Chapter One: Reunion?

"What in God's name is going on in here?!" the commander yelled at his subordinates. "Where in the hell did you learn to shoot!? You missed EVERY GODDAMN TARGET!" With the test results showing, there were only four students qualified to test the new mobile suit. "Even ZAFT isn't going to let you pilot that thing!" That commander was pissed.

"Sir, I'm a goddamn mobile suit pilot, not a damn fly," one recruit said. "And with heavy weapons, I'll do just fine."

"I'm a speed specialist, sir. Give me a rifle and a beam saber, and I'll fuck everything up," the second said.

"Dude, I don't give a fuck what you got to say, just point me to the bazooka," a third said with enthusiasm.

"Give me the standard issue weapons," the fourth qualified pilot said.

A final pilot came out of the simulator and smirked as he said, "By the time you see me, it's already too late." This guy had beaten all the requirements for piloting the new mobile suit; if anyone was truly qualified, it was him. "Stealth and a sniper are all I need."

The commander just sighed in regret and handed the keys over to the fifth pilot with reluctance. He finally looked up and said, "The rest of you, look around for a new job. Dismissed!"

All of the recruits walked to the mess hall for lunch. The five recruits that were vying for that new mobile suit stood in line with each other and sat at the same table to eat. All of them looked about the same age, the youngest being seventeen, the oldest, twenty-three. All of them had previous experience as pilots.

"Well, looks like everyone's back. Just missing one person," the speed specialist said. "Where's 'Dreas?"

"Heard he was MIA over in Afghanistan," the heavy weapons expert said. "Last I heard, his mobile suit was damaged, and he had to run on foot for the hills."

"Nice story, Ringer, but I heard he wasn't even touched," the EOD said. "Even you can't deny the Armageddon the very last word."

"Ah, but Nero can," the lucky pilot said. "Even my enigmatic personality won't deny him that one."

Just as all five of them laughed, the door slammed open. A soldier was running through the mess hall over tables, plates, silverware, and glasses until finally, someone shot him with a beanbag. The guy dropped to the top of the table, his face landing in a small pie. As he raised his head, he noticed the five pilots around him.

" 'Dreas!" all five of them yelled in surprise and welcome.

"I told all FIVE of you to stop calling me by that...!" Drew said as he turned onto his back to find a captain standing over him with a pistol pointed in his face.

"And you, sir, are LATE! YOU MISSED THE GODDAMN QUALIFYERS!" the captain exclaimed at Drew. "You idiot!"

"Hey, asswipe, it's not my fault that the insurgents happened to swarm all over that stupid piece of shit! Hell, if it weren't for Zelda, I wouldn't have gotten out of there in the first place," Drew retorted. "Besides, your resident kamikaze is here to save the day."

"Got that right!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Some reunion, eh?" Nero thought to himself as Drew finally was allowed to get off the table and get his meal. "Hey, Phaz, you got plans for tomorrow?" he asked the pilot next to him.

"Nope. Didn't have anything in mind," Phaz replied.

"I'm headin' out to Carpentaria for the next couple days for some ZAFT R&R," Kain said in an attempt to get his mind off of what just happened.