oh boy," Syrus moaned.

"Wait, Sayla. Before we go inside, we need to consider this. If it's condemned, then there's probably a good reason why," Zane replied. "The place could be ready to collapse. Maybe the wood's rotted through to the point of where mold has grown. Or maybe there could be some other reason, such as an electrical fire risk. We need to think it through before we make any actions."

"I'm well aware of the risks, Zane. But we need to find out where this mist is coming from exactly. And the only way to do that is to investigate Mystique Manor," Sayla said.

Zane scowled, but he said nothing. "Fine. But if the place collapses, then it's up to you to get us out. Not me."

Sayla nodded before turning back to face the gates.

She stepped up to them and grasped the lock in her right hand. She looked at it for a moment before she closed her hand and began to apply pressure. The sound of metal crushing resonated in the air before she opened her hand to expose the lock. It was now nothing more than a pile of shards and mechanisms.

She smirked as she let what had once been a lock fall to the ground. "Well? You guys coming or what?" she asked sweetly.

The others regained themselves and nodded.

"Good." Sayla turned back to the gates a second time and grabbed the bars. She heaved with every ounce of her strength and with a squeal of protesting hinges, the gates swung open.

The mist seemed to seep out from the open gates, almost as if she had opened a huge fridge. Jaden felt a shiver run through his body and he glanced at his friends. "Are you sure about this? Because I'm getting a bad feeling here," he said.

"Of course, Jaden. Now unless you want to be left behind, I suggest you get your rear in gear and hurry up!" Sayla said.

"Okay! I'm coming!" Jaden yelped. "Geez."

They passed through the gates and onto a long driveway that snaked out of the mist like a long tongue. Off in the distance, looming like some huge predator ready to pounce, the form of Mystique Manor loomed. Nothing else was visible at this distance, so it seemed really creepy to all of them.

Kira glanced at the old house with nervousness in his golden eyes. He reflexively gripped his guns and his wings twitched slightly. He could somehow tell that the others were just as nervous as he was, including Sayla, although she hid it well.

The mist around them seemed to thicken the further they walked from the main gate. At one point, Syrus glanced back and he yelped in surprise. "Where's the gate?!"

At his cry, the others turned, their own eyes widening in surprise at the fact that the gate was now missing, or concealed in the mist. It was hard to tell. Baston gulped nervously. "Okay. Now this is getting creepier. What happened to the main gate?"

"How should I know?" Sayla asked.

"It seems that the gate's been concealed by this thick mist," Zane mused.

"I doubt that highly!' Syrus protested. "It's vanished! I'm sure of it!"

Sayla glanced at Jaden for a moment. "Jaden, could you try to scan the area?"

Jaden nodded. "Sure. I'll try." He shifted his gaze down the driveway and his eyes seemed to adjust slightly, the pupils of his irises becoming slightly larger. He stood like that for a brief second before he shook his head. "I can't see anything. This mist's blocking my scanners," he replied.

"Slaggit!" Sayla cursed.

"I take it that's not good?" Alexis asked.

"No. You bet it's not!" Sayla said.

"Why isn't it a good thing?" Kira asked.

"Well, Kira, since you have no idea what's going on, there is something you ought to know about this place," Jaden said softly.

"Like what?" Kira asked.

"Like for instance, this place is said to be haunted," Baston said.

"By what?" Kira inquired. He was now curious.

"Not by what, but by whom," Sayla replied. "Mystique Manor is said to be haunted by the ghost of its former owner, but not in the way that we normally expect: the owner is said to have _merged_ with the old house, becoming it and gaining control over every aspect, including the grounds. We're just lucky that we haven't been spotted so far."

Kira gulped.

"But it's only just a story," Zane added.

Kira calmed down slightly, but something told him to remain on high alert.

They kept walking, their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. But nothing strange greeted them. Then again, somehow they could tell that something was watching them. They just weren't sure how they knew.

It took them fifteen minutes to reach the old house. The mist was now so thick that they couldn't see anything of each other except for misty forms. The house itself was still partly invisible, but the seven students could now see the condition it was in.

Several windows were shattered and broken, only a few pieces of glass clinging to the panes. The front door was swollen from years of weathering. Several holes were visible in the porch, which meant they would have to step around them. The front steps were sagging and covered in mold and rot. The roof itself was beginning to fall in several spot as indicated by the debris clustered under the eaves. The chimney was leaning to one side, almost like a finger pointing away from the old manor. The garage where the driveway led was now missing, but they could see the outline in the grass.

Jaden gazed up at the upper story windows, looking like two eyes staring down at them. A shiver ran down his back and he felt his Soul-Drive leap into his throat. He gulped and grabbed both beam sabers, removing them from his jetpack.

Sayla's misty form suddenly extended an arm, stopping them. "Hold it!" she hissed. "Listen!"

They all grew silent.

A soft rustling reached their ears and audios. Sayla turned, catching them all off guard. "Get down!" she whispered.

The others hit the ground just as something seemed to extend from the brush, almost as if it were probing for them. Jaden blinked his eyes in disbelief at the _pipe_ that probed at certain spots on the ground, like a snake tasting the air for prey.

'_What in Primus' name?_' Jaden thought to himself. '_That thing acts like a snake!_'

The mere thought made him shudder and his Soul-Drive began to rotate a little faster in his chest. He watched as the pipe began to slither back into the brush.

Sayla, Jaden, Baston, Kira, Zane, Syrus, and Alexis all waited for five, long, tense minutes for anything else to emerge. But nothing did.

Sayla began to slither forward, commando style, making her way towards the old house. She glanced back and made a motion with her head for them to follow her. They all crawled out, slowly working their way to Mystique Manor.

It was slow going, but they reached it in five minutes. The front steps sagged in front of them, almost as if they were taunting the little group. Sayla stood up and put one foot on the lowest step as an experiment. An eerie moan of wood filled the air, but the step held. Sayla nodded at her friends and they all inched up the stairway to the old porch.

After making their way around the holes that pockmarked the porch, they reached the doorway. This time, Zane motioned for them all to step back. "Stand back, everyone. This could get a bit messy." He closed his eyes and called up his light aura, forming it into a glowing energy sword in one hand.

He opened both eyes and held the sword at the door. He yelled out as he charged, swinging the blade down in a bright sun-yellow arc. The slash cut through the old wood like a laser through flesh. He landed and stood up, the sword vanishing in a shower of sparkles. He drew back his foot and kicked, breaking the door down. The door flew into the old foyer and landed on the floor with a loud _CRASH!_ Zane turned to the others. "C'mon."

They all followed him inside, careful to step around some stray shards of wood that had been blown off the door with Zane's attack.

Once inside though, it seemed to them that something began to close, even though the door was lying on the floor before them. Baston turned and yelped, grabbing Jaden's shoulder pad in a grip that made the boy/Gundam yelp in pain. "Look!"

He pointed with a finger at the doorway. The others turned and their eyes widened as the doorway began to _seal_ itself with wood from the walls. Zane frowned, but said nothing. "We've got to keep moving," he said.

"Hold on," Kira said. "I just realized something. Out there, the mist is incredibly thick. But in here, there's nothing. Not even a shred of it." He swept his arm about the foyer. "It's almost as if the house itself is releasing this mist."

"That can't be right," Sayla mused. "Can it?"

"We don't know for sure until we further explore this old place," Zane said calmly. He turned and headed for the stairs that led up to the second floor.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Jaden asked, rubbing his shoulder where Baston had grabbed him.

"I'm going to explore a bit. Maybe we can find some clues as to what's causing this mist." Zane turned back to the stairs and headed up the first few. Then he looked back. "You guys coming?"

The others looked at one another hesitantly, except for Sayla, and they all nodded.

Zane smiled. "Good. C'mon."

They all followed Zane up the steps towards the second floor, unaware of the adventures to come.

* * *

**Kicker shifted his** position in the truck he had managed to borrow from Sayla's division. In the seat next to him sat Meisha and T.J. was sitting in the back of the armored pickup. The off-road suspension took the brunt of the terrain easily, absorbing each jolt so all the three occupants felt was a slight bounce.

"Primus…boy am I glad that you borrowed an off-roader," Meisha remarked.

"Hey. I'm glad, too," Kicker replied. "Considering the old warehouse's location, we need something with off road capabilities if we're to investigate it."

The pickup bounced over an old tree root and all three cried out as the jolt startled them. "Well, maybe a Hummer would've been better," T.J. grumbled from the back.

"Hey! None of the 17th's Hummers have a big enough space for you to ride in, T.J.! Would you rather be hauled around on a star transporter? Or would you rather stick with us?" Kicker snapped.

T.J. kept his mouth shut.

"Figured," Kicker muttered. He shifted the gear into lower and flipped a switch that elevated the pickup's chassis off the suspension slightly. Off-road pickups had a system that enabled the driver to elevate the rest of the body up to the same height as a storied Hummer. Some pickups even had a system that allowed them to run on old railroads that no longer functioned.

Kicker gripped the steering wheel and cranked it sharply to the left, sending the truck careening down a narrower path that was covered with even more dense brush and vegetation. Branches whipped at the truck's cab and bed, scratching the paint and mud splattered against the windows, forcing Kicker to turn on the windshield wipers.

The mud was flung off in dirt-brown glops that landed on the ground with soft _splats_. He narrowed his brown eyes, straining to see through the mist.

"Hey, T.J., can you try to get a fix on our position? I can't see the sign in this mist," he said.

T.J. nodded and peered over the top of the cab, careful to avoid knocking his head on the machine gun mounted on the roof. He squinted his optics, the light blue glow seeming eerie in the misty air.

It was a few minutes before the young human-turned-starfighter spoke. "Got it! The warehouse is coming up in ten minutes!" he said.

Kicker nodded. "Thanks."

Meisha glanced at Kicker. "How come Sayla wants to see where this mist is coming from anyway?" she asked. "It doesn't seem right."

"I know. I think that this mist is coming from Shift, but she wants to check something else out. And plus, where would this stuff come from if it wasn't?" Kicker replied.

"What about cold fronts? Sometimes fog like this forms from those," T.J. added.

"You may have a point, T.J., but this fog doesn't seem like that formed from a cold front," Kicker said grimly. "There has to be another source, and I still think that the source of this fog is Shift."

"You seem awfully sure," Meisha said.

"I am sure of it, Meisha. How else would this fog have gotten so thick in only a day?" Kicker explained.

"Even if it were Shift, what is the purpose of this?" Meisha inquired.

"I'm not sure, but we'd better keep our eyes and optics peeled for anything unusual, or any sign that Shift may be here," Kicker said quietly.

"Kicker! Look out!" T.J. cried from the back of the pickup. Kicker glanced back at the road in front of him and let out a yelp of surprise as he saw the trench looming in front of their pickup. Kicker slammed on the brakes while at the same time shifting the pickup into drive. The vehicle slowed, throwing up dust in front of them.

The dust settled down and the three students peered over the edge of the trench, looking down into a gash in the ground at least thirty feet deep.

T.J. gulped.

"Wow…good timing, Kicker," Meisha murmured.

"Tell me about it," he said softly.

He changed the gear to reverse and backed the truck down the road for five meters before shifting into forward gear and turning right. They followed the gash in the ground for almost a mile before Meisha suddenly grabbed Kicker's arm. "Kicker, look!"

The boy stopped the truck and leaned out, his eyes picking out the letters on the overgrown sign. "'Warehouse 41 ahead.'" Kicker read.

"Well, we're here," T.J. remarked.

"Not quite," Meisha said. "The warehouse itself is hidden amongst all this brush and foliage. It could take us a while to find it."

"Why even build a warehouse out here anyway?" T.J. asked.

"Dunno. When I asked, Dad said that it was built during the war with the MPA. It was supposedly used for storage or something like that," Kicker explained.

He shifted the truck into first gear as they emerged from the brush onto an old road that was concealed by trees. Kicker flicked on the headlights, the beams penetrating through the twilight beneath. As they drove further into the woods, shadows scattered from their hiding places, retreating deeper into the forest before coming out and taking up residence once the truck passed. Meisha peered through the gloom, her own eyes struggling to pick out any sign of the old warehouse.

Finally, she saw it. "There!" she cried, pointing out the windshield.

Kicker stomped on the brakes, bringing the pickup to a sudden halt. The force from the stop threw T.J. against the machine gun. He let out a groan of pain. Kicker looked over his shoulder at the human-starfighter. "Sorry, T.J.," he said.

"It's all right! Ow! But next time, give a warning, would ya?" T.J. moaned.

"Sure." Kicker turned to face Meisha, following her outstretched arm. His eyes found the spot and they widened in shock.

"Whoa…" Kicker's voice trailed off as T.J. peeped up over, with wide optics.

The old warehouse was now hidden by brush and vines. A couple windows were cracked and shattered, but other than that, the only real indication of its long disuse was the amount of vegetation growing over it.

Kicker shook his head and gently pressed down on the accelerator. The truck inched forward towards the rusting gates, slowly pushing them open in a loud squealing of old hinges. The gates swung inward and clattered to the floor when the hinges gave way. The truck easily bounced over the ruts that tree roots had caused by their growth under the pavement of the parking lot.

He turned the wheel and the truck glided towards a row of faded parking spots. He parked the truck and shifted into neutral before taking out the keys and dropping them into his jacket pocket.

He looked at Meisha and T.J. "Well, we're here. C'mon."

All three kids hopped out of the truck and, after making sure the truck was locked tight, they headed up towards the warehouse.

The huge loading doors were locked shut and they were starting to show signs of obvious decay, if the moss running down them was any sign. Kicker stopped next to a door that looked as if it hadn't been used in years and studied the locks before he turned to Meisha and T.J. "Either of you have lockpicks?" he asked.

Both of his friends shook their heads.

"Great. We'll need to find another way in. And the windows don't count!" Kicker said. He added the last part because T.J. had been pointing up at the windows.

T.J. closed his mouth and followed Meisha and Kicker to a second door that was hanging open by its bottom hinge. Kicker peered inside, but only darkness greeted his eyes.

"Okay. T.J., you go first. Meisha and I will be right behind you," Kicker said.

T.J. glanced at Kicker like he was nuts. "Why me?" he asked.

"You've got the headlights. I don't have the _Energizer X_ on me at the moment, and Meisha left the _Guardian X_ back at the school with my starfighter," Kicker remarked.

"Well, why don't you just call it then?" T.J. asked.

"No can do. I don't want to unless it's absolutely necessary!" Kicker hissed.

T.J. shut his mouth at this. He just shrugged and stepped into the darkness. They waited for five seconds before a loud scream echoed from within the warehouse's walls. Concern and fear flooded the bodies of the two humans and they glanced at one another briefly before darting into the open door.

Kicker strained his eyes as he and Meisha ran deeper into the gloom. He could hardly see anything, except for the shape of Meisha as she ran ahead of him. Then, two bright beams of light shot forth from the darkness and blinded both of them.

He threw his arms up to shield his eyes from the light. "AH!"

"Hah! Gotcha!" T.J. said from in front of them.

Kicker lowered his arms, glaring into the light from T.J.'s chest-mounted headlights. The young mech had a grin on his face.

"T.J.! That wasn't funny!" Kicker snapped.

"Sorry. I guess I couldn't help myself," T.J. replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"It's okay. Just don't do it again!" Meisha muttered.

T.J. nodded. "I won't."

Kicker glanced around the disused hallway, taking in the peeling paint and sagging ceiling wires. In the light from T.J.'s lights, he could also see a few red splotches that looked eerily similar to blood. A shiver ran down Kicker's spine and he felt his heartbeat increase.

He gulped before turning to face his friends.

"Let's start looking around. Maybe we can spot something," Meisha suggested.

"But spot what?" Kicker asked.

"I'm not sure. I guess a generator or something," Meisha said.

"Okay. But let's try to make it fast. This place gives me the creeps," Kicker murmured, shifting his gaze back to the wall covered with the splotches.

T.J. followed Kicker's gaze and he yelped. "Whoa! What happened here?" he asked, prodding one of the red splatters.

"Uh, T.J., I don't think that's a good idea," Meisha cautioned.

"Why?" T.J. asked.

"We have no idea what that stuff is," she said.

The younger mech turned to face it again and he simply smiled. "It's just paint," he said.

"Paint? But…" Kicker studied the red spots before he scraped his fingernails through it and held it close to his face. He could now see that T.J. was right. It was just paint.

"I wonder what could have caused this," he murmured.

"I'm not sure, but remember, we have to find out how that mist appeared and where it's coming from," Meisha reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot."

The threesome ventured deeper into the darkness, the headlights of their friend penetrating the shadows and scattering them like roaches. Every footstep they took sounded eerie in the old warehouse's hallways. It sounded like many Zakos were following them and it creeped Kicker out to no end. Even his friends felt scared.

But they had a mission to handle. They couldn't stop now.

In fact, it was Kicker who discovered the stairway leading down a few levels. He turned to Meisha and tapped her on the shoulder while simultaneously nudging T.J. in the wing with his elbow.

"Hey, guys! Look!" he whispered.

The other two turned and noticed that the door was open, almost as if someone was beckoning them down to the basement. Meisha grabbed Kicker before he could even take a step forward. "Hold on, Kicker. We don't know what's down there!" she murmured.

"True, but it's better to take that chance now rather than wait for the Dark Axis to find out we're here," Kicker said.

"If they do, that is!" T.J. added.

"That may be true, but I say we should still investigate. Maybe there's something down there that could give us a clue as to where the mist came from," Kicker said.

Meisha and T.J. glanced at one another, concerned for Kicker. They finally nodded in agreement. "Okay, Kicker. But if there's nothing down there, we continue checking the ground level," she said.

Kicker nodded. "Deal."

The three descended the stairs, T.J.'s headlights piercing the gloom like lasers through metal. It was eerie as they stepped over holes in the rusting staircases, going past doors that looked as if they hadn't been opened since the day the warehouse had been closed.

They reached the bottom of the stairs a few minutes later. The door before them was open. In the space beyond the doorway, they could see a few stacks of crates, a furnace, and other objects that lay beyond the reach of T.J.'s lights.

Kicker peered inside, his eyes picking out a few other objects he recognized as being mining equipment.

"Looks like this place used to store mining gear," he said.

"Mining gear?" Meisha asked.

He looked back at her and nodded. "Yeah. I saw a bunch of drills, a few energon mines and a lone hauler," he said.

"So, still interested?" T.J. asked.

Kicker nodded. "You bet. In fact, I'm more interested than ever."

His two friends looked at one another before nodding. They were concerned for him. Why he had become so interested in this old place worried them.

But the real reason why became apparent as soon as they stepped into the old basement.

When T.J.'s headlights extended further into the blackness around them, Kicker's eyes widened as he took note of a few other old pieces of gear…and a Dark Axis soldier rusting away, covered in energon.

"What in Primus name happened here?" Meisha asked prodding the dead soldier.

"I don't know," T.J. said. He turned to face Kicker. "Is that what got your attention?" he asked, pointing at the still Zako. Kicker nodded.

"Yep. I sensed it a few hours ago before we began the search," he said.

"But that doesn't make any sense. This Zako's been dead for much longer than a few hours," Meisha stated. She put her hand on her chin in thought.

"Well, I sensed the energon," Kicker said.

"And I think I know why," T.J. said. He aimed his headlights up at the ceiling. Kicker looked up and he stared at the energon line that swayed above them, a little of the glowing fluid dripping from its severed end.

"You've got to wonder how that happened," Meisha murmured.

"But why cut an energon line to lead us here?" Kicker mused.

"Maybe it has something to do with the dead Zako," T.J. suggested.

"Maybe, or maybe not. We'll have to investigate closer," Kicker said. "C'mon."

Now all three had become interested as to what was going on at Warehouse 41. So as they crept beyond the dead Zako, T.J.'s lights drifted along the wall, catching sight of something inscribed behind an old crate.

"Hey! Guys! Come here!" he called.

Kicker and Meisha ran over and helped T.J. lug the old crate aside.

There, inscribed on the wall, was a small prophecy.

The three stared at it for a while, confusion visible on their faces.

"Wow…a prophecy…" Meisha traced her fingers along the wording. "But why are certain words underlined?" she asked.

"I don't know," Kicker said softly. "But I bet you anything that that Zako soldier was looking for this and someone caught it in the act, killing it somehow."

"But how?" T.J. asked.

"I think maybe an EMP. EMPs are very useful," Meisha said.

"Electromagnetic pulses do work well, but it would've been picked up," Kicker pointed out.

"True, but maybe it was a smaller one. You remember that course we did on EMP weaponry in Weapons class last semester?" Meisha asked. "An EMP that is used at a lower level can still be lethal enough to deactivate any drones or kill any mechanical life form, and it won't get picked up by sensors."

Kicker groaned. "Oh, Primus! I can't believe I forgot about that!"

"Hey, you're not the only one!" T.J. chirped.

"So, we found a prophecy in Warehouse 41, but no clues as to how the mist is forming," Kicker said, bringing them back to the present.

"Yeah. But why here? And what does it mean?" Meisha asked, removing her hand from the words.

"I don't know, but I say we get out of here. We have to tell Sayla and the others about this!" Kicker said.

His friends nodded and T.J. activated the spacejump, teleporting them back to their pickup.

Five minutes later, they left the warehouse behind, carrying the prophecy with them in their minds. They didn't even know the significance of it in the future.

* * *

**Coby glanced at** the fog enshrouding the docks. All he could see in the thick mist were the outlines of the freighters and tankers. It creeped him out. A shiver ran through his body, but he didn't say anything.

But Bud did. "This reminds me of that mystery movie we saw a few months ago," he said.

"Quiet, Bud!" Lori hissed.

"Oh, sorry," Bud murmured.

The three humans stood behind a dumpster studying the warehouse they had chosen to investigate. A small amount of mist seemed to be coming from the doors, but they couldn't be sure without getting closer. And that was easier said than done, for a few soldiers and dockworkers were patrolling the docks.

Lori kept her eyes locked on the dockworkers chatting in the middle of their shift. "Now's our chance! C'mon!" she whispered.

The two boys nodded and followed her as she crept across the way to the warehouse doors. They reached the building, Lori grabbing onto one door, the two boys on the other side.

They all pulled and tugged, the doors sliding open with their efforts. The mist seeped out of the warehouse, all right. Lori and her two friends gaped at the massive generator that was nestled inside.

"What…how'd this get here?" Coby asked, stepping inside and running a hand along the massive machine.

"It looks like it is Dark Axis in build…" Lori murmured.

"I think so," Bud said, nodding his head.

"Hey! What're you kids doing down here?" a voice called.

The three children turned and their eyes widened as a big burly dockworker strode over, his eyes glaring at them.

"Nothing, sir!" Coby yelped. "We just came down here to investigate something unusual, and we found this!" He pointed at the huge machine with his finger.

The dockworker looked at it, and his eyes widened as he took in the fog emitting from the sides. "What in the heck is that thing?" he asked.

"How should we know? We just found it a few minutes ago," Lori said, shrugging helplessly.

The dockworker turned to face them. "Sorry, kids. You can't be too careful these days with the Dark Axis running around. By the way, my name's Dave Langston."

"Pleasure to meet you, Dave," Lori said. "I'm Lori Whiteman, and these are my two friends, Coby and Bud Hansen."

"You kids go to that school, the TCDA, right?" Dave asked.

"Yep. We sure do!" Bud chirped with pride.

"What are students like yourselves doing down here at the docks?" Dave asked.

"We came down to investigate the mist. We hoped to find some clue as to how it grew so thick in just a single day, and I guess we found a clue," Coby explained, glancing at the generator.

"Hmm. You know, I think I can help," Dave said.

"Really?" Bud asked.

Dave nodded. "Yes. It turns out I saw a few men down here a few weeks ago, installing some kind of huge machine. I think they were setting up this fog generator to create huge amounts of mist."

The three kids looked at one another, realization dawning. Lori faced Dave, her face set with certainty. "Did these 'men' look like Zakos?" she asked.

Dave scratched his head, then shrugged. "Can't tell you. They wore cloaks and hats. But they did say 'Zako' a lot."

"Zako soldiers were the ones who installed this thing then!" Coby exclaimed.

"If that's the case, then we'll have to remove it," Dave said.

"You do that. We'll tell Sayla about this," Lori explained.

Dave nodded. "Good luck, kids." The three children turned and ran off, their eyes bright with eagerness and excitement. They had just found the first clue, and they knew it.

* * *

**The old site** of Moss Manor still gave off an eerie feel, which the debris did nothing to ease. In fact, it seemed to make it seem even creepier. Vega studied the pile of pipes, siding, shingles, and wiring that had once been a house.

"Geez. This is creepy," he said softly.

"True, but it's nothing like what we experienced at Ground Zero," Mike murmured sadly.

"Ground Zero…" Vega glanced skyward, his mind flashing back to the day that he and his family had stopped by the former site of the World Trade Center.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Eight-year old Vega stared in shock and amazement at the huge piles of debris and rubble that lay in the middle of the attack site. It was hard to believe that a few days ago the Twin Towers had been standing proud and tall, their windows shining bright in the sunlight, a promise of a new day._

_Smoke hung over the site like a fighter jet hovering over a bombed-out city. Then again, it resembled the bombing of Berlin in World War II, but much more devastating in one small area. A few buildings had survived the collapse, one of which was untouched by fire and smoke. Sure there were a few scuff marks, but the building itself was unharmed._

_Only a few others survived, but in mere fragments. He shivered as he stepped through the debris, his feet crunching on glass beneath his shoes._

_Vega's father, Brian Lancer, wrapped his arms around his wife, Leona Lancer, in a comforting embrace._

_No words were needed here. At Ground Zero, no words could be said to describe the immense feeling of loss and destruction at what had once been the nation's top financial center. The loss of life was incredible, and only those who came could feel it in their souls and minds._

_Vega was unsure of how a few madmen could bring down two massive skyscrapers. He turned to face his father. "Dad…?" His voice was small and frightened with uncertainty._

"_Vega, no words can describe it. All that we know is that it happened," Mr. Lancer said calmly. "The workings of insane minds can't be described, let alone explained." He shifted his blue-green eyes up at the debris, and he stared in silence for a moment. "But we do know this. That even though they did bring down the World Trade Center, they failed to bring down the United States of America."_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Vega hadn't understood back then, nor did he understand today. But seeing the debris and rubble brought to the surface a few other memories regarding the former WTC. The most powerful memory was that of seeing a couple of support beams crossing each other in a way that made him shiver. It was also eerily reminiscent of the building that remained untouched by smoke and fire from the collapsing towers.

It was almost as if someone had declared that spot, that site of attack, to be a memorial, without even realizing it. With that single marker, the site had become a place of renewal of the spirit, of where people and beings could come to remember what it was they were truly fighting for. It was so creepy, but also calming and uniting. Uniting in the face of defeat and tragedy was inspired by that site.

Mike was also silent as he recalled the day he had seen it with his own family, a full five years before his transformation. He had been the only one out of the entire TCDA to see the Towers fall to their death.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Mike watched as his parents drove their car through the busy streets, his big blue eyes looking up at the massive structures before him. "Wow…They're tall," he murmured._

"_Of course, Mike. That's the World Trade Center, the key financial center of the United States. All the businesses in the world conduct business there," his dad said, glancing back at his son with gray eyes._

_Mike's mother smiled as she looked at her husband. "Now, Dean, don't get him too interested in marketing. If you do, then we'll have a businessman Jr. on our hands!" she laughed._

"_Aw, Mom! I think that stuff's boring anyways!" Mike chirped._

_All three laughed as Mike's father turned the car down a street that went right past the two towers._

_Mike glanced up, hearing a jet's engines. "Hey! A plane!" he cried._

_His dad's eyes widened in shock and horror as he watched the plane fly down too low for a normal flight. "What in Primus name? That idiot's gonna hit the Tower!" he shouted._

_Dean stomped on the brakes and spun the wheel, sending the car careening down the road in the opposite direction. Other drivers honked their horns, swearing profusely in his wake. His wife and son cried out in shock as they came tearing out of the road. But it was too late. There was nothing any of them could do as the plane slammed full force into Tower One. Glass flew out of the windows in sparkles, glinting as they rained down on the pedestrians and drivers below. The explosion itself was fiery orange and black with thick dark smoke, blooming out and descending to the streets below. It was as if a bomb had gone off. People were screaming and running, trying to avoid the debris now coming down from the impact point. That was when the second jet impacted with Tower Two, sending even more glass and debris down to the streets beneath._

_The Federas watched in shock and horror for what seemed to be an eternity before the two Towers collapsed, one right after the other. It was as if it were happening in slow motion. Mike watched with absolute clarity as the Towers fell, the rings of smoke covering the streets and obscuring their vision. The screeching of metal, shattering glass, roar of fire, screams of people and beings watching in horror, and about a million other things overcame his young mind and he screamed, trying to block it all out._

_It seemed to last forever before it ended._

_Now, all that remained were two gaping holes in the New York skyline._

_Nothing else remained._

_SDGOFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

T.K., Blare, and Michelle were busy rooting around in the debris when Mike and Vega both snapped back to reality. "Well, it's about time you two came back from a trip down Memory Lane," Blare remarked.

"Sorry. It's just that this debris brought back memories of Ground Zero," Vega said, embarrassed.

"Hey. It can't be helped. But we can remember that later. Right now, we have a mission, and we may as well get it done," T.K. said.

Vega and Mike both nodded. "Right."

They both turned and ran back to join their friends as they searched through the debris of Moss Manor.

They spent the next five minutes combing over the wreckage, searching and sifting through shingles, siding, wires, and piping. It was hard work, but it was worth it when Vega made a startling discovery as he slipped.

He cried out as his hand lashed out and grabbed onto a piece of one of the windows. Vega's foot knocked a good chunk of rubble off the pile and sent it clattering down to the forest floor. As he hung there, he took note of the mist seeping out from the hole his foot had created.

"Hey! Guys! Come check this out!" he cried.

But no one heard him. Now suspicious, Vega cautiously let go of the window and landed on the pile of wreckage, careful to not slip and fall. He clambered over to the whole and peeped in, his eyes widening as he noticed the light of a generator glowing in the darkness. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small flashlight. Vega flicked it on and shone it into the little nook.

The beam swept about, picking out the huge lumbering shape of the fog machine and the Dark Axis sigil planted right above the emitters for the fog.

"Geez!" Vega pulled his head out of the hole and yelled out as loudly as he could. "BLARE! MICHELLE! T.K.! MIKE! OVER HERE!"

His voice carried over to their location and they perked their heads up, hearing his cry.

They dropped the pieces of rubble they were holding and they ran over to his location, wondering what he had found.

* * *

**Shute grunted as** he pushed aside a tree branch. "Great. Why couldn't we have just taken the main road?" he asked Guneagle. The flier shook his head.

"No, Shute. Would you want to get spotted by Shift?" he asked.

The boy shook his head. "No, but that doesn't explain why you had to have us go through the woods!"

"It's faster this way. True the main road might be closer, but it travels farther, and going through the woods ensures that we'll come out right at our destination," Guneagle explained.

"Well, then you could've just said that!" Bakunetsumaru snapped.

"Enough. Both of you. We're getting closer to the edge of the woods, so we had better get ready in case we run into Shift or any Dark Axis soldiers," Captain said calmly.

Baku and Guneagle both glared at each other before turning away and following Captain.

Rele, Shute, and Deed gently parted the brush and all seven staggered out of the woods onto a dirt road that led right to a cluster of houses.

"So, are these the suburbs?" Shute asked.

"Apparently so, Shute. It fits the description I found before we left the TCDA," Captain said.

"Huh. Looks nice," Shute commented.

"Yeah, we already get it. Now can we find what's causing this mist and get back to the school?" Baku asked.

"Why? Scared of the ghosts?" Guneagle teased. He grinned beneath his mouthpiece as he spoke.

"J-Just shut up! I don't fear ghosts!" the Musha Gundam stammered.

"Fine. If you say so." Guneagle was silent for a moment, a gleam in his green eyes displaying his mischievous side. "BOO!"

Bakunetsumaru yelped, glancing around and drawing out his katana, swinging them around dangerously. "AH! GHOST! Get away from me!" he cried.

Guneagle burst out laughing at the reaction. "Gotcha!" he laughed.

Zero huffed and drew back his fist.

"Huh? Zero...?"

_CLANG!_

Guneagle slumped to the ground, clutching his throbbing helmet. "Owwww! Zero! Did you really have to?"

Zero nodded. "Yes. Now let's get this mission over with so I don't have to deal with any more of your antics!"

"What? What'd I do?" Guneagle asked.

"Plenty. This is a serious situation, Guneagle. So we need to remain focused!" Captain scolded him.

The flier hung his head. "Okay. Sorry, Captain."

Every member of the Gundam Force continued walking along the sidewalk, passing the subdivision and continuing deeper into the depths of the suburbs. As they made their way inward, Shute took note of the many houses, stores, and streets that flanked the very outskirts of the massive complex.

"Geez. The Federation sure knows what they're doing," Shute murmured.

"Yes. But remember, we need to find anything out of the ordinary," Captain said.

"Oh. Right."

Shute was silent as they made their way throughout the suburbs, trying to spot anything unusual. For a good four hours they kept wandering, but nothing strange was visible. At least until Zero staggered over something that lay across the sidewalk.

"WAH!" He nearly fell face first onto the ground, but was caught by a quick-thinking Guneagle.

"You might want to watch where you're going," the flier remarked.

"Sorry. I nearly tripped on this cable…" Zero's voice trailed off as he stared at the cable. "Wait. Where did this come from?"

"I assume it came from one of the houses here," Captain said.

"There's no way that could be possible, Captain. Especially if you consider that this cable leads over into the woods," Bakunetsumaru said.

"Hmm. Then I estimate a 54.27 percent chance that the source of the cable is hidden amongst the trees," Captain calculated.

"That may be true, but what is this cable for?" Zero asked.

"The only way we can tell for sure is to investigate," Captain said.

"I shall go first," Deed said.

"But why, Deed?" Zero asked.

"It would be best, because what if Shift is there?" the other knight said grimly.

Zero closed his mouth and looked away. "Oh. Right."

Deed ventured into the trees, followed closely by the other members of the Gundam Force.

"What in Mana…?" Deed fell silent as they all stared at the massive fog generator hidden amongst the trees. The gunmetal gray had been painted a variety of shades of green and lines of brown were splotched on it in several key locations. The fog emitters were concealed by leaves and tree branches that had been taped on and the cable was covered by leaves.

"Whoa…What is that, Captain?" Shute asked.

The blue and white military mecha studied it for a moment. "It appears to be an industrial sized fog generator. It was cleverly concealed by whoever installed it."

"But why build one out here?" Baku asked.

"I cannot say for sure, but I can guess that whoever installed it wanted to create thick fog, disrupting the Federation's perimeter defenses. And it has worked wonders," Captain said grimly.

"Now that we found it, what now?" Shute asked.

Captain opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by his communicator beeping in his audio. He pressed a hand to his head. "Captain Gundam here."

"_Captain! Thank God I got through to you! We're in some serious trouble down here by Mystique Manor! The whole place has come alive! We need backup and fast, Captain!_" Sayla cried into his audio. Captain winced at the harsh sound of her voice.

Then the realization of what she said struck home. "What? Mystique Manor has come to life? That's—" Sayla cut him off harshly.

"_I know it's supposed to be impossible, but it's really happened! Now find the others and get your afts down here stat! We need the backup now!_" she cried.

"Understood. Captain Gundam out." Captain turned to his friends. "We have to go help Sayla and the others. But first we need to find the rest of the team."

"But why?" Shute asked.

"Not even I know for sure," Captain said. "But we have to do it…and fast."


	81. Meeting of the Allies

Chapter 6

Famous glanced at the electronic clock on the monitor of his terminal. Already it was 11:45, and he was growing a bit impatient. Normally military leaders arrived a half hour before, but apparently, General Pepper wasn't one to do so. He shifted through the sheaf of papers he had assembled on his desk, along with a small stack of photographs depicting the invasion and the results.

The doorbuzzer blared once, and he looked up. "Come in."

The door to his office slid open and General Pepper stepped in. He clearly looked flustered at something. He stepped briskly over to the chair in front of Famous' desk and knocked over a plant given to him by his wife for their anniversary as he sat down.

"Sorry about the plant. But I've had a pretty rough day," Pepper said, placing his head in his hands.

Famous sighed. "I can understand that part," he remarked as he straightened up the plant. He brushed a few loose grains of dirt back into the pot before setting it back down on the desk. "Orcan soil. It's very compact and very fertile," he replied in response to the general's questioning look.

"I bet. Anyway, I've got a bit of a problem, as you can recall," Pepper explained.

"Oh, yeah. The Dark Axis around your home planet. As I told you a few days ago, I can't even begin to fathom what the Dark Axis would be doing in your home system. All I can tell you is that they seem to be getting more aggressive and are making moves against possible allies of ours. And you were in their sights, so they attacked," Famous said calmly. "Now, you wanted to know about the invasion we pulled, right? Well, I can help with that, seeing as how even the leaders got involved."

General Pepper's eyes widened. "What? You yourself were involved in an invasion?" he asked, softly.

Famous nodded. "Yes. But we leaders remained on board our ship and within our organization until the time was right for us to go and aid the forces."

"So, you've seen the horrors that the Dark Axis is pulling?" General Pepper asked.

Famous nodded again, a grim look on his features. "Yes. And what you hear may make you understand why the Dark Axis is attacking in the first place."

General Pepper remained silent for the whole time that Famous explained the invasion plans and the preparations that had been carried out. He opened his mouth to interrupt a few times, but the human was ahead of him, anticipating his questions and answering them all.

Finally, after an hour of explanation, General Pepper spoke hoarsely. "So…you invaded them in an attempt to stop the Dark Axis' extermination plans…" he murmured.

"Not even close," Famous said grimly. "The real reason why we attacked is about to become clear. Here. Take a look at these." He handed the bulldog the stack of photographs from the invasion.

General Pepper took them and began to flip through. His eyes widened in shock and horror at the atrocities carried out by the Dark Axis. He seemed to become pale under his fur and he looked as if he would vomit right on the spot.

He groaned at a particularly graphic image and he thrust the photos back at the human.

"God…In all my years of war, I have never seen such horrible…MPH!" Pepper clamped a hand to his mouth and scrambled out of his seat, knocking it over and rushing to the garbage can. He tensed as he vomited right then and there. Famous couldn't blame him. After the invasion, he himself had vomited as soon as he stepped off the ship.

The Conerian general looked up a few minutes later, his features still a bit green, but his eyes were burning with rage and grief combined. "That…was sickening," he murmured.

"I know," Famous said quietly. "But that is the very reason why we launched the invasion: To prevent those very actions from happening to others. And…this is why as well." He motioned to the Soul-Drive perched on a stand on his desk.

"You mentioned that to me as well a few days ago. Might I ask why they wish to create Soul-Drives from organic souls?" Pepper inquired.

Famous nodded. "Well, the thing is, they want to create a vast army of Zako soldiers that will help them conquer everything in existence, no matter what dimension or universe it's in. And in order to do so, they need Soul-Drives. Standard power cores won't work in some dimensions—although we ourselves are guessing on this part—so they need Soul-Drives for the Zakos to function in these dimensions, if they do exist."

"Is that the reason why? To create an unstoppable army?" Pepper asked.

"Yes, and we can't allow that to happen. Those souls that are taken…they had lives ahead of them, lives and a future that was stolen from them when they were removed from their original bodies," the human replied. He straightened his lab coat and stepped out of his chair to right the general's seat.

After the chair was put back upright, General Pepper slumped down in it, staring out at the city behind Famous. "Souls taken…and removed from their bodies…in an attempt to create an army…Why?"

"That's the thing. We know the reason why and that is why we are fighting as hard as we have been to stop them. They want to become gods, and they will stop at nothing to do so," Famous murmured.

"God…they're insane!" Pepper whispered.

Famous nodded. "Yes. But that is why we are fighting. And why we need as many allies as possible. They'll stop at nothing, and when I mean nothing, I mean _nothing_! We need to try and defeat them before they attain their goal."

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then, General Pepper looked at his host with a look that was something akin to rage and hatred for the enemy, but Famous knew better: it was anger at one of his teams for disobeying a direct order.

"So, I understand that Team StarFox played a role in the liberation campaign you pulled off," he said.

Famous nodded. "That's correct, General. But we have no idea why. All I can say is that they were a big help in overcoming the Dark Axis when we needed the help the most. Although I kind of take it they had orders to not interfere unless you gave them permission, right?"

General Pepper nodded. "That's right. They just left without even giving me word that they were heading out. They have a tendency to do that at times."

"Well, don't get mad at them. If they hadn't, well, then we may not be here to discuss a possible partnership."

The general's eyes widened and confusion clouded his features. "Partnership? You never said anything about an alliance," he said accusingly.

Famous smiled slightly. "Well, I _did_ say that we need as many allies as possible. And you seem to want to get back at them for what they're doing to organic beings such as your own race. You want to stop them, then why not fight alongside us?"

General Pepper blinked dumbly, unable to believe what happened. He had been told everything he wanted to hear, but then, Famous had just asked for an alliance. He smiled, impressed by the human's cunning. "All right. I'll help. But on one condition."

Famous cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of condition?" he asked.

"My system is made a member of your organization."

At these words, Famous was dumbstruck. No one had flat out asked for membership before! He didn't even know if the President would even _allow_ it!

"I'm not so sure…I mean, the President doesn't normally just grant membership. You need to be an ally for two years before the leaders meet and the Congress decides with their help. It's a long process, and membership can sometimes take up to three additional years," Famous said hesitantly. "But, considering the circumstances, I'll see what can be done."

Pepper nodded gratefully. "All I ask is that you try. If the President doesn't allow it, then it's fine by us. As long as we can be allies, that's all that matters."

* * *

**The next few **days had been hectic for the entire organization as they made plans to try and send a broadcast across the stars, informing everyone of the threat and what had been done to nearly destroy them. The Intergalactic Federation leaders met on the third day to discuss General Pepper's plea to join the organization.

"Okay. So, let me get this straight. General Pepper of Corneria wants to join us as a price for becoming an ally," President Warren said.

Famous nodded. "Yes, President Warren. I was hoping that maybe you could grant him membership."

"Well, it all depends on what the final vote will be in the Congress. We may make the decisions, but they have to finalize it," the President explained.

"I understand how the process works, but we don't have time for deliberation. We need new allies and the Lylat System may prove to be a big asset," Famous persisted.

Seto frowned, but he nodded. "For once, I have to agree with Famous, President Warren," he said. "What about the rest of you?"

"I know I'm standing by Seto's decision!" Mokuba chirped. Seto looked at his younger brother and smiled.

"Thanks, little bro," he said.

"I agree. I may not know much about the Lylat System, but I think we should try to at least get one more member into the organization should another member world fall," Ciel said.

"I'm with Ciel on this one," Zero added.

"I vote no! We have enough worlds already!" O'hari snapped.

"I say yes," Mimi said softly. "The more members, the greater a chance of gaining a better military advantage over the Dark Axis forces."

"No. I have to agree with O'hari on this one, and we already have the advantage we need," Sandra said calmly.

"I vote yes. We may need more members. And if the Dark Axis overthrows Earth, which I doubt they will, we may need a world from which to operate the Federation government," Cassie remarked.

"Yes. Corneria and its other worlds should become members. A star system may prove handy in some battles," Override replied.

"I'm in with Override. The more worlds, the better," Scourge said.

"I can't speak for Metroplex since he's not here, but I think that he would want it, as do I," Optimus said softly.

Shie-rae blinked once before speaking. "I think we should allow Corneria a chance to become a member. They may need the defenses that we already provide to one another and our outposts."

"I'm in. I already checked the database back at Indigo Plateau and the Cornerian race is a race that has been unified for millennia. They work together well on levels that only we can outmatch in combat. So, I think that having them on our side would be a tactical and strategic advantage," Steven explained.

"A tactical and strategic advantage…" President Warren's voice trailed off. Then she looked at the other two leaders of the organization. "Helena, Tyre, what about you two? You haven't said anything the whole meeting."

Helena licked her lips before speaking. "I'm not so sure that it's a good idea to just admit another group of worlds to the organization without getting a basic idea of their military capabilities and political ideals. For all we know, they could be with the enemy, or at least a separate enemy," she said.

"I have to agree with Helena. Just admitting member worlds isn't something we do. Normally we wait two years to see if the potential members are actually trustworthy," Tyre said.

"I see your point, but since the majority of the leaders voted, we'll have to present it to the Intergalactic Congress. But I'll also present your views on the issue," President Warren explained.

"Thanks. That would be a huge relief," Tyre said.

President Warren smiled. "Meeting adjourned."

The leaders stood up and filed out of the room, leaving President Warren alone with Vice-President White.

He stepped out of the shadows and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

She nodded without looking back at him. "Yes, I am, Jay. Sometimes we must make decisions that we don't want to make. And this is one of those decisions. I'm sorry."

"I understand that, but what will the Congress say?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. But I can only hope that they approve this decision, and soon," she murmured.

* * *

_At Mystique Manor…_

**Date: October 25, 2009**

**Time: 1500, 3:00 pm, Local Time**

Not a tree branch stirred in the eerie misty confines of the grounds of Mystique Manor, looming like a massive beast ready to pounce on the unwary visitor. The woods to the left of the old house were silent, ageless sentinels watching over the place for years to come. Branches extended out like feelers of an insect, trying to probe the mist for answers to the question on their charges' minds: _Was the house really alive?_

Sayla peered out through the brush, her steely green eyes flicking over the quiet grounds.

"Okay. We're in the clear…for now," she said, pulling back.

She turned to face her friends, all of whom were sporting some kind of injuries as a result of their foray into the old house. Jaden was holding a damaged arm, sparks flying from the shoulder joint and mech fluid running down the limb. He grimaced with pain every time he shrugged, indicating a dislocated shoulder. Zane bore nothing more than a few scraps, but the skin near his jaw was an ugly purple color, a remnant from an encounter that he refused to speak about. Baston was unharmed, but his eyes were smaller than normal as he kept silent, his body shaking. Sayla had guessed that he had been spooked by something, but he didn't even talk about it. Syrus had a nasty gash on his forehead that had stopped bleeding three hours ago and the rag she had tied around the injury was stained a deep crimson color. Alexis's body was covered in scrapes and bruises from falling down the stairs unexpectedly, but other than that she was fine. Kira, on the other hand, was out cold, a result of being hit in the head by a falling flower pot and he hadn't woken up since they had gotten out of the old manor. Sayla herself had no injuries, but she did have a bruised leg from getting smacked by a vase that nearly missed her skull.

All in all, they were looked a lot worse than they felt.

"So, did Captain get the message?" Jaden asked.

"I think so. But I haven't seen or heard any sign that he was coming," Sayla said.

"Well, I sure hope he does come," Zane grumbled.

"He will. I know that much," she murmured.

"Yeah, well now how about us?" Jaden asked. He shrugged his shoulder again, wincing in pain. "Ah! It's no fun to have a dislocated shoulder joint!"

"Well, then try to pop it back into place!" Sayla hissed.

"I can't! When I try, it hurts like slag!" the Gundam snapped.

Sayla sighed. "Okay. Here." She stepped close to Jaden and grasped his shoulder pad and the dislocated arm. She grunted and with a loud snapping noise, his shoulder popped back into place. Jaden screamed for a moment before the pain began to fade. He experimentally flexed his hand before he rotated his arm a bit. The pain was still there, but it was much better than it had been before.

"Thanks, Sayla," he said.

She smiled slightly. "No problem, Jaden."

Suddenly, she tensed. She held up a hand. "SHH!"

All talking died off as they fell silent. The rustling of brush reached their hearing and they waited, expecting the worst. Whatever lurked in the brush was coming closer. They all held their breath…

The brush parted to reveal Captain Gundam and the rest of the Gundam Force, T.J. and his friends, Lori and her crew, and Blare with her team.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief as they stepped into the woods.

"You got my message. I didn't think that you'd get here for another day at least," Sayla said.

"Well, it did take us a while since we had to go on foot," Guneagle muttered.

Bakunetsumaru glared at the rookie Gundam with a look that said '_shut it_'. The flying Gundam closed his mouth.

"What happened to you guys?" Kicker asked.

"Long story short. The house came alive and attacked us," Jaden mumbled. He rubbed his aching shoulder. "It took us a while to get out of there."

"What I don't understand is how a house can come to life. Isn't that something out of an old horror flick?" Guneagle asked.

"Normally yes, but sometimes things can't be explained," Sayla said. "You should know that by now."

"Scientifically, it may be hard to explain, but when you look at it from the fact that here in the Federation anything's possible, then there's no doubt that it can happen," Zane said.

Captain had been about to speak when he closed his mouth.

"So…this kind of stuff happens a lot here?" Shute asked.

"Not exactly. When it does happen, it's usually the result of some kind of supernatural power or caused by some kind of magical force," Alexis said.

"Wait. Who are you?" Guneagle asked.

Sayla glanced at the Gundam Force before speaking. "Slaggit! I forgot to introduce you guys! Alexis, this is the Gundam Force." She pointed at the Gundam Force members as she said their names. "That's Shute Marxworth, Captain Gundam, Bakunetsumaru, Zero the Winged Knight, Guneagle, Deed, and Relehimana Miya de Lacroa, or Rele for short. Guys, this is Alexis Rhodes. She's an air aura user, and she's never to be messed with in combat."

The Gundam Force said their greetings as she smiled. "Thanks."

"Anyway, back on track. This kind of stuff usually happens when there's some kind of magical power causing it," Sayla explained, returning to the topic at hand.

"Ah. I see," Zero murmured.

"So, who do you think is behind this supernatural power?" Guneagle asked.

Her look when she looked at him said it all.

"Oh. Right."

Silence filled the woods before Kicker spoke. "Oh! Sayla! You know that old warehouse that was built during the MPA wars? How it was hidden in the woods?"

She nodded, wondering where Kicker was going with this. Then, suddenly realization dawned in her eyes. "Wait…you found something?" she asked.

The young starfighter pilot nodded. "Yeah. We went to go check it out and we did some investigating. In the basement we found a dead Zako. It looked like someone or something used an EMP on it."

"And what else?" she asked, now curious.

"Well, we also found something written on one of the walls. The three of us agreed that we should tell you, but not in public in case the Dark Axis is close by, so I wrote it down." Kicker reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a screen that had the words of the prophecy written down on it. Sayla took it from him and scanned it over. Then she looked Kicker in the eyes and spoke.

"I'll keep this. You did well."

"I'm not sure why it's a good time to reveal stuff, but I think that we all found something that may explain the thicker mist," Coby said.

"Wait. You all found clues as to why this mist is thicker than usual now?" Sayla asked, looking at everyone.

They all nodded.

"Yes. We found an industrial fog generator located in a cluster of trees not too far from the suburbs," Captain said.

"Bud, Lori, and I all found one in a warehouse down by the docks. The Zakos installed that one recently," Coby explained.

"My team and I found a fog machine hidden in the debris of Moss Manor. But why the Dark Axis would hide one there is beyond me," Vega said, scratching his head.

"The question now is why put them here in the first place and what purpose do they serve," Zane murmured.

"That, I think, can only be answered if we investigate Mystique Manor a bit more closely," Sayla muttered, her voice grim.

Syrus gulped. This would not be fun.

And he was right.

* * *

_In the UPA…_

Dajar'o smirked as he watched the screens showing the bickering amongst several other powers about the threat that lay before them. This was perfect. No one could even agree on the appropriate battle plans. It was just like he had hoped.

The only thing that bothered him was the Intergalactic Federation's unusual silence. They normally were trying to convince the universe of the threat, so why weren't they? This was unlike them.

His smirk faded, his face becoming grim as he pondered their motives.

What was the reason for their unusual silence?


	82. Meeting of the Organizations

Chapter 7

The next two days were hectic as the Federation leader and the UPA Council prepared to meet face to face. Finally, after much preparation and a long journey via the UPA's warp system, the Federation diplomatic shuttle emerged from the warp gate right above the Universal Power Association's capital city, Hi'ko H'thui.

An escort flanked the Federation shuttle, each belonging to the UPA Space Forces. President Warren studied this with disapproval on her face. She had no desire to be escorted like royalty. It wasn't their style to come in with an escort five hundred strong.

She turned her gaze away from the escorts to the massive city below her. The streets were filled with all kinds of alien life forms that lived within the UPA's boundaries, but the majority she noted was of Dajar'o's people. This made disgust and anger burn inside her, but she forced it from her mind. She had to remain focused.

President Warren shifted her gaze from the public to the center building, a palace at least twenty stories taller than Earth Command Central. It was also wider, too. She noted the spires and battlements that loomed over the edges of the ramparts like spikes on a fortress, which she guessed it was. The mere size she figured was supposed to intimidate, but it didn't work on her. Instead, she was merely awed by the impressive number of political officers it could hold, along with a security force of over five thousand.

The gleaming metal shone in the twin red suns of Dajar'o's home world and she smirked grimly. This was not going to be easy. She could tell instantly.

The shuttlecraft began its descent and the pilot's voice came over the comm. "_President Warren, we are about to engage the docking sequence. I suggest you return your tray to the upright position and sit back. We'll let you know when we've docked._"

The comm shut down and she shifted in her seat, stuffing the sheaf of papers and the small three data chips she had brought with her into her case. Normally she didn't bring a briefcase, but in this situation, she had no choice, really.

The Federation President put her tray back up against the seat in front of her and she closed up the briefcase.

As the ship prepared to dock, she went over the speech again in her mind, although she had already memorized it. She knew what needed to be said, and what footage must be shown, even though she figured she wouldn't need to…if she could avoid it.

The docking procedure took only five minutes and shortly after, President Warren was being escorted by two grim faced guards to the command center of the UPA. The door slid open and she stepped into a massive room with a large insignia over the secretary's desk. Velvet chairs and benches lined the walls and all kind of aliens wandered to and from different points in the building. She walked towards the desk and held out her organization's ID badge.

The secretary looked up with a bored look on her face. "You here for a meeting?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," President Warren replied. "I made an appointment five Earth days ago."

The secretary's eyes flicked to the badge, then to her face. The bored expression never changed. "Fifth floor, three doors down from the elevator," she said in a bored monotone.

"Thanks." President Warren turned and left the secretary behind. She scoffed. "They sure are boring," she murmured to herself.

The female human approached the elevator and pressed the button. Even though the lettering wasn't in any of the seventeen alien languages she was fluent in, she could still get the basic idea by the symbol marked on the green square.

The door slid open and she grimaced at the usual elevator music that emitted from speakers inside. "Geez. Talk about stereotypical," she groaned.

She stepped inside and the door closed with a chime. President Warren pushed the button for the fifth floor and the elevator began to rise. It seemed to take forever as it climbed higher up into the palace. She tapped her foot, beginning to get annoyed at the slow pace the elevator was going. Not to mention the boring elevator music was beginning to get on her nerves.

The door chimed as the elevator reached the fifth floor and the door slid open to reveal a corridor splashed with wooden paneling on the walls and a plush green carpet. She stepped out of the elevator and the door closed behind her.

A few beings wandered the hallway, coming and going or else just chatting. Once or twice she got a glare from another alien life form, but she kept her gaze locked onto the door a little ways down from the elevator.

A hulking guard stood outside, his face in the same grim expression as the rest of the guards here. He removed his sunglasses a bit, his red eyes looking her over. "Meeting Room 12 is open," he said in a low voice.

She nodded and the guard stepped aside. The door slid open to reveal yet another hallway, but this one with many rooms off to the sides. She looked around, her eyes following the numbers. This time, they were in an alien language she could read. She grimaced. "It _had_ to be Mortain!" she grumbled.

The President walked down the hallway until she reached the door marked _Meeting Room 12_. She grabbed the handle and opened the door to reveal the main meeting hall for the whole UPA Council. It resembled more of an amphitheater than a meeting room.

The whole Council had assembled in their seats. Her green gaze flicked up and down the Council members and she smiled. "Time to do this!" she murmured.

She approached the center of the room, carrying herself with the confidence of a leader who had beaten the odds time and again. The podium was open for her and she placed both hands on it after taking her papers out of her suitcase.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for allowing me to speak at this meeting of the Universal Power Association Council. There are a few things I wish to speak of, and these things could very well expose the threat that lurks on the horizon," she said.

"War has always ravaged the universe ever since the beginnings of time. Suffering and loss have always plagued beings that were caught in its merciless crossfire. Each war has had a specific purpose and effect on history, but some wars have had more significance than others. One of these wars was the Five Trade Conflict, a battle between the Stellar Alliance and the Galactic Trade Board. Both sides wanted to ensure that their method of trade was carried out. The Stellar Alliance wanted to have high prices placed on even the most meager amounts of supplies and food. The Galactic Trade Board, on the other hand, wanted to reduce trade taxes and allow even the poorest organization to get the supplies and goods needed for its inhabitants. The Galactic Trade Board won that fight, and trade was improved because of it.

"Wars have also had to deal with liberty and freedom. One such war was called the Liberation Campaign, and it was fought between the Kingdom of Democracy and the Federal Institute. The Kingdom of Democracy wanted to free a few organizations that the FI had conquered and subjected to increased communist control. They yearned for the peoples of those organizations to be able to worship freely, have freedom of speech and other freedoms they possessed. This bloody conflict lasted for seven years before the Institute grew bored and withdrew all forces back home. The organizations were freed and they became loyal subjects of the Kingdom of Democracy.

"But some wars have also dealt with suffering, slavery, and destruction.

"Those kinds of wars are very few, but those that did occur, caused tremendous changes in the way the universal society works. The wars of that kind of caliber were massive and very destructive. Loss of life was in the millions, sometimes even the trillions. Weapons of incredible power were used. Technological advances were caused by those wars. And most importantly, society was affected in ways no one thought possible.

"One such war is raging right now, even as we speak.

"I'm sure you all know of the massive threat we face, but even so, you have yet to really see what they are doing to the innocent beings they enslaved. I would show you the images, but they are too grotesque and gory for those of you with weak stomachs and constitutions. So I will tell you flat out.

"There is inadequate food and water. There is very little medical care, if any. Diseases are rampant and beings are crammed into barracks of one thousand per barrack. No freedoms are guaranteed. All pleasure is stripped, and all who are enslaved by the enemy are given only numbers and designations. This is meant to strip them of their individuality, and it has worked wonders for the enemy. We see it as an insult to their humanity within, and we see it as a serious violation of the Warfare Code, established right after the unification of Planet Earth. Crimes of war, crimes against the peace, and crimes against humanity…all broken as a result of this horrific treatment.

"The reason why I tell you this is to expose the reality of what has been going on, even if you claim to be aware of it. Those of you who are aware, you do not even know the real horror of what has been going on in those concentration camps."

Cries of astonishment and shock echoed throughout the whole room as President Warren stared at the UPA commanders. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she looked around the room.

"Yes, concentration camps! They do exist in the enemy's home dimension, and they are in operational status. A few have been conquered by us in an invasion attempt to disrupt their labor supply, and it has worked to an extent. They no longer have the means which to threaten and torture innocent lives. Nor do they have the means which to destroy our whole universe with. And I mean they now lack the black hole generators!" she said.

More cries of astonishment rang out as she continued her speech.

"Yes! Black hole generators! These devices were made in an attempt to destroy us and eliminate a threat to their power, as well as rid existence of you! The enemy has become determined to do whatever it takes to stop us, especially after the invasion we pulled on them. You all have to forget about the petty things in this universe and start focusing on the major threat that lies in our path! Do you not want universal peace? A peace in which all exist in harmony? A future free from war and chaos!?" she asked, stepping away from the podium into the center of the chamber.

"Why should we focus on such a thing?" one of the UPA leaders asked.

President Warren fixed him with a gaze that would normally leave a being frozen in place for hours, but he wasn't fazed by it. "C'horst, the reason I am telling you and your fellow leaders about this is because the time has come to stop focusing on petty things such as maintaining the hierarchy of powers in the universe and start focusing on what is best for all of us. You may feel that it is wrong to focus on such things, but it is not!"

She swept her green eyes around the room again, looking each and every leader in the eyes or optical sensors, as if daring them to make a move on her. "All kinds of beings are forced to work as slave labor for the enemy, and we need to focus on mounting a massive rescue operation to free them. I am not asking you to help. I'm _telling_ you to start thinking about the needs of other beings, not just yourselves!"

The King President of the UPA scoffed. "We do think about others!" President Dajar'o replied sarcastically.

"No. You don't." The Intergalactic Federation leader fixed him with a gaze that he found a bit startling. "You don't care about anyone else at all!"

"Exactly! And why should we? It's survival of the fittest! Only the strong survive out there. Compassion has no place in this war-torn universe!" Dajar'o snapped. "Your compassion is what makes you weak. Not strong."

"And you think that ruthlessness, combined with stereotypes and UFOs that lack modern up-to-date equipment is what makes _you_ strong?" President Warren asked.

"Exactly. You have nothing except a small ragtag alliance of worlds that makes a mocking of the federation system, a small military, a meager amount of factories, amateurish tactics in combat and espionage, a bunch of legendary weapons you can't even control, and emotions that most others have forsaken in the name of universal order!" the kingly president snarled.

"That is where you are wrong," the Federation leader said calmly.

"Oh?" A suspicious look crossed Dajar'o's features. "How so?"

"You are wrong about us. We may be a third-rate power in your eyes, but in the eyes of everyone else out there in the universe, we are heroes, saviors, and the most powerful organization out there. We actually _do_ something rather than constantly deliberate amongst ourselves like you do. We all decide on a course of action, and then we _do_ it," President Warren explained.

"Hpmh." The alien leader crossed his arms and huffed. "That does not explain why you came here. It was not to talk about the differences between us, from what you were originally talking about."

"True, but it's important to touch on that fact because those differences can help affect the outcome of this war. Your power and size may make you a liability, but it's what also makes you a major threat to the enemy. They see you as their last obstacle to overcome in their desire for total control. They may see us as a threat too, but not because of our size. Rather, it's our tactics and fighting style that makes us a threat to them," the female human replied.

"Ah. But what does this have to do with the war, and how can it be affected?" Dajar'o inquired.

"Think about this, Dajar'o. People from all kinds of planets across the universe have had very significant wars in their history at some point. Historically, these wars have had to do with freedom and world domination. It's not that different from your people's history. You had a war in which one faction nearly dominated your entire organization in the name of freedom. The reason why you won was because you believed in your cause, as did they. But you also had the numbers with which to affect the outcome. It's not that different in this war. But this time, the roles are reversed. It's _us_ the enemy wants gone. Not you…right now, anyway. Anyway, this war, like so many before it, is centered on freedom and domination…or in this case, total control over everything." Here, President Warren turned back to facing the UPA Council, but also keeping her gaze on Dajar'o.

"The desires this time are far different than the desires you have all faced in previous years. This time, the enemy wants to become gods, and they will stop at nothing to achieve that goal, including destroying the one who granted them the power they now have: Unicron!"

A few UPA Council members objected, but she waved them down. "It's true that Unicron has still somehow managed to survive, but he is incredibly weak and he is using our current enemy as his pawns to regain his body. We have destroyed him in the past and will do so again."

"Why even continue this fight?" a female being asked.

President Warren eyed the female water nymph with her green gaze. "We fight because the enemy wants to strip away from us the hidden desire deep down that we all possess. This desire has shown itself in many forms over the eons, and it has lasted from a few days to as long as several millennia. It has shown that many beings, no matter what methods they use, can fight for it. But some have taken this desire to the next level. Our enemy is one of those. This desire…is the desire to end all war, the desire to end all suffering, and the desire to end all destruction of innocent lives. The desire…for peace!"

Her words hung in the silent air as many different kinds of eyes and optics watched her every move. She stepped forward and spread her arms.

"Peace is not something that is for the weak! It is meant for everyone to enjoy! But in order for it to be achieved, one needs to stop thinking about oneself and start thinking about the others and the ones around them. Beings such as yourselves need to start caring more, and you need to start concentrating on fighting the real threat, not some threats that you claim are greater, but are in reality much lesser than you think!" she cried.

"Peace cannot be earned. It has to be fought for, and achieved through action, not deliberation! It requires the desire to fight for it, and the drive to keep going in even when things look bleak! It needs the nurture that the defense of freedom requires."

"What do you mean that it cannot be earned?!" a huge Cyclops asked.

President Warren fixed her impenetrable gaze on his single brown eye. "Hyptoemius, peace cannot be earned through coming together and then demanding a hierarchy. It cannot be earned through methods such as assuming everyone is what the stereotypes say. It is not a trophy that can be earned. It is something that must be fought for. A historical example from Earth has to do with a very destructive and bloody war called World War II. In this war, there were two factions: the Axis Powers, and the Allied Powers, soon to be renamed the United Nations. The Axis Powers wanted to dominate the globe and enforce something they called 'racial purity.' The Allied Powers wanted to create a world of freedom, a world in which all humans had the freedom to exist in harmony and peace. The war was very brutal, and many civilians lost their homes. They were forced to go abroad and into refugee camps. Also, the weapons used were far more destructive than in years past. This war went on for six long years, until the surrender of the last of the Axis Powers, a country called Japan. Peace had finally been achieved, but as it is with every war, there was a price: communism had replaced fascism. The world was split into armed camps, the East and the West. But it was worth it," she said.

"It may seem weak to talk about this, but think about what I said. The price of peace comes with a price for you: surrendering the hierarchal order that you have created, and enabling new organizations to be free and determine their own paths, not what the stereotypes demand. It is in the best interests of everyone out there, and in here." With that, she fell silent.

Silence filled the room for a few long, agonizing seconds before a single clap was heard. Then a second clap joined in with the first. A third followed and it continued to grow until every single being in the UPA Council chamber was clapping and cheering. Applause of this scale had never been heard before by any of those present. Not even President Warren herself had heard it on this scale. She smiled slightly as she waved.

Her speech may have had no effect on President Dajar'o, but it sure had had an effect on the other leaders there. She smirked as Dajar'o glared at her. Maybe things would turn out for the better after all.

But Dajar'o wasn't done yet.

"Hold on one minute, President Warren. You still have yet to fully explain why the Dark Axis is after the power to control all of existence!" he snarled.

"There's a good reason why, Dajar'o. It is to ensure that all of existence falls to their power and to rule it in their own image. They want to enslave the organics and have the mechanical races rule over all. That is their vision of the future," President Warren said calmly. Her green gaze locked onto his and she smiled slightly. "Besides, if they control all of existence, then there won't be a universe for you to govern, will there?"

Dajar'o perked up, his eyes widening. Then he snarled. "I know what you're up to! You want us to fight them alongside you for your little ideals of democracy and freedom!" he hissed.

"And there's a good reason why, too!" President Warren snapped. "I want to speak with you in private, Dajar'o. You and me, one on one in the meeting room of your choice."

Dajar'o nodded. "All right. Meet me in Meeting Room 1."

* * *

**The meeting room** was practically empty when she entered. Only Dajar'o sat at the massive oaken table. She drew out a seat and sat down in front of him. "So, what is it you wish to speak to me about?" he asked.

"This," President Warren said. She reached into her briefcase and drew out a sheaf of photographs from the invasion. "Take a look at these. I'm sure you'll recognize some of your own people in them." She slid them across the table to his waiting hands. He picked them up and began flipping through them.

As he gazed at each photograph, his eyes widened in shock a little more and his features became paler with each image. His hands began to shake as he kept studying them.

President Warren felt the warm glow of satisfaction course through her body as he looked up, his face suddenly haggard and worn. She smiled at him. "Well? Did you recognize anyone you know?" she asked.

"Where…where did you get these?" he murmured, his voice hoarse.

"These were taken during an invasion that we pulled on the Dark Axis. The invasion was a success, and we saved countless lives and put one of their major concentration camps out of commission. The aliens that we saved are currently undergoing reintegration into society and a few are still at Medical University for their injuries," President Warren explained.

"But,..we didn't authorize an invasion!" Dajar'o snapped.

"_We_ did. We needed to act and fast. During the meeting, I mentioned about the black hole generators. They were destroyed when we bombed the main camp."

"A bombing campaign?! You acted without consulting me?!" the King President blurted.

"We act without consulting anyone, Dajar'o. We are a third-rate power to you, so we have liberties that you don't realize," the President said softly. Her eyes grew hard as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the data chips.

"These data chips hold audio and video feed of the invasion. I'm sure it will reveal more than you ever know," she said, handing it to him.

"What about my wife? She went missing a year ago! Do you mean to tell me that she was supposedly captured by the Dark Axis?" Dajar'o blurted suddenly.

A grim smirk spread across her features. "You saw the images. And yes, in one of the camps, we found your wife."

Dajar'o suddenly paled again. He grabbed the pictures and began flipping through them, his eyes searching for any sign of his wife.

He suddenly stopped, his body shaking as he stared at the image in his hands. The rest fell to the floor of the meeting room.

The President closed her eyes and sighed. She knew what that picture showed: it showed a group of aliens clustered together to avoid being shot at by Federation forces (as if that would happen in the first place!) and one of those aliens was one of Dajar'o's people: she was dressed in a tattered robe and her hair was as white as snow, but her posture was indicative that she was clearly the wife of Li'chi Dajar'o.

Dajar'o looked at the photograph with a stunned look on his face. President Warren smirked as he lifted his gaze to look at her.

"How…how did she…I thought she was having an affair!" he murmured.

"Well, you thought wrong." President Warren became serious again. "She was captured by the Dark Axis when they launched a surprise attack on your home world. However, your press refused to cover the story, for fear of being punished."

"But how did you find out? I thought that you didn't have advanced intel operations!" Dajar'o blurted.

"Like I said before, you underestimate us. We found the footage showing her capture during the invasion. We decided to tell you when the time was right. And it looks like we made the right choice," President Warren explained.

"But how do I know for sure that this is my wife?" Dajar'o asked. "What if this is someone else?"

"That photo shows the proof you need. She dresses just like your elite," President Warren said.

Dajar;'o slumped in his seat, unable to believe that his faithful wife of fifteen Earth years was captured by an enemy that he thought a mere fly. President Warren grinned to herself as she watched him lift his hands to stare at them. "All this time…and I never even knew that my own wife was imprisoned within that place," he murmured.

"Well, you clearly don't care about anyone, let alone your wife. Had you allowed freedom of the press, then maybe you could have learned about the attack and launched an invasion of your own. Then maybe the rest of the universe wouldn't be so critical of your methods," President Warren said.

"I… Freedoms such as that need to be repressed so they can't get out of control…If they do…"

"Then they could save lives!" the President snapped. Her eyes flashed dangerously. "You need to start considering the well being of others if you want to overcome this foe. The reason why I'm telling you this is so you could actually be given a chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of the universal public! Already several different organizations have broken off from your alliance and have begun collective rearming. The rest of the universe doesn't want anything to do with you unless you change your actions inside your boundaries and outside them as well. That is the only way you can regain your allies and gain some real battle experience!"

"We _do_ have battle experience!" O'hari snapped.

"No, you don't! I've seen your forces in action in several fights and all they do is take potshots while your allies take the brunt of the fighting! You don't know what it's like to live on the front lines and you lack the experience of war!" President Warren snarled.

"Battle, war! It's the same thing!" Dajar'o cried.

"No, it's not! War is the complete opposite of battle. Battle is merely a segment of war. A war is a collection of battles that follows a concrete battle plan. You need to understand the real meaning of war to get the idea of what I mean." President Warren closed her eyes and then reopened them. "When you consider the fact that we have been in many wars right on the front lines, then maybe you might reconsider our rank in the universal hierarchy. And you might think about revoking it."

"Why? Why should I remove it?" Dajar'o asked.

"If you do, then there is hope for all of us. Including you." President Warren stood up and grabbed the photos. "My time here is over. You can keep the data chips and review the feeds. Also, think about what I said. It may help save your life in the future."

With that, she turned and left the meeting room, her "mission" complete.

* * *

**The last five** days had been intense as the TCDA elite team fought their way through Mystique Manor to investigate the mysterious mist. When they had first entered the old house, the door had merely sealed behind them, locking them inside. Then it had gotten worse.

When Sayla and her friends went to explore the upstairs, a moan had echoed throughout the old structure and they had tensed for battle. The walls had then come to life, sending out pipes, support beams, and wires as they fought to reach the master bedroom. After breaking through the defenses, the seven students managed to get inside and close the door, locking themselves into a corner.

A few hours later, the hallways had fallen silent and they had left the master bedroom, having found nothing of any use. The house came alive again, forcing them to fight their way downstairs to the basement. Again, the search had turned up nothing and they spent the night there.

The next day, they fought their way through writhing pipes and beams to reach the front door before sustaining injuries. They broke down the door again and finally reached the driveway, but not before the house launched pieces of wood at them. They ran for the safety of the woods, which worked well for the first five meters. Then, the entire sprinkler system emerged from the grass, a huge tangle of metal and valves that tried to stop them. The battle to reach the woods lasted until one in the afternoon, but by that time they had retreated.

Sayla had sent the message to Captain during this very battle, and she and her friends waited for a day before the Gundam Force rounded up the others and arrived at Mystique Manor. Then they headed back in to check it out further.

That proved to be a bad mistake, for this time the whole house was alive, writhing and trying to trap them inside before killing them. It was only by luck that the entire TCDA elite team had managed to avoid getting killed. They reached a room that seemed to give off an aura of safety a few hours later, and they spent the last day there, trying to speculate about the mysterious happenings at the house.

When they left on the morning of the fifth day, they had fought their way through to the kitchen and out the back door. That saved their very lives, because right then and there, they heard a crunching sound that made them all wince: the front door had transformed into teeth and bitten down on an unfortunate creature that tried to slip inside.

Now, all twenty-five members of the TCDA elite team sat huddled under a nearby tree, gazing back at the now motionless house, wariness in their eyes. It was hard to accept that fact as they watched for any activity. But, then again, they knew from past experiences that anything was possible, including this.

Sayla frowned as she checked the time on her Duel Disk's computer. The clock read _23:45_. "Fifteen minutes to midnight," she said grimly.

"And we still haven't figured out what is going on with that house!" Guneagle grumbled.

"Well, it's a good thing too," Zero said quietly.

"Why? Why is that a good thing?" Captain asked.

Zero said nothing, but merely motioned to Bakunetsumaru. The poor Musha lay curled in a ball, whimpering. A pang of sympathy filled Captain's Soul-Drive as he stared at his comrade.

"Oh."

"There's also another reason why," Sayla murmured.

"A second reason?" Shute asked.

Zane nodded. "Yes. Sometimes, on nights like this, around midnight, unusual things tend to happen at Mystique Manor and a few other haunted locations. One such location last year before we got our grasp on the _Titanic_ was some unusual sightings at her gravesite. We went to investigate and we discovered three old WWI ghost ships lurking there. We sank them, but we also had some help in saving a cargo ship that was caught in the area." He grew serious as he gazed at the Gundam Force. "The thing is, supernatural events sometimes happen here. And that includes structures coming to life. What you've all experienced was just that: a manor that is alive." The whole explanation took only a minute, and each of the Gundam Force members gaped in disbelief.

Especially Captain.

That is until Sayla caught his attention. "Hey, Captain! Stay focused!"

The Gundam yelped, then blushed as he coughed. "Sorry."

"Sayla! We've got bad news!" Syrus suddenly exclaimed from his lookout position beside them.

"What's happening, Syrus?" Sayla asked.

"Mystique Manor! It's coming alive again! And it looks like the house wants us for dinner!" the boy said, pointing.

Sure enough, moans and groaning could be heard from the general direction of the house. The group peered through the brush and they all gasped as the two upstairs windows flared with ghostly light. The door suddenly transformed into a gnashing mouth filled with teeth made of wood and the whole house itself shuddered.

A roar echoed across the lawn and everyone tensed for the battle they were sure would come.

At least, until an unexpected sonic boom blew them all back four yards.

Sayla glanced up, a bit of blood running down her cheek from a scratch. Her eyes widened as she stared at the transport from Tycho Colony that was now circling the area.

"What's a transport from Tycho Colony doing here?" she murmured.

"I think I can take a guess," Rele said. "It's the Genki Energy Force."

"Huh? Those former Dark Axis goons you told us about?" Baston asked, his eyes locking onto Rele's.

She nodded. "Yes."

"We don't know that for sure, so we'd better be ready. Everyone, prepare for battle!" Sayla cried.

The group scrambled to their feet and ran out of the woods, weapons and aural attacks ready for combat.

The transport suddenly banked and fired a blast of lasers at them, forcing them to get back to avoid the attack.

"Geez! Seems like someone doesn't want us to get involved," Blare murmured.

"Uh, guys? Do transports like that have bombs on them?" Shute asked.

Sayla looked at him at the word "bombs". Her eyes widened when she saw the familiar shape of a bomb they had used last time. "NAPALM BOMB INCOMING!" she yelled. "HIT THE DECKS!"

The Gundam Force, having no idea what a napalm bomb was, was slow to hesitate, that is until Jaden tackled Captain and Shute, pulling them down to the ground. Guneagle was nailed by a punch from Sayla and wound up flat on his back; Baston grabbed Zero's cape and Rele and yanked them down with him. Bakunetsumaru was already on the ground, so he was okay.

Kicker glanced at T.J. and yelled to him. "T.J.! SHIELDS NOW!"

The young mecha nodded and activated his shields just as everyone else hit the ground.

The bomb struck.

Almost instantly, the whole house was set ablaze. The fire arced skyward and thick black smoke began to billow upwards away from the site. The intense heat followed by the shockwave was next. Only the thin glowing barrier of T.J.'s defense shield saved them from incineration.

* * *

**Above the battle** site, Zapper Zaku smirked. "Nice shot, Dom!" he remarked.

"Dah, I gets it good!" Dom chirped happily. His single red optic flashed with happiness as he waved around his bazooka.

"Hey, watch it, idiot!" Grappler Gouf hissed. His optical sensor was locked onto the burning house below. "If you hit me with that thing, I'll knock your block off!"

Dom put his bazooka away and blushed a bit. "Sorry."

"So, why'd you want to hit that old dump anyway?" Zapper asked.

The younger former Dark Axis mecha snarled. "Look. All I know is that something wasn't right about that place, and it looked like those Gundams and damn humans needed some help. So why not?"

Zapper blinked his optic. Grappler Gouf despised humans and Gundams alike, so why did he want to aid them?

Then again, what did it matter? The Dark Axis was now officially insane, so they needed to work with someone.

Even if it meant working alongside Gundams, it didn't matter. They couldn't go back now.

* * *

_At Medical University…_

_Ugh…What happened? The last thing I remember is being destroyed by that Captain Gundam._

_But if that's the case, then why am I still alive?_

_Was I given a second chance at life? If so, why?_

_Feh. It doesn't matter. Especially since those "reserve generals" have their own plans to carry out. Even I can't forget them…_


	83. Blockade Counterattacks!

Chapter 8

The next few days after the unexpected assistance of the Genki Energy Force saw them working alongside the Gundams after a reunion between the former Dark Axis lords and Genkimaru. It was a tearful thing, and it even made Grappler cry. Halloween came and went with no unexpected surprises, except for Makinaomaru dying after an attack made by Shift.

It proved to be an emotional moment for them all, especially Kibaomaru who had vented his rage on forty training drones the next day.

A few hours after the cleanup of the drones, Sayla stood on the decks of the _Autobot Hero_, her eyes locked onto the horizon. It was a clear sunny day, and there were no clouds, except for a few smoke puffs from the _Titanic_'s single funnel.

The teenage commander turned at hearing footsteps. She scoffed at the sight of the blue mech she had gotten used to seeing around the ship. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Nothing, human," Grappler muttered. His red optic flicked away from her and settled on the form of the _Titanic_. "I don't see why you humans are reusing an old hunk of metal."

Sayla's eyes flashed dangerously as she clenched her fist. "What did you just say?"

The blue mecha turned back to face her, his grill-like mouth curled up in a sneer. "You heard me. I said I don't see why you humans are reusing some old hunk of metal that's been under the ocean for almost a hundred years!"

Sayla gritted her teeth and she stepped closer to him. "Listen here. That 'old hunk of metal' was once the greatest ocean liner of all time! She sank because people were far too arrogant to admit that she had flaws. That very ship is an important reminder that safety and other human lives need to come first before wealth and glory!" she hissed.

Grappler's optic blinked a few times before he scoffed. "Sure. It's all because of that ship, right?" he remarked sarcastically.

Sayla's eyes narrowed in anger, but she kept her cool. "As for reusing her, we stopped the Dark Axis from getting their greedy hands on her!"

That seemed to catch the cobalt and teal mecha by surprise. His optic lens widened and he backed up, confusion showing on his face. "What…? The Dark Axis wants her?" he asked.

Sayla nodded grimly. "Yes. But we're not sure as to why. We originally thought that it was for the metal, but some of my division soldiers learned some very contradicting information and that kind of screwed up the idea. So we're uncertain as to what they really want her for now."

The former Dark Axis squad leader crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Well, I always did guess that those 'reserve generals' had plans that were always a bit ambitious for them."

That got Sayla. She blinked and looked at Grappler. "Wait. Did you just say 'reserve generals'?" Sayla asked.

Grappler nodded. "Yeah. They were supposed to remain in reserve unless General Zeong fell, which he did, no thanks to those goody-goody Gundams!" he hissed.

Sayla pursed her lips, but said nothing.

Grappler turned back out towards the _Titanic_. "I still don't understand you humans, especially when it comes to matters like this," he muttered, motioning to the ship.

Sayla's hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder spike and he yelped as she used her Reploid strength to spin him to face her. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously and her lips were curled in a snarl. "That ship…will…never…be…disrespected!" she hissed.

"Why? It's not alive," Grappler snapped. He rolled his optic.

"I mean it!" Sayla yelled.

"AH!" Grappler was shoved hard right against the carrier's bridge and he struggled to get air into his intakes.

Sayla drew back her right hand and Grappler squeaked in fright. He covered his optic with his hands, expecting the fatal blow, but it didn't come. He lowered his arms and he blinked in confusion.

She released his shoulder spike and she turned and walked off. "Besides, if you even set foot on her, you'd know why," she murmured softly.

She stepped into the depths of the carrier, leaving a confused Grappler Gouf behind.

* * *

**Xenphyr closed one** of his eyes and gripped the pair of tweezers tightly in his hand. The body of the former Dark Axis commander, Sazabi, lay on a table with all sorts of tools scattered around. The Soul-Drive that served as his power source had been cleaned of Unicron's powers and the truth, it had been decided amongst the staff of the University, was to not be revealed to him.

Especially since the project to reverse the effects of corruption had failed big time.

All they could do now was at least attempt to rewire his body.

The former assassin reached down with the tweezers and gently plucked a small cluster of wires before lifting them to expose the circuitry beneath. He stuck his tongue out, the tip curled around his upper lip as he gently reached in a small nanoprobe into the gap between the wires and circuits.

The tip of the probe suddenly flashed red and he pulled it out, opening both eyes to look at the screen.

His eyes narrowed as he frowned. "Well, we'll have to remove that," he muttered. He dropped the probe and, grabbing the wires in his free hand, he eased the tweezers in and grabbed onto something. He was careful to not rip any wires free, and he smirked as he felt a slight jolt. He pulled out the tweezers, a small computer chip with a single red circle on it clamped tightly in the tip.

"Got it!" Xenphyr dropped the chip into a nearby tray and he began to replace the red mech's armor. It took only a few minutes to replace the armor and within that same time frame, Sazabi's Soul-Drive had been replaced in its body.

He returned to his other project at his desk, leaving Sazabi on the table.

But he wasn't just working on his project. Xenphyr also kept an eye on him, watching the red mech out of the corner of his eye. It was a skill he had acquired when he had been an assassin, and even as a medic, it still proved useful, especially now.

He shifted slightly and grabbed a nearby screw driver and began to unscrew the plating on a mechanical hand he was working on. Over in his lab was a mostly complete Gundam femme's body, and he could still see the entire form in his mind's eye as he worked.

A slim female Gundam, the colors were blue, gold, and red with white arms and legs. The alternate mode of this Gundam was a miniature F-16 Tomcat fighter jet. Like with a Seeker, the wings could be pointed upward, or they could fold down to provide more freedom of movement. The V-fin was bright gold and on the chest of the Gundam's body was a Federation sigil.

All he had to do now was finish attaching the hand and install the Soul-Drive. Then Project S would be complete.

Of course, this unintended focusing on Project S directed his gaze away from the limp form of Commander Sazabi on the table. Since Xenphyr's attention was directed elsewhere, he had no idea that Sazabi's hand twitched, or that his single optic had come online.

The red mech was quite groggy when he woke, so he had no idea of where he was…at least until he saw the lights.

He let out a hiss as he closed his optic, blinded by the light. He slowly lowered his arm and blinked rapidly as he struggled to get a sense of where he was. Sazabi glanced around the room and took notice of the strange and alien technology that was scattered around. A monitor of some kind with nodes attached to wires was located along one wall while a bed and a couch lined another wall. A small kitchen was located further back and a spare office had been converted into a bedroom for something. A terminal desk was set next to the machine with the monitor.

At this desk sat an organic human male. Sazabi grunted and shifted his gaze away from the organic. He hated humans, but even so, he didn't like what the "reserve generals" had originally planned for them. Even he had his honor.

'_Now to find out where the Pits I am._' Sazabi thought to himself.

He silently slipped a leg off the table and hopped to the floor. At least some things hadn't changed.

Slowly, cautiously, the bigger mech made his way to the door, but not before he stopped next to a partially opened doorway. He peered in and his optic dilated, becoming smaller at the sight of a female Gundam with one hand missing and a compartment that was clearly meant for a Soul-Drive opened. Beside the femme's body was a Soul-Drive, the flame flickering in the dim lighting.

Sazabi tore his gaze away from her still form and walked away from the partly opened doorway. He reached the main door to the office and he hesitated upon seeing the fingerprint scanner and the keypad. He stared at it for a moment, suddenly realizing that he had to be in some kind of a facility for studying and experimentation. His body tensed and he stood ready in case the male human looked up.

He did. The human got to his feet and his eyes widened. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I'm getting out of here, human!" Sazabi growled.

"You're not going anywhere until you're fully healed!" the human snapped.

"As if!" the red mecha hissed.

The male human narrowed his eyes and got into a fighting stance. "I won't hesitate to use force to make sure you stay here!"

"Try me!" Sazabi murmured.

The human gritted his teeth and reached up his lab coat sleeve with one hand. Sazabi wondered what he was doing, but when the human drew out a ten-inch assassin knife, he instantly got the gist of what the man had done for a living before turning to medicine.

The man yelled out as he ran at Sazabi, one hand drawn back, the knife held close to his body in anticipation of a bullet strike. Hah! As if Sazabi would stoop that low! He merely growled and drew back his leg before kicking out, but the man reacted with inhuman speed, literally _catching_ the blow and actually managing to inflict some pain on him.

Sazabi scanned the man's body up and down, looking for some armor that enhanced his fighting abilities, but when he saw none, he began to wonder if this human was even…human.

The man seemed to sense his curiosity and confusion because he smirked and spoke. "What? You haven't faced a Reploid before?"

Sazabi's optic narrowed and he punched, but the "Reploid" blocked with his arm and kicked out with a front snap kick that knocked the wind out of the mech's body. "R…R…Reploid?" he gasped.

"Yeah. A human-like machine developed by Orcan scientists. We're not like all robotic beings in the universe, for we have human emotions and wills," the Reploid said.

The other mech hissed. So, these "Reploids" had been developed by organic scum!

"What happened?" he snarled.

The Reploid stopped attacking and stood up straight, but he didn't put his knife away.

"Look. All I can say is that you were being controlled by the Dark Axis. And it's not the same Dark Axis you knew," he said. Obviously he had seen Sazabi's surprise in his optic.

"What…What are you talking about, human?" he snapped.

"My name's Xenphyr! And I'm not a human!" the Reploid spat.

"Okay then…Xenphyr! What are you talking about?" Sazabi snarled.

"I mean that the Dark Axis is now trying to gain control over all of existence!" Xenphyr cried. "And they're using human souls to create Soul-Drives, and effectively killing them and replacing them in robotic prisons!"

Silence filled the room before an unusual chill crept through Sazabi's circuits and systems. His optic shrank and he felt his legs suddenly go weak. Had he even heard right? Destroying human lives and becoming godly?

This was not what he had been fighting for. He had been fighting to destroy all organic life, but that had been different. That had been a long time ago, it seemed. It seemed to him that he had been a member of a different organization, a different Dark Axis. That Dark Axis was no more. And in its place was an organization that was now bent on total control over everything…and the destruction of all human life.

Even if he hated humans, he didn't wish to have them killed and destroyed. He wanted them only to be petrified, not killed and used for creating Soul-Drives. That wasn't right. It was…wrong.

"What…what's happened?" he murmured.

Xenphyr had a grim look in his eyes as he finally replaced the knife. "The Dark Axis generals are becoming stronger. And we fear that they may have the Superior Dragon under their control. We need all the help we can get if we are to bring them down," he said softly.

Sazabi glanced at his hands as if seeing himself for the first time. His hands were shaking slightly, and he flexed them, trying to understand what was coming to pass.

"Why? Why go to such lengths?" he whispered.

"To prove that the Dark Axis is the best out there…and to become the rulers over everything." Xenphyr's words were far too grim to ignore. Sazabi glanced up and his optic met Xenphyr's gaze. Suddenly, Sazabi felt as if someone had penetrated deep into his mind when no one had. He was suddenly seeing things. Things far too horrific even for him. He saw humans having their souls ripped out of their bodies and inserted into Soul-Drive containers and placed into Zako bodies that had been specially modified. He saw Shift laughing as he oversaw it and his Soul-Drive seized up in his chest. The scene of Shift overseeing the production of Soul-Drives faded from his mind and he could now see the universe's future: war-torn, apocalyptic, destroyed, and with no organics left, except for slave labor and a few feeble resistance groups fighting a useless battle. And above it all, hovered the Dark Axis fortress, Captain Gundam now allied with the Dark Axis and Gerbera standing by his side, and in the background, he could see a pair of menacing eyes with laughter that echoed.

He yelped and blinked, suddenly finding himself back in the office. He stared at his shaking hands, which were now visibly shuddering. "Is…is that…the future?" he whispered hoarsely.

Xenphyr blinked in confusion, but then understanding dawned in his eyes. "Yes. It is," he murmured.

"What…just happened back there, though? I saw all kinds of stuff that would happen," the red mecha murmured.

"That usually happens. Whenever the truth is told and someone doesn't believe it, it seems that the future is shown to them. And the reality of the threat becomes clear," the Reploid explained.

"And…that happened with me," Sazabi muttered.

"Yes. So, now do you see the threat that the Dark Axis represents?"

Sazabi nodded, still unable to believe that this was happening. The Dark Axis was officially insane, and he was the only one who remembered what they had been like before.

He wasn't going to like this, but he knew there was no other choice.

He would work alongside the humans and other miserable organic races and whatever robotic species they built or met and defeat the Dark Axis once and for all. He looked up and met Xenphyr's gaze. "Count me in," he murmured.

* * *

**It seemed like** a normal Saturday in the Intergalactic Federation, but the entire TCDA elite team didn't even realize just how key it would be for them to stop the traitor Cerverau and his newest prize from blockading Earth Command seaports, especially during this war.

"So, what's the project again?" Jaden asked.

"Basically, we have to do some research on the history of a particular ship we're assigned," Sayla said.

"But what kind of ship?" the boy/Gundam asked.

"That…we don't know yet," Sayla admitted, a sweatdrop running down the side of her head.

"Well, the teacher did assign us the _Britannic_," Syrus said.

"Wait. The _Britannic_? As in the third sister ship of the Olympic class liners?" Kicker asked, looking out from his fighter's cockpit. He had been working on it for the last few days now, trying to gain better understanding of its abilities.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, in case you've forgotten, Syrus, that ship's missing!" Kicker snapped, his brown eyes flashing dangerously. "And who knows where the thing is? For all we know, the Dark Axis could have taken control of her!"

"Just because it happened once with the _Titanic_ doesn't mean that it will happen with another ship," Baston said calmly.

"Well, the probability of the same thing happening again is quite significant, even if it is 42.78 percent accurate," Captain said.

"We already get the idea," Shute remarked. His best friend sighed. "Sorry, Shute."

"Anyway, so we've got to do some research, but since the ship's missing, and there aren't many records on her, we may have to go search near the wreck site for information," Zane said seriously.

"Wait. As in _THE_ site?" T.J. blurted.

"Not the _Titanic_'s site. That we already know was a fluke, even if we did have to fight her," the older boy added, his steel grey eyes flicking over to where the three ships were tied up at dock.

"If you mean the _Britannic_'s site, then forget it. There's nothing there," T.K. said.

"Hold on. There's nothing there?" T.J. asked.

"Nope. A recent report from NUMA confirmed it," the half-Kaxian explained.

"Then I guess we can't do the project," Blare moaned.

_**WHEAAA! WHEAA! WHEAA! WHEAA!**_

"Great! Now what?" Bakunetsumaru grumbled, looking up.

"Something's going on! C'mon!" Sayla said, grabbing her gun and getting to her feet.

The group ran over to the docks just as over five thousand soldiers ran out from the brush and assembled in neat lines near the convoy. A soldier ran up to Sayla. "Sir, it just came over the network. The Dark Axis is going to blockade the seaports and cut off all entry via spacebridge. We're being ordered out to sea to stop them," he reported.

Sayla nodded. "All right! Seventeenth Division, roll out!"

_**You keep calling it a crash and burn**_  
_**Waiting your turn**_

"Right!" the soldiers said. They split up into three groups and ran on board each ship. The carrier received three thousand, the former liner received 2800, and the recon-combat ship took on 200. The engines were engaged on all three ships and the lines were disconnected.

As they steamed out to sea, the carrier moved in front of the other two ships, leading them through the man-made canal.

It took thirty minutes to get a respectable distance out to sea. By the time they had crossed halfway to the edge of the complex's sea borders, they were about to get a real shocker.

Sayla paced the bridge, glancing at Corporal Henku.

"How much further till we reach the site?" she asked.

"The site of disturbance?" Henku asked.

"Yes." Sayla nodded.

"About ten minutes, sir."

"Good."

_**You might have time to speak**_  
_**There barely was a lesson learned**_

The commander glanced at her friends. Blare bit her lower lip as she peered out the window of the bridge.

"Something wrong?" Sayla asked when she saw Blare looking nervous.

"Yes. I can't explain it, but it feels like something's coming." Blare shuddered.

"You mean the Dark Axis?" the commander asked.

Blare looked at the teenage commander and nodded. "Yes. And…something else."

Sayla gritted her teeth. If it meant what she feared, then…

"_Well, Yashaki. It's been a while._" The familiar voice echoed across the bridge, forcing everyone to look up, their eyes locking onto the enemy's hidden location.

"Cerverau! What do you want?" Zero snapped.

"_Oh, come on, knight. I just want to take your friend, Baston. That's all,_" Cerverau purred.

_**Cause it will return no favors back to me**_

"That's never gonna happen, traitor!" Vega hissed.

"_Well, we'll see about that."_

The comm shut down, and within minutes, the alarm began to blare over the systems. Sayla turned to her friends and snapped out an order. "All right. Here's the roster. Jaden, you take the forward gun. Bakunetsumaru, you get up in the lookout tower with T.K. Captain, take the starboard gun. Zero, report to the medical bay for any incoming injured. Shute, get in the port gun across from Captain. Your coordination may come in handy. Kicker, get in the air with Mike and T.J. You may be needed. Meisha, keep an eye on the radar. Kira, get into the air right away. We may need your power. Chelsea, get to any of the fighter planes. We may need you to provide a chemical weapons cover for us. Coby, get to the forward starboard machine gun. Bud, take the port. Lori, keep an eye on the comm network. It's gonna be up to you to coordinate things between the three ships. Vega, get to the control tower. You know what to do. Blare, get to the runway. We may need some extra propulsion on several of the planes if they become bogged down. Zane, get to the port missile launcher. Baston, take the starboard. Syrus, keep an eye on things with the ships. Check the sonar for torpedoes and underwater mines. Deed, get down to medical. We need you down there as well. Rele, get in the air with Michelle, T.J., Kicker, and Mike. Guneagle, you too. Me, I'll be making sure that no one gets past us."

"Right!" the little group yelled.

They split up into their assigned teams and ran out of the bridge. Sayla glanced at the monitors, watching as her crew got to their assigned posts and destinations. She smiled in satisfaction.

"Okay. Everyone ready?" she asked.

"_Yes, sir!_" came the collective cry.

_**I'm sure it tasted oh so sweet**_  
_**But it was never good enough for me**_

"Good. Now, be on your guard," Sayla ordered.

"Commander! Seems we're heading into some pretty thick fog," the weatherman said.

Sayla turned to look at him. "What? Fog? Out here?"

"Yeah. I don't know how, but I can take a wild guess that it's that demon mage, Shift," he remarked.

She nodded and turned to face Lori. "Okay. Establish emergency commlinks to the other two ships. We need to be ready for this."

"Already did so. Commlinks are up and running," the girl said.

"Good."

The atmosphere on board was tense as the three ship convoy slowed and the fog enveloped them like hands holding a precious object. Beads of sweat ran down the foreheads of the humans as they watched for anything that indicated an attack about to commence.

Then, it happened.

_**I bit the tongue behind my teeth**_  
_**It was never good enough for me**_

_**FWOOM!**_

The explosion threw everyone on the bridge down to the floor of the carrier. Sayla groaned as she sat up, her steely green eyes darting about the consoles, checking for damage to the ship's structure. Nothing was red.

"Thank Primus," she murmured.

"Sayla, we've got something off the port bow! I think it's them!" Meisha reported.

"_I see something in the mist! It's a huge object, and on top is our foe, no doubt!_" Bakunetsumaru snapped over the commlink.

"If he's here, then…" Silence filled the bridge before she barked out the order. "ALL GUNS, OPEN FIRE NOW!"

The guns all along the starboard side turned to face to port just as the portside guns began to charge. The balls of light and energy became visible just as something else fired off in the distance, releasing a faint booming sound like that of a Civil War cannon.

The guns shrieked as the lasers lanced out. The blue beams sped right at the concealed object in the mist, but rather than a large explosion, they heard only the splash of the beams impacting the water.

_**You say you always keep your word**_  
_**Show me what you're after**_

"I thought I ordered you to fire!" Sayla snapped.

"_We did, but we missed. And you know that we have far more accurate radar than the Dark Axis,_" Jaden protested.

"Captain, what about you? Tell me that you got a hit, at least," Sayla murmured.

"_Negative. My shot also missed. And I targeted with my scanner,_" the Gundam told her.

Sayla pounded a fist on the console in frustration. "Slaggit!"

"_Heh. Looks like you can't even hit me,"_ Cerverau taunted from the mist.

"Oh yeah? Well, how about this? _Titanic_, open fire!" Sayla yelled, waving her hand in the direction of the comm transmission.

The former ocean liner's captain's voice came on over the comm. "_Yes, sir! We won't even miss this time!_"

The beams fired from the former ocean liner's guns, indeed striking something, but as to what, they received quite a shock.

"NO SLAGGIN' WAY!" Sayla swore, her eyes widening at the sight before them.

_**I thought you'd promise me the world**_  
_**Tell me what you're after**_

"_Aw, crap!_" Blare swore.

"They have the _Britannic?!_" Syrus blurted from the sonar station.

"It appears so," Sayla murmured. "It appears so."

"_Slag, that's not good!_" Zane hissed.

"_Why not?_" Shute asked.

"_Because then they can not only blockade the seaports, but they'll also be able to sink ships that try to sneak by!_" Rele said.

"_With what?_"

"_Take a closer look, Shute,_" Guneagle replied.

"_Aw, come on!_" Shute blurted.

"_Now, do you see why?_"

Shute was silent, and although she couldn't see him, she could tell that he was nodding in astonishment, for even she was stunned.

Right on the front of the _Britannic_'s bow was a huge tear, almost like a mouth filled with sharp teeth…

"Geez! That's just whacked!" Lori yelped.

_**Go on and take it way too far**_  
_**Cause here we are waiting once again**_

"_Tell me about it. And it's even creepier when out on the deck here!_" Blare moaned. "_It looks like the ship has a mouth now._"

"_I think that's the idea,_" Captain said. "_It's no doubt meant to terrify us into surrendering_."

"_Well, it's not gonna work!_" T.J. hissed. "_That same tactic won't work on us three times in a row!_"

"_So, in short, we attack?_" Shute asked.

Sayla nodded. "Yes. Michelle, go."

"_Right! Chemist launching now!_" The single fighter plane taxied down the flight deck and took off, the flames searing the fog behind to nothing.

"_Relehimana Miya de Lacroa launching!_" A second fighter plane sped down the deck and into the mist.

"_Guneagle ready for takeoff!_" The flying Gundam jumped off the carrier's deck and engaged his engines, becoming a mere speck in the misty sky.

"_Kira Yamato, ready to fly!_" The Mobile Coordinator jumped off one of the guns, his wings flaring to full width and his jets kicking on, speeding off to join Guneagle.

"_Mike Federa launching now!_" A smaller version of an F-15 fighter jet streaked down the runway and sped into the mist.

"_Kicker Jones launching now!_" The gleaming blue starfighter sped down the runway and into the mist, becoming enshrouded within seconds.

"_T.J. Okashi, launching!_" The camouflage colored starfighter that had once been a humanoid mech taxied down the runway and within seconds was airborne. Then, he too vanished into the fog.

_**You say you always keep your word**_  
_**Show me what you're after**_  
_**Just a little faster**_

"Blare, did everyone launch okay?" Sayla asked.

"_Yes. No problems with the engines or anything of that nature,_" the girl replied.

"Good. Stand by for orders."

The six airborne fighters began to circle, waiting for the command to attack.

"_Okay. We're over the ship. Now—GEEZ! That was close!_" Mike blurted.

Sayla's gaze snapped towards the rusting ocean liner. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the sides of the ship actually lashed out _away_ from the structure, exposing the metal ribs and the interior of several of the cabins. Mike barrel rolled to the side, barely avoiding getting smacked with a chain of metal plates barely held together by rivets.

"Okay…Now that is seriously not possible!" Lori murmured. Then, she became serious. "Everyone on combat alert! I repeat, everyone on combat alert! Switch all guns to combat mode and get the armaments ready for battle! _Titanic,_ expose the rocket engines and get that ramming spar lowered. _Oceanic Protector_, get ready for full speed. We may need it."

The other two ships replied with an affirmative.

"Helmsman! Hard to port!" Sayla ordered.

_**Am I the only eyes that see so subtly**_  
_**This cut and dry routine**_

The helmsman wrenched the steering wheel to port and the carrier's rudder turned, forcing her great bulk into a turn. It was not a moment too soon, for a great geyser of water erupted where her bow had been not a few mere minutes before.

"Now! Fire!" Sayla cried into the comm unit.

The port and starboard guns turned in sync at her command, both Shute and Captain acting as one. The starboard gun roared first, releasing its laser just as the _Britannic_ tried to charge them. Shute fired the port gun an instant later than Captain, both lasers striking home in front of the massive liner.

The ship's propellers screeched as the old ocean liner came to a stop. Everyone present covered their ears, for the sound was really horrific. Rusting bearings over a century old sounded horrible when screeching.

"Okay. That was way too loud," Sayla grumbled.

"Heads up! Incoming missiles twelve o' clock!" Syrus blurted.

"Kicker, stop the missiles!" Sayla ordered.

"_You got it!_" The blue, red, green, and gold starfighter sped down close to the water. "_Torpedoes away!_" Twin torpedoes fell away from the underbelly and splashed into the water, their thrusters kicking in shortly after. They sped right at the incoming projectiles and in a massive explosion of light and sound, they both blew to pieces.

_**Even when you're by my side**_  
_**I still need time to feel the company**_

"_Nice shot!_" T.J. remarked.

"_Heads up! Second wave incoming!_" Guneagle cried over the comm.

"Fire ship-to-ship missiles! Now!" Sayla ordered.

"_What kind?_" Baston asked.

"The Heavy Assault Penetration Projectile!" Sayla snapped.

"_Right. Two HAPP missiles launching, now!_" Baston cried.

The missile launchers barked, releasing twin HAPP missiles. The Heavy Assault Penetration Projectile was standard issue for any Federation sea going vessel, as it was a very reliable weapon that could be used for whichever function it needed to be: surface-to-surface missile, air-to-air missile, surface-to-air missile, ship-to-ship missile, or even surface-to-ship missile, or, if the situation called for it, a bunker-buster bomb.

The twin warheads streaked through the air before entering the sea and streaking right for the hull of the _Britannic_. What they didn't expect was a large explosion as another ship sped right in front.

_**I'm sure it tasted oh so sweet**_  
_**But it was never good enough for me**_

"No way!" Sayla blurted.

Sure enough, right in front of them, was another ship from the past: the _Carpathia_ herself.

"Not another one!" Syrus moaned.

"We've got a third off to port!" Lori yelped. "It's the _Lusitania_!"

"What?" Sayla glanced out and her eyes widened as she saw the other two ships. One was somewhat covered in rust and the other looked like it had been hastily cleaned up. Both had a single glowing red optic, a sure sign of the horn-shaped control devices on top of the bridges. Both also had guns attached to the decks and superstructure, but not as many as the _Britannic_.

"Now we've got three to contend with," she murmured.

"_So, you like the newest additions? We raised these two and cleaned them up. Well, somewhat. Now, we can have an even playing field."_ Cerverau's voice held a bit of satisfaction and eagerness at wanting to fight.

"You asked for it!" Lori hissed.

"Okay. All ships, FIRE!" Sayla yelled, anticipating Lori's next remark.

_**I bit the tongue behind my teeth**_  
_**It was never good enough for me**_

The two sides let loose, bullets and lasers streaking through the sky. Missiles came from the carrier as the _Carpathia_ charged. One blast blew the ship's mast clean off, but missed the control horn.

"_Slaggit!_" Jaden swore. "_I missed!_"

"Then aim straight ahead, Jaden! That thing's got a single red eye! It shouldn't be that hard to blast it off!" Sayla snapped.

"_Hey! I can't help if they placed it a good distance back! Those things are way beyond the limits of the guns' maximum firing range!_" the boy/Gundam snapped.

"Great. If that's the case, then we'll have to get closer," Sayla replied.

"_What, and risk getting out afts kicked by the _Britannic_? Didn't you see the way the plating lashed out at me?_" Mike exclaimed.

"I did, slaggit! But we need to be able to take those control horns off, so stay a good distance away, but don't get too close," Sayla told him.

"_Right!_"

She watched as he flew in closer, careful to stay out of range of the ship's plating, which was now visibly twitching.

_**BA-BOOM!**_

The guns on the _Carpathia_ barked once, letting loose an armor piercing shell.

"SLAG! ENERGON GRIDS TO THE MAX! NOW!" Sayla yelled, sudden shock flooding her body. That armor-piercing round would no doubt strike the engines if they didn't get that shield up in time!

_**You say you always keep your word**_  
_**Show me what you're after**_

The two generators nestled in the carrier's superstructure glowed bright red before shifting to blue and releasing beams of light that interconnected around the ship, shielding it from harm.

The shell exploded harmlessly against it, prompting a sigh of relief from the crew.

"HEADS UP!" Syrus cried.

"What now, Syrus?" Sayla demanded.

"We're gonna get rammed!"

"WHAT!?"

_**SCHRUNCH!**_

"WHAAAAH!"

The full force of the impact threw everyone on board the bridge back, resulting in moans and groans coming from the crew. A scared voice came on over the comm.

"_Sayla! You guys okay?_" Kicker asked frantically.

"Ugh… Yeah. We're fine," Sayla moaned.

"_That's good, because you just got slammed on both sides by the _Britannic_ and _Lusitania_!_" Kicker exclaimed.

"Both ships?" Sayla asked, rubbing her head.

"_Yeah. They slammed the port and starboard sides, but thankfully the grid deflected the brunt of the impact,_" Kicker reported.

"That's good," Sayla murmured.

_**I thought you'd promise me the world**_  
_**Tell me what you're after**_

"_Uh oh! You guys might want to dodge this one!_" Mike interrupted.

"Why?" Sayla asked.

As if in response, a loud explosion tore open the carrier's bridge windows and a huge rumble filled the air. A large blast tore open the sky and a huge boom resounded. Sayla instantly knew what that meant.

"_Commander! The engines just took a blow! They're gonna overheat if we don't shut 'em down!_" the chief engineer blurted over the comm. In the background, Sayla could hear sirens blaring and the frantic cries of the engine room crew as they worked to shut down the overheating engines.

"The cooling pumps went?" Sayla blurted in disbelief.

"_And the cooling system in general!_" the chief engineer replied.

"Okay. But reroute all power from the auxiliary engines to the main ones. We're not gonna shut all engines down just yet!" Sayla ordered.

"_Right!_" The commlink shut down.

"_What's happening?_" Zane asked sharply.

"The engine room took a blow. They're shutting down the main engines but are gonna reroute all power from the backup to the main. This way we'll still have engine power, just not as much," Sayla reported.

"_That's good._"

"_Just one question,_" Bakunetsumaru replied.

"What?" Sayla inquired.

"_Will it be enough to outpace the _Britannic?" the Musha Gundam inquired.

"Yes. Why?"

"_I think I know why!_" Mike reported over the comm. "_INCOMING!_"

"Oh, God! Helmsman! Hard to starboard! Give me full right thrust! Now!" Sayla cried, looking at him.

_**Go on and take it way too far**_  
_**Cause here we are waiting once again**_

The helmsman nodded and spun the steering wheel to starboard while at the same time firing the thrusters on the sides of the ship, forcing her into a right-side lateral spiral motion, completing a three hundred sixty degree turn as she spun out of the way of the sharp bow-mouth of the _Britannic_.

The _Autobot Hero_ wound up her entire length away from the _Britannic_. The maneuver had been one that had been discussed and even debated being taught to the rest of the fleet, but it had never been included in the training roster until now. Such tactics were to be used in this fight, and many others.

But, as the carrier came to a stop, Cerverau's howl of rage echoed across the ocean. _"SH--!"_

"Nice try!" Lori remarked.

"_Bad news! They had a small fighter squadron circling in Stealth Mode! They're gonna divebomb us!_" Bud blurted from the port machine gun.

"All right! Fire surface-to-air missiles! The Assault Disruptors! Now!" Sayla barked.

"_Assault Disruptors away!_" Baston replied.

The ship shuddered three times as three Assault Disruptor missiles, also called the Admirals or ADMs for short, were launched straight up into the sky.

Sayla watched as the missiles struck their targets: three Dark Axis Doga squadron fighters. The smaller mechs fired off several rounds towards the shattered bridge windows, but T.J. acted swiftly, firing his thrusters and releasing a pair of air-to-air missiles from his wings.

The projectiles slammed into the force and blew, sending parts down to the sea below in a cloud of blue smoke and black mech fluid.

"Nice!" Syrus yelped.

_**You say you always keep your word**_  
_**Show me what you're after**_  
_**Just a little faster**_

"Second wave incoming!" Henku blurted.

"Now would be a good time," Sayla muttered, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a plan.

"Good time for what?" Lori asked.

"Anything, really," Sayla replied, looking at her. "I can't come up with anything at this point."

"_Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that. But, as you can clearly see, we are the victors here, not you,"_ Cerverau purred.

"And why is that?" Sayla hissed.

"_We have more firepower and the numbers to outmatch your puny efforts at driving us off."_

"Well, we've got an aircraft carrier and that's got way more weapons than your little fleet!" Lori snapped into the comm.

"_Oh, but you're mistaken. The Dark Axis has way more troops and you can fight for only so long before you have to retreat. And when you do, we'll claim victory in this battle and soon, the complex will be cut off from all supplies and you will be forced to surrender to us! Face it, Commander. You can't win and you know it!"_ Cerverau said, a sneer present in his voice.

"Wrong! We'll never give up and we mean it when we say it! Now, time to end this!" Sayla turned to face Syrus. "Where's the fleet?"

"The _Carpathia_ is going after the _Protector_, the _Britannic_ is engaging the _Titanic_ in combat, and the _Lusitania_ is gonna charge us," Syrus said without hesitation.

"Okay. Lori, relay the report!" Sayla snapped.

_**Hold your breath now**_  
_**The bad was wearing thin**_

"Right," Lori said.

As she relayed the message to the other two ships, Sayla gritted her teeth.

This was not what she had been expecting. In all their time fighting against the Dark Axis, they had uncovered some surprising things, but this really took the cake.

She recalled the day they had met the Gundam Force. That day, things had changed for all of them. Jaden getting hit by Subzero and turned into a Gundam, Baston being revealed as the descendent of Duel, and the recovery of their former leader, Anderson had been some pretty life changing events, but not as life changing as meeting the Force.

But even that was nothing when compared to this fight.

"Sayla! We've got bad news! The _Britannic_ is gonna ram the _Titanic_!" Syrus suddenly blurted.

"Tell them to go hard to port!" Sayla ordered.

"Right!" the boy said.

The message was relayed and she watched as the _Titanic_ veered sharply to port. The bow of the _Britannic_ clamped shut just a few mere feet from the starboard side, right where the ship had been broken, exposing the interior cabins, and barely missing the gash.

"_That was too close for comfort!_" Vega replied.

"Tell me about it. She nearly got nailed!" Lori exclaimed.

"Okay. Combat rep. Now," Sayla demanded.

"_We're engaging the _Lusitania_ in combat, and that's not going too well from what I've seen_," Mike replied.

"T.J., what about you?" Sayla asked.

"_The _Carpathia's_ charging the _Protector._ It's only—Geez! That was close!_" T.J. exclaimed.

"What happened?" the teen commander demanded.

"_The _Protector_ veered off to starboard. Good move, too. She actually spun twice her length to avoid the charge. If she hadn't, we might be short one ship!_" T.J. reported.

_**From the pavements settles in**_  
_**When we learn too much too soon**_

"Kicker, combat rep for the _Titanic,_" Sayla ordered.

"_She's still going good thanks to that move they pulled. They're prepping the guns to open fire now. I think they're gonna try to blast that control horn off, although I doubt they'll be able to hit it successful,_" Kicker stated.

"At least they're trying. What about the _Lusitania?_" the commander asked Jaden.

"_That's a whole other story. SHE'S GONNA HIT US!_" Jaden blurted.

"Helmsman! Hard to port!" Sayla yelled.

"_STARBOARD, SAYLA! STARBOARD!_" Jaden screamed.

"Scratch that! Give the girl full port thrust! Hard to starboard!" Sayla ordered.

"Right!" the helmsman replied.

The ship lurched as her turn was canceled. The thrusters on the port side powered up and with a sudden lurch to starboard, the ship was put into a forceful spin, the momentum from her own engines canceling out that of the thrusters, resulting in a full three sixty degree rotation and a loud crunch as the two ships collided.

The carrier received a nasty gash to her right side, penetrating through to the primary hull layer. The double hull design of the carrier had proven to be a useful asset after all.

The _Lusitania_, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The bow was mashed inward, and the ship itself was beginning to come apart under the strain of combat. Normally, she would've disintegrated and sunk by now, but something was keeping her together, and Sayla could take a wild guess as to what it was.

"_That was close_," Bud murmured softly.

"_Not as close as this! All ships, combine your powers! NOW!"_ Cerverau yelled.

"NO!" Sayla yelled. "All ships, return fire!"

Both sides opened up on one another. The Dark Axis' forces fired their guns just as the 17th's guns roared in retaliation. Both sets of lasers canceled each other out, but during that one moment, there was a change going on.

The _Britannic_, _Lusitania_, and _Carpathia_ were merging into one.

_**Hold your breath now**_  
_**The bad was wearing thin**_

Of course, no one else knew at the time, for the smoke from the resulting explosion was too thick for them to see. Only when the smoke cleared could they see the new ship before them. The very ships themselves were now one. The rusting hull plates that covered the vessel were black with a white stripe going along the middle and the superstructure held only one funnel, but black and yellow, same as the _Titanic_'s. The guns that all three ships once held were now clustered on the former promenade decks and the superstructure as well as the decks, making her seem like a nightmare creature from the most demented horror writer's mind. The three control horns were now one, and all three optics had merged into one as well, glowing an intense blood-red color. This was what no one had been expecting, let alone Sayla and her friends.

"No…way…" Sayla's eyes were wide in amazement and shock. "There's just no way it can be possible!" Three ships merging into one? And without combiner technology? How was it possible!?

"_How do you like our newest project?"_ Cerverau asked. _"We like to call her, Britannic 2.0!"_

"You slagger! That's not even possible!" Sayla snapped.

"_Oh, but it is. I have indeed created a combiner ship, and out of three old ones to boot! There is no way you humans and Gundams can win now! We shall be victorious!"_ Cerverau cackled.

"No. You will not be victorious!" Sayla yelled. "We'll fight you until we win and there will be no way you can win!"

"_Nice try. I have already won. And soon, very soon, the universe…will be ours!"_ Cerverau purred.

That got Sayla. Her eyes widened in fear and horror as the realization dawned on her.

Suffering…

Death…

Rape…

And enslavement.

Total…

Absolute…

Enslavement.

"NO! NO MORE ENSLAVEMENT! NO MORE BONDAGE OF FREE, SENTIENT, BEINGS! THERE WILL BE NO MORE OF THAT SUFFERING! AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T CARRY OUT YOUR SICKO WAYS AND SADISTIC PLANS FOR THE FREE BEINGS OF _**ANY**_ UNIVERSE! AND WE MEAN IT!" Sayla yelled.

_**From the pavements settles in**_  
_**When we learn too much too soon**_

The full fury of her anger and rage, and the determination of her words was echoed and mirrored in her friends' eyes. That familiar fighting fire…

It was now brighter than in previous battles, and it showed in their actions. But, the most prominent change was taking place within the _Titanic_ herself.

Gears were moving and pulleys were whining as a massive weapon was brought up out of the depths of the very ship's structure itself. This weapon was one that had not been included within the original upgrades, but one that had been forged in their very actions to save lives.

This new weapon, if you will, was unnamed.

In fact, not even Cerverau knew of what was happening. And Sayla knew this.

"Now, time for your DESTRUCTION!" she screamed. "ALL SHIPS, FIRE!"

The three vessels in the convoy blasted back with every ounce of their firepower and energy, but all this time, deep within the _Titanic_'s bow, the weapon was being integrated into her structure and systems, blending the new with the old, merging past and present into one.

"_Sayla, what's that on the _Titanic_'s bow?_" Coby asked worriedly. "_Is she sinking_?"

"No…No she's not," Sayla murmured, too focused on the battle to even really notice.

"_Then, what in Primus' name is that thing?_" Coby asked, trying to get her to look at the _Titanic_'s bow.

"It doesn't matter right now, Coby. We need to stop Cerverau," Sayla told him.

"_Okay._" Coby fell silent, but he was still nervous about something.

"Lori! Tell the _Titanic_ to move in front of us. Tell the _Protector_ to get beside the _Titanic_ on the port side. Helmsman, get us to starboard of the former liner's bow!" Sayla snapped.

"Roger!" Lori said.

Once all three ships were in position, she nodded. "Okay! All ships, FIRE!" Sayla cried.

At that single moment, the _Britannic 2.0_ also fired. Both sides were determined to wipe the other one out entirely. It was a battle that was to determine the very outcome of the war itself. And only one side would win.

Sayla gritted her teeth as the _Britannic 2.0_ fired, her shells screaming through the air.

_**BWAM!**_

"WHAAAAAH!"

_**Too soon**_

The shells slammed into the carrier's side, throwing the ship into a twenty degree roll. The force from the impact knocked everyone to their knees and stomachs. Sayla staggered to her feet and gripped the control console. Now, she could see several areas flashing red on the schematics of all three ships, indicating heavy damage.

The _Autobot Hero_ suffered the worst, with two massive dents from when she had gotten rammed by both the _Britannic_ and _Lusitania_. The bridge windows were blown out and small bits of debris and shrapnel littered the floor. The engine room was flashing bright red, indicating that the main engines were down, but the blue lines snaking from the backups to the main engines indicated the power flow was still strong. The nasty gash along the side where she had rammed the _Lusitania_ was revealed in dark red, indicating lesser damage to the hull plates.

The _Titanic_ had suffered moderate damage, which included a nasty dent from slamming into the _Britannic_ fifteen minutes prior to the merging. The ship's side was dented from a few impacts against her sister ship's sides, and the superstructure suffered a small degree of damage, mostly windows blown out.

The _Protector_ had suffered much less damage thanks to her superior speed. The only real damage she sustained was a small dent to the superstructure.

She growled in frustration. The carrier normally didn't suffer this degree of damage. It was almost as if Cerverau was planning on taking out the supercarrier before the other two ships.

"Just great! This isn't what I had been expecting!" she muttered angrily.

"_INCOMING! High velocity shells!_" Blare yelped.

"Type!" Sayla snapped.

"_Um…hold on. Got it! Two-inch antiaircraft gunfire! They're trying to shoot down our fliers!_" Blare cried.

"Counter with laser fire at the ship's guns! Blast them to bits!" Sayla snapped.

"_No can do!_" Jaden protested.

"Why not?" Sayla asked, her eyes narrowing.

"_They're shielded by other guns! You saw the thing!_" Jaden said.

"Then tell them to bombard the ship with whatever they've got! Bombs, missiles, torpedoes, anything as long as it works! Use energon mines if you have to—but take those guns down now!" Sayla ordered.

"_Okay. I'll relay the message,_" Jaden said.

"Good."

She waited as the message was relayed. Now, things were getting tough. The carrier's engines were beginning to run low on power, and their ammo supply was running out to boot. They had to finish this and fast.

"Sayla!" Lori cried.

"Huh?" Sayla turned at the mention of her name.

"Incoming message from the captain of the _Titanic_. He says it's urgent," Lori reported.

"Patch him through," Sayla said with a nod.

Lori nodded back. "Right."

The screen came up, showing the captain of the _Titanic_, a young man of about thirty named Jason Yong.

"What's the problem?" Sayla asked.

"_No problem, Commander. I just thought you should know something,_" Yong told her.

"What?" Sayla asked.

Before Yong could reply however, the screen fizzled out as a shell from the _Britannic 2.0_ hit the communications antenna.

"SLAGGIT!" Sayla swore.

"Bad news! The communications antenna was struck! We've lost all communications with the ships!" Lori reported.

"Okay. Bring up emergency frequencies now!" the commander snapped.

"Already did so. We're still good, at least until they blast the backup antenna," Lori murmured.

"Let's hope to Primus they miss then!" Sayla hissed.

"_Give it up! You can't keep fighting. You know it as well as anyone. Why still fight in a futile attempt to prevent our blockade? It's useless. We're going to win, and you know it. So, just surrender, and we may let you live, perhaps as our pets. If not, then…die,"_ Cerverau purred.

"No, we will not give up!" Sayla screamed. "When I said that we wouldn't quit, I meant what I said!"

"_Then, where is your last weapon?" _Cerverau asked mockingly.

"RIGHT HERE! ALL SHIPS, OPEN FIRE WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! DON'T GIVE UP, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST!" Sayla roared.

_**You say you always keep your word**_  
_**Show me what you're after**_

The command was right on cue. Cerverau's eyes widened as he watched the _Titanic_'s bow and forward deck open to reveal a hidden compartment. The whole cannon emerged from its hiding place out into the dim lighting of the fog enshrouded battle site. The gun's silver color gleamed dangerously and the golden power lines on the sides shimmered with the energy buildup. The barrel was glowing golden as the cannon aimed at the form of the three merged vessels.

"FIRE!" Sayla screamed out that one word with everything she had.

Her command echoed across the battle zone, and the three ships fired with everything they had. It seemed impossible that three ships alone could stop an entire blockade force, but it was happening. The hail of shells, bullets, and lasers seemed to increase in numbers as the cannon on the _Titanic_ charged up.

"Sayla, Captain Yong is back on the comm," Lori reported.

"Okay. Patch him through. Go ahead," Sayla said as Lori activated the screen and the captain's image reappeared.

"_Commander, as I was saying before, we seemed to have gained a new weapon,_" he said.

"Wait. What?" Sayla blinked in confusion.

"_You heard me, right?_" Captain Yong said. He looked bewildered, but also there was a hint of hope in his eyes.

"Yeah. But…how did you?" Sayla asked, her eyes widening.

"_I'm not sure, but it seems to me that it was waiting to be activated when we needed it the most,_" the captain said.

"Any idea why it was stored on the _Titanic_?" Sayla questioned him.

_**I thought you'd promise me the world**_  
_**Tell me what you're after**_

"_No clue, sir. But we're preparing to fire it._"

"Good. I'll tell the other two ships to fire with you," Sayla said.

"_Thanks. Captain Yong out._"

The screen shut down and Sayla snatched up the mike from Lori. "Hey!"

"Attention _Autobot Hero_ and _Oceanic Protector_. Fire as soon as the _Titanic_ fires their cannon! Repeat! Fire when _Titanic_ fires!" Sayla ordered.

The command was repeated three more times before everyone got the word.

"Okay! Now, let's go!" Sayla barked.

"_Time to die, Commander! _Britannic 2.0_, fire the Darkness Cannon!"_ Cerverau yelled.

"TITAN CANNON! FIRE!" Captain Yong cried.

"AUTOBOT HERO! LAUNCH ALL WEAPONS!" Sayla screamed.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker yelled.

"SHOCKER CANNON!" T.J. cried.

"AERIAL STINGER…ACTIVATE!" Guneagle yelled.

"AERO SPIN!" Mike roared.

"GRAVITY DISRUPTION!" Blare screamed.

"MANA MISSILE!" Rele shouted.

"CHEMICAL EXPLOSION!" Michelle cried.

"DRAGOON SYSTEM ACTIVATE!" Kira yelled.

"OCEANIC BARRAGE!" the crew of the recon-combat ship yelled.

The massive arsenal of the _Autobot Hero_ was an impressive sight to see as the lasers and missiles and bullets were launched, as well as the _Protector_'s own assault, but not as impressive as the Titan Cannon.

The huge gun roared, sending out a large silver beam with a golden hue, red and blue electricity coursing along it, merging with the golden blue of the Energizer Blast and Shocker Cannon. The wind created from Mike's Aero Spin created a buffer zone while Blare's Gravity Disruption threw up a barrier of zero-Gs in front. Guneagle's Aerial Stinger propelled the attack faster and Rele's Mana Missile added extra firepower to the combination. The lasers fired from Kira's DRAGOON system boosted the firepower to new levels while the Chemical Explosion boosted the explosive power with the bomb released from Chelsea's fighter plane, merging with the beams.

The powerful beam collided with the arsenal of the other two ships, and the three merged into one.

_**Go on and take it way too far**_  
_**Cause here we are waiting once again**_

The screen suddenly split to show all of their faces as they yelled out their newest move. "_TITANIC CANNON MODE! FIRE!_"

The powerful laser flashed once as the whole team put their hearts and souls into this attack, the entire beam becoming pure white, contrasting with the dark purple-black color of the Darkness Cannon. The beam streaked through the mist, scattering it to the winds, homing in on its target.

With a loud explosion of sound, the twin beams, one light, one dark, collided, throwing out a shockwave that caught the very attention of all who witnessed the incredible exchange of energy between the two sides. Sayla and her friends cried out their hearts and souls, their screams becoming one with the roar of the cannon. The fighting fire raged in their eyes, showing their fighting spirit and their determination to never be defeated.

Cerverau also cried out, merging his very being with that of the _Britannic 2.0_, becoming one with the ship. But, what he didn't expect was the intense pain that came with it.

"_GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The combined beams were equal in power and strength, so they both exploded at the collision mark, sending out a shockwave of gold, blue, silver, red, dark purple and black smoke. Or so it seemed.

Cerverau 'smirked', but then…his end came about.

"CERVERAU, YOUR END IS NOW!" the team roared.

"_What?! No! NO! NOOOOOOOO!"_ The cry that came over the commlink was enough to make them cover their ears and audios as the beam intensified, sending forth their very humanity in this format, colliding with the very embodiment of ruthlessness that was the Darkness Cannon and the _Britannic 2.0_. This laser, unlike the others before, was now a multicolored beam, and it slammed head on into the cannon itself just before it fired. When the cannon barrel blew, it also blasted apart a portion of the ship's bow, and in a rage, Cerverau put his anger into the next attack, but…

It proved to be his downfall.

_**You say you always keep your word**_  
_**Show me what you're after**_

The whole ship suddenly stopped. The beam came right for him and struck the ship straight down the bow and out the stern, striking the engine rooms. All Cerverau remembered before the ship blew up was the pure humanity that he had witnessed here and now. It showed him how strong they were, and how powerful some things remained in the Federation.

The ship's structure suddenly exploded outward as the boilers in her engine rooms blew apart from the intense blast of energy. A shockwave of incredible proportions sped out in all directions, rocking the three ship convoy, and damaging the ships even further, but not to the degree that they had been during the fight.

As soon as the wave died down, Sayla glanced up, her eyes locking onto the site of what had once been a devastating new weapon for the Dark Axis.

_**It was never good enough for me**_  
_**Show me what you're after**_  
_**Just a little faster**_

"Cerverau…" Sayla fell silent as she stared at the debris floating in the water in front of them.

"Sayla?"

"Yeah, Sy?" Sayla's voice was a bit vague, but not as much as Syrus's.

"Did…did we really…have to…kill him?" Syrus murmured as he looked at her.

"We had to. It was the only way to win this one," she said softly. "But, I guess this is what he wanted. He wanted to fight against us…and he got it."

"Still…" Syrus looked down before he looked back at the debris. "There must have been another way."

Sayla shook her head sadly. "There was nothing that could be done. It was his choice. Not ours."

"Oh."

"_Sayla, there's no sign of the enemy ship anywhere. All there is really is just debris. We did it!_" Jaden exclaimed over the comm.

"Yeah. We did win," Sayla murmured.

"_Hey, is something wrong?_" Jaden asked.

"No. Nothing's wrong, Jaden."

"_Oh. Well, you sounded kinda sad._"

"I'm fine."

"_Okay. Just checking_."

She smiled. Jaden knew her well. Almost as well as she knew her ships in and out, maybe even better.

"Looks like we're gonna fail the project after all," Syrus moaned suddenly.

"_Hey. We won't fail,_" Mike said.

"Oh? How's that?" Syrus snapped.

"_If we can't do a report on the _Britannic_, we may be able to do a report on how sometimes a blockade can go wrong,_" Mike explained.

"Huh?" He blinked his eyes just as everyone else came on over the visual communications system.

"_Mike's right, Syrus. We've got enough data on how a blockade can backfire, if given the time and effort, a blockade can be stopped,_" Kicker said.

"_Yeah. That sounds good to me,_" Shute replied.

"_Affirmative. The topic does sound good,_" Captain added.

"_Plus, we've got a firsthand account on how costly it can be,_" Zero chimed in.

"_Besides, who needs to do a report on an old liner anyway? That thing was ready to fall to pieces anyway!_" T.J. exclaimed.

"_But, how can we do it without something to refer it to?_" Blare asked.

"_How about we compare it to the blockade of WWI done by Britain and Germany's counterblockade?_" Meisha asked.

"Hey, not a bad idea!" Lori said.

"_Yeah! We've got the information, and we know how that turned out anyway!_" Coby agreed.

"_Same here! Good idea, Mike!_" Bud chirped.

"_For once, I have to agree. That idea is a sound one_," Baston added.

"_Count me in on that one,_" Bakunetsumaru replied.

"_I'm in too,_" Chelsea remarked.

"_Me three,_" Vega added.

"_I'm in!_" T.K. replied.

"_I'm also in,_" Zane said.

"_Count me in for that!_" Guneagle remarked.

"_I agree. It's a good idea,_" Rele replied.

"_I too agree,_" Deed said.

"_Hey! I'm in!_" Kira chirped.

Sayla grinned. "Okay. Now that we know what to do for our report, let's get back to the TCDA. Plus, we need to get the ships fixed."

"Yes, sir!" the team said as one.

* * *

**A few days** later, Sayla and the others glanced at the screens they had received back from their history teachers. Syrus moaned out loud.

"All that hard work, and we still got a lousy grade!" he moaned.

"Hey, relax. Besides, the teacher didn't give us a lousy grade. You just didn't look closely," Kicker said.

"Huh?" Syrus cocked his head.

The pilot smirked and held up the report.

Sure enough, scrawled in the right hand corner, were three words: _Excellent report, guys!_ Beside it was an A+, and a small red Autobot sigil with the word _Excellent_ on it.

"W-wow…" Syrus murmured.

"So, you see? We didn't get a bad grade. We got a good grade," Chelsea remarked.

"Sorry…" Syrus's whole face flushed red and everyone laughed.

Kicker fell back on the grass and sighed. "Well, at least we won that battle," he murmured.

"Yes. Had we lost, we might be blockaded by the Dark Axis and their soldiers," Baston murmured.

"Yeah," Kira murmured softly, gazing up at the sky.

"Still, I wonder why Cerverau was chosen for the attack," Chelsea asked.

"Probably because he knew our attacks in and out, not to mention he used to be one of us. Remember what Xenphyr said? How sometimes beings can become corrupt when working as assassins for the organizations they're a part of?" Vega asked.

"Yeah, so?" Kicker remarked.

"Well, I think that's what happened with Cerverau. I don't know that much, but I can take a guess that somehow, he became tainted by the darkness inside. He thought he shed it, but it came back and turned him against everything he believed in, including democracy and freedom across the stars," Vega told them.

"But, why him? Why not someone else?" Meisha asked.

"Hope. He lost all hope of achieving his goal of taking out the most corrupt political leaders out there. He failed in one mission and everything went downhill from there," Sayla murmured.

"You knew? You knew that's what happened?" T.K. asked.

Sayla shook her head. "No. It's just a guess. But, now that he's gone, we can't ask him why he did it."

"Wait. I just remembered something," Zane said.

"What is it?" Sayla asked.

"Before he turned traitor, he said to tell you guys that if anything happened to him, such as turning against us, that he was doing it for the greater good. Somehow he himself knew what was coming, and he wanted us to be fully prepared. So, he refused to tell the rest of you and he asked me to tell you if he was killed in battle," he replied.

"H-how…how'd he even know?" she asked softly.

Zane shrugged helplessly. "Not even I know. He just told me to tell you that."

"No wonder…" Sayla murmured.

"So, in short, he knew that he was turning evil?" Shute asked.

"Yes. That seems to be the case, although we'll never really know," Captain replied. His blue eyes locked onto Shute's green ones. "Sometimes, things aren't easy to explain."

"Such as how we gained that new cannon," Bakunetsumaru reminded them.

"Yeah. Where did that come from anyway?" T.J. asked as he scratched his head. "It wasn't in the plans for the refit."

"To tell you the truth, not even I know," Vega replied.

"Not even with your ability to resonate with machinery?" Michelle asked him.

"No. Nothing," Vega replied with a shake of his head.

"What about you, Blare?" Sayla asked.

Blare shrugged helplessly. "How should I know? I'm not a Blazian. I can't resonate with machinery to a limited extent like Vega can."

"Jaden, what do you think?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

Jaden grew thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I think somehow, someone heard us."

"Huh?" The Musha Gundam cocked his head.

"Think about it. We needed a miracle, we wanted to win no matter what, and we did. We got a secret weapon that not even the Dark Axis knows of: the Titan Cannon. And it all happened during that fight with the three ships, and their merged form, _Britannic 2.0,_" the other Gundam replied.

"But, why on the _Titanic_? Why not the _Autobot Hero_ or the _Oceanic Protector_?" Lori asked.

"Probably because that ship is a part of humanity's history that we can't afford to lose," Coby mused.

"Possibly, but I somehow doubt it," Zero remarked.

"Know what I think?" Bud asked.

"What?" Sayla asked.

"I think the _Titanic_ was chosen because it's a bit of history, and a reminder of humanity's flaws, but also our strengths. We don't give up, we adapt, and we learn quickly. We don't back down from a challenge, and we keep fighting till the end," Bud said softly.

"…" Everyone was silent at Bud's explanation. It seemed to fit, and also, it seemed…right. Humanity was indeed capable of great things, but not as great as what had occurred out at sea a few days ago.

"But…there's still one thing that bothers me," Sayla said.

"What?"

"If someone gave us the cannon, they sure did us a favor. But…who did it? Who gave us that weapon, and what was their reason?" she murmured.

All twenty-five student warriors glanced skyward, their gaze locked onto the sky. Someone had indeed come through for them, and they knew it. But, who _had_ given them the cannon?

That was one mystery that they would never solve.

And yet…

That day, a few days ago at sea, a miracle had happened. A miracle that showed the universe a new light, and restored their faith.

The miracle that bound them together and encouraged them to keep going, no matter what it took.

The miracle that united them and drove them on.

A miracle that most others lost in helpless battles that meant their doom.

A miracle of not just faith, but drive, determination, and unity.

The miracle…

Of hope.


	84. Transmissions Live!

Chapter 9

Shift narrowed his eyes as he watched the Intergalactic Federation from the safety of the fortress. Ever since Shibaomaru had been killed in the Federation's invasion, it had been very difficult to convince Gerbera to allow him to carry out his own plan. If he succeeded, then the two of them could avenge Guardian, Shibaomaru, and Subzero.

Gerbera saw very little logic in sending a transmission out to the universe. But Shift saw plenty of potential for dividing the universe even further. If it worked, that is.

He snickered as he triggered the communications screen. "Perfect…"

* * *

_In the Federation's home dimension…_

Sarah Davidson sighed as she adjusted her headset. It had been a few days since the Federation leader's speech to the UPA. Even though she had managed to convince the others of the danger, she had failed to fully convince Dajar'o, even after he had been shown the footage and the photos of the entire invasion operation!

This frustrated everyone in the organization. If Dajar'o wasn't willing to contribute the forces and resources needed to the rescue operation the President had planned out, then they would have to work to get others to see the threat. And the only way to do that was via the Universal Communications Board.

If they would listen, of course.

Personally, Sarah hoped that they did listen. It was essential to try and expand the alliance if they were to bring down a threat to everyone.

But so far their efforts had proven futile. Hopefully this plan of theirs would work.

"Okay. All communications systems are up and running. We'll be live in three!" she said.

The communications officer in front of her nodded. "Understood. Activating broadcasting equipment in two!"

"All systems are green! Interorganizational communications activated!" a technician cried.

"Systems active!" Sarah turned to face the President. "You're live."

President Warren nodded.

"Thanks." She stepped closer to the screen and squared her shoulders as the insignia for the Universal Communications Board (a broadcasting dish with an alien script written across it) appeared.

Static filled the screen before it faded to reveal the leader of the Communications Board, a male humanoid being by the name of Stath Boga.

"_This is the Universal Communications Board. How may I help you?_" he asked.

"Chairman Boga, this is President Heather Jen Warren of Earth, leader of the Intergalactic Federation," President Warren said introducing herself.

Stath's eyes widened as he heard the words. "_Wait. As in the Intergalactic Federation that defeated Unicron and the very organization that is now fighting against a massive threat?_"

She nodded. "Yes. That's us."

Stath blinked before he sighed with relief. "_Thank the gods! I wasn't sure if anyone would be able to contact us_."

President Warren blinked in confusion. "Wait. What's going on?" she asked, getting a bad feeling in her gut.

The alien chairman sighed. "_Look. All I can say is that someone is trying to send out a massive universal transmission. Already a lot of other transmissions are being cut off and many organizations have lost contact with a few key bases. It's chaos here,_" he said.

"I can understand the feeling. But who would be trying to send out such a massive transmission?" President Warren asked.

"_Well…it's kind of hard to explain,_" Stath said. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "_We have a few theories, but we're not sure if even one of them is accurate._"

"Just tell me your theories. We'll try and look into it," President Warren promised.

"_Okay. Well, the first theory has to do with the fact that the transmissions originated in a place that we can't get to via normal means. The second theory states that the transmission could have come from an alternate reality,_" Stath replied.

