Disclaimer: Still don't own Gundam Seed Destiny

War was coming to New Zealand.

During the chaotic Reconstruction Wars, the island nation had been abandoned by its population because of widespread destruction at the time; fleeing to the Australian mainland. When the Oceana Union had been formed, the islands had been repopulated and its infrastructure rebuilt. It was now the source of forty-five percent of the Union's agriculture.

When the first war between the PLANTs and the Earth Alliance broke out, the Oceana Union had sided with ZAFT and Carpentaria had been built. At the same time, New Zealand had become one of the PLANTs major ocean bases. After the Junius Seven treaty, the base had been expanded to encompass all non-agricultural areas of the isle. This included shipyards, submarine pens, storage areas, factories, and other military buildings.

It was a massive artificial citadel to say the least. Railways and underground tunnels connected the military parts of New Zealand making it one massive military base than a group of tiny ones. Beam turrets as well as anti-air were located as every beach front area. It had originally sported a tiny garrison but as the second war grew more intense, more troops had been stationed on the isles as well as recruitment from the local civilian population. While these volunteers were not as battle hardened as the regular ZAFT soldiers, they added a good number to the defenses of New Zealand Base.

It had always made a juicy target for the EA and that day had finally arrived.

Operator Tessa Falcon had detected the Earth Alliance fleet from her station inside the main Command Center of New Zealand Base. Located inside Mount Raupehu which sat on the Northern Island, it provided all command and control operations of the entire isle base. It was considered the most secure place in all of New Zealand. At least that's what the green uniformed woman hoped.

ZAFT had known about the EA fleet for some time now; it was hard to miss the large number of ships massing in Hawaii. What ZAFT did not know was the armada's destination since EA security had increased greatly since the war resumed. When the mass of ships began moving southward, it was suggested that the EA was moving against Orb; that assumption was wrong once the EA fleet skirted around the island nation and continued southward.

"Sir; enemy fleet has entered New Zealand waters to the northwest," informed the young woman to the ZAFT commander that stood a bit behind her.

"Condition Red; all people to their assigned stations!" announced Commander Lancewood over the intercom as he looked at the tactical map.

All around New Zealand, the alert siren could be heard and all ZAFT personnel hurried to their assigned positions. The various defenses of the isle came online and mobile suits headed to their runways. The local civilian population was ushered to shelters below in order to move them out of harms way.

"How many active vosgulovs do we have right now?" asked Lancewood as he counted the number of EA ships out there. Currently the enemy had over sixty surface vessels and it was still unknown how many attack submarines as well as Forbiddens that were out there as well.

"Ten sir; all under the authority of Commander Halas," informed the operator.

"Tell him that I want all of his vessels to stay close to the base and to try and disperse without spreading too thin. Have all of our Ashs and Goohns cover the vosgulovs the best they can. If we can concentrate our fire power, then we just might hold off until reinforcements arrive."

"Shouldn't we send out our forces to attack sir? Put the enemy off-balance?" asked another operator from his station.

The Command Center was small despite being the center of operations of New Zealand Base. Currently it was fully staffed and nearly at its maximum capacity of thirty personnel. Space was limited due the sheer number of consoles and monitors in the room. It made things cramped; especially given the situation.

"If I had an abundant of forces under my command; but since we don't know what the enemy has out there, I don't want to risk it," answered Commander Lancewood with a frown as he watched the EA move closer.

"We have the local militias," stated another female operator.

"Who are moderately trained and using antique GINNs; send them up against Windams and all you will have is cannon fodder," the ZAFT Commander said sarcastically.

Though the militias added to his total forces, all they would be good for was rear guard duty and a possible last line of defense. Lancewood hoped it would not come to that though; New Zealand had a solid defense line and the EA was going to be chewed up by it when relief forces arrived from Sydney and Carpentaria.

…...

"Admiral; all ships are ready to fire on your order," informed Ensign Jakes from the communications console.

Admiral William Roosevelt nodded and studied the ZAFT defense line on the tactical map located in the center of the CIC. His flagship the AFN Nimitz, which was a refitted Spengler-class vessel, was located in the center of the fleet. If he had his way, the Nimitz would be at the head of the armada; but Fleet Command had been explicit in their orders.

The Admiral was sixty and rather short. He was bald, had blue eyes, and had a good number of wrinkles due to his years in the service. Dressed in a crisp white EA uniform, he was a very accomplished officer due to his successful defensive engagements in the last war; he was responsible for keeping Hawaii out of ZAFT hands during the initial confusion of the N-Jammers being deployed.

