Gundam SEED Destiny: Renegade Chapter 6: PHASE 05: Reasons For War, a gundam seed fanfic

PHASE FIVE: Reasons For War

C.E 79 Orb Union (Present Day)

They walked slowly back towards the mansion. The ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice was safely stored in the secret hangar of Orb, along with Kira's white Enigma, the golden Akatsuki and Waltfeld's Murasame. Torii perched itself safely on Athrun's shoulder as they made their way back. Athrun's head was bowed low, his eyes dull as he walked with Murrue, Mu and Waltfeld. From time to time, they would glance at the blue-haired Coordinator and sigh, not knowing any words of comfort that could console the pilot – after all, they felt the loss as much as Athrun had. Mu, especially, kept a close eye on the young pilot. He noticed the changes in the boy as they neared the mansion – the way Athrun's eyes seemed glazed, then taking a determined look as he clenched his fists tightly. From time to time, even Torii flapped its wings and looked at the young Coordinator questioningly, but Athrun remained silent.

When they entered the house, Athrun was surprised to see Cagalli there, sitting on the same seat he had occupied a few hours ago. Her eyes widened as she spotted him and she rose – a small "Kira..?" escaped her lips, but then she spotted Torii, and Athrun's face, and collapsed onto the seat once again. Athrun looked away. He couldn't shake that guilt that was burdening his shoulders... how was he to console Cagalli?

"Sorry..." Athrun whispered quietly at the golden-haired girl. Sorry for not being able to stop it... Sorry for going against your orders... Sorry for everthing...

Cagalli shook her head. "It's okay... Athrun..." she said, her eyes dull. Clearly, she had been crying again. "Thank you..."

Athrun nodded once and moved to the window, looking out. It was nearing dawn – he could just see the skies beginning to lighten slightly, but it was still dark outside. He could sense Waltfeld busying himself with a jar of coffee, and Murrue and Mu was talking quietly to themselves. Even with his eyes on the outside world, Athrun could sense everything that was going on in the four-floored mansion. The children, he knew, were sleeping peacefully in their rooms on the top floor of the mansion. The third floor, where all their rooms were located, were empty. He could not detect any movement in the second floor as well, but he could just sense Caridad Yamato sleeping in the room beside the living room, with Reverend Malchio caring for her.

The aroma of coffee beans filled Athrun's nostrils and he heard Waltfeld place his coffee jar on the table. Murrue joined him shortly with cups and light snacks.

"Kira... had been fighting to protect Orb," Athrun said suddenly, his voice quiet but no longer holding the dullness that filled him the day before. This time, he was making a statement. They all looked up at him and Cagalli's eyes were shining. "There's no other explanation for it."

"That is..." Cagalli trailed off disbelievingly.

Waltfeld smiled and held his mug of coffee up at Athrun. "We know that," he said, taking a small sip of its contents.

"But..." Cagalli interjected. How could she allow herself to accept it if her brother had died trying to protect her nation?

Athrun turned and rested his back against the wall, his arms crossed as he faced them. "It's the only explanation, Cagalli. Orb had been under threat, and Kira knew about it. We found his ZAFT unit at the hangar – ZGMF-K1001 Enigma. If the threat had been to PLANTs, Kira could have easily fought with that mobile suit," Athrun pointed out. The Enigma, after all, was one of ZAFT's latest mass-produced mobile suits, with specifications that easily surpassed other mobile suits. Athrun turned his eyes away again. "The Earth Alliance had been attacked – so have PLANTs. It wouldn't make sense if he had been fighting to protect the EA. They had just been attacked by nuclear weapons, after all..."

Mu sat down, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Having military bases that acts against the government's orders and against the nation's ideals could only mean that there is a coup d'état. We still don't know their objectives, but Orb is definitely a threat to it," he said, leaning back as he drank his coffee, his blue eyes on Cagalli. "Kira must've known that Orb must not be weakened."

"But..!" Cagalli stood up, her eyes shining with tears again. Anger filled her mind, as well as deep anguish for her dead twin. "But Orb has its own military! We have our own forces to fight if anyone attacks us. So... why..?"

"Their objective wasn't a battle," Murrue answered simply. Cagalli, shocked, turned to Murrue. "If they were looking for a battle, then they wouldn't launch an attack on Botswana and PLANTs without having back-up mobile suits to continue the fight."

"Then... why..?"