President Warren gasped. "Wait. The transmissions were sent from the Dark Axis' home dimension?!" she blurted.

Stath nodded. "_Wait. What? Where did you say they originated from?_"

"The Dark Axis home dimension," President Warren repeated. "If what you say is true, then they may be very well sending out a massive transmission using their dimensional communications equipment."

"_Then that would explain the mysterious loss of contact that the other organizations have been experiencing,_" Stath murmured.

"It does. What really confuses me is why the Dark Axis would even be trying it," President Warren mused, "unless it's to try and divide the universe even further."

"_That brings us back to the reason why you contacted me in the first place,_" Stath said. His eyes flashed as he said those words.

"And I'm getting to that," President Warren replied. "I contacted you to see if you could help us get a transmission out to the rest of the universe to come together to bring down the Dark Axis."

"_I'm sorry, but as I said before, it's chaos here. My fellow news reporters and our staff are very busy trying to get through this massive transmission signal,_" Stath said apologetically.

President Warren sighed. "I understand."

She turned away from the screen as it shut down. "So much for that," she murmured.

* * *

_In the Universal Communications Board…_

It was utter chaos in the transmitter rooms. Everywhere one looked, beings scurried around carrying screens and stacks of papers trying to get the transmissions in order. It was a chaotic task, for no one was sure who had sent what transmission and when it had been sent. The massive communications signal had screwed up the normal communications signals, making it hard for loved ones to communicate with their spouses or offspring.

In the middle of all this confusion stood Stath Boga. His green eyes flicked around as he snapped out an order in Basic to one of the humans who worked at his organization. The human nodded and ran off in another direction.

Born the son of a merchant and a schoolteacher, he had been only ten when he first built a communicator for his father. Ever since then, his parents had sent him to a school of communications when he had expressed his desire to create a universal communications network for different organizations. At the age of twenty-five Earth years, he had left the organization to begin his plans.

By the age of forty, he had established a wide-reaching organization that regulated communications control between organizations and alliances. Now as a result of heading such a well known organization, he was often turned to in times of war such as these.

But he wasn't a god, let alone a miracle worker.

"C'mon! We need more power sent to the transmitters. The more power we get, the better the chance we have of breaking through that massive signal that's blocking all others!" he snapped.

"Right, sir!" a young male humanoid with dragonfly wings said. He grabbed the controls to one of the many transmitters and pulled down on the lever to increase the power flow.

With a grunt, the humanoid made sure the lever snapped down into place. The transmitter began to hum, increasing power.

Stath smiled grimly. They had all transmitters going at max. Now came the hard part. He turned to face his second in command. "How's it going with the rest of the transmitters? Is the power increased?"

The 2IC nodded. "Yes, sir. All power has been increased. We're preparing for the next phase of the plan. With any luck, we should be able to breach that signal."

Stath nodded back. "Good. And the sooner, the better. So many beings are left without any word from their loved ones and I can't allow this to go on. Those poor souls need to know that their spouses and offspring are okay. The fact that they can't communicate makes me shudder," he said.

His second merely bowed her head and walked off.

'_C'mon…Please let this work._' Stath pleaded.

Three tense hours passed as Stath waited for the word from his second in command. He was beginning to wonder if his plan to breach the signal would even work when the comm link in his ear suddenly beeped. His hand flew to the device and he pressed it. "Yeah, go ahead."

"_Sir, the focusers are up and running. The signal is about to be sent. If the transmitters remain at maximum power, we should be able to break through that transmission signal with no trouble,_" she said.

The way she said it sent shivers down Stath's back. "What do you mean 'if they remain at maximum power'?" he asked.

"_The transmitters weren't built to sustain maximum power for more than twelve hours. It will take another nine hours to focus the radio pulse and another two hours to send our own transmissions,_" the second in command said grimly.

"Well, I don't care how long it will take. Just make sure that the transmitters remain up and running beyond the twelve hour limit! We have to break and shatter that signal!" Stath snapped.

"_Understood, sir._" The comm unit shut down and Stath sighed.

He hoped they could sustain the power beyond twelve hours.

* * *

**The Federation communications **officer studied the screen intensely as the signal was sent out. Her eyes narrowed as she read the source of the focused signal: the Universal Communications Board.

She turned to face the President. "President Warren, the Universal Communications Board just sent out a focused signal. I think they're trying to shatter that massive transmission signal," she said.

President Warren glanced up, astonishment appearing on her features. "What? Are you serious?"

The technician nodded. "Affirmative. I checked the source and confirmed it."

"Check it again!" President Warren snapped.

The technician nodded and turned back to the console. She ran the signal through the tracer three more times before turning back. "I checked it three more times. The signal is definitely originating from the UCB."

President Warren bowed her head, becoming thoughtful. "Well, now this is new…"

Suddenly, the communications signal beeped three times. "Huh?" President Warren looked back at the techie. "Where's that signal coming from?" she demanded.

"It's coming from the Dark Axis home dimension!" the techie exclaimed.

"Patch it through, but do not reveal that we are listening!" the President ordered.

"Roger!" The techie pressed the button that activated one way visual and audio communications. All across the stars in the organization, the leaders of each and every world watched as the screens flashed to show the static of an incoming transmission.

President Warren's eyes narrowed as she watched the static fade to reveal the face of the demon mage, Shift.

"_Attention universe! This is Shift of the Dark Axis. We come in peace._"

"Yeah, right," President Warren muttered.

"_We are broadcasting this transmission in order to warn you of the threat that the Intergalactic Federation possesses! They are not the saviors you all have come to see them as! They are a group of conquerors who will stop at nothing to dominate your lives, and ours._

"_You must ally against them, not with them, if you are to survive. They are power hungry fiends who will butcher women and children to achieve their goals of becoming gods!_" Shift cried.

President Warren growled, feeling hate and anger flood her body. She glanced at the techie with righteous anger in her eyes. "Cancel the one way transmissions! Activate two way communications and broadcast them live! We're going on the air!"

The techie blinked in confusion, muting the screen with Shift on it. "What? Are you serious?"

The President nodded, "Yes, I am."

"But…we just don't have the power to send out a universal communication!" the techie protested.

"Then send it to Cybertron and reroute it to their main satellite communications system! That's got the power needed to send it out live!" President Warren hissed.

The techie nodded, stunned at the order. "All right." She turned back to her console and typed in a line of code. "Rerouting communications signals to Cybertron's CyberSystem satellites!" She glanced back over her shoulder. "You're live."

President Warren nodded. "Good." She stepped up to the screen and began speaking.

* * *

**Across the stars**, everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the two screens showing different beings. The first being was a human female with brown hair and green eyes that held a sense of compassion, but intense loyalty to her organization and the dreams which they fought for. The second being was a mechanical life form with dark green eyes on a dark yellow eye screen with twin raven wings on his helmet. He seemed to ooze pure evil, and yet his words contradicted this information.

President Warren spoke loudly, cutting across Shift's words. "_Attention, everyone! This is President Heather Jen Warren of the Intergalactic Federation! What you are hearing is wrong! The organization that this Gundam is with is not really fighting for peace and diplomacy! I have seen what the Dark Axis has been doing firsthand, and it is not pleasant!_"

Shift's voice cut across her words, and she glared at his image. "_Do not believe their lies, fellow species. My fellow allies and I have not done anything bad._"

"_Trust me on this!_" President Warren pleaded. "_Just trust me. Please! If you allow yourselves to ally with the Dark Axis, the consequences will be very disastrous for all of us! What have they done to save your lives? Huh!?_

"_We of the Intergalactic Federation have risked our very lives and sanity just so you all could have peace and democracy in the future. We've taken on the worst enemies out there, and we have won each time. We beat Unicron three times, we clobbered the Murder Pirates Association, we destroyed Titan AE, and we defeated the Decepticons a couple times. We did what no one else thought we could do, and in doing so, we saved your lives as well as the lives of everyone else you know._

"_So think this through! Do you want the Dark Axis to rule you? Or do you want freedom? It's time for you to make a choice! And once you choose a side, you can't go back. So, think wisely before you make your choice. I am pleading with you to make the right choice. If you don't, then it's all over for everyone._"

Shift scowled as he suddenly cut off the communications broadcast and he crossed his arms as he pondered this. The Intergalactic Federation had just sent a universal broadcast, and they had limited communications technology. But unless they had an amplification system—which he suspected they had—then they could in theory broadcast a transmission out to everyone…for a limited time, anyway.

This was a new development in the war, and his scowl transformed into a snarl. "How dare they!" he snapped. He pounded his fist on the desk of the communications console. "This is the last straw! I will go down shortly. But first, I want to see what Gerbera has planned for them…"

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

President Warren sighed. "Well, we managed to get out a transmission. All we can do now is hope for…" Her voice was cut off as the signal beeped three more times. "What now?" she moaned.

The techie put it through before she could even issue the order.

This time, it was Dajar'o. "_What is the meaning of this?_" he demanded. "_I just received that outrageous transmission!_"

"We did too, Dajar'o. Now do you see the kind of threat that we are facing?!" President Warren snapped.

"_I still won't accept it, but I am starting to understand the tactical situation. Clearly you are at a disadvantage since your enemy resides in another dimension,_" Dajar'o said.

"Wait. _Our_ enemy?" President Warren blinked. "The Dark Axis is a threat to _everyone_, and that includes you!"

Dajar'o shook his head. "_This is your fight. Not ours_."

"But you said that you saw the tactical situation!" President Warren blurted, pointing her finger at the screen.

"_I merely said that I was beginning to understand the situation. I didn't say that I _saw_ the tactical situation,_" Dajar'o replied.

"What makes you think that you're above even the threat of the Dark Axis?!" President Warren cried. "Do you see yourselves as being better than the rest of the universe?!"

Dajar'o was silent as he stared at her. Her accusation was intense, but it was also true. He did think that he was better, but that perspective was beginning to change, although too slowly for her.

"Remember what I said back at that UPA Council Meeting? Of how you need to start thinking about others? Well, this is the perfect time to start doing that! Start thinking about the bigger picture, not just what you see in your little sector of the universe!" President Warren snarled. "If you don't, then it's over!"

Dajar'o smiled slightly. "_Okay. I'll start doing that._"

The comm shut down and the screen fizzled to nothing but static.

President Warren sighed angrily. "I doubt he'll even start thinking about others, anyway," she muttered.

She didn't know how right she was…

For now, anyway.


	85. UPA Invasion Failures!

Chapter 10

Holding out was what the Dark Axis has least expected the dimension of Ark to accomplish. Several long months had passed ever since they first began their invasion, and each time they were driven back by the determined forces of Emperor Britanamaru.

This was very unnerving to any commander, especially now that Shibaomaru was dead. It was just what the Musha forces needed to use to their advantage. Without Shibaomaru giving the forces stationed in Ark commands, they had no one to turn to, and nowhere to go. It was such a victory to them that by the end of the invasion, only twelve Musha Gundams had been lost, while the Dark Axis suffered many more losses.

The sun shone down across the battlefield, strewn with the dead bodies of the Zako invaders. Countless weapons lay abandoned and camps were scattered among the carnage, medical personnel tending the wounded and preparing to bury the dead enemy soldiers. Looming above it all was Tenchijo, the emperor's castle.

Standing on the balcony overlooking the battlefield was a small Musha Gundam, but he was no child. He gave off an aura of wisdom and tactical thoroughness, enhanced by the fact he was studying the positions of his forces stationed around the battlefield. A few crater shells made by the massive guns of the castle were visible, and he grimaced to himself.

"Lord Britanamaru," someone said.

The small Musha turned to face the speaker, one of his guards.

"Yes?" he asked.

The guard shifted his position before speaking. "We…we're almost done cleaning up the enemy carnage. With any luck, we should begin moving in three days."

The emperor nodded his gratitude. "Good. The sooner we can get moving, the better. We have to stop the Dark Axis!" he declared.

The Gundam before him nodded in agreement. "Understood, sir."

The guard turned and walked off, leaving the older Musha to continue studying the battlefield.

It seemed like only yesterday to him that the Dark Axis had relaunched their attack on the land he ruled. The forces that came were massed in numbers that far surpassed their original numbers. Tactical advantage had lain with them at the beginning of the four month siege, but attrition and combat had taken their toll on the huge army. The Mushas had whittled them down considerably, but not without suffering losses themselves. It had been a fierce assault. Just struggling to survive had claimed 40,000 lives alone! It made him shudder as he recalled how many brave warriors had been lost in the struggle.

But Britanamaru knew that outside Ark, in an unknown dimension, an even greater war was being waged. Information had come through one of the Genki Energy Force Zakos, enabling him to keep track of what was happening.

So far the enemy had lost three of their new generals. One was killed in action, one was removed from the humans' world entirely, and one was murdered after a fierce fight on some world called Dirt or something like that. That left only two generals to kill.

The only question now was: _Could they win this war?_

Personally, Britanamaru hoped that whoever was allied with Kibaomaru, the Genki Energy Force, and the Gundam Force had enough power to destroy the supreme commander of the Dark Axis…if they had one, that is.

He didn't even know how right he was.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The light from the setting sun shone down on the shimmering complex. It reminded the President of a vast galaxy, unexplored, unknown, and undiscovered by mortals. This particular galaxy, however, was the central command center for the Intergalactic Federation, and yet, it seemed that there was always some kind of mystery that needed to be solved.

In a way, there _was_ a mystery afoot.

The intense study undertaken by the Federation Defense Forces and about half the scientists, engineers, and technicians to try and crack the real mystery behind the Soul-Drives was a reminder of how determined they were to defeat the Dark Axis and save all of those they had experimented on. Her teeth grit at the mere thought. Anger flared into life inside her being, but she repressed the urge to scream out to the heavens.

The anger also held a bit of grief, for the second reason why she was up here became clear in her memories.

President Warren stood on top of the main building, looking out at the stars in the vastness that made up the universe. Her eyes glistened with tears as she remembered the friends she had made and lost in battle…and the generators. The moonlight made her tears shimmer as they streaked down her cheeks, leaving small trails on her skin

Seto stepped up beside her, concern on his face. "President Warren, you okay?" he asked.

She didn't turn to face him, and that bothered him. He reached out and touched her shoulder. She turned to face him suddenly. "Hey, you okay?"

The Federation leader shook her head. "No. I'm not."

"What's wrong?" Seto asked.

"I…I can't help but wonder why some beings threaten everyone without even meaning to," she said.

Seto grasped her and looked her right in the eyes. "Forget about those slaggin' generators! They're gone and they can't be used anymore!"

"I know that, but I can't help but wonder why they even used them to begin with," President Warren said softly. "I can only guess, and even then my guesses seem to be way off."

Seto understood where she was coming from, and even he was at a loss, but he somehow knew the reason why. He placed one hand on her shoulder and, with the other, he placed a finger under her chin and raised her head to look him in the eyes. "President Warren, the reason the Dark Axis wanted to use them was to destroy everything that they couldn't get their hands on. And that includes us."

"But why?" she asked.

"It was because they knew that a black hole is the only force that not even we can stop," he murmured.

"But…the SpaceWarp…"

"True it may cancel out a black hole, but it can't cancel out one that can destroy everything. It's just not possible. We tried once, and we failed miserably," Seto said.

President Warren felt more tears coming to her eyes and he wiped one of them away. "So…we barely stopped a total disaster…"

"Yeah. But we did. Be grateful that we did," Seto murmured.

"If we hadn't…"

"Let's not go there, okay?" He hugged her tightly, much like her father had done so many years ago. "Let's just forget about it and focus on what's really important: the future."

She turned her face into his chest and murmured softly, the words barely audible beneath the fabric of his clothes and his body. "Thank you."

Seto smiled softly. "You're welcome."

The two leaders stood like that for a while before the chime of the elevator caught their attention. Both turned to face the elevator as the doors slid open and a man came running out, his face streaked with sweat.

"President Warren! Seto! Thank Primus I found you!" he exclaimed.

"What's going on, Keller?" President Warren asked.

Keller wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "It's…it's about…" He struggled to find the words, but apparently he couldn't because he then shoved a screen right at the President. "Just read that."

The Intergalactic Federation commander-in-chief took the screen and skimmed it.

Her eyes widened in shock. "No…way…!" She clenched her fists around the screen. "This can't be the case! This has to be some sicko joke!" she snapped.

"I assure you, that is exactly what we found out about the Soul-Drives," Keller said grimly.

Seto plucked the screen out of her grasp and he clenched his teeth in anger as he read it. "God, these guys have got to go!" he snarled.

President Warren glanced at Keller. "Have you sent this to the other Federation leaders?" she asked.

Keller nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I sent it a few minutes before I found you."

President Warren nodded. "Good. I'd also like you to send this to the UPA. With luck, maybe we can convince them of the threat that the Dark Axis poses with this information!"

Keller gaped for a moment, but then he composed himself and nodded. "Understood."

He took the screen from Seto and ran back towards the elevator.

Seto frowned. "Are you sure that the UPA will believe us after that's been sent?" he asked quietly.

President Warren shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure if it will even do the job completely. But we have to keep trying. If that doesn't work, then we'll have to acknowledge that the Universal Power Association isn't going to take any action against the collective threat the Dark Axis poses." She turned to look at him. "But we have to at least try."

Seto nodded. "I understand."

* * *

_A few hours later…_

**Date: 3 November 2009**

**Time: 1200, 12:00 pm, Local Time**

**Location: Universal Power Association**

**Place: Xstaph City Palace**

Dajar'o glanced up from his desk as the aide walked in carrying a bunch of screens and reports for him. "Sorry for interrupting, sire, but…I have the daily mail for you," the aide said.

"Thank you, H'ijo. You are dismissed," Dajar'o said calmly.

The aide bowed and backed out, leaving the reports on the desk.

Dajar'o reached up and plucked the first report off the top of the stack.

"Now, let's see what this report says," he murmured.

The title and sender caught his eye and he tensed. "So, they think they can try again, can they?" he hissed. He made to place it down, but the contents seemed to catch his eye. He leaned back in his chair and began reading.

It seemed to him that the Intergalactic Federation wished to educate him on the secrets of the Dark Axis' so-called Soul-Drive creation process. He skimmed over the introduction casually. He didn't need to be reminded of the constant threat that they insisted the Dark Axis represented. The first few pages talked about how a Soul-Drive was created using human souls, and comparing it to the "official" method listed in the books. He scoffed. "Using human souls? Please. That only happens in scientific fiction," he remarked.

The rest of the report stated that although the Dark Axis used Soul-Drives to power Gundams, they were also being created to power a huge army that could not be destroyed without losing the souls trapped inside and of how that would be a military disadvantage to the loved ones of those trapped in the Soul-Drives. He read this part with an amused look in his eyes. But the last part of the report was what caused him to start to see the bigger tactical, and the complete, picture.

_Over the course of the fighting, we made some pretty horrific discoveries, but none as horrific as the kind of future that lies in store for not just organics and mechanicals, but for the life forms that they have experimented upon. Our scientists and engineers have begun trying to reverse engineer several Soul-Drives so this way we can save the innocents trapped inside, and for a good reason as well._

_The souls that are trapped within the Soul-Drives are unable to be returned to their former state. But that is not even the horrific aspect of this. The process to create Soul-Drives using organic souls includes something that not even the Allies of the Orichalcos do, despite them having the capacity to do so: the core drive of the soul must be removed in order to make the process a complete one. If the core drive is not removed, then the Soul-Drive is declared incomplete and is left to sit and collect dust in a warehouse that is never opened._

_Removing a soul's very core drive, what makes it a part of whatever species it is, goes against the very laws of nature, and these laws clearly state that no organic soul shall be tampered with, even if it is for the greater good. If this process is allowed to continue unchecked, then no one is safe, and it will mean the end of everyone here._

_Doomsday: a human term for the end of everything._

_That is here, and now. Doomsday is on the horizon, but it can be stopped if we just put all differences aside and focus on the common threat._

_Together, we can win._

Dajar'o's eyes widened. This was not what he had been expecting. This was the whole reason why the Intergalactic Federation was asking him to focus on the bigger aspect of things: it was to save lives.

But then again, why did he care? It puzzled him greatly.

That is until the reality came crashing home.

_Everyone_ was in danger…and that included himself.

A strange sensation he had never known before in all his life flooded his body and he began to shake a bit. What was this unusual sensation? It felt like anger, but at the same time, it wasn't anger. He struggled to identify this foreign feeling, but nothing came to mind. At least until he remembered the President's words. "_War is the complete opposite of battle. Battle is merely a segment of war. A war is a collection of battles that follows a concrete battle plan. You need to understand the real meaning of war to get the idea of what I mean._"

But this feeling was not the feeling of war. He wondered what it was.

The feeling became clearer as he focused more on it. The feeling was…fear. It was fear; pure, raw, fear. It was hard to accept, but it was true. For once in his life, Dajar'o was experiencing real fear.

But why was he feeling afraid? He should be grateful to the Dark Axis for attacking the Intergalactic Federation!

President Warren's words echoed in his mind. "_The Dark Axis is a threat to _everyone_, and that includes you!_" But why would he be feeling fear then?

A little voice surfaced in his mind. '_They're a threat to everything, Dajar'o. You can't keep denying that fact._'

'_I know,_' Dajar'o replied. '_But even if they are, the UPA can bring them down._'

'_No. You don't fully understand the situation. Think about it. Would your organization have the firepower necessary to stop a _dimensional_ threat?_' the voice asked mockingly.

That got him.

A _dimensional_ threat lurked on the horizon. And it was not a mere band of pirates. The significance of the camps that the President had shown him became crystal clear in his memory, and his hands began to shake as he stared at the report. Sweat broke out on his forehead and his heart began to race.

The horrific images of death and destruction that he saw in the camps were about to be repeated, and he shuddered. Seeing more of his people die was something he did not want to happen.

The time had come to launch an invasion mission, although it was already too late.

* * *

_On Earth…_

The man sitting at the satellite monitoring console yawned widely as he rubbed his head. It was already four in the afternoon, and he was eager to get off shift so he could spend time with his newborn daughter and his wife.

He sat back up and prepared to shut down the screen showing the vast expanse of space beyond the Federation's borders. He reached for the power button when he noticed something odd on the screen. He frowned as he leaned in. His hand went right for the image enhancement function and he pressed the illuminated LED screen. Several different options popped up and he selected the _Zoom_ function. The image zoomed in on a lone UFO. He blinked as he recognized it as being UPA in origin. Puzzlement crossed his forehead. What was a lone UFO doing out here?

The answer became apparent as more and more objects began to appear in the background. His eyes widened as he recognized it as an invasion force headed right for them. He tensed and reached over to hit the communications button, but then stopped, logic overcoming the sense of danger. If the UPA _was_ invading them, why weren't they passing by all radar satellites?

Then, realization came home when he saw the huge warp gate in front of them.

He pressed the button.

* * *

**President Warren glanced** up from her pile of reports just as the screen appeared in front of her. "Yeah? What is it?" she asked.

"_President Warren. I just detected a large UPA invasion force beyond the organizational borders a few minutes ago. But here's the weird thing: they aren't invading us. In fact, the more I think about it, the more confusing this gets,_" the officer said.

"What's going on?" President Warren asked, her eyes flashing.

"_Like I said, this is very confusing, and I'm pretty sure even you will be confused, but here's what's happening. The invasion fleet is heading right into a massive warp gate right in front of them._" He turned to show her the image. "_I think they're going after someone else._"

"What? They're attacking someone else?" the President cried, leaning forward.

The man nodded. "_Yes, ma'am._"

President Warren growled softly. "Find out where they're going and fast! We need to find out why the UPA is suddenly launching an invasion!"

The officer nodded and the screen went dark. President Warren leaned forward and placed her head into her hands.

With all available resources being devoted to the Dark Axis war, it was impossible to be fighting against the UPA as well. Despite their incredible achievements and their abilities, they could only fight on two fronts at a time. If they enacted a third front, it would be the end for them.

The communications console beeped again and she pressed the button. "Well?"

The officer was smiling. This caught her attention. "What's so great about the UPA launching an invasion?!" she demanded.

"_You won't believe where they're attacking,_" he said, the smile never leaving his face.

"Where?!" she snapped.

"_Would you believe…they're invading the Dark Axis home dimension?_"

For a long while silence filled the room before she spoke softly. "Are…Are you serious?" she murmured.

The officer nodded. "_Yep. They're attacking them tonight._"

* * *

_That night…_

The invasion was carried out swiftly. The Dark Axis was caught off guard for the second time ever since the Federation's invasion. They lacked the necessary resources to hold off the huge army of the UPA. But even so, the UPA suffered tremendous losses to their soldiers and their UFO fleet. By the time the invasion was over, the UPA had lost over 5,000,000,000,000,000,000 soldiers and over 5,000,000,000 UFOs. Only 12,000 soldiers and 3 UFOs survived.

But this experience had been very enlightening for Dajar'o. It had taught him something very important. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he actually found that he _enjoyed_ being in the middle of the battle. He liked being able to give out orders. He enjoyed the sensation that fighting drove through his body. He loved the adrenaline flowing through his veins.

It was something he found scary, and enlightening both at the same time.

It had also taught him how important it was to actually see the tactical picture and how important it was to have actual intelligence about the enemy rather that to just rely on assumptions and stereotyping. It taught him the reality of war, and about how vastly different his type of warfare was from that of the Federation.

Now, he had to take this experience and learn from it.

In fact, he already had.

He studied the tactical maps a few of his scouts had stolen, taking in the location of the hidden camps that the Federation had missed. His eyes narrowed as he counted the defenses, knowing that even with his large force of UFOs, there was no way he could get past the antiaircraft guns without losing almost the entire fleet. He needed something that was faster, more powerful, and more durable than the UFOs he had at his command.

The Federation's space forces came to his mind and he scowled. How was he supposed to develop starfighters, especially since he lacked the blueprints needed? Did he have to steal the plans from the Federation? The mere thought made him shudder, for he wasn't even prepared to fight on two fronts.

All he could do was utilize what few spacecraft could stand up to the attacks.

It wasn't much, but it was all he had.

And he knew it.

* * *

**President Warren was** asleep when the message came through around three that morning. She groaned as the constant beeping of the communicator finally penetrated through the haze of sleep. She opened her eyes and glared at the small device flashing repeatedly on her dresser.

She shifted in her bed and grabbed it. She pressed the communications button and the screen flared with life. "What is it?" she murmured sleepily.

"_President Warren, this is Dajar'o._" The voice of her rival leader was enough to get her to sit up, although she was still half asleep.

"What do you want, Dajar'o? It's three in the morning here," she muttered.

"_It has to do with our invasion_."

"What about it?" she murmured, annoyed that he would contact her about that.

"_It was a failure…we lost almost our entire force._" He sounded a bit concerned and…was that _fear_ in his voice?

President Warren rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "So? What about that? It's what you get for not using modern day starfighters," she said.

"_Yes, well, that aside, I hate to admit it, but you were right. We lack the battle experience you have,_" Dajar'o admitted.

President Warren blinked as the meaning of his remark went home. "Wait. What? You launched an invasion on the Dark Axis!? With just UFOs?!"

Dajar'o's voice was laced with…something she recognized all too well. The excitement of battle. "_Yes, and we did use UFOs. But it was a fiasco in the sense that I was actually confident they could stand up to guns built for air defense!_" he snapped.

President Warren smirked to herself. "Those guns were antiaircraft guns. They're built to shoot down aircraft and UFOs, apparently."

Dajar'o was silent for a moment before he snapped at her. "_It is not funny!_"

She smiled genuinely as she lay back on her bed, the communicator held not too far from her face. "So, now do you see the threat that the Dark Axis poses?" she asked.

"_I admit that they are a threat, but not to the extent you claim. It will take more than that report you sent._"

"What about your UFOs? Surely the immense losses you suffered prove that," President Warren said.

Dajar'o was silent for a second time. "_…Okay. I admit it. The Dark Axis is a grave threat, but that is precisely why my organization shall take over from here. It is now our responsibility. Not yours. Got that?_"

This got her. She sat up, pressing the communicator to her mouth. "Look! You don't get it! This is not what we wanted. You need to stay out of this! Remember what I said at that Council meeting? That we _all_ need to work together? Not just you?! Well, this is an instant that requires that very teamwork! Got that?!" she snapped.

There was only silence before the screen went dark.

She sighed and tossed the device down onto her dresser. "That guy is a real jerk!" she muttered.


	86. Gerbera Sneaks Inside

Chapter 11

Gerbera sneered as the sun set on the campus before him. He lay hidden amongst the brush and he waited patiently for his target to come back from the training site.

It didn't take long for Captain Gundam to come out from the brush, followed closely by the human hybrid. They talked for a short while before Captain headed in his direction. His Soul-Drive sped up in anticipation of the attack.

He lunged and grabbed Captain by the throat…

* * *

_Outside the dorm…_

Shute waited for a good long while before Captain made his return. He turned at hearing the Gundam's footsteps and he smiled. "Captain!"

His friend turned and smiled back. "Shute. How was your day?"

"Fine," Shute replied. "Why?"

"I was just curious, that's all."

Something in his tone of voice seemed off, but Shute brushed it aside as being tired from training. The boy knew that he himself was tired, and he couldn't blame Captain for being tired as well. But something told him otherwise. He decided to play it by ear and see what happened. "Well, see you at dinner," the boy said.

"See you," Captain said.

The Gundam turned and walked off, leaving a very confused Shute behind.

Of course, no one even registered the female soldier hiding behind a tree, her steely green eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Sayla watched Captain head back towards the dorm. She had seen something unfamiliar in his eyes, almost as if he were disgusted with Shute. Was that even possible? From what she had seen, those two were as close as a bonded pair. But something here seemed off.

It was almost as if Captain were…

Her eyes suddenly widened as she remembered something from the invasion in the Dark Axis home dimension, particularly the fight against the three generals and their clones. "No…he couldn't have! There's no slaggin' way!" she snarled.

A second memory during that fight was triggered and she suddenly gasped as the facts came together. "No…"

This was bad. Very bad indeed.

She had to warn the others, and fast before it was too late!

* * *

**Jaden was busy** training in the woods behind the dorm when Sayla found him. He replaced both beam sabers on his jetpack and walked up to her. "Sayla. What's up?"

"I'll tell you what's up, Jaden. It's Gerbera. He's here," Sayla said grimly.

Jaden felt his Soul-Drive seize up at this remark. "What? Gerbera's here? On Earth?" he yelped.

Sayla nodded. "Yes. And he's impersonating Captain."

"You're joking, right?" Jaden asked. He secretly hoped she was.

But she shook her head. "No, I'm not, Jaden."

Sayla was serious, but Jaden somehow doubted she was joking.

Until he could be sure, however, he would have to play along.

For now.

* * *

_The transmissions have been sent and the UPA has launched a surprise invasion of the Dark Axis home dimension, but it ended in failure for them. Others have received transmissions from the Federation and Dark Axis both. Now the universe has to pick a side and stick with that side. The Dark Axis has captured the Superior Dragon and new allies have been found. So many more questions remain unanswered, but the majority has been answered. Only two remain unanswered: What is HEAVEN's role, and what is Satyron's involvement?_

_And what of the rest of the universe?_

_New powers, allies, and friends will be found as the battle heats up in the next few days as the Federation discovers Gerbera's plan and puts a stop to it. Find out how they succeed on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods: Part VIII: Hidden Power._

_**Next time on Twilight of the Gods!**_

Cries reached Kicker's ears as the light faded. He was back in the midst of the fight, two Captains standing there, but now, he could tell them apart. He could actually sense the _evil_ radiating from the one who had attacked Shute, leaving him wounded. This time, he grinned.

YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" he heard Sayla yell. "AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

"Hahahahahahahahaha! It's over! Who knows? Maybe I'll use your little friend's soul to make a new Soul-Drive, and maybe you can join him." Kicker knew that voice.

He gritted his teeth, the power of the Energizer Matrix flowing into his hands and down to the focusers.

"No. That isn't what's supposed to happen," he said.

'_This time, you're going down, Gerbera!'_ Kicker thought to himself. '_And this time, I'm not holding anything back! I promise!_'

As he made that silent vow, he knew what he was to do. And he wouldn't stop until he won this battle.

He walked forward, emerging from the smoke, determined to win, no matter the cost.

_Can Kicker and his friends stop Gerbera before it's too late? And what is this new mode Kicker unlocked? All these questions and more will be answered on the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	87. Episode 7 Bloopers

**Bloopers!**

Blooper 1:

_The red mech was quite groggy when he woke, so he had no idea of where he was…at least until he saw the lights._

_Or at least that's what he thought woke him up. Sazabi's hands suddenly flew to his mouthpiece and he gagged as the horrific stench of something dead worked its way into his intakes. He looked around with his optic, trying to find the source of the smell._

_His optic landed on a stretcher with a covered body. His optic widened as he realized that the body was the source of the smell. "What the *bleeeeep!*!"_

Blooper 2:

_He did. The human got to his feet and his eyes widened. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" he asked._

"_I'm getting out of here, human!" Sazabi growled._

"_You're not going anywhere until you're fully healed!" the human snapped._

"_As if!" the red mecha hissed._

_The male human narrowed his eyes and got into a fighting stance. "I won't hesitate to use force to make sure you stay here!"_

"_Try me!" Sazabi murmured._

_Sazabi's optic widened as a little tiny Gundam not much older than Genkimaru came running into the middle of the combat area. He doubled over, his hands clutching his stomach and he opened his mouth…just as he vomited right in between them._

_The man face-palmed._

Blooper 3:

_At that moment, the communicator on his desk chimed. Dajar'o pressed the button and spoke into the speaker. "Go ahead."_

"Sire, this is Ku'tai Na'raco, head of the Intelligence Detection Committee," _a male voice said._

"_Yes, what is it for the day's meeting?" the UPA leader asked. He clapped a hand to his mouth._

_On Earth, a spy satellite had patched into the transmission networks and the Federation comm officers grinned as they sent it live across the universe via Cybertron's amplification system._

Blooper 4:

_The secretary watched her critically for a few seconds. But those three seconds seemed to last for an eternity. Then, the being before her seemed to undergo a change. A light of hope began to shine in his eyes and a small smile appeared on his face. "_You…want to…inform them of the Dark Axis threat?_" he asked softly._

_President Warren nodded, dumbstruck by how his whole demeanor had changed. "Yeah," she said dumbly._

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that!" _the being cried, startling her._

"_Huh? You're actually glad of this?" she asked, now becoming extremely confused. "You actually want me to convince that jerkface of the Dark Axis threat?"_

_In his office, Dajar'o snarled in anger. How dare she!_

Blooper 5:

"_And you think that ruthlessness, combined with stereotypes and UFOs that lack modern up-to-date equipment is what makes you strong?" President Warren asked._

"_Exactly. You have nothing except a small bunch of legendary ragtag alliance of worlds that makes a mocking of the federation system, a amateurish tactics in combat and espionage, small military, a meager amount of factories, a weapons you can't even control, and emotions that most others have forsaken in the name of universal order!" the kingly president snarled._

_President Warren cocked an eyebrow. "Pardon?"_

_Everyone in the Council chamber burst out laughing as Dajar'o's cheeks flushed red with anger._

_On Earth, communications officers were laughing as they watched the messed up counterargument._

Blooper 6:

_The communications officer snickered as she turned to face the President. "Hey. Check this out!"_

_President Warren stepped forward and she suddenly bit her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing._

_On the screen, it showed some security camera footage of Shift waking up a poor Zako and getting stampeded by the little guy. "Okay. Now that is funny. Send it out live!" she said in between her snickers._

_The comm officer nodded. "Right."_

Blooper 7:

_The comm officer shifted in her seat as she laughed at the insult. Even President Warren had a good laugh when she realized what the maroon mech had said._

_Zapper Zaku had once called Shift an insolent birdbrain._

Blooper 8:

_As the transport circled, Dom reached into his Gallop and pulled out a large bazooka and a missile. He flipped open the bazooka's end and jammed the missile in before closing it and aiming. He pulled the trigger and fired._

_The missile sped out of the barrel and struck Zapper on accident! The missile exploded, sending smoke throughout the transport. A strong gust of wind blew the smoke out of the transport, revealing a very pissed Zapper Zaku, partially burnt._

Blooper 9:

_He jammed one of his claws into the bottom panel that covered the wiring and circuits for the controls. It took a bit of wiggling his claw around to finally pry it off. Once it was off, the blue robot shifted underneath and reached in, gently removing a blue wire and a gold wire before looking at a green wire. "I think I can bypass the starting mechanism by crossing these three wires. If I insert the gold wire into the blue wire's position and shift the blue wire to the green wire's location, then if I put the green wire in the gold wire's location, the transport should start." He shifted the three wires into their new positions, closed up the panel, and clambered out from under the seat. His clawed hand gently pressed the button for starting…_

_Only to hear a loud explosion as the engines blew._

_Grappler smacked his head. "Dammit!" he muttered._

Blooper 10:

_Grappler shifted his position as he leaned out of the transport to allow Dom to get a lock on the old house shuddering far below them._

"_Steady…"_

_Dom aimed his bazooka, but at the wrong thing._

_Grappler blanched. "Wait, you dummy! It's—"_

_He was cut off as the shell exploded, covering him in soot. "—me."_

_Zapper snickered._

Blooper 11:

"_Don't remind me," Baku grumbled._

"_And why shouldn't we remind you?" Guneagle asked, a mysterious gleam in his green eyes._

"_You know why!" the Musha snapped._

"_Oh, is it because you're afraid?" the flier asked._

"_Afraid of what?" Sayla asked._

_Guneagle's eyes glinted as he smirked at her. "Watch." He grabbed a sheet and draped it over his body. Bakunetsumaru had turned his head away, so when Guneagle tapped him and he turned, he screamed as loud as he could._

_Everyone burst out laughing._

Blooper 12:

"_Dah, I gets it good!" Dom chirped happily. His single red optic flashed with happiness as he waved around his bazooka._

_The bomb fell off the roof of the old house. Zapper looked at the trigger-happy mech with a glare that could cut steel._

"…_DUMMY!" Grappler roared. "You were supposed to use a LIVE bomb! Not a DUD!"_

_Zapper finally lost it. "You mechanized metal moron!" he screamed._

_Dom stared at the two stupidly as they yelled at him. "Dahhhh…"_

_Down on the ground, Sayla sweatdropped. "Was that a dud?"_

Blooper 13:

_Deep in Tycho Colony's exterior tunnels, Grappler Gouf shifted his weight, trying to remain steady while his partner, Zapper Zaku, and Destroyer Dom, their weapons specialist, tried to pry open a nearby vent. "Geez! Next time, lay off the oil, Zipper!" Gouf grunted._

"_Quiet! I'm trying to open the vent, Grappler!" Zapper hissed._

_Dom was standing on top of his weapons tank, Gallop, and shifted his own weight, slipping one of his hands into the corner of the vent. He said nothing, but his lone optical sensor was focused on the grate as he tried to pry it open._

"_That's it, Dom. Just a little more!" Zapper murmured._

_The bigger mecha grunted and pulled, along with Zapper. The grate came off the vent in their hands and they swayed in place, trying to maintain balance and to not drop the metal covering to the floor and arouse the attention of the guards patrolling the tunnels. But Dom slipped and he lost his grip on the grate._

_The metal covering landed smack dab on Grappler's foot. The teal and cobalt mech let loose a string of swearwords as Zapper hopped off his head. The younger mech jumped up and down holding his foot as Zapper smacked Dom upside the head._

* * *

_Dom lost his grip on the grate for the second time. This time it landed right on Zapper's head. Zapper gripped his helmet in both hands, his optic shut in pain and muttering swears under his breath._

_Grappler glared at Dom._

* * *

_Zapper grinned as they removed the vent covering. Dom looked at the maroon mech and began to speak. "Dahhh, I…" That was as far as he got. A snarl forming on his vents, he gripped the grate and ripped it out of Dom's hands, swinging it with enough force to smack Dom upside the head. The bigger mech wavered in place before he fell off his Gallop, his optic dimmed, indicating he was out cold._

_Grappler glanced up at him, horrified. "Did you have to do that?" he asked softly._

_Zapper glanced down at his partner. "Shut up, Grappler," he muttered._

Blooper 14:

_The human gritted his teeth and reached up his lab coat sleeve with one hand. Sazabi wondered what he was doing, but when the human drew out a ten-inch assassin knife, he instantly got the gist of what the man had done for a living before turning to medicine._

_The man yelled out as he ran at Sazabi, one hand drawn back, the knife held close to his body in anticipation of a bullet strike._

_However, the human failed to notice the plant leaf in the middle of the floor. His foot landed on it and he slipped, falling right onto his butt._

_Sazabi sweatdropped._

* * *

_Hah! As if Sazabi would stoop that low! He merely growled and drew back his leg before kicking out, but the man reacted with inhuman speed, literally catching the blow and actually managing to inflict some pain on him._

_The human reached into a pouch and drew out a green football-shaped object before tossing it right at him._

_The object, a _Grosta_ weed, exploded against him, releasing its horrific smell. Sazabi covered his mouthpiece and coughed, keeping an optic on the Reploid. "You're…dead…Reploid!" he hissed in between coughs._

_The medic blanched. "Oops!"_

* * *

_The man seemed to sense his curiosity and confusion because he smirked and spoke. "What? You haven't faced a Reploid before?"_

_Sazabi's optic narrowed and he punched, but the "Reploid" blocked with his arm and kicked out with a front snap kick that knocked the wind out of the mech's body. "R…R…Reploid?" he gasped._

_The medic nodded._

_Sazabi didn't want to take any chances. He deployed his funnels…only to discover that they weren't. Confused, he glanced at the holders…only to find them missing!_

_He turned to face the medic who had his hands behind his back. He smirked as he drew them out…revealing his funnels neatly placed between his fingers!_

"_Give 'em!" Sazabi snapped, holding out his hand. The Reploid shook his head._

* * *

_The medic reached for his knife, only to find it missing. He glanced at Sazabi._

"_Where's my knife?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips. Sazabi smirked as he slipped the knife into his waist armor behind his back._


	88. Captain's Betrayal!

Summary: The Universal Power Association has become more aware of the threat that the Dark Axis poses. A transmission war was waged, but in the end, it was a draw. New allies were found and Commander Sazabi was brought back online by Xenphyr. After the UPA launches their own invasion of the Dark Axis home dimension, the Dark Axis plans to retaliate. Can the Federation stop them from destroying the UPA, and Gerbera's plan? Note: I don't own any of the series mentioned, except the plot and all original characters.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

The UPA slightly became more aware of the Dark Axis threat, although they didn't believe it until they witnessed the footage and invasion video feed the Intergalactic Federation brought to them. It became clear through this meeting to all present that the Dark Axis was stopping at nothing to gain their goals.

New allies were uncovered, including a surprising addition to the Federation forces: Commander Sazabi. Both the Intergalactic Federation and the Dark Axis sent transmissions, trying to get the universe to ally with them, but it was a draw when the transmissions were cut. The scientist Gerbera captured Captain and he plans to do something to stop the Federation. Now, it's a fight to save Captain and the UPA both as the Federation uncovers new powers in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part VIII_

_Hidden Power_

Chapter 1

The next few days were quite unusual, for Captain had been avoiding Shute, prompting the human to ask him if he was all right. Sayla and Jaden had also tried to convince the others of her theory, but they just brushed it off. In truth, this worried the two greatly as they sat under the TCDA elite team's favorite tree that evening, watching the clouds looming beyond the horizon.

"I just don't get it. Why won't the other believe us?" she asked.

"Maybe it's because you lack the evidence," Jaden pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I'm still not sure if _you_ even believe me yourself," Sayla remarked.

"Hey. I'm your friend. Friends are there for one another," Jaden said. "We've known each other for a long time, so I know when you're telling the truth. The others may believe you as well, but without evidence, they can't be sure. All they have is our word on this matter."

Sayla sighed. "Yeah. I guess you're right. But if we can't prove it because he won't even come close to me, or the rest of the humans," she murmured.

Jaden looked down at the grass and ran a finger through it. "Yeah. I'm not even sure if he would even approach the Gundam Force at this point."

"Well, someone needs to talk to him," Sayla reminded him.

Jaden nodded. "True, but…" His voice trailed off as an idea suddenly formed in his processors. "Hold on."

"Jaden, what are you thinking?" Sayla asked as he stood up.

"Let me handle this, Sayla. Hopefully, I'll get him to talk." Jaden turned and walked off, leaving her stunned and confused, at least until she caught onto his plan.

"Wait! Jaden! You can't!" she cried, scrambling to her feet and grabbing his shoulder guard.

"Sayla, Gerbera doesn't even know the whole story with me. He'll assume that I'm a normal Gundam," Jaden said.

Sayla looked at him for a moment before she let go of his shoulder. "Okay. But be careful."

Jaden nodded. "I will."

He turned and walked off.

A strange twisting sensation filled his gut as he walked. He wondered if this was even the right course of action. Doubt filled his processors, but he shoved it off. He hoped that he was even right in the fact that Gerbera wouldn't even know that he had once been a human being.

Jaden approached the form standing close to the edge of the lake. Captain turned to face him. He blinked his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Jaden gulped nervously and spoke. "Captain, it's me. Jaden. Remember?"

The Gundam's eyes traveled up and down his body and Jaden felt his Soul-Drive increase its rotations. He clenched his fists to prevent himself from shaking in his armor.

"Oh. Now I remember," Captain said. "I'm sorry if I forgot. I guess the combat is starting to get to me."

'_As if!_' Jaden thought. But he didn't voice this. Instead, he said something different. "It's all right. Everyone forgets sometimes."

Captain nodded. "Yes. That is true, Jaden."

"Lately, you've been acting kind of strange. You're not hanging around Shute or the rest of the humans like you normally do," Jaden said. His Soul-Drive fluttered as he said those words. It felt awkward to be saying that, but he had to keep the fact that he was really a human secret.

"I'm sorry, Jaden. But I need some time to myself," Captain replied.

'_I can guess why._' Jaden thought angrily.

"I can assure you that I am still friends with Shute, however," the Gundam said.

Jaden narrowed his eyes slightly. "That's good," he said.

The other Gundam turned away from him. "I am curious as to why you are asking me these questions though, Jaden. It's not like you."

Jaden scowled beneath his mouthpiece. "Actually, it is. I'm just concerned. That's all," he said.

"Well, maybe you had better mind your own business," the other mecha hissed, his voice suddenly becoming menacing.

Jaden suddenly gasped as Captain lunged at him, his eyes flashing dangerously. He closed his hands around Jaden's arms, pinning him to the ground beneath his greater weight. Jaden struggled beneath the other Gundam, trying to use his Gundam strength to break free. But it was no use.

Captain leaned in close to his audio receptor and whispered. "You want to know why I no longer hang around pesky organics?"

Jaden's eyes widened. "What…?"

"Well, I'll tell you why. I joined the Dark Axis," Captain sneered.

Jaden's eyes shrank as the remark struck home. Captain…had joined the Dark Axis?

Captain drew back his fist and prepared to drive the blow home, but Jaden reacted swiftly. He drew back his feet close to his chest and kicked out, slamming the bottom of his feet into Captain's torso, his heel wheels going full speed. The smell of burnt metal filled the air as Captain let go of Jaden's arms. He was on his feet in a flash and he grabbed his beam sabers.

"What's gotten into you?" Jaden asked.

"I already told you. I joined the Dark Axis. I have seen the truth. Mechanical beings such as us are much different than mere humans. We are stronger, and humans are weaker," Captain said softly.

"Not a chance!" Jaden cried. "The humans may be different, but they're stronger than us in terms of will and the fact that they have incredible destructive powers!"

"You speak in defense of them?" Captain asked, disgust present in his voice.

"Yes!" Jaden hissed. "They're my friends, and yours!"

"I have new friends now," Captain whispered.

"That doesn't give you the right to suddenly start attacking me!" Jaden cried.

"It does. You fight to protect the humans, and it shall not be tolerated!" Captain yelled. He drew out his V-rods and ignited them. The glowing blades seemed to be more blood-red than the Autobot red he was used to. Jaden pressed the switch on his beam sabers and the bright golden blades shot out, glowing brightly in the ever growing darkness.

The two Gundams stood facing one another, their swords shining in the fading light. Then, Captain charged. He activated his heel wheels, speeding towards Jaden with a V-rod held out in front. Jaden brought one of his beam sabers out in front and blocked with the golden blade. The impact sent a small jolt of pain up his arm, but he gritted his teeth and pushed against Captain's V-rods.

Captain swung his other V-rod right at Jaden's chest, but Jaden spun to the side, the beam barely missing his chest armor. He slashed with his second beam saber, forcing Captain to dodge the attack. Captain sneered as he suddenly released a set of bullets from his head-mounted guns. Jaden broke away from Captain and clenched his fist around his beam saber's hilt. He began to rotate his right hand, using the blade of his sword to block the bullets. It worked like a charm.

Captain growled and brought up his foot in a roundhouse kick, but Jaden ducked and lashed out with his still spinning right hand, the blade of his beam saber nicking him in the leg. Captain snarled and pulled his leg back before jumping and landing a good five feet from him.

"Think about what you're doing!" Jaden said desperately. "Joining the Dark Axis isn't like you!"

"We can change, Jaden. You should know that," Captain murmured.

"This has got to stop!" Jaden yelled. He stopped spinning his right hand and brought both beam sabers in front of his body. "Even if I have to damage you, I will stop you from joining them for good!"

"It's useless, Jaden. I'm finished with these humans!"

Thunder suddenly tore open the sky and intense rain began to fall, soaking the dome and streaming off it in sheets. Lightning flashed, illuminating the two. To Jaden, Captain seemed menacing and he gave off an aura of intense contempt. His eyes were no longer the pure sapphire blue they once were. They seemed to hold a bit of purple inside them as well. The beams of his V-rods were blood red and seemed to make his entire body glow with the crimson fluid.

Jaden shivered, but he kept himself calm.

Then, Captain charged, letting loose an unearthly scream that made every one of Jaden's systems shudder with absolute fear. He tightened his grip on his beam sabers and he began blocking Captain's frenzied slashes and swings. He could barely keep up with the Gundam as it was, considering he was still a human inside.

The Earth-Gundam blocked a slash that would have taken his head off and lashed out with a kick, nailing Captain in the torso again, right where he had first struck him in the beginning. The former Neotopian mecha hissed in pain as sparks flew from the wound.

This gave Jaden enough time to counterattack. He swung his beam saber and managed to disarm Captain of his V-rods, holding the other beam saber close to his throat.

"Face it!" Jaden said. "We're even!"

"Not for long," Captain sneered.

Jaden gasped, barely dodging the V-shaped attack that streaked from Captain's V-fin. He hit the ground, flinching when he felt the heat of the attack on his armor.

"Jaden? Where are you?" Captain asked in mock concern.

Jaden remained still, laying as close to the ground as he could go. He had to time this just right…

Captain took a step towards his location unaware of the fact that he was there.

'_NOW!_' Jaden thought. He grabbed onto Captain's leg and pulled as hard as he could, bringing the other Gundam down onto his back. Jaden scrambled to his feet and jumped on top of Captain's chest. He pointed his beam saber at the Gundam's neck.

Captain smirked evilly as he punched Jaden in his lower torso, making him cough. He staggered and fell off Captain.

The Gundam stood up and walked over to Jaden, his eyes gleaming menacingly as he flexed his hands, reaching for Jaden's chest. His eyes shrank in horror as he realized what was about to happen. "NO!" Jaden cried. He drew back his hands without even realizing that his beam sabers were missing. He grasped Captain's wrists and held on tightly. Captain tried to pull his hands loose, but Jaden wouldn't let go. Then, he suddenly gasped as an unknown surge of energy erupted from Jaden's body, forcing him to let go.

Jaden lay on his back, panting heavily. He was still stunned that Captain had attacked him and joined the Dark Axis, so he didn't even register the other Gundam leaving, let alone the energy that was dancing over his palms.

'_Captain…why? Why did you do this?_' he thought to himself. '_Why?_'

Tears pricked at his eyes as he turned his head, closing them. A single tear streaked down his mouthpiece.

"Why?" he whispered. "Why?"

He lay there for a long time.

* * *

**Gerbera snarled as** staggered away from the battle site, his hand clutching at where the Earth-Gundam had nailed him in the torso. He gritted his teeth against the pain. He hadn't expected him to launch an attack so suddenly! This really complicated his plans.

The disguised scientist gripped his torso tighter as sparks danced across it.

His eyes narrowed. He had to be careful, especially since he was now supposed to be acting like Captain.

He ducked behind a tree to avoid a soldier's eyes as she looked around, scanning for any out of the ordinary things. If the human soldier, (Sayla, was it?) had figured out his plan, then she would have no doubt told her troops.

The soldier walked past his location and he peered out.

So far so good.

He crept past the soldier's path of travel and headed back toward the dorms. Gerbera sneaked past the guard that now stood in front of the doors and emerged into the lobby, careful to keep his wound hidden from the humans assembled there.

Or so he thought.

* * *

**Kicker blinked as** he stared at the sparking wound on Captain's lower torso. He jabbed T.J. in the back with his book. "Hey! T.J.! Look!" he hissed.

The young starfighter peeped up over the books that he had assembled to hide the fact he was playing a video game. His optics widened in confusion. "What happened to Captain?" he whispered.

Kicker narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure. It looks like he got into a fight or something," the boy replied.

Meisha looked up from her screen, her eyes clouded with disbelief. "That wound… Was he attacked by the Dark Axis?" she asked softly.

"I think so. But remember, he seems kind of off. So…maybe he didn't get attacked by them, but maybe…" Kicker's voice trailed off. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but what if…he joined them?" he whispered.

Meisha and T.J. looked at him like he was insane. "Are you crazy? There's no way he would have!" Meisha hissed.

"That may be true, but we can't rule anything out at this point. You saw how he acted when around us at lunch! He wouldn't even let T.K. touch him!" Kicker murmured.

"Oh." Meisha fell silent. "So, what are you saying? That something's not right here?"

Kicker nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying." He looked at T.J. "T.J., can you keep an eye on him?"

T.J. nodded, getting Kicker's plan.

He stood up and vanished from view.

Kicker bit his lower lip as he watched the shimmering that was T.J. sneak up on the Gundam. It was a lucky thing that he couldn't pick up T.J., especially now.

The two humans waited for a while.

* * *

**T.J. crept after **Captain, careful to stay out of his radar's range, which was pointless considering that the Phantom EX12 starfighters were unable to be picked up by the onboard radar systems of other mechanical life forms, Gundams included.

Still, it was best to be careful anyway.

The Gundam was heading right for the dorms, T.J. knew. But the real question was why. He followed Captain, trailing him up the steps to the third floor. It took three minutes before he reached the dorm room where Shute and Captain were staying.

The hidden mech watched as Captain entered the code and the door slid open, exposing the room. He saw Shute glance up before fear suddenly overcame him. The door slid closed, leaving T.J. trapped outside.

The Cybertronian version of adrenaline flooded his wires and he scrambled to his feet as he shut down Stealth Mode, running for the door. "Shute! Shute, open up!" he cried.

No answer. He didn't know why he was so afraid for Shute all of a sudden, but he guessed that it had to do with the voices he heard inside the room.

"Shute!" He pounded on the door again and again.

Then, a loud, long scream of pain extended out from the room, echoing across the entire campus and T.J. couldn't take it anymore. He clenched his fists and backed up, drawing one of his fists back for the blow.

He ran at the door, crying out and throwing the punch, putting every ounce of strength into the blow. It connected with the door, smashing it inward and knocking it back off its hinges. He gasped at the sight: Captain was standing over Shute, a V-rod dripping with the crimson fluid of human blood. The boy was lying flat on his back, his eyes screwed shut in pain and agony.

Disbelief flooded his body and he stepped forward. "Captain…why? Why'd you do this?" he asked.

Captain sneered. "Foolish human. I'm through with your kind. I have found a new purpose, and a new life. I am now a member of the Dark Axis!" the Gundam hissed.

Shock overcame T.J. He slumped to the ground, his optics wide in absolute disbelief. He couldn't accept it. Captain was a defender…so, why had be betrayed his friends?

The Gundam stood up, sheathing his V-rod. "And this boy was holding me back," he said, kicking Shute in the stomach with his foot. "He deserves to die."

"NO HE DOESN'T!" T.J. screamed. He clenched his fists as he stood up, his optics flaring with anger. "You need to snap out of this!"

"I am not under their control. I joined of my own free will," Captain murmured.

"I can't accept that! I won't accept that fact!" T.J. snapped. "And I'll stop you even if I have to kill you!"

"Would you really?" Captain sneered. "Would you?"

"I would!" T.J. hissed, tears streaming down his face from his optics.

Captain turned and sneered as he walked out of the room. "Try me," he whispered.

T.J. finally lost it. He charged at Captain, his blades swinging into position for the attack. Captain suddenly spun, his hands grabbing onto T.J.'s arms. The Gundam brought his foot up in a kick that connected with T.J.'s jaw. The younger mech let go and staggered back, holding his jaw. He growled and clenched his fist, charging again. He swung his blades and Captain dodged, but they got caught in the wall of the dorm room. With a powerful tug, T.J. yanked his blades free and ran at Captain with tears in his optics.

Captain dodged his latest attack, but T.J. was one step ahead of him. He formed a fist and punched, his blow connecting with Captain's face and sending the Gundam right through the wall and out into the wall across the hallway. T.J. leapt through the sparking wires and disconnected pipes, barely avoiding a torrent of water that blasted out from a water pipe. The carpeting was getting soaked; he could worry about that later. Right now he had to stop Captain!

T.J, landed in front of Captain and grabbed the Gundam by the shoulders, positioning himself so that way his feet were on top of his. His arms were pinned as it was; the impact had created an indent that was smaller than he was. "Why are you doing this?" T.J. asked.

Captain looked up with a glint that T.J. suddenly recognized. He gasped. "Wha…_Madnug?_" His was hoarse as he whispered it.

The Gundam growled in response. T.J. tensed, realizing that he was going to kill him now. He jumped back and did the first thing that came to his mind: he transformed into vehicle mode.

"Captain", or Madnug, pulled himself free from the wall and brushed off his armor. "How you found out, I do not wish to know. All that matters is that I have to kill you now," he said softly.

"Not if I can help it!" T.J. snapped.

He engaged his engines and charged at Madnug, slamming the nose of his alt mode into the Gundam and rocketing throughout the dorm hallways until he reached an intersection and sharply curved to the left, heading right for a window at the end of the hallway. The sound of glass shattering reached T.J.'s audios a few seconds later as they broke through, the shards flying all around them as he charged outside.

Lightning flashed as he swerved sharply, throwing the Gundam off himself and sending him falling to the ground below. But Madnug was faster, activating his flight thrusters and hovering to a stop. T.J. broke off his flight and circled menacingly, the darkness of the thunderstorm making him almost invisible. He was now really confused. Why was Madnug impersonating Captain? It didn't make any sense to him.

Maybe now he could get some answers.

"Madnug! I'm gonna bring you down!" he cried.

"Try me!" the Gundam snapped.

T.J. transformed into robot mode and both mechs charged at one another. T.J.'s wing blades glinted in the lightning as Madnug activated his V-rods, the blood-red glow contrasting the bright blue flash of T.J.'s optics.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

"HAAAAAAAAAH!"

Both robots collided, releasing a shockwave of energy that ruffled the tree tops and sent a few birds taking flight. T.J. gritted his teeth as he pressed against Madnug's V-rods, sparks flying from the connected weapons. In the light from the sparks, if an observer looked closely, one could see the absolute rage in T.J.'s face, his teeth bared and his optics glowing an icy blue, his metallic organic hair blowing in a nonexistent breeze.

Madnug sneered as he suddenly kicked out, the bottom of his foot connecting with the cockpit of T.J.'s alt mode. The glass cracked, but it didn't shatter, which was a huge relief. T.J. hissed in pain as he pulled away and held a hand to the area. He fingered the crack, but breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it wasn't deep.

He glared at Madnug, his optics flaring angrily in the darkness of the clouds. "You…why are you doing this?" he hissed.

Madnug scoffed and rolled his eyes. "As if I would tell you."

"So, you won't tell me?" T.J. hissed.

"No. I do not blab like that idiot Guardian did when he attacked you," Madnug purred. "And good riddance to him. He was always a nuisance."

"He was one of your comrades!" T.J. snarled. "You have no respect for your fellow leaders?"

"Of course not. The only ones I respect are the Commander of the Dark Axis and Shift. Shibaomaru was no real use, except to keep Ark occupied. Subzero was a useful asset in helping us learn of your capacities, but he was still a human deep down. And Guardian was a real annoyance with his desire to kill," the Gundam sneered.

"You're sick!" T.J. spat.

"No. I'm not. I just wish to see the Dark Axis succeed in their goals," Madnug murmured.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" T.J. shrieked. His optics flared as he cried out to the heavens. "CYBER KEY POWER!"

The blue streak of light caught Madnug off guard. He backed away from T.J., his eyes shrinking in shock. "What is this?" he asked.

"This is my secret weapon!" T.J. hissed. "PRIMUS SLASH!"

He slashed with the twin glowing blades, creating an X-shaped attack that sped at the enemy Gundam. He dodged to the side, but T.J. slashed with his blades again. "TAKE THIS!" he roared.

This time, he cut through the air, creating a dual shockwave that forced Madnug to dodge, but barely. Each time he slashed, it was harder to dodge the blows. T.J. smiled in satisfaction. He was wearing him down.

Then, he would move in for the kill.

Or so he thought.

Madnug was faster than he thought. The blow he intended to kill him with was dodged and the next thing T.J. knew he was flat on his back, staring up at the sky, Madnug hovering over him, snarling.

Just when it seemed like it was over, Madnug looked around, trying to spot him. T.J. was never more thankful for his color scheme at this point. It saved him from being seen by the enemy Gundam.

Wincing with pain, he reached up and pressed a hand to his communicator, his teeth gritted against the pain. The beep that signaled a connection gave way to Kicker's worried voice. "_T.J.? Is that you?_"

T.J. rasped out his reply. "Yeah. It's me."

"_T.J., what happened? We tried to contact you for fifteen minutes! And why is your voice raspy?_" Kicker asked.

"Long story short. I trailed Captain to the dorm, only to discover that he wounded Shute badly. I attacked him and I realized that he was really Madnug in disguise!" T.J. whispered.

"_What? Are you serious? Madnug is impersonating Captain? Are you sure you didn't hit your head?_" Kicker remarked.

"Would you believe me if I said that it was the same mech we fought before? Remember?" T.J. answered.

The silence at the other end worried him. When he spoke, Kicker was absolutely shocked. "_T.J., this is bad. I need you to get back to Shute's room and get him to Medical University. Then meet me and Meisha near the edge of the woods. We're going to look for Captain!_"

"Understood. T.J. out."

* * *

_Fifteen minutes later…_

Kicker watched as T.J. staggered out from the brush. Intense worry overcame him as he stared at his friend's battered form. The cockpit on his chest had its glass cracked and he had three scratches from apparently crashing through tree branches. Tear streaks stained his cheeks and Kicker felt sympathy for him.

"T.J….you okay?" Meisha asked.

"Not really," T.J. murmured. "Why is Madnug doing this?"

"Look. Let's just forget about that and focus on finding Captain," Kicker said.

"Right," Meisha murmured.

The three were silent as they ventured into the woods, each of their thoughts occupied by this strange occurrence. They had nothing really to say, so it was completely silent except for the rain pounding against the dome and the slight rumble of thunder on the horizon.

For the next ten minutes it was silent. That is until Kicker tripped and fell face first over a tree root. He sat up, rubbing his jaw. "Ugh…"

Meisha and T.J. were at his side in an instant, helping him sit up. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," T.J. said.

Kicker got to his feet and they continued on. All three were dead serious now as they parted some brush and emerged into a clearing.

Lightning flashed again and the threesome gasped in absolute shock and horror.

Before them, partly overgrown with vines and moss, was the _Star Streak_. Or what remained of it. The wings were torn off and the engines were destroyed. The paint was charred here and there, and the cockpit was blown out, revealing a body already in the advanced stages of decay. Wires still sparked every now and then and already trees were sending roots through the small holes and gashes in the body of the craft.

But what really shocked them was the identity of the body within the cockpit. The brown hair was still clinging to the skull, the eyes partly sunken and the pale skin was beginning to fall off, stretched taught by the bloated state of the body. The clothing was shredded and one of the arms was missing, revealing a gaping hole in the torso. Tears appeared at the corners of Meisha's eyes and she began to sob. Kicker placed an arm around her and T.J. did the same thing. The three stood there, huddled in a small group, nothing but silence between them.

They knew who had been attacked here. They knew that Henry had been killed by the Dark Axis, even if he had been promised a chance to join them.

It was completely silent as they turned and walked off, leaving the battered and destroyed _Star Streak_ and its dead pilot behind to rest in peace.

Meisha's sobs quieted down, and Kicker felt tears come to his eyes. He closed them as the tears ran down his cheeks. He rubbed his eyes. He wouldn't break down in front of his friends. He needed to be strong for them. He couldn't help but feel sad though.

He could see the incident in his mind's eye: Henry talking with Madnug and Shift, wanting to join. The two generals giving him permission. The eager look on his face as he left to go back to the school. The attack happening when he returned with key data on them. Henry fighting hard to stay alive, but failing. The _Star Streak_ crash landing and blowing out the cockpit. Henry dying in agony from his missing arm, and remorse for his actions.

Kicker wasn't sure why, but he felt sorry for the dead boy. His eyes swam with tears again and he finally stopped walking. Meisha and T.J. stopped in their tracks, coming back to stand by him. The two placed their hands on his shaking shoulders and they drew him close.

Silence was abundant as they mourned Henry's loss.

At least until Meisha spoke up softly. "C'mon. Let's keep searching for Captain."

The two boys nodded. The threesome ventured further into the woods, unsure of what they would find.

* * *

**Pain filled his** body as Gerbera streaked back to the complex. If only that human-machine hadn't interfered! Then the boy would be dead and Captain would be accused of being with the enemy!

He landed and waited for the next few hours, wondering how he should portray Captain as the enemy next.

He glanced at the school and his eyes narrowed. He wouldn't be able to get inside now. At least not by the main entrance. It was a lucky thing that Subzero had provided him with a map of the place before he had been killed. He sneered.

He knew how he was getting in now.

He crept towards the back door.

* * *

**Vega stretched his** arms over his head, yawning. "Man…what a day!" he murmured.

"Tell me about it," Michelle said. She ran a hand through her hair before she brushed some out of her face.

"Hey, Michelle? What happens when you mix energon with gold?" T.K. asked from beside her. She turned to look at him.

"When you mix the two together, it creates a metal that's an excellent conductor. It's useful in missiles and guided warheads," the Chemist explained.

"Thanks!" T.K. chirped. He went back to his worksheet.

At least until a V-rod spun through the air, barely missing the boy. Vega lunged and grabbed the half-Kaxian, pulling him down just as a red laser cut through the spot where he had been mere seconds before.

"What was that for?" T.K. demanded.

Vega said nothing. Instead, he got to his feet and ignited his laser daggers. The two blades came out and he held them ready just as the familiar form of Captain Gundam stepped into the lobby, his eyes flashing with menace.

"What's going on, Captain? Why are you attacking us?" Vega asked.

The Gundam said nothing. He merely aimed his wrist blasters and fired a shot, forcing Blare to take action. She reacted swiftly, erecting an aura guard and deflecting the blast right back at him. It struck the ground in front of him, exploding and blowing him back.

She raised a hand and aimed it at him. "Gravity Suspension!" she cried.

A shimmering bubble appeared around the Gundam, lifting him into the air and holding him there. "What is this?" he cried.

"What's going on?" Vega repeated. "We're your friends! Why attack us?"

Captain glared at the Blazian youth. "What does it matter to human scum like you?" he spat.

Vega narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You joined the Dark Axis, didn't you?" he asked softly.

"What do you think?" the captive Gundam hissed.

Vega snarled as he aimed a laser dagger at him. "This isn't like you! What happened?"

"I saw the truth. Humans such as you are too weak for me to be hanging around. I have new friends now," Captain murmured.

"That doesn't give you the right to attack us!" Michelle cried.

"Oh, it does. Humans need to be exterminated!" Captain replied, sneering at her.

Mike glowered at him from the air. "This is not who you are!" he said.

"People can change, human!" Captain snapped.

"Not like this!" Blare pleaded. "Think about Shute!"

"That boy was holding me back!" the Gundam snapped at her.

"So you killed him!" Vega exclaimed, disbelief flooding his veins.

"No. I merely wounded him, no thanks to that human-machine!" Captain hissed.

He tensed his body and drew in his arms and legs. With a sudden burst of power, he thrust his arms out to the side and the Gravity Suspension shattered, surprising Blare and forcing the others back.

"Ah!"

"Now, time to die!" Captain cried.

"I don't think so!" Vega hissed. He swung his laser daggers and cried out. "BLAZIAN SLASH!"

"Hah! Nice try, human!" Captain yelled. He swung his remaining V-rod, shattering the attack and sending a blast of energy right at Vega. The Blazian dodged to the side and activated his right ankle laser dagger.

He kicked out, launching a blue arc of energy at him. "Take this!"

Captain evaded the energy attack and turned before running out of the room. "Hey! Captain! STOP!" Mike cried. He flew after the fleeing Gundam, but stopped near the door, staring out into the freezing rain.

"Captain…"

* * *

**Kicker, Meisha, and** T.J. emerged from the woods near the edge of the old warehouse they had once explored. They had no idea as to where the Gundam was, but they had to check everywhere they knew of. And this had been the closest space.

The human-turned-starfighter landed on the ground and transformed from his vehicle mode to robot mode and stood up.

The warehouse was the same as it had been, but with an added addition: a large hole had been blasted in the side. Kicker stared at the hole for a moment before shaking his head.

"C'mon. Let's go in."

His two friends nodded silently and they followed the human inside the hole.

The boy turned and looked at T.J., only visible because of his blue optics. "Hey, T.J.? Can you shine your lights on this hole? It looks like something broke into the warehouse from the outside."

T.J. nodded and flicked on his powerful chest-mounted headlights. The beams cut through the darkness, illuminating the jagged edges of the torn back metal. Kicker approached and ran his hand down one of the edges, careful to not cut himself.

"What's so special about that anyway?" Meisha asked.

Kicker looked back at her. "Something punched its way into the warehouse. And I'm guessing that it was Madnug…or Gerbera."

"Huh?" Both his friends blinked at him. "What? There's _another_ general?"

Kicker shook his head. "No. I overheard the Gundams talking about Madnug the other day and I heard them mention that he was also called Gerbera."

"So…Madnug's got a code name?" T.J. asked.

"Perhaps, but I can't say for sure. Right now we've got to keep looking for Captain," Kicker said.

"Right," Meisha murmured.

The threesome ventured deep into the depths of the old warehouse for the second time, but this time they remained on the upper levels rather than check out the basement. Meisha grabbed Kicker's arm as he tripped on a concealed metal beam, and the two humans stumbled. T.J.'s hands lashed out and grabbed both of them, steadying them.

The hallways were silent as they emerged into the old storage area for the equipment. The crates had long since rotted away and pieces of equipment lay scattered around, some rusting into nothing but metal frames. Most of the older stuff was covered with dust, creating an eerie atmosphere around the three children as they stepped out of the darkened hallway.

Meisha looked around, stunned by all of this. "Wow…I never knew how long this place was out of use," she murmured.

Kicker said nothing; his face was hard as he walked forward.

"Kicker? You okay?" T.J. asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Kicker replied. "It's just that this has to stop. The Dark Axis is getting too ruthless, murdering even Henry. He wasn't the nicest kid, but he didn't deserve to be betrayed by them, especially after they promised him something."

"I know it's hard, Kicker," Meisha said softly.

"Besides, if what T.J. said is true, then we need to start looking for any sign that Captain…" He choked back a sob.

"…for any sign that Captain was killed?" Meisha finished softly.

Kicker nodded, his shoulders shaking again as he wiped his eyes vigorously with his hand.

"Kicker, we'll find him. I know it," T.J. said.

"Thanks, T.J.," Kicker whispered.

Meisha ventured off into the darkness to the left and T.J. took to the air, his headlights giving him the light he needed to see in the blackened gantries.

Kicker was left alone as he fingered the code around his neck. Even though it had cracked during the second fight with Shift, it still remained whole, a testament to the original creators' workings with machinery. They had built a remarkable spacecraft, perfect in every possible way, but still flawed.

He clenched his fist around it, feeling the sudden burden that had been thrust upon him when he had first accepted the starfighter. He hadn't known what it had been, but now he knew.

"Kicker!" Meisha's voice cried out from the darkness off to his left. Kicker turned and ran over just as T.J. hovered down, landing and shining his headlights on the pile of equipment that had been carelessly restacked around whatever was hidden beneath it.

A small amount of mech fluid could be seen coming from beneath it.

Kicker gasped.

His knees went slack and he slumped to the ground. T.J. said nothing but began moving the pile aside, one piece of equipment at a time. The only sounds now were the rain falling on the roof, the grunts of T.J. as he moved aside the heavy equipment, and the clang of metal on concrete as he tossed it aside.

Meisha put a hand to her mouth as they stared at a mech-fluid covered hand as it fell out from a small nook in the pile.

Tears pricked at her eyes, but she shook her head. They didn't know for sure if it was even Captain. Not until T.J. hauled some more equipment off of the stack.

It took fifteen minutes to clear the heavy equipment off of the still body underneath. T.J.'s headlights illuminated the form and all three kids gaped.

Illuminated beneath the lights was Captain Gundam…or so they thought. Kicker suddenly frowned and knelt, poking the "body". It disintegrated into mere sparkles before fading. "Just as I thought. It's a trick by Shift."

"So, then where is the real Captain?" T.J. asked.

"Somewhere here. I'm not sure how I know, I just do. C'mon."

They left the pile of equipment behind, stepping over the stuff tossed aside by T.J. in their frenzied search. No one spoke for the next five minutes until T.J. suddenly noticed something off to the left. It wasn't very noticeable; in fact, it was very subtle, but it was enough to get his attention. The younger mech suddenly darted towards the stack of crates that was perched against the wall.

"Huh? T.J.! What're you doing?" Meisha asked. "There's nothing there."

"Wanna bet?" T.J. remarked. His voice was a bit harsh. He didn't mean for it to sound that way; that was just how the words came out.

Meisha blinked, but grabbed Kicker's arm and dragged the confused pilot over.

"What's up?" he asked.

"T.J.'s over by some old crates. I'm not sure why he's so interested in them," Meisha replied.

Kicker glanced at his friend. "T.J., let's just—" He was cut off as T.J. began moving the crates. "Hey! What're you doing?"

"This!" T.J. grunted.

He lifted up one of the crates and the two humans gasped at what lay beneath.

* * *

**Jaden lay on** the ground, his head buried in his arms. His shoulders shook as he cried. This was not what he had been expecting! He hadn't expected Captain to defect from the Gundam Force, let alone join the Dark Axis. And he had failed to stop him.

"Why? Why did he do it?" Jaden sobbed. Guilt filled his Soul-Drive and he felt like his entire body was weighted down with his failure. He had never been this upset before in his life.

He kept crying for a few more minutes before a voice cut across the silent landscape. "Jaden?"

Jaden lifted his head and he wiped his tear stained eyes with one hand. Sayla stood in front of him, concern on her face.

"You okay?" she asked.

Jaden shook his head. "No. I…I couldn't stop him. He…he attacked me and…" Jaden buried his head in his arms again.

Sayla knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder pad. "I understand. But…you have to understand that it wasn't Captain. It was Gerbera," she murmured.

"It…I know. But he…he acted just like Captain would if he joined the enemy. How can you be so sure?" he whispered.

"I'm in the military, Jaden. And in the military, you learn a lot of stuff, but mostly how to identify enemies by just their motives. I had to learn that the hard way," Sayla said quietly. Her mind reflected back to the days when they had first met the Gundam Force. She had mistakenly caused Captain to try and take his own life without even considering the consequences. But she was stronger and wiser now.

"Still…"

"I understand it's hard. And I'm kind of doubtful myself as to whether or not he's really Gerbera. But I have to face the facts. Captain isn't like this."

Jaden looked up again. "So…you're still sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Jaden wiped his eyes with one of his hands and sat up. She pulled him to his feet. "C'mon. Let's get back to the TCDA."

The two walked back to the school in silence.

* * *

**Kicker and Meisha** stared at the battered form beneath the crates. Captain was battered and beaten, his armor scuffed up. T.J. had a grim look on his face as he spoke. "Now do you get it?" T.J. asked.

Kicker rubbed his eyes, unable to believe this. "Hold on. How can we be sure that this is really Captain? What if…" His voice trailed off. How could this be happening? It just didn't make any sense to him.

Ever since the Gundam Force had shown up, things had become much harder to figure out, and yet, other things had begun to make more sense. It was so confusing.

Kicker shook his head. "What in Primus' name is going on here? How can Captain be here if he was back at the dorm?"

T.J. scowled. "Kicker, I told you! It was Madnug I fought! He's mimicking Captain Gundam!" he said.

"I don't know who you fought, but if you're telling the truth, then this must be the real Captain," Meisha said.

"We don't know that for sure unless we get back to the school with him. And fast!" Kicker said.

"Right!" T.J. said. He grabbed the still Gundam and all four teleported out of the warehouse.

* * *

_At Medical University…_

Xenphyr's eyes narrowed as he prodded the boy's wound. Shute hissed in pain as the medic pulled his fingers away. "Well, this burn isn't that bad, but unless you count the fact that you lost quite a bit of blood, I'd say that you'll be good to go in about a week."

"A week?" Shute asked.

"Yeah. You're lucky that T.J. interfered when he did," the former assassin replied. He grabbed a nearby container of burn cream and began to apply it to the burn. "This will help that heal."

"Will it?" Shute asked.

Xenphyr nodded. "Yeah. But what surprises me is that Captain would even attack you like that! What's gotten into him?"

"I think we can answer that," a new voice said.

The familiar whine of the space-jump faded and Xenphyr blinked in shock at the still form being held by T.J. as they materialized in the medical bay.

"What's going on?" Xenphyr asked.

"That's what we'd like to know as well, Xenphyr. We found Captain battered and beaten in Warehouse 41, but we don't know if it's the real deal," Meisha said.

"T.J. claims that he fought Madnug, that mecha we told you about at least two months ago!" Kicker explained.

"And he's mimicking Captain!" T.J. finished.

Xenphyr blinked his eyes, trying to take it all in at once. He placed a hand on his forehead. "Okay. Let me get this straight. You say that Captain attacked you, but then you three come in and say that it was Madnug disguised as Captain, yet you have no proof. Is that right?"

T.J., Kicker, and Meisha all nodded, along with Shute. Xenphyr slumped back in his seat, his head buried in his hands.

"And just when things couldn't get even crazier, _this_ had to happen," he murmured.

He closed his eyes and took his hands away before looking up. He opened his eyes and looked at the three kids. "Okay. There's something going on here and it sounds like you three have stumbled right into it. So keep an eye out, okay?"

They nodded. "Right!"

Xenphyr motioned to the still form they brought with. "Leave him here. I'll see what I can do…and if he's the real Captain."

They nodded and within the hour, they left, leaving a confused Shute and a very concerned Xenphyr behind.

* * *

**Gerbera snarled in** anger as he slipped into the woods again, this time sporting several other wounds. His eyes flashed angrily as he gripped his arm, a scratch oozing black mech fluid and coolant. "Those humans…"

Even despite the interference from several of the humans, he had succeeded in getting the rest to start doubting Captain's true loyalties. At least until those three humans he had fought a short while ago figured out his plan.

It had taken him a good deal of his strength to fight and wound them, but not before they managed to get in several hits.

He had to find a way to bring this plan to its conclusion and soon.

Before it was too late.


	89. Sayla VS Gerbera

Chapter 2

Coby grimaced as he sat in the Medical University a few days later, Xenphyr patching up one of his wounds. The medical Reploid scowled as he adjusted one of the bandages. "First degree burns and a few scratches. I should've guessed that this would happen," he said.

"Well, you have to thank that faulty laser welder for these," Coby lied. It had been decided by him and Lori and Bud to not reveal what had really happened two days ago. Revealing that it had been actually someone disguised as Captain could prompt an intense investigation, but considering the fact that most of the TCDA elite team doubted Captain's loyalties now, it could cause them to kill the Gundam, and that was something they didn't want to happen.

For now, it was just the three of them that knew the real deal…or so they thought. They had no idea that Sayla, Kicker, Meisha, T.J., and Jaden all knew the truth as well; or at least suspected that someone was disguised as Captain Gundam.

Xenphyr gripped the bandages and wound a few of them tighter.

"Well, this will do. Just stay clear of laser equipment for a few days and you're good," he said.

Coby smiled. "Thanks, Xenphyr."

The medic smiled back. "No problem." His face became serious again as he watched Coby hop off the table. "But be careful next time."

Coby nodded. "I will, I promise," he said.

He left the office a few minutes later and emerged into the waiting room where Lori and Bud were sitting. "How'd it go?" Lori asked. "Did he question anything?"

Coby shook his head. "No. He thinks that I burned myself with a laser welder."

"That's a relief," Bud chirped.

"Yeah…for now, anyway." Coby grew serious at this point. "It's only a matter of time before Xenphyr figures out that something's going down."

"And we have to stop Gerbera before he can finish his plans," Bud summarized.

"Exactly," Lori said grimly.

"But how long until someone grows suspicious?" Bud asked.

Coby shrugged. "I'm not sure entirely, but that doesn't matter. We have to stop Gerbera somehow."

"But how? He's a Gundam, and we're humans. Plus, we lack any special abilities, like aura. We need some kind of advantage," Lori said.

"We have Coby's scrapmetal vehicle," Bud said. "And my Omega Ball."

"But that's not what we need, Bud. We need something that will catch Gerbera off guard," Lori stated.

"Oh. Well, then I got nothing," Bud murmured.

"We'll just have to figure it out as we go along. C'mon. We've got to find him!" Coby said. He turned and ran down the hallway, followed closely by Bud and Lori.

* * *

**Xenphyr watched the** three children turn the corner and vanish from sight. He sighed and shook his head. "Those three are always up to something," he murmured.

He grabbed the small object on his desk and pulled the cover off to reveal the completed Gundam hand. He turned and walked into the dimly lit room in which he had built the newest addition to the Intergalactic Federation: a Gundam femme named Solar.

He quickly attached the hand to the body, making sure that things were hooked up properly and that the joints functioned appropriately. When he was satisfied, he turned and curled his hand around the Soul-Drive perched on a stand beside the body.

"Here goes…" he murmured.

He closed his eyes and placed the Soul-Drive inside the open chest compartment. He removed his hand from it and the compartment closed up.

For a long while nothing seemed to be happening. But then, slowly but surely, a dim light came from the Gundam's eyes. Xenphyr watched as the eyes slowly opened to reveal two bright red irises. The eyes darted around the room, taking in the sights before a female voice spoke.

"Whu…where am I?" The femme's eyes locked onto Xenphyr looking over her. "And who are you?"

Xenphyr smiled reassuringly at her. "It's okay. You're in the Medical University."

The femme scoffed. "I figured. But you still didn't answer my second question."

Xenphyr blinked in astonishment. Normally a newly created mechanical species wouldn't be this aware of their surroundings in such a short time. But then again, he had found her Soul-Drive when it was still active, meaning that she must have had a life beforehand.

"Okay. As for the answer to your second question, my name is Xenphyr and I'm the head medical officer here." He waited for her response for a few seconds.

The femme's eyes blinked. "Xenphyr?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"What am I exactly?" she asked. She looked herself over. "I can kind of guess that I'm a Gundam, but what type?"

He grabbed a nearby chair and drew it close. He swung his legs over and placed his hands on the chair's back. "Well, to start off with, your body has been modified to be able to allow a transformation into a secondary mode. In this case, your secondary form is that of an aircraft called an F-16 Tomcat. It's an aircraft used by the Earthlings in air defense. This type of Gundam is called a Murasame unit," he explained.

The femme cocked her head to the side. "A what unit?"

"A Mu-ra-sa-me unit. It's a type of transforming Gundam," the medic said.

"Oh." She looked down at herself again before she spoke. "So, do I have a name?"

Xenphyr nodded. "Yeah. Your name is Solar."

The newly named Solar looked up. "Really?"

The medic smiled. "Yeah. I'm not sure why, but I just feel that it's a perfect fit." Deep down the former assassin knew that the Soul-Drive he installed had had the name written on a piece of tape on the sphere itself.

But why reveal it?

He knew that sometimes hiding the truth was essential, but he began to wonder if it was essential to keep key things hidden, especially during the Dark Axis war.

Solar said nothing, but she merely hopped off the table and flexed her wings. "So, now what?" she asked.

"Well, the first thing that you need to do is go through basic training," Xenphyr replied. "After that, we'll see where we go from there."

Solar nodded. "Right!"

* * *

**Coby, Lori, and** Bud slithered through the woods, their eyes darting around for any sign of the disguised Dark Axis Gundam. But so far nothing was spotted. All they could see was the foliage and the mess of tree branches overhead, most without their leaves by now.

Bud grunted as he stepped over a fallen tree limb from one of the battles a few weeks back. "Geez. You would have thought they cleaned this up by now," he muttered.

Coby glared at his younger brother. "Bud, we don't have time for that! We're in the middle of a war, and all you can think about is getting things cleaned up!" he hissed.

"Enough! Both of you! Remember we have a mission?" Lori snapped.

"Sorry," both boys muttered.

Lori smiled in satisfaction before she took a step and tripped over a log. She yelped as she went rolling down into a ditch carved out of the earth. Bud and Coby ran over, their bodies flooded with fear and dread for their friend. Was she okay?

"Lori! Are you okay?" Coby called.

"Unh…Yeah! I'm fine!" Lori yelled back, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

"That's a relief," Bud said softly.

"C'mon! Let's get her out of there," Coby said.

Bud nodded. He reached into his pocket and removed a small coil of energon twine. He tied one end to a sturdy tree and handed the rest to Coby. "I'll keep watch," Bud remarked in response to Coby's questioning look.

Coby nodded back and grabbed the twine. He made a small loop and slipped one of his feet into it before slipping the energon line around a rock. He clenched his fist around the remainder and slowly lowered himself into the ditch. But before he began to lower himself down to her, he called down. "Can you stand?" he asked.

Lori gripped onto the wall of the ditch and tried to push herself into a sitting position. "AH!" She slumped against the wall, struggling to remain upright. "No good. I think I twisted my ankle," she called back.

Coby swore to himself and glanced at Bud. "She's got a sprained ankle. It'll take both of us to haul her back up."

He gripped the twine and began to let it out slowly from the coil in his hand. The ditch wasn't that deep; it was only about thirty feet from the top to the bottom, but it was unusually steep. Coby guessed that it was the result of the intense battle a few weeks back in October. It took him less than fifteen minutes to reach the bottom and he slipped his foot out of the loop.

"Lori!" He ran over to her and helped her stand. "C'mon. Let's go."

He took a step forward, but then he suddenly slipped, the rock bottom suddenly giving way and the two cried out as they tumbled down into a long concealed military secret.

Bud heard the commotion and he ran over, leaning over the edge of the ditch and cried down. "COBY! LORI!"

Their cries were swallowed up by the deep crevasse, and Bud shivered. "Please be okay…" he murmured.

* * *

**Coby and Lori **screamed as they fell down the last remaining shaft of an underground military base. The boy gritted his teeth and he clenched one of his arms around Lori's body. He shifted his position, reaching into his back pocket for the small grappling gun that he had developed less than a year ago.

He drew out the gun and pulled the trigger, a small explosive and compressed air propelling the three-pronged grappling hook faster than a traditional grappling gun could. The hook flew through the air before it struck solid concrete, becoming lodged in a crack in the shaft's wall. He planted both his feet on the shaft wall and using the hook's secure position and his own momentum, began to slow them both down.

The bottom of the shaft came up rather rapidly and he braced for impact, landing on his butt. He grimaced as he stood up, holding onto Lori's body securely in his free arm.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded, speechless at his quick thinking. "Yes. Thanks," she murmured.

Coby helped her stand up and the two looked around the old tunnel.

"Where are we?" Lori asked.

"I think we're in the old tunnel network beneath the complex," Coby said softly. "Washington, D.C. was famous for them."

"Underground tunnels in an expansive network…that's ingenious," Lori remarked.

"Not like today's networks, though," Coby mused.

"So, how are we going to get out?" Lori asked.

"I don't know. It seems we'll just have to keep going until we find a way out." Coby hoped they could, because if they couldn't find a way out, then they were sure to die down here.

The two began to make their way throughout the old network of tunnels. Coby managed to activate his flashlight with one hand while helping Lori walk with his other hand. The pale yellow beam penetrated through the darkness with ease, revealing the crack-covered walls and cobwebs draped down from the ceilings. Their footsteps echoed eerily in the confines, making it seem like they were being followed by many soldiers of a phantom army.

"This place is _really_ creepy," Lori murmured softly.

Coby said nothing, but merely nodded.

For the next fifteen minutes the two children wandered in the aimless network, unable to find any way in or out. They were finally forced to accept the fact that they were trapped. Effectively trapped.

And there was no one who could hear them.

* * *

**Bud ran back** to the TCDA as fast as he could, his feet pounding against the pavement of the sidewalk leading from the training fields. "Hey! HEY! SAYLA!" He waved his arms, trying to get the teenage commander's attention.

He was so busy focusing on her that he failed to notice the tree root growing across the sidewalk, causing him to trip when his foot got caught. Bud went sprawling onto his stomach, letting out a groan as he collided with the pavement.

"Owww!"

Sayla turned and spotted Bud lying on the ground. She ran over from where she was talking with Kira and knelt down beside him, helping the blonde-haired boy sit up. "Bud? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he grunted.

"What's the hurry? Did something happen?" Sayla asked.

Bud nodded. "Yeah. Lori, Coby, and I were out trying to find a weapon that the three of us could use against Gerbera when Lori suddenly slipped and fell into a ditch. Coby went down to get her because she has a sprained ankle, but then the bottom just collapsed and they fell into some kind of a crevasse that opened up beneath them," he quickly explained. "The reason why we were searching for a weapon was because we know of his plans, but that's beside the point. The point is that Lori and Coby are trapped underground and they may not have a means of getting back to the surface! Of course—"

Sayla clamped a hand over his mouth. "Bud! Calm down!"

Bud nodded.

"Good." Sayla removed her hand.

"Now, from the top. What happened?"

Bud began to explain.

It took them fifteen minutes to reach the site of the ditch. Along the way, Bud explained the situation to Sayla and she frowned. "So, Coby and Lori fell into a crevasse and you want someone to try and find them?" she asked.

Bud nodded. "Yes. And you were the first choice that popped into my mind," he said.

Sayla pursed her lips and studied the crevasse. It was pitch black, meaning that she couldn't see bottom. Shifting her position, she reached behind her and grabbed her gun, removing the weapon from her shoulders. She pointed the barrel at the dark crack and flicked on the light mounted on top.

The powerful beam shot down into the darkness, illuminating the depths.

At the far end, she could see a small patch of something she guessed to be the bottom.

"Wow…that's far," she murmured.

Bud gulped. "Can you try and find them?" he asked softly.

Sayla nodded. "Yeah. I'll try. But I don't know if I'll succeed." She slipped her gun back onto her shoulders, the barrel-mounted light shining down behind her.

"Just try! Please!" Bud pleaded. He grabbed her T-shirt. "Please!"

Sayla smiled. "I'll do my best."

Bud released her, a thankful smile on his face. "Thanks," he murmured.

Sayla turned back to the crevasse and grabbed the energon twine Coby had used prior. She gripped it in both hands and leaned back, placing her feet on the wall of the ditch, pushing off and landing on the wall farther down.

Bud watched her as she rappelled further down until she was consumed by the inky blackness, only the light from her gun marking her descent.

* * *

**Sayla wrapped the** twine around her free hand as she grabbed her gun's strap and slipped it off her shoulders. This was very dangerous, but she had to do it. She put the gun between her legs and flipped a switch, exposing a third barrel underneath the main body of the weapon. She adjusted her position and aimed the gun with one hand while keeping a firm grip on the twine with the other. She had no idea as to what kind of reaction the recoil from her gun could cause since she was so precariously perched on the wall of a shaft with nothing but energon twine to keep her in place.

She pulled the trigger, releasing a three-pronged grappling hook, but bigger and with sharper prongs. The deadly hook sped through the air and jammed itself in a crack in the shaft wall. She smiled.

Sayla slowly began to unwind the twine from around her hand and she let go. The hook was jammed sufficiently into the wall to provide her with a secure anchor as she extended both her feet and slammed the bottom of her boots into the wall opposite her previous location. Her legs jolted from the impact, but her knees didn't buckle, which was a huge relief. She slipped her gun's strap over her shoulders again and began to descend slowly, her finger pressing the descent button on the side of her weapon. The hook jerked ominously, but she kept it up, although she was now extra cautious.

It took her less than twenty minutes to reach the bottom of the shaft. She glanced up at where the hook was embedded. She grabbed the cable and gave a sharp tug; the hook came free.

The hook clattered onto the stone floor of the tunnel and automatically, the cable began to reel in, taking the hook with it. She grabbed the hook itself and guided it into the third barrel, locking into place with a solid _click_.

Sayla grabbed her gun and slipped it off her shoulders again, this time holding it at the ready.

The light mounted on the barrel penetrated through the darkness easily, much like a laser through flesh. She began walking deeper into the depths of the network beneath Earth Command.

* * *

**Gerbera sneered as** he watched the two humans venture past his hiding place. In the absolute darkness of the tunnels, he was relying on his infrared sensors to be able to see their body heat; they didn't even know that he was down here!

He watched them turn a corner and vanish down the corridor. He smirked to himself.

Time to begin the next phase of his plan!

He slinked off into the shadows, unaware of the incoming soldier farther down the corridor.

* * *

**Sayla ran down **the corridor, her feet pounding against the cracked concrete beneath. Her gun's light illuminated the path and she ducked under cobwebs, avoiding smacking her head on a few pipes that hung down, clearly dislodged by the battles previously.

She skidded to a stop, suddenly hearing something in the total darkness that surrounded her. Her eyes narrowed and she gripped her gun tighter, flattening herself against the side of the tunnel. There she waited, her body tensed for battle.

The footsteps grew closer. Her finger drifted towards the trigger of her gun.

Sweat formed on her forehead and streaked down her face. She licked her lips in anticipation of combat.

Her heartbeat increased as they came ever closer before stopping.

A faint glow illuminated the corner and she gasped quickly. The light wasn't that of Coby _or_ Lori. It seemed to be coming from where a Gundam's eyes would be…just like…

She tensed a tiny bit more, every muscle poised for action.

The faint glow moved further away.

She began to wonder if the enemy had gone.

She didn't let down her guard even as she peered around the corner.

The Gundam's eyes shrank as he gasped. She let out a war cry as she ran out from her hiding place, her gun held in firing position.

"GERBERA!" she cried.

The Gundam she had ambushed turned and ran for it, clearly caught off guard by her mere presence. She smirked as she aimed her gun's light at his fleeing back. She slipped her hand over one of the switches on the butt of her weapon and flipped it. A slight shudder ran throughout the gun as the barrel for the grappling hook was withdrawn and the laser barrel was extended to maximum length just as she pulled the trigger.

In the darkness of the tunnel, the muzzle flashes of her gun's barrel were intense, and they threw the section of corridor into luminescence. The lasers sped from the barrel eagerly homing in on their target. A small explosion and a yelp was enough to confirm she had struck her target.

"Gotcha!" she cried, smiling.

* * *

**Gerbera hissed in** pain as his newly obtained wound sparked. The last thing he had expected was to see the soldier down here in these tunnels! This really complicated his plans further! If any more complications came into his plans, then he would be forced to acknowledge that the Federation was better in terms of tactical abilities and strategic planning.

And that was something he didn't want to admit.

He turned and faced the human as she came close to him.

"Okay, Gerbera! Your time here ends now!" she hissed, aiming her gun at him. The bright searchlight mounted on the barrel shone right on his body, and he sneered.

"How do you even know it's really me?" he asked.

"I don't! But I do know that Captain would never harm his best friend!" she snarled. "And you harmed Shute!"

"Yes. I did. But it was because he was holding me back from my true potential," he said, saying exactly what he knew Captain would say.

She hesitated, but she never lowered her gun. "What are you talking about? You aren't Captain!" she spat.

"I am Captain, all right. But you just don't want to acknowledge it!" he purred.

"Nice try!" she hissed. She crouched into a firing position and prepared to squeeze the trigger.

That gave Gerbera the moment he needed. He swiftly grabbed both his V-rods and ignited them, charging at her with a war cry of unearthly proportions. She jerked her head back in surprise at the sudden assault. She dodged his attack, but barely. She jumped over the slashing beams of light and flipped in midair, landing behind him.

She lashed out with a roundhouse, catching him on the side of his jaw and he was sent sprawling. He rubbed his aching jaw and scrambled to his feet. "So, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you got!" he hissed.

* * *

**Both stood there**, their weapons at the ready for combat. Sayla held her gun in her hands, ready to fire while Gerbera was prepared to attack with his V-rods. Then, they charged. Sayla aimed her gun and pulled the trigger, releasing a barrage of lasers at high speed, forcing Gerbera to block them with his V-rods. He spun his hands, using the blades to deflect the lasers into the tunnel walls, ceiling, and floor. The light from the muzzle flashes illuminated Sayla's face, a look of pure anger on her features. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she shifted her position.

She reached into her trench coat and grabbed something. She pressed a switch on her gun's rear end and the barrel suddenly shortened considerably as a secondary barrel opened up underneath it. A compartment opened in the side of her gun and she jammed the object inside before slamming the compartment closed.

"EAT THIS!" she cried, pulling the trigger. A burst of sound echoed up and down the tunnel, sending some dust down from the ceiling around them. The barrel flashed as a shaped charge sped out, the object revealed in the second-long flash. Gerbera's eyes widened as he stared at the grenade coming at him. He crouched and engaged his flight thrusters, the flames igniting and granting him lift.

He hovered off the ground as the grenade exploded against the spot where he had been mere seconds before. But what he didn't count on was the shockwave's aftershock. The blast was confined within the tunnel, and that further amplified its lethality in close range. Since he was further off he was blown back, but he wasn't wounded greatly.

Sayla snarled in anger as she lifted her gun up to horizontal level. She pressed a button on the back of her gun, releasing something within the weapon. The gun shuddered as the front half suddenly spilt down the middle, revealing a small antitank rocket within. Gerbera blinked in shock.

"Are you going to use that?" he blurted.

"What do you think, Gerbera?" she growled.

"If you do, this whole tunnel could collapse!" Gerbera pleaded, hoping his gamble would pay off. He was betting that the tunnels were weakened and that if she did use it, it could cause the tunnel's ceiling to collapse right on top of her. He could escape thanks to the Zakorello Gate, but she wouldn't be able to.

"I don't think so," she murmured.

She prepared to pull the trigger.

Seeing as he had no choice, Gerbera grabbed a flash bang grenade attached to his waist armor and pulled it off, pressing the detonation button. "Then, I must regretfully say farewell until next time," he said.

He threw it down.

The grenade went off, the flash blinding Sayla. She cried out and threw her arm up in front of her eyes to prevent herself from being blinded.

She lifted her gaze up when the flash faded and she cursed loudly.

Gerbera was gone.

But at least she could now focus on finding Coby and Lori.

"Sayla?"

Or…maybe not.

Sayla turned at the voice and her eyes widened as she saw Coby walk out with Lori's arm draped over his shoulder.

"Coby! Lori!" Sayla flipped on the safety to her gun and the weapon returned to normal mode. She slipped it over her shoulder and ran over to them.

"Boy, are we glad to see you!" Coby remarked.

"Yeah. Bud's been worried sick about you two," Sayla said.

"What happened here?" Lori asked. "We heard some kind of a fight going on."

Sayla looked down, her eyes hard. "Gerbera was here. I drove him off, or rather, he retreated when he saw that I was going to use the antitank rocket," she said softly.

"B-But…no one else was down here," Lori murmured.

"Well, he was. That's all I'm saying," Sayla stated.

"It's a good thing you got him to retreat when you did," Coby said.

"Why?" Sayla asked, cocking her head.

"These old tunnels have collapsed in some places. It's a virtual maze down here," Lori replied.

"I figured," Sayla said, rolling her eyes.

"So, now what?" Lori asked.

"Well, we'd better get you to the Medical University. And we'll have to seal up this shaft again. No one should be down here if this place is a maze of tunnels," Sayla said.

"Good idea. Besides, I don't think we'll find anything down here that could be of any use to us against Gerbera," Coby said this last part to Lori in a whisper. She nodded.

"I agree," she murmured.

* * *

**The disguised Gundam** emerged from the old tunnels through a hidden ladder shaft, crawling out into the rain. His wounds sparked as he emerged and he snarled in pain. He had to fix his own injuries for when he carried out phase II…if he could, that is.

The humans had proven to be unpredictable in their tactics and their involvements to stop his plans. If they kept this up, then there was no way he could kill the Gundams and exterminate their human friend.

At least he had managed to get the majority of the team to believe that Captain was now a member of the Dark Axis.


	90. The Federation Spreads Hope

Chapter 3

The fresh air felt good to Lori, Coby, and Sayla as they clambered out of the shaft into the clearing day. The clouds were beginning to part, but still more loomed on the horizon. To Sayla, it was a reminder that the future was still clouded with despair, rage, and hatred. Unless they won, then there was no hope for a sunny, peaceful future.

She turned away from the clouds and grabbed Coby's hand, pulling him out of the entrance and onto firm ground. Lori sat on the ground, her ankle now wrapped in a makeshift splint.

Sayla leaned down and slipped an arm around Lori's shoulders. Coby grabbed her other arm and together they managed to hoist her to her feet.

It took them less than twenty-five minutes to reach Medical University. The doors slid open and they helped Lori inside. Xenphyr was sitting in the lobby reading a medical report submitted by one of his student surgeons. When he heard the doors open, he looked up and his eyes widened in shock.

"What happened to you guys?" he cried.

"Long story short. We had a short adventure in the underground tunnel network," Sayla summarized.

He blinked his eyes in amazement. "What? How'd you wind up down there?" he asked.

"A ditch caved in and we fell down a shaft," Coby said, motioning to him and Lori. "Lori's got a sprained ankle."

Xenphyr sighed. "Okay. I'll take a look. But next time, be more careful!" he cautioned.

The threesome nodded and within the hour, they had left, leaving Lori in the medic's care.

* * *

_That evening on Kax…_

Seto stood in front of his office window, overlooking New Domino City, his hands clasped behind his back. The red sun setting over the city threw the buildings into a fiery light, making them seem as if they were made from fire itself. He sighed and closed his eyes, hanging his head.

"Seto?" The younger voice of his brother cut through his thoughts and he turned.

"Mokuba… What are you doing here?" he asked.

Mokuba stepped through the doorway to his outer office, his eyes fixed on the CEO. A datapad was clasped in his hands.

"I…I just got this back from the research lab. It's a report on the reversal of the BagguBaggu," he said.

Seto suddenly whirled around and strode over. "What? They actually managed to reverse the petrification process?" he asked softly.

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah." He handed Seto the datapad. Seto's eyes widened as he read the title and a smile slowly began to spread across his face.

He looked at Mokuba. "How'd they do it?" he asked.

"It's all in the report," Mokuba replied.

Seto cocked an eyebrow and began reading it over out loud.

"'Sir, this is the R&D Lab Manager reporting. We have made an unexpected breakthrough in the reversal of the petrification process carried out by the BagguBaggu. We found a way to reverse engineer the little bugs and we discovered that through the use of energon, the core processor of the BagguBaggu can be modified. We're not sure how it works, but we can guess that it has something to do with the radiation.

"'As you know, energon radiation has many unusual properties, and we think that this is one of those properties. Maybe it has to do with the particles that are emitted from the energon itself in the form of waves. The energon waves may actually cause a new system to be activated or perhaps it can trigger molecular activation of certain programs that may have been suppressed. It's kind of hard to explain, but this is what we guess, anyway.

"'By using energon radiation, we modified the core processors of the BagguBaggu we have in the testing range. Then, the most amazing thing happened. They changed color and form entirely to become miniature versions of a starfighter. I've enclosed one for you to see.

"'Anyway, after the modification was done, we brought out three petrified humans and the little things swarmed over their bodies, reversing the process and restoring them to flesh and blood. We studied the process and it turns out that it does indeed work in reverse. The stone molecules are substituted for organic molecules and their original bodies are restored. We hope to try and mass produce these little guys for widespread use in other dimensions the Dark Axis has conquered or is conquering. We've decided to call these the Organic Restorers. At least for now.

"'I hope this suffices. Charles Xing, KaibaCorp R&D Lab, Division C.'" Seto looked at Mokuba.

The younger Kaiba had a grin on his face. "The main factories here have already begun mass production," he said.

Seto smiled and turned his attention to the small container attached to the report. He slid it open and reached in, pulling out something in between his fingers.

His eyes widened as he stared at a white miniscule starfighter held between his fingers. Above the tiny cockpit was a Japanese symbol and a set of "feathers" extended from both wings, giving it the look of small bird wings. In fact, if it wasn't for the rudder and the cockpit, Seto swore that he would be holding a tiny mechanical bird.

"Wow…This is amazing," he whispered.

He looked around before he grabbed a petrified leaf from a stash of test subjects. He gently set the leaf down, followed by the small starfighter. He set it down on his desk with the utmost care.

As soon as his fingers were removed from the tiny spacecraft, the mini engines ignited, small jets of blue flame coming out and propelling it up into the air. He watched as it circled before hovering down close to the petrified leaf. The tiny craft adjusted its angle before the nose opened up and a small laser shot out, striking the leaf.

Right before his eyes the leaf began to return to its organic state. The gray stone gave way to greenery and he laughed slightly.

"It…It actually works!" he murmured in excitement.

Mokuba nodded. "Cool, huh?" he asked.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. In fact, it's brilliant. With this, we may actually have an upper hand against the Dark Axis' petrification forces."

Mokuba giggled. "Those bugs won't stand a chance!"

Seto's hand shot out and gently closed around the small starfighter before he held it close, uncurling his fingers to expose it sitting on his palm.

He slipped it into the container and smiled. "I'm going to bring this to Earth. The President has got to see this."

* * *

_A few hours later…_

President Warren was busy reviewing the paperwork for the next intelligence gathering operation when the doorbuzzer rang. She looked up just in time to see the door slide open and Seto stepped into the office. He had a grin on his face and he held a small container in one hand.

"President Warren, you have got to see this!" he said, hefting the container.

"What is it, Seto?" she asked. She looked at the container in confusion. "And what is in that container?"

Seto approached her desk and placed the container down. His eyes were excited as he opened it up. "Check it out." He reached his hand in and groped for something.

He drew his hand out of the container. President Warren stared at the tiny white object in his fingers. "Is that…a starfighter?" she asked softly, pointing at it.

The CEO nodded. "Yeah. It is." He placed it on her desk. "But watch this," he said, grinning. He reached into his pocket and drew out a petrified bird. Seto placed the bird on her desk.

It took only two seconds for the mini starfighter to take flight. President Warren watched in shock as the small craft darted around before flitting close to the bird. The nose opened up and the laser shot out, striking the bird right on the left wing. The stone gray color began to shift and fade, becoming blue feathers with white crest. The process took thirty seconds and she stared as Seto reached down and picked up the bird.

The small creature was now looking around, the CEO's hands gently closed around its fragile body. The President watched in amazement as the small starfighter darted back and landed on the desk.

"Seto…you…you found a cure?" she blurted.

Seto looked up and nodded. "Yeah. One of the techs in the R&D lab found out that somehow energon radiation does the trick. It somehow modified the processors of the BagguBaggu and led to the creation of these little guys," he said, motioning to the tiny starfighter on her desk.

President Warren picked it up gently, careful to not damage the tiny vehicle. It wasn't that much bigger than a wasp. It sat in the palm of her hand and she prodded it. "Seto…what is this called?" she asked.

He shrugged, stroking the bird with one hand. "We haven't come up for a name yet. Someone suggested Organic Restorer, but that sounds kinda lame," he remarked.

"Well, I'm glad that you at least found a way to reverse the petrification process," President Warren murmured.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. It may give us the advantage we need, should we ever need it, that is."

* * *

**Location: Interstellar Trade Confederation**

**Date: 12 November 2009**

**Time: 1230, 12:30 p.m. local time**

The light from the cleanup crews shone down onto the rubble of what had once been the bustling capital city of the Interstellar Trade Confederation. Star freighters had first arrived after the attack, but their home organizations had only begun debating the consequences of aiding them. It led to a halting in the cleanup efforts, but not the heated determination that others were now exhibiting.

The first organization to actually take any action had been the Galaxy Organization. That had led to others beginning to focus on helping out with the cleanup.

The next day had seen the arrival of the first Galaxy Organization star freighters to aid with the removal of the debris.

Now, weeks after the attack, the sense of loss was still present in the way that everyone stopped working whenever a body was uncovered. Four hundred thousand bodies had been uncovered, and more were being found. White sheets lined the rubble covered streets, each one a victim of an attack that had impacted the families and loved ones of those involved negatively. Civilians were prevented from going to the site of the attack, and as a result, those who had lost loved ones and family members were unable to see the bodies and identify those they knew. Military personnel from many organizations wandered the streets, hauling off debris from the bodies and helping take care of the cleanup crews' injuries; buildings were still falling apart.

Already over forty thousand workers and cleanup crew had gone missing or were dead due to falling debris and chunks of rubble. The first of the only two organizations that hadn't sent any help was currently involved deeply within the Dark Axis war; the second organization didn't even give a slag. Although Dajar'o had a good idea of the tactical picture, he wouldn't even give a slag for those who had lost their lives in the attack, and he didn't even bother to send his people's sympathy.

The Intergalactic Federation, on the other hand, did. They sent words of comfort and sympathy, along with a promise to send as much aid as they could. When the Interstellar Trade Confederation's deputy leaders had learned that the Federation was not sending any aid, the organization had regretfully informed them of the cause.

At least until now.

Dr. Regal stood on top of his starfighter, surveying the damage that seemed like an apocalypse had just taken place. The ravaged city stretched for as far as he could see. It felt like he was on a small island in a vast ocean of despair and destruction. He held in his left hand a communicator, but the small device was turned off. No one had bothered to contact him about the status of the efforts. The smoke that still came from burning buildings had blocked out the sun and it seemed like he was a lone survivor from Judgment Day. But he knew otherwise.

He glanced at the communicator and flicked on the switch. The screen flashed blue, showing the Nebulan ensign. He looked back up, but then the communicator beeped. His gaze shot down towards it and he held up the device.

On the screen was the Intergalactic Federation logo.

Dr. Regal pressed the button and the logo gave way to show the President's image. "President Warren. How's it going?" he asked.

President Warren hung her head. "_So far so good. We managed to find a way to reverse the process of petrification. We also gained some new allies. But enough about that._" She lifted her gaze up to meet his. "_What about the cleanup effort at the ITC? What's the status?_"

Dr. Regal looked at her. "Well, things are going okay, but forty thousand cleanup crew and medical personnel are missing. Bodies are still being uncovered and civilians are awaiting news about their loved ones. It's like a war zone out here…a war zone from the apocalypse," he said softly.

"_I bet,_" President Warren murmured.

"When are you going to send some help?" Dr. Regal asked.

She hung her head again. "_I'm sorry. But we've committed all possible resources to the Dark Axis war. The best we can muster is a few fifty-seven-year-old star freighters, but considering the age of those things, they would break down as soon as they began hauling debris off. If we're to send aid, we'd need to send a whole fleet of star freighters. And we can't bother to do that with the war being waged,_" she said sadly.

"At least try!" Dr. Regal pleaded. "I can have half my forces come to help defend your organization!" he offered.

"_And risk leaving yourself undefended? We can't risk that. Sorry,_" President Warren murmured. "_You need all the forces you can get._"

"But that's not the point! The point is these people need help! Even if you have to break off the war for just two weeks, then that's fine! The war can wait! If you don't help others, then what is the point of your promise? HUH!" Dr. Regal screamed.

"_I'm really sorry. But it just can't happen. You need your forces, and we can't stop the fighting,_" President Warren replied.

"Then stop it just for one damn week! The Dark Axis won't attack!" Dr. Regal snapped.

"_How can you be so sure?_" President Warren asked, looking at him.

"Just trust me on this! They won't bother for a while. Not after the UPA's invasion attempt!" the Nebulan snarled.

Her eyes widened as the remark struck home. "_The…The UPA's invasion attempt…_" She suddenly slapped her forehead. "_I'm such an idiot! I completely forgot about that!_"

Dr. Regal smirked. "So, will you help?"

President Warren was unsure, but she nodded. "_I'm still uncertain if this is a good idea, but we'll send some forces to help. If possible, we'll even get the _Destiny Star Drive_ over there. If _possible_._"

"As long as you send some help, then that's fine," Dr. Regal said. "Thanks."

* * *

**President Warren nodded.** "No problem." She closed down the connection and turned to face her friends. "Well, guys? What do you think?" she asked.

Ciel looked at her with concern. "I think it's a good idea, but what about the war? We just can't break it off, especially now that the UPA is in danger…" she murmured.

"True, but we can't just sit back and do nothing!" Seto snapped.

"Oh…" Ciel looked down at the floor.

"Seto's right. All those poor beings looking for their loved ones…we can't just allow them to suffer without knowing if they are alive or dead. They need to know," Mimi said softly.

"Mimi's got a good point," Cassie murmured. "So, I say yes."

Famous growled. "All right. I don't like it, but I'm in," he said.

General Pepper, the newest member to the organization, nodded. "Yes. My people can help by sending resources down to help them," he remarked.

"No. We can't just end the war right now. We need to fight it 'til it's over!" Helena snapped. "Once we win, then we can send help!"

"No. We need to send help right now," O'hari said.

"I'm with O'hari on this one. The sooner those poor beings get help, the better," Zero said quietly.

"I'm with Helena. We need to see this war through to the end!" Tyre snarled.

"Helping others is just as essential," Optimus said softly. "And if we don't, then we won't have a chance to show the universe that the Dark Axis can't stop us from helping out others. By merely contributing to the war constantly, we are revealing that we can't do more than one thing at a time. And that skill is something we may need in the future."

"I'm with Optimus. We send help," Override remarked.

"Me too," Metroplex said over a screen; since he was too big to fit into the Earth Command Center, he was meeting with them using visual communications systems.

"I'm in," Scourge said. "By sending help, we show that we are still flexible."

"Even though the war needs to take top priority, I say we give those poor beings help," Sandra said. "Helping out is just as key as fighting."

"I'm in with Seto," Mokuba said. He placed a hand on Seto's leg. "When we do help, we send a message of hope. And isn't that what we want to spread? Hope?"

President Warren did a quick count, stopping when she reached Steven. "Hey, Steven. You haven't said anything. What's your vote?" she asked.

The Pokemon Trainer looked up, his steel gray eyes locking onto each of his teammates. "Well, since you asked…I say we help them. It's important to aid others, like Optimus said. And if we do, then we continue to spread hope and democracy. Helping others is a part of democracy, is it not?" he asked.

President Warren nodded. "Okay. So it's fifteen to three. We send aid to help the cleanup crews."

"But what are we going to send?" Sandra asked.

President Warren smirked.

* * *

_Two days later…_

Dr. Regal glanced up just as a small light shone in the distance beneath the darkened clouds. His hand flew to the telescopic binoculars around his neck and he brought them up to his eyes. He activated the night vision function and the world took on a greenish tinge. His eyes widened as he stared at the ship coming towards the devastated city center.

The Nebulan leader gaped as the _Destiny Star Drive_ gracefully did a turn and hovered down, forcing cleanup crew, medical personnel, and military forces to scatter to avoid being crushed by the mighty vessel. The landing skids came out and touched the ground, the ship settling onto the skids before a cargo bay door slid open and a ramp extended down to the rubble covered street. Slowly three trucks equipped with all-terrain vehicular drives rolled down the ramps, hauling three containers each for a total of nine.

He watched as the Federation vice-leader himself stepped out, a smile on his face.

The Federation had fulfilled their promise after all.

* * *

_At the UPA command center…_

Dajar'o had his eyes locked onto the screen showing the recovery efforts being carried out by the other organizations, including the Federation. He had never really cared for the well being of others, but something nagged at him all the same.

The UPA commander sighed and turned away from the screen.

His scouts had sent back footage of the efforts, and although he was impressed, he didn't wish to submit his people to the ravages of warfare and the misery of others. By doing so, he figured that the Federation's ways and ideals would rub off on him. He shook his head.

He still couldn't forget the sense of excitement that the invasion attempt he had pulled a while ago had left with him, even though he wanted to. The King President shivered at the mere thought that war was beginning its inevitable change on him.

He had no idea how right he really was.


	91. Battle! Kicker VS Gerbera!

Chapter 4

Battle cries echoed across the complex, alerting the residents to the fight that was raging at the docks. Yet no one dared to intervene. And there was a good reason for that. The fighters, they knew, would mop up the enemy within the hour.

Sayla grunted as she dodged a fierce laser barrage from one of the Zakos that had ambushed them. She wondered to herself why the Zakos even dared to attack without a superior officer. It just didn't make any sense.

She landed and skidded a good five feet as her hand went for her gun. By the time she had come to a stop, she had removed the weapon from her shoulders and she was aiming it right at the Zako before her. "EAT LASER!" she yelled.

The bright blue beams sped out from the barrel and struck the Zako in the optic, killing it instantly. She spun just as a missile streaked forward from its launcher. The missile sped past her and exploded in the distance out at sea, sending a plume of water skyward. Droplets rained down, soaking the combatants.

Zane snarled as he activated his jump ability and appeared on top of a loading crane, crouching to maintain his balance. Bullets streaked around his body as he held out one hand over his eye, the light energy gathering around his body for his signature attack. The droplets of water falling from the air made his aura shimmer dangerously and he smirked.

He threw his arm forward. "SUN MISSILE! LEVEL 40!" he yelled.

The powerful balls of energy launched from around his form and right towards the Zakos firing on them.

_**FA-WHOOM!**_

The explosion rocked the fighters, knocking a few enemy soldiers off their feet and blew up a small portion of the dock. A cargo ship had a hole blown through the superstructure from a stray aura ball and Zane winced slightly. That would cost the school a hefty fine.

Syrus yelped as a Zako lobbed a grenade at him. He dived to the side, grazing his elbow on the concrete. Blood stained the gray cement red and he winced in pain. "Ah!"

"Syrus! Look out!" Kira yelled. He deployed his DRAGOON bits just as a hidden Zako form ran up behind the boy with a dagger ready for the kill. The bits flitted down in front and they fired bright golden lasers, scorching the Zako into nothing but a charred body.

Syrus peeped up and his eyes widened as he stared at the dead Zako, the dagger still held above the head. He gulped as he looked up, relief on his face. "Thanks," he murmured.

Kira merely smiled before he dodged a barrage of bullets from a couple of Zako machine gunners. "Great! How can these guys be able to fight like this without a superior officer?" he yelped.

"How should I know?" Syrus remarked.

"Enough! We need to drive them back before we can ponder anything!" Sayla snapped as she dodged a grenade tossed in her direction. The grenade exploded against the dock, sending concrete fragments everywhere and leaving a crater in the dock itself.

"But how?" Zane asked grimly.

"Like this!" Alexis yelled. "RAZING AIR!"

She waved her arms and a huge burst of wind called forth by her aura blew a cluster of guns free from the hands pf their owners. Zako optics looked upward and the Zakos all sweat-dropped. "Zako…"

"Now!" Alexis yelled, looking right at Sayla. Sayla nodded and turned to face Jaden.

"Let's do it!" she cried.

The Earth-Gundam's gaze shot down towards his chest just as he felt his Soul-Drive powering up. He clenched his fist just as his brown eyes lit aflame with that fighting fire. His fist glowed bright golden as he thrust his arm forward. "ELECTRIC PUNCH!"

The golden blast of energy fired from his fist right towards the Zakos and it exploded, sending body parts skyward and into the sea.

A loud yell suddenly cut across the area. "What are you slackers doing to my forces!"

The voice sounded familiar, but the form that stepped out from beneath the shadows of a freighter ship was not. The new form that stood before them was pure white with hints of blue and red on his body. The Dark Axis insignia was visible on his chest and his optics were a bright green. Zane blinked as he stared at the unusual design of his V-fin; it resembled more of a mustache than an actual V-fin.

"Okay…that is new," he remarked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Who is _that_?" Syrus blurted, pointing.

"Hold on…" Sayla frowned for a moment. Then her eyes suddenly widened. "No…It can't be!" she exclaimed.

"My name is Prefera…or you might know me as Dr. Crowler," the new Gundam said.

"You're kidding!" Jaden cried, his eyes shrinking in shock.

"Oh no, no, no. I am not joking," Prefera said, wagging a finger. He then stood up straight and his optics flared. "I was given a chance to bring you slackers down!"

"You idiot!" Kicker blurted. "You're being used!" Memories of Henry's dead body and crashed starfighter surfaced and he felt tears pricking at his eyes.

"No, I'm not," Prefera said. "I have been given a chance to bring you down, and I shall, using my newfound powers!" He spread his arms and began to focus his power.

"Take this!" T.J. yelled. "SHOCKER CANNON!" The barrel formed around his hand and he pulled the trigger, a blast of electric laser energy firing from the gun right towards Prefera.

The new Dark Axis officer sneered and suddenly let loose a cry, a pair of bright green-blue wings suddenly sprouting from his back. He crouched and darted upward, T.J.'s attack exploding against the dock and creating a gaping hole in the concrete. A cloud of dust floated upward and blinded the young mech. "AH!"

"Nice try!" Prefera quipped.

Kicker wasted no time. He engaged his starfighter's engines and charged at Prefera. He drew back his fist and lashed out with a punch, but the Gundam blocked and kicked out at the boy's armored chest. The armor absorbed the worst of the impact, meaning that he was saved from the agony of a crushed rib cage. Kicker grabbed Prefera's foot and spun around, his teeth gritted with the effort.

Prefera cried out as Kicker let him go after the third revolution. He slammed into a tanker ship, creating a dent in the hull. He fell off the ship's hull and crashed onto the dock in a crumpled heap of red, white, and blue metal.

"How'd you like that?" Kicker asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

The Gundam sat up, rubbing his head. "Ouch!" He glared at Kicker with his green optics. "That is it!"

Prefera crouched and darted upward again, this time, both fists outstretched for a double impact. Kicker dodged to the side and spun as the pursuing Gundam swerved and chased after him. "Stop this!" he cried. "The Dark Axis is just using you!"

"Never!" Prefera spat.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" Kicker cried. He thrust both arms forward, his hands glowing with the energy of his signature attack. The blast of energy fired from his palms, but Prefera was ahead this time. He smirked slightly as he charged at the attack before darting to the side, his wing cutting through the beam swiftly. Kicker's eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT?" Kicker gasped.

"Nice try!" Prefera sneered.

"I don't think so!" Blare cried. "GRAVITY SUSPENSION!"

Prefera barrel rolled to the side just as the gravity suspension bubble nearly encased him.

"Shoot!" Blare cursed.

"EAT MISSILE!" Guneagle roared, releasing two missiles from his wings. Prefera sneered as he dodged them easily.

"Pathetic!" the Dark Axis mecha laughed.

"Damn! This is getting out of hand!" Sayla cried. "We need a way to bring him down!"

"How about the combo?" Meisha asked as she took a few shots at a squad of Zakos with one of the machine guns she had stolen from a few dead Zakos.

"You mean the Tri-Force Liberation?" Guneagle asked from the sky as he dodged a missile.

"Yeah. We need to end this before the battle gets worse!" Meisha said.

"Okay," Sayla said. "We'll do it."

Kicker cried out as he deactivated Matrix Mode and returned to starfighter form. "TRANSFORM!" He turned into his robot form and threw his head back. "CYBER KEY POWER MAXIMUM!" The blue artifact slammed into his back and the hidden guns in his arms and legs sprang open, the golden balls of energy charging.

Meisha dodged a Zako's attack and grabbed the starfighter on her belt, returning to her own starfighter form. She transformed into robot mode and called forth her arsenal of weapons.

T.J. activated his other Shocker Cannon barrel and put the two side by side, extra metal slabs coming out from the two and connecting them together to create a double barreled Shocker Cannon.

Sayla grabbed the sword at her waist and drew it free from the belt loop she carried it in. She swung the blade and the gems glinted dangerously.

Jaden tensed and got ready for when she cheered him on. He drew his arm back and shifted into a back stance, ready to throw the punch.

Syrus aimed both his hands outward and his sound aura began to charge.

Zane stood up on top of the crane and held his hand in front of one of his eyes, the energy of his light aura charging to maximum power for his most powerful move. His hair and blazer began to wave in the energy created by his attack.

Alexis tensed and around her body, her air aura was called forth, blowing her hair around and teasing her uniform slightly.

Baston held up one of his hands to the sky and without a word, a Mana circle appeared above him. The circle rotated a few times before something dropped out of it and Baston caught it. The light around it faded to show a shield with a sword, not unlike Zero's, but the sword was slimmer and sharper. He drew it out and held it at the ready.

Kira flitted upward and deployed his DRAGOON system, the bits hovering around his body. He aimed his guns and charged up the cannon in his chest.

Blare held out her hands and a ball of gravity began to form in the middle of them. Her hair was waving in the energy created.

Vega ignited his laser daggers and got into his fighting stance: both arms held in front of his chest, legs slightly spread and ready to jump.

Michelle gripped a grenade and prepared to pull out the pin. Her eyes were narrowed in determination as she stood there.

Mike transformed into vehicle mode and hovered where he was, his engines ready to go to full throttle without hesitation.

T.K. aimed his bazooka and stuffed a grenade in the back, the targeting scope coming out and locking into place on the barrel. He peered through the sight, ready to fire.

Coby grabbed his laser rifle and connected the gun to the power back strapped to his left leg. He aimed it and held it steady.

Lori activated her laser whip and the green energy trailed down, coiling in front of her body.

Bud stood up and aimed his hands, the Omega Ball forming in between his palms.

Zero summoned forth his Vatras sword and drew it from his shield, ready to call forth his signature move.

Bakunetsumaru's eyes flared as he drew out his swords for battle.

Guneagle hovered a bit higher into the air, preparing to go supersonic for his own special technique.

Rele aimed her hands forward, a red Mana disk forming in front of both her palms.

Shute grabbed the kakugane attached to his backpack's strap and removed it. "BUSO RENKIN!" he cried. The device flared and separated, the light enveloping him and transforming his body from flesh to machine. "BUSO RENKIN OF THE SOUL-DRIVE! GUNDAM SPIRIT!"

He looked up, his eyes flaring online as he cried out the name of his Buso Renkin.

"LET'S GO!" Sayla cried.

"NITRO CANNON MODE!" Kicker fired the guns, letting loose an assault of bright golden lasers that pulsed with golden electricity.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha let loose her whole arsenal of weapons, mostly lasers, merging with the beams of light.

"SHOCKER CANNON MAXIMUM!" T.J. fired both his Shocker Cannons, the twin beams combining with the other attacks.

"AURA SLASH!" Sayla slashed with the red sword, the bright shockwave tearing through the beams to come up front.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" Jaden leapt into the center of the blast, his fist glowing bright golden.

"SONIC DISRUPTION!" A huge blast of sound fired from Syrus's outstretched palms and created a barrier in front of the attack to prevent it from being canceled out.

"SOLAR LASER ASSAULT!" Zane's most powerful move fired from around his body to join in with the others' signature moves, boosting its power.

"AERIAL HURRICANE!" Alexis swung her arms in a waving motion, sending a burst of air right into the attack and shielding it from the sides and amplifying its destructive abilities.

"CRYSTAL MANA LANCER!" Baston swung his sword, three large crystals forming before merging with the attack to create deadly projectiles.

"DRAGOON DESTRUCTION!" Kira fired all his weapons at once, the golden beams combining into the attack from the top, sides, center, and bottom.

"GRAVITY WELL!" Blare fired off the gravity ball into the attack, the intense gravity pressure concentrating its energies on keeping the attacks together and preventing them from straying off course.

"BLAZIAN SLASH!" Vega jumped up and slashed eight times, twice per arm and leg. The blasts of energy merged into the attack.

"CHEMICAL EXPLOSION!" Michelle pulled the pin on her grenade and tossed it right into the attacks, the force causing it to detonate and the explosive force being added to the already destructive attack.

"GRENADE BAZOOKA!" T.K. pulled the trigger on his bazooka and the grenade shot out, followed by three more, adding their own power to the move.

"WIND TORNADO!" Mike engaged his engines and flew forward while rotating, creating a whirlwind of air that shielded the combination attack from the sides, along with Alexis' attack.

"OMEGA BALL!" Bud drew his cupped hands close to his body before thrusting them out, the red and blue ball of energy firing from his palms.

"JUNGLE LASH!" Lori slashed three times in a triangle formation with her whip, the energy blasts cutting into the attack and merging into the sides, creating an eerie green glow within the whirlwinds created by Mike and Alexis.

"ROCKY MOUNTAIN LASER!" Coby pulled the trigger on his rifle and the gun roared, the blue-orange beam launching from the barrel into the center of the combined attacks.

"TENKYOUKEN!" Bakunetsumaru slashed as hard as he could, creating a fiery X that cut through the attacks, giving it a fiery radiance that couldn't be outmatched by normal means.

"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!" Zero swung his sword and called forth a blast of wind laced with flower petals, giving the deadly attack combination a beauty that contradicted the devastating power.

"AERIAL STINGER…ACTIVATE!" Guneagle darted forward and began to spin, a yellow aura surrounding his body and creating a high-pressure front that carried on when he stopped in midair.

"SPIRIT DRIVE ACTIVATE!" Shute punched as hard as he could, a blast of pure white energy firing out from his fist and merging into the attack.

"MANA EXPLOSION!" Rele's Mana disk fired from her hands and collided with the attacks, shielding it even further from the front, the red color creating a radiance that conflicted with the fiery red X of the Tenkyouken.

Different segments of screen appeared showing each of their faces, each one filled with determination. "TRI-FORCE LIBERATION!"

The screen segments split to reveal the combination attack speeding right at Prefera. He sneered and the wings on his back glowed with bright power. "TAKE THIS!" he cried. He darted forward, his entire body beginning to glow with the energy.

The two attacks sped at one another—one a combination of attacks, the other a single effort—and collided with a huge explosion of sound and energy.

Dark smoke was thrown skyward in a mushroom shape and the shockwave forced a few ships against one another, steel scraping against steel in a horrific screeching of metal on metal. A few dock workers who had been watching the fight covered their ears just as the sound faded.

One of them approached as the smoke began to fade and he stared at the massive crater in the concrete dock, Prefera's still body lying at the bottom.

Sayla and her friends stepped out of the smoke, covered with scratches and scrapes, but definitely alive.

"One more Dark Axis officer down, a few more to go," she murmured.

* * *

**Xenphyr peered at** Captain's still form, his eyes roaming over every inch of scuffed armor. There were no wounds from the attack T.J. had inflicted, nor were there any other injuries. He began to wonder if Kicker and his friends were telling the truth. Was it even possible?

He never got a chance to finish pondering this.

A blunt instrument hit him over the head and he fell down, sinking into the depths of unconsciousness.

* * *

**Gerbera snarled as** he dropped the instrument and glanced at the medical officer. This could not be allowed to come to pass. He had to see this plan through to the very end. And the only way he could do that was kill Captain Gundam, right here and now.

He stepped forward, his V-rod held like a dagger. He would succeed…

And he knew it.

He drew it back, and savored the moment. Killing Captain would lead to the Dark Axis' success, and he wanted to be the one to feel the first moments of real glory. Without Captain, the Gundam Force would be nothing, and the Intergalactic Federation would soon fall as well!

A laugh escaped his vocals.

This was it!

He drove the V-rod home.

* * *

_At Earth Command…_

President Warren looked at Cassie with a look of surprise. "Are you sure?" she asked. "The Dark Axis is planning to attack us on December 21st?"

Cassie nodded. "From what we overheard, we can gather that it's the date. But until we know for sure, we'll have to assume that's when they're planning to attack us."

President Warren nodded. "I see." She placed her hand on her chin in thought and ran this through her mind. It seemed logical, but then again, it could also be a ruse to get them to be prepared for an invasion that would never come. The possibilities and consequences of this surfaced and she dismissed a few that seemed incorrect. This had to be a trick by the Dark Axis…or was it even real this time?

She looked at Cassie. "Well, we'll just have to see what will happen. But just in case it's really going to happen, I'll order all planets to elevate to Battle Alert Level 2."

"Thanks, President Warren," Cassie murmured.

The President smiled as the Resconian leader left the room.

When she had left, President Warren stood up and walked over to the window behind her desk. The sight of the complex below her always calmed her down, but this time, it filled her with wonder and amazement. She found that this was unusual for her. She wondered how it was that humanity had managed to come this far without killing each other and reverting back to their savage instincts in a nuclear third world war. She was also amazed that humans had managed to develop such advanced technology and at the fact that even newer technology was being developed.

But what most amazed her was the fact that humans valued life a lot more than normal now. She figured that it had to do with the Soul-Drives and the sources the Dark Axis developed them from. She found that life was something to never really put aside, let alone take for granted. Each life was something special, unique, and fragile. Whenever a life was lost, it affected others in a way that could not be explained, and she knew it.

The Dark Axis war was one factor that affected the lives of those around her.

And she knew it.

* * *

_On Orca…_

Ciel studied the blueprints of a few concentration camps, even though the operation had been a success. Still, she felt that they were obligated to at least keep a few plans just in case they needed to study them for future invasion attempts.

A metallic sigh echoed in the room as the door slid open and her fellow leader and lover stepped inside.

"Still studying those plans?" Zero asked as he sat down next to her.

She nodded. "Yeah. I know that the invasion is over, but…I still can't help but feel that we may need these for the future," she said, shifting a set of blueprints aside to reveal a second set.

Zero frowned. "Ciel, I don't know why you feel that way. It makes no sense."

She looked up, her eyes a bit glazed as she turned to face him. Tears shimmered on the corners of her eyes.

The Reploid blinked at the sight. "Ciel…you're crying…" he murmured.

Ciel wiped at her eyes and shook her head. "Sorry, Zero. It's just that whenever I think of the camps, I can't forget the faces of those poor souls trapped there. The pleading, the pain, the agony, the loss, the fear…I just can't forget it," she whispered.

Zero slipped his arms around her. "Hey, it's okay. We managed to save them, so there's nothing to be sad about," he told her.

She put an arm on his own, leaning back into his embrace. "Zero…"

For a moment, the two were silent before she looked at him. "Did you ever see such things?" she asked.

Zero shook his head. "No. I haven't. Like I told you, I still have amnesia regarding my past. But I can tell you that if this ever happens again, we'll be ready." He smiled at her.

Ciel giggled and blushed a bit. "Thanks."

Zero winked. "C'mon."

He scooped Ciel up out of her chair and she yelped. "Eek!" She blushed even more when she realized what he was suggesting. "Zero!" she squeaked.

The red-armored Reploid grinned. "Besides, I think you need a bit of comforting," he teased.

She grinned back. "Oh, you!"

The two leaders headed into their shared quarters and closed the door so no one could peep in on them during their lovemaking.

A few minutes later, Ciel was relieved that Zero had been there for her. As he lay curled next to her in sleep, his bare chest rising and falling with each breath, she ran a hand down his well-toned arm and to his abs, gently tracing a squiggle on the skin before she snuggled closer. His blonde hair tickled her face and she sneezed lightly. Zero stirred, but didn't wake up. He merely pulled her closer and held her close, a smile on his face. Ciel smiled back and fell asleep, safe in his caring embrace.

This was why she loved him, and why he loved her back.

They were one.

* * *

_Within the center of the dimensional barrier…_

Vulcan hissed in pain as he limped from his ship, his entire body shivering from the attack that they had pulled on him. "Geez!" he murmured.

He slipped and fell off the ramp onto the grass.

He landed on his hands and knees hard, forcing a groan of pain from him. He looked up, his eyes locking onto the form of the Leader as he stepped forward.

"Vulcan…" The Leader knelt down and held out a hand. Vulcan grabbed it and he was pulled to his feet.

"How did the mission go?" he asked.

Vulcan looked at his body before he spread his arms. "What do you think, sir? Those mortals managed to inflict a good amount of damage to me, and they also gave me hypothermia for the voyage back. I'm feeling better now, though." He lowered his arms and frowned. "Why didn't you tell me that they were that resourceful and determined to win?"

The Leader smiled. "It sounds like they beat you," he remarked.

"More than beat me," Vulcan grumbled. "They kicked my ass."

The commander-in-chief of HEAVEN chuckled. "Yeah, they sure did," he said. Then he became serious again. "That goes to prove the reason why I sent you down there."

"The reason…" Vulcan frowned. "What reason was there for you to send me there in the first place?"

His superior officer sighed. "Well, to put it simply, the Intergalactic Federation has done a great favor for us."

"What favor? And what does this have to do with the reason why you sent me to their universe?" Vulcan snapped.

The Leader turned hid ever-changing eyes on Vulcan. "They destroyed Unicron. Now, even though we created him, he was still a threat, and still _is_ a threat. He wants to destroy the universe, and he also wants to challenge us. They destroyed his body, and they swore to destroy his spark. They are doing everything they can to achieve this goal, even if it means fighting against us. The Intergalactic Federation wants to do what no one else can do, and they also are taking on a task that we said they can't when we created their universe. We made limits, and they are defying those very limits to become stronger, and to create universal peace, much like we want." He was silent for a moment as Vulcan gaped.

"Now do you see the reason why?" he asked.

Vulcan nodded, speechless.

"Good. Now, then let us see how the next phase of the war turns out."

Vulcan turned away from the Leader and looked up at the starry sky of HEAVEN. The stars were in reality many other universes scattered across the dark void that made up their realm. It was incredible to believe, but it was true. Deep within the center of all of existence, there existed other realms, other universes that weren't connected to HEAVEN.

He didn't even think about this, though. Instead, his mind was focused on the Dark Axis war and how they were posing a threat to even HEAVEN. He found it absurd that a small organization of machines from another dimension were even trying to become gods. But the words of his commander echoed in his mind.

What was it that was driving the Dark Axis to go this far?

What was it?

No answers came, hidden in the mists of time and the veils of knowledge until the end.

* * *

_On Earth…_

**Location: Medical University**

**Time: 1205, 12:05 Local time**

**Date: 15 November 2009**

The V-rod never struck Captain's chest. Instead, something silver flashed through the air before the red blade glanced off the mystery object. Gerbera gasped and spun, his eyes suddenly locking onto the form of the human medic. The man was kneeling, holding one hand to his head, the other no doubt having been used to toss the mystery object.

"What? I thought that you would remain unconscious for another two point four hours!" Gerbera hissed.

The medic smirked. "Then I guess you don't know anything about me. True, you may have hit me with enough force to knock out a human, but it will take much more force than that to knock out a Reploid!"

Gerbera blinked in shock as the medic stood up, removing his hand from his head to expose the minor wound. A dark red fluid dribbled down his face, over one of his eyes, and down to his mouth. The disguised scientist glanced back at the object that had been thrown. It was nothing more than a mere scalpel, and yet, it had been tossed with the precision of a throwing knife.

The distraction was what gave his opponent the upper hand. The next thing Gerbera knew, he had been charged by the medic, a gleam of steel flashing as he was pushed to the ground, a ten-inch assassin knife held close to his throat. Gerbera gasped as he stared into the eyes of the medical officer. His eyes were hard, yet they flared with a burning passion to defend the ones he cared for.

"Who _are_ you?" he rasped.