"Quite a lot of firepower arrayed against us," commented Marine General Theodore Grant from Roosevelt's right. The Admiral nodded in agreement and pointed to the three closest beaches.

"Think those will be mined?" asked the EA Admiral to his old friend. The General was in command of the landing forces which consisted of over 20,000 marines and three hundred armored vehicles as well as mobile suits.

"I would have mined them if I were in charge of this base," stated Grant. Standing at six feet, the fifty year old marine was dressed in combat fatigues since he planned to go ashore with the second wave. A combat veteran with infantry experience, Grant had grayish- brown hair and hazel eyes.

"We'll try and shoot a few missiles at the beaches so we can detonate any mines that ZAFT may have there. This will let the enemy know that you are coming though," said the EA Admiral.

"Even an idiot would know that we are coming anyways; better those mines be taken out this way instead of the hard way," Grant said with a smirk. Roosevelt nodded and gave a new order.

"All ships open fire!"

At that command, forty-five of the sixty vessel force opened up with a massive barrage. Cannons and missiles erupted from the various carriers, cruisers, and destroyers that made up the fleet. The rest of the armada was cargo ships containing hovercraft to shuttle the ground troops and vehicles to the shore once it was safe to do so. They were well protected by staying in the back and covered by thirty Forbiddens that lay below the surface of the water.

Several hundred missiles roared towards New Zealand, targeting the various beam turret towers and anti-air defenses that lined the shore line. Anti-missile fire from hidden positions glazed the sky above the isle with flak in an attempt to prevent destruction of the defensive line. Almost half the missiles were taken out but with the sheer amount of them, many found their targets and many of the shore defenses were hit. ZAFT then counterattacked with their own missile batteries which targeted the EA fleet with vengeance.

The Earth Alliance fleet countered with their own anti-missile fire though a few rockets made their way thru the screen and three cruisers were hit. Two were damaged badly but still afloat while the third was still combat capable. More enemy missile fire came from the isle as well as blast from beam cannons.

"Any indication that the enemy has launched his mobile suits yet?" asked Roosevelt.

"Nothing in the air yet sir; it seems the enemy is keeping his mobile suits close to the base," stated the ops officer.

"Seems that this ZAFT Commander is smart; he knows that he can't fight us in a one on one fight so he keeps in forces back under cover of the base. Plus he is obviously waiting for reinforcements from Australia," observed Grant.

"Agreed; it means we'll have to go to him; launch all mobile suits!" ordered the Admiral.

Major Samantha Himas heard the order come thru and prepared for battle. Equipped with a jet striker pack, she moved her Windam onto the carrier's tarmac and waited for the signal to launch. The order soon came and the Windam boosted into the sky towards its destination.

Himas wasn't alone and dozens of Windams launched from the ten carriers that made up the fleet. As second in command of 67th armored regiment, she made her way along side her commanding officer Colonel Caladari. Soon the regiment organized itself around the two officers.

There were two-hundred and fifty mobile suits total in the fleet; split up into five regiments. All were Windams and veterans from not only the outbreak of the second war, but from the first as well. The Major herself had been a Strike Dagger pilot and had been at Victoria; successfully taking down four enemy GINNs.

Enemy fire came from the ZAFT held isle and all mobile suits dodged, firing in return. Beam fire lined the beaches, cooking the sand and causing as much damage as possible on the enemy defenses. As the Windams moved closer, the sky was bombarded with flak fire, taking out a few mobile suits. The EA regiments then split up, each heading towards an assigned beach.

Himas used her beam rifle to take out a flak cannon before it could fire another load. Her comrades did the same and soon a good number of the enemy anti-air was destroyed. She was about to land her Windam onto the beach when she suddenly detected contacts coming from the deep inside New Zealand Base coming her way.

The sight of ZAFT mobile suits caused Himas to refocus her attention away from the enemy static defense line. The force of a hundred and twenty ZAFT suits was made up of Zakus and Goufs came at the Windams from the air. A second wave of contacts was detected coming from hidden bunkers at the beach's edge; this force was made up of Gazuoots and older Bucues.

"Major; you take half the regiment and take deal the mobile suits in the air; I'll take the other half to handle the ground forces," said Colonel Caladari.

"Yes sir," the Major said and carried out her orders. She pulled out her beam saber and flew at the enemy with her comrades closely following from behind.

…

"Admiral; ZAFT has launched their mobile suit forces and are engaging our Windams at the beaches," announced one of the CIC's operators.

"How many?" asked Roosevelt, turning his head towards her.