"To let us all know that out there, someone is looking for war again," Athrun and Waltfeld said simultaneously. "It's no ordinary war as well," Waltfeld continued. "They have their objectives, and they're showing us that they have the means to achieve that objective. That's probably why they showed you the footage of the Freedom. They'll probably give us the chance to support their causes soon enough," he said darkly.

Cagalli knew. She had already known that ever since she saw the Freedom go down. But that still didn't mean she didn't try to deny that fact. She sat back down slowly, her eyes shining with the tears that were too tired to run down her cheeks. Athrun gazed at her, his arms longing to hold her and comfort her, but even he couldn't do that. What could he say to her, after all?

The next day, Athrun Zala led a group of twelve Murasames to scour the oceans on Earth in search for clues for the Freedom's battle, but he did not look far. The tell-tale signs of battle were discovered in the South Atlantic Ocean, only minutes away from their hangar in the United States of South Africa. Athrun had gazed at the floating pieces of armour and saluted, making a pledge to continue Kira's fight from where he had been taken down.

When he informed Mu and Murrue about it later that night, they exchanged glances and nodded to each other. "Guess we're still not done fighting yet," Mu shrugged. "Well, it was a good five years."

"I guess so," Murrue nodded. She unclipped the Archangel badge from her shirt and gazed at Athrun, who nodded in agreement. "It can't be helped," she sighed, activating the badge. Around the universe, the official badges of the Archangel members began to shine.

C.E 79 PLANTs (Present Day)

Yzak tapped his foot against the floor continuously, his arms crossed and his face pulled into a scowl as he waited for the meeting to end. Lacus, and the rest of the council members, were really taking their time with their discussion. At times like these, Yzak almost wished that he had accepted to become a council member three years ago. Not far beside him stood Dearka Elsman and Shiho Hahnenfuss. Dearka was busy watching the news on his mobile device while Shiho had her hands behind her back, standing idly with her eyes on the ceiling. A few hours ago, the three of them, and Lacus, had talked about the Freedom as how the Archangel crew had been discussing in Orb. They, too, had come to the same conclusion – that it was a planned coup d'état, and the destruction of Maius One and Two was only the beginning.

For the umpteenth time, Yzak glanced at his watch. Shiho, who had been spying on him from the corner of her eye, felt her lips pull up involuntary as she tried to hide her amusement. Yzak, of course, saw that. With a small huff of exasperation, he glared at his senior pilot. "Something funny, Hahnenfuss?" he asked, annoyed.

Shiho shook her head. "They will finish soon. You should calm down, General," she said teasingly.

"Shut up," Yzak snapped, angered.

She wasn't finished teasing him. With the look of a pure soldier, ready, determined and brave, Shiho's face turned serious as she stood straight, her right hand moving to salute the purple-uniformed General. "Yes, sir!"

He felt like his patience was as thin as an onion's skin, ready to snap at the smug pilot. Before he could hurl the curses at her, the large screen in the hall lit up with the first morning newsflash. News of angry mobs of Coordinators wanting revenge for Maius One and Two were shown. They had gathered together in different parts of PLANTs, holding signs of "Remember Junius Seven!", "How many more times?" and many others. Yzak scowled at the news. The public had already been told that both attacks weren't issued by ZAFT and the EA – yet it seemed as if they believed that the works of ZAFT was done by terrorists, but that the attack on Maius One and Two were still conducted by the EA. In a few areas, there were even shouts of support for the damned soldiers who had attacked the Botswana base.

Yzak glared at the screen as he listened to the news, finding it absolutely unsurprising that similar reactions were shown by the Naturals as well. The world, broken and terrified, was asking for another war and that did not rest well with the silver-haired General at all. He was glad that Lacus had issued the work to be done by terrorists, but it's still a fact that someone had retaliated, resulting in damages on their part – whatever the Council was discussing, the citizens were definitely not happy with just leaving things as they were.

Huffing to himself, Yzak tapped his foot against the floor again. He wondered what the Council members were talking about, yet a part of him knew that Lacus would sure be struggling to maintain the peace against some of the Council members' hatred towards the Naturals. Once upon a time, even Yzak would have opposed Lacus, but the Dearka's words always echoed in his mind, that one day when they confronted each other when both the Duel and Buster found themselves on the opposite sides of the battlefield. Idiotic or not, Naturals were human beings too, with their own rights to live.

He was pulled from his thoughts when a voice called his name, addressing him as "General Joule". Yzak stood straight and looked at the newcomer – a woman dressed in plain clothes, with dark brown hair and black eyes. She greeted Yzak with a salute and when Shiho and Dearka moved closer to Yzak, the woman lowered her voice, her eyes darting around the deserted place a few times before she spoke; "I am here under Lacus Clyne's orders. I'm under the Clyne Faction. General Yzak Joule and Captain Dearka Elsman – you are required to come with me."

