Disclaimer: This is a fan-made crossover story. All non-original content belongs to the current IP owners.
It was a memory. Nothing more.
He could see the carnage raging around him, the dust and the fire and the blood. Monstrosities towering above him, looking for fresh blood. Corpses rotting below him, the bodies of boys who had tried desperately to flee the carnage. Soldiers by his side, both young and naive. One of them rose to his feet, and started running. He followed the solider.
He was moving through the ruins. Dirt surrounded him, and the air stunk of fire and gore and metal. Somewhere next to him, one of the soldiers exploded into a fountain of offal. He dove for cover, but the other soldier was not so fortunate. The monstrosities looked at the last exposed soldier, and turned their weapons to face him. The child fell apart, massive holes tearing him to pieces.
He could see this happening from his cover. Now, he was alone, consigned by that accursed man to die in this sand and heat and flesh. Above him, the metal monsters turned away, looking for new prey. They screeched and squawked that this was the will of God. That they were just. That they were crusaders, burning away the heretics. He merely laughed.
Now as his chance. The monoliths above him had turned away, and he could move. He started to run. If he could leave this place, then he could get his revenge. He could hunt down the man who had sent him to die. He could avenge his friends. He could...
One of the monsters above him turned to face him. He froze, hoping that it hadn't seen him. Unfortunately, the demonic abomination turned to face him. He stood his ground. The devil's weapon aimed at him. He was ready to die.
A light flared high above him, striking the monster dead. Another light fell, then another. With each light, there came a bolt, striking the metal monoliths down where they were. One by one, the machines were destroyed. At this point, he managed to work up the nerve to look up.
There was something beautiful, hovering above the dust and the fire and the blood. The air glowed green, as it turned cool and soothing. The stink was gone, as was the heat. However, he didn't notice this. He was too busy looking at the sky.
Above him, the beautiful something turned to face him. It hovered, free as a bird, as he gazed up at his guardian angel. Behind it, wings of light hung in the air. It looked at him, and he knew that everything would be alright.
It was a ghost. Nothing more.
Grey rock stretched out as far as the eye could see. The blaze of battle had ceased above – all the lights left in the sky were stars. However, all he could think was that he was back at where it had begun. The key difference, this time, being that he could fight back.
Once again, he was surrounded by the dust and the fire and the blood. Even through the cooling air, he could smell the blood and the metal. As if to make the scene complete, he could see his saviour, falling from on high. Of course, this time, the wings of particles were gone. He could see that his saviour had become one of the very monsters it had once hunted. It even screamed about the will of God – only now, it was talking about itself.
He could see the face of his enemy. Both of their torso's had been cleaved open, so now he could see the monster within his idol. He looked intently as his opponent stood upright, and cast away his shield. It doubled its grip on its sword, and stared him down. In turn, he raised his sword at the traitor. Behind him, he could feel the power rumbling through his frame. He stared at his adversary, and charged.
The two of them rushed towards each other, swords raised. Through the dust and the fire and the blood, he could see his opponent rise up as it rushed towards him. Evidently, it sought to fall down upon him. Such hubris.
He raised his sword, and with a single motion, he impaled his fallen angel. He cared hot for his own safety, focusing merely on the traitor in front of him. The two of the hung there for a moment, before they were engulfed light. He closed his eyes, and thought of the people he had saved by killing this monster. He thought of the change he had made.
It was a dream. Nothing more.
Now, he was flying. Lights of battle flashed around him, while his allies were consumed in liquid metal. He floated there, waiting for the moment. He could wipe the slate clean. He could start this, all over again. He waited for his moment.
He could see his friends, far away. He could see them struggling, yet he was helpless. He could only wait for his moment, as his home was consumed by metal and smoke. Thankfully, he could see that his friends would survive. They were leaving, mostly using the escape pods.
Inside his head, he was counting them. Two Operators. Two Engineers. One Pilot. Assorted support units. Unfortunately, this didn't distract him from the obvious exclusion. Where was their commander?
He was helpless, forced to watch. His home, shrouded in metal and smoke, moved forward. Away from the safety that his embrace promised. Instead, it moved towards the light of battle. It moved, and he realised only one person was unaccounted for.
He closed his eyes, and reached out with his mind. Inside his head, he could picture the place he called home. Torn and tattered, every precious memory consumed by metal and smoke. But most importantly, he could see inside the bridge. He could see his friend dying.
Her legs were fused to the ground by liquid metal, slowly creeping its way up her side. Despite this, she glared valiantly onwards, towards her death. After all, she was headed towards...
He opened his eyes again, and watched helplessly. All he could do was watch a bar on a screen fill, before he could wipe the slate clean. So it was that he was forced to watch as his home rammed into his enemy. He watched as it cracked, and his home became a place of dust and fire and blood. Although, it was better than becoming a place of metal and smoke.
Through the air, he thought he could hear some words. He heard his commander's – no, his former commander's voice. He heard her last words, echoing through his brainwaves. He heard her voice, saying goodbye. He heard her voice, celebrating her reunion with the dead.