"One-hundred and twenty Goufs and Zakus as well as unknown number of ground suits," answered the young woman.

"A little over half their mobile suit strength," stated Grant.

"Which means that they are keeping their older models at the rear," the Admiral said. Grant nodded in agreement.

"According to Intel, they have all been assigned to the militia force that is primarily civilian," informed the Intelligence Officer.

"Very well; contact Command and let them know that they can launch the second wave," ordered Roosevelt.

…...

It was well known that ZAFT used drop pods in just about all their attacks; after all it was their preferred tactic in the first war.

The Earth Alliance Military had long detested this method of attack since it was something that could be launched at any given time. With the space above Earth being so highly contested, it was hard to get fair warning of ZAFT drop pods coming from above. The same could be said of ZAFT since they themselves lacked any real early warning system as well.

Above the Earth and over Oceana, five experimental aircraft skimmed along the atmosphere and traveled at sonic speeds. The Ulysses-class transcontinental jet had been initially designed to deliver supplies to Earth Alliance Bases quickly. However, with the onset of the renewed war between the EA and the PLANTs, a new task had been assigned for it.

Attached to each Ulysses were five drop pods; all containing more than just cargo. As soon as they were over their target, the aircraft dropped their deadly load. They dropped towards the Earth like meteorites, catching New Zealand Base by complete surprise.

…..

"Sir! Large number of drop pods coming in hot," screamed Operator Falcon, completely confused by the new arrivals.

"Reinforcements?" asked Commander Lancewood who was equally baffled.

"No sir," answered the young woman.

The ZAFT Commander looked on one of the monitors which showed the pods coming in. As they came closer they broke up and revealed mobile suits. Lancewood was soon horrified to see that they were EA suits and not ZAFT; Slaughter Daggers to be exact.

"Those Alliance bastards, they are deploying right on top of us; send out Goufs and Zakus to intercept them immediately," ordered the Commander. As far as he could tell, the Daggers landing points would be all over the interior of the base where defenses were very light.

"There are none to spare sir; they are all at the defense line dealing with the enemy's Windams," stated another operator.

Lancewood scowled and stared at the tactical map. What the operator said was very true; all of his main forces were indeed occupied. There was no time what so ever to recall enough Zakus and Goufs to deal with the new threat coming from above. There was only one force that could be used and it was at best, marginal.

"Send out all militia and lock down all critical areas of the base; the enemy will probably go for our power stations. They must be guarded above all else," ordered the man.

…..

While the drop pods did contain Slaughter Daggers, they also contained another surprise; special forces infantry.

Sixty Atlantic Federation Navy Seals were crunched together in hollow tubes that looked like missile barreling towards the Earth. Armed to the teeth with a variety of weapons and equipment, they mentally prepared for the coming battle on the ground. There was also hope that the insulation of the insertion tubes would hold out so that they would not be killed in impact.

Captain Roger Christo checked his weapon for the sixth time as he fought the urge to puke because of the crushing force of the drop. The rest of his men were doing the same; checking their shotguns and sub-machine guns. They were all dressed in a new type of special light armor that was barely felt and was could supposedly stop a shotgun blast; if the rumors were true that is.

There were eighty total men assigned to the operation; split off into five different teams. Each team had been assigned a specific priority target depending on their drop site with a few secondary ones as well. If each main priority could be accomplished, then New Zealand Base would be gutted from within.

"Impact in fifteen!" screamed one of the seals whom manned the pods only console.

"Everyone brace for impact!" ordered the Captain as he prepared himself for the coming force of hitting the ground.

Each soldier in the pod was strapped tightly to the insulated wall; no one wanted to be on the floor when the pod hit the Earth. The only thing not strapped was everyone's right arm so that it would be used to get out of the restraints once the pod was stable on the ground. The only light in the dark was a single console which was the only window to the outside world.

"Remember your orders; no one is to go off alone. If you do find yourself separated from the team, find a safe location to hunker down and do as much damage to the enemy as possible," yelled Christo one last time. He received screamed replies from his men.

The impact of the pods hitting the earth sent dirt and trees flying in all directions. The small quakes that occurred would have been felt to all those who dwelled in the island since they all landed at different locations. After a minute after impact, the side hatches on the pods opened up, Special Forces coming out likes ants.

…...

Militia volunteer Mathias Okins nervously moved his GINN out of the hanger towards the exit of the bunker.

When he joined the Militia just before the second war broke out, he never actually expected to fight. He was a farmer and joining up at the time was his way of impressing girls. New Zealand was a fortress and the last place that the Earth Alliance was expected to attack.