Yzak's eyes narrowed. How dare this plain-clothed newcomer decide to come and give him orders. Not only that, she did not even acknowledge his senior pilot who was standing on his left! Yzak opened his mouth to argue but the woman neatly placed a hand on his mouth, shaking her head with a wink. "I'm sorry. But the Clyne faction requires secrecy, and I cannot tell you my name. But... I guess you can call me Aki. Please come with me – all three of you, if you must," she said, nodding to Shiho. Yzak pulled back in disgust. Trust Lacus to be up to something like this... He had heard, of course, of the Clyne Faction – Yzak supposed that it couldn't be helped that they were active again with the recent events. He eyed the door to the Council meeting suspiciously and then nodded to both Dearka and Shiho – they would follow.

They took the elevator away from Aprillius One, making their way to Maius Seven. Yzak was surprised with how easily Aki led them, past the main weapon development factories and into the underground section of the colony. He also noticed that they were going through routes that were mostly deserted. There was no surprise there, of course. What did surprise the General was what she did when they were moving down an empty hallway that he knew would lead to an elevator shaft going further down to a hangar for ship development. Half-way through the hallway, they stopped, and the woman turned to the wall and began to tap it in numerous places. Yzak watched incredulously. Even Dearka arched his eyebrow. One couldn't help but think that the woman was perhaps demented with the way she was behaving with the wall. Surprisingly, in a few short seconds, the wall then moved back and sideways, revealing another hidden hallway.

Yzak was stunned. "Kisama! What are you –"

"Shh! Inside, now!" Aki ordered, pushing Yzak from behind. Shiho and Dearka followed and the wall closed quietly behind them. Yzak knew that the Clyne Faction had been operable for years now, ever since Siegel Clyne became the Chairman of ZAFT, but to think that they had been operating in the same military headquarters right under ZAFT's noses was an insult. He immediately regretted scoffing at their abilities before this – this group was the one responsible for handing the Freedom to Kira seven years ago, after all... an act that changed the history of the wars between the Naturals and Coordinators ever since.

They moved again, more urgently this time, until they met a doorway with two guards. Yzak was already feeling apprehensive. He knew what was coming. The woman nodded once and the guards took out their key cards, swiping them simultaneously on the security lock. The system was one familiar to ZAFT to hide their Generation Unrestricted Network Drive Assault Module units, otherwise known as GUNDAMs. The doors opened, revealing four surprised-looking soldiers.

"General Joule!" Shinn Asuka cried out despite himself. "What's going on?" he asked, immediately nudged by a stern-looking Captain Laniel Ghens who saluted at the silver-haired General. Lunamaria Hawke and Sierra Chaes only sighed at the black-haired Coordinator's attitude.

"I would like to know myself," Yzak answered, for once not caring about the soldier's rude mannerisms to a commanding superior. "You better have some good answers about this," he said to Aki, narrowing his eyes.

As if to answer his question, the lights turned on and Yzak's eyes widened at the sight of the five mobile suits there. Three of them, he saw, were the ZGMF-K1001 Enigma that was the unit he owned himself. The other two were, without a doubt, Gundams. Aki waved at the five mobile suits and turned to them, smiling slightly. "Lacus-sama wishes to entrust these units to you," she said, addressing them, "excluding Captain Ghens and Shiho Hahnenfuss –"

"WHAT?"

"– due to our suspicions regarding the situation we are now facing. Lunamaria Hawke, Sierra Chaes and Captain Elsman are assigned the ZGMF-K1001 Enigma," she continued, ignoring Yzak's outraged cry. "These Enigmas are the same as the one currently piloted by General Joule, but we modified these slightly, and they are powered by a Hypercompact Energy Battery," she said, her voice holding a small amount of sarcasm that Yzak detected. He arched his eyebrow, but Aki said nothing.

In truth, Aki (and the rest of the Clyne Faction) were dissatisfied with how Lacus had insisted that they did not install nuclear reactors in the mobile suits, due to it being against the treaty. Lacus might have used the loophole that she was a fugitive to install the nuclear reactors in the Freedom and Justice during the previous wars, but now being the provisional Chairwoman of PLANTs, she wouldn't allow it. Aki really couldn't care less about the damned treaty, but her respect for Lacus kept her from disobeying. "Currently, a typical Enigma is powered by an Ultracompact Energy Battery with a power extender, but even the power extender cannot double the power of the UEB. The HEB, on the other hand, can. It has a more efficient energy-saving system, but nowhere near as efficient as a nuclear reactor," she explained sadly. Sighing, she then turned to the black-haired Coordinator. "Shinn Asuka?"