"My name is Xenphyr!" the man spat. "And I could kill you…but I'm not going to! You know why?"

Gerbera hissed as he realized what he was speaking about. "No! You're not getting information out of me!"

He drew back his foot and kicked the medical officer in the chest, forcing the wind from his lungs and he landed on his stomach, his knife spinning from his grasp on the floor with a clattering of steel on tile.

Xenphyr sat up, his hand on his chest. "Good kick," he smirked. "But not good enough!" He charged at the Gundam again, his hand grabbing the knife as he ran.

Steel met laser as a fight broke out in the infirmary. Xenphyr parried his blow as he tried to go for the unconscious Gundam on the table and he lashed out with a punch, his fist connecting with the gundanium metal of Gerbera's mouthpiece. The force of the blow was enough to send the science officer of the Dark Axis head over heels into the wall with a resounding crash.

"You won't even think about it!" the Reploid snapped.

Gerbera dodged a thrust of the knife and ducked under the medical officer's outstretched arm, heading right for Captain's still form. Xenphyr suddenly spun, his foot snapping out in a side kick that caught Gerbera in the stomach, forcing him back away from the Gundam Force leader. He got into a back stance, holding the knife close to his body, the blade facing outward from his chest. His other hand drifted to his side and clenched into a fist.

Now, Gerbera didn't even know about this type of fighting style, found only on Orca. This style was so lethal that it was only used by trained specialists in the Orcan Special Forces Units. It utilized a type of martial arts blended with knife fighting, called _Thao Piung_, translating to "knife duel with empty hand" on Earth.

The Gundam science officer cocked an invisible eyebrow at the medic's stance. "What is this?" he asked.

"Your downfall," the man whispered.

Gerbera scoffed, but moved into his own fighting stance.

The medic charged, his knife suddenly flashing through the air as he simultaneously punched with his clenched hand. The dual blows caught Gerbera off guard and he dodged to the side, barely avoiding the knife but getting clocked on the jaw with the punch.

He fell to the ground, massaging his aching jaw. "Ow!" he murmured.

"…" Xenphyr was silent as he settled into his back stance. The Gundam scientist studied his stance and frowned.

'_This man uses a different type of fighting style than the rest of them. I can only conclude that he used to be an officer in the army, or even an assassin._' he thought.

He suddenly shivered as the thought popped into his processors. If he was fighting an assassin, then that could spell his doom. He had to finish this, and fast. He grabbed his second V-rod and connected them together to form the staff used by Captain.

Without even giving the former assassin a chance to regain his bearings, he charged at him, swinging the V-rods with a good portion of his strength behind the blow. The man dodged to the side and ducked the second swing as it came back around. He suddenly twisted his body, flicking the knife away with a simple flick of his wrist. Gerbera dodged the blade as it whirled past his head. "Fool! Tossing away your only weapon makes you defenseless!" he sneered.

Xenphyr smiled as he dodged a punch from Gerbera. "That's where you're wrong!" he said.

He suddenly lashed out with a triple punch-two kick combo, slamming his booted feet into Gerbera's chest, knocking him back onto the floor, his systems screaming in agony. He sat up, rubbing his sore chest. "What…?" He suddenly gasped as his eyes shrank in amazement at what the medic was doing. He literally snatched the knife out of the air as it came back around like a boomerang. He twisted his body, torquing himself for the throw. He snapped his arm out, the knife flying straight and true from his hand as his face became serious.

Gerbera threw up one of his arms, the blade clanging off the metal and spinning through the air end over end. Xenphyr snatched it by the hilt and resumed his fighting stance. Gerbera charged at him, but the former assassin drew the blade close to his chest and actually _parried_ the evil Gundam's punch, startling him terribly.

'_How can this be?_' Gerbera thought to himself in shock. '_He's actually keeping up with me…and with only a _knife?_ What is this!_'

Xenphyr sneered in response, but it was not an evil sneer. It was more like a confident smirk. "This…is what we call knife duel with empty hand!" he remarked. He suddenly shoved Gerbera's fist aside with the blade before spinning the knife and thrusting it out, hilt catching him in the chin and forcing him back. Xenphyr flipped the knife so the blade was pointed back at Gerbera and smiled.

"And I'm an expert," he added.

Gerbera snarled in response and lashed out with a kick, but the medic dodged, his foot suddenly getting caught on a piece of equipment, sending him sprawling. Gerbera saw his chance and scrambled to his feet, his V-rods coming down for the fatal blow. Xenphyr spun on the ground, his foot lashing out in a sweep kick and knocking the Gundam scientist to the ground.

The medic scrambled to his own feet and held the knife in a defensive position as Gerbera got to his feet. "This is the end, Dark Axis scum!" he spat. He knelt down as the Dark Axis Gundam charged…but at the window.

A loud noise forced him to cover his ears as the Dark Axis robot leapt out the window, shattering the glass into many pieces. Xenphyr ignored them as he ran over to the window and looked out, his eyes hard.

"He's not going to get away with it," he murmured harshly. "I know it."

He had no idea how right he was.

He could see the Dark Axis mecha ducking into the woods before a slow increase in the familiar whine he knew all too well took place. The blaring of the alarm caught the attention of a few soldiers and they ran towards a stretch of field that was blocked off by the trees.

A loud roar startled the medical officer as he watched a single Black Hawk helicopter take to the skies, its main rotors whirring in perfect tandem with the rear rotors. The black attack chopper darted over the trees, the windows glinting in the light as a soldier leaned out with a sniper rifle adapted with a heat finding lens. The soldier waved her hand and the copter darted down lower, careful to stay above the trees. Xenphyr watched as the soldier prepared to pull the trigger, but failed to as her target either vanished into a Zakorello Gate or dived under the brush.

"Damn," he muttered.

They had been so close, too.

* * *

**Lieutenant Grace Larson** scowled as the target vanished from her line of sight. She glanced back at the copter pilot and spoke. "Bring us back up. Activate the energon scanner and see if we can't pick up his signal."

The pilot, Captain David King, nodded. "Affirmative," he said. He pressed the button and the green screen flashed up, the familiar wavelength of the energon radiation filling it. Using energon scanners to detect unusual objects was common, because the radiation's wavelength was distorted and bent by those objects that didn't have the same signature. It gave them an advantage at night and in any kind of weather, especially in areas where normal radar wouldn't work.

The screen showed the natural energon signatures of the plants and the soldier manning it scanned it with a well trained eye.

The normal signatures emitted by wildlife were ruled out because they were so common. It was only when he saw the unusual distortion caused by their target that he recognized it at once.

"We got him!" the man cried.

"Good. Bring us down!" Grace ordered.

The pilot nodded and eased the controls to bring the chopper close to the clearing where the signal was emitting from. As soon as the landing gear of the copter touched down, Grace looked at her team. "C'mon! Let's go, go, go!" she snapped.

The soldiers didn't even hesitate as they scrambled out of the copter and into the grass of the clearing. They landed swiftly and began spreading out to reduce their chances of getting shot at. In a classic military formation, they covered each other's back by leapfrogging towards the location of the signal.

One of her soldiers looked over a fallen tree and sweat-dropped. "Uh, Lieutenant? I don't think that he's here," he said uncertainly.

"Why not?" Grace asked, stepping forward.

The soldier motioned with his rifle and Grace cursed. "Shit!"

Their target wasn't behind the tree. Instead, a single Zako soldier was huddling behind it, curled up into a ball of shivering metal.

He had eluded them.

* * *

**Gerbera panted as** he peered out from behind the tree, careful to avoid being spotted by the human soldiers. He had no idea how they had found him, and it worried him greatly. This unknown factor threw the plan completely off. Now he had no way to succeed. And he had barely avoided getting spotted as it was when the copter had landed.

He waited as they did a systematic search of the clearing, and he was careful to keep moving every time they came close to his location. He was very grateful for the years of undergrowth that kept him concealed.

Or at least he felt he was safe.

The natural energon radiation of the growth masked his distortion signature, making him hard to spot using energon radiation radar. Still, by using only their human eyes, the soldiers strived to search him out.

A few soldiers beat the bushes and brush with their rifles, and one even set off a flash-bang, doing nothing more than startling a squirrel as it clawed at his helmet. Gerbera watched with amusement as the frightened rodent ran off, leaving a very startled soldier behind with claw marks on the glass of his helmet's face plate.

"Are you okay?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the man said. "I guess that squirrels don't take too kindly to me," he joked.

A few soldiers laughed at the remark. Even the commanding officer, Gerbera figured, chuckled. "Yeah. I guess so," she said, a smile on her face. Then she turned to face a second officer. "Any sign?"

"None, ma'am. He's vanished from our scanners entirely. We can't find him. The energon signature of the vegetation is too intense," he said.

"Damn!" she swore. "C'mon. Let's get back to base."

The soldiers nodded and followed her towards the helicopter. Its rotors began to turn, slowly increasing speed and the helicopter lifted off the grass, leaves and small bits of twigs blowing around it. Gerbera covered his eyes as it sped over his location, sending some dust and twigs in his direction. The sticks clattered off his armor, so he suffered no damage. He lowered his arm and stared after the sleek black attack chopper.

He smiled.

Their mistake would dearly cost them.

Or so he thought.

* * *

_A few days later…_

The sun was shining brightly in the sky as Kicker, Shute, and the rest of the Gundam Force and the TCDA elite team assembled near the edge of the lake under their usual tree. No one was even daring to glance over at the energon marker that was the gravestone of their friend, Chumly Huffington. It was a reminder of the painful decision they had made, and none of them wanted to relive it in their memories.

Kicker glanced at Shute, watching him finger the spot where he had been burned a while ago. The pilot wondered what he was thinking, although he had a gut feeling it had to do with Captain's supposed betrayal to him.

"Why did he do it?" Shute whispered.

Kicker frowned. He had been right. '_The kid doesn't even know that it wasn't Captain,_' he mused. '_He probably thinks that Captain hates him now._' He looked over at the Medical University. '_At least Xenphyr's taking care of him._'

A loud explosion suddenly cut across the field, startling all of them. A large boom resounded, and they all looked towards the water of the lake. "What's going on?" Kicker asked.

"I don't know! It looks like someone set off an energon mine!" Kira exclaimed. His golden eyes were wide with shock as he said those words.

Sayla frowned. "That wasn't an energon mine," she murmured. "I'm guessing that it was an ordinary mine, probably a claymore mine."

"Or an underwater charge," Meisha offered.

"That seems to be the likely case," T.J. mused. "We need to see what's—" He never got to finish his sentence as the shockwave struck them all dead on.

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

They were tossed head over heels as the wave passed over them. Kicker's arms shot out and grabbed onto the grass as he snatched Meisha by the hand as she blew past him. T.J. had driven his wing blades into the ground and he was straining with the effort of keeping himself stationary. Sayla's hand gripped her gun instinctively and by the time she had flipped twice, she had fired the grappling hook right into the tree to keep herself from being blown away. Jaden snatched onto her leg as he was blown past her. She grunted with the added weight, but nothing else happened. Kira flared his wings and engaged his jet boosters to maximum as Guneagle did the same thing. Bakunetsumaru and Zero had both grabbed onto the cable of Sayla's gun and Zane had erected an aura guard, shielding him and Shute from harm. Syrus grabbed onto Kira's hand as Rele created a Mana shield along with Deed to protect themselves. Vega ignited his four laser daggers, driving each one into the ground to prevent himself from being blown backwards. Blare launched a Gravity Wall to shield herself from the shockwave, which worked wondrously. Mike grabbed onto Michelle and T.K., using his engines to suspend the three of them in place, flying against the wave. Lori sent her whip flying through the air, the green energy line winding around a protruding rock to keep herself in place, along with Coby and Bud who had grabbed onto her arms. Alexis created a shield of air around herself to cancel out the effects of the wave.

It lasted for a full minute before it died down and everyone got up from where they had either been laying, standing, or crouching.

"What was that?" Meisha asked as she brushed herself off.

"That was way too powerful to be an energon mine," Sayla muttered grimly.

"So, what kind of weapon was it?" Jaden asked, standing up.

She frowned as she studied the way the waves of the lake lapped against the shore, watching their shape and height. Then, she gasped.

"That…was a Mark I energy mine," she murmured.

"A Mark I energy mine?" Shute asked.

"Yeah." Sayla looked at the boy seriously. "An energy mine is a mine that utilizes energy pulses to blast enemies."

"Oh boy," Shute murmured.

"It's about to get a lot worse, too!" Zane snapped. He was studying the horizon and he didn't like what he sensed at all.

"What's wrong?" Rele asked.

"I'll tell you what!" a new voice snapped.

The entire group spun, their eyes and optical sensors locking onto the form behind them.

"CAPTAIN?"

Captain grinned evilly as he aimed his V-rods at them all. "That is correct. Now die, humans!" he cried. The humans dodged to the side, T.J., Mike, and Kira jumping into the air with Guneagle on their tails.

Sayla spun, her hand gripping the red sword and her right hand shifting to laser sword mode. "AURA CROSS!" she cried.

The double aural slash attacks sped at him, but he sneered and fired off a shot from his V-rods, canceling them out. Kicker gripped his starfighter's code and held it aloft into the sky.

"ENERGIZER X!"

The starfighter's familiar engine roar echoed over the battlefield within a few seconds and it darted downward as Kicker leapt up, landing in the cockpit and swiftly engaging Possession mode before entering Matrix Mode.

Bud charged up the Omega Ball and fired it at Captain, the mecha flipping over it and landing on the ground before firing a wrist-mounted beam launcher and blowing it to bits.

Lori slashed with her whip, the green energy beam winding around his body and pinning his arms to his sides. "Nice try!" she remarked.

Captain sneered and strained against the whip, shattering the energy with a burst as he shoved his arms out to the sides.

"Nice try!" he murmured.

Lori gasped. This was going to end badly, and she knew it.

At least until a blast of pure white energy fired from Kicker's outstretched palms right at Captain. The mecha flipped again, swinging both V-rods right at the boy. Kicker dodged and landed on the ground before he fired off a pulse of energy from his fist. "ENERGY PULSE!"

"Hah! It is useless!" Captain smirked. He swung his V-rod and canceled out the pulse of energy with a bright red energy wave. Kicker dodged it and landed before he lashed out with a kick, striking Captain on the jaw and sending him skidding on his back. The Gundam scrambled to his feet and coughed, spitting up a small amount of mecha blood. He wiped his face before he snarled and lunged, causing Kicker to stagger back in shock. He didn't even register the rock behind him and he tripped, going sprawling onto his back. Something twisted in his ankle and Kicker hissed in pain. He guessed he had a sprained ankle.

The human rolled to the side just as Captain slashed, carving a trench in the ground. "AH!"

"It is over, human boy!" he sneered.

Off to the side, Shute snarled as he grabbed his kakugane. "BUSO RENKIN!"

The flash of light startled the Gundam and forced him to look over, but covering his eyes at the same time. The light gave way to reveal Shute in his Gundam form. "Buso Renkin of the Soul-Drive! Gundam Spirit!" Shute cried.

He got into a fighting stance just as Captain charged at him. "What's gotten into you, Captain?" Shute cried.

"I'm with the Dark Axis now!" Captain spat.

"That's a lie!" Shute snarled.

"No. It is the truth!" the Gundam cried, drawing back his V-rod and slamming it home, impacting it against Shute's body and forcing his kakugane to deactivate, revealing Shute a human once more, blood oozing from a gash on his side.

Captain smirked as he powered up a wrist mounted beam launcher and firing at him.

Kicker growled and charged at Captain, his fist drawn back for the blow.

However, a blur of speed knocked the boy aside, sending him rolling head over heels. "AH!" He cried out as his ankle throbbed with pain.

"Stay away from Shute!" a familiar voice snapped.

Kicker gasped.

A second Captain Gundam stood across from the other, and he rubbed his eyes. Was he hallucinating? Or did he hit his head really hard?

He had to just at least attempt something.

The human pilot dodged to the side, skidding and drawing back his fist for a blow, but Captain sneered evilly. His V-fin began to glow, and he cried out. "V-ATTACK!"

Kicker yelled out in pain as the V-shaped attack impacted the ground in front of his battered body. The bloodied armor cut into his flesh and he felt the red-hot rock graze his skin. His sprained ankle caused him even more agony, and he nearly passed out.

He drew a breath and did the one thing he knew of to avoid the intense pain.

He drew deep into himself, shutting out all sounds of battle and focusing on the depths of the _Energizer X_'s systems and his own body. He fell deep into his own mind, forgetting all pain, and falling unconscious.

* * *

Drip…Drip…Drip…Drip…

Plat!

_Kicker moaned as a small drop of water landed on his nose. Reaching up, he brushed it away before moaning again. He could feel something beneath his still body, something warm and wet, almost like water._

_He cautiously opened his eyes, expecting to be met with death, but instead, he found himself gazing at a set of pipes above him. The pipes were as dark grey as the walls and ceiling of the hallway he lay in, but it was enough for him to know that he had achieved the state of neutrality between life and death._

"_I…I did it…" he murmured. He couldn't believe how raspy his voice sounded._

_Grunting, he pushed himself into a sitting position, carefully so as to not aggravate any injuries he still might have. But, to his surprise, he found none._

_Shoving that aside from his mind, he staggered to his feet, keeping a hand on the steel wall so as to not fall over. "Okay. Now to find a way out," he murmured, although he knew that it was impossible. In truth, he needed to find a way to defeat Captain, but after having seen two Captains, he had fallen into a depression, unable to recover until he knew how to tell them apart._

_He wandered throughout the maze of corridors, following a path that was as innate as the motions he used to enter Possession Mode, Matrix Mode, or the New Mode._

_The power that radiated from the Energizer Matrix drew him closer to its location, and he knew that he was nearing his destination._

_He passed under an archway and into the room that held the four modes he had unlocked. Manual Mode, Possession Mode, the New Mode, and Matrix Mode, all in the order he had unlocked them in. He glanced at the orb that was the Matrix itself, and he fell to his hands and knees, the depression taking over and tears began to sting his eyes._

_He had never felt this helpless in the whole time he had had the starfighter, and now…he felt that he couldn't even win this battle._

_His friends…_

_His family…_

_Everyone he cared for…_

_They would become power sources for the Soul-Drives, and there was nothing he could do to stop them._

_To him, the Dark Axis had won. Unable to fight back, he had done a cowardly act and retreated into himself, in hopes of avoiding seeing his friends suffering. Now, he felt guilt as well as depression. He felt like a coward, a weak organic unable to fight back._

"_I…I just can't do it…" he murmured. "I can't win… There's no way I can win against them…Captain…whichever one is the real…AH, SLAGGIT! How am I gonna be able to tell them apart? There's just no way I can!"_

_His shoulders shook as he began to cry openly. His tears streamed down his face and landed in the water on the floor, small ripples spreading outward._

"_Everyone's doomed, and all because of me…All because I can't fight them…"_

_He closed his eyes and let himself cry._

"_If only…if only there was a way…I could tell them apart…then maybe I might be able to save them, but…"_

_He finally broke down, crying loudly and long, his tears streaming freely from his eyes. He felt so helpless, so weak, confused, and frustrated._

'Primus, please help me…'_ he thought._

Are you all right, young Kicker?

_Kicker's head shot up. He knew that collective voice._

"_Why would I be all right?" he snapped._

You sound frustrated, am I right?

"_What's it to you, you pile of scrap?"_

…

_Silence filled the chamber._ You are angry with yourself. I can tell by your eyes. You are angry for fleeing into yourself to spare yourself the images of your friends suffering. You are angry because you cannot fight them without harming your friend.

_Kicker sniffed and nodded. "Yeah. That's basically it. I can't tell them apart because they both look and sound exactly alike. Not even their body language can tell them apart."_

…

_Kicker bit his lower lip, unsure of what the Matrix was thinking._

…I see…You yearn for a way to tell them apart, do you not?

_Kicker nodded. "Yeah. I do."_

Well, I cannot help you.

"_What? Why not?"_

I may have great power, but I cannot enable you to tell them apart. That can't be done.

"_Screw that! I need some help big time! That's why I retreated and I need it now! Please! If you don't, then my friends are goners!"_

…

_Silence._

Your friends need help?

"_Yeah. If I don't, then they'll be used for power sources in Soul-Drives! The Dark Axis will gain their souls and they won't be free beings anymore! Please, Energizer Matrix! I need your help!"_

Hmm. You say they will lose their humanity?

"_YES! They will! Please! I'll give you anything to save them. Please."_

_He hung his head. "If possible, I'd give up my own soul to save them. I'd risk my own humanity to save them."_

…

"_They're my best friends…I'd even rather have myself obtain a Soul-Drive rather than have them suffer the same fate as Chumly. I'd do anything to save them, even if it meant giving up my own humanity to the gods."_

…Very well.

"_Huh?" Kicker blinked in shock. "What…?" Had he heard correctly?_

If you are willing to tread that path, then I shall help you.

"_You mean…?"_

Yes.

"…"

Giving up your own humanity for a selfless reason, a noble cause…that is the highest anyone has ever gone to save the ones they love. There have been many who have died in my time, but you…you are the first to give up their own humanity to save his friends. For that, there is no other reward.

"_No one's ever done this before?"_

You are the first.

"_So, does that mean you'll help me?"_

Yes.

_Kicker couldn't believe his luck. The Matrix was going to help him! "YES!" He pumped his fist into the air in happiness and joy._

But…

"_Huh?"_

There is a price. If you surrender your humanity, there will be no turning back.

"_How so?" Kicker asked._

The mode that you will obtain can never be forgotten. This mode is going to be your most powerful, yet your weakest. I am sure you understand, correct?

_Kicker nodded, knowing that sometimes power came with a price. He had experienced it when Matrix Mode had been unable to be used for three weeks following a fierce battle with Gerbera three months before._

Good. In this new mode, your power will be determined by your friends' emotions. The harder they cheer for you, the stronger you will become. The more emotion they put into their cries, the more power you will achieve.

"_Just like a Soul-Drive…?"_

Yes.

_As the Matrix said these words, Kicker noticed an object forming in front of him. The crystalline sphere was a deep light blue color with twin gold rings surrounding it. Kicker knew what it was instantly._

_Hesitant, he glanced at the Matrix._

Think wisely before you act. Once you make your choice, you can never go back.

_He glanced at it before reaching out. Again, he hesitated. Was this the right thing to do?_

_As if in answer to his unhearing inquiry, a flash of a vision entered his mind's eye, and he could see the future they despised._

_War. War all around him. Dead bodies, concentration camps, organic slaves, mechanical overlords, and in the middle of it all, Captain Gundam himself, standing beside a new Gundam, one he knew all too well. Gerbera. The two were standing side by side, Captain's color scheme altered and his once sapphire-blue eyes were now purple as he gazed down upon the prisoners, a hint of joy in his eyes._

_Humans were dying by the hour, new ones brought in and old bodies burned where they fell. Human females screamed as the robotic guards enjoyed the women; hearing their screams of pain was music to their ears. Blood pooled around those who struggled to resist. And in the air above it all, was the Dark Axis fortress, a huge monolithic structure that oozed menace and fear into those around it._

_Kicker blinked and the vision was gone. He was back in the chamber of the Energize Matrix, a lone Soul-Drive hovering in front of his chest._

Well? What is your choice?

_Kicker squared his shoulders and looked at the Matrix. "I'm gonna do it. No matter what happens, I'm gonna save my friends and try to prevent a disaster from happening. This way, no one has to die that way again."_

_A brief laugh filled the chamber._

I figured. You understand now, of the power they seek, and of the reason why they want human souls?

"_Not really, but I get the basic idea. They need humans to become stronger, right?"_

Close. They need the savage instincts of the humans to make their army stronger. But, as you have seen in previous battles, they cannot fight the will that has been implanted into them through countless limitations.

"…_You read my soul?"_

Yes. I read your soul while the vision was going through your mind. And this mode shall enable you to tell them apart, in whatever mode you were in beforehand.

"_All right. I'm gonna do this, no matter what the cost!" Kicker replied grimly._

_He reached out a hand and touched the crystalline sphere of the Soul-Drive. Almost instantly, the flare of light that erupted out of it engulfed him and he felt his whole body changing._

_His very skeletal structure changed from bone and cartilage to metal frames and supports, his muscles becoming muscle cables and his skin becoming metal armor. Veins changed into wires and his outer armor began to fuse with his body. Something began to emerge from his forehead, something like a twin set of V-fins. Armor formed over his head, protecting his hair and shielding him from damage to the head. A strange sensation came from his back as a set of wings emerged, folded into two fan-like shapes. A jetpack formed right where they emerged, while on the backs of his feet he felt a strange sensation as two heel wheels emerged. The most unusual thing he noticed was a strange feeling in his chest. It felt like a compartment was opening, a compartment to house the Soul-Drive that was now his very life source. It began to close once the Soul-Drive was nestled inside, shielding it from harm, keeping him alive. A mouthpiece slammed on over his lower face, protecting his nose and mouth from debris and dust._

_The light faded from around his body and he landed in the water, his gaze traveling along his new body._

"_Incredible…" he murmured._

Are you ready, Kicker?

_Kicker nodded his head._

"_Yes. I am."_

Good. Then I shall send you back. You can use this mode whenever you need it the most, and remember this: the cry of encouragement activates the power within. Good luck.

_Kicker closed his eyes as the light from the Matrix grew brighter and brighter. The next thing he knew, there was blackness, but that faded as the light enveloped him._

_This time, he vowed, Gerbera was going down._

* * *

Cries reached Kicker's ears as the light faded. He was back in the midst of the fight, two Captains standing there, but now, he could tell them apart. He could actually sense the _evil_ radiating from the one who had attacked Shute, leaving him wounded. This time, he grinned.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" he heard Sayla yell. "AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

"Hahahahahahahahaha! It's over! Who knows? Maybe I'll use your little friend's soul to make a new Soul-Drive, and maybe you can join him." Kicker knew that voice.

He gritted his teeth, the power of the Energizer Matrix flowing into his hands and down to the focusers.

"No. That isn't what's supposed to happen," he said.

'_This time, you're going down, Gerbera!'_ Kicker thought to himself. '_And this time, I'm not holding anything back! I promise!_'

As he made that silent vow, he knew what he was to do. And he wouldn't stop until he won this battle.

He walked forward, emerging from the smoke, determined to win, no matter the cost.

* * *

**"Captain" grinned widely **as the beam impacted the ground in front of the human, forcing him back.

"AAAAAAAGH!"

_**BWAOOOM!**_

The smoke filled the area, forcing the other humans to cough. They threw their hands in front of their mouths and noses to block the dust, but it proved to be futile. The dust coated their lungs and windpipes, making them cough even more. Only one human, however, had the sense to cover her mouth and nose with a faceplate.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" she yelled, gripping her sword tightly. "AURA SHOCKWAVE!"

He laughed as he dodged to the side, forcing the human's attack to explode against the ground.

Even more dust was thrown up.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! It's over! Who knows? Maybe I'll use your little friend's soul to make a new Soul-Drive, and maybe you can join him," "Captain" purred.

"No. That isn't what's supposed to happen."

"Captain's" eyes widened and he looked around. "Huh? Who said that?"

The smoke around the impact site from the explosion began to clear slightly as a single form began to step forward, power gathering in the focusers in the palms of its hands.

"Humans aren't supposed to be forcibly removed from their bodies and forced into bodies they can't even control, due to the thousands of overrides that you've implemented, you slagger! Human souls are supposed to be left alone, and the humans who you've done that horrific procedure on would gladly give anything if you were forced to experience the same thing!" the voice snarled.

"And why would they want that?" "Captain" asked.

"The same reason that they want to be returned to normal! Humans are the strongest species in the universe, and not in terms of technology, but in another aspect!" the speaker hissed.

The form began to become clearer as it grew closer.

Now "Captain" could see that the form was that armored human from before, but something was different about him. It seemed as if he were more mature, more serious, and more grown up in a sense. His eyes reflected a seriousness and wisdom that made him seem more like a leader rather than a follower, and in those brown eyes was that fighting fire he despised so much.

"What? Those eyes…" "Captain's" voice trailed off in shock.

"What, are you surprised? Well, you should be, for this time, I won't be holding anything back!" the human snapped, those brown eyes flaring as the pentagonal shaped gem on his helmet began to glow.

"How…?" His voice trailed off as the human's eyes narrowed.

"This time, you're gonna experience a new kind of power! Not some kind of power that you'll find in any legendary dragon, but in a basic instinct that has driven us humans to become the most powerful species out there!" the boy spat.

"What instinct would that be?" "Captain" inquired.

"The instinct…no the power…to believe in oneself and in those around them! That power, combined with freedom, democracy, and the basic emotions, along with humanity's destructive power, is our greatest asset! It has shown itself to be the greatest combination in history, and each time humans have proven that it can be used for good, or evil," the human murmured, looking down at his hands for a moment as if studying them.

"How so, human?" "Captain" asked.

"LIKE THIS!" the boy suddenly cried, looking up, his eyes flashing dangerously as he drew back his hands before thrusting them forward.

"Huh?"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The human's hands began to glow as balls of energy formed in the palms, the gem on his helmet shining brightly, the light resembling a V-fin… "TIME FOR YOUR DESTRUCTION!"

"What are you talking about?" "Captain" asked in confusion.

"ENERGIZER STRIKE!" the human roared.

"Huh?" "Captain's" eyes widened in fear as the human thrust his hands forward, the balls of energy firing off a beam of energy that merged into one destructive beam, a bright blue laser that coursed with bright golden electricity.

The Gundam dodged to the side, throwing his arm out, a V-rod's laser slashing in a bright pink energy wave.

The human dodged to the side, throwing up a shield from the palm of his hand as he did so. The blade was deflected, the wave dissipating as it struck.

"HAH! ENERGY PULSE!" the human roared.

"Captain" dodged, barely avoiding the energy wave and forcing the human to fire off a second set, this time striking him.

"How can humans have so much power?" he wondered.

"Humans can be either good or bad, and the effects can have lasting impact on society, like with World War Two! Some of the best technological advances happened during that war, as well as an unexpected revelation into how cruel some people can be, like with Hitler, the leader of Germany at that time! His cruelty made the world realize that the rules of warfare could be broken, and that human rights were being abused, so many nations and allies came together to take him and his allies down, through the use of absolute warfare, turning all industries capable into wartime production!" the human hissed.

"So? That just shows how savage humans really are!" "Captain" snapped.

"But, humans can also respond in heroic and selfless ways, as shown on the attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City! That day, planes had been hijacked by Muslim terrorists whose minds were so twisted as to believing that God himself had commanded them to take over three thousand lives and their own! When the planes slammed into the twin towers, they collapsed and thousands died. In Pennsylvania, the plane intended for the White House or the Capitol Building was overtaken by the passengers and the terrorists in the plane's cockpit forced it down into a field, but that day, they also showed that humanity would never bow to mere tactics like that! The Pentagon was also struck by a plane overtaken by terrorists, but the efforts there were pale in comparison to the World Trade Center attacks!" the human boy cried.

"How so?" "Captain" hissed.

"People worked around the clock for months after the attacks, removing debris, volunteering, offering supplies, working as medical transporters, and a million other things! They worked to help search for survivors, and even after the attacks, the nation was united in a new fury, one that was pure and selfless. We all were one world, one nation, one race. We were humanity. We forgot everything else and focused on finding other humans," the boy explained, looking down at his hands again.

"So? That just goes to show how weak you really are!" "Captain" sneered.

"Not entirely, for this time, we were stronger. More powerful, wiser, and more determined to live life to the fullest. In times of crisis, we can forget all boundaries, and focus on the more important matters, such as finding survivors, helping out those injured, as on 9/11, and overcoming tyrants bent on world domination, as seen in World War Two when we forced the Axis powers to surrender to us when their leaders were killed!" the human male cried, suddenly looking up, his eyes flashing in the light of the sun.

"How can that be possible? Humans don't have that kind of strength! You are too soft if that is what you believe!" "Captain" snapped.

With that in mind, "Captain" charged at the human and slashed with his V-rods.

The human male dodged to the side, barely avoiding getting clipped by the blades. "Wrong, Captain, or should I say, _Gerbera!_" he snapped.

"So, you figured it out, didn't you?" Gerbera purred.

"Wasn't hard. Besides, what you don't understand is how strong we can really be! Now, time for you to see just how humans can overcome all obstacles!" the boy yelled.

"Try me, human!" Gerbera sneered.

"All right! But you asked for it!" the human yelled.

He gritted his teeth and he powered up the balls of energy that Gerbera knew was his main attack. "ENERGIZER BLAST!"

"Hnh!" Gerbera dodged to the side, barely avoiding the powerful beam.

The beam exploded against the ground and threw up huge chunks of debris as it struck. The crack tore open the ground and Gerbera faltered as it grew larger, upsetting his balance. "What?"

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" The human's cry echoed across the battlefield as he charged, his hand clenched tightly. "ENERGIZER PULSE!" He punched as hard as he could, the pulse of energy throwing Gerbera back.

Gerbera crashed into a huge chunk of rock that stuck up, throwing up smaller chunks of rock and debris. "UGH!" He glanced up and his eyes widened in shock and amazement. The human was right above him, and he was looking pissed. His face was contorted with rage, his teeth bared and his eyes filled with hatred, and anger towards his actions.

The human's right hand began to shine with energy and he clenched his fist. "This is for everyone you turned into Gundams against their wills!" he screamed.

"Hah! Willpower is for the weak," Gerbera said.

"Not this race! AND I'LL PROVE IT!" the human male yelled, his fist beginning to glow.

"What?" Gerbera's eyes shrank in shock as he suddenly dove at him, his fist drawn back for the blow.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The human's scream of rage was enough to prompt Gerbera into action.

"Time for your destruction, human boy!" Gerbera roared as he charged.

"THIS IS YOUR END!" the boy yelled.

Gerbera gripped his weapon and drew back his fist, but as he did so, the human's jetpack fired, forcing him up into the air once again, his fist glowing bright blue with incredible power.

He let loose a yell that rivaled that of Gerbera in his fury, but one that showed more humanity than anything.

"THIS IS FOR EVERYONE WHO YOU'VE KILLED! ENERGIZER MATRIX IMPACT!" the human roared.

"What?" Gerbera's eyes shrank in fear as his chest was exposed, and the human's fist impacted, but instead of merely denting the armor of his compartment, the impact went right through to his Soul-Drive, the punch penetrating _through_ it, and stopping right in the center of it.

"GYAAAAAAAH! Impossible! How did you do that?" he yelled.

"This is what humanity can do, and you'll see it for yourself! As a _human being!_" the boy spat.

"What?" Gerbera began to feel strange, almost as if his body were tingling all over. Then, he saw the fury in the human's eyes, and the power coursing down his arm, right into his Soul-Drive, the strange artifact on his chest armor glowing brightly.

It hit him.

"No! You can't!" Gerbera wailed.

"Oh, I can, and I _WILL!_" the human screamed.

The first thing he noticed was his thin secondary armor layer, circuitry, and wires becoming flesh, muscles, and veins, his primary armor layer becoming clothing. His helmet changed to hair and his mouthpiece vanished, becoming skin and bone, the V-fin fading into his forehead. His chest remained impaled with the human's fist, and his flight boosters began to turn into a jetpack.

"No! You will not!" he yelled. He gritted his teeth and let loose a surge of his own will, the power coursing back into the human. The human's body began to change, but he didn't even let up the assault. His armor seemed to meld to his body, small hints of gundanium forming on the flesh that was visible.

The human kept fighting, forcing his own will onto the Dark Axis officer.

This clash of wills kept up for what seemed to be an eternity, but it was only for a minute.

Gerbera's power, though, was proving to be stronger.

That is, until…

"C'mon, Kicker! You can do it!" Meisha yelled as she punched the air.

"We believe in you!" Sayla cheered. She held her own fist up as she grinned.

"Go for it!" Jaden exclaimed, clenching his own fist.

"We're with you all the way!" Rele called as she punched both fists into the air above her head.

"Kick that guy's aft!" Zane yelled seriously.

"Send the slagger back to the Pit!" Syrus shouted, throwing a right cross through the air.

"We know you can!" Baston cheered.

"Send him packing!" Vega snapped, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Show that creep who's boss!" Mike cried.

"We are here to provide support!" Michelle yelled.

"Don't give up!" Blare cried as she jumped before punching the sky.

"Show him the power of the human spirit!" T.K. cheered.

"Blow him back!" Alexis yelled, waving a hand as if unleashing an aura move.

"Show him the true meaning of honor!" Bud screamed.

"Don't let him win!" Lori cried.

"This is for Shute! So don't give up!" Coby cried.

"Show him humanity's power!" T.J. screamed as he punched the air with a fist.

"We're with you all the way!" Baku yelled.

"This is one fight you can't lose!" Rele shouted.

"We're here for you!" Genkimaru cheered.

"We're all in this together! You're not alone, so GO FOR IT!" Zero shouted.

"The 17th Division will back you up all the way!" several soldiers yelled.

"So is the Gundam Force!" Guneagle shouted.

"We're here to back you up!" Kira cheered.

"Go for it!" Captain exclaimed.

The human's eyes widened as he heard the words of encouragement. For the briefest of instances, the fire faded before flaring back, this time, much brighter and much more noticeable.

"How…This is impossible! No single human can wield this much power!" Gerbera rasped.

"This isn't just me in on this! This is the collective will that makes us so powerful! And this is what drives us! The will of humanity is a collective, yet individual power! Human willpower is stronger than you can imagine, and this time, we're all fighting as one!" the human cried.

"How can you? They can't fight with you!" the Dark Axis mecha whimpered.

"They can, and are fighting with me!" the human said.

"How so?" Gerbera hissesd.

"Through our will, we're connected, and we are the race that marks your downfall!" the boy spat.

The human's eyes flared as the fire increased till it was filling the whole iris. "Now, time for your DESTRUCTION!" the human yelled.

As he yelled these words, Gerbera felt a searing pain in his limbs, almost as if his body was being destroyed from the inside out. "GYAAAAAAH!"

He could feel his body failing him, his systems shutting down from the overload of power, and the incredible strength that was making him stronger. His arms became useless, and his legs stopped functioning, his flight boosters failing him. Only one thing remained functional: his Soul-Drive, although it was a matter of time until that failed as well.

"NO! YOU WILL NOT KILL ME!" Gerbera roared.

"I just did!" the human hissed.

Again, more power began to course down his arm, right into the center of his Soul-Drive, canceling out the lightning and reversing the effects of darkness.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"You're finished, Gerbera! And this last attack is for Shute Marxworth!" the human roared.

"No!" Gerbera rasped.

"ENERGIZER BLAST!" The powerful beam began to charge in the center of his Soul-Drive, forcing more power into his body, making him cry out as all circuits began to short out, the wires fusing to his body, and his limbs exploding from within.

The beam began to glow red-hot in his chest, and the gundanium on his back began to melt from the intense heat. The human threw his body upward, the force lifting up Gerbera, and the beam launched in a blaze of heat, energy, and sound, punching a hole through his back, making him scream in an animalistic cry of pain.

"NIRTO CANNON MODE! FIRE MAXIMUM POWER!" the human yelled.

A single gun materialized on the arm embedded in his chest, and a golden beam of light formed at the very tip of the barrel. The energy made Gerbera scream so loud that he couldn't believe his vocals could go that loud. The last thing he recalled before his body shut down forever was an intense blast of energy that penetrated right through to his soul, and beyond. It showed him the real power of humanity, and just how strong they really were, even without the power of the Superior Dragon.

"You…you win…but…the war…has only just…begun…" he rasped just as his body shut down forever.

Death closed over him and he knew no more.


	92. Link's Reflections

Chapter 5

_T__he dark clouds loomed over the land as a form ran through the trees, dodging and weaving to avoid being detected by the Dark Axis heat sensors. Eyes flicked over to the loud crashing sounds that echoed through the forest. A hand clenched around a sword hilt as a silvery object flashed through the air. The form spun, slashing with one well placed blow, sending the knife back at the Zako that was pursuing._

_A cry echoed as thunder rumbled. The Zako fell down, dead, with the knife through its chest._

_A small orb of light with wings flitted in front of the form's face, revealing a tanned face with pointed ears. Sweat streaked down the warrior's face as he stood there, panting heavily. The orb darted over his body as the lightning flashed._

_The warrior was dressed in a green tunic with white pants, a white shirt, brown boots, and a green hat perched on top of his head. His lower arms were encased within gauntlets and a sheath for his sword was draped over his shoulder. His hair was blonde, and it sort of hung out of his hat._

_Link glanced back at the enemy soldiers pursuing him. "Great. Just great. Every time I kill one, ten more pop up in its place!" he growled._

"_That is because they have far larger numbers than the army," the small orb said._

"_So now what? We can't keep this up forever!" Link snapped as he spun to the side, barely avoiding a sneaking Zako's blade. He swung his sword and decapitated the Zako, sending its head rolling into the brush followed by a spurt of mech fluid._

"_I know! Just let me think of something!" the orb snapped._

"_Just hurry, Navi!" Link cried._

_The small orb, Navi, hovered as if in thought before an idea came to mind. "Link!"_

_The warrior spun, diving into a ditch to avoid getting killed. "What is it?" he asked._

"_Try playing the Ocarina of Time!" the fairy cried._

"_What? Play music when I'm getting attacked?" Link hollered. "Are you nuts, Navi?"_

"_No! Just trust me on this one, Link! It may save your life!"_

_Link bit down on his lower lip as he pondered the choices he had. Then again, he didn't have very long to make his choice, for the forces of the enemy had found him again. Swearing to himself, he pulled out the small musical instrument and was about to put it to his mouth. "What should I play?" he asked._

"_Anything! Just so long as it gets us away from here!" Navi cried._

_Link nodded and put the Ocarina to his mouth. He began to play a random song that popped into his mind and he watched as four orbs of light flitted out of the instrument. One orb was the purest white possible, the second orb was a beautiful blue color, the third orb was a bright shimmering silver, and the fourth orb was the brightest gold color he had ever seen._

_Each of these orbs floated around him and Navi as the Zako forces came closer. Their bodies began to glow the same colors as the orbs before a bright light flashed, and they vanished into the darkening sky in a streak of heavenly colors…_

* * *

_On Earth…_

_Link cried out as he was sent tumbling through a tunnel of swirling colors and bright lights, nearly blinding him. He gritted his teeth and kept a powerful grip on both the Ocarina and his sword. If he lost them, then he would be in so much trouble from the Princess!_

_The next thing he knew, he was free falling as he was ejected from some kind of portal in the sky. He looked up, his eyes widening in amazement as he eyed the gate. It was strangely shaped like a crystal, which puzzled him._

"_Link! Look out!" Navi cried, flitting down and catching his attention._

_The warrior gasped as something streaked in front of him, startling him badly._

_The object was strangely colored, like it was almost a dark gray and black at the same time. Link was puzzled, but that was farthest from his mind. The first thing he had to do was figure out how to land when he was free falling from a great height. He slipped the Ocarina back into its pouch and he sheathed his sword, spreading his arms and legs to increase his body's surface area._

_The maneuver worked to slow him down, well, somewhat. His hat was blown off his head and he watched helplessly as it fell down to the ocean beneath him._

_Wait…_

_The ocean…_

_An idea formed in Link's mind and he smirked. He glanced at the small fairy that had accompanied him to this new land. "Navi! Get inside my pouch and hold on tight!"_

_The fairy complied and passed inside, taking up residence inside. Link streamlined his body as he shifted so that way his feet were pointed at the water. He kept his arms close to his side and he closed his eyes, bracing for the impact._

_It was a lot harder than he had anticipated, but for the most part, it was not as bad as he had thought. Pain jolted through his body as he entered the water with a large splash, forcing water up his nose. Link snorted to expel the water and opened his eyes as he spread his arms and legs._

_He was definitely in the clearest ocean he had seen to date. He looked down and was amazed to see that he could make out slight shapes beneath him, although some darkness was visible as well. He figured that it had to be the ocean bottom. He looked upward and pumped both his arms and legs, propelling himself towards the surface. His lungs began to ache and he kicked faster, nearing the surface._

_His head broke the water and he gasped, inhaling a breath of fresh air. It tasted like the sea, but that didn't matter. He coughed and shook his head as he looked around at his surroundings._

_He could see land farther away, along with some kind of city, he guessed. But what really confused him was the large building in the center. Even at the distance he was at, he could see that there was some kind of ensign on the top floors. Link frowned._

"_Well, if I'm to find out where I am, that seems like a good place as any to start," he muttered. Link began doing the crawl as he swam towards the city._

* * *

_A few hours later…_

_Link broke into the lagoon with a well placed push of his legs, breaking the surface of the water and shaking his hair out. The droplets of water flicked out of his hair and into the water, creating tiny ripples. A soft light emitted from underneath as Navi surfaced._

"_Well. That was unexpected, Link. But good move," the fairy said, chuckling._

_Link nodded. "Thanks," he murmured. He "walked" towards the shore and grabbed onto a nearby bank. He pulled himself out and flopped onto his back, his chest heaving. "Whew."_

_He lay there for a while, pondering the strange events that had been plaguing his homeland for months now. He knew that it had all started when the curse of stone began to befall the nations of his world. After that, newer forces began to appear in the other nations, mostly mechanical in nature and some that could change their forms, but without magic._

_His home, the great Kingdom of Hyrule, had barely managed to avoid suffering the same fate, but alas, even his great skills and prowess had failed to keep his home from falling to the enemy._

_But what really puzzled him was the strange disappearances of people he had known, and some he had barely even known as a kid and even as a hero. Zelda, his princess, had been one of those to go missing, only to have a female enemy soldier take her place as the Queen of Hyrule._

_He wondered what happened to her, and how he could save her._

_His mind drifted back to the city he had seen on his swim in from the ocean._

_Sighing, Link sat up and began to wring a bit of water from his tunic. He suspected that it would be a bit stiff, but he figured that he could always find another one._

_He got to his feet and rubbed his hair before turning and striding through the forest._

_Link's eyes darted around the forest, suddenly spotting a mark of battle: a huge crater in the middle of a clearing and a bunch of charred bodies around it. He frowned as he stepped closer. He knelt down and examined one of the bodies. It was like the mechanical soldiers he had fought, but this one was charred and burnt beyond recognition. The only real puzzling piece of this battle was that the soldier's chest was open, exposing some kind of compartment._

_Link poked it before putting a hand to his chin in thought._

'_Something killed this soldier and removed the power source. But what?' Link thought._

_Navi's voice suddenly caught his attention and he looked at the fairy as she spoke. "Link! We've got company!"_

_The warrior scrambled to his feet, drawing out his sword. A flash of blue caught him off guard and he fell flat onto his back as a beam of blue light streaked over his face. "What is that?" he breathed._

"_Look out!" Navi yelled._

_Link rolled to the side as an egg-shaped object landed where he had been seconds before and exploded, throwing him back. "AAAH"_

_He scrambled to his feet for the second time and blocked a blue blade of energy, but barely. The one who was wielding the blade had no face; just a blank faceplate and a green head. The body was covered in armor with a sword hilt held in one hand, a gun in the other. The same sigil that had been above the city's central building was engraved on the chest armor._

_Link kicked out with his foot, nailing the form in the chest and forcing it back. He landed on his feet just as the form flipped and landed on its own feet with a grunt. The warrior shifted into his fighting stance, waiting for the other to charge, which it did._

_Without so much as a word, the warrior held his shield up in front and blocked the blade of the form before slashing with his own sword, nailing the form's arm and forcing it to pull back. The form backed up before its faceplate slid up to reveal a human male, his eyes focused on Link._

"_Who are you?" the man spat._

"_My name is Link, the hero of Hyrule!" Link declared. He held his sword in front of him. "Who are you?"_

_The man said nothing._

_The two stood there for a moment before Link spoke. "I assume that you are with the enemy, am I right?"_

_The man's eyes widened. "What? Us with the Dark Axis? What makes you say that?" he spat, holding his sword pointed at Link._

"_Wait…Dark Axis? Those mechanical soldiers who attacked Hyrule?" Link asked, his eyes narrowing._

"_Hold on. You…you faced them?" the man asked, suddenly standing up straight and lowering his sword._

_Link nodded. "Yes. They attacked my homeland and I was forced to run." He sheathed his sword and reached into the pouch for the Ocarina of Time. He pulled it out and held it up. The instrument gleamed in the light of the sun. "I had to use the Ocarina of Time to escape. I barely managed to, but thankfully I did. Me and Navi then arrived here."_

"_Navi?" the man asked, cocking an eyebrow._

_Link nodded again. "Yes." He gestured to the small fairy beside him. "This is Navi. She is a fairy, a mystical creature back in Hyrule."_

_The man blinked in awe. "A real live fairy… Wow…" he breathed._

"_Yes. But that is beside the point. The point is that my homeland has fallen to the curse of stone, and I need a place to seek refuge. If you don't mind, that is," Link said._

"_No. Not at all. Besides, the more help we can get, the better."_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Link sighed as he looked up at the stars. It had been five months since he had arrived in this new world, and he still had a lot to learn. But one thing was certain: he had to defeat the Dark Axis, and save Hyrule. The Intergalactic Federation had been kind enough to offer him the military help needed to drive them out, and he appreciated that. But the real problem was how to reverse the curse of stone. He wondered if they even had the means to do so.

Then there was the matter of how he had arrived in the first place. Ever since he had played the Ocarina of Time and arrived here, he had tried a few more times, but for some reason whenever the lights came out and engulfed him and Navi, they dissipated before making contact with his body. He wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that there was no magic here.

But if that were the case, then why was Navi still able to exist? Theoretically, if no magic existed, then other magical creatures such as fairies would have died out long ago. That led Link to conclude that something else was keeping Navi alive. But what was it?

Navi flitted up to him and he turned to look at her. "Oh, hey, Navi," he murmured.

"Are you thinking about how to return to Hyrule?" she asked.

The warrior nodded. "Yes." The wind teased his blonde hair, now cut shorter for easier maintenance. "Every time I try to use the Ocarina, it loses its magical ability to transport me home. What is it that causes that difference? Beforehand, it worked flawlessly and got us here, but why can't it get us back?"

"I think it has something to do with a type of transportation system called a spacebridge," Navi explained.

"A spacebridge?" Link asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes." Navi bobbed in place, an indication that she was nodding. "Apparently it utilizes something that the inhabitants of this world call quantum physics and mechanics, creating a black hole without the intense gravitational fields and establishing a linkup in another part of the organization. It can also be used outside of the boundaries, but it needs to have a similar generator in another organization or something like that. It's really complicated."

"But what does that have to do with the fact that the Ocarina of Time doesn't work?" Link persisted.

"I'm getting to that!" Navi snapped. A small red vein appeared on her.

"Okay," Link muttered.

"Now, as for how it interferes with the Ocarina's ability to transport you, I think it has something to do with the overlapping bridges and nodes that make up the network of spacebridges connecting their worlds together. It may be because the wavelengths are so varying and as a result, it jams out any other frequencies of teleportation systems, or transporting systems. In this case, the unique frequencies of the Ocarina cover the entire spectrum programmed into the spacebridge network, so the entire network renders the Ocarina useless," Navi explained.

Link's eyes widened. "So…I can't go back?" he murmured.

Navi bobbed side to side. "No! I didn't say that! And it's not what I'm saying at all!"

"Oh. Sorry. Go on then," Link said.

"Thank you," Navi huffed. "Anyway, from reviewing the records on the current situation, I learned that the spacebridge can be recalibrated to a higher frequency, enabling the Intergalactic Federation to open a gateway to another reality that matches said frequency. It sort of works like the Ocarina in a sense, but it also operates differently. What I mean by that is that it can match one batch of frequencies to another batch and then if there's a match, it bores a hole through Z-space, or Zero-Space, by concentrating energy into the white void and tearing open a hole, thus creating a dimensional gateway. The Ocarina of Time turns itself, the user, and the user's companions into energy, enabling them to traverse through certain "holes" in the space-time continuum, but the spacebridge does not."

"So, the Ocarina works like a bug flying through a net, but the spacebridge works like a charging bull by breaking through the net," Link mused.

"Close enough," Navi sighed, a small mushroom cloud coming from where her mouth would have been had she been human.

The two remained there for a while before Link spoke. "The curse of stone…do you think they can reverse it?" he asked softly.

"I hope so. If they can't, then it's over for everyone in Hyrule," the fairy whispered. "Everyone."

* * *

_The next day…_

Link stirred as he opened his eyes. The sun beat down on his body as he lay in the bed he had been assigned in the barracks. It still made him uncomfortable to be living here in these confined quarters, but he was slowly getting used to it. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes before stretching.

He threw back the covers and grabbed his tunic. Ever since he had arrived here, he had taken to wearing only his tunic. Not only did it reduce his chances of sweating in the hot temps, but it also gave him a bit more mobility, which he found unusual, but he wasn't complaining.

He slipped it on over his head and grabbed his sword before slipping on a pair of gray-green shorts. For some reason, he found that they matched his tunic quite nicely.

He buckled his sword onto his back before turning and gently prodding the hovering ball of light with his finger. "Navi?"

She stirred, but that was it. Shrugging, Link walked to the door, slipping his feet into his boots and opening the door.

The barracks hallway was empty, but he could faintly hear the sounds of snoring and every now and then, footsteps, indicating that the occupants were getting up and getting ready for the day. He stepped out into the hall and closed the door to his room.

After spending four months here, he knew exactly where the cafeteria was and before long, he was finished with breakfast and heading outside to see how things were going. His feet landed in the grass, and he looked around, still amazed at the contrast: snow was outside the faintly glowing blue dome of energy and inside, it was warm, the grass still green and birds still chirping.

He sighed and headed over to where the training field was.

At least today he could catch up on his training. He unsheathed his sword and began to train, unaware of the fight going less than two miles away, which was unusual, considering how the sounds and bangs of war echoed beyond the trees. Link paid no heed, for he was now used to the training carried out by the 17th Division. But this was no training session…

* * *

**Time: 1000, 10:00 am, Local time**

**Date: 18 November 2009**

Meisha screamed as she was blown back, head over heels right into a nearby tree, sending snow crashing down on top of her. Groaning, she poked her head free from the fluffy white powder and shook her head, removing the snow from her black hair.

T.J. crashed beside her, carving out a trench in the terrain. He sat up and spat some black mech fluid out of his mouth.

Kicker landed and ran over to his two best friends. "Meisha! T.J.! Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah. We're fine," T.J. remarked.

"Just a bit bruised," Meisha grumbled, rubbing her head.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE!" Sayla's cry echoed over the battlefield as the bright blue energy wave cut across the terrain, slamming head on into their opponent. The explosion created bright blue smoke that covered the area.

"Did you get him?" Jaden asked as he walked up, holding a sparking arm.

"I think so," Sayla said. "But knowing him, it's gonna be very difficult to even get him to sustain a nasty injury!"

"You don't know how right you are!" the voice of Shift purred from inside the smoke.

He stepped out, his wings flared to their full width, his dark green eyes locked onto them with absolute contempt and hatred for the human race as a whole. "And it will take much more than puny attacks like that to defeat me!"

"Not if we can help it!" Kira snapped from the air. His wings were spread fully, and the little DRAGOON bits hovered around his body. His golden eyes flashed dangerously as he gripped his guns. "So I suggest you back off now!"

"I think not," Shift murmured.

"Then take this!" Zane roared. "SUN MISSILE! LEVEL 40!"

"HAAAAAH! SHIFT STRIKER!" Shift cried.

Zane threw his arm forward to launch his signature attack just as Shift simultaneously fired off his signature spell. Both attacks collided and released a shockwave that knocked both fighters off their feet, except Zane was back on his feet in a flash.

"Heh. How's that for you?" he murmured.

"I am not through yet!" the demonic Gundam cried. He charged out of the smoke, startling Zane and forcing the boy to dodge using his jump ability.

"Okay, guys! Let's go! Maximum power combination!" Sayla ordered.

"Right!" the entire group cried.

Kicker cried out as he deactivated Matrix Mode and returned to starfighter form. "TRANSFORM!" He turned into his robot form and threw his head back. "CYBER KEY POWER MAXIMUM!" The blue artifact slammed into his back and the hidden guns in his arms and legs sprang open, the golden balls of energy charging.

Meisha dodged one of his attacks and grabbed the starfighter on her belt, returning to her own starfighter form. She transformed into robot mode and called forth her arsenal of weapons.

T.J. activated his other Shocker Cannon barrel and put the two side by side, extra metal slabs coming out from the two and connecting them together to create a double barreled Shocker Cannon.

Sayla grabbed the sword at her waist and drew it free from the belt loop she carried it in. She swung the blade and the gems glinted dangerously.

Jaden tensed and got ready for when she cheered him on. He drew his arm back and shifted into a back stance, ready to throw the punch.

Syrus aimed both his hands outward and his sound aura began to charge.

Zane stood up and held his hand in front of one of his eyes, the energy of his light aura charging to maximum power for his most powerful move. His hair and blazer began to wave in the energy created by his attack.

Alexis tensed and around her body, her air aura was called forth, blowing her hair around and teasing her uniform slightly.

Baston held up one of his hands to the sky and without a word, a Mana circle appeared above him. The circle rotated a few times before something dropped out of it and Baston caught it. The light around it faded to show a shield with a sword, not unlike Zero's, but the sword was slimmer and sharper. He drew it out and held it at the ready.

Kira flitted upward and deployed his DRAGOON system, the bits hovering around his body. He aimed his guns and charged up the cannon in his chest.

Blare held out her hands and a ball of gravity began to form in the middle of them. Her hair was waving in the energy created.

Vega ignited his laser daggers and got into his fighting stance: both arms held in front of his chest, legs slightly spread and ready to jump.

Michelle gripped a grenade and prepared to pull out the pin. Her eyes were narrowed in determination as she stood there.

Mike transformed into vehicle mode and hovered where he was, his engines ready to go to full throttle without hesitation.

T.K. aimed his bazooka and stuffed a grenade in the back, the targeting scope coming out and locking into place on the barrel. He peered through the sight, ready to fire.

Coby grabbed his laser rifle and connected the gun to the power back strapped to his left leg. He aimed it and held it steady.

Lori activated her laser whip and the green energy trailed down, coiling in front of her body.

Bud stood up and aimed his hands, the Omega Ball forming in between his palms.

Zero summoned forth his Vatras sword and drew it from his shield, ready to call forth his signature move.

Bakunetsumaru's eyes flared as he drew out his swords for battle.

Guneagle hovered a bit higher into the air, preparing to go supersonic for his own special technique.

Rele aimed her hands forward, a red Mana disk forming in front of both her palms.

Captain drew back his fist and got into his fighting stance, ready to unleash his Captain Punch.

Shute grabbed the kakugane attached to his backpack's strap and removed it. "BUSO RENKIN!" he cried. The device flared and separated, the light enveloping him and transforming his body from flesh to machine. "BUSO RENKIN OF THE SOUL-DRIVE! GUNDAM SPIRIT!"

He looked up, his eyes flaring online as he cried out the name of his Buso Renkin.

"NITRO CANNON MODE!" Kicker fired the guns, letting loose an assault of bright golden lasers that pulsed with golden electricity.

"GUARDIAN ASSAULT!" Meisha let loose her whole arsenal of weapons, mostly lasers, merging with the beams of light.

"SHOCKER CANNON MAXIMUM!" T.J. fired both his Shocker Cannons, the twin beams combining with the other attacks.

"AURA SLASH!" Sayla slashed with the red sword, the bright shockwave tearing through the beams to come up front.

"ELECTRIC PUNCH!" Jaden leapt into the center of the blast, his fist glowing bright golden.

"SONIC DISRUPTION!" A huge blast of sound fired from Syrus's outstretched palms and created a barrier in front of the attack to prevent it from being canceled out.

"SOLAR LASER ASSAULT!" Zane's most powerful move fired from around his body to join in with the others' signature moves, boosting its power.

"AERIAL HURRICANE!" Alexis swung her arms in a waving motion, sending a burst of air right into the attack and shielding it from the sides and amplifying its destructive abilities.

"CRYSTAL MANA LANCER!" Baston swung his sword, three large crystals forming before merging with the attack to create deadly projectiles.

"DRAGOON DESTRUCTION!" Kira fired all his weapons at once, the golden beams combining into the attack from the top, sides, center, and bottom.

"GRAVITY WELL!" Blare fired off the gravity ball into the attack, the intense gravity pressure concentrating its energies on keeping the attacks together and preventing them from straying off course.

"BLAZIAN SLASH!" Vega jumped up and slashed eight times, twice per arm and leg. The blasts of energy merged into the attack.

"CHEMICAL EXPLOSION!" Michelle pulled the pin on her grenade and tossed it right into the attacks, the force causing it to detonate and the explosive force being added to the already destructive attack.

"GRENADE BAZOOKA!" T.K. pulled the trigger on his bazooka and the grenade shot out, followed by three more, adding their own power to the move.

"WIND TORNADO!" Mike engaged his engines and flew forward while rotating, creating a whirlwind of air that shielded the combination attack from the sides, along with Alexis' attack.

"OMEGA BALL!" Bud drew his cupped hands close to his body before thrusting them out, the red and blue ball of energy firing from his palms.

"JUNGLE LASH!" Lori slashed three times in a triangle formation with her whip, the energy blasts cutting into the attack and merging into the sides, creating an eerie green glow within the whirlwinds created by Mike and Alexis.

"ROCKY MOUNTAIN LASER!" Coby pulled the trigger on his rifle and the gun roared, the blue-orange beam launching from the barrel into the center of the combined attacks.

"TENKYOUKEN!" Bakunetsumaru slashed as hard as he could, creating a fiery X that cut through the attacks, giving it a fiery radiance that couldn't be outmatched by normal means.

"SUPER MAGICAL VIOLET TORNADO!" Zero swung his sword and called forth a blast of wind laced with flower petals, giving the deadly attack combination a beauty that contradicted the devastating power.

"AERIAL STINGER…ACTIVATE!" Guneagle darted forward and began to spin, a yellow aura surrounding his body and creating a high-pressure front that carried on when he stopped in midair.

"SPIRIT DRIVE ACTIVATE!" Shute punched as hard as he could, a blast of pure white energy firing out from his fist and merging into the attack.

"HYPER CAPTAIN PUNCH!" Captain punched in unison with Shute, the two blasts of energy merging into one.

"MANA EXPLOSION!" Rele's Mana disk fired from her hands and collided with the attacks, shielding it even further from the front, the red color creating a radiance that conflicted with the fiery red X of the Tenkyouken.

Different segments of screen appeared showing each of their faces, each one filled with determination. "TRI-FORCE LIBERATION!"

Shift sneered as he watched their combined attacks speeding right at him.

"Heh. Pathetic," he murmured. "But, if you insist…"

He drew back both hands, dark energy beginning to course along the palms and he relished the power flowing through him. His eyes began to glow an unearthly red color an his soul stone pulsed with the same light before it merged into his body, making his already dark armor seem even more evil. His green eyes flashed as he unleashed his most powerful more at them.

"DEMONIC LASER CANNON!" he roared.

He thrust both his arms forward and the dark balls of energy combined into one before releasing a laser beam of unearthly power, glowing a dark sinister red color, much like that of Epyon's armor color. The two powerful attacks, one of incredible magic and the other a combination effort, collided head on. The shockwave created by the collision was so strong it rocked a few trees and shorted out one of the generators outside the dome, causing the protective shield to waver a little, but it held. A bunch of snow was knocked off the buildings inside the dome and within the complex, getting the attention of some of the residents, but nothing too big.

It was only when the actual explosion occurred did anyone finally take notice. And that one person happened to be training at the TCDA right at that moment…

* * *

**_BUH-WHOOM!_**

Link blinked as he looked up, a huge cloud of thick dark blue smoke curling skyward. The entire school had seemed to shudder from the incredible force of the shockwave, and he briefly wondered if Ganandorf had somehow pursued him here. But the thought was shoved from his mind. There was no way he could be there. He had been petrified back in Hyrule. So that left only one conclusion: the Dark Axis.

The warrior gritted his teeth as he ran off the training field and out into the snow beyond the dome.

He only hoped that he wasn't too late.


	93. Battle! Kicker VS Shift!

Chapter 6

The smoke curled skyward from the battlefield, clouding the sight of all the fighters there. Kicker, Meisha, T.J., Sayla, Jaden, Alexis, Zane, Syrus, Baston, Blare, Vega, Michelle, T.K., Mike, Coby, Lori, Bud, Guneagle, Captain, Shute, Rele, Bakunetsumaru, Zero, and Kira all lay on the ground, their bodies aching from having been blown back by the incredible force of the shockwave.

Shute sat up, his hand rubbing his helmet, one of his eyes closed in pain. "Did…did we manage to get him?" he asked.

"How should I know, Shute?" Sayla asked. "I can't see through smoke that thick!"

Bakunetsumaru managed to push himself to his hands and knees, trying to see through the thick smokescreen. But then again, he didn't need to. "He's coming!" the Musha Gundam cried.

"How can you tell?" Kira asked as he staggered to his feet while using his guns to support his weight.

"I can sense him coming!"

"And a good thing, too!" Sayla cried. "INCOMING!"

The ball of dark energy that fired out of the smoke caught them all off guard. It landed right in the midst of their group and exploded, blowing them all back. "AAAAAAH!"

Shift stepped out of the smoke, both hands smoking from using the attack. "Heh. Is that all you could muster against me?" he mocked.

"Not even close!" Kira snapped. He got to his feet and charged at Shift, his guns now replaced on the sides of his legs as he ran at the demonic Gundam. "RAAAH!"

Shift laughed as he caught Kira's punch in one hand. "Nice try, kid!" he sneered. He gripped the other Gundam's fist tightly, making him cry out in pain and agony as the circuits and wires sparked violently from the crushing pressure.

"Kira!" Sayla cried. She scrambled to her feet and shifted her hand back to normal mode, replacing the red sword in her belt loop and grabbing her gun. The gun was free from her shoulders in an instant and was charged to fire by the time Shift noticed her.

"Hm?" That was as far as he got by the time the gun roared, sending a barrage of bullets right at him. Shift released Kira's hand and swiftly erected a demonic shield to take the bullets head on. They slammed into the magical barrier, disintegrating on impact.

"Shit!" Sayla swore.

"Nice attack, but not good enough to take me down!" Shift roared. He charged up a spell and fired it at her. "FIRE BURST!"

Sayla dodged the scorching spell, but barely as it seared the air, melting the snow in a long path right towards the dome. It exploded against the defensive shield, but the dome held under the tremendous pressure. She was never more appreciative of Resconian defensive engineering.

Kicker had already transformed into starfighter mode and had prepped a couple of missiles for an aerial attack on the dark Gundam. "How'd you like these!" he cried.

The projectiles were released and they engaged their engines, streaking through the air towards him. Shift sneered and he waved his hand, creating a batch of clones in one swift movement. "Attack!" he screamed.

Each of the clones split up to attack a certain group of fighters, but Sayla was faster on this one. "Not this time!" she snapped. She plunged her free hand into her trench coat's pocket and withdrew a small device that looked like a miniature speaker, but without the speakers themselves. A small blue button was placed on the side and her thumb was poised over it.

"What is that? A generator?" Shift laughed.

"An EMP generator, you slagger!" Sayla hissed.

"What!" Shift's eyes widened at the mere mention of an EMP. "You can't be serious!"

"I am!" Sayla snarled. She pressed the button and looked at her friends. "Zane, Alexis, Syrus, Blare! Aura guards, now! Everyone else, defensive shields or spells! On the double!"

Everyone reacted instantly, putting up their defensive measures and shielding themselves and their mechanical comrades from harm. Sayla held the device out in front of her, aimed away from her right hand. She adjusted her position just as the timer reached zero. A huge electromagnetic burst of energy was released from the small device and it pulsed towards Shift. The demonic Gundam gave a howl of rage and charged at them, despite the intense energy he was being bombarded with. The intense levels of electromagnetic energy caused the clones to dissipate instantly into showers of sparkles, providing a cover for Shift as he darted in.

Sayla gasped as he slugged her hard with his fist, forcing her back and causing her to release the EMP generator. The device went sailing into the air before Shift caught it and snarled at them. He crushed it in his bare hand, almost as easily as she could crush a single piece of rock.

"Nice try, human! EMPs don't work on me!" he hissed.

"What about this!" Rele cried. "MANA BLAST!"

A huge pulse of magical energy slammed into Shift head on and he was forced head over heels, mech fluid streaming from several wounds that were already healing.

"You insolent brat! You shall pay for that!" Shift roared.

"Aerial Stinger…ACTIVATE!" Guneagle's body smashed into Shift full force and he was sent tumbling before Sayla grabbed her gun and was aiming it at the demonic Gundam's Gunsoul.

"FULL ASSAULT MODE!" She pulled the master release switch and pulled the trigger at the same time, releasing her entire arsenal stored within the weapon. The impressive slew of weaponry struck him, causing several more gashes to open on his armor, but they began healing as soon as the first drops of mech fluid began to ooze out.

"You fools!" Shift roared as he stood up. "You cannot defeat me! I have touched the darkest part of the Darkness Mana, and I have become stronger than any of you!"

"The darkest part?" Sayla asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes!" Shift deflected an attack launched by Kira, forcing him to dodge to the side. "I have been touched by the Devil's Magic, the darkest of all the evil magical arts out there! I am unstoppable!" he crowed. "Not even your combined efforts can take me down! It is useless to keep fighting against me, especially now that I am at full power!"

"Well, we may not be able to on paper, but in practice we can and we will!" Zane snarled. "SOLAR LASER ASSAULT!"

The beam of yellow energy fired from his outstretched fingertips and Shift swung a fist, shattering the blast with ease.

"WHAT!" Zane's eyes widened in pure shock as Shift sneered at him with a look that made shivers run down his spine.

"How about this!" Zero cried. "LACROAN CRESCENT!" He slashed with his sword, unleashing a blue crescent that resembled Sayla's Aura Shockwave to some extent.

The demonic Gundam howled with laughter as he swiped with his fingers, sending it right back at the Knight Gundam.

Zero twirled in midair to dodge, the blast barely clipping his armor and drawing a small amount of mech fluid to the surface. He snarled as he eyed the wound.

"Full power or not, we'll stop you!" Kicker cried. He charged right at the evil Gundam, but Shift laughed as he fired off a pulse of demon magic that slammed into his nose head on. Kicker cried out in pain as he spiraled down, changing back to Matrix Mode at the last instant to save his starfighter form the damage of skidding along the ground. He tumbled head over heels, the armor shielding him from fatal injuries, but causing him pain in several other wounded areas that had long since healed.

He sat up, groaning in pain as he rubbed his armored head. "Ouch!" he murmured.

Shift spun as T.J. fired off a few of his missiles from his wings, the projectiles screaming towards the dark Gundam. He sneered evilly as his mouthpiece retracted and he opened his mouth, letting loose a scream that startled them all. The pulses of dark magic coming from him were incredible in power and they shattered T.J.'s missiles like they were made of glass.

"God! How powerful is he!" T.J. cried as he dodged the pulses.

"I don't know, but even if we did know, what good would it do?" Sayla snapped.

"Oh." T.J. fell silent as he ducked a punch from the evil Gundam.

T.K. by now had loaded a second grenade into his bazooka and was aiming the weapon at the Dark Axis Gundam. "TAKE THIS!" he screamed.

The gun belched once, sending the shaped charge at him. Shift turned, flaring one of his wings and smacking it right back at T.K. He yelped and ducked behind the snowdrift he was using as a makeshift barrier as the grenade sailed overhead and exploded against the ground, throwing up chunks of snow and dirt.

Bakunetsumaru gritted his teeth as he channeled his spiritual fire into his sacred blades. "TENKYOUKEN!" he cried.

He slashed, unleashing all of his power in the attack, creating a glowing red X that carved a set of twin trenches in the snow easily. Shift roared with laughter as he fired a spell from his outstretched fingertips at the red and white Gundam's attack. It collided head on with the spell, turning it into nothing but a bunch of birds that twittered and flew off into the distance.

"What!" Bakunetsumaru's eyes widened as Shift drew back his fist and slugged the Musha on the side of his mouthpiece, sending him crashing into the snow, leaving a Baku-shaped hole in a snowdrift.

Jaden gripped his arm as he dodged the dark Gundam's charging attack. He landed on his feet and aimed one of his wrist gauntlets at him. He fired off a small set of missiles from the two barrels and they streaked through the air, exploding against Shift's arm, causing him to pull back in pain. He hissed air over the wound, but his eyes never left his opponent.

The Earth-Gundam didn't take his eyes off Shift either. At least until Sayla grabbed him and pulled him back. "GET DOWN!" she cried.

"AH!" Jaden and Sayla landed face first in the snow as a blast of cold air arced over them, turning the snow behind them to solid ice.

Sayla sat up and glanced back. "Great! Now he can turn snow into ice?" she grumbled.

"Incoming!" Baston called. Sayla turned just as the Knight Gundam from Earth darted in front, his shield held at the ready. He moved the defensive equipment in front and it took a rock shard head on, a small crack running down the middle.

"Baston! Your shield's about to give!" Sayla warned him.

"I know that!" Baston snapped. "Just trust me on this one!"

Sayla bit her lower lip as she watched with fear on her face. She hoped Baston did have a plan.

The next attack shattered his shield, but he was ready. He drew back his fist, which was glowing with blue Mana energy, and released a pulse that broke the demonic Gundam's attack into nothing but millions of pieces of energy. "Nice!" Jaden chirped.

Shift smirked as he suddenly grabbed onto the other Gundam's neck, clutching him in a choking hold. Sayla and Jaden both cried out in shock as he literally tossed the other Gundam aside into a snow bank, right on top of Kira who had been sent sprawling by a prior attack.

"Baston!" Sayla screamed.

Shift wasn't holding back, and the truth of that sank in when she looked around at the battlefield.

Everyone was sporting some kind of wound and injury, but not as bad as she had feared. The only thing that she was really worried about was the fact that Shift could destroy them at any time. They had to defeat him and fast!

She gritted her teeth as she clambered to her feet, using her gun to support herself. "Okay. We have to win this and now," she murmured. "So no more holding back!"

"Oh, really?" Shift purred from behind her.

Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice. Fear gripped her heart and she turned slowly, her eyes growing wider in shock. Shift smirked as he grabbed her gun, trying to pry it from her grasp. But she wasn't about to let it go that easily. She clenched her hands around the strap and the gun itself, pulling as hard as she could.

Shift seemed to sense her unwillingness to part with the weapon, so he suddenly spun his entire body, letting go after three revolutions, tossing her away as she clung to the gun. "AAAAAAH!"

She landed in the snow on her back, pain filling every muscle. "Owww!" she moaned.

She sat up, groaning as the pain faded.

What happened next surprised her. Shift's arm suddenly sparked as something blue erupted out of his shoulder joint, electricity coursing over the damaged limb. Sayla recognized the blade as being one of T.J.'s wing blades, because it suddenly withdrew from the shoulder, leaving the dark Gundam hissing in pain and agony.

"Nice one, T.J.!" Sayla said with relief in her eyes.

"You fool! You shall pay for that!" Shift cried. He spun, but the younger mech had darted backwards, a smile on his face.

Sayla decided that it was time to take the initiative again. She grabbed a grenade and armed it, tossing it right at the demonic Gundam. It slammed into his back and he turned, his eyes widening as the timer flashed, counting down to zero. Sayla nodded at her friends.

They got the hint and ducked down just as it blew, sending shrapnel into the air, riddling Shift's entire back with it. His scream of pain echoed loud and clear for a while before it died down.

She smiled. "Heh. That's that."

"Not…even…close…mortal fools!" he spat, his eyes flashing dark red. "DARKNESS MANA! COME TO ME!"

The dark circles appeared over him and flared brightly, sending out Mana pulses that released some kind of energy that seemed to make their bodies feel heavy. Kicker, however, had managed to erect a shield just in time as the others felt themselves become paralyzed.

Kicker glanced up, his body wracked with pain as Shift sneered at him.

"Seems as if thou can't fight without suffering more agony, no?" he hissed.

"That's…where you're wrong!" Kicker rasped, although he knew that Shift was right. The injuries he had sustained in Matrix Mode were severe, and he needed to be able to fight without suffering new injuries. The New Mode was out of the question due to Shift knowing its properties, and starfighter mode was not an option because he needed to be able to fight without hindrance.

'_Primus, I could use a miracle here!_' Kicker thought.

"Heh. Thou art out of options. Thee can't fight me without dying, so…" Shift let his voice trail off, leaving Kicker to imagine the worst possible.

Meisha, T.J., and the others couldn't do anything due to the spells holding them in place, but they could cheer him on.

"C'mon, Kicker! You've got to have _some_ kind of secret up your sleeve!" T.J. yelled.

Kicker gasped as he recalled what had happened during his fight with Gerbera.

'_He's right. But…will it be enough? And can I even activate it?_' he thought.

_You can, Kicker. I shall help you._

Kicker nearly gasped out loud as he heard the soft, collective voice of the Energizer Matrix in his mind.

The power coursing through his body caught him by surprise as he felt the Matrix vibrating in his chest armor, something flaring inside it.

The light that burst forth enveloped his battered body and he knew nothing more.

* * *

**Shift sneered as** he watched the human fade from view. '_Looks like he's fleeing._' Shift thought.

"KICKER!" all the humans and Gundams cried out.

"He left thee, abandoning thee to my powers," Shift purred.

"No! He wouldn't!" the mech named T.J. snapped. "I know it! He didn't abandon me, and I know he wouldn't now!"

"Too late. For now, thee shall die by my hands!" Shift sneered.

Dark electricity began to course over the mortals before him, shocking them with its evil energy. "AAAAHHHH!" The cry of pain made him smile beneath his mouthpiece. With such a bounty of powerful souls, he could eat and remain energized on one soul alone for months at a time. And with the infamous Gundam Force to boot, he could remain powered up for years with them.

"Now, time to eat," he murmured, licking his lips hungrily.

He moved in towards the nearest one, Mana gathering about his hand for the finishing blow.

He loved to eat souls after the bodies had been destroyed, for then they were fresh, fresh to eat and juicy, in their full power.

And with a collective amount, he could eat and enjoy them slowly.

The mortals before him struggled against their invisible bonds, but it was useless. This was his most powerful spell, aside from his most powerful demonic attack. He powered up the pulse of Demon Mana and prepared to let it loose. "MANA DESTRUCTION!"

"NO!" the human's voice cried.

As he fired off the Mana blast, the light surrounding the human's last position broke into many pieces and a form leapt out before landing in front of the blast, intercepting it with a powerful shield of some kind.

* * *

_**FWAM!**_

Meisha coughed as the smoke faded from her vision. What she saw stunned her beyond words.

A new Gundam stood there, holding a shield in front of his body, his brown eyes filled with determination.

His body was strangely colored like the _Energizer X_'s color scheme, but the design of the armor was like that of Captain in a way. The V-fin was the same length as that of Captain, but there was a shorter, narrower silver one beneath it. The helmet was white and blue with red lines snaking away from the mouthpiece and extending into a set of wing-like protrusions that were bright white. His upper armor was designed like Captain's and Guneagle's both, with the jet-like vents and the compartment that no doubt held a Soul-Drive. His shoulder pads resembled Captain's with the same design, but they were green and the lines on his armor were blue. The beam launchers were red instead of blue and the parts that were not colored were white. His legs were white with the same lines on them, but hints of green present on his feet. Two grey heel wheels stood out on the back of his feet and in place of his back-mounted flight boosters, was a set of wings similar to those of Shift, but also more like those of Guneagle. They had bright blue coloring and mechanical "feathers" that adjusted for increased or decreased speed and thrusters on his back granted him the ability to fly at great speeds. In his left hand he held a shield similar to Captain's, but with a red Autobot sigil stamped on top of the golden star and in his right hand he held a laser submachine gun similar to one that the _Energizer X_ had. The other thing that stood out was that his mouthpiece was colored like Captain's, but it had three slats like Guneagle's. The last thing was that he had small strands of brown gundanium "hair" sticking out from the back of his helmet like human hair…

"W…what…?"

Her voice trailed off as the new Gundam glanced at her.

"You guys okay?" he asked.

She nodded, speechless.

The mystery Gundam glanced back at Shift, malice in his brown eyes as he aimed his gun.

"You want to get to them, you'll have to go through me!" he hissed.

"Very well. Then thee shall be the first to die!" Shift purred.

The demon mage charged at the new Gundam, his hands opened, ready to clench around his throat, and choke him to death.

A grim determination filled the Gundam's eyes as he dodged Shift's hands. He rolled to the side before aiming and peering through the scope of his rifle. He pulled the trigger and bright, blue bursts of energy sped out the rifle at high speed, impacting the ground around the mage.

Shift spread his wings and folded them over his body, making them solid enough to deflect the rounds.

"No!" the Gundam cried, his eyes widening at the sight of his lasers streaking in the direction of his friends. He flared his wings and ignited his engines, flying towards them. The Gundam got in the way of his own lasers and blocked them with the shield in his hand.

"DRATS! I missed!" Shift hissed.

'_Who_ is_ this mystery Gundam?_' Meisha thought to herself. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place him. He sounded just like Kicker, but it couldn't be…could it?

* * *

**Kicker gritted his** teeth beneath his mouthpiece as Shift fired again at him. So far things weren't looking up for him, even with the new mode he was using. All he could really do was block and defend his friends until Shift grew tired and attacked him, which was what happened next.

Surprised, he yelped as Shift lunged for his throat a second time, but this time, he was ready. He fired up the jetpack on his back and flared his wings, spreading them to full length.

He sped up into the sky and tossed aside his shield and gun. The weapons landed on the ground beneath him.

"What's the matter? Got tired of the weapons already?" Shift purred, flapping his wings and hovering to his height.

"No. But I decided for something much simpler!" he hissed, gripping his beam saber and pulling it free from his waist armor.

Shift snarled as he summoned his Mana into his deadly lance and shield.

"Time for thou to die!" Shift cried.

He charged at him, forcing him into a dive. His jetpack purred loudly as he coaxed more speed out of it. The wind rushed around his body and he gritted his teeth. This was going to be close.

"HAAAAAAH!" Shift fired off a blast of Dark Mana from his lance's tip, forcing Kicker to barrel roll and swoop down low. The blast struck the ground, sending dirt and rocks skyward before they fell to the ground, revealing the crater that had been torn into the earth.

Adjusting his angle of attack, he sped low over the ground, sending dead leaves into the air from the passing wind. Shift was still on his tail.

'_Great! How am I gonna lose this guy?_' Kicker thought angrily.

He spun in midair and brought up his beam saber in a blocking movement, igniting the blade in a flash of bright red energy, similar to that of Captain's V-rods, but with a hint of gold in there as well. Shift's lance collided with the beam weapon, releasing sparks as the demonic Gundam struggled to push the lance down through his chest.

Kicker gritted his teeth and pushed back, using his new strength to keep the lance away from his chest armor.

_**I take a step to what's real**_  
_**or at least to what it is I'm chasing**_

The demonic Gundam snarled as he broke off the attack, darting up and flaring his wings to maximum width. His eyes flashed angrily as he charged up a spell at the tip of his lance.

"LANCE OF DEATH!" he cried.

Kicker yelped as Shift fired off the spell, homing in right on his location. He darted upward, his wings tucked close to his body.

_**Another step to reveal**_  
_**All the shadows that I keep embracing**_

The deadly blast of demon magic sped underneath his body and he glared at his opponent, his brown eyes flashing in anger. "Take this!" he cried. He fired his jets, speeding in close with his right fist drawn back. He socked Shift right on the side of his mouthpiece, shattering it and revealing his lower face.

"Shit!" Shift snarled. His hand flew to the area, feeling only the metal synthflesh beneath. "You shall pay for that!" he spat.

"I don't think so!" Kicker hissed. He swiftly dodged to the side as the dark Gundam attacked with a kick to the chest.

_**Failure forgets to fascinate**_  
_**this light inside will resonate**_

"C'mon, human! Is that all you have!" Shift roared.

"Not even close!" Kicker snapped. He charged down towards the discarded shield and gun, replacing his beam saber on his waist armor. His hands reached out and grabbed the equipment and he spun, his shield moving in front of his body automatically on instinct to block the blast of metal shards Shift had conjured out of nowhere.

He could feel the defensive equipment vibrating with the impact of the shards, and he hoped to Primus that it wouldn't break.

It didn't.

The shield held against the onslaught. He removed the shield from in front of his body and he aimed his gun.

_**Shame dissipates with open eyes**_  
_**refreshing fate I can't describe**_

Shift snarled as Kicker pulled the trigger, sending a blast of blue lasers right at him. Kicker actually felt his new Soul-Drive seize up in his chest as the demonic Gundam let loose a barrage of fire that seemed to radiate from the very depths of the Pit itself.

"FLAMING VENGEANCE!" Shift screamed.

Kicker turned and engaged his thrusters to full, his wings spreading to maximum width to enable greater speed. He darted close to the ground, sending up small wisps of snow from his passage. The heat began to lick at his armor as he glanced over his shoulder at the incoming concentration of flames.

Desperate, he started scanning his surroundings for a way to douse the flames…or at least stop Shift from letting them loose. His eyes locked onto a nearby rock that had been thrown free from the last attack and he smirked. That would do nicely.

_**This time it feels like I've been**_  
_**touched by a supernova**_

He tossed aside his shield and gun for the second time, and he grabbed onto the rock with both hands. Surprisingly, due to the new form he was in, the rock itself was actually pretty light and he lifted it up easily. He dashed into the sky and began to spin, holding onto the large chunk of rock with a death grip. Kicker began to spin faster and faster, his eyes closed as he tossed with every ounce of strength his Gundam form possessed.

The large rock sailed through the air and struck Shift dead on in the center of his back, forcing several pieces of shrapnel still embedded in his armor deeper into the synthflesh underneath. Shift hissed in pain as black mech fluid began to ooze from the holes as well as something sinisterly purple.

But what really puzzled Kicker was the fact that the purple substance didn't drip down, let alone leave his form. He guessed it to be the power of the darkness inside Shift's body.

The dark Gundam aimed his lance like a gun and a ball of dark energy began to form at the very tip.

_**Inside - the hand that touches hearts**_  
_**is touching mine**_

"DARKNESS PULSE!" Shift cried.

"HAAAAAAAAAH!" Kicker charged at Shift, using his speed to its fullest. The dark ball of energy released a series of pulses that came at him, but he dodged each one swiftly, doing barrel rolls, loops, and even flying sideways. He drew back his foot and lashed out in a midair, mid-flight roundhouse that left a dent on Shift's shoulder guard.

The dark Gundam dropped his lance, which shattered upon impact with the ground. Kicker tucked his right fist back as he threw a punch with his left hand, nailing Shift on the helmet. His dark raven wing-shaped crest was knocked off, and Kicker lashed out with his right fist, smacking Shift on the left shoulder joint, causing a cry of pain to come from the Lacroan traitor.

He smirked to himself and he flew to the side, dodging an attempted grab by Shift.

_**As I find my tears are all**_  
_**consumed by the supernova**_

Shift, however, had a sneer on his face as he suddenly vanished in a wisp of dark mist. Kicker blinked in shock as he turned, his eyes suddenly locking onto the forms of his friends, all of them still paralyzed by the dark Gundam's spell.

Hovering above them all was Shift.

"You have caused me enough pain! And as a result, you shall be witness to the deaths of those who you hold dear!" he hissed.

"NO!" Kicker cried, his eyes shrinking in horror and shock. "Leave them alone!" He reached out a hand, but Shift wasn't going to hold back and he knew it.

'_Primus…help me!_' Kicker pleaded, his eyes closing as tears pricked at them.

_**This time the hope that**_  
_**lights the world**_  
_**is in my eyes**_

"MANA DESTRU—"

"NO!" a second voice cried, cutting off Shift's spell. Kicker suddenly dodged as a bright blue crescent wave cut across the battlefield and struck Shift head on, forcing him back head over heels right into a tree.

Kicker turned and he stared as Deed came up, his scythe held at the ready.

"You insolent fool!" Shift cried. "TAKE THIS!" He powered up his most powerful spell. Kicker's Soul-Drive seized up again as he realized what was about to happen. He turned and engaged his thrusters, speeding close to the Lacroan Knight.

"DEED!" Kicker screamed.

Deed, however, shoved Kicker back with his Mana, locking gazes with him. "Leave this to me," he murmured.

"But…he'll kill you!" Kicker protested.

"I know. But trust me. It is for the best," Deed said softly. He turned back to face Shift as he held his scythe skyward. "Mana…give me your power!" he roared.

The blade began to glow bright blue as Shift charged up his most powerful spell.

"DEMONIC LASER CANNON!"

The same blast of energy he had once used launched right at Deed as the other Gundam slashed with his scythe.

_**There's a piece of my mind**_  
_**that tries to fathom the stars or to**_

"NOOO!" Kicker cried. Tears streamed down his face as the blue blast from Deed was shattered with ease, and the Knight Gundam himself was struck through the Gunsoul. His eyes widened as he looked at Kicker.

"You…must…win…Kicker," he murmured.

Then his body disintegrated into nothing.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kicker screamed to the skies with every ounce of his being. His rage was great, and he knew he had to win. But with Shift's power at its max, there was no way he could. At least not alone.

_**Contemplate the divine**_  
_**don't need to look very far**_

Everyone he knew seemed to sense his rage and hatred, and then it happened.

"Kicker! You have to win this!" Meisha screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"We know you can!" T.J. cried. His optics flared with determination as he looked at his best friend.

"Don't give up!" Alexis shouted, rage and determination visible on her face.

"We believe in you!" Jaden yelled as he struggled to move against his bonds. Kicker didn't know what he was trying to do, but he had a gut feeling Jaden was trying to punch the air.

"Go for it!" Sayla cried.

"Just win! For Deed!" Baston yelled, his voice laced with grief and determination to stop Shift.

"That slagger needs to be defeated! And I know you can do it!" Syrus cheered as he nodded.

"Win for Deed!" Zane snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Do it!" Blare cried, her voice filled with intense determination.

"Win this!" Vega shouted, his eyes flashing with hope and grief and rage at once.

"Show him who's boss!" T.K. snapped, his eyes locking onto the form of Shift above them.

"Avenge Deed!" Mike shouted, his optics locking onto Kicker's brown eyes.

"We know you can do this!" Michelle cheered from beside the human-sized Autobot.

"Do this for Deed!" Kira screamed. He nodded at Kicker as he said this.

"He needs to be destroyed!" Coby roared, looking at Shift with his eyes full of rage and anger.

"He has to be defeated for everyone he killed!" Lori cried, her eyes shimmering with tears.

"Do this for everyone here!" Bud screamed.

"We know you can win!" Shute, Captain, Rele, Guneagle, Bakunetsumaru, and Zero screamed as one.

_**When you bring me**_  
_**the reasons just to believe**_

Kicker gasped as sudden warmth filled his chest. His gaze snapped down towards the compartment and he watched in amazement as a soft golden-blue glow emitted from the area. It felt as if a miniature supernova had exploded inside him, shedding aside his grief at losing Deed.

His tears became consumed by his righteous anger, the power of his newly activated Soul-Drive spreading throughout his body, boosting his power to maximum.

He watched as the blue lines on his armor flashed with the power, some of it channeling into his right hand, which was glowing with a bright blue-golden light. He slowly lifted it to his face, studying it with amazement. Kicker slowly curled his hand into a fist. It still felt the same, but with a soft tingling sensation throughout it.

He uncurled his fingers and looked up.

_**You bring me answers**_  
_**I can't conceive**_

Shift suddenly seemed to recoil in amazement and shock as he locked gazes with the demonic Gundam.

"Impossible! Those eyes…! How did you!" he screamed.

"I'm not sure," Kicker murmured, "but I do know one thing. You will be destroyed!" Kicker snarled.

He clenched his hand into a fist, holding it close to his face.

From Shift's perspective, as Kicker held his glowing fist close to his face, he could see the fierce fighting fire that was within his brown eyes.

"You will be destroyed," Kicker repeated. "But not by me alone."

"And why is that?" Shift snapped as he gripped his lance tighter.

_**How can I bring you doubt**_  
_**when you bring me the sky?**_

"You don't get it, do you?" Kicker asked.

"Get what?" Shift hissed.

"Like I told Gerbera when we clashed, humanity is in on this as a whole. My friends and I are fighting as one," Kicker said softly. His voice was laced with anger, but also grief.

"What does that have to do with Deed being killed by me?" Shift purred.

"Plenty!" Kicker snapped. "He was our friend!"

"Wrong, fool!" Shift crowed. "You have no idea, do you?" He cackled as Kicker looked on in confusion before the realization struck.

"Huh?" Kicker's eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about?"

_**This time it feels like I've been**_  
_**touched by a supernova**_

"I mean that it was not the real Deed!" Shift laughed. "That Deed was merely a clone that I myself created!"

"LIAR!" Kicker screamed. "He was no clone! He was a real living being!" He glared at Shift with those flaming eyes, but it didn't scare the dark Gundam.

"You grew fond of him, I see. Well, you may have to outgrow that fondness for a silly projection I made!" Shift sneered.

"You LIAR! You don't know anything about friendship!" Kicker snapped. He held his glowing fist closer to his body.

"Oh? You saw him as a friend?" Shift asked.

"Yes!" Kicker growled.

_**Inside - the hand that touches hearts**_  
_**is touching mine**_

"Such sentimentality can only lead to weakness," Shift purred. "Especially for a clone."

"Deed _was_ real, whether you believe so or not!" Kicker screamed. "And I will avenge his death!"

He clenched his fist and darted forward, his wings flaring to maximum width. His jetpack purred loudly as he neared the demonic Gundam's body. "AAAAAAAAH!"

Shift sneered as he darted to the side, his own right fist beginning to glow with dark energy. "Well, if that is how you wish to play, then so be it!" he cried. "HELL'S MANA!"

_**As I find my tears are all**_  
_**consumed by the supernova**_

Kicker turned sharply, dashing to the left as Shift unleashed a burst of dark energy from his fist. He spun and lashed out with a left cross, slugging Shift on the side of his jaw, forcing him to cough up mech fluid and darkness.

Kicker dodged the mech fluid and swung his left foot in a spinning roundhouse, impacting Shift on his right leg, breaking the joint and causing Shift to cry out in intense agony.

"Now…here's the final blow!" Kicker screamed.

"I don't think so!" Shift roared. "HELL'S BLAST!"

Kicker dodged the red beam of energy and fired his head-mounted guns at the evil mecha, the bullets striking his armor in several vulnerable spots.

_**This time the hope that**_  
_**lights the world**_  
_**is in my eyes**_

He spun and dodged Shift's next attack, this time his body glowing with sinister red energy. "This is my Full Mode!" Shift screamed. "No one has survived it!"

"In that case, I'll have to prove you wrong!" Kicker hissed.

He held up his forearm and a small shield generator extended out and a blue shield was erected within seconds. The red energy of Shift's Full Mode couldn't get through. Kicker smirked as he suddenly kicked out, nailing Shift right in the Gunsoul. The dark gray soul stone cracked under the sheer force of the kick and he coughed up some more mech fluid.

The dark Gundam backed up, his dark aura beginning to fade from the intense pain Kicker guessed he must be feeling. Or so he thought.

A sudden surge of dark energy erupted off of him, forcing Kicker to huddle behind his shield once more. "What's going on!" Kicker asked.

_**When you bring me**_  
_**the reasons just to believe**_

"This is the power of Full Mode! When you inflict more damage to me, I get stronger!" Shift sneered. "Face it! You can't win!"

"Yes…I…CAN!" Kicker screamed. "And I will win for everyone here…and I will win for DEED!"

He flew in close, his fist glowing even brighter from the intense emotion his friends and he were feeling as one. "You will be destroyed once and for all!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! Try me, mortal!" Shift roared gleefully.

"AAAAAAH!" Kicker screamed as loud as he could as he flew in closer.

_**You bring me answers**_  
_**I can't conceive**_

Shift sneered as he unleashed a barrage of dark Mana balls at Kicker, forcing the other to dodge in barrel rolls and loops.

Artificial adrenaline flooded Kicker's coolant tubes as he dodged a blast that could have taken his head off. '_I have to get in closer before I can actually do the job!_' he thought. '_And I know just how to do it!_'

_**How can I bring you doubt**_  
_**when you bring me the sky?**_

He flashed in closer, his fist clenched as tight as he could get it. He drew back his fist, his eyes flashing with that fighting fire even brighter.

Shift sneered as he suddenly teleported away, startling the other fighter badly.

"What!"

Kicker screamed as Shift suddenly struck him in the back, sending him plummeting into the snow below. He landed in a shower of white powder and he sat up, his fist no longer glowing. "Oww!"

He glanced up at Shift and he felt his Soul-Drive seize up again. Shift was going to kill him!

"Look out!" A flash of silver and then Shift was clutching at his left leg, sparks flying from the intense wound.

Kicker blinked in confusion as he looked around for the one who had wounded the evil Gundam.

His gaze landed on a human form clad in a green tunic, gray-green shorts and a sword held in one hand. Boots and gauntlets completed the outfit.

He knew who it was instantly.

"Link!" he cried.

_**This time it feels like I've been**_  
_**touched by a supernova**_

Link nodded. "Are you okay, Kicker?" he asked.

Kicker nodded. "Yes. Thanks to you."

"You…you fool! What was _that_? A slash like that only makes me stronger in Full Mode!" Shift roared. His entire body was now coated in the red energy of his power and he was clenching his fists for another attack. He shoved them both forward as dark energy pulses were unleashed. "DEMONIC PULSE!"

Link dodged the pulses of dark energy easily by placing a hand on the snowy ground and pushing off as he flipped.

Kicker took the opportunity to engage his engines and dart above the blast as it sped underneath him.

A large explosion was thrown up as he glanced down. A sweat-drop ran down the side of his helmet as he eyed the crater that remained as the smoke cleared. "Geez! That was close," he gulped.

_**Inside - the hand that touches hearts**_  
_**is touching mine**_

Link spun as Shift charged at him again, this time his sword flashing a color that wasn't recognizable to Kicker. It resembled a golden color, but with hints of green and purple amongst it. His eyes widened as he watched Link raise his sword over his head. "Let's see how you like this!" Link roared.

Above him three different triangles appeared, each glowing the same three colors of Link's sword. "HAAAAAH!"

Shift sneered as he thrust his right fist forward, a beam of demonic magic firing from his outstretched arm right towards the warrior. "DEMONIC LASER!" he cried.

Kicker closed his eyes in anticipation of the worst, but instead, he heard a loud explosion as the blast struck something head on. Shift's voice echoed as he let loose a cry of rage and astonishment. He pried open an eye and was shocked to see a shield of some kind in front of Link, the triangles over his head radiating with even more power.

"TRIFORCE SLASH!" Link screamed.

_**As I find my tears are all**_  
_**consumed by the supernova**_

Link suddenly vanished in a flash of green energy, becoming a blaze of speed as he suddenly appeared near Shift, slashing with his blade.

Almost instantaneously, the three triangles split into two sets of three, each one covering Shift's body and holding the demonic Gundam in place as he slashed again and again at his armor, each gash becoming clear and the darkness bleeding out from the wounds. Shift's roar of pain was intense, and it forced Kicker to cover his audio receptors.

"What power!" Kicker murmured to himself over the painful screams.

He felt a bit of hope fill his body as he watched Link drive the blade home, right into Shift's Gunsoul, but it wasn't the end yet.

And he knew it.

The explosion was the next thing to occur. A massive explosion of sound, light, and energy combined into one as the power of the Triforce Slash expanded outward.

Kicker cried out as he was pushed back by the shockwave, melting the snow around the explosion site into nothing but water, revealing the grass beneath and scorching that into nothing but dried earth.

He went rolling head over heels before slamming into a tree that had been knocked down by Shift's prior strikes. He sat up, rubbing his helmet before he stared in shock: Link's sword had managed to penetrate right through Shift's Gunsoul to the opposite side, a good amount of mech fluid running down his back and chest.

His eyes, however, were still on, and they were glowing with rage. "That is it!" Shift cried.

_**This time the hope that**_  
_**lights the world**_  
_**is in my eyes**_

"LOOK OUT!" Kicker screamed. Link, having heard Kicker's scream, dodged the attempted grab Shift pulled and he released his grip on the blade's hilt.

Link spun around, lashing out with his foot in a kick that struck the demonic Gundam on the chest and forced him back, the sword sliding out halfway before he snatched the hilt and with one swift movement pulled it out, the blade now covered in dark mech fluid, its sheen dulled by the black liquid.

"How about this!" Link cried. He slashed with the sword, but Shift laughed and teleported away in a blot of dark mist.

Link spun and looked around, but he was struck in the back by a blast of dark energy that exploded, scorching his flesh. He screamed in pain, but he didn't go down that easily.

Seeing his chance, Kicker scrambled to his feet just as the collective cry of his friends reached his audio receptors for the second time that day. "WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!" they cried.

_**There's a light in my eyes**_  
_**Go Supernova!**_

His Soul-Drive increased its rotations as the energy began to build, releasing that familiar feeling of power. His right fist began to glow and he clenched it as he engaged his thrusters to maximum power. "Here goes," he murmured.

Shift sneered as he spun and his own right fist began to glow again with dark energy. He charged right at Kicker in hopes of killing the other fighter, but a soft rumble caught his attention. He stopped and turned, his dark green eyes filled with confusion.

Kicker stopped in midair as well, a sudden feeling of dread filling his body. "NO!" he screamed. He knew who was coming. He engaged his thrusters, his Soul-Drive's power fading from his body. He needed to tell those fools to back down and fast!

The air rushed around his body as he neared the incoming force. But it was too late. An entire squad of Zako soldiers, each armed with a heavy duty machine gun, led by Zapper Zaku was coming in for the kill.

"STOP!" Kicker cried. "Don't come closer!"

Zapper's optic flared as he locked gazes with the incoming flier. "Stay out of this!" he snarled.

_**There's a light in my eyes**_  
_**Go Supernova!**_

Kicker darted in, his eyes filled with desperation. "STAY BACK!" he screamed.

"Stay out of this!" Zapper repeated. His hand went for his machine guns and he closed his fingers around the butt. "If you don't want to get killed, stay out of this now!"

Kicker hesitated, giving Zapper the chance he needed. "Zakos! Open fire!"

"ZAKOOOO!" the Zakos cried. No sooner had he spoken than a huge barrage of shells screamed through the air towards the dark Gundam. Shift laughed as he suddenly drew back his glowing fist and punched. "HELL'S BLAST!"

The dark red energy streaked towards the Zakos, shattering their bullets with ease before slamming into the entire squad and exploding, killing four Zakos and seriously wounding seven more. Only one Zako escaped unscathed.

Zapper gaped in horror as his team fell, four Zakos dead, seven wounded, only one unharmed.

_**There's a light in my eyes**_  
_**Go Supernova!**_

"KICKER! GO FOR IT!" his friends screamed.

For the third time in a row, Kicker felt his Soul-Drive flare into activation, its power flooding his body and making his chest feel warm inside. He watched as the power flowed into his hand and the blue-golden light appeared again.

The cheers of his friends and teammates flooded his audio receptors and he felt the power increasing as they kept up the encouragement. Now he knew what Captain felt when his own Soul-Drive activated. He drew back his fist as Shift's own fist began to glow with dark red energy again.

"THIS IS FOR DEED!" Kicker roared.

"HAH! Not a chance, mortal!" Shift screamed back. "You shall die here and now by my hands!"

"NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!" Kicker yelled.

"Try me!" Shift cried.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Kicker's eyes flared with that fighting fire as tears of rage and grief streamed down his face in shining streaks.

"HAAAAAAAH!" Shift drew back his fist as his rage and anger was channeled into the blow. "HELL'S BLAST MAXIMUM POWER!"

"SUPERNOVA PUNCH!" Kicker yelled.

_**There's a light in my eyes**_  
_**Go Supernova!**_

The two combatants collided at high speed, their fists glowing different colors: one had a blue-gold light and the other had dark red light. The two attacks were of incredible power, and of equal strength. At first it seemed like both would cancel out, but then Kicker felt a sudden burst of power when a fresh round of cheering erupted from his friends.

He drew back his fist, which was now rotating at a good speed, and tears continued to come down his face. "SHIFT! YOUR TERROR ENDS NOW!" he roared. He lashed out with his fist, the glowing light now shining as bright as a blue supernova star. The punch shattered Shift's own attack and broke his right fist into nothing but shards of metal and wires, causing Shift to cry out in immense agony as Kicker's punch struck him on the lower torso, breaking three support struts as well as causing internal bleeding.

The explosion that occurred was incredibly breathtaking in both its beauty and destructive power, almost like a work of art. The light was a gorgeous red and gold, tinted with orange. But the shockwave was a complete contrast. It blew the snow clean off several buildings within a fifteen mile radius and caused a few trees to be incinerated, along with some of the grass within the area.

Kicker hovered there, his entire body streaked with coolant as he stared at the smoke. He couldn't see Shift, but he guessed that the dark Gundam was dead.

"Nice try, human!"

_**The light of the supernova glowing in my eyes**_  
_**Go Supernova!**_

Kicker's eyes widened as the demonic Gundam stepped out of the smoke, his right fist gone and intense injuries covering his body. "You will have to do better than that to kill me!" he hissed.

"How about this!" Zapper suddenly roared from behind him.

Shift turned as Zapper clicked the safety off his machine guns. "This is for those Zakos you killed!" he snapped.

"Oh, please. They were nothing," Shift sneered.

"They were! I care for them!" Zapper yelled.

"That can only lead to your doom," Shift purred. "And I am a bit famished after that battle. So…" He looked at the dead and wounded Zakos with a glint that Kicker recognized.

"NO!" he screamed.

But what happened next surprised him.

Zapper's optic suddenly flared a bright red that was commonly associated with either the former American flag or with the Autobot symbol. Now, Kicker didn't realize it, but the mechanical equivalent of a SEED had just exploded in his mind, boosting his power greatly. "DIE!" Zapper roared.

This time, he wasn't fooling around. Kicker gasped as he suddenly went positively _berserk!_ The red mecha pulled the triggers on his machine guns just as the Gatling gun on his back and the optical shield on his forehead both snapped down. The hail of bullets was intense, as were the screams of Shift as he was subjected to a barrage that reminded Kicker of small armies fighting one another.

The assault kept up for a while, but then it died down as grief overcame Zapper Zaku and he fell to his hands and knees, still holding his machine guns in his grasp. The red mech's shoulders shook as he closed his optic.

Kicker couldn't blame him.

He approached the upset mech and placed a hand on his shoulder guard. "Hey, you okay?" he asked softly.

Zapper pulled his shoulder away and just sat back on the charred earth, his body shivering in the immense aftermath of the fight.

Kicker turned his gaze away from Zapper and approached the spot where Shift's body lay.

He couldn't believe how badly damaged Shift was now. In fact, if it were not for the dark gray armor, he wouldn't have been able to recognize the dark Gundam at all. Now he was nothing more than a battered shell that was damaged beyond repair.

Shift the Demon Gundam was dead at last.


	94. Planning for Attack

Chapter 7

Shift's broken and battered corpse lay in the midst of the battlefield, and Kicker stepped closer, wary in case the dark Gundam woke up. But the body lay still and dead. The dark Mana that had paralyzed his friends had faded with his passing, enabling them to finally move again. Sayla stretched her aching muscles as she turned to look at Kicker. "Nice one," she grunted.

"Thanks," Kicker murmured.

He kept his gaze on the dead Gundam's body, his eyes roving over every injury and wound that they had inflicted. Scars and scrapes from Link's sword were visible, and his right hand was gone entirely. His raven-wing crest was gone, and his back was riddled with shrapnel. His left shoulder and arm were broken and had been rendered useless during the battle. His mouthpiece was missing entirely and there were numerous other injuries that had been inflicted that couldn't be listed.

Kicker knelt down and prodded the chest, but nothing happened.

Shift was dead for real.

He sighed in relief.

Sayla stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder guard. "You did good, Kicker."

He nodded. "Yeah."

Sayla took her hand off Kicker's shoulder and stepped up to the body. "Well, at least he's dead," she said, kicking it in the side with the toe of her boot. "Now he won't be a major threat any more."

"True," Zane murmured as he approached. "He was a very powerful enemy. But what confuses me is how come he even kept going despite all those wounds we inflicted on him."

"I think it was because of the power he touched when he was a mage," Zero said softly. "He learned the darkest of the magical arts, and he became tainted by it. He became a demon mage because of those arts."

"What kind of magical arts?" Kicker asked.

"The Devil's Magic, a branch of Mana so evil it is said to have been forged by an insane mage back in the founding of the kingdom," Zero said. He gazed down at his hands, studying them as if they belonged to someone else. "All who use Mana are told to never touch those arts, but Shift did."

"Well, at least he's dead," Meisha remarked as she ran a hand through her hair.

Kira flexed his wings, getting the electric current flowing through them again. "Yeah. Good riddance, too. He was a real danger."

"C'mon. Let's get this thing back to Medical University," Baston said, jerking his head at the body. "Xenphyr should be able to study it and—"

Zero grabbed the other Gundam by his chest armor and pulled him close. "No! That stays where it is!" he hissed.

Baston blinked in confusion. "Why?" he asked.

Zero released him and looked down. "It is custom to leave a Knight Gundam on the field of battle. It is tradition to let their bodies return to the earth where they fell, so as to not disrupt the balance of Mana at the site of conflict."

"Well, we aren't in Lacroa, for your information!" Baston snapped. "We are on Earth and we do things differently!"

Zero's eyes narrowed as he glared at the Earth-Knight Gundam.

"Enough!" Sayla snapped. "As much as I dislike doing this, I think we should do as Zero says regarding this matter."

Everyone looked at her in confusion. Sayla sighed before continuing. "It just seems fitting this way."

Reluctantly, Baston nodded and they entire group turned and left, followed by Zapper, carrying the dead bodies of his dear Zako soldiers.

* * *

_The next day…_

Kicker stirred in his bed, the light streaming in through his window as it struck his eyelids. He groaned and opened his eyes before rubbing them, feeling the familiar sensation of skin against skin. Barely a day had passed since they had killed Shift, reminding them of how far they had come since the day the Dark Axis had first attacked Earth.

With all five generals out of the picture, all that remained was to clean up the aftermath and bring the rest of the forces to justice.

He sat up and stretched his body, getting the aches and cramps from the previous day out of his muscles. "Man! What a fight yesterday!" he murmured.

He threw the covers off his body and hopped out of bed, landing on his feet and rubbing his hair. Kicker looked around his room, taking in the familiar sights. Everything was as it should be. He stepped over to the window and threw back the curtains to expose the new day.

The sun seemed to be a bit brighter this time, and he wondered if it had anything to do with the fighting that took place. He laughed. Such silly things needed to be forgotten. What mattered was the fact that the war was over.

He didn't even know how wrong he was.

* * *

_At Earth Command…_

"WHAT! Are you serious?" President Warren cried.

The aide nodded, her eyes darting around the room nervously. "Yes. It appears that the war isn't over. We received this message from someone within the Dark Axis main fortress. But we aren't sure as to who sent it."

"Then get on finding out who sent it, and fast!" the President snapped.

The aide nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

As soon as the aide had left, President Warren sighed and put her head in her hands. A message from the Dark Axis fortress had sounded warning buzzers in her mind and she feared that the war was about to get even worse.

"As if things weren't bad enough," she murmured to herself.

She ran a hand away from her features and gazed out the windows at the sun shining down on the massive city-like complex she called home. The windows shimmered in the bright light and she watched as a small group of workers began to clean one of the rows of windows on the hotel not too far away from the main building.

President Warren closed her eyes and sighed.

Thoughts of the last two pieces of the puzzle drifted into her mind and she focused on them. It seemed hard to comprehend that some dimension called Satyron had been aiding them, if that was even possible, and then the fight with HEAVEN's GOD, Vulcan, had sparked a concern that if this got worse, then they would be up against not just the Dark Axis, but the GODs as well. Thousands of scenarios lay at her fingertips, but only a few were clear to her.

She opened her eyes just as the aide came back in, concern on her face again. "Um…President Warren?"

"Yes, what is it?" President Warren asked.

"We…well, we uh…ran a scan and did some computer simulations, and we even ran the source through Vector Sigma, and…" The aide looked down nervously at the floor of the office. "The message was sent by the head of the Dark Axis."

The revelation struck home like an electric shock had just been administered to her. She stood up knocking over a few stacks of screens and reports in the process. "What? Are you sure?"

The aide nodded. "Yes, ma'am. The Dark Axis supreme commander himself sent it. And we uncovered a surprising fact."

"What?" President Warren was determined.

"His name…is Cypher. David Cypher."

* * *

_A few hours later…_

"Cypher?" Ciel cried. "Are you sure?"

President Warren nodded grimly. "Yes. I checked the message's source myself. There is no doubt that Cypher is trying to contact us. But, fortunately, he hasn't been able to fully breach our communications lines."

"But why even try to contact us in the first place? It's not like we pose a real threat to him!" Seto protested.

"Actually, it is because of the fact that we took down his top generals that we are in his sights," President Warren told him.

"But we didn't defeat them! The TCDA elite team did!" Vice-President White said.

"And that is why they are contacting us," President Warren explained. The blast shields came down over the windows again and the lighting dimmed down so that way all they could see were the glow of the Transformers' optics and Zero's Z-Saber.

The center of the meeting table glowed white and a beam of light shot up before spreading out in a fan-like shape.

"Now, if you'll all direct your attention to the center of the table, this is what we were able to gather pertaining to the Dark Axis fortress." The President glanced around at her fellow leaders and teammates. "The most recent footage was just sent about twenty minutes ago while we were having the meeting. And what you're about to see is beyond even my imagination."

A purple shape appeared, but it was hazy, and yet it still retained enough clarity to see that it was sort of curved at the three spike tips, one to the left, one to the right, and one at the bottom of the shape.

Seto narrowed his eyes and his tail began to twitch. "It doesn't look like much to me," he said.

"Well, the next image was taken from a high resolution probe that wasn't found. This one may give you an idea as to what the main fortress looks like, and how much firepower it possesses," President Warren said.

She pressed a button on the table's surface and the image shifted, becoming clearer and taking on black tints, as well as a single deep red circle in the center. Hangars became visible and guns began to take shape, as well as antiaircraft guns and missile launchers. Jamming equipment was shown in high clarity to complete the general exterior description.

Ciel placed a hand to her mouth in shock and amazement at the fully updated image. "That's…their command center?" she whispered.

President Warren nodded grimly. "Yes. This is their main command center and their main fortress. Here they carried out horrific experiments that covered the whole range from minor torture to experiments that we know too well, having stopped them from being carried out."

The other leaders didn't have to be fully reminded of the Soul-Drive experiments and the concentration camps and the horrors they had seen during the invasion operation. The room fell silent as they looked down, each with an expression of grief and rage in their eyes and optics.

"Now, here's what we were able to determine by just the spy photos, which isn't much," President Warren said, looking at them.

"What were we able to find out?" Seto asked.

"Well, it's not much, but here's what we know. We know that they carried out experiments rivaling those of the concentration camps, but on less of a scale," President Warren explained. A segment of the fortress was highlighted and the segment expanded to fill the holographic screen. "This segment is where the lab is located. But thanks to the TCDA elite team's efforts in defeating Gerbera, the experiments have been stopped."

The segment then split into two and one half moved away to reveal the holding blocks. "Here's the holding area for the lab. This is where the organics and other prisoners are held," President Warren said. She pointed at the image with her finger. "The holding cells lead to a few labs, most notably the one that was run by Gerbera, or Madnug."

"What about this one? The entirely dark one?" Seto asked, pointing at it.

"That lab was run by Shift, but it was mostly his…playground…for him and his victims," President Warren said softly. Her fellow leaders and friends took note of the way her skin turned slightly green and they got the basic idea.

"Forget I even asked," Seto murmured.

"So, what about the hangars and the defenses? How about them?" General Pepper asked.

"Pepper's right. We need to focus on the defenses and how to possibly take that thing down!" Sandra said, pounding an open hand on the table.

"We'll get into that. Right now, this is what we need to focus on," President Warren said. "We also discovered that the holding blocks extend down to the prisoner's section, which is just as bad as the labs' holding cells." Here the image moved down a level to show the rows of cells and the large cafeteria for the guards and soldiers watching over the organics. "The prisoners are given very little food, if any, and medical care is nonexistent."

"Your point?" Cassie asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"The point is this: not only do we have to bring that fortress down, we also have to rescue those prisoners!" the President snapped.

"Oh…" Cassie's voice trailed off.

"Now, as for Pepper's statement, he brings up a valid point. In order to bring down that fortress, we need to know its defenses and weaknesses," President Warren said.

"Finally!" Pepper cried, throwing his arms up into the air.

"Here's what we know so far. The defenses are top notch, and consist of the following weapons," President Warren explained. "Antiaircraft guns, missile launchers, rail guns, antitank guns, sabot launchers, Gatling guns, laser rifles, and laser cannons." The layout of the prison cells and labs had faded to show a blank space above the table. As she named each weapon, the image appeared above the table and the statistics about that weapon scrawled across the space above.

Sandra frowned. "Isn't that a bit overkill?" she asked.

"True it may be overused, but they don't take any chances," the President said.

"It seems like something out of a cheesy cartoon," Seto remarked.

"Don't let that fool you," President Warren replied grimly. Her eyes darkened as she looked at them. "The hangars are the very reason they have those guns: it's for last resort defense if their air forces are shot down."

"That many guns for self defense?" Scourge asked. "It's just as Seto said."

"True, but it's for last resort. That's why they have hangars and why the fortress is so large with thick layers of armor: self-defense," the President told him.

Scourge's optics widened as a sweat-drop ran down the side of his head. "Oh."

"Now, any other questions regarding the weaponry?" President Warren inquired.

None of the other leaders made a move. President Warren nodded. "Good. Then let's continue."

The weaponry faded to show the image of the fortress once again, but this time with the hangars highlighted. "The hangars, according to the spy photos, are the only vulnerable point of entry. The rest of the entry points are sealed off by thick armor or have a gun in front of it."

"So, in order to take it down from inside, we have to head in through the hangars," Mimi said. "I can see the plan, but there is one major flaw."

"What flaw is that?" President Warren asked.

"The Dark Axis may catch on, and we need to be able to take it down without getting caught. They may have security forces and cameras roaming the hallways, so you can see where it's flawed," Mimi explained.

"She's right," Famous pointed out. "They are taking no chances this time. Last time we pulled that invasion, we got lucky."

"Good point," President Warren murmured.

"Wait. How could it have been luck?" O'hari asked. "We timed it just right!"

"Not when you think about the fact that we had only three days to prepare for it!" Famous snapped. "They had their guard down when we attacked!"

"Enough!" Seto yelled.

The leaders glanced at him. "We have enough to focus on, such as how we're going to take down that fortress."

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Ciel asked.

"We attack from where they least expect it," Seto replied, grinning.

"But where is that?" Cassie inquired.

Seto stepped forward. "President Warren, could you display the image of the entire fortress again, but this time from the bottom?"

President Warren nodded. "Sure. But why?"

"I'm getting to that," Seto said.

The image faded to show the fortress again, but then the image rotated, showing the bottom spike. Seto pointed with his finger. "Look here. You see this entry hatch?"

The other leaders nodded.

"Well, that entry hatch is the only one without any heavy armor or defenses surrounding it." Seto motioned with his finger around the hatch. "If we could send in a team through this hatch, we could sneak our way up to the main command center and take it down from within. This hatch, I'm guessing, is a maintenance hatch. No one would bother to check the ducts for any intruders," he said.

"Oh! I see the plan!" Mimi said suddenly.

Seto smiled. "Exactly. Now, any questions?"

The leaders shook their heads.

"Good." Seto walked back to his seat and sat down.

President Warren resumed command of the meeting. "Okay. Now that we have a pretty good idea as to how we're going to get inside, any other questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. "Good. Meeting adjourned."


	95. Destiny Gundam Falls

Chapter 8

President Warren studied the message again as she sat at her desk, her eyes narrowed. The message was hard to decipher because it was in an unknown alien language, but she got the basic idea of it after it had been run through three different translation programs and Vector Sigma.

She could tell that it was an ultimatum to surrender and back down or else die fighting. She knew that the surrender option was out of the question due to their experiences in seeing what the Dark Axis did to organics and those they found inferior. It reminded her so much of World War II, but taken to a whole new level.

This made her shudder in anger and frustration. Following the ultimatum meant that no one would be left to defend the universe against this danger. She placed her head in her hands and rubbed her temples before looking up. The sun was shining brightly, the entire city shimmering in its light and beauty.

It was a fleeting reminder of what they were fighting for and why. But it was just that: a fleeting glimpse.

But it was just enough to keep them going. For a while, anyway.

Thoughts of the future they were fighting for surfaced in her mind and she sighed. They had come so far in the fight, but there was still much to do. Darkness still held the reins, but they were going to take back what was meant for everyone.

Their dreams were lurking beyond that dark veil, and they would succeed.

The Dark Axis wouldn't stop them.

Not ever.

* * *

**Date: 20 November 2009**

**Time: 0800, 8:00 am Local Time**

**Place: TCDA campus**

The sun shone through the clouds, illuminating the desolation left over from the battle against Shift. The body still lay where it had fallen. Already rust was beginning to claim it and several vines were beginning to wind around it, taking hold and enabling new life to come forth from the death that Shift had brought to many lives beforehand.

A single form walked down the trenches carved in the earth by the attacks from the battle and stopped close by the dead demonic Gundam.

He knelt down beside the body and smiled. "Nice job," the form murmured. "You have saved countless lives, and many more from his evil reign."

The form glanced back at the complex. "But it does not stop there. The prophecy must be fulfilled, and you alone can make that happen. There must be blood shed, lives lost, and love shattered for this war to come to a close."

A lone bird flew overhead and the form watched it with soft, ever changing eyes. "Your future is just, your vision is right, and your dreams are fair. You seek what is right, not what is wrong. That alone has determined your future. You have assured your own victory without realizing it, Intergalactic Federation."

The form looked back at the still body and smiled. "As for this one, he still has a crucial role to play much later in the future…"

The demonic Gundam's corpse began to fade and within seconds, it was nothing but a small orb of light that drifted into the form's outstretched hand. His fingers closed around it and slipped it beneath his cloak. "You have done well, and you will continue to do so. So do not let your guard down. For if you do, then all is lost for everyone you care for," the form whispered.

The form waved his hand and a single portal opened in front of him. Unlike other portals, this one was ever changing in color and it shimmered with a beauty that could only be described as angelic. He glanced back at the complex before turning and walking into the portal, his gray-blue cloak flapping about his body as he vanished into the gate.

Within a second, it closed up, leaving no trace of the mysterious stranger, or Shift's dead body.

Both were gone.

* * *

_Back in HEAVEN…_

The portal opened up and the stranger from Earth stepped out before it closed and shattered into pieces. He threw back the hood to reveal the tanned features and ever changing eyes of the Leader. He sighed and withdrew the small orb he had stowed within his cloak.

One of his best technicians, a man named Zeus, stepped forward. "Sir! What is that you've got!" he blurted.

The Leader fixed his gaze on the burly technician/General of Defense. "This…is the one thing I needed to retrieve," he said calmly, holding the orb up.

Zeus Zarco was not only the best technician, but he was also the leader of the Generals of Defense. He was powerfully built and he wielded lightning with a mastery that none of the other GODs could match. He had dark brown hair and bright yellow eyes that shimmered with a glint like electricity dancing from a sparking wire. Despite his powerful build and intimidating stature, he was one of the friendliest GODs around. His signature move, Lightning Assault, was more than enough to kill anyone who tried to threaten the balance of existence.

He pointed at the orb in his superior's hand. "That…that's…Do you even know who that was!" he cried.

The Leader nodded. "Yes. I do. But he wasn't originally evil. So, I think he needs to be given a second chance."

"How so, sir?" Zeus asked, his eyes narrowing.

"He will be reborn, and given a brand new chance at life in another time," the Leader explained. "His reign of terror is over, and he shall never touch that branch of magic ever again."

"What time will he be reborn into?" Zeus asked.

"The far future, in the Intergalactic Federation's time." The Leader glanced down at the orb, a smile gracing his lips. "Besides, I have a feeling he will prove to be a useful ally much later. And you know that as well as I do, Zeus."

Zeus gulped. He had personally witnessed Shift's reign of terror by watching it from Hades' office, and he wanted the Gundam gone forever. But if the Leader saw him as a potential ally farther in the future, then who was he to argue with his superior?

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have someone I have to see. This is in your care, for now," the Leader said, handing the orb to Zeus. Zeus took it, stunned.

He hoped that the decision wouldn't come back to haunt them all.

He hoped.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

President Warren was busy studying the data they had gathered on the Dark Axis when the door buzzer chimed. She didn't even bother looking up as she spoke. "Come in. The door's open," she said.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything," a male voice said.

"No. Why would you?" the President asked, looking up.

Her eyes widened as she stared into a pair of ever changing eyes, their colors never staying the same. But what got her wasn't just the eyes, nor was it the shock of pure white hair, the tanned craggy features, and the strong muscular build that was clothed in a simple white T-shirt, blue jeans, and combat boots. It was the ageless wisdom she could see in those eyes. It was as if this man before her had seen countless times go past, empires rise and fall…

Her eyes widened even more as she took a step back. "Who…who _are_ you?" she whispered, pointing a finger at him.

The man smiled. "I can understand your shock and amazement, President Warren," he said calmly.

"How…How'd you know my name?" she squeaked.

"I've been watching you for quite some time now," the man said as he causally leaned up against the wall, folding his arms. "So I know quite a bit about the situation and I must say, I'm impressed by your achievements in overcoming the Dark Axis so far."

"But…who _are_ _you_?" the President asked again.

"For now, just call me Greg," the man said, laughing. "And for the record, I'm here to congratulate you on your efforts."

"Uh…thanks?" President Warren remarked. Confusion filled her eyes as she studied this unknown man before her. She had the feeling as if she had seen him somewhere before, but the source eluded her. "Who do you work for?" she asked.

"That is top secret information, but I can say that I work for an organization that has been secretly assisting you from the very beginning of this whole war," Greg remarked.

"Wait…" President Warren's voice trailed off as memories of the mysterious figure appearing in her office flooded her mind. "That was _you_?" she blurted.

Greg shook his head. "No. I wasn't the one who delivered the information. That was my top espionage agent. He's been giving you the heads up about what has been happening. And me…Well, I'm his superior. In fact, I lead the very organization that has been aiding you," he said.

"But why even aid us to begin with?" she asked.

Greg smiled. "Simple. You have great potential. You have the potential to change the future for the better."

"We already get that part," President Warren grumbled. Greg just laughed.

"No. I mean it," he said, chuckling. "Besides, I also wanted to tell you something else."

"What?" President Warren inquired. She cocked her head.

Greg suddenly became serious as he looked into her eyes with his ever changing ones. "The Dark Axis isn't through yet. The final battle is coming closer each day, and you have to be prepared."

"We already are preparing for it," the President stated.

Greg shook his head. "It's not enough with just seven organizations in your alliance. You need to unite others against the Dark Axis. The supreme commander has just installed a massive Soul-Drive within the confines of the main fortress, and if he captures any one of you within that thing, his power will grow to whole new levels. You need to gather as many allies as you can before the final battle commences."

"But…why? Won't that just make him stronger?" President Warren asked.

Greg shook his head a second time. "No. It will make him weaker. Unity is what makes all evil cower and retreat in fear. It is the power that the darkness can't stand. Only unity can overcome this time."

"Unity? Unity of what?" President Warren asked.

Greg placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes again. "Listen. You need to win this war or else it's all over for all of us, including me and my people. I know you can win, but you just need to believe in your unity."

He removed his hands from her shoulders and stepped back. "Oh, by the way, don't bother letting me out. I'll take the express," he said, grinning humorously. He pressed the open button and he slipped out into the hallway of her office, leaving her stunned.

What had just happened?

She had no time to ponder the question because at that point, she looked out the window of the office just in time to see a massive explosion flare skyward. "Not again!" she murmured.

She ran over to the security monitors and her eyes widened as she stared at the fight raging at the spaceport. The Dark Axis had sent their last main officer to try and keep them from gaining the upper hand.

She watched as the fighting raged between the TCDA elite team, the Gundam Force, and this last officer. She hoped that it worked out in the end.

* * *

**Sayla grunted as** she flipped head over heels and landed right in the middle of Runway _12_. The runway had a nasty gash carved across it, the yellow number missing in some spots from smaller craters she had made when she had tossed a fragmentation grenade at a couple of Zakos.

The red-eyed Gundam before them sneered as he spread his arms. "Is that the best you could throw at me!" he cried.

"Not even close!" Jaden snapped. He aimed one of his wrist gauntlets and fired off a pair of mini missiles that homed in on the Gundam's signature.

He sneered and spread his wings, darting to the side as the small projectiles exploded against a Zako that fell to the ground in pieces.

Destiny Gundam laughed as he flashed upward, barely avoiding a shot from Kicker's Energizer Blast. "HAHAHAHAHA! Useless!" he crowed.

"Not entirely!" T.J. quipped from behind. "SHOCKER CANNON!"

T.J.'s signature weapon fired at maximum power, but Destiny held up a hand and a beam shield materialized to take the brunt of the blast. T.J. gasped in shock and amazement. "WHAT!"

Destiny smirked beneath his mouthpiece and laughed. "Face it! You all can't win!"

"How about against me!" Kira snapped from behind him.

Destiny spun to face the other Gundam. His wings were flared to their maximum width and he held in his hands his twin beam rifles. Destiny grinned. "Yamato. What a surprise!" he purred.

"Kira, stay back! This guy's way too strong for us!" Sayla snapped.

Kira glanced at her with his golden eyes. "Let me handle this, Sayla. I need to do this alone."

"But…" Sayla tried to protest, but he smiled. "Trust me."

Sayla fell silent as Destiny looked at Kira in confusion. "What? You wish to fight me alone? Not with your little comrades?" he asked.

Kira nodded. "Yes!" he hissed.

"A fine gesture, but useless in the long run!" Destiny sneered.

"Not for long," Kira murmured, hefting his guns. "Now, let's do it!"

Destiny sneered. "Yes! Let's!"

Sayla and the others all resumed fighting the Zakos that swarmed over the runway while Kira and Destiny glared at each other above the ensuing firefight. Both Gundams stared at one another before Destiny charged, his massive beam saber flashing through the air.

Kira darted upward, his jetpack purring loudly as he dodged the blade. He spun and lashed out with a side kick, catching Destiny in the chest and forcing him back. Destiny grunted, but he didn't hesitate to unleash a blast of energy from his outstretched palm. Kira ducked and placed his guns on his hips while drawing back his fist and punching with every ounce of his power. The punch nailed Destiny on the side of his jaw and sent him tumbling head over heels before he righted himself, rubbing the sore spot.

"Nice try, Yamato!" he hissed.

Kira just growled as he dodged Destiny's attempt to grab him by the throat and he kicked the other Gundam in the back, sending him crashing right into the fray below. Kira smiled, but his victory was short lived when Destiny came rocketing up from the crater he had made, his fist clenched, glowing with energy. Kira reacted swiftly, bringing up his beam shield to take the brunt of the impact. It worked.

He was only forced back slightly as Destiny suddenly slugged him on the shoulder joint, releasing pain from the impact point. Kira cried out as he flitted back, holding a hand to the spot. "Oww!" he hissed.

"What's the matter? Does it hurt?" Destiny sniggered.

Kira growled as he drew back his fist and charged right at the other mecha. Destiny faked a yawn and dodged to the side, but Kira was faster as he attempted to snatch the other by his foot. Kira's hand was on one of his guns in an instant and he had pulled the trigger by the time Destiny's hand had closed around his foot. The beams impacted against Destiny's arm and he pulled away, hissing in agony.

"Nice try," Kira said, grinning.

Destiny snarled and he charged at Kira, his eyes suddenly flaring as he entered SEED mode. Kira's own eyes narrowed as he too activated his SEED.

Now it was a full on aerial dogfight as the two flying Gundams clashed in midair, releasing shockwaves that rocked the combat site below them. Every now and then one of them would crash, making a crater in the middle of the runway or in the field beside the runways, but both would then just get back up and keep charging at each other.

It was a real battle now. Explosions rocked the area in midair, so it was hard to tell who was winning.

By the time the battle had reached its climax, the entire force of Zakos had been defeated, leaving nothing but sparking parts and dead bodies. Sayla and her friends had taken cover behind some of the debris as they tried to watch the fight, but both combatants were moving too fast to accurately keep an eye on them.

In fact, it was only when Kira crashed beside them that they could get an idea of how serious the fighting was.

The Mobile Coordinator staggered to his feet, using his rifles as supports for his weight. "Kira! You okay?" Sayla cried.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Kira grunted.

"Are you sure? Those injuries look pretty severe!" Kicker protested.

"I told you, I'm fine!" Kira snapped. He glared at Kicker before shifting his gaze back towards Destiny. The other Gundam emerged from the smoke, his armor battered and beaten, but still able to move.

"Well, Yamato. It seems you have no other moves left," Destiny sneered.

"I don't need moves," Kira murmured. "What I really want…is my friend back."

Destiny stopped. "What?"

"You heard me," Kira said softly. "My friend."

Destiny shook his head. "You can't be my friend!" he hissed.

"I know what you feel regarding this issue, but listen, Shinn. I…I admire your abilities, and your determination," Kira said.

Destiny opened his mouth to protest, but Kira stopped him. "No, Shinn. Your real name is Shinn Asuka, not Destiny Gundam. I kind of see you as my friend, but not exactly. More like a friendly rival. And…I want that back." Tears pricked at Kira's eyes as he closed them and hung his head.

"I…I don't want to be enemies anymore, Shinn."

"But…" Destiny was now obviously very confused.

"Listen, Shinn. What the Dark Axis did to you, you can undo. You have the power to choose your own destiny. You don't have to do what they say. It is all up to you," Kira murmured.

Destiny lowered his gaze.

For a long moment, it seemed as if Kira's words had gotten through, but then…

"NICE TRY, YAMATO!" he roared. "I will never return to you, or your pathetic world!"

"WHAT?" Kira's eyes widened. "This isn't what I expected!"

Destiny sneered. "Of course not! Face it! Shinn Asuka is dead! I am now Destiny Gundam!"

Kira flared his wings and darted up just as Destiny charged him. He swung his gun and slammed the butt of it with Destiny's helmet.

"If this is what you want, then I will not hold back any longer!" Kira screamed.

"Fine! Then eat hot death!" Destiny roared.

Kira's DRAGOON bits deployed swiftly and within seconds, they were powered up. "DRAGOON ASSAULT!"

"DESTINY BLASTER!" Destiny cried.

The two blasts collided in a massive explosion of sound and energy as Kira held his guns steady. His eyes narrowed as he amped up the power. The powerful beams penetrated through the other attack with a bit of trouble and within mere seconds had collided with Destiny's body. It took less than five minutes, but Destiny's body exploded in a fireball, blinding everyone there temporarily.

Kira slowly hovered down, his power now extremely low. He landed gently and folded his wings before collapsing to his hands and knees. He was panting heavily as his body began to undergo an amazing change. The armor around his chest, head, arms, legs, hands, and feet began to vanish into smaller segments, becoming smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a series of lines that covered his body before those too faded, but into small devices on his lower arms. He blinked in confusion as he looked up with his naturally purple eyes.

"Kira?"

His friends had gathered around him and he was helped to his feet by them. He smiled.

"Well, I guess I have a bit of explaining to do," he said sheepishly.

"You sure do, soldier. You sure do," Sayla said, grinning.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

"So that's it…You were given the ability to become a Mobile Coordinator by the Covert Operations Unit. And to do so, you use those devices on your forearms to generate the armor needed," Sayla mused.

"Yeah. But if it runs out of power, it returns to its original form," Kira explained as he rubbed the devices.

"I noticed," Sayla remarked.

"Hey, Kira?" Syrus asked.

Kira turned to look at his friend. "Yeah, Sy?"

"Does anyone else you know have those devices?" the boy asked.

Kira laughed. "Sure. All of us that are a part of the COU have them. It's standard equipment, although there are some of us that are actually Gundams rather than humans with this kind of device," he said, holding up his forearms.

The devices themselves looked like a set of watches, but they didn't have faces or even numbers or hands. Instead, one of the devices had a screen on it and a slot for a card that was attached to the other device. It had a small image of a Gundam head on it and the sigil of the Intergalactic Federation was in back of the head.

"That's so cool!" Shute exclaimed. "It's just like my kakugane!"

"Almost, but not quite, Shute," Kira said. "Instead, this uses nanotechnology to alter my body to that of a Gundam, and at the same time, it allows me to retain some human traits, like the need to eat, sleep, and even go to the restroom."

"So cool!" Guneagle murmured.

"But this is very top secret information, so you can't tell anyone else," Kira said.

"We won't! I promise!" Bakunetsumaru chimed.

"I agree. Our lips are sealed!" Meisha chirped.

Everyone else nodded.

"Thanks, guys!" Kira said, smiling. "You're the best."

Everyone burst out laughing at his comment. Although he had meant it sincerely, they couldn't help it. It just seemed to fit the occasion, and it was a good thing too.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

Nothing at all.

* * *

_Back at Earth Command…_

President Warren gasped as a screen suddenly appeared in front of her. "What's the meaning of this, Dajar'o?" she snapped at her rival.

The alien leader huffed and crossed his arms, but said nothing about her remark. "_I came to ask you to see how you are holding up against them,_" he said, a slight sneer on his lips.

"Well, we're holding out just fine!" President Warren hissed. Her eyes narrowed at him and he grinned.

"_That is good to hear, then. I guess you don't need the aid of my new air force after all,_" he purred.

"New air force…As in UFOs?" President Warren snarled.

Dajar'o looked as if she had hurt him physically. "_Oh, no, no, no. Not like that at all. I can show you, if you wish,_" he said.

"Please do," President Warren said, rolling her eyes.

The other leader nodded and his image faded from the screen to show rows and rows of biplanes. She blinked in confusion before a laugh escaped her lips. "Biplanes? Is that all you could muster?" she laughed.

"_Do not make fun of my forces!_" Dajar'o hissed.

"And why not? Biplanes wouldn't even stand up to the Dark Axis' antiaircraft guns!" President Warren remarked, a smile on her face.

Dajar'o growled, but said nothing as he closed down the screen.

She sighed. Dajar'o was obviously trying to find a means of attacking the Dark Axis without using UFOs that could be blasted to pieces with a projectile weapon. But if she was any judge of experience, he would need a lot more to match up to the Federation's standards in combat.

Much more.


	96. Revelations

Chapter 9

The days for peace had come. The entire complex was lit up at night as the people celebrated their final time of peace. Even though it seemed like it was over, they were wrong. The people, the leaders and the Congress knew that the war was only at an impasse. Both sides needed time to build up their military forces for the final assault that was coming.

But that didn't mean they couldn't have some fun and relaxation.

The aircraft carrier was moored close to the docks at the TCDA campus, and over at Earth Command's docks a few cruise ships and a bunch of other transport ships as well as a Kaxian battleship were tied up.

Sayla stood next to the ramp of her carrier, looking up at the battered bridge and the scarred decking and gun mounts. The ship had been through hell and back repeatedly…with a few extra scars to prove it. She was actually surprised that the ship lacked any major structural damage that could have led to it sinking right then and there at the dock.

Her eyes roamed over the faint remains of burns on the superstructure and conning tower, taking in the gashes on the sides that had been repaired a few weeks before. The deck plating was still battered and beaten, but at least it was now smooth enough for the planes to take off and land on. The only gun that was still having problems was the starboard gun. That gun was still jamming and/or suffering malfunctions. It was a reminder of how close they had come to losing Captain.

She was immensely proud of the carrier and how much she had endured.

A soft purr caught her attention and she turned to lock gazes with Zero. "Zero! What're you doing here?" she blurted.