He heard the dying words of Sumeragi Lee Noriega, as she used the Ptolemeios 2 Kai to buy him time.
It was a nightmare. Nothing more.
Now, he found himself descending to the ground. He looked down, at the carnage he had wrought. He looked at the two monsters he had struck down, now flaming husks of what they were. He looked at the ocean, coming inland. He looked at the ruins, the corpse of a majestic place. Yet, all he saw was the dust and the fire and the blood.
He turned around, and saw three faces in the ruin. The three faces, he knew, who could bring an end to the metal and the smoke. He saw the wonder on their faces, despite the dirt and dust. The cooling air fell upon them, and soothed those children who's faces he saw. He reached out, and from his back sprouted wings of light. On high, he glowed with an unparalleled radiance.
In that moment, he could see how this would end. He could see his saviour, twisted into villainy. He could see himself, manipulating these people to his will. He could see himself, judgement clouded by his nightmare. He could see the cycle, stretching on until all was consumed by metal and smoke.
When he awoke, Setsuna F. Seiei found himself crying.
Quantum Shift
Act 1: Unification
Chapter 4: Operation Erde
Xingke was a thoughtful guy. Every moment of every day, he's thinking about something. This approach to life has many upsides. He tends to work quickly, and produce higher quality results. He was very good at keeping calm in stressful situations. Most importantly, he could evaluate a situation and make a decision much quicker than most people. This was, in fact, one of the main reasons he became a Gundam Meister.
Despite this, Xingke often wishes he could be didn't think so much. He couldn't stop thinking about things, no matter what he was doing. It kept him awake at night, and made people wary of him. After all, they thought, someone who schemes as much as he does can't be trustworthy. Right?
So it was that Xingke spent another sleepless night aboard Celestial Being. As much as he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about children. He thought about Empress Jiang Lihua, aka. Tianzi; his little sister in all but blood. He had left her to command an empire, alone. How could he call himself a good man, when he had abandoned her against the Eunuchs of China?
Not to mention Lelouch, Nunnally and Suzaku. No matter what way he looked at it, they were child soldiers. Raised to fight. They were never far from his mind, plaguing his waking thoughts. If his abandonment of Tianzi was bad, what could he call his support of child soldiers?
These were some of the thoughts for sleepless night after sleepless night. It all came to a head early one morning, as he entered the Meisters living area. Since the Meisters shared a living area – ostensible a 'bonding experience' – he had to see the children's faces every day. Their too-old eyes, their too-worn expressions, hidden beneath a veneer of innocence.
With such a lot of things on his mind, it wasn't all that surprising that he walked head-first into someone. Both he and his victim went tumbling to the ground. After taking a moment to compose himself, he looked up and to see C.C. getting back onto her feet. She looked at him sternly. He met her gaze and said, "My apologies. I wasn't paying attention."
She seemed displeased by this explanation. Nevertheless, he offered him her hand. He took it, and she lifted him up off the floor. As he gave a silent thanks for artificial gravity, she said, "Evidently. Now then..."
She walked over to the kitchen area and said, "I can tell that you've got something on your mind. Tea or Coffee?"
Xingke had long since learned that C.C. couldn't be deceived, "Tea. What gave it away?"
C.C. put a kettle on as she said, "No-one's that careless. Especially not you. I can tell it isn't about the tests later, either. So," she turned to face him and smiled, "Would you be so kind as to pour your heart out to me?"
Xingke snorted in amusement. He appreciated C.C.'s playfulness in this decidedly industrious place. He said, "If you must know, I've been thinking about the children."
"So soon? We've only just met," joked C.C., eliciting laughter from the stoical man. After a moment, she said, "We've been over this before. It's the lesser of two evils. Besides, do you think that a lack of backing would stop them from fighting?"
Xingke raised his eyebrow. C.C. continued, "Lelouch and Suzaku can't just forgive and forget. They're creatures of action. Sooner or later, they'd try to do something crazy to get their revenge."
Xingke shook his head, "You're not telling me anything I didn't already know. It's just hard to accept. I was over twice their age when I joined the army."
C.C. walked up to Xingke, and handed over a cup of Tea. She said, "Listen to me. Waxing lyrical isn't going to solve anything," she looked him in the eye and grasped his shoulder, "If I can't talk you into seeing reason, then talk to the children instead. It's their decision."
Xingke was about to make a retort, when to door to the bedrooms opened. A sleepy Lelouch entered the room and said, "G'mornin' C.C., G'mornin' Xingke."
Xingke and C.C. froze in their demi-hug position. Lelouch walked past them without comment, instead focusing on procuring himself some cereal. He walked back past the two adults, and sat down at the table. He gestured his first spoonful at the adult couple and said, "Am I interrupting something?"
The two quickly broke from their hold. As Xingke took an oversized swig of tea, C.C. said, "Not at all. We were just talking about you, actually."
Lelouch nodded, "I heard. What were you two doing, arguing at this time of the morning?"
