Welcome to my first ever posted, and ongoing fanfic. I'll be writing this as much as my time permits me to. This is a story that takes place after GSD, with a few new characters I've made up. The main point of view for my story is Yzak Jule, as I always wanted them to make a third series centred around him. This is rated M, as there will be profanity and sexual content in it, nothing yaoi though. Sorry to disappoint, Dearka/Yzak fans.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/Destiny, nor any of its characters. All original intellectual property is owned by Sunrise and its affiliates. All made-up characters are property of me, and I would prefer it that you contact me before using any of them in your fics, thank you.

All reviews are welcome, including constructive criticism. This is by no means my first fanfic, I've just never published any previous ones on the internet before.

-Gundam SEED Fatale-

Screaming. He heard it in his dreams each night, the screams of dying civilians. Each time he slept meant another terrifying nightmare, another night of mental and emotional anguish. The guilt was unbearable. The things he had done in the name of his home now tormented him always. The faces of the friends he had lost, and the countless people he had killed filled his mind. Would he never be free of this pain?

Yzak pushed himself up from the mattress. Throwing back the covers, he stalked to the bathroom. He paused in front of the mirror, and let out a gasp of frustration. The sight that greeted him only served to anger him. His chin-length silver hair was matted sweat, and stuck to his face. His eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles underneath them spoke of how little rest he was getting. His face was pale, beads of sweat ran down his forehead, in summary; he was a mess.

Tugging his boxers down to the floor, he stepped into the shower and activated it. Warm water pelted his skin, making him smile slightly. Yzak tilted his head back, and let the water wash over his face, relaxing as the heat wrapped around his body. He ran his hands through his hair, and sighed slightly. At that moment, he heard the bathroom door slide open.

"What is it?" he barked roughly at the intrusion.

"Ah, umm, Commander Jule. I apologise for the intrusion, but I was sent by Chairwoman Clyne. She requests your presence immediately," the young woman said quietly.

"Well, don't just stand there then. Hand me a towel, woman!" Yzak snapped, stepping out of the shower. The girl's green eyes widened, her commander was standing in front of her, stark naked. Her eyes travelled over his slim body, marvelling at his musculature, and sweeping over his genitals. Her eyes drifted back to his face, and she blushed a deep red. She quickly snatched the towel from the counter and handed it to him sheepishly.

"Sir, I…" she couldn't quite find her voice to finish the sentence. Yzak grinned, wrapping the towel around his waist.

"You'd think you'd never seen a naked man before. You're dismissed Lieutenant O'Connor." His eyes followed her out of the room, he always managed to get into awkward situations with her around. With her shoulder-length red hair, and forest green eyes, she was definitely one of the best looking soldiers he'd ever seen. Dearka regularly commented on how he longed to seduce her, but his attempts were always unsuccessful. A skilled mobile suit pilot she might have been, but she was certainly sheepish around men.

Pushing all thoughts of Annora O'Connor from his mind, he left the bathroom and started to get dressed. Why would Lacus request his presence at this time of morning, and why the urgency?

Lacus sat at her desk, nervously tapping her pen against the side. She had just received some terrible news, which was sure to shock and disturb the nation. She needed all of her best advisors, she had already called for Yzak Jule, Kira Yamato, and Athrun Zala, who was bound to bring Cagalli Yula Athha with him. Her blue eyes narrowed in thought, how could this have happened? Why so soon? So lost in thought was she, that she hadn't heard Yzak come into her office.

"Lacus-gichou, you sent for me?" Yzak queried.

"Oh! Yzak-taichou, I hadn't expected you to be here so soon. Please, take a seat. The others won't be here for a few minutes," she pointed to a black leather chair in front of her desk. Yzak sat down, and folded his hands in his lap.

"I don't suppose you'll be telling me why you sent Miss O'Connor into my shower to fetch me, hmm?" His silvery blue eyes were narrowed slightly in annoyance.

Lacus brushed a stray strand of pink hair from her eye, and opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Kira running full-tilt into the office. "Lacus!" he gasped. "What is it?"

"Ah, Kira-sama, thank you for coming. Please take a seat beside Yzak, we have two more guests to wait for." She smiled slightly, but her worry and weariness were evident on her face. Before long, Athrun and Cagalli walked in and closed the doors behind them. "Now then, shall we begin?" Lacus questioned. All four nodded, and she continued on, "I was just informed this morning, not three hours ago, that a new terrorist organisation has risen up. Where from we are unsure, but they operate like Logos, and they have acquired some very unsettling weapon caches. Five hours ago, a nuclear explosion was recorded in the JOSH-A crater."

"But Lacus, that would mean…" Cagalli breathed.

"That they've either retained, or stolen nuclear weapons from the EAF during the last war. It also means that an attack is not far behind, and if they are Logos, the attacks will be focused here, on PLANT." Athrun interjected.

"That can't be! Logos were destroyed, Lord Djibril was killed by Rey za Burrel. The surrounding ZAFT forces all witnessed his ship explode, and Dullindal had civilians murder the rest, right?" Kira's violet eyes swept across the room, worried.

"Wrong," Yzak snorted. "There were a few key members that were captured, and imprisoned on Earth. Logos was not destroyed, Dullindal failed."

"Correct Yzak," Lacus stated. "And to make things just a little more unsettling, three of those Logos members escaped, and their families have disappeared. From all intelligence reports I've read, a woman named Petrine infiltrated the prison, and set the Logos members loose. Who she is exactly is still unknown."

Disbelief was etched across each face in the room, could this really be Logos? Yzak stood up, and cleared his throat. "So then, I assume you'll want me to assemble my team and depart for Alaska, right gichou?"

"Yes Yzak, that is exactly what I want you to do. Please depart as soon as humanly possible, we cannot waste any time in finding them." She turned to Athrun, "I would like you and Kira to suit up as well, you'll be accompanying Yzak. I've asked the Archangel to dock at PLANT. You've no need to worry about the protection of PLANT, Mwu La Flaga and Akatsuki will be enough for now. Please everyone, do your best to put a stop to this before anything serious actually happens."

"I'll be cutting my vacation short and returning to ORB, I suppose. I'll need to report this to the emirs, and we'll work out what to do from there." Cagalli smiled weakly at Lacus, and left the office quietly, Athrun trailing behind her.

Yzak snapped a salute, and left the office as well, muttering something under his breath as he went. Kira stood beside Lacus. "It's all going to happen again, isn't it?" he whispered.

"Not if we can help it, my love." Lacus took Kira's hand in hers, and kissed it gently.