"I just came to see how you are doing, Sayla," he said.

"Well, I'm doing fine," Sayla said, puzzled.

"Yes, well, I also came to ask you if you would like to…go out for dinner with me," Zero said, fidgeting. Sayla's eyes narrowed and she stepped closer.

"As friends!" Zero added hastily, waving his hands.

"As friends only?" Sayla asked.

He nodded.

Her gaze softened and she smiled. "Sure. Got any special place in mind?"

Zero nodded. "Yes. I do."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the carrier. "Wha…?"

Zero slipped his arms around her own and lifted her off the ground as he floated higher into the sky. She looked up at him in confusion. "What's going on?" she asked.

Zero looked down at her with a smile in his teal blue eyes. "Look."

Sayla looked down. Her breath was taken away at the mere sight of the complex below her. She had never taken the time to fully appreciate the beauty of the lights from a bird's eye view, and she watched it for a while as Zero took them on a short trip to the docks.

The trip from the school had taken less than thirty minutes so when they touched down, it was almost six in the evening.

Sayla let Zero guide her towards a Kaxian ship that was moored out at sea. But what shocked her was the fact that it was a Kaxian warship, armed to the teeth with advanced weaponry and bristling with certain weapons she knew in and out. The ramp was extended and they began to ascend to the deck of the ship.

A soldier on duty spotted the two of them. "Ah. You here for something?" he asked.

Zero nodded. "Yes. If you don't mind, I would like to have dinner here on the ship with my friend," he said, motioning to Sayla.

The soldier cocked his head. "Uh, sure. Look. Let me talk to the skipper about that. I'll let you know what he says." With that, the soldier left.

Sayla looked at Zero in confusion. "What are you doing, Zero?" she asked.

"Trust me," Zero said. "You'll see."

Sayla pursed her lips, but kept quiet about her suspicions. She looked around at the ship and her eyes took in the design and the layout. She figured it to be a Mercury-class destroyer, with an average length of 500 feet with a beam of fifty-four feet. She took a wild guess that the engines were twin 55,000 horsepower diesel power plants, propelling the ship at forty knots through the water if pushed hard enough.

She wondered why he had brought her out here to have dinner. Did he have something to tell her? If so, why didn't he just say it flat out?

There was no time to ask him the questions because the soldier came back at that moment with the captain of the ship.

He eyed the two and looked at Zero. "I heard from my SIC that you want to have dinner here on my ship," he said.

Zero nodded. "Yes, sir."

He smiled. "I can probably see why," he said, a knowing gleam in his eyes. Sayla cocked her head in confusion. What were they getting at?

The captain then sighed and became serious again. "Well, if you wish, you can have dinner out here on deck. Just be sure to not get in the way of the soldiers and crew," he said.

Zero nodded. "I understand."

He took Sayla by the arm and led her to the bow of the ship. She wondered what was going on with him.

It took her a full minute to fully understand why he had brought her out here. She stepped close up to the railing and she gasped. Before her was the entire complex, lit up at night. She could see the magnificent Federation logo on the top floors of the main building and above that were the antennae for communications, etc. Her eyes widened as she stared at the aircraft carrier moored at the TCDA campus not too far from the very edges of the complex. The lights were on, and in the industrial segment of the city-like command center, the lights were brighter than ever, especially at the shipyard near the docks. She could partly see the hull of a new warship under construction.

But what really stunned her was the gorgeous sunset beyond the complex. The sky was a beautiful red color, tinged with dark blue, yellow, and orange. The lights were somewhat enhanced by this sight and she felt breathless. It was simply beautiful.

She was so entranced by this sight that she had no idea that Zero was speaking to her. It was only five minutes later when Zero placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sayla…" He motioned to a table that had been set up for two.

She blushed. "Sorry," she murmured.

Zero said nothing as he led her to the table.

At least now she knew why he had brought her here…or did she?

* * *

_Across the dimensional barrier…_

"Chief Haro! We've got it! We got a lock!" Bell Wood cried. Chief Haro was jolted awake from his nap and he fell right out of his chair, landing facefirst on the platform for the DTD. He sat up and grabbed his hat which had landed on the platform beside him and placed it on his head. He stood up and brushed off his uniform, looking at Bell Wood directly with his hidden eyes.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I said I got a lock on them!" Bell Wood said excitedly.

"What?" Chief Haro's "ears" flipped, sending his hat fluttering before it landed lopsided on one of his eyes.

"It's true! We finally managed to get the Dimensional Transport Device to bore a hole through that spacebridge network of theirs!" the inventor said, grinning.

"How did you do it?" Juli asked, stepping forward.

"Well, it took much calibration and a ton of guesswork, but we did it. We first had to find the right frequency that matched the transport device's, and it turns out that their entire network spans the whole spectrum of waves used for dimensional travel, or what I've taken to calling the Alpha Spectrum. So we had to tune the DTD to match the entire spectrum. After that, it was a simple matter of guessing what frequencies led where. We got lucky on the fourth guess," Bell Wood explained.

"So, that means we can send someone in to retrieve the Gundams, Rele, and Shute!" Kao Lyn cried happily.

"Yes, we can," Chief Haro acknowledged. "But first, we need to get a better idea of the tactical picture now that the five generals have been eliminated."

"I think we already have such an idea," Bell Wood said. "During the guessing and recalibration, we accidentally broke into the Dark Axis command frequencies and I overheard a really nasty message meant for the Federation."

The brown-skinned young man held out a screen and Chief Haro took it. He read the screen and his "ears" flipped once more, this time forcing his hat off his head. "WHAT! This is impossible!" he said.

"Well, that's what's going down," Bell Wood said, shrugging.

"This is just a load of lies!" Chief Haro snapped, slamming the screen down on the railing. "What about the Federation? What is their status?"

"So far the message hasn't gotten through," Bell Wood said, turning back to the screen and typing on the keyboard. "Their spacebridge network has also somewhat jammed the Dark Axis' dimensional communications bands. So we'll call that lucky. But what really worries me is the fact that the Dark Axis could find a way to breach that jamming and send it to their leader."

"Hmm. We need to get this to them and fast," Chief Haro said.

"And we will. Just give it to me and I'll send it via the DTD. With luck, it should arrive on their leader's desk. If not, then we'll just have to hope for the best," Bell Wood said.

"Okay. Get ready on my signal," Chief Haro said.

Bell Wood ran over to the launching platform and laid the screen down before running back to his computer and furiously typing in the commands. "And…..GO!" he cried, slamming his hand down on the button.

The screen glowed before an orb of light enveloped it and vanished.

* * *

_At Earth Command…_

President Warren's eyes widened as the air above her desk began to shimmer. She stepped back, amazement and confusion etched on her face. "What's going on?" she murmured.

A single orb of light appeared above the desk and seemed to become unstable before it stabilized and something fell out. The orb drew in on itself and closed up, leaving the mystery object behind. She stepped forward and slowly picked up the object, now revealed to be a screen, but pulsing with an eerie energy.

She turned it over and gasped at the message scrawled across it.

Everything she had worked so hard for suddenly seemed to shatter in front of her eyes, and she felt something slipping away from her. It felt as if she had lost all hope, and tears began to prick at her eyes. Everything she had come to believe in now seemed to be nothing but lies. All her friendships were now transparent and she felt her dreams slipping from her hands.

That simple message had broken her dreams and shattered her unbreakable will.

She turned and ran for it, leaving the message lying on her office floor.

Seto entered a few minutes later, his eyes looking for her. "President Warren? You here?" he called.

No answer.

Seto frowned. Normally she was waiting here for him. But where was she?

The answer began to come together slowly as he spotted something lying on the office floor. Confused, he knelt down and picked it up.

His eyes widened and he gasped. Shock suddenly flooded his mind as he read it.

_To President Warren:_

_This is all I have to say. You are a terrible leader. You lack ambition, drive, and the ruthlessness needed to accomplish greater things than mere democracy and freedom. Face it. Such ideals are for the weak. Only the strong can have greater dreams. Empire, money, glory, and sex are the trademarks of the ultimate powers out there._

_Yes, even your allies. They may preach about their ideals, and put on a convincing show, but deep down it is their greed and selfishness that drives them to do what they want with their public and outposts._

_Weak powers such as yourselves need to be killed and left to rot in the Pits of Hell. No hope can come from democracy, let alone freedom. It requires a strong iron fist and fear to rule such large masses of peoples! A dictator needs to reign in fear, not compassion! Compassion and freedom are for the useless beings that inhabit your home dimension!_

_If you really wish to defeat me and my forces in combat, you must become ruthless and shed aside all your silly ideas of democracy and freedom. You must not allow them to hinder you. You must rule with fear! That is the only way to become strong!_

_Cypher_

"No…" Seto whispered.

Now he knew what had happened and why.

He had to find her and set things straight.

* * *

_Across the dimensional barrier…_

Chief Haro frowned. "That was not what we had been expecting," he said.

"Tell me about it. She doesn't even know that we sent it, despite us communicating with her beforehand!" Bell Wood snapped, throwing his arms up.

"We must try and set this right," Chief Haro remarked.

"And how are we supposed to do that? I can only send objects through the transport at this moment! If I sent a living being, who knows what might happen!" Bell Wood said as he spun to face his commanding officer.

"We'll keep sending stuff through. Hopefully the others may be able to get the message," Kao Lyn said.

"Okay," Chief Haro said.

The commander of the SDG turned to face the screen showing the command center of the Intergalactic Federation. '_If only we could somehow get the real reason to her…_' he thought to himself.

But Fate wasn't willing to give up its secrets so easily. In fact, none of them even knew that the message sent through would have a profound effect on the way the Federation leader took command of the situation that was slowly building up.

No one knew the tragedy that would soon encompass them all, leading them to unite the universe in a fight for the very existence of everyone there…and beyond.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

Seto ran down the hallways of the main building, his eyes darting from side to side as he struggled to find his leader and friend. "C'mon, President Warren! Where are you?" he muttered to himself. He skidded around a corner, forcing one of the aides to drop her stack of screens. "Sorry!" he called over his shoulder.

He shook his head as he neared one of her trusted advisors. "Hey…Hey! JOE!" Seto yelled out the man's name and he turned.

"Huh? Seto!" Joe's eyes widened in mild surprise at seeing the CEO of KaibaCorp in the Congress Level of Earth Command Central. "What's going on?"

"I don't really have time to explain. Have you seen President Warren anywhere?" Seto asked anxiously.

"Well, come to think of it, I saw her running to the main elevator. She probably took it up to the roof. She always goes there to think," Joe said thoughtfully.

"…Shit!" Seto turned and bolted, leaving Joe behind, extremely confused.

'_Heather, you'd better not be doing what I think you're doing!_' he thought worriedly. He skidded to a stop in front of the elevator and pounded the button furiously with his fist. The button flashed blue and the doors slid open. There was no time to waste and he knew it. He ran inside and before the doors had fully closed, he had removed the emergency turbo cover on the switch. He grabbed it and pulled it down using every ounce of his strength.

The cables jerked taught as the elevator halted before the emergency system was engaged, reeling in the cables at higher speeds. Seto felt his stomach drop as the speed neared forty floors per second. It took less than five milliseconds to reach the top of the building. Before he had even removed his hands from the switch, the doors had slid open and he was out in a flash, his legs pumping like pistons as his heart thundered in his chest.

Worry etched itself onto his face as he weaved around several antennae until he reached the center of the roof, just in time to see President Warren standing there, her eyes filled with tears as she cast her gaze skyward towards the stars. She stood on the edge of the railing, and Seto instantly knew what was about to happen. "NO!" he roared.

He lunged just as she was about to take a step and he grabbed her by the arm, his fingers catching her sleeve and pulling her back with great strength. The two leaders tumbled to the roof, Seto holding her close before sitting up, his eyes full of rage. "WHAT WAS _THAT_ FOR!" he screamed.

"Seto…Let me go," she said softly, her voice devoid of all emotion.

"No! Not until you tell me what this is all about!" Seto snapped. Tears pricked at his own eyes as he looked into her green eyes, once vibrant and full of hope, now devoid of anything but pain and sadness…and lies.

"You wouldn't understand…" she murmured, closing her eyes and looking away.

"If it has to do with that note that I found, then you might as well forget about it!" Seto hissed. He shook her by her shoulders. "That wasn't even the truth!"

"Seto, everything I believed in…it wasn't worth it," President Warren replied.

"No it is worth something!" Seto said. When she didn't look at him, he grabbed her roughly with one hand and drew back his fist. "Goddamn it, woman! Open your eyes!"

He socked her hard, right on the side of her face.

"Just…just look at me!" Seto said, his shoulders beginning to shake with sobs. "Please!"

She didn't.

"C'mon!" Seto yelled, sobbing. "Don't do this to me!" He shook her as he cried.

"…" She mumbled something, but it was barely audible.

"What did you say?" Seto asked.

"…I asked you why you waste such time on these dreams of ours…of yours," she said.

"Why…why do we waste time on them!" Seto grabbed her by the front of her jumpsuit and shook her. "Wh!y? Because it's the dream we all fight for!" he yelled.

"No. It's not," she said.

"Yes, it is!" Seto yelled. He grabbed her by her shoulders and held her down. "Look at me! Please!"

"Why should I?" the President asked.

"Because I'm asking you…no…I'm ordering you to!" he snapped. "This isn't like you!"

"So? Cypher is right. I'm nothing. I don't deserve to be a leader. Leaders are meant to be rulers, not…democratic," she whispered. "Leaders need to rule with an iron fist and fear, not democracy and compassion. Those things are for…" She never got to finish because at that moment Seto placed his hand on her mouth.

"No! That's not true! Whatever you are thinking, you've got to snap out of it!" Seto hissed. His eyes were laced with determination as he held her close.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice muffled by his slack hand.

"Something's happened to you! This is not like your original self!" Seto murmured. "You aren't normally like this!"

She was about to speak, but Seto tightened his grip on her mouth, careful to leave enough space for her to get some air, but close enough to prevent her from speaking. "Shut up and just listen!" he pleaded.

Her body, tense from his sudden tackle and rough handling, relaxed and went slack. He removed his hand slowly from her mouth. "Just listen," he murmured.

Seto slid off her and she sat up, holding her knees close to her chest. "Why did you even save me?" she asked.

"Because you're my friend," he said, sitting down next to her and placing an arm around her shoulders. "Look. What he said is wrong. And the note…well, I'll have someone examine it for unusual things later. But right now, what really matters is that you are told the truth."

"The truth?" she asked, finally locking gazes with him.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. The truth about what's been really happening out there ever since our beginnings as an organization."

"What could we possibly have to do with universal influence?" President Warren murmured darkly.

"Everything," Seto whispered. "Everything."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Look. What he said about leadership doesn't apply to you. In fact, it doesn't have anything to do with you!" Seto said, gently turning her face to face his once more. "It's all in how you see leadership and more. It's all in how you lead and what makes up a true leader. True leaders _do_ care for their peoples and their allies. True leaders give their all in protecting those they hold dear in combat, they give their aid when things look tough for others, and they offer compassion, sorrow, and condolences to those who need it. Sometimes leaders can go above and beyond to save others by putting the safety of those in danger first before their own. They want to see their team succeed, they want to see their forces win, and they think about what's best for the people in the long run."

"But…what does this have to do with me?" President Warren asked.

"Plenty," Seto replied. "In fact, it has everything to do with you. You don't realize it, but you are a true leader. You put everyone else in the organization first before your own safety, and you do the same for those outside the boundaries. In doing so, you show that a true leader of a small military power that believes in democracy doesn't have to follow the stereotypes. You show the universe that there is someone out there who fights for what is right."

"I don't understand," she said, looking at her knees.

Seto placed a hand underneath her chin and turned her head again. "Look. The universe's organizations are assumed to be of one stereotype, and they are expected to fulfill that very role. But we don't. We're a third-rate power, so we're supposed to shy away from combat, yet we don't. We get in there and fight. We're a democracy, so you know what that stereotype and assumption is. Also, you know the stereotypes of military powers. But what you don't realize is that out there…" Here he removed his hand from her face and pointed up at the stars. "…there are organizations that fight to do what's right…or at least they try to," he said, turning to face her.

"Huh?" President Warren inclined her head. Seto sighed and put his head into his hand before running it down his features.

"Look. All I'm trying to say is that a ton of organizations look up to you. And it's not because of size, power, or glory. They look up to you because of your caring and compassion," he said.

"What…?" Shock filled her face as Seto looked right at her. "Others look up to…to _me_?" she whispered.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. And it's not just that. They're _inspired_ by your actions in battle and out of battle both."

"Inspired?" President Warren asked.

Seto shook his head. "No. _Inspired_. It's different from inspired. Inspired means that they want to try to be like you, but that kind of inspiration usually backfires. _Inspired_ means learning the hard way about the way you do things, and then adapting them to their own peoples and governments. It means merging your style with their own to create a blend of government that is both democratic and autocratic at once," he explained.

She looked away, confused. "I don't understand anymore, Seto," she murmured.

"Maybe this will help," Seto remarked. He slipped a hand into a pocket on his suit and pulled out a small screen with the logo of the Intergalactic News Tribune. He pressed a spot on the screen and it suddenly expanded as it floated out of Seto's hand to hover in front of them both. "Look at this."

The news announcer's voice came over the screen as the logo faded to show a conflict raging around the ruins of a once great palace. The palace looked as if it had been built to medieval standards, but with a hint of modernization, such as gun emplacements and defense shield generators near the door, which held a drawbridge of solid steel rather than wood. Bright acid green lasers roared from the barrels of the guns and above the castle, a large explosion blew off a tower, leaving a gaping hole in one of the many turrets that dotted the once magnificent structure. A radar antenna, barely visible through the thick pall of smoke, was somehow still standing, in spite of all the damage the building was taking.

The news announcer herself was standing in the middle of the scene, her microphone destroyed, but her hand placed against her communications headset, speaking into the mike as she dodged some flying rubble. Her face was dirt streaked and a bit of blood dribbled down from a scratch on her temple, running down past her left eye and forcing her to keep that eye closed.

"_As you can see behind me, the battle is getting worse and worse with each passing moment,_" she said. "_The massive Palace of the Leonoids is still taking a pounding, but they are giving as good as they've got. Despite the damage, the structure remains standing, and their radar remains functional._"

She ran up to the camera, which suddenly shifted as she yanked her cameraman to the side as a landmine went off, sending both sprawling. The announcer turned back just as the cameraman's voice echoed over the screen. "_You okay, Ashley?_" he asked.

"_Yes, I'm fine. Just keep that camera rolling!_" Ashley Moore snapped.

The screen flickered as the two stood up and faced the battle once again. Ashley straightened herself out and spoke, her voice still loud and clear in the ears of the two leaders. "_The armed forces continue to suffer heavy losses as the forces of the Dark Axis continue to come pouring through the Zakorello Gate. I have here with me one of the generals of the Leonoids,_" she said, turning to face a heavily-scarred male humanoid lion, his mane thick with blood and oil left by enemies. His hazel eyes gazed fiercely into the camera. "_General Lox, do you have any idea as to what the outcome in this fight will be?_" Ashley asked.

"_Personally, Ashley of Earth, I can't be sure as to whether we will be victorious or not,_" General Lox said, his voice etched with pain from probably a broken tail. "_To tell you the truth, I'm actually not that confident about our chances of success in this conflict. The rate at which we are losing soldiers is ten to one. For every ten of our soldiers, the enemy you call the Dark Axis loses one soldier. The statistics do not lie. We are going to lose._"

"_But yet you keep fighting back. Why is that?_" Ashley asked. "_I've seen many races fighting in hopeless battles, but they've never suffered this many casualties. Normally they had more forces with which to fight, and yet you have very few forces in fighting shape. How can you still keep fighting?_"

General Lox looked at her with his eyes and spoke to her directly. "_The reason is simple. You are of the Intergalactic Federation, so you must know of what it means to keep fighting in the face of defeat, yes?_"

Ashley nodded, confused as to where he was going with this.

"_Well, I will tell you why we keep fighting._" Here General Lox closed his eyes before turning to face the camera, his head bowed, not with defeat, but with something else. He slowly lifted his face, keeping his eyes closed.

"_This is a fight that we all share. I see that now,_" he said. He opened his eyes at that moment. "_The reason why we keep fighting is because we do not want to lose what we have fought so hard to gain. We do not wish to lose our hopes, our dreams, and our homes. We do not wish to lose our lives, our souls, or our very existence to the Dark Axis. We fight to defeat this foe and destroy them before they can wage more terror on the innocent civilians of any reality, whether it exists or not. We fight because it is a duty now. It is not an option. We need to fight and win! We need to win this war! Defeat is not an option either. If we lose, then what good is everything we worked so hard for? We must win before it is too late._"

"_A good statement, but what is it that keeps you going? There is another reason, isn't there?_" Ashley asked.

General Lox nodded. "_Yes._" Before he could speak any further, he suddenly grabbed both the cameraman and Ashley and hauled them to the side just as a bomb slammed into their prior location, setting off an explosion that knocked all three into a trench carved by a massive laser beam a few hours before. He looked at them.

"_We fight because of you,_" he said.

General Lox scooted closer. "_We fight because you have inspired us to fight for the dreams we want. Our cause is not so different from yours. In fact, it is the same. We all want universal peace here, as do several of our allies. But currently, our current objective coincides with yours: defeat the Dark Axis! And although we do have a very small number of soldiers fit to fight, we still do not give up. Our reason for fighting is to try and help you win this war. Even if we do die in the attempt, we plan to take out as many forces as we can. This way, you will have a much greater shot at victory in this war._"

Ashley blinked in shock. "_You…_" Tears shimmered in her eyes as the light from a passing laser caught them. The tears streaked down her face, and she was struck speechless.

Seto had heard enough. He closed down the screen and caught it in his hand. "Now do you understand?" he asked.

President Warren turned to face him, her eyes filled with surprise, but mostly shock. "Why?"

"Huh?" Seto looked at her. "Why do they fight even against such hopeless odds?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He grinned. "Because of you."

"Me?" she squeaked.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. It's all because of you. You may have forgotten, but you inspire everyone you meet. You inspire them to do what they do best, despite what the UPA says. You are their hero, their example of a true leader. To tell you the truth, even some of us here in the Federation believe in you, myself included," he said, laughing slightly.

"So…I'm…a hero…and a leader?" she asked.

Seto grinned. "Now you're getting it."

"So…Cypher was wrong…"

Seto grew serious again and nodded at her. "Yes. He was totally wrong. Dictators only find their own downfalls in wars against a cause that is really worth fighting for. Heroes and leaders fight for the cause they believe in. That is what separates a true leader and hero from a dictator."

President Warren nodded. "Seto…"

The CEO looked at her as he helped her stand up. "Yeah?"

"Thanks," she said, smiling.

"You're welcome. What are friends for?" he asked, winking.

* * *

_Across the dimensional barrier…_

Chief Haro sighed. "Well, at least the CEO helped her calm down," he murmured.

"Good thing, too!" Bell Wood cried. "We've got serious trouble! The Dark Axis is preparing for war even as we speak!"

Chief Haro's "ears" flipped, sending his hat flying again. "WHAT?" He stood up in his seat so fast that the force knocked the chair back. "They're preparing for war?"

Bell Wood nodded. "Yes, sir."

"How long until the attack takes place?" Chief Haro asked.

"We're unsure, sir, but rough estimates indicate that the final battle will take place within a while. We're unsure as to which date, though." Bell Wood's fingers danced across the keyboard as fast as they could as he brought up the data as it scrolled across the screen.

"God help them now…" Kao Lyn whispered softly.


	97. Conscription Unveiled!

Chapter 10

The command center in the middle of the Dark Axis fortress was darkened and only the light from the very few screens failed to penetrate it fully. But the light was enough to provide an outside observer with the scene taking place. Zako soldiers wandered around, along with some human prisoners who had somehow managed to resist for so many years before being captured and integrated into the work force, but as slave labor. Chatter cut across the darkened chamber, consisting of mostly battle commands and war preparation orders. Dimly lit screens glowed, their meager light shining on the many faces of the Zakos that manned the consoles.

It looked like a normal scene regarding this, but if the observer was equipped with a night vision visor, then they might see the shackles tying the poor Zako soldiers to the consoles. The sight alone was enough to send rage pounding through Hades' body as he gripped the small set in his hands. He had to be careful to not damage the communications set or else he would have no way to contact his superiors.

He pulled back and pressed the speaker to his lips.

"Hello? I'd like to pick up an order," he murmured.

"_This is Heaven's Pizza. May I take your order?_" a voice asked over the set.

Hades pressed a small button on the side as he spoke. "Yes. But first…" His voice trailed off as the communications officer on the other end patched him through.

"_Yes, Hades?_" the voice of the Leader asked.

"Sir, I'm inside the main command center for the fortress. I think you might want to hear my report," he said, peering out from around the corner of the abandoned console.

"_Go ahead,_" the Leader said.

Hades' eyes narrowed as he studied the Zakos through the NVV. "So far it looks like things are getting worse. The Zakos that I'm observing are actually shackled to their consoles. A few hours ago, I made the discovery that they're still producing Soul-Drives, but now without the five generals to ensure that the process of core drive removal is a success, the commander is leaving the souls intact, but he is trapping them in Zako bodies and threatening them with death if they don't follow his commands," he reported.

"_At least the good news is that he's stopped using that horrific process,_" the Leader murmured.

"Yes, but it only gets worse. He's also got some human slaves with him. The Dark Axis is beginning to get desperate. They're starting conscription," Hades said, turning back to face the small communicator.

"_Drafting organics into their army?_" the Leader asked incredulously.

Hades nodded. "Yes, sir," he said.

"_Has there been any mention of the Intergalactic Federation?_" the Leader asked seriously.

Hades nodded again. "Yes, but very limited. They only mention the Federation when they talk about the final battle," he replied. "Other than that, nothing."

"_I see…_" the Leader whispered.

"Do you want me to return to base?" Hades asked.

"_Yes, Hades. You've done well. I'll see to it that you receive a bonus when you come back,_" his superior said.

Hades nodded. "Thanks, sir. Hades out." He cut the transmission and peered back around the console again.

"Conscripting organics into their army. It seems like they've become very desperate. But how can it be? The Intergalactic Federation is smaller, but they hold so much power. What is it that drives them?" Hades wondered.

He pulled back just as the commander of the Dark Axis glanced in his direction. Swiftly and silently, Hades reached into his pocket and drew out a small gate generator. He pressed a button on the side and the pointed tip emerged, glowing brightly. He quickly cut a gash in space time and slipped inside before it closed up, leaving no trace that he had been there. None at all.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

President Warren looked over at the doorway as the doorbuzzer chimed. "Come in," she said. The door slid open and the person outside stepped in.

She gasped at the big man before her. He looked like he was made entirely of shadows, but that was not the case. What really shocked her was the fact that he carried a data disk in one hand. "Who are _you_?" she asked.

"My name is of no importance," the man said in a deep calming baritone. "But if you insist, my name is Hades Hotai."

"What? You are named after the leader of the Pit?" she blurted.

The man shook his head. "No. I'm not named after anyone. That is my true name. But that is beside the point. The thing is, President Warren, I am the agent that has been aiding you when you needed it," he said.

"Wait…" Her conversation with Greg came back to her. "You're Greg's agent?" she asked.

Hades nodded. "Yes. That's me. I was ordered by my commander to come straight here and deliver this information to you," he said, holding up a small data chip in his massive hand. "This is what may change the way you see things in this fight."

Hades tossed the chip to her and she reacted swiftly. She caught it in her free hand and looked at it. She looked up at him in confusion. "Why come here?" she asked.

Hades turned and began to walk off. He stopped a few feet away, but he didn't turn to look at her. "The Dark Axis has begun measures that you have instigated once before, during the Second World War. But the way it's being carried out is what contradicts its purpose. Don't forget that," he said. Then he began to head for the door.

"Wait! Who do you work for?" President Warren cried, extending an arm, trying to stop him. She was very confused now. What was going on? Who was helping them? How were they getting here, and why were they? What was happening?

Hades stopped near the door, and he looked over his shoulder. "I am not permitted to say who I work for. All you should know is that we have been watching you and aiding you in this fight. You are not alone out there. There are others that want the Dark Axis gone, us included. But after this fight, we will not fight alongside you ever again. This is a one time deal. So try to make the most of this assistance," he said calmly.

"But why? Why not continue to help us?" President Warren asked.

"Because this is your fight. Not ours," Hades said. A smile crossed his face. "We know you'll do the entire universe proud in the future."

And with that, he left the office, leaving a stunned President Warren behind.

She staggered back to her desk just as disbelief swamped her body. This man…this agent of the organization Greg led…who was he? What was going on? Who did he work for? And why were…they…

Her thoughts suddenly trailed off as a sudden realization came back to her. The fight a while ago with Vulcan. Greg's ever changing eyes. Hades' appearance at her office. It all suddenly seemed to click into place. Her eyes widened in pure shock as she gazed at the data chip as if it were a gift of the gods, which it was, in a sense.

Now she knew who had been aiding them.

"Heaven…" she murmured.

She laid the chip down on her desk and slowly reached out for the communicator on her desk. She pressed the button. "Sean, I want you to call the other leaders down to my office for a meeting," she whispered softly.

"_Yes, ma'am,_" Sean replied.

The comm shut down and she placed her head in her hands. How would the others take this news?

* * *

_A few hours later…_

"So you mean to tell us that this whole time we've been receiving help from Heaven?" Seto asked, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"That's the theory," President Warren replied. "And that is my guess. In fact, if you all recall the battle we had with Vulcan a while ago, he said he was one of the gods. He had unusual powers, which can only lead to one conclusion: he was the real deal."

"But, if that were the case, then how come we were able to defeat him?" Mimi inquired.

"I think it has something to do with the fact that he had to come to the mortal realm," Steven said calmly. He locked his gazes on each of his fellow leaders and friends. "The mere fact that the gods are even helping us tells us that there is much more to the Dark Axis' plans than we even realized."

"Any idea as to how extensive their plans are?" President Warren asked, looking at Famous.

Famous shrugged. "Look. Intelligence is not my area of expertise, but I can take a wild guess. I think that the Dark Axis planned to overcome even Heaven itself if they wish to become gods."

At that moment, Ciel's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, gosh!" she murmured. "Then that means…"

Famous nodded. "Yes. It's not just a battle to stop the Dark Axis. It's become much more now. The war has escalated to this new level. We have to win…or else it's over for everyone."

He looked at them, his eyes grim behind his sunglasses. "Including Heaven."

Sudden shock and utter disbelief worked their way into the minds of those present. President Warren suddenly felt her legs grow weak and she slumped back in her seat, her head in her hands. "Okay. I could understand the fight to save the universe, but…I've never been asked to save all of existence before," she murmured.

"Hey. We're all as shocked as you are, President Warren," Steven said. "In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that some of us want out."

"Yeah. I mean, I've never been asked to take on this kind of responsibility before," Cassie said. "None of us have."

"But…I don't think we can save all of _existence_!" President Warren exclaimed. She lifted her head up and stood up in her seat. "It's just impossible. And I doubt we can even do it!"

"But that doesn't mean we can't try," Zero said, his gray eyes hard as he looked at her. "We have to try and stop them. After all, when we began this fight, we swore to stop the Dark Axis no matter what it took! Isn't that right?" he asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yes, that's true…but—"

Zero cut her off and looked her in the eyes. "We have to try," he said. "It's the only option we have left," he said.

"But what if we fail?" Sandra asked. "What then?"

"Then it's like Famous said. It's over," General Pepper said. "And that is why we must keep fighting. We can't surrender, nor can we back down now. We have to keep going, even when things look bleak."

O'hari nodded. "I agree with Pepper on this one. We have to win, or else."

"_I have to say that both of you are right_," Optimus put in. Due to the fact that he wasn't able to be present at the meeting, he was using a screen to communicate with the rest of the organization. The same applied for Scourge, Override, and Metroplex.

"We all have to say that you're right. But we just can't pull it off. We'd need the powers of gods to do such a task!" Mimi screamed. She screwed her eyes shut. "It's just not possible for mortals to do it!"

"True, but we have to try. Remember, we have the _Destiny Star Drive_, and Primus on our side," O'hari said softly.

"We've never even seen Primus!" Seto suddenly snapped.

"_But that doesn't mean that he doesn't exist!_" Scourge cut in.

"Okay. Say he does exist. How can we contact him?" Seto asked.

No one answered. In fact, no one had any answers any more. They knew the answer to one more question, but they had a few more unanswered. What was the purpose of the Soul-Drives and what role was Satyron going to play in the coming war?

But now there was one more question. How were they going to win this? If ever?

* * *

**Around the same** time in HEAVEN, Hades watched them from his office with a smirk on his face. His mission had been a success, and his commander was pleased. He placed his booted feet on the desk and sipped a drink from his glass. The ice cubes clinked against the glass and he sighed as he put the cup down on the desk.

The screen fizzled a bit as he adjusted the frequency to show the meeting between the leaders.

"_All right. So forget the scale of the war now. What about that chip he gave you?_" the male Kaxian asked.

"_Yeah,_" the Resconian replied. "_What about it?_"

President Warren sighed on the screen and she grabbed the chip. "_Okay. Let's see._"

He watched as she inserted it and the data he had placed on it came up. Their expressions went from shock to horror and then to shock again before changing into disbelief. The whole thing took less than one Earth hour, a fraction of a second in HEAVEN's time. He had slowed the screen to allow himself to view it unhindered.

Hades smirked as he overheard their next conversation.

"_CONSCRIPTION!_" the Blazian roared. "_They're engaging conscription measures?_"

"_It seems that way to me,_" the male Reploid remarked. His gray eyes narrowed and flashed with anger. "_We have to try and stop that!_"

"_But how?_" The Gilarian male was clearly pissed. "_We already pulled an invasion once! What makes you think we can pull off another one without being caught! Last time we deceived them, and this time they may be wiser and more likely to prevent us from carrying it out!_"

"_O'hari's right. Last time it was easy because we had three generals to contend with. Now, we just have Cypher,_" the Netopian man said.

"_So, in short, we can't,_" the Reploid hissed.

"_Exactly,_" the man said.

The Reploid just growled and backed off.

"_So we know that they're now introducing conscription. The only question now is how we can stop it,_" the Blazian murmured.

"That's not up for debate," Hades muttered to himself. He closed down the screen and he leaned back. His expression became thoughtful as he closed his eyes and ran a few plans through his mind. He knew that the Federation had a knack for pulling off the unexpected, and he had no doubt they could do it. Still, it never hurt to have a backup plan. '_Better safe than sorry, right?_' Hades thought to himself.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The sun had just risen past the horizon as Sayla stepped onto the decks of the carrier. She peered back at the other two ships in her small convoy. They were smaller than the carrier itself, but one of them was a piece of history reborn. The other two were modern day creations of man. Sayla stepped closer to the railing and leaned over, gazing at the _Titanic_'s form silhouetted against the sun. She smiled slightly at the sight.

The light glinted off the bridge windows in an unusual fashion at that moment, making it seem as if the ship herself was watching the commander. Sayla raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. Was it her imagination, or was there a screen on above the console?

A frown crossed her face as she took a step towards the carrier's ramp.

As if sensing her presence, the screen winked out of existence.

Confused, Sayla scratched her head. Was there something going on here she didn't even know of?

Her confusion grew even more when she noticed the President's trademark hovercar pull up close to the docks. As the Federation leader stepped out, she noticed Sayla standing on the carrier's deck and waved. Sayla saluted back as the commander-in-chief of the Federation Defense Forces walked up the ramp.

"President Warren! What are you doing here?" Sayla asked.

"I just thought I'd stop by to do a surprise inspection of your ships to see how well they're performing in combat," the leader replied.

Sayla cocked an eyebrow. "Why? They've been performing flawlessly. Despite the heavy damage the _Autobot Hero_ received, she's still in fighting shape. And the _Oceanic Protector_ has suffered pretty much zero damage thanks to her speed," she said.

"But it's not those two I'm worried about," President Warren said somberly as she looked towards the _Titanic_.

Realization dawned on Sayla as she followed the President's gaze. "Oh. The _Titanic_. Right."

"How has the _Titanic_ been faring in combat?" the President asked.

"She's been faring well, despite a slight amount of battle damage," the teenage commander replied. "Although we did have a bit of a situation during a naval battle."

"What kind?" President Warren asked.

Sayla glanced around before speaking softly. "Well, we're not sure how this happened, but the _Titanic_ kind of received an unintended upgrade."

The President's eyes widened. "An upgrade? What kind of upgrade?" she asked.

"One really powerful laser cannon," Sayla said.

President Warren cocked an eyebrow. "A laser cannon?" she repeated.

Sayla nodded. "Yes. And on top of that, after the battle, a few of my soldiers reported seeing a screen come on over the main console when no one was in the bridge," she said.

Now President Warren was intrigued. "I'm going to check this out for myself. Other than that, your ships are in working order?" she asked, looking back as she turned to leave the carrier for the _Titanic_.

Sayla nodded. "Yes, President Warren. All are functional and in fighting shape."

President Warren nodded her approval and headed down the ramp.

Sayla watched as she approached the _Titanic_ and ascended the ramp to begin her inspection. Hopefully she could solve the mystery of the screen above the console.

* * *

**President Warren emerged** from the _Titanic_'s hallway into the bridge. The consoles were dark; no one was present. All systems were offline and the ship was as silent as a tomb. The mere thought sent shivers down her back, but she brushed them aside. She walked up to the main console rather briskly and looked at it.

Nothing unusual was present.

She scowled to herself. If there _was_ anything unusual, then it would have shown itself by now.

Her answer came in the form of a screen appearing in front of her. Startled, she yelped and backed up just as a small cursor appeared on it.

"Huh?" Curiosity overcame her and she stepped forward, tentatively reaching out a finger to touch the screen.

What happened next surprised her. A set of words began to slowly appear as if something were typing rather hesitantly on a keyboard. Her eyes widened as she watched the words take the form of a very shaky sentence.

_W… Wh… Who are you?_

President Warren's eyes widened as she read the sentence. Was there something trying to communicate with her? She shook her head and faced the console, speaking slowly and clearly in case the entity talking to her could hear. "My name is President Heather Jen Warren of Planet Earth. Can you understand me?" she asked.

The screen remained the same for a moment before it went blank and a single word appeared. _Yes_.

The President blinked before she spoke again. "Who are you? And what are you?"

Again the screen went blank before a single sentence appeared. _My…My name is…_

She waited patiently before the last word appeared, one letter at a time. When the last letter had appeared, she gasped. Shock and realization flooded her body as the memories of the conversation with the NUMA team came rushing back to her.

The realization that the ship was communicating with her was incredible, but not as incredible as when she understood that now they had to protect a ship with an intelligence borne from the souls of the dead. And all because of that one word.

_Titanic_.


	98. New Enemies and Allies Revealed!

Chapter 11

Two eyes narrowed as the screen showed the Federation commander and her friends preparing for the coming conflict. A voice spoke softly as a man turned to face Cypher.

"How are things going?" Cypher asked.

"So far they are preparing for the coming battles. I can see through the eyes of your agents that they have built up their armed forces to their previous levels," the man said softly.

"I see," Cypher murmured. "And what of their allies?"

The man sneered as he brought up a second screen, his eyes glinting excitedly. "They too are preparing for battle," he purred. The new screen showed the efforts of the rest of the allies as they too prepared for battle.

"Excellent. And what of Hyrule?" Cypher asked.

"Hyrule is under my command," the man said. "I thank you for giving me a chance to help you in your conquest. And for the opportunities to explore and take over new realms."

"It is my pleasure, especially since we share the same mindset," Cypher remarked. "So, if we conquer this realm together, how much do you wish to share with me?"

The man's eyes glinted dangerously as he smirked. "Half. And nothing more, nothing less."

"It shall be done," Cypher smirked.

The two turned to face the screens as battle plans began to take shape in their minds. The hour of finality was approaching and the Age of Darkness was nigh. It was almost time for the final assault to begin.

But what neither of them could begin to understand was that elsewhere in another time and place, a new heroine was on her way to aid those of the past to save the future…

Before it was too late for everyone!

* * *

_The final battle is beginning to come closer with each passing day. New foes linger within the darkness and new allies begin to come from the shadows to aid them. The Federation is about to begin their next campaign against the Dark Axis, but when a foe from Hyrule reveals himself, a new heroine arrives to save the day! But who is she? And why does she resemble Link in a way? Where did she come from…and is she friend or foe? Can she be trusted? And what of Satyron? What is their role in this whole war?_

_Plus, can the rest of the universe make their choice?_

_New allies will be found, new foes will come forth and new faith in each other will be created as the Federation and their allies begin to create an actual alliance to combat the threat of the Dark Axis once and for all! Find out how they succeed on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods: Part IX: Doubtful Leadership!_

_**Next time on Twilight of the Gods!**_

President Warren grimaced as she stared at the man before her. His eyes glinted with pure evil as a smirk crossed his face.

"Well, President Warren? Are you willing to surrender now?" he asked.

"N-Never in a million years!" she hissed through the pain of her injuries.

"Oh, well too bad. I was hoping to see you die before my very eyes as you were dropped into the acid pits," the man purred.

"You're sick!" she spat.

"No. I'm not. I'm just like you, but different. I am your worst enemy!" the man sneered, spreading his arms to either side.

President Warren's eyes widened in shock as he lowered his arms.

Now they were sure to lose.

Or so she thought.

_Who is this new man? What does he want? And how can an organic be allied with the Dark Axis? How will the Federation win this fight? Can they even get an advantage at all…or will it be the end for them? And what of the new heroine? Will she come through for them? Find out as the Federation clashes against the enemy on the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	99. Information on the Federation Worlds

Here's information on each world in the Intergalactic Federation. Hope this helps explain things about the member worlds. Enjoy! ^^

**File No. 1**

Name of planet: Earth

Location: Sol Sector, Milky Way Galaxy Orion Arm

Rank: Leader of the Intergalactic Federation

Leader: President Heather Jen Warren

Motto: Humanity is strong, and we will survive this war!

Type of government: federation of all nations represented in the Earth Congress, led by USA commander-in-chief

Status: Unified

Industry: space travel, weapons production, communications equipment, computer development, defense projects, agriculture, etc

Outpost count: 2.3 million+ (each outpost has a colony average of 500,000 people)

Military specs:

Space forces: 230,000,000,000

Marines: 230,000,000,000

Army: 230,000,000,000

Air Force: 230,000,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 230,000,000,000

Total forces: 1,150,000,000,000

Capital: Earth Command Complex in the United States, New America

Flag: Black expanse of space with satellite image of Earth in background. Two gold rings circle in image in X-formation with red Autobot ensign on front of rings and image of Earth. Words _Intergalactic Federation_ written across image

Special Abilities: Adaptation and destruction on massive scale

History: Earth and Cybertron have been connected mutually for many millennia. No one is sure why or how this came to be, but whatever the reason for this happening it has been an asset in combat. Humans and Cybertronians can understand each other, for both races can adapt and survive. In fact, history on Earth has recorded some Cybertronian influence in many areas, especially the newly expanding process of creating new energies.

The binary worlds, as they are called, have formed a mutual alliance in which Earth provides Cybertron with energon from its vast resources and Cybertron provides Earth with new weapons, satellites, and communications equipment. Both have also pledged support for one another in combat.

Secret Weapons: Classified information

* * *

**File No. 2**

Name: Cybertron

Location: Cyberius Sector, Milky Way Galaxy Orion Arm

Rank: Second in Command of the Intergalactic Federation

Department: Communications

Leader: Optimus Prime

Motto: Cybertron and Earth are unified in this fight. We will fight until all are one!

Type of government: Title of Prime passed down through the Matrix of Leadership

Status: Civil war raging

Industry: space travel, weapons production, communications equipment, computer development, defense projects. Lacking in agriculture

Outpost count: 4 outposts-each outpost is a whole planet

Military specs:

Space forces: unknown

Marines: Unknown

Navy/Coast Guard: Unknown

Army: 10,000,000,000

Air Force: 5,000,000

Capital: Iacon City

Flag: Black expanse of space with spark of Primus in center of flag

Special Abilities: Adaptation, destruction on massive scale

History: No one really knows much about how Cybertron came into being. Some speculate that the Quintessions created Cybertron as an outpost; others say that a massive energy surge morphed a world and its outpost together to create Cybertron. But recent findings suggest that the creators of Cybertron may have come from outside the known universe.

Having a binary connection to Earth, the world's survival is very dependent on the smaller, energon rich organic world. In return for the energon, Earth is granted the right to also establish a base on the planet's surface and on its secondary moon. As a result, both worlds have a relationship that extends beyond normal means of alliance and business.

Secret Weapons: Primus, Omega Lock and Cyber Planet Keys

* * *

**File No. 3**

Name: Orca

Location: Sector unknown, Milky Way Galaxy

Department: Agricultural

Leader: Ciel Lang and Zero Hunter

Motto: Science can sometimes cause miracles, other times it can't

Type of government: Two leaders, one for the two races on Orca: humans and Reploids

Status: Unified

Industry: agriculture, robotics, lacking in space travel and weapons development

Outpost count: 50,000,000

Military specs:

Space forces: 100,000

Marines: 30,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 200,000

Army: 1,000,000

Air Force: N/A

Capital: Kahji, located in New Arcadia

Flag: A white rectangle with a circle in the center. In the center of the circle is the letter Z in bright red. The circle is a light blue color

Special Abilities: excel in robotics development, especially in artificial intelligence chips. Also excel in mind transfers, recently developed for soldiers wounded in the field

History: Orcans have a history starting out as tribal nomads that wandered their planet for generations, hunting game and growing crops. After three millennia, they settled down and began to form communities and established a large farming culture. They lost sight of their savage instincts and began to tame some of the more wild creatures as pets and as livestock for meat. They became a farming society, and as with every society, they began to flourish.

Scientists developed the first Reploid in 1800 a.d., Earth time. Then things grew better. Orcan technicians formed a guild that encouraged the development of such robots, and soon, in only fifty years, half the total population of Orca was Reploid. Both humans and Reploids lived in harmony for many years until war broke out.

It was only thanks to the efforts of both Dr. Ciel Lang and Zero Hunter that the world became unified once again. Now unified, both races of Orca work to provide food for the Federation troops and population using their vast number of outposts. In times of war, food production goes up, and as a result, it is one of the most heavily defended worlds, aside from Earth.

Secret Weapons: Classified information

* * *

**File No. 4**

Name: Gilar

Location: Sector Unknown, Arm Unknown, Milky Way Galaxy

Department: Border Defense

Leader: President Ju'chi O'hari

Motto: Combining strength of will with strength of might can be a benefit, even if you don't realize it at the time

Type of Government: Democracy

Status: Unified

Industry: sensors and hand-to-hand laser weapons. Other industries are adequate. Lack in long range weaponry

Outpost Count: 1,000 (each located in key locations around the galaxy)

Military Specs:

Space Forces: 200,000,000

Marines: 100,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 200,000

Army: 30,000,000

Air Force: 2,000,000

Capital: Sthu'lei, located in the center of the Satres region

Flag: A single star with a laser sword through it on a dark blue background and three Gilarian symbols: one for peace, one for freedom, and one for light

Special abilities: Hand-to-hand combat specialists. Excel in close quarters combat and excellent at short range strategies. Also have the uncanny skill to see in multiple spectrums (useful in missions that require very little equipment)

History: The Gilarians have always been a fighting race, preferring war to certain kinds of diplomacy. Despite their reputation as warriors who sought out to kill women and children and destroy crops, they are actually dedicated to freedom and will fight fiercely to defend their allies in the face of defeat. When they made contact with the Cyber-Earth-Orcan Federation, they agreed to join the alliance, making it the Quadrant Federation.

Excelling at hand-to-hand, they have proven to be wondrous allies in battle, and very willing to try new methods of fighting. The alliance has paid off, for even the Federation has benefited from this. The organization is now incorporating Gilarian styles of hand-to-hand fighting into their training requirements for the armed forces, as the Gilarians are combining Federation style methods of long-range fighting into their armed forces.

Secret Weapons: Gilarian Laser Grid Defense Disrupter.

* * *

**File No. 5**

Name: Rescon

Location: Sector Unknown, Arm Unknown, Milky Way Galaxy

Department: Interior Defense

Leader: Cassie Masaki

Motto: Skills in stealth and espionage are just as essential as skills in combat. That is what makes a balanced army possible.

Type of Government: Federal Democracy

Status: Unified Confederation of City-States

Industry: sensors for detecting radar signatures and stealth cameras. Other industries are adequate. Lack in communications

Outpost Count: Unknown at this time. Estimates average about 500 per sector.

Military Specs:

Space Forces: 2,000,000

Marines: 30,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 1,000,000

Air Force: 1,500,000

Army: 5,000,000

Capital: Rescue Civilization

Flag: a white background with a blue, purple, and green star on it. A black R is in the center of the star

Special abilities: vary from city-state to city-state. Most common is Mega Rescue Beam, along with ESP.

History: A warring race, they have been around for many thousands of years, always fighting for peace and justice across the stars. In fact, this policy has earned them the nickname the Rescuers because they rescue others from the depths of oppression and tyranny. Since their early beginnings, the Resconians have been a collection of city-states for many years. However, in contrast to the popular belief that city-states can't work well together, all city-states of Rescon unite when threatened collectively.

Because of the wide variety of special abilities that each Resconian commands, there is incredible versatility in battle, making them the most flexible out of the combat races of the Intergalactic Federation. Their specialties also help them develop sensors that can detect a wide range of energies, making these sensors very useful in all combat situations.

The Resconians were a member of the Intergalactic Organization prior to becoming a member of the Federation.

Secret Weapons: None

* * *

**File No. 6**

Name: Kax

Location: Sector and arm of Milky Way unknown

Department: Financial aid/education

Leaders: Seto and Mokuba Kaiba

Motto: Financial contribution is the real heart behind military mobilization. Sometimes it fails, and sometimes it succeeds.

Type of Government: Corporate style-pick one company to head the planet every century

Status: Unified

Industry: Military grade systems. All other industries are adequate. Media is minimal

Outpost count: 1000 total

Military specs:

Space Forces: 4,000,000,000,000,000

Marines: 5,000,000,000,000

Air Force: 60,000,000,000,000

Army: 30,000,000,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 10,000,000,000

Capital: New Domino City

Flag: Circuit board on black background with blue KC on center of circuit board

Special abilities: excel in financial matters and are skilled at working in groups

History: Long a world of mystery, Kax's history is now revealed to be similar to that of Earth. The Kaxian race evolved from monkeys, just like humans, but at the same time, they retained some characteristics, such as a tail. This serves a very vital function due to the fact that some of the terrain on Kax is very jungle-like and very important resources can be found there. Kax's corporate government came into existence 200 years ago during a war that nearly devastated the planet.

After the war, they made contact with other races, creating the Intergalactic Organization for two hundred years before making contact with the Quadrant Federation and forming the Intergalactic Federation

Since then, the Kaxian government has been headed by KaibaCorp, a leading company that manufactures both military gear and civilian equipment. Both Kaiba brothers, Seto and Mokuba, manage the company swiftly and efficiently to make sure that their planet doesn't go into debt. With their financial skill, the Kaxians have made sure that the Federation has always recovered from the debt caused by war.

Secret Weapons: _Blue Typhoon

* * *

_

**File No. 7**

Name: Netopia

Location: Sector and arm of Milky Way unknown

Department: Communications/Networking

Leader: Jake "Famous" Cook

Motto: Without a stable network, there is no hope of coordinating military operations efficiently. With a stable network, then there is hope yet

Type of Government: Representative democracy

Status: Unified

Industry: Communications equipment and network systems. All other industries are adequate. Lack in financial aid

Outpost count: 400,000

Military specs:

Space Forces: 20,000,000,000,000

Marines: 20,000,000,000,000

Air Force: 70,000,000,000

Army: 9,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 1,000,000,000

Capital: Dentech City

Flag: Circuitry with the word Netopia written across it in blue lettering

Special abilities: able to create dimensional areas, fusing Cyber and real worlds together; cross fusion with Network Navigators possible in these areas. Not to be confused with dimensional travel

History: The Netopians have been in the communications business since their early beginnings. When they first developed cities, they began to create networks of riders to deliver messages. As time went on, their cities advanced, and so did their communications systems. When technology became dominant, the Netopians created a network to link all their cities together, and it became known as the WorldNet. With this network, they attracted the attention of the Intergalactic Organization.

After making contact and becoming a member, they created a network that linked all the worlds together. Their membership lasted only two months before the Organization met the Federation. Now a member of the Intergalactic Federation, they use their skills in networking and communications to make sure that the Intergalactic Network remains stable and efficient.

Secret Weapons: Dimensional Generators

Note: Netopia CAN'T create dimensional gateways or enact dimensional travel. Their technology is not that advanced!

* * *

**File No. 8**

Name: Liberar

Location: Sector and arm of Milky Way unknown

Department: Species Relations Committee

Leader: Shie-rae Lo-sar

Motto: Honor is what is needed to create the ultimate military force. Without honor, then no military force is good enough to outmatch us

Type of Government: Clan leadership

Status: Unified

Industry: all industries are adequate. Building materials are plentiful. Lack in computer development

Outpost count: 100,000

Military specs:

Space Forces: 1,000,000,000,000

Marines: 2,000,000,000

Army: 2,000,000,000

Air Force: 2,000,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 2,000,000,000

Capital: Hy'bugi "Freedom" City

Flag: Brown background with a leaf covering three red scratches

Special abilities: Are very honorable in warfare, a trait most other races can't accept, except for the rest of the Federation

History: The Liberarians became sentient over many millennia and are still evolving. With animal-like bodies yet human instincts, they are considered to be true hybrids between primitive eras and modern day technology. They combine nature with technology to create new types of building materials and new weapons.

They first came together under a single clan when they were ruled by a corrupt ruler. The Intergalactic Federation saved them from a permanent legacy of this when they invaded and overthrew him. Shie-rae Lo-sar of the Lo-sar clan then became leader. After ten months in leadership, she came to their aid when they needed help fighting Titan AE. Now a member of the Federation, she and her people contribute immensely to the war effort, even if it means sending out some of their best soldiers into the field.

Secret Weapons: Ih'guki- "Unity Cannon"

* * *

**File No. 9**

Name: Pokeon

Location: Sector and arm of Milky Way unknown

Department: Species Relations

Leader: Steven Kicho

Motto: Equality and liberty are the keys to making a new future possible

Type of Government: Federation

Status: Unified

Industries: all are adequate. Medicine is at maximum output. Lack in transportation networking

Outpost count: 20,000

Military specs:

Space Forces: 3,000,000,000,000

Marines: 1,000,000,000

Army: 2,000,000,000,000

Air Force: 2,000,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 2,000,000,000

Capital: Indigo Plateau

Flag: Poke Ball in center of black background with a blue laser behind it

Special abilities: teamwork with Pokemon. Also skilled in diplomacy

History: After unifying during a nasty civil war and coming together, the Pokeonian Federation became the governing body for the whole planet. They made contact with the Intergalactic Organization and remained a member for four years before meeting the Federation and becoming involved in the wars they fought in.

With their vast knowledge of species' relations, they are the ultimate diplomats. Whenever someone needs to settle a dispute, they turn to the Pokeonians. They also house a massive database on new races and are considered the planet to turn to when the Federation needs new information on certain races.

Secret Weapons: Master Balls, Equality Laser Cannon

* * *

**File No. 10**

Name: Kaija

Location: Sector and arm of Milky Way unknown

Department: Federation Intelligence Agency, Intergalactic Intelligence Commission

Leader: Mimi Kia

Motto: Intelligence is the best way to gain the upper hand during a conflict. If you know yourself, then know your enemy better

Type of Government: Congress

Status: Unified

Industries: all industries are adequate. Excel in spy bug development. Lack in space travel

Outpost count: 200,000

Military specs:

Space Forces: 4,000,000,000,000

Army: 2,000,000,000

Air Force: 6,000,000,000

Marines: 5,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 7,000,000,000

Capital: New City

Flag: Twin lasers with a blue line going across. The word Kaija is written across this blue line

Special abilities: Intelligence gathering

History: The Kaijans have been in the spy business ever since they made contact with the Intergalactic Organization. Right after meeting the Quadrant Federation, the Kaijans became the head of the Federation Intelligence Agency and created the Intergalactic Intelligence Commission to regulate intelligence information to each world.

With their skills in intelligence gathering, it is said they can figure out an enemy's plan with just the barest of information. This reputation proved to be true when they discovered the Dark Axis' plans in the Dark Axis war.

Secret Weapons: Intel Network that spans the entire organization

* * *

**File No. 11**

Name: Velocitron

Location: Sector and arm of Milky Way unknown

Department: Transportation

Leader: Override

Motto: With a good transportation network, then the advantage is with whoever possesses such a network

Type of Government: Leader chosen in race every two years

Status: Unified

Industries: Transportation network. All other industries are adequate. Lacking in weapons development

Outpost count: none

Military specs:

Space Forces: 0

Marines: 2,000

Air Force: 0

Army: 2,000,000,000,000,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 2,000,000

Capital: None

Flag: world's name is scrawled across a red line on a blue background

Special abilities: speed and recon missions

History: Velocitron was a Cybertronian outpost that lost contact with its mother planet. They became independent and developed a racing culture. This culture lasted for millennia until the Decepticon war forced them to ally themselves with the Autobots and Earth. As a result, they formed the Cyber-Earth Federation.

Excelling in transportation network development, they are the best when it comes to maintaining roads and creating new ones. Velocitronians have also proven to be efficient information gatherers and relayers due to their incredible speed and acceleration. This skill has also contributed to the development of the Federation's signature style of warfare.

Secret Weapons: none

* * *

**File No. 12**

Name: Jungle Planet

Location: Sector and arm of Milky Way unknown

Department: Colonial Defense Team

Leader: Scourge

Motto: Might doesn't always make right. The Intergalactic Federation proves that

Type of government: democratic monarchy

Status: Unified

Industries: Excel in armor development. All other industries are adequate. Lack in transportation and sensor development

Outpost count: none

Military specs:

Space Forces: 200,000

Army: 3,000,000,000

Air Force: 3,000,000,000

Marines: 4,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 3,000,000

Capital: None

Flag: three dark scratches on a jungle green background

Special abilities: variety of skills that contribute to the Federation's cause

History: Jungle Planet was formerly an outpost of Cybertron, but due to the ship that carried the Cyber Key crashing, the planet was never considered a true outpost. The beast Transformers on Jungle Planet are very honorable and follow the Federation's laws of warfare to the letter. But if it comes down to it, then they have the capacity to be able to break those laws without going overboard.

The savagery with which they fight is directed at helping others, after having been involved in the Federation-Decepticon war on the Federation's side. The leader, Scourge, may be a powerful mech, but he is one that cares greatly for his people.

Secret Weapons: none

* * *

**File No. 13**

Name: Gigantian

Location: alternate universe accessed by a wormhole called the CyberPortal

Department: Engineering

Leader: Metroplex

Motto: Democracy needs a strong foundation. Certain wars can help cement the foundation together

Type of government: Democracy

Status: Unified

Industries: Excel in buildings and engineering. Lack in agriculture and other industries, except space travel

Outpost count: none

Military specs:

Space Forces: 4,000,000

Army: 5,000,000

Air Force: 4,000,000,000

Marines: 7,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 0

Capital: None

Flag: a white-blue background with two wires crisscrossing behind the planet's name

Special abilities: excellent engineering skills, Minicon partnerships

History: The third colony of Cybertron, this world wound up being reformatted when the ship carrying the Cyber Planet Key of Gigantian became lost in another universe. Here they lay hidden for thousands of years until the Decepticon war brought the Federation to their home dimension. The Federation, lacking dimensional travel technology, discovered a portal within their own boundaries that links their home dimension with Gigantian's universe.

This has proven to be a strategic advantage, leading them to considering Gigantian an outpost in another realm that they can retreat to when their universe falls. So far it hasn't come down to it, and they plan on keeping it that way.

With their skills in engineering, the alliance has proven useful on more than one occasion, especially in warfare.

Secret Weapons: None

* * *

**File No. 14**

Name: Blazia

Location: Sector and arm of Milky Way unknown

Department: Department of State

Leader: Sandra Johnson

Motto: War is sometimes inevitable. But other methods must be considered as well

Type of Government: Democracy

Status: Unified

Industries: arms and weapons, all other industries are adequate. Lacking in far reaching communications networks development

Outpost count: 7,000

Military specs:

Space Forces: 3,000,000,000,000

Army: 3,000,000,000

Air Force: 4,000,000,000

Marines: 4,000,000,000,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 7,000,000

Capital: Sworx City

Flag: Twin lasers intersecting behind an explosion on a black background

Special abilities: able to carry weapons attached to their bodies, also able to see in infrared (useful in nighttime recon missions)

History: The Blazians have always been a warring race, fighting for different causes over the years. They have had three different forms of government, each with different ambitions and goals for the future. The most recent is the democracy which runs the planet fairly and equally. The overthrow of the dictatorial government happened right after they made contact with the Intergalactic Organization, thus leading to a democratic government being established. Sandra Johnson led the revolt.

Now, as a member of the Intergalactic Federation, they use their skills in war to help aid the weak by teaching them how to fight. This has proven to be a great advantage to the Federation, for they are learning how to create more flexible tactics that allow them to attack large numbers of troops without suffering heavy casualties like so many other had before. In return, the Intergalactic Federation teaches them how to make long-range communications systems.

Secret Weapons: Classified information

* * *

**File No. 15**

Name: Tycho Colony

Location: Sol Sector, Earth system, Milky Way Galaxy

Department: Space Defense-Earth

Leader: Tyre Ling

Motto: Defending the Earth is what we do, but if it comes down to it, we will aid others in battle

Type of Government: Mayor-elected by colony citizens

Status: Unified

Industries: same as those of Earth. Excel in space transportation development and energon mining

Outpost count: none

Military specs:

Space Forces: 4,000

Army: 300

Air Force: 20

Marines: 3,000

Navy/Coast Guard: 0

Capital: None

Flag: None

Special abilities: None

History: Having been in existence for only four years, the colony has barely any real length of history, but they have already proven their worth as a key outpost of Planet Earth in terms of military and economic aid.

Secret Weapons: Classified information

* * *

**File No. 16**

Name: Mars City

Location: Mars, Earth System

Department: Asteroid Defense

Leader: Helena Hope

Motto: The asteroid belt is our last line of defense if the outer colonies are penetrated. We have to be ready at all costs for this

Type of government: mayor-elected by colony citizens

Status: Unified

Industries: energon mining, same as those on Earth

Outpost count: none

Military specs:

Space Forces: 20

Army: 200

Air Force: 1,000

Marines: 400

Navy/Coast Guard: 0

Capital: Mars City

Flag: None

Special abilities: none

History: Mars City was developed by Earth and Cybertron after a large stash of energon was picked up. The colony has been in existence for only twelve months, but it has already produced a yield of energon large enough to power Earth Command for ten years at the max. Mars City is also a key research center for the possible terraforming of Mars into a second Earth. People hope that one day, Mars could become a second home for humanity.

Secret Weapons: Classified information

Hope this helps explain about the worlds


	100. A New Invader Arrives!

Summary: The war against the Dark Axis has reached an impasse as both sides build up their armed forces for the final battle that is approaching rapidly. Both Gerbera and Shift are dead, along with a few less known officers. The enemy has introduced conscription and the war has become much larger as HEAVEN is now in danger of being destroyed as well. Can the Federation win this war intact? Note: I don't own any series mentioned in the story. All belong to their respective owners. I only own all original characters and the plot.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

The TCDA elite team defeated the last two generals in a couple of intense battles, resulting in the five-general leadership being destroyed. The war was thought to be over, but it proved to be proven wrong as a message was sent to Earth Command by the Dark Axis leader. The message, however, was stopped by the Federation's communications networks. Neotopia, on the other hand, intercepted it and sent it to President Warren in an attempt to show that everyone was in danger, no matter what reality they lived in.

President Warren received the message, but mistook it as being sent by the enemy to mock her leadership. Seto, fearing the worst, went out onto the roof and managed to talk to her, convincing her that the message was wrong. Soon, HEAVEN's leader and top agent arrived with horrific news. The enemy was introducing conscription. Now, it's a fight to find new faith in their abilities as the final battle draws closer in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part IX_

_Doubtful Leadership_

Chapter 1

Dark clouds of smoke curled upward from the fire as the firefighting teams for Earth Command struggled to put out a five alarm fire at one of the previous battle sites. Thick jets of water streamed from the fire hoses as the firefighters strained against the pressure to keep the hoses in place. Streaks of smoke covered their gear and the glass faceplates of their helmets were covered partly by the ashes that swirled around them, borne by the wind.

In fact, they were so busy focusing on containing the fire that no one took note of the single multi-colored comet as it streaked down from the sky, leaving a trail of sparks behind it before it slammed into the ground farther away from the site of battle. The smoke that carved a trail through the sky was a bright blue color, indicating that there was no real danger of a fire.

And it proved to be a good thing, too. The smoke began to clear in the wind, and the form sat up within the crater, rubbing her head.

"Owww! What a ride!" she mumbled.

She staggered to her feet, her eyes locking onto the city-like complex beyond the smoke coming from the fire. "Where am I, anyway?"

The form clambered out of the crater and looked around, her eyes widening at the sight of the fire blazing farther away from her location. "What happened here?" she cried.

No one answered. She was too far for the firefighters to hear her. Snarling, she gripped her sword and ran towards the site.

Sweat streamed down her flesh as she approached the fire. Smoke suddenly invaded her lungs as the wind shifted and blew the fire her way. Voices suddenly rang out as a firefighter cried out in shock.

"The wind's shifted! The fire's blowing towards the woods!" he yelled.

"All units! We have to contain that fire! If it hits the woods, then we'll have a wildfire on our hands and we can't allow that to happen!" the commanding firefighter called. She waved her hands and directed three hose teams to another location, unaware of the newcomer slinking away from the heat and flames.

"Okay! NOW!" the leader yelled.

The other firefighters nodded and let loose with their hoses, the jets of water arching towards the fire and creating great clouds of steam upon impact.

The form from the crater crept into the brush nearest the complex and coughed, her eyes watering from the ashes. She rubbed them and her vision began to clear. She peered out at the firefighters struggling to contain the blaze. The inferno was now nearing a Level 1 wildfire, though she didn't know it.

Her eyes narrowed as she observed the strange creatures that sat near the edge of the blaze, long tubes extended from their sides and part of their heads open to expose the interiors. A strange ensign was placed near their rear ends and a few even had flashing lights of some kind placed on top.

What kind of creatures were they? And what land was she in?

She removed her hand from her mouth and she took in a deep breath, clearing her lungs of the hated smoke and ash. She sighed and finally shook her head.

"I may as well find out where I am," she muttered. She looked up at the main building and she smiled. "And that palace looks like the perfect place to start!"

* * *

_A few hours later…_

The fire had finally died down after five intense hours of battling it. Fire Chief Loren Wong sighed and flipped up her glass faceplate, wiping her sweaty brow with the sleeve of her uniform. "Whew. The fire's finally out," she murmured.

"And just in time, too," a firefighter said.

"Yeah. If that blaze had struck the woods, we'd have a massive wildfire on our hands!" a second firefighter remarked.

"Be thankful that we were able to get help from the Kaxian Fire Department," Wong snapped as she glared at the two.

"Hey! I didn't say that I wasn't grateful!" the man replied, waving his hands.

"Chief Wong!"

Wong turned at her name and her eyes locked onto a skinny young firefighter only in his early twenties as he ran up, panting heavily. "What is it, Hans?" she asked.

Hans gulped before speaking. "I…I did a survey of the area to…to see if there was any…any damage from the fire further up and…"

"And what?" Wong pressed.

Hans licked his lips and stood up straighter, despite the oxygen tanks and other equipment firefighters used. "I found a crater. I did a quick analysis and I found that it wasn't made by any shell, let alone a mortar round. It looked like something had slammed into the earth, but there was no pod."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" Wong asked curiously.

"Hold on. I think what Hans is trying to say is that whatever made the crater must have disintegrated on impact or something like that," the female firefighter mused.

"It's not that at all!" Hans cried. He pointed in the direction of the crater. "It wasn't made by anything that we know of, aside from maybe an energy capsule!"

"Energy capsules are still in the experimental stage," Wong reminded him.

"And that's just it!" Hans blurted.

"Let me see the crater," Wong said.

Hans nodded. "I'll take you there."

It took them only five minutes to reach the crater's location. Wong noticed immediately that there was no fire left behind and the crater itself was of a neat imprint on the earth, much like that a landing capsule made when striking the planet's surface using its energon grid.

But what really puzzled her was the size. It wasn't that big, nor that deep. It was almost as if a being had landed on Earth's surface and gotten up to explore.

Wong looked at him. "Is that what you wanted to show me?" she asked.

Hans nodded. "Yes."

She turned back to the crater. "Well, we'll have to do some searching for whoever made this…"

* * *

**The form dodged** the prying eyes of a resident of the complex, diving into the brush to avoid being spotted. She cursed to herself mentally as she landed on a fallen branch, the sharp edges carving a gash into her leg. The newcomer held a hand close to the wound and muttered a swearword under her breath. The trail of blood she left would be a dead giveaway that there was an intruder here.

She waited for a short time before she reached into her pouch and drew out a bandage. She unwound a few meters before tearing it free and proceeding to bandage the wound. It took less than five minutes for her to complete the job.

She smiled in satisfaction at her work and waited until the pain had died to a dull throb. When she was certain she was good to go, she stood up and tested her leg. The pain throbbed every now and then, but other than that, she was fine.

"Now to see if I can get inside without being spotted," she murmured.

"HEY!" A loud cry cut across the green square outside the palace and she swore out loud. She turned just as a man dressed in strange clothing ran up, his hand going for a weird object on his belt. He pulled it open and whipped out a pistol of some kind. Her eyes widened as he pulled the trigger, sending a beam of light in her direction. She ducked and placed one hand on the ground, using her momentum to flip backward and land on her feet. She grabbed her sword and drew it from its sheath in a fluid motion.

As the man fired again, the newcomer slashed with the silver blade, sending the beam right back at him. The man snarled as he ducked underneath his own light beam and ran at her in a crouch, his body torqued for the blow. He lashed out with a punch that contained every ounce of strength he had. The blow barely missed her as she moved to the side in a motion that caught him off guard.

The man dodged a slash of her blade and suddenly leapt up as she curved it around for the second blow, this time making direct contact using his foot as he spun his body in midair. The force of the impact knocked her flat onto her back, but she recovered enough of her sense to roll to the side as the man's armored fist drove straight into the ground.

"Hold still!" he cried.

"Not in your life, creep!" she spat.

"No one talks to Commander George Harrison like that!" the man yelled.

The newcomer's eyebrows shot up as he suddenly charged at her. She flipped over him and landed on his back before pushing off and gently landing on her feet.

"Is that the best you have?" she asked.

"Not even close!" Commander Harrison spat. His beam pistol was in his hand in a flash and he whirled, the beam suddenly seeming to _curve_ in her direction. She spun to the side, barely avoiding getting burned on her shoulder. She spun again, slashing with her sword as the man came in for close range. He ducked and socked her with his fist. But she had reacted swiftly and brought her shield up in front of her body so that way the defensive equipment took the blow instead.

She smirked as she suddenly kicked out, nailing the commander on the lower torso. He grunted in pain, but didn't go down like she had expected.

"What? How's that possible?" she whispered.

"Heh. Don't underestimate the Intergalactic Federation!" the commander smirked.

Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized what had happened. She hadn't been sent to another land…she had been sent to another world altogether! And she had arrived during a war!

"Wait! Hold on!" she cried, suddenly raising her hands in surrender.

"Why should I?" the commander asked.

"Just listen!" the newcomer pleaded.

"I don't think so!" Harrison spat. He drew back his fist just as a light dagger materialized into his hand. "Time for your defeat!"

Snarling, she swung her blade, the steel glinting as she tapped into its incredible powers. "Warp!" she yelled.

Her body was suddenly flooded with a familiar tingling sensation and she vanished from the spot, appearing behind the commander in a split second. She twisted the blade so that way the flat part was facing him. She swung it like a baseball bat, nailing him on the side of the head and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Great. Just great. Now I'm going to be on the run until I can explain things," she muttered angrily. She turned just as a few more soldiers of the complex's defense forces came running up, their light pistols armed and ready to fire. She held up her sword. "Warp!"

In a flash, she was gone.

* * *

**The soldiers blinked** in shock as the young woman faded into a flash of light, vanishing from view and heading to an unknown location. The leader of the assault team sighed as she looked at her men. "She's gone."

"Yeah. But who was she? And what was she doing here?" a soldier asked.

"I can take a wild guess, but we need to be sure that she's a friendly and not a foe," a second soldier said. He shifted his grip on his sniper rifle as he spoke. "Because if she isn't, then we'll have a new enemy on our hands."

"I understand your concerns, and we'll try to capture her. Or if possible, ask her to talk," Grace said.

"Fine," the sniper said, lowering his rifle. "But if she's an enemy…" He let his voice trail off.

"I know. We kill her." Grace nodded. "I understand the procedure."

She turned to face her troops and barked out an order. "All right! Fan out and search for her! On the double!"

The soldiers fanned out and began searching in the brush for any sign of their quarry.

* * *

**She panted heavily** as she watched the soldiers searching for her below the tree. It was a lucky thing she had chosen an older tree to hide in, for the leaves concealed her well. All she had to do now was hold out until they left.

But it wasn't working out the way she had hoped. One of the soldiers spotted her crouched on the branches of the tree, apparently using some kind of heat seeking device. She wasn't familiar with the type of technology, but she got the basic idea after having seen it in action with the Hyrulean Defense Forces.

She crouched and leapt, falling towards the soldier and landing on his chest, forcing the air from his lungs and hopping off, running for the commanding officer.

The officer grabbed a hilt of some kind and pulled it off her belt, but no blade was shown. Instead, she pressed a button of some kind and a glowing blue blade sprang forth, ready to do battle. She swung the blade in a glowing blue arc, forcing the female warrior to block with her own sword.

"Who are you?" the officer spat.

"My name is of no importance to you!" she hissed.

"We are not with the enemy!" the officer yelled. "We are fighting against them, and we are the Intergalactic Federation!"

"I know that!" the warrior snapped. "But if you would stop attacking me, I could explain how I came to be here!"

The officer looked at her with a look of confusion before nodding. "Very well. We'll hear your story. But if you're lying…" Her voice trailed off, leaving the warrior to grasp the worst possible in her imagination.

"I understand," she murmured. "But I won't. Especially if you try to attack me!" she suddenly snapped. "I don't even know if I can trust any of you!"

With that remark, she ran into the brush, leaving a stunned squadron of soldiers behind.

* * *

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_His eyes narrowed as he stared out of his castle at the darkening skies. A frown crossed his pale face and he turned away from the window, walking towards the throne in the center of the room. His steel boots made a clacking noise every time he took a step, but he was so used to it he didn't even pay any attention to it. His cape billowed out behind him with each step, giving him the look of a bird of prey stretching its wings in preparation for flight._

_He sat down in the throne, fingering the edges before he placed a hand on one knee and leaning forward, thinking._

"_So, this new enemy comes to try and conquer my territory," he muttered. "Hah! As if!"_

_The man stood up, turning back towards the windows. He walked briskly toward them and stopped, the wind teasing his cape and hair._

_Out in the distance he could see a massive green cover. He guessed that it was the enemy's massive army. He sneered. "Nice try," he purred. "If you even try to take over my lands, you shall all feel my wrath!"_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF

* * *

_

**President Warren glanced** at the reports with a keen eye, and she frowned. "What is going on here?" she asked, looking at Vice President White. "The Dark Axis has no more generals, so…"

White nodded. "I understand the situation and what you may be thinking, but it's the truth. Someone is planning to launch an attack on us when we least expect it."

"But that's just it. How can they if there are no more generals?" she asked. Her eyes then narrowed. "And they hate organics with a passion, so how could they have an organic ally?" she added.

White shrugged. "I don't really know, but I do know this. Whoever their ally is, he or she must have had very good reason to be left alone, and maybe that ally shares the same ideals as the Dark Axis," he suggested.

President Warren placed a hand on her chin in thought. "Well, that could be the case, and you do have a good point." Then she grew serious. "But we still don't know if it's even true."

White waved a hand dismissively. "Look. Just trust me on this. The intel boys haven't gotten anything wrong this time. It's for real," he said. "So, we're going to keep you informed of the situation as it developed further."

"Thanks," President Warren said, nodding.

White turned and walked out of the room, leaving President Warren behind. She looked down at the screen, her eyes narrowing. "An organic foe mixed in with the Dark Axis…"

The report said nothing about who it was, let alone what gender or what race they were. All they knew was that an organic had joined in the fight.

She frowned and turned back to study the recovery operations regarding the attack they had pulled back in October. The concentration camps were no longer in operation, and a few had been left manned by several Federation divisions. This way they could at least keep an eye on things in the Dark Axis home dimension. The recovery operations regarded helping a few other camps full of prisoners get freed, so it was like a continuation of the invasion.

She pushed aside the reports regarding the recovery operations and grabbed a second stack of reports. These displayed a few scouting operations that had been carried out by the troops still stationed within the Dark Axis home dimension. She removed the top one and scanned the title.

She was immediately hooked.

_Scouting Mission: Hyrulean Investigation_

_Scout Team Leader: Sonia Stella_

_Unit: 14__th__ Reconnaissance Team_

_To: President Warren_

_President Warren. Sonia here. I have some very interesting data that may be of some use concerning a recent discovery regarding the Dark Axis._

_As you know, the Dark Axis hates organics with a passion. But to our surprise, we discovered that they have managed to get an organic ally into their ranks, which is unheard of. Of course, you may already know that._

_Besides that fact, however, we also discovered that their new ally is a man from a land that we have no knowledge of. This land is called Hyrule. We managed to get a very small amount, and this is what we got:_

_1. Hyrule has no real technology. They have only the basic weapons, shelter, and other aspects of society. No lasers, electricity, or even simple guns._

_2. They are a kingdom._

_3. They have magic in great abundance. This means that fairies exist, along with other magical creatures. However, they are not like our fairy tales._

_4. This new world is similar to ours in a sense, but it is also different. It is hard to explain._

_Apparently, they also have some hero called the Hero of Time to protect their kingdom from attacks made by the evil beings that reside there. We have no idea as to who it is, but we can theorize that the Hero of Time is somewhere within our boundaries, presumably located near Earth Command. We have reason to believe this because we heard a Dark Axis soldier talking about how the Hero escaped using some kind of magical musical instrument that can transport him to other places, regardless of location. Of course, it's just a theory._

_I hope this helps._

President Warren frowned as she read over the report. She placed it down and put her head on her hands in thought. It seemed to be very logical, but then again, it could be a trap. They seemed to be falling into those quite a bit these days. Even so, she saw no reason to just brush it off.

This was a hard decision, but even so, it had to be carried out.

Or else.

* * *

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_He smirked as he stood in front of his castle, his eyes fixed onto the form that approached him from the front of the huge army. The man wore armor of a strange color with a mysterious crest on it. His eyes were the purest purple color he had ever seen and his skin stood out against the blackness of the sky above._

"_Who are you?" he asked._

"_I am David Cypher, the leader of the Dark Axis," the man replied. "And I have a proposition to make for you."_

"_What kind of proposition?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Cypher._

_Cypher just grinned. "I think you'll find this offer most intriguing. I hope you don't mind if I come into your castle to discuss the deal with you."_

_He frowned as this newcomer stepped into the open door. He didn't trust him one bit._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF

* * *

_

**Seto gripped the** edge of the doorway as he leaned out, his eyes roaming over the civilians, looking for anything out of the ordinary. But so far nothing greeted his eyes. He had been alerted to the report a few minutes ago by comm and he wondered if the report was even valid. He had never even heard of the Hero of Time, let alone any world called Hyrule.

The CEO looked to the left before he gasped.

A woman was standing not too far from the main entrance to Earth Command. But she wasn't dressed like any of the other residents. Her uniform was a simple tunic with what appeared to be green-blue pants and medium brown calf-high boots. Red elbow length gauntlets protected her lower arms from strikes to the skin and she had emerald green eyes contrasted by light brown hair. Her tunic was a stunning mix of blues and greens, almost like a blue-green rainbow of color. A sword was strapped to her back, along with a shield bearing a design of three triangles with a Gundam's V-fin adorning it. In the middle of the V-fin was an eagle design.

He gaped at her.

Was she the Hero of Time? Or someone else?

He had no chance to finish pondering because at that moment she suddenly seemed to sense him and spun, her eyes locking onto his location. Snarling, she swiftly withdrew her sword from its sheath just as Seto ducked back further and grabbed his laser pistol from its holster. He cocked the safety off and took a breath as he prepared to fire.

He leaned out, holding onto the gun with both hands and narrowed his eyes. His teeth bared themselves as he pulled the trigger. The gun barked once as a blue laser sped out from the barrel, homing in on the woman's location.

"HAH!" She slashed with her sword, cutting the bolt in half and causing it to explode in back of her. She smirked as Seto snarled softly.

The woman spun as Seto ran at her, his gun barking repeatedly. She dodged each laser and leapt up into the sky, bringing her blade down toward the ground. Seto jumped aside as the blade was driven into the dirt. What happened next surprised him.

A bright flash of light erupted out from the impact point, growing into an orb of energy that slammed into his body, forcing him back and he went rolling as it faded from around the woman's body. Seto groaned and sat up, surprised that he had maintained a firm grip on his gun. The CEO gritted his teeth as he scrambled to his feet, holding his gun in one hand.

"Who are you?" he cried. "And how'd you know you were being watched?"

"That is for me to know, and you to find out," the woman remarked playfully.

Seto snarled as he aimed the gun. "Tell me!" he snapped.

The woman's face became serious as he fired off a shot intended to disable her, but she dodged it with a speed that surprised him. "What?"

The female warrior skidded to a stop behind him and swung her sword, but Seto grinned. He had anticipated this. He uncurled his tail from around his waist and coiled it around her arm, catching her off guard. She yelped as he tightened his grip on her arm, forcing her to drop the sword.

He peered over his shoulder with a confident smirk on his face. "Not so tough now, are you?" he asked.

"Not unless you were expecting this!" the woman roared. She drew back one leg, balancing on the other, and lashed out with a kick that nailed Seto in the small of his back. The force of the impact was enough to send the CEO skidding face first before he used his own momentum to roll onto his back. He stopped skidding and lay there panting, blood running from several small scratches on his cheeks and forehead. It was a wonder he hadn't broken his nose from the sheer force of the impact.

He sat up, rubbing his backside and glanced back towards the woman.

But she was gone.

"Who _is_ she?" he murmured.

Sighing, he turned and headed back towards Earth Command.

* * *

_In President Warren's office…_

President Warren glanced at the news screen floating in front of her. The Universal News Board ensign was shown on the screen below the image of a reporter talking with Dajar'o. She frowned slightly as she turned up the volume.

"_So, Dajar'o, sir, what is the plan for the universe?_" the reporter asked.

Dajar'o smirked confidently as he looked at the camera, almost as if he could sense her watching him. Her frown grew as he spoke. "_Well, my dear lad, the plan is simple: we of the Universal Power Association will continue to put every effort we have into stopping the Dark Axis. All those who do not wish to ally with me can choose their own allies. But be warned: only my team can win this one._"

The mere mention of that sent shivers down her back and anger began to boil up inside her. "The jerk thinks he can do it alone, does he?" she spat to herself. "Well, he's sorely mistaken. Even after all we've gone through to try and get him to work with others!"

She shut down the comm screen and tossed the remote control aside onto her desk. She leaned back in her seat and placed her hands behind her head as she gazed out at the sea beyond the complex. The water shimmered beautifully in the light from the sun, and the sky was free of clouds, revealing a crystal clear sky against which the contrails of passing starfighters were seen. Far out to sea she could make out the shape of a freighter ship coming into dock, no doubt loaded with goods from either Kax or Rescon.

President Warren sat upright and turned away from the scene to face the desk again, shifting through a series of reports sent by the outposts. Each report had something to say about the arms buildup on each of the major colonies, along with some other aspects of combat preparation, such as the enhancing of the jammers that had recently been completed by Dr. Hikari and his team and installed.

She laid aside a report concerning the enemy movements and picked up a tenth report. This one had a title that seemed to catch her eye. She brought it up closer and she blinked as she realized that it was a newsscreen sent by Sandra a few days ago.

She lay the others aside and leaned back in her seat, placing her feet on the desk, and began to read.

_Universe Unites Against Dark Axis_

_Major Powers Shed Aside Differences to Focus on Threat to Everyone_

Her eyes widened. Now this _was_ interesting. She kept reading.

_After the attack on the Interstellar Trade Confederation was carried out, the universe's news crews swarmed towards the devastation and began to help with the cleanup, as well as film the destruction for all to see. It made everyone see that there was a major threat out to destroy everything, but it was not enough to convince the Universal Power Association of the dangers. Not even the report made by the brave Intergalactic Federation commander-in-chief, President Heather Jen Warren, was enough to convince them._

_As it is with third-rate powers, no one bothered to listen at first to the Federation, but through repeated victories and the recent destruction of the black hole generators needed for the Dark Axis plan called Operation Collapse and the success of a major invasion carried out, the Universal Power Association began to see the complete tactical and strategic picture in the war. President Warren finally managed to convince him of the dangers, but he continued to deny that the Federation should be of any help._

_He carried out his own invasion, but it was stopped by the Dark Axis._

_But that invasion alone showed just how incompetent the Universal Power Association really is when on the battlefield._

_It revealed to the rest of the universe that the U.P.A. lacked the modern day equipment and experience in war needed to help them understand the real scope of the danger that is the Dark Axis._

_In contrast with the Intergalactic Federation, the U.P.A. is very rigid in how things such as invasions are carried out. They rely on useless UFOs, invasion tactics that most agree are useless in a war like this, and tactics that any well prepared minor power can counter._

_And ironically, it is the U.P.A. which is causing the rest of the universe to unite under a new flag. The flag of the Intergalactic Federation._

_One of our correspondents flew to the United Health Commission for Aliens and he interviewed a few leaders there. One of them was willing enough to surrender the plans of the Council of Health to us. He said that the leaders had united with their counterpart, the Universal Sanitation Commission, and that a collective arming mission was begun._

_This was an unusual take on things because both commissions have a mutual dislike for each other based on their work. When our correspondent asked why they united if they disliked each other, the leader replied that the major threat was not each other, but the Dark Axis, and that they would surrender their fight for another time—when the Dark Axis was defeated._

_Our next interview took place with the United Musicians Association, a group of worlds specializing in the fine arts and having no experience in warfare whatsoever. They said that they were allying with the Universal War Board, the recorder of the different types of warfare that each organization specializes in. The two organizations pledged to aid each other militarily, but when we asked how it could happen if the musicians lacked any type of war, the leader replied that they would be taught the meaning of war and what it really was._

_The third interview we did in the Allies of the Orichalcos. We interviewed Dartz, and he agreed to reveal what they knew about the war so far. They said that the Dark Axis was introducing conscription, a vast difference from their other methods. We asked why the enemy was using conscription and Dartz said that the reason was because the five generals and a few lesser known officers were defeated by the Intergalactic Federation and Dr. Hikari, but most notably by the Federation's only government funded school's elite team. It was a very startling revelation. We questioned Dartz on whether or not Soul-Drives were still being produced, and he said that they were. He told us that even though it was still a violation of the laws of nature, he agreed that it was better than having their core drives removed and wiped from their souls._

_He also said that the Dark Axis gained the power of the Superior Dragon._

_With this in mind, we asked a few more organizations about their alliances and they said the same thing: everyone was willing to fight and stop the Dark Axis once and for all, even if it meant working with enemies._

_We decided to follow their example and so we forged an alliance with a rival news organization. Now, we ask everyone to unite under the Federation's flag. It is time to fight and win!_

The report slipped from her fingers and landed on the desk with a soft _thump_. President Warren slumped back in her chair, unable to believe what she had just read.

She suddenly leaned forward and grabbed the other reports, shifting through them for any mention of the universe uniting together. No other reports were visible.

President Warren set the other reports down and slowly reached for the communications button on her desk.

* * *

_On Blazia…_

Sandra jerked awake when the alarm went off. She sat up, rubbing her eyes as she grabbed the communicator perched on her nightstand. She pressed the button and rubbed her eyes. "President Warren…What is it?" she murmured.

"_Sandra, I'm sorry to call you so early on Blazia, but I have a question for you,_" the President said.

"What is it? Can't it wait?" Sandra muttered.

"_Was that report you sent actually correct?_"

The bluntness of the question got her. Her eyes snapped open all the way and she held the communicator close to her ear. "What are you talking about? Of course it's correct! We intercepted that over the wireless transmission bands!" she exclaimed.

"_I don't know…it just seems too good to be true,_" President Warren said uncertainly.

Sandra scoffed. "Well, it's true. The rest of the universe is indeed uniting against the Dark Axis, but most are still uncertain as to who they should fight alongside."

"_But if they're still uncertain, then why even unite in the first place?_" President Warren asked.

Sandra rolled her eyes, grateful the President wasn't on visual communications right then. "It's because of the collective efforts we've pulled on them. It's obvious. Unity is the one thing the Dark Axis can't comprehend. It's simple. Unity through division, division through unity."

"_Unity through division is one thing, but how is the Dark Axis dividing if they are united?_"

"Look. I don't understand it completely myself. That quote is from a Blazian master of war. So I'm not sure what it really means," Sandra admitted. "Just trust me, okay?"

"_Okay…_" President Warren closed the communication line and Sandra flopped back onto her bed, the communicator landing on the sheets. In truth, when she had stumbled onto the transmission herself, she had been unable to believe it. She still didn't fully believe it, even though the evidence was clear in the news broadcasts as well.

It did seem too good to be true.

She could only hope that it was true.

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

Ever since the invasion, several camps had been converted from places of fear and slavery to bases within the enemy's territory. No barracks remained standing, and no more slaves lingered in the walls. Only Intergalactic Federation personnel manned the camps. The Zakos had long since been exterminated and their bodies melted down to make new weapons that a few former prisoners were given.

Two of these camps were strategically located near the main fortress and the Zakorello Gate. These camps had been cloaked using stealth generators developed by Lasser and Co, a major developer of starfighter stealth systems. As a result, the Dark Axis couldn't observe the activity of the forces spying on them.

The Intergalactic Federation, on the other hand, could spy on the fortress without getting caught.

Kidd Bradford narrowed his eyes as he watched an enemy transport plane come in for a landing at the dock across from the Musai docking facilities. He adjusted the focus on his binoculars and swept them over to a nearby squad of Zakos and organic prisoners. He zoomed in a couple times before lowering the binoculars.

He frowned before he placed them back up to his eyes and he switched his gaze to the plane. The cargo ramp had been lowered and a small set of crates was being sent down to the squad below. The first Zako grabbed the first crate and lifted it up, straining under the contents.

Kidd shifted his position and commando-crawled to his sniper's location. He lowered the binoculars and tapped the woman on the shoulder. She glanced at him before resuming her spying through the scope of her rifle.

"What do you think?" he asked softly.

"How should I know what's in there?" the sniper whispered. "I can't see anything. There's no cracks, no holes, nothing that I can see into."

She turned her head to look at him. "What about you?"

Kidd shook his head. "I don't know myself. But from what I can see," he said, turning back to look at the squad of prisoners hauling the crates to a nearby transport truck, "they're pretty heavy. I think it might be some kind of new weapon or something. I can't be entirely sure."

"Hold up, Kidd!" another voice said.

Kidd and the sniper turned to face a fellow soldier, crouching at the edge of the tower and peering through energon detection goggle. "I think I can tell you guys what's in those boxes," he said, lowering the goggles.

"What's in them?" Kidd asked.

The soldier turned to look at Kidd with a grim expression in his eyes. "Metals. And bodies."

"So?" the sniper asked. "We already knew that!"

"It gets worse from there," the soldier said. He turned to look back out at the crates. "They've got weapons, too. Big ass weapons."

Kidd blinked. "Guns?"

The soldier shook his head. "Not just guns. There are missiles. Lots of missiles, guns, torpedoes, shells, and mortar rounds."

Kidd gulped. "This is not good," he murmured.

"You don't know the half of it," the sniper murmured, suddenly shifting her position.

"What's up?" Kidd asked.

"I can see something going on by the Zakorello Gate," she said, adjusting her scope. Kidd grabbed his binoculars and turned to face the gate.

"Holy shit…you're right!" he whispered.

"What's going on?" the soldier asked, turning to face his superior.

"There's a man standing there. And he's alone," the sniper replied.

"Why is there a man standing alone?" Kidd murmured softly, putting a hand to his chin in thought.

"I'm not sure, but he's going in," the sniper said. "He's gone."

"I sure hope that the Federation leaders get wind of this," Kidd whispered softly.

* * *

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Cypher stepped into his throne room, taking in the depressing décor and the commanding view he had of the entire valley below. He smirked. "Nice view," he remarked._

_He scowled as Cypher turned and walked up to him. "Now, as for the deal, I will say it straight out. I wish to aid you in your conquest of this land."_

"_Why should I trust you regarding this matter?" he snapped, glaring at the man before him._

_Cypher smirked again. "Oh, I just thought that maybe if I helped you, you could help me," he said casually._

"_Why should I?" he hissed._

"_If you help me, I can grant you something that will make you stronger," Cypher replied._

"_Like what?"_

"_Oh, perhaps some of my minions. And a little firepower," Cypher said, leaning against the wall._

_He found this a bit intriguing. He turned and walked over to his throne, sitting down and looking at his guest. "And if I do help you? What else will you grant me?"_

_Here Cypher's grin seemed to grow wider. "I can grant you this entire realm, as well as a second land to rule over. If you help me."_

_Now he was interested all right. But he still wanted one more answer. "Why do you wish to help me conquer my realm?" he asked._

_Cypher sighed. "Well, you and I share the same mindset, practically. We both want to rule, so…"_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF

* * *

_

**The woman plastered** herself against the wall of one of the buildings in the city, trying to remain hidden from the soldiers that now prowled the streets, trying to find her. The only consolation she had was that the sun was sinking beyond the horizon, allowing the shadows to come into view and enabling her to remain hidden.

She slowly peered out, gripping her sword in her left hand tightly. Sweat ran down her bare flesh and she was panting from the running she had done to reach this hiding spot.

No soldiers were closing in on her.

"Good. I've lost them," she murmured.

She turned and looked down the alley. It wasn't dirty like most people would expect of a city this size. No trash cans, homeless men or debris littered the street. A dumpster was located at the back, but it was closed up. She guessed it was empty.

"Wow. They sure don't want any dirt to scum up this place," she said softly.

She looked back over her shoulder. Still no soldiers coming. "Good," she whispered.

She sheathed her sword and began walking towards the dumpster. Her boots made very little noise, so that proved to be a godsend to her. Except she didn't count on an office worker peering out to confer with a worker in the building next door.

Both looked down and one of them pointed. "Hey!" he cried.

Swearing softly, the woman ran back the way she had come and out of the alley.

* * *

**A soldier heard** the cry and he looked over, spotting the woman running out of an alley between two office buildings. "Hey! There she is!" he cried, pointing. Grace looked over and motioned to her troops.

"Move!" she cried.

The soldiers needed no prompting. They turned and ran in the woman's direction. She glanced back and snarled in frustration. She kept running, though, suddenly making a beeline for the road. "Hey! STOP!" a second soldier yelled. "IT'S DANGEROUS!"

She paid no heed to his warning as she ran into the middle of the street, forcing several hovercars to swerve around her. One of the cars crashed into another, causing a fender-bender and two others slammed into a tree while a fifth car smashed into a fire hydrant, sending a huge spray of water skyward. The people inside leaned out and swore at the woman as she ran into the opposite lane. A hovercar swerved off course and smashed into a tree, denting the hood and causing the engine to die on the driver. The driver leaned out and shook his fist at her. "Hey! What's your problem, lady?"

"Sorry about all of this! We will try to catch her as soon as possible!" Grace assured the civilians as she and her troops ran past.

"You'd better!" the man spat. "She owes me a new engine!"

Grace muttered a swift apology before following the last member of her squadron.

"Stop right there!" the sniper yelled.

The woman paid no attention.

She ran right into a nearby office building, startling the workers and visitors alike. Grace cursed to herself as she and her soldiers ran inside, bursting through the closing doors before they had fully shut.

"Which way?" a soldier asked.

No one in her unit had the answer, but a man holding a briefcase pointed. "She ran down that way, heading for the back entrance!" he shouted.

"Thanks, sir!" Grace called back.

Now they had her trapped.

* * *

**Off to the** far side of the complex, on the very edge of the perimeter, the snow began to fall gently, slowly working its way towards Earth Command. Light flakes landed on the trees, slowly transforming them into a winter wonderland. It was a paradise of winter.

Only the marks from previous battles contrasted this scene of beauty and peace.

Near one of the craters left over, the Zakorello Gate opened and a form stepped out. Orange eyes flicked over to the complex, and a mouth curved upward in a sneer. "Perfect…" the form purred. "This is going to be fun!"

The form raised a hand and a glowing maroon energy began to form at the fingertips before morphing into a spherical shape. The orb of energy floated higher before the arm was thrust out, launching the energy ball right at the defenses of Earth Command, more than fourteen miles away.

* * *

**_BUH-WHOOM!_**

The explosion rocked the complex, startling President Warren out of her reverie. She glanced over out the window close to her desk, setting her report down as she did so. Her green eyes slowly widened at the sight of the smoke curling upward.

Shock flooded her body as she scrambled to her feet, knocking her chair over as she did so. She ran to the window and placed both hands on the glass, her breath making marks as she leaned in.

"What in the world…"

Her voice was a mere whisper as she said it.

"President Warren!" The President turned just as Vice-President White came barreling in, his chest heaving as he skidded to a stop.

"What is it, Jake?" she asked.

The Vice-President doubled over and took in deep breaths before he stood up and shook his head. "You heard the explosion?" he asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. I did. And I saw the smoke." She pointed out the window as she said this.

"Well, it turns out that one of the generators exploded," White said.

President Warren blinked. "So? We've got four more," she said, confused.

As she said those words, the lights suddenly flickered, startling both politicians. President Warren's gaze shot up towards the ceiling just as her office was plunged into darkness. The familiar whine of the equipment in the room faded down to nothing, leaving them both in eerie silence.

President Warren turned to White. "What's happened?" she asked, becoming serious.

White turned to face her. In the lighting from the outside, they could barely see each other, but that was nothing to be concerned about. "There's one thing I forgot to tell you," he said.

"What?" President Warren asked.

"It was the generator for the center of the complex that got destroyed," White said grimly.

Realization dawned on her face and she turned back to stare at the thick black smoke billowing skyward from the site. "Then…that means…"

White nodded. "Yes. We can't get out without power."

"To hell with that!" President Warren suddenly spat, her eyes becoming hard. "There's more than one way to keep this place powered!" She turned and ran past a bewildered White to her desk. She reached beneath her jumpsuit and pulled out something draped on a piece of string tied around her neck.

White blinked in shock at the key in her grasp. "What's that for?" he asked, pointing at it.

President Warren glanced at him, her eyes filled with determination. "This is the key for the backup generator. It used to be the main generator for the entire complex before we developed the other generators."

She turned back to the desk and grasped an edge on her communications console. With a grunt, she tore it off to expose a small slot for the key. She jammed the key in and turned it one-hundred-eighty degrees. A slight hum began to build in the office before a soft hiss caught White off guard. His eyes shot down to stare at the segment of floor beneath him. He hopped off just as it slid open and a smaller console rose out of it.

President Warren removed the key and headed over to the console just as it locked into place. She jammed the key into a slot and turned it ninety degrees. A small door opened to reveal a keypad. The President brought her free hand close and swiftly entered the code before pressing _enter_. She simultaneously turned the key as she hit the button.

A slight hum built in the console before a surge of electric power spread out, channeling into the office and throughout the entire complex just as four more simultaneous explosions blew out the last four generators.

White stared in shock as the lights flickered feebly. "How long?" he asked, still keeping an eye on them.

"How long for things to come back to full power?" President Warren asked without taking her eyes off the console's readouts.

"Yeah."

"About five more minutes. It takes a short while," the President said.

The next five minutes seemed to crawl past them, almost like an eternity. But then, slowly but surely, the lights began to come back on to full power.

White turned to face his commander-in-chief. "Why didn't you tell me about that?" he asked, jabbing a finger at the console.

"It was best to keep it safe from the Dark Axis," she murmured, taking the key out just as the console began to descend back into the floor. "If they had found out, then they would have bombed the whole complex and destroyed it."

"But…why? It wasn't like they could overhear us," White pointed out.

"True," President Warren said, turning to look at him. "But it was best to be safe than sorry, right?"

White was speechless. He didn't even know what to say until she turned to look at the smoke now curling up from the four different sides of the complex, as well as the site for the fifth generator.

"Why even do that?" he asked.

President had the answer already. "To keep us out of the fight," she murmured.

She shifted her gaze to the horizon where she could see the clouds approaching. The snow that had been falling had grown to a steady blizzard, and it was growing to white-out proportions. She frowned.

They needed some time to figure this out. Why try to destroy the generators? Why try to keep them out of the fight?

The answers would come in time. That much she knew.

The only question was when they would come.

* * *

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_Are you sure you wish to do this?" Cypher asked him. "The Intergalactic Federation is much more dangerous than you know."_

"_I am positive, Cypher," he said, grinning. "Besides, you helped me conquer Hyrule, so I owe you a favor."_

"_Still, if I lost you…" Cypher's voice trailed off._

"_Trust me, Cypher. I can overpower them. I have defeated many foes in my time, and they shall be my latest victims," he boasted._

_Cypher frowned. He could see the obvious doubt in his partner's eyes. "Be careful," he whispered._

"_I shall. I will be victorious."_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Cypher grimaced as he watched the Zakorello Gate open. His partner stood ready. "I am going, Cypher."_

"_I still urge you to reconsider," Cypher said softly._

"_No. No one can change my mind. Besides, I wish to help you. If I can lay siege to their main kingdom, then they shall fall. Everything must fall eventually," he said._

_Cypher nodded. "True, but I am not so sure about the Intergalactic Federation. They have…a talent…for accomplishing the most impossible of tasks."_

"_Trust me, Cypher. They _shall_ fall." He grinned. "I can and will succeed."_

"_Zant, be careful." That was the last he heard from Cypher before he passed into the gate, on his journey of conquest._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF

* * *

_

**The form sneered** as he watched the thick black smoke shooting skyward into the darkened sky. It was almost invisible, except for the bright orange inferno that now licked at the mangled remnants of all five generators. The complex's power supply had been cut, so the defenses were down, as were the rest of the functions.

He turned back to the complex, expecting to see darkened windows and silent doors, quiet guns and dimmed streetlights. But instead, he was gazing at lighted windows and active defenses. He snarled in frustration and confusion. How was it that the complex was still active, even after the generators had been destroyed?

* * *

**The main generator** room was a frenzy of activity as engineers and technicians ran about, adjusting the power flow to the entire complex and the defenses. Steam billowed from unused pipelines and wires were swaying as the power fluxed constantly between the red lines and normal operating temperature.

"C'mon! We have to stabilize the generator!" the chief engineer shouted.

""Well, if these damn pipes weren't so old, then we _could_ stabilize it!" a scientist snapped at him.

"To hell with that! We need it stabilized or else the whole place will lose power! And you don't want that, right?" the chief engineer hissed.

The scientist shook his head. "No…"

"Then adjust the power flow so that way it takes the strain off the steam pipes!" the engineer ordered.

"Right!" the scientist cried. He ran off and the chief engineer turned back to the generator.

Having been out of use for a while, it was starting to rust and the energon had long since lost much of its power or had become unstable. The mere thought of using unstable energon to provide backup power was enough to make anyone shiver with fright. But the chief engineer shoved it from his mind as he wiped his brow with his coat sleeve.

The main thing was that they had to at least get the generator out of the red zones. _Then_ they could work on stabilizing it.

* * *

_In Satyron_…

Ron watched with growing apprehension at the massive buildup in both camps. The Federation and their allies had begun to gather the necessary forces for the final confrontation, but the Dark Axis already had a plentiful supply of fresh soldiers for the fight. And they outnumbered the Federation forces by ten to one in all aspects of combat.

The Intergalactic Federation needed more allies if they were going to win the war. He bit his lower lip. He was nearing a crucial decision. Either he contributed the forces necessary to the fight…or let the Federation work out a solution on their own.

The only thing that made this a hard decision to make was the unknown variable of time. He had no idea how long it would take to muster up the forces to send into Earthspace, let alone how long it would take for the Dark Axis to get their soldiers into position for the assault. It made him antsy and he shifted slightly, trying to figure out the best plan of action. His mind screamed at him to send aid, but something told him to hold back and wait to see how events unfolded.

That crucial decision would save him countless lives, and it would enable the Federation to carry out the biggest attack since the Normandy landings during World War II.


	101. Before the Battle

Chapter 2

Cypher watched with apprehension himself as the Zako armies began to form up in front of him. He stood on a balcony overlooking the massive training field within the Dark Axis fortress, hundreds of Zakos—both conscripted and created—assembled, holding their weapons at the ready.

The majority of the new Zakos before him were conscripted. Without Gerbera to make sure that the Soul-Drives had their core drives removed, the conscripted Zako soldiers still retained their humanity, which was a downside. His eyes narrowed as he observed one of them shaking in its armor.

He scowled as Zako Red paced in front of them, his optics studying them critically. His voice was unheard by Cypher as he spoke, apparently yelling at them, calling the majority of them organic scum in robot bodies. The Dark Axis Supreme Commander turned and walked back into the fortress' depths, the door closing shut behind them.

Zakos scurried out of his way as he headed to his office. He didn't even shorten his strides. His mind was afloat with all kind of thoughts regarding the Intergalactic Federation. So far they were proving to be a much, _much_ bigger nuisance than he had originally anticipated. Their power was growing rapidly and they had discovered how to reverse the programming his troops had implemented regarding the Soul-Drive creation process. On top of that, they were getting the universe to unite through their actions, which meant they were intent on getting help.

But one question remained. How was it they were getting so strong? What was it that drove them?

In frustration, he lashed out at the wall, his fist impacting the dark metal and startling a poor Zako who happened to be close by The Zako fainted on the spot and Cypher glared at it before turning and heading down another corridor.

He approached his office a few minutes later and entered, closing the door behind him. The lights turned on automatically, but dimmed, so as to conserve energy for the assault. It was coming rapidly and he needed as much power as the fortress had, even though running the lights took up less than five percent of its total power usage.

Cypher flopped down in his desk, placing his head in his hands as he studied the reports before him. Each report showed different sections of the battle progress, and he sighed.

He hoped that the battle went in his favor.

But he was wrong. Less than a month later, it would go badly for him and his troops.

Big time.

* * *

_On Earth…_

**Date: 29 November 2009**

**Time: 1500, 3:00 p.m. Local time**

The form peered out from underneath the brush as the soldiers stormed the outskirts, searching for him. His eyes narrowed as he watched a soldier feel in the brush near his location. He backed up farther, deeper into the undergrowth. His armor barely made any noise when it brushed the leaves, but it seemed to catch the soldier by surprise. He cursed his decision. The soldiers of this damn dimension seemed to have sharper hearing than he realized.

He lay absolutely still, struggling to not even breathe, for fear of discovery was great.

His decision to stay still saved his life…

For now.

* * *

**President Warren pressed** a hand down on her desk. "What do you mean the perpetrator has escaped?" she cried.

The screen showing an image of the face of the Federation Defense Forces commander for Earth Command wavered slightly before he continued speaking. "_I'm not sure how he does it, but he seems to be able to…_" The commander put a hand to his head. "_…Forgive me, but I believe that the one who launched the unprovoked attack on us is able to teleport._" He lifted his gaze. "_At least, that's what some of the soldiers believe. He keeps evading us, no matter what we try._"

"Well, keep trying! I want whoever did this found and brought to justice! Such unwarranted attacks can't go unpunished!" President Warren snapped. "And find out if the attacker is with the Dark Axis! I have a feeling only they would do something like this," she added.

"_Understood!_" the commander said. He threw a sharp salute and the screen closed down.

President Warren sighed and leaned back in her seat, her head in her hands.

"Primus…This war is getting a lot worse," she murmured.

* * *

_Deep within the depths of Cybertron…_

_A presence lingers, reaching out and scanning the data that has been accumulated so far. The presence frowns to itself before winking out of the systems and appearing in the center of the planet's life source: the Spark of Cybertron._

_The orb flares as the presence begins to focus itself in the spark. The spark glows a bright golden just as a deep voice moans in pain._

_This is the first time Primus has ever emerged from his planetoid form into the physical realm on a smaller scale; this is his real form._

_A hand suddenly shoots out of the spark, followed by a slowly emerging head, chest, wings, arms, legs, and feet. The form that emerges is that of a futuristic Seeker, but with a hint of other technology as well. It is hard to describe._

_The form lands shakily on both feet before shaking his head and looking around through his true optics._

_Primus is finally free.

* * *

_

_On Cybertron's surface…_

The first sign that something was amiss in the core of Cybertron came in the form of the Klaxon siren beginning to wail. Optimus looked up as the lights flashed bright red. His optics widened in shock as he got to his feet in a flash.

"What's happening?" he demanded, locking his calm gaze on that of one of the technicians monitoring the core of Cybertron.

"Hold on, sir," the techie said, her wings twitching as she checked over the readouts.

"…" Optimus was silent.

"What in the name of the Pit is going on down there?" she suddenly blurted.

"What's happening?" Optimus demanded again, this time clearly agitated.

"I…I don't know how to explain it, sir, but it seems that something has emerged from the core of the planet," the techie whispered.

"What? Are you sure?" Optimus asked.

The techie turned to look at him, and nodded. "I'm sure, sir."

Optimus bit his lower lip. If something had emerged from the core of Cybertron, then…

He suddenly turned and ran for the doors leading down to the core. "I'm going down there! Stay here and man the command center!" Optimus called over his shoulder.

"Yes, sir!" the techie cried, saluting.

It took only a half hour for Optimus to find his way through the maze of corridors located beneath the bustling city of Iacon. His optics narrowed as he ducked a lone maintenance Autobot doing wiring down there, weaving his way past a small colony of bats that flittered overhead.

Optimus ducked down a corridor and literally ran into someone. He fell back, finding himself on his rear plate. The newcomer lay in a sprawled heap not too far from his location and he groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"Owww!" the newcomer moaned.

Optimus switched his optics to low light and he gasped as he recognized the newcomer as a Seeker. But he was of no Seeker design that Optimus was familiar with. For one thing, the wings seemed to be a bit more futuristic than even Starwing, his top space fighter. And the cockpit was designed much like the cockpit he would expect to see in one of Earth's first Mobile Suits.

The Seeker opened an optic and spoke to him in a deep calming voice. "Optimus, watch where you're going, would you?"

Optimus gasped.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

"So, you're Primus?" Optimus asked.

The Seeker nodded. "That's correct, Optimus. I am indeed Primus."

"But I don't understand. I thought that you _were_ Cybertron," Optimus murmured, placing a hand to his head.

The Seeker shook his head. "No. The form of Cybertron is my battle form. This is my real form," he said, motioning to his body. "In Cybertron Mode, my powers are greatly enhanced, but in my real body, they are more flexible."

"So, what you're saying is that Cybertron is really a Transformer-based Mobile Suit?" Optimus inquired.

Primus nodded. "You got it, Prime," he said, grinning.

"Oh…" Now Optimus understood. But one thing nagged at him. "But if your powers are enhanced in Cybertron Mode, why aren't you staying in that mode to help us fight the Dark Axis?" he asked.

Primus looked grimly at Optimus with his bright golden optics. "True my battle form may be more powerful, but you're going to need all the help you can get, including me. Plus, with my ability to draw sparks back from the Allspark, you may need me on the front lines," he said.

"But then you'll be killed!" Optimus protested.

Primus shook his head. "No. I won't. I'm a lot faster in my real body, so I'll be okay."

Optimus fell silent. He wondered if Primus was even doing the right thing…

* * *

_The next day…_

President Warren shifted through the reports regarding the battle preparations and the search for the attacker on the complex. So far things were looking good on the battle front, but things weren't looking good regarding the search for the attacker. She sighed and pushed the reports back before grabbing a cup of coffee and drinking half of it.

She placed the cup down and reached for a stack of e-screens. But before her hand could even grab the first one, the very faint hum of a space-jump in progress reached her ears. Confused, she glanced up, just in time for the flash of light to nearly blind her.

"AH!" She threw her arms up to block the light from her eyes. The light immediately began to fade and she pried open an eye when the light faded completely.

She gasped at the new Seeker in her office.

"President Warren, I wish to speak to you," the Seeker explained.

She blinked, but nodded. "Okay…"

The Seeker glanced at the door and nodded. "Good. It's locked, I see."

The President nodded. "Yeah…" Shock still flooded her body as the Seeker sat down on the floor, crossing his legs and looking her directly in the eyes. "First off, let me explain who I am and what I'm doing here."

"Yes, please do," President Warren said, finally regaining some composure. "Who _are_ you anyway?"

"Well, to being with, have you ever heard of a being called Primus?" the Seeker asked.

President Warren nodded. "Yes," she said. "But what does that have to do with you?"

"Everything," the Seeker said. "Because I _am_ Primus."

She blinked in shock and disbelief before she let out a bark of laughter. "You…Primus?" she asked.

The Seeker nodded. "It's true," he said softly. "I can assure you that I am the real deal."

"Prove it," President Warren said, smirking.

The Seeker grinned. "All right." He held up a hand and concentrated. President Warren watched with amusement as his hand began to glow with a golden light. But what happened next startled her.

A flash of light appeared in the Seeker's hand before fading in a shower of sparkles to reveal a pulsating blue orb that she recognized as a spark. Her eyes widened in shock.

"How…How'd you _do_ that?" she gasped, pointing.

The Seeker smirked. "I have the ability to bring sparks back from the Well of Allsparks," he said proudly.

"And…Primus can do that," she murmured. "And you have that same ability so…" Her eyes widened as she took in the Seeker before her. "So…you _are_ Primus!"

He nodded. "You got it."

"But, I don't get it. Why come here?" she asked.

"To tell you something," Primus said. He clenched his fist and the spark faded back into the Allspark. "I came to tell you that I'm going to be on the battlefield alongside you guys."

"On the battlefield with _us_?" President Warren gaped at him. "Are you even _serious_ about that?" she cried.

Primus nodded. "Yes. And when I say it, I mean it. The Dark Axis is more powerful now, and you're going to need all the help you can get. Especially with the final confrontation looming." He stood up and turned to look out the window at the sun glinting off the windows of the complex buildings. "It's with that in mind that I also tell you that with the fact that the Dark Axis is introducing conscription."

"We already know that," President Warren told him as she stepped up beside him. "But what's the point in exposing yourself like this?"

Primus looked down at her with bright golden optics. "To help put an end to the Dark Axis once and for all."

That was it. Right then and there, she realized something. He was exposing himself because he wanted to get a piece of the action, but also to save himself. She smiled.

"Okay, Primus. You got it," she said.

Primus grinned back. "Thanks."

After Primus had left, President Warren shuffled the stack of reports on the Dark Axis' progress. She sighed and placed them aside. The paperwork was becoming tedious, and she wanted it to at least lessen. The door buzzer chimed as the door slid open and one of her aides stepped in, carrying something.

"What is it now?" President Warren asked.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, President Warren, but I have something that was recently submitted to us," she said.

President Warren looked at the aide and took note of the screen in her grasp. "Is that another report?" she asked skeptically.

The aide shook her head. "No, Ms. President. It's not even a report at all. Instead, it's…"

* * *

_A few hours later…_

The leaders were anxious as the door to the meeting room slid shut. For once, even Metroplex had arrived, but due to his huge size, he was stationed outside Earth Command, looking at them through the window.

"All right," President Warren said. "I'm glad that all of you could make it."

"Hey. If it's this important, then we all have to be here," Seto said, eyeing her.

Metroplex nodded. "Aye. 'Tis a very rare thing for me to be here, but since I had some time off, I decided to come this time."

"Good thing, too," President Warren remarked.

"So, what's so important that you had to call us for this meeting right away?" Famous asked. "And what does it have to do with the war preparations going on?"

"Everything," President Warren said.

That was all she said as the blast shields came down, covering most of the windows except for the spot where Metroplex was looking in. The table in the center of the room began to glow. This time, however, the holographic image showed the entire universe.

"What's going on?" Seto asked.

Here President Warren took note of his questioning tone. "What's going on, Seto is that the entire universe is finally picking sides," she said seriously.

This got the entire group. "What?"

"It's true," President Warren said, nodding. "Now watch the image."

Different sectors were outlined as green energy snaked across the image. "Look here. The universe is currently divided on the issue of whether to believe us or not. But recently, most organizations have begun to pick sides," President Warren explained. "Half of the universe believes us and is therefore pledging to support us in any way they can."

Half the image flashed blue.

"And the other half?" Optimus asked.

"They're still unsure. But at least a quarter are leaning towards it," President Warren said. The bottom half of the image to the right flashed green. "And the last quarter doesn't believe us."

That segment flashed purple.

"So, what you're saying is that the universe is finally choosing who to fight for?" Cassie asked in shock.

President Warren nodded. "Exactly."

* * *

**Around the same** outside the outskirts, the man who had attacked the complex snarled as he studied the complex. So far things were not looking so good. Somehow they had evaded falling by finding a new power supply. Or maybe they had a backup.

If that were the case, then he would have to catch them off guard somehow.

The man knelt down in front of a flat rock and pulled out a map he had been given by Cypher. He spread it out and ran a finger along it, his eyes raking over the location of each of the defenses. He spat in anger at the fact that the spaceport was more heavily armed than the rest of the complex.

He had a pretty good idea why, too.

He sat back and began to ponder his options. He knew that Cypher wanted the Federation destroyed. So…

At that moment, as if a small flame of darkness had sprouted, an idea formed in his mind. He looked at the complex, and sneered. He knew how he was going to take them down!

And no one could stop him!


	102. Battle for Earth Command!

Chapter 3

The first thing that everyone noticed was that something dark was beginning to form outside the complex to the north. The dark orb that was emerging from the ground grew larger and larger, growing in size until it towered high above Earth Command.

President Warren took notice of the dimming light and she turned to face the leader of Gigantian. "Metroplex, could you please move?" she asked.

Metroplex cocked an optic ridge. "Pardon?"

"I asked you if you could move," President Warren repeated.

"'Tis not my doing," the Transformer said.

"But…if it's not your doing…" Now confused, President Warren approached the window and peered out past Metroplex's head. Her eyes widened as she took in the massive orb of dark energy growing. "What in Primus name is _that!_" she cried, pointing.

Metroplex turned just as the others came to the window.

Shock etched itself onto Seto's face. "Oh crap!" he murmured.

"What is that thing?" Ciel cried.

Metroplex frowned and narrowed his optics, homing in on the location. "It seems to be thirty-five miles to the north," he reported.

"Thirty-five miles…That's five miles beyond the sensors!" Seto exclaimed.

Metroplex nodded. "Yes. And it keeps growing in size."

"How large is that gonna get?" Famous snapped, looking at him.

"I think it's reached its limit," Sandra said.

The leaders shifted their gazes skyward. Sure enough, the massive orb of dark and maroon energy was now large enough to block out the sun within a fifty-mile diameter. President Warren frowned as she watched it.

Then, it exploded.

* * *

**_BUH-WHOOM!_**

Almost immediately the orb exploded, sending out a shockwave of incredible proportions, rocking the buildings and causing an eerie moan to emit from the entire complex. Several windows shattered and a few cracks appeared in the streets.

When Earth Command had been constructed, the best engineers of each world had contributed ideas and specifications to the project. It had been decided amongst them to build the complex to be able to withstand some major assaults. The buildings were built with energon steel beams and workings. The exteriors were made out of energon concrete and energon glass. As a result, they were incredibly durable.

One could drop a nuke beside the complex and it would still be standing after the shockwave had faded. In fact, the only way to destroy Earth Command was to drop a nuke right over the center of the city.

But no one even bothered to consider that fact, mostly because the incredible durability was kept secret from everyone, including the inhabitants.

The smoke spread outward in all directions, enveloping the complex and forcing residents to take cover inside the buildings. Cars were sent sailing and crashing into several other cars, causing explosions to ignite. The buildings were impacted by a few flying cars, but they shrugged off the assault like it was nothing. Parked starfighters were tossed around like leaves in the wind and over by the docks, warships, freighter ships, passenger ships, and cargo ships were tossed in the waves caused by the shockwave. Screeching was heard as the ships impacted against one another, forcing dock workers to cover their ears.

At Earth Command Central itself, President Warren grabbed the window and swiftly closed it, shutting out the smoke. The force of the shockwave struck the building and nearly blew open the window, but she grunted and pushed against it to keep it closed.

The building rocked from the shockwave, but it didn't fall.

An eerie silence fell over everyone.

President Warren pried open an eye and stood up, looking at the closed window as if she could see beyond it into the smoke. "What…happened?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"That orb…or whatever it was…just exploded," Seto murmured in shock.

"But why?" Sandra asked. "And what kind of orb was that? Was it a new Dark Axis weapon?"

"I doubt it," Optimus said. "There is no way the Dark Axis could develop something like that."

"But then what was that?" Shie-rae wondered.

"Guys, the smoke's beginning to clear," Override said.

"What?" The leaders approached the window as President Warren grasped the edges and slowly opened the window.

She glanced down and gasped. She could see the form Metroplex sprawled against the main building, his optics squinted shut in pain. "Metroplex! Are you okay?" she called.

A weak groan confirmed his status. She sighed with relief before lifting her gaze up towards the sky.

The orb was gone. But something was different. Large smog clumps were forming in the air as dark purple energy began to float upward from outside the complex boundaries. She stared in silent shock as the energy began to coalesce into a formation of some kind.

"What in Primus name is going on?" she whispered, shaking her head.

"I think that we're about to be attacked," Seto murmured.

That simple remark was enough to have her realize the truth. Earth Command was in danger, and they needed to be at the ready. She whirled and pushed past the startled leaders in her hurry to leave the meeting room. She didn't bother to answer their questions.

Tense feelings filled her body and thoughts of the worst flowed around in her mind. Tactics were forming in her mind as she neared her desk. She grabbed the comm unit and pressed it. Simultaneously, her hand went for the alarm button on her desk.

"Attention Earth Command!" she barked into the comm. "This President Warren! We are about to be attacked! I repeat we are about to be—"

She never got any further because right then there was a huge explosion from the spaceport. President Warren dropped the comm unit and pressed a button to show the scene at the site of attack. The screen popped up, but there was nothing but static.

Swearing loudly, she took her finger off the alarm button and ran for the nearest emergency alarm switch. She grabbed it and pulled down.

The emergency alarm was meant to warn of an attack or invasion, and as she pulled the lever, she knew the truth: Earth Command was being invaded.

For a long while, the alarm didn't go off. She feared that it was destroyed, but in truth, it was already blaring loudly, alerting the complex residents and military personnel to the attack. Soldiers scrambled to get their weapons or to get to their starfighters, but due to the suddenness of the attack, they barely got fifty feet before they were stopped in their tracks by unknown attackers. Several soldiers fell with a scream and only two managed to wound their assailants before being killed.

The attackers moved closer, swiftly overrunning the spaceport and capturing the spacebridges.

President Warren cursed as she watched the scene. How was this happening so fast? It just didn't make any sense.

Then, the realization hit home.

"The orb…it was a dimensional portal!" she cried, her words echoing in the office.

"It was?" Seto asked as he ran out of the meeting room.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. I think so, anyway. But that would explain the suddenness of the attack," she said.

"I see," Seto murmured.

"But who's attacking us so quickly?" Sandra wondered.

"I think I can take a wild guess," President Warren said. "The perpetrator who attacked us and destroyed the generators."

"Anything else?" Ciel asked.

"I think that the attacker is also the Dark Axis' organic ally," President Warren added.

That was enough for them.

"Okay! We may as well fight back!" Cassie pointed out. "Because if Earth Command falls, then the whole organization collapses. And we can't allow that."

"Cassie's right. We need to fight back," Optimus said.

President Warren nodded. "Right."

She turned and ran out of the office, followed by her friends.

They ran right up to the roof, just in time to take in the entire battle.

President Warren gasped as she took in the massive army attacking them. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before in all her life. In the front were creatures that vaguely resembled apes. The differences from regular apes was the big black mask with the spiral on the front and the tentacles branching out from the forehead, along with the maroon/red pattern on their backs.

Above all of these 'shadow apes' were creatures that had heads shaped like a lion's mane and the glowing symbols on them. The wings were shaped like bats' wings, but darker in color. A screeching sound was coming from their mouths and the 'squawkers' were dive-bombing the civilians and soldiers alike.

A smaller version of them darted around before speeding back to the larger version and pointing out good locations for attack.

President Warren blinked in shock before rubbing her eyes.

"What are those things?" she asked.

"I think those are the attackers," Sandra mused.

"Then we need to get in there and fight back!" Seto spat.

"Right!"

As the massive army moved in closer, President Warren noticed that the dark energy was rising up from all around them. The buildings, cars, and streets were changing color, becoming darker and more sinister looking. She turned back, taking note of the shield generators. They too became darker, but something wasn't right. The beam that marked the energon grid wasn't emitting from it and she realized that the energy was drained.

"That dark energy…it's draining our laser defenses!" she blurted.

"What makes you think we don't know that?" Seto snapped as he grabbed his communicator. He pressed the button and activated it.

"Okay, everyone! Listen up! This is Seto Kaiba! Our home is under attack, so I want everyone to form into civilian militias and take up defense of the vital points near Earth Command Central and the main gate! We need to defend our home at all costs!" he barked.

The frenzied defenders began to calm down and take the fight into their own hands. Different groups that were cornered took the initiative to try and counterattack.

But the invaders were just moving too swiftly for them. The defenders of Earth Command were overwhelmed and put into pockets, much like the attack during 1941 when the Soviet Union was invaded by Nazi Germany. President Warren noticed this eerie resemblance and put a hand to her mouth in realization. "This is just like when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union," she murmured. She shook her head and forced herself to regain control of the situation. "But that doesn't mean we can't fight back!"

She turned to face her friends. "We have to hold them here or else!" she said. "It's time to fight!"

"YEAH!" the leaders cheered.

* * *

**He smirked as** he approached with his invasion force. The attack had been swift, and he had captured those three spacebridges with no trouble. The defenders were too easy to defeat if they were caught off guard. And since he had attacked so suddenly, now he was able to keep the advantage, although he recalled Cypher telling him about the enemy's tendency to adapt to any situation that was thrown their way. He laughed.

How could such pathetic humans have the ability to attack again now that they lost their spacebridges and the spaceport? Such idiocy.

He chuckled as he watched the defenders start to erect makeshift barricades to hold back the Twilight Beasts he had summoned. There was no way the Beasts could be taken down without a fight. Those barricades, he assumed, were for the tanks they thought had come with. They were useless against a huge number of Twilight Beasts.

He crouched before he hopped off and landed on the ground in front of a group of soldiers aiming their light rifles. He chuckled as the beams charged, but then were absorbed by the twilight energy emitting from the ground. The defenders dropped their weapons in shock before turning and running back into the depths of the city.

This was too easy!

He aimed his hand at a group of men trying to erect a catapult and sent a blast of telekinetic energy in their direction, knocking them away from the device. He approached it, stepping around their still bodies and examined it with a laugh.

The catapult was nothing more than a mere slab of metal with a hydraulic ram to propel it forward. That was the best they could come up with?

He turned away from the catapult and focused his energy into his signature Energy Ball and fired it off at a small team of soldiers. The ball exploded, killing them swiftly.

Now this was going to be easier than Cypher claimed.

He shifted his gaze to the main building fifteen miles inward. He sneered. Soon, this place would fall and he would be rewarded beyond belief.

* * *

**Josh Wilcox, a** forty-year-old businessman, watched as the shadow apes lumbered through the complex, tossing aside civilians and chucking debris from the initial explosions at children. He gripped his laser sword and charged at one of the shadow apes with a cry.

"HAAAAAH!" He swung the blue blade down, but before it made contact with the creature, a small square of dark energy made contact with his sword and the weapon sparked before shutting down. Josh lowered it in shock before he tossed it aside and grabbed a piece of metal that was lying at his feet. He swung the metal.

A disgusting sound came as the metal cleaved the head right off, sending it rolling into the mob of shadow apes in one swift motion. Josh stood and dodged a punch from one of the apes before shoving the metal forward and stabbing the creature through the chest.

A loud shriek caught him off guard and he turned, barely dodging a squawker as it tried to grab him and pick him up. He twisted his body and tossed the slab of metal like a boomerang. The metal spun through the air and cut the squawker right in half, sending blood and guts onto the street below.

Josh watched it with disgust, but he forced it from his mind. This was war, after all.

He turned picked up a second metal slab before he suddenly stopped.

In the midst of the frenzied defense, he could hear the faint shriek of a missile's engine. He dove to the side as the projectile came streaking through the air and exploded against a nearby shadow ape cluster, killing them.

Josh got hit by the shockwave. He grimaced as the pain shot through his body and he instantly felt bad for his two kids and partner. He hoped that his partner would take care of the children, especially since he wasn't coming home that night.

Josh Wilcox died in combat, but it was for a good cause, as always.

* * *

**The man laughed** maniacally as the defender died in front of him. Tears streamed from his eyes. This was just too fun. He had never even realized how fun it actually was to take them on. He figured Cypher was wrong. There was just no way anyone could fight him off when attacked at such high speeds!

He watched as a Radio plucked a soldier and dropped him from a height of fifty meters. The soldier died horribly on impact and he grinned.

"Now, my pets! Attack with everything you have!" he cried excitedly.

The Radios, Keese, and Twilight Beasts roared and cried in response to his command. "Destroy them and take this place for the Dark Axis!"

The defenders seemed to become more frantic, fear overriding their logic and forcing them into a free-for-all. He laughed and raised his hands skyward. "Now, let it be known that I have taken them down!" he crowed.

"NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT!" a collective voice cried out.

"Hmm?" He turned just as the leaders came swarming out of the frenzy, their eyes flashing with determination.

He sneered. "Well, well. If it isn't the Intergalactic Federation leaders," he purred.

"Why are you attacking us?" the woman in command demanded.

He smirked. "To defeat you once and for all," he murmured.

"Well, that's not going to happen in a long time!" the woman spat.

"Oh, really? Do you think that you can stop me, Zant? The ruler of the Twilight Realm?" he chuckled.

"We'll see about that!" the red-armored man spat.

Zant grinned. "Bring it on, scum!"

* * *

**President Warren drew** back her fist and charged at him, unleashing a powerful punch, but Zant dodged swiftly, despite the armor he was wearing. She lashed out with a kick to the side, only for Zant to sneer as he grabbed her leg and tossed her aside with one well placed throw.

"AAAAAAH!" She landed on her back and went skidding for five meters before she sat up and rubbed her head. "Owww!"

"President Warren!" Seto turned, only to get a powerful punch to the jaw, forcing him back. He sat up and rubbed the blood off his mouth. "Oh, that's it!" he spat. He reached into his pocket and drew out a single barrel shotgun.

He pulled the trigger, but Zant smirked.

In a flash, the bullet bounced off something in front of him and the recoil sent Seto skidding onto his back.

"Seto!" Mokuba ran up to the CEO and helped him sit up. "Are you all right?"

Seto groaned, but nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine, bro."

Mokuba sighed in relief, but that was short lived as Zant grabbed him by his vest and tossed him aside. "YAAAH!"

"Mokuba!" Seto cried.

Zant grinned as he used his telekinetic powers to send the others sprawling, along with the President.

She skidded a good five meters, her body getting battered and beaten from the ground and several other injuries she obtained in the fight to get out of Earth Command Central.

President Warren grimaced as she stared at the man before her. His eyes glinted with pure evil as a smirk crossed his face.

"Well, President Warren? Are you willing to surrender now?" he asked.

"N-Never in a million years!" she hissed through the pain of her injuries.

"Oh, well too bad. I was hoping to see you die before my very eyes as you were dropped into the acid pits," the man purred.

"You're sick!" she spat.

"No. I'm not. I'm just like you, but different. I am your worst enemy!" Zant sneered, spreading his arms to either side.

President Warren's eyes widened in shock as he lowered his arms.

Now they were sure to lose.

Or so she thought.

Zant turned and waved to two of his shadow apes. "Grab her. I want to talk to her."

As the two creatures advanced, she grimaced and pushed herself to her feet. She stood up shakily despite a twisted ankle and three broken ribs. She held her side and looked Zant directly in the eyes. "You're never getting us to surrender!" she hissed.

"Oh? Why not?" Zant asked mockingly.

"Because we have a dream…and we're gonna see it through to the end!" President Warren roared. The other leaders charged from all different directions, their attacks or weapons powered or ready to fire. Zant sneered as he simply waved his hand, sending all of them sprawling again. All except for Shie-rae. She flipped and skidded before chucking a rock at him. The rock bounced off something in front of him and she gasped.

"What?"

"Like it? This is my barrier," Zant purred. "No matter how hard you try, you can't penetrate it."

"Oh, yeah?" Seto asked.

"Yes," Zant said, grinning.

Seto growled as he gripped a grenade and armed it, chucking it head on at Zant. The grenade bounced off and exploded against the ground, causing all the leaders to cry out in pain as the light forced them to cover their eyes.

Seto snarled in frustration.

"How about this!" Zero cried. He drew back his fist and punched, but the barrier Zant had thrown up sent him flying.

"ZEEEEROOO!" Ciel screamed.

The Reploid flipped in the air and landed on the ground beside Sandra. "I'm okay," he assured Ciel.

The scientist sighed before looking Zant right in the eyes.

"Okay, Zant! This is it!" she spat.

"Oh, really? Well, from what I see, the advantage lies in my hands," he remarked.

"Not for long," President Warren murmured. She knew that sooner or later, they would get the upper hand. The only question now was how long it took.

* * *

**Date: 29 November 2009**

**Location: Earth Command**

**Time: 1600, 12:00 am, Local Time**

The battle for Earth Command raged for nine long hours, the main gate having been taken recently. The suburbs were already on the attack, the residents fighting back with long-range missiles and mortar guns. Machine guns blazed paths through the ranks of the shadow apes and air-to-air missiles blasted down the squawkers in huge numbers. Already half the citizens were falling back to Earth Command Central to defend the building from attack. But no one knew that deep within Area 51 there was a top secret meeting taking place.

Commander Stone watched the battle with a grim look on his face. Then he turned from the screen to face Link. "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked.

Link stepped forward. "This," he said. He swept an arm at the screen behind the commander. The team assembled turned to face it. "As you can clearly see, Zant and his forces are launching an all out assault to no doubt take Earth Command and cause the Federation to fall. The situation right now is pretty grim, especially when you take into account the fact that the twilight energy Zant is using cancels out all weapons that use lasers as the primary firepower."

He held up a pistol that had been touched by the dark energy squares. "If the twilight energy touches anything else, it is altered in color, but not function," Link explained. "Except that Federation weaponry such as regular pistols are enhanced somewhat. The enhancement is subtle, but it's there."

"Is there any way to defeat his forces?" a soldier inquired.

Link nodded. "Yes, but you have to also realize something." He pointed at the shadow apes. "You see those beasts?"

An engineer nodded. "Yeah. Those shadow apes are crawling all over the place," she said.

"Those 'shadow apes' as you call them are the main infantry for Zant," Link explained. "However, you must kill _all_ of them, because if you don't, then the last one standing screeches and the fallen apes return to life, without any injuries. No matter what you do, they will keep coming back."

"So, it's just like our technology, but different," a scientist mused.

"Close to it," Link admitted. "The truth is these creatures use twilight energy to create magical energy that can bring back the dead. It's unheard of here, but it can be done."

"What about those squawkers?" an airman asked.

"Those you can kill with a well placed air-to-air missile," Link said.

"Hold up. What about Zant? We need to do something about him or it's all over for everyone!" a female sergeant snapped.

"And that is why I'm here," Link told her. He adjusted the screen and pointed a finger at Zant. "He's one of the most ruthless men I've ever faced. However, he also has a tendency to be a bit reckless too. He takes action without considering the consequences, although I think he may have been trained by someone else, presumably the leader of the Dark Axis, to not flinch at whatever you throw at him."

Link adjusted himself and continued speaking. "Zant has telekinetic powers and can unleash a ball of dark maroon energy called the Energy Ball. He can use it as a shield, an attack, or even for summoning. He can also teleport. But the real problem that we face is the fact that he possesses the ability to create barriers that are impenetrable to whatever you throw at him." Here he hesitated. "You could drop a nuke on him and the explosive force wouldn't even dent it!"

"So, then how are we supposed to penetrate the barrier if it can't be broken?" Commander Stone asked.

Link grinned. "That's where this comes in." He reached up and removed the sword from his back, laying it down on the table in front of the team. "Watch."

He drew it out of the sheath partly.

Almost instantly, the blade began to glow with a bright light, forcing the assembled soldiers and technicians to cover their eyes. "AH!"

The light began to die down slightly, enough for them to lower their arms. There was absolute silence as they stared at the glowing blade. It was shining with a beautiful sunlight yellow light, reminding them of the sun in some way. "What…what happened to your sword?" Commander Stone whispered.

"This is what happens when the Master Sword comes into contact with the Twilight Realm's energy," Link explained. "It uses light energy, but it's also magical energy. It's kind of hard to explain, but to put it simply, the energy created by the blade cancels out the twilight energy used by Zant. It's the only weapon that actually works."

"So, in a sense, we need to develop a weapon that could counteract the energy used by Zant to penetrate the barrier?" Commander Stone asked.

Link nodded. "Exactly. The sooner we can do so, the better."

"But how will we create this weapon?" a weapons specialist asked.

"That is up to you to decide. I provided the blueprints. It's all up to you to create the rest," Link told him.

Commander Stone nodded. "Okay, people. Let's start coming up with some ideas." He clasped his hands together. "What have we got?"

The sergeant raised her hand. "What about a missile?" she asked.

Stone shook his head. "Sorry. We need something that utilizes the energy created by the Master Sword. A missile won't work."

The engineer stood up. "Well, remember the Penetration Principle?" she asked.

The base commander nodded. "Yes. But what's your point, Sarah?" he asked.

Sarah smirked. "My point is this, sir. Recall that the Penetration Principle says that the more focused a beam's energy, the more penetration power it possesses. Our lasers work around that principle, as do a lot of our other weapons, such as energon-tipped missiles and the drills."

"So?" the scientist remarked, cocking an eyebrow.

"What I'm saying is that we can use the Penetration Principle to develop a weapon using the kind of energy needed to cancel out the twilight energy Link told us about," she said.

"But just how are we going to create the energy we need?" the weapons specialist blurted, waving his arms.

"Fred, we're going to use an energy pulser," Sarah explained. "We can reverse engineer it to take in twilight energy and convert it into energy that we can use in the form of a laser. If we can hook up the pulser to a main laser cannon, then the cannon will be able to fire a beam that consists of the energy that covers Link's sword when in the Twilight Realm."

Commander Stone looked at her. "And how long will it take to complete?" he asked. "We have a very slim time margin in which to get this done."

Sarah grew serious as she looked at him. "If we combine our efforts, it should take less than twelve hours. Otherwise it would take three months to perfect. As it is, we don't have the time to fully test it. We'll have to get it whipped up and transported to Earth Command in a short time period."

Link nodded. "So let's get to work."

* * *

**The team worked** into the afternoon of the next day, analyzing and reverse engineering the energy pulser. A few technical problems were hurriedly patched up and before they knew it, they were done. Link looked at the reverse engineered pulser with an incredulous look.