"Yes!" Shinn stepped forward, his eyes undoubtedly shining with delight at the thought of being able to pilot a Gundam again.

"Honestly, I don't know why Lacus-sama chose you as the pilot for this unit," Aki said coldly, deliberating releasing her dissatisfaction with the songstress on the unsuspecting pilot. "You were fighting for Chairman Durandal against Lacus-sama in the last battle, after all, but nobody can deny the fact that you are an exceptional pilot –"

"What did you say?"

"– so I guess we just need to trust in Lacus-sama's judgement. Honestly, that girl... This unit," she gestured at the Gundam on the left. "ZGMF-X19X Destiny Gaia."

"...ZGMF-X19X Destiny Gaia..?" Shinn echoed. Gaia... Stellar's unit...

"It has been developed from the previous ZGMF-X42S Destiny unit, as well as the ZGMF-X88S Gaia. The Destiny Gaia, like the Gaia it had been developed from, is a transformable attack-use mobile weapon. It can transform into a fighter-plane mobile armour. It's powered by a Hypercompact Energy Battery, with a Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System like the Impulse. We will install the system into both your ships," she said, nodding at Laniel and Yzak. A pain if you tell me... "The unit is protected by a Second-Generation Variable Phase Shift Armour which is more efficient than what you had last time. Though Lacus-sama did not exactly ask me to mention it, you better fight for the right reasons this time," the woman finished, her eyes narrowed at the black-haired Coordinator who was staring daggers at her.

Shinn turned his head away and crossed his arms. "It's not my problem all you guys did in the last war was to cause confusion," he scoffed.

"Shinn, stop it," Laniel reprimanded, his voice stern. Shinn snorted and walked closer to his Gundam, looking up at it with unreadable eyes. Gaia... Stellar...

Aki scowled and rolled her eyes. "You could be a little grateful," she complained, crossing her arms. Shinn decided to ignore her.

Laniel smiled. "Don't worry, he's grateful for it, alright," he promised her, his eyes on the other Coordinator.

"He better be!" the woman cried out. She sighed and turned away from Shinn, facing Yzak now. "Your unit. This one," she said, gesturing to the Gundam on their right, "ZGMF-X20C Hyper Duel. It was developed from the previous GAT-X102 Duel that you piloted in the first war, as well as the ZGMF-X42S Destiny. This mobile suit is more like the previous Duel. It's a close-quarters combat mobile suit, powered by a Hypercompact Energy Battery, with a Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System. Also armoured with the Second Generation Variable Phase-Shift Armour," she finished, placing her right hand on her hip. "You can look at the other specifications later," she said, addressing them both.

Yzak was silent for a moment. His eyes gazed up at the Gundam, remembering events in the first war when they had stolen the four Gundams that led to the destruction of the space colony, Heliopolis. Yzak let out a small "tsch", which surprised the woman, and turned his blazing blue eyes on her. "That is all right," he started, his voice rising slightly, "but you forgot something."

"What?" Aki asked, surprised.

"Her!" Yzak said scathingly, his forefinger pointed at a surprised-looking Shiho Hahnenfuss. "If anyone should get a unit, it should be her. She's a better pilot than Dearka –"

"HEY!"

"– and I will not take 'no' for an answer. I will not tolerate you overlooking my best pilot, not when we will be facing another war so soon," Yzak said, his eyes narrowed.

The woman sighed, her hand moving to her forehead. "You people... General Joule, you have a ZGMF-K1001 Enigma, right? That unit can easily be transferred to her if you wish," she said, her eyes staring daggers at him.

Yzak considered this. "I want it to have custom weapons," he decided eventually.

"WHAT? But we're low on time as it is!" she complained.

"Which is exactly why you should work quickly," Yzak said smugly. "If that is all, I need to get back. Dearka, Hahnenfuss. Let's go," Yzak commanded, saluting Laniel and his group before turning to stalk away. That'll teach her not to act so cocky in front of me.

Shiho followed, turning to salute before walking away. Dearka could only grin, turning to face Aki with a small wink. "I'd like mine to have custom weapons as well," he said, saluting and moving away from the rest. The woman could just hang her head, wondering how in PLANTs she had managed to get into such a problematic situation.

