Chapter 1

The hot tempered captain of the Voltaire tapped his long fingers against the sleek surface of the table in annoyance. A habit that many of his crew members found irritating, but no one ever dared to confront him regarding the subject. After all, Captain Joule wasn't known for his kindness or patience.

The sleek haired teen let out a sigh of frustration. Just how long were they planning on keeping his ship here? He despised the idea of wasting his time doing nothing. Not that he's really complaining about a time off, but to be stuck in Martius Five, waiting for a worthless old man's command was something that he found incredibly irritating.

"Just relax, will you? You're annoying me." Dearka warned. The blonde man had his arms crossed and was leaning against the wall for support.

"Shut up, Dearka! As long as we're on this ship, I'm in charge! I don't want to hear a word out of you!" He snapped. He wasn't in the mood for criticism, but he was in the mood for a vent. "If that damn wrinkled prune isn't going to send us out on a mission, why bother keeping us locked up in the stupid ship!"

"Do you have anything better to do?" He raised a golden brow in question. When Yzak didn't respond, he shrugged it off. "It's not like getting angry is going to help us get out of here faster. Might as well make the best of it."

His words placed him in an even worse mood than before. "Just because idiots like you can find doing nothing enjoyable doesn't mean I can! We're so close to home, yet we're stuck in this god stinking place!"

"Why don't you do something about it then? Call the Chair Woman, or even better why not call your mother?" he taunted.

If Yzak wasn't angry before, he definitely was now. But he didn't know who his anger was directed toward—either Dearka or himself, for even considering the option. He must be desperate… he must be very very desperate indeed.

The commander smashed his fist against the table in frustration. He knew Dearka was right. Sitting here and complaining about it wasn't going to get him home any faster. But calling his mother was downright pathetic. He became the Captain of Voltaire through his own skills. If he turned around and called his mother for help, he would become the laughing stock of ZAFT.

Yet… he couldn't get the ridiculous idea out of his head. To be stuck at the base for no apparent reason when the outside world was in a state of chaos was just…absurd! There are plenty of missions he could be carrying out! Heck, going home would be even better, but he was willing to settle for doing something for PLANT.

So when it really came down to it, it was a choice between his sanity and his dignity.

"Damnit!" He barked at his bridge crew in frustration, "Someone get National Defense Committee Chair, Ezalia Joule on the telecom!"

Yes… Izak Joule rather have his sanity over his pride.

Dearka's jaw dropped in surprise. The proud Yzak that he knew would have never listened to his bizarre advice. But at this exact moment, the silver haired teen was either very desperate to get off the ship, or… he just missed his mother. The blonde smirked at the thought of that. However he wisely decided that his comments should be kept to himself for the purpose of his own safety.

The wide screen flashed, and the form of a proud middle aged woman lit up the screen. Her features resembled Yzak's so much that even a blind person would have known they were related.

"Yzak, what is it?" She said sharply. Her voice was full of seniority. It wasn't very hard to find where Yzak had gotten it from. "I have to go back to a meeting in five minutes. You better be quick."

"Either get me off the ship, or send me on another mission!" he said bluntly. He knew how pathetic this must sound to his mother, but coming up with another way of asking it would have taken valuable time that neither he nor his mother had. He, for one, didn't want to be stuck in Martius Five for another moment.

The council woman narrowed her eyes at the sound of her son's absurd request, before barking out. "You called me to do that! Couldn't you have asked your direct superior!"

"I would have, but he's in Aprilius One, and he's refusing to take my calls!" Yzak quickly rushed to explain. Did she think he was stupid enough to call her if he had any other option? "His replacement is an absolute idiot. He can't even tell the difference between a shuttle and a Nazca class ship!"

"Not surprising," she said dryly. "All the competent ones are here in Aprilius One with me. We're trying to work out a solution to the recent attacks."

Yzak stared back at his mother, waiting for the reply to his earlier request. Either way, he was her son. If she was really going to reject him, she would have hung up already. It was a good sign for her to stick around this long.

The silver haired woman sighed in defeat. In an official voice, she quickly stated, "Until the Council comes up with a resolution, the crew of Voltaire is hereby dismissed."