"That's it?" he asked.

Commander Stone nodded. "That's it."

The pulser was now altered in a very fundamental way. Unlike the original design where it was shaped like a circle with points spreading out in four directions, the shape was now that of a single rod with a focuser on the front. That was where the energy was drawn in. A gauge on the side marked the energy level and a small container in the middle held the energy.

Link prodded the new device. "It looks like you just built something new," he remarked.

Stone scowled. "Well, trust me. This is a reverse engineered pulser, despite the new shape."

Link hefted it. "So, it looks like I'm gonna be the one to go?" he asked.

Commander Stone nodded. "Yes, Link. If anyone can deliver this, it's you. Just be careful. A starfighter will take you straight there."

Link nodded. "Thanks."

He turned and ran off, the pulser now draped over one shoulder. He was careful to maintain a firm grip on the thing as he ducked down a few corridors to the main launch bay. Already a military transport starfighter was moving for takeoff. He increased his pace and extended a hand. A soldier leaned out and grasped his hand in a firm grip, hauling the Hyrulean into the craft swiftly. Link landed on his knees, looking at the pulser.

The craft's door closed up as it taxied to the runway. Link got into a seat and buckled up, holding the pulser in both hands.

"You ready?" the pilot asked, leaning over.

Link nodded his head. "Hit it."

The pilot nodded back. He turned to face forward and he pushed the throttle to full. A rush of speed forced Link back into his seat. He gritted his teeth as the gravity nearly tore the pulser from his grasp. He tightened his grip and held it closer to his chest. He couldn't lose it. He just couldn't. Everything hinged on this new device. If it broke…

Then all was lost for everyone.

The starfighter sped through the sky, its engines pushed to the maximum. It became nothing but a blur of speed as it reached its atmospheric cruising altitude of 50,000 feet, flying at 650 miles per hour. Link peered out the portholes that dotted the side, watching the clouds beneath. He sighed and sat back in his seat. Now that they were at maximum speed, he was able to move without the intense gravity pressing against his body.

The soldier looked at the pulser with skepticism on her face. "So, how is that thing going to help the fight at Earth Command?" she asked.

Link studied the device as he spoke. "According to Commander Stone, it will be able to draw in twilight energy and convert it to the energy used in the Master Sword when it's in the Twilight Realm. But as to whether it will work on a cannon or not is to be tested. We didn't have time to test it," he admitted.

The soldier blinked in shock. "What? You didn't even test it?"

Link shook his head. "We didn't have time."

The two were silent as the pilot steered the starfighter on a course for Earth Command. It was a full two hours before they reached Earth Command.

Link peered out the porthole as the craft descended to 30,000 feet and his eyes widened at the intense fighting raging around the complex. Missiles were flying forth from mobile launchers and machine gun flashes could be seen from the air. Twilight Beasts and Radios were attacking the defenders in brutal hand-to-hand street fighting, and many bodies were falling. A few defenders armed with flamethrowers scorched the bodies of the Twilight Beasts, killing them on the spot. Some were cleaved in half and so on.

He spotted Zant and his breath caught in his throat. The evil ruler was not too far from Earth Command Central's boundaries. "NO!" he yelled.

"Hold on, Link!" the pilot called. "I'm gonna circle down for the drop. Once I reach 24,000 feet, it's go time!"

Link nodded as he got out of his seat. He headed for the rear of the starfighter as the pilot put it into a slow dive. Link adjusted his position, gripping the pulser in both hands like a battle staff. He tensed as the light flashed blue. He had to be ready. He placed the oxygen mask on and took in a few breaths. It was almost time.

A few minutes passed before the light flashed green. The door opened up, sending air rushing out. Link kept a firm grip on the pulser and planted his feet as he narrowed his eyes against the rush of air. The door kept opening and a piece of paper that was loose was sucked out. Link struggled to remain in place as the door opened to maximum width. He crouched and jumped as hard as he could. He fell out of the starfighter into freefall.

He took one hand off the pulser and spread his arms and legs to increase his body's surface area. His eyes were screwed shut but he pried them open. Almost immediately they began to water, but he kept them open. He had to, for the accuracy of his landing to be precise.

He also had to avoid the firefights raging. If he got killed…

Then no one would be able to deliver the pulser in time.

Link gasped as he noticed a missile heading his way. He gripped the pulser and pointed his body downward in a dive. He dove straight down before he spread his arms and legs again, slowing his descent. He grabbed the rip cord for the parachute he had put on prior to his jump and pulled hard. Immediately the parachute opened and the chute itself came out, extending upward before opening with a familiar jolt. Link put the pulser in the belt of the harness and grasped the toggles for the chute.

He tugged sharply on the left toggle and he drifted to the right to avoid a barrage of bullets arching upward. He glanced at the digital altitude marker in front of his face before looking down at his landing spot. The roof of Earth Command was coming up, and judging by the amount of defenders surrounding the building, it was clear to him that the Federation was giving it everything they had to prevent the forces of Zant from getting through.

Link jerked on the right toggle and he swerved to the left, evading a Radio that tried to dive bomb him from higher up. He transferred the toggle to his free hand and grabbed his sword, drawing it out in a blur of shining yellow-white light. He pulled on the toggles, adjusting his flight path and swinging his sword with his left hand. The blade cut through a Radio as it sped upward at him, screeching loudly. The Radio's lifeless body fell and he sheathed his sword before grasping the left toggle in his right hand with his left.

He pulled down hard on both toggles and the chute slowed his descent. He extended his legs out and landed on the roof of Earth Command fifteen minutes later, panting from his fights in midair. He grabbed the chute's harness and detached himself from the rigging. He removed the pulser from the belt and ran right for the main cannon.

It was now or never.

* * *

**Zant sneered as **President Warren dodged his blows. She was panting heavily, and her injuries weren't helping in any way, but she wasn't giving up.

Seto knelt and fired off three more shots from his pistol at the barrier Zant had thrown up around himself. He laughed as the bullets bounced off ineffectively. Seto cursed as he dodged his own shots. "Great! Just great! How are we gonna break that barrier?" he asked.

"How should I know?" Zero snapped. "As you can see, the rest of us aren't armed with conventional pistols like you are!"

"Enough!" Sandra cried. "We need to keep focusing on the battle!" She dodged an Energy Ball and gripped the piece of pipe she was using as a battle staff tightly. She let out a yell as she charged him, jumping into the air, the point held at the ready.

But, like the others before her, she was sent sprawling by the barrier. Her pipe landed beside her, clattering onto the cracked pavement. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head. Shie-rae ran over to help her, followed by Mimi and Tyre.

President Warren gripped her chest as her broken ribs sent agony throughout her upper body. She hissed in pain, but didn't even back down as she dodged a second blow from Zant.

"Face it! You can't win!" Zant crowed.

"We're not giving up!" Seto snapped.

"Why fight against a hopeless cause?" Zant purred. "Face it. The Dark Axis will win and change the universe for the better!"

"Change the universe for the _better_?" Seto cried. "You sick freaks don't even know the meaning of the word!"

"That's right! We've seen what you do and what you think of organics!" Mimi screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Why even go to those extremes? All because you think that mechanical beings are better than organics?"

Zant sneered. "Of course, fools! Organics such as yourselves are weak, and must be terminated!"

"But you're an organic yourself!" Famous snapped, pointing a finger at him. "And yet you think otherwise! Why?"

"Because I am in the same team. They will leave me alone, even if I am an organic," Zant said, his sneer becoming larger.

"Enough is enough! Whether you think of us as weak or not, we will stop you!' General Pepper roared. He gripped his gun and fired off three slugs at him.

Zant merely yawned as the barrier deflected the bullets. "Pathetic," he murmured.

"Not as pathetic as this!" Metroplex roared. He had come to his senses and was now ready for action. He grabbed his axe and raised it skyward. "CYBER KEY POWER!"

The Cyber Key streaked down from the heavens, but before it could enter Metroplex's axe, the artifact vanished, absorbed by the twilight energy around them. Metroplex lowered his axe, staring in confusion.

"METROPLEX! LOOK OUT!" Optimus cried.

Metroplex turned just in time to see a wave of shadow apes charging at him. The massive Transformer was swamped by them and he fell with a cry. President Warren and her friends took the opportunity to scatter rather than be crushed under him.

She glanced back as Metroplex landed on the pavement with a loud _CRASH!_

"Metroplex!" she screamed, running over to his form, now barely visible under the mound of shadow apes.

"President Warren, Metroplex can handle himself! We have ourselves to worry about!" Shie-rae yelled.

President Warren dodged an Energy Ball as it impacted the ground where she had been a few seconds prior. "This isn't looking too good," she panted.

"Why not?" Steven asked. Due to the close confines of the battle, he was resorting to hand-to-hand rather than with his Pokemon.

"We're running out of time. We need to fall back to Earth Command Central," President Warren rasped.

"And what good would that do, huh?" Scourge cried.

"The roof," President Warren said, pointing at the top of the structure. "That will provide us with a good area of sight around the battlefield. It will also enable us to hold out longer because we'll be able to chuck grenades and fire missiles farther distances."

"But we can only do so much!" Ciel cried. "We can't possibly defend the whole building ourselves!"

"Well, we can at least try!" President Warren snapped.

"She's right. If we don't try, then all is lost!" Seto said.

Ciel opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. She knew when she was beaten.

Zant laughed, catching them all off guard. They turned and gasped as he approached, his barrier protecting him from harm. "Now, time to finish this," he purred.

Their eyes widened in shock and horror.

They were doomed.


	103. Feelings Come Forth!

Chapter 4

They were doomed unless a miracle occurred. Not one of them had planned for anything like this, so they were unsure of what to do, let alone how to mount an effective counterattack. Zant held the cards, and all they had was hope, but not even hope was enough this time. They needed a real miracle.

And one such miracle was coming.

Zant looked up, hearing something like a loud cry. He wondered for a moment if one of his Radios was engaged in battle with one of the aerial defenders, but then a glint of steel caught his eye. He turned to face the spot and his eyes widened in shock and amazement as the form of his archenemy Tymera materialized above the battlefield, her sword drawn back and ready for the strike. "WHAT?"

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Tymera drew back her blade, now glowing an intense multicolored energy that he knew all too well, having faced it multiple times before. "SHOCKWAVE OF TIME!"

She slashed as hard as she could, the brightly colored shockwave tearing through the sky, homing in right on his barrier. The shockwave impacted against the barrier with a massive explosion, forcing him to cover his eyes in shock. His concentration, which had been focused on winning the battle, was now diverted to thoughts of how it was possible Tymera was here, of all places!

He recalled Cypher saying that none of his enemies would even be here, and yet, here was Tymera! Had Cypher lied to him? No. It wasn't possible, but then, why was Tymera here to begin with? Was it possible that she had caught onto his plans?

No. That was impossible.

He suddenly remembered something else Cypher had told him. "_The Federation has…a talent…for accomplishing the most impossible of tasks._"

Had they gotten a message out to Tymera without him knowing it?

All kinds of scenarios filled his mind, distracting him from the battle long enough for the barrier to waver.

President Warren took notice of this and her eyes widened in shock. "Hey! The barrier's wavering!" she murmured.

"Then that may be the advantage we need!" Seto snapped. He aimed his gun and fired until the rounds were empty. He ejected the empty clip and slammed a full one home.

The bullets struck the barrier, but Zant by now had recovered enough focus to get the barrier stable again. But not before one round struck Zant in the arm.

Blood gushed out of the hole, forcing Zant to look down in pure shock. His orange eyes widened at the sight of the blood. "How…?" he whispered.

"NOW!" Sandra cried.

Famous nodded and grabbed the PET on his belt. He held it skyward. "PET ACTIVATE! TRANSPORT!" he cried.

The device began to glow and the light enveloped all the leaders. The light became a ball and it streaked upward towards Earth Command Central's roof. Within a minute, it materialized on the roof, fading from around their bodies to reveal them standing in the middle of the roof.

"Good thinking," President Warren rasped.

"I figured I would be able to, just this once," Famous said as he clipped his PET to his belt. "It's a one time deal, though," he added with a sheepish grin.

"And it's a good thing, too," Steven remarked.

"So, now what?" Sandra asked.

"We try and…" The President's voice trailed off as she noticed Link standing beside the main cannon, a strange rod held in one hand. "Link?"

The warrior turned to face them and nodded. "Yes."

The leaders ran up, eager to see him. "What took you?" Ciel asked.

He hefted the rod in one hand and grinned. "We had to develop something that may be of some use," he said.

"What is that thing?" Cassie inquired, pointing to the rod.

Link hefted it again and spoke. "This is apparently a reverse engineered pulser, but I doubt it," he said. "It's supposed to be able to take in twilight energy and convert it to the same energy that the Master Sword radiates when in the Twilight Realm, Zant's homeland."

"Trust Commander Stone to come up with something like this," Seto murmured as President Warren took the device.

"We're supposed to hook it up to the main cannon," Link explained. "It will channel the energy into the weapon and enable it to penetrate through the enemy's barrier."

"The Penetration Principle," Sandra murmured. "Of course!"

"Yeah. Now can we get this thing hooked up? Because we're running out of time!" Override cried from over by the railing.

"She's right. Battle first, talking later!" Pepper said.

The others nodded and they ran for the cannon.

Down below, Zant was fighting Tymera as shock pounded through his veins. He wanted to desperately know how she had arrived here in this land and in this complex.

"How did you end up here?" he cried.

"The Sword of Time! That's how!" Tymera spat.

Zant snarled and fired off an Energy Ball, but Tymera smirked and slashed, unleashing a Shockwave of Time at his attack, causing it to fizzle out. He hissed as she spun her sword before placing it on her shoulder.

"Give up?" she asked.

"Never!" Zant hissed.

He crouched and jumped, waving to a few Radios. One of them circled before flying towards him and grabbing him in its talons. He had to retreat for now in order to get a better idea of how to go about causing their complex to fall.

He knew that the Twilight Beasts would keep on fighting and regenerating. That would buy him some time to come up with a new plan of attack. He waved a hand and around him and his Radio the barrier appeared.

Better to be safe than sorry, right?

* * *

**President Warren glanced** at Seto who was watching the retreating figure of Zant through telescopic binoculars. "He's fleeing," the CEO reported.

"Any idea why?" Sandra asked him.

"Maybe it's because of that girl's appearance," Seto told her. "It seems she and him have fought once before."

"Who is that girl?" President Warren asked Link.

"That is Tymera, the Heroine of Time. You'd better watch out for her Shockwave of Time," Link explained.

"What does that do?" Cassie inquired.

"It either destroys enemies by aging them to dust or warps them to a new timeline or location in the same timeline," the warrior told her.

"Oh boy," Cassie murmured.

"Enough about that!" Pepper barked. "How much longer on wiring that pulser into the cannon?"

"Hey! This isn't that easy, you know!" Ciel snapped. "You try it and tell me if it's easy or not!"

"I think he's asking how much time is left," Zero whispered to her.

"Oh." Ciel grew thoughtful before she looked at the Cornerian general. "About two more minutes. Then we'll be good to go."

"And not a moment too soon!" Optimus said. "One of those shadow apes just screeched and the rest are coming back!"

"Just one more minute…" Ciel murmured.

"They're going to attack the last line of defenders!" Scourge yelled.

President Warren bit her lower lip. "C'mon…"

She was startled by Ciel who let out a chirp of happiness. "It's good to go!" she chirped.

"All right! Finally!" Pepper cried, waving his arms.

"Powering up the pulser now!" Ciel said. She pressed the button on the shaft and immediately the focuser began to glow with energy, drawing in the nearest twilight energy squares. The gauge flashed as each one was sucked in, filling it up to maximum. The container filled up with the energy as it transformed from darkness to pure light. The light swirled around in the container before solidifying into an energy cell.

The process went on for a half hour as the defenders of the complex were pushed ever farther back. President Warren watched in anticipation of the worst as the energy cell suddenly flashed green, then red, then blue. "We're good to go!" Ciel cried.

"Powering up the cannon now!" Seto said as he ran for the controls.

He reached them just as a squawker dove down from the sky, only to meet the end of Scourge's sword. The squawker fell to a gruesome end just as Seto reached the control console.

"Okay! Here we go!" he murmured. He grasped the power switch and pulled it down with every ounce of his strength. The switch flipped down with an audible _klang_ against the side of the weapon. The cannon shuddered as it powered up.

Everyone watched the pulser with anxiety as the energy began to transfer. Fear that they would lose the pulser was great as the energy in the cell began to drain from it.

But no sparks flew from the cell or the pulser itself as the energy suddenly flashed brightly, forcing the leaders and Link to cover their eyes and optical sensors. Bright sunlight yellow circuits spread out from the pulser, coating the cannon and spreading out to all other defenses of the complex, startling several shadow apes that had paused long enough to start tearing the guns from their mountings. One was destroyed as a circuit line touched it, forcing it to scream in pain as it vanished.

The generators that had been destroyed were covered in the same circuit lines and they began to glow as the energy covered them, healing them and fixing them up.

Zant glanced back in shock and his eyes widened. "WHAT?"

At the tip of the cannon, a small orb of darkness formed before it flashed to bright sunlight yellow with white energy around it. The orb slowly grew in size as the dark squares of twilight energy were drawn into the pulser, converted into light energy, and sent to the cannon itself.

The leaders stared in shock at the orb. A few squawkers that had gotten too close screeched as they were drawn into the pulser. President Warren turned to watch as the pulser's energy was channeled into the cannon, growing stronger by the minute.

"Guys…We…we…" She licked her lips before she stared in shock as the orb suddenly expanded in size abruptly. She guessed that it had to be the squawkers that caused the sudden boost in power. The orb of energy now coursed with sunlight yellow electricity and the whole cannon was shuddering as the energy reached its peak.

Now all they had to do was name the new weapon. And she knew what it was.

She looked at her friends and they seemed to catch on. They nodded back.

They all turned to face the fleeing orb of Zant's barrier.

Seto gripped the controls and depressed the gun, the targeting screen flashing as the crosshair moved around, trying to get a lock. He gritted his teeth. "C'mon…c'mon!" he murmured under his breath. The crosshair moved to the left before locking on. The words _Target Locked_ appeared over the crosshair and target. Seto grinned. "We're locked on!" he said.

"Okay! Prepare to fire!" President Warren ordered.

"Ready!"

He depressed the gun five more degrees in response to Zant's unexpected dive. He looked at her and nodded.

The screen suddenly split to show the Federation leaders' faces full of determination as the gun fired. "MASTER CANNON! FIRE!" they cried.

Seto pulled the trigger and instantly the huge gun roared, sending out a massive beam of pure sunlight yellow-white laser energy, homing in right on Zant's barrier. The beam was like a celestial arrow as it struck, penetrating through the barrier with no trouble.

Then, the explosion occurred.

A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact, sending out a light that blinded everyone in the vicinity, and destroying all Twilight Creatures in the area.

The Master Cannon was an unqualified success.

* * *

**Zant glanced back** at the massive beam of energy as it streaked toward him. He gritted his teeth as he looked towards the spot of escape. There was no way he could get that infidel complex to fall now! Not when they had Tymera on their side, along with that new weapon! He had to escape and plan again for their next move.

If Cypher would allow him to, that is. He turned his body so that way one of his hands was aimed back at the incoming beam. He clenched his fist and in front of it the Energy Ball began to form. He had to time this just right or else all was lost for him.

The beam grew closer and closer with each passing second and the Ball grew larger and larger. The Zakorello Gate to Hyrule opened up ahead of them, but it seemed to be too far for him. The beam got closer and closer before he fired off the Energy Ball. "HAH!"

The orb of energy fired from his fist and towards the beam.

The beam struck it.

The explosion was enough to blow him and his Radio back into the gate, right to Hryule. As he tumbled through the ever changing tunnel, he glared at a certain point that only he could see. "Soon, you fools, you shall fall! And I will make sure of that next time we meet!" he muttered. "I swear it!"

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

**Date: 01 December 2009**

**Time: 0400, 4:00 am, Local time**

The battle was over. Smoke still hung over the complex, remnants of the intense fighting that had nearly cost them the entire war. Dead bodies littered the streets as mech fluid and blood ran together in rivulets, the glowing energon from several Transformers mixing in. Already cleanup efforts were taking place to round up the dead and injured, transporting them to the morgue and hospital for identification and treatment. The fires that had broken out as a result of the battle were immediately contained and the firefighters had them put out by four that morning.

President Warren observed the efforts at cleanup from the top of the main building, her green eyes taking in the results of battle. She stood next to the main cannon, one hand resting on the mounting of the gun.

Seto stepped up next to her. "How's the cleanup going?" he asked softly.

"So far so good," she replied, turning to face him. "But we lost a lot of good people."

"I know. But it was worth it for defending the complex from Zant's insane schemes," the CEO remarked lightly.

"That's besides the point, Seto," President Warren said seriously. She turned back to face the devastated complex. "It was only because of Link and that Tymera woman that we were able to win. We shouldn't take the Dark Axis lightly anymore, now that they have proven to be a foe that should never be underestimated."

"Like that time with Shift," Seto mused, remembering the transmission war.

"Yeah. Like that," President Warren said, nodding. "This time, we need to start searching for new allies and new friends to aid us."

"Like who?" Seto asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Such as…" President Warren's voice trailed off. She stared at the complex residents cleaning up the mech fluid and blood with a faraway look. For once, she had no idea who to contact. They had several major powers on their side, along with a member who had been freed from Shift's control. But who else could aid them besides the UPA? Who?

The only possible ally they had overlooked was Satyron. But due to the circumstances, was it even in their favor to contact them?

They had no information on Satyron whatsoever, and that alone made her worry. What if Satyron was a much more sinister dimension than what they had seen? What was their culture like? Were they even friendly?

These thoughts and others whirled around in her mind. She was so busy thinking that she didn't hear Seto speaking. A sudden smack on her back got her attention. She turned and rubbed her shoulder where the Kaxian CEO had smacked her. "What?" she asked.

Seto had a frown on his face as he looked at her. "I asked you who we could contact," he said.

"Sorry, Seto," she murmured. "The only one left would be that unknown dimension of Satyron. And…we have no data on them."

"What about that other dimension? The second unknown one?" Seto asked.

"It turns out that Chief Haro provided me with the data on that one, so we know a lot about it already. We only lack data on Satyron," President Warren explained.

"Then we'll just have to send in a probe," Seto said, his voice grim.

"How? For all we know, Satyron could be much more advanced than us!" President Warren cried.

Seto nodded. "True, but we have to try. That's how we got so far in this fight," he said softly.

President Warren turned and looked back at the complex as the sun began to rise. The CEO had a point, she had to admit. Trying was better than not trying at all. She sighed and turned back to face him. "Okay. We'll give it a try," she murmured.

Seto smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

**The area around **the spacebridge was a frenzy of activity as the technicians worked to try and recalibrate the spacebridge to tap into Satyron's coordinates. But due to the fact that they didn't know the numbers for the coordinates, they had to guess a few times.

Seto growled slightly as the spacebridge wavered, the green orb suddenly shifting locations to show a city-like complex similar to Earth Command, but more advanced. "How much longer?" he murmured.

"Hold on. We're almost there. I'm sure of it," a techie said. "Just let me recalibrate…"

The techie entered a new set of numbers and the orb suddenly wavered for the fourth time, this time showing a huge city with a large galaxy over the command center and the name of the dimensional alliance over it. "Got it!" he cried.

Famous looked over at the probe, a skeptical look in his eyes. "Are you sure this will work, Seto?" he asked.

The CEO nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure. We'll have to give it a try though," he said.

The probe was much different than the others they had used. This one was shaped more like a tiny ATV with a camera mounted on the front. The wheels were for all terrain and a small spacebridge generator was hooked up to the energon power supply. The probe was silver with a blue line on the front and the Federation ensign on the side.

"Okay. Seto, we're clear on the probe," a female technician said as she looked up from the probe's equipment.

Seto nodded his approval. "Good. Get ready to send it in on my signal."

President Warren bit her lower lip as the probe was activated and sent on its path to the open spacebridge. The techie manning it steered the device into the bridge, the green orb rippling as it passed through. The President kept her gaze fixed on the screen showing the probe's activity. For a heart-stopping moment, the probe's electrical signal was lost, and she feared that they had lost a valuable piece of equipment, but then the signal reappeared, fainter, but still strong.

She turned to face the screen showing the probe's visual. Trees were shown in place of the buildings, but beyond them she could see soft lights.

They had done it.

"We got it!" the techie said. "We're live and transmitting five by five!"

Seto nodded in relief. "Good. Let's do it."

The probe rolled away from the bridge, bouncing over ruts and roots growing through the ground, barely visible in the dark in Satyron. "Geez, it's dark," she murmured, her eyes narrowing through the visor she wore.

The visor and headset combination was a new device that allowed a human to control a machine using their mind alone. By linking the human mind with the machine's central processor, the human was allowed to explore in areas where it would be normally impossible for humans to even go to. The device was also useful for controlling probes during conflict without unnecessarily risking human lives.

It had been decided by Seto to use this new device to aid in the exploration of this new dimension.

The techie sent a mental command to the probe and on the screen it showed a set of lights flipping on underneath the mounted camera. The beams bored a path through the darkness as the probe rolled around a tree that had fallen.

"I'm turning on audio communications now," the techie said.

"Good. And be sure to have that probe stay out of sight," Seto cautioned her.

The techie nodded and within seconds, the assembled leaders and team members heard crickets and frogs in the dead of night. Seto let out a whistle.

"Did you even enter the right destination?" Ciel asked Seto.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. The probe arrived right on target. But I guess their complex is surrounded by a swamp on a few sides," the Kaxian mused.

"And that's right on target," Zero said from beside the bridge. A small screen displaying the layout of the land was shown in front of his face. "The complex is just three miles ahead."

Federation technology never failed to amaze Seto, especially the Resconian built sensors.

He smiled. "All right. Go for it," he said to the techie. She nodded and sent a mental command to the probe.

* * *

_In Satyron_…

The Federation's probe rolled along the swampy land, bouncing through puddles and muddy roads, sending small critters scampering as it came close to them. A frog hopped out of the way as it drove through its habitat, scaring a few more frogs off.

The camera swiveled from side to side, beaming the images it captured back across the dimensional barrier to Earth Command. A bird flew down close, circling and observing the unusual intruder before flying off. The probe's cameras shifted upwards to watch the bird before returning to the path in front of it.

The brush that covered the path was pushed aside as the probe's ATV tires crunched it underneath. The probe's processors received a mental command from the techie and the little vehicle swerved before darting back into the brush as a soldier guarding the edge of the city's perimeter looked over his shoulder.

He shrugged and resumed his patrol.

After the soldier left, the little vehicle gunned its engine before speeding out of the brush with a squeal of tires. The probe bounced over the curb as it dashed onto the street and merged with the traffic of hovercars coming to and from the city. Despite the fact that its engine was small, the probe could travel at an impressive fifty miles per hour when on the highway.

The vehicle darted under a hovercar heading to the city, staying hidden from prying eyes. No one even took notice of the probe's presence, which proved to be a godsend for the Federation.

It darted out from underneath the hovercar, swerving and speeding down a street before heading into the bushed in front of an office building. The camera was elevated a few feet, taking in the advanced technology before withdrawing into the bush to avoid being spotted by a curious child. The small craft waited for a few minutes before it darted out of the bush and into an alley behind it. The camera swiveled, taking in the dumpster and a few pieces of trash littering the street.

Finally, after a few seconds of this, the probe zoomed down the alley and turned to the right, coming out of the space between two office buildings and emerging into busy evening traffic. A few people pointed out the probe, but they made no other note of it. They assumed that it was a routine test for the military which, again, proved to be a godsend to the organization spying on them.

The little engine revved and it sped throughout the main industrial center, watching the businesses and customers alike. During this whole time, no one in Satyron questioned the probe's presence, at least until a soldier took note of the strange sigil on the side.

"Hey!" he cried.

The probe's camera turned to face him before returning to its forward facing position. The soldier snarled and ran after the vehicle. The engine revved, but it wasn't fast enough to escape the watchful soldier's hands. He grabbed onto the probe and picked it up just as the vehicle vibrated in his grasp.

"Nice try," he murmured. "You're coming with me!"

He held the probe in front of him and headed for Satyron's command center.

It took him less than forty-five minutes to reach Ron's office.

The leader of Satyron opened the door and peered out just in time to see one of his soldiers standing there holding a probe in his hands.

Ron's eyebrows flew upward in astonishment. "Lieutenant? What've you got there?" he asked, pointing.

The lieutenant shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me, sir," he said. "I found it observing the industrial center."

"Bring it in," Ron told him.

The soldier nodded and stepped in carrying the probe. He walked up to the leader's desk and placed it down.

* * *

_Back in the Federation…_

"Shit! That's the last thing we need!" Seto swore. He didn't like what the screen was showing right then. The image of the leader leaning in was enough for him to turn and bark out an order to the techie still connected to the machine. "Tracy! Disconnect now!" he snapped at her. "We don't need to lose anyone else!"

Tracy fell limp for a moment before she rubbed her head and removed the headset and visor. Her brown hair fell over her dark blue eyes and she flexed her hands for a moment. "Okay. I don't want to know how it was discovered," she murmured.

"But at least we now can understand a bit about them from what we've seen and heard," Ciel mused.

"Yeah," Sandra said. "Now all we have left to do is to try and contact them."

"Leave that to me," Famous said. "We've gotten a bit more advanced in our dimensional communications."

"All right, Famous," President Warren said. "Go for it."

* * *

_In Satyron_…

Ron prodded the probe with his finger. "Such advanced technology…" he mused. "And all in a small probe, too."

The soldier cocked an eyebrow. "Advanced? That thing looks like a Stone Age relic to me," he remarked.

Ron glared at him. "Just because it's large doesn't mean that it's advanced," he snapped. He waved the soldier over. "Check this out."

The soldier peered at the engine that was mounted beneath the hood. He let out a low whistle of amazement. "Wow...A self energizing fuel cell," he murmured, poking the cell mounted next to the engine block.

Ron nodded. "Yes. That is what I meant by advanced."

The soldier prodded the vehicle before speaking. "I never anticipated that whoever sent it would be so advanced in this manner," he said softly. He then became serious again as he stood up. "And who sent it is inscribed on the side."

Ron stepped around to face the side. His eyes widened as he noticed the sigil. "What? The Intergalactic Federation?" He turned to face the soldier. "Are you sure?"

The soldier nodded. "That seems to be the real deal to me," he said.

Ron approached and prodded the sigil before scratching at it with his fingernail. The paint didn't scrape off to reveal a second sigil underneath. Instead, it remained the same. He looked up and shook his head. "It just doesn't seem possible…" he murmured.

His communicator suddenly beeped, startling the two men. Ron turned and ran over to the other side of the desk, grabbing the unit and activating it. The screen fizzled, showing only static for a moment before fading to show the face of the Federation leader.

Ron's eyes widened as he stared at the image.

"What…? How'd you contact us?" he blurted, regaining control over the initial shock.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

"Look. All we can say right now is that you have an important piece of Federation equipment," President Warren said.

"_That's beside the point!_" the man on the screen snapped.

"That is true, but we really need that probe back," the Federation leader said.

The man crossed his arms and huffed. "_Fine! But only if you explain to us how you were able to contact us!_" he said.

"Agreed," President Warren said with a nod. "We were able to contact you via our prototype dimensional communications equipment."

The man's eyes widened as his arms unfolded and fell to his sides. "_What? You developed prototype dimensional communications equipment?_" he murmured.

President Warren nodded. "That's right."

"_So, why have you contacted us?_" the man asked.

President Warren looked at her friends and nodded. They nodded back. She turned to face the man. "My name is President Heather Jen Warren of Earth, leader of the Intergalactic Federation," she said, introducing herself. "What's your name?"

The man studied her for a moment before speaking. "_My name is Ron White of Satyron. I lead this dimension._"

"Ron, we have contacted you because of the fact that the war against the Dark Axis has escalated to a whole new level," she said.

That was it. Ron's eyes widened as he took in the information and he staggered back. "_Okay. Let me get this straight. The war has gotten worse, and you need help?_" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes."

Ron fell silent and looked at his hands as if they belonged to someone else. "_This is bad…I never guessed that this would happen…_"

President Warren cocked an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Ron looked at the screen. "_If what you say is true, then count me in with the fight. However…_" His voice trailed off. President Warren instantly knew that there had to be a catch. "_We stay out unless the fighting spills over into other dimensions. Then we take action_."

President Warren nodded. She had a feeling that even if Satyron did get involved, that they wouldn't aid the Federation for some time. "Okay. That's all."

Ron nodded back. "_Satyron out_."

The President glanced at her friends. "Well, that's taken care of, so we may as well wait and see what happens next."

* * *

**The next two** days were hectic as the Federation prepared for the coming fight. There was no particular day as to when the Dark Axis would strike, but it never hurt to be prepared. The President stood on top of the roof of Earth Command Central, watching as the combat preparations went underway.

She smiled as a small battalion of tanks rolled down the road before turning left and heading for the main gate. They were not going to allow an invasion to startle them next time!

The door to the elevator hissed open and Seto stepped out. The leader of Kax glanced at her.

"You thinking about the coming final battle?" he asked softly.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. I still can't help but wonder if we can even actually win this fight," she murmured.

Seto looked at her and smiled. "We can. We've beaten other foes that the UPA said were impossible to defeat, and we've overcome them each time. So, we _can_ and we _will_ be victorious. No matter what they say," he said.

President Warren turned and smiled back. "Yeah. We sure have." She turned to face the complex again and cast her gaze up at the stars. "But…" Here she let her mind drift before she spoke. "We've never faced a war on a scale like this."

"We've never saved all of existence," Seto replied, knowing of what she was speaking.

The President nodded slowly. "Yes. We haven't. And…I'm not so sure that we can, despite the effort we've made to convince the universe of the great danger. Plus I'm not sure if we should even tell the universe that the war has gotten worse," she said, turning to face him.

Seto stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look. I'm not sure if it's a good idea either, but I think the rest of the universe should get an idea of how bad a point the war has come to. If they understand that, then I think that we can get the others that don't believe us to see the truth," he explained.

"But…what if…" President Warren looked at the stars again and bit her lower lip as her intelligent mind ran through the consequences of her actions.

Seto merely smiled as he stepped up beside her, looking up at the stars with her. "There's an ancient Kaxian quote that someone once told me. It originally came from Protoform X long ago, and it stuck with a few town mayors in the past," he murmured.

"What kind of quote?" President Warren looked at him in confusion.

He turned to face her, a serious yet confident and calming look in his eyes. "'The truth can be a powerful revelation. How you use that knowledge is up to you,'" he murmured softly. "That quote comes from an old mayor by the name if Yuushigo Kaston. He was a war minister back when Kax was run by a council, not a corporation."

Seto's gaze again drifted towards the stars. "Protoform X was originally the one who realized the power of the truth. Lying isn't the way to show the threat. The best way to get the best results is to show or tell the truth about something."

President Warren blinked in shock at Seto's speech. He wasn't a philosopher, and yet...

She licked her lips as she stared at him against the stars. The light from the moon caught his hair and made it shimmer much like the sea beyond the defenses of the complex. His tall frame and muscular build were accented by his uniform and he stood with one hand on his hips and his tail loosely swishing in the breeze. His eyes were the most striking. They reflected an intense determination to do what was right and they shone with a glacial confidence borne of competitive business ownership and countless battles with his allies. But beyond that glacial coldness burned a fire for freedom and a calculating mind that was extraordinarily fast when it came down to tactics and strategies.

Seto looked at her with those incredible eyes and smiled. "We'll win this war, no matter what," he told her.

For some reason, President Warren's cheeks began to flush red and her heart began to pound with some unknown emotion. She looked down to hide her redness.

Seto cocked an eyebrow and concern etched itself on his face. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes," she whispered. What was _with_ her? Why was her voice suddenly hoarse when around him?

The CEO had no idea of what she was feeling but he nodded. "Okay."

Both leaders turned to face the stars again and the moon shone down on the complex as the war preparations continued.

Finally, after five minutes, it was President Warren who broke the silence. "Seto, you were never one to study philosophy. What made you recall that quote, anyway?" she asked.

Seto shrugged. "Who knows? I think that maybe it has to do with the fact that the war has gotten to this point and we need all the help we can get," he said.

President Warren nodded. "Okay…"

Seto turned and placed his hand on her shoulder again. "Just do what you feel is right. But consider at least telling the Universal Communications Board about this," he said softly. "Let them handle the rest. We've got the war to focus on."

With that he took his hand off her shoulder and left her standing on the roof.

She bowed her head and began to ponder her choices.

If they did tell the universe…what would happen? There were just too many unknown factors regarding this issue.

All they could do was tell the truth to the universe and hope for the best.

* * *

_At the TCDA…_

The moon shone down on the dome, illuminating it and making it glow even brighter. The snow around the school seemed to be a sea, with the school itself as an island. Near the edge of the school's perimeters, Zapper Zaku stood next to one of the guns, his hand resting on the massive structure, taking in the damage from the past fight.

He couldn't believe how ruthless the Dark Axis had become. Even though he had been on several missions to capture organics, he had found the way they were nabbed and treated quite gruesome.

He still remembered his first encounter with Shift. Back then he had been an ignorant squad leader, blissfully unaware of the savagery of the Dark Axis that was being carried out behind his back. The demon mage had introduced himself and congratulated Zapper on his promotion when he had obtained the position of squad leader.

Zapper shivered at the memory of Shift's voice, silkily taunting him from the shadows, saying things that sent shivers down his back supports. The tauntings had begun right after his first failure in Neotopia, and that had presented Shift with the opportunity to try and expose him to the reality of the Dark Axis's existence.

But thankfully, Sazabi had interfered and chased Shift off using his funnels. Zapper briefly wondered if his commander was even still alive, although he doubted it highly.

A soft rustle told him he had company.

"Hey, Zipper," Grappler Gouf murmured.

"Shut up, Gouf," Zapper muttered.

Grappler took note of his strange tone of voice and turned to face him with his optic locking onto Zapper's own. "Okay, Zapper. Something's wrong with you. Normally you don't act like this," Grappler pointed out.

Zapper didn't even turn to speak with him. He kept staring into the distance, almost as if Grappler were invisible. Grappler felt annoyance at his partner's ignorance of him flare within his systems. His clawed hand lashed out and grabbed the maroon warrior's shoulder pad. He spun Zapper to face him. "What's gotten into you!" Grappler snapped.

Zapper's optic suddenly flared as he pulled his arm free of Grappler's grasp. "You want to know what's bothering me? Well, I'll tell you!" Zapper snarled. "The fact that I wasn't even told the real truth about the Dark Axis, and that they would even _think_ about doing such actions in the first place!"

Grappler blinked in shock. His partner hadn't even known about the truth? He stepped forward slowly and held up both hands in a gesture meant to show that he didn't mean any harm. "I can understand where you're coming from," he said softly. "I wasn't even told the truth myself until my commander told me herself."

"That doesn't matter!" Zapper spat. "I was kept in the dark for a long time and now…" The red mecha's shoulders shook as he looked down at his hands. "Now it's too late. There's nothing that can be done to change it."

"That may be true, Zapper, but there is still a chance. The Intergalactic Federation believes that it's never too late to make amends or change what's taken place in the past. To them, it's the rate of action taken meant to end the injustices of the past that leads to a better future," Grappler explained.

Zapper didn't even look up as Grappler slipped an arm around his fellow squad leader's shoulders. "Everything's going to be fine. Shift is dead, and so is Gerbera. Guardian is gone, Shibaomaru is nothing more than ashes, and Subzero is buried here on Earth. The generals are killed and the—"

He was cut off abruptly as Zapper suddenly kicked out and pushed the other mech away before whirling with a speed unlike him and slugging Grappler on the side of his mouthpiece. Grappler landed on his back and went skidding before he sat up, looking at his partner.

"What did you do that for?" Grappler screamed. "I'm only trying to help!"

"It's too late to make changes to the past," Zapper muttered. "If the Intergalactic Federation had been around all those years ago, then sure things could have been changed. But they weren't." He turned and prepared to walk off. "So just drop it."

He began walking off, but Grappler reacted swiftly. He scrambled to his feet and ran at the other mech, charging him from behind and tackling him to the ground. Zapper landed flat on his stomach as Grappler sat perched on his back, his claws gripping Zapper's arm tightly, but not too tight. He calmly gazed down at the maroon mech before speaking. "Just listen," Grappler murmured.

Zapper finally relented and he relaxed. Grappler released his arm and helped the other mech sit up. "Listen, Zapper. Just because something happened in the past doesn't mean that actions to correct the mistakes can't be carried out," he said.

"Why do you think that?" Zapper muttered, his optic looking away from his partner's.

Grappler snarled and grabbed him, shaking him as he spoke. "_Why do you think they carried out that invasion in the first place!_" Grappler roared. "They knew they had to act, and they did! They stopped more death and destruction than even _we_ could have! The Intergalactic Federation knows what they're doing! And they're trying to _prevent_ it from happening again!"

"How so? By hiding the truth?" Zapper spat.

Grappler shook his head. "No, dummy! They're trying to _reveal the truth_! They know about hiding it, and that it's wrong!" he exclaimed. Grappler's optic shimmered as tears built up behind the glass. "So they're trying to prevent the universe from going through what you went through, gearhead!"

The teal and cobalt mecha was now practically sobbing as he kept a firm grip on Zapper's shoulders. "Why can't you see that?" he cried.

Zapper stared for a moment at his shaking, crying partner. Grappler's head bowed slightly as the tears began to fall as he hugged Zapper close, startling the other warrior. He made to push away, only to find that his arms were suddenly sliding around Grappler's body. He felt something pricking at his optic before something warm trickled down the side of his face. Zapper then realized that he was crying, too.

The two mechas stood there for a while before Grappler slipped his claw under Zapper's chin and gently raised his head to lock optics with him. "Zapper, it's because of the Federation that this will end differently than in the past," he said softly. "Unlike so many other times when the truth was hidden in other dimensions we conquered, they are revealing the truth. And…the truth can be a powerful revelation."

Zapper wasn't sure as to when Grappler leaned in, but he somehow found himself leaning in as well and their mouthpieces were soon mere centimeters away. The two stared for a few seconds before Grappler leaned in and touched his mouthpiece to Zapper's. Warm air suddenly caressed his vents and Zapper found himself pushing back against Grappler. This was the first time he even realized just how much Grappler had been there for him.

Memories of them coming to each other's aid flooded his memory files and he realized that unknowingly he had fallen for the other warrior. He now knew that Grappler was more than just a comrade. He was also more than just a friend. He loved Grappler. He just hadn't known it until now.

Off to the side, hidden by the brush, the crimson mech smirked to himself. Commander Sazabi had suspected, but he hadn't known until now. Especially after that incident with Shift when he had chased off the demon mage.

That memory still burned in his memory and he shivered. Even though the demon mage was dead, he still felt fear at the mere thought of him.

Sazabi glanced at the two still kissing before he sighed. He didn't blame Zapper for being upset. Even Commander Sazabi had been enraged at the treatment of the organics. But he now regretted his decision for not telling Zapper the truth. He had felt it safer to hide the truth.

But now, seeing the Federation's efforts made him realize that revealing the truth inspired many more to take the appropriate actions. Sazabi wondered why it was such a powerful motivator for unity.

No answers came, at least not yet.

Sazabi returned his gaze to his two squad leaders. They had broken the kiss and were now hugging, Grappler holding Zapper close and gently stroking the other mech's helmet with his clawed hand. Tears pricked at Sazabi's optic. He felt bad for what his squad leaders had gone through. Despite his fearsome appearance and temper, he secretly cared for his troops, and he regretted allowing himself to fall to the Dark Axis' lust for power. If he hadn't, then he could have ordered the _Magna Musai_ to leave the Dark Axis home dimension and seek out new allies.

The commander rubbed his optic before he turned and walked off. He felt that his two warriors should have a little time together. Just as he should have when he struggled to find his own bondmate.

Thoughts concerning the Federation surfaced in his processor and he found that he was actually _glad_ they were taking action to prevent such destruction from being carried out on a whole new scale. His optic slipped closed as he stopped walking. He sighed to himself. '_It looks like the truth has affected even me,_' the mech thought to himself.

Sazabi's optic opened and he gazed up at the stars, the moonlight making his armor seem pale pink instead of the crimson color he knew so well. The mech shifted his gaze to the horizon and he took notice of the faint golden glow that marked the sunrise of this world. He wasn't sure, but it seemed to fill his soul with a sense of…how could he even put it?

The only word that sprang to mind was "hope." The sunrise seemed to inspire hope for a better future, a future in which everyone had a chance at life. Even Sazabi himself. He wasn't sure why he seemed to be affected in this way. Sazabi shook his head. What was happening to him? He was created a Dark Axis warrior, with only a dream to conquer and control! He wasn't even supposed to be _thinking_ these thoughts! And yet…something in him said so otherwise.

He glanced back at the sunrise and watched as the very faint rays shone over the horizon, throwing their gentle light onto the snow and making it sparkle with a beauty he had never appreciated before in all his life, except for one occasion when he had invaded an artic dimension. Even that had stirred something within his darkened Soul-Drive, inspiring him when all had seemed lost.

Something powerful inspired him to try his best, and he had, successfully conquering that dimension in less than two weeks.

What it was had become lost to the young commander and he sighed, looking down at the grass beneath his feet. Sazabi wished that he could find out what was causing him to act like this. But, as it was with the Fates, they would not yield their secrets so easily. Only time would tell.

* * *

**Sayla stood on** the bridge of the carrier, her eyes locked onto the horizon. The sun was beginning to rise on the end to a week of peace. A week that now seemed so long ago. The very thought sent shivers down her back. It seemed like years had passed when Zero had taken her out for dinner on a Kaxian battleship. He had mentioned something to her, but when she had seen the beauty of the complex at night, she had completely missed his statement. Now she found herself wondering what he had said that night.

The week had also led her to begin questioning her leadership abilities, especially when she messed up on orders for her division. She had told them to take some time off, but instead, she had told them to not leave the ship. They had taken it hard and she felt bad for it.

She began to wonder if she was up for the task of leading the division. Maybe if she couldn't be a commander, maybe she could be an engineer instead.

She toyed with the thought, but all thoughts vanished from her mind when she heard the bridge door slide open.

She spun on the spot, her eyes locking onto a form she knew all too well. Sayla relaxed as Zero came into the bridge, his teal blue eyes full of concern.

She turned away.

"What do you want, Zero?" she asked softly.

"I wanted to see if you were all right," he replied, walking up to her.

"Just leave me alone," Sayla murmured.

"It's about what happened a couple days ago, right?" Zero asked.

Sayla's shoulders shook as she began to cry. "I…I didn't mean for it to come out that way. They may hate me now," she said, her voice shaking.

"Sayla, I talked to a few of the soldiers…and they know that it was a mistake," Zero said.

"I doubt it," Sayla muttered.

"Sayla…I couldn't help but notice that when you were looking at the complex that night, you didn't hear what I said," Zero told her.

She turned to look at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Huh"

Zero was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Do you wish to know what it was I said to you that night?"

She nodded.

He stepped closer, retracting his mouthpiece back into the sides of his helmet, exposing his handsome features. Sayla blushed a bit.

"Sayla…what I told you that night…" Zero began, "was this."

He placed his arm around her and held her close. "You are a very special person, Sayla. You remind me of a force of man. The beauty of warships is something to behold. It can come in many forms, but sometimes beauty can be deadly. Like an aircraft carrier."

He ran a hand up her shoulder, careful to not bang his hand against her gun. "You remind me of an aircraft carrier. You're very dangerous, but at the same time, you're very beautiful. Your dangerous beauty is why I began to feel strange around you. At first, I had no idea why, but now I do."

Sayla blinked her eyes. What was he saying? And why was her heart beating faster than usual?

"Sayla, you're very sturdy, unwavering in your goals, and the commitment to peace. You have an unbreakable defense and you wield many different weapons with such proficiency that it reminds me of your ship's many defenses and the flexibility that they provide," Zero continued. "Also, you have a loyalty to your crew that is similar to the way the ship is put together."

He slipped a finger under her chin and lifted her head up. "Your crew is like the machinery that runs the great ship. But you…you are the heart of it. You are the core, the console that controls all systems, the brain of the ship. Without you, the ship could function, yes, but not on a scale that makes it such a potent force to any foe that fights it. Without you, there could be no hope. You give the orders that makes the ship run smoothly," he murmured.

Sayla blushed a bit as the knight slipped a hand behind her back, gripping her gun carefully and gently. "Despite the fact that your orders may sometimes be contradictory, you still lead your crew with a determination and loyalty that can only be matched by their loyalty to you."

Sayla shook her head a little, tears streaming down her cheeks again. "What are you saying, Zero?" she asked.

Zero's hand brushed her cheek, wiping away a tear.

"Sayla…what I'm saying is that I fell in love with you," he said. "It was your dangerous beauty that drew me to you and it was your determination and commitment to your goals that led me to realize that I do not always need to pursue women…or remain chivalrous all the way through. I needed to change slightly, and I did."

Sayla gaped at him. He had fallen in love with her?

"Commander, you taught me how to be a better person and a better fighter," Zero said.

"Zero…Is that what you told me that night?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

"But why? Why fall for me and not someone else?" Sayla inquired, breaking free from his hold.

"You were always the most determined and the most caring, even if you didn't really show it," Zero said. He looked at his hands for a moment. "It was clearly visible in your tactics and in the incredible reputation amongst the armed forces that led me to realize how much you cared."

He looked back at her. "Plus, it was the fact that you were so unique that drew me to you."

She blinked her green eyes. "You…fell for me because of that?" she asked softly.

"Yes," Zero said.

Sayla felt her legs go weak. She staggered over to the carrier's central console, gripping it with both hands. She stared at the console, trying to comprehend what he had told her. He was comparing her to the aircraft carrier, and he had called her unique. She wasn't that special, yet he saw her that way. What bothered her was why he was calling her that. True, she was the only one out of the entire team that could actually keep up with a tank and that could use many weapons, but that didn't make her special. She hadn't done anything incredible, either. She was just fighting a war and doing the right thing. So why was Zero telling her that she was special?

Unless it had something to do with that fact.

She stared for a long while, but even her incredible intelligence had no answers for her.

It seemed that Zero was indeed telling her that she was special. But…what did she feel for him? She saw him as a friend and a comrade in arms, but nothing more. He was strong, powerful, and he was an excellent marksman with Mana spells.

Zero…

She lifted her gaze slightly, but she didn't take it off the console.

Thoughts of Zero suddenly flooded her mind. Things she never really considered about him became clear. He was handsome, and he was an excellent tactician. He had bright blue eyes that captivated her and…

Now she knew.

She knew what she felt for him.

In battle, he was beautifully dangerous…and she liked that about him.

All those fights alongside him had helped her see past his knightly demeanor. He was a tactician, a strategist, and a great fighter. He fought dirty when he meant to, but other than that, he was a fighter that used chivalry in many fights.

She didn't know it until now, but she had loved him as well all along.

She hadn't known until now.

Sayla finally tore her gaze away from the console and looked up.

She didn't even need to say a word.

Her eyes said it all.

Zero smiled as he stepped closer and hugged her. She found herself doing the same thing. Both looked into each other's eyes and they leaned in close.

Zero's mouth made contact with hers and she lost herself in his embrace.

Now she knew.


	104. Love Revealed

Chapter 5

Guneagle slowly reached up and touched the side of his helmet. He hadn't told anyone, but he had a bit of a secret: he had a thatch of black gundanium hair hidden underneath. The fear of everyone making fun of him was great, and he wondered if he should try to hide it by saying that he was wearing a wig.

Yet…something was telling him otherwise.

The truth was better, he decided. Now that he had made up his mind, he reached back and grasped the bottom of his helmet. He pushed a switch and clamps that held his helmet in place undid themselves. The mouthpiece slid back automatically to reveal his handsome features. Guneagle slowly removed his helmet and set it down beside him. Underneath his helmet he wore a simple white scarf to conceal his hair. His fingers explored the knot and undid it, allowing him to slip it off.

His hair fell out and over his green eyes slightly, and around his V-fin slightly. It felt so good to have his hair exposed again. The last time he had managed to reveal his hair had been when he had gone out during a brief flight without the SDG even knowing about it.

Off to the side of the superstructure, Rele huddled behind an open door, staring in shock at Guneagle's secret. The black hair that was teased slightly by the wind made the flyer seem a bit mysterious, not that he was, anyway.

And yet, he seemed to catch her eye now. She slowly stepped forward, her footsteps echoing on the deck. The flyer turned, his green eyes widening in surprise.

"Rele!" he yelped, his hand groping for the scarf. "How long were you there?"

Rele said nothing as she stepped closer, her hand drifting towards his hair. She grabbed a few strands, running her hand through them. "Guneagle…"

"What?" the flyer asked harshly.

"You…why didn't you tell us?" she murmured, taking her hand off.

Guneagle glared at her for a moment before turning away. "Just leave me alone."

"Guneagle, why?" she asked again.

The flyer didn't answer, leading Rele to the conclusion he had feared. "You're afraid of the others making fun of you?" she whispered.

Guneagle looked at her, his eyes suddenly widening in amazement. "How…how'd you know?" he asked.

Rele shrugged. "I didn't. I guessed, that's all," she said.

Guneagle sighed and turned back to the sea. "Yeah. You're right. I'm afraid that everyone will make fun of me…because I have this," he said softly, tugging at a strand of hair.

He let the strand go and looked up. "When I was first developed by the SDG, I always figured that everyone else would have the same thing. But…" He looked down at the sea below his feet. "Kao Lyn said that I was the only one. I didn't want to be found out, so I stole a scarf and hid my hair under it. I never told Kao Lyn about my fear because I was afraid that he would terminate the others, leaving me to bear the burden of defending Neotopia by myself."

Rele looked at the flyer for a moment, putting a hand up to her mouth. "Guneagle…"

The flyer shook his head. "But now that we're stuck here on Earth, I'm beginning to wonder if I should even tell the rest of the Gundam Force and the TCDA elite team," he said. "I'm still afraid of being teased, but I don't want to hide it anymore."

He turned to look at her. "Rele, what should I do?" he asked.

Rele blinked before she lowered her hand. "Guneagle, I…I honestly don't know. All I can do is tell you to do what you feel is right. But…"

She smiled at him. "I don't think you look ridiculous."

Guneagle blinked in shock. "R-really?"

She nodded. "Yes. In fact, I think you look kind of cute."

Guneagle's face suddenly flushed red. A strand of hair fell over one of his eyes and she giggled. "You…you really think so?" the flyer asked softly.

Rele nodded. "I do."

The two looked out at the sea, watching the birds flying and swooping overhead. For a long while there was only silence before Rele spoke again. "Guneagle, ever since the whole thing with arriving here and during all those fights we've been in, I've been beginning wondering…"

"Wondering what?" Guneagle asked, cocking his head.

Rele fidgeted before she looked him in the eyes. "Would you like to go out with me sometime?"

Guneagle's eyes widened. "What?"

"You know…as friends," Rele said.

The flyer nodded. "Sure. But why?"

"I…I just wanted to," she said.

Guneagle smiled. "Okay, Rele. I'm in."

The princess smiled back, suddenly feeling her face flush lightly at his smile. With his face partly hidden by some of his hair, he looked very handsome in her opinion. And his green eyes enhanced that image very nicely.

"How about tonight?" Guneagle asked.

Rele nodded in agreement. "Okay. Six?"

Guneagle grinned. "See ya then." He stood up, grabbing his helmet in his free hand and the scarf in the other hand and taking off with a roar from his jets.

Rele watched him fly off and she smiled. She couldn't wait.

* * *

_At six that night…_

Sayla watched as Rele slipped into a nice black coat that offset her white shirt and blue jeans nicely. Her tiara was removed and a flower was tucked in her hair behind one ear. "So, you're going out with Guneagle as friends?" the commander asked.

Rele nodded. "Yep. I thought why not? We hardly know each other, aside from what we learned during our time together here on Earth," she said.

Sayla frowned. "Okay… But something's telling me that you're not just going out as friends," she said, pointing at the princess.

"Of course we are!" Rele snapped.

The commander nodded, but didn't press the issue home. "Okay. Good luck, and have fun," she said, a smile spreading on her face.

Rele smiled. "I will."

The door buzzer went off and Rele headed for the door, opening it to reveal Guneagle standing there, his helmet and scarf still removed. Sayla tried to peer out, but Rele moved in front.

"Sorry, but…this is between me and Guneagle," Rele said.

Sayla nodded. "Sure. Have fun."

Rele nodded. "I will."

The princess stepped out into the hall and the door closed shut behind her. Guneagle looked her up and down and he let out a low whistle. "Nice outfit," he remarked.

"Glad you think so," Rele said with a grin.

"So, you ready?" Guneagle asked.

She nodded. "Yep."

"So, where do you wanna go?" the flyer inquired. "A restaurant or what?"

Rele grew thoughtful before she looked at him. "You pick," she said.

Guneagle put a hand to his chin in thought. Then he perked up. "How about the _Seaside Café_?" he asked.

Rele smiled. "Sure."

The two turned and headed down the hallway to the doors leading to the elevator. Along the way, Guneagle and Rele got into a conversation about the war and some aspects of their lives before the Dark Axis had attacked.

The conversation carried on as they headed away from the TCDA campus and out into the complex in the direction of the port for cruise ships. The journey to the café took only fifteen minutes by flight, so when they reached the campus boundaries, they decided to fly there.

They landed fifteen minutes later and looked at the café itself.

As the name implied, it was a beautiful place situated close to the docks, offering its customers and patrons a wonderful view of the different types of vessels coming and going, as well as an unrestricted view of the ocean. The sunsets often inspired couples and newlyweds to come here, meaning it was a booming business. The building itself resembled the front of a Kaxian seaside cottage with the balcony and windows offering a full view. Tables and chairs were scattered around along the boardwalk in front and a few even had candles on them.

Rele placed a hand on her mouth in shock while beside her Guneagle was speechless. He had heard of the place from a few of Sayla's soldiers, but he hadn't expected it to be so pretty.

Both looked at one another before heading inside. Once inside, a Kaxian doorman greeted them and escorted them to a table with a view of the ocean outside.

Rele took off her coat and slipped it over the chair as Guneagle sat down across from her. "So, why don't we see what we can order?" Guneagle asked casually.

The princess nodded. "Sure."

Both reached for the menu, but pulled away just as their fingertips touched. Both flushed red before looking away. "Oh."

"You first," Rele said.

Guneagle nodded as he reached for the menu. He picked it up and opened it. "What do you want?" he asked. He peeped up over the menu with his green eyes and blinked a few times.

"What do they have?" Rele asked.

The flyer buried his head in the menu again. "Well, they've got some really good seafood. All Kaxian recipes, I guess, although there may be some Earth-type recipes as well," he said as he looked up again.

"One of the recipes is the _theegi_, a kind of Kaxian fish stewed in some kind of broth made from a Kaxian plant," Guneagle read. "It's supposed to be pretty good, from what I've heard from Sayla's soldiers."

"You heard it?" Rele asked, cocking her head.

The flyer nodded. "Yeah. They highly recommended it."

"What else is there?"

Guneagle retreated behind the menu before looking up again a few seconds later. "There's also the _romandoz_, Kaxian fish wrapped in a tortilla."

"Did the soldiers say it was good?" Rele asked.

Guneagle shook his head. "No. They didn't say anything about that. But I think it would be good," he said.

At that moment, one of the waiters came up, holding a screen and lightpen in his hands. "Good evening. My name is Jan and I'll be your waiter for the evening. I hope that you are enjoying yourselves?" he asked.

The two nodded. "Yes," Rele said.

"We're ready to order," Guneagle said.

"Very well. What will you have?" Jan asked, getting his lightpen ready.

"I'll have the _theegi_," Guneagle said, looking at the menu for a moment before returning his gaze up to Jan's face. "With some breadsticks on the side."

Jan nodded as he took down the order. "And what about your friend?" he asked.

Guneagle handed the menu to Rele and she scanned it. "I'll try the _romandoz_, and throw in a salad," she said.

Jan nodded. "Okay. Your dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes," he said.

He turned and walked off, leaving the two alone.

"So, while we're waiting, why don't you tell me about a few pranks that you've pulled?" Rele asked. "I recall you mentioning that you pulled a few."

Guneagle smiled. "Sure. There's a good one that I really outdid myself at." He giggled as he shifted in his seat, reaching behind his back for an envelope. He pulled it out and slid it across the table to Rele. "Check it out."

Rele took it and opened the envelope. She reached in and pulled out a few pictures. Her eyes widened as she looked through them, each image showing the scared faces of Kao Lyn, the Gundivers, poor Bakunetsumaru fainting, Zero turning as white as a sheet, Shute and Captain running from Gunbike whose face was painted to resemble a jack-o'-lantern.

She looked up, shocked. "Is this the one you excelled at?" she asked.

Guneagle nodded. "Yeah. I freaked myself out. Look." He took out a specific picture, showing the flyer fleeing the enraged Gunbike.

Rele didn't know what to say, at least until Guneagle spoke again. "For some reason that one went on the base's website. They called it 'The Prank That Went Awry,'" he said, a smile crossing his face.

"I don't see how it's funny," Rele said, sweatdropping.

"The reason it's so funny is because I didn't mean to scare myself, let alone anyone else. I meant it as a joke for the samurai, whatever his name is," the flyer said. "But, anyway, there's been a few others that you may find funny," he added, grinning.

"Like what?" Rele asked as she handed him the pictures.

Guneagle sat back in the chair and looked out at the sea. "Well, there was one time I managed to somehow catch Gundiver 4 in the swim tank they use for training, so I thought it might be funny to drop some crabs in. Gundiver 4 has a thing for crabs, so he kind of went "Aww, how cute!" and the crabs didn't like it. He never hugged crabs again after that!" he said, laughing slightly.

"…" Rele stared at him before she spoke. "That wasn't funny," she said.

"Well, then how about this one? Classic," Guneagle said, looking back at her. "You know, I learned this one from Gunpanzer after the war. You know about the restroom stalls?"

Rele nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"Okay. You take several sets of pants and several pairs of shoes, and you put newspaper into the legs of the pants and put the shoes at the end of the pants. Then you set up the pants to make it seem like all the stalls are occupied," Guneagle said. "But, I made a variation. If someone opened the door and spotted the pants, they would remove them. However, if they did so, it would release a trigger, setting off a smoke bomb in the toilet!" he said, grinning.

The princess stared for a moment.

"Aw, come on!" Guneagle cried. "Don't you think _any_ of my pranks are funny?"

Nothing but silence filled the area for a moment before Guneagle sighed. "Okay. This one may be funny to you or not. But it's one I pulled on Zero once. It's kinda unusual, but…"

"Just tell me," Rele said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm getting to that!" Guneagle cried. "This one was meant for Zero, but instead, I got Baku with it."

Now that caught her attention. "Hm?"

"You heard me," Guneagle said. "You remember hedgehogs?" he asked.

Rele nodded.

"Well, it just so happened that I had seen a hedgehog not too far from the city's outskirts and I picked it up, brought it back to base, and snuck into the bathroom with it. Luckily the water system was undergoing repairs at that point due to one of the Gundivers accidentally severing the main water line. I think it was Gundiver 4," Guneagle said. "Anyway, I set the hedgehog in the toilet and crept out. I waited for Zero to enter, but instead a few minutes later, I heard a loud scream as Baku came running out, holding his rear."

Rele stared for a moment before her mouth slowly curved upward in a grin. A slight giggled escaped her lips.

"Okay. Now that was slightly funny," she remarked.

"Then, how about this one?" Guneagle said, grinning. "This one was something I did for a Christmas joke. Baku and Zero never forgave me for this one. Anyway, for this prank, I took some mistletoe and hung it up right over the door to the command center. Chief Haro had just called us down and when the two entered, everyone took note of the mistletoe and well…" He looked at her with a smirk on his handsome features. "They had to kiss right in front of the entire base."

Rele couldn't help it. She burst out laughing slightly. Guneagle laughed slightly too before speaking again. "And…they put it up on the base's website," he said.

Now Rele couldn't keep in her laughter. She began laughing even harder just as Guneagle did the same thing. "They called it…Mistletoe Love!" he said in between laughing fits.

They kept up the chatter for the next ten minutes. By the time their dinner was ready, both Guneagle and Rele were in the grip of laughter. Both stopped laughing before Rele sighed and sat back in the chair, looking out at the sea. Despite the snow on the docks, the sea shimmered with a radiance of the sun as it set on the horizon. A ship coming into dock made the view seem a bit more romantic.

Her gaze shifted over to the flier and he looked at her with those green eyes. She noticed how they sparkled with mischief and amusement, but also with a hint of seriousness in them. Guneagle must have sensed her studying him because he turned a little red at that point.

Jan came back with their dinner and they ate in silence, relishing the flavor of their respective dishes.

When they were through, the waiter cleared their plates and they sat there, looking at the sea for a while before Guneagle spoke.

"Rele…"

Rele looked at him. "What?"

The flier turned to face her. "It's just…" He cast his gaze down at the table where his hands lay, and he wrung his hands nervously. "I'm still unsure about the whole thing with…well, you know…"

Rele instantly knew. "Guneagle, it's okay. Just tell them the truth," she said.

"That's easy for you to say," Guneagle whispered softly. He closed his eyes. "You don't have anything to hide."

Rele stood up and approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder pad. "Guneagle, don't worry. They won't tease you about this," she murmured, gently teasing a few strands of his hair that hung over one of his eyes.

Guneagle's face was inches from her own, and they stared for a moment into each other's eyes. Slowly Guneagle leaned in. Rele wasn't sure why they were so close. They were merely friends, weren't they?

But when their lips met, everything changed. She suddenly pulled away, shocked and startled. Guneagle was blushing as well as she, and both were flustered at what just happened. The kiss had occurred unexpectedly.

"Rele…I…Sorry about that," Guneagle muttered.

"No. It is I who should be sorry," she said hastily. "I wasn't thinking."

Both fell silent as they left a tip on the table and left the restaurant. They flew back to the school and headed inside to their respective dorm rooms.

That night, Guneagle lay sprawled on his bed, his helmet tossed on the couch and the scarf draped over it. In a neat pile in the corner were his missiles, his beam saber, and his beam rifle. His eyes closed as he wondered what had happened. Why had he kissed Rele like that? It didn't make much sense…unless he was falling in love with her.

That seemed to be the case, but why? Why was he? They barely knew each other on a personal level, and they lacked any real friendship.

He turned onto his side and sat up, getting onto his feet and walking over to the window. He really liked her, yes, but as a friend and nothing more.

But her eyes seemed to say otherwise. He hung his head and closed his eyes as he remembered her. Rele's eyes were so pretty, a very pale violet color that shimmered with determination and hope, much like Shute's in a way.

He opened his eyes as he looked up and he felt his face turn slightly red at the mere thought of her. Guneagle shook his head, trying to force the thoughts from his mind, but for some reason, they weren't leaving. For some reason, something popped into his mind at that point. It was a song he had once heard while listening to the radio a few days before. It seemed to fit this moment.

He opened his mouth and began to sing.

_**I remember what you wore on the first day**_  
_**You came into my lifeand I thought hey**_  
_**You know this could be something**_  
_**'Cause everything you do and words you say**_  
_**You know that it all takes my breath away**_  
_**And now I'm left with nothing**_

Guneagle closed his eyes as he sang, wondering if Rele was thinking the same thing. His mind was full of thoughts regarding her…and that's when he realized it. He was in love with Rele. His eyes opened and he sighed.

Around the same time in her room, Rele stood beside the window, her coat draped over her chair and she looked out at the sea as she started singing the same song, and in perfect synchronization with Guneagle, although she didn't know it at the time.

_**'Cause maybe it's true, that I can't live without you**_  
_**Well maybe two is better than one**_  
_**There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life**_  
_**And you've already got me coming undone**_  
_**And I'm thinking two, is better than one**_

Rele closed her eyes as she recalled the looks on Guneagle's face as they had dinner. She looked up at the sky and opened her eyes.

**_I remember every look upon your face,_**

Guneagle smiled to himself as he sang. He laughed a bit at the way she had rolled her eyes at one of his jokes.

_**The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste**_  
_**You make it hard for breathing**_

The two began to sing again in perfect sync, their voices merging with the other, making it a perfect harmony.

_**'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away**_  
_**I think of you and everything's okay**_  
_**And finally now, we're leaving**_

Both Guneagle and Rele opened their windows and leaned out, their voices echoing on the night breeze. They didn't know that the other was singing the same song, and yet they somehow knew when to sing and at what notes.

_**And maybe it's true, that I can't live without you**_  
_**Well maybe two is better than one**_  
_**There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life**_  
_**And you've already got me coming undone**_  
_**And I'm thinking two, is better than one**_

The two stopped singing for a moment and Guneagle closed his eyes, letting the wind tease his gundanium hair and blow across his exposed face. It felt so good to be able to sing and let his emotions out.

He knew how he felt now. He did love Rele.

And he somehow knew that Rele felt the same way.

He opened his eyes as he sang again.

_**I remember what you wore on the first day**_  
_**You came into my life**_  
_**And I thought hey**_

Both looked at the sky and they let their hearts and souls come out in the song, letting their feelings be carried across the campus to their rooms. Guneagle looked at Rele's dorm room on the western wing from the north, his eyes locking onto where he guessed she would be standing.

He was right on, because he could faintly see her form against the light of the window.

_**Maybe it's true, that I can't live without you**_  
_**Maybe two is better than one**_  
_**There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life**_  
_**And you've already got me coming undone**_  
_**And I'm thinking**_

Rele leaned out just as Guneagle did the same thing. Both of them smiled as their eyes made contact over the distance. Rele saw the sincere love Guneagle had for her just as he saw her love for him.

_**Oooh I can't live without you**_  
_**'Cause baby two is better than one**_  
_**There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life**_  
_**And I've figured out with all that's said and done**_  
_**Two, is better than one**_

The two of them turned and walked into their respective rooms, closing the windows behind them and getting into their beds.

As Guneagle lay in his own room, he smiled softly and turned onto his side, his hair falling over his eyes partly.

He softly sang the last part of the song to himself.

_**Two is better than one**_

His eyes slipped closed as he fell asleep.

In her own room, Rele sang the last line as well, in perfect harmony with Guneagle.

_**Two is better than one**_

Now they both knew how they felt for one another.

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

Cypher snarled as he paced the room, his eyes flicking over the screens showing the battle preparations for the assault.

Time was running out for them to get the initiative. They had to attack and soon or else they would have no way of taking the organization when they were least expecting it.

According to his sources, the Federation's universe was beginning to make a choice as to their side. And if things weren't complicated enough that damn dimension of Satyron had to become involved with an uneasy alliance, and HEAVEN's involvement was becoming clear.

They had to attack and soon.

And he knew it.


	105. Capture of the Superior Dragon!

Chapter 6

President Warren sighed as she watched the screens depicting the Federation arms buildup. So far things were going accordingly…but something was nagging at her. She began to reflect on several things that had happened over the course of the war.

There had been several instances in which others had tried to convince her to let them take care of the fighting or to stand back and surrender everything she believed in. That bothered her greatly. Why was it that everyone considered the Federation to be nothing more than a bunch of weaklings who couldn't take care of themselves?

Even Cypher was one such individual.

She let out a growl as she placed her head in her hands.

"Why do they always think of us as weaklings?" she cried. "We've done much more than any of them and yet…" Her voice trailed off as she looked up. "Why does everyone treat us as if we're nothing?"

No answers came to her. They never did.

She sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "It's always the same. We're overlooked because of…of what?"

The door to the office slid open and she glanced back over her shoulder just as Seto stepped into the room. "I couldn't help but overhear what you were going on about," he murmured.

"You heard everything, huh?" President Warren asked with a small smile.

He nodded. "Yeah. And…unfortunately, that's the way things are in this universe. The UPA always did tend to overlook the smallest powers because of their mere size, not their achievements."

President Warren looked away from Seto and put a hand to her forehead. "Seto, why is it that others look up to the UPA when in reality, they can't even hold their own against the Dark Axis?" she asked.

The CEO sighed. "Look. I'm no psychologist, so I can't even begin to fathom why. But here's what I think. I think that it's because of the UPA's size and their showy weapons, plus something that that slaghead Dajar'o seems to emit when speaking. His charisma is good, but it is nothing when compared to the actions that we pull in combat," he said.

"So, his charisma and leadership, despite the corrupt economy and chaotic hierarchy he yearns for, are what make him a leader to look up to?" the President asked.

Seto shrugged. "How should I know?" he admitted.

President Warren sighed as she looked out at the horizon.

"What is it that makes him better than us?" she whispered.

Seto suddenly turned to look at her, shock etching itself onto his face. "What? What are you talking about? That jerk is no better than anyone!" he said.

"That may be," President Warren said with a nod. "But something makes him the choice of leader for others."

"But back at the last meeting before the Three Day Siege, you told us that most of the universe was uniting against the Dark Axis and pledging to fight alongside us!" the CEO blurted.

"I thought so myself…but I guess I was wrong. Most are in fact uniting under Dajar'o's flag," President Warren admitted.

"That's a lie!" Seto said, slamming his hands down on her desk, startling her. "Look. Dajar'o may have more firepower, a bigger economy, more factories, and a much larger army than we do, but what we have is much more than what he can muster!"

"What do we have that he doesn't?" she asked.

"For one thing, we have freedom to be who we want to be," Seto explained. "He suppresses freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom to petition, and the freedom to unionize. He forbids women from working and getting an education, for Primus' sake! He enables corrupt practices in politics and he is very strict in arms control and in what people can say and do inside his boundaries! His economy is unstable, he has no respect for the environment, and inflation is beginning to climb into critical levels! No medical aid is available to the public, unemployment is rising, and what does he do? Nothing!"

She blinked at the information Seto just told her. "Wait. Back up. Their organization is a mess?" she asked.

Seto nodded. "You bet it is!" he snapped. "And it keeps getting worse by the minute!"

President Warren shook her head as she tried to ponder this. "Seto, this is all beginning to get a bit confusing for me. Why don't you let me think, okay?"

Seto nodded. "Sure. I'll be on Kax if you need me."

* * *

_On Kax…_

**Date: 04 December 2009**

**Time: 1200, 12:00 am, Local time**

**Place: KaibaCorp.**

Seto emerged from the hallway into the office of the Analysis Department for the company, his face serious as he strode up to the head of the department.

"How's it going?" he asked.

The head of the department, a portly man named Yu Chi, eyed the CEO with soft gray eyes that belied a serious demeanor when on the job. He held up the screen that had the note on it. "We just finished the analysis. And what we discovered is incredible in its own right, but potentially deadly," he said.

Seto's own gray eyes narrowed. "Tell me everything you've learned," he said.

Yu nodded. "Yes, sir." He turned and motioned for the CEO to follow him. "Come with me."

The two men walked out of the office and into the hallway. They continued down the hallway before taking a left into a room filled with equipment. He placed the screen down on the table in the middle just as the scanner equipped to the table powered up.

"If you watch the monitor on the wall, sir, you'll see that the screen's frequencies are displayed," Yu began. He watched as his superior nodded, his hand on his chin in thought. "The frequencies also had an underlying frequency. This particular frequency is of a special program that was developed years before during the Great War."

"You mean like the mind-control program?" Seto asked, suddenly looking the smaller man in the eyes.

Yu nodded. "Yes. I have reason to suspect that the Dark Axis copied this program and used it. It was only because of your quick actions in saving President Warren and showing her the truth that its effect has been diminished somewhat."

"Wait. You're saying that it's still in effect?" Seto inquired.

Yu smiled grimly. "You got it, sir. The effect will wear off, but only through the efforts of you and the other Federation commanders," he said.

Seto frowned. "How did the Dark Axis copy this program? It's over a century old, and the Dark Axis wasn't even aware of our existence until a little over five months ago," he mused.

"I did some research, and I discovered that there is an unsolved mystery as to a hacking that took place back when KaibaCorp was just a small gunsmith union. Apparently the hacker broke into SoftwareStar Inc, the major software manufacturer back then. They had no idea as to who or what copied the program and deleted the original," Yu explained.

"But now…" Seto let his voice trail off as Yu took up the story again.

"But now, new data suggests that the Dark Axis were the ones behind the hacking and deletion of the original mind-control program," the smaller man finished.

Seto looked down, his brow furrowed as he wondered something. "Yu, I've got a question."

"What is it, sir?" Yu asked.

"If you were the one who sent that note, Cypher, why would you send it in the first place?" the CEO asked as he shifted his gaze to the Analysis head.

Yu frowned. "Why are you asking _me_, sir? I'm not someone who can read minds. I'm just an analyst."

Seto nodded. "Okay. But just imagine that you sent the note. Why would you send it?" he asked.

Yu put a hand to his chin as he thought. Then he looked up and locked gazes with the CEO. "I'd send it to try and convince President Warren that she was useless. And if I had embedded that program, there would be a hidden message to try and commit suicide."

Seto turned and left the room, leaving Yu behind.

The analyst cocked his head in confusion.

* * *

**Seto strode down** the halls, his mind whirling with all kinds of thoughts. He had learned of an unexplained hacking a century ago, a missing program that suddenly turned up, and a potential suicide command embedded in a note.

He now knew why Cypher had sent that note in the first place and why his timely decision had come through.

Cypher had sent the message to try and convince the President to commit suicide by jumping off the main building. If that had been allowed to happen, then things would have gone downhill in combat and slowly the organization would start to fall apart, leading to the eventual domination of the universe under Dark Axis rule.

He also had a good idea that the program still had one effect lingering. And he knew what that effect was: doubt.

President Warren still doubted herself and her leadership abilities.

The door to the front of KaibaCorp slid open and Seto stepped out into the warmth of the day. He cast his gaze upward toward the sky, observing an _ignatus_ bird. The creature swooped and dove, allowing the CEO to lose himself in those swoops and loops.

Memories of stories his grandfather had told him came to the surface of his mind; stories of a hacking that went unexplained, a missing program, and of the deadly potential the program held. Each story had been different, but each one had had the same theme: the mystery.

He was brought back to reality when something soft and wet landed on his head. He reached up and felt something white and sticky in his hair. He grew disgusted as he withdrew his hand and walked back in the direction of the spaceport.

He had to tell the President this immediately.

But first, he had to confirm something.

* * *

**The door to** the logistics department of the company slid open and Seto stepped in, wiping his hair with a towel he had grabbed from a nearby bathroom. The chief logistics expert for the company, a young woman named Hai Ting, looked up, her green jade eyes widening in surprise.

"Sir! What're you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to check on something. Have you figured out what the stats are?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, I have. C'mon."

She stood and led the CEO down to the major operations center for the company. Here plans regarding the Kaxian United Military were carried out and determined. Operations for the whole organization were displayed on the massive monitor for when the leaders did come, which was hardly ever. Still, it was best to keep things in top condition for if the leaders ever _did_ come.

The monitor was located in front of many consoles, each manned by a dedicated employee of KaibaCorp. In the center of the room was a space for Seto and Mokuba to sit during planning sessions or battles.

"Look at the main monitor," Hai told Seto. The CEO's gray eyes locked onto it as Hai nodded at a couple of workers. They nodded back and keyed in a few codes into their keyboards. The monitor's current image of the galaxy faded to show the entire universe.

Seto's eyes widened as he looked at her. "Is that map real?" he asked.

Hai nodded. "Yes, sir. It's one of the UPA's maps."

"How did you get it?" Seto inquired. "I thought their software kept us out."

"It did, but not for long," Hai replied with a smug look. "We Kaxians are also skilled at computers. It took a bit of hacking to breech their firewalls, and then we just copied maps and downloaded the copies. We left the originals alone."

"I see…" Seto mused. "Now, how did you determine the statistics?"

Hai smiled. "That came through monitoring of the universal communication bands. It took us three hours to piece it all together, but when we finished, we had a pretty accurate account of how much of the universe supports us."

"How accurate?" Seto snapped.

"Ninety-five percent accurate, sir," Hai reported.

Seto's eyes suddenly widened. "No way…" he murmured.

"It's true, sir," Hai said, nodding her head. "Or at least from what we could get. We're unsure, but we'll let you know if any of the numbers change."

Seto nodded. "Thanks."

* * *

_On Earth…_

**Time: 1400, 2:00 pm, Local time**

**Place: Earth Command Central**

The door slid open to the President's office, exposing the interior to the CEO as he strode over to the desk. President Warren was slumped with her head in her hands, and Seto began to get a gut feeling that told him what was wrong.

He slowly laid a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly. "Heather? You okay?"

She lifted her head from her hands, exposing her tear stained cheeks. "Seto…what's happening to me? One minute I feel confident we can win, the next minute I doubt myself," she murmured.

Seto sat down beside her. "Look. I can tell you exactly what's going on," he said.

"You can?" President Warren asked.

Seto nodded. "Yes. What that note contained was a century-old program that was developed years ago on Kax. It's a mind-control program that can influence those it comes into contact with. Basically, it gives a hidden message to the brain and it becomes embedded until it is carried out. That program…was hidden within the note. And the command was to commit suicide," he said.

"What?" President Warren's eyes widened. "I was…about to kill myself?"

"Yeah," Seto replied. "But thankfully I was able to stop it." He looked down at the floor. "Besides, we need someone like you to lead the universe through this hard time," he said.

"Why? What was Cypher's plan?" President Warren murmured.

Here, Seto's eyes locked onto her own and he said it simply. "To destroy the organization from within."

Her eyes widened and she slumped back into her chair, staring at the horizon with a glazed look. "I…I don't believe this. It's…"

"Wrong," Seto said. "I know."

She turned to look at him again. "How long until the effects wear off?" she asked.

Seto smiled. "Only a few more hours."

President Warren sighed with relief. "Thank God…"

Then something came rushing back to her. "Hold on. What about the UPA?" she suddenly asked. "Is what you said true?"

Seto nodded. "Yeah. Everything I said about them is indeed true."

"How did they get into that mess in the first place?" she asked. "A superiority complex or something?"

Seto let out a bark of laughter. "You bet! They believe that they can do whatever they please, and they think that the laws of others don't apply to them. Plus, they believe that things are limitless and they have the right to keep on developing until it gets to be too late!" he remarked.

"God…They're nuts!" President Warren exclaimed.

Seto smiled. "Yeah. But that's why we're the only ones who can do this. We're the only ones who can win this war, and ensure that a new future is coming."

"Just us alone?" President Warren asked.

Seto shook his head. "No. Everyone who we know out there is in on it with is, so we're never alone. No matter what."

President Warren smiled. "Thanks, Seto. You're the best."

The CEO smiled warmly at her. "Hey, what are friends for?"

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

Cypher pounded the desk of his office in frustration. A cry of anger escaped his lips and he looked up, his pure purple eyes flashing in anger as he stared at a screen showing the command center for the Federation. His plans to get her to doubt her leadership had backfired big time.

"At least I still have my secret weapon…" he purred, looking away from the screen and smirking. He stood up and stepped closer towards a mirror that was in reality a one-way window. He peered at it and sneered at the captive form inside the chamber that he was overlooking.

The beast chained to the walls was white and silver all over and its eyes were bright blue. Two golden wings were spread as the mighty dragon strained to get free from its chains. On its forehead was a single golden V-fin, and its head was shaped like a four-pointed star. Deep within its chest was a Soul-Drive, the very thing Cypher needed to complete his plans. The beast roared as electricity from the fortress shocked it into submission. The dragon's blue eyes flashed as it glared up at Cypher. He sneered. "Nice try, dragon!' he hissed. "Your power is now mine, and I shall use it to overcome that puny organization!"

His laughter echoed throughout the fortress as he enjoyed his future triumph over his adversaries.

Little did he know that they had a much more powerful weapon than he realized…

* * *

_Vector Prime stared in horror as he observed the capture of the Superior Dragon. With that in their possession, the Dark Axis was now unstoppable. And yet…the Federation seemed determined to prove them wrong._

_He had incredible respect for their powers and their ability to overcome anything that was thrown in their path, but he knew when even the Federation was beaten._

_Without a means to defeat the Superior Dragon, the Intergalactic Federation was doomed to death. And then no one would be left to continue the fight. He looked down at the space-time continuum underneath his feet and he shifted slightly, wondering if he should use the Emergency Law._

_He was very tempted, and in fact, he wanted to use it._

_He raised his hand and prepared to open the controls for all of existence._

_But something suddenly surfaced in his mind. A small voice emerged. _'Are you sure about that?'

'What choice do I have?'_ Vector Prime murmured. _'They need to win.'

'I know. But using that law won't enable them to win. You need to believe in them and have faith that they can do this,'_ the voice said._

'I do have faith. But I am also doubtful.'

'Do not doubt them, Vector Prime. They have achieved the impossible before, and they will do so again,'_ the voice replied._

'But they need power that is far beyond their own. And no mortals can gain access, no matter how hard they try!' _Vector protested._

'Just believe in them. And trust they can win this war.'

_Vector sighed as he lowered his hand and closed his optics._

_All he could do now was hope that they could win for everyone._

_Before it was too late._

* * *

_In Nebula…_

Dr. Regal stood on top of the base, his eyes roving over the tank formations as they sped past the central command center. Wakes of dust were stirred by their treads and he smiled grimly. It was a satisfaction of the type that came before a major battle, but it was also tinged with anticipation of large numbers of death.

The commander of the base approached and tapped him on the shoulder. "Sir?"

Dr. Regal turned and faced the man, a forty-four year old captain named Hank Xavier. "What is it, Hank?" he asked.

Hank swept his arm over in the direction of the huge assembly field for the tanks. "Every tank and crew is accounted for. We're set here."

Dr. Regal nodded. "Excellent. What about the air squadrons?"

"Those are good to go, sir. Every plane, starfighter, and copter is fueled and armed for combat."

"Good work," Dr. Regal said.

"I just have one question, sir," Hank said.

"What is it?"

"Why the sudden increase in weapons production? Is the war getting worse?"

Dr. Regal shook his head. "No. The final battle is coming. We just don't know when or where it will take place, so we need to be prepared just in case it breaks out," the Nebulan commander said.

"Ah. I see," Hank remarked. "I understand."

"Good." Dr. Regal glanced up at the stars, his eyes locking onto the galaxy where the Federation resided. "I also have a special task for you," he said softly.

"What?" Hank asked.

Dr. Regal turned to look at him and smiled. "A project that I'd like completed in case the Federation can't access theirs…"

* * *

**A few hours** passed as Dr. Regal laid out his proposal. Hank blinked in shock as he placed a hand to his forehead. "Gosh, sir. I don't know if it can be done. I mean…all the time and resources needed to develop such a thing, even for us…we'd also need energon to power it, and as you know our reserves aren't exactly at top notch," he said.

Dr. Regal nodded. "I understand your concerns. And that is why we'll be drawing on every available source of energon from our outposts and our main worlds. We need this done as soon as possible before the final battle breaks out."

Hank sighed. "I don't even know if it can be done without the proper plans."

"I know. But it has to be done. Guess if you have to. I don't care if you develop something shaped like a pig's snout! Just get it done!" Dr. Regal snapped.

"Yes, sir!" Hank replied, saluting sharply.

Dr. Regal smiled. "I knew I could count on you."

He turned and left the base commander standing out on the balcony. His brow became furrowed as he recalled what he had managed to gather on the network that spanned the Federation. He also recalled the plans that his spies had managed to gather from a Zako soldier they had recently interrogated.

The only way he could prevent them from losing complete contact with the allies was to develop a generator himself and soon.

Especially if the final battle was going to happen soon.

The only thing that Nebula did have on their side at the moment was the fact they had countless metal suppliers, electronics developers, and thousands of potential locations for establishing the generator. But the most promising was located next to Nebula City, also known jokingly as Nebula Command.

He stopped walking and sighed.

He only hoped that the project was completed in time before the battle broke out.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The sun had already set beyond the horizon when the President stepped out onto the command center's roof. The cold winter air bit into her skin this night, making her shiver. She clasped her arms together and rubbed them. Her breath could be seen in the darkness as the red sunlight reflected off onto the windows and snow-covered streets and lawns of several buildings.

President Warren lifted her gaze up to the sky before settling it onto the sea beyond the command center's boundaries.

Everything that had happened over the past day surfaced in her mind and she closed her eyes, remembering what had nearly happened if it hadn't been for Seto's quick actions. She couldn't believe she had let Cypher trick her like that!

Anger at his actions and at herself flooded her body and she shivered again, this time, not from the cold, but from helplessness. She felt so helpless sometimes. Despite all the power that the Federation now wielded, they were still weak in some aspects. Especially in universal influence.

But now…something had changed. Something had caused the leaders of the other organizations in the universe to see the truth and to start uniting around one common cause. Even the UPA was now seeing the truth, even if they did think the Federation couldn't fight and win. But what was it? What had caused that sudden change? Was it the invasion they had pulled? Was it their repeated victories? What was the factor that led to this? So many questions filled her mind, but not a single answer came to her. It was hard to even believe that this was happening to begin with.

The door to the stairwell opened just as Jacob White, the second-in-command of the organization, stepped out. He was wearing a down jacket and he carried in his hand a second coat for President Warren.

"I thought I'd find you up here," he remarked lightly, handing her the coat.

She accepted it and put it on. "Yeah," she replied with a smile. "Everyone seems to know this is my thinking spot."

White laughed as he walked up beside her. "You trying to figure out what caused that sudden change in the others out there?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. What caused it? I've been thinking about it, but no answers come to mind."

"Well, want to know what I think?" White remarked, smiling at her.

"Tell me," President Warren replied in a joking order.

"To tell you the truth, there are a lot of factors involved," White told her. "Some of those factors may include the UPA's broadcasts that they will defend the universe, but an intelligence officer sent out footage of the bungled invasion that they pulled, so that may be one cause."

"Any others?" President Warren inquired.

White nodded. "You bet. I'd say that our repeated victories did the trick, but the biggest factor would be our successful invasion and the revelations we showed with those concentration camps," he murmured, looking down. His hand clenched in his coat pocket around something.

"What do you have in your pocket?" President Warren asked.

White drew out his hand, holding a Soul-Drive in the palm. "This used to be my wife," he murmured softly. "She was captured and turned into this. Xenphyr says there's no hope for her, even if he did build a body for her."

"Oh…" President Warren's voice trailed off as he replaced the Soul-Drive in his pocket. "That's what I think," he told her.

The two stood there in silence for a moment before he smiled. "And I think that a fourth possible factor could be the fact that due to our fighting, the rest of the universe is finally seeing that the hierarchy of the UPA is not gonna work out."

"You think so?" President Warren asked.

White nodded. "You bet," he replied, smiling broadly.

President Warren laughed out loud. "That's good!"

White grinned. "Yeah. It sure is. It means that the universe is finally starting to see things our way. That working together, we can overcome the Dark Axis and establish what we've yearned for: universal peace."

"And it gets better, right?" President Warren remarked.

White laughed. "Better? It gets more than better. It gets awesome from here on out."

"How so?"

"For one thing, the Dark Axis will have a ton of enemies to deal with; a whole universe full of 'em. That leads to unity amongst us despite the divisions in the alliances of the UPA," White replied.

"Unity through division," President Warren murmured softly.

The VP nodded. "You got it," he remarked with a grin.

The two fell into silence. They watched the red horizon turn to a very soft purple before fading to a navy blue. Vice-President White finally spoke again, breaking the silence between them. "So far the buildup is going well. Our factories are producing more weapons and the armed forces are training for the fight," he told her.

President Warren nodded. "Good. What's the status on the _Destiny Star Drive_?"

White glanced up at the stars, his eyes locking onto a single silver spot. "Well, the ship's ready for combat. We finished painting it a while back, so it'll stand out more from the other flagships," he replied.

"Excellent. So, the Dark Axis…What about them?"

White grew serious at the mention of their foe. "The Dark Axis… Oh, boy. You're not gonna like this. They're also prepping for war. And to top off their army, they have the Superior Dragon held captive inside the fortress."

"I know that part," President Warren told him.

"Well, here's something you _don't_ know," White remarked.

"What?"

"One of the squad members stationed there managed to get inside the fortress and they observed Cypher tormenting the Dragon. And they discovered that the Superior Dragon has a Soul-Drive within its chest." The words from White were enough to startle her.

"What? A Soul-Drive?" she blurted.

White nodded. "Yeah. And when combined with the fact that they have a Soul-Drive installed within the fortress…"

When his voice trailed off, President Warren caught on instantly. "NO!" she blurted.

Now she knew what Cypher was planning regarding the Superior Dragon. If the Superior Dragon had a Soul-Drive, and that was combined with the Soul-Drive within the fortress, and if one of them was captured…

"Then his power could reach unimaginable levels!" she cried.

The man beside her was silent as he nodded his head.

The Dark Axis had to be stopped, and she knew it.

The potential for another invasion was great, and she could feel the first rushes of adrenaline flooding her body. But she forced herself to remain calm. There was no way they could launch another invasion. Especially now that the Dark Axis was getting ready for the battle. Although it would disrupt their planning, the Federation would have to sacrifice their own plans and that would be disastrous. So an invasion was ruled out.

The only thing that mattered now was continuing their preparations and hope that when the final battle came they could win.

Before it was too late.

* * *

_The next day…_

Seto glanced at the report on the table in front of him. "You're joking," he murmured after reading it.

President Warren shook her head. "No. I'm not, Seto. That report is indeed accurate. The Federation personnel stationed within the Dark Axis home dimension sent this. So if you don't believe it, then, well, I don't know what to say."

Ciel placed a hand on her copy of the report and stood up. "I say we try one more invasion attempt," she said.

The President shook her head fiercely. "No, Ciel. An invasion is out of the question!" she snapped.

"Then how else are we going to stop his plan?" Pepper cried. "The sooner we try to free this Superior Dragon, the better!"

"I agree with General Pepper on this one," Optimus said quietly. "If we don't do something, then Cypher could no doubt use the combined powers of the Soul-Drives and whoever he captures to destroy us all. Even the _Destiny Star Drive_ would be useless."

"You guys are for an invasion?" President Warren asked in disbelief.

Every one of the others nodded. "Yes," Sandra said.

Knowing that she was outvoted, the President sighed. "Okay. We'll carry out another one."

"And this time, we sneak in and try to free that dragon before Cypher can merge their powers into one!" Cassie said.

President Warren nodded.

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

Cypher sneered as he gazed at the massive orb of dark energy and lightning located deep within the fortress' center. The Soul-Drive he had recently made was the most powerful one ever. And when combined with the Superior Dragon's, it would be unstoppable. All he needed now was a power supply that could make it powerful enough to defeat even the gods, and Unicron himself.

But the question was who would be perfect for the power source.

A few possibilities came to his mind, but each one seemed to be weaker. He needed someone with incredible emotional energy, and with the _Titanic_, or whatever that ship was called, under the command of the Intergalactic Federation, there were only humans left.

He frowned as the realization that he would have to rely on a human's energy made itself known. Cypher hated humans with a passion, but he needed intense emotional energy.

So, what human would suffice and meet his needs?


	106. Rescue of the Superior Dragon: Failure!

Chapter 7

The invasion plans went smoothly and within twelve hours they were set. It was not an invasion in the normal sense. Instead, it was more of a stealth mission that would ensure their success in the final battle. The purpose of the mission was to free the Superior Dragon and…if possible…destroy the Soul-Drive within the fortress.

As a result, only the organic members of the Federation would be going, all dressed in stealth combat armor and fully kitted with the battle gear for fighting if any broke out in the confines of the fortress. President Warren nodded at Seto who nodded back. He primed in the code for the point of entry and the spacebridge opened up to reveal the interior of the corridor in which they were to arrive.

They stepped through and the gate closed up instantly.

The journey there was short. President Warren guessed that it was because they were getting better at creating dimensional gateways using the spacebridge. Her musings were cut short when the gateway opened up and they tumbled out into a small pile of arms and legs.

President Warren groaned and pushed herself free from underneath Zero. The Reploid slid off the pile of leaders and they got to their feet, rubbing their bodies.

"Okay. We're in. Now what?" President Warren asked.

"We try to find the Superior Dragon's cell and free it before Cypher begins the merging," Ciel replied.

"Right," President Warren murmured.

The leaders crept throughout the corridors, relying on the stealth armor to keep their heat, energy, and radar signatures hidden from all Dark Axis sensors. The only flaw regarding this armor was the fact that it didn't work on visual sensors, let alone vision. That was the reason why the armor had been painted green and they were wearing Zako helmets. Zero and Ciel had their hair tucked into baseball caps to keep it from hanging out and revealing their presence.

Famous glanced at the video camera monitoring the corridor and he snarled. "Damnit! They're getting smarter," he muttered. "Video cameras. Who would have guessed?"

General Pepper suddenly nudged Famous in the back with his hand gently and made a discreet motion at a Zako patrolling the corridors.

The two ran after their friends, barely missing getting assigned a task that would have brought them to the Superior Dragon's chamber.

But, as luck would have it, the Fates had other things planned for them.

The Federation leaders snuck throughout the fortress' corridors, speaking to Zakos that said hi to them, but other than that, remaining quiet. They finally reached an intersection filled with Zakos and they struggled to stick together, a lot easier said than done.

One batch of Zakos walked down a second hallway, taking Ciel, Zero, General Pepper, Seto, Cassie, and Sandra with them. A second group had Mokuba, Mimi, and Famous mixed in while the last group contained President Warren, O'hari, Steven, and Shie-rae.

"Crap!" President Warren muttered under her breath. "We got separated!"

"The others can take care of themselves!" Steven hissed to her. "But focus on us!"

"We need to remain calm and quiet if we are to get out of this!" Shie-rae murmured.

"Shie-rae's got a point. The sooner we get out of this Zako horde the better," O'hari whispered.

President Warren nodded. "Okay."

Their group of Zakos headed directly to the training facility, which made things worse. President Warren gulped when she realized that their group was one that had been called down to train.

A red Zako that looked like he was now a Seeker paced in front of them and spoke. "All right, Zakos! Line up!"

Almost immediately, the Zakos did so, including the four intruders. The Zako/Seeker swept his gaze up and down the lines and smiled to himself. "Perfect, zako," he purred.

Then he became serious. "By now, most of you know that your organic origins make you nothing when compared to the others that we created. So, you will be treated as such. You will do what I say, and what you do will be dictated by me and me alone when out here on this field," the Zako/Seeker said.

President Warren exchanged hidden, horrified glances with her friends. They were in the middle of a group of conscripted Zakos!

"So, the first thing you must remember is that you are all organic scum in robot bodies. And as such, you will be treated as organic slime. You understand?" the Zako/Seeker purred.

All the Zakos nodded quickly, fright and fear filling their optics. The President and her fellow leaders nodded as well, playing along.

The modified Zako smirked. "Good. Now, get into training partners and we shall begin at once!" he cried.

The Zakos began to scramble around the field in a chaotic frenzy. No one was even trying to find a sparring partner. This made things worse when the red mecha began screaming at them. Anger began to build in her chest and she snarled. If this got worse, then there was a good chance they could be discovered! She raised her head and cupped both hands around the Zako mouthpiece. "ENOUGH!" she cried.

The Zakos stopped running around and skidded to a stop, some landing in piles and others falling flat on their faces.

All of them looked at her in confusion. Even the red Zako/Seeker was looking at her.

"All Zakos, line up in two rows!" President Warren snapped. "Now!"

The Zakos looked at one another before they did so, but hesitantly.

President Warren nodded. "Good, zako. Now, the Zako across from you will be your sparring partner. Any questions?"

Not a single Zako spoke up. They looked back to their partners and split up into groups of two before beginning their training.

The red mech eyed her curiously before stepping forward. "Well, soldier. You sure calmed them down, zako," he said.

The disguised human nodded. "Yes, zako," she said. "I couldn't stand seeing that kind of chaos. If we are to defeat the Intergalactic Federation, they need to be trained well, zako," she added.

"Good. The rest you can leave to me. You and your fellow soldiers can leave, if you wish," the red mech purred.

President Warren nodded. "Thanks, zako."

The foursome turned and headed over to a quiet area on the field.

"Good going!" Steven hissed. "He's sure to catch on!"

"Hey! If I didn't do something, then one of those Zakos could have knocked any of us over and sent our helmets flying! Then we would have been in even _more_ trouble!" President Warren snapped.

Steven fell silent at that.

He hated to admit it, but the President had a point. If they had gotten knocked over, then they would surely be prisoners by now…or worse.

* * *

**Mokuba, Mimi, and** Famous struggled to the front of the Zako group that had carried them off. Once at the front, they walked alongside a few other Zakos, but close enough to remain together. Mimi secretly glanced at Famous with nervousness visible in her eyes behind the optical glass. Even though her eyes were partly hidden, Famous could sense her nervousness and he couldn't blame her. He too felt nervous, but right now they had to find out where they were heading.

Mokuba suddenly grabbed Mimi by the arm and pulled her away from the Zako group, forcing Famous to tail after them. The trio ducked down another corridor and Famous glared at the younger Kaiba. "What was that about?" he hissed.

"Look. I don't know why, but something was telling me that we should check this out," Mokuba murmured, pointing to a sign that had an arrow on it. Famous narrowed his hidden eyes and studied the wording. It was in English and read _Main Soul-Drive Containment Chamber_.

"So…what you're saying is that we should check out their central Soul-Drive?" Mimi asked.

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah."

"But what if one of us gets nabbed?" Famous asked harshly.

"Don't think I haven't thought this through!" the young Kaiba snapped. "I know that there is a risk, but think about this. If they have a program to merge the Superior Dragon with the Soul-Drive inside this place, why not mess it up somehow so that way they can't use it?"

Famous suddenly perked up. "Sabotage?" he muttered.

Mokuba nodded, grinning underneath his helmet.

The Netopian sighed. "Okay. But if we get caught…"

It didn't take long for Famous' hidden message to get across. The other two nodded and they headed deeper into the fortress, relying on the signs to guide them to the central Soul-Drive.

When they reached the doors, it took Mokuba only a minute to hack the locks and open the twin double doors. The chamber inside was massive. Wires snaked away from a container that resembled that of the _Destiny Star Drive_'s power core, but to a much larger extent. In the middle of this container was a huge Soul-Drive, three rings of darkened metal rotating around it. Inside the Soul-Drive was pure dark energy and lightning coursed within that energy.

Famous, Mokuba, and Mimi gaped in shock. Here it was…the main power core for the fortress, and the very thing they needed to destroy.

Famous instantly began looking around while Mokuba sought out the control console for the merging. Mimi took lookout duty beside the doors, which had locked behind them.

Mokuba suddenly called over from in front of the container. "I found it! The controls for the merging sequence!"

"Good!" Famous cried as he ran over. "Now let's get to work."

The young computer whiz nodded. He turned to face the console and his fingers flew over the keyboard. Screens showing the merger programs came up. "We need the central program," Mokuba said.

"Try this one," Famous suggested, pointing at a screen. "That's the initiation sequence, I guess."

Mokuba highlighted that program and it came up. His eyes widened beneath the optical glass as he realized that Famous had hit it dead on. He looked at him and Famous smirked beneath his helmet.

"Hurry up, guys! I don't know how much longer we can remain holed up in here. Someone's bound to find us sooner or later!" Mimi cried from by the doors.

Mokuba nodded. "Give us five more minutes!" He then returned his gaze to the console. His fingers flew over the keys as he typed in some new codes and deleted others. In some cases he moved some things around. Then, he did something totally unexpected: he highlighted the beginning sequence for the merging and removed that entirely before wiping the hard drive of that line of coding.

He nodded in satisfaction as he and Famous turned and left the console as the screens shut down.

Famous glanced at him in confusion. "Why did you just delete and wipe that section of code?" he asked.

Mokuba looked at him before speaking. "That part was the central portion. If that's gone, then they'll only be able to link their powers, not actually merge. That was what I did. I made it so that way it can only merge their powers, but I also typed in some false coding that has no effect on the program itself."

"So you're deceiving them," Famous mused.

Mokuba nodded. "Yep!" he chirped.

"Okay. Now that that's done, can we get out of here?" Mimi asked as they approached.

Famous nodded. "Yeah. We did what we needed to do, so let's get."

Mimi hit the button to open the door and it slid open…

Only to reveal a whole company of Zako soldiers standing there, guns aimed at them.

"Uh…" Mimi sweatdropped.

"Shit…" Famous muttered.

"We're screwed…" Mokuba whispered.

"Not for long!" Famous spat. He suddenly withdrew a grenade from his armor and chucked it into the middle of the company. A few backed away from it before the grenade blew, sending shrapnel into the surrounding Zakos. The three intruders turned and ran for it down the corridor.

"Damnit! How'd they know we were here?" Mimi cried.

"How should I know?" Famous spat. "They could have had someone stationed in there for all we know!"

"Then that means that the others will have been spotted, too!" Mokuba exclaimed.

Famous nodded. "That's the only conclusion I can come up with at this point!"

"Enough about that! How are we gonna find the others without getting caught?" Mimi asked desperately.

Famous was silent as he ran a few plans through his mind. He suddenly looked up, a glint in his eyes. "I've got an idea! Follow me!" he cried, running down a corridor. The other two glanced at one another before following him.

* * *

**Around the same** time, the group of Zakos that contained Ciel, Zero, General Pepper, Seto, Sandra, and Cassie had emerged from a corridor. Ciel wriggled as she worked her way to the side of the group and somehow managed to pull herself free. Zero and the other leaders with her followed suit and fifteen minutes later, the six stood off to the side, panting and glancing around through the optical glass of the Zako helmets they wore.

Zero glanced up and down the corridor before he swore. "Shit…now what?"

Cassie shrugged. "I don't know, Zero. All I can say is that we're lost."

"Maybe, but maybe not," Seto said.

"How can you say that?" Ciel asked the CEO. "We're trapped in the middle of a fortress and we have no idea as to what level or what segment of the place we're in!"

"I think that maybe I do have an idea," Seto pointed out, motioning with a finger up to a sign on a door.

The leaders turned, wondering what he was talking about. Their hidden eyes widened in amazement at the sign that read _Containment Chamber_.

"Oh my…" Cassie murmured.

"That's the spot," Seto said. "That is the containment chamber for the Superior Dragon."

"So, we have to bust the critter out and get it back to Earth…" Sandra muttered.

"And prevent the Dark Axis from getting their hands on it once again, no matter what," Pepper said, nodding.

Seto nodded. "You got it." Seto stepped closer to the door and grabbed the cover of the control panel. In one swift movement, he yanked it off to expose the wiring. He grabbed a few wires and after a few moments, the door unlocked and hissed open. He looked at them and smiled. "Easy."

No one questioned how he had done it. They kept silent as they followed the CEO inside.

The door closed behind them, sealing them inside with the great beast.

A loud roar of agony greeted them and they fell to their knees, pressing their hands to the sides of the helmets they wore. It was intense, and, despite the pain, Seto managed to pry open an eye to see the condition of the dragon.

The roar faded away, allowing the humans to stand up and study the condition of the beast.

Thick chains tethered the Superior Dragon to the walls and the crackle of electricity coursing over them was enough to make Seto grit his teeth in anger. The beast itself was battered and slightly damaged from the intense pain, and those pure blue eyes locked onto them with rage and hatred. Seto stood up and removed his helmet, revealing his true self.

Ciel and the others looked on in silence as he approached, holding his hands outward in a gesture of surrender. "Take it easy. We are not here to harm you," Seto said soothingly.

The beast growled slightly as Ciel and the others followed Seto's lead in removing their helmets.

Once they had their helmets off, the dragon relaxed somewhat. '_What makes you think that I can trust you, human?_' a male voice asked in their minds.

Pepper was the only one who was shocked. "Was that telepathy?" he blurted.

Cassie looked at him and nodded. "Yes."

'_You have imprisoned me…and you threaten to overcome everything…_' the dragon hissed.

"You have it all wrong," Ciel said, spreading her arms. "_We_ do not wish to conquer. We wish to save everyone. Including you."

'_LIARS!_' the dragon roared, forcing them all to wince.

"Okay, that is it!" Zero snapped. He stepped forward. "Listen here, you overgrown lizard! We are with an entirely different group called the Intergalactic Federation, and we don't like what your captors have done to any of the organics they've captured!"

Zero's gray eyes flashed as he placed a hand on his baseball hat and pointed at the logo. "This is the emblem of our organization and we are different from them in every way possible! We fight for freedom and democracy, and we will do whatever it takes to save everyone from rule under the glitches called the Dark Axis!" he hissed.

'_On what grounds should I believe you?_' the Superior Dragon asked.

"If you have telepathy, then you can surely read our minds," Cassie said. "So, if you don't believe us, then read our memories and see the truth."

Silence filled the chamber before a soft feeling overwhelmed them, leaving their minds to drift and their thoughts flowed freely. Cassie kept her eyes locked onto the Superior Dragon's, and she didn't even blink.

The soft feeling lasted for five minutes before it faded, leaving the others shaking their heads in confusion. Cassie slowly closed her eyes and opened them again. "Well?"

The dragon was silent before speaking again. '_I am sorry for doubting your intentions, Intergalactic Federation. You are surely just in saving me, but…it is too late._'

"What? Whaddya mean it's too late?" Seto blurted. "As long as we're here, it's never too late!" he snapped, waving an arm.

'_It is too late for me. I cannot be freed from these chains,_' the dragon said softly.

"As if!" Zero spat. He turned and nodded at Ciel. "Let's do it!"

She nodded as she and Zero both ignited their sabers. "ORCAN SLASH!" they cried as one. The twin shockwaves cut through the air, colliding with the cuffs and shattering them with ease. The Superior Dragon's eyes widened in amazement as they then repeated the procedure with the second set of cuffs.

"How's that for proving you wrong?" Ciel asked with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

"Now, c'mon! Let's activate a spacebridge and get the hell outta here!" Pepper snapped.

"Way ahead of you," Sandra remarked. She removed a small generator from her armor and pressed the button. But before she could toss it at the floor, a loud banging was heard at the door.

Seto glanced back and he swore loudly. "F***!" he cried. "They found us!"

"So hurry and activate that generator!" Pepper cried.

Sandra nodded, but then the door was blown open and the leaders gaped in shock at the massive army of Zakos that swarmed inside.

"MEGA RESCUE BEAM!" Cassie cried. "MAXIMUM WIDE FORMATION!" The twin beams cut through the army, carving a path through them, followed by an explosion.

"We're not allowing them to get their hands on you!" Famous cried. "PET ACTIVATE! GIGA CANNON!" he roared. He raised his hand with the PET and it flashed, activating a Cross-Fusion program that materialized a Giga Cannon around that arm. He aimed the cannon and fired, sending a powerful golden-orange beam through the air and exploding against a sentry group keeping watch.

"So hurry and get through the spacebridge when Sandra activates it!" Zero cried.

'…' The Superior Dragon was silent as the battle raged before those blue eyes.

The humans that the dragon distrusted originally were now fighting to prevent their enemies from obtaining the power needed to destroy everything. But the question was why fight such a hopeless battle.

The answer remained elusive, but then the human called Sandra tossed the spacebridge generator right at the spot in front of the beast. "GO!" she cried as the gate opened. "We'll hold them off!"

The dragon nodded and spread its great wings.

The Dark Axis, however, wasn't so lenient on letting their captive escape. "NO!" a Zako screamed. "Zako! Engage the magnetic cuffs!"

"Seto! They're…" Ciel was about to speak, but the CEO cut her off.

"I know!" he snapped. "We've got to fall back!"

"Right!" Cassie cried.

The leaders began to run for the gate, followed by their new attaché. The beast flapped its wings and sped headlong toward the gate, but just before it could pass through, magnetic cuffs launched from the walls and snapped onto the beast's legs. A roar of rage tore open the air, forcing the leaders to stop and turn in shock as the dragon was pulled back. "NO!" Zero roared.

He engaged his Dash and sped up close, followed by the others. "We're not letting them get your power!" he hissed.

'_It is too late! There is nothing you can do!_' the dragon cried.

"That doesn't mean we can't try!" Seto hissed.

'_Leave me! Take my power, and go!_' the voice yelled.

"No! Not as long as there's a heartbeat within me!" the CEO growled as he grabbed onto one of the dragon's legs.

"We're not gonna allow them to use your power for evil!" Sandra hissed as she grabbed onto one of the cuffs and began hacking at it with her laser sword. Zero snatched onto one with Ciel and the two began pulling, trying to pry it open. Cassie blasted one of the chains with her beam, and General Pepper snarled as he pulled at a second cuff.

"It's never too late, no matter what anyone else says!" Cassie screamed.

Ciel and Zero broke off the tugging and began slashing with their sabers at the chains and cuffs themselves with intense determination.

'_Forget it!'_ the dragon told them.

"No! Like I said, we're not giving up!" Seto hissed through gritted teeth.

"Zako! STOP THOSE HUMANS!" one of the Zakos roared.

At that moment, many things happened at once. Seto and the others heard a loud roar just as the Superior Dragon's voice screamed '_GO!_' as a huge force suddenly pushed them away towards the spacebridge. The intense energy faded as they found themselves being drawn in. Ciel lashed out her hand and grabbed onto the edge of the bridge, straining to pull herself out. "NO!" she screamed. "We will not allow this to go on!"

She struggled valiantly to get out of the bridge, despite the energy that was pulling her back. "We will not allow it!" she repeated. Her eyes flashed with that fighting fire and she grabbed on with her other hand, pulling with every ounce of strength her muscles could muster. One eye closed just as a huge gust of energy/wind pulled her back. She kept trying to get out, however.

'_GO! NOW!_' the dragon roared. A huge burst of energy tore her loose from the gate just as she screamed, tumbling through the bridge, followed by Seto and the others.

"NOOOOOOO!" Cassie screamed just as Zakos began to shock the great dragon into submission. The dragon's wings twitched in agony as the dark electricity coursed over its body. A huge roar echoed as they tumbled through the bridge.

That was the last thing they saw as the gate closed up and they found themselves back on a course for home.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The spacebridge generator flashed just as the Transformer leaders gathered around. Optimus was waiting to hear the news as the gateway opened and out tumbled the Federation leaders. Underneath the pile, Seto clenched his fist and pounded it onto the generator's base. "Damnit!" he muttered.

"What happened?" Override asked, worry suddenly flooding her face.

The others slid off the pile and Seto sat up, his eyes full of hatred and grief. "We…we couldn't get the Superior Dragon out of the fortress," he muttered darkly.

"Oh, Primus…that's not good," Optimus said softly.

"No, it's not," Famous said. "But that is beside the point."

"Then, what is so important besides the Superior Dragon?" Seto hissed.

"We found the central Soul-Drive, and the console needed for the merging, bro," Mokuba cut in. "I managed to mess up the program, which will hopefully only link their powers, not merge their bodies."

"That's still not good enough!" Seto screamed.

"Actually, it is, Seto," President Warren said.

"How so?" the Kaxian asked harshly.

"If Cypher can't merge the two into one, then we have the upper hand…at least, I hope we do," President Warren said softly.

"I sure hope you're right," Seto muttered. "For our sake."

* * *

_At the TCDA…_

Grappler Gouf stretched his body as he stood next to the school's defensive armaments. He sighed and relaxed his body, letting his optic roam over the buildings before him.

He was standing on a hill overlooking the place and he shivered slightly as a cold breeze blew off the coast. He rubbed his arms to try and get some warmth into his body and he sighed again. He lowered his head and closed his optic.

A soft footstep on the snow caught his attention and he turned to face the newcomer. "Hey, Zapper," he said.

Zapper Zaku stepped up beside him and sighed. "Why is the Federation holding back?" he asked.

Grappler looked at him and blinked. "What're you talking about? They're not holding back," he said.

"They are," Zapper said. "Otherwise, we would've been seeing more forces coming and going from the base near this place."

Grappler turned his body to face the maroon warrior. "Zapper, listen. When they pulled that invasion, they didn't hold back!" he told the other robot.

Zapper snorted. "Yeah. Right," he muttered.

Grappler snarled as he stepped closer to his red and maroon counterpart. "What makes you think that they're holding back?" he hissed.

"If they weren't holding back, there would be more Dark Axis casualties," Zapper stated.

"And there were!" Grappler snapped. "The camps lost over 15,000 guards, and the death toll continues to rise!"

"15,000 isn't much against the forces they have now," Zapper muttered darkly.

Grappler finally couldn't stand it. He lunged at the other mech, tackling him in a brutal football tackle and knocking him to the ground. He perched on Zapper's chest, holding his claws to the other warrior's throat. He drew them back.

Zapper suddenly kicked Grappler in the chest and forced him off his body. Zapper scrambled to his feet as Grappler lanced on his back and he jumped on top of the teal and cobalt mech. The red mech grabbed onto Grappler's shoulders and leaned in close, his optic flaring. "What makes you think that they aren't?" he snarled.

"Because I saw the invasion in progress," Grappler said calmly. "I was there…and it was there that I picked up that generator."

"So?" Zapper spat.

"Listen, Zapper. I was _there_! I was in the middle of all that fighting! I could have been _killed_!" Grappler screamed at him. "I _saw_ them in action! They were not holding back!"

"How so?" Zapper muttered.

Grappler's optic darkened as tears began to fall. "I saw them. They held nothing back. The fury…the rage…the determination…the hatred…the grief for those lost…it was just too much, even for me!" he murmured, turning his head away.

He kept his optic dark as he suddenly sobbed beneath the larger mech. "The way they fought, they never gave up. Despite the fact that several other camps set up armed resistance…no…_all_ the camps fought back…but they didn't stop. They kept going," Grappler whispered.

Zapper scowled. "I don't believe it!" he roared. "If they weren't holding back, then why didn't they send in more forces?"

Grappler's optic flared as he turned his head to face his partner. "_You dummy!_" he screamed. "It's because they're a _third-rate power_ that they don't have very many forces!"

"Then why even fight this war to begin with?" Zapper spat.

Grappler somehow managed to wriggle his foot free and he lashed out, catching Zapper in the chest and forcing him off. The blue mech jumped to his feet and jumped on top of Zapper, pinning him. "You idiot! Are you this dense?" he yelled. "They fight this war because of the very fact they want to save everyone they know and more!"

"How can they? If they're this small, then why not just let the Dark Axis overthrow them?" Zapper asked.

Grappler's claws were a shining blur as he smacked Zapper across the face with them. Three gashes appeared on his cheek and he stared in shock at his partner's actions. Grappler had never swiped at him with his claws before…

"You don't get it!" Grappler screamed. "You never did! From the very beginning, the Federation had made a pledge to stop the Dark Axis, no matter what it took! After they saw the footage and the camps, they made it not a pledge, but a vow, a mission, and a cause! They _want_ to fight and win! They _know_ that they can't win, yet they try their best! They _accept_ their limitations and use what little power, resources, and what influence they can muster to overcome the odds! They _give_ a damn about those that the Dark Axis has killed, Zapper! _They care for everyone!_ Why can't you see that?"

He grabbed his partner's shoulders and sobbed, leaning in. "They care for everyone, and they will keep fighting to ensure that their dream of universal peace is carried out," he murmured.

"Why do they? They're useless organics," Zapper muttered darkly.

Grappler looked up, his optic filled with tears, yet flaring with intense grief and rage. "Open your optics, Zapper! They're not useless organics! Could useless organics have carried out a successful invasion, stopped fourteen camps in operation, saved over 40,000,000 prisoners of war, destroyed the five generals and several other officers? Huh?" he screamed.

Zapper was shocked by the intense faith Grappler had in them. "Why do you believe in them so much?" he asked.

"It's because they have a power that no one else can obtain, let alone understand," Grappler said softly.

"What kind of power?" Zapper asked sarcastically.

"A power that comes from countless battles, unlimited faith in each other and their own abilities, and a determination that can't be defeated in battle alone," Grappler said. "The power…of hope for a better future and dreams."

"How can hope and dreams be a power?" Zapper asked. "They're just feelings."

"No, they aren't! Not in the Intergalactic Federation! They believe in them!" Grappler yelled at him. His shoulders were shaking as he shook Zapper hard. "Zapper, just open your eyes! They believe in the future, and they hope they can achieve it!"

"Why? It's impossible," Zapper said softly. He turned his head away from Grappler.

"OPEN YOUR EYES, DAMNIT!" Grappler roared. He drew back his right hand and punched Zapper square on the jaw. "Listen to yourself! You constantly believe that the Dark Axis is going to win! Face the facts, Zapper! The Dark Axis isn't invincible, even if they do have the Superior Dragon!"

"Then it's over," Zapper said. "They won. That's it."

"No it isn't!" Grappler cried. He was now desperate. "Zapper, look at me!"

Zapper did so.

Grappler's body was shuddering as he held his hands against Zapper's shoulders. "Listen. The Intergalactic Federation is so powerful because they understand that nothing and no one can be considered invincible. Trust me. I know."

He looked down slightly. "I…I did some research into their past…and I discovered some facts about the war they call World War II."

"What kind of facts?" Zapper asked.

Grappler sniffled as he wiped his mouthpiece with one hand. "I learned that even though the Nazis were invincible, everyone who fought against them threw everything they had into the fight to win against the Axis Powers. The Americans had a large amount of untapped potential to become the world's strongest nation, and they drew upon that. The Soviet Union threw everything they had into the Eastern Front, and held the Nazi expansion in check. When it came time for the final battle, the Americans, British, and Canadians launched D-Day, and threw everything they had into the fight to free France and to overrun Germany."

"So? What was the point?" Zapper asked.

"Everything they did, they did with their hearts, souls, and superior military power. The Germans' invincibility was slowly wearing down due to the force of the Allies' efforts. They never stopped until the end of the war. The Soviets took the brunt, but the Americans bore a fair share. The British dealt with it the most until the Americans got involved," Grappler said. "And…it was because of American military, economic and industrial potential that the German Army was overcome and finally crushed."

Zapper blinked in shock. The German Army…had been invincible, and yet, many fought to defeat them and they did. He kept his gaze locked on Grappler who was now shuddering as he held him down.

"This current war has some similarities to the Second World War. Mostly the fact that the Dark Axis believed themselves invincible," Grappler said. "And yet…the Federation proved them wrong."

Zapper was shocked as Grappler suddenly rolled over, keeping a firm grip on Zapper's shoulders. He was now lying beneath Zapper, who just blinked before he suddenly hugged the younger mech tightly.

He pressed his mouthpiece to Grappler, who rubbed his arms up the maroon mech's broad shoulders. Zapper whimpered in submissiveness, allowing Grappler to roll over again, perching on top of him again.

Zapper simply stayed still as they lay there on the ground. It lasted for a full minute before Grappler pulled away. "Don't worry. The Dark Axis will go down, and the Intergalactic Federation will win this war," he whispered.

Zapper smiled weakly. "Thanks, Grappler," he murmured.

The other mech grinned before he leaned in and caught Zapper in a second kiss. He traced a finger down Zapper's cheek, keeping his claws away from the three gashes he had made earlier. A mewling noise came from Zapper's throat and he allowed Grappler to straddle him as he rubbed the other warrior's broad shoulders. He pumped warm air into Zapper's vents, making the other mech whimper as he submitted to Grappler, a very unusual thing for him to do. It was only the second time, but it reminded him of how much he cared for Grappler and how much he loved him.

After a few minutes of this, Grappler pulled away and slid off the other mech. He slipped an arm under his shoulders and helped him sit up.

"Don't worry, Zapper. Things will work out. The Federation will win," Grappler murmured, his voice low. "Trust me."

Zapper nodded. "O-okay," he said. "I will."

Grappler grinned as he pulled Zapper to his feet. The two mechs' hands somehow found themselves touching, but just barely.

Without so much as another word, the two turned and walked off back in the direction of the school.

* * *

_Back at Earth Command…_

President Warren frowned as she pondered the dragon's last words to Seto and the other five with him. The beast had told them to take its power and go. But how was that even possible?

Dragon lore and magical tales never existed or remained in telling within the more scientifically oriented universe, but outside those boundaries, in the more primitive areas of the universe the tales were found in great abundance. But due to the primitive nature of such sectors, the more advanced organizations never even bothered to send in probes, unless they were of the military grade stealth probes.

She tapped her finger on her desk for a few more moments before she sighed.

The only bit of dragon lore she could recall was the Resconian account that Cassie had sent her a while ago.

The account had told of the dragon's power being able to be transferred from the beast itself into a vessel of incredible might, but the vessel itself had to be machine in nature and constructed not by nature, but by man.

But the only question was how it was done.

That last part of the puzzle was the key one they needed. The only thing was…how could they find out?


	107. The Troops Recalled

Chapter 8

Dajar'o huffed as he observed the beginnings of war preparation in the United Star Alliance, the name he had come up with for the seven powers united against the Dark Axis. He closed down the screens and turned to face the window overlooking the great city of his people and organization. Men bustled about on their way to work, women on their way to the store, and children running and playing on the sidewalks.

There were now rumors amongst several of his officers in the army that the economy was beginning to go down, but he doubted it. He turned his back on the bustling city and walked over to his desk. He sat down and grabbed a report detailing the war preparations for his own people.

The report told of the rapid buildup in other aspects, but not for the space forces or the air forces. He was seriously behind in those two branches of warfare.

It pissed him off knowing that the Federation was stronger than he was, and yet…they were smaller than even the smallest third-rate power. By all rights, they should not even exist, let alone survived all those wars and the intense losses they suffered! What was it that kept them going in spite of all the things that were thrown across their path?

He slammed the report down on the desk and stood up. For some reason, he was feeling restless and more antsy than ever before in his whole life. He couldn't even sit still long enough to compose a speech on the current state of the war! What was happening to him?

He paced the office, trying to understand this sudden change in his personality. What was going on? He was actually feeling like he had to get in there and help with the fighting. He liked the feeling of battle. He loved the rush of adrenaline as it flowed through his veins. He could now see the tactical picture from all new angles.

Dajar'o wondered if the Federation's ways were beginning to take their toll on him.

He shook his head. No. That couldn't be it. It had to be something else…but what was it?

And these grim reports about his organization's economy…

It seemed like something was stirring deep inside him, almost like something was struggling for release from the deepest recesses of his heart. What was it that was crying for release? What feeling yearned for freedom from within his cold heart? What wanted him to change?

He began to ponder Nebula's decision to leave the alliance and join with the Federation. What had caused them to leave?

He somehow knew the answer before he even finished asking himself that question. He knew that it was because the Federal Institute and his own organization failed to take decisive action, and that it was the Federation's ability to take such swift action that led to them breaking off and forming a new alliance…and with a third-rate power at that.

He bowed his head as he stopped pacing.

Memories of his father's words came back to him.

* * *

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_A ten-year-old Dajar'o looked at his father with big bug-like eyes full of wonder. "What is it that unites people, Father?" he asked._

_Thi'poi Dajar'o laughed as he picked up his son. "Son, there are many things that unite people. But the biggest thing is the desire for a better future and dreams." He then grew thoughtful. "No. Desire is too weak and too wrong a word. Hope for the better future is more like it."_

"_But…isn't that bad?" Dajar'o inquired._

_Thi'poi shook his head. "No, Li'chi. Instead, it depends on how you look at things. Something my great-grandfather once said is that no matter how small an organization is, never underestimate their power. Sometimes smaller organizations, such as those that shouldn't even survive, can pull off impossible miracles."_

"_How so, Father?"_

"_Like I said, never underestimate them. Democratic organizations are also a key part in this. Uniting under a common cause, despite their small size, and finding faith in themselves are the factors that can create a powerful force that should never be reckoned with," Thi'poi told his son._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

* * *

Dajar'o's eyes snapped open and he began to wonder. Was his father right all along? Was the Federation's incredible power due to their small size? Or was it something else?

He pondered this new theory. The Intergalactic Federation had a tendency to pull of unusual miracles, such as Unicron's defeat and the destruction of Titan AE. If they could do it, then why couldn't they do this?

He suddenly became horrified at this new faith that he was developing. Was it possible that the Federation's uncanny ability to unite others was affecting him?

He doubted it, but something else told him otherwise.

"What is causing this new faith for me?" he cried out loud.

No one answered. But a small voice, that very same voice that had prompted him to carry out his own invasion, surfaced in his mind.

'_What? Did you think it was all because of pure luck that they did all that?_' the voice asked tauntingly.

'_What is it to you?_' Dajar'o spat.

'_Dajar'o, you idiot. Did you even bother to consider the very possibility that the President of that third-rate power has something you don't?_'

'_What is it that she possibly has that I don't? I have everything she yearns for!_' Dajar'o cried. '_I have the public of the universe under my palm! I possess far greater power than her puny organization! My factories are more numerous and larger in numbers! I have the best government!_'

'_You may have these things, yes, but she has something more,_' the voice replied to his rant.

'_How so?_' Dajar'o sneered.

'_Charisma. Leadership. Faith. Kindness. Determination. Generosity. Intelligence. And understanding. She possesses charisma like no other. Her leadership prompts others to see the truth. Her faith in her friends and comrades is unparalleled. Her kindness towards complete strangers is what gets her so many allies. Her determination to beat the odds is greater than even your own. Her generosity is what prompts her to send forces abroad to aid organizations that need it the most. Her intelligence allows her to see the battlefield picture, enabling her to get out on the front lines. Her understanding is what creates her gift of empathy to a whole new level. She _knows_ what it's like to be considered useless,_' the voice told him.

'_No! That's can't be true!_' Dajar'o screamed.

'_Ah. But it is. Face it. She's a better leader than you will ever be._'

"I won't accept it!" Dajar'o roared.

'_Face the facts. No on will follow your way of governing the universe. The Intergalactic Federation is the organization that is named in the prophecy described by the very first Autobot himself,_' the voice purred.

"SHUT UP!" Dajar'o shrieked.

The voice fell silent. Dajar'o closed his eyes and pounded his fist against the wall of his office.

Was he beginning to go insane? What was happening to him?

'_Your wife wanted a better future. So why are you denying her wishes? Was it not in the code of the UPA to honor the wishes of their women?_' the voice murmured.

'_Shut up!'_ Dajar'o screamed mentally. '_I don't have to listen to the likes of you, whoever you are!_'

'_Ah, but you have to. I am you, in a sense. I am your more reasonable side. And you can't get rid of me, no matter how hard you try._'

"NO!" Dajar'o yelled. "Get out of my head!"

'_No. I can't. Face the truth. The Federation is better, stronger, and more powerful than you. And it's no use denying it. That only makes it worse. So just accept it. And then, move on with your life._'

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" the UPA commander roared. He grabbed at his head and slumped down against the wall of his office, his eyes beginning to shimmer with tears. What was happening?

'_Face it, Dajar'o. No matter what you try, no matter what you say and do, you will never be able to match the Federation in every aspect, nor will you surpass them,_' the voice whispered.

'_What do they have that I don't?_' Dajar'o asked. '_Tell me!_'

'_Freedom._'

Dajar'o looked up, confusion on his face.

'_You heard me. Freedom. Your people are oppressed by your corrupt ways, and you forbid even the simplest of human rights for the women of your kind. You ban unions; you prevent people from freedom of speech, expression, and the press. You strip women of education and working experience. You don't even allow them to fight for their organization, or their countries. You do not care for the environment and corruption you encourage amongst the politicians. And does the Federation do that? No._'

"What does that have to do with the Federation having something I don't!" Dajar'o spat out loud.

The voice laughed. '_They _encourage_ freedom. They _fight _for it. They _defend_ it. They _create_ it. Freedom to be who they want to be. The freedoms that you suppress they encourage and defend._'

'_But what does that have to do with their incredible and uncanny powers? They shouldn't even _exist_ because of their small size!_' Dajar'o roared at the voice.

'_It is because of that they have gained such powers. Not to mention that Earth has always been considered a backwater world over the course of its history,_' the voice explained. '_Ever since the beginning of human history, worlds and other organizations sought to hide their most powerful weapons in a place no one would ever think to look. These weapons were so powerful they were considered weapons of mass destruction…and they were, if used in the wrong hands. But when used in the _right_ hands, they became more than that. They became weapons of the heart._'

"What are you saying?" Dajar'o hissed.

'_Over the course of the years,_' the voice continued, '_humans sought to understand their very origins. A few tried to find the truth, but failed. The history of humankind is all too brief, but it is vital in the future of the universe. Their history is tied to the destiny of everyone here._'

'_Then, they are…destined…for something great?_' Dajar'o asked, shocked.

'_Yes, and no,_' the voice said. '_It is true that their history is vital to the destiny of everyone else, but it is by pure chance that this was meant to happen. The legends of old did tell of your rise, but they also hinted at the rise of another power, one that would defy all the odds and overcome whatever was thrown in their path._'

'_I…I don't understand…_'

'_Dajar'o…the very thing you don't understand is what is protecting the universe from the Dark Axis threat!_' the voice cried.

"Shut up! I understand everything I know about them, and you can't try to convince me otherwise!" Dajar'o screamed.

The voice fell silent, but he had a nagging suspicion that it was not through yet. And he was right.

'_Dajar'o, the power that most others understand is what makes them so strong. And you don't understand any of it._'

"What power could they possess that I don't?" he yelled. "I have all the power, and they have nothing! I can tap into it, but they can't! So there!"

'_Dajar'o, you simple minded fool. There is a far greater power than even the power you can draw upon._'

"No there is not!" Dajar'o roared.

'_Yes, there is,_' the voice murmured. '_And it is that very power that is crying for release from within your cold, selfish heart._'

"What kind of power is it?" Dajar'o asked.

'_The power…of the heart._' That was the last Dajar'o heard of the voice. It faded deep into the recesses of his mind, making him shiver. The thought of that voice lurking within his mind made him antsy and he wanted it gone. But at the same time, he began to feel that the voice was right. That he understood nothing, and possessed nothing the Federation held.

But what was it that made them so strong? Was it their heart, their might, their wealth, or their spirit and emotions? What was it?

He sat against the wall of his office for five hours, trying to answer his own questions. But no answer surfaced. He was left puzzled and confused.

What did the Federation have that he lacked?

* * *

**Dajar'o never even** bothered to look into it. Had he even decided to investigate the archives, he would have found out why other powers had hidden such powerful weapons in Earth's solar system to begin with.

As it turns out, one of his chief aides had gotten curious and was investigating himself. The young male, named U'thi Lo'chax, shifted through a folder containing the handwritten account detailing the hiding of the Destiny Soul-Drive.

His eyes roamed over the pages, skimming through and taking in every detail.

The account told of the creation of a mighty vessel with incredible weapons and the special ability to read the souls of the organization that wielded it, gaining access to such deadly weapons of mass destruction. But in order to do so, the ship needed a power source that could synchronize with the souls and emotions of those who possessed it. Thus, the Destiny Soul-Drive was created.

It was the only one in existence. Testing showed it held much potential, but something went awry when one of the scientists lost her life during a test run. She was killed and the ship was deemed too powerful to be used by anyone, especially when it was discovered that the ship's particle accelerator had the ability to smash atoms together hard enough to create a black hole. But still they tried to find a way to focus that power into something deadly. They wired the accelerator into the main cannon and then removed the Soul-Drive, agreeing to hide it in a sector seldom visited, even by their own people.

They sought out a world that was off the beaten path, and their research led them to Earth. They did a little reconnaissance and discovered that the world was inhabited by mostly furred creatures that lived in the trees and were slowly starting to become aware of the ground beneath them. This race was the future of this world, and they knew it. They dubbed these creatures "humans". The creators of the ship and power source then hid the mighty vessel on the moon of this world and sent down a party to hide the Soul-Drive in a place no one would ever think to look until much later in this race's future.

There it lay for countless centuries. They attempted to develop two other vessels of the same caliber. They were developed around the same time and testing began. The first of the two exploded when a test failed and its power overloaded the systems. The second was a success, but before they could even use it, it was stolen and they lost track of it.

It was here the account ended, for the creators suddenly vanished, never appearing again.

The young archivist decided to show this to his leader.

* * *

_In Dajar'o's office…_

The door slid open, revealing a haggard looking Dajar'o slumped against the wall. The archivist crept in. "Uh, sir…?"

"What is it?" Dajar'o asked wearily.

"I…I brought something that may be of some help, I feel," he said timidly.

"Just…just put it on the desk and I'll get to it in time," the leader murmured.

The archivist did as he was told. After the account was left on the desk, he left the office. Dajar'o sighed as he stood up. For some reason, he felt prompted to examine whatever the archivist had left him.

As soon as he picked it up, he instantly began to realize something about the Federation. They were indeed meant to do something great, but as to how or why…that remained a mystery.

The voice emerged from the back of his mind and smirked at him. '_Well, Dajar'o? Are you starting to see how little you really understand about them?_'

'_That may be somewhat true, but I still say that I understand them well enough!_' Dajar'o countered.

The voice fell silent again as it retreated back into his mind.

He began to cry at his confusion.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

**Date: 05 December 2009**

**Time: 1900, 5:00 pm, Local time**

**Place: Earth Command Central**

President Warren observed the glittering lights as they came on. She stood in front of the massive window facing to the east, watching the far off ships plying the sea lanes, carrying cargo and passengers to and from unknown destinations.

The door to her office slid open and she turned, bringing her mind back to the real world. VP White stood in the doorframe, holding a screen in both hands.

"Jake. What're you doing here this late?" she asked.

"I came by to tell you something," he said.

"What?" President Warren asked as White stepped into the room. The door closed behind him with a soft hiss.

"Check this out," White told her, handing her the screen.

President Warren took it and her eyes widened in considerable surprise. "Is this even valid?" she asked, handing it back to him.

White nodded. "I double-checked the data myself. It's valid." He paused, then smirked. "It seems Dajar'o is beginning to doubt his own leadership," he added.

The President grinned back. "Yeah." Then she became serious as she looked back out at the sea beyond the complex's skyline. "But I can't help but feel sorry for him."

"Don't feel too sorry for that jerk," White cautioned. "That could be our downfall."

"I'm well aware of that, White. But…why doesn't he just learn to accept the truth?" President Warren asked.

"I can understand your confusion, and personally, I doubt he ever will. I also think that there's something in his past that makes him the way he is," White said.

"What kind of thing are you suggesting?" President Warren asked. "That his father and mother never cared for him or something?" she remarked sarcastically.

Both leaders looked at one another before they burst out laughing at the ridiculous comment.

White wiped at one of his eyes with his sleeve before speaking. "Yeah, that was a good one," he murmured.

"No. I'm serious. Why does he act like this?" President Warren asked.

"I don't know, and maybe we never will, but one thing is clear: he needs to see that denying the truth will not make it go away. Only action can," White replied.

"So, in short, we aide them if the Dark Axis launches a surprise attack," President Warren finished.

White nodded. "Yeah. But I doubt they will, because of the upcoming battle."

Both fell silent as they stared out at the sea for a while, their eyes locked onto the ships.

The battle looming ahead of them was ever present on their minds and all they could do right now was keep forging on through this to get to the end.

If they survived.

* * *

_The next day…_

President Warren awoke to the screaming of her alarm. She groaned and lashed out with her fist, nailing the snooze button dead on. The screeching died down and she opened her eyes. She sat up and rubbed them to get the sleepy out of her eyes.

"Man! Never set the alarm that high!" she muttered to herself. She slipped out of her bed, dressed in nothing but a large T-shirt and a pair of Bermuda shorts. She ran a hand through her hair and she yawned.

The communicator on her desk chirped repeatedly.

She knew what that meant. She was out of her bed in a flash and she grabbed it off the desk and pressed the communicator's power button.

The screen fizzled before it faded to show the commander of the defense forces for the organization. "_President Warren, sorry to bother you this early, but…_" His voice trailed off, and the President cut him off.

"Enough about that. What's the situation?" she asked.

The commander nodded. "_Right. Well, regarding war preparations, things are going smoothly. By any luck, we should be ready before the tenth of the month._"

"Good. Any other news?" she asked.

He became grim-faced at this. "_The UPA is also preparing for war. But…we don't know if it's against us or against the Dark Axis._"

"Well, their bungled invasion proves that they're willing to go to war against them, but not in the way we expect," President Warren pointed out.