"Arguing," said C.C.. Lelouch sighed and said,
"You know what I meant. What were you two talking about?"
Xingke took a sip of his tea and said, "We were talking about how you children shouldn't be getting taught how to use war machines."
Lelouch swallowed his food and said, "Children? And what is a child, if not a less experienced adult?"
His words hung in the air for a moment, but Lelouch continued, "We are not innocent. We are not naïve. We are not helpless. We're children, who have seen the horrors of the world with our own eyes."
Xingke nodded. He had heard what the children had been though before arriving at Celestial Being. They had trekked through a war-zone, alone; not a fate he would wish on any civilian. He let Lelouch finish,
"We do not seek vengeance, or reparations, or glory. Not anymore. All we want is a world where people are good to each other. The world of the Aeolia principles. That is why we are willing to sacrifice ourselves to Celestial Being: to be the catalysts for that utopian world!"
The room went silent. As much as Xingke hated to admit it, Lelouch's words were hard to dispute. He took a final sip of his tea and said, "I understand. If I might advise you, though, make sure that you're ready for war. The old world will not fall easily."
Xingke put down his tea. He looked at C.C. and said, "I'd like to do some last minute training in the simulators. If you can, I'd like you to join me later."
C.C. nodded and said, "I will. After I leave this lot with their teachers, I'll make sure we have a... private session," she smirked, "Now if you don't mind, I need to take a luscious, unobserved shower. Lelouch, please make sure that Nunnally doesn't try to butter any toast. We don't want a repeat of last time"
The two adults walked out opposite ends of the room. Lelouch, alone in the room, tried to eat his cereal. Unfortunately, he could only think one thing,
'What was that all about?'
Setsuna's office was an absolute mess. There were papers flying everywhere, bits of broken desk and chair lying on the floor. A couple of the artificial gravity generators were broken, and books littered nearly every inch of available workspace. Most people would look at the state of the room and call the police. Setsuna called it 'Organised Chaos'.
This was, perhaps, why some of the older members of Celestial Being were amused by the fact that Setsuna had an office. The man was a living personification of Gundam – not an office clerk. He fought for the world of Aeolia Schenberg; he didn't sort through reports or plan meetings. Not to mention the state of his quarters on the Ptolymeios.
Yet, here he was, looking out of his office window. As much as he hated to admit it, he was being swamped by his work. The Britannian's invasion of Russia had sent the spy network into overdrive, as well as the deployment of Knightmares.
He sighed and turned away from the view. Looking at space never failed to remind him of the ELS conflict. Instead, he grabbed one of the books in his office and started reading.
There was a tap on the door. Setsuna had been expecting it. He said, "Come in."
The door whirred open, and Feldt Grace floated into Setsuna's office. She slowly dropped to her feet as the artificial gravity brought her into its grasp. She looked around and said, "You've cleaned up, Setsuna."
Setsuna chuckled for a moment before saying, "It was even worse this morning. Now, it there anything I can do for you, Mrs Grace?"
"We've finished fitting the Virtue's test drive."
Setsuna shook his head, "That isn't why you came here. Please, be honest with me."
Feldt sighed and said, "I heard about the new Ptolymeios..."
Setsuna interrupted, "You mean the Sumeragi? What do you wish to discuss about it?"
"As much as I'd like to honour her, isn't this a little morbid?" she asked, "Commander Sumeragi went down with her ship. Do you really think that naming a ship of the same class appropriate?"
Setsuna nodded, "I understand your point. However, I think that she would have wanted us to continue the good fight. We won't let her memory be washed away by time."
He walked over to Feldt, "It might be morbid, but it's an appropriate tribute. She trained us, and now we're training the next generation. That is why I chose that name. Because it will be our last message to the Gundam Meisters of tomorrow."
It was a very complicated idea, and one that Feldt Grace didn't really understand. Nevertheless, she decided to drop the matter. Instead, she took a look at Setsuna's pile of books. What she saw surprised her.
"Might I ask," she said, "Why you have so many books about learning new languages?"
Setsuna sighed at the girl's inquisitive mind, "I am reading them because I wish to learn from them. Is that a satisfactory answer?"
"I didn't know that you were so interested in learning," she checked some of the titles, "Norwegian for Beginners, Setsuna."
"There is a lot about me that you don't know, Mrs Grace. Besides, the purpose of this will be revealed in due course."
"They're all different languages," she said. Evidently, Feldt was not one to be deterred, "Is this why you knew Chinese, when Xingke arrived? You've been learning, haven't you?"
It appeared a change of subject was in order, "Mrs Grace, have we heard back from Lord Ashford yet?"
That caught her attention, "You mean, about the academy, sir?"
"Correct. Have he and Lyle been able to come to an agreement yet?"
"Yes, sir. I believe that they're planning to call the children 'Apprentices of Fereshte'."
"Fereshte have offices nearby," stated Setsuna, "We can set up simulators there. Use the apprenticeship as a pretext for training."
