Gundam Seed Destiny: Memory of a dream
Chapter: 1
Writer: Karuma-chan/KarumA
Don't own
This fanfic is set after episode 42
"Who are... you?" Athrun could only look back with disbelief as Shinn tried to sit up, with a painful groan however he lay back down again.
Orb waters, 1 week prior:
Athrun Zala, now wearing his piloting uniform and sitting inside the unit he hadn't fought with since a long time, was being raised into the launching bay to join in on the battle that was waging outside. The battle of Orb: in which many lives were being lost because of a horrible mistake.
He wasn't all too certain about himself, he wasn't sure if he could cope with his still unhealed injuries but as he saw the blue sky up ahead at the end of the launch pad he thought of Meyrin.
'I'm okay, please don't leave me...'
His determination returned and he sighed deeply as he rethought his strategy and battle plan.
"Athrun Zala, Justice, Heading out!"
He could feel the acceleration and once outside he could clearly see what devastation had been brought down on Orb. Orb military was losing against the mass force of ZAFT and the 3 units send out by Lacuss Clyne were one of the few that gave Orb a winning chance.
Minerva bridge:
"Incoming object launched from Archangel!"
"Another?!"
"It's... Justice!" looking up Gladyss realised who the pilot of this unit was, her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what was going on.
On the battlefield:
The two Gundam units Freedom and Destiny were in duel, both units clashing against each other, flying apart and clashing again before repeating this cycle. Once separated again Shinn fired Destiny's leg riffle which was countered by Freedom's lasers. It was during this that he heard a voice of someone he thought had died not so long ago.
"Stop, Shinn!" his eyes widened at that voice and he spun the unit, dodging the incoming fire as he did, to see Justice flying towards him and Kira. He was shocked.
"Athrun! But you're... I... impossible!" shocked and at loss of words.
"Shinn listen to me, stop fighting! There is something happe-" he was however interrupted by incoming fire from Legend. Athrun evaded but soon found himself occupied with the enemy unit who quickly contacted his confused comrade.
"Shinn don't listen to him, the traitor may have survived, but this time for sure!" Shinn remembered the event, he remembered stabbing the Zaku unit both Athrun and Meyrin tried to flee in, but Athrun tried to make contact with Shinn again.
"Shinn!" he was confused now and had actually stopped dead in his tracks not knowing what to do.
"Shinn, remember what we are fighting for! The chairman wants to make a peaceful world, but for that to happen we need to find Djibril! Remember they were the ones who started this war!" he thought of Stellar, poor but beautiful Stellar who was never given the chance to actually live. He remembered how she died when he tried to save her, how Freedom had killed her and how she had suffered in the Minerva medical facility before he gave her up. Stellar was giving him a reason to fight.
"Orb sealed its own fate when it took in Djibril! We have to stop them to end this war..." he said with cold words, but before he could take action Freedom charged to Legend and in a quick draw slayed the unit in pieces with a pulled blade. Seeing the unit fall down into the ocean only made him relive the pain he felt back then.
"Rey..." how Freedom's blades cut forward into the Destroyer when he tried to save Stellar and how she then died in his arms when he could've saved her. There was an explosion and this is what made him snap. He screamed and the back wings of Destiny clapped open as he drew his blade and with it he charged forward to Freedom, who dodged it just barely.
Minerva:
Back on the ship Lunamaria also saw how Legend feel down into the ocean, she inhaled deeply and started walking to the bridge.
"Captain we've lost signal from legend. Rey is-" Gladyss turned to the messenger to respond as the doors to the bridge opened and Lunamaria walked inside.
"Captain, I'm going out" Everyone turned and looked at her.
"Lunamaria..."
"You can't stop me, Rey is..."
"I understand, but you are not to engage into Destiny's battles. Find Rey, quickly!"
"Understood!" and with that she readied himself, she had to find Rey even if that was the only thing she could do.
"Core splendor, launch when ready" Lunamaria clenched her teeth at the thought that Shinn wasn't going to save her if she got in trouble this time. She was going in alone now.
'Lunamaria, you will remain here. If you distract Shinn, he will lose. You're a hindrance for him right now'
"Lunamaria Hawke, Core splendor. I'm heading out!" she launched, unknowing that Athrun had returned, the 4 parts quickly assembled making the Impulse Gundam and the back engines flared as the raced down over the water surface. Minerva was also still in battle, Archangel's Isolde had fired and they were barely able to evade it, the left side of the ship was damaged critically.