"_There is still a chance he could attack us, as well,_" the commander countered.

"It doesn't matter. We need to have everyone ready for battle. So send out an order to withdraw all forces abroad back to the organization. And send out a message to the troops in the Dark Axis home dimension. Tell them to come back home. We need everyone we can get," President Warren ordered.

"_Everyone?_" he asked.

She nodded. "_Everyone_."

The commander fell silent, but he nodded and the communication was cut.

* * *

**The message to** withdraw came shortly after the President issued the order. The forces sent abroad to aid in several operations to repel the Dark Axis were called back home just as those forces helping with the cleanup at the Interstellar Trade Confederation also received the message. There was much arguing and debate between the commanders there, but in the end, they withdrew after saying that they would return one day to help with the rest of the cleanup.

In the Dark Axis home dimension, the retreat order didn't go through so smoothly.

Kidd Bradford snarled as he slapped the orders down on the desk of the refurnished command center. "Damnit! Why do we have to return to base?" he snarled.

"I'm sorry, sir, but those orders came directly from the President herself," the soldier said.

"Screw those orders! We're staying put! We need more intel on them before we can pull out!" Kidd spat.

"Sorry, sir, but she said that everyone has to comply," the soldier reported, her eyes darting about nervously.

"Did she say why?" Kidd asked.

The soldier nodded. "Yes, sir. She said that everyone needs to be on hand for the upcoming final battle." She hesitated before speaking again. "And it may also be because the UPA is prepping for war, too. The only downside is that the General has no idea as to who they will attack."

"Damn. I thought something was up when I received the orders," Kidd said. He looked out at the bustling camp/spy base. He had his orders, and yet he wanted to stay and gather as much intelligence as he dared before they had to pull back. They had only a few hours left before they were told to come back, so he decided to make use of those last few hours to gather as many Zako forces as he could capture.

"All right. We'll pull out, but we're gonna try and bring some Zako prisoners with us. With any luck, one of them will have some knowledge and information we can use to help us prepare for the final battle," Kidd said.

"Right!" the soldier said. "I'll tell the President."

But Kidd cut her off. "No."

Her eyes widened. "WHAT! Why not?"

Kidd smiled. "This will be our secret. I want to do as much as I can in the time we've got left here. Tell the rest of the troops to pack up, but have my elite unit head out and start searching out Zakos."

"Yes, sir!"

The word was spread and within a few moments, the elite unit of Kidd Bradford was heading out into the bustling activity below the base of the Dark Axis. It took less than three hours to capture forty-five Zakos, all obviously of high rank. He grinned when they were herded into the camp through the gate. "Good work!" he said.

The leader of the unit grinned back. "Hey. It was easy. All we did was set off three smoke bombs and a few flash-bangs. The confusion did the rest."

"Good. Now get these guys loaded into the trucks. We're heading back," Kidd ordered.

The unit leader saluted and jabbed his laser rifle at the Zakos. "Move it!" he snapped.

"Zako!" a Zako squeaked as it stumbled forward.

Kidd nodded as they were herded on board the trucks and the doors slammed closed. A second officer of Kidd's elite unit came up carrying a sack of their weapons. She tossed those into a troop transport and slammed the door shut. Kidd glanced back at the camp that had served them well over the last few months since the invasion. They had gotten more than enough intelligence on the forces and on the defenses of the fortress itself, and personally, he felt a bit attached to the place. It had been one of those they had liberated before the Dark Axis had had a chance to exterminate all the prisoners. So, as a result, he had developed a special attachment to the camp, despite all that death and destruction that still remained.

His eyes began to water as he stared at the command center building, nothing more than a gutted shell now. As was typical of Federation military code, they had to destroy the place and prevent the Dark Axis from reusing it. Plastic energon explosives had been buried all over the place after all the equipment had been stripped and loaded.

He fingered the detonator pencil before he sighed. He turned back to the convoy and nodded. "Move out!" he ordered.

The convoy's engines started and the crewed tanks, armored cars, Hummers, helicopters, stardrillers, starfighters, star freighters, and troop transports began to head out of the gate to the spacebridge located at the rendezvous. Kidd turned back to the command center and pressed the timer on the detonator pencil. He drew back his arm and chucked it as far as he could. By some stroke of luck, the pencil and timer wound up inside the command center and rolled for a bit until it was stopped by one of the control consoles where plastic explosives had been planted. Kidd felt tears come to his eyes as he hopped on back of a tank and looked back at the camp as the vehicle sped out of it.

He kept his gaze on the place for five minutes before they reached the safe zone. The energon grid activated, and through the blue glow of the beams as they connected, he could see the explosion of the camp as the timer reached zero, setting off the explosives and obliterating all trace of the camp from the Dark Axis sensors.

The explosion would be picked up, yes. He knew that much. But by then, the Federation would be long gone. A second explosion thudded in the distance. But to Kidd, they felt like nothing more than beats of his heart. It was strange, to feel so detached when those places blew. But deep down, he felt sorrow and grief. Everything they had worked so hard for…was now gone in a huge fiery explosion. Two of them, to be precise.

Kidd turned away, his eyes closing as tears began to fall down his face.

"Just…open the spacebridge. Let's go home," he murmured.

The lead driver nodded solemnly and pressed the button on the console of his Hummer. The generator installed flashed once before a beep emitted from it and the gate opened in front of them, showing Earth Command, their home.

The convoy passed through, leaving the dark, desolate twilight realm for the safety and security of their home city.

If an observer looked back, all they would see would be the fiery remains of the camps. But none were there, so they never saw the last of them collapse to the ground, falling into the shape of two sets of golden-red angel wings of fire, a legacy of the organization that had once lurked there, spying and gathering intelligence on the greatest threat of all time.


	108. Revelations on the Plans!

Chapter 9

The spacebridge opened up a few hours later and the first of the convoy's vehicles emerged from the glowing green gateway. President Warren stood not too far from the generator, watching the convoys emerge in pairs and in threes. The whole arrival took two hours, but when it was finished, the first thing she noticed was that a troop transport pulled up beside her.

Lieutenant Kidd Bradford opened the door and he hopped out, slamming the door closed behind him. He stood up straight and approached the President.

"Okay. I know you're going to be mad at me for this, but while we were getting the equipment and the intelligence we gathered stored in the vehicles, I had some of my elite unit grab some Zakos from the main fortress. All of them are high ranking, so…" Bradford let his voice trail off.

President Warren nodded. "I can understand why you thought it would be best, and I agree with you. But you shouldn't have done it," she said calmly.

"I know," Bradford replied. "But there wasn't enough time to think otherwise. The intelligence we gathered is great and useful, yes, but we may need some information as to why Cypher is willing to do what he's doing. And I'm not talking about the whole Dark Axis. I'm referring to Cypher personally," he explained.

President Warren frowned as she looked down at the ground. "Cypher's goals are clear, as are those of the Dark Axis. We don't need any more information."

"But maybe we can learn something new! Such as how the Superior Dragon's power is compatible with that of the Soul-Drive in the center of the fortress!" Bradford protested.

President Warren's eyes widened as she looked up. "Are you serious?" she breathed.

The lieutenant nodded. "Yes. With high-ranking soldiers, there's no doubt that at least one or more of them has been informed of how the two are compatible."

The President grew thoughtful as she looked at the transport. "Okay. We'll see what we can get. Other than that, you guys did a good job." She paused. "You did blow up the camps?"

Bradford nodded. "Yes," he said softly.

President Warren understood how he felt, and she couldn't blame him. He had gotten attached to the camp where he had worked, and now…it was gone.

"Don't worry," she said. "It was for a good cause."

Bradford wiped at his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. I know," he murmured, his voice cracking at his grief. "But…I just wish…we didn't have to do that!"

"I can understand your loss, and I feel your pain. But, we couldn't allow the Dark Axis to use them again for such evils," President Warren said softly. "It was a necessary sacrifice for the war. We came this far, and those who died in the camps will be avenged. Those who died in the fighting will not have died in vain. We will win, and we will succeed in this war."

"You really think so?" Bradford asked, looking up at her with tear-stains on his cheeks.

She nodded. "I know it," she murmured.

The lieutenant nodded and smiled through his grief. "Thanks."

She smiled back and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now get to work."

Bradford seemed to overcome his grief as she said that. A look of determination crossed his face and he saluted crisply, a confident grin on his face.

He hopped back in the transport and it headed off, leaving President Warren to stand on the hilltop, watching as the convoy finished heading onto the main road into the city.

* * *

**The next meeting** took place outside underneath a tree within Earth Command. Despite the winter chill, the sun was shining brightly and the snow was glittering with the sparkles that accompanied the light of the sun's many rays. President Warren glanced at the many windows of Earth Command Central, glistening in the light. Above the building itself was the big Federation ensign, glowing brightly despite the sun's light behind it.

"Hey, President Warren!" Seto called, getting her attention. She turned and coughed in embarrassment.

"Oh, right. Sorry," she muttered.

"It's okay," Seto told her. "But besides that, what do you think we should do now?" he asked.

President Warren looked at her friends. "I…Honestly, guys, I'm not really sure about what we should do next. I mean, we have a lot that we could be doing, but…right now…I just don't know what to do anymore," she admitted.

"Well, one thing we can do is see if those Dark Axis Zakos that Bradford brought back know anything about how the power of the Superior Dragon is compatible with the Soul-Drive in the fortress," Steven suggested.

"I agree. The sooner we can get that information, the better," Cassie said. "It may be of vital use to us."

"But how? We don't even know how they're gonna link them together. All we know is that they've got some kind of program, if Mokuba's report is accurate," Sandra pointed out.

"Even if we did figure it out, we don't have the tech needed to counter such a program," Famous pointed out.

"That may be true," Cassie said, "but we have to try. After all, if we don't, then what's the point of trying at all?"

"Cassie's right," Steven said. "We have to try."

"Okay. All in favor of going to see how the interrogation is going, raise your hands," Seto said.

But no one did.

"Aw, come on, guys!" Seto moaned.

"Sorry. It's just not worth it," Mimi said softly.

"Why not?" Seto asked her.

She looked him in the eyes and spoke softly. "Look. We just need to wait and see what happens. If we don't, then, well, we'll be rushing headlong into a trap, or worse," she explained.

Seto fell silent.

Mimi was right, President Warren knew. But it also felt as if they could not idly sit by and do nothing. They had to make a decision and fast.

It was Zero who made up their minds. The Reploid was growing impatient and he stood up, looking each and every one of them in the eyes and optics. "Okay. We need to make a choice here and fast!" he spat. "If we don't, then we're all done for! The war has gotten to this point, and what have we ourselves done to bring it to an end? Nothing! We keep trying to gather more intel, which is fine, but we also need to take action! Sure we are beginning to doubt ourselves, but we shouldn't stop fighting for what's right! And look at how far we've come on what we gathered! We know that the Dark Axis has the Superior Dragon and we know that Cypher has some crazy scheme to merge the beast with a Soul-Drive inside his fortress! We messed up the merging program, but we need to find a way to break that link between the two, if it's ever established! And the only way we can do that is by hearing the information that Bradford and his unit have gained, whether you like it or not!"

Zero was silent, his eyes still blazing with anger as he looked at them. "Well?" he asked harshly.

"Zero's right, guys," Ciel said. "We need to find a way to terminate that link before it's too late."

The other leaders looked at her. "So, what you're saying is that we should read the information that Bradford gains?" O'hari asked. He also understood the implications of what Zero was telling them. "I agree. We need to hear it if we're gonna end that link."

Slowly the others nodded. Even President Warren agreed. "Okay. We'll go check it out in a few hours."

* * *

_A few hours later…_

**Time: 1232, 12:32 pm, Local time**

**Place: Earth Command Defense Barracks**

"ZAKO! That's all I know! I swear!" the Zako screamed.

Bradford shook his head. "Sorry. But I know you know more than you let on," he said. His hand fingered the blade of his energon knife and the Zako squeaked in terror.

He didn't like doing this, but right now, there was no choice.

He sighed and turned to leave. "Fine. But…I wouldn't be surprised if the next time I came in, I carried a blowtorch."

"Zako! I'll talk!"

Bradford grinned. "Good."

Outside the room, a soldier was going through the information they had gained from two other Zakos prior. She flipped over a screen before jotting notes down on a screenpad with her lightpen. The soldier's tongue worked its way out of her mouth as she checked her notes with those of another soldier on the same unit.

She grinned and put the pen down before shifting through the notes again.

The sound of multiple footsteps made her look up. Her eyes widened in mild surprise at the sight of the leaders approaching. "What're you doing here?" she asked.

"How's it going?" President Warren asked.

"Oh, good, President Warren!" the soldier said, saluting from her position on the ground. "We gathered a ton of information, and we're almost done."

"Can I see what you've gotten?" the President asked.

The soldier shook her head. "Sorry. We're not finished yet."

The door suddenly slid open at that point, and the Zako was shoved out into the waiting arms of two Reploids on either side of the door. The Zako's face was a mask of relief as the Reploids dragged it off into the back of the barracks.

"Now, we're finished," Bradford replied, handing her a screen. The soldier blinked, but didn't hand over the notes to President Warren as she held out her hand.

Bradford glanced at his commander-in-chief. "We'll send you the complete report when it's done," he said. "Give us two hours max, and it will be in your inbox in a jiff."

President Warren nodded. "Okay. I know you'll follow through."

* * *

_In Satyron…_

Ron paced the floor of his office nervously, watching the preparations with grim eyes. So far things were going smoothly, but the real reason for his nervousness was the fact that despite everything they had done, the Federation had failed to rescue the Superior Dragon from the Dark Axis. He glanced at a screen that was playing back footage from a rescue operation someone else had carried out.

The footage showed a figure that looked like a Musha Gundam emerging from a dimensional gateway and freeing the Griffin, and Steel Dragon from the captivity of the Dark Axis. The Musha turned and ran for it when the two beasts were freed and they followed him, right through the gate to an unknown dimension.

Ron had no idea how he knew, but he guessed that the two captive beasts had been brought back to Lacroa.

He closed down that screen and brought up another, showing the kingdom preparing for a siege that they knew would come sooner or later. The buildings had been repaired and new fortifications had been constructed along the edges of the kingdom's boundaries. New strongholds stood on the other side of the mountains shielding the kingdom.

The door to his office slid open and he turned away from the screen to face the man who entered. Greg.

"Greg. What brings you here?" he asked.

"I wanted to let you know that I informed the President about the Dark Axis' new Soul-Drive inside the fortress," Greg replied.

"And Hades? Did he deliver the information?" Ron asked.

Greg nodded. "Yes. And I also came by to tell you that the war has gotten worse. Even my people are in danger now."

Ron looked away with a grim look in his eyes. "I see. Well, I have no doubt you can hold your own, but against the Superior Dragon, I doubt even you'll stand a chance," he said.

Greg looked down at the floor of the office. "I know. We may have no choice but to fall back and cut off all travel to the mortal worlds we created. We may also have to destroy Earthspace if the Federation loses."

"Don't remind me, Greg," Ron said harshly. "But you mustn't give up on them."

"I haven't. But if there is no other choice," Greg told him.

"Oh."

Greg looked back up at Ron's face and locked his gaze with his ever changing eyes. "The Dark Axis is getting ready for war," he said quietly.

"I know. I've got a probe watching them," Ron muttered.

"We need to be ready, as do the others involved in this fight," Greg said.

"Especially the major players in this," Ron said, looking the HEAVEN Leader in the eyes.

"Yes. The major players. The Gundam Force. The Intergalactic Federation. The Super Dimensional Guard. Nebula. The Tri-Elite. The Allies of the Orichalcos. The Intergalactic Defense Federation. The Liberty Confederation and Board. The Galaxy Organization. The Universal Power Association. Satyron," Greg said, pointing each of them out.

"And others?" Ron asked.

Greg nodded. "Yes. Others who have played a role, but not too big. Commander Sazabi. And the three _Magna Musai_ squad leaders."

Ron sighed. "I figured." He then looked up. "Greg, tell me. Why is it that the Dark Axis has finally gotten to this point?" he asked.

Greg looked away and down at the office floor before lifting his gaze to the window and stepping forward to look out at the city before him.

Ron watched as Greg began to speak. "It's because they know the truth. That good will always prevail, no matter what. So they think that if they can become gods, then the destruction of all things good will come to pass. And that will happen if they succeed."

"But, the Federation has stopped their generals!" Ron pointed out.

"That may be true, but the Dark Axis commander is the real threat. Now that he has the Superior Dragon, he can overcome anyone in his path," Greg murmured. "Even the Federation…if they can't find out how to draw upon the power they have."

"Power? What kind of power?" Ron asked. "You mean the power of the Superior Dragon they already possess, along with the new addition they got from the beast itself?"

Greg shook his head. "No. I'm talking about a new kind of power. One that has been drawn upon once before by the Universal Power Association."

Ron's eyes widened. "No…You can't mean…"

Greg nodded grimly. "I do. The power of the Heaven's Core." He looked Ron in the eyes. "You used it once. You know how powerful and deadly it can be, if used in the wrong way. But…"

Ron shook his head. "No! They can't!" he cried, stepping forward and grabbing Greg by the front of his T-shirt.

Greg grasped Ron's hands and pulled free. "Sorry. But it has to be done. They have the capacity to do so. They just need to learn how."

"Well, it can't happen!" Ron spat. "Otherwise, who knows what may happen!"

"It's a risk we may need to take. Vector Prime has already been given the power to use the Emergency Law. You have more power than you should, and yet you haven't used it," Greg said.

"That's because I haven't found a need to yet!" Ron shot back. "And I'm not even sure that this is warranted as an emergency for it to be used!"

"I can understand your concern, Ron. But you have to also understand that taking risks is sometimes needed in war," Greg murmured.

Ron fell silent as Greg turned and headed for the door. "Besides…the Federation may need that power very soon."

His friend left, leaving a stunned Satyronian leader behind.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

**Time: 1435, 2:35 pm, Local time**

**Location: Earth Command Central**

The buzzer rang as President Warren looked up from a screen detailing the latest shipment of weapons to their outposts. She laid down the shipment report and slid her seat over to the computer terminal on her desk. She brought up the screen and she was not surprised to see the report that Bradford had promised to send.

She opened up the report attached to the e-mail and began to read.

_President Warren._

_Here is the report in its entirety. Most of the Zakos we talked to said the same things, although there were some other things as well. I included those, so we should be good._

_The Zakos all said that the Superior Dragon's power was to be linked to that of the Dark Axis Soul-Drive by shocking the beast and changing its Soul-Drive signature to match that of the one inside the center of the fortress. Now as you know, that's impossible, but it was done. Again, they defied all logic and did something that not even we can do ourselves._

_This is how they will link the two: by matching their frequencies together. If both are compatible, then the power of the Soul-Drive inside the fortress can be transferred to the dragon and vice-versa. Mokuba said he messed up the program, so that should be good for us because then they can't be merged into one powerful object of malevolent intent._

_The bad news is that in order to reverse this, we'd have to steal back the dragon and shock the poor thing with Primus's power. And judging from what the Zakos said about the beast's condition, I doubt that the Superior Dragon could stand up to the kind of power Primus is capable of. It could kill the dragon altogether._

_We're left with the option of pulling off a third and maybe a final attempt…or just wait until the final battle. Personally, I'd advise you to wait. A third invasion is unlikely, now that they're aware of our desperation to win._

_Kidd Bradford_

President Warren let out a cry of frustration and anger as she slammed a fist down on the desk. "Damnit! So much for that!" she muttered.

The door to her office slid open and she turned just as the others came in. As soon as they all sat down, she swiftly told them what she had read in the report. Cries of frustration echoed before Seto spoke up. "Okay. So we can't figure out to reverse the effects. Big deal."

"True, so we're stuck waiting until the final battle," President Warren said.

"And what of the preparations?" Sandra asked.

"They're going smoothly," Optimus told them.

"And that's another reason why I came, too," a new voice said.

The others all gaped as a bright flash of golden light startled them. They threw up their arms, including Optimus and President Warren. The light faded and they lowered their arms.

In the middle of the room stood a futuristic Seeker. Optimus and President Warren cried out his name at once. "Primus!"

Seto and the others looked at them in confusion. President Warren smacked herself on the face before she grinned. "Guys, I forgot to introduce you to Primus," she said, motioning to the Seeker amongst them.

"Primus?" Ciel asked.

"You're joking," Zero said seriously.

President Warren shook her head. "No, I'm not."

It took a few minutes, but in the end, she finally convinced them that it was indeed Primus.

"So, let me get this straight. Primus wants to get in there and help us," Seto said, "and to do that, he left his planet form and emerged in his true form to help."

President Warren nodded. "That's right."

Sandra smiled. "I say we let him help us. Now that we know what he looks like and if he is very flexible in his powers, then I see no reason why we shouldn't."

The others nodded.

The meeting ended a few hours later, and the leaders each headed for their respective home worlds via spacebridge.

Now that she was alone, President Warren could begin to make tactics for the final battle.


	109. Shute's Danger Part 1

Chapter 10

Chief Haro stood over the repair bay at the newly repaired Blanc Base. The _Gundamusai_ had been salvaged and brought back to the base for repairs no less than three months ago. The ship had been in bad shape, but with around the clock work by different shifts, the repairs were going smoothly. The ship was pretty much back to its original state, except for one engine that they were still trying to fix. But according to recent reports, the engine was almost done.

Kao Lyn did a few tai-chi moves as he ran over to the Chief. "Chief Haro! The repairs are almost complete!" he cried, flipping once and kicking upward.

Chief Haro smiled beneath his mask. "Excellent. What's the status on the engine?" he asked.

Kao Lyn smiled back. "It's almost finished! Just a few more welds, and we're good to go!" he exclaimed, punching the air a few times.

"Good. Is the Dimensional Transport Device standing by?" the SDG chief inquired.

Kao Lyn stopped doing his kung fu moves and looked at him. "The transport device is no longer in operational state," he said.

"What?" Chief Haro's "ears" flipped, sending his hat flying. "Are you joking?"

Kao Lyn shook his head. "No. Somehow a lone Zako came in and set off charges all along the bases. The whole device collapsed and we had to return to the original device we first used," the R&D chief said.

"Damn…and after all we did to move past that," the chief muttered angrily.

"So…we're going to have to send the newly repaired _Gundamusai_ through the old transport device," Kao Lyn explained. "It could take a while, but we'll do it!"

"I have faith you can do it," Chief Haro said. Kao Lyn nodded and ran off, doing some moves every now and then. Chief Haro turned back to face the ship with dread in his heart. Without the newly designed DTD, there was no way for them to access the spacebridge network properly. So they would have to rely on luck and guesswork.

And that usually didn't go as well as hoped.

The chief of the SDG lowered his head and closed his eyes. Bell Wood, he knew, was an amazing kid, but even with his incredible abilities, he doubted that the young scientist could break through the network of spacebridges. Already he had failed multiple times. But he knew that Bell Wood wouldn't give up until he had a gate linkup established with the Federation's network.

That was how stubborn Bell Wood could be at times.

Personally, the chief doubted that such a linkup could be achieved, but something told him to never give up, despite what the odds were.

The comm in his pocket beeped and Chief Haro pulled it out. He pressed the activation button and the screen came online, showing Bell Wood's face. He looked much more fatigued than before, and his hair was everywhere on his head. His hat was missing and his goggles hung around his neck. He was obviously very worn, and Chief Haro could tell. But his eyes still shone brightly as he spoke.

"_Chief Haro, I'm sure Kao Lyn told ya about the device being destroyed?_" he asked.

The SDG chief nodded. "Yes."

Bell Wood rubbed his eyes with his arm before speaking again. "_Well, by some stroke of dumb luck, I was able to hook up the old DTD into their network. And surprisingly, it works._"

"Hold on! You already established a linkup?" Chief Haro cried.

The dimensional scientist smiled wearily, but nonetheless he was proud of his work. "_Yes, sir. So…it turns out we may have a shot at getting them back after all!_"

Hope suddenly filled Chief Haro and he laughed. "Excellent! Get ready to send the _Gundamusai_ through!"

Bell Wood's eyes widened in shock. "_But…shouldn't we bring them back before that battle breaks out?_" he asked.

Chief Haro shook his head. "Negative. We're going to aid them by sending through the _Gundamusai_ and following it in our own Gunperries," he explained.

"_But…then who will be left to defend the planet?_" Bell Wood asked in confusion and worry.

Chief Haro smiled to himself. He knew how capable the people of the planet and the Mobile Citizens were when wielding weapons as one planet. "The planet has the entire defense it needs," he told Bell Wood, bringing back memories of the invasion that had been thwarted a while back. Bell Wood stared for a moment before he nodded.

"_I understand, sir, but what if the combined power of the human and machine populations isn't enough?_" the scientist asked nervously.

Chief Haro wouldn't admit it, but the younger man had a point. Still, it was best not to reveal his worst fears until after the war.

He shook his head. "The combined power will be enough. Trust me."

Bell Wood bit his lower lip, but he said nothing as he closed down the communications line.

The chief turned back to face the ship and smiled.

It was time!

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The spacebridge activated, startling the technician working on it. She yelped as the gate suddenly flared and a green orb appeared in the center before expanding to fill the whole gate. "What in Primus' name?" she cried, stepping back as the green gate began to shimmer.

The front of a battleship began to poke through.

She raised a hand to the communications headset she wore and pressed it. The wireless signal was sent almost immediately directly to the communications array above Earth and beamed back down to Earth Command Central, where it was picked up and sent to the President herself.

President Warren glanced up just as the communications screen came online.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The techie's face appeared and she looked frantic. "_President Warren, I'm afraid I've got some bad news!_" she cried.

"Tell me flat out!" President Warren ordered.

The techie simply turned to show the gateway as the battleship began to fully emerge.

That was enough for her. She closed down the comm and ran over to the window, peering out in the direction of the spacebridge, telescopic binoculars held to her eyes. Through them, she could see the battleship in clear detail.

It resembled a freighter crossed with a transport and a battleship in one. The ship was missing part of the nose, but that part was equipped with a bay door of some kind. Above the door was a big golden badge. The ship's bridge was designed to look like a Gundam's head, complete with the V-fin. The only difference was the "eyes" being bridge windows and a port for entering and leaving the bridge at the top. Guns along the sides were attached to ball-like ports that were painted green and with eyes on them. The middle three cannons were tucked inside their ball-shaped housings. On the rear sides of the ship were two engine housings each, providing a great deal of thrust and speed.

"What in God's name is that?" she blurted.

She lowered the binoculars and watched as the ship began to fly directly towards the school's perimeters.

President Warren hoped to God that Neotopia had sent the ship to aid them in battle.

* * *

_At the TCDA…_

Shute perked up as the sound of engines reached his hearing. He looked around, his eyes roaming for the source. They sounded large…much like those of the _Titanic_ when she was in flight mode. But when he glanced over at the dock, the ship was stationary.

He turned to face Captain. "Hey, Captain, do you hear that?" he asked.

The Gundam nodded. "Yes, Shute. I do," he said.

Rele cupped a hand to her ears and nodded. "I do, too," she said.

"And me!" Guneagle said. "I can hear it clearly."

"Where's that sound coming from?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

"I know I have heard that sound before…" Zero murmured as he put a hand to his chin in thought. "It sounds like…"

"The _Gundamusai!_" Captain suddenly cried.

"Huh?" Shute turned to face his friend again, this time a bit stunned at the Gundam looking at the sky. "It's here!"

Shute followed Captain's gaze and he felt his heart lift in excitement and joy. "Guys! It's the _Gundamusai!_" Shute exclaimed, pointing.

Bakunetsumaru and Zero both turned and their eyes bugged in shock. "The _Gundamusai…_ here on Earth?" Baku cried.

Shute nodded. "I think Bell Wood got the device working," he said with a grin.

Sure enough, the Gundam-themed battleship was coming in for a landing. The sound of the engines seemed to have attracted a few soldiers and the TCDA elite team. They came running out of the brush, amazement on their faces.

"What is this thing?" Sayla asked in shock.

Rele grinned. "This is the _Gundamusai_, the Gundam Force's flagship," she said, waving at the ship descending. Dust was thrown up as the ship landed gently on the grass. The whine of the engines died away as they watched.

"Awesome!" Guneagle chimed. "Gotta love that man!" He did a fist pump in happiness.

"Good timing, too," Zero murmured. He guessed that the SDG had sent it.

"You have a flagship?" Kicker asked as he pointed at it.

The Gundam Force nodded. "And it's never let us down, despite the damage it's received in the time we've had it," Shute said grinning.

"So, your escape pod we found you in…that came from this very ship?" Jaden asked.

Shute nodded. "You got it. We wanted to fight, but we were ordered by Chief Haro to flee only," he said, remembering the war that had supposedly claimed his home. He smiled. "But at least this means that the SDG is still fighting back!"

Zane chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Guneagle snapped at the boy.

Zane looked up, a smile on his face. "You sure don't get it. I never told you because I thought you would figure it out."

"Figure what out?" Bakunetsumaru hissed, his hand going for his sword.

"Your home world never really fell," Zane said. "It turns out that through the combined efforts and power of the Mobile Citizen population and the humans, the people of the planet were able to drive back the Dark Axis' new invasion forces. It took time, but they did it."

Shute gaped in shock, along with the Gundam Force. "So…Neotopia is free?" Shute whispered.

Zane nodded. "It's in a very vulnerable state right now, but it's free from the Dark Axis."

"Vulnerable…then it could still fall!" Captain cried.

The older boy shook his head. "No. The Dark Axis will not attack again there now that the war is finally coming to a close. It's here on Earth that the final battle will take place. And the commander needs all his forces for the assault. He won't even attempt."

The Gundam Force let out a cheer of relief and happiness. At least they wouldn't have to return home to an enslaved population and a devastated world.

This was the best news they had received since the day they had been forced to flee. Hope now flared inside each of them and they felt happier than they had ever been in their lives. It seemed like a dark veil had been lifted at last, exposing a new future on the horizon, one of hope, freedom, and equality.

The uncertainty of the future was now gone, and the Gundam Force felt like they could deal with the final battle alone. But they knew it would not happen. They had to fight with their friends and win with them at their side.

"I…I can't believe it," Bakunetsumaru murmured. "How did they pull it off?"

"I guess we'll have to ask them when we get back," Guneagle said with a laugh.

"You bet!" Sayla said. She too was smiling, but with relief for the Gundam Force. "You guys have been through so much, and I'm glad your home is safe." She then became serious again. "But right now we have a battle to focus on."

They nodded, all their hope suddenly vanishing as if in a puff of smoke. But the hope of seeing their home again still lingered within them, and they felt grateful, for it gave them new resolve to deal with the upcoming battle.

* * *

The Gundam Force led the TCDA's best fighters on a personal tour of the ship from the engine room up to the bridge. Sayla was impressed by how functional the ship was. But when they got to the bridge, they were surprised to see a holographic ship's wheel with an SDG badge in front of it located right between the bridge's windows.

"Welcome to the _Gundamusai_," a female voice said. The entire group looked around in wonder, confused as to where the voice came from.

"Who's that?" Sayla asked, her hand reaching for her gun out of reflex.

Captain smiled. "That would me Miss RAIMI, the control AI for the ship," the Gundam said.

"RAIMI?" Sayla asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Shute nodded. "Yeah. She's been a great asset in the war with Zeong," the boy chirped.

Sayla glanced around the bridge. "Well, I must admit, this ship is something else," she remarked.

"I am flattered by your remark," RAIMI said.

"Uh…thanks," Sayla muttered, a sweatdrop running down the side of her head.

Jaden ran over to the bridge windows and peered out. "Wow…" he murmured. "This is some view! Not even the _Autobot Hero_'s got this good a view!" His brown eyes glinted with amazement.

"Yeah. I know," Shute said as he stepped up beside the Earth-Gundam.

Everyone gathered around the windows, amazed at the view. Even Sayla had to admit later on that the view was unmatched, except by the view of the entire city from Earth Command Central. The Gundams and the humans then led them back outside onto the deck of the ship. Sayla looked at the guns in wonder.

"Wow…These are the experimental Apex Laser Cannons!" she murmured softly.

"Apex Laser Cannons?" Shute cocked an eyebrow.

Jaden nodded. "Yeah. They're experimental, but the general idea is to fire a concentrated laser that resembles a missile to some extent. It's meant to replace older and less reliable air-to-air missiles," he said. "Although we don't have very many unreliable missiles, it's still good to have a backup plan."

"Jeez!" Shute glanced at Captain. "That's advanced!"

"But not as advanced as you guys. Clearly you've got some talent in the weapons field as well," Sayla said with a smile.

"We do?" Guneagle asked.

Sayla nodded. "Yeah. I mean, ours are still in the experimental testing stages. We don't even have a working prototype yet."

Shute shook his head. "Wow… I never even thought…"

"Enough, Shute," Captain said. "We may as well try and contact Chief Haro."

"And maybe introduce him to our friends," Guneagle said.

Shute nodded. "Good idea!" he chirped. He turned to face the holo-helm of the ship. "Miss RAIMI, can you do that?"

The helm spun once. "I am already in the process. Communications will be open shortly."

"Excellent!" Rele chirped.

The assembled fighters turned to face the communications device at the back of the bridge. It looked like a cross between a holographic communicator and a dimensional transport device. Sayla cocked an eyebrow, but she didn't need to say anything because the communicator beeped once and a beam of light shot down.

A circular screen appeared and the image of a young man's face appeared. "_Hello? Can ya read me?_" he asked.

"Bell Wood!" Shute cried happily.

"Bell Wood?" Sayla repeated in a question.

Shute turned to her and nodded. "Yeah. He's the guy in charge of dimensional transit back home," the boy explained.

"_At least we can now thank you guys for taking care of the Gundam Force for us,_" Bell Wood replied.

"Hey. It's the least we could do. Besides, they crashed here and needed a place to stay, so…" Jaden said a bit sheepishly.

Bell Wood took notice of him and he began to feel a bit uneasy. "_I didn't know you had Gundams in that dimension,_" the African-American said.

"You see Bell Wood, Jaden is actually a human who was turned into a Gundam thanks to a traitor who was once one of their friends," Shute said.

Bell Wood stared blankly for a moment before everyone fell flat on their faces. This was going to take a while, Shute realized.

* * *

**The explanation took **two hours, and even then they barely touched on how much they had seen and been through. Bell Wood seemed to understand that, so he didn't ask any more questions that would have resulted in a long explanation.

By the time they were through, he was amazed at how much they had done in so short a time. "_My God…I never thought it was possible that anyone could have taken down their five generals in less than six months!_" he murmured.

"Well, there's a first time for everything. And that's just the beginning," Sayla said seriously.

"_From what you told me, I'm getting the feeling like the Dark Axis wanted something more than just mere metal, right?_" Bell Wood asked.

Zane nodded grimly. "That's right. They want to become gods and destroy everything, only to recreate it in their own images, and according to their vision of the future," he said.

Bell Wood slumped at his seat. "_This…is bad… Very bad…_" he whispered.

"And it gets worse," Zane said.

"But we're not going into that right now," Jaden said. "And unfortunately, we can't allow the Gundam Force to go home right now. We need everyone we've got in order to defeat the commander, Cypher."

"_I understand. Just…take good care of them,_" Bell Wood murmured.

"We will," Sayla said with a nod.

Bell Wood smiled and closed down the communications.

The Gundam Force looked at Sayla. "So…we're staying?" Shute asked.

She nodded. "You got it. We'll need your help now that the final battle is coming."

"All right!" Shute cried.

"But…" Sayla's voice was hard and grim. "There's going to be a lot of dangerous fighting. There will be killing and murder, so you have the option of wanting to back out if you want to, Shute."

"No way!" Shute protested. "I'll never abandon my friends!" He held up his kakugane in his hand. "Plus…I've got the means with which to fight back." He attached it back to his backpack's strap. "I'm not leaving my friends, no matter what!"

"Shute, this isn't like the Dark Axis war back on your home world," Jaden said. "It's much dangerous."

Shute looked down. "I know. But that's why I'm gonna fight. I want to help stop the Dark Axis, even if it means being exposed to warfare like this." He looked up. "And as a member of the Gundam Force, I'm gonna make sure that the Dark Axis is taken down while fighting alongside my friends. Isn't that what we're doing?"

Jaden nodded. "Yes. And I admire your dedication to your friends. But…"

"No buts! I'm staying put!" Shute snapped.

Zane smiled. "Jaden, Sayla. It's okay. He's been through this and he wants to fight alongside us. He's got the guts and determination and optimism that we have ourselves. So…just let him fight with us."

Sayla whirled to face him. "Zane…are you _mad_? He's just a kid!" she snapped, jabbing a finger at him.

"So are we," Zane told her. "But we're not forbidden from fighting."

"That's different!" Sayla hissed. "We're much better fighters and we've been in fighting for years! He hasn't had the exposure of killing that we have had!"

"But he's gotten experience somewhat," Zane reminded her. "So doesn't that count for something?"

"No! It doesn't!" Sayla spat. "He hasn't killed organic beings before!"

"That may be true, but warfare doesn't necessarily mean killing organics," Zane murmured.

"So what are you saying, Sayla? That I can't fight because I haven't taken any lives?" Shute yelled. "Well, that doesn't have to be a requirement to fight, does it? I've been in the firing line many times with you guys, and I was in the middle of a war in Ark, and on top of that, I've been aiding the Gundam Force against the Dark Axis for a long time now! So I have the experience, I've seen death, and I've even saved someone's life at the risk of my own life! I risked my life to rescue Captain's Soul-Drive from Commander Sazabi!" he cried.

"…" Sayla was shocked.

"Just because I haven't killed anyone doesn't mean I can't fight!" Shute snapped. "It's just as Zane said! It's not about how many lives you've taken…but rather for the ideals that you fight for, right? Isn't that what it's about now?"

Jaden looked at Sayla. "He's right, Sayla. Much as I hate to admit it, he's got a point."

"Shute, look. In the middle of battle, there is a ton of horrible stuff that you may see. And not all of it will be Dark Axis forces dying. Organic lives are at stake here, too. And although you've seen killing of mechanical life forms, organics dying is a different matter," Sayla said. "If you see that kind of stuff, then you may be scarred for life. I…I don't want you to see that."

"And why not?" Shute asked, determination on his face.

"If you do…you'll become changed by battle like me and my friends," the teenage soldier said softly. "And I don't want that to happen to you."

"…" Shute was silent as Sayla kept speaking.

"War is horrible, Shute. And this war is going to get much worse now that the final battle is coming. I want you to have a life free from the killing that you may see in this fight. If you're scarred by battle at this age…it could affect you for years to come," Sayla murmured.

"Oh…" Shute looked down. "I guess I get the idea now."

"But if you say you won't be affected…then I guess I can allow you to fight," she said. "But as long as your friends watch out for you."

"We'll protect Shute with our very lives!" Guneagle said.

"We promise to everything we can to ensure his safety!" Bakunetsumaru said saluting.

Zero gaped at him for a moment before facing his friends. "We will do what we can to protect him!" he said.

"I promise to defend Shute with all my power!" Rele exclaimed.

"And I will be there by Shute's side to the very end!" Captain said with a nod.

"All right. I know you won't let me down," Sayla said as a smile crossed her face.

Everyone else smiled in return.


	110. Shute's Danger Part 2

Chapter 11

President Warren eyed the communications screen showing the chief of the SDG. "So let me get this straight. That ship you sent belongs to the Gundam Force, and it's called the _Gundamusai_. You recently sent it because you felt that they would need the firepower, right?"

The chief nodded. "_That's correct. But I also sent it because they may need to flee if the situation calls for it,_" he said.

"Chief Haro, listen. At times like this we can't just allow people to leave the organization, especially if there's going to be a big battle. The reason for this is because they could get killed as they were fleeing, and/or shot down if they took to the air. So if they want to be able to leave, they have to stay and hide out someplace safe and/or take part in the battle," President Warren said.

"_I see. Well, if that's the case, can you take care of them?_" Chief Haro asked.

"Chief Haro, I assure you that we will not let anything harm your fighters. We'll do everything in our power to protect them," President Warren assured him.

"_Thank you,_" Chief Haro murmured.

President Warren reached over and was about to close down the communications when the doorbuzzer went off.

She quickly shut it down and turned just as the door slid open and one of the top scientists ran inside, skidding to a stop and nearly falling over if the President didn't catch him in time. "Scott? What's the problem?" she asked.

Scott Henrico looked up and shrugged her off. "Sorry…for the interruption…" he rasped. "But…I felt that you should know this."

"What's the problem?" President Warren repeated.

"It's…it's about the Soul-Drives…and the…the emotional connections needed to boost their power!" he said, grasping his side as a stitch appeared there.

"Tell me what you've learned!" President Warren ordered.

He nodded. "Yes…yes, ma'am," he murmured. Scott stood up straight and took a minute to calm his breathing. Then he began speaking.

"Basically, the Soul-Drives rely on intense emotional energy from an individual or a collective group to boost their power, although some we discovered can be activated by one's own emotional energy. These types we've called the solo types. But the Resonator types are more common. And that's also the most dangerous type if used in the wrong hands."

"Go on," President Warren said.

"If you recall the massive Soul-Drive inside the Dark Axis fortress and the Superior Dragon's own Soul-Drive, then their powers can be linked. But they need an amplifier to be able to increase their power enough to destroy us," Scott explained. "And that falls within the emotional aspect of this. If a human's emotions are pure and innocent, then that can create a massive amount of energy enough to outmatch even that of the _Titanic_'s dead. Such power means that any one of the humans here could be captured."

"Any one of us?" President Warren asked, shocked.

He nodded. "Yes, but we recently discovered that the emotional energy needed can be decreased. And there are many ways in which it can happen, but the most common way would be battle."

"Battle…" President Warren looked at him. "Any idea as to why that is?"

Scott nodded. "Yes. It turns out, that if someone takes another's life, then their emotions are dampened somewhat. We're unsure as to how it exactly works, but we guess that their humanity becomes stained with that very act, and that action decreases the amount of potency that their emotions have when they haven't taken any lives. But it only works with organic lives. Mechanical lives can be reprogrammed and replaced. Organic lives can't," he said.

"I get it. By killing, our emotions have become dampened and thus our usefulness is reduced!" President Warren exclaimed.

Scott grinned. "You got it." Then he became serious again. "But, out of all of us, there are two humans who haven't killed any organic lives…and thus their emotions are at their maximum power. In effect…they are walking powerhouses of emotional energy. Or more specifically, one of them is," he said grimly.

"Who?" President Warren asked.

Scott turned to face the windows and walked over, pointing a finger at the TCDA campus. "You know the Gundam Force, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. So?"

Scott turned back to face her, his face a grim mask. "Well, that human boy…Shute Marxworth…is the emotional powerhouse they may need to activate and amplify the powers of both the central Soul-Drive and the Superior Dragon's Soul-Drive," he said.

"W…what? How…How can that be?" President Warren murmured in shock.

He sighed. "It's because of his connection to Captain Gundam's Soul-Drive. It acts as an amplifier for his emotions, and thus an emotional bond is established, creating a link that can't be broken, no matter what. This link could be our very downfall if Shute is captured within that Soul-Drive," he murmured.

"So, we have to keep Shute safe," President Warren said.

"More than that. We have to ensure that the Dark Axis can't get their hands on him," Scott said.

"Isn't there any way?" the President asked.

Scott turned to face her. "If you mean stop the Dark Axis…then there is no known way…although in theory there is one option."

"Tell me!" the President said.

Scott reached into his pocket and drew out a screen. He pressed a button and activated it. The screen floated up in front of them. "Well, it turns out that the more research we did led us to a surprising discovery. You recall what Seto told you?"

President Warren nodded. "Yes. I remember. Why?"

"It turns out that Seto and the others that discovered the Superior Dragon brought back several small fragments of its power…and those fragments took root within all of us here. And in our technology, as well," Scott said. "The power of our energon grid has been amplified considerably, and our own abilities have been enhanced the tiniest bit. But mostly, I think our spirit has been connected somehow. I can't fully explain it myself, but…" His voice trailed off.

"Scott, you've done a great job. But now, it's up to me. I'll go to the TCDA and talk to Shute myself," President Warren said.

"Good luck," Scott murmured as she left the office.

* * *

_At the TCDA…_

Sayla gaped in shock as she recognized the President's starfighter. "What's President Warren doing here?" Jaden asked from beside her.

"I'm not sure, Jaden," Sayla murmured.

The starfighter landed and the cockpit slid back to reveal the President herself. She hopped out swiftly and landed near them all. She swept her gaze over them and locked her eyes onto Shute at the back of the group. "Shute Marxworth?"

Shute squeaked in surprise as she spoke directly to him. "Uh…me?" he asked.

She nodded. "I want to talk to all of you, but mostly you, Shute."

Shute wriggled his way through his friends to reach the front of the group. They all turned to face her.

"Okay. First off, I am President Heather Jen Warren. I'm in charge of the organization. Second of all, there's something that you should know," the President said.

Shute was silent as she kept her gaze on them. "Shute…you're going to be the target of the Dark Axis," President Warren said.

"WHAT?" The collective cry startled her as she staggered back. "How can that be?" Jaden asked. "I mean…why?"

"First off, do you know of the emotional connections that power Soul-Drives?" President Warren asked.

They all nodded.

"Well…"

* * *

_A few hours later…_

"So, let me get this straight. The Dark Axis will be after Shute because his emotional energy is at its maximum, and due to the connection between him and Captain Gundam, the energy is amplified," Sayla summarized.

President Warren nodded. "Yes. That's basically the whole deal," she said.

"But…then why not just get them to leave and be done with it?" Baston asked, jerking a thumb at the Gundam Force.

"Sorry. We're staying put!" Guneagle said stubbornly. "And no matter what happens, we're gonna protect Shute with our very lives!"

"We promised, and we're not about to break it!" Bakunetsumaru snapped.

"It goes against the laws of the Gundam Force to abandon others in need!" Rele explained. "And you guys are in need of our help, so we're staying on!"

"The Princess is right. And we shall fight to defend our friend with our lives!" Zero replied.

"Shute is my best friend, and I'll do anything to rescue him if he's captured," Captain said.

President Warren looked at them and nodded. "I understand. And I know I can't change your minds, so I'll let you guys fight." Then she locked gazes with Shute once more. "Shute, that kakugane you received in battle during the invasion of the Dark Axis home dimension is now your weapon. It is yours to keep, but do not lose it. When this is over, it will be returned to the organization. Do you understand?"

"I do," Shute said.

"Also be aware that if the Dark Axis is after you, they will be targeting us to try and kill us and get their hands on you. Is that clear?"

Shute nodded.

"Good. Then as of right now, you and the Gundam Force are made honorary members of the 17th Division of the Intergalactic Defense Forces, Earth Sector."

"Awesome!" Guneagle cheered.

President Warren smiled. "I know you guys will help us win this war," she murmured.

* * *

_The war preparations are about to commence as the Dark Axis, the Intergalactic Federation and their allies, and the Universal Power Association gather their armed forces for battle. Shute has been informed of his danger, and he and the Gundams decide to stay on Earth to help with the fighting. Sayla and her friends agree to protect Shute with their lives. All sides prepare for war as the battle draws closer with each passing day._

_Can they get prepared in time as the Dark Axis activates their Zakorello Gate? It is now a time of preparations and discovery as they near the battle. Find out if they can succeed in preparing in time on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods: Part X: War Preparations._

_**Next time on Twilight of the Gods!**_

"You mean to tell me that you indeed transferred some of your powers to those pathetic organics?" Cypher blurted in shock.

The Superior Dragon nodded. '_Yes. But as to how much and what portion…that will come to be revealed if you use my powers to their fullest!_' it said, strangely defiant.

"You dare to defy_ me!_" Cypher roared. "You _animal!_" He snapped his fingers and the dragon roared in pain as the electricity overcame any sense of rebellion.

_Can they get prepared in time? Find out on the next episode of Twilight of the Gods!_


	111. Cypher's Plans

Summary: Preparations begin as both sides ready for the final battle. As each organization prepares, they make plans for strategies and tactics that resemble World War II tactics in the final battle for Nazi Germany. The Dark Axis gets their own secret weapon ready, as do the Federation. Now is the time to prepare for battle. The end draws near, and there can be only one outcome. Note: I don't own any of the series mentioned. I only own all OCs and the plot. All series belong to their respective owners.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

An unexpected invasion was carried out by the organic ally of the Dark Axis, a man named Zant. Only through the combined efforts of Link and Tymera of Hyrule and the leaders was the Federation's main capital saved from certain doom. Seto also discovered that an unexplained hacking done 100 years ago had led to the theft of a mind-control program. He informed the President about this and she overcame the last of the effects.

Dajar'o began to doubt his own leadership in light of the recent invasion that the UPA had failed at. In discovering this doubt, he wanted to know what made the Federation so strong, so united, and so determined to wage war to victory. But no answers came to him. Also, Primus made his appearance and offered his battlefield assistance, which the Federation gladly accepted. Now, it's a race to finish preparations for war in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Part X_

_War Preparations_

Chapter 1

Cypher paced back and forth in his office restlessly. So far the preparations were going according to plan, but the only thing that was behind schedule was the merging of the two powers of light and dark into one. He glanced at the screen showing the Soul-Drive containment chamber. Two Zakos were working on calibrating the machine to accept the incredible powers of the Superior Dragon while ten others were holding the beast in place in front of the machine.

One of the Zakos looked at its partner with confusion in its lone optic. They exchanged unheard words and the Zako beside it jerked back in shock. They looked back at the panel and began talking softly.

Cypher wondered what the problem was. Surely the program wasn't flawed…he himself had written it after installing the Soul-Drive inside the fortress. So…what was going on?

The Superior Dragon seemed to sense this and began to struggle at its bonds. The Zakos holding the beast in place screamed and let go of the chains and ran for the door. The dragon turned and fired off a single blast of energy from its open mouth and the beam incinerated the Zakos before they even reached the door.

Cypher walked over to the screen, a frown crossing onto his face. "What is going on down there?" he muttered.

Now confused, he activated the screen's audio system.

"_Run for it, zako! The dragon's trying to escape!_" the Zako manning the console yelled to several others in front of the machine.

The Zakos looked back and gaped in shock and horror at the scene before them.

Screaming began to emit from the speakers and Cypher frowned. "_Zako! Get that beast back under control!_" Zako Red screamed from his position on top of a catwalk.

"_Zako, we can't!_" a third Zako cried. "_The dragon is just too powerful for us!_"

"_Not when some of its powers are gone!_" Zako Red hissed.

This got Cypher's attention. Had the dragon transferred some of its powers to the intruders that tried to free it before? He put a hand to his chin as he pondered this new development. It seemed to be the case…but even if it had indeed happened, the beast was still strong enough for him to destroy the Federation with.

"_Uh…it seems we've got a problem, zako,_" one of the Zakos manning the console said.

"_What is the problem?_" Zako Red snapped.

"_We…we can't seem to merge the two into one,_" the Zako said, shaking in its armor.

"_WHAT? You organic filth! You insolent organic bug! You dare to tell me that the project can't be carried out?_" Zako Red screamed at his subordinate.

The Zako nodded. "_Y-yes, zako. Apparently someone messed up the program, so we can't merge them, although we can still link their powers,_" it stammered.

Zako Red hissed in anger as he pounded the railing of the catwalk with a fist. "_Those damn organics! No matter what we do, they _always_ find some way to mess up our plans!_" he spat.

"_So, now what?_" a fourth Zako asked as it glanced at the dragon.

Zako Red glared at the Zako. "_Get that beast under control before it breaks out and escapes!_"

"_Zako!_" the Zako squeaked.

Cypher watched as the Zakos that hadn't been destroyed ran at the beast's chains and grabbed them. They began to pull, but the Superior Dragon spread its wings and with one great flap took off, flying around the chamber with seven Zakos clinging on for dear life. The dragon spun in midair before opening its mouth again and firing off a blue-golden beam of light, scorching one Zako as it fell.

"_Zako! Do something!_" a Zako wailed.

Zako Red's optics flared as he leapt off the catwalk, transforming for the first time since his upgrade. The transformation itself felt unusual, but he brushed it from his mind. Cypher watched as the Seeker/Zako fired on the beast, trying to get it under control. So far it was useless, for the great dragon was swinging its claws around, trying to swat the jet out of the air.

He narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer, observing the dragon suddenly flaring its wings and unleashing a pulse of incredible energy that threw the Zakos on the chains back onto the ground. The glow around the beast's chest indicated that it had used the power of its Soul-Drive.

"_Zako! Keep a tight grip on those chains!_" Zako Red ordered as he transformed and held a pulser out.

Two Zakos regained their senses and grabbed all the chains in one fell swoop. They struggled to keep the dragon in place as Zako Red fired a beam of energy from the pulser that rendered its powers useless. The dragon roared in rage as the beam guided it to the machine against its will. Cypher smirked. "At least Zako Red has some common sense," he murmured.

Zako Red turned and released the pulser's energy beam just as a purple beam shot out from the main Soul-Drive, trapping the Superior Dragon and drawing it into the center. A loud roar of pain and agony ripped itself from the beast's throat and Cypher sneered.

At least the linking process was unimpeded.

He sat back and leaned back further in his chair as he watched the beam of light become purple electricity, scanning the dragon's majestic body up and down. Outside the sphere itself, the three rings began to rotate, slowly at first, but then steadily they gained speed. The glowing electricity began to become a soft purple glow that enveloped the Superior Dragon entirely. The glow began to spread to the other parts of the sphere, gaining more color and becoming a sinister dark purple. Dark rays of light shot forth and scared the Zakos working on the console.

The dragon's roar of pain made Cypher grin even more. His dark purple eyes flashed and he stood up in his seat, approaching the window overlooking the chamber itself.

The process went on for the next fifteen minutes, a link between the two being established.

Finally, the darkened energy began to fade and slowly, the Superior Dragon falling out of the Soul-Drive and landing in a heap of crumpled metal on the floor.

Cypher sneered as he looked the beast over. The heavenly colors of its armor were now highlighted by the dark energy that linked them together. Dark purple lines made up of the energy ran down to its Soul-Drive and up to the eyes, now filled with pure rage as they locked onto Cypher.

'_W…what have you done?_' the beast snarled.

Cypher grinned as the window opened. "What do you think, you insignificant lizard? I merged your powers with the power of my fortress," he said softly.

'_That was a bad mistake!_' the dragon roared. Spreading its wings, the beast staggered to its feet and flapped them once, gaining incredible speed in a short minute.

Cypher merely sighed and snapped his fingers.

Almost instantly the dragon's body was overcome with agony and pain. The Superior Dragon threw its head back and roared as the electricity coursed over its body and forced it to land, wings twitching in pain.

The dragon managed to pry open one rage filled blue eye and locked its gaze on him.

"Nice try, beast. I command you now. You can't harm me, for if you try to, I will just shock you until you submit to my will," Cypher explained.

'…' The dragon was silent. Then, surprisingly, laughter filled his mind as he watched.

"What's so funny!" Cypher spat.

'_I made the right decision after all,_' the dragon said. '_You need power…that much is true. But the Intergalactic Federation, who you seek to destroy, now has the upper hand._'

"You mean to tell me that you indeed transferred some of your powers to those pathetic organics?" Cypher blurted in shock.

The Superior Dragon nodded. '_Yes. But as to how much and what portion…that will come to be revealed if you use my powers to their fullest!_' it said, strangely defiant.

"You dare to defy_ me!_" Cypher roared. "You _animal!_" He snapped his fingers and the dragon roared in pain as the electricity overcame any sense of rebellion.

Panting, the beast slumped to the floor of the chamber.

Cypher turned away and walked back into his office, rage etched onto his face. "So…that beast thinks it can defy me? Well, that's a bad mistake!" he hissed.

He sat down and looked away from the window as the dragon tried to rebel against the Zakos. He could hear the dragon's roars of rage and anger over the crackle of the electricity. So…someone had managed to foil his plans for merging the two Soul-Drives into one…

And he knew who it was. The Intergalactic Federation.

He knew from Zant's reports and the experiences that his generals had faced revealed the Federation's vast network of spacebridges and incredible talent for accomplishing the impossible on the battlefield. But what confused him was how it was possible for such a small organization to be this threatening to him.

There were many causes and many possible reasons why, but none of them made any sense. He guessed it had something to do with how they were able to rally the universe to their cause in so short a time span. He wondered if they had any allies with universal influence.

If that were the case, then he knew how it had been done.

But something told him otherwise.

He looked back at the screens showing the Dark Axis forces getting ready for battle. Tanks were at the rear of the infantry formations and rifle groups were being assembled while the air forces were getting prepped and equipped with appropriate weapons for battle.

He ran his plans through his mind.

First, his forces would attack Earth Command's main gate. If that was taken, then they could cut off the possibility of reinforcements by road. The next step was to bombard the complex's guns and shield generators. Take those out, and all other defenses would be easier to deal with. The main problem Zant had discovered was the spacebridge generators themselves. If they could destroy those, then all possibility of immediate reinforcements were shot. And the docks could be destroyed by aerial fighters. Bombing the ships could also rule out the possibility of stopping their naval forces.

The third and final step was to take command of Earth Command Central.

Cypher chuckled. He knew from Zant's report that they had uncanny abilities of adaptation. But deep down he was worried.

No organic organization or race alone should be able to adapt so quickly. It was not normal. It was inhuman. He began to fear that they were more than just organics. Was it possible that they had something else though? Such as enemy intel?

It seemed likely to possess intel on them than anything else.

Cypher figured that it had to be the likely cause of their sudden abilities to adapt and overcome their enemy. He also knew that humans had been waging war against one another for countless years.

Wait…_countless_ years of war against _each other_?

He suddenly looked up, his eyes widening. Their ability to wage war on destructive scales…that was derived from their experiences in fighting each other. And their adaptability was another result of that warfare.

Now he knew how it was possible to adapt on such a scale.

But that didn't explain their uncanny strength in battle against some very powerful foes.

He shifted in his seat, turning to face a report that described their fights against very powerful enemies. The most powerful had been a group of ruthless organics called Titan AE, and yet this small organization had beaten them with a bungled invasion and a sudden discovery on the moon which turned the tide of war in their favor.

And to add to that the bungled invasion was supposed to achieve its objective but failed, which led to the victory of the Federation.

That part confused him. No invasion was supposed to fail and lead to victory. But then again, maybe it had had an unintended outcome.

He recalled the massive invasion campaign they had pulled against him in late September and the beginning of October. The Dark Axis had had little warning as to the actual date, leading to the Federation achieving complete and total surprise over their enemies. Their tactics had been unheard of and no Dark Axis camp commander had had an answer to their rapid advancements and rapid strikes at the heart of all the camps they liberated.

Now he knew what type of warfare they specialized in: rapid strikes at the heart of the enemy unit and rapid retreats before heavy losses could be inflicted on their own forces. It reminded him of guerrilla warfare and blitzkrieg, but with a hint of mechanized warfare involved.

This type was unheard of to him.

How could he counter it without being attacked himself?

To this, there was no answer.

For now, he would have to make do with whatever tactics he could come up with.

The door to his office suddenly slid open and he turned just as Zako Red ran in, his armor now burnt and scorched from the battle that had been raging in the containment chamber. He scowled.

"Well? Did you manage to get the dragon under control?" he snapped.

Zako Red nodded. "Yes…but at a loss of seventeen of our soldiers," he reported.

Cypher snarled as he turned away. "Seventeen…that's a loss I can cope with. Zako soldiers like them are expendable. It's those that were converted to our cause that we can't lose. Were they all new recruits?"

The Seeker/Zako nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good," Cypher whispered. "Now that the Superior Dragon is under my command, I can order it to use its immense powers to destroy those pathetic organics that dare to defy me once and for all!"

His eyes flashed in the dim lighting of the office and Zako Red shuddered slightly at the pure hate he felt from his master. Cypher looked at Zako Red.

"What about the preparations on the Zakorello Gate?" he asked. "Are those coming along?"

Zako Red nodded. "Yes, sir. The Zakorello Gate has undergone several modifications that will enable us to transport the entire fortress to Earthspace. With any luck, the modifications will be complete before the designated assault time."

"Excellent. Everything is going smoothly," Cypher said.

"And much more," Zako Red told him.

Now this got his attention. "How so?" Cypher asked.

"For starters, the Zakos we created from organics without removing their core drives are now following us since we promised them liberation, but we will not. We have also carried out a small…experiment…to see if we could turn them to our cause. And it worked wondrously," Zako Red replied with a sneer in his optics.

"Excellent," Cypher whispered, his lips curling up in a sneer.

"This experiment we've expanded to those organics and they have fallen to it very nicely. Now they believe that we are the good guys and the Federation are the bad guys," Zako Red explained.

"That's even better news than I expected," Cypher replied.

"Zako. And here's something very interesting. Some Zakos have even vowed to use suicide attacks to kill the organics," the Seeker/Zako said.

Cypher's eyes widened. Now there was something new. Suicide bombers. It was perfect. To him, it seemed like the answer to rapid strike warfare.

But it was only the catalyst that would lead to his downfall.

As the hours passed, Cypher reviewed several options in which to send the suicide bombers. There were several key points, he understood, where they could deal the most damage. He smiled as he ran a finger down a map of Earth Command. He decided to send several suicide bombers towards the spacebridge generators, and several more down to the docks.

He grinned as he rolled up the map and slipped it into a drawer in his desk. He knew who to call to provide the aerial support.

* * *

_In orbit behind Jupiter…_

The commander of the _Darkness Musai_ leaned back in her chair, observing the stars. It calmed her down when she observed them. The vast distances reminded her of the countless years she had been in the Dark Axis, taking over many worlds and saving them from organic filth. She took pride in that very fact, and she liked being feared by many organics for her sheer might alone. Her ship was also very impressive to look at, especially when in combat. But it was her crew's might that made them very formidable foes.

The commander herself was a very menacing femme named Grieve. And she lived up to it well. Her body armor was primarily black with hints of gray on the arms and legs. Her single optic flared intense crimson to make her seem even more menacing.

She turned her head just as the screen beeped. She pressed the communications button and Cypher came on screen.

"What is it, Master?" she purred.

"_Grieve, I have a special assignment for you during the invasion of their central command center,_" he said.

"I would be happy to help in any way I can," Grieve said softly.

"_Yes. Anyway, I'd like your ship to provide cover for me while I release suicide bomber Zakos at their spacebridge generators and docks._"

The abruptness of the command caught her off guard. "You want to what?"

"_I'm sending suicide bomber Zakos to their generators and docks to disable them and destroy them,_" Cypher repeated, clearly irritated at his subordinate's lack of understanding.

"Ah. Now I understand." Grieve leaned back again. "Sir, I'm willing to help, but in my brief experience of sending down infiltrators, they've been killed and stopped in their tracks. I've done my research, and they are not someone to be messed with."

"_I understand that well!_" Cypher spat. "_I do not need you to tell me what I already know!_"

"Very well, sir," she murmured.

"_Now, I will send you the coordinates for our dimensional rendezvous. It will be out beyond their main sensor range. If possible, engage your ship's stealth and slip past their defenses when I give the signal._"

Grieve bowed her head. "Yes, sir. As you command."

The screen shut down and she turned back to face the stars. "Master Cypher doesn't realize that they are more than just a mere threat. They are the downfall of the Dark Axis. I know that they possess the major power of the Superior Dragon. They just don't know it yet…and if they found out, then it means our downfall."

She had no idea how right she really was.

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

Zakos were getting the Zakorello Gate ready for transporting the main fortress. The amplifying equipment they were hooking up was incredibly painful to the Gate itself and muffled cries of pain emitted from it every now and then. Just when things had seemed to look up…Cypher had to take command and force the Gate to work for them once again.

Fear of defeat for the unknown Intergalactic Federation filled the Gate's eyes as its captors worked to finish hooking up the equipment.

'_Rello… I hope that the Intergalactic Federation stops them…rello…_' the Gate thought.

"Zako. Looks like the equipment is finished, zako," one of the Zakos said.

"Excellent, zako. Now, time for a test run!" a second Zako said.

Several other Zakos typed in commands into their consoles and suddenly pain shot through the Gate's body, forcing it to open a more massive gateway than before. The surges of electricity and the focusers for the powerful equipment caused the Gate to scream and groan as the gate opened in front.

It was agonizing!

"Zako! It works, zako!" a random Zako cheered.

The other Zakos cheered as the Zakorello Gate was shut down.

Tears pricked at the Gate's eyes and they closed.

Memories of the Gundam Force filled its mind and suddenly the Gate found itself wishing that it was back under their care. At least they had treated it nicely, taking care of it, cleaning it, using it only when necessary. That dimensional transport device or whatever it had been called had borne the brunt of opening a gateway. The Gate had been happy to merely transport them: the device itself had been the opening and closing factor.

But the Dark Axis wasn't like that. Threatening its offspring…forcing the gates to open…

Such agony filled the Gate's soul.

Hope for the Federation's victory made the Gate determined to hold on, but it wasn't sure how long it could hold out, especially when hooked up to this damn equipment. Amplifying its power and forcing it to open put the Gate in great danger…fatal danger, actually. This wasn't supposed to be done. The forceful opening of much larger gates drained the Gate's life force and potentially shortened its life.

Despair and defeat were also present, but not as much as that single spark of hope.

The Gate clung onto that spark with all that it was worth. A small spark was better than no hope at all.

* * *

**The Zakos had** no idea as to the Gate's emotions right at that moment. They only cared about the fact that the project Cypher had assigned them was a success. The leading Zako contacted him immediately.

"Zako! The project works!" it chirped.

Cypher sneered. "_Excellent. Keep monitoring the equipment and activate it when it's time for the attack._"

"Yes, sir! Zako!" the Zako said.

The communications closed down and the Zakos continued with their tasks, unaware as to what was coming later in the future.

* * *

_In Cypher's office…_

The report on the success of the amplifiers was a relief for Cypher. Ever since the destruction of the five generals, he had been searching for ways to stop the Federation, leading him to capturing the Superior Dragon. And now all that remained was to set up a date for the invasion to take place.

He had already selected the date and now the date had to be broadcasted out to the forces earmarked for the operation. Then, the full implementation of his fury could begin.

The Zakos were lucky that he didn't reveal his true hatred for the Federation in front of them. They had no idea how angry he was at the organic scum that dared to defy his plans time and time again. Cypher was beyond angry, actually. He was furious!

"Those pathetic organics are going to be the first thing to go!" he snarled. "And I will not stop until they are dead…no. More than dead. Eradicated!"

His eyes flashed as he said that last word.


	112. Satyron's Mobilization

Chapter 2

Ron flipped the screen over to review the situation on the arms buildup. His eyes flicked over to the graph and he smiled. Everything was going accordingly. He laid the screen down and put one hand on a report, pulling it closer and checking it over. The outposts had successfully established a linkup with Earthspace, but it was still in the testing stages.

The door to his office slid open and he turned as his top adviser came in.

"Jenny…" Ron turned to face her fully. "How are things going?"

"Sir, everything is running smoothly," Jenny Hendricks replied.

"Good." Ron turned to face the windows. "The arms buildup is going well, and the outposts are working on establishing a gateway to Earthspace, but it's a lot easier said than done," he said.

"I understand." Jenny approached the window and looked out at the city beside her old friend. "About this war…are you sure that we should get involved?"

Ron nodded. "Yes…but only if it spills out into our own dimension."

Jenny turned to look at him. "Are you sure? Because the Intergalactic Federation could use our help at some point," she pointed out.

Ron shook his head. "Jenny, I meant what I said. They're stronger than I thought. They've done so much for the universe already, and they nearly succeeded in freeing the Superior Dragon."

"But they failed," Jenny said.

"No. They didn't fail."

Jenny blinked in shock. "What're you saying, sir? Of course they did!"

He looked at her. "They failed in bringing the dragon itself back, but they carried in them a small fragment of its power, and a key portion at that."

Ron shifted his gaze back to the city. "The Superior Dragon alone has the power to tap into the vast amount of energy that powers the Heaven's Core. And that portion is what was transferred to the Intergalactic Federation, giving them the edge they need."

Jenny's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's…that's not supposed to happen!" she cried. "No mortals can handle that amount of power! It could drive them insane!"

"Or…" Ron murmured, "…or it could be their salvation."

"Or it could be their downfall!" Jenny hissed. "They can't tap into such power! They don't know how!"

"They'll figure it out. I'm sure of it," Ron replied as he looked at her again.

"Ron, look. As your top advisor, I'm asking you to reconsider your decision to hold off on aiding the Federation! If they can't handle this, then we need to help!" Jenny told him.

"And I appreciate the advice, but trust me. The Federation will succeed."

Jenny sighed. She knew that when Ron's mind was made up, it was impossible to get him to change it. She turned and prepared to leave. "Ron…please think this through. And consider my words. The Federation's existence may depend on your decision alone," she murmured.

Ron watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. The door slid shut behind her retreating form and he sighed. Deep down he knew that Jenny was right. The Federation had no means of activating the power of the Heaven's Core, let alone tap into it. And even if they could…it would no doubt drive them insane for more power. But he also hoped that they could control it.

He recalled the last time someone had tapped into the vast amount of energy that had nearly caused the destruction of Earthspace. That kind of power had resulted in the intervention of HEAVEN's best soldiers and the Leader himself had to arrive and sort things out.

Ron remembered the name of the one who had misused such power. It had been Li'chi Dajar'o, the King President of the Universal Power Association. Ron shivered at the incredible ruthlessness with which he had carried out his policies. This was one reason why he hoped the Federation could control the power they could tap into now.

* * *

_At the Satyron spaceport…_

The commanding officer of the fleet, a big man named George Johnson, looked over the assembled crews and their fighters. Behind him stood a warp gate generator, still undergoing checks and testing.

His gaze swept over them before he spoke, his voice carrying loud and clear over the assembled teams. "Okay, everyone! Here's the deal. The Dark Axis war has gotten to the point where everything is in danger, and that includes our home dimension. So the orders from the commander-in-chief are clear. If the war spills over, we will aid the Federation in defeating the Dark Axis once and for all. Others that are involved consist of the world where it all began, Neotopia, the commanding organization in Earthspace, the Universal Power Association, and the Federation's allies, collectively known as the United Star Alliance, and possibly the whole universe.

"This war will test everyone in every dimension that is fighting against them to their limits, and possibly beyond any mortal endurance. This could result in the deaths of some of you here, or maybe all of you. That is what is uncertain: who will live and who will die. In war, you can never really tell.

"But one thing is certain." Here, he swept his gaze over the assembled troops again. "The Dark Axis will fall. That much we can be sure of. In this respect, we have trained and prepared for an eventual invasion of our home dimension. But if the need does arise, I plan to send you in regardless of orders from our leader. Why? Because I feel that the Federation may need some assistance if their forces take very heavy losses.

"Their efforts to stem the tide of war has led to incredible achievements, especially their surprise invasion of the Dark Axis home dimension and the liberation of quite a few concentration camps. The lives of hundreds of thousands of beings were saved as a result of their actions. I doubt we could have done such a feat without suffering heavy losses. But, in spite of that, we ourselves have had a lot of wars in which we triumphed over evil."

The commander raised his fist and held it close to his chest. "In fighting this threat, the Federation has inspired everyone to fight, even the UPA, despite their beliefs. That inspiration hasn't reached us, nor has it had any real effect on us. But despite that fact, we will fight to aid them should they need our assistance in combat! Is that clear, men?"

One soldier raised his hand. "Why should we fight to save the Federation? What have they done for us?" he asked.

"They have fought this long and this hard to try and save everyone. That includes us," Commander Johnson replied. "Now, it may seem wrong to aid them, but we must, for if we don't, then everyone will fall. No one else realizes the intensity of the situation, but I do. If the Federation falls, then no one is safe from the threat of the Dark Axis."

"But, sir, how can they be a threat to us?" a tank driver asked.

"The Dark Axis is a threat because of how they treat organics," the commander said simply. "And as a result, they must be defeated!"

The officers and crew all looked at one another. Commander Johnson could tell that they were unsure as to how the Dark Axis could threaten the might of Satyron. But he himself knew why the Federation had to be protected. Ron had informed the top officers of all the armed forces personally of the dangers that lurked in the Dark Axis' wake.

He recalled what the Federation had done and how much it had affected everything that had happened.

The mere idea of universal peace had been enough to draw them together, but they had been distrustful of one another until their first battles, which unified them and drew out their collective strength as a team. Ever since then, it had been one war after another, battle after battle, fight after fight, becoming stronger and more powerful, gaining more knowledge and more combat experience to help them in their dream.

Now they were nearing the final battle in a war that threatened everything.

But what surprised him was the reality that even the UPA was getting involved, and that the commander of that very organization was beginning to doubt his leadership. Commander Johnson looked up at the sun shining down on the gleaming fighter craft of the space forces.

It was so hard to accept that this small organization was capable of so much.

Personally, he wondered why such power was being held in their hands. They possessed the ability to destroy life with a single black hole. They were capable of giving life to mechanical races. They had achieved a spacebridge network that spanned their entire organization and they could use it effectively. They had the ability to unify others around a single cause, but not through fear, threats, draconian measures, or even tyranny. Their method of unification was unheard of, and it remained a mystery.

But the commander took a wild guess as to what it was.

It relied on tapping into something that was unknown of in most beings. It relied on drawing upon the humanity within all of them. Their unity was drawn from the heart, not the body or the mind. The heart was where their true power lay. It lay in their emotions, their spirit, and their humanity. That was something that others lacked.

Now he could understand what Dajar'o lacked. The capacity to feel emotions that others possessed. He lacked the humanity that others wielded.

The true weapon of the Federation was their capacity to understand, care, and help those in need.

Commander Johnson lowered his gaze and contacted his commander.

* * *

_In the main office…_

Ron's head snapped up as he looked at the screen. He pressed the button and the screen fizzled to reveal the face of his top space force commander.

"What is it, Johnson?" he asked.

"_Sir, I was thinking about what the Federation had that made them so powerful…and I think I figured it out,_" he said.

Ron's eyes widened. "Are you serious? I've been waiting for news on this for almost half a year!" he cried.

"_Well, this is the news you waited to hear. It turns out that the Intergalactic Federation's true power comes from the heart. It comes from the emotions and spirit that they exhibit in combat. While some things may indicate otherwise, it's the simple act of caring and understanding others that reveals their true power. They have the ability to understand others' pain as if it were their own because they are misunderstood due to the stereotypes of the UPA,_" Commander Johnson reported.

"So that's it…" Ron murmured as he slumped back in his seat. "Their emotions and the capacity to understand others."

"_And there's more to it than that, I think_."

"What else?" Ron asked.

"_I'm not sure, to be honest,_" the commander said sheepishly.

"I see. So that's the secret to their power. Their emotions…and the fact that they are often overlooked."

"_And I may have a theory as to why this leads to them constantly getting overlooked,_" the commander told him.

"What's your theory?" Ron inquired.

"_It's because of this capacity to understand and trust others that leads to them often being stereotyped. Others think of it as a weakness, and in a sense, it is. But it's also their greatest strength. However…if they were to be faced with a tough decision, there is no doubt they would make the wrong choice,_" Johnson said grimly.

"…Or they may make the right choice," Ron said, looking thoughtful.

"_How so, sir?_" Johnson asked.

"Simply put, from what you told me, they have a weapon that no one else has. But what does this have to do with the Federation winning the war?" he asked.

Johnson's face fell. "_Well…I'm not sure…_" he murmured.

"Damnit!" Ron cursed. "I need to know how they're going to win this war! Not what the secret of their strength is!"

Alarm crossed Johnson's face. "_I'm sorry! I thought it might be helpful!_" he exclaimed.

Ron pressed his fingers to his temples and sighed. "It's okay. Look. Just stay on standby and wait for further orders," he murmured.

"_Yes, sir…_" Johnson cut the communications line and Ron looked up.

How could the Intergalactic Federation use that strength to overcome the Dark Axis?

He placed his hands behind his back as he stood up and walked over to the window, overlooking the great city he called home.

So many questions regarding them came to his mind, but the biggest one that he wanted an answer to was how they could win regardless. The odds dictated that the Dark Axis would win, but logical thought told him that the Intergalactic Federation, with their combined total years of warfare with each other, had the upper hand.

Come to think of it…how long _had_ the people of the Federation worlds been at war with each other?

Ron reviewed the data his people had managed to gather in his mind, but none of it said anything about how long they had been fighting for.

The only real clue that gave any inkling as to how long the time had been was the fact that humanity had been at war with each other for years before contact had been made.

He narrowed his eyes. War had been a key factor in helping the Federation hold out this long, but one thing puzzled him. What war was it that enabled them to be able to counterattack effectively? The first thing that popped into his mind was that there must have been a massive war encompassing the whole globe.

Ron's eyes suddenly widened as he looked up. A massive war…

He turned and ran back to his desk, grabbing the reports and shifting through them to find what he needed. His fingers clasped onto the screen and he yanked it out of the pile, sending a few others spilling onto the floor of the office.

The title read _World War II_, and it summarized the war and all the aspects of the aftermath, He sat down in his chair and read over the report, starting with Hitler's rise to power, the invasions and attacks used by Nazi Germany, Britain's struggle to hold out in the face of defeat, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the invasion of the Soviet Union. He scanned the wording, reading about the Normandy campaigns, the war in the Pacific, and how the war was won due to a duel invasion carried out by both the Soviet and American troops. He took in the information about the war's end with the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan and how the war had affected the people of the planet as a whole, and how it had changed the world for the better.

As he read, his face changed its expressions from rage and shock to horror and anger to relief. By the time he set the report down, he understood how the Federation had been holding out for so long and how that war had saved them. It had bestowed on them a great wealth of military tactics they could draw upon and it had given them the uncanny ability to draw on their own resources to help turn the tide of battle.

Ron looked at the symbol of the Federation. The golden rings shimmered in the light of the sun coming in through the windows.

The leader of Satyron couldn't even begin to fully fathom what drove them, despite the experiences of war that each world had gone through. The only reason he could come up with was the fact that they wanted what was best for the universe and everyone they knew.

Those thoughts were driven from his mind as the door to his office slid open and the General of the Satyronian Defense Forces came in, her eyes flashing.

"Sir, I demand to know what the meaning of this is!" she snapped, activating a screen in front of his face.

The screen showed live feed of a massive generator being worked on. It resembled the Federation's spacebridge generator, but not entirely. Only the base was the same. Everything else was radically different, including the function. This was the Satyronian Dimensional Transponder. The gateway generator itself was shaped in a massive triangle positioned upside down, held in place by two massive pillars of steel. This formation was meant to funnel the energy into a spiral that tore it open in the shape of the triangle and it redirected the dimensional energy into Z-Space before being redirected again into the generator and out again, thus opening a loop that prevented failures.

However, unlike the Federation's bridge generators, the Transponders couldn't be linked with one another, limiting their effectiveness at high speed mobilization.

Ron looked at her and spoke. "General Kingston, I can understand your concern for the matter, but listen. That transponder is what enables us to have a link to Earthspace."

"Not that!" General Kingston snapped, pointing at the rewiring going in. "This rewiring! Who authorized it?"

"I did," Ron told her. "It's essential that we can establish a link into their dimension without them noticing it, which has happened only once so far. But that was a fluke. The Dark Axis Zakorello Gate materialized in the same vicinity, thus masking our transponder's energy signature. I'm having it worked on so this way we can establish a concealed link."

"That won't work!" the general hissed.

"Why not?" Ron asked calmly.

"Simply put, the transponder can't terminate that loop or else the whole system fails! You know that!" she snarled.

"And that's why we're working on a way to keep the loop going without revealing ourselves," Ron explained.

"This was not a part of the briefing you gave earlier today!" General Kingston said harshly.

"I know," Ron murmured, hanging his head. "I didn't tell anyone because it's a top secret effort that can't be revealed unless the time is right." He looked her in the eyes. "And I'm beginning to think that maybe Jenny was right. The war could spill over into our dimension, but I'm not about to take that chance."

The female general raised her eyebrows. That was new. "What are you saying, sir?" she asked.

"I'm saying that we're going to aid the Federation if they need it," Ron said. "But I'm not sure how yet. That's why everyone is on standby."

"Oh. Now I see. You're having everyone be prepared in case you come up with an idea," General Kingston replied.

He nodded. "That's right."

"I'm sorry for the sudden interruption," she said, bowing in apology.

"It's all right. I needed an interruption anyway," Ron said with a grin.

The two laughed slightly before the general turned and left him alone in his office again.

Now that he had talked to her, a sudden idea sprang to his mind.

Ron walked over to his desk and activated the screen on the top. The screen was blank, but it showed an option for selecting images. He hit the option and up came a series of photographic images of Planet Earth's terrain. He chose one image and closed out of the selection screen. The image was shown on the screen itself. The man picked up a lightpen and began drawing out the tactics that came into his mind.

He drew on his experience as a soldier and as commander of the organization, utilizing every ounce of his skills as a tactician and strategist.

* * *

_The next day…_

Ron stood near the table in the war room as the Generals of the Defense Forces filed in. There were six of them, one for each branch in the armed forces.

The first was General Laura Kingston, the female general he had talked to yesterday. She was in overall command of the ground troops and de facto leader of the Generals. She was a brilliant woman bordering on genius, yet she looked like she could be a fashion model. Her eyes were striking blue and her sable hair fell around her shoulders. She looked out of place in the military uniform, but she didn't care. She was a military woman through and through.

The second general was a short but broad-shouldered man named Geo Langston. He was an ex-fighter pilot who hadn't flown a plane in years due to an accident that left him blind in one eye and deaf in one ear. His blonde hair was very unruly and hung over his lone green eye. Yet his front-line experience made him a top candidate for the Air Force leadership, coupled with his tactical brilliance and uncanny skills with paperwork.

The third member was a woman with red hair and light blue eyes that reflected an IQ that was more suited for a science nerd. But the way Sonia Huston used her intelligence was much different. She worked well with computers, and her social personality made her effective in coordinating cyber defense against hackers and potential viruses that could harm the central system.

The fourth general stood at almost seven feet, his naval cap barely brushing the door's transom as he stepped inside. Zack Gregory had a lanky build, but he was very athletic and very flexible. His agility and speed was more suited for the Marines, which is what he headed, but he also handled the navy's functions regarding the Marines. His military personality was the most important factor in his career. Despite the harsh discipline with which he treated his forces, he also cared for them enough to where not one squad went into battle without a trained medic on the team.

The fifth general was shorter and her green eyes were hidden behind brown bangs that fell over them. Her space pilot's uniform was neatly pressed, indicating that she took care to get ready for meetings like this one. Heidi Holt nodded as she stepped into the room. Her immediate gaze made everyone else look at her. Her experience and reputation as a fearsome one woman army was enough to grab their attention, coupled with her loud voice. She didn't need a megaphone or any other amplifying device to grab their attention.

The sixth and final member of the Generals of the Defense Forces was a man with a slight paunch, but he carried himself with pride and surprising grace. David Hanley oversaw all naval operations and he carried enough clout with the naval forces to even override Ron's orders when he saw fit, which was very rare. Only twice had he done so. He had thinning sandy-blonde hair and his eyes were a deep blue gray that reflected his intelligence and devotion to his job.

Ron nodded as they all sat down at the table.

"What's the situation?" Hanley asked in a smooth baritone.

"Well, the time has come to begin preparing for a possible assistance mission to aid the Federation should they need it," Ron explained.

"Why the sudden urgency?" Sonia inquired. "Beforehand you had us under orders to not assist them."

"That's all changed now," Ron said. The lights dimmed and the whole tabletop lit up a bright white before a holographic image spread outward to show the entire city of Earth Command and several surrounding areas. "This time, we'll talk about strategies to aid them."

"But…what about the transponder?" asked Zack. "What's going on with that?"

"That's what I'm getting to next, General Gregory," Ron said. "In addition to the outposts trying to create a gateway, we're working on trying to open a gate ourselves using the Dimensional Transponder. This way we can enter without them detecting us. It's still in the works, though."

"I see," Zack said.

"That just leaves the question of where we're going to strike at the enemy," Laura said.

"And that is precisely why you're all here. I need ideas from each and every one of you, including you, Sonia," Ron said, sweeping his gaze about each and every one of them.

Sonia spoke up nervously. "Why me, sir? I only handle cyber defense, not actual armed combat," she whispered.

"But you have top intelligence regarding issues like this," Ron pointed out.

Sonia's face went red. "Oh."

Again, Ron looked at his top generals. "Now, we need to try and find out where the best position to strike may be." As he spoke, highlighted formations of the Dark Axis army appeared on the image. "We know that the Dark Axis will go for the main gate, judging from our latest estimates thanks to our spy inside. They will also try to bombard the docks and the defenses. So, where's the best position to strike?"

Zack pointed at a spot to the left of the main gate. "Well, if they're going to strike, I say we attack from the left flank and drive a wedge into their formation to cut off the heavy artillery and tanks from the infantry," he said.

"That's one possibility," Ron said as the formations were highlighted.

"But then that could enable the heavy tanks and artillery to deliver a blow to our own forces and drive them back," Laura said.

"Not if we have some aerial support. We have forty squadrons ready to back them up," Zack told her.

Geo shook his head. "I'm not riskin' any of mah planes in a crazy scheme like that," he said in a slight Southern accent.

"Geo's right," David said. "We need some kind of cohesive plan that could deliver a powerful blow and force them back from the gate should it be at risk of being taken. The same goes for the docks and the defenses."

"So, what do you propose then?" Laura hissed. "Just walking up and ordering them to surrender?"

Arguments suddenly broke out amongst the generals, but Heidi, being cool and calm, simply stood up. "ENOUGH!" she yelled, her voice echoing in the room. She sat down and spoke. "I think that David has a point. We need some kind of a plan, so stop your bitching and start trying to come up with something!" she snapped.

"I think I may have something," Sonia murmured.

"Lay it on us," Ron said with a shrug.

"Well, first off, if the Dark Axis will go for the docks and defenses, I suggest we open up a gate that will enable our forces to come out and aid the defenders. Then we can send in a few tanks to the main gate and force them back," she said softly.

Ron stared, along with the other members of the high defense command.

"Brilliant! Bloody brilliant!" Zack said.

"I agree there," David said with a nod.

The other three nodded and Ron smiled. "Okay. Let's get to work on refining that plan, people!"

The talking and arguing went on for the next few hours before finally the meeting ended.

As he sat alone in the war room, Ron felt a sense of satisfaction overcome him and he leaned back in his seat.

This wasn't the first time he had gotten the feeling.


	113. Dajar'o's Insanity

Chapter 3

Across the dimensional boundaries, war preparations were also being carried out in the Universal Power Association. So far the armed forces had been built up, but weapons production was down as a result of the tanking economy. The factories were running out of supplies of war materials and they lacked the necessary funding to buy more as a result of inflation.

Dajar'o, however, denied that his economy was going downhill. In fact, he didn't believe it at all, despite the evidence in front of him. His only hope was to convert his government into a democracy and stop all the corruption, but he ignored the signs of an oncoming depression.

He stood in his office, observing the formations of soldiers marching down the streets of the main capital. Women and men leaned out of buildings and waved as confetti streamed down from the tops of buildings and papers fluttered out of windows. The military in his organization may have been the largest and strongest in the universe, but that was only in terms of numbers, not firepower.

And yet…even with the numbers he had, something kept telling him to back down and let the Federation fight the war. He shook his head. There was no way he was allowing that measly third-rate power to take on such a task!

The door to his office suddenly slid open and he turned, coming face-to-face with his wife, who had recently been sent back to the UPA after much time in recovery within the Intergalactic Federation. Her pallor had gone from her body and she carried her regained weight with ease, but her hair was still as white as when she had been rescued.

"My dear wife! You are fully recovered, yes?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, Dajar'o. But I came to talk to you about something of great importance," she said in a weakened voice.

"What do you wish to talk about, my love?" he asked as he guided her to a seat beside his own.

"Everything that has happened since I was captured," his wife told him.

"Such as?" Dajar'o inquired.

His wife looked down at her feet before shifting slightly in her seat. "Well, first off, I would like you to start calling me by my name," she murmured.

"What? Why?" Dajar'o asked, looking flustered.

"I just think it's time, Dajar'o," she said, still not meeting his gaze.

"Very well, Lu'cia. What do you wish to talk to me about regarding events since your capture?" he asked.

"Like I said. Everything," she murmured. "Starting with what happened after I was grabbed by the Dark Axis."

"Ah. I remember. I accused you of having an affair when I saw your room ransacked," Dajar'o said.

"Well, if you had been paying attention to the security cameras you insisted be installed in my room, you would have seen the Dark Axis capture me," she said suddenly, her voice becoming a bit harsh.

"I was!" he protested.

"No, you weren't," Lu'cia said, looking up and meeting his eyes.

"I was busy, okay?" Dajar'o blurted, trying to cover up this blunder.

"Busy trying to pacify the people with plans for reforms that only caused the economy to tank further?" she asked.

Dajar'o simply nodded dumbstruck at her keen intelligence. She had never really noticed this before. Had the Federation changed her in some way? Or had her ordeal affected her in ways he never really thought possible?

"Yes," he murmured. "But…Lu'cia…what happened to you?" he asked softly.

Lu'cia looked down again, but this time at her hands. She opened them, and for the first time Dajar'o noticed how thick and callused they were, unlike beforehand when she had been safe and sheltered in his home. His eyes widened in shock as she flexed them.

"When I was captured by the Dark Axis, I believed that you would risk everything for me, just like my father and brother did before they lost their jobs as a result of your family's corrupt ways," she said softly. "I waited for three hours before I finally realized the truth: you didn't care at all about me. And that in turn made me very depressed. But what you didn't realize is that my father was given a new job in a new organization. He never said which one for he feared that he would be killed by your father."

"What organization did he work for?" Dajar'o asked.

"Nebula," Lu'cia said. "He worked for them for fifty years. And as a result, he began to see that the UPA wasn't perfect at all. It was flawed. Very flawed in all ways possible. That awoke him to the other side of the stereotypes your family set for everyone." She lifted her gaze up to her husband's. "He saw that the organizations you targeted with those stereotypes weren't even following them to the letter. Democracies, trading powers, and third-rate powers were keeping their own armies, but in secret,"

Dajar'o blanched. "You're joking!" he cried.

Lu'cia shook her head. "No, Dajar'o. I'm not. And several military powers were fighting against other organizations who wanted universal domination, not _with_ them like you figured. My father saw the truth and married a female being in Nebula, a refugee from your family's ways. They had me, and he and his wife both worked to support me. They taught me everything I knew, and I kept it hidden from you all this time. Although sometimes I would help you without realizing it," she explained.

"So? What happened when you got captured?" Dajar'o asked, wanting to hear the truth.

Lu'cia looked down at her hands again and spoke in a softer voice. "I was brought to their main concentration camp. There, I was sorted and selected for some heavy duty mining of gundanium in their mines. During that time, I feared I would never be rescued. But then…"

Dajar'o didn't even need to know what had happened next. But she told him anyway. "I was held there for a long, work-filled, torture-dominated year before they came. The Intergalactic Federation came when the Dark Axis was least expecting them. During my time in the camp, rumors had been going around about the possibility of an invasion, but I didn't believe them until the first strike force hit our camp. The battle that raged was one of the fiercest yet. Assault vehicles came barging in, missiles blasted down the doors, and Zako forces were dying by the hundreds. It was horrific, but at the same time liberating for us trapped there. We were then ushered out of the camp and towards a makeshift base where they gave us food and water. Some of us were even given salt tablets.

"The Federation commander of the assault team was a kind-hearted man. He offered me a chance to return home, and I accepted. But then he told me I needed to recover fully. So I was brought back to Earth. It was there that I was kept up-to-date on the invasion and on who was liberated and who died during the campaign. The next seven days are a blur because I had a very nasty disease I had contracted in the camp," she said.

Dajar'o's eyes widened. "How….then how is it that you are still alive?" he asked in shock.

"It took a week to try and keep me from dying. They worked as hard as they could, pumping me full of fluids and salt water, putting ice on my head, and stripping me out of my old camp clothing. I couldn't eat or drink except for the fluids and salt water I was given through the IVs. It was during this that I saw how different they were when compared to you or the others. They are even more different than Nebula. I saw from beyond my hazy vision their blurry shapes. I could hear their voices faintly as they struggled to keep me tied to the mortal realm.

"They aren't a mere third-rate power, Dajar'o. They are much more than that. A third-rate power of their size shouldn't have the most advanced medical technology. Nor should a third-rate organization possess military might of that magnitude. And the whole time I lay in that bed, I was shown how different and how caring they were, even towards the citizens of the UPA," Lu'cia explained. "Unlike your damn stereotype of being unable to fight and shy away from combat, they fought with everything they had to save my life. They _give a damn_ for those you deny the chance to fight, and they _want everyone to have a chance at a life of their own choosing!_ They also give help to those who need it the most."

"So? What does this have to do with me?" Dajar'o asked.

Lu'cia looked at him and her eyes flashed. "It has everything to do with you, Dajar'o. They don't follow any of the rules or laws that you have set for them. They follow their hearts and their own laws. Nothing you do can force them to be what the stereotypes say."

"Why is that? I want to know what it is that makes them such a threat to my organization!" Dajar'o snarled.

Lu'cia grinned. "It's the belief in each other, their hopes, and dreams for a better future," she said simply.

"That's a lie!" Dajar'o hissed. "They must have something else that makes them such a threat! They have to have some kind of mind-control weapon or something of that nature!"

His wife merely shook her head. "You never did understand, no matter what."

"I do now!" he told her in a low voice. "They have some secret weapon that makes them so strong, and it is just waiting to be unleashed!"

"True…but it isn't a mind-control device. The thing that makes them strong is something you lacked, and still do. The power to feel emotions. Face it. Emotions don't make you weak. I saw this when they fought with hatred for the enemy in their eyes. I realized this when I heard their determined, fearful voices in my week-long coma. I know this now because they risked everything they had to save me from the Dark Axis and when they worked for seven whole days trying to cure me from the disease I had contracted," his wife explained. "So, they have strength that makes yours insignificant, Dajar'o. You just have to accept that fact."

"Emotions are a burden!" Dajar'o spat.

Lu'cia shook her head. "No. Emotions are what make us alive. They give us feelings. Without feelings, we are nothing more than mere organic machines. We couldn't be called alive if we didn't have them. We wouldn't hear the songs of sadness, the stories of bravery and courage, the tales of heroism, nor could we understand the images of suffering and war. Emotions keep us human, Dajar'o. And face the facts. No organization with superior numbers, military firepower, and emotionless soldiers could outfight a small third-rate power with the strength of emotional bonds and a whole arsenal of legendary weapons hidden on a so-called backwater world."

Dajar'o gaped in shock. "My soldiers are not emotionless!" he hissed.

His wife smiled, but it was one of sadness for him. "They are. The Intergalactic Federation knows the power of friendship, family, and love better than anyone else. They know those bonds because it was through war that they were cemented and strengthened. Each of their worlds fought to save another world at one time or another, so in effect, Dajar'o, they are far more connected than you realize."

"How can war strengthen such bonds?" Dajar'o snapped. "War can only tear apart such bonds and shatter them into nothingness!"

Lu'cia laughed. "Then you don't know how they fought to save others from the organization that you sent out to keep the universe in check. They stopped the Murder Pirates Association, thus enabling third-rate powers to get the supplies they needed to survive."

"But why would they do that? That only upset the universal balance!" Dajar'o said.

Lu'cia looked away and out at the city beyond her husband. Her eyes were fixed on a star he knew all too well: the sun of the Sol System. "They did no such thing. Instead, they righted it. But that is not the point." She looked back at him. "The point I'm making is that you're organization is far weaker than they are, despite all the military numbers and superior military firepower you claim to possess. The Intergalactic Federation is stronger because of the emotional bonds of friendship, family, and love that they created. Your soldiers lack the kind of bonds they have, so you're outmatched."

"There is another reason, isn't there?" Dajar'o hissed at her.

She nodded. "Yes. The reason they have such bonds is because they are free to express them. They feel free from the restrictions that you have set on others, including your own people. You forbid women from working, you teach false lies in school, and you do nothing to stop the corruption or even stabilize the economy because of your family's ways."

"Freedom is not the answer that I was searching for!" Dajar'o screamed.

His wife merely looked at him calmly and spoke. "It is. Their freedom to express their emotional bonds and the ability to feel them is what makes them strong. Their emotions, their freedom, and their unity is what makes them strong. War has forged between them a bond of unity that can't be shattered by any means that you throw at them. And this bond of unity is what will enable them to prevail against the Dark Axis."

Now Dajar'o visibly blanched. Was all of this even true? But one thing puzzled him. How could such bonds and emotions give them the strength they needed? It was almost as if they were connected somehow. Some unknown source of power enabled them to use their emotions to boost their strength. But what type? And what kind of power source?

His wife seemed to sense this and she smiled mysteriously. "You'll never figure out the answer, Dajar'o. Not even I know what it is."

"Is all that true?" he asked.

She nodded. "Every word I said is true. And there's nothing you can do about it."

Then, Dajar'o did something she had never thought possible: he hit her with everything he had. He lashed out with a fist and slugged her on the right side of her jaw and sent her tumbling onto the floor of his office. "You speak nothing but lies!" he hissed. "The Intergalactic Federation did something to you! And I will right whatever they did to my beloved wife!"

Lu'cia sat up and wiped away the blood dribbling down from her mouth. She looked at him. "You think they did something to me? They did nothing to me. They saved my life from the Dark Axis and they cured the disease I had contracted. That is all they did. They didn't alter my mind at all, if that's what you fear!" she murmured.

"I will not listen to such lies of emotions being the thing that makes them strong! It has to be something of immense military importance!" Dajar'o snapped.

His wife stood up and looked at him before shaking her head. "No, Dajar'o. No military weapon could make them stronger than they already are. If you recall the immense power of the _Destiny Star Drive_, the Matrix of Leadership, the Omega Lock and Cyber Planet Keys, and the _Energizer X_, they have eight of the eleven legendary weapons scattered across the stars in their possession. That alone makes them stronger than any other organization out there. But when combined with their emotional bonds and strength, that makes them unbeatable," she said.

"So? They can't even fully control the _Destiny Star Drive_, or harness the Omega Lock and Cyber Planet Keys to their fullest extent!" he spat.

Lu'cia smiled. "They already discovered the powers of the Omega Lock and the Cyber Planet Keys and utilized them to their fullest during the Unicron Wars. Remember?"

Dajar'o hissed in anger. "Damn!" he swore.

He _did_ recall. He remembered how they had learned to synchronize the energy of the Keys and Omega Lock with the Matrix of Leadership. But that was nothing compared to the impossible task of combining the merged energies with their special planetary defense system. The very satellites they used were impossible to sync with the energy of the Omega Lock, and the four keys had their own frequency, so he had no idea as to how they had done it.

He guessed it had something to do with the immense range of frequencies they had tapped into during their wars against different enemies.

"Are you finally beginning to see the truth?" Lu'cia asked.

He glared daggers at her. "No! The truth is that they are just extraordinarily lucky! Nothing more!" he hissed.

She smiled. "Luck has nothing to do with the fact that they are stronger than you."

"Just shut up!" he yelled. "Shut up and _get out of my sight_, you whore!"

Lu'cia's face hardened. She knew that it had come down to this. And there was no changing his mind. No power could. But even still, being called a "whore" was something no woman, no matter what species, could deal with.

She stood up. "If that is the way you feel, then I will. But don't forget. The Intergalactic Federation possesses what you lack, and they have strength that is immeasurable when compared to your own. Despite their weakness in size, their hearts and bonds are stronger than your own heart."

"_My_ heart? It is their hearts that are weak!" he yelled. "Being burdened by emotions is only a liability! It is not the secret of their strength!"

She smiled at him sadly. "If you had only listened to me from the very beginning, then you would understand. But now I can see that it is useless to argue and convince you otherwise. So, I shall take my leave."

She stood up and walked towards the door. Dajar'o watched her as she left his office, leaving him alone and very confused. He leaned forward and put his head into his hand. How could the Intergalactic Federation possess such power?

'_It is just as your wife told you. Their emotions and bonds are what make them strong,_' that little voice said softly.

"JUST SHUT UP!" Dajar'o shrieked.

He leaned forward and slumped onto his desk, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed.

* * *

**Lu'cia slumped against** the wall outside her husband's office and looked up at the buzzing lights. It seemed so strange to her that her own husband couldn't accept the truth of the Federation's strength. In truth, she didn't even know if it was true herself. But it was. He was ignorant, and his lust for power was growing stronger.

Tears pricked at her eyes and her body shivered as she began to sob herself.

All she wanted was to have her husband see the truth and shed aside his greed and corrupt ways to ensure a better future for everyone, including her people. But, it seemed that he wasn't able to be swayed back to his original ideals. He was now unreachable.

Her father's words echoed in her mind as clear as day.

"_Lu'cia, you must find a way to ensure that the universe is given a decent shot at achieving a peaceful future. If you fail, then chaos will descend upon all of us and send us into a universe of nothing but loss, war, and destruction. It is up to you to find a way to end it. Even if it means marrying Dajar'o._"

Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.


	114. Neotopia's New Choices

Chapter 4

Chief Haro sighed as he observed the preparations of the entire planet for defense should the Dark Axis attack a third time. It seemed impossible that they had come this far, but it was true. In overcoming the Dark Axis three previous times, they had come up to this moment: the final hours before the last battle.

Juli ran a hand through her hair as she checked the stats for the defense forces. "Sir, everything's good to go," she reported.

Chief Haro turned to look at her and nodded his approval; his smile couldn't be seen beneath that helmet he wore. "Good. The sooner we get this done, the better prepared we'll be."

She shifted slightly before speaking. "Uh, sir?"

"What is it, Juli?"

Juli fidgeted. She had wanted to ask this for some time, and now was the perfect chance. "Why even do it?" she asked softly.

"Hmm?" Chief Haro looked at her. "Why even do what?"

"Why continue this fight? The Dark Axis has more power than even the Gundam Force right now," she said. "That alone spells doom for them. And Shute…he could be in even greater danger."

Chief Haro nodded. "I know. And I understand the risks that are accompanying my decisions. But we cannot pull them out now. We all need to be prepared, and if that means leaving the Gundam Force on Earth, then so be it."

"But then that means that we'll be undefended!" Juli blurted.

The SDG commander shook his head. "No, Juli. We're not defenseless. We have very capable warriors in our Mobile Citizen population, and we defeated the Dark Axis once together. And we'll do it again, if necessary."

"So…you're having them stay," Juli murmured.

He nodded. "Yes. And it's a risk I'm willing to take if it means the Dark Axis is defeated once and for all."

Chief Haro looked out at the city beneath the SDG base. "Neotopia is our home, and we all fight to defend it from any dimensional invaders. We all made this pledge when we united to form the organization after the first time they probed our city. It was a risk and we all took it. That risk had more rewards than losses, so in effect, it was better in the long term than the short term. And this decision will be the best one in the long term. If they succeed, then a major threat to everything in existence is annihilated, if not destroyed," he said.

"But if they fail?" Juli knew she was going to dread the answer.

"If they fail…then it's all over for all of us," Chief Haro whispered.

Juli's face paled. She had been right.

"But they will not fail. Somehow, I know that they'll win," Chief Haro said. "The strength of the Intergalactic Federation has amazed me, and they still continue to amaze me. Especially considering how they are often overlooked by others because of their small size."

"…" Juli pursed her lips thoughtfully. Then she spoke. "Chief Haro, how is it that they are so strong despite their small size?"

"I'm not sure, Juli. But whatever the secret of their strength is, let's hope that it's enough for them to win this war."

The two stood silent for a moment before the comm flashed a few times. Chief Haro walked over to the communications console and activated it. A screen appeared, showing Bell Wood. The dimensional travel expert looked a bit better, having finally gotten some sleep, but his hair was even more unruly than ever and he had removed his hat, letting his goggles hang around his neck. "_Chief Haro, can you read me?_"

Chief Haro nodded. "I read you loud and clear, Bell Wood. What's the status on the Dimensional Transport Device?"

"_Well, the device is running smoothly and we've established a link with the Federation's home dimension. The only thing left to do is call them back._"

"Negative on that one, Bell Wood. The Gundam Force is staying put."

Bell Wood's eyes widened. "_What? But…but why?_" he asked.

Chief Haro simply hung his head. "The final battle. The Intergalactic Federation agreed to protect them with all their power," he said softly. He looked up at the young man. "It's important that they help because no one is allowed to leave during the fighting for fear they could get shot down and/or killed in the process of fleeing. It's the way things work in the Federation during battles of that kind of caliber."

Bell Wood was silent. A battle that required _everyone_?

Chief Haro understood the scientist's shock and he too felt shocked. But he also knew that it was for their safety. Right now, all they could do was hope for the Federation's eventual victory.

* * *

**Gunpanzer looked out** at the massive mess of the former DTD that they had recently built, then shifted his gaze to the original prototype device they had created back during the beginnings of the Dark Axis War. He couldn't believe how far that small organization had come. Eavesdropping on the meetings had allowed him to gather intel on the band of worlds and he was very impressed by the way they had kept on fighting even when the odds had been against him. But it also puzzled him.

He knew from experience during war that the odds always worked against the smaller and weaker armies. Yet here was this small group of worlds that defied that very experience and kept going against overwhelming numbers of enemies. He began to wonder if they had more than just small numbers on their side. Was it possible they had a group similar to the SDG, or maybe they had some powerful weapons that enabled them to get this strong? That last option seemed to be the most likely to him.

A soft sound behind him alerted him to the presence of Juli.

The big mech turned to face her.

"Gunpanzer? Is everything all right?" she asked.

Gunpanzer sighed. "I just can't help but think of the youngin's out there in the middle of a big battle. What if they can't handle it?" he asked.

Juli placed a hand on his flank. "Look. They're capable fighters. Chief Haro has faith in them. I do, too, and they are in the hands of the Intergalactic Federation. If anyone can protect them, it's the Federation," she murmured.

Gunpanzer looked at her with sadness in his optics. "I just don't know if they can win, now. I mean, sure they've beaten some tough foes, but…" His voice trailed off and Juli understood what he was feeling.

"Gunpanzer, just trust in them, okay?"

The tank-like mecha sighed. "Okay. Besides, what harm will it do?"

Juli smiled.

* * *

**Kao Lyn swept** his gaze over the screens showing each of the Gundams' battle capabilities. It had been practically impossible to create a system to keep an eye on them in the Federation's dimension, but it had been done. He smiled as he recalled how hard both his team and Bell Wood had been working to try and enable this linkup.

Chief Haro stepped up to him and looked over the screens. "I see the system is working perfectly," he said.

Kao Lyn nodded. "Yes, sir. All screens are functional and the system is working flawlessly."

"That's good, Chief Kao Lyn. Now, during this battle, I want us to establish communications with them via their comm links and Shute's cell phone. This way we can give them advice if the need arises."

Kao Lyn's eyes went wide beneath his yin-yang glasses. Last he had heard, there had been plans being made to go to the Federation's dimension. "Why? We're not going?" he asked in disbelief.

The commander for the SDG shook his head. "No. If we do, then we'll risk killing ourselves as well. The Gundam Force and the _Gundamusai_ can handle themselves without our backup. But that doesn't mean the entire team won't be on standby should the need arise."

Kao Lyn finally understood the chief's plan. He nodded sagely. "I see. By putting everyone on high alert, we'll be ready should we need to go aid them."

Chief Haro smiled beneath his helmet. But on the outside, Kao Lyn heard the smile in his voice. "Precisely."

* * *

_That night…_

Chief Haro lay in his bed, his helmet removed and exposing his face. He ran a hand over his features and sighed. It had been almost six months since the attack on the planet had been driven back. The mere fact that the Mobile Citizens and humans had worked so well together still amazed him. In truth, he had been expecting rebellion to break out, not pure unity.

He reflected back on the day Mayor Gathermoon had presented her proposal to the World Union's President.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

"_I'm begging you! If you don't pass this law, then the whole planet is doomed!" Mayor Gathermoon cried, waving her arms._

_The President of the World Union looked at her from his desk calmly. "Margaret, I understand your concern, but we just can't allow it to happen. If we do, then they will rebel against us. And do you want that?"_

"_Just listen!" the mayor pleaded. "If we don't, then the Dark Axis will overrun us anyway! The Gundam Force is gone, trapped in another dimension, thinking we are overthrown! Without passing this law, you are only increasing their chances of coming home to a destroyed world where nothing recognizable exists! The only way we can stop the Dark Axis from overthrowing our home world is to arm the Mobile Citizens worldwide with weapons! It doesn't matter if they break out into rebellion! We've got a system that can override that! Remember the Central Mainframe?"_

_The President nodded. "Yes. But from what we've seen regarding their technology, they can override the mainframe with the control horns."_

"_And if you want to protect the mainframe, then why are you delaying the passage of this law?" Mayor Gathermoon cried._

_This got the President. "What are you getting at?" he asked, his eyes narrowing._

_Mayor Gathermoon looked at where he stood and nodded. Chief Haro stepped out and spoke clearly and calmly to the World Union leader._

"_Sir, if I may, you must please consider this as the only option we have left," he said._

"_Why should I, Chief Haro?" the President asked._

_Chief Haro's voice grew grim. "If you don't pass this law, then not only will you be leaving all of Neotopia's Mobile Citizens sitting ducks for their airborne forces, but you'll also be allowing them to have easy access to the Central Mainframe. If they get their hands on that, then they could control the Mobile Citizens with no need for control horns. We have to protect the mainframe and out planet's Mobile Citizens at all costs. Even if it means risking rebellion of our machine population. It's our only choice left."_

_The President grew pale at the mention of losing the central mainframe for all the Mobile Citizens. "Why are they after it?" he whispered._

_Mayor Gathermoon spoke up at this point. "They don't have access to Captain Gundam's Soul-Drive because he is in another dimension and they can't gain control of the Captain System without it. So they're going for the next best thing. The Central Mainframe."_

_His eyes widened and he looked down at the law she had presented to him. It was simple, and it presented newer options for the Mobile Citizens. But it also presented grave risks and he wasn't willing to take them. On the other hand, if he didn't, then the planet would fall and all the Mobile Citizens would be taken control of regardless. It all came down to his decision._

_He closed his eyes and lifted his head before opening them again. "All right. We'll pass the law. Considering the situation you've just told me, I think it is time we shed aside our fear of a robotic rebellion and start considering the safety of the planet as a whole rather than just the safety of the human population. As of right now, the Mobile Citizen Armaments Act is now a part of Neotopian Law." The President grabbed a nearby pen and held it over the paper._

_Both Chief Haro and Mayor Gathermoon watched as he scrawled his name on the bottom before stamping it with the Approved stamp._

_He slid it into the copier and made a copy. The sheet of paper whizzed out and he grabbed it, tearing it off and handing it to her. "I'll present the original to the World Union. If they vote on it, then it will be issued immediately. If not, then it's up to you to defend us," he told her._

_The mayor simply nodded. "Thank you," she whispered._

_Chief Haro sighed with relief. The first part was done. Now all they had to do was wait and see if the second part would be just as easy._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Chief Haro woke up the next day to the news blaring over his radio._

"Earlier today, the World Union recently passed a law that granted arms rights to the entire Mobile Citizen population. Several protesters have staged a demonstration outside the World Union Headquarters, but they were assured by advocates for machines to bear arms that the decision was final.

"Mayor Margaret Gathermoon of the city that bears our planet's name originally proposed this law to the World Union after the initial invasion of the Dark Axis several years prior. It was declined in favor of keeping the Mobile Citizens from rebelling against us humans. She tried for years to get it passed, but each time she failed. Now, after much debate and swift action taken by the Super Dimensional Guard in getting several of the city's Mobile Citizens outfitted, it has become a reality.

"The World Union President has stated that it was finally time the World Union started focusing on the safety of the planet as a whole rather than just the world's human population. And this is one reporter who agrees with the decision. Already several factories have added arms divisions to their facilities and are equipping the next set of Mobile Citizens with guns and beam swords. Those that are already functioning are required to get a full arsenal for combat should they get involved. Mobile Citizens are now allowed to take part in military planning, and to enlist in the army, air force, and navy to help man guns, stock shells, make the shells, etc. All kinds of new jobs are open. The Mobile Citizens, once outfitted with weapons, are assigned the designation of Neotopian Army Reserve Forces. This reserve force will operate in concert with the human forces and will help carry out operations.

"People who object, this message is for you. The decision made by the World Union is final. Nothing short of a coup can change their minds. And it is with the fear of a coup in mind that guards have been stationed around the World Union HQ and the homes of all members of the Union._"_

_The broadcast ended, leaving a very stunned, and yet elated Chief Haro._

_He couldn't believe it. After all this time, the World Union was finally granting Mobile Citizens the right to bear arms. Even if it was a very dangerous risk._

_The commander of the SDG slipped out of bed and began to get ready for the day. He had a long day ahead of him._

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

The fact that it had been passed into law was amazing enough, but the real stunner was the fact that there had been no rebellion outbreaks whatsoever. It was almost as if someone had prevented it.

Chief Haro wondered briefly if the World Union President had asked someone to man the Central Mainframe's control consoles in order to keep an eye on the Mobile Citizens. He then shook his head. There was no way that it had happened. If humans had been manning the Central Mainframe, then the Mobile Citizens would've been ordered to follow through.

It seemed to him that they had willingly accepted this new law without a moment's hesitation.

Suddenly, realization dawned on him. It must have been because of the fighting that had raged prior to the Gundam Force's evacuation, spurring them even further when their defenders had fled. They had accepted that they would need to fight to defend those they lived with. It had been their own free choice that led them to accepting the weapons without rebellion breaking out.

_They had been waiting for this moment all along!_

The chief smiled. He knew the reason why.

But that didn't stop him from worrying about the Gundam Force's safety. He could only hope that the Intergalactic Federation kept them safe from harm.


	115. Orichalcos Linkup

Chapter 5

A high pitched wail cut across the testing site, forcing all the workers and technicians to cover their ears to try and block out the sound. Dartz gritted his teeth as he kept one eye pried open to observe the testing of their prototype spacebridge.

So far the test was failing. All they were managing to do was overload the system and breaking eardrums.

Dartz looked at one of the crew members and made a motion with his head. The technician nodded and punched a command into the keyboard before him. The screeching increased in intensity, and died down to a soft hum.

He removed his hands from his ears and rubbed one of them. "Okay. What's happening with the testing?" he asked as he approached the technician.

The man shrugged. "I'm not sure, sir. Everything works, but we can't seem to reach optimum calibration levels. It's almost as if the system rejects the Orichalcos stone we use to power it, even though it has the power needed to generate a working gateway."

Dartz looked at the leading technician and waved her over.

"Sonia! What's the situation regarding the Orichalcos? We can't seem to get our bridge to calibrate with the Federation's bridge network."

Sonia Withers, the head technician in charge of the project, adjusted her glasses before speaking. "It seems that because of the intense energy that's concentrated within one stone shard we can't establish a proper linkup."

Dartz nodded. "Okay. Any ideas on how we can enable a linkup to occur?"

She nodded. "Yes. I've run a few tests and I think that if we can disperse the power more effectively, then it could be done. But it would take an extra few days of rewiring."

"Forget a few days. I want it done in two hours. No more, no less. Is that clear?"

Sonia nodded. "If we had the proper equipment, then we could do so. But we lack the equipment needed."

"We don't have time to send for it. We need this done and soon!" Dartz spat.

Sonia sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Okay. But if our makeshift process fails, then we'll need to risk the extra time we lose."

He nodded back. "Fine. Now get to it."

Sonia nodded silently before she turned and called out to her crew. "All right, people! You heard him! Let's get to work!"

Dartz turned away from her and cast his gaze at the spacebridge generator being developed. It had a unique design in that it looked like the Orichalcos Seal, right down to the interior lines. In theory, it was supposed to bore open a gate similar to a drill boring a hole through wood, thus enabling cross-spatial transit to occur. But so far all they had managed to produce was a small burst of energy and a high pitched sound that resembled that of two alley cats fighting.

He began to wonder how the Federation's network stayed functional, despite the unpredictability of the generators and their failures. Something seemed off in their calculations regarding the linkup frequency. It seemed to him that the entire network relied on a whole _spectrum_ of different frequencies.

Then it hit him.

Because it relied on an entire spectrum to enable transit from one world to the next, their own bridge had to be connected via the same frequencies, or frequencies that were compatible to the Federation's. He looked back at the generator.

It seemed to fit.

He called out to the leading technician. "Hey! Sonia!"

She looked up and said something to one of her crew before walking over to him. "Sir? What is it?" she asked.

"What kind of frequencies does our generator tap into?"

Dartz's question surprised her, but she answered anyway. "It uses the Beta frequencies. Why?"

Dartz pounded his fist into his open hand. "I _knew_ it! Our frequencies are incompatible because they use the wrong frequency spectrum! We need to find the proper frequencies to make them compatible!" he said.

Sonia caught onto his plan. "I get it. And you want me to search out the proper spectrum."

He nodded. "You got it. The sooner we can find them, the better. We need to get this generator going as soon as possible before the battle breaks out."

She nodded. "I understand. I'll have three of my crew get on it right away. We'll call you when we get it."

Dartz smiled as she walked off. Now that that was settled, all that remained was to test the bridge once it was hooked up.

He returned his mind to the matter at hand. Besides getting the bridge up and running, the war preparations were almost complete.

Ever since he had heard the final battle was getting closer, he shut himself in his office or locked himself out on the roof, going through the countless strategy decks he and his people had accumulated over the years. He studied each and every tactic, running it through a mental computer, or even through his own simulator program and either put it into a new deck or rejected it for a more favorable plan of action.

The arms buildup was going smoothly and the Orichalcos Warriors, those who could use the power of the Seal in combat, were undergoing training and applying their powers to battlefield scenarios. Tanks were mobilizing to the warp points and an aircraft carrier force was being deployed the next day. Aircraft were undergoing maintenance and having their arsenals upgraded to new levels. And the space forces were getting prepared by having their guns recharged and the Orichalcos energy cells changed out for fresh ones.

It had taken time and patience to get to this point. Not to mention the countless efforts of so many who had sacrificed their lives and time to help them get here. The loss of friends and family couldn't be forgotten, nor could the noticeable deeds that had been carried out in the name of universal freedom and democracy.

Dartz closed his eyes and frowned as he ran through the different events that had led to this date and this moment.

The first event had begun when the Dark Axis first launched a probing mission of their home dimension. Dartz was curious as to these newcomers and sent out a small squad to intercept them and attempt to communicate. The squad had failed to return home a few days later, prompting him to send out a military expedition to try and find them. All the team had found were the bombed out remains of their craft and several petrified bodies in pieces. Dartz had ordered a full military investigation with the goal of finding and searching out the ones responsible, but the search yielded only a strange logo that had been blasted off one of the unusual ships.

The investigation continued on for five days. But nothing new had turned up, forcing him to call it off.

Less than a month later, a second encounter forced them into a fight that nearly cost Dartz his life, and possibly the lives of several of his soldiers. The Dark Axis had been so successful at their surprise attack it forced Dartz and his team to withdraw to the safety of a nearby habitable world that had no known life-forms. There they had lain for three days before the Dark Axis withdrew. In that time, Dartz had come to the conclusion that while skilled at warfare, the Dark Axis lacked the ability to carry it out on certain worlds. As to which worlds, that was the mystery.

The third encounter happened when he had been searching for a way to force the Dark Axis to fight in circumstances that were favorable to his people. This time, it had been an entire military base on one of his outposts that had been destroyed by them. Dartz still couldn't forgive them for the sudden attack that left them with nothing but ruins and shattered bodies to remain behind. Even now, it made his blood boil with anger.

The fourth encounter was what led him to the Federation, and from there it had gotten worse until it reached this point.

He opened his eyes and looked at the generator just as Sonia came back to him with a screen held in one hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

Sonia wordlessly handed him the screen.

Dartz took it and scanned it, his golden eyes widening. He looked up. "You found the spectrum?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. We worked for a few hours before one of the tech boys had a sudden brainstorm. He theorized that if the Beta spectrum is only one part near the beginning, he figured that there had to be a frequency spectrum that was at the _end_ of the entire spectrum broadband. So he did some recalibrating and deduced that the Federation uses the Omega spectrum. It's a spectrum that is known for its very unstable frequencies, but if used properly, it can be the ultimate method of communication."

Dartz sat stunned at her words. The ultimate communications method… If her words were true, then it meant that their spacebridge network couldn't be breached or their communications waves hacked. They were the ultimate in terms of communications blackouts. But what bothered him is that it might be a double-edged sword.

He would have to look into this further, he mused. But first, all that mattered was setting up a gate that enabled transport to their organization.

His mind briefly flashed to the others in the alliance. Were they too working on spacebridge generators? If so, how could they be linked if they used different frequencies and broadband spectrums? That was the real problem.

Dartz handed the screen back to her. "Sonia, I want the tech boys to get working on finding a way to link our bridge with the others, should they get them finished."

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

She stepped away backwards before turning and mingling with the crowd of technicians and engineers working on the project.

Dartz returned to the situation at hand. With the bridge calibrations underway and the armed forces almost done with their preparations, the only thing left to do was try and link the bridges of the other organizations together in one continuous tunnel. A loop between them would enable travel to another organization within the alliance in the event of an emergency.

He looked up at the stars reflecting off the windows of the buildings with his golden eyes. The star of the Sol system glistened from farther off, a bright golden color that seemed to be the signature color of the Federation.

He wondered why the color of gold was more prominent now than it had been in the past with other organizations. The most recent had been the Universal Power Association before they had turned to a universal hierarchy to keep the universe in check.

Was it because there was a massive war going on that required everyone to throw everything they had into the battle?

If that were the case, then what was the full power of the Orichalcos like?

The true power hadn't even been talked of in any of the lore surrounding the formation and purpose of the Orichalcos stone. All it mentioned was how it had been used and why it had been used in the first place.

He knew that his people's culture had been based around the stone for ten thousand years and growing strong, new technology being derived from the stone and channeled into both the military and civilian aspects alike. Soul engineering had been developed from the stone's power to seal souls away, and so on. The list was endless.

A sudden burst of swearing from a nearby technician brought his mind back to the organization's predicament. He looked at the techie and walked over. "What's the problem?"

The techie looked at his superior and nodded at the charred motherboard of one of the computers. "That happened. Something shorted and now we can't use the computer to finish the calibrations!" he spat.

"Get it fixed. The sooner the better," Dartz said.

The man snorted. "As if. That was our only one made for this computer. It'll take another few months to get another one made and the necessary programming put in place." He shook his head sadly. "There's just not enough time to get it in place."

Dartz gritted his teeth in frustration. "Then get the remaining computers on the calibration. I don't care if you have to do some of it by hand. Just get it done before the deadline!"

"And what would that deadline be?" the man asked.

"December 21st." Dartz's explanation was enough to get the techie to lose the blood in his face.

"I'll get on it!" he said.

The man ran off to get the others working on the calibrations double time.

Dartz turned away and sighed as he looked up at the stars, wondering if they could even win this one…


	116. Defensive Preparations

Chapter 6

Van eyed the heap of metal that was being worked on. It didn't look anything like what the techs had described to him. In his personal opinion, it resembled more of a disassembled Insection than a weapon. He looked at the man beside him. "Are you sure that this…thing…is a gun?" he asked.

The man nodded. "Yes, sir. It may not look like much now, but it was a very successful test when it was whole and working properly."

Van scowled. "As if. That thing looks like it blew before it could fire, Jacor."

Jacor frowned. "Okay. It blew before we could even fire it. But at least it was better than last time!" he cried.

"If you mean that heap of metal that was supposed to be a cannon, but couldn't even fire a bullet?" Van asked with a raised eyebrow.

He nodded.

"It may be better, but it's not a full weapon. We need to try and at least develop _some_ kind of long-range armaments before the final battle!" Van said.

Jacor looked at Van with a hard look in his eyes. "And how are we supposed to do that when we lack at firearms? We only specialize in defense, in case you forgot."

"I didn't forget. And despite the Federation's firepower, we need to develop some weapons of our own if we're to aid them should the need arise." Van's words were as simple as that.

The weapons specialist nodded. "Okay. We'll see if we can rebuild this cannon and get it working properly. We'll let you know how the test goes."

Van smiled. "That's the spirit. Good luck."

The Zian turned and left the weapons development lab, heading off in a direction that led him down several corridors until he bumped into a fellow Zian, and his old friend, Fiona. Fiona Lazey was a Zoidian, an ancient race of Zians who had gone extinct for some reason. Not much was known about her, but she was a good friend and often hung around Van, advising him on some touchy subjects.

Her hair was long and blonde, tied back in a ponytail, and she had pretty blue eyes. Two small blue ovals were located in the center of her forehead. She wore a simple T-shirt and blue jeans with combat boots adorning her feet. She had opted for simplicity in clothing, for she was incredibly intelligent to boot.

"Hey, Fiona!" Van called out to her.

"Hm?" Fiona turned at his voice. "Van!"

She ran up to him. "How's it going?" she asked.

"In the weapons development lab? Not too good," Van said. "But that won't stop them from trying."

Fiona giggled. "I thought so." Then she became serious. "What about with the bridge network?" she asked.

Van swept an arm down the corridor. "I'm heading down there now to see how it's going. Wanna come?"

She nodded. "Yes. Maybe I can help with the calibrations."

The two headed down the hallway towards the lab. On the way, Van noticed Fiona's unusual silence. He looked at her. She seemed a bit withdrawn as they passed several other workers carrying screens filled with text on a project Van had approved three months prior.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked.

She looked at him and shook her head. "No. Something's been bothering me about this whole ordeal."

"What's bothering you about it?"

Fiona grew thoughtful as she looked up. Then she looked at the young leader. "Well, I guess it's just the whole idea of the Dark Axis going to these extremes. I mean, back before Zi became united under one government, there were wars that were not as bad as this, but still pretty bad. What is it that drives some to this extent?" she asked.

Van shrugged. "Look. I'm not entirely sure myself, but there's one thing that is certain: the Dark Axis despises organics with a passion. They see us as an infestation that must be controlled for the better. Hence why they go to such lengths to terminate us. If we don't do something soon, then it's all over for everyone. Why do you think that the Intergalactic Federation fights so hard to stop them?"

"But there has to be another reason. It can't be as simple as that," Fiona said with a shake of her head.

Van nodded. "Yeah. It's not as simple as black and white. You have to account for the shades of gray as well. Sometimes the shades of gray are hard to distinguish from the rest of the good and the bad. They often mix the two, so it's hard to determine what's good and what's evil. It's that thin line that makes this war hard to understand in normal circumstances. But ever since the Dark Axis tried to terminate our universe and since the Battle for Earth Command, the entire war has become a clear thing between good versus evil. It's hard to fully understand at times, even for me," he murmured, looking down at his feet.

Fiona and Van were silent for the next few seconds before Van looked at her. "As for others, it may be a superiority complex. I'm not sure entirely to be honest," he said with a shrug.

"Oh."

"But, aside from that, wanna hear how the bridge generator is coming?" he asked.

She nodded, a smile appearing on her pretty features. "Yes. I would," she said.

Van laughed at her cheerfulness. "Okay. Well, basically, it's like a wormhole generator, but not in the sense that it generates a wormhole. Our goal with this is to try and breach the Federation's spacebridge network and create a linkup with them. We also hope to try and unite with the other bridges being developed by our allies."

"And you think this will work?" the Zoidian asked.

Van nodded. "The tech boys say that there is a 95% probability that it will work. The other 5% could result in failure or not working at all, or even a malfunction which could cause the lab to blow. But the chances of that happening are a million to one. So don't worry."

Fiona giggled. "I'm not worried."

"Good," Van said.

The two reached the lab where the bridge was being worked on. The guard at the door saluted and stepped aside, keeping his assault rifle raised and at the ready. The door slid open and they walked inside.

The interior of the lab was a bustle of activity as technicians and workers scurried about, some carrying supplies and a few tugging cables from one side of the room to the other. Some pieces of the bridge's interior workings lay scattered about on carts and a forklift was bringing a piece of equipment that looked like a generator over to the work area. The leading technician waved his arms slowly, bringing the generator in close. "Okay! Easy does it! You drop that, you get another and that one comes out of your paycheck!" he yelled.

"Sure, boss! I got it, no problem!" the driver called back. He gave the thumbs up sign and the forklift edged closer to the bridge generator.

Van stepped up to him. "Hey, Gage! How's it going?" Van called out to him.

Gage turned and his eyes brightened in surprise. "Van! Fiona! I didn't expect to see you two here!" he said.

"You know me. I thought I'd stop by to see how things are going. Fiona wanted to come and possibly aid the project," Van said.

"I see," Gage said with a grin. "We sure could use an extra hand. Glad to have your help, Fiona." He shook her hand.

"It's my pleasure," the girl said simply.

"So, Gage, how's the bridge coming along?" Van asked.

Gage looked at it, then back at Van. "Well, sir, the bridge generator's been calibrated to link up with the Federation's. The initial tests worked better than planned. We got through and set up a link last night. We're good to go there. Now we just need to wait for the others."

"How'd you get it to link up with their spacebridge network?" Van asked, shocked at the sudden news.

Gage grinned. "Defense isn't our _only_ specialty."

"How'd you do it?" Van repeated.

Gage smiled. "Well, it was simple. All we had to do was send out a signal that registered our bridge generator with theirs. We found a wavelength in the spectrum they use that wasn't registered, so I fed that into our generator, and viola! One linkup like you requested."

Van grinned. "Gage, you are something else, my friend. I'm sure glad I met you a few months ago!"

He kept that smile on his face, but warmth now filled his eyes. Gage rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, if you hadn't helped me out of that pickle I was in, we wouldn't have met and I wouldn't be working for you. I'd still be rotting in prison for that one."

"If you mean that busted oil tank that spilled fifty million gallons of crude into the ocean, then you can forget it. The real cause was cosmic rust. You know that," Van said, playfully smacking him on the arm.

"Yeah. Thanks for that," Gage said softly.

Van smiled warmly. "No problem." Then he looked back at the bridge. "Anyway, what about the calibrations? Is there anything that can be done to finish those up?"

Gage nodded. "There sure is. The bridge linkup itself is done. Now all we gotta do is establish the coordinates and get them registered for our linkup to be complete. Then it's just a matter of preparations and we're good to go. How's the weapons development coming?"

"Terrible," Van said. "We can't even get a gun working right. The teams down there worked for weeks on it, but before it could be test fired, the gun blew. They're gonna try again tomorrow. But as for the rest, we got a grenade set. It's a type of shock grenade that releases a stun wave, knocking enemies out for five ours. It's about to go into mass production shortly. I ordered five factories converted to produce them."

"Good," Gage said. "That's progress, at least."

Van nodded. "Yeah."

"Hold on a sec," Gage said as an aide tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face the woman. "What is it?"

"Sir, we just need a location as to where we should hook up the generator," she said, waving an arm at the generator the driver of the forklift had delivered.

"Oh. Just tell them to hook it up to that computer. That thing could use it, it's so old," he said.

The aide nodded. "I'm on it." She turned and nodded at a techie holding a cord in his hands. The techie nodded back and plugged it into the computer. The old computer sparked once before it slowly chugged to life.

Gage smiled. "Perfect!"

He turned back to Van. "Now, what else have we made progress on?" he asked.

Van shrugged. "Nothing else comes to mind."

"Well, at least we're getting better in some aspects of weaponry."

"What about our arsenal? Couldn't we use that?" Fiona asked, referring to the arsenal the Intergalactic Defense Federation had stored for invasion repulsion.

"That could be used," Van mused. "But it's not good enough. Plus, some of those guns are so old they could either blow up or not work at all."

"Still, it's a chance we could take," Fiona said stubbornly.

Van nodded in response. "True, but I don't think we should use it unless we have to."

Fiona sighed. "Fine."

Gage couldn't help but overhear. He tapped Van's shoulder and the young Zian leader turned to face him. "Van, I have a suggestion. I know it's not my field of expertise, but why not ask around to see if anyone could help in weapons development? Surely someone knows how to develop some."

Van pondered this for a moment, then nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks for the suggestion, Gage."

Gage nodded. "No problem, Van."

Van turned and headed off, letting Fiona get to work in helping with the calibrations.

He made his way back to the weapons development lab to see how the progress was going. The pile of metal was now somewhat assembled in the shape of a gun, but Van could see that there was much work that needed to be done. He approached Jacor.

"It looks like you finally got things under control here, Jacor," he said.

The man turned and nodded. "Yes, sir. We're still trying to make it function properly."

"Is it a laser or conventional cannon?" Van asked.

"Laser."

"Ah. I see. With lasers, it's a matter of finding the right wavelength for the cannon to fire. The only thing that is an obstacle is the focusers. We need to find the right ones," Van said. "From what little I know of laser weaponry, it's the focuser that is the integral part of the firing process. Without it, the cannon's beam is just a widely dispersed range of energy."

"And that is the problem," Jacor said. "We lack the focusers needed. All we have are glass, not energon glass or any of the other types."

"Well, try and find someone who has the focusers in stock."

"We don't have any in stock in our suppliers," Jacor said with a helpless shrug.

"Then try and search outside our organization if you have to. Or at least make do with what we have," Van said.

"I'll try," Jacor said.

Van nodded as he left the room.

As he made his way to the vehicle bay, he ran into several more scientists and technicians for the lab complex and each talked to him about certain aspects of the new weapons they were developing. Some had developed a sonic cannon and one or two teams had joined together to create a shockwave blaster. Those, however, were the only types of weapons that were within their power to develop.

Van slipped behind the wheel of his hovercar a few hours later just as the twin suns began to set on the horizon. He glanced back at the sprawling lab complex as the lights flashed on to ward off the darkness. The lab complex reached at least five miles in all directions, its buildings including a test firing range filled with the hulks of burned out tanks and a weather center for informing them of an incoming storm. The central laboratory was a five story structure containing the latest in technology and the best in terms of scientists to test projects that were always being undertaken there. This lab complex was only one of hundreds scattered across the organization, but it was clearly the best of them all.

He sighed and shook his head as he backed the hovercar out of the complex's parking lot and headed through the security check point towards the main road.

The Zian leader flipped on the headlights as he merged out into the traffic heading towards the capital city in the distance. The lights cut a swath through the darkness of the night, exposing the tarmac beneath his car. He adjusted his speed to the speed limit and kept it just a little above. He didn't want to risk getting caught speeding, even if he was the leader.

Van switched on the autopilot and programmed in the destination of his home and leaned back, his mind whirling with the thoughts of the war and how far things had progressed. But mostly he was concerned for the overall outcome. How could he be so sure of the outcome when war often led to the opposite of what they had been fighting for? War was often unpredictable like that, but something told him to trust in his instincts and choices.

Hadn't he done that before?

No, he figured. Trusting one's instincts went to the limit in combat. It often led to decisions that were for the better or the wrong cause. His choices also mattered.

Even though he hadn't been in combat before, all he knew was that he had to trust his instincts and his friends and allies to see him through.


	117. Test: Successful

Chapter 7

Sh'boni's eyes swept over the research station, taking in the bustling activity that dominated the entire testing site. The twin towers with overhanging antennae were their answer to the warp drive system that the UPA insisted everyone use. But this was no warp drive. Instead, it was based on the spacebridge technology, but it had some aspects of the warp drive. The Chosen called this bridge a warp bridge, a type of spacebridge that didn't need a generator at the end of the tunnel to open. It was still in the experimental stages; however, if they could perfect it and link it up with the Federation's bridge network, then it would represent the greatest achievement in Chosen history.

Her second in command, Ling, stood beside her.

"Well, it looks like things are going accordingly," he said.

"Yes," she said. "The warp bridge is about to undergo testing."

"Let's just hope that this thing actually works," he muttered.

She nodded before looking back out over the research site. She held up her crystal in one hand and waved it.

A technician responded with a wave of his own crystal and turned to face the computer before him. He typed something in on the screen that served as the keyboard and grabbed a lever, pulling it with both hands.

A lookout stationed on an observation platform punched the mike system and spoke into it. "_All personnel! We are about to begin testing of the warp bridge! Secure all loose objects and retreat to beyond the borders! Get to safety and secure loose objects now!_"

"Test firing is a go in five!" a second lookout called.

"Test firing go in five!"

"Charging up now!" a techie yelled.

"Activating…"

The twin antennae overhanging the area began to glow golden before changing to blue, shooting two lasers to connect in the middle, right where a Chosen crystal shard was located.

In addition to providing control over the energies around one's body, the crystal had incredibly powerful conducting capabilities for channeling dimensional energies. In theory, the Chosen had developed spacebridge technology long before Cybertron, but in reality, it had been the other way around.

But now, with the warp bridge undergoing testing, Sh'boni was certain that this would provide them with a means to reach the Federation should their spacebridge network be destroyed. She only hoped that it didn't get to that point.

A blue beam of energy suddenly streaked up towards the meeting point of the two lasers, tearing open a gateway through space and time.

So far things were going according to plan, but she knew that the enemy of the best-laid plans, chance, lurked behind the horizon, waiting to pounce and send their plans awry.

But thankfully, nothing of the sort happened. It seemed that chance was willing to lay low for the moment. The gateway opened, but nothing else happened. No gusts of wind drew any of them in. No winds blew them back. Everything still functioned properly, and everyone was still in one piece.

It was impossible, but it happened. They had done it.

"The warp bridge…it's functional…" Ling whispered.

Sh'boni nodded. "Yes. It is."

She turned to face the technician and called down. "How are things on the board?"

He checked the systems, then gave her a thumbs up. "We're good to go on all fronts! The bridge is functional!" he told her.

"What about the calibrations?"

"Those are already under way. We should be through before the next half cycle of the clock!" the techie called.

Sh'boni smiled. "Good."

Ling stepped closer and nudged her. She turned to look at him. "What is it?" she asked.

"So far chance has decided to lay low," he said softly. "That unnerves me."

"Well, this is a major battle that's about to happen. Maybe we were given the chance to complete this project," Sh'boni replied.

Ling shook his head. "No. It's not that. It's just that normally something goes wrong. But nothing has. Why?"

Sh'boni shrugged. "Look, I don't know myself. However, I _do_ know that we have to get working on finishing the next project before we can go."

"If you mean the cannon, then forget it. That thing's never worked," Ling said, motioning to a nearby cannon that was in the middle of being disassembled to fix a bug in the laser.

"At least we can try," she said.

Ling fell silent as he turned and left. This often gave him time to think about what was happening. War preparations often involved everyone getting ready for combat at some point, but it also included gearing the economy towards war, and making sure that the armed forces were primed and ready.

So many things could go wrong with it, but then again, there were things that went smoothly.

It was all in how it was done.

He looked back as Sh'boni began giving orders to the team, telling them what to do and where to set the coordinates to, etc. A dozen factors made this a hard enough project, even without the burden of universal freedom weighing on them.

What really bothered him was the potential for failure in not just this project. No. The project itself could be remedied. What couldn't be fixed was the failure if they couldn't stop the Dark Axis. That alone was enough to make him sick to his stomach with fear. He shivered and rubbed his arms in an attempt to calm his nerves. But it didn't help much.

Sh'boni took notice of this and approached him.

"Ling? You okay?" she asked.

Ling shook his head. "No. I'm not."

"Are you worried about this project?" she asked. "Or the outcome of the war?"

Ling looked down at the platform beneath his feet. "The outcome of the war."

Sh'boni smiled grimly. "I thought so. What about the outcome is bothering you?"

"The potential for failure," Ling whispered. "It's just so great it makes me sick to my stomach with fear."

"The war has many outcomes, Ling. War always has no particular outcome. The biggest factors in war are the strength of the major players and the two sides. If one side is stronger than the other, the weaker side often loses. But sometimes other nations or worlds or organizations of underestimated strength can turn the tide of battle in the favor of the losing side, or they may choose not to take sides at all. In reality, the main factor is the decision of the leaders on all sides. Along with thousands of other factors," she said. "True there may be a potential for failure, but we won't allow it to happen. Neither will the Intergalactic Federation."