This caused Feldt to raise an eyebrow, "Really? I thought you'd be more strict about their training."
Setsuna pinched the bridge of his nose. He picked up a glass from his desk. He sipped the milky-white liquid inside, nodding, and said, "Like I said, Mrs. Grace, there is a lot about me that you don't know," before sighing.
"Listen to me, Feldt. Celestial Being does not exist to shape the world. Our purpose is to be the Vanguard of change. It would go against our entire raison d'etre to shape them into the perfect Meisters. They must grow on their own, even if it isn't the most efficient method."
After Setsuna had finished his little speech, Feldt said, "I wasn't saying that I disagreed. I was just... surprised. I didn't think that you'd be so dedicated to preserving their innocence."
"Innocence," asked Setsuna, "Their innocence died the day their mother died. It died when their country was invaded. I've no interest in preserving innocence. I'm interested in giving them a childhood."
Setsuna's words hung in the air for a moment. Eventually, he said, "We're running the flight test in a few minutes. If you want to watch, head to Hanger 2's observation deck."
"Thank you, Setsuna. I'll remind Allelujah about the Japanese Resistance reports when I get back planetside."
The man nodded, "I'll take care of the Dylandy and Ashford messages," he turned away from Feldt, "You may leave, Mrs Grace."
Feldt turned to leave. However, just as the door opened, she heard a voice behind her, "Oh, and Feldt?"
"What is it, Setsuna?"
"Thank you."
Feldt accepted the compliment and floated through the door. She didn't look at Setsuna's reflection. Not even she could have told what he was thinking. She couldn't see his regret.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Celestial Being, Lelouch was floating in thought. His eyes were closed, and he was oblivious to his surroundings. The twelve year-old hadn't slept well the previous night, and it was starting to show.
Normally, Lelouch could operate with only a little sleep. However, this was just the most recent in a string of restless nights. Ever since he found out about the test flights, he'd had trouble sleeping. Now, the moment was here, and he couldn't ignore his fears anymore.
The problem was Nunnally. Lelouch loved his sister dearly, and he was very protective of her. Ergo, ever since he'd found out that she was a confirmed Gundam Meister, he'd been trying to ignore that fact. Ignore that his sister had become part of a group with a better-than-average mortality rate.
He was roused from his train of thought by a tapping on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the unmistakable purple hair of Tieria Erde. Lelouch looked at his guardian for a moment before saying, "Do you need my help with something?"
The elder man sighed. Behind him, several Innovades continued the final preparations. He could afford to focus on Lelouch as he said, "No. I need to talk with you."
The boy fully opened his eyes and said, "Is now really the best time?"
"No. But it has to be done."
Lelouch raised his eyebrow, so Tieria continued, "You've not been in the best of moods. Something is weighing on your mind."
Lelouch considered denying it, but he could see the rippling gold in Tieria's eyes. He bit the bullet and said, "It's Suzaku and Nunnally. I don't like the fact that you've..."
"Put them in harm's way," said Tieria. Lelouch considered this for a moment before nodding. Tieria said, "Don't forget, this is their decision. You can't tell them what to do."
Lelouch turned his head away, "That doesn't mean I have to like it."
"I understand," said Tieria. He set himself next to Lelouch as he said, "Did I ever tell you about when Setsuna first joined Celestial Being?"
"Yes. You didn't like him."
Tieria chuckled, "No, I didn't. But now, I take orders from him. Do you know why that is, Lelouch?"
The boy frowned, "Because he's a good administrator?"
Tieria almost facepalmed, "Not at all. He was a weak, broken boy when he first joined us. But he grew up," he said. He punctuated this by prodding Lelouch's heart, "He faced the ghosts of his past, and came back stronger."
Lelouch looked intently at Tieria, "I don't see why you're telling me this right now, Mister Erde."
The spy-master sighed at his ward's bluntness, "I'm telling you this because you need to hear it. Suzaku and Nunnally are growing up, and you're not going to like it. But they'll come out the other side, and be better for it."
The boy pondered this for a moment. Eventually, he kicked himself off of the wall and towards one of the observation terminals. He said, "You talk about growth and change, but that isn't what I've seen here. They have most assuredly changed, but they haven't developed. They're being reshaped to serve your own ends. All you're doing is changing them. Like Father did."
Tieria gripped his ward's arm and pulled him close, "Listen to me, Lelouch. Our organisation isn't what most people would consider nice; However, those principles we do have are ironclad. We are not Ribbons Almark, nor are we Charles vi Britannia."
The man sighed and said, "Now, I have to co-ordinate these test flights. You're going to stay here and watch. Then, perhaps, you'll see what I'm talking about."
Tieria turned his back to Lelouch and floated towards one of the consoles in the room. As he started doing one thing or another, Lelouch was left to think. Tieria had given him a lot to think about.
Was Lelouch truly committed to Celestial Being? Sure, he liked their ideas, but he was a very practical individual. He was a realist among idealists. And a large part of him was screaming that Celestial Being couldn't live up to their promises.
