Disclaimer: Gundam Seed is Bandai's, "It Ends Tonight" belongs to All-American Rejects, Sebastian Conner is mine, Samorei Joule belongs to NukeDawg's, and Alex Strassmeier is the property of Dragoon Swordsman. I'd have tissues or paper towels handy. It's a tearjerker.

It Ends Tonight

A prequel to "Song of the Jade Valkryie"

By Storm Wolf77415, NukeDawg, and Dragoon Swordsman

February 14th, C.E. 70, Junius Seven.

"Damn you all to the deepest circle of hell for daring to attack my home!" Sebastian Conner roared in anger as he buried his custom, Katana forged GINN Heavy Sword into the cockpit of a TS-MA2 Mobeius mobile armor. He then took his 76mm machine gun and shredded three more in a hail of lead.

"Hoorah!" he cried, "No one's going to get this colony! Not as long as I breathe! Jessica, this for you!" Sebastian declared, a blue seed fell behind his eyes, and spun twice. On the second spin, it turned gold, and exploded in a brilliant maelstrom of light. And the white and green GINN flew after a single mobile armor with a large, sinister looking missile hanging underneath. Sebastian didn't hesitate to unload a lethal barrage it.

"Damn! Die you space monsters! At least I can take you down with me!" The pilot shouted, jabbing the fire button before he was engulfed in flames and splinters of metal.

Your subtleties
They strangle me
I can't explain myself at all.
And all that wants
And all that needs
All I don't want to need at all.

"Take that!" Sebastian smirked, watching with silent satisfaction as the offending machine erupted with a silent kaboom. But his smirk was replaced with horror as the missile flew out of the cloud, and he saw the radioactive symbol on the side, it was all too clear what it was, "No…NO! IT'S A FUCKING NUKE! I HAVE TO STOP IT!"

Sebastian's custom ZGMF-1017 GINN took off in hot pursuit. However, even with engines stronger than the average GINN, the missile was pulling ahead.

"I should have brought the High Maneuver!" Sebastian fumed. He raised his rifle and started firing at the missile in pure desperation. A flight of Moebiuses swooped in, firing their linear cannons and missiles. Sebastian was caught in a crossfire, his machine gun, head, engines, arms and legs destroyed.

"No!" Sebastian shouted in frustration. He saw the mobile armors coming around for a second pass, presumably to finish him off, when they exploded, and Sebastian's eyes lit up when he saw a green and white GINN approach. It was bulkier than the standard GINN, with strange engines mounted on its wings and legs. It carried a rifle that looked like a cross between a regular machine gun and a GINN Heavy Sword. Sebastian's screen came on, revealing the machine's pilot, clad in a standard ZAFT red flightsuit. His pale white hair framed ice blue eyes filled with concern.

"You alright, Sebastian?" the pilot of the new machine asked, "I was testing the High Maneuver near Martius when we got the call for help." The ZGMF-1017M GINN High Maneuver Type, a variant of ZAFT's standard mobile suit which had experimental light-pulse engines, giving it greater speed than the standard GINN, only two existed thus far. And the test pilots chosen had been two of ZAFT's best, Sebastian Conner, and Samorei Joule.

e

The walls start breathing
My minds unweaving
Maybe it's best you leave me alone.
A weight is lifted
On this evening
I give the final blow.

When darkness turns to light,
It ends tonight
It ends tonight.

"Sam, I'll make this quick. A nuke was just launched at J7! I tried to stop it, but my GINN's junked! You may be able to catch it with the HM's better thrusters. Please, destroy that thing! Save my family! I'm begging you!" Sebastian was frantic. Sam nodded, as he hit his thrusters, to chase after the Missile.

"Don't worry, Seb. I wont let it hit!" He screamed out, the thrusters suddenly got more power, and the GINN HM's single eye went from red, to a ghostly white. Sam's mobile suit rocketed away from the Storm Wolf, who could only gaze on.

"Please…do this, Sam." Sebastian whispered, praying silently.

"Sebastian, are you alright?" A voice called out, as a white GINN sidled up. The future Storm Wolf was grateful to see his commanding officer, and looked towards the colony.

"Commander Le Creuset, the Earth Forces just launched a nuke. Sam went after it."