"Relax," a kind voice made her look up. Laniel had an amused smile on his face. "The war hasn't started yet," he pointed out. "Shinn, we're leaving," he called to the Coordinator, who nodded and moved to stand beside him. "Thank you for all you have done," Laniel said thoughtfully.

"If only we have more gentlemen like you around," Aki said forlornly, glowering at Shinn who suddenly snorted.

Laniel laughed. "Excuse me," he said, saluting her before leading the group away.

Despite the terrible conditions, the Clyne Faction worked hard for the remaining week and came up with custom weapons for the four Enigmas and also replaced the battery in Shiho's unit with a Hypercompact Energy Battery. A High-Energy Gun Launcher and a Hyper Impulse Cannon were equipped with Dearka's unit, while two Beam Blades were equipped on Sierra's unit. Another two Beam Blades of the same type was equipped on Shiho's unit along with a Beam Boomerang while Lunamaria's unit was equipped with two Beam Rifles.

C.E 79 Orb Union (Three Days Later)

Miriallia Haw was the last Archangel member to arrive on the ship. When she boarded the Archangel, she was not at all surprised to see that all the Archangel members were already there – from Captain Murrue to the technicians and cooks. It was a nostalgic feeling, but she couldn't help but wish that the reason for them all getting together like this wasn't due to war that was threatening to break out. She made her way to the Archangel's bridge immediately and was greeted warmly by Murrue La Flaga. The rest on the bridge were Athrun Zala, Cagalli Yula Attha, Commander Mu La Flaga, Sai Argyle, Dalida Lolaha Chandra II, Jackie Tonomura, Miriallia Haw, Arnold Neumann, Romero Pal, Kuzzey Buskirk, Kojiro Murdoch, Colonel Kisaka and Commander Waltfeld – all members of the official Archangel crew, except for Cagalli, Kisaka and Waltfeld.

"Well, it looks like everyone is here," Murrue started, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry that we have to meet again like this, everyone... but it cannot be helped."

"Wait!" Sai Argyle stepped forwards, his eyes scanning the room again. "Where's Kira?"

Murrue and Athrun exchanged glances. Athrun turned his green eyes to Kira's old friend and Sai was surprised to see that the Coordinator looked wary. "Kira... is KIA," he said slowly, ignoring the surprised gasps and shouts of protests from the Archangel members who were still not aware of the news. Cagalli had her head bowed low. "He was killed four days ago when he battled with the Freedom," Athrun said quietly. Briefly, he began to explain everything that they knew – from the attack in Botswana to the destruction of Maius One and Two and the ten-hour battle involving the Freedom. "The communications channel that showed the footage is an unknown one. Orb's military has been trying to track it, but so far, we're unsuccessful. But it doesn't change the fact that the Freedom had been taken down."

"No way..."

"Kira is KIA..?"

"Kira..."

"We called you here because we have reason to believe that another war is coming," Murrue said, gaining the attention of the crew members again. "I don't want to fight again if I can help it, but it's too late for that. Kira-kun had believed that we still needed to fight, and I cannot put his efforts to waste. If any one of you refuse to fight again, that is understandable... and I thank you for at least having the loyalty to the Archangel to come here again," Murrue said, bowing to the crew members. There were small murmurings between the crew, but in the end, nobody left. Murrue straightened, a small smile on her lips. She could never ask for a better crew than this.

"It's likely the three attacks were just there to inform everyone of their military capabilities," Mu said, stepping forward to stand beside Murrue. "Their objectives are still unknown, but I believe we'll learn about them soon. In any case, we're still waiting for another attack by these rogue soldiers and learn their goals. For now, we should keep our eyes open for the news of any weird incidents and prepare ourselves. If worse really comes to worse, the Archangel will need to launch into battle again." The crew only nodded in response.

For the next two days, the Archangel crew busied itself with preparations for launch. Deep in their hearts, they hoped that they never would, but a part of them knew that hoping for such a thing was futile – the damage had been done, the Freedom had been destroyed, Kira was killed, and they were once again in a silent war with an unknown enemy. The bridge's crew took shifts of watching the news from all the channels available as they kept themselves on stand-by. It was a frustrating two days of waiting in anticipation for what they knew were coming.