Elsewhere on the battlefield Shinn had completely lost it, focussing his attacks only on Freedom and ignoring anything else. Athrun tried to get through to him but without avail, Shinn kept on ignoring his incoming requests, he had gone berserk. Without much choice Freedom fired its main guns, all targeted on the Destiny unit, though to Kira's disbelief he dodged them and charged forward with the massive blade. Kira backed away to evade it but Shinn slammed forward against Freedom, knocking it down to the ocean with massive force.
"Kira!" Justice took its pistol and fired several shots to try and get Shinn's attention, to try and make him stop this insane foolishness. "Shinn, stop! Kira is-" he tried to say innocent.
"Innocent?! And what would that make of Stellar?!" the tone of his voice frightened him, there was so much rage. Destiny turned to him and Athrun could feel a killing intent, he could feel such grudge that he himself felt the urge the run away, but he couldn't and he wouldn't.
"Don't take me for a fool!" Were the last words spoken before Shinn decided to charge towards him, he was struck with such force that Justice's shield was smashed to pieces and he was now losing altitude and glided over the water surface as Shinn threw the two back blades towards him, it would be almost impossible to dodge them.
Down below Lunamaria was getting closer to the floating debris that once was the Legend Gundam, looking up she could see Shinn fight. Shinn scared her when he fought, she was glad he was still on her side. Her alarms went off and Lunamaria looked up seeing Freedom crashing down towards her, she quickly moved out of the way as the unit crashed down into the ocean and quickly continued her search for Rey with the hope she wasn't about to get involved. Lucky enough she found the chess piece, its cockpit still intact and unopened and she grabbed it and lifted it out of the water. Looking up she tried to find Shinn again, but when she saw Justice near him her eyes widened.
"Is that... Justice?!" she watched as 2 rotating blades closed in on the unit and how Freedom rose up from the ocean in front of it. Freedom, with guns drawn it fired twice, one set fired at the rotating blades as the other fired at Destiny. The blasts were stopped by the shield but it was pushed back by its firepower as one of the blades flung back towards the unit. The alarms went off but evasion was impossible now, when Shinn looked up again the blade slashed in his cockpit causing a chain reaction inside as an explosion occurred not far from his head, the screens exploded loudly, knocking the glass out of his helmet and another flung another large piece directly in his eye, piercing through the cracked helmet glass. He screamed as blood poured down the wound and grabbed the sides of his helmet.
Freedom charged forward again, ignoring the damage and cut off Destiny's arms, legs and head. The pieces fell down into the water below and all Luna could do was watch, she couldn't believe what she was seeing right now.
"Shinn..." the idea of Shinn being defeated was allowing tears to flow down her cheeks. Shinn couldn't be defeated, it couldn't be happening. Her alarms went off again and she was forced to dodge incoming fire from Orb units. Unwillingly she turned and made her way back to base.
"Lost signal to Destiny, unbelievable..." Gladyss' eyes widened to this call, she turned to her battle announcer in disbelief.
"What?"
Orb Military National Defence Headquarters:
Cagalli was having it tough, with Orb military losing outside and no luck evacuating Orb's civilians she was losing fate, that was until Lacuss contacted her.
"Cagalli-san?" Cagalli looked up at the screen. "Lacuss?"
"Cagalli, I think it is time to tell then, don't you think?" she nodded in response. "Remember, put your mind to it and carry it out completely" with that the message ended.
"Get me communication with chairman Dullindal, now!" within several minutes a call opened and the chairman now looked at her from the screen.
"Stop this fight, right now!" she pleaded. "Why should we stop attacking? Do you surrender?"
"We... Everyone here has made mistakes, even I admit that didn't rightfully do my duties, but by my father's name we are doing everything we can to stop Djibril!" tears now ran down her face. "He did so many terrible things, yet he made the people here believe that the right thing to do was join the EAF forces, I couldn't do anything to stop them... I beg you to stop, please!"
"I understand" that was all the chairman said before he closed the link.
After Lunamaria landed with Legend's cockpit and the medical team pulled out an unconscious Rey she noticed how everyone was gathered near one of the screens, there was something going on and she quickly got out of her cockpit and made her way through the crowd.
"- I repeat from trusting sources we've found out that Djibril was making use of Orb's government forces, they are doing their best to find Djibrill themselves and because of their surrender ZAFT will stop all military activity on Orb-" she froze.
Back in the battlefield both units noticed ZAFT's retreat, Justice still levitated and Athrun still couldn't believe that Shinn had been defeated.
"Athrun, let's go back" Athrun nodded and turned to leave but when his back engines started firing up he saw something below in the water, parts from Destiny were slowly floating upwards and as Kira turned around to check on his friend he saw that Athrun was lifting something from the water.
"Athrun..." Justice gained on him and held the remains of a cockpit as it accelerated towards the Archangel.