Just then they looked, the Nuke had exploded, a direct hit on the colony. Sebastian freaked.

A falling star
Least I fall alone.
I can't explain what you can't explain.
Your finding things that you didn't know
I look at you with such disdain

The walls start breathing
My minds unweaving
Maybe it's best you leave me alone.
A weight is lifted
On this evening
I give the final blow.

When darkness turns to light
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.
Just a little insight will make this right
It's too late to fight
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.

"JESSSICCCCCCAAAAAAA! SAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMM!" Sebastian screamed his voice raw, as the remains of his GINN were towed back to the Galvani. Unknown to him, the blast had knocked the GINN towards Earth. The only sign Sam was still alive, was the glowing white eye on the mobile suit. Sebastian was grief-stricken, both for the loss of his family, and the needless death of a man who shouldn't have. And so, three days later, February 17th, C.E. 70, he found himself performing the hardest duty a soldier had to…notifying the family of the fallen. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he stood at the door to the Joule Residence, Sam's red uniform in hand. "No going back now," He whispered.

He knocked on the door, and was let in by the butler, and escorted to the living room, where Ezalia, and Yzak waited. Also present was a young man that looked like a carbon copy of Sam's brother, but his hair was as black as night itself.

"Miss Joule, a Sebastian Conner wishes to see you." the butler began.

Ezalia looked over, "Mr. Conner, I am deeply sorry to hear what happened to Junius Seven." She began as she walked over, though she suddenly saw what Sebastian had. Fear in her eyes. Alex and Yzak looked on, Yzak unsure why his mother just stopped in her tracks.

"Hello Lady Ezalia, Yzak, You're Alex right? Sam mentioned you," Sebastian said slowly, trying hard and failing to hold the tears back, It was too overwhelming for him, "I'm sorry, Lady Ezalia! He's gone." He thrust Sam's uniform into her hands, collasped to his knees and started bawling, he pounded the floor in frustration and regret. "I wasn't strong enough! I couldn't save him! Or my own family!"

Ezalia watched on in shock as she looked at the Elite Red uniform Sam wore proudly. "S…Samorei?" she said, as her own waterworks began.

Alex and Yzak were in too much shock to do much of anything, though Yzak slowly went to his mother, as she fell to her knees. He placed a hand on her shoulder kneeling down beside her. Alex watched on, silently inside, he was crying. His exterior would not let him do it visibly by he was hurting.

Sebastian finally regained enough of his senses to tell the whole story, "I was chasing the MA carrying the nuke. I managed to wax the bandit, but it was like I was two seconds too late. The missile launched. I tried to chase after it, but the destroyed Moebius' buddies didn't like that. They shot out my engines, arms, legs, the whole shebang. I was dead in space. Sam saved me, and I begged him to stop the nuke...Lady Ezalia, can you ever forgive me for killing your son? It should have been me who died!"

Ezalia looked at him, "I don't blame you, how could I? You've suffered far worse," she told him, and she hugged him. And both cried together.

Now I'm on my own side
It's better than being on your side
It's my fault when your blind
It's better that I see it through your eyes

All these thoughts locked inside
Now you're the first to know

When darkness turns to light
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.
Just a little insight will make this right
It's too late to fight
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.

Alex nodded, "Sam attempted to save all those lives. Though it's cliche, he died a hero's death," He told them, though the tone of his voice was full of sadness. First Andrea had disappeared, and now Sam was dead.

"Those Earth Forces, Bastards will PAY!" Yzak growled.

"I see that spark in your eye, Yzak. If you wish, I'll sponsor your application to the academy."

"You think I'm going to reject that?" Yzak questioned.

"I'd like to do my part as well." Alex commented.

Sebastian nodded as he looked at the two new recruits to ZAFT, "I'll sponsor both of you, and together...we'll rip the throats out of the Earth Alliance!"

When darkness turns to light
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.
Just a little insight will make this right
It's too late to fight
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.

Author's Notes: Something I thought up as I listened to this song. When Nuke wrote the chapters at Junius Seven, it was very emotional. I wanted to show the events of that fateful day. The day Sebastian, Sam, and Alex set on their respective paths. Alex building the Valkryie, Sebastian becoming the Storm Wolf, and Sam meeting with Mina.