Since the night Athrun had reclaimed his Infinite Justice, he, Cagalli, Mu, Murrue and Waltfeld especially had been extremely busy with the matters concerning Orb and the Archangel. Athrun, for starters, had been busy with Orb's military, trying to track down the source of the footage. They kept the coordination of the channel, but it remained offline throughout the five days since Freedom's demise. Athrun increased the training sessions of Orb's pilots, using an old Murasame unit to battle with the soldiers in a mock fight – since the war five years ago, Orb's Murasames had been upgraded and enhanced while still maintaining the weapons and efficient technology. In terms of power and speed, there was a definite change in their performance.

Cagalli, in particular, had been genuinely surprised when she looked over the specifications of the Archangel one day and realised that there were a few small changes to the ship. Four new Thermonuclear Pulse Thrusters were installed onto the ship and the technology for the Gottfried and Valiant had been enhanced, ensuring better performance. When Cagalli approached Murrue and asked about it, the old captain merely blushed slightly and said that they could never be too careful and that, like everyone else, they were always prepared for a possible battle.

C.E 79 (Multiple Locations) (Two Days Later)

The waiting game ended precisely on the seventh day after the Freedom was taken down. It was early and Athrun had just finished getting dressed after showering. Torii hopped onto his shoulder as he buttoned his uniform and Athrun smiled at it. He had always been very proud of the mechanical bird, which he believed was one of his best creations yet. The bird was designed to be able to recognise Kira's close companions, and it had never failed before. Athrun had designed the bird in such a way due to him believing that Kira would join him in PLANTs after they were separated – he had always kept a look-out for the green bird, wondering when Kira would come and when Torii would unite them together again. He had been mistaken, however. The day Torii found him, they were two enemies standing on the opposite sides of the fence. It was funny how, at the time, they were both so torn with whether they were enemies or not, yet this simple mechanical bird had clearly shown them that they still shared that bond of friendship.

Athrun shook his head and exited his room, making his way to the living room. He was surprised to see Cagalli there already, sitting on a chair and sipping a cup of coffee. She smiled at him when he joined her – they were both beginning to move on from the knowledge of Kira's death, but they were still wary with the condition in the world. After five years of peace, the thought of battling in war again did not appeal to them at all – or anyone else for that matter. Walking over to the Representative, Athrun stole her sandwich and moved to the middle of the room where he turned the television on, listening to the news of the riots going on in PLANTs and Lacus's attempts in trying to calm the citizens.

He was soon joined by Cagalli who came to stand beside him, holding out a mug of coffee which he accepted gratefully. Cagalli watched Lacus who continued to meet the people of PLANTs, talking to them quietly but sternly as she tried to persuade them to throw away any more thoughts of wars. For the most part, her efforts were working, as usual - at least to the citizens of PLANTs. There was no denying her influence on the people of PLANTs after all.

"That guy, Sirne Anfiel, has been doing a lot to calm the people in Earth as well," Athrun said suddenly, taking a sip of his coffee. "All these years, the Earth Alliance has always been under the control of Blue Cosmos and LOGOS, but Sirne Anfiel has been really doing his best," he said as the news switched to the situation on Earth.

"I suppose so," Cagalli agreed. It was a true statement, however. Sirne Anfiel, despite the pressure he must be receiving in Washington DC, was still releasing statements on how war should be avoided as much as possible and that they were not to attack PLANTs without proper proof or official declaration of war. Knowing the state of those in the Earth Alliance, it was something that Cagalli couldn't help but feel respect for.

The Earth Alliance was a coalition of four main entities, namely the Atlantic Federation, the Eurasian Federation, the Republic of East Asia and the South Africa Union. Though the major power had always been with the Atlantic Federation, it wouldn't be surprising if the Eurasian Federation worked at cross purposes to it – history had always shown those two major nations to work against each other despite being under the same alliance, like in the second war. It was common knowledge that the two nations had always competed against each other. However, unlike the Atlantic Federation, the Eurasian Federation was never highly influenced by Blue Cosmos and did not possess hatred against the Coordinators as the Atlantic Federation always had.

Yzak exhaled slowly and leaned back with his eyes closed. He had been awake most of the night, reading the reports of the investigations done on the debris of Maius One and Two. It seemed as though the estimated number of Coordinators who died were inaccurate after all – for the most part, there did not seem to be that many Coordinators in those two sections when the blast happened. It wasn't surprising, considering that Maius was a place for developing mobile suits and ships. Yzak listened to the news as he rested. With the current state of PLANTs and the Earth Alliance, there was simply no way he could leak out the knowledge of the missing mobile suits carelessly. PLANTs would always need to appear strong to be able to defend itself from another war.