He was roused from this thought when he felt a shuddering sensation. He looked up, and saw Gundam Exia launching from it's docking point. Over the comms, he could hear the sound of Suzaku's voice. The words were inconsequential, technical jargon. But the way he said it...
Lelouch could hear the joy and the terror. Being thrust forwards at hundreds of miles per hour, he supposed, must be quite the adrenaline rush. But the main thing that Lelouch heard in his oldest friend's voice was awe.
In those moments, everything seemed to click for Lelouch. He knew the technical details of Gundam; he even knew how to pilot one. But he hadn't truly understood what they were. Gundams were more than just a well-arranged stack of metal and silicon. They were dreams made manifest.
In his time aboard Celestial Being, he had almost forgotten that feeling. The sensation he had felt when he had been saved from those damned Britannian soldiers. He had forgotten that wonder and awe. But now, he could see once more. They were real things, that could change the world.
As the Dynames rocked the observation deck, Lelouch realised what he needed to do. He kicked off of a nearby wall, and set himself next to Tieria. He said, "Excuse me, Mister Tieria."
The man turned around to face Lelouch. Aside from the rippling golden eyes, he looked serene. He said, "What is it, Lelouch?"
"I'm sorry. You were right, and I was being a stubborn idiot."
Tieria rested his hand on Lelouch's shoulder and said, "It's no problem Lelouch. Now..."
Tieria gripped Lelouch beneath his shoulders, and lifted him up, "How about you transfer Xingke's Launch control?"
Lelouch looked at Tieria's console, and almost instinctively did so. He looked up as the Kyrios launched out of it's dock. Tieria looked at him and said, "Thank you, Lelouch. Now, there's a console for you over there," - he pointed to a large terminal next to the observation window, - "It has everything you'll need. I'll take care of Nunnally's launch."
Lelouch nodded, and drifted over to the terminal. As he set himself down, he pulled up the view of the Gundams' cockpits. He looked at the faces of his friends, and he knew one more thing. Joining Celestial Being had been the best decision of his life.
Inside the cockpit of Gundam Virtue, Nunnally ran a few final checks. She took a deep breath, and tried not to think about what was about to happen. From her right, she felt the harsh juddering sensation of Kyrios' launch; she was the last one left in the hanger. She looked at one of the terminals to her left. It was glowing brightly, reading, 'Launch Control Preparing'.
As she waited for launch clearance, she thought back to how she had ended up here. After all, it was an interesting story. She'd been told that this would happen a few weeks ago, but the story started a lot earlier. This was the sum of everything she had done, ever since the 00 Quan[T] had come tumbling down from the sky and into her life.
It almost seemed like fiction. Her mother had been killed, and herself crippled. Used as a political hostage, and dragged through a war-zone. She knew that Lelouch could understand, but that he wouldn't let himself. He wouldn't let himself think about how his sister must have felt, blind and weak and useless.
Setsuna saved her in more ways than one. Before that day, all she could see was that blinding darkness, and all she could do was listen to the suffering of others. As Tieria said, a seven year-old girl just wasn't prepared for a life like that. Even two years later, she could barely bring herself to think about it. Nunnally probably would have broken. But she didn't.
There was a pinging sound next to her. To her left, a small window opened up on the viewscreen. Tieria Erde's face looked at her and said, "It's time. Are you ready to launch, Nunnally?"
She sighed. She'd already checked and double checked that Virtue was ready. Then again, Tieria hadn't asked about Virtue. For a few moments Nunnally went silent. However, just as Tieria was about to say something, she said, "I'll never be ready for this. But I won't let that stop me."
Tieria smiled and nodded, "Very well them. Transferring launch timings to Virtue."
By her side, the text changed from 'Launch Control Preparing' to 'Launch Control Enabled'. Nunnally tenderly gripped the controls of Virtue. Her grip slowly tightened before she whispered, "Gundam Virtue..."
So many thoughts rushed through her head. Thoughts about Gundam, about what she was becoming, about Britannia. She thought about the Knightmare Frames that had almost killed her, and about her mother's legendary fighting skills. But most importantly, she thought about everything she had heard during the Japanese War. All the voices she had heard snuffed out.
In honour of all those voices, Nunnally shouted, "Gundam Virtue Launching!"
It was all happening in a moment. She felt a jerk from behind her, then the slow acceleration of the Virtue. Since the fourth GN Drive was still in development, the Virtue was equipped with a Tau drive. Because of this, she couldn't feel the cooling effects of the GN Particles embracing her. Even with the G-Force diffusers, she could feel the force of the Virtue as it left the Launch Catapult.
The simulators had never prepared her for this. Even though she was buried deep within the machine, she could feel every panel of the machine as though it was a second skin. She could feel everything, and it wasn't comfortable.
But then the moment was over. The Virtue Neos was outside Celestial Being, and the first flight of the Neos line had full commenced. From the viewscreen, Nunnally could see the other three Gundams floating in space. She knew where she had to go. But she didn't care.