Mathias was also a mediocre pilot at best; only having about ten hours total of flight time. He was a good shot and could fly, thanks to his love of video games, but was never good at dodging enemy fire in the live battle exercises. More often then not, he was "killed" by the first enemy shot.

"Echo three; you are cleared for take off. Once you are out, head to your assigned position," ordered the ZAFT soldier over the radio.

"Understood," Mathias said as he griped the controls and waited for the green light.

When the green light flashed, he activated the thrusters and flew down the long dark tunnel to the light of the exit. Once clear, he saw signs of the battle rage all around him, but still a good distance out. Breathing a small sign of relief, he headed towards his required destination.

He, and his team of fifteen, was required to defend a large power station located deep within the center the isle. He had seen the thing dozens of times, passing it in his vehicle on the way to the fields. The station was located in a clearing surrounded by forest. It was lightly defended with only two beam turrets and very weak armor.

He was the last to arrive, and joined his comrades in taking refuge in the trees, surrounding the power station in a circle. Each GINN was armed beam rifle, the only thing new for the mobile suit, and a heavy sword for close combat. Mathias hoped that he would not have to use the sword since it meant getting close to the enemy.

"Listen up," said Commander Hayes, a female for ZAFT pilot now a Militia member "We received word that the EA has dropped a number of mobile suits behind our lines. Command believes that their job is to cripple our defenses and make it easier for their ground forces to role right in. This power station must not fall. Stick together and work as a team; that will help you survive," ordered the older woman.

Before he could give an acknowledgement of the order, his sensors detected seven contacts closing in on their location. Knowing that no other reinforcements were coming, everyone knew that the enemy had come. Readying his rifle, Mathias hid behind a tree with four others.

When the Slaughter Daggers appeared in the sky, all fifteen GINNs opened fire.

…

Admiral Roosevelt watched as the ground forces began to push the ZAFT defenders back. While the beachhead wasn't quite established yet, it was apparent that the ZAFT defenses were beginning to fold. The missile attacks and beam fire were no striking the fleet, instead focusing solely on the ground forces themselves.

"Shall we launch the third wave?" asked his CAG, looking from the tactical map.

"Not just yet; I want our Special Forces to do their work first. I want the enemy costal defenses completely neutralized before we commit everything we have," said the Fleet Admiral as he studied the display.

"Sir; we just been informed by our observation drones that the Minerva and Diana have launched from Carpentaria," informed a female ensign from her station.

"Just as we planned; inform the 83rd Squadron that their target is inbound. Also inform the Seraphim that the Minerva is heading their way," ordered Roosevelt.

"Aye Sir"

…..

"I knew we should have launched early," Athrun said to Gladys. The Minerva Captain was seated at her chair while Athrun stood beside her.

"It was believed that the fleet was heading either to Carpentaria or Orb," the female Captain said grimly.

"The EA would never attack Orb now and create another front; also Carpentaria is too deep in our territory. We should have been better prepared," growled the young FAITH Commander.

Dressed in his flight suit, Athrun was prepared to go out with the rest of the Minerva's mobile suits once New Zealand was in range. While he would not be piloting a Gundam, his Gouf was more than customized to make it unique. While he was supposed to stay aboard the Minerva, ZAFT needed all the fighting strength it needed for the coming battle.

"Why split the assistance force up? Would it not have been better to keep the Minerva and Diana together?" asked Arthur Trine from his station.

"We don't know what surprises the Alliance has yet to show. They had to have prepared for eventual ZAFT support to show up and I do not want to keep all of our forces in one area. That's why I had the Minerva, Diana, and our subs take different paths," explained Athrun, looking at the man.

Arthur nodded and Athrun turned his head back to the main display. The screen was currently connected to New Zealand's main defense network; showing everything that was going on around the isle. It did not look good for the ZAFT defenders as the enemy appeared to have deployed a large force behind the lines which was causing some damage.

So far, the enemy force was concentrating on the facilities that provided power to the static defenses. Already a small number of them had been taken out and the consequences could be seen quite clearly as the EA established two beachheads on the isle. As predicted, the civilian militia was proving fruitless, being swept away easily.

They were running out of time.

…

Captain Samantha Badgiruel patiently sat in her command chair with her eyes closed.

It was the waiting that she hated; that and the fact that she had not drunk a single drop of alcohol in three days. Samantha needed to be sober for this coming battle and not be distracted. Thus she was using a meditation technique that a friend had taught her in the academy. It worked well in situations like this.

"Captain; Minerva detected on scanners. They are about ten miles ahead and closing," informed her sensor officer.

