Strike and Black Iron

The Archangel's thruster flames trailed a pale blue streak through the night as it slowly approached from the southeast.

May 14, C.E. 71, 2:11 a.m.

Han Zheng was not asleep. The three Black Irons were under thermal-radiation concealment, crouched in the shadows on the shaded side of a rocky hill.

The passive optical feed on the panoramic display showed the Archangel flying low at an altitude of eight hundred meters. Its speed had dropped below twenty kilometers per hour, and it was practically in a cruising search pattern.

Its route had been adjusted to avoid the two ambush lines Andrew Waltfeld had set up, at the cost of taking an additional forty-kilometer detour.

"Deputy Officer Sheng, the Archangel is 4.7 kilometers from our position and descending."

Sheng Lan's voice came from the communications vehicle. Amid the background noise came the sound of keyboard tapping as Ye Qingluan processed the intercepted data.

"Is it preparing to land?"

"Uncertain. It may be looking for a supply point. The coordinates the Director previously sent to Murrue Ramius through an anonymous channel are nearby."

Tian Mu asked quietly from Unit Two.

"Brother Han, if it really comes down, what do we do? Keep crouching here?"

"We do whatever the Director says. Don't make decisions on your own."

Ye Qingluan's voice from the communications vehicle suddenly tightened.

"The Archangel has launched an MS."

Han Zheng turned his gaze back to the panoramic display.

A flash of white light gleamed from the catapult opening on the Archangel's port side. A humanoid MS shot out, its thruster flames carving a bright arc across the night sky.

The unit adjusted its attitude midair, switching from catapult acceleration to cruise mode, then began circling the Archangel in a concentric pattern.

Jiachen automatically retrieved the previously archived appearance data for comparison.

The match result appeared two seconds later.

GAT-X105, Strike Gundam, Aile Striker configuration.

Pilot: high probability of being Kira Yamato.

Han Zheng's hand remained on the control stick.

After making two circles in the air, Strike began descending. Its thruster output weakened as it transitioned from cruising to search mode.

Its optical sensors were scanning the ground.

"Deputy Officer Sheng, it's conducting reconnaissance. If its sensors are accurate enough, our thermal concealment may not hold within three kilometers."

Sheng Lan lowered her voice.

"Director, Strike is conducting ground reconnaissance. If it comes within three kilometers, the thermal concealment may fail."

Lin Yuan did not respond immediately.

Five seconds later.

"Let it see us."

Han Zheng's brow twitched.

"Director?"

"Disable the thermal concealment. Have the three Black Irons stand up. Do not raise your weapons or activate the weapons systems. Just stand there."

Tian Mu made an uncertain sound over Unit Two's channel, but Han Zheng silenced him with a look, though none of them could actually see one another.

"Understood. Tian Mu, Liu An, get up. Sling your rifles at your waists and keep your hands empty."

The plasma auxiliary power systems of the three Black Irons rose from dormancy to standby output. Their joint actuators hummed as they extended. One after another, the nineteen-meter-tall dark-gray machines straightened from the rocky hill's shadows.

The Ceramic Steel external plates reflected a dull metallic sheen beneath the starlight.

The three machines stood side by side like three iron pillars driven into the desert.

Strike locked onto their location almost at the same instant.

On the panoramic display, the white machine's flight path veered sharply, changing from a search arc into an abrupt straight-line stop.

It hovered in the night sky 2,500 meters away. The Aile Striker wing surfaces trembled slightly to maintain altitude, while its optical sensor camera area aimed toward Han Zheng.

A standard inquiry signal from the Archangel appeared on the communications frequency.

"Unidentified armed unit, state your identity."

It was a young woman's voice, carrying tension she was clearly trying to suppress.

Han Zheng heard Ye Qingluan's reply being patched in from the communications vehicle nearby.

"East Asian Republic civilian escort unit, conducting an evacuation mission. We bear no hostile intent, and our weapons systems are inactive. We recommend that your vessel verify this."

The channel fell silent for eight seconds.

Then another voice came through, also from the Archangel's bridge. It was a woman's voice, steadier than the first.

"This is the Earth Alliance warship Archangel, Captain Murrue Ramius speaking. East Asian unit, why have you appeared deep within ZAFT-controlled territory?"

Ye Qingluan glanced at Sheng Lan.

Sheng Lan pressed the communications key.

"Captain of the Archangel, I am the liaison officer of the East Asian escort unit. Three days ago, we provided your vessel with secure supply coordinates through an anonymous channel. Those coordinates remain valid. If you require supplies, you may proceed to verify them after daybreak."

The silence on the other end lasted even longer.

On Han Zheng's panoramic display, Strike Gundam was still hovering 2,500 meters away. Its posture had shifted from search mode to a half-alert state. The Aile Striker wings had spread wider, ready to accelerate away or dash forward at any moment.