This feeling was better than anything. For the first time in forever, a true grin came to Nunnally's face. All her life, she'd been weak. She had been an innocent child in the Britannian Royal Family. She had been a crippled girl in a war-zone. She had been a young girl in training with Celestial Being. But this was different.
Flying in Virtue, she felt powerful. Like she could change the world; prevent anyone from sharing her miserable life. Nunnally was no longer a charity case; she was like a knight in shining armour.
She sped up. As she drifted through space, she spun and flipped. She looped and twisted in the vacuum, feeling the G-Force diffusion system at every turn. Finally, she saw that piloting Gundam wasn't a sin, like she always felt it was. Because if this was wrong, she didn't want to be fight.
Over the comms, she heard a chuckling noise. She looked over, and saw the face of Lelouch from within the control room. He said, "Nice moves, Nunnally. How does it feel?"
Before she could think, Nunnally said, "Real. It feels very real."
Lelouch nodded, "Everyone else's had their little joy rides. I'm marking the rendezvous co-ordinates. Are you ready?"
"Yes," she said, "I will be in a moment."
The little window of Lelouch closed, leaving Nunnally to her thoughts. She started moving towards the rendezvous point, soaking in the experience that was piloting Gundam. She was it, and it was her. Within a moment, she had arrived at the rendezvous co-ordinates.
The other three Gundams were there, floating inside a green haze. As she entered, Nunnally felt the cooling embrace of true GN particles. She opened up the GN comms system. All of a sudden, her viewscreen was filled with visual connections.
"...Gun... Kyrios ... fast," said Xingke, "I can barely control it."
"Don't worry," replied Tieria, "You'll get used to it. I remember when Allelujah first tried to pilot it..."
"I have a feeling that none of us want you to finish that sentence, sir," said Xingke. After C.C and Suzaku had chimed in with the same opinion, the Chinese man said, "Have you connected your comms yet, Virtue?"
"Yes," Nunnally said firmly, "Are you ready to begin?"
Surprisingly, Suzaku cut across Xingke's answer, "Of course we are! We were waiting for you."
Nunnally hung her head – she knew she shouldn't have stopped to have a little fun, but it's so good. However, Suzaku received an unexpected response in the form of C.C. saying, "Now now, Suzaku. You had much longer to play around than her. You shouldn't be so quick to judge."
Now it was the young boy's turn to hang his head, "Sorry, C.C."
"Nevertheless," Tieria said sharply, "If there are no problems, we should begin the tests."
After a few moments to discus logistics, the Meisters started to move. The plan was that they would go through a cluster of meteorites that orbited Celestial Being. Thankfully, within a few moments they had arrived.
A new comm window opened, revealing Lelouch's smiling visage. He announced, "If I might have your attention."
Everyone stopped what they were doing in order to pay attention, "You all know the plan. In addition to the technical manoeuvres, I'll be talking to you throughout this operation."
Once everyone had given an affirmative, Tieria resumed control, "Thank you, Lelouch. Now, here's the order of proceedings..."
As the spy-master detailed the operation, Suzaku was splitting his attention. While he was memorising the details of the tests, he was also doing playing around with the controls. It was the Gundam equivalent of fidgeting; opening and closing various ports and flaps. It was a nervous habit of his, and one he wished he didn't have.
Once Tieria was done, Suzaku and the others moved off. They'd already checked the GN Vernier systems were fully operational on the way here. Ergo, the next check was to make sure that the full range of motion was operational. A sequence of tight turns and abrupt stops, like Nunnally did after she left the hanger.
Suzaku was accelerating around a small asteroid when Lelouch chimed in, "So, Suzaku..."
"Why do I feel like I'm under review?"
The two boys chuckled before the Tactician said, "So, how does it feel?"
For lack of a better answer, Suzaku could only say, "It's... Real. The realest thing I've ever done."
"That's what Nunnally said," replied Lelouch softly. As the two friends chuckled, Lelouch dropped the proverbial bomb, "So... How's the base been treating you lately you been lately? You know, since..."
Suzaku bowed his head. After two years, his father had officially been found and killed. Without Suzaku to stop him, Genbu Kururugi had driven himself well past the brink of insanity in his quest for vengeance. To make it all worse, he'd forced everyone he could to die by his side. Thousands of brave Japanese soldiers killed, in the name of misplaced loyalty.
Suzaku realised that he needed to reply, "Fine. Everyone's been perfectly nice, but..."
As Lelouch leaned forwards in his seat, Suzaku said softly, "I wish I could've been there. I could have done... something. I don't know," he sighed. He looked up at the image of Lelouch and said, "I just wish that his allies didn't go down with him."
This got Lelouch going. He threw his arms open and said, "You're missing the point, Suzaku. Loyalty is something that is won. Your father won his men's loyalty, and so they stood with him. He could have forced his men to make that decision, but he didn't have to. They made that choice. Soon, it will the the time that you must make yours."