A strong aroma filled his nostrils and Yzak opened his eyes in surprise. There, handing a mug of coffee, was none other than Shiho Hahnenfuss. He was surprised she was up and dressed and in his office this early in the morning, but he accepted it nonetheless. "Thanks," Yzak muttered, taking his drink.

"It wouldn't do any good if our General suddenly dies in the attack of his paperwork," Shiho said, hiding her smile.

Yzak snorted, shaking his head slowly. He drained the remaining contents of his coffee and stood up, walking to the television and flicking the channels carelessly. "These people who ask for war are those who don't know the feeling of killing," Yzak said bitterly as he scanned the news. The screen suddenly wavered and when Yzak switched the channels, he found that they were all the same. "What the hell?"

"You're on, sir," the worker said, signalling for the man to speak. On Earth, and in PLANTs, they were finally on live. It took years to override all the channels, but they had planned carefully and finally succeeded.

Yuri Amalfi appeared on the screen, his eyes determined as he addressed everyone – Coordinators and Naturals alike. He took strength from the picture of his son that was stored safely in his chest pocket. "Greetings, everyone, from all nations. I would like to apologise firstly for this unexpected and sudden broadcast and by bothering you with these odd hours. However... it cannot be helped. I am sure that every one of you is wondering about the two attacks in Botswana and Maius One and Two, and I am here to provide the answers. We are the RENEGADE, an independent group who speaks for the voice of the public. The ones responsible for the two attacks are us, the RENEGADE."

The sound of the mug shattering surprised Cagalli. She looked at the contents of the mug, now on the marble floor along with pieces of glass, and she turned to the shocked Coordinator beside her. "Athrun..?" Cagalli asked, shaking his arm slightly. "What's wrong, Athrun?"

"The reactions of those on Earth and in PLANTs are enough to confirm that we are right in our decision to attack those two military bases. Our goal is to eliminate the bridge between Naturals and Coordinators. Instead of constantly living in fear where both sides continuously develop new mobile suits and weapons like they did in Maius One and Two as well as in Botswana, why not stop the connection between us once and for all?" Yuri asked, his arms spread out. "If Naturals and Coordinators can live as separate beings to each other, we will no longer fear an attack from each other. The Coordinators have always been labelled as scary, arrogant, and looked down on Naturals. Yet the Naturals have always been labelled as selfish, ambitious, and looked at Coordinators as an enemy. That is because as long as we are still living together, we have reason to fear one another after constantly going into war. But what if the bridge is gone? What if we will never interact with one another again? If so, there will be no more reason to have fear. There will be no more war."

Two palms slammed against the desk and everyone looked at the figure that was already shaking as he listened to Yuri Amalfi's statement. When he raised his eyes, they were gleaming and excited as he laughed silently, then louder and louder until the sounds of his laughs filled the room. Ryuu Apene, the new Blue Cosmos leader, could hardly contain his glee as he laughed. "Finally! Finally! Someone who shares our ideals! Alert everyone! Alert LOGOS! This time, we'll throw that man into the depths of hell on Earth itself!" he said, laughing still, as he took a dart and threw it, the tip landing on the face of Sirne Anfiel's photograph that was stuck on the wall.

"I repeat. We, the RENEGADE, an independent group of Naturals and Coordinators, will work towards eliminating the bridge between Naturals and Coordinators for a new world, each of our own worlds, where there will be no more excuse for fear and suffering."

"No way..." Yzak trailed off, his body shaking as he took several steps back. Yuri Amalfi, father of Nicol Amalfi, stared at him as his words were repeated over and over among the channels in his office. Yzak bowed his head, his fists clenched. Why? Why did it come to this? Images of Nicol flashed through his mind, from the first day they were assigned to the Le Creuset team till the day of his death. Throughout the time they had been fighting together, he and Dearka had always scoffed at the fifteen-year-old who was never cut out to fight or to become a soldier. Yet, they had fought together for the peace of PLANTs. And when he died, Yzak had made a pledge to keep on fighting in his place, for the sake of PLANTs. He had promised Nicol's mother, along with Athrun and Dearka, that they would continue fighting for peace.

"Kusooo!" Yzak shouted, turning and slamming both fists against his desk.

Outside Yzak's office, a stunned Dearka was slumped against the wall, his legs giving way as he watched the news on the screen that was hung at the hallway. His fists were clenched, images of the war coming back to him. Images of Miriallia attacking him with a knife, then saving him from being shot by the other red-haired Natural. Was this really it? Was this really the answer? Unable to control himself, Dearka rested his forehead against his knee, his left fist moving unconsciously to slam the wall behind him. Damn it...