Yzak could hear cheers from behind. It had been months since he or anyone else on this ship had received the opportunity to return home. It couldn't be helped. PLANT was in a state of chaos after all.

He sank back into his seat. All of a sudden he felt exhausted.

When she spoke again, her voice sounded almost melancholy. "I'm afraid even if you're off work, I'm not. Be sure to drop by Aprilius One in your free time, Yzak."

Then the screen went blank.

Yzak let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe he actually pulled it off. "Kano, announce to the crew that they're dismissed. Everybody can go pack their bags and go home."

Within a few moments, the bridge was empty. Dearka, from his right, burst into fits of laughter.

"I can't believe you just did that!" said the blonde as he gasped for breath. "The great Yzak Joule asked his mother to be dismissed from his own ship!"

The silver haired man turned into a dark shade of scarlet. "Fine, if you don't want to go home I could put you on guard duty!"

The ex-pilot of Buster raised his hands defensively. "I didn't say that. Don't get all sore on me. I thought that was out of character of you, that's all."

The captain of Voltaire agreed reluctantly. It was out of character of him to ask anyone for help, especially his mother. He quickly drew to a conclusion that boredom was driving him to the edge of insanity. If he really had to spend another moment here, he might have murdered his crew with his bare hands.

"You know what you need?" asked Dearka in a tone that sent shivers down Yzak's spine. Speaking from experience, nothing good ever came out of that voice. It almost made the silver haired teen afraid to ask what exactly he had in mind, but of course the blonde was completely oblivious to his friend's discomfort. "You need a girl."

The Captain of Voltaire sent his companion his famous death glare. "What the hell makes you think that's going to help?"

"I think all of your frustration comes from your inability to have a relationship with a girl. Not that I'm saying you're sexually inept or anything…" he quickly added, noticing his friend's clenched fist, which was ready to send his way if he said anything else inappropriate. "It's just that we're in the military. There aren't many girls here. There's Miho, Kano in our bridge crew, and a couple of female nurses. Not a lot of real options. Of course I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them…"

"Trust me," said Yzak through clenched teeth, "my frustration does not come from my lack of relationship with a girl. Before you even suggest I'm emotionally or sexually deprived, I'm going to assure you that's not the case."

Dearka arched a brow in perplexity. "…Does that mean that you…err… is it Miho?" he asked in a serious voice.

"No, it's not her!" he barked back in response. Dearka was being stupid, and it was getting on his nerves. "It's none of your business who it is!"

"I bet it's Miho." Dearka retorted, ignoring Yzak's words completely. "I've seen the way she looks at you."

"Shut up! You stupid idiot!" Once the blonde had something in his head, Yzak knew he wasn't going to let it go easily.

"Oh… you're angry now." He stated a matter-of-factly, as if it was an everyday occurrence, which it probably was. "Does that mean I am right?"

The silver haired teen let out a sigh of frustration. "No, it's not her."

"There's nothing wrong with her, you know. She's a nice girl, not bad looking, and a red coat. She's quite aggressive when she wants to be too… I think you two would go well—"

A flying fist cut the darker boy off. He was just quick enough to avoid being punched in the face. "I told you I wasn't interested! Shut up already, you're giving me a headache."

"Okay, okay. No need to get violent, Yzak." said the blonde defensively, taking a step back from his friend in case he decided to take another hit.

"I'm going to go pack." said Yzak grudgingly, as he left the bridge in the direction of the captain's chamber.

The blonde silently watched his retreating figure. As far as Dearka was concerned, Yzak was hopeless when it came to girls. He had never seen him show the faintest interest in anybody. Unlike himself, who was easily pleased, Yzak demanded absolute perfection from his partner. Dearka wondered who the girl his best friend had spoken of was. Does a person who meets Yzak's standards actually exist?

The ex-pilot of Duel quickly threw his clothes into his dark leather suitcase. His room was a lot neater than you would expect from a person who slept there for 6 straight months. From that information alone, it's no real surprise why he wanted to get out of here.

But just where exactly was he going to go? Martius One was home…but what's the point in going there if there was no one to go home to? His father passed away years ago, and his mother was in Aprilius One. If the Council was really in session like she said they were, then that's precisely where she would be too… and that's exactly where he should go.