Suzaku laughed at his friend's exuberance. It was motivational, to be sure, but it was also coming from a twelve year-old. Lelouch huffed at the
Inside, however, Suzaku's mind was turning over Lelouch's words. If loyalty was won, who was he loyal to? Celestial Being had saved him, but at a price. They looked out for him, but how much of that was just looking after their investment?
He was snapped out of this train of thought by Lelouch's piercing voice, "I'm getting a maintenance signal from your life support systems. Any technical problems yet?"
"Nothing. Someone probably didn't tighten a nut properly," the Meister said, "I trust Krung Thep's engineering. Say, do we have clearance to do any weapon tests?"
Almost as soon as the words were said, Lelouch was looking pleadingly over to Tieria. After all, twelve year-old boys will never be able to resist lasers or explosions. Within a few moments of this onslaught of adorableness, Tieria capitulated.
"Go on then," he said, "But just once. I'll warn everyone else."
Within the second, Suzaku had taken aim at a distant meteorite. The other Gundams stopped to watch. Save for Nunnally, this was the first time any of them had seen GN weapons in action.
Suzaku loosed a bolt of GN energy. The slick bolt of energy arrived at it's destination faster than anyone expected. For less than half a second, it penetrated into the boulder. Than, it exploded in a vibrant array of purple dust.
While C.C. stared at the display, Xingke let out a low whistle and murmured, "Well, if I ever doubted that Celestial Being's tech..."
Tieria chuckled at the team's childlike wonderment before saying, "OK then, back to the tests. If you're lucky, I'll let the rest of you check your weapons."
As the tiny crowd dispersed, Suzaku moved the Exia back towards the heart of the meteorite cluster. He looked towards Lelouch and said, "Thanks, Lelouch. That was awesome!"
The weaker of the two nodded enthusiastically, "I know! You pulled the trigger and it was like 'swoosh' and then it went," Lelouch mimed an explosion. Inside the control room, people started looking weirdly at their normally composed apprentice.
After a fair bit of laughter, Suzaku said, "Although I'm looking forward to..."
Sadly, Lelouch never found out what Suzaku was looking forward to in that moment. At that moment, Exia ploughed straight into a large meteorite. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. After all, Gundams were built for much worse. But, as it so happened, Exia Neos had been built with a piece of piping that wasn't properly riveted...
So it was that Suzaku found his air supply leaking.
Lelouch could tell that something was wrong almost immediately. His gut was telling him as much. As was the system warning, which was flashing, 'Exia – Air Supply System Failure' on his monitor.
Ergo, Lelouch knew what the problem was within a few moments. By that time however, Suzaku was already noticing the problem. Air was flowing away from the cockpit through the broken pipe, creating a vacuum.
Suzaku's pilot suit would protect him from any surface damage. That only left the not inconsiderable problem of suffocation. Thankfully, everyone aboard Celestial Being had been trained for surviving in space. Suzaku let out the breath he was holding.
In the intervening time, Tieria had rushed over to Lelouch's terminal. He told Suzaku, "Don't worry, Suzaku. Don't panic. We're going to get you back inside. Don't try to hold your breath."
Exia drifted in space. Unfortunately, Suzaku had forgotten to brake after his collision. He went straight into another meteorite, damaging things further. By now, the other Gundams had received the news. As Exia came out the other side of the meteorite, he was caught by none other the Kyrios.
"Hang in there," commanded Xingke, "I've got you, Suzaku."
Inside Exia's cockpit, Suzaku was doing an Oscar-worth performance of someone who was not panicking. He couldn't breath, and he was starting to feel the effects. He knew that after thirty seconds without air, he would lose consciousness. It had already been ten seconds; he was feeling light headed, and his vision was getting clouded.
Thankfully, the Meisters already had a plan. Kyrios had Exia in his arms; now it was a matter of getting him back to base in time. To that end, Dynames had powered up her weapons systems. As Kyrios transformed, Dynames started to clear the way back to base. While Dynames was picking off distant targets, Virtue opened up its GN Shoulder Cannons and fired a strafing run right past Kyrios.
There were several unheard swooshes as Dynames let off a number of shots. There were only two signs that she had even fired; the near instantaneous travel of the glowing bolt, and the subsequent explosion.
Virtue's blast, however, could be felt. As if by shockwaves, Exia and Kyrios were rocked by the ambient GN energy of the blast. Light engulfed half of Exia's view, like a blazing fire. By the time it was over, not even rubble remained. Combined with Dynames' efforts, the way had been cleared within seven seconds.
Inside Exia, Suzaku's mind was free-wheeling. Was he going to die here? Quite an alluring prospect – he could be free from the concerns of the real world. He could see his parents again. He could...
But if death was so attractive, why did he choose to live?
Kyrios was racing forwards. It had taken them the best part of a minute to reach the testing area. Now, Xingke felt he could easily half that time. But would it be enough?