"But the Federation is only mortal," Ling said sadly.

"True, but it all comes down to their strength in believing in their dreams and their abilities. It relies on how well they fight. Look. Humans have had years of fighting one another, and that same rule applies to the rest of the organic races. Cybertronians, on the other hand, have been engaged in war for millions of years. They _know_ war, Ling. So if anyone can stop the most obvious outcome of the war, it's the Federation," Sh'boni explained.

"I know that. But it…it just seems impossible that we can stop the Dark Axis, despite all the preparations and…"

She cut him off. "Ling, trust me on this. And have trust in the Federation. They can win this, and we can help them. But only if you just forget about the bleak future and focus on the here and now. What we do here could very well be the foundation of the future we all yearn for. So just stay focused on our dream. Don't let fear stop you from doing the right thing, Ling."

"I know. But…"

"Ling, get a hold of yourself! We can and we will win this war!" Sh'boni told him.

"Are…are you sure?" Ling asked.

Sh'boni nodded. "Yes. We have overcome powerful foes in the past, and we will overcome this one. We will win."

Ling smiled. "Okay. I'll believe in them."

Sh'boni smiled back.

She slipped an arm around his shoulders. "Now, let's get back to the test site."

She guided him down to the site and the two stopped on the platform overlooking the warp bridge. The gateway was stabilized and open, exposing the Federation complex of Earth Command beyond its horizons.

"We're all set here?" Sh'boni called down.

The techie in charge nodded. "Yes, ma'am! We just sent through a small probe and it will return shortly!"

She nodded. "Excellent. We need to see if the probe remains intact after the retrieval. If that goes well, then the project will be a success."

They waited for what seemed to be forever. In reality, it was only two minutes before the gate began to shimmer and the small robotic probe emerged.

The technicians ran over and began checking its systems and programming. The whole process took a full hour to complete. But when it was done, the leading technician looked up at the platform where Sh'boni and Ling stood and flashed the thumbs up sign.

The project was a success.


	118. Powerglide's Victory

Chapter 8

Powerful lasers streaked across the battlefield as Tri-Elite fighters zipped and dashed around the asteroids that shielded their home world from harm. But in addition to providing protection, the asteroids became missiles when they got caught in the planet's gravity, forcing them to either shoot them down or take an impact. A double edged sword, however, could be very lethal when used properly.

It was one such occasion. The Tri-Elite knew the terrain better than their enemy, and they used the asteroids to their advantage, causing the Dark Axis vessels to explode into fiery balls that died out without anything to fuel the flames. Powerglide pulled off a barrel roll that left an opening in the defenses, but he quickly made up for that with a single laser blast that killed three Zakos in one strike.

He pressed a hand to his comm. "How are things looking up on the Eastern Hemisphere?" he asked.

"_Things are looking good, sir. We have driven them back and are mounting an offensive operation even as we speak,_" a general reported.

"Good. Try and keep them busy long enough for our boys and girls to get in the main command ship and blow it!" Powerglide snapped.

"_I just hope they can. We are normally slouches when it comes to spying and stealth operations._" The comm line was cut and Powerglide turned his attention back to his opponent. The Zako that fired on him forced him to descend ten meters, although in the vastness of space it seemed longer than that.

The blast sped through his prior location, and Powerglide took the opportunity to launch a strike from below.

The Zako was blown to pieces by Powerglide's beam rifle. The Seeker turned to face the battle site and transformed into vehicle mode, charging right into the fray with guns blazing. A few Zako starfighters peeled off from the fight to intercept this new threat and launched a massive barrage of lasers at the red flier. But Powerglide was one step ahead of them. Using thrusters located at strategic points on the hull of his alt mode, he barrel rolled and fired off a missile that took out two in one shot. He couldn't help but let out a quip at that moment. "Two birds with one stone."

The whole mission started off when Powerglide had established a special ops team with the specific goal of taking out the main assault ships of the Dark Axis that had been spotted at the very fringes of their sensor grids. The only problem was that the team had very little training in terms of espionage and spying, so that made things more difficult. But, as always, Powerglide had a plan in place with regards for this. Specially developed ships made to look like asteroids took them to the ships where they bumped against the enemy vessels, allowing the occupants to cling on using magnets. They then worked their way into the ships through the airlocks, allowing them to slip inside.

The objective was for them to detonate the ships and get out, which was why they were using explosives with timers set on them.

A sudden burst of chatter cut across his comm and he smirked as he identified the signal as being that of the Dark Axis. Apparently the team had pulled off the destruction of the ships as planned. Farther away, the ships themselves became blazes of fire and oxygen as they exploded. "All right!" Powerglide cried. "We did it!"

"_Not just yet, sir!_" the voice of his leading commander said harshly. "_It's only begun the third round! We need to fall back and regroup!_"

"Okay! Tell all forces to fall back and regroup behind the largest asteroid. We'll figure out something from there!" Powerglide ordered.

The commander was silent before she spoke. "_Understood. I'm relaying your orders now!_"

It was a full on retreat as the team was picked up by a cargo ship and brought to the rendezvous behind the asteroid. Powerglide flew towards them when the role call had been taken. The only casualties on the entire team were one man down with a broken leg. The Seeker sped over and rendezvoused with the team.

"Okay. Now that we have the Dark Axis on the ropes, we need a plan to take down their major forces. So, I want ideas and strategies," Powerglide said.

The female commander looked at him. "Sir, may I suggest that we try a sneak attack?"

A sergeant shook his head. "No. We need to strike them hard and fast before they have a chance to regroup. If we can hit them in a weak spot, then they'll fall apart."

"I don't think so. While I agree with you on the striking hard and fast portion, we need to take down their strongest link. Without that, then the others will be easier to pick off," a wounded private said.

"I'll have to go with that one," Powerglide said. "Striking hard and fast at the strongest link will force the others to bear the burden of combat, so in effect they'll be defeated before we deliver the killing blow."

The others nodded as he outlined his plan.

Powerglide watched as his team flew off towards the enemy forces.

He reflected back on how far they had come since the beginning of the war. The whole thing was now more intense than they had anticipated. By coming this far, they now had a legitimate reason for the fighting. They were fighting to save everyone from destruction. Including HEAVEN. The very fate of existence hung in the balance and his optics flashed as he felt anger at the Dark Axis fill his very spark. The actions they had taken during these fights had revealed just how horrible they treated organics, and each battle had revealed more and more about them. The Federation's invasion had exposed the worst scenario possible and now Powerglide felt glad that this war was being waged. Not only was it to defend those in danger, but it was to avenge those who had died by the Dark Axis' hands.

He gritted his teeth behind his mouthpiece as he clenched his fists. The anger wouldn't fade until the Dark Axis was defeated once and for all. But he couldn't forget the horror he had seen. Powerglide knew that it wouldn't fade for years.

He closed his optics as energon tears streaked down his face.

All he could do now was hope for the better and for the future that lay on the horizon.

A sudden burst of light startled him as he jerked his head up in astonishment. The explosion flashed in the darkness of space and revealed many ships in debris and rubble, Zako bodies drifting in the void. The cries and cheers of his team echoed in his comm link and he smiled beneath his mouthpiece.

They had done it. By striking hard and fast on the enemy where they had been clustered the most had dealt the most damage to them. And they had gotten the upper hand in the battle.

Victory was in their favor.

Now he could focus on the spacebridge generator his best scientists had been working on.


	119. Hikari's Contemplation

Chapter 9

Dr. Hikari ran a hand over the circuits for the Dimensional Transponder and Resonator System, or the Dimension Bridge as it was called for short. So far things were looking good. He smiled as he removed his hand from the circuit and handed it to his leading technician.

"So far so good, Scotty. This will work wonderfully in the Dimension Bridge," he said.

Scotty grinned. "Thanks, sir. I made this circuit myself."

"And that's why I know it will work. Your circuits are at top performance at all times and I'm picking your circuit because they never fail," Dr. Hikari said with a grin.

The man looked down. "Not always, sir. Remember that time the DT's failed?"

"So? It was just a glitch," Dr. Hikari said.

"Yeah…with the circuits," Scotty murmured.

"Your circuits?" the leader asked, his eyes wide.

Scotty nodded. "Yeah."

"Ah, forget about it. It was just a one time thing," Dr. Hikari said.

"Yeah. Guess you're right!" Scotty said, regaining his smile.

Dr. Hikari nodded. "Anyway, we've got to try and get this bridge up and running before the final battle."

"Right. We'll get on it."

Scotty turned and ran off to get to work on the bridge generator. Dr. Hikari sighed and left the room. So far things were working, but not in the way they had been hoping for. The technicians and engineers working on the Dimensional Bridge needed to get the resonator system functional. He glanced at them over his shoulder before he continued on down the hallway.

"Sir?"

Dr. Hikari stopped walking and looked over at one of the techies who he worked with. "What is it now?" he asked wearily.

"We're almost set in making the calibrations. We've found the right frequency that the Federation uses and we've made progress in trying to get the resonators working," she said.

"Excellent. Keep working on it and let me know when the bridge is up and running.

"Yes, sir."

Dr. Hikari left the techie and headed back to his room for some down time. Once inside his room, he flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe how far they all had come in the fight. The Dark Axis was now reaching their zenith in power and the Federation and their allies were working overtime to try and stop them before it was too late.

It was like they were daring to defy the odds time and time again. Dr. Hikari's mind became filled with thoughts on the Federation.

It was hard to even fathom how strong they had become. First they had defeated the Decepticons and the Murder Pirates Association, then Unicron, followed by Titan AE. And over the course of the fighting, they had uncovered their most powerful weapons and struggled to become recognized in the UPA's eyes.

But even that had backfired. No one in the UPA recognized the small power, and no one paid much attention to the threats they were told about.

Now, however, things were different. The UPA was aware of the threat, but they weren't working with others to bring them down. This alone made Dr. Hikari very angry and frustrated. In all his years of leading the Confederation, he had never met such a stubborn group of leaders before.

Then again, the Intergalactic Federation themselves were stubborn, but in a different way. They never gave up and they kept fighting for a dream many saw as useless and weak. They fought for others rather than themselves.

But what was it that drove them to do such a task? What was it that forced them to forget about themselves and focus only on others' safety? What made them forget about selfishness?

It was a mystery that made him consider every possible angle.

However, some of those angles seemed off. One angle was that they were gaining the power from the Pit, and one angle was that they were getting their might from HEAVEN. The first theory seemed incredibly illogical because of the power that they wielded. It was much purer than that of the Pit's.

His comm line beeped at that point.

Grumbling to himself, Dr. Hikari sat up and grabbed the comm unit. "Yeah? What is it?"

"_Sir, we've got the bridge up and running!_" the techie said.

That got him. He bolted upright, shock etching itself onto his face. "You're joking!" he cried.

"_No, sir. I'm not. We just tested it and we're good to go!_"

Dr. Hikari sighed in relief. "Thank Primus," he murmured.


	120. Dr Regal's Spacebridge

Chapter 10

Dr. Regal glanced at the generator with skepticism in his eyes. "So you're sure this thing's gonna work?" he asked.

Henry nodded. "Yes, sir. We used plans that were based on the Federation's own design and modified them to fit our standards. We needed the mineral to do the job, though and as you know our energon reserves are squat!"

"Where did you get the energon?"

"We bought it off a trader that was hauling the stuff to an out of the way trading station somewhere in the Northern Quadrant," Henry replied.

Dr. Regal nodded. "Good. How much did you get?"

"We got the whole container for five hundred credits," Henry remarked.

"That's even better than I had hoped for. Half a container would have done the job, but an extra half will increase our chances of successfully connecting with the Federation's bridge," Dr. Regal said.

"I figured as much as well."

"When's the testing gonna begin?" Dr. Regal asked.

Henry glanced at the watch he wore. "About five minutes, sir. If you want, you can watch."

Dr. Regal nodded. "I'll stay and watch. This way if it works, I'll know."

Henry grinned. "C'mon."

He led his superior to the shield and they both turned to face the generator. Henry waved a hand at the control console where one of his people stood. The techie waved back and began punching the buttons lining it.

He turned to face his leader. "We're getting ready. In just a few minutes we'll be good to go."

"What are you sending through?"

Henry cocked his head. "Pardon?"

Dr. Regal scowled. "You heard me. What's going through?"

Henry shrugged. "Nothing, sir. We're going to see if it can create a linkup. If it does, then we'll test it by sending through a probe."

The Nebulan commander snarled. "You can't just create a linkup!"

"We have to try!" Henry protested. "Under normal circumstances, maybe we would test it in the normal manner, but these aren't normal times! We need to get a linkup as soon as possible!"

Dr. Regal sighed. "Fine. Just make sure it works."

Henry nodded. He turned to face the techie at the controls and spoke. "All right! Go for it!"

The techie nodded and gripped a control lever that resembled a throttle. "Increasing power to the focusers! Engaging dimensional transponder, activating energy disruptors. Gateway opening in five…four…three…two…one… GO!"

As soon as the word escaped her mouth, the bridge flashed and a huge beam of light tore open the sky, forcing those present to cover their eyes to block out the light. A sudden tearing sound filled the air and Dr. Regal began to wonder if there had been a serious miscalculation.

"Engaging dimensional resonators!" the techie cried.

The tearing sound faded, along with the light. Dr. Regal slowly lowered his arms and his eyes widened in shock and amazement.

The gate was open, showing the interior of the Federation's spacebridge network. It began to waver before it terminated, revealing Earth Command.

It worked.

Dr. Regal glanced at his team in shock. Then he looked at a couple of technicians working on the probe to be sent through.

"Sir, we're good to go with the test," one of them said.

He shook his head. "No."

"What? Why?"

Dr. Regal had a smile on his face. "If we can see Earth Command, then the bridge linkup has worked. We're good to go."

Cheers broke out at the testing site. Dr. Regal grinned. '_All things are set on this end. Now it comes down to the Federation…and our final hope for victory._'


	121. President Warren's Doubt

Chapter 11

Zero's eyes narrowed as he studied the frequencies scrolling across the screen. "Are we sure that this is right?" he asked.

Ciel took the screen from her fellow leader and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure of it," she said.

"And the enemy has no idea as to what's going on?" Seto wondered as he checked over the defense systems.

"Everything's good to go on our end," Mokuba said. "No incoming transmissions or jamming frequencies have been sent out to try and disrupt our plans!"

"In terms of arming ourselves, that's going much better than we had hoped," Sandra said as she checked the list of weapons being issued to the defense forces. "We should be ready by the time they launch their strike."

"Assuming they stick to that plan, of course," President Warren said as she approached her fellow leaders.

"President Warren. What's going on?" Seto asked, immediately sensing the worry on her face.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

Seto frowned. He looked at his friends and comrades. "Keep working on the war preparations. I want to talk to the President in private," he said.

Zero nodded. "Okay."

Seto slipped an arm around her shoulders and guided her away from the rest of the Federation leaders. "Something's wrong," he murmured. "And don't try to deny it."

President Warren sighed. "Seto…what's it like to bear something else?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "What're you talking about? We've borne burdens in many wars that we shouldn't even have gotten involved in! What's come over you?"

The President looked down at the ground beneath her feet. "Seto, I honestly don't know any more. It feels like something else is in command here. Not us."

"Wha…?" Seto instantly knew what she was referring to. The power of Fate. He shook his head. "Look. Fate doesn't have any control or say over what we do. I noticed that despite the threats the UPA has made in the past against us, they were not doing anything to fight against that threatened everyone. Titan AE…Unicron…The Decepticons… Each time they denied that threat was minor and didn't take any action. And it was always us that chose to fight them because of that very danger they posed."

"I know that we chose to do those things, but I'm referring to this particular war. It feels like something else is controlling us, guiding us to this point." President Warren's eyes were clouded and she seemed a bit uncertain now.

Seto was silent. The truth was that it had been pure chance that they had gotten involved. Without anything possessing them.

He grasped her hands and looked her in the eyes. "Heather. Look at me," he said.

When she didn't he slipped one hand out of hers and put a finger under her chin. "Heather…nothing possesses any of us. And there is no reason to be uncertain. The outcome of victory is in our favor. We hold the power that the Superior Dragon gave us. We hold our own destinies in our hands. We don't bow to anyone who wants to control the universe and other organics."

"Then why does it feel like we're possessed?"

"We're not. Otherwise, things would be much different with us," Seto murmured, holding her close.

She closed her eyes and tears slipped down her cheeks. For once, she felt that Seto was wrong. It _did_ feel like something possessed them. At least to her. She had never been asked to do anything like this before in her life. It felt like ages since she had been a mere senator on the Earth Federation Congress. She had very few duties and very few worries about the planet and people as a whole. All she worried about was what legislation had to be passed and when. She didn't have to worry about debt, war plans, enemies bent on controlling everything, or anything of that nature.

"I just don't know if I can do this, Seto. I've never been asked to lead a war against someone bent on dominating all of existence," she murmured sadly. "I…I wish that this didn't have to happen. Why couldn't someone else do it?"

Seto hugged her and sat down on the grass with her. He quickly glanced over his shoulder at the others. They were still busy with the preparations, so they were alone for now.

He turned his gaze back to the President. She seemed much different than when the whole war had started. Back then she had been determined to fight to the end. It had been her who had ordered the invasion plan. It had been she who had tried to convince the UPA of the dangers of the Dark Axis. But now…she was different.

She seemed doubtful, unsure, worried…and scared.

"Heather, look. We chose this path. I…" Seto hung his own head. "To tell you the truth, even I'm scared of the eventual outcome if we fail. I don't even know if we can do this myself. But we have to try."

"It…Seto, you've never had to do this before. Back before all this began, I was just a senator. I wasn't even fully qualified for the job!" she cried. "That was Anderson's job, not mine. I only had to worry about legislation, not full on politics or war or debt, or anything of that nature. Why did he have to pick me?"

Seto shrugged. "Heather, not even I know that one. But I think he chose you because of your compassion, your humanity, and your leadership."

"That still doesn't explain why I suddenly feel like it's hopeless," she murmured.

"I think it's because of all the fighting, and the realization that this war is now way beyond normal means," Seto said softly. "I know I feel the same way. But we mustn't lose sight of our dreams and our goal."

"But why us? Why do we have to do this in the first place?"

Seto was silent for a while. Then, he opened his mouth and spoke. "Because…because…it's our…it's our duty to do what's right."

He lifted her head with a finger under her chin. "Listen. Before I met you, I was the most selfish leader ever. I didn't even care about the others in my own organization, let alone my own people. But you changed that. When I met you, you showed me how to be selfless. You told me that it was the right thing to do. Then war broke out with the Decepticons, and everything changed. War changed me. It made me grow up. It taught me that it was best to live life as if you'd die today."

She shook her head. "So?"

"You taught me to be the best I could be. I fought with that same spirit. And I still do. You inspired me to do my best." He smiled at her.

"Seto…" She looked down.

"Heather, you're not alone in this. You don't have to bear this burden yourself. Don't think that you can do this alone. We're here for you. All of us. We fought together as a team, and the rest of us can bear the burden of war. All you have to do is lead us."

"Lead you? But then I have to bear the burden too!" President Warren cried.

Seto shook his head firmly. "No. We…" He motioned to the others and himself. "…will bear the burden of combat and worry. You just have to worry about the battle plans and how they will be executed. The rest of us will handle the other stuff."

"Seto, are you sure?"

Seto nodded. "Yes. I'm sure of it."

President Warren looked uncertainly at the ground. "Then…"

He laughed. "Nothing possesses you, me, or anyone else here. We're all soldiers in this fight. We chose to do this, and we're choosing to continue it until the end."

She smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, Seto."

Seto smiled back, and then he did something that surprised her. He slipped a hand behind her head and he leaned in, his eyes closing, and his lips slid over hers. He was so tender that she was caught by surprise when he did it.

He stayed like that for a moment before he pulled away. "Don't worry. We're here for you. We always will be." With that, Seto stood and walked back over to the others.

President Warren touched her lips, surprised at what he had done. Had he really kissed her?

A smile crept onto her face.

Yes…he had.

* * *

_The war preparations are almost complete as all sides gear up. The other alliance members have established a linkup with the Federation. Neotopia has gotten a linkup in place. Satyron has created new tactics for the fight. Dajar'o's wife has fled his care. And Cypher has acquired the Superior Dragon's unique powers, except for one. The only thing left to do is end the war. But with four sides, there can only be one victor. The final battle nears, and only one shall emerge triumphant!_

_Get ready for the final battle!_

_**Next time on Twilight of the Gods!**_

Tears pricked at her eyes as she realized what was going to happen. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, clenching her fists. Frustration and anger began to build up in her chest and she finally couldn't take it. She threw her arms and head back, screaming out with everything she had.

"ENOUGH!"

Her voice echoed across the room, reaching each and every congressman and woman in there. The fighting stopped and everyone looked at her. She had her head lowered now, her eyes in shadow. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, leaving shimmering streaks in the light. "Just…please. Stop."

_The Federation Congress is divided on the issue of continuing the war. As civil war looms, can President Warren find the courage to get them to stand together? Or will the Federation fall apart at the seams? Find out on the next segment of Twilight of the Gods: Episode XI: Part 1: Ready!_


	122. Federation Divisions Part 1

Universal Power Association, Satyron, and Neotopia are all prepared for war. But divisions form in the Federation government. Can the President reunite them or will the Federation fall apart at the seams, leading the way to the future they have fought so hard to prevent? Note: I don't own any series mentioned. Just the plot and all OCs.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

The Gundam Force arrived on Earth, leading to a whole new war that tested them in every aspect. They uncovered more about each other and about their allies as the war got worse and worse. When it came down to the invasion of the Dark Axis' home dimension, they were shocked and horrified at the destruction they had to witness, as well as the incredible inhumanity of their enemies.

The next campaign resulted in several key things, one of them being the UPA's unsuccessful invasion attempt. Several Dark Axis officers were killed in the last fights. But when an organic ally of the Dark Axis attempted to take over Earth Command, some new and surprising allies arrived to help defend the headquarters of the small organization. Now, the final battle is about to begin in this new episode of:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Episode XI_

_Ground Zero_

Chapter 1

The sun was setting on the bristling defenses of Earth Command. It was only a day away from the final battle. And everyone was incredibly tense. Fear wormed its way into the heads of everyone present. Fear, not of loss, but of failure. So much was riding on this one final battle. And if they failed, then all was lost.

Such was the nature of this war.

It was only less than seven months ago that a small group of refugees had fled from their home world and wound up crashing on Planet Earth. At the time, the Dark Axis had seemed to be little more than a mere nuisance to the Federation. But then…it all changed when the battles began to get worse. A definite pattern of fighting had emerged, and it had taken intense time and research to determine what it was that the Dark Axis was looking for. Each battle had led to new discoveries and new allies had been found both abroad and within their own boundaries.

It was now well known across the whole organization as a whole that the goal of the Dark Axis was to do more than dominate the universe: they wanted to rule it as gods. And that was something the Intergalactic Federation was fighting to prevent. A universe under the rule of Cypher and his forces was something that no leader wanted to contemplate because it meant the loss of everything that everyone had worked so hard to achieve, build, conquer, and establish. It also meant the loss of more than just freedom. It meant the loss of the very thing that made them alive: their souls.

The date was December 20th, 2009. And it was almost time for the final battle.

It was now or never.

The final battle was about to commence!

* * *

_A week ago…_

President Warren glanced at the city outside the windows, the lights glimmering in the setting sun. It was quiet in her office as she turned from studying the plans for the incoming formations she felt would be emerging through the gate.

Her desk was littered with the plans and the data that they had accumulated lay scattered around her room. A few stray blueprints from the concentration camps were even located on her bed!

The President herself wasn't in much better shape. Her eyes were glazed from a few sleepless nights, and she looked worn and exhausted. But her eyes still reflected her determination, in spite of being glazed.

The sunlight setting reminded her of the fact that a new era was about to begin once the final battle was won. The only question was could they even do it?

Already she had seen signs of the tension building in the Congress and the military leadership. That alone worried her greatly. If the tension grew, she knew that something was bound to happen. But the only question was what would happen?

She stepped closer to the window, leaning her head against the cool glass. The stress of combat, war, and leading the organization was beginning to take its toll, and she knew that they would need a break after the war was over. But when would it be over?

The door to her office slid open and she turned to face her VP, Jacob White. He looked about as bad as she did. This brought a smile to her lips. "Hey, Jake. It seems you're just as bad as me."

"In appearance?" Jake asked.

She nodded.

"Heh. Not as bad as some of the others," he said with a grin. He stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Jake. I just need some sleep. That's all."

"I bet. We all could use a little shut eye," Jake remarked. He laughed and that in turn caused her to laugh.

"I guess we both needed that," President Warren said.

"I guess so," White replied. He joined her in looking out at the city. "You know about the tension?"

The President nodded her head. "Yeah. That's what worries me. If tensions continue to build, then who knows what might happen?"

"Are you going to try and resolve them?" Jake asked her quietly.

She nodded. "Yeah. But I'll have to see if they work themselves out at first. They always do."

"Mostly," the VP murmured.

"Why do you say that?" President Warren asked.

"Because this time, it looks like it won't work out for a while," Jake said as he turned to face her. "You should hear it. Some talk about the fact that the Dark Axis will win, and some say that we will win. It's almost like factions are forming. And it may get worse."

"How so?" the President inquired. She was curious, and very worried. She needed to know the scope of the situation if she was to try and work out a plan. And that took time. So the more she knew, the sooner she could start working on one.

"It depends on the situation. It may or may not get worse. But judging by the murmurings I've heard, I'd say that it may escalate into civil war if we don't do something before it gets to that point," Jake said grimly. "And civil war is the last thing we want right now."

The President instantly got the grasp of the situation. She knew that if civil war were to break out, then the organization would collapse and they would lose the war in general! If they lost, then the Dark Axis would win and everything would fall under their command.

She knew what had to be done, and what she had to do in order to see it through.

* * *

_In the Senate…_

"Enough!" one of the senators yelled. "This cannot be allowed to go on. We have a duty, do we not, to see through our mission to the very end?"

"Yes, we do, Gli-phoa. But sometimes our duty calls for falling back and striking much later when the enemy least expects it!" a Resconian senator said as he stood up. "We are the masters of this type of warfare! We _excel_ in it!"

"True," Gli-phoa replied. "But we cannot allow the enemy to win. Look at some of the destruction we have seen in the footage from the invasion. Our leaders urged us to push it through, and we did, so we could save those poor innocents."

"But that's what bothers me!" the Resconian cried. He glared at her. "That invasion was carried out by luck. Face it! The Dark Axis wasn't expecting us. We got lucky that time!"

"Only because of a postponement!" a Kaijan snapped. She looked at him. "We managed to get in a major hit to them and we stopped a major threat at the same time. Who cares if it was luck! We won that campaign and we did so without great loss! So why should we fall back and allow our enemies to win this war!"

"Kia makes a good point," Gli-phoa said. The Liberarian senator swept her gaze around the room, as if searching out any potential opponents to the war. "It does not matter of it was luck or by good fortune. We have managed to save countless lives, and that in turn encouraged us on. We stopped an invasion of our home, and—"

She was cut off by a Cybertronian named Stormball. Stormball glared at her with his green optics. "It doesn't matter! That was only possible because of Link and that Tymera woman!" He looked around at the others. "And you all know it! We only got this far because we were lucky! Not because of any kind of advantage!"

"Why do you say that, Stormball?" Kia asked.

"Like I said. It was only luck. It wasn't due to our strategic advantage nor our tactical intiative. We lack that in general! As a third-rate power, we lack all the resources and manpower to hold off such an attack!" the mech hissed.

"But we managed it with Zant when he invaded us!" a Resconian female from the Wind City-State said. "And we did it without the resources of some first-rate power! That proves that we _can_ hold our own in the middle of a fierce fight!"

"But for how long?" Stormball asked. "How long can we pull that off?"

"It doesn't matter! None of this stuff matters! What really matters here is your attitude to this whole goddamn war in the first place!" the leading senator said. His eyes narrowed as he looked at them. "Face it. Sure we may have had some difficult times and terrible near losses, but we pulled through, didn't we? So what's up with your attitudes now? Did you all suddenly lose faith in what we have accomplished thus far?"

"It's not that, Senator Truesdale," Stormball said. "I do still have faith in our abilities, but what I'm doubtful of is our chances of winning this war! Look at how much we've suffered to get this far! We've dealt with an invasion, we nearly lost the _Titanic_, which you insisted be protected at all costs, and we nearly lost our home! How long can we keep this up?"

Senator James Truesdale kept his eyes fixed on Stormball. As the leading senator for the majority party, the Earthling Democrats, he wasn't one to be taken lightly, especially with his experience and influence with some key people in the government. And the fact that he had an intimidating build didn't help much either.

At six-foot three, he was one of the tallest organics in the entire Senate. He had a very muscular build, enhanced by the straining material of his suit against the bulging muscles of his biceps, chest, and his broad shoulders. His hair was unusually messy for a senator, but he wasn't complaining. His face was handsome in a classical sense, but that belied a man with a fiery heart and a willingness to get dirty and physical if needed. His hands were huge and calloused from working in the energon mines prior to his appointment as senator, and his skin was tanned from working and hiking outdoors in his free time. His grey-blue eyes swept around the room, looking like small pieces of mirror in the lighting of the room.

At forty-five, he was one of the youngest senators ever, but he had already passed several key bills to help the Federation grow stronger and to help the economy as well as preserve a few key landmarks of Federation history.

"I understand your concern, Stormball, and I agree with that statement. We have indeed suffered much to get this far, but we mustn't give up! Why should we allow the Dark Axis the chance to win! Face it. We may have been through a lot, but we've learned from those fights."

"And what does that have to do with our chances of winning this war?" a male Resconian from the Lava-Tube City-State asked.

Senator Truesdale didn't even blink. "The point I'm trying to make, Lavlo, is that we shouldn't give up even when things look bad. Surely you've forgotten your people's own history?" He smirked.

Lavlo blinked and stuttered in shock. "B-But…We never forget the history of Rescon!" he said, his eyes flashing with anger. "It would be an insult to all of those on the planet and here in this very room and government!"

"Then I suggest that you all stop squabbling and start focusing on what matters!" Truesdale snapped.

"And why should we focus on some impossible victory?" Stormball hissed.

"Face it! We need to win this war and squabbling about it won't do any good!" the man said. He looked at all of them, and raised his voice; it carried across the entire room. "Is this what we've come down to? Squabbling like the Universal Power Association?"

"How dare you compare us to them!" a Liberarian senator hissed. His good eye narrowed as he glared at the human. "We are nothing like them in any aspect!"

"While that may be true in practice, you are starting to squabble and argue like they do!" Truesdale snapped.

"I will not have any more mention of that comparison!" the Liberarian yelled.

"Then stop arguing and start thinking about what to do in the future!" the human senator cried.

With that, he turned and stormed off, leaving the other senators to argue and talk about the war and the possible outcome.

Senator James Truesdale grumbled as he emerged from the Senate Chamber. "Stupid aftheads. All they do now is squabble and argue over whether or not we can win. That is just like what the UPA does."

He walked past a few aides carrying important documents and nodded at one of them. The aide tailed him into his office.

Unlike most other senators, he had a larger and more spacious office. He regularly held meetings in here with a few key people in the government, and it was one of the meeting rooms he often used. A window exposed a wonderful view of the city behind his desk and he had a picture of his wife and two sons on the wall. It always attracted attention for those who had never been in there. The walls were colored a calming white with nice reddish brown carpeting. A plant stood in the left corner of the room while a meeting table adorned the right side of the room. A couch was located on the left hand side and on his desk was a highly advanced terminal.

He preferred meetings to be causal, yet serious in regards to their contents.

The aide slipped inside after him and the senator closed the door. He walked over to his desk and slumped down in the chair, his broad shoulders sagging slightly. "Man! Those fools have lost sight of the reality of how bad this war is!" he muttered.

"Sir?" the aide questioned softly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Helen," the senator said. He rubbed his temples and sighed. "Those guys just give me a bad headache with all their squabbling."

"I take it the tension is getting worse?" she asked.

Senator Truesdale nodded. "Yeah. It's not like the last time when they only squabbled for a little bit and then united again in the face of danger. This time we're up against a force that rivals the gods. That alone is making the tension worse. Plus, when combined with all the fighting we've done in the past two and a half years, maybe a little more than that, it makes it hard to stay focused on the goal: universal peace," he explained.

Helen nodded slowly. "I understand how hard it must be to have to deal with that."

"It's hard all right. In fact, I sometimes wish that I still ran the energon mines in Iraq at times like this," the man said.

"I bet. But you know you can't go back," Helen told him.

"Hey, I can dream, can't I?" the senator asked with a grin.

She smiled back. "Yeah. You can, sir." Then she became serious. "By the way, I have some new papers that just came in from the Defense Department."

"Thanks, Helen. I'll look at them when I have the time." Truesdale shooed her out of his office and he returned to his desk, placing his head in his hands.

"God… How bad is it getting now?" he murmured.

He sat there for a few minutes before the doorbuzzer chimed. He looked up, his eyes locking onto the door as it slid open to reveal an old friend of his.

"Sarah Long?" Senator Truesdale stood up as she entered.

Sarah Long was an old friend from high school. She had met him when they were both studying government classes and they became good friends. Both went on to college together and stayed in contact from time to time. Now, even thirty years later, they still stayed in contact, and worked together in the government.

She was shorter than he was by a full foot, but her own influence made up for that. And despite her diminutive stature, she was pretty strong for a woman as a result of weight training, karate, and track back in high school. Her hair was a light brown in contrast to James' dark brown-almost black colored hair, and it was tied back in a small ponytail that came down to the nape of her neck. Her eyes were a soft hazel and she had tanned skin from riding a bike every day in the summer, spring, winter, and fall when she got a chance from her own work.

"Hey, Jim. It's been a while," she purred softly.

"Knock it off, Sarah," he said with a grin. "You know I'm married now."

"True, but that doesn't mean I can't wish for it," she said, laughing now.

The two burst out laughing at the comment. "No, seriously. It's good to see you again," the senator said.

"Same here, Jim," Sarah said. She looked him in the eyes. "Your house also encountering the same tensions?"

That was it. Straight and to the point. He hesitated, but nodded a short while later. "Yeah. It's getting worse in terms of tension. And soon it may break out into something worse if we don't try to stop this from escalating." He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "Sometimes I wish I could just knock some sense into some of them!"

"You can't. It's not right," she said calmly.

"I know that," Senator Truesdale replied. "It's hard to restrain myself sometimes, though."

"I can get a pretty good idea of what you're going through," Sarah replied.

The big man smiled. "At least I'm not the only one."

"How bad is it for you?" she asked.

"About half and half. Half want to let the Dark Axis win and instigate a guerilla campaign against them. Those slaggers don't even understand that the Dark Axis will wipe us out if they succeed!" the senator said angrily.

"And the other half?" Sarah asked softly.

"At least _they_ know about the dangers. They keep pressuring for victory, even though it seems impossible. They know more about our ability to do the impossible than those who forgot," Truesdale muttered.

He looked at her next. "What about you?"

She scoffed. "Are you kidding? Half of those f****** idiots don't even _believe_ that we can win! They all talk about how we're suicidal for even engaging them in the first place!"

Her companion's eyes widened. "You're joking!" he blurted.

She shook her head. "I wish I was joking, Jim," she said quietly. Then she looked down. "And a quarter, believe it or not, want to make peace with the Dark Axis!" She clenched her own fists in anger. "Those fools believe that the Dark Axis will spare us, but they don't know how wrong they are! It's just like World War II all over again!"

"But at least some people believe that we can win, right?" Senator Truesdale asked.

She nodded. "Yes, but that number is in the minority, just like with those who want to make peace with them."

"That's good then. At least they lack any influence in the House," Truesdale said.

"Yeah…" Sarah looked out at the city, the lights starting to come on in the buildings. The sun was merely a reddish orange glow on the horizon and the water reflected that beauty. "But how long until they start to gain influence?"

"Try and stall them then," her friend suggested.

"I am trying, but it's not working as well as I had hoped," Sarah said softly.

"That's not good," Truesdale said, his voice just as soft as hers, if not more so.

"Tell me about it." She stepped closer to the window. "If it escalates into armed conflict in our own boundaries, then the Dark Axis will have won, right?"

He nodded as he joined her. "Yeah. And that means it's all over for all of us."

The two stood there for a while, watching the sun set.

* * *

**It wasn't that** bad on the second day of the debates and discussions about the war. It fact, it seemed to have dropped less. But something wasn't right. And the two leading members of the legislative body of the government knew it. They tried to get an understanding through, but it failed and by the end of the second day of debates and discussions, the two met outside on the roof of the complex building.

To Sarah, it seemed like many members of the government came up here to do a lot of thinking, to clear their heads, or just to have a little free time. She guessed that it had to do with the fact that the view was so spectacular.

When she mentioned this to her companion, he laughed at the remark. "Of course it would be. People usually like to see the city at sunset."

"Probably because it lacks the smog and other atmospheric pollutants of some of the other cities on the farther outposts?" Sarah remarked lightly.

Senator Truesdale nodded. "Yeah. My brother is on one such outpost," he said.

"I bet it's not as good as this view," Sarah said. She tugged on her coat and adjusted it on her body. The cold temperature warranted it, but she could tell that her friend was used to harsher cold and winds that stung at the cheeks and exposed skin.

"Yeah. I went there for a family reunion once, and the place is pretty much situated in the middle of a bunch of geysers, so you really can't see the city, but the colors of the sunset are just amazing," the senator told her with a nod.

"How so?" Sarah asked.

Truesdale looked at her and smiled. "Think of Old Faithful, but with more light streaming through the water."

She smiled. "I bet it's lovely."

"It is pretty amazing, but sometimes nothing beats a good ol' fashioned Earth sunset," the senator said with a grin.

Sarah smirked lightly before she became serious again. "Anyway, back to the situation at hand. How long until we can resolve this?"

Senator Truesdale sighed. "How should I know? These things take time."

"But time may be something that we don't have!" Sarah said.

Truesdale studied her for a moment, shocked. "Wait. Are you saying that something is wrong?" he asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying! Something is wrong here. Normally the tension doesn't mount this high. And it doesn't threaten to break out into armed conflict. It's almost like something's causing it," Sarah remarked.

"And you think that whatever's causing this is responsible for the tension," the senator said, realization dawning in his eyes.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to point out. Even though I'm not good in intelligence or spying, I'm still very observant," the woman said.

"I haven't forgotten that," her old friend said softly. He looked out at the sunset, pondering what their next moves would be.

Sarah knew that Senator Truesdale was a very shrewd, cunning man. He often thought things through before he made his speeches and/or passed or recommended bills for passage. If he had chosen to do so, she was sure he would have made a great general had he joined the armed forces. He was that good.

But his cunningness and shrewd thinking were more suited for the political arena.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked finally.

He shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. We may have to wait a little bit longer before we make our next move."

"Oh."

For a long while they stood there, watching the sun set on the horizon. Then the older man spoke. "What about that group?"

Sarah instantly knew which group he was referring to. "The ones who want to make peace with the Dark Axis?"

He nodded. "Are they getting any stronger in influence?"

She shook her head. "No. That's a good thing. The people who want to keep on fighting them are gaining slowly in strength, but the majority want to fall back and instigate a guerilla campaign. So in effect, it could become half and half like the Senate."

"I kind of guessed as much," Truesdale said softly.

"What about you?"

"It's still the same story," the big man said. "They keep talking about this, but we aren't getting anywhere. No one is even proposing a compromise of some sort."

"Is it getting worse?" Sarah asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Insults are being thrown left and right. It's building. In fact, I can take a wild guess that threats will start coming, followed by other actions. We have to talk to the President about this soon."

"I know. But she has her own worries. I think it should be up to us to try and work this out," she said.

"Okay. We'll keep trying."

Sarah smiled. "Thanks."

Truesdale smiled at her as she left the rooftop. He watched her enter the elevator. Before the door closed, he flashed the thumbs up and winked. She returned the gesture as the door closed and the elevator descended into the depths of the main building.

He turned back to the sunset, which was now just a red glow below the ocean horizon. Only a few windows still glittered from the light, making the place seem even more magnificent in a way. Already he could see stars beginning to peep out from the cloud cover. The snow still retained a little of the red glow, and he felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips.

A gust of cold wind blew off the ocean and he shivered. He wasn't a stranger to harsh conditions, having worked in Greenland for three years as a miner prior to his election to the Senate, but he still felt cold every now and then. Right then he wished he had brought a coat with him.

The communicator he carried with him in his pocket beeped and he took it out. The metal felt chilled to his hand, but he ignored it. He pressed the call button and the screen came online.

The caller ID function stated that it was his brother. He hit the button to accept the call and the screen flashed, an image of his brother's face appearing on the plasma monitor.

"Yeah, what is it, Gerry?" he asked.

"_I just wanted to check in and see how things were going,_" Gerry Truesdale said. He was half a year older than him, but just as athletic and able. The only difference between the two was their weight. While James Truesdale was lean and muscular, Gerry Truesdale was a little more on the chubby side, but he was still rock solid in the gut.

"Things aren't going so good," his brother said. "The Senate is getting a little more rowdy now that the war is nearing its climax. People are starting to take sides. Half want to fall back and let the Dark Axis win while the other half wants to keep on fighting. The House of Reps is much worse. Some want to make peace with the Dark Axis, some want to keep fighting, but the majority wants to do the same thing. And insults are being made."

"_Sounds like you've got it rough,_" Gerry said.

"And it will continue to get worse if we don't do something soon," the senator said. "Sarah and me are trying to work out a plan of action, but who knows how long that will take? Plus, there's less than a week until the final battle begins. We need everyone to be unified for that."

"_I see,_" Gerry murmured. "_Well, I can't help you there. It takes time to work these things out. But knowing what's going on, it may take the President's intervention to try and solve this._"

"I sure hope so," Truesdale said. "I sure hope so."

* * *

**President Warren observed** the senators and representatives leaving their respective chambers, each one with either a look of anger or despair on their faces. Beside her stood Seto Kaiba and his younger brother, Mokuba, along with VP Jacob White.

"I see what you mean," Seto murmured to Jake.

"Yeah. It's getting worse. If we don't do something soon, then armed conflict may break out. And we don't want that," the VP said softly.

"I know," Seto whispered. "But what can be done?"

"The only thing we _can_ do is hope that this resolves somehow," White replied. "But I don't think it will."

"So then it will become a civil war," Seto said softly.

The VP nodded grimly. "Yeah. And that means disaster for all of us."

"What does that mean then, Seto?" Mokuba asked him.

Seto smiled sadly as he looked at his little brother. He hated to tell him this, but he had to. "It means that we lose and all of existence falls to the enemy." As he said those words, tears pricked at his eyes and he turned away. "And the end of all of us."

Mokuba's eyes widened in horror at the realization of what his brother was telling him. His eyes began to shimmer with tears as the memories of the Federation's invasion returned to him. All that horror, all that death, destruction, and loss of life… It was just on the horizon and…

He buried his face in his hands, rubbing at his eyes vigorously. He didn't want those memories to remain. He still had nightmares about it!

"Why can't those idiots in the Senate and House see that this arguing isn't going to get us anywhere?" he cried.

"Sometimes people become tense in times of war and they seek new ways to find peace, even if it isn't in the best of everyone's interests," Seto murmured. "And that has shown itself in the past."

"So, they will figure it out eventually?" Mokuba asked, rubbing his eyes.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. But it may take years, and we don't have that kind of time."

"Then, how will we get them to see the truth?" Jake asked.

Seto shrugged helplessly. "It's up to them to see it. We can't do anything about it. It's as simple as that."

President Warren had overheard the conversation and she had to agree, although she wisely kept her remarks to herself. It wouldn't do any good to reveal how she felt in the middle of all this, would it?

As soon as the last members of the two houses had left, she turned and left the other three members of the leading body behind. It made her very frustrated and angry that not one of them understood the full dangers like she did. It was almost like World War II peace settlements, but in the opposite way: they were coming near the end of the war, not at the beginning of it.

It was hard to understand, but that was what was happening.

* * *

**The third day** of debate and argument was nearing its climax when the first fight broke out. In the middle of a major argument over whether they were to withdraw and hold out in a guerilla war, one of the senators threw a punch at another, and a fistfight broke out. It took three security guards to break it up, and even then a few senators received bruises and bumps from the brawlers.

Senator Truesdale left the main building for his house that evening.

He swerved his car into the driveway, nearly hitting a pedestrian. As soon as he got out, he hurriedly apologized as he headed for his home.

The door slid open even before he reached the porch.

His wife stood in the doorway, a concerned look on her face.

Sheila Truesdale was a pretty woman in her late forties, same as her husband. She had soft brown eyes and short blonde hair she kept out of her face with a headband. She wore a simple shirt and shorts, nothing too fancy or dressy.

As her husband entered the house, he sighed and tossed her his coat.

"Sorry about that, Sheila," he said.

She smiled knowingly. "You had a busy day, today?"

The senator sighed as he removed his shoes and headed upstairs. "I'll tell you more at dinner," he said.

She nodded, her face growing concerned again.

A half hour later, her husband returned from their room, this time dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. The collar of his shirt was partly opened, and he had even shaved.

The big man sat down at the table as Sheila stepped up, carrying two plates of supper for them. "So, what's going on in the government?" she asked.

"Oh, the usual. Arguments, debates, and fistfights between senators!" he spat. He grabbed his fork and began eating. "It's a mess in there. The tension of the war is getting worse, and it's about to escalate. If this keeps up, we may have a civil war on our hands. And as you know, that's the last thing we want."

Sheila stared in shock. "It's that bad?"

Her husband nodded. "Yeah. It's about to get worse unless Sarah and I do something, and even though we've tried various efforts, they've failed big time. It's about to become a hellhole in there unless someone intervenes," Truesdale said.

"What about the President or the VP? Can't they do something?" she asked.

"Sorry. This is a matter that we have to try to solve ourselves for now," the senator remarked. "But if it comes down to it, then there's no doubt that President Warren will step in. She's done that before."

She smiled worriedly as he gulped down some wine she had removed from his stash. He noted this and smiled at her. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem. I thought you could use something stronger than water after a tough day," his wife said.

Senator Truesdale grinned. "Yeah. I sure did need it."


	123. Federation Divisions Part 2

Chapter 2

By the fourth day, it was a madhouse. Tensions had reached new levels and everyone was practically seething with anger as they met in the two house chambers for the fourth day of debate and argument.

Only this time, it was practically a slugfest as a few senators got involved in a fight even before the meeting began! Senator Truesdale watched this with a look of disapproval on his face. He couldn't accept that this was about to happen.

He sighed and looked up, his eyes fixed on the chamber as they sat down, some nursing their newly acquired bruises. "Okay. This has gone too far. We should not be fighting amongst ourselves in the middle of this crucial war!" the senator said.

"And why might that be, sir?" a female Cybertronian senator asked harshly.

"If we fight amongst ourselves, then how can we unite against this threat?" he asked.

"Hah! As if! Face it, Senator Truesdale! It's useless! No one can win this war, not even us, despite all that we've done to win! The Dark Axis is just too big for our resources!" a Liberarian snapped.

"Get some sense into that thick skull of yours, why don't you!" a Resconian asked harshly.

"What did you say?" the Liberarian hissed.

"I said you have to get some sense into that thick skull of yours!" she said.

"C'MERE!" the Liberarian cried. He lunged from his seat right for her, forcing the Resconian to duck and roll to the side.

The Liberarian crashed right into Senator Truesdale's podium, forcing him to dive to the side as well. The other senator was on his feet in a flash, glaring at Truesdale. "Watch where you put that thing!" he hissed, motioning to the podium.

"It was already there!" Senator Truesdale snarled. "So I'd watch it!"

The Liberarian couldn't stand it. His face etched itself into a snarl and he threw a punch directed at the leading senator's head. Truesdale blocked and lashed out with a punch of his own, catching the other senator off guard. The blow knocked him back into a few other seats. He sat up and rubbed his face where Truesdale's punch had landed.

"Why you…!" He let out a roar as he ran at Truesdale, forcing the man to grab the senator by the back of his suit and pull him into a headlock.

As a former miner, Truesdale was no stranger to brawls. He often engaged in several back in his mining days when a drunken miner challenged him to a bar fight. As a reminder of those days, he still carried a scar on his lower torso, a mark from a Kaijan miner who had had too much beer to drink.

Even today he still proved to be a formidable enemy.

He held the Liberarian in that grip for a few seconds more, applying just enough pressure to keep him alive, but to keep him from really taking any retaliatory action against him.

"Anyone else going to try it?" he asked in a low voice.

A second senator charged at him, forcing him to release his captive and he spun, throwing a right cross and slugging the Kaijan senator on the jaw. He went sprawling, much like the Liberarian senator before him. This time, Truesdale took the opportunity to charge at the downed man. He did a body slam right on top of him, holding him close by his shirt.

"Why are you fools trying to attack?" he asked, shaking the man.

The Kaijan had no response. Instead, he lashed out with a kick and nailed Truesdale in the chest, forcing him off. The bigger man landed on his butt, but then he scrambled to his feet.

By now the Liberarian had jumped back into the fray, landing on Truesdale's back, wrapping his arms around his neck and yanking his head back. Truesdale managed to pry open an eye and glare at his second opponent as he rammed an elbow into the alien's gut. He didn't release the Earthling, though. Instead, he gritted his teeth and began to apply more pressure.

But Truesdale wasn't giving up. He rammed his head back into the other alien's face, forcing him to release the Earthling male. Truesdale spun and delivered a punch that sent the Liberarian sprawling onto his back, knocked out.

The Kaijan, having seen him go down, charged, but the other senator was faster on the reflexes, spinning and delivering a roundhouse that made the other man stumble back, holding his jaw with his hand. He looked up, his eyes blazing with anger. "Why? I'll tell ya why, Truesdale!" he snarled. "Because we can't win this thing! I'm trying to get others to see that!"

"Attacking all because you want others to see your views? Whatever happened to diplomacy? Debates and discussions? We're senators, for crying out loud!" Truesdale cried. "We leave the fighting to the armed forces, to the civilian population when everyone is mobilized, to the colony outposts in border defense!"

"Screw that! It's all about survival these days!" the Kaijan cried.

"Survival! As if!" Truesdale spat. He ran at the other man and tackled him to the ground, holding him by his shirt again. "This isn't how we solve problems!"

"As if!" the Kaijan hissed. He grabbed the other senator by his own shirt and kicked him off at the same time. The result was that Truesdale flipped onto his back, the other man perched over him. But the former miner was faster. Before the Kaijan could deliver his own knockout blow, Truesdale drew his head back and delivered a head butt to his foe. The pain searing down from his forehead was agonizing, but he had endured much worse in the mines.

His opponent released him and staggered back, holding his nose. He fell back, clutching his broken nose. Blood spouted from both nostrils and oozed down from in between his fingers.

Senator Truesdale staggered to his feet, rubbing his forehead, but otherwise unharmed.

"Anyone else willing to try me?" he asked.

No other beings moved. He looked at each of them and nodded. "Thought so."

The big man spread his arms and spoke, his voice clear and strong. "What are we even doing if we fight amongst ourselves? Huh?"

Everyone, however, was not even paying attention. A few others were glaring at him, at each other, and other members of the government's leading legislative body. The senator's eyes widened in shock and surprise at what he realized was coming to pass. The Intergalactic Federation was about to come apart at the seams.

He clenched his fists and yelled out as loud as he could. "ENOUGH OF THIS FIGHTING!"

A few other senators looked at him, confusion overcoming their features. A couple others even ran over to his location. He noted with pride and relief that a couple of those who had come were key members in several of the committees, and he sighed.

But it wasn't enough. Divisions had formed and they needed to be mended.

He waved a hand and those who had come followed him out into the hall just as a fistfight erupted in the chamber. The door slid closed just in time as a blast from someone struck the door.

Sighs of relief filled the hall for a moment before one of his friends spoke up. "God…it's like a boxing match in there!" the man whispered.

"Not a boxing match, Jack," a woman muttered. "Try more like a hornet's nest."

"A good comparison, Jeanne," the man remarked.

Senator Truesdale looked at each of them and smiled. "At least some of you know the stakes."

"What? Did you think that you and several others were alone?" Jack asked with a grin. "We've been aware ever since this whole damn war began! And we've kept that sight for the whole time." Then he became serious as he looked at the leading senator. "But the others…how did they lose their sight of the stakes?"

"Tension" was all he said. "Tension is finally getting high and the breaking point is coming. Many of them have been focused on this for almost half a year, maybe more. So they're bound to seek methods of trying to seek out peace."

"But that's bad if the Dark Axis accepts their offers!" Jeanne cried.

"I know," Truesdale murmured. "However, I know that those fools won't accept the peace offers. They're too insane for that."

"Try something else, such as arrogance and superiority," a Southern man said with a frown. "They have no idea what they're up against with us!"

"Gerald's got a point," Jack said.

"Ah agree with Jack and Gerald," a Scottish man said. "Besides, ah have my own thing to say about that."

"What is it, Kirk?" Truesdale asked.

Kirk glanced back at the door to the chamber, which rattled under a fierce blow from within the room. "If this keeps up, we may have to…"

The others assembled knew what he was talking about. Dierro, a Mexican man, glanced at the others. "We need to figure out what to do in order to get them to hear us out," he said.

"That's much harder now that there's fighting," Truesdale said. "And as you know, I was once a miner, so I can hold my own. But even I would succumb to the overwhelming might. I can only take so much before my body gives. Plus, I'm not as athletic as I used to be." His eyes swept around at each of them. "So, we need to let this go until further notice. I'm sorry."

"And let the organization fall into armed conflict amongst the worlds?" Jeanne roared. "We can't allow that to happen in the middle of a very important war! Face it! We need some way to get them to see the truth!"

"I know that!" Truesdale hissed. "But, given time and pressure, the President is sure to step in and intervene!"

"Hold up. Did you say that the _President_ will step in?" a Liberarian senator asked.

He looked at the alien and nodded. "That's right, Zi-gar. She's got that tendency to do that in times of intense…and sometimes physical…debate."

Zi-gar blinked, then smiled worriedly. "I sure hope so. Or else all is lost."

Truesdale knew that his six friends and fellow senators were right on some things, and that they all agreed on the seriousness of the situation. But if the Senate dissolved, then there was only their group to try and work this out, which, at their current number, they would be unable to do.

All hinged now on the President's intervention.

A sudden explosion made the door rattle again, and Senator Truesdale grabbed the hand of one of the senators assembled outside with him. "C'mon. I don't think that door can take much more of this."

They followed him away from the door and down several hallways until they reached his office. The door opened and they all stepped inside.

Once inside, they could really relax.

And it was just as well, too. A muffled explosion rocked the building briefly and he sighed. "Well, the door's gone."

Zi-gar nodded. "Yes. But enough about that. What will we do now?"

"Besides wait for her intervention?" Truesdale asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

The Earthling shook his head. "Nothing else. It all hinges on her, now…"

* * *

**The fifth day** was just as worse, if not more so. In the House of Reps, at least it wasn't as bad as the Senate. But it was still pretty bad. Sarah Long looked at several of her own fellow representatives standing around, all gazing at her. Every now and then, someone would fidget and throw a scathing glare in her direction, but she ignored it.

"So, that is the reason why we must not let this divide us! Already the Senate is in chaos, and we are nearing that very border ourselves. If we prevent this house from falling into disorder and armed conflict, then at least one part of the government's legislative body will remain intact," she said.

"I understand what you're saying, and I agree. In fact, most of us assembled here in this chamber agree with you as well. Those who do not are in the minority," one of the representatives said.

"At least most of you have come to your senses," Sarah sighed.

"Most is a good thing, but some of us here still wish to back out of the overall war and initiate a guerilla operation," the rep said.

"I know, but that is something we can't afford to do in the midst of this war. Doing so will be akin to letting the Dark Axis win. We can't allow that to happen," Sarah replied.

The representative nodded his head. "We all understand what you are saying."

"Well, I say no! We can't win and that's that!" a female representative suddenly cried, standing up.

"I say stand down now!" a second male rep yelled. "We can't allow this to happen to us! We need to stay united!"

"United? UNITED? What has unity done for us in this war, huh!" the female yelled.

"Shi-lo, stand down now!" the man snarled.

"No! Not until we back out of the fight!" Shi-lo growled.

Her opponent glared at her, but he didn't budge from his stance. He merely clenched his fists and kept calm as he looked at her. "We must stay united. If you ask what unity has done for us, think about this. We saved countless lives, and we prevented the destruction of everything via black holes! Is that what you would have wanted to happen?"

She stuttered, but said nothing else. A mere glare at him was enough to satisfy her.

"I understand what you're saying, Shi-lo," Sarah said. "But we must stay united. It is like what Hank said. We saved lives, stopped destruction of everything, and possibly much more."

"What else have we done?" Shi-lo hissed.

"We ensured that the Dark Axis lost a good portion of its slave labor, and we have control over the _Destiny Star Drive_. Also, we have defeated their main generals," Sarah replied. She spread her arms. "This is what we have done. Now we need to concentrate on defeating them once and for all. This is what we need to focus on. Not fighting ourselves, but our enemies!"

"What enemies?" Shi-lo yelled. "The Dark Axis is too strong even for us! We only got this strong because of luck, not miracles! There is no such thing as a miracle!"

That alone got her. Sarah stepped up to Shi-lo and simply stared into her eyes. "Miracles can't happen, Shi-lo?"

"They can't!" the Liberarian representative cried.

"Then how do you explain that we have accomplished so much in so short a time?" Sarah asked.

"Luck and coincidence. Miracles can't happen because there is no such thing! Anything that seems to be a miracle is because of something else that caused it to be that way! Unicron was already weakened when we destroyed him! That bungled invasion drew lots of attention during the Titan AE War! And the MPA were weak when compared to others we've fought!" Shi-lo said, waving her arms.

"So, what you're saying is that miracles don't exist," the human mused.

"Exactly!" the alien hissed.

Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. "If that were true, then how could we have bombed the control center for the black hole generators during that invasion?" she asked.

"Luck!" was her only reply.

For a long while, silence filled the room. The air was so thick with tension that if one had a knife, then one could cut through it. It was that thick. No one even moved, and someone later swore that none of the representatives gathered in that room were even breathing.

Or so it seemed.

Then, Sarah looked at Shi-lo and spoke. "Generally, it is true that miracles don't happen. But sometimes they _do_ occur. It's all in the circumstances. However, we, on the other hand, don't get miracles—" She was cut off by Shi-lo's cry.

"I was right!" she said.

"I'm not done yet," Sarah hissed. "We don't get miracles because we are a miracle ourselves!"

That statement was bold. Everyone looked at one another, murmuring in shock and astonishment. A few beings in the crowd shook their heads in disbelief.

But Sarah knew what she was talking about. She spread her arms and continued to speak. "We don't get miracles because we are a miracle in our own right. Why else did we get so strong? Throughout our history, different beings saw us as a minor backwater planet for hiding weapons on or near. A few of your worlds have had the same thing. (Her remark was met with a few murmurs from the crowd.) But we are also able to unite the universe because we all want the right thing: peace without fear, war, or any of the deadly aspects of politics and life!"

A representative stood up and opened his mouth, but a female human beat him to it. "So we got this strong because of the fact that we are underestimated?" she asked.

Sarah nodded. "Yes. Because of our small size, we have been underestimated. No one in the universe even gave us a second thought during our fights to save them from destruction. It was only recently when we pulled off the invasion that we began to get recognized for inflicting a massive defeat on the Dark Axis."

Shi-lo narrowed her eyes. "But what about the victory that we need? How can we pull _that_ off?" she asked angrily.

"I have no idea, and we all don't. But that is the main job of the leaders and the military commanders: to figure out how to win the war. We deal with the legislation of war, not the fighting itself unless we are called to arms," Sarah said. "It does not matter if the Dark Axis is all-powerful at this moment. What matters is this: they can and will be stopped. No organization, no matter how strong they are, is unstoppable. Everyone has a weakness. We just need to find it."

"But what is their weakness?" a man asked harshly.

The Majority Party leader smirked. "It is a weakness of judgment and clear thinking. Their superiority is their weakness. It clouds their judgment and their minds. They can't see clearly in combat, which requires clear thinking and good judgment in order to carry out battle plans and tactics."

"So that's it? Just use that against them!" Shi-lo asked. "It's not possible! Even if we do carry it out, then we'll have to deal with their armed forces, which by now surpass whatever we can muster!"

"But we have to try, Shi-lo," Sarah countered. "It's important to try, because if we don't, then how else will we be able to win this damn war!"

Her statement was right on. As much as the representatives were divided, they had to stick together for this. Finally, Shi-lo, the leading opposition to the war effort, relented. "Fine! But if we lose, this is your fault!" she hissed.

Sarah just grinned in response to the remark.

* * *

**The sixth day** was what kicked off the joint Congressional Brawl, as it was known. The two houses of Congress met to try and work out the divisions in each one, but instead, it led to a full-on fistfight between the members of both houses, along with threats and laser fire. The security teams actually had to rush in and disarm the brawlers while subduing the more physical combatants. It took three hours before they were finally able to restore some semblance of order to the two houses.

Now Senator Truesdale was in the need for something stronger than wine when he left. He quickly called Sheila and told her that he needed some time to himself. She agreed. Within half an hour, he was heading for a familiar bar he frequently visited after a hard day at work.

Located by the docks, the _Water Shot_ was famous for being frequented by sailors and mariners while their ships were being unloaded and/or loaded at the loading facilities. The place was situated in an old warehouse with rusting sides and a small parking lot. Its location close to the major loading facilities meant that the customers could walk over if they chose to do so. Truesdale parked his car outside the bar and entered through the door.

The interior was decked out with old posters promoting wrestling and boxing matches on the walls. A few crates marked DO NOT TOUCH were stored behind the bar along with the glasses and some bottles with dusty and faded labels. Chairs and tables were scattered around the room while the floor was covered with spilled drinks, and every now and then Truesdale could see some dried energon or blood. Some sailors had stopped in for a drink, along with a few dock workers. They noticed him, but didn't bother to ask why a senator was down here in this place.

The bartender, an older man with a patch over one eye, nodded at him. The senator nodded back and headed over to the counter. He slid onto a stool just as the bartender came over to him. "What'll it be?" he asked.

"The usual, Bock," Truesdale said. He slapped down a few energon credits. The bartender nodded and took them.

Bock went back over to the shelf and grabbed a bottle. He pried open the top. "So, it's getting worse, huh?" he muttered.

"Tell me about it. Those jerks won't even hear us out!" Truesdale spat. "It's almost to the point of civil war! And you know the deal."

Bock nodded. "I see. Well, I can tell ya that sooner or later she'll have to step in," he said. He turned and walked over to Truesdale carrying his drink. "One _Teqo_ martini with lime."

Truesdale grabbed the martini and slugged some of it down. He sighed. "Thanks."

"It's not often you come down here that much," Bock said. "You usually stay at home or go out to another place."

"Yeah. But this time I needed to get away for a while," Truesdale said. He looked down at his drink. "I just don't know how much longer this can go on for before war breaks out. Today there was a massive fight between both houses of the Congress and it took the security teams three hours just to break it up!" He gulped down some more of his drink. "I'm beginning to think that we won't win this thing intact."

"But we will. We always have," Bock said. He began to wipe down the counter with a blue rag over his shoulder. "That's how things work."

"I sure hope so," Truesdale murmured. "Tomorrow the President's going to make her State of the Organization address, and hopefully she can get those fools to listen."

Bock nodded. "I hope so, too."


	124. Federation Divisions Part 3

Chapter 3

By the seventh day, things were finally at the breaking point. The organization's governing body was at its lowest point in tolerance in history. Murmurs, insults, and grumbling could be heard as they entered the room. People and machines alike slipped hostile glares at one another as they sat down. The media was not allowed in this room under normal circumstances, but the President had decided that it was time for the public to know what had been going on over the last seven days. So a few cameras for the _INN_ were allowed in to broadcast this address live across the organization.

President Warren herself entered less than ten minutes after the last senator had seated himself. The room was packed with the congressmen and women of the Federation, along with some media representatives and some soldiers. The Federation Joint Board was there as well. Off to the side stood several other leaders of the organization. She picked out Zero's red armor and Famous' white lab coat in the sea of gray and black and navy blue.

"All right. From what I understand, tensions are high, and I can understand that. Even I'm feeling frustrated at the pace of things right now. We need a means to win, and we will find it. But only if you stop arguing and squabbling!" President Warren said. "We are indeed capable of winning. We just need to find it."

"And just how are we supposed to do that!" a Netopian senator cried. "We're gonna lose even if we try! So I say we just quit!"

"No! If we do that, then it's all over!" Senator Truesdale roared. "We can't give up, no matter what!"

"Forget you assholes! I'm leaving!" a Resconian grumbled.

"Take that back!" the Netopian yelled. He charged at the Resconian who fired off his Mega Rescue Beam. The red beam slammed into the Netopian and knocked him back, prompting some others to come to his aid. A Kaijan aimed his pistol and fired off a shot at the Resconian, but he was faster as he erected his force field instinctively. The shot ricocheted off the shield and struck the wall as several others joined in on the fighting.

Fists were flying, as were chairs, lasers, attacks, and insults. The President stared in shock as she watched the Congress duke it out in a massive free-for-all. Everything they had worked so hard to build… It was slipping down the drain. The cooperation, the trust, the faith in each other… all gone. Memories of history came back to her, as did a particular memory she had experienced in childhood.

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

_Twelve-year-old Heather's eyes widened as she stared at the video clip. The screen showed the bloodied soldiers as they worked their way through the battlefield, systematically taking out any Nazi soldiers that barred their path. In the distance loomed a massive complex the video described as Auschwitz, the death camp._

_Tears pricked at her eyes. "Why, Dad?" she asked, looking at the man beside her._

_He hung his head. "Hitler was insane, hon. He had no idea for the suffering his people were enduring, let alone the kind of misery that he was putting others through, especially the so-called 'subhuman' races." Her father's green eyes were hard as he said those words._

_He looked at his daughter. "Your grandfather was one of those brave warriors who fought against Hitler in order to save the world from his tyranny. Nazi ideology was the last thing anyone wanted once the horrors were revealed. He became involved through being a war correspondent and he did everything in his power to expose those horrors."_

"_And did he?" Heather asked._

_Her dad nodded. "Yes. He did. But it changed him. It made him a different man. He had nightmares for years afterward. Each nightmare ended in the same thing: him being unable to reveal the horrors of the Nazis. He eventually died from alcohol addiction, but he was remembered for his legacy of having shown the world the truth."_

"_And that's what's truly important?" she asked, looking back to the video._

"_Yes. The truth can be a powerful revelation. It's up to you to decide what to do with that knowledge."_

_For a while they watched the video in silence. Heather weeped at each image she saw of the dead, the dying, and those wounded. She couldn't believe how cruel one man had been to so many innocents._

_When the video ended, her father sat beside her on the couch and looked into her eyes. "Heather, look. If anything is to happen, you must understand that the truth is the most powerful weapon out there. And history can be a great teacher when learning from the past. But the biggest thing to remember is that sometimes people can ignore the truth and history, leading to repeats of the past. If you can teach the past and use the truth, then anything can happen."_

"_Why is it important?" she asked._

"_It all comes down to ignorance. Some people are just too ignorant of the suffering or fates of others. Then it falls to you to reveal the truth. Only then will things work out for the best…"_

_SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF-End Flashback-SDGIFSDGIFSDGIF_

Tears pricked at her eyes as she realized what was going to happen. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, clenching her fists. Frustration and anger began to build up in her chest and she finally couldn't take it. She threw her arms and head back, screaming out with everything she had.

"ENOUGH!"

Her voice echoed across the room, reaching each and every congressman and woman in there. The fighting stopped and everyone looked at her. She had her head lowered now, her eyes in shadow. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, leaving shimmering streaks in the light. "Just…please. Stop."

Silence now reigned as they sat back down.

"What is the point of everything we've done, everything we've fought for, if we can't act like the organization we were founded as?" She looked up, her eyes now shimmering with tears. "This isn't how we should be acting! Look at you! You're all squabbling like the Universal Power Association! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

At that remark, a few senators and representatives looked down, embarrassed by their actions.

"Frankly, I can't even believe that I'm in the same room with you people!" President Warren snapped. "Arguing in the middle of a massive battle such as this can only lead to our downfall! The fact that divisions exist shouldn't hinder us, or else we'll split into two factions and engage in a civil war, which only will make us more vulnerable, not more protected!"

She glared at all of them. "My country, the United States of America, went through the same thing! During the Civil War, the nation was torn in two because of differing opinions on the critical issue of slavery! It took four years to get the nation reunited in a war like this! Do any of you want our very organization to suffer the same fate? HUH!

"This isn't what we should be doing! By God, we're supposed to be fighting to _end_ this shit, not encourage it! We need to stay united if we are going to win this thing! If we remain divided like this, then we'll be open to attack by any and all of our enemies! Should they coordinate an attack, we would fall – _world by world_! That will end the organization and the hope _any_one has of freedom! Then, and only then, will the Dark Axis have won!

"Back when we were first founded, we made a pledge, a promise that we would work together to save the universe from destruction at the hands of any and all enemies we encountered. This policy and pledge has seen us through many fights, many wars, and countless horrors that would have driven others insane! This is not what I saw here today. Instead, all I saw was a bunch of cowards fighting each other."

She shook her head. "If you keep doing this and if you don't get your acts together, then everything will be doomed. The Dark Axis will rule, and the universe will be enslaved by them."

President Warren stepped forward. "I can't keep stressing the importance of this war and of how it can be compared to World War II. This is very important because it stresses the comparisons between now and then. Just as we are now, countries with different governments and political opinions came together for a common goal: to defeat the Axis! We had monarchies, democracies, and yes, a dictatorship on our side. It was a vast array of forces that defeated the Axis, each from different countries, from different religions, backgrounds, trades, communities, genders, and more. The world was united against those three nations. World War II _united_ the world _for a common cause!_ It also changed the world for the better.

"People learned to work together during that time, but then there were divisions in the alliance against the Axis after the war. However, it taught humanity the importance of being united in the face of a threat as big as that one. And just as they did then, we should do the same! To make a comparison from that time, a ship alone can't get through a blockade fleet. But a convoy, working together, can get through!

"It's your choice. Do you want to be a convoy working together? Or do you want to be many single ships failing to get through the enemy fleet?"

A few beings looked at one another in confusion, but then someone stood up. It was one of the Resconians. "President Warren, I do not understand the comparison to convoys. Can you clarify?"

"Convoys have communications and ships escorting them through a war zone to reach the front lines. Our worlds are the same way. Just as the command ship gives the orders to the convoy and its escort, Earth gives orders and leads the worlds' armies in combat, etc. We each have a duty to each other, just like convoy ships have duties to each other. If one goes down, then the others have to take up the rest of the burden of getting supplies to the front line safely. It's just like that with us. If one world falls, then the other worlds have to pull their weight in battle. But that can only happen if we work together to get through this!" President Warren said. She clenched a fist. "We have to do this if we are to save the universe! And I won't take no for an answer. We already went through a civil war once in America, and I don't want the Intergalactic Federation to dissolve into a bunch of squabbling worlds. This isn't what we pledged to do in saving lives those two and a half years ago. Squabbling like a bunch of hens won't get us anywhere. Action will. And it can only happen when you actually get your acts together and start coming up with the funding and legislation needed to get the mobilization up to maximum!"

She thrust her fist over her head. "So, who's with me?"

Slowly, one by one, the congressmen and women stood up, along with the soldiers and leaders present. Then, cheers and applause broke out in the middle of the room. President Warren smiled as she lowered her hand.

Yeah. They could win.

And they would!

* * *

_To Be Continued…_

_Preview of the next segments_

"_I'm sorry, guys. I cannot leave my post here. I truly am sorry. Forgive me…"_

_x_

"SHUTE! HOLD ON!"


	125. Divided We Stand

Summary: The Federation has mended their own divisions. However, others are also experiencing the same thing. The Universal Power Association squabbles and nearly falls to pieces at their own hands. But in the Dark Axis, there is a surprising turn of events when one of them betrays their own allies and makes a surprising offer. But who proposed this? And why? Note: I don't own any of the series mentioned. Just the plot and any OCs.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

The Intergalactic Federation entered the tensest moments of its existence as two factions threatened to nearly tear the organization in two. After several failed attempts to reunite the houses of the Congress, President Warren stepped in and reminded them of the things that really mattered: fighting for what they were founded on: democracy, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

She spoke about the importance of overcoming the odds and working together, revealing the dangers of being divided in a war such as this one. The sheer force of her speech caught their attention and they listened, realizing what they were doing was wrong. President Warren also spoke of the need to act like a convoy working together to get through an enemy fleet. But others outside their organization think differently. Find out what these organizations are going through in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Episode XI_

_Ground Zero_

Chapter 1

The entire meeting chamber of the UPA Grand Council was silent as Dajar'o looked at each and every one of his people. "As you can see, the Intergalactic Federation is getting ready to fight in a final battle against the Dark Axis," he said, waving a hand at the massive screen behind him. The monitor showed the small organization's leaders meeting in the main war room, a map sprawled on the table in front of them. He turned back to face his fellow members. "And we must decide on our course of action!"

"But what _is_ our course of action, Dajar'o?" one of the Council members asked.

"That is what we need to debate and decide upon," Dajar'o said calmly.

"Hold on! Why do we always have to debate and decide things?" another member of the Council yelled. "That can only delay the actions we mean to take!" He stood up and looked at the entire Council. "Face it! The only way we ever do things is by debate and decision! That paralyzes those who want to take action swiftly! For once, I think that we should _stop_ debating and just _do_ the actions that we mean to take!"

"And how would that help us? We need a concrete plan of action," a third member said.

"It would give us the opportunity to _act_ rather than just sit around and do nothing! 'Actions speak louder than words!' Those words were spoken by the President of the Intergalactic Federation only a short time before! And she is right! Look at how far they've come! They got this far because of actions, not just words! Words can only go so far, but actions travel farther than words," the second member of the Council said. His name was Danny Phantom, and he was one of the Halfings, a species of humans that were half ghost, half human.

"Shut your mouth, Phantom!" a female member shouted. "What do you know about action?"

"Plenty!" he snapped. "I've taken actions repeatedly to save lives, including those in my hometown! I never debated any of them in my life, but rather I acted with the best intentions at heart! I care for those I love and I want to see them safe from harm, unlike you!" His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists. "So either you take action or you don't!"

"Phantom, might you care to explain why you believe we should take action without debating it?" Dajar'o asked him.

"Gladly!" Phantom growled. He flew out of his seat into the center of the room. "Constantly debating actions and deciding whether to do them or not is good in peacetime, but not in war. War requires you to _think_ and act accordingly, not debate whether it's a good decision or not. A very good example is one that's risked their lives time and time again to save us from dangers that you have for countless years downplayed as being trivial threats when compared to others that you claim were more dangerous. I mean, come on! How is a simple trade embargo a real threat!

"Face the facts! All of you! The Dark Axis, Unicron, Megatron, Titan AE… All of these organizations and individuals are ten hundred times more dangerous than a trade embargo, the destruction of a single city, and many other trivial threats! And every time there's been a new danger, the Intergalactic Federation has taken them on, weaknesses and all!" Phantom said. He waved a hand around them. "But what do you all do? Continue to downplay the real threats that are out there!"

He glared at them with his glowing green eyes. "The Intergalactic Federation never downplays anything. They know the dangers and they try to save us from all of them. They take actions to save lives rather than just debate! Debates are good for them, yes, but only in terms of military strategies that make up the main ones. And each operation is carefully analyzed during lulls in fighting. But not entirely! Only the areas where they might fail are analyzed and taken into account!"

"But what does this have to do with _us_ taking action?" Dajar'o asked quietly.

"I'm getting to that!" Phantom growled. He swept his gaze around the room. "The reason I compare us to them is simple: we don't do anything! _You_ don't do anything! It's time to take action rather than just debate! I am asking you to start acting rather than delaying the inevitable!" Then he smirked. "Or did you forget the lessons learned from your little invasion that failed?"

That remark sparked murmurs across the entire Council. Heads turned and voices murmured in shock. An invasion that failed? Didn't his invasions always succeed?

Dajar'o's face flushed red at this. How dare he mock him like that! "You… That was an accident! How was I supposed to know that they had antispacecraft guns?"

"If you had _taken action_ instead of just debating all the time, then maybe you'd know that!" Phantom spat. He charged up a green orb in his hand. "This is why you should start listening to your instincts and your sense of right and wrong!" he yelled, firing a green glowing beam at the ceiling. It exploded and cast a greenish smoke over the entire area. Now Phantom was in his element.

"It's just like politics, only a more just version of politics. Rather than listening to yourself, start listening to the voices of the voters who elected you people! Then you'd know the truth! None of you ever listen to the voters! All you listen to is your own voices, your lackeys, and your minions! Corruption is rampant here, and honestly, I can't even believe you offered me the position of representative!" Phantom snarled. "Being here with you makes me sick!"

He looked back at the monitor showing the Federation leaders now going over a mock battlefield on the table. "The Federation leaders, on the other hand, listen to the voices and concerns of the voters who elect them. They understand what it means to take action. And that's why they have so much popular support amongst the weaker powers. _They keep their word and they see it through to the end!_ You, however, break your word all the time. It's a wonder you still have allies even after the rest left you," Phantom said calmly. "That's why no one trusts you anymore. They trust the Federation."

He smirked as he looked at Dajar'o out of the corner of his eye. "You do need voters to be elected to the office," he said, grinning slyly.

Dajar'o snarled. He had to rub his face in it, too? "I know that!" he spat. "But what does that have to do—" He was cut off by a shot from one of Phantom's ectoblasts.

"It has everything to do with you not taking action! It's because the Federation takes action to save others that they have gained so much support from everyone they rescue!" Phantom said. "And unless you start doing the same, then it's over for you! You'll lose support and you be out of office. You'll lose funding for your economy, which is already going downhill as it is! It's the only way to save your organization from going bankrupt! Don't you want to save your organization from bankruptcy?"

"Why should I believe that lie?" Dajar'o suddenly roared.

"Because you are causing the economy to tank!" Phantom screamed. "No matter how hard you try to deny it, it's still there! The evidence is all around you!" He swept his arms around the room. "The palace hasn't had proper maintenance in months! The city's falling into decay! Many businesses are going under! People are starting to leave! Every day, countless beings leave your boundaries, seeking refuge in organizations they know they can trust! So you're losing everything, Dajar'o! You're not gaining anything but debt, loss, and failing businesses!"

Phantom ended his speech by flying back to his seat. Murmurs abounded as he took his spot. He was feeling very angry at the King President at this point. How could he even _deny_ the very fact his organization was falling apart at the seams?

He clenched his fists and growled in frustration. Why didn't anyone in this goddamn organization ever listen to him? He gritted his teeth and felt anger building in his chest. He needed to get out for a while and cool his head. So he did just that. He flew out of the building, phasing through the ceiling and emerging out into the open air.

* * *

**Phantom flew off** in another direction, the wind blowing around his face and teasing his white hair. He spun in midair and the cloak he wore whipped open to reveal his jumpsuit underneath. "Damn that man!" Phantom spat as he streaked out of the city. "Why won't he realize the truth?"

He came to a hover and gritted his teeth, his fists balled tightly. Green energy began to form around his fists and he let loose a scream, firing the beams of energy straight up into the sky, like twin beams of light.

* * *

**It was three** hours later when he returned. Phantom phased through the ceiling and took his seat again. He noticed that one of his friends was now out in the middle of the room with several others and engaged in a heated argument. He leaned forward and listened.

"…such a disgrace to the name of universal power!" Samantha "Sam" Mason was saying. Her eyes narrowed at the others. "What you're doing now is wrong, and the people you are fighting to defend are counting on you!"

"We know that!" a big alien hissed. His bug-like eyes flashed in anger. "And we will take action once we decide on what to do!"

"That's your whole problem right there, Ki'po!" Sam cried. "All you do is debate and argue! You don't _do_ anything like the Federation does!"

"What they do is not of your concern, Mason!" Ki'po snarled. "It is not in our nature to just charge blindly into battle!"

"But that's just it! They don't charge blindly into battle!" Sam yelled. "It's hard to explain, but the best way to describe it is that they act according to the situation! If it calls for combat, then they do it! If the situation calls for diplomacy, they use that! It's all in how the situation develops!"

"Acting on purely the outcome of one situation is—" Ki'po was cut off by Sam.

"NO!" she roared. "How many times do I have to say it? _They do not rely on the outcome of the situation!_ They rely on how it develops!"

"That usually causes loss!" another alien hissed. "And that is why we do what we do!"

Sam's eyes flashed in anger. "They don't lose any lives because of how they act accordingly! They _adapt_ to the situation! Unlike you!"

Ki'po snarled, but he backed down.

"And why should we fight the Dark Axis?" a third alien asked.

"Because it's necessary for peace!" Sam said. She looked the alien in the eyes. "Li'ju, the Dark Axis isn't a normal threat! They destroyed an organization's entire capital city and sent that organization into a depression! They caused so much destruction and loss of life that they needed assistance from others!"

"Even so, I think it would be in our best interests to try and make peace with them," Li'ju said calmly.

"And risk losing everything that we worked so hard for?" Sam cried. "Look at what they've done! They've caused so much destruction to the Interstellar Trade Confederation! They destroyed so many lives and caused such a financial situation that no one can recover from normally! Haven't you seen the devastation?" Tears streamed down her face as she looked at them. She waved a hand to the monitor. "Just look!"

The image suddenly shifted, startling Dajar'o and the rest of the Council. "What is the meaning of this?" Dajar'o roared.

"This!" Sam motioned to the monitor. To the shock of every member in the Council, images of devastation and destruction began to play on the screen. It showed the remains in the aftermath of the bombing. Bodies were displayed in neat rows, covered by sheets and the rubble was beginning to be cleared on other spots.

"This is what the Dark Axis did!" she sobbed. "And all you selfish bitches can think of is yourselves! Not one of you can even comprehend the scale of this disaster and catastrophe combined! You've never been in the front lines, and you never will be! Despite that invasion you pulled, you didn't gain any real experience in combat! That invasion was a revelation to others of how useless you really are!" She pointed a finger at all of them.

"There were others who helped in the aftermath of that! Nebula, the Intergalactic Federation, and countless others! They proved that they are never alone out there! You try to divide the universe; the Federation yearns to unite it! They want what is best for everyone! And they never rely on stereotypes!" Sam cried. "If you even _think_ about making peace with the Dark Axis, then it just reveals how selfish and greedy you fucks really are!"

"Just try and think about how many times the Federation put everything on the line to save even your sorry asses from destruction! It's a burden that no organization should have to bear! But they do! Why? Because they want to try and gain your respect, which you deny them constantly! Look at how many times they've nearly lost their home, their sanity, their very humanity!" Sam yelled. "The only reason they haven't lost is because they have friends who they can count on!"

"And if you think the Dark Axis is going to be your friend, then forget it! They are more ruthless than anyone anticipated! Just look at this footage from the invasion!" She nodded at someone in the shadows near the monitor. The person waved back and stepped out of the shadows.

Tucker Foley pressed a button on his PDA and the monitor switched to another scene. All across the room, gasps could be heard. A few beings vomited on the spot and two even fainted. A few broke down into sobs and one even burst out cursing in his native language. The full scope of the concentration camps was revealed in those images. Sam turned to face Dajar'o, who was also shocked. "Now do you see?" she said. "That's just the kind of thing they refused to show you because of their humane actions! They tried to spare you the kind of things they've seen, but it's come down to this! Just look at those poor beings! They've been stripped of everything! Including their very souls! That is what the Dark Axis is capable of!"

"But why should we not make peace with them? That footage only reinforces my decision!" Li'ju screamed.

"No, it doesn't!" Tucker said. For the first time since the Council meeting, he had spoken. "It only reinforces our point! Along with those of us who believe that action is necessary." He looked back towards the Council as he said this, and those beings that supported their notion stood up. Surprisingly, over half supported the decision for action.

"See? Over half of the Council supports us," Tucker said with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter!" Li'ju said. "Whatever my liege decides, I will follow. But I strongly suggest making peace with them."

"Why not just remain neutral?" a huge gorilla said. "After all, it has helped us before."

"True, it may have helped, but not this time. This kind of war requires action, not neutrality," Tucker said. "Like Sam and Danny said, it's time for action, not just debate. This is the time to make your choice."

"I say neutrality!" the gorilla said. "Who's with me?" A quarter of the beings on the Council stood.

"I say we make peace with the Dark Axis!" Li'ju snapped. "All in favor please stand!" The rest of the Council stood up as the others sat down.

"…" Dajar'o pondered this development. Why was it that his own organization was starting to yearn to fight? What was it that was changing them?

That little voice he despised so much came to the fore of his mind and chuckled. '_You didn't expect this now, did you?_' it teased.

'_Shut up!_' Dajar'o said mentally. '_I knew that something like this would happen, but not like this! How the Federation manages to unite a divided universe is beyond me!_'

'_It's just like Phantom said. It comes down to action, and as Sam mentioned, they yearn for a united universe and they have put everything on the line time and time again to try and gain your recognition, but also to repair the damage that you've done to the universe._'

"SHUT…UP!" Dajar'o suddenly roared. "JUST SHUT UP!"

Sam, Tucker, and Phantom all met off to the side as several others of Dajar'o's people swarmed around him and attempted to reassure him.

"So, what do you think?" Phantom asked.

"He seems to be having some kind of mental problem," Sam murmured. "He always had those, from what I can recall."

"Yeah. It also seems like there's a second personality that's bothering him," Tucker mused.

"If so, then why is he even leader to begin with?" Sam asked "Shouldn't he be in a mental hospital?"

"I agree on that one, but I think he doesn't want anyone to know and think him to be unfit for leadership," Phantom said. He looked back at Dajar'o, now accompanied by some of his people back to his podium. "He's as crazy about power as Vlad is."

"Don't even remind me," Tucker said with a shiver. "Why he even was picked before us, I don't even want to know!"

Phantom and Sam nodded in agreement.

* * *

_Vector Prime smiled. Phantom and his two friends were determined to aid the Federation in any way they could, and he admired their guts and determination to do so. But the one thing that bothered him was the fact that they lacked any means to do so. Everything that could've been of any use had been stripped by the UPA, lost, or degraded due to rust. He closed his optics and began to ponder his next course of action._


	126. Betrayal At Last! Zant's Decision!

Chapter 2

Zako chatter filled the air of the room and the sea of green bodies shifted slightly. Zako Red swept his optics over them. These who had met him were the last of the created Zakos that had been stripped of their very core drive, and he was determined to keep them with him. But first, there was the matter of that organic, Zant.

To Zako Red, it was a breach of the Dark Axis code to never work with organics. And that man was a perfect example of an organic that no one wanted to mingle with. He frowned. Why Cypher had even bothered to recruit him was unknown to him. His power was useful, yes, but his usefulness was at an end, especially after that attack failed.

"Zako, we're ready, sir," one of the Zakos said.

Zako Red nodded. "All right. What do you want to know?"

"Why even recruit an organic to begin with?" the Zako asked.

"Apparently the boss saw him as a useful ally. But beyond that, I don't know," Zako Red said.

"But don't we hate organics?" a second Zako asked.

Zako Red nodded. "Yes, we do. And that's why it's a breach of the Dark Axis code. Personally, I'd like to see that man tossed in the jail or turned into stone and dropped from a cliff into the molten acid pools to be melted down into nothing." He began to pace. "And therefore it's why I called this meeting. Why even ask an organic to begin with? And what was the purpose, beside using him? I know that you don't know, either, so therefore we will take matters into our own hands to exterminate him. Some of you will come with me to his homeland and we shall take care of him there. The rest of you will work on deleting his records here, as well as taking care of any Zakos who would mention him."

"Zako!"

The Zako/Seeker grinned. He selected a few Zakos out of the group and they began to prepare for combat as the others swarmed out to take care of their tasks. Those that were going with him slapped grenades onto their persons. A few loaded up their machine guns and one Zako slipped knives, daggers, a sword, and some metal knuckle bands on its body.

Zako Red nodded. "All right. Let's go!"

It didn't take them long to reach the Zakorello Gate. Despite the equipment that was hooked up, they managed to enter through the Gate. It took them only five minutes to arrive in Zant's home dimension.

The palace was before them. Four whole armies of Zakos were now housed near the palace grounds and the rest of the grounds were occupied by his organic shadow forces. Zako Red made a motion for his troops and they nodded. They split up and crept off towards specific points around the palace.

Zako Red waited a few minutes until he felt they were in position. He activated his comm and tapped it twice. The signal for the detonation.

Explosions rocked the palace in sync with one another, sending rubble cascading down from its highest levels and the roof. Turrets shook and groans filled the air as the palace literally shook from the impacts. Fires broke out near some of the training centers for the Zako forces of Zant and some of his shadow creatures attempted to put out the fires.

Zako Red sneered. "Perfect."

* * *

**Zant glanced up** as soon as he felt the palace shudder from the explosions. He snarled as he grabbed his armor and slipped it on. He placed his helmet on as he burst out of the main gate to a sight he had never thought possible.

Zako soldiers that he commanded were now fighting against other Zakos. His shadow creatures were attempting to keep back the others, but it was useless. Zant called up his barrier just as a Zako that wasn't under his command shot a bullet right at him. The bullet bounced off his shield as he summoned forth an Energy Ball. He fired it off at the Zako, killing it as soon as it exploded.

His orange eyes searched around for the one he knew to be commanding them: Zako Red.

He spotted the red-clad Zako/Seeker hovering above the attacking forces.

"ZAKO RED!" Zant roared.

The mech looked down and sneered. "Well, Zant…it has been a while."

"What is the meaning of this?" Zant hissed, sweeping an arm around at the battle.

"Oh, didn't you know? The Dark Axis _hates_ organics with a passion!" Zako Red explained. "And this is why we have come to kill you! Why Cypher wanted to team up with you is beyond me, but I do know this: since you failed to take Earth Command, your usefulness has come to an end!" He laughed as he said this last part.

Zant's eyes widened in shock. The Dark Axis…was only _using_ him? And he was to be killed? It just didn't make sense. He struggled to make sense of this. Cypher had promised him power…prestige…and glory. He had given him Zako forces to command… So… why? Why kill him? Weren't they allies?

Zako Red seemed to sense this and he threw his head back, laughing. "Foolish organic! Did you really think that Cypher would team up with a lowly life form such as yourself? Face it! The Dark Axis is superior to _any and all_ organics in the universes! No matter what ideals we share, we will not give such power to any organic scum we work with. Organics are to be tools of the Dark Axis. That is their true place in the universe!" He glared at Zant, his optics reflecting the hatred.

Zant felt a shiver run down his back as he stared into those violet optics. The chill was something he hadn't experienced before in his life. It was fear, he knew. But why now?

He suddenly gasped as Zako Red charged at him, forcing him to dodge to the side. He landed on his feet and turned, bringing up an Energy Ball as a shield. Zako Red's punch made contact and it exploded, throwing both of them back. Zant skidded on his feet, however. Zako Red, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He crashed right in the middle of a pack of Shadow Beasts.

Zant saw his chance. "Attack him!" he yelled at them, pointing at Zako Red.

The beasts responded instantly to his command. They grabbed Zako Red and began clawing at his armor, tearing into the circuits and wires that made up his interior systems. But Zako Red was faster. He focused his will and suddenly, blasts of energy lanced out from hidden weapons on his body, striking the Shadow Beasts, forcing them to release him.

He snarled in anger. "You shall pay for betraying me!" he roared. He held out a hand and an Energy Ball formed in it. He focused his will on the ball and fired it right at Zako Red. But he took to the skies and the ball sped underneath him, exploding against some of his troops. The Zakos Zant commanded had scattered as soon as he fired the attack, so they were safe.

Why he even cared, he didn't want to know. All that mattered was getting back at the Dark Axis for betraying him and killing him.

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

Cypher looked at the screen showing the progress on the attack. So far Zant was holding his own, he mused. But still, despite his power and the Zakos he commanded, along with those beasts, he was an organic.

The truth was, as soon as he had met the man, he despised him. He had been a useful tool for a while, to try and determine the Federation's tactics in defending their home, but now his usefulness was at an end. But the little bug was being hard to exterminate. Just like a cockroach.

He turned away from the screen and walked over to the Superior Dragon, now caged in the main Soul-Drive's chamber. He sneered. "Time for a little demonstration of my new power," he purred.

* * *

**The Zakorello Gate** howled in agony as the generators activated, sending energy through it and forcing it to open the gate much larger than normal. The main fortress suddenly shuddered as the front began to open, revealing a massive cannon. The massive structure moved closer via engines and the front of the weapon poked through, right into Hyrule. The Gate closed its eyes, hoping by a miracle that the Federation would intervene or something else happened to change the course of the war in their favor.

The cannon began to power up, and the Gate sensed this. Focusing its will on one thing, it sent out a small signal.

* * *

_Back in Hyrule…_

Zant suddenly looked up upon hearing the Gate open. He gasped as he stared in shock and horror at the massive cannon sticking through the gate, aiming right at his palace!

"NO!" Zant screamed. In his anger and rage at his betrayal, he aimed both hands at the cannon, powering up a really powerful Energy Ball. The maroon ball of energy charged up, growing larger fired it, using his powers to propel it farther and faster than before just as the cannon fired.

The massive ball of energy homed in on the beam of darkened heavenly energy, striking it and causing an explosion that rocked the palace and all combatants on the battlefield. "YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS!" Zant roared.

The man roared in rage as he let loose a blast of telekinetic energy, propelling himself into the air right for the cannon. But it was useless. The cannon's beam wasn't halted or stopped. But Zant wasn't about to allow them to destroy his palace and everything he had worked so hard to accomplish, even if there were some failures! He sped right in front of the palace and into the path of the beam. He held out his hands and summoned his barrier.

Cypher sneered in his office. The attack had proven much more successful than he had anticipated. But what he wasn't expecting was a barrage of Energy Balls to slam into the cannon, making the fortress shudder. "What? How'd he survive that attack?" he blurted.

"CYPHER! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Zant roared over the sounds of combat.

"I don't think so, worm!" Cypher hissed. He waved an arm. "Fire again!"

The Superior Dragon growled, but channeled its power into the cannon again. The smoke began to clear, however, causing Cypher to frown. He could see something beneath the smoke, shimmering in the dim light of this realm. Was it possible that…

He shook his head. No way. There was no way the Federation could be aiding him. He laughed at his own imagination. But then, when a gust of wind blew the remainder away, he was stunned and shocked to see that the palace was shielded by a barrier of some kind. And below it was Zant. His eyes flashed angrily as he pointed a finger at the cannon. "ATTACK!" Zant cried.

The creatures and Zakos he commanded let loose a battle cry as they fired bullets, guns, grenades, and threw things at the cannon. Even Zant himself joined in the fray, using his Energy Ball to boost the assault. He hovered in midair with his telekinetic powers, launching Energy Ball after Energy Ball at the cannon itself, trying to cause as much damage as possible.

"FIRE!" Cypher shouted.

The Superior Dragon obeyed.

**_BWAOOM!_**

The gun roared, releasing its massive beam right at the incoming forces, cutting a swath through the ranks of shadow creatures, homing in on Zant and his Zako troops. But the beam struck something hard, dispersing in all directions upon contact. Cypher's eyes widened as he remembered Zant's barrier.

"SHIT!" he swore. "I completely forgot about his barrier!"

"You got that right, traitor!" Zant shouted.

"How is it you're able to hear me?" Cypher cried.

"My telekinetic powers enable me to activate things using the power of my mind! And I happened to trigger your forces' communications!" Zant hissed.

"But you sound as if you are next to me!" Cypher said.

"I also triggered your fortress's main communications systems, so that is why I sound so close!" Zant growled. "And they will pass on this message: Anyone who betrays me will pay the price!"

"Try me, mortal!" Cypher roared.

"Gladly!" Zant growled.

He charged up another Energy Ball, this time aiming for the barrel of the cannon. But Cypher chuckled. "Pull it back. I think we've given him a true demonstration of our might. Let him stew in his rage. He isn't really worth my time now. We should prepare for the major battle…" he whispered.

* * *

_That evening…_

Zant paced in his throne room, his eyes narrowed in anger and frustration. How dare he betray him after helping him get this far! He also called him weak, a mortal, and organic scum! Cypher was now a monster, he knew. Despite his promises, he had not really intended to be Zant's ally to begin with.

And he wanted revenge.

But, considering Cypher's newfound power, there wasn't much chance of him winning it alone. Now, all that mattered was stopping him, even if it meant teaming up with the ones he so despised.

He looked back towards the sky, his eyes fixed on a certain point. He knew what that point of light was, and who it belonged to. He snarled. There was really no other option, he knew. He would stop the Dark Axis, even if it meant working with the Intergalactic Federation.


	127. Revelation! Zant's New Alliance!

Chapter 3

The moon shone down on the complex of Earth Command, the light reflecting off the windows President Warren watched the sky, observing a single light that she knew to be an airplane. It reminded her of when she used to wish on shooting stars, and she felt tempted to make a wish on the plane. She shook her head, returning to the present day.

She turned and left the roof, taking the elevator down to the office level to meet with her fellow leaders and friends. The door slid open and she stepped out into the hallway. She said a few greetings to some people as they walked past her. She arrived at the meeting room and the door slid open.

Her friends were there, waiting for her.

"About time," Seto grumbled. "What took you?"

"Sorry. I was just thinking about some stuff, that's all," she said.

"I bet," Seto remarked.

"So, what's the situation?" President Warren asked. "It's not like _you_ to call a meeting, Seto."

"The reason I did call a meeting was because we recently received an unexpected message from someone. And that someone we know well," the CEO explained. He reached into his white cloak and pulled the message out from a hidden pocket. He handed it to her and she looked it over. "It was found outside my office."

She read the message and her eyes widened.

_There will be a new ally arriving during the final battle. Do not attack him._

_Vector Prime_

She lowered the message. "Vector Prime sent this?"

Seto nodded. "Yes."

"But who is this ally he mentions? And why can't we attack him?" President Warren asked, placing the message on the table.

"That we don't know. All we know is that we have to be ready to accept this new ally's help, even if he was with the enemy once," Seto remarked.

"Hold up! Are you saying that this new ally could be…from the Dark Axis?" Ciel yelped.

"Either that, or he once worked with them," Seto said, turning to face them. "And we know that someone once attacked us."

"Zant? What about him?" Zero asked. "We sent him packing and killed him in retreat."

"I don't think so," O'hari said softly. "Just before the beam exploded, I saw a maroon ball of energy. So I think that he somehow escaped after firing off an energy ball."

"Then he's still alive?" Cassie asked.

O'hari nodded. "At least, that's what I think. I don't know for sure, okay?"

"Then that means we'll have to be doubly prepared," General Pepper snarled.

"Hold on. I think I may know what Vector Prime is saying through that message," Override said. "Remember the Dark Axis isn't like our other enemies. They hate all organics, and that may include this Zant character. He's organic, not mechanical. So they may have betrayed him and he's looking for allies to help him defeat the Dark Axis."

"What made you come up with _that_ theory, Override?" Scourge asked.

"It just seems logical at this point. I mean, sometimes things happen when we least expect them to. Look at what happened with the universe as a whole. They're uniting against the Dark Axis, and the UPA is losing power!" the femme said. Her optics flashed as she looked at the dragon mech. "Unless you still have some remnants of Dark Axis programming hidden inside you!"

"I do not! I made sure of it!" Scourge yelled.

"ENOUGH!" President Warren roared. "We can't have fighting amongst each other. We nearly came to a civil war, and I don't want to have to go through that again. So let's stay focused."

"Okay. Back on topic. Say that this Zant guy is looking for new allies. What makes Vector Prime so sure that he will aid us?" Famous asked. "I mean, I know the guy can see the future, but it may not have been the future he wishes for us."

"And if it isn't? What then?" Cassie asked. "I don't doubt Vector Prime, but Zant? He nearly destroyed Earth Command, for Primus' sake! That is just asking for trouble!"

"For once, I have to agree with Cassie," Shie-rae said softly. "He's a threat and we can't aid him."

"It's not that at all!" Optimus suddenly snapped. "Vector Prime's words are always filled with wisdom and advice. Sometimes that advice hasn't been the proper course of action, but it's always either led to the defeat of an enemy or a victory when things looked bleak! Remember during the Titan AE wars? Vector Prime's advice came in handy that time!"

"I know," Shie-rae murmured. "But we can't help a threat to our peoples."

"But sometimes we have to take actions that we don't like," Steven pointed out. "That is what's led our organization to becoming better, stronger, more tolerant, and wiser. So I say we do it. If he shows up, that is."

President Warren nodded. "All right. All in favor of aiding our new ally when he arrives…"

No one objected. In fact, no one even raised their hands. Instead, Mokuba spoke. "We'll back your decision. After all, we're in this together."

She smiled. "All right. Thanks, guys."

* * *

_Vector Prime smiled as he watched the meeting adjourn. The message had go__tten through. He turned to face the screen showing the realm of Hyrule. The man known as Zant had mustered his troops and was getting them equipped for the final battle against the Dark Axis. He switched the screen to show the Dark Axis home dimension and his optics narrowed._

_The Dark Axis was also mobilizing. The Zakorello Gate's eyes were squinted shut in pain as the fortress began to pass through the small object, growing smaller as it did so. It made Vector Prime shiver involuntarily. A pang of sympathy for the Gate filled his spark. The Gate's species, termed Dimenrello, were sentient mechanical life forms that held some organic properties, such as the need to consume matter and reproduce. But there was one problem: the Dimenrello were dying out and they needed to have more offspring._

_He didn't know much else about them, other than that through their matter consumption they obtained the energy needed to create a dimensional gateway. It was complex, even for him. And these sentient mechanisms had limits: if they opened a gateway much larger than they could handle, their lifespans were shortened drastically._

_Vector Prime gritted his teeth. He looked back at the Council of Elders debating in the depths of reality, and he briefly wondered if he should defy their orders and return to the realm of existence. It was a taboo to do so, but he felt as if he had no other choice._

_Somehow, though, one of the Elders caught onto his plan. His voice echoed in Vector Prime's mind._

'Do not even think about it, Vector Prime. Your time there is over. And you are needed to govern the laws of Time and Space, not aid them. They are the ones to do this now. Not you._'_

'_But, sir… If I do not, then they shall perish!' Vector Prime protested._

'Sorry. But you cannot. If you do, you shall be exiled,_' the Elder's voice said. '_And we do not wish to do so._'_

'_Fine…' Vector murmured. 'It shall be as you command.'_

_The voice faded and Vector Prime sighed. It had been a risk to even just send the message out, but he had done it. By law, he was forbidden from even sending messages, yet somehow he had wriggled through the law by finding a loophole. He clenched his fists and looked up at the logo of the Intergalactic Federation hovering over the main screen. He felt a sense of longing fill him and he closed his optics._

"_I'm sorry, guys. I cannot leave my post here. I truly am sorry. Forgive me…"_

* * *

_To be continued_

_Preview of the last segment_

"SHUTE! HOLD ON!"

* * *

_This is it. The final battle is about to commence. The United Star Alliance is ready for combat, the Satyronians have pledged their assistance, the Universal Power Association is divided, and the Gundam Force is ready to fight. The Dark Axis is preparing their own armed forces, Zant has defected, and the Superior Dragon is captive within the main fortress._

_It all hinges on this one battle. If they fail, then all is lost._

_Friendships will be tested to the max. Unity will be pushed to the limit. And the Intergalactic Federation will uncover the greatest power of all._

_Ready…_

_Aim…_

_FIRE!_

_Get set to witness the conclusion to this epic series!_

_Twilight of the Gods: Episode XI Ground Zero Part 3: FIRE!_


	128. Final Battle! Federation VS Dark Axis!

Summary: The final battle is at hand! The Dark Axis prepares to mobilize, and the Federation gets ready to meet them. The Gundam Force is on standby as is the _Gundamusai_. The rest of the United Star Alliance is going to hold the Dark Axis on other fronts, and the Universal Power Association is still divided. Can the Federation win or is all lost for everyone in all realities? Note: I don't own any of the series mentioned. Just the plot and all OCs.

_Last time on Twilight of the Gods!_

The Universal Power Association held a meeting to decide what to do next. But as was typical of them, they refused to take action and just debate the actions needed. But three young representatives from Danny Phantom's home world stood up and tried to get them to see the realities of the war that they chose to downplay and ignore. Still, despite their efforts, they failed.

Elsewhere, the Dark Axis launched an unexpected assault on Zant's palace in Hyrule. Zant was shocked by the assault and tried to get it to stop, but in reality, he had no chance. He fought bravely and was astonished to learn the truth: that the Dark Axis had just been using him in an attempt to gain more power and overcome the Federation. He soon saw the real reason and, after a few minutes, made his choice. Now, the final battle is about to begin. Join the Federation as they fight to stop this final assault in:

SD Gundam

Twilight

Of

The

Gods

_Episode XI_

_Ground Zero_

Chapter 1

The meeting room was pretty much empty when she stepped through the door. Only Dr. Regal was there. President Warren took her seat just as the door slid shut. "So, what did you want to mention, Dr. Regal?" she asked.

"It's about the war itself," Dr. Regal said.

"What about it? We can handle this, if that's what you're wondering," President Warren said.

But Dr. Regal shook his head. "It's not that. I already know that you can handle yourselves. Instead, I want to mention that once the final battle begins, there will also be fighting on other fronts across the universe."

President Warren cocked an eyebrow. "So? We can handle that."

Dr. Regal shook his head again. "No. You can't. There will be numerous other fronts, which means that you'll be forced into a multi-front war you can't handle."

"What's your point then?" she asked.

"The point I'm making is that you'll be forced to disperse your forces and that will weaken your only chance at stopping the Dark Axis once and for all. You called back all the other forces, but then you plan to send them out again?" Dr. Regal scoffed. "That's the recipe for disaster."

"But what does that have to do with you?" President Warren asked.

"The rest of the United Star Alliance will shoulder the burden on the other fronts," Dr. Regal said. "We talked about it and decided on this. So we'll be helping you outside your own system. This main front…you'll deal with it."

President Warren looked at him before she shook her head. "I don't understand. Why would you even think that I would send my forces out again?"

"I just wanted to remind you of the dangers of sending them out and also tell you that we, your allies, would help by bearing this burden," Dr. Regal said softly.

"And I thank you for that," the President said. "But you didn't have to remind me of the dangers."

"I felt that it was best," the Nebulan commander said. "We'll be helping you, no matter where we are."

She smiled as he stood up and walked to the door.

As soon as he left, she closed her eyes and sighed. There was still so much to be done, and it was almost time for the battle to commence. She opened her eyes and stood, her mind made up. They would use what little time they had left to muster the forces for the final assault.

It was almost time.

* * *

_In the Dark Axis home dimension…_

Cypher grinned as he looked at his forces mustering for the final offensive against his enemies, the hated Intergalactic Federation. And with his forces at their peak, there was nothing that could be done to stop them!

He recalled his meeting with Grieve, reflecting back on the talks they had carried out. She had pledged to try to help him in any way possible, but he doubted she would. She was very shrewd in tactics and strategy, almost as good as him, if not better. However, she wasn't willing to risk everything for the goal. That threw him for a loop.

Something then sparked in his mind. Wait. Why was he even willing to risk _everything_ for the goal of achieving Dark Axis superiority? That just didn't seem right to him…

Oh. Right. The Dark Axis was _destined_ to rule over organics and to ensure that the mechanical life forms of the universes ruled them. It was their destiny, their fate, and their calling. They were _meant_ to do this.

Cypher sneered at this. Yes. The Dark Axis would become superior to any and all organics that dared to defy them!

He threw his head back and laughed manically.

* * *

_Back on Earth…_

The last few tanks finished getting into their positions, causing President Warren to sigh with relief. "Thank God…" she murmured. "I thought we'd never get them into position in time."

Seto nodded. "Yeah." He looked over the defensive fortifications with an impressed eye.

The defensive fortifications consisted of two main defensive lines, backed up by three auxiliary defensive systems. The first line was comprised of the ten best tank battalions in the Federation Army backing up the heavy artillery. Several trenches were dug along the edge of the artillery positions to provide cover for the infantry and front-line formations. In front of the backup three lines of defense were the guns, the first line in the primary defenses. The second line was the energon shield. This was intended to provide cover for the forces in case the guns went down as a result of combat.

Within the city-like complex itself, people were erecting barricades to keep out ground forces and tanks while antiaircraft guns were turned skyward in an attempt to keep the skies clear of enemy bombers. Some barricades and obstacles were simple, while others were increasingly complex, such as mining streets and critical buildings to collapse them on the routes to Earth Command Central. No one knew if this would work, however, because so far the complex had withstood most major attacks.

Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, right?

Over by the docks, warships were mining the waters near the coastal entrance to the harbor in anticipation of Dark Axis warships coming in. The aircraft carrier under Sayla's command was on five-minute standby, ready to launch planes to scout out the area or to bomb enemy forces, etc. The _Titanic_ was placed under a heavy escort to provide protection while the _Oceanic Protector_ patrolled in front of the mine field, ready to dash through it if necessary.

Above the city, starfighters hovered ready to engage the enemy if they came through via atmospheric entry. Below them circled fighter jets, their radar constantly in action, keeping an eye out for the enemy when they entered the airspace over Earth Command. On the top of Earth Command Central, the Master Cannon was armed and ready to fire while above the whole city hovered the Federation's mightiest vessel, the _Destiny Star Drive_. The _Gundamusai_ was also positioned close to the city's main building, but as a last resort defense. The Gundam-themed battleship lacked any kind of shield while its armor and defensive armament were of top quality and its speed was moderate, providing at least a slight edge over other ships of the same class.

Out in space, the defensive satellites were armed and readied to fire at the first sign of enemy forces approaching from the depths of space. The entire grid system of defensive satellites was readied and the energon grid was activated in case the Dark Axis charged in with guns blazing. Unlike most dimensions which had zero means of defending against such a large force, the Federation wasn't willing to allow themselves to be taken over so meekly. If they were going to be conquered, then they were willing to take out as many forces as they could before they were overrun. But they knew that that wasn't going to happen unless they allowed it. And they were not going to allow it, no matter what it took.

Seto smirked. "Nothing's gonna get past these defenses that easily," he said.

President Warren nodded. "Yeah. It's going to be a hard time for the Dark Axis once they try."

**_WHEEEEA! WHEEEEA! WHEEEEA!_**

The klaxon began to wail, getting their attention. The two leaders looked at one another, and nodded.

The battle was about to commence.

President Warren and Seto turned and dashed for the elevator leading down into the main complex command center. The door slid open and they ran in, taking it down to the main war room. The door slid open to reveal the hallway and the two leaders dashed out, heading right for the war room. The doors were open, which gave them a few extra precious seconds to get to their seats.

The doors slid shut just as the commander of the complex defenses pressed a button. The entire building shuddered as blast shielding came down, dimming all lights to just those emitting from the consoles and the chart on the wall opposite the door. President Warren placed a headset on her head and checked it. Once she was satisfied in that regard, she nodded.

"All right, everyone! This is it! The final battle is here. Now, I won't give you a locker room pep talk. You all know the stakes, and you all know the cost. If we fail here, then all is lost. However, the reward is much better. If we win, then we eliminate a massive threat to us and all of existence. So let's win this one for all those who have died trying to bring them down and for those who have died as a result of their experiments and their insane schemes!" President Warren cried.

"YEAH!" The cry echoed through the room as the entire complex got ready for the final battle.

For a while, there was silence. Then, it happened.

The sensors picked up the massive surge of dimensional energy that signified the arrival of the Dark Axis. The President looked at her staff and nodded.

It was time.

The outer sensors picked up the invasion force and the satellites were turned in the direction. The screen on the wall in front of them flashed to show a radar map of the area in space. The Dark Axis Zakorello Gate was shown with a small icon, and away from this icon came massive shapes that they knew to be the main force. The President watched as they kept coming out, determination etched on her face. This was it.

The satellites powered up their lasers, and for a few long tense moments, people waited to see if the force would turn back. But when it didn't, the President looked at the operator of the satellites and nodded. "Fire!"

The operator nodded and within a second, the command was sent to the satellites. The lasers fired. Beams of light streaked towards the enemy forces, striking ship after ship and creating explosions like miniature suns in the depths of space. Blast after blast hit home and debris from the ships began to fall towards Earth. But President Warren was ready for this. "Activate the energon grid!" she cried.

The towers scattered across the planet glowed red-hot as the energon began to flow through them, increasing in power output until the towers' metal structures began to vibrate with the power. Then, blue-white beams of energy shot out across the planet, interlacing the towers together and creating an impenetrable energy grid. The last beams of energy finished connecting to the main tower just as the first pieces of debris slammed head-on into it, causing explosions against it and making it shudder.

Across the planet, people looked up as the explosions came and went. The realization that the final battle began dawned on them, and some people began to mobilize of their own free will in case the Dark Axis breached the defenses of their homes after Earth Command had fallen. The defenders of the planet, those brave men and women who were out there were ready as well, ready for anything.

The first fighters were mobilized as the Dark Axis forces that evaded the lasers came in closer. A few emerged from the grid and began to fire and engage some of them in dogfights in space. Lasers and missiles flew around them as the battles began to heat up. Other Zako forces began to engage several other starfighters in suicide runs, taking them out with one blow to the cockpit and/or engines. Those that managed to eject in time were killed in the crossfire.

President Warren heard the casualty reports coming in and she felt tears prick at her eyes. She always felt upset for those who were killed in battle, but each war drained her emotions a little more. Still, she held on to those emotions, because they helped her cope and they were a reminder that she, and everyone else here in this wonderful organization, was only human.

"President Warren, we have something emerging from behind the moon!" a radar operator called.

"What?" She spun to face the man. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's some kind of a ship. I'm bringing up the specs now." The man entered a few commands on the keyboard and less than ten seconds went past before a screen popped up.

The President's eyes widened as she read the name and specs.

She turned and ran to the communications console. "Get Anderson on the line!" she snapped.

One of the communications officers nodded. She entered a code and less than five seconds later Anderson's voice echoed. "_Yeah?_"

"We got a _Magna Musai_-class ship coming from behind the moon!" President Warren exclaimed.

"_I'm on it!_" Anderson replied. He cut the communications and shortly after, the complex shuddered as the massive vessel left its defensive post to engage the incoming vessel. She closed her eyes as soon as the engine noise and vibrations died down. The silence that echoed was too eerie to be normal. She shivered involuntarily. Then it happened.

A massive explosion rocked the building, forcing everyone to stagger. The lights on the consoles and monitors flashed dangerously before resuming their muted glow. The President glanced at one of the officers. "What happened?" she asked.

The officer shrugged. "I don't know. Somehow—" He was cut off when the alarm began to blare.

"Dark Axis forces detected not too far from us!" a Marine manning one of the remote gunnery stations snapped.

"Aim and fire!" President Warren snapped.

The gun turrets outside the complex swung around and let loose a barrage of lasers that would have killed any organic standing in its path. The blasts struck the incoming Zako tanks, forcing them to flip and sending a few sailing skyward before they exploded. A few others fell into craters made by missed lasers and failed to get out in time before the next salvo left them as nothing but charred hulks of metal.

Off to the coast, the docks were withdrawn into the depths of the complex underground, thus preventing any attempt at invasion by sea. Simultaneously, guns mounted along the warehouses swung about and fired at several incoming warships that were spotted well outside the maximum range of the guns. But that didn't stop the operators. In fact, despite the vast distance, the lasers somehow miraculously struck the warships and caused explosions that rocked the area. A few mines in the minefield were set off, but for the most part, they remained intact. At least until a Dark Axis submarine had the audacity to try and surface in the middle of the minefield.

The explosion rang across the complex, just as the fireball erupted from that spot. There would be dead fish in the area for a while.

By the spaceport, the entire defense team prepared to fire on the incoming enemy forces as soon as they were spotted. This was crucial to the whole war effort. If the spaceport was destroyed, then the Federation would lose contact with each of its worlds, and thus enable a Dark Axis victory. So they had to fight to keep it open at all costs.

The leaders knew of the disadvantages of having a spacebridge network spanning the organization, but each time it seemed they managed to keep it open long enough for the major reinforcements to come in. However, this time, it seemed like that that would not be the case.

President Warren gritted her teeth as she watched the battle for the spaceport begin. She looked at her friends who stood with her in the dark war room. "How long?" she asked.

Seto instantly knew what she was getting at. He shook his head. "I don't know," he murmured. "All I know is that they have to keep it open no matter what. How long they'll be able to do it, I have no idea."

"Damn!" she muttered.

Suddenly, a second explosion rocked the building, forcing everyone who wasn't seated to the floor. President Warren was knocked out of her seat onto the floor, but she managed to push herself onto her hands and knees. She glanced up. "Damage report!" she snapped.

One of the officers manning the main console for all the critical systems of the complex looked back at her. "The main building's defenses are under assault. We've taken hits that have reduced the integrity of the blast shields down to seventy-five percent!" he exclaimed.

"What about the energon grid?" she asked. "Isn't that up?"

The officer nodded. "Yes, but somehow they're able to penetrate through the grid," he said.

"Initiate dimensional jammers!" she cried.

Dr. Hikari looked at her in horror. "But, they're not even perfected!" he protested. "They don't even work properly! They'll fail!"

"I know," President Warren said grimly. "But that doesn't mean that we can't try them!" She looked him directly in the eyes. "We developed those for the purpose of trying to jam the dimensional transportation system they use, right? Even if it is a last resort measure, we still have to try it! Why else did we develop those things? It doesn't matter if they're perfect or not. In fact, who gives a fuck if they fail? We have to use them, whether they work or not!" she snapped.

Dr. Hikari was silent for a moment before he nodded in defeat. "Fine," he whispered.

In truth, President Warren doubted their success, but right now they had no other option. Heart in her throat, she turned to the woman manning the controls. She nodded. "Do it."

Just as they heard the jammers powering up, something roared in the distance. The President guessed that this was the Dark Axis' main fortress firing, or even the unknown Musai. It all hinged on this one gamble.

Then, a miracle occurred.

Just as the shells from the unknown assailant arrowed in on the main complex command center, the jammers went into action. A high-pitched whine resonated across the grounds and throughout the city, forcing defenders to cover their ears and audios alike. The sheer power that emanated from these devices was astonishing. They could literally feel their hair stand on end as the huge surge of energy erupted from those hidden locations. A flash of white light appeared, then the grid activated simultaneously with the jammers. Beams of light shot out from the energon grid generators, interlinking them with one another just as points on the connecting beams began to glow, releasing white beams of light that struck the shells and elsewhere, and creating a massive dimensional net that encased the entire complex.

The shells fired through the Zakorello Gate failed to penetrate through.

The explosions that had previously rocked the complex never came.

The monitor showed the failed attempt at striking the complex, and to everyone's relief, it worked. President Warren was stunned at the fact that the jammers actually worked, but she forced it from her mind once the significance struck home. She smiled. "All right! Fire the guns again and this time, hit 'em hard with everyone we've got!" she roared.

The gunners cheered as they brought the guns around to bear on the incoming juggernaut of Zako soldiers as the poured through multiple other Zakorello Gates. The President somehow knew that they were using some newfound technology to activate multiple gates at one location. But there was also a risk associated with that tactic. If the enemy opened too many gates in one location, it could create a dimensional rift to anywhere at that particular spot, thus enabling invaders to come through.

Apparently, though, Cypher knew of that risk and had limited the number of gates that could be opened…or he didn't know and that risk was amplified even greater by his arrogance and superiority complex. This made the President grit her teeth in anger and made her all the more determined to stop Cypher, no matter what the cost was. She clenched her fists and watched with grim determination as the Zako forces kept coming through.

She looked at Lady Thatcher, the commander of the Federation Air Force. "Get the planes into the air!" she said. "Time to inflict aerial losses on the Dark Axis!"

Lady Thatcher nodded and placed a hand on her communicator headset. "All Air Force units! This is General Thatcher! Get ready to mobilize at once! This is the time for aerial counterstrikes and attacks! Mobilize at once!"

Less than ten minutes after the message was sent, (although it seemed much longer from the President's perspective) fighter jets of many types were launched, including an old antique jet from the Korean War era. The Federation wasn't taking any chances. They were going to use whatever weapons they possessed to win, even if it was old and outdated by modern day standards.

The jets took to the skies and began engaging the incoming Zako bomber forces just as antiaircraft guns began to blaze away at the bombers that got through the fighter screen. Flashes of light from the guns lit up the darkening night sky, and the explosions added their own light to the fireworks show. Tracer shells illuminated the enemy long enough for the fighters and/or gunners to do their work. Smoke trails further darkened the sky as Zako bombers spiraled down out of control, either right into the energon grid or the grounds outside the complex.

A few Zako bombers managed to evade the gunfire long enough to jettison their bomb loads and flew back to rearm. Every once in a while, however, a fleeing bomber was caught by a gun or fighter plane and fell to earth, creating an explosion that rocked the grid and the fighters behind it. Several other Zako bombers peeled away and let loose with their own guns on the fighter jets providing a screen for the antiaircraft defenses. The fighter jets dodged the attack, but one was hit in the wing, causing it to spiral out of control. The pilot, fortunately, was able to escape harm and landed safely behind Federation lines. Within seconds, he was back in the air, this time in a starfighter, to aid his fellow pilots in battle.

As they fought it out in the air, tanks were mobilizing from their locations to engage the enemy forces swarming out of the gates near the perimeters of the complex. Firing their main guns, the tanks sent shell after shell at the Zako soldiers, creating craters in the grass and brush, scorching it into charred earth. The fireballs created by the explosions were visible even from space, a very rare thing for people in the ISS to witness. Never before had they seen warfare from space like this before.

Down on the ground, the forces were being massacred by the tanks as they fired from their new positions. A squad of tanks sped out from behind some of the rubble thrown up by a prior artillery strike, guns blazing as they engaged the enemy. One of the tanks got its tread shot off, crippling the vehicle and preventing it from effectively gripping the ground. The tank veered off to the side and crashed into another tank, forcing the gunner's aim to go wild, striking a third tank in the engine, immobilizing the vehicle. The crew bailed out in time to avoid the explosion as the gas tank exploded, throwing them clear of the main battle zone.

The heavy artillery guns barked, sending shells into the midst of enemy forces, throwing them around and killing numerous groups of them. The Dark Axis commanders in the field at this point realized what the Federation was up to. One of them sent a coded communications to Cypher, unaware that the Federation had broken their code.

"Sir, this is Zako Battalion Twenty, zako!" the Zako said.

"_What is it?_" Cypher snapped.

"The tactical situation is much different than we had anticipated, zako," the Zako replied.

"_Explain!_" Cypher ordered.

"It seems the Federation has launched into holding tactics, zako. They've got trenches, heavy artillery, infantry, shields, starfighters, mine fields, tanks, fighter jets… They're holding us in place and pinning us down," the Zako explained. "We need a new plan of attack, Zako."

Cypher snarled over the radio. "_Fine! Take Zako Army Group Fifty and attack from the left of the spaceport. No one will be expecting that!_"

"Yes, sir, zako!" the Zako chirped. The communications closed down just as it motioned to the other Zakos.

Back in Earth Command, the President looked at the communications officer. "Well? What did the message say?" she asked.

The officer double-checked the message, then turned to face her superior. "They're going to attack in the direction of the spaceport," she said.

President Warren nodded. "All right. Order them to open fire as soon as the Zakos come within fifty meters of the place." Then she shook her head. "No. As soon as they enter the guns' range, tell them to open fire at all costs and to not stop until they have either retreated or are destroyed!"

"Roger!" The officer turned back to the console and relayed the orders.

The command was sent over the wireless network and the wires buried underneath the complex itself. They hummed with the electricity as the data was sent via the pulses to the main communicators at the gunners' stations at the spaceport. The wireless receivers hummed as well, releasing the data to the airwaves.

It took only a few seconds, and by the time the message was received, the Dark Axis was preparing to move towards the spaceport. But the gunners had been warned in time. The guns swung about and locked onto the incoming shapes of the Zako forces. One of the gunners, a man named Zeke Wells, was a two-time veteran of prior attacks on Earth Command, so he was already swinging his gun around to open fire. He would be awarded the Intergalactic Medal of Bravery for his selfless actions during this conflict.

Zeke, a lieutenant in the Federation Army, squinted through his gun's sights and narrowed his eyes. He could see the Zakos coming closer and closer with each passing second, and he chose his target: a Zako riding on top of an armored personnel carrier. He pressed the fire button, and the gun roared, sending the laser right at the Zako. The beam struck dead on target, causing an explosion that rocked his gun and nearly sent him out of his seat. The shockwave dissipated and he sat up, rubbing his helmeted head. He grinned and swung his turret about to lock onto another group of incoming Zakos.

This time, however, he targeted the ground in front of the APC. He pulled the trigger and again the gun roared, this time sending an AP round right into the ground, throwing up dirt and dust, creating a crater that lay unseen until the right moment when the Zako and its crew wound up lying in the crater, the APC lying on its side, three Zakos dead and one wounded. Zeke aimed again at another incoming force and fired, this time releasing a small stash of mini missiles that exploded against the tank the Zakos were riding. The missiles did the job, sending the vehicle off to the side, running over several Zako infantry forces with no trouble. The sound of crushing metal made him smile grimly. This was what warfare was, he mused.

He kept firing his gun at any and all Zakos that came closer to the spaceport. His gun, although not a part of the crucial defense of the place, took out most of the incoming force until an AP round smashed through the thick armor on the front and struck him through the chest, killing him instantly. His actions also granted him the Federation Medal of Heroism posthumously.

The actions of that one man had reduced the flanking maneuver down to a mere concept, unable to be carried out in practice. When he heard of this from another soldier who had survived, Cypher was enraged. He gritted his teeth and pounded his fist on the desk. How dare they stand up to him!

He wondered if Grieve would succeed in her mission.

* * *

**Grieve, it turned** out, wasn't doing much better than the forces down on the ground. Her ship was dealing out massive damage to the satellites and incoming fighters to try and stop them, but one ship was taking the brunt of the assaults and not even getting any significant damage to its systems and armor. This silver ship was always in her way, making her angry.

The _Destiny Star Drive_ always swerved to take an assault dead-on or with its shielding. She watched as her ship's main cannons were powered and locked onto another enemy force. The guns roared, but in the vacuum of space, they weren't heard. However, the power that they emitted in the form of lasers was felt in the souls of those there. This time, she thought, this time they would succeed in inflicting more losses on the Federation!

The beams struck the ships, creating an explosion that blossomed in the darkness of space like a flower. She grinned. Even with its incredible defenses, the ship couldn't be in every place at once!

However, unknown to her, the AI of the _Destiny Star Drive_, Anderson, was enraged at the loss of life he had just witnessed. Rage and hatred for her pounded through his systems and wires, making his entire structure shudder with the anger he was feeling right then. He vowed to never let it happen again, no matter what it took!

That vow, along with his determination and drive, spurred him into action and began the ultimate transformation that would grant them victory over the Dark Axis once and for all!

Somewhere deep within the ship, a system shifted, and limiters were unlocked, releasing small amounts of an untapped power into the systems. It was so minute, so small as to not be detected by the sensors dotting the ship's structure, but it was enough to grant Anderson a little extra speed to intercept the next barrage. The vessel dashed right in front of the lasers and took it head-on, right to the nose and bridge.

Grieve grinned. "Perfect!" she cried. She waved an arm, pointing at the ship with her finger. "Fire at the bridge! Take it down!"

The Zakos on her bridge crew responded instantly. The commands were sent to the guns, which in turn powered up and unleashed a devastating power barrage that nailed the _Destiny Star Drive_ right in the bridge. The explosion that occurred made her cackle victoriously…

Or so it seemed.

The comm on her ship suddenly crackled to life.

"_Did you honestly believe that would work?_" a male voice suddenly spat.

"WHAT? How did you survive that attack?" Grieve roared.

"_A little something called armor!_" the male voice purred. "_And this ship has the strongest armor possible!_"

"Bah! That doesn't mean anything!" Grieve hissed.

"_It should,_" the voice said. "_Especially now!_"

Suddenly, a roar echoed over the comm as engines screamed, propelling the _Destiny Star Drive_ out of the explosion, its armor only singed by the blast. The windows of the bridge were surprisingly intact, and the nose was unharmed as well. The name glinted in the light as the ship sped past her vessel, startling her. Grieve yelped as the wings cut through her ship's guns, causing them to explode and rock her own ship.

Only one question filled her mind at this point: _How was this even possible?_

She snarled and whipped herself around to face the Zako in charge of the guns. "We lost the guns and all because you insolent organics couldn't target a huge target like that!" she snapped, her optic flashing with rage.

The Zako shivered as she stood and approached the poor thing. "No insolents will be tolerated!" Grieve roared. She grabbed a beam saber and ignited it.

* * *

**Anderson wasn't expecting** to hear the plea for help. In fact, he was totally unaware of what was happening on board the _Darkness Musai_. Only when the Zako cried out to God for help did he hear the message as clearly as if the comm were open.

'_Someone…God…Please…Someone help us! I don't wanna die like this! I want to be _free_ again! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US!_'

The cry registered in his mind. Anderson gasped in shock. '_What…What just happened? Did I…Did I really hear a cry for help?_'

Then he heard something else that confirmed it. '_Zako! No! Stop! PLEASE!_'

The realization of what he was hearing struck home at that moment. Things seemed to slow down and Anderson felt as if things had suddenly become inverted. The cries for help were _mental_ cries that couldn't be spoken for fear of being killed! And whoever was commanding this Musai was about to kill the poor organic souls trapped on board.

Anger surged within him and he let loose a battle cry that echoed soundlessly in the depths of space. But had there been sound, those who were close enough would have grimaced at the bloodthirsty scream that came from Anderson's voice. The engines on the back of the _Destiny Star Drive_ engaged and the vessel began to streak forward, wings flaring menacingly.

The spacecraft darted and weaved around several Zako starfighter battle groups that attacked from each side, trying to disable the larger ship. Anderson's wings cut through the ships easily, killing those Zakos who weren't organics trapped in metal shells. The larger vessel dashed around with surprising speed and agility that made Grieve wonder for a moment if it was even a real vessel. No ship of that size was supposed to be that fast!

With a speed that made the huge vessel seem like a ghost, Anderson cut through several ships at once, causing explosions that lit up the blackness of space. He spun the ship to the side using the maneuvering thrusters, dodging a blast of energy from one of the Zako starfighters. He swung the turrets around and let loose with a barrage of lasers that could've destroyed an attacking space squid in three minutes. His cry of rage and hatred for the Dark Axis was now actually heard by those who knew him, even though it was supposed to be impossible because space doesn't have any air through which the sound could travel.

The _Destiny Star Drive_ dodged a few more laser shots before a couple of missiles streaked out from the vessel and exploded against two Zako ships that had launched the lasers. Grieve gasped as a barrage of fresh lasers slammed headlong into her ship's thick armor. The barrage devastated the armor and pieces of it drifted away from the _Darkness Musai_. Such power was unbelievable! How was it that this was happening?

She had no answer at that point.

And she knew it.

* * *

**"Bad news! We've** got incoming fighters from the northeast!" a radar controller shouted. One of the defenders for the spaceport glanced at the radar and barked out an order over his comm.

"All units! Open fire on my command!" he snapped.

"_Yes sir!_" the tank crews yelled. They waited for what seemed to be hours before the first command was given.

"FIRE!" the commander yelled.

The guns roared as soon as the fighters approached their sights. The shells screamed through the air, arcing right for the fighter craft. The explosions echoed across the battlefield as the shells struck their targets. The debris rained down from the sky, clattering on the buildings, docks, and streets. A few pieces of debris were still hot, and they left burns that wouldn't really fade unless the pavement was torn up and replaced.

The tank crews began to move their tanks around as bombers sped down low and released their bombs. Explosions rocked the battlefield around the spaceport, making several tanks shudder or even rock from the shockwaves. A few vehicles flipped onto their turrets, but thanks to a recent upgrade, the crews were able to scramble out through a hatch in the bottom of the vehicle. They took refuge behind rubble and waited for evacuation units to come and bring them back to the safety of their own lines.

A few bombers were shot down by tanks equipped with antiaircraft guns and one of them, a tank armed with an 85 mm gun, brought down two bombers with one shot, a rare feat for a tank crew. Normally tanks didn't get two bombers down at once. But besides that little detail the crew of that tank realized, the battle was getting more and more desperate as the enemy began to close in from other sides.

The commanding officer in charge of the defenses contacted President Warren over the comm immediately. "President Warren, this is General Jackson! We've got some bad news down here!"

"_Why? What's going on?_" President Warren asked.

"We're beginning to be boxed in here! We need some more reinforcements!" Jackson yelled.

"_We'll try and send someone down to help you. But don't count on anyone being there for a while. Try and hold out as long as you can,_" the President ordered.

Jackson nodded. "Right." The comm shut down and he turned to the other defenders. "All right, people. The leaders are going to try and send down reinforcements. Until they come, however, we have to hold out as long as we can. The sooner we get help, the better. But until then, we're on our own. So let's try and make this a fight they won't forget!" he cried.

"YEAH!" His team cheered and threw their fists up into the air.

* * *

**President Warren glanced** at Seto in disbelief. "What? You mean we can't send down any reinforcements?" she exclaimed.

Seto nodded grimly. "That's right. The Dark Axis has too big of a foothold there and they'll block off all attempts to enter it from the land side," he said.

"What about by air?" the President asked.

He shook his head. "That's a no go. The Dark Axis has too many antiaircraft guns. Our fighters can't even get within a mile before they're spotted and shot at."

"And sea?"

"Sorry. The spaceport can only be accessed by land or air," the Kaxian CEO said.

President Warren pounded a fist on the main console in anger. "DAMN!" she cried. "We need to get them some reinforcements or else the whole spaceport will fall!"

"I understand, but right now, we're stuck on the defensive all over the place," Seto said.

"Then we need to take the offensive," President Warren said.

"But how?" Zero snapped. "As you can clearly see—" Here he swept an arm across the monitor showing the positions of all armed forces units and Dark Axis troops. "—we're stuck using holding tactics and we have no way to retake the offensive!"

"Maybe we do," Cassie suddenly remarked.

"Huh? How so?" Steven asked.

"Remember the Master Cannon?" she asked. "We still have that!" Her eyes were now shining as she spoke. "If we can use it repeatedly, we can eliminate the major groups of enemy forces and thus regain the advantage!"

"That's a good idea, but as you can see we're stuck here while the building is sealed off!" Famous snapped.

"Not really," Cassie said. "I can teleport, remember?"

"So? How do you plan us to arm the thing in the middle of a major battle here?" Famous cried.

"We did so during that fight with Zant, remember?" the Resconian leader snapped. "So I suggest we use it before it's too late!"

President Warren looked at Cassie, stunned at her suggestion. It seemed to fit…and it _was_ their only option at this point. She turned to face her and nodded. "All right. We'll use the Master Cannon!"

Cassie smiled.

It didn't take them long to arrive on the roof near the main cannon. The cannon itself was still armed with the pulser they had reverse-engineered, the cell still full of energy. The President got to work with Ciel on arming the cannon while Seto manned the controls. The others were to call out locations of enemy forces.

The arming took only two minutes, although it seemed longer. President Warren looked at Seto and nodded. "All right, let 'er rip!"

Seto nodded and grabbed the controls for the gun. He depressed the gun a few degrees and sighted one of the groups attacking the spaceport. The golden targeting scope moved across the screen and flashed blue, the words _Target Locked_ appearing in bright red. He pulled the twin triggers and the gun roared, sending a bright golden beam of energy lancing down toward them. The beam struck an instant later, causing a massive explosion that rocked pretty much the entire complex.

* * *

**Anderson spotted the** explosion and elation surged within him. He knew that blast! He laughed to himself in delight. That was the beginning of the end for the Dark Axis at last!

But his opponent wasn't so excited. In fact, she was enraged! She immediately snapped an order and the damaged Musai began to head for Earth.

Anderson saw this and gasped. "NO!" he cried. He engaged his engines, but the Musai's rear suddenly belched lasers, forcing him to dodge and weave to avoid being hit by the beams. "Whoa! Didn't see that coming!" he yelped.

The _Darkness Musai_ shimmered as it began to enter _through the energon grid!_ Anderson cried out in amazement and shock. 'No one should be able to pass through it!' he thought to himself in shock. He then shook himself back to his senses. He fired his engines and approached the grid, the Musai struggling to pass through it.

He fired off a laser barrage that struck the Musai, but although the vessel shuddered under the multiple hits, its engines didn't blow. He was so shocked that he didn't see the beam until it hit him right in the nose. He screamed in pain, and although it wasn't damaged, it hurt like hell.

He watched in shock as the Musai managed to slip through the grid, right down to Earth Command. Then, he regained himself and snarled. "Not this time!" he muttered.

He fired his engines and sped down to the planet below in pursuit of his opponent.


	129. Final Battle! Federation VS Dark Axis 2

Chapter 2

Grieve snarled as her ship approached the complex below, the battle raging as clearly as day. She could see explosions overhead and around the city-like command center for the Federation, and she figured that for now they were holding their own. The only question now was how long they could keep it up for. The blasts of the main cannon stood out against the darkening sky as she drew closer to the embattled complex.

She let loose a battle cry over the comm system that sparked the attention of the defenders. The _Darkness Musai_ approached at high speed, rocketing past all defenses and letting loose with missiles and lasers that remained intact; only two were still functional by the time she engaged the main building's defenses.

Missiles streaked away from her ship and exploded against the building's armored structure. The entire structure seemed to shake as the warheads exploded against it. A few of the blast shields on the exterior shattered to reveal blown out windows and cracked steel beams. A few wires hung loosely from the holes torn in the building, a testament to how savage the blows were. But, somehow, despite all the odds, the main building remained intact, either as a result of sheer dumb luck or something more.

* * *

**"All right! The** cannon is charged and ready to fire!" Seto cried.

"Good! Now target that ship!" President Warren ordered. She pointed a finger at the incoming Musai.

"Uh. President Warren? I think we'd better hold off!" Ciel said, pointing. "Look!"

The President turned and her eyes widened as she spotted a silver streak speeding through the sky, chasing the enemy vessel. She gasped as she realized who that was. She pressed the communication button on her main headset and tapped into the frequency immediately. "Anderson, this is President Warren! Back off now!" she cried.

"_No way! I'm not letting her get close!_" Anderson snapped over the comm.

"Please! We're about to fire the Master Cannon!" President Warren protested.

Anderson hesitated, and for a moment she feared that she hadn't convinced him. But then the mighty vessel veered off and began to engage other forces. She sighed with relief.

"Now we can fire!" she said.

Seto nodded. "Good!" He brought the gun to bear on the incoming Musai. The targeting scope danced across the screen as he struggled to get a lock. He narrowed his eyes as it grew closer to the center of the ship. But then…

"SHIT!" Seto cried. He pulled the trigger accidentally as he clenched his fists in frustration. The cannon suddenly roared, sending a golden beam arrowing through the sky toward the two ships. The beam penetrated through both of them in one clean shot. Time suddenly seemed to stop for all the leaders of the Federation. The screen suddenly split into segments, each showing them with shock on their faces. It also felt like things had become inverted for them.

Shock flooded their bodies as they stared at the battle cruiser and the Musai, each with the beam penetrating through their power cores. The first ship to explode from the sheer amount of power was the battle cruiser. They watched as the guns exploded along its hull, along with the windows blowing out. The ship's metal skin suddenly seemed to bulge as energy built up inside it. Sparks and gas began to hiss out through openings as they formed. Then the vessel exploded.