A new communication signal came from the Archangel's direction, but this time it was not from the bridge.

The frequency was different, and the transmission power was lower.

A short-range machine-to-machine communication.

Strike Gundam was calling directly.

"The units on the ground."

A male voice, young enough to sound like it was at the tail end of adolescence.

Kira Yamato.

Han Zheng kept his hand on the control stick and did not answer.

Strike's optical head remained pointed at him as its hovering altitude began to slowly decrease.

Two thousand meters.

One thousand eight hundred meters.

Kira's voice sounded again.

"Your weapons... aren't aimed at us."

Han Zheng was silent for a second, then glanced toward the communications vehicle.

Sheng Lan did not stop him.

He pressed the short-range communications key.

"We have no reason to fight you."

Soft breathing came through the channel.

Strike descended to 1,500 meters, closing the distance to 1,200 meters.

On Han Zheng's panoramic display, the details of the white machine were now clear. The propulsion wing surfaces on the Aile Striker's back bore obvious scorch marks, and there was an unrepaired cutting gash in the left shoulder armor.

The traces of battle after battle.

Kira's voice sounded again.

"You... are from East Asia?"

"Yes."

"Then do you know there are ZAFT forces ahead? Andrew Waltfeld's Baku unit is not far from here."

Han Zheng turned to glance at the communications vehicle.

Sheng Lan did not join the channel, but she typed a line on her terminal and sent it to his tactical display.

Do not reveal how much intelligence we possess. Only confirm that we know. Do not elaborate.

Han Zheng followed her instruction.

"We know."

"Then why don't you leave?"

"We have our own mission."

Strike continued hovering without moving.

Judging from the frequency of the machine's minute posture adjustments, its pilot was hesitating.

Then the Archangel bridge frequency connected again.

Murrue's voice regained the rhythm expected of an officer.

"East Asian unit, I confirm receipt of the coordinate information you previously provided. The Archangel is currently low on supplies and will dispatch personnel after daybreak to verify the safety of the coordinates. Until then, we hope your side will remain at your current position."

Sheng Lan replied.

"Understood. We will not move."

The channel cut off.

Strike Gundam hovered for three final seconds. Then its thruster output surged to full power. The machine climbed, its Aile Striker wings folding into cruise angle as it rapidly flew back toward the Archangel.

Han Zheng watched that blue-white trail vanish into the night.

"Deputy Officer Sheng."

"Go ahead."

"He never pointed his rifle at us. Not once."

Sheng Lan closed her terminal inside the communications vehicle. Her voice revealed no emotion.

"Finished recording?"

"Finished. Jiachen has stored all of Strike's flight data and the short-range communications voiceprint."

Sheng Lan turned to a fresh page in her notebook.

"Director, contact complete. The Archangel confirmed the coordinates. Strike's pilot had a brief conversation with Han Zheng. Neither side opened fire."

Lin Yuan's voice came through the encrypted channel.

"What did Kira say?"

"He asked why we weren't leaving."

"How did you answer?"

"Han Zheng said we had our own mission."

The channel was silent for four seconds.

"Good. The Archangel will send someone to verify the supply coordinates after daybreak. Ye Qingluan, prepare the contact plan. Include an unencrypted simplified map of ZAFT force deployments among the supplies. No signature, no source indicated."

"Director, are you helping it?"

"I'm not helping it. I'm giving Murrue a reason to believe we have no hostile intent. Once she receives the intelligence, she'll accelerate through the desert and leave Andrew Waltfeld's encirclement."

Sheng Lan slipped her pen into her pocket.

"And then?"

"Then we stay here. Complete all the desert test data Black Iron needs to run. Once the Archangel has gone far enough, Andrew Waltfeld's attention will return to us."

Tian Mu heard that from Unit Two and instinctively hunched his neck.

In the distant night, the Archangel's thruster flames had already gone out. The white warship was slowly descending in search of a landing site.

At the communications vehicle's door, Ye Qingluan stubbed out her cigarette and ground it into the sand.

"Deputy Officer Sheng."

"Go ahead."

"Athrun Zala's pursuit unit last made contact three hours ago. He chased from orbit into the atmosphere, and from the atmosphere into the desert. He won't stop."

Sheng Lan looked at the latest intercepted timestamp Ye Qingluan had marked on the terminal.

"What are you trying to say?"

Ye Qingluan turned her gaze toward the night sky in the direction where the Archangel was landing.

"Andrew Waltfeld is blocking the south, while Athrun is pursuing from behind. The only direction without enemies for the Archangel is toward us."

Sheng Lan closed her notebook and looked toward the three motionless dark-gray silhouettes standing in the distant desert.

"Tell the Director."