Thankfully, he had underestimated Kyrios' speed. The distance that had seemed so far at cruising speed just... dissolved. Inside of five seconds, Kyrios and Exia were at the hanger doors. He practically threw Exia inside, before grabbing the hanger doors with his own hands. He pulled, and, with great difficulty, shut the doors.
Suzaku was almost delirious at this point. Blackness engulfed the corners of his vision, and he could feel himself slipping. Some logical part of him remembered to open the pilot's hatch, allowing a pair of trained Innovades into the cockpit. As he slipped away, Suzaku managed to make one last rational thought.
'Celestial Being is my reason to exist. They are why I choose to live. Consider... my loyalty... won...'
A few hours later, an impromptu session of the Council of Celestial Being had been convened. Ostensibly, they were reacting to the incident with Exia. After all, someone had done shoddy work on Gundam Exia. Whoever they were, they were going to be fired. Unfortunately, the truth is never so simple.
"All I'm asking," an inquisitive Allelujah said, "Is if it was necessary to take such a drastic measure, Tieria."
"The whole point of these 'tests' were to test the Meisters, not the machines," the conniving spy-master replied, "Do you really think that I wasn't above a little sabotage, if it works in our favour?"
Setsuna pinched the bridge of his nose. As it turned out, Tieria had set the entire air leak incident up; it was his duty to train the Meisters, after all, and the teamwork on display during the incident was exceptional. In fact, Setsuna wouldn't have minded if it weren't for the fact that Tieria hadn't set up and safety procedures at all.
Around the table, opinions were split. Tieria, Lyle, Setsuna and Kati Mannequin felt the act was necessary, while Allelujah, Feldt, Mileina, Linda Vashti and Lasse Aeon disagreed. Unfortunately, the act had already come to pass, so nothing could be done about it. Setsuna decided to put his foot down,
"Regardless of the morality of such an act," he announced, "There's nothing we can do about it now. Suzaku is in a stable condition, and the intended effect was achieved. Are there any other matters are there to discuss?"
Mileina tried to object to the change of topic, but a firm glare from the leader put the subject to rest. Instead, she reported, "GN Drive manufacture proceeding to schedule, sir. Fabrication of the Sumeragi is continuing and has an estimated completion time of four years. Aside from the obvious," she elbowed her husband, "The Neos machines are performing slightly above expected tolerances."
"Very good," Setsuna said softly. He turned to Lyle and said, "Have you fabricated the paperwork for the children yet?"
The CEO nodded, happily saying, "Before this meeting, Setsuna. If you can arrange their departure within the next three months, I'd appreciate it."
The Kurd nodded. Quietly, he asked the group at large, "Any miscellaneous reports?"
Lasse shook his head, "Not in Africa. The censorship laws in the colonies are too tight."
Likewise, Feldt reported a lack of progress in northern Asia. Thankfully, Linda had some good news,
"I've been able to get one of our agents a place as a News Anchor in the EU. It's not much, but it'll be useful come the armed intervention."
Allelujah, unfortunately, didn't have anything to report inside the Chinese Federation. Lyle had managed to buy out a parts manufacturer that supplied the military, but otherwise had nothing to report.
Setsuna nodded at the information. Firmly, he said, "Are there any other matters that need to be addressed before the next formal meeting?"
Now, Lyle had something to contribute. He said, loudly, "Does it bother anyone else that we've become the Illuminati?"
A chuckle spread though the room. Even Tieria smiled at that particular comment. After a few moments, Allelujah added, "Not to mention the fact that we're backing a colour coordinated group of teenagers with superhuman, innovator abilities; and we're supplying them with giant robots. We've created the Power Rangers."
That was enough to break even Setsuna's well honed composure. Everyone present had a hearty laugh at the absurdity of their existence. The madness of their plans, and the reality of their situation thrown into light.
It was the happiest they would ever be together.
END OF ACT I
Author's Notes: Took long enough. I've had a sequence of distractions lately, mostly stemming from the fact I can't write well while listening to music. Also, I've started watching Game of Thrones and built my only Gunpla: RG Exia. Nonetheless, I've managed to put this chapter together within the month. The next chapter shouldn't take as long: I've already planned it out - it's mostly world building before Act 2: Elimination.
Writing Notes: This chapter is named Operation Erde for three reasons: the chapter is dominated by Celestial Being, and focuses on stengthening inter-character connections. Furthermore, it alludes to Tieria's gambit. The chapter between C.C. and Xingke was torture to write; it took weeks just to hammer out that one scene. In comparison, the first flight sequence took about five days for twice the word-count. On that subject, the flight was designed to serve as the emotional climax of Act 1. Several key character arcs were finished, and it had the most perilous scene in the story so far (no matter how false that peril was).
I'm not happy with the first two scenes, but they couldn't really be improved much without a lot more time than I have. On the other hand, I'm fairly happy with the first flight sequence - It's the longest scene of the fic so far by a lot. As I've said before, the proofreading is done in a sub-optimal state of mind by me, so I apologise. Criticism is encouraged, and reviews will make my day. Anyway...
Next Time, Time marched onwards in a changing world!