The shockwave rocked the _Darkness Musai_, and also blew off half its front. The Musai began to careen out of control, plummeting towards the complex below! President Warren and her friends all screamed out in shock and horror at once. But it was hopeless. They couldn't do anything to stop it.

But then…a miracle occurred.

A blur of speed caught President Warren's eye and she turned, stunned as she watched Primus himself erect a glowing golden shield of energy across the entire area of potential impact. "PRIMUS!" she cried.

The godlike Transformer grunted as his power was channeled into the shield. The blast he knew he could contain in this one area, but the rest of the complex could be destroyed, despite the advanced engineering that had gone into the place. He closed his optics and cried out as he summoned down his last hope. "CYBER KEY POWER!" His cry echoed across the complex and the key came streaking down from the heavens in a golden beam of light, entering through a slot on his back.

He felt the sudden boost of power and he channeled it into his hands, letting it out in the most powerful shield he could muster. The glowing dome suddenly expanded outward to include the rest of the complex, spreading over each of the buildings and the suburbs.

But it wasn't enough. The sheer force of the impact could do the city in, and he knew it.

But then something else happened that shocked even Primus himself. A blur of silvery speed dashed through the area, and the screen suddenly faded to black, showing only a slash of silvery-white light. Then it faded back to normal to show the _Destiny Star Drive_ cutting through the enemy Musai, an image of Anderson's human form over the vessel itself, determination reflected in his eyes. The Musai suddenly broke in half, and each half exploded separately, the shockwaves rocking the buildings and blowing out some windows while cracking others, uprooting some trees, tossing aside some cars, etc.

The force of the combined shockwaves shattered his shield, but not before the brunt was deflected and absorbed. Primus cried out in pain and agony as the shockwave blew him flat onto his back. He went skidding for a good two miles until he crashed into a pile of overturned cars and trucks. He groaned as he laid there, energon running down from several scrapes and nicks.

The _Destiny Star Drive_, on the other hand, was sent end over end by the sheer force of the explosion. The powerful vessel crashed through the tops of three buildings before Anderson fired his engines, the intense heat melting a building's structure partly to expose a few interior rooms. The sheer force of the thrust prevented the ship from slamming into the ground and pushed it back into the air, thus preventing more loss of life if the ship had made a crater.

President Warren and her friends were nearly thrown off the roof of the complex main building by the force of the shockwave. But they somehow held on. They had to, or else all was lost. This battle depended heavily on their victory, and so did everything else. All of existence rode on this fight, and if they lost, then the Dark Axis' future would become a reality.

"EVERYBODY HOLD ON TIGHT!" she cried. "IF WE LET GO, THEN WE'RE FINISHED!"

"What makes ya think we don't know that!" Seto roared.

"Just shut up and hang on!" Mokuba snapped.

After that, the winds became too strong to even speak over. All they had were their thoughts. It seemed to last for hours until, five minutes later, it died down. The leaders picked themselves up off the roof and stared at the damage done by the single shot from the Master Cannon.

A huge crater was torn in the area of impact beyond the complex defenses and fires burned on the trees and brush at that spot. Cars, trucks, and other vehicles lay overturned and trees were uprooted. Glass lay in shards all across the complex and people were scattered about, some nursing injuries in some makeshift aid stations and so on. One building had its structure exposed by the intense heat created by the _Destiny Star Drive_'s main engines and three buildings were missing their top floors. Guns and tanks lay scattered, burning, and abandoned, amongst the battlefield.

Beyond the complex itself the battle still raged, but with the _Darkness Musai_ out of commission, a good portion of the Dark Axis forces were surrendering to the Federation. It was an amazing thing to witness. The Federation had scored a major victory in the initial phase of the siege.

But it wasn't over yet. In fact, the battle was about to heat up.

* * *

**Cypher's eyes narrowed** as a growl of rage escaped him. He turned to face Zako Red. "Zako Red, go get them. And make sure they do not allow the rest of the forces to surrender. Force our troops to keep fighting in any way you know how."

The Seeker/Zako nodded. "Yes, sir," he purred.

As soon as the mech had left, he threw a punch at the wall and shattered an image of the Federation leaders. The picture fell out of its frame and drifted to the floor, untouched by the shards of glass that rained down around it. Cypher snarled and picked up the picture. "Damn you organics!" he snarled. "This is why you must be destroyed once and for all!"

* * *

**The battle at** Earth Command began to near a really intense phase of combat. Aerial forces from other portions of the battling Zakos began to bombard the complex in an attempt to break the morale of the people. But, as in World War II when the British were under attack, the people of the city failed to have their morale shattered. In an ironic twist of fate, like with the Blitz, the bombings had the effect of raising morale in the complex as soon as it neared its peak. The civilians and soldiers both began to fight back, using machine guns, air-to-air missiles and other weapons they possessed.

The buildings began to sustain damage, despite the advanced engineering that had gone into the place. The bombs exploded, causing windows to blow out and thousands of people got wounded or killed when a bomb exploded close to them.

_Beneath a veil of starry sky,_

_As cold as winter's darkest night_

In the main war room within the central command building, President Warren stared in shock at the casualties mounting. She couldn't believe it. After so many battles, her beloved city was taking a pounding on the same scale as the Blitz, but in a much shorter amount of time. And all those people…her people…were being killed.

_It's there you sleep, silent and deep,_

_You're all alone._

"No…" she whispered. "This…This can't be happening…! It just can't!" Tears began to streak down her face and she leaned in closer to the monitor, her fingers flying over the keyboard. She checked the data three times, but it was all true. "This can't happen!" she cried. "This has got to stop!"

_I sing the prayer's soft melody_

_Across the lonely, silent fields_

She turned and dashed out of her seat, heading for the door, surprising Seto and her fellow leaders. As she reached the door, a hand shot out and grabbed her. She tore her shoulder free from the unknown person's grasp. "No! I don't want to stay right now!" she exclaimed. "All those people are being killed!"

The same hand grabbed her and spun her to face the CEO of KaibaCorp. "President Warren, get a hold of yourself! This is war! There _will_ be casualties! So deal with it!" he said.

"But they're all being killed in a short amount of time!" the President protested, tears streaking down her cheeks.

Seto grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Get a grip! This is how it always has been in war, or have you forgotten what you humans went through during the Second World War?" he cried. "True there were massive deaths, but it was for a good cause! Look at how far humanity has come since that day! If the war hadn't been waged, then think of what might be the future! The Nazis may be the rulers of humanity, and you might not even exist!" the Kaxian hissed.

_A little light began to shine,_

_It shines on and on_

President Warren looked back at the casualty list, the numbers still coming in. "But…"

"Look! _Britain dealt with it!_ They dealt with the deaths, the losses of life, and the destruction of their cities _because they knew what had to be done, damnit!_" Seto roared. "They put up with the losses all in the name of freedom and democracy! Isn't this what we're fighting for? Freedom, democracy, and unity? Or are we fighting for something else?"

Tears were now visible in his own eyes as he shook her again. "I don't like the death either, but sometimes we have to endure it! War causes death! And there's nothing that can be done about it! Even we can't prevent death on the battlefield! It's just not physically or scientifically possible!" he sobbed.

_I watched you as you so peacefully dreamed_

_You laughed like a child happy and carefree_

"The whole reason we're fighting is to avenge those who died, to save those who are still alive, and to protect the future generations from this kind of horror," Seto murmured. "We're trying to cultivate the fields of hope out here. If we fail, then no one will be safe from the Dark Axis. And there might not be an existence of freedom. Only an existence of slavery, just like in World War II. This is what we're fighting to prevent!"

"Still, I can't stand seeing so many lives lost like this!" President Warren cried. "And you wouldn't either!"

_It's all so familiar, and yet so far_

_That's the future's promise for you and me_

"Just get a grip, woman!" Seto sobbed, grabbing her by the front of her shirt this time. "Just shut up and get a fucking grip! _This is war_! How many times do I have to say it? War is always going to be like this! Death can't be stopped! It's just a part of war! So is the destruction! Remember the Blitz? London was destroyed, but the people still held on! It all comes down to leadership in war! Don't think about the death right now! Focus on getting us through this hell we call war!"

"I…" President Warren was shocked. Seto was actually speaking differently than when she had met him. What was with him?

_One day on a green and shiny morn'_

_One day we will finally make it through_

"That's what you have to do! You have to help us make it through! Or else all is lost! Don't you recall the invasion we pulled? That's the kind of future we're struggling to prevent here! It's not about survival! It's about fighting for the future that we all yearn for!" Seto roared.

By now the others were looking in confusion and shock, as well as a bit of awe. Seto had never been a political speaker before, at least not until he met President Warren.

_Cause in this sky, so dark with winter_

_We still have to believe it's true_

"Please! Stop thinking about the deaths right now and focus on the immediate situation! Stay concentrated on the battle! We have to win this!" Seto said.

President Warren shook her head. "What can we do to stop the death right now!" she protested.

"We can't!" Seto shouted. "It's a natural part of war! It's always been like this! The only thing we can do to prevent any more death is win this fucking war! So get a grip and lead us through it!"

_Fields of hope_

_Fields of hope_

Seto leaned in and held her close to his body. "Just remember, this is for the future," he murmured. "This is what we're fighting to prevent. Long term death and destruction is what awaits everyone if we can't win. It's going to be hard, but just forget the death right now."

As he said this, a shockwave rocked the building. Everyone standing staggered under the attack yet managed to remain standing. Seto clutched her tightly and braced himself as the building shuddered.

_A gentle touch, a loving brush_

_Those things I still search for_

"Just remember. You're not alone in this. We're all fighting," Seto said. "Everyone out there that died, they died fighting for a cause that is worth fighting for. They knew the stakes. We all do. This is war."

"Seto…" President Warren buried her face in his chest.

"You okay now?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

_A prayer in a melody,_

_It goes on and on_

"So, let's get back to the battle," Seto said with a smile.

"Seto, what's up with you?" President Warren asked. "Normally, you're not one to give such speeches."

He laughed. "I guess it comes from you. I spent so much time in close contact that it sort of rubbed off on me.

_I sing the prayer's soft melody_

_One vanishes, one dies_

"It's not like you," President Warren said. "It's as if you've become someone different. You aren't selfish anymore. You've changed."

"So have the rest of us," Zero said as he stepped close to the two. "We all learned the value of combat, science, etc. from one another."

"Simply put, we're united," Ciel said. "It's that simple."

_And all in all_

_It starts again a never ending cycle_

"I don't know how to describe it exactly, other than that it's unity through division," Sandra said. "And it's coming down to a united front that no one can really stop. Just like the United Nations back in World War II, am I right?"

President Warren gasped as the realization struck home.

"Unity through division…"

Now she knew what it meant. Different species coming together for a cause worth fighting for.

_One day on a green and shining morn'_

_Through all the long nights we've been fighting for_

"That is the true meaning of unity through division," a voice murmured from the shadows.

As another shockwave rocked the building, the leaders turned as the speaker came out of the shadows. President Warren's eyes widened as she recognized him.

"Greg?"

He nodded. "Yes."

_There lies a place far from disgrace_

_Where we won't have to hide from the world again_

"You finally know the true meaning of unity through division. This is the kind of unity I was talking about," Greg said softly. "It took a tragedy for it to become clear, though. The attack on Earth Command was that tragedy."

"Why?" Seto asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

"War never makes sense, especially when combating against enemies who wish to become gods," Greg remarked with a shake of his head.

_Now there lies a deep love within my heart_

_A yearn to protect you and keep you warm_

"You are about to engage in the biggest battle once the main fortress arrives. I wish I could assist you, but I can't. It's all up to you now. I know you can do it." And with that, Greg vanished back into the shadows.

Seto looked at the President. "Well? Shall we go back and win this thing?"

She smiled. "Yeah. We can and we will succeed!"

_It's all so familiar and yet so far,_

_It's made for the peace of mind_

The President headed back to the main console and took her seat again. As her eyes fell once more on the casualties incoming, she felt tears prick at her eyes, but she hardened herself with the thought of the future they yearned for.

_Fields of hope_

"All right, guys. This time, we're gonna win this thing and save the universe from destruction!" President Warren told them. "No matter what, we're gonna see this through. We're not about to let the Dark Axis win, no matter what they throw at us! We dealt with worse prior to this, so let's tough it out for those who died, those who are dying, and those who will die unless we win!"

_Natsukashiku mada tooi_

_Yakusoku no nohara_

Her speech and words resonated throughout the war room and technicians and officers assembled there nodded.

The building shuddered again with another attack, but this time it was much less severe.

President Warren took a wild guess as to what protected them: the spirit of unity they all held within them.

_Fields of hope_

_Fields of hope_

_Fields of hope_

Now it was time to fight and win!

* * *

**Zant grunted as** he landed amongst a pile of rubble. "Damn bridge!" he grumbled. He shot a glance up at the sky where the Zakorello Gate was. His eyes narrowed as it closed up, leaving him stranded here.

"Perfect. Now that that's done, time to find those Federation people."

He set off in the direction of the embattled complex…

* * *

_Vector Prime smiled grimly. "So the final battle's begun at las__t," he murmured. As he said this, he felt a familiar tug in his spark, a yearning to join them in battle once again. But he knew it was forbidden._

_All he could do was watch over them and hope for their victory._


	130. Final Battle! Federation VS Dark Axis 3

Chapter 3

**_THWOOM!_**

The fireball that erupted from the spot was bright enough to catch the attention of a few soldiers fighting near the complex boundaries. The blazing ball of fire erupted in a blast of fuel and parts from several Zako tanks and infantry.

"Yeah! Nice shot!" Jaden cried.

Zane landed beside him and smirked. "Thanks," he said.

"Incoming!" Sayla shouted. She engaged her Dash and sped close to Zane, grabbing him in one hand and Jaden in the other. Her sheer speed saved their lives as a mine went off where they had been a few seconds prior. The mortar round that flew through the air caught her by surprise, at least until a blur of blue, red, gold, and green zipped in front. A glowing shield spread out from the mech as he held out his hands and summoned forth the powers of the Energizer Matrix.

The mortar exploded against the shield, but it held under the force of the blow. The shield went down as Kicker lowered his hands. "You guys okay?" he called.

"Yeah, thanks!" Sayla said, relief filling her voice.

Kicker smiled, but then he gasped. "LOOK OUT!" he yelled. He suddenly sped down, grabbing all three of them in his arms and dashing into the sky as a cannon shell exploded mere feet from where they had been. Sayla stared in shock at the explosive crater below her.

"Wow…" she whispered. She couldn't believe it. Even after fighting in prior wars, she still couldn't believe how close she had come to death.

Kicker glanced down at the two. "You guys should be more careful," he said as he landed and set them down on the ground. Sayla nodded.

"We will," she said. "But right now we have to win!"

Kicker nodded and turned as he heard a missile incoming. He erected his shield and the warhead exploded against it, throwing him flat onto his back from the sheer explosive force.

"Just go!" Kicker snapped as he got to his feet.

"Go? What's going on?" Sayla asked.

Kicker motioned with his hand up to a spot in the sky. "They're coming! And they're bringing the full firepower!" As he said those words, above them all, a huge Zakorello Gate opened up. The sheer size was enough to dwarf even the biggest spacebridge they could muster at that moment. Sayla and Jaden gaped in shock as the first part of something began to emerge from the purple void. The tips of three spikes were first, followed by the bodies of the spikes and then the central part of the fortress as it emerged.

Even Kicker was awed by the sheer size of the fortress. "Okay… I never expected it to be that big," he squeaked.

"And what exactly are we supposed to do!" Sayla snapped.

Kicker came back to his senses and looked at her. "President Warren's got a plan, and she asked me to tell you guys," Kicker explained. "Sayla, you and your friends are to go in, along with Link, and take the thing down from the inside. Or at least try to free the Superior Dragon."

"WHAT?" Sayla yelped. "You're joking!"

Kicker shook his head. "I'm not. President Warren showed me proof. This way, if we can weaken it, then we'll get the upper hand again."

"I sure hope you're right," Sayla murmured.

She glanced up at the fortress. "For all of us."

* * *

_In a cold, far away world_

_A battle is raging 'tween evil and good_

**The inside of** the fortress was a beehive of activity, which greatly aided the team as the six slipped through the Dark Axis Zakos running around. The team consisted of Jaden, Sayla, Syrus, Link, Zane, and Baston. Their mission: to sever the link between the Superior Dragon and the Soul-Drive of the main fortress.

And so far things were going accordingly. The sounds of battle echoed outside the massive structure and every now and then it shuddered from a stray missile or a laser barrage. The intensity of the fight was something else, but they had to focus on the mission. Sayla knew that the President's plan was a last ditch desperation attempt to free the Dragon and save the complex from suffering massive devastation. She couldn't blame her.

Her thoughts were brought back to reality by a jab to the elbow from Zane. "Sayla, stay focused!" he said.

She nodded and dodged a Zako in her path.

They fought their way through a few patches of Zakos and slowly made their way through the fortress to the main Soul-Drive room. They made good time initially, but it was only when they were halfway there that things fell apart. A few Zakos spotted them heading down a sealed-off hallway and they instantly saw what the Federation was attempting to do.

One of them actually had the sense to radio someone, Sayla noted. And it was when this message was answered that things changed for the worse. A shudder raced through the hallway and Sayla glanced up, staring in shock as emergency doors slid down from the ceiling. "NO!" she cried.

Her group, consisting of Zane and Jaden, ran for the other group beyond in a vain attempt to reunite after a group of Zakos had split them up. But it failed as the doors slid down and slammed onto the floor of the fortress.

"DAMN!" Zane swore, punching the door with his hand. He winced, but pulled his hand away and rubbed it. "It looks like we're on our own now."

"Yeah. C'mon. Let's see if we can find the Soul-Drive," Sayla said.

"Uh, how are we gonna do that when the door is blocking us?" Jaden exclaimed.

"We'll find another way," Sayla told him.

"Oh."

* * *

_From the stars, they came here to Earth_

_Caught in their struggle through the whole universe_

**Link slammed his** sword against the metal door, but the blade, even when it was enhanced with Master energy, couldn't break through it. Muttering curses to himself under his breath, he stood up and looked at the two with him. He frowned, knowing that Syrus' sound aura was weak and Baston wasn't that skilled in Mana usage, even after training with Zero.

But he would have to deal with it.

"What now?" Syrus asked.

"We keep going," Link said. "We have to find and sever the link to that Soul-Drive and free this Superior Dragon before it's too late."

"Okay…" Syrus let his voice trail off and the threesome continued on their mission. As they ventured throughout the fortress, they somehow managed to avoid three Zako patrols, although it came extremely close when a Zako almost spotted them. The threesome ducked down a corridor, only to become cut off when they ran into a batch of Zakos.

"Crud!" Syrus yelped.

"This way!" Baston shouted, waving an arm towards an empty corridor. The boy turned and ran, following him. Link did the same, but before he could enter, a door hissed shut and cut him off.

"DAMN!" Link cried.

* * *

_Robotic warriors giving their all_

_Fight in disguise, 'til the victor stands tall_

**Sayla and her** friends weren't doing too well themselves, and it only got worse when Sayla was cut off when a Zako forced her to take cover behind a pile of metal pipes when it lobbed a grenade at her. She ducked down as her two friends ran off ahead of her.

"Damnitall!" she muttered. "I just _had_ to get caught in a trap!"

She grabbed a grenade from her jacket and armed it, tossing it right out at the Zako and its comrades. The shaped charge exploded, sending shrapnel right for her hiding place. The pipes absorbed most of it, but some clattered against the wall before her.

Once the shrapnel died down, she scrambled to her feet and ran, hoping to find her friends and/or the others. But as she ran, it became clear to her that she was lost. Her friends were gone in the depths of the fortress and she was the only one there.

She ducked behind a pile of crates as a Zako squadron ran past, their weapons cradled in their arms.

"Damn!" she muttered.

Sayla waited for a few minutes before the Zakos ran past her. Once they were gone, she crept out of her hiding place and ran down a corridor not too far from her. She skidded to a stop at an intersection and glanced around. No signs were visible to identify where the halls led. Grumbling to herself, she turned and ran down a corridor chosen at random. She knew that there was a twenty-five percent chance of her having picked the right path.

She didn't even know that she did.

* * *

_Ground Zero_

_Nowhere to go_

_Got to be willing to fight_

**Outside, the battle** getting more deadly now that Cypher had arrived on the scene. His eyes flashed as he sneered. He overlooked the entire battlefield from his position in the capsule in his office, wires snaking into his body from all over the fortress. This new system, known as SynchroUnion, was one of his most powerful and deadly to date. This was the very weapon that he had been planning to use all along to bring them down.

He simply raised a hand and the cannon targeted onto whatever his fingers were pointing at. His senses had been enhanced by this merging of living and inanimate objects as well, so now he could sense the entire battlefield and control all systems of the fortress by simply moving or thinking it. He aimed it by moving his hand at the main building and clenched his fist.

The cannon fired.

The massive beam sped out of the cannon and right for the main building. He grinned.

Nothing could survive that blast.

But to his shock and surprise, a barrier of unheard of proportions was thrown up around the entire building shielding it from harm and actually deflecting the blast right back at him! Cypher's eyes widened in shock as he stared at this unexpected development.

"NO!" he cried. He opened his fist and the beam terminated.

Over the comm link, he could hear the voice of the one he hadn't expected to ally with the Federation.

"_Nice try, Cypher!_"

* * *

_Ground Zero  
One thing they know  
Only the strong will survive_

**"ZANT!" The Federation** leaders were shocked at this unexpected development in the battle. Zant had arrived…and he was _helping_ them? Then the memory of the message from Vector Prime came back. President Warren got on the comm immediately. "All defenders of Earth Command Central, do not open fire on the man in the sinister armor! Repeat! Do not open fire on the man with the sinister armor!"

"_But why? That's the man who nearly destroyed our home!_" a soldier protested.

"Right now he may be our only hope of holding out!" the President hissed. "If you open fire on him, then consider yourself demoted!"

"_Y-Yes, ma'am!_" the soldier stammered.

The comm went dead just as a second laser blast from the fortress rocked the complex building. Those standing staggered, but the damage was now being borne by the barrier of Zant – a last defense that could hold on for who knew how long.

President Warren was only hopeful that it could hold out long enough for them to win the battle for Earth Command.

* * *

_Ground Zero_

**Back with the** infiltration team, Link had overheard this and he was staring in shock at the communicator he wore. Was Zant _insane_ for helping them? Or were _they_ insane for helping Zant? He never got a chance to ponder the answers because at that point, a massive explosion somewhere on the exterior of the fortress made the entire corridor he was in shudder under the impact. He was thrown onto his hands and knees, the communicator skidding out of his reach underneath a piece of machinery.

Scowling, Link got down on the floor and stuck his hand under. He tried to reach it, but it was too far back. He grunted and shifted his position, but it was useless. The device was just out of his reach.

Link got to his feet and turned around, heading away from the area. It was best, he decided, to get as far away from that spot as possible and try to complete the mission. After all, that was what they were there to do: to try and stop the Superior Dragon's power before it was used to devastate the entire complex.

He knew from personal experience how powerful Zant's barriers were, but he doubted that even the strongest barrier Zant could muster would hold up against the Superior Dragon's full power. It all came down to what was used to penetrate it, and he had a gut feeling that the Superior Dragon was strong enough to break it down.

That was why this mission was even more crucial. Plus, it all hinged on whether or not they could stop Cypher before he got his hands on Shute's emotional energy.

It all came down to this one mission.

If it failed, then all was lost, and he knew it.

He ran down another corridor just as a door slammed shut behind him, sealing him off from the path he had come down. The only choice, he knew, was to keep going on.

* * *

_A lone soldier fighting the war  
Used the power and wisdom_

**Outside, the Gundams**, Rele, and Shute were all fighting as well. Behind them hovered the _Gundamusai_, their flagship. The massive Gundam-themed battleship was poised to fire its cannons at the enemy if they even came close to the boundaries that had been set up.

Guneagle yelped as a laser sped right past him and struck a tree. He pulled back behind an overturned truck and looked at his friends. "Okay. This is going way too far!" he exclaimed. "Sure I can understand a few battles, but this is an all-out war out here!"

"Well, what did you expect?" Baku spat. "War is always like this!"

"Bakunetsumaru is correct, Guneagle," Zero said.

"Enough! We need to keep fighting!" Rele snapped. She peeped up over the truck and fired off a Mana spell, striking three Zakos in the chests and causing them to explode.

"Rele is right. If we are to get home, we need to fight," Captain replied. He fired off a few lasers from his wrist-mounted blasters before pulling back just as a grenade exploded close to their hiding place. He peeped up again and returned fire with a blast from his V-rods.

Shute, in his Gundam form, peeped up and fired off a shot from his beam rifle before pulling back. "This is getting ridiculous!" he snarled. "All we're doing is taking potshots at them while the others are going full force to try and drive them back!"

"Well, we have to if we're gonna win this thing!" Rele said. "Plus, we can't allow them to get their hands on you! You know that!"

"I know! But it's not the same as actually being out there in the combat!" Shute cried. "How else are we gonna win this fucking war!"

The others looked at Shute, then at each other. They knew that Shute had a good point, but what else could they do at this point in time? They had been ordered to only participate minimally to avoid having Shute get captured, but he was willing to risk his own life and safety just so they could get back to Neotopia?

Captain glanced at Shute and nodded. "All right. We'll get out there. But if you get captured, then…"

Shute understood Captain's unsaid message. He nodded. "Right."

They all charged out of their hiding place and back into the combat.

* * *

_From those gone before  
Leads them on to victory_

**By now, the** aerial battle had gotten to the point where several starfighters had come in to try and change the tide of combat. Kicker, Meisha, and T.J. were three of those pilots.

Kicker grunted as he jerked on his starfighter's controls, sending it into a turn to the right, barely dodging a nasty blast from a Zako antiaircraft gun. He pressed the button for the missiles and they released from their tubes, flying for the gun and its crew. The Zako gun's optic widened as the crew bailed, running for the hills. The missiles struck, blowing up the gun and sending a few crew members skyward.

He checked the radar and he snarled. "Damnit!" he muttered. "This is not my day!"

He pushed the throttle forward and his starfighter increased its speed slightly. He dashed past a few Zako bombers, cutting through them with the wings and causing them to explode. He felt no remorse for his actions. He knew that those Zakos weren't even human anymore. He cleared his mind of all emotion and focused only on the battle.

It seemed to be an eternity before he heard a scream he knew well.

The scream cut across his consciousness and brought him back to his senses. He did a quick check, and to his surprise and horror, he spotted thirty different Zako bombers surrounding Meisha's starfighter and damaging it. Sparks flew from severed wires and destroyed armor plating and systems. She could barely keep it in the air, and although it had the same regenerative system as the _Energizer X_, the _Guardian X_ was sustaining more damage than could be repaired at the time.

Something inside of him changed and he gritted his teeth. He grabbed both controls and pressed the button for Possession Mode as he dashed in close. He felt the familiar shocks, and then he _was_ the _Energizer X_ a few seconds later, his engines screaming as he sped in close. He transformed and called upon the power of the Energizer Matrix. "ENERGIZER BLAST!" he roared.

The powerful blast of energy fired off from his hands and struck the Zakos all at once. They exploded just in time, too. As Meisha's starfighter began to spiral to the ground out of control, Kicker dashed down and grabbed onto the wings, hauling on it until it was level. He engaged his engines to full power and looked down into the cockpit. He grinned and winked an optic. She smiled and returned the wink with the thumbs up gesture.

* * *

_Lights their darkest hour  
Their one destiny_

**Anderson dodged and** wove around several different attacking battle groups, releasing an impressive array of bombs and mines down onto the forces outside the complex boundaries. He sped over the complex as well, assisting them in driving back the forces of the enemy. It seemed impossible, but when combined with the efforts that the leaders themselves, the world, their allies and friends were making, they were slowly turning back the Dark Axis tide.

Each time a Zako soldier fell, that was one Zako less with which to attack. It was also one less soldier to worry about. As the battle heated up even more, however, it soon became apparent that Cypher had some great weapon in reserve, waiting to be used.

And it came at that exact moment when they least expected it.

The cannon on the front of the fortress fired, sending forth a darkened beam of heavenly energy. The beam cut a swath through the Federation forces on the ground, prompting them to start running for their lives. Cypher chuckled. "Foolish organics. If they think they can defy me, then they are wrong."

Just as the beam arrowed in towards Earth Command, he smiled. "One blast, and they're done for—" But to his immense surprise, shock, and rage, the beam exploded against the massive energy barrier that was Zant's means of defense. The barrier shuddered under the weight of the tremendous power being sent right at it, but it still held.

As for Zant himself, his eyes were narrowed as he hovered in one place near the complex, his arms crossed in front as if they were a shield themselves, sweat running down his face. His cape flapped in the wind being generated by the two forces while his armor was cracked from the combat. He had lost his helmet and several scrapes were visible on his cheeks. But he wasn't giving up.

"SHADOW BEASTS AND ZAKOS! ATTACK!" he cried.

To the surprise of the defenders, the Shadow Beasts and Zakos that he commanded came swarming out of nowhere and attacking other Zakos that had gotten past the defenders of the complex.

Now things were looking up for them.

* * *

_Truth has its moment and right always wins  
Prepare for the fight, let the battle begin_

**With the Kibao** Horde, the four Musha Gundams that served the warlord were putting up a good fight as well. Kijuumaru fired his shells full power at the enemy forces while Bakuhamaru used his hammer to knock a bunch of them into the sky where Mokinmaru made quick work of them. Haganamaru bowled through several Zakos like they were nothing, a spiked tank of destruction.

Kibaomaru himself went to town with his sword, using every ounce of his skill to help defend this awesome city he had come to like. He wasn't going to allow any Dark Axis soldiers through, and he knew it!

* * *

_Ground Zero  
Nowhere to go  
Got to be willing to fight_

**The Daishogun of** Perfect Virtue hovered close by a group of Minicon and human defenders. He had drawn out his own sword and began blocking a barrage of bullets when they came too close to his fellow soldiers for comfort. He whipped out his fan with his free hand and, snapping it open, unleashed a gust of divine wind that sent a missile right back at the Zakos who fired it. "No one is getting through this defense!" he cried.

* * *

_Ground Zero  
One thing they know  
Only the strong will survive_

**By the spacebridge**, a group of defenders gaped in shock when it opened and out came a few surprising newcomers. One of them was none other than Mai Valentine, backed up by Joey Wheeler, a blonde-haired duelist with brown eyes and a street accent. Following him was Serenity Wheeler, his younger sister. She had brown hair and pretty blue eyes, and following her was Roland, Seto's security officer and top duelist on the KaibaCorp employee roster. Backing up Roland was Tea Gardner, a close friend of Yugi Muto's and an aspiring Kaxian dancer with brown hair and brown eyes. They all arrived just as the spacebridge was struck by an energy beam, causing it to shut down from the shorting out of its main system.

Tea glanced around and yelped as a shard of glass barely missed her. "Did we arrive at a bad time?" she asked one of the defenders.

"Nah. You arrived just in time. The battle's getting fiercer. Get into that tank and begin preparing to move out," he said.

"But none of us know how to drive dat thing!" Joey snapped.

"Then you'll have to learn on the fly, because we have no time for training!" a female soldier snapped. "Get in and get moving!"

They said nothing, but nodded and scurried into the nearby tank.

* * *

_Ground Zero_

**Back with the** infiltration team, Sayla had managed to team up with Link when they ran into one another in the same corridor. Now they reached the massive door that was marked with the wording that signified their destination. "Well, this is it," Sayla said.

Link nodded. "Yes. Let's get this over with. I don't know how long Zant's barrier can hold against that incredible power."

She nodded back and the two opened the door, entering into the room.

* * *

_Galaxy's worried they'll retreat  
To this darkest corner_

**Zant growled as** the barrier wavered under the next assault. He had no idea how long he could keep this up.

As he watched, the silver vessel that was their main ship dashed past, firing off its main cannon again and again. The beams impacted against the fortress's heavily armored sides, making the structure shudder under the sheer impact of the beams.

He hoped that the infiltration team got that dragon free and soon.

* * *

_With the enemy gone  
They will finally live on_

**President Warren threw** an arm forward as she barked out an order to her friends. "FIRE THE MASTER CANNON!" she cried.

The cannon swung about and targeted a few incoming Dogas, firing its golden beam and causing them to explode. Seto let out a whoop as he swung the gun about, the beam still firing, carving a swath through the enemy forces as they swarmed around, trying to get onto the roof. He had the fire of battle in his eyes, and a grin spread on his face. This was perhaps the most exhilarating experience he had aside from their first fight as an organization.

The beam stopped firing and Seto pulled the trigger again, sending another beam forth. "EAT LASER, YA FREAKS!" he shouted.

"That's it! Keep firing and don't let 'em get close!" Famous shouted.

He materialized a Program Advance around his right arm, aimed and fired. "GIGA CANNON!"

The orange beam fired from the cannon and struck a Zako about to release an antiaircraft missile in their direction. The explosion rocked the complex building, but barely. He smirked as he whirled and fired again, this time at an incoming Doga as it tried to dive-bomb them. The beam caused the Doga to explode in midair, sending its payload all over the Zakos below.

* * *

_As they revel in their victory_

**Link and Sayla** barged into the room just as the fortress shook from a massive explosion somewhere outside it. They both staggered as the impact faded. "Wow. Sounds like we're really handing it to them," she remarked.

Link nodded. "Yeah." Then he glanced up and his eyes widened. "Uh, Sayla…"

When his voice trailed off, she glanced at him. "What?"

The Hyrulean warrior merely pointed with a hand. Sayla followed his outstretched hand with her gaze and she swore out loud.

Chained within the massive Soul-Drive was a dragon. The colors and design gave away that it was the Superior Dragon. But contrasting the heavenly colors were a series of dark lines snaking in towards its own Soul-Drive.

"NO!" she cried.

Link suddenly grabbed her arm. "Wait. We need to sever the link!" he cried.

"I know that!" she snapped. "So let's do it!"

But the warrior wouldn't budge. "How are we supposed to do that when we don't know how it's connected to the Soul-Drive?" he asked.

Sayla hesitated, then backed off. "All right. Let's try and figure out how—" She was suddenly cut off when the beast suddenly began to writhe in pain as the dark lines on its body began to glow with purple energy. "NO!" she roared.

She summoned forth her laser sword and charged at the barrier holding the dragon trapped inside. "AURA SHOCKWAVE!" As she slashed, the bright blue shockwave streaked forth from her sword and slammed headlong into the barrier, forcing the dragon to glance up, those blue eyes locking onto the two humans come to save it.

Link muttered to himself as he withdrew his own sword. "Hold on!" he cried.

The soldier and warrior slashed and hacked at the Soul-Drive holding it hostage, but their efforts were futile.

'_Don't! Stop now!_' the dragon pleaded in their minds.

"I don't think so!" Sayla snapped. "We're not gonna let them use you like this!" She drove her blade into the Soul-Drive and brought it up, the blue energy blade carving a bright blue path through the darkened glass. Link slammed his sword, now glowing with bright golden energy, into the floor of the Soul-Drive containment chamber and bright golden light streaked forth to the Soul-Drive.

"That's right!" the warrior spat. "I don't know much about what's going on, to be honest, but I do know this: if the Dark Axis possesses your strength, then all is lost! And I won't allow that to happen to my home!"

The dragon hesitated, wondering what these brave humans were thinking. True they were stronger, but they weren't strong enough to break the Soul-Drive link.

'_Forget me and focus on winning the battle!_' the dragon cried.

"NO!" the two shouted.

Sayla's eyes narrowed. "Like I said before! We're not letting them use you like this! And we'll find a way to break that barrier whether you like it or not!"

Around her, a blue aura began to shine. Her eyes flashed with that fighting fire as she drew back her sword and leapt back. Link, now glowing with a golden, green, and purple aura, followed her lead.

"AURA SHOCKWAVE MAXIMUM!" Sayla roared as she slashed with all her might.

"TRI-FORCE SLASH!" Link screamed. He held his sword up and the Tri Force symbol appeared above his head.

The bright blue shockwave sped across the chamber, glowing much brighter than before. Link drew back his sword and slashed with every ounce of his strength. The triangles suddenly appeared around the Soul-Drive, startling the Superior Dragon. '_What is this?_'

"This is your freedom!" Sayla and Link shouted at the same time. "AURA FORCE SLASH!"

The shockwave slammed full force into the Soul-Drive, followed by Link slashing at the sphere repeatedly with his glowing blade. The combined might of the two attacks proved to be strong enough to overcome the strength which bound the dragon to the Soul-Drive in the main fortress. A huge explosion suddenly erupted as Link and Sayla both drove their swords home, right on the center of the sphere.

* * *

_Truth has its moment and right always wins  
Prepare for the fight, let the battle begin_

**Cypher felt the** explosion and he called up his screens to see what happened. He was surprised and enraged at the sight of the Superior Dragon now _outside_ the Soul-Drive rather than inside it.

In front of the dragon stood a woman with a massive gun slung over her back and a blue energy sword emerging from her right arm and a man holding a sword and shield in his hands. The two were obviously relieved at their mission having been a success.

Then it struck home for Cypher. "NO!" he roared.

* * *

_Ground Zero  
All is not lost  
Evil's defeated again_

**Outside, a huge** surge of energy erupted out from the fortress, forcing back those fighting around, above, and below it. President Warren sensed this and looked up, worry on her face.

Had the team failed?

Zane and Jaden staggered under the surge of energy. The boy glanced around. "Looks like the mission was a success," he remarked.

Jaden nodded, rubbing his head where he had smacked it. "Yeah. Now let's get them and find the others so we can get outta here!" he said.

Zane nodded. "Right." He closed his eyes and focused on where he guessed Sayla and Link to be. His aura jump kicked in and they both vanished.

* * *

_Ground Zero  
No matter the cost  
Won't give up till all are one_

**Baston and Syrus** arrived around the same time as Zane and Jaden appeared in the room where Link and Sayla were. The two were standing beside the Superior Dragon with triumphant looks on their faces. "We did it!" Sayla exclaimed.

"Good. Now grab on. We're outta here!" Zane snapped.

'_I can teleport us all out and back to your home,_' the dragon commented in their minds.

"Thanks, but we've got it covered." Zane closed his eyes and Syrus joined him. Together they concentrated on the complex they all called home and everyone vanished just as a swarm of Zakos ran in, guns blazing.

* * *

**The surge of** energy died down, allowing those defending the complex to return to the fight with all they had. Guns blazed away as missiles flew from the launchers right at the aerial forces that evaded the fighters in the sky over the complex.

President Warren smiled when she saw the six appear outside the fortress, right in the middle of a crater. The Superior Dragon was freed, she noted with huge relief. But the beast looked tired and weakened.

'_That's not good…_' she thought to herself.

And she was right.

Despite Cypher being stripped of the Superior Dragon's powers, he still hand enough energy to fire off a massive beam of darkened energy right at them!

"NOOOO!" she screamed.

"TAKE THIS!" a new voice screamed. She gasped as she recognized Anderson's yell of rage. The _Destiny Star Drive_ then sped low over the scene, guns blazing away like crazy. The lasers exploded against the fortress's armored shell just as the huge vessel darted and weaved around the counter-fire with its incredible speed and agility, throwing missiles and lasers at the fortress.

The full power of the assault wasn't enough to get the beam to stop, however, and Anderson sensed this. "NOOOO!" he roared.

Seto looked out and gasped. "NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" he screamed. "Anderson! Do something!"

Ceil yelped in horror. "NO! GET OUTTA THERE!" she yelled. "Get them outta there, Anderson!"

"TRY AND STOP THAT BEAM!" Zero cried to Anderson.

"Don't let them get killed! Please! We need them!" Cassie screamed.

"And that goes for me!" Mokuba yelled.

"And me!" Optimus roared.

"And me!" Metroplex cried.

"And me!" Scourge shouted.

"And me!" Override cried out.

"And me!" Famous shouted, pumping his fist.

"And me!" O'hari roared.

"And me!" Cassie yelled.

"And me!" General Pepper shouted.

"And me!" Shie-rae cried.

"And me!" Steven yelled.

"And me!" Helena screamed.

"And me!" Tyre roared.

"We all know you can do it!" Zant shouted, his voice straining under the effort of even maintaining the barrier.

"Save them!" Tea yelled from the tank, along with her friends and Yugi, who was out fighting with his pistol and laser dagger.

"Do it!" the Daishogun cried.

"We know you can!" the Kibao Horde shouted.

"Don't let them die!" Kibaomaru shouted.

Then, it happened.

Somewhere deep inside, something stirred into action within the depths of the ship's systems. It was so slight, but it was more noticeable in a sense. Something was removed yet again, and this time, the flow of power to the _Destiny Star Drive_ became more pronounced, but not as much as what would come much later.

Anderson sensed this flow increase, but he had no idea as to where it was coming from, or what it even was. The only thing he knew was that it was coming from somewhere inside his systems and he knew it was his one chance at saving his friends.

He engaged his engines full force and sped towards the incoming beam.

* * *

_Ground Zero  
Nowhere to go  
Got to be willing to fight_

**The sheer speed** startled the leaders as the vessel dashed in towards the incoming beam, engines screaming like banshees. President Warren narrowed her eyes in confusion as she stared after. Was it her imagination, or was there a field of energy forming around the ship? It didn't seem possible did it?

Then the _Destiny Star Drive_'s shield kicked in, the glowing orb of energy encasing the vessel and the impact area. The darkened energy beam collided with the shield full force, unleashing a massive explosion of incredible proportions.

* * *

_Ground Zero  
One thing they know  
Only the strong will survive_

**Cypher sneered as** he watched the explosion begin to die down. So far things were looking good, even after that dragon had been freed. He had his plan in motion, and nothing—_nothing_—was going to stop him!

But as the light and smoke faded, his sneer turned into a look of shock and surprise. His eyes widened and he gaped at the sight before him.

The _Destiny Star Drive_ had _saved_ the targets!

A bright glowing blue energy shield encased the targets and the intended sight of destruction, keeping them safe from harm. The ship's armor was battered and scorched from the battle, but it was surprisingly still intact from all the blows it had sustained.

"Impossible!" he cried. "No ship should have survived that attack!"

* * *

_Ground Zero_

**Back with the** Gundam Force, Shute and the others grinned. "All right!" Shute cheered as he pumped a fist. "Nothing can get through that shield!"

Rele nodded. "Yes. So far it has proven to be hard to get through."

"But that could change," Guneagle pointed out. "True it's very powerful, but it may have a weakness."

"He's right," Zero said. "We have to stay focused now."

"And it looks like Anderson's not gonna hold back!" Baku yelped, pointing in the direction of the ship.

Captain looked in that direction and zoomed in. "It seems that he's going to fire the ship's man cannons!" the Gundam exclaimed.

"And let's hope it does some major damage," Baku said.

* * *

_Ground Zero_

**Anderson focused his** will on the cannons mounted on the front of the ship, channeling energy into them. The two protrudences on the front opened up, much like flowers blooming open, to expose the barrels of the guns. Already glowing balls of energy charged up inside them and the vessel shuddered with the unreleased power.

"TAKE THIS!" he roared. "DESTINY STAR CANNON!"

The cannons roared at the exact same instant, the force of the beams propelling the ship back a few meters. The two beams arrowed right for the fortress, slamming into the cannon and cracking it a bit. The explosion that occurred as a result of the impact made the entire fortress shudder under the blow.

The group beneath him bolted as fast as they could, their charge running with them, all four legs pounding at the ground. Anderson returned his focus back to the battle and engaged his engines, darting to the side and firing off a slew of missiles that struck the fortress itself and caused some of the armor to fall off.

"_How dare you!_" Cypher roared over the comm.

"How? Well, here's how!" Anderson screamed. "DESTINY STAR CA—" Before he could finish the attack, however, an explosion from another Zako bomber force caused him to shudder and nearly go into a nosedive. It was only because of his quick reaction time that he stopped himself from spiraling out of control.

Anderson growled and brought several turrets around to fire at them. "Stay outta this!" he snapped.

The lasers struck the bombers and blew them up just in time.

"DESTINY STAR CANNON MAXIMUM!" Anderson cried.

* * *

_Ground Zero_

**The explosion rocked** the fortress, making Cypher hiss in pain as several wires sparked. "Damnit!" he growled. "That fool is really stubborn and determined to never let me win!"

He clenched a fist and focused on the missile launchers scattered around the fortress's exterior. He watched as they fired and exploded against the ship itself, along with a few other ground forces for the Federation.

When the smoke faded, however, he was more than just enraged. He was _furious_! He cried out in rage and anger. Why wouldn't they just _die!_

He had to speed things up. But at this rate, they would destroy him. He had to retreat for now.

* * *

**President Warren and** all the other combatants noticed the fortress retreating back to the Dark Axis home dimension. "Follow that fortress!" she barked into the comm. "We're going after it! This time, we're bringing the fight to them!"

A rousing cry went up at this. President Warren grinned and shouted out the order. "Open the spacebridges!"

* * *

_Ground Zero_

**The spacebridges opened** just as the Federation forces followed the retreating Zako soldiers. A few other portable generators were activated, opening up smaller gateways for those not on tanks or unable to clamber into halftrack vehicles. A few trucks followed after them while the _Destiny Star Drive_ opened a bridge of its own and everyone fighting went through. The only ones who remained behind were the Federation leaders.

This time, they decided, it was best to remain behind.


	131. Final Battle! Federation VS Dark Axis 4

Chapter 4

"Zako!" A frightened Zako dropped its gun just as a massive spacebridge, much larger than anything it had ever seen, opened up and pouring out of it came the entire Federation Army backed up by the _Destiny Star Drive_ and the Gundam Force.

This was it. The Dark Axis' Armageddon had finally arrived.

All the Federation soldiers began firing on any and all Zakos that stood in front of them, mostly because of how insatiable their appetite for revenge was. The Dark Axis soldiers began to fire back at the invading army, but the numbers seemed to hold in the Federation's favor. They opened up with all their weapons, blazing at the Zakos as they fled for the safety of the concentration camp remains.

A few starfighters opened up with their laser guns, shooting bright beams of energy right for the fleeing Zakos. Only one or two Zakos survived the deadly assault.

It was inevitable that the Federation would come. As he watched from the fortress, Cypher narrowed his eyes. "How is it that they know what's coming?" he hissed.

He had no idea as to what to do now. Except for one thing.

Now how to capture the human…

* * *

**The thing the** Federation forces least expected was for the fortress to let loose such a devastating barrage with every weapon it possessed. They ducked behind tanks, rubble from the camps, etc. in an attempt to keep themselves safe. In the air, however, the _Destiny Star Drive_ somehow managed to evade the majority of the shots with its incredible speed and agility. Anderson was now desperate to avoid being hit in the engines and/or wings so he could remain in the fight.

But something else was also nagging at him. It felt like a small voice was telling him to attack the main fortress for some odd reason. Growling to himself, he questioned why.

And he got a response in the form of a barrage of lasers.

He dodged to the side, relying on his armor to keep him safe, in addition to his speed. The ship's armor took the brunt of the attacks, gaining only scorch marks and scratches. He released a barrage of his own, aiming right for the center of the Dark Axis fortress.

And that's when it happened.

To Anderson's immense surprise, something shot out of the fortress, streaking past him and right for the Gundam Force…

And Shute.

"SHUTE! LOOK OUT!" Anderson screamed.

Shute looked up…

But it was far too late.

The tractor beam slammed into him and he screamed, his kakugane deactivating, leaving him in his human form.

A rush of blackness overcame him and the boy blacked out on the spot.

* * *

**"NO!" Anderson roared.** "YOU WILL NOT GET HIM!" He powered up the Destiny Star Cannon and let loose with a full power beam. The lasers streaked through the eternal twilight of the Dark Axis home dimension, homing in on the center of the fortress again.

It struck home just as the tractor beam drew Shute's still form into the smoke.

"SHUUUUTE!" Anderson screamed. "HOLD ON!"

But he didn't hear anyone…

* * *

_Shute stirred ever so slowly. He vaguely recalled the others and himself fighting against the Dark Axis and winning, but then he blacked out when a tractor beam struck him…_

_That got him. He suddenly snapped awake, his eyes flying open. Shute sat up instantly, rubbing his eyes and looking around._

_He saw that he was lying underneath a few trees, but something was different. These trees were a bit older, and they looked battle-scarred._

_Shute got to his feet and started calling out his friends' names. "Kicker? Meisha? Guys? Hello? Can anybody hear me?"_

_No one answered his calls._

_He lowered his hands from around his mouth, confused. What had happened, and where was he? Shute began to walk through the woods, his hand clenching around his glue gun. "Hello?"_

_No one answered. Shute kept walking until he saw something beyond the brush. He laughed a little and ran forward, bursting through it and right into the remains of a war zone._

_His eyes widened in shock and horror at the sight._

_All around him were remains of the TCDA complex and Earth Command itself. Ruins and debris stuck up from the charred earth and melted pavement. Bombed out shells remained standing tall like statues of the past. The defenses were slagged, as were the energon grid generators. The _Titanic_'s remains stuck up from the man-made lagoon and the carrier's ruins were scattered everywhere near the dry dock. The spacebridge was totaled, leaving nothing remaining._

"_What…" Shute took a step forward, unable to believe so much destruction could be wrought on Earth Command. All the advanced engineering had proven useless after all?_

"_What happened here?" he whispered, his voice filled with shock._

"_Wait…" A familiar voice echoed from behind him, startling the boy. He turned, his hand flying for his kakugane. The speaker emerged from the brush, revealing him to be Kicker Jones. His eyes were different, however, and he looked like he had aged ten years. Kicker narrowed his eyes for a moment before he recognized the kid. "Shute? Is that you?"_

_Shute rubbed his eyes before spoke. "Kicker? What happened? And why are you older all of a sudden?"_

_Kicker sighed. "Well, I guess this is to be expected, considering how long the war's been raging for now."_

"_Wait. What's going on here?" Shute asked._

_Kicker opened his eyes and looked Shute in the eyes. "Shute, after you went missing, we lost the war."_

_That struck something with the boy. "What? We lost the war?" he exclaimed. "But then, why isn't everything in the image the Dark Axis wanted?"_

_Kicker shrugged. "I don't know myself, but the Dark Axis overcame even us. The gained the power of the Superior Dragon and even the power that we needed to overcome them. How…I'm not sure how Cypher did it."_

"_But what about the others?" Shute asked._

_The pilot looked down. "They're no longer the same people, Shute. No one is any more. Sayla betrayed us, T.J. was killed, and the rest of us are now forced to live in the wreckage of our home. As for the leaders, they died in the fighting, and Anderson was converted to their views, along with the Gundam Force."_

"_So…no one is left?" Shute asked, stunned._

_Kicker shook his head. "No. No one else is left. Sorry."_

_Shute stepped back, unable to comprehend this. "But… But how? The Intergalactic Federation is unstoppable!" he cried. Tears shimmered in his eyes. "What about Neotopia?"_

_Kicker stepped closer to the boy. "It was bound to happen. Neotopia also fell, I'm afraid." He looked down at the ground beneath his feet. "It's the destiny of everyone here to serve the Dark Axis. No matter how hard we try, we can't fight it. We were so foolish as to believe that we had the power to choose our own destinies!" he hissed._

_Shute shook his head. "No…NO! This can't be the future!" he cried, memories of Zeong's future illusion coming back to him. He turned and dashed out of the area, running through the ruins of the TCDA campus and towards Earth Command._

* * *

**The blast was** strong enough to blow open a part of the main fortress. The shrapnel, debris and rubble rained down all around them as thick dark smoke curled up from the damaged point. But during that time, something had happened that forced the Federation to make the choice to take the fateful plunge to victory. The faint scream had been drowned out by the roar of the flames, so they had no idea until it was way too late.

_We're so far apart but you feel so close_

_My loneliness will turn to strength as I think of you_

The smoke began to clear as the light faded from the raging fire. Everyone was incredibly wary as they kept firing on the massive structure, the beams of the lasers and the missiles streaking through the smoke and fading beyond their sight. The forces of the organization were unaware of the captive until the smoke cleared when a passing fighter jet sped through the smoke, blowing it aside like a curtain.

Private Lance Yuko was only involved in the fighting for five months, so he was aware of the dangers, but he was still adapting to the new technology that the Federation had incorporated. He was a small man, only twenty-five years of age and barely a year out of boot camp, with green eyes and blue-black hair. But he was very determined and willing to see the Federation achieve victory.

So when the smoke was cleared enough, he noticed something odd about the Soul-Drive as it was exposed to the Federation forces. He narrowed his eyes as he struggled to make out the small figure writhing inside. "Damn! It's too far!" he murmured.

Private Yuko grasped the high powered binoculars around his neck and raised them to his eyes. He peered through them and increased the magnification to maximum.

What he saw stunned him.

_The town, its people, their dreams… will all change with time_

_I just went against it_

Fear and shock flooded through his body as he reached a shaking hand up to the communicator he wore underneath his combat helmet. He pressed the transmit button, but since he was a noob to Federation communications gear, he wasn't aware that it was on an open comm. He intended this to be private—only for the President's ears. But due to his lack of understanding, this would serve as the stimulant needed to drive them forward.

"President Warren…" His voice was filled with absolute fear as he spoke. It was infectious, his fear. It worked its way into the minds and hearts of every combatant on the Federation's side. Several warriors and soldiers lowered their weapons as he spoke the three words that no one had ever expected to hear in all their time knowing and fighting alongside the Gundam Force.

"Shute's…been captured."

That did it.

Silence echoed on all the communications channels. No one even dared to move or speak because they thought it was a mistake in wording. They waited, tense.

Out on the battlefield itself, it was a whole other story. For the briefest of instances, both sides stopped fighting. The Dark Axis hesitated for the smallest of moments before they resumed fighting. The Federation hesitated one second too long, but that single second was what changed the course of the battle in the Federation's favor.

_Even if you keep repeating my words_

_You won't understand_

_You still didn't know, huh?_

Time may seem to slow for some, and during that time some things can happen. But when the Federation hesitated that one second too long, many things happened at once. The realization of seeing Shute get captured struck home while the Dark Axis fired off a shot at them. One of the fighters took the laser to the leg and he went down, a laser burn on his right thigh. Also, the shock and horror of the implications of this became clear. The shock that Shute's emotional power could now be used to bring about the destruction of everything was the first thing that struck home. A low rumble began to build as the Federation forces let loose a cry of rage, anger, and hatred at the enemy. It was not just a battle anymore. It was a fight to save Shute's very life!

Cypher sneered as he looked at the images of the boy trapped inside the main Soul-Drive, and he laughed. "Nice try, Federation fools!" he purred. "But now I possess the boy's power. And that power…shall be your destruction!"

He threw back his arms and head, insane laughter echoing in his command center. He enjoyed this kind of power, knowing that one small human could change the very fate of existence and that it had all been the Gundam Force's fault that this was happening.

Not that they would have time to comprehend that fact anyway!

He sneered as he watched the Intergalactic Federation rallying their troops for a major assault. "I don't think so!"

He waved an arm. "Open up the communications channel! Let them hear their last warning before they fall!"

* * *

_In my lost dream, I wanted to hold only you_

_You said "Don't give up!"_

**Outside the battle** was about to get fiercer. Federation forces and armor moved into position as the commanders gathered for a conference regarding the tactical situation.

"Okay. Here's the deal," Captain Igor Jenson said. "Shute's been captured by the enemy and that means Doomsday's coming. But we can't give up. We need to win this one for the kid, and we'll free him no matter what it takes."

"But what about the Superior Dragon? That's what's worrisome to me," Sergeant Sarah Johnston said.

"The Dragon's been freed. The infiltration team managed to sever the link, but it wasn't enough. That last attack Link pulled weakened it somewhat, but around that time Anderson fired," Corporal Jacob Walker said.

"Yeah. And that means that Shute was nabbed."

"But isn't the Superior Dragon able to help us?" Lieutenant Anne Hunter asked.

"It's possible, but due to the effects of the link, the beast isn't as strong as we hoped," Jenson said grimly.

"So, in short, it's all up to us to save him," the lieutenant remarked softly.

Jenson nodded. "Yeah."

"Then let's stop dawdling and begin the attack already!" a broad-shouldered soldier yelled.

Jenson nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but then…

"_Attention all humans and other inferior life forms! This is David Cypher of the Dark Axis! I have contacted you to issue you a last warning and give you a chance to surrender and die quickly. If not, then suffer slowly while watching your precious little friend die by my hands!_" Cypher's voice boomed over the communications channels.

_We're so far apart but you feel so close_

_My loneliness will turn to strength as I think of you_

* * *

_At Earth Command…_

President Warren snarled in anger as she heard the terms. She punched the communications button and activated the system. "CYPHER!"

Her voice echoed across both battlefields, and Cypher looked up as visuals came online. "This will stop!"

"_Oh really, human? You think you can stop me? What kind of puny last minute plans will you use against me? HAH! Forget it! No matter what you do, you can't win!_" Cypher barked.

"And why not?" President Warren growled.

_Pierce my suffocating heart, that's part of my dream_

_Believe once again in the miracle of our meeting_

"_Because all humans and all inferior life forms don't know when to quit! And they don't know what's best for the universe!_" Cypher cried. "_Squabbling over resources! Fighting amongst one another! Trying to emphasize the differences while ignoring harmony! Polluting the atmosphere of different worlds with toxins! Tainting others with their filthy ideas of democracy and peace! Freedom has no place here! And it shall have no place in my new world!_"

"You don't get it! Humans and other races _do_ understand what it means to quit, and we are working towards eliminating all the bad things in the universe and elsewhere!" President Warren said. "Humans are indeed the species that can change the universe, but not for the worse! We're trying to change it for the better, and what do you do? You try to tell us otherwise! What makes you think that the type of justice you practice is much better than ours? _WE GIVE A DAMN FOR THOSE YOU DESTROY!_"

"_Hah! You want to know why my way is better? Because organics will be taught their place! They are meant to serve only us: the Dark Axis! And only_ we _can exist here in this realm! Not some pathetic mud-ball lead organization such as yourselves!_" Cypher's voice was filled with pure hatred for her and she clenched her fists. "_Only the Dark Axis can rule this universe!_"

"But what you're doing is wrong, and therefore we must stop you, no matter what it takes!" President Warren spat. She slammed her hands down on her desk.

_I have no motivation on days you're not here_

_But still, I go on_

"_Why are you so determined to overcome our might? We are unstoppable when compared to you!_" Cypher said angrily.

"_What you are doing is wrong!_" the President cried. Her eyes shimmered with tears of grief and rage as she screamed at him. "Killing organics because of all the flaws they have is not what is meant to happen! If you even take some time to consider what we do, then maybe you might get a goddamn idea of what we can do against you! Your sicko plans for the universe can't be carried out! Destroying and remaking it in your own image won't do you any good! No matter what, time and time again good always triumphs over evil! No matter what you do to change the universe! There will always be some who want to have freedom and democracy for the universe!"

"_That is precisely why I will eliminate those traits from organic scum when I remake this universe!_" Cypher sneered.

"We won't allow that to happen!" the President hissed.

"Try to stop me!" he purred.

With that, the communications shut down.

President Warren glanced at a screen showing an image of the Dark Axis fortress, the main Soul-Drive exposed. In the center was a small squirming form.

Shute.

The President gritted her teeth as she watched the image alter when other images of Shute appeared around the fortress. The boy's face was contorted in agony as Cypher began tormenting the kid in some way. She snarled and clenched her fists.

"Hold on, Shute! We're coming for you!" she murmured.

_There was meaning in the time we spent together_

_Yes, there definitely was_

* * *

_Back in the Dark Axis home dimension…_

Anderson stared in shock and amazement as the boy began to scream. He had never expected this in all his life, and he was enraged at Cypher for his treatment and his dreams regarding others. He had to be stopped.

His engines revved up to full as he engaged the fortress's defenses in an attempt to break through them. The shimmering light of Heaven's Spirit Mode encased him as he dodged and weaved around the lasers in a swift blur of silvery white.

"SHUTE!" Anderson cried. "HOLD ON! WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!"

Cypher's laughter echoed over the comm systems of everyone there. "_Face it, you pathetic worms! The boy is now mine! And your destruction is finally assured!_"

Suddenly, to their surprise and horror, a huge energy wave erupted off the fortress, throwing everyone back and shorting out some of the radios and communications equipment. A few soldiers nearly went into the acid pits, but thanks to some quick thinking on the part of the fighter pilots, they were able to be saved.

Anderson was tossed as well, pain searing through his systems and superstructure. He grunted as he righted himself using his engines. As before, the engines shot out flames and produced the thrust necessary to right himself before the mighty vessel fell into an acid pool.

_By granting several wishes, we'll meet by chance again_

_And coincidence will turn into fate!_

"SHUTE!" Anderson charged right at the fortress, his engines screaming loudly. As he did so, he charged up the most powerful move he had: the SpaceWarp. The familiar twisting sensation came over him and the cannons fired, sending the gravity-intensified beam arrowing toward the fortress' defenses. But Cypher cackled as suddenly a massive dark energy barrier enveloped the fortress, shielding the leader of the Dark Axis and his hostage from harm.

The beam slammed headlong into the barrier, causing it to waver as a black hole was opened up right on the spot. The small distortion grew larger and larger until the event horizon encompassed the entire barrier. But to their surprise, the fortress and barrier were still intact! Anderson upped the power to the particle accelerator located deep within the ship's hull, but it wasn't enough. And with so many forces there, he couldn't use it full force…unless it was for the backlash alone.

And he was gonna do it.

The black hole suddenly increased in gravitational pressure until it was hovering at the point of no return. Anderson then shut down the accelerator, thus terminating the beam. Without the immense power of the accelerator, the black hole wavered before erupting in a flash of energy and power that sent the fortress reeling backwards due to the sheer force of the impact.

* * *

**Cypher narrowed his** eyes and growled. "TAKE THIS!" he roared. He powered up the cannon and let loose with a devastating barrage of dark energy, right for the _Destiny Star Drive_ itself.

_Even if the promise is broken, and the vows change_

_When we first met at that place_

_Will we return to that?_

* * *

_Shute ran through the ruins of Earth Command, tears streaking down his cheeks. "This is a fake!" he muttered to himself over and over again. "It's like what Zeong showed me, only worse! It's a fake future!"_

_But as he ran, he saw many familiar faces, all of them either dead or dying right before his eyes. He shook his head and kept running. "Get a grip!" he hissed._

"_Now, time to die!" a voice cried. Shute suddenly yelped and spun on the spot, his hand flying for his kakugane. He clenched his fist around it, but to his surprise, it wasn't there! He gasped as the form landed, revealing Sayla herself. Like Kicker she was ten years older, but she now wore armor indicative of the Dark Axis. Her eyes glinted menacingly as she held out her gun._

"_Die, organic scum!" she roared._

_Shute yelped and dove behind an overturned truck just as the lasers streaked overhead. He turned and peeped up, only to pull back just as a grenade exploded too close to him for comfort. He groped for a weapon, any weapon, and his hand found a piece of pipe and an old rifle. Shute grabbed them both and pulled them close to him. He set the pipe up against the truck and peeped up over the edge of the vehicle, his eyes searching for Sayla._

"_HAH! DIE!" she screamed. Shute yelped and dove aside, grabbing onto the pipe as he did so. He hefted the rifle and aimed it, pulling the trigger as he did so. The lead bullets sped out of the rifle, impacting the ground around Sayla as she laughed and dodged to the side. Shute spun as she lashed out with a kick, disarming him of the rifle. He brought up the pipe in his hands like a staff, but she had converted her right hand into her signature energy blade, only now it was pure black. She slashed with her sword, cutting the pipe in two. Shute gulped and braced for the worst._

_Your dear face reflects "kindness"_

_I can tell even with my eyes closed and without touching it_

"_ENERGIZER BLAST!"_

_A familiar blast of white energy cut across the devastated complex, penetrating through Sayla's next attack and causing it to explode._

_Shute glanced up, and stared in shock at Kicker now in Matrix Mode._

"_Run!" Kicker screamed._

"_But why?" Shute asked._

"_Just go! I'll hold her off!"_

"_NO!" Shute cried. "I won't!"_

"_I know her tactics and I'm the only one who can keep up with her!" Kicker snapped._

"_DIE, HUMANS!" Sayla roared. She leapt up into the air and slashed with her sword, unleashing a black shockwave at them._

"_ENERGY PULSE!" Kicker shouted. He fired off a set of energy pulses, causing the shockwave to explode._

"_Why are you helping me?" Shute asked, now confused._

"_This isn't real!" Kicker snapped. "This is not the future that we fought for. I can see that now!"_

"_Just die!" Sayla cried._

"_Why does she keep saying that?" Shute asked._

_Kicker didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed the boy and dove to the side as she slammed her sword into the ground where they had been mere seconds ago._

_The two went rolling right into a pile of rubble, scrapes and dings appearing on Kicker's armor and Shute's skin. Kicker sat up, groaning. He uncurled his arms from around the boy. "Look. Just trust me. This isn't even real, okay? So run!"_

_Kicker shoved Shute out of the rubble and brought up a shield instantly to block Sayla's blade, but it proved to be too late. Her blade drove home, right through the armor and the Energizer Matrix, and into Kicker's heart._

_His eyes widened in shock before he died right on the spot._

"_NO!" Shute cried. "This isn't real! IT'S NOT REAL!"_

_He turned and ran for it, dodging and weaving through the ruins and rubble just as Sayla's laughter echoed across the complex remains._

_Tears were now streaming down from his eyes as he collapsed right in front of Earth Command Central, his shoulders shaking with sobs. He broke down on the spot, crying for the first time in a long time. He didn't even hear the voice from behind him until it was too late._

* * *

Outside in the battle, Kicker and his friends were fighting with everything they had to save the universe from domination at the hands of the Dark Axis, but it was proving futile. Cypher's power had skyrocketed, almost to unheard of limits. And he was driving them back towards Earth Command.

However, they weren't going without a major fight. The tanks blazed back with everything they had, merging their shells with the lasers of the incoming Zako bombers, troops, and the fortress itself. The power that they were unleashing was much more than some of them could stand, and almost instantly squads began to surrender in large numbers, but not substantially like they had hoped.

Shute's sanity was now in the balance and they needed to get the upper hand again, but with the limited power boost the _Destiny Star Drive_ was receiving, it wasn't enough. As they glanced up at the images every now and then, they could only wonder what Cypher was showing Shute.

* * *

_Shute spun, his eyes widening as he heard the voice he recognized. "Well, Shute. It has been a while," the childish voice purred._

"_You!" Shute snapped, pointing a finger. "I remember you! You showed me that fake future from Zeong!"_

_The boy in front of him shook his head. "That wasn't a fake future, and neither was this one. They both were real," the anti-Shute said._

"_No! It wasn't!" Shute hissed. "I know it!"_

"_Nice try. But it wasn't fake. The futures that you have seen are indeed going to pass. And there is nothing anyone can do about it," Anti-Shute purred. "The human race has always been meant to serve the Dark Axis. No matter what those others say, it is true."_

"_What?" Shute's eyes widened as he spotted the same darkness forming on his body. "NO!" He tried to push the substance off, but it wouldn't go. Instead, it seemed to spread at his mere touch. He was now becoming desperate. "Not again!"_

_His evil opposite smirked. "In seconds, you will become nothing more than a mere memory and your friends will no longer be burdened by you!"_

"_I am not a burden to my friends!" Shute cried._

_The darkness continued to spread over his body, encompassing all that he was, including his very soul. He tried to fight it, but it was no use. It wasn't possible._

_Suddenly, a searing pain unlike anything he had ever experienced cut through and across his body. It felt like his very soul was being ripped from his body and fading into a no-man's-land between life and death. It was so intense that he couldn't keep in his screams and they raged around as darkness began to envelop them both._

_Shute screamed as the evil version of himself came closer. His evil opposite smirked, the pain of his spirit fading out growing more and more intense. "That's right. You no longer exist," Evil Shute purred._

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

"_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

"_AAAAAAAAAAH!"_

"_So long, Shute. And soon, I shall take your place!" the opposite crowed._

"_No…" Shute doubled over, and closed his eyes. "It can't end like this…"_

* * *

_You won't find any answers by turning away from tomorrow_

_In order to meet you I will repeat_

_The reality known as "today"_

The battle was now raging near the spacebridge, becoming more and more desperate. The images in the darkened barrier began to fade to show Shute trapped inside the main Soul-Drive. And the images they saw shocked them all.

They showed Shute covered in darkness, a transparent image of himself being torn free from his body and beginning to fade. Then the realization came home to all of them that Shute was losing more than his life: he was losing his very mind. That realization stirred something within the fighters and prompted them to a whole new level of combat. A fighting fire had flared into life within each of them, and it showed itself in their eyes, along with their efforts and combined might. The Federation forces began to fight even harder, pushing themselves beyond their limits and relying on adrenaline to keep them in the fight.

As they fought, Anderson banked around and fired off a few more shots from the Destiny Star Cannon right at the barrier, hoping to get it to break. His beams struck it again and again, each time causing the barrier to get even weaker.

"Hold on, Shute! We're coming for ya!" he cried.

In the air, Kicker, Meisha, and T.J. all combined their powers into one. "HANG ON!" they shouted.

"We're not giving up on you!" Sayla roared.

"We're all in this with you!"

"Hold on a bit longer!"

"We'll get you out of there! I promise!"

Their cries echoed around the battle zone. But Cypher, upon hearing them, laughed. "_Fools! He can't hear you, and it's useless! Now his very energy belongs to me!_"

"Not for long!" Anderson snapped.

* * *

**Captain stared in** pure shock and absolute horror at the sight of his best friend trapped in the main Soul-Drive. He vividly recalled the final battle against Zeong and of what Shute had gone through during that time. He didn't want the boy to go through that again, and he would do _anything_ to save him.

He closed his eyes and began to focus his energy. He remembered all the times they had together, and of the adventures they had been through with the Federation. He drew on those memories and on the bond he had with Shute. His Soul-Drive began to rev, the energy beginning to coalesce into it, becoming more and more focused like when he fought Zeong.

The energy began to flow throughout his body, boosting his overall physical reflexes and power. Some of it channeled into his flight thrusters, spreading into the golden wings he remembered. He opened his eyes and the aura of light overcame him. "Shute, we're coming!" he cried, engaging his engines.

_We're so far apart but you feel so close_

_My loneliness will turn to strength as I think of you_

_Pierce my suffocating heart, that's part of my dream_

_Believe once again in the miracle of our meeting_

* * *

_Shute cried out as the pain increased. He doubled over, and he closed his eyes. There was no hope now. And he knew it._

"_Heheheheheheheh. That's right. Fade out."_

I don't think so!_ The new voice was intense, and…familiar…_

"_Huh?" Evil Shute's eyes narrowed as he stared at a small light coming from in the boy's body. The light suddenly flared, becoming more than just a light. It slowly took on a shape. A shape…that made him stare in amazement. Rather than the SDG sigil, like before, a new shape had appeared. This shape was a glowing world, with a red Autobot sigil on it and twin rings crisscrossing in an X formation with the words Intergalactic Federation scrawled across it. But with a new addition: a single gold V-fin behind it._

_Enraged, he suddenly charged at his double, but his body slammed into the barrier, and he was pushed back._

_He gasped as the boy's color returned._

_Shute, however, was feeling something new. A sensation of being liberated and his entire body began to fill with a new feeling. In his mind, he could hear voices. The voices of all his friends and the Federation cheering him on._

"_Hold on!" President Warren shouted._

"_We're coming, Shute! Just hang on!" Seto called._

"_We're here all the way!" Mokuba blurted._

"_We're behind ya all the way, son!" Scourge shouted._

"_Hang on! We're coming!" Override yelled._

"_We're gonna get you out!" Mimi called._

"_Don't give up hope!" Famous yelled._

"_Help's on the way!" Sandra shouted._

"_This is where you can show us your true power, Shute!" Metroplex cheered._

"_Just hang on a while longer!" Cassie shouted._

"_Keep holding on! And keep fighting him!" Steven called._

"_Everyone's giving their all, Shute! Hold on!" Ciel shouted._

"_Shute, we will keep fighting and get you out!" Zero snapped._

"_Just hold on a while longer, Shute! This is where you can make a stand!" O'hari yelled._

"_We're all here to help! So keep fighting!" Shie-rae yelled._

"_The Renegades are here, as well as everyone else!" Gene yelled._

"_Hold on, kid!" Evac shouted._

"_We're here for you, no matter what!" Melfia shouted._

"_Keep fighting! You are a warrior, Shute!" Suzuka called._

"_We know you can!" Jim shouted._

"_Help's out here for you!" Aisha blurted._

"_Shute, just remember! We're all here, and we won't leave you. Not now, not ever!" Kibo hissed._

"_There's a time for giving up, and it's not that time! So don't give up!" Yugi snapped._

"_Keep fighting, Shute! We know you can!" Tea yelled._

"_Just hold on! No one's leaving you!" Mai screamed._

"_Don't let him brainwash you!" Joey hissed._

"_There's no way we'll stop until you're free!" Serenity cheered._

"_Hold on! We know you got the guts, kid!" Tristan hollered._

"_This is where we know you can succeed!" Roland yelled._

"_Hold on, son! We'll get you free!" Senator Truesdale called._

"_Hang on, Shute! Everyone's here to help!" Optimus yelled._

"_And that includes the Autobots!" Jetfire chimed._

"_So hold on! We're here for you!" Primus cried._

"_We'll fight to the end to save you!" Dr. Regal yelled._

"_Hold on and keep your faith!" Sh'boni cried._

"_Giving up is not an option!" Dartz hissed. "So don't quit!"_

"_Hold on for us, and we'll get you out!" Dr. Hikari cried._

"_Primus, we're all going full force for you!" Powerglide yelled._

"_Shute! Show that you are a warrior!" Kibaomaru cried._

"_Show him how strong you are!" Haganamaru called._

"_Keep fighting until you win!" Mokinmaru yelled._

"_Blast him back to where he came from!" Kijuumaru shouted._

"_Send him and his ways back to the next dimension!" Bakuhamaru cried._

"_Shute! Hang in there!" Genkimaru cheered._

"_Shute! Don't give up!" Sayla shouted._

"_Don't let him get to you! We know you can do it!" Zane snapped fiercely._

"_Hold on! We'll get you free!" Baston cried._

"_Help is on the way!" Jaden yelled._

"_We're coming for you!" Syrus cried._

"_No matter what, Shute! We're not leaving you just yet!" Blare screamed._

"_Everyone's going for it, Shute! We're not leaving you to that creep!" Kicker yelled._

"_Just hold on! And never give up!" Meisha screamed._

"_We're here for you!" T.J. added._

"_Keep fighting, Shute!" Coby shouted._

"_C'mon! You can do it!" Lori cheered._

"_Show him the real power of humanity's will!" Bud screamed._

"_Don't let him mess with your mind!" Vega shouted._

"_Keep fighting and hold on!" Michelle cried._

"_We know you can! We're cheering for you!" Mike shouted._

"_And everyone's giving it their all for you!" T.K. cheered._

"_We're here to back you up!" Bakunetsumaru cried._

"_Shute! We're here to help!" Zero the Winged Knight shouted._

"_Never surrender! Keep fighting!" Rele cheered._

"_Never give up! And never forget! We're here for you!" Guneagle yelled._

"_Shute! Hold on! We're coming!" Captain cried._

_Hundreds of voices resonated out from the sigil, stirring something deep within Shute. The resolve to keep fighting on. "DON'T GIVE UP, SHUTE! WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!"_

"_Everyone…I can hear you…"_

* * *

**_Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered  
And there's nowhere to turn_**

Around the fortress, the battle was getting fiercer. Shute's life was at stake, and everyone was willing to do whatever they could to save Shute, short of suicide missions, of course. The pure energy of Cypher's attacks was great enough to keep them down, but somehow they still managed to deal significant blows to the Dark Axis fortress itself.

Already one of the spikes was badly damaged and thick black smoke was curling skyward into the eternal twilight of the Dark Axis home dimension. Flames licked at a second spike, and the third was beginning to become warped as the Destiny Star Drive sped around it and lasers came too close to it.

"SHUTE! WE'RE COMING!" everyone cried as one.

**_You wonder how you keep going  
Think of all the things that really mattered_**

**_And the chances you've earned_**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The light from the ship suddenly flared from the stark white of the usual legendary powers to the purest white light possible, a white only found in Heaven's armored angel attack forces. The Intergalactic Federation had gone above the power of Earth, and tapped into the very power of Heaven itself, a feat that no mere third-rate power could do. They were far beyond third-rate. They were even beyond legendary.

"_NOW! ENGAGE THE CANNON!_" President Warren yelled over the comm.

"Right!"

**_The fire in your heart is growing_**

**_You can fly, if you try leaving the past behind  
Heaven only knows what you might find_**

The twin protrudences flared as the wing-like extensions on the ship's regular wings suddenly changed shape from dragon-like skeletal wings to the purest white feather-like extensions possible. They slowly grew in number, until they were covering the rear of the wings and winglets, making them seem like angel wings rather than dragon wings. The light from the ship changed from stark white to pure angel white as well, merging with it. The logo on the front changed from the usual Federation sigil to a set of angel-like wings in the back of the planet Earth, the Autobot sigil a pure golden color and the words written in pure sky blue. The red line changed to pure sky blue and the silver portions changed to pure angel white while the sky blue parts became golden. The golden parts morphed into silver, completing the transformation. The last thing to change was the name itself. It changed from _Destiny Star Drive_ to a ball of pure energy before morphing to the words _Angel Star Drive_, flashing once afterwards.

The points of the protrudences suddenly opened and the cannons themselves were revealed, shuddering under the incredible power of the energy coursing into them. The orbs of energy were ever changing colors, the lightning coursing along them a pure angel white: the mark of the power of Heaven.

"CYPHER! TIME FOR YOUR DESTRUCTION!" Anderson roared.

"_Never!_" Cypher barked.

"_Then get ready to be defeated, Cypher!_" President Warren snapped.

**_Dare - dare to believe you can survive  
You hold the future in your hand_**

"_Give it your best shot!_"

Now, even though the Federation forces were split between two different dimensions, and there was no way those back on Earth even knew what was going to happen, somehow everyone stationed there, including the allies and the rest of the universe, knew what was coming.

The _Angel Star Drive_ engaged its engines and sped right for the fortress.

"NOW! LET'S GO!" President Warren screamed.

"**_HEAVEN'S SPIRIT CANNON!_**"

The powerful beams fired as one, streaking away from the vessel and arrowing right for the main Soul-Drive.

"_Fools! It's useless!_" Cypher screamed.

The beams struck the Soul-Drive, unleashing an incredible explosion of energy and light and sound as the shockwave spread outward, killing many Dark Axis soldiers, but knocking back the Federation troops and sending several tanks rolling onto their turrets. One tank rolled over completely and nearly went over the edge of the rock, but it somehow got wedged in place, halting its plunge into the acid pits below.

Cypher cackled as he drew on Shute's power, only to be stopped by something.

* * *

**_Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive  
It's time to take a stand  
And you can win, if you dare_**

"_We…will...never…be…defeated!" Shute murmured. He slowly began to stand up, his body shaking as he did so. "We…will…never…be defeated!" Evil Shute stepped back in shock as the logo of the Federation began to fade and a soft golden light began to glow around the boy. He straightened himself up, and began to spread his arms._

"_We…"_

_The glow began to grow brighter._

"_Will…"_

_His soul began to burn with that familiar sensation of the fighting fire._

"_Never…"_

_His kakugane began to shine with the light._

"_Be…"_

_His head slowly began to rise._

"_DEFEATED!" Shute cried. He threw his arms and head back just as the golden glow erupted from both around his body and kakugane. The light from both enveloped his body and spread outward in a massive shockwave, changing his body from flesh to machine simultaneously while changing the scene around him. Evil Shute was thrown back by the force of the shockwave forcing him to start to fade._

**_Everybody's trying to break your spirit  
Keeping you down_**

_In rage, Cypher stepped in._

_Evil Shute's body began to glow with dark energy and morphed into the body of Cypher. The energy faded, revealing him in the clone's place._

"_What makes you say that, boy?" he asked harshly._

"_What makes me say that?" Shute asked from inside the light. "What makes me say that?" The light suddenly shattered, revealing a shocking sight. Shute was now in his Gundam form, his green eyes showing that familiar fighting fire._

_But what he really didn't expect was the light to suddenly erupt from the center of the boy's body and fill the area, recreating the destroyed school and the light fading to show the whole elite team of the future._

_It showed Sayla, no longer turned against her friends and standing there, laughing as Bakunetsumaru and Zero played shogi. The Musha's eyes bugged when Zero beat him, and both burst out laughing. Zane stood off to the side, watching with amusement on his face. His brother stood close by to his wife, Blare, as she played with their child. Jaden smirked as Shute and Captain looked at one another. Beside them stood Gerbera and Kicker, along with Meisha and T.J., now alive and well. Coby and his own wife, Lori, along with Bud, were located next to the window of the lobby, smiling. Vega, now married to Michelle, stood by his other two friends Mike and T.K while Guneagle smirked as he watched them. Baston leaned against the doorway and laughed as the knight waved his hand dismissively._

**_Seems like it's been forever  
But there's another voice if you'll just hear it  
Saying it's the last round  
_**

"_This! The Intergalactic Federation never gives up! You want to know why? Because they're determined to win, no matter what! When someone is in trouble, they give their all to rescue that person and they work together as a team to get the job done! No evil force, including you, can stop them! And it's you who will be defeated!" Shute spat. He pointed a finger at Cypher. "Now you don't exist! Let alone tell me what to do!" he snapped. Determination was etched on his face, and the righteous look was more than enough, along with the force of his will. Shute clenched a fist and unleashed a force of his will on his captor and tormentor._

"_GAAAAAAAH!"_

_Cypher was thrown back, his avatar fading from view. In its place was a lone Soul-Drive, rotating at a fast pace. Cypher's voice could be heard coming from it, somewhat distorted._

"_You'Re tOO late, huMAN! EvERyTHinG is At an ENd!"_

* * *

Shute's eyes snapped open, bringing him back to reality. "I don't think so!" he said. His fist clenched as he drew upon the faith and trust his friends had in him. His kakugane began to shine as it resonated with his fighting instincts. "Let's go!"

**_Looks like it's now or never  
Out of the darkness you stumble into the light  
Fighting for the things you know are right_**

"BUSO RENKIN!" he cried.

The familiar sensation of his body changing overwhelmed him, but just as quickly as it formed, it faded. His right fist was now glowing with the power of his Soul-Drive and he thrust it upward, a rainbow light suddenly shining forth from his Soul-Drive. The punch connected with the panel overhead, the pure raw power suddenly shorting out the imagers and psychoinfusers in one blow.

"HAAAAAAAH!"

* * *

While Shute was fighting off the influence of Cypher, outside, _the Angel Star Drive_ fired off a second, more powerful shot as the light from the main Soul-Drive changed from pure evil to a resonating heavenly array of colors. The gorgeous light was enough to get the attention of Anderson as he terminated the beam.

"This…this is impossible!" he murmured.

Cypher's face was etched with pure shock as the light began to shine even brighter. "_What's happening?_" he cried.

Anderson didn't know what was happening, but he guessed that it was something that Cypher couldn't comprehend, especially after the link with the Superior Dragon had been severed. He dodged a blast from the fortress as the guns continued to open fire on the forces coming forth from the spacebridge.

"EAT LASER!" he bellowed.

He charged up several of the turrets and fired a salvo of shots directly at the fortress.

Cypher, however, reacted much faster than any of them had anticipated and erected a barrier of pure dark energy. The blasts shattered against it in one fell swoop.

"NO!" Anderson roared.

**_Dare - dare to believe you can survive  
The power is there at your command_**

He charged at the fortress's shield, but Cypher wasn't about to let them win so easily.

"_Nice try, fools!_" he crowed. "_I still have the boy's negative emotional energy under my command!_"

"_Not for long!_" a voice bellowed over the comm. Anderson gasped when he recognized the voice as being that of Miss RAIMI.

"_WHAT?_" Cypher's eyes widened as the Gundamusai came careening out of the bridge, the engines firing full force, propelling the massive battleship through the air with incredible speed.

The Gundam-themed cruiser banked sharply, the ball-shaped gun housings coming to bear on the barrier of dark energy. Guns extended out from the housings and three golden-white lasers fired in sync. The beams homed in on the barrier and exploded against it, forcing the fortress to rock under the incredible power.

But even that wasn't enough to break through the barrier.

Cypher grinned evilly as he suddenly burst out laughing. "What?" Anderson stopped in his tracks, bringing the Angel Star Drive to a hover.

"_FOOLS! Did you think that it was only the boy's emotional energy I was after? No! I knew that the Superior Dragon wouldn't be enough to do you in, so I captured him, and now…his very life force is mine! His soul will break under my command, and I shall be unstoppable with all that unreleased power!_"

**_Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive  
It's time to take a stand  
And you can win, if you dare_**

"NO YOU DON'T!" Anderson roared, his fury reaching whole new levels. His anger and rage was channeled into the ship's energy, and the encouragement, determination, will, and drive of his friends further boosted his power. The ship's energy levels began to increase even further, climbing towards infinity and beyond even that. It was impossible, but it happened as the light from the vessel suddenly flared outwards, enveloping the mighty ship. The light from the wings began to spread outward, encompassing the mighty ship and becoming even brighter, other flashes of color becoming more and more visible.

Around the same time as Shute unleashed his Spirit Drive Punch, the Soul-Drive inside the ship flared brightly, releasing a golden glow so pure that it seemed to make the ship glow, as if lit by a fire within itself.

Cypher's eyes widened as he felt his hold on the boy terminated. He couldn't believe it! The boy was free? But how?

He gritted his teeth as he tried to reestablish control over the Soul-Drive, but for some reason, the psychoinfusers and imagers refused to respond.

"NO!" he cried. "This can't be happening! Not after how far I've come! _I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!_"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's happening, Cypher! Your time is up!" Anderson snapped as he fired up the engines. "Now…time for your DESTRUCTION!"

"_NEVER!_" Cypher screamed.

"**_THIS IS FOR SHUTE MARXWORTH!_**" Anderson roared.

The cry of hundreds upon thousands upon millions of voices echoed across the vast reaches of space. Somehow, someway, the whole universe knew what was at stake. It reached beyond the reaches and confines of time and space, and deep into the soul of the one they were trying so valiantly to save.

Shute's eyes flashed with the collective will and power of everyone there, and at the same time, Jaden felt this stir within his Soul-Drive, as did Captain, Kicker, and Anderson himself.

The screen suddenly flashed to show all five connected and he clenched his fist even tighter.

"HAH!" Shute thrust his fist up a second time and the entire fortress shook with the power. The Soul-Drive didn't shatter, but it did weaken somewhat. But that proved to be the key needed to win the war.

At the same time, Anderson's engines roared as he sped in closer, the heavenly energy beginning to glow around him as the two protrudences united into one. The drill began to spin at full power and the energy began to stream off the vessel as the ship drew closer to the fortress.

What happened next stunned everyone.

The _Angel Star Drive_ slammed headlong into the barrier, dark electrical energy suddenly discharging from the point of impact. The tip of the drill began to penetrate through the barrier, forcing Cypher to channel more of Shute's negative emotional energy into the barrier.

Cypher snarled in anger. Why weren't they running low on morale, power, and energy? They seemed to have an infinite amount of power, which was impossible, considering how no one had managed to create a power source with that kind of energy.

But to have such morale in the middle of what should be a hopeless battle was utterly impossible in all aspects. How could they not run out?

"CYPHER! TIME TO FOR YOUR DEMISE!" the five Soul-Drive holders cried as one.

Shute's fist glowed with heavenly power just as Jaden's fist glowed with the same energy. The _Energizer X_'s Matrix shone with the same power just as Captain's right fist lit aglow with the power of Heaven. Anderson's Soul-Drive shone the brightest though, the energy filling each and every one of the systems in the ship, boosting them to full power.

The bond of those involved was strong enough to connect them together through their Soul-Drives, enabling them to share the power of Heaven's Spirit Mode as one.

But the one that delivered the final blow was none other than Anderson himself.

Jaden thrust his fist forward as Captain did the same, Kicker firing off a blast of energy from his hands, Shute thrusting his fist upward, and the Angel Star Drive's powerful drill penetrating through the barrier happened all at the same time. The power combined was enough to shatter the barrier. The barrier fell into pieces as the energy that made it up dissipated in the light of the ship.

"NO!" Cypher shrieked.

"HEAVEN'S SPIRIT ANNIHILATION DRILL!" Anderson screamed out the name of the attack with all the fury and spirit he possessed. He wasn't about to let Cypher win this one!

And he didn't.

The mighty vessel careened headlong into the fortress's exposed Soul-Drive, the energy suddenly releasing waves of pain as it radiated throughout Cypher's body. Thanks to the connection he had established with the fortress, he was experiencing the damage as if it were his own. The power of the _Angel Star Drive_'s attack caused him to scream out in pain and agony as the energy kept pouring out of the ship. The energy was too much for him. The wires holding him and connecting him to the structure began to short as circuits within his body began to give.

It was as if he and the fortress were now one. Whatever was happening to the fortress was happening within his body. Corridors collapsing led to the destruction of circuits and wires; the destruction of the defenses led to deterioration of his armor; the glass being shattered meant that his false skin was being ripped to shreds. Sensors lost equaled eyes lost. It was unification between a structure and a living being of the highest order. But, the main Soul-Drive's exposure had also led to the exposure of a central gem located within Cypher's chest, hidden beneath his armor.

And it was this unification that led to Cypher's demise.

**_Dare - dare to believe you can survive  
You hold the future in your hand_**

As the _Angel Star Drive_ slammed into the main Soul-Drive, cracks began to appear on it just as they did on the gem in Cypher's chest. This caused him intense agony and pain. He screeched as it reached new heights.

Within the ship's power core the Soul-Drive flared, the energy suddenly spreading outward to the cockpit itself, light suddenly flaring within and taking on the form of two eyes that flashed with anger and rage as the ship suddenly sped away from the Soul-Drive of the fortress.

The _Angel Star Drive_ banked around and sped at the fortress again, startling Cypher with those eyes. He screamed in shock, rage, and pain as he realized what was happening. _The Federation_ was winning while _he_ was losing! It wasn't supposed to happen like that! "NO! YOU WILL NOT WIN THIS WAR!" Cypher screamed.

"Just try and stop us!" Anderson spat, his voice filled with determination.

"HAAAAAAAH!" Cypher channeled what energy he had managed to accumulate into his chest's gem and the Soul-Drive began to return to its darkened state as he released the negative energy into it for one final attack.

That also happened to inflict great pain on Shute. The boy's scream suddenly cut over the comms, and Anderson gasped in shock and horror. If that attack reached maximum power, then all was lost, and Shute would be killed.

**_Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive  
The power is there at your command_**

"_Stop this! Please!_" Captain pleaded over the comm.

"_Never!_" Cypher sneered. He wasn't about to back down now.

Captain clutched at his chest, feeling his Soul-Drive aching with incredible agony and pain. He couldn't believe that Cypher was this ruthless towards any of them, especially the organics. He glanced up at Anderson as the mighty ship banked around the fortress, firing its lasers in an attempt to avoid hurting Shute.

The AI was clearly determined; he could see that much. But how could he break through the Soul-Drive without killing Shute?

To Captain, it seemed impossible.

But then again, maybe it _wasn't_ impossible. The Federation had proven that time and time again. So maybe they _could_ save Shute! He didn't care of the odds were against them. The Federation could do anything, right?

Spurred by the renewed faith in them, he contacted Anderson over the comm.

"_Anderson…it's Captain!_" the Gundam rasped.

"Captain…what's going on?" Anderson asked.

"_Shute's…being killed as…as we speak!_"

Anderson gasped in shock. "You're joking!" he murmured.

"_No. I'm…I'm not_," Captain gasped.

"That's going too low!" Anderson said. "But what do you want me to do?"

"_Please…save Shute_," Captain murmured, his voice fading from the comm lines.

Anderson could take a wild guess as to what caused the Gundam to pass out: his connection with Shute had caused him pain great enough to force him to black out. The last words he had said beforehand echoed in his mind, and Anderson knew what had to be done.

He spoke directly to the Gundam, although he was out cold. "Don't worry, Captain. I'll save Shute. I promise."

**_Dare - dare to keep all your love alive  
Dare to be all that you can be_**

Those words alone were enough to shatter the last remaining barrier between the Destiny Soul-Drive and the Heaven's Core.

If one imagined the Heaven's Core on one side of a blue line and the Destiny Soul-Drive on the other, then one could understand the power that was kept at bay. But if one imagined a surge of power pushing against the barrier, then one could understand how much power was being drawn upon. And if one imagined the barrier shattering, then one got the full scale of how much power there was to be drawn upon and used for the right cause.

The flood of power into the _Angel Star Drive_ overwhelmed Anderson and nearly caused him to black out. It was unbelievable! The power he felt pouring into the ship was immense, and it gave him a sense of warmth, and…surprisingly, a new appreciation of life itself. The power itself was warm and it made every molecule in his body shiver in eagerness, ready to fight and win. It gave him a sense of power without the temptation that came with this kind of infinite power. This was the power that the Federation used in their actions and will.

The power…of light, life, and freedom itself!

Anderson let out a battle cry as he drew even more power from the Heaven's Core, channeling it into the very ship itself.

The light began to shine even more so, the energy becoming pure angel white with hints of blue and gold and silver around it, other colors thrown in. The ship's engines fired up to full atmospheric speed and the vessel became a streak of golden-white-blue-silver-red-orange-yellow-green-light blue-pink-purple-light green light as it charged headlong at the Soul-Drive just as a beam of immense purple and black energy fired right from the sphere itself. Cypher's eyes flashed purple as he screamed out his rage and hatred for them. The _Angel Star Drive_ kept going, but the protrudences united once again into their drill form and began to rotate at even higher speeds. The ship charged right into the beam, but the beam of evil energy didn't penetrate through the energy shield created by the _Angel Star Drive_'s charge. In fact, it seemed to part before the vessel as Anderson kept up his charge.

Cypher knew what was coming and tried to stop it by upping the beam, but it did little good.

"THIS IS THE END, CYPHER!" Anderson roared.

The screen suddenly showed the faces of everyone engaged in the battle, each on a different segment as they cried out as one.

"**_HEAVEN'S SPIRIT DEVASTATION CHARGE! ENGAGE!_**"

**_Dare - 'cause there is a place where dreams survive  
And it's calling you on to victory_**

The segments then split to reveal the _Angel Star Drive_ as suddenly two angel wings flared out from the sides of the ship and the energy in the front became almost like a dragon's face. The 'mouth' of the dragon opened up, revealing the drill as the energy from the enemy's beam kept parting before the vessel. It was amazing and breathtaking in its scope. Cypher upped the beam to maximum output, but that only served to increase the agony being inflicted on Shute. The poor boy's screaming got louder, but that only drove the Federation on even further. The scream of Shute's pain forced them to pour even more power into the _Angel Star Drive_'s already overwhelming power output, and that was enough to surpass even _Cypher's_ overwhelming power.

The vessel's engines screamed as the sonic boom occurred, going _full sublight speed right inside a planet's atmosphere!_ The sonic boom was of incredible proportions, the pressure wave striking the buildings and shattering the windows in one fell swoop. The structures moaned and swayed dangerously, but they didn't fall over, a tribute to the incredible structural integrity of the Federation's engineering. The full power of the Federation was now being directed at Cypher and his insane schemes for conquering other universes and dominating all of existence!

"YOU WILL RELEASE SHUTE NOW!" Anderson screamed. His voice roared over the complex as he increased his power output to the full energy of the Heaven's Core. The power gauge showing Cypher's power was already at maximum while the gauge showing Anderson's flashed blue, but then it changed to multicolored as a warning flashed.

The warning echoed in Anderson's mind, but he overrode it by shutting off the safety limiters. The ship's systems would have to be checked over, and some would probably have to be replaced, but it was worth it in the end, he knew.

And it was all for Shute.

The _Angel Star Drive_ slammed full force into the main Soul-Drive of the fortress, and that was the final blow! Pure agony and unrestrained pain raced throughout Cypher's body, making him cry out in pain and at the pure rage he felt towards these feeble organics. How could they have such power at their fingertips? It defied all logic, all reason, all meaning! How was it possible for them to be strong enough to overcome even his might? What was it that drove them to this point in time? WHAT WAS IT?

Anderson's cry of rage, hatred, grief, and determination matched that of Cypher, but without the hatred for all organics. Instead, it also was a cry of freedom, democracy, hope, and light. It embodied the spirit of the Federation and their very will and drive to do what was right!

The power of the Heaven's Core, the Destiny Soul-Drive, and the vessel itself merged into one, and the energy kept pouring out into the Soul-Drive as cracks began to slowly spread out over the surface. Cypher's chest gem began to crack as well, and his eyes widened in shock as he glanced down at it. "N-No!" he rasped. "I-It can't end like this!"

Anderson suddenly broke off, flying back around for the final charge. Cypher took the chance to fire the beam again, but this time at overmax, just like Anderson. The beam began to charge just as Anderson flew back around, the energy flaring off the vessel like streams of paint. Cypher charged it up until it was a single pulsating sphere of energy. He screamed as loud as he could while everyone in the organization put their faith in Anderson and the power of their dreams and hopes. Now the ship resembled a flaming arrow as Cypher got ready for his death blow. In the middle of this flaming energy, a transparent image of Anderson's human body appeared, his glowing right fist drawn back for the final blow.

The beam fired in a massive barrage of black and purple energy, seething with hatred and darkness as the _Angel Star Drive_ collided with it full force!

"NO!" Cypher roared. "I WILL NOT LOSE!"

"CYPHER! THIS IS IT!" Anderson cried.

The ship slammed headlong into the main Soul-Drive of the Dark Axis like a celestial arrow, penetrating through it in one clean shot. Cypher's chest gem shattered at the exact same time as the Soul-Drive did, and his eyes widened as the energy began to build up around him, a large orb of light, heat, and energy began to form around him and everything there. The Dark Axis fortress began to fade into the white, ever expanding orb of energy as other colors formed in the center.

The explosion was the most powerful one ever.

**_DARE!_**

It spread outwards in all directions, encompassing all worlds and organizations and star systems and galaxies. It was so powerful that anyone else using it would have destroyed all of existence. The Federation, on the other hand, didn't. But it _did_ give them a glimpse as to where the power came from, and how it was way different than they had expected.

During that single explosion, the two worlds had become one. Heaven and Earth had melded for the briefest of instances, and that showed how they were the same, not different. But at the same time, Vector Prime enacted the emergency law, revoking this occurrence, preferring it to happen at another time and place. The power of the Federation would, however, have far reaching implications and influence on those who witnessed the final battle that day.

Guneagle coughed as the light faded from around them. He opened his eyes, only to be greeted with a very chilling sight: the Dark Axis fortress was plummeting to the ground, many holes filling its exterior and fires raging in several of those holes. The main Soul-Drive was gone, and Cypher hung limply in the capsule used for the merging of his systems with those of the fortress. Guns were mangled, hangar doors were blown open, etc. But the most horrific thing was the fact that Shute was gone.

He glanced around fearfully. "Shute? SHUTE? WHERE ARE YOU!" he cried.

If Captain lost Shute… He didn't even want to think about it.

But he feared the worst for the boy.

At least until he heard something sounding like spacecraft engines.

His head shot up to look at the majestic vessel of the _Angel Star Drive_ as it hovered down, battle scars visible on the white of the hull, which was slowly fading back to silver. The gold returned to red, the sky blue returned to gold and the silver returned to sky blue. The name morphed back into _Destiny Star Drive_ and the wings of light returned, the image of the rings around the logo coming back into existence and the gold of the Autobot logo becoming red once more just as the words returned to sky blue coloring.

The shield was concentrated into the space between the protrudences, and Guneagle felt his Gunsoul leap into his throat when he recognized the tuft of brown hair. Was Shute…

Dead?

But then, to his immense relief, and the relief of everyone present, the boy stirred, sitting up and giving a weak thumbs up. His face was haggard and worn, but his eyes still sparkled with life and cheerfulness. Guneagle returned the thumbs up as tears streamed down his face.

They had won after all.

Despite all the odds, they had won against the Dark Axis, and saved Shute.

They had done it.

* * *

_A few days after the battle…_

Xenphyr adjusted the scanner and calibrated it as he smiled. The recent attempt to overcome Anderson and the Federation's power had caused Shute great pain and he worried that Guneagle might have been right: that Shute's life was now cut shorter because of what had happened.

Captain had woken up a few hours ago, and he too was worried. So was everyone else.

The scanner beeped a few times as it finished the scans, and a screen popped up, showing a 3D image of Shute's body. The levels of energy the boy had were up next.

But to their incredible surprise, his spiritual energy levels remained untouched!

He laughed a bit, realizing what had saved Shute's life. Ever since the battle had been won, Shute had been missing his kakugane, leading everyone to guess that it had been drained and lost as a result of the battle.

And it was true.

The medical officer glanced out the window and chuckled when he saw them all playing amongst the remains of the fortress which had crashed behind the complex and partly into the ocean. Surprisingly, there had been no explosion or debris, which didn't make much sense, but then again, some mysterious things happened in the Federation occasionally. And it was wise to make use of them.

Doing so always led to good things happening in the long term.

Such as this victory over the Dark Axis.

Shining scampered up to his father and laughed as he looked up into his eyes.

"Daddy! You were right! We did win!" the little Gundam chirped.

"Yeah. I told you we would," Xenphyr said, grinning as he picked up his son. "But…some of the fighting was pretty bad."

"How bad?" Shining asked.

"Very bad. I can't say how bad because of how young you are, but when you're older I'll tell you about the details, okay?" Xenphyr smiled at his adopted son.

"Okay, Daddy!" Shining chirped.

Xenphyr laughed as he tickled his son's stomach.

Yes, things were better in the long term.

And they knew it.


	132. Victory! The Gundam Force Goes Home

Chapter 5

The Dark Axis fortress ruins lay in the middle of the ocean near Earth Command, a reminder of what had nearly happened and of what it had cost in order to defeat them. President Warren stood on top of Earth Command Central, looking out at the ruins thoughtfully when she heard a familiar voice.

"Heather?"

She turned to face Seto Kaiba as he emerged from the elevator. "Oh, hey, Seto. What are you doing here?"

He walked up beside her and looked out at the fortress remains. "Hard to believe, isn't it?" he asked.

"What? That we won against a massive threat?" she asked.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. And it all began when we met the Gundam Force."

She laughed a little. "Yeah, it sure did. But, now that I think about it, wasn't there any other way we could've won?" she asked, becoming solemn.

Seto shook his head. "No. And you know it. The only way to win was through war, and we had to do it."

"But what about those that we lost, and those that died? Couldn't we have done something more?" President Warren asked.

He shook his head again. "Nah. There wasn't. We had to win. It was really the only option we ever had."

President Warren looked back out at the ruins of the fortress, her eyes fixed on them. "It's just that… It's so hard to explain what we went through in order to get this done. Couldn't we have done something else other than fight? I mean, all that loss, all those lives destroyed…" Tears pricked at her eyes as she closed them. "If only we had done something sooner."

Seto stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, it's okay. We won, even if it was by a very thin margin. We can't change the past. What has happened in the past is in the past. Even if we could, we wouldn't be able to influence the future the way we want to. There are just too many variables to consider when doing time travel. And that's why we can't, and won't do it."

"Because we could change the future into something that we don't want," she murmured.

He nodded. "Yeah. That's it."

He turned to face the fortress ruins with her, but kept one of his arms wrapped around her. "We won the war, so there's no need to worry. Everything's going to be all right in the end."

She looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, Seto. And yeah, things will be all right in the end. They sure will."

* * *

**Shute glanced out** the window of their shared TCDA dorm room, his eyes locked onto a single star in the clear night sky. That star, he knew, was home. Neotopia. And in just a few hours, he would be back at home with his family, and…the SDG. He smiled sadly, remembering some of the times they had had with their new friends, the Intergalactic Federation.

"Shute?"

The familiar voice he knew all too well cut into his thoughts and he turned, coming face to face with his best friend. "Captain…"

His friend looked up at the starry sky with those beautiful blue eyes. "We'll be home soon, Shute."

"Yeah. I know."

"Yes."

Silence filled the air between the two for a moment before Shute laid his head on Captain's shoulder, catching the Gundam's attention. A small smile crossed Captain's face and he ran a hand through Shute's hair gently.

"Hey, Captain…"

"Yes, Shute?"

"I…I kinda had something on my mind for a long time now…and…I think it's time you know."

"Know what, Shute?"

"How I really feel about you."

Captain saw where this was going and gently lay back on the boy's bed so that way the human was on top of him.

"Shute, I already know."

"Huh?"

"Ever since that incident on the _Titanic_, I wanted to tell you how _I_ felt, but I couldn't find the right words until now."

The human felt his friend's fingers crawling up his back and holding him close. Then, a strong, yet gentle hand worked its way down his back.

"Captain…?"

Captain merely smiled as he guided Shute's fingers towards his own waist armor and behind it, right towards the clasp. "Shute…I think you already know," he purred, his voice low and husky as he lightly teased Shute's hair with his other hand.

"But…I don't know…"

"Shute, it's okay."

In truth, even Captain was nervous, but he knew that his friend should know how he really felt for him.

Nervously, Shute undid the clasp and felt his friend's waist armor come free before he removed it, exposing the thinner layer of armor covering his private spots. He looked at Captain, wondering what came next.

What came next was the best part that he would always remember.

The moment between them both…his body was on top of Captain's strong frame, his arms wrapped around the Gundam's broad shoulders, his friend's Soul-Drive purring against his heart, which beat in time to the pulsing rotations.

It felt as if he were actually a part of his friend, and he was a part of him. Their bond had indeed grown from friendship to love. He could feel Captain's lips close over his own and something began to poke at his mouth before worming its way between his closed lips. He moaned in pleasure as Captain explored in his friend's mouth, tasting and probing every inch. Then, he lashed out with his own tongue, and a brief fight began, with Captain submitting and letting Shute into his own mouth. This time, it was Captain who let out a groan of pleasure and he let Shute explore his mouth.

Then, it passed and Shute lay on top of Captain, panting, a smile on his face. Captain too was panting, also smiling.

The human looked up into those beautiful blue eyes, and he smiled. "Captain…I…I love you."

"I love you too, Shute."

They now knew how they felt for each other, and had bonded on a new level, one that they themselves knew nothing about, just that it existed.

Then, Captain sat up, replacing his armor around his waist and Shute pouted. "It's okay. Maybe when we get back to base, okay?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

The two got ready for bed and fell asleep that night, falling asleep together for the first time in their lives.

* * *

_The next day…_

The entire battlefield was torn and the buildings of Earth Command were full of the scars of war. The guns were battered and bore scorch marks from the lasers and fire caused by the explosions. A few sparks flew feebly from the generators, their damage becoming more apparent in the slowly rising sun. Cracks laced the windows and the streets were full of craters from the explosions caused by lasers and grenades. Some buildings bore holes that had been created by bombs, and a few rivulets of blood, energon, and mech fluid filled the streets, but to a much lesser extent. Only two buildings had collapsed; the rest still stood as the sun finally broke over the horizon, throwing its welcoming rays on the devastated complex.

President Warren glanced at the sight and up at where the fortress had once hovered. It seemed impossible that they had survived, but they had. Somehow, someway, the force of the explosion had not destroyed all of existence. It was almost as if someone had created an impenetrable barrier around the whole universe, shielding them from the horrific results she had known would come. It was hard to believe, but it was true. They had survived, even if by some unknown miracle.

"President Warren?"

She turned to face Seto, who, like all the others, was injured in combat. His hair was matted with blood and his tail hung limply behind him. '_It must've been broken in the fighting,_' she mused.

"What happened?" he asked. "I was sure that we were gonna be destroyed."

She shook her head. "Not even I know myself, Seto. All I know is that we survived, and that the war is now over."

"But…the computer models predicted that everything would be destroyed. So, why aren't we floating around in The Beyond, right now?"

Again, she shook her head. "Like I said, not even I know."

The two leaders glanced back just as rubble clattered down the immense pile behind them. The others were scrambling over the top and sliding down to meet them. Mokuba's vest was torn and he gripped his right arm tightly, Ciel's hair was matted with dust and blood, Zero's helmet was missing and his right arm was hanging uselessly at his side, Sandra walked up with a slight limp, Mimi had a black eye, O'hari clutched at his right side, green blood oozing out from between his fingers, Steven held his chest, indicating a few broken ribs, Shie-rae was missing a few bits of fur and her left foot was swollen, Cassie was missing her jetpack, Optimus was missing part of his armor and energon seeped from a wound on his shoulder, Famous was holding his left wrist to his chest, a clear sign of a broken wrist, Metroplex was carrying his axe in his left hand because his right was missing, all four of Override's tires were missing, and Scourge clutched at his lower torso, where a huge gash was visible.

"Guys!"

"Seto! President Warren!"

"What happened?" Override asked.

"We were spared somehow," Seto replied. "I'm not sure how, but we were."

"But, by whom?" Ciel asked, looking about the war torn complex. "Everything was supposed to be destroyed…"

"Well, it wasn't."

The sun's warm rays cleared away the sorrow, depression, and fear of death that was so common in the aftermath of a major battle, but, it also left a bit of a hint in a sense. A slight hint, but it was there. The light from the rays of the sun touched on a small piece of fabric, a lone bit of the complex to have survived the chaos of the final battle.

The Federation flag, torn and tattered from grenade shrapnel and debris, still fluttered on top of the Command Center, the only piece of their determination to have survived the combat. The colors were faded from the dust, but not to the point of where they had been obscured completely. The green, brown, blue and white of the planet, the golden rings, the red Autobot symbol, and the silvery words still stood out against the black of the flag's material, but there was also another addition, one that caught everyone by surprise.

On both sides of the image were two blue-golden-silvery wings, wings not unlike an angel's, but much different. They were like those of the Gundam Force's sigil, but a little more unified in a sense. The feathers were more futuristic, but also a bit more feathery. It was hard to describe.

"What…?" President Warren's voice trailed off.

"Primus…" Seto was speechless.

"Wow…" Ciel murmured.

"It's so beautiful…" Mimi whispered.

"…" Scourge was silent as usual, but he also nodded in agreement.

"Incredible…" Override muttered to herself.

"Look at that…" O'hari exclaimed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"How…?" Shie-rae was at a loss for words.

"Holy…" Cassie was stunned by the sight.

"Awesome…" Zero murmured. For some reason, it fit this time.

"That's…" Steven was shocked to a loss for words.

"Is that…?" Sandra whispered hoarsely.

"No way…" Metroplex remarked, optics wide in astonishment.

"So cool…" Mokuba was impressed by the sight.

"God…" Famous was also amazed, but not as much as the President herself.

The murmurs of amazement and astonishment faded away as Ciel grabbed a pair of telescopic binoculars and zoomed in on the flag.

"Where…where on Earth did those wings come from?"

"I'm not sure. But…why did they appear?"

"But on our flag? Why us?"

"Looks like someone wants us to become more well known," Ciel murmured, lowering the binoculars.

"Either that or someone wants to mark us as a threat," Scourge hissed.

"Wait."

Ciel plastered the binoculars to her eyes again, and her eyes widened. "Those…those are _angel_ wings!"

"What? Let me see those!"

President Warren plucked them from her hands and put them to her own eyes. "Slag…she's right."

"Angel wings on our sigil? What's that prove, anyway?" Famous asked.

Cassie stepped forward. "I think I know."

"Tell us then."

"I think…maybe someone…up there…" Here, she pointed skyward with her finger. "…wanted to reward us somehow. And I think I know who."

"Who?"

"Vector Prime. Remember, he's the Guardian of Space and Time. I think he has a bit of influence with whoever's up there. And he asked that we be given a special addition to our sigil. Of course, that's just a guess."

She didn't even know that she was almost on the mark.

"Wait. What about the others? And Anderson?"

"Anderson's fine. The ship's up in orbit right now, regenerating."

"And the others?"

"Everyone's fine. They've set up camp near the boundaries and have rigged a few temporary defenses in case anyone tries to get in," Seto reported instantly.

"Good. The 17th?"

"That's them out there." Seto pointed out towards sea, where they could see the three ship convoy forming a makeshift line of defense out at sea, the _Titanic_ forward of the middle ship, the _Oceanic Protector_ located aft of the supercarrier. "They've formed a borderline at the edge of the complex's boundaries at sea. They've even gotten the four subs to provide underwater coverage."

"Good. Anything else?"

"No. Nothing else."

She glanced towards the flag flapping defiantly in the face of defeat. "Now what?" Ciel asked after a beat.

"We rebuild."

"Huh?"

"We rebuild the complex and we begin again."

"How long till we win this slaggin' war?" Cassie asked.

"As long as it takes. Whatever the cost may be, we will win. This, I'm sure of."

"And if we lose?"

"Then we'll go out fighting. This is what we're meant to do. And I'm not talking about destiny or fate or a legend. In fact, it's our calling and our cause to wipe out warfare. Waging war for peace…is how we get things done. We end conflicts and…we win."

"If we lose?" Cassie repeated.

"Then…we go out fighting."

"Oh."

For a long while silence filled the complex before it finally faded to the 17th Division's location.

Sayla glanced at the complex, also wondering how long it would take them to win.

"Sayla, something wrong?" Jaden asked.

"Yeah. How much longer?"

"Not even I know," he replied. "All I know is that we can only keep doing what we do best and keep fighting for peace."

"Yes, but…"

"No buts. We do what we do best and that's that. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Sayla, look. Not everything can be peaceful, and sometimes even destruction can change. We learned that back in World War II. Then, everything changed. No rules were left unbroken, and everything was tossed out the window, especially with 9-11. That day, all the rules were tossed away when slamming passenger planes into skyscrapers became a new weapon of war. You should know that better than anyone."

She just glanced at him. "I do, but…the destruction they pulled…it was absolute."

"Absolute warfare can do that. But, in the end, even that can be overcome. Recovery may take up to centuries, but even absolute warfare can be recovered from." Jaden's voice was soft as he placed an arm around her. "Not even we can overcome it," he whispered.

"Even with our power?"

He nodded sadly. "No matter how hard we try, we can't stop it. All we can do is aid the recovery efforts. And even then it's pretty small compared to the rebuilding of other wars."

"Jaden…"

"Sayla, everything will be okay."

Sayla merely turned and buried her face in Jaden's body, and, for the first time since joining the military at ten years of age, began crying freely. The tears just kept coming. Finally, all emotion was free. She now seemed like a small child, rather than a strong, military commander. Jaden rubbed her back comfortingly, whispering into her ear and slipping the headset off her head. His hand went for the gun she had been given by her father and he hesitated. Then, he slipped his arms around her, careful not to remove the gun from her shoulders.

She kept crying into his body, and she felt so helpless. Absolute warfare…was there any way to stop it, any way at all?

Jaden knew that these thoughts were bothering her, and he merely hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry, but…there's just no way to stop absolute warfare. I'm sorry."

She kept crying for two hours, letting four years' worth of emotions out in a stream of tears and screams of rage and sadness, muffled by his body and his armor, and the structure of the ship's flight deck around them. It was fortunate, Jaden mused, that the ship was mostly empty at this point. But, then again, everyone else was busy with repairs and fixing up the complex, so it was not really a surprise anyway.

Finally, after several more minutes, the cries died down to be replaced by quiet sobbing. Sayla's shoulder's shook as she sobbed into his chest. He felt sorry for her. Even as a commander, she was still human.

It was natural for humans to cry, and he began to cry as well, but not as much as she. He comforted her, whispering into her ear and rubbing her back gently. Gradually, the sobbing died down and she looked up, wiping her eyes with her hand.

"Jaden…thanks."

He merely smiled. "Hey. What are friend's for?"

"No. Thanks for…not telling me to suck it up or telling me that you know what it's like."

He looked at her like she was nuts. "Sayla, what would make you say that? I would never do that."

"Sorry. It's just that…sometimes a few other commanders would tell me that. And…"

"Sayla, I know how hard it is, and I understand where you're coming from, but I also know that it's better to let it out than keep holding it in. So, that's why I didn't really say anything else other than that it will be okay."

"Thanks."

What happened next surprised her.

Jaden's lips had closed over her own. His eyes were closed and he stayed like that for a full minute before he pulled away.

"Jaden…What…?"

He smiled at her. "Feel better?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

He merely wrapped an arm around her and held her close.

"No prob, Sayla. No prob at all."

The two sat like that for a few minutes, watching the birds flying through the sky, the clear blue sky with a golden yellow sun rising on the horizon. It was actually quite beautiful, Sayla had to admit. Without the constant fighting, even a brief moment on a military battleship like this one could be quite peaceful. Even if it was an aircraft carrier.

She slipped an arm around Jaden's shoulders and leaned in close.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

Nothing at all.

* * *

**When Shute and** Captain got to the spacebridge the next day, it seemed as if everyone had turned out to see them off. The whole TCDA elite team had turned out, as had the rest of the Federation elite team. The spacebridge had opened, the gateway filling the whole generator. The twin towers of Neotopia were clearly visible in the glowing portal, as was the SDG headquarters, Blanc Base.

Sayla glanced at them, and merely smiled. "About time," she murmured, eyeing their clasped hands.

"Hey. No bothering them about it," Zane said.

"Sorry."

Zero flitted up to her, removing his mouthpiece and lightly kissing her on the lips. "Farewell, Commander. I will never forget you."

"And I won't either, Zero."

Guneagle glanced at Baku, who fidgeted nervously. "Hey. Come on. Things are okay now. And…you'll see your family again. I know it."

Rele walked up and placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulders before nibbling at his hair, which hung out from under his helmet. "Hey! Knock it off!" he laughed, playfully smacking her.

"Sorry."

"Well, time to go."

The whole Gundam Force and the Genki Energy Force stepped towards the spacebridge, and glanced back.

The TCDA elite team saluted, as did the Federation elite team. "Gundam Force thanks for everything," President Warren said.

"Hey. Thanks for rescuing us," Shute replied. "And…thanks for…everything else," he added, glancing at Captain lovingly.

"We just did what we do best, Shute. And…we'll never forget you, although you may forget us when you go through," President Warren said.

He cocked his head in confusion. "Why?"

"We set it so this way, you won't remember anything of the fights that we were in. Besides, you're just a kid and…you saw tons of horrible stuff. We want you to be happy, and with the friends you love. So…" President Warren's voice trailed off. She didn't need to explain anything. They got the message.

"This means we won't…?" Shute glanced at Captain as the others looked at one another.

President Warren shook her head with a smile. "No. But, that doesn't mean that you won't remember it unconsciously, Shute. Those memories, the most precious we have, are always kept safe, deep in our own hearts and souls."

"Really?" Shute cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes."

The Gundam Force looked at one another.

But President Warren wasn't finished. "And…even though you may not know us normally, you may remember us in your hearts."

"How so?" Guneagle asked, slipping an arm around Rele.

"Like I said before, memories that are precious are kept safe. Those…we never lose." President Warren grinned.

"Okay."

"Good bye. And…good luck," President Warren said. "Even if you don't need it."

"Good bye."

The Gundam Force stepped into the bridge, and with a last goodbye, it closed up. A bright flash emitted from it as the Gundam Force was sent across space and time.

The last thing Shute remembered before it ended was that one moment with Captain.

That one moment…

That one moment…

Of love.

He would never forget it, and he knew it.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

"…Shute…up…" The voice sounded familiar to him…

"…"

"Shute…wake up!" The same voice again, but harsher…

"Whu…Huh?"

Shute opened his eyes, only to see the hidden face of Chief Haro swim into view.

"Chief…Haro…?"

The commander of the SDG sighed in relief. "Thank God you're safe."

"I am…?"

"Yes. And that fighting…"

"Wait. Fighting?" Shute suddenly gasped. Now everything came rushing back to him. The Federation…the Dark Axis…the _Titanic_…the _Destiny Star Drive_…and…something else…

"Chief Haro?"

"Yes?" The chief looked at him.

"You ever hear of the Intergalactic Federation?"

"Not that I can say, Shute. But I know that someone by that name defeated the Dark Axis with your help, right?"

Shute nodded. "Yes. They're an intergalactic power, and they were the ones who unleashed that incredible blast that day."

"They were, huh?"

Chief Haro recalled the mysterious shockwave that had sent a second invasion force to their doom. He didn't know how or why it had occurred, just that it had happened. But all that mattered was that they were safe. "Shute…good to have you and the Gundam Force back."

Shute grinned. "Good to be back, sir."

In fact…they were not the only ones glad to be home…

* * *

_Across the galaxy…_

President Warren frowned. "I don't get it. Everything we did…it still remains in their memories?"

"Not all of it," Seto said. "From what I've seen, the major fighting was forgotten, as was the destruction that they witnessed and the relationships built, but the rest remains."

"But why?"

"That's what I _don't_ get. It seems as if someone wants them to remember…but why?"

"I think because of a second major war going on," Optimus said softly. "I don't know why, but I feel as if we may be needed again soon."

"You do?"

"Yes."

"Well, if that's the case, then let's hope that we're not the only ones who will come to their aid."

"I have a feeling we may be meeting new allies, and maybe some former enemies as well, but as to how soon, and where, that remains a mystery," Sandra said.

The others nodded in agreement.

When they met again, they didn't know, but as to what would happen when they did, everyone knew to be ready.

And prepared for combat, for the fighting would begin again.

And they knew it.

But at least the major war was over. Now the harder part lay ahead. It would take time to rebuild the complex and to repair the damaged areas, as well as clear out the remains of the fortress. That would be the hardest part yet, she knew, because of all the loss of life and destruction that took place in the depths of that place. It would cause them grief, but they had to do it.

She glanced at her friends. "Well, let's get started. We have some major cleaning up to do here."

Seto nodded. "Yeah. And besides, we don't want that thing to remain here," he said, jerking a thumb back at the remains of the fortress.

"How long do you think it'll take to clear out?" Cassie asked.

President Warren shrugged. "I don't know. We'll just have to start clearing it. I don't want that reminder of what they did to stick around any longer than necessary," she said, glaring at it.

"C'mon. Let's get that thing outta here," General Pepper hissed.

The other leaders nodded and turned, walking off and leaving it behind them. But then, Cassie grinned and tackled Seto, prompting a surprise yelp to come from the CEO. The two fell to the ground, laughter coming from them. As they landed in the snow, Seto had snagged a handful and tossed it at the Resconian, prompting a shriek. She turned back to him, grinning. "Oh, you asked for it!" she remarked.

As Cassie threw two handfuls of snow, the other leaders joined in, including Optimus, Scourge, and Override. They provided shelter which their comrades could use to shield themselves from snowballs.

Above them all, the sun shone down on the devastated complex, a promising future lying just beyond the horizon.


	133. Concert Memorial

Chapter 6

It was hard to believe to everyone that it had only been an entire week since the final battle against Cypher and practically the entire Dark Axis. Everyone that had been involved in some way remembered the full atrocities the enemy had carried out and what it had cost to actually defeat them, not to mention free the Superior Dragon. Although their unexpected allies had left, their involvement would always be remembered. Including Megatron's.

President Warren stood on the balcony of the fifth story, looking Megatron in the optics as he spoke.

"Well, human, the battle has been won. This alliance is over," the Decepticon leader hissed. "Next time we meet, it will be in combat. And I will not hold anything back."

"Then neither will we," President Warren said coolly. "And be prepared. We may use Heaven's Spirit Mode next time."

"We shall see, human. We shall see," Megatron murmured. But there was a hint of a smile on his face as he left through his own spacebridge.

Once he had left, she turned back to observe the cleanup process.

Already half of the Dark Axis fortress had been dismantled and was being carted through the spacebridge to another destination that assured them of no return of Cypher and his minions: the Milky Way Black Hole. She watched as a team of Cybertronians tossed a piece of rubble from the remains into a remote controlled star freighter and slammed the door shut. A human manning a control console entered a code and pulled one of the levers dotting the surface and the freighter's engines started, the craft lifting off the ground and dashing into the spacebridge.

Such a procedure was incredibly risky, but if done properly, it was very beneficial to them. A black hole is nature's ultimate garbage disposal, due to the intense gravitational fields it produces. This intense gravity crushes anything that enters it into mere atoms, and then nothing. However, the Federation had to do this via spacebridge rather than entering it themselves. They knew of the incredible power of this awesome force of nature.

"Well, it looks like the cleanup is going well," a familiar voice remarked.

She turned to face Dr. Regal who had a grin on his face. She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. We're using a black hole to dispose of the place. That way, there can be no chance of Cypher ever returning to finish the job," she explained.

"Good choice," he said.

"How did it go back on your fronts?" the President asked, bringing them back on topic.

"It went well," the Nebulan said. "We managed to drive them back, but most of them fled through the Zakorello Gate before any of us could deliver our final blows."

"Damn," she muttered. "So much for that."

"At least without Cypher they have no overall commander," Dr. Regal remarked.

"Yeah, but remember. They've conquered many dimensions, so there could be another officer who could take Cypher's place," President Warren said.

"And even if that proves to be the case, we'll be ready," he said, grinning.

President Warren smiled and nodded. "Yeah. We'll be ready, all right."

"Anyway, I have something to ask," Dr. Regal said.

President Warren waved a hand and nodded. "Ask away."

"Are you going to honor those who died for the fight, and remember those who died as a result of the experiments?" he asked softly.

The President nodded her head, instantly getting what he was asking. "We are," she said quietly. "We're planning to hold a memorial concert in their honor."

"A good choice," Dr. Regal said. "And…a fitting one."

She nodded. "Yeah. Wanna watch?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I do."

"All right."

* * *

_That night…_

The entire complex was gathered around near Earth Command Central Square, the major meeting place before one came to Earth Command Central itself. The square was a large open area of pavement and grass on either side of the pavement. The natural area made it a very popular place for events such as major announcements and even concerts that happened every year. But this night it was jam-packed with every resident of the city itself.

Beings leaned out of windows, hovered in the air over the square or even lined the grassy parts. Some parked their hovercars on the sides of the streets that led into the square itself. In the middle of the square, a stage had been erected after four in the afternoon. Cameras had been set up beside the news vans of the _INN_ to broadcast this live to those who had witnessed the destruction and those who survived the fighting that had raged throughout the universe. Now, as the sun began to set on the horizon, President Warren stepped out onto the stage wearing a headset.

"Everyone, thanks for coming tonight," she said, her voice loud and clear. "As you know, one week ago we were fighting for our very lives and existence in one of the nastiest wars we have ever been in. There was a lot of blood, loss, and destruction to the place we call home, along with the sacrifice of those who went above and beyond the call of duty. But there was also some great effort made by you all to keep the Federation in the fight.

"Tonight is a very special night because it's not a mere concert. No. This is the first ever Intergalactic Federation Memorial Concert. This is meant to honor those who died fighting so our future generations could live without fear, and for those who died to prevent it from getting worse. But it's also to remember those who died as a result of the Dark Axis' sick experiments," President Warren said. "So, the songs we chose have to do with either remembering those lost, the hope it takes to never give up, and the ability to keep going even when things look hopeless."

Cheers echoed as she smiled. "So, singing first on the stage, is none other than Seto Kaiba with the song "Never Surrender", originally sung by Stan Bush."

Cheers rang out as Seto stepped out onto the stage, holding a mike in his hands.

_Seto: __Never surrender!  
_

The lights dimmed a bit as he began to sing. In the background on a screen, scenes of the fighting began to play, each one flashing in time with the notes to the song.

_You were born a fighter  
In the blood a mighty warrior  
Driven by desire  
Glory calls, it's waitn' for ya_

_When they try to break you down  
You can take it, that don't shake you  
When your back's against the wall  
The thrill of the fight's got ya standin' tall_

_Never surrender_  
_Never say die_  
_You got the heart of a hero_  
_Never surrender_  
_The will to survive_  
_You're standin' strong in the eye of a storm_  
_Something keeps pushing you on_  
_Never surrender_  
_Never surrender_

_There's a burnin' passion_  
_Deep inside, a silent power_  
_With a quick reaction_  
_Lightning strikes your fight for honor_

_Winners have a price to pay_  
_You can taste it_  
_That don't change it_  
_You're not there to take the fall_  
_You'll fight to the end and you'll take it all_

_Never surrender_  
_Never say die_  
_You got the heart of a hero_  
_Never surrender_  
_Keep it alive_  
_You're standin' strong in the eye of a storm_  
_Something keeps pushing you on_  
_Never surrender_  
_Never surrender_

_You'll never stop 'til you're number one  
It's only a matter of time  
You'll never give up  
You'll never run  
You're layin' your life on the line_

_Never surrender (Never surrender)_  
_Never say die (Don't stop)_  
_(Never surrender) Got the will to survive_  
_Never surrender (Don't stop)_  
_(Never surrender) Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah_  
_(Don't stop) (Never surrender)_  
_(Don't stop) (Never surrender)_  
_(Don't stop) (Never surrender)_  
_(Don't stop) (Never surrender)_

As the song faded, cheers broke out loud and clear. Seto smiled and waved his hand as he spoke into the mike. "Thanks."

He handed it to the President and headed off stage.

President Warren smiled and spoke into her headset. "Next up is none other than Ciel Lang, who will be singing a song to help remember those who died in the insane experiments of the Dark Axis. She will be singing the song "Angel", originally sung by Sarah McLachan."

Ciel peeped out nervously, but she stepped out nonetheless. Her hands shook a little as she took the mike from President Warren. She cleared her throat and began to sing just as in the background scenes of the destruction carried out began to play, along with photos of those who died.

_Ciel: __Spend all your time waiting  
For that second chance  
For a break that would make it okay  
There's always one reason  
To feel not good enough  
And it's hard at the end of the day  
I need some distraction  
Oh beautiful release  
Memory seeps from my veins  
Let me be empty  
And weightless and maybe  
I'll find some peace tonight_

_In the arms of an angel_  
_Fly away from here_  
_From this dark cold hotel room_  
_And the endlessness that you fear_  
_You are pulled from the wreckage_  
_Of your silent reverie_  
_You're in the arms of the angel_  
_May you find some comfort there_

_So tired of the straight line_  
_And everywhere you turn_  
_There's vultures and thieves at your back_  
_And the storm keeps on twisting_  
_You keep on building the lie_  
_That you make up for all that you lack_  
_It don't make no difference_  
_Escaping one last time_  
_It's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh_  
_This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees_

_In the arms of an angel_  
_Fly away from here_  
_From this dark cold hotel room_  
_And the endlessness that you fear_  
_You are pulled from the wreckage_  
_Of your silent reverie_  
_You're in the arms of the angel_  
_May you find some comfort there_  
_You're in the arms of the angel_  
_May you find some comfort here_

The whole when she sang, there had been silence, and more than one being had broken down crying. A few men even began crying like little children and had to be comforted by their friends and wives. The sheer scale of the destruction they had seen was enough to make anyone cry like that.

Ciel spoke into the mike softly as tears stained her own cheeks. "I hope that this can help people remember what we have seen and done to prevent this from happening again. This is something we're doing not for ourselves, but for those who lost so much, and in some cases, everything. So please, never forget, and always remember."

She stepped off the stage, handing the mike to the President.

President Warren rubbed at her eyes, and spoke again. "Next up is Cassie with her own song, "Hero", originally sung by Mariah Carey."

Cassie stepped out onto the stage and took the mike from the President. As she sang, applause rang out and on the screen behind her scenes of people going above and beyond the call of duty began to play.

_Cassie:_ _There's a hero_

_If you look inside your heart_

_You don't have to be afraid_

_Of what you are_

_There's an answer_

_If you reach into your soul_

_And the sorrow that you know_

_Will melt away_

_And then a hero comes along_

_With the strength to carry on_

_And you cast your fears aside_

_And you know you can survive_

_So when you feel like hope is gone_

_Look inside you and be strong_

_And you'll finally see the truth_

_That a hero lies in you_

_It's a long road_

_When you face the world alone_

_No one reaches out a hand_

_For you to hold_

_You can find love_

_If you search within yourself_

_And the emptiness you felt_

_Will disappear_

_And then a hero comes along_

_With the strength to carry on_

_And you cast your fears aside_

_And you know you can survive_

_So when you feel like hope is gone_

_Look inside you and be strong_

_And you'll finally see the truth_

_That a hero lies in you_

_Lord knows_

_Dreams are hard to follow_

_But don't let anyone_

_Tear them away_

_Hold on_

_There will be tomorrow_

_In time_

_You'll find the way_

_And then a hero comes along_

_With the strength to carry on_

_And you cast your fears aside_

_And you know you can survive_

_So when you feel like hope is gone_

_Look inside you and be strong_

_And you'll finally see the truth_

_That a hero lies in you_

_That a hero lies in you_

Applause rang out as Cassie stepped off stage, giving the mike to the President again. President Warren smiled as she spoke again. "Next up is Mimi Kia with the song "Only Hope, originally sung by Mandy Moore."

Mimi stepped out onto the stage and took the mike. As she sang, scenes of the devastation at the ITC began to play in the background. It still made some people sick to their stomachs at how ruthless someone could be to any being, including the young.

_Mimi: __There's a song that's inside of my soul.  
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again  
I'm awake in the infinite cold.  
But you sing to me over and over and over again._

_So, I lay my head back down._  
_And I lift my hands and pray_  
_To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours_  
_I know now you're my only hope._

_Sing to me the song of the stars._  
_Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again._  
_When it feels like my dreams are so far_  
_Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again._

_So I lay my head back down._  
_And I lift my hands and pray_  
_To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours_  
_I know now, you're my only hope._

_I give you my destiny._  
_I'm giving you all of me._  
_I want your symphony, singing in all that I am_  
_At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it back._

_So I lay my head back down._  
_And I lift my hands and pray_  
_To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours_  
_I pray, to be only yours_  
_I know now you're my only hope._

_hmmmmm, hmmmmm, oooooh._

As Mimi stepped off the stage and handed the mike off, these images and videos were being sent out live across the universe, showing those who had been not involved and those who ironically thought of the Federation as some power-hungry organization that they actually cared about others.

And Dr. Hikari was one of those watching. He smiled as he watched the President introduce Zero Hunter who would sing the song "Supernova" sung by the Echoing Green. Scenes of the battles that changed the war in their favor began to play in the background as he sang. A few of the women stepped up to join him in the singing.

_Zero:_ _I take a step to what's real  
or at least to what it is I'm chasing  
Another step to reveal  
All the shadows that I keep embracing_

_Failure forgets to fascinate_  
_this light inside will resonate_  
_shame dissipates with open eyes_  
_refreshing fate I can't describe_

_This time it feels like I've been_  
_touched by a supernova_  
_Inside - the hand that touches hearts_  
_is touching mine_  
_As I find my tears are all_  
_consumed by the supernova_  
_this time the hope that_  
_lights the world_  
_is in my eyes_

_There's a piece of my mind_  
_that tries to fathom the stars or to_  
_contemplate the divine_  
_don't need to look very far_  
_when you bring me_  
_the reasons just to believe_  
_you bring me answers_  
_I can't conceive_  
_How can I bring you doubt_  
_when you bring me the sky?_

_This time it feels like I've been_  
_touched by a supernova_  
_Inside - the hand that touches hearts_  
_is touching mine_  
_As I find my tears are all_  
_consumed by the supernova_  
_this time the hope that_  
_lights the world_  
_is in my eyes_

_Ciel, Mimi, and Cassie: when you bring me  
the reasons just to believe  
you bring me answers  
I can't conceive  
How can I bring you doubt  
when you bring me the sky? _

_This time it feels like I've been  
touched by a supernova  
Inside - the hand that touches hearts  
is touching mine  
As I find my tears are all  
consumed by the supernova  
this time the hope that  
lights the world  
is in my eyes_

_There's a light in my eyes  
The light of the supernova glowing in my eyes  
Go supernova._

The mike was handed back as Zero stepped off stage, along with the three women. Cheers rang out and then died down as President Warren spoke. "This last song is for all of us here because we've done so much as a team and more. So, even though this concert wasn't long, I hope that everyone here and out there doesn't forget those who have died for our victory and those who have lost their lives in the experiments of the Dark Axis. This song is called "Dare", and it was originally sung by Stan Bush."

As she spoke, the beginning began to play and all the leaders stepped out onto the stage. "If you want, everyone here can sing along with us."

Cheers rang out as Seto and the others began to sing it and just as scenes of the final battle and other prior battles began to play behind them.

_Seto: __Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered  
And there's nowhere to turn  
You wonder how you keep going  
Think of all the things that really mattered  
And the chances you've earned  
The fire in your heart is growing  
You can fly, if you try leaving the past behind  
Heaven only knows what you might find_

_Dare - dare to believe you can survive_  
_You hold the future in your hand_  
_Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive_  
_It's time to take a stand_  
_And you can win, if you dare_

_Everybody's trying to break your spirit_  
_Keeping you down_  
_Seems like it's been forever_  
_But there's another voice if you'll just hear it_  
_Saying it's the last round_  
_Looks like it's now or never_  
_Out of the darkness you stumble into the light_  
_Fighting for the things you know are right_

_Dare - dare to believe you can survive_  
_The power is there at your command_  
_Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive_  
_It's time to take a stand_  
_And you can win, if you dare_

_(A guitar solo began to play at this point.)_

_All: Dare - dare to believe you can survive  
You hold the future in your hand  
Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive  
The power is there at your command_

_Dare - dare to keep all your love alive_  
_Dare to be all that you can be_  
_Dare - 'cause there is a place where dreams survive_  
_And it's calling you on to victory_

_DARE!_

Cheers and applause rang out across the complex main square just as the sun finally set fully on the horizon. But with it, came the promise of a brand new day, and a brand new future on the horizon.


	134. Preview: The Regenesis Project

Preview of the Next Series

The blast of energy was great enough to throw them flat on their backs. Conner groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. "Ouch!" he muttered.

Abby came running up to him at that point, her face a bit bloody from some scrapes on her cheeks. She knelt down by Conner. "You okay?" she asked.

Conner nodded. "Yeah." He suddenly gasped and grabbed Abby by the arms, pulling her down. "GET DOWN!"

As the two tumbled to the ground, a loud explosion rang out, forcing the two humans to cover their ears to muffle the sound, even though it was still very loud. The shockwave ruffled their hair as it passed over. Once it was passed, Conner peeped up just in time to see the massive shape of their opponent.

"Oh, crap!" Conner muttered. "That's not good!"

"You bet it's not, kid!" a familiar voice said.

Conner looked up, anger in his eyes. "Dr. K!" He hissed out the scientist's name in anger. "What do you want?" the boy growled.

The evil scientist grinned. "Oh, you'll soon find out…or not!" he said, laughing maniacally. He threw back his head and cackled as the robot the Botties were facing began to step forward, the ground rumbling under each step.

"Uh, Conner? What'll we do now?" Chip asked nervously.

"What we always do: stop Dr. K!" Conner said.

"But how? That robot's bigger than anything we've ever faced!" Mong protested.

"Not as big as Kulminator, remember?" Abby said.

"Oh. Right. But still, I don't think that any of us or our robots can do anything this time," Mong said. "Not even Cubix."

Conner frowned. There had to be some way to stop that monstrosity of a mech. There just had to be! He glanced around, his eyes searching the construction site for any kind of a weapon they could use. But all that was there were vehicles and a few offline robots. He snarled in frustration before a loud scream cut across the site.

A blur of speed flew over their heads and collided with one of the half-finished buildings. Conner felt his heart leap into his throat as he recognized the voice. "CUBIX!" He ran through the site, dodging rubble and debris from the buildings to reach his fallen friend. He knelt down just as Dr. K's latest creation fired off a few missiles, forcing the boy to duck behind a pile of rebar. The explosion rocked the entire area, and in that instant, Conner realized something important: Dr. K wasn't merely after them to stop them now.

He was out to kill.


End file.

SD Gundam, Adventure, Sci-Fi