In an older district of PLANT, Dakosta dodged prying eyes as he swiftly navigated through a maze of narrow alleys. After climbing a flight of stairs, he entered a room under the cover of his companions.
"Good work. How's the situation in the city?" Lacus asked.
"Not optimistic. Yzak Joule's speech has left the citizens confused."
"I see..."
Lacus knew the time had come for them to evacuate PLANT. Initially, the public hadn't believed Lacus could be a traitor. Many had resisted the arrest operations and even actively provided cover and assistance to Lacus and her group, which was why they had remained undetected for so long.
But now... Yzak Joule's speech had sown doubt among the citizens. Without their help, Lacus and her companions found their movements increasingly difficult.
"Fortunately, Lord Siegel evacuated earlier, otherwise..."
"Then..."
"Yes. Though it's earlier than planned, I believe we should take action now."
"I understand. Perhaps it's time. We must depart as well."
"Hmm? Miss Lacus! Terminal has sent a message."
Lacus walked over to look and gasped, "Oh dear, this is bad. Can we do something about it?"
"Eh?" Dakosta also saw the message from Terminal. He was stunned—had Athrun lost his mind? This was practically walking straight into death!
But faced with Lacus's request and considering Athrun's importance, he agreed. "Understood, Miss Lacus. I'll find a way to rescue him. Please proceed with your departure first."
"I leave it to you."
...
Athrun was escorted out of the Defense Headquarters by guards, drawing crowds of onlookers and sparking widespread discussion. As both a ZAFT elite and the son of Patrick Zala, Athrun was PLANT's young master. Yet now, this very young master had been arrested on charges of treason and defection, leaving everyone shocked and bewildered.
Dakosta, blending into the crowd, witnessed the scene. He quickly changed into military police gear with his companions and infiltrated the escort team, taking custody of Athrun from Patrick Zala's guards.
But just as Athrun was being loaded into the vehicle, the unexpected happened.
"Get in!"
Athrun didn't move.
"Did you hear me?!"
The soldier shouting was one of Dakosta's men. He was baffled—what was this young master doing? Hurry up and get in so we can rescue you!
Instead of complying, Athrun kicked the soldier flying and shoved another aside with his shoulder.
For a moment, they were stunned. "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?" The questions swirled in their minds.
"Huh?" Dakosta, standing by the vehicle, was equally dumbfounded. But he reacted quickly, knocking out a non-allied soldier with his rifle butt and covering Athrun's escape.
After dragging Athrun behind cover around the corner and breaking his handcuffs, Dakosta couldn't help but complain, "You're really reckless, aren't you? Trying to get yourself killed? You even kicked our own men!"
"Who are you?" Athrun asked as he took the gun handed to him by Dakosta. Truthfully, he was still in a daze. He had simply refused to surrender without a fight, never expecting that one of his escorts would turn out to be an ally.
"Part of what people call the Clyne Faction. Now the whole plan's gone to hell," Dakosta grumbled. The original rescue plan had been simple—Athrun boarding the transport, subduing the non-Clyne soldiers, knocking them out, dumping them off the vehicle, and escaping with Athrun. Now they were forced into a frontal breakout.
"My apologies, I had no idea..." Athrun felt deeply ashamed. Not only had he accidentally injured his own allies, but he had also disrupted their carefully laid rescue plan. Before his return, Yang Hui had briefed him extensively, including instructions not to resist if captured—they would arrange a rescue. Yet...
After arguing with his father, he had forgotten all about it.
"I figured as much. But right now, we need to get out of here."
...
Meanwhile, at a secret ZAFT Forces dock in space, Andrew Waltfeld and Aisha Tyler had also been recalled from Earth. Under Patrick Zala's high regard, they were assigned as the commanding officers of the Eternal, a dedicated armed support vessel built for the Freedom Gundam and Justice Gundam.
What Patrick Zala didn't know was that yet another elite he deeply trusted was also a mole.
"Alright then..." Andrew Waltfeld picked up the intercom and initiated a ship-wide broadcast. "Testing, testing? This ship is now entering final preparations. Copy that? Final preparations underway—all hands to stations!"
Naturally, not all crew members aboard the Eternal were part of the Clyne Faction. News of Lacus's transfer had already reached Andrew Waltfeld, and with the Eternal preparing to sortie, those not aligned had to be removed.
While the non-Clyne personnel were still confused about the sudden developments, they found themselves surrounded at gunpoint.