Around the world, the Archangel members watched in shock. Mu, Murrue and Waltfeld had their eyes lowered, their suspicions confirmed while the rest of the crew could no longer react to the news that had reached their ears.

"No way..." Shinn whispered quietly, his eyes round. "Then... Orb..." he trailed off, his eyes raised to look at his Gundam again.

"It really has come down to this," Lacus said quietly, a tear escaping from her eye.

"Haro! Haro! I won't allow it! I won't allow it!"

Around the world, and in the space colonies surrounding Earth, people began to shout as they supported or retaliated the RENEGADE.

A reassuring pair of arms hugged him from behind and Yzak raised his head slightly. "Hahnenfuss. What are you doing?" he asked, though his voice shook from the shock of seeing the footage. Shiho said nothing as she tightened her arms. She knew, of course, that the man in front of her was Yuri Amalfi – previous Council member representing Maius City, developer of the N-Jammer Canceller, and father of Yzak's old comrade during the first war. "...You are ordered to never reveal this to anyone outside this room," Yzak muttered.

Shiho smiled slightly. "Yes, sir," she said softly, saying nothing as the silver-haired General began to cry.

"Athrun..?" Cagalli crouched in front of the Coordinator who was already crying in front of her. She could see that his left hand was already bleeding from the cut he received from the broken mug. Slowly, Cagalli shifted his long fringe, her voice just as quiet. "What's wrong, Athrun..?"

"That man... He's Nicol's father," Athrun managed, the tears already falling. The world was so ironic.

Cagalli remembered. Nicol was the soldier whom Kira had killed, and in turn, Athrun had latched the Aegis to the Strike, self-destructing it in an attempt to kill the other Coordinator. Cagalli could only just imagine the feeling of betrayal that Athrun would be feeling right now. In a way, Yuri Amalfi had his revenge, for he had killed the person who killed his son. Once upon a time, Athrun and Yuri Amalfi had been on the same boat, both wanting to kill Kira. But now...

"It's okay," Cagalli said quietly. Athrun raised his eyes at her. "We'll figure this out together," she said, hugging him tight.

In the abandoned colony of Mendel, located in Lagrange area 4, a scientist with silver hair and eyes sipped his coffee thoughtfully as he watched the repeated statement by the RENEGADE. He sighed and flicked the television off. "It happened sooner than we expected," he murmured to himself, draining the remaining contents in his cup.

"It can't be helped, Daisuke-san," another young Coordinator answered, crossing his arms. This Coordinator had short red hair and black eyes. "I guess the world will really be fighting again now. Hopefully, we'll be safe here," he said, smiling slightly.

"You can't think like that, Ken!" his sister reprimanded him. She was a year younger than the red-haired Coordinator, with long black hair and dark blue eyes. Hikari Sienth moved closer to the two, her lips pursed. "What world will we live in if it's just us three? For sure, I never would want that," she stated, glaring at her brother who raised his hands in defeat before ruffling her hair playfully.

Daisuke stepped forward to stop the fight. "There's still hope," he said quietly. "We still have our trump card to end this war."

A few metres away, in a small room on a single bed, a young Coordinator with brown hair breathed heavily into his oxygen mask, deeply unconscious.

Author's Note: We're officially in war! The reason why I keep on updating quickly like this is due to me not knowing when and for how long the internet will leave me when I finally move houses. I don't want to give the impression that I'm abandoning this story or something. XD Anyway, as usual, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. A chapter of character and mobile suit information has been given, as promised, but there will be more mobile suits for this story - you can definitely count on that. I'll keep on updating that chapter as we meet more important mobile suits.

My deepest thanks goes to my awesome reviewers! You have no idea how much they motivate me to keep on writing. AngelicFox12, WaaWaa, sugarcarly, PathKeeper, PrincessOfDestiny14, Sleepyreader319 and survivor18 - Thank you! Also thanks to those who favourite-d and alert-ed this story, and to all the dearest readers out there. :D Enjoy! And please let me know what you think!

AngelicFox12: Thank you! :D That review really made me smile. I'm really glad you told me that!

PrincessOfDestiny14: Fortunately, I don't have the heart to kill our gentle Coordinator. He's alive, as you must've guessed from the end of this chapter. I have a reasonable explanation how he survived that attack, of course, which will hopefully be revealed in the next chapter. In any case, thank you! I'm glad you actually asked whether he died or not. I was afraid that the possibility of his death wasn't realistic enough in the previous chapter. XD