"Have they detected us yet?" asked the woman, her eyes still closed.

"Not that we could see; our stealth systems are keeping us hidden," replied the young man.

"Good; have Sven's team prepare for combat and ready our long range weapon for attack," ordered the Alliance officer.

"Aye aye Ma'am," the bridge crew said, carrying out her orders.

…

Mathias screamed in fear as his flight leader's mobile suit exploded off to his right.

The advanced Slaughter Daggers were proving their superiority even thought they were outnumbered five to one. Even though beam fire littered the sky, the Daggers dodged easily and fired back; taking out three of the defenders on their first shots. Mathias could not believe that Alliance mobile suits were winning with such a low number.

Of course he realized that they were fighting veterans, not armatures like themselves. Other than the Commander, who was now dead, none in the unit had actually seen combat. Instead of a professional combat they were an angry mob fighting off real soldiers. It was not all bad as one of the Daggers had been slightly his and was on the ground where the GINNs were attempting to swarm it.

"Form up on me!" yelled one of the GINN pilots over the intercom. Mathias was about to comply and head over until the grounded Dagger shoved his beam sword thru the GINNs cockpit. Mathias watched it explode to pieces.

The young Militia volunteer was about to find some cover when he was hit in the leg by beam fire. His GINN fell over onto its side and another blast took its head off. Blind, the pilot had no clear idea what was going on outside. Realizing that his fight was over, Mathias undid his straps and opened the cockpit.

Outside was clear hell. Burning wreckage lay all about the area. The remaining GINNs were running for their lives, but were cut off by more Daggers arriving. Jumping out of the mobile suit with his survival bag on his shoulder, Mathias ran for the trees. He then watched as the enemy fired on the power station. It did not take long for it to go up in flames.

When the facility was scrap, the Daggers took off and left Mathias to watch the flames.

…

The entire bridge shook, nearly causing everyone to fall over.

"What was that?" demanded Captain Gladys, turning her head to the sensor station. Another impact shook the vessel.

"We're under attack, but I can't tell where," was the reply she got.

Sensors did indeed show nothing. Whatever was hitting them, it was coming from somewhere. The Minerva was hit again a minute later, rattling the ship even more. Again, the sensors showed nothing.

"I think I got it," said Meyrin from her station; even though she was the communications officer, she did other duties as well.

"What is it?" asked Trine from his station.

"Some sort of projectile, coming from in front of us," informed the young woman.

"Has to be the Seraphim; intelligence did say that they used some sort of new long-ranged weapon. We have to launch all mobile suits since it is obvious that they are in range of intercept," stated Athrun on screen. He had headed to his Gouf a few minutes ago.

"I agree; launch all suits and prepare for battle!" ordered the ZAFT Captain. One by one, the Minerva's compliment of Gundams, Zakus, and Goufs headed out for the coming battle.

"Captain, the Diana reports that it is under attack by the Alliance's new fighter craft. Also, our vosgulovs are under attack by enemy attack subs," informed Meyrin frantically.

"They're trying to stop us from helping New Zealand Base; order both forces that they have to reach the base and to avoid direct combat if they can," ordered Athrun from the screen.

"Yes Commander," said Meyrin, giving the order out over the communication's line.

"We have the Seraphim on scanners; they have launched mobile suits and aircraft," informed Trine from his station.

…

Nova watched as the Minerva and her mobile suits approached; smiling as they came closer.

She had waited for this for a long time and finally her chance for revenge was upon her at last. Nova focused her anger and prepared it to drive her to take out Shinn Asuka. As agreed, Sven would let her handle the Destiny alone and do his best to keep their coming engagement isolated. She had come to trust Sven and knew he would do the best he could.

Stellar would be avenged; no matter what.

Author's Note: Been a long time huh?

I apologize for that; a series of complications have rattled my life, including writers block. This update would have been longer, but I wanted to get it out. I am happy to report that the next chapter of this is 1/3 of the way done and should be out by mid next month.

The idea of New Zealand Base came from watching UC Gundam and Zeon's California Base. I thought it would be cool to do something like that but be believable as well. Since the Oceana Union is essentially ZAFT territory, I thought New Zealand would be the perfect place. Even today, New Zealand is basically an agrarian nation and from what I understand, provides a good amount of food to the region. Since the PLANTs lack a strong agricultural base, I figured New Zealand would be very well prized by the stellar nation.

The next update will be mostly about the battle between the Minerva and Seraphim. It will be the same length as this one, if not longer; I am going for epic here. Until next time and apologize for anything I have missed, need a pre-reader.

Please R&R!