Of course, the Clyne Faction had no intention of harming them—they were simply escorted off the ship to await Lacus's arrival.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Before long, Lacus arrived on the bridge, now dressed in her signature attire, and took the captain's seat. Though Andrew Waltfeld was technically the Eternal's commanding officer, Lacus served as its spiritual leader, which was why he yielded the position to her.
"Not at all. We're just relieved you're safe. Shall we depart?"
"Absolutely!"
With her confirmation, the dim bridge lights brightened as the crew sprang into action.
"Loading departure protocol C."
"Forced subroutine, 1920 online..."
"Logic array confirmed, security systems disengaged..."
"All systems activated!"
As the Eternal's engines roared to life, the dock personnel noticed the anomaly and immediately radioed in protest.
"Hey! What's going on? Your ship has no departure orders! Explain yourselves! Captain Waltfeld, respond!"
Receiving no answer, they attempted to take control.
"The password for the main gate control system's been changed!"
"Truly impressive," Andrew Waltfeld remarked with admiration. Despite the suddenness of the situation, they had immediately executed countermeasures—though... they hadn't been particularly effective. "Why did you have to go and touch it? Looks like our departure is going to be a rough one. Better brace yourself."
"There's no helping it. We have to leave now."
Having received Lacus's approval, Andrew Waltfeld promptly issued the order: "Main cannon, prepare to fire! Target the main gate! Full barrage as we depart."
"Main cannon ready, targeting the main gate."
With preparations complete, Andrew turned to Lacus behind him, awaiting her signal. This was their starting point, and it was only fitting for Lacus to declare their beginning.
"Eternal, set sail!"
The engines had already warmed up. The moment Lacus gave the command, flames erupted as the ship surged toward the main gate, ignoring all hails from the dock personnel.
The main cannon roared to life, a massive beam tearing through the gate and reducing it to fragments in an instant.
Eternal burst through the flames, leaving the dock behind. Simultaneously, the shuttle carrying Dakosta and Athrun arrived above the ship, entering through the rear hatch to join them in their escape.
Eternal was currently the fastest high-speed vessel in ZAFT, outpacing even the Naska-class ships. The surrounding forces had no hope of catching up and could only send word to Jachin Due, requesting the fortress defense forces to intercept.
Dakosta and Athrun arrived on the bridge, with Dakosta immediately taking his seat. Lacus greeted Athrun warmly, "Athrun, are you alright?"
"Lacus?"
"Well, well, first time meeting. Welcome aboard the Songstress's ship. I'm Andrew Waltfeld, and this is my beloved, Aisha Tyler."
"Athrun Zala. Pleased to meet you."
Athrun had naturally heard of the legendary [Desert Tiger] couple—aces among aces, tasked with holding the occupied territories in North Africa. Though they had been defeated in battle against the Archangel, resulting in heavy losses for the North African garrison, Patrick Zala still held them in high regard. No one in the military looked down on them for it, either—Andrew Waltfeld's personality had earned him widespread popularity within ZAFT Forces.
And now... seeing them alongside Lacus, piloting an unfamiliar new-class warship to escape PLANT, it somehow... didn't feel out of place at all.
Meanwhile, the defense forces from Jachin Due had already mobilized.
"MS units detected ahead—50 in total! Database cross-check confirms all are [GINN] equipped with D-Equipment!"
"Oh dear, seems they're serious about sinking us," Andrew remarked casually, though beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead. Fifty [GINN] units armed with heavy bombardment gear—this was clearly a kill squad with no intention of letting them escape. Worse, Eternal, as the dedicated support ship for the Freedom Gundam and Justice Gundam, carried no other MS. Its own firepower was insufficient against such overwhelming odds. The situation was dire.
"Main cannon, prepare to fire. Activate close-range defense systems."
"Does this ship have any MS onboard?" Athrun asked.
"Unfortunately, they're not aboard. This ship is the dedicated support vessel for Freedom and Justice," Andrew Waltfeld replied.
"Huh?"
"Please open all communication channels."
"Understood."
"I am Lacus Clyne. Because our visions for the future differ, we've been forced to oppose Chairman Zala. However, I have no intention of fighting against you all. Please let this ship pass, and I ask you to reconsider—what is it we truly need to stand against?"
The communication ended, but the opposing MS units didn't halt their advance. Lacus wasn't naive enough to think her few words would convince the ZAFT Forces to let them go. Still, even a moment's hesitation or pause could create an opportunity for them.
"It must be hard to suddenly hear something like this, right?" Andrew Waltfeld also hoped their former comrades would heed Lacus's words and stand aside peacefully. But... there was no helping it—they were enemies now. "Begin counterattack!"
(Chapter end)