Yo everybody. Got another chapter up for you all. I would have had it up sooner, but over the last couple of days, I've two other fanfic ideas that wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote them down a bit. A fairly regular occurrence for me. I have about a dozen or so half written chapters for various stories on my computer. I may one day finish a bunch of those chapters and post them together in a collection of story ideas for those interested in them.
"It'd be damn humiliating for us after all we've been through, to get shot down in these tin cans." Saul Kessel
Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-1000HMX/SC ZAKU Surge
Unit Type: Customized commander type mobile suit
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery
Special Equipment: High Maneuver Flightpack
Armaments: 1x DES-G07D+ long anti-armor sword, 1x DES-G07D+ short anti-armor sword, stored on hip, 1x MMI-M633 beam assault rifle, 1x 'Hakenfaust' triple claw, mounted on left arm, 1x shoulder shield
Pilot: Saul Kessel
Color: Dark green torso, forearms, shins and head. Green biceps, thighs and shield with blue trim.
Info: Saul Kessel's ZAKU. The mobile suit has been outfitted with spare weaponry that had been fabricated for the GAT-X204 Surge during the Bloody Valentine War and left in storage after the conclusion of the conflict. When and why this mobile suit was constructed, remains a closely guarded secret of the 11th Fleet.
"Guess you're a little rustier than you thought." Nicol Amalfi
Mobile Suit Serial Number: ZGMF-1000HMX/ZC ZAKU Blitz
Unit Type: Customized commander type mobile suit
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery
Special Equipment: High Maneuver Flightpack
Armaments: 1x MMI-M633 beam assault rifle, 1x 'Gleipnir' rocket anchor, mounted on left arm, 2x beam sabers, stored on hip armor, 1x shoulder shield
Pilot: Nicol Amalfi
Color: Black torso, head, forearms, shins and shield with red trim. Pale purple biceps and thighs.
Info: Nicol Amalfi's personal ZAKU. Like the ZAKU Buster and ZAKU Surge, the ZAKU Blitz was equipped with spare weaponry from the pilot's previous machine. And like the ZAKU Surge, the reason for its construction remains unclear, as both pilots were no longer a part of ZAFT.
Phase Nine: Bared Fangs
The Gondwana
In one of the large hangers of the Gondwana, crewmen rushed to finish prepping the mobile suits for launch. ZAKUs and GuAIZ were quickly lined up in front of the many catapults of the super carrier.
"This is it everyone. We're going into battle." Yzak said over the comm to his team. "I don't know what's going to happen out there, but we are not going to let anything happen to the PLANTs."
"We know Yzak." Dearka said.
"Saul, Nicol are you two ready for this?" Yzak asked as his ZAKU was placed onto one of the Gondwana's catapults.
"Don't worry about us. We might be rusty, but we're good to go." Nicol replied, his own ZAKU waiting behind Yzak's.
"Yeah. It'd be damn humiliating for us after all we've been through, to get shot down in these tin cans." Saul added as he powered up his ZAKU, waiting to be launched from another catapult.
"Well just remember, these aren't like our old machines." Dearka said.
"We know. This isn't our first time in a mobile suit, remember. The four of us fought together for a good chuck of the last war. So stop treating us like kids already." Nicol said in an annoyed tone.
"Alright, alright." Dearka replied as the catapult doors opened up across the mammoth ship. "Let's do this."
Yzak nodded. "Yzak Joule. Joule Team launching." With that, the catapult activated, launching the ZAKU Duel into space.
"Joule Team…" Saul cringed. "I was right, that does sound terrible." He shook his head. "No matter. Saul Kessel. ZAKU Surge taking off."
The ZAKU was launched, joining Yzak and growing number of mobile suits that had already launched from the Gondwana. Nicol and Dearka were set onto the now catapults.
"Dearka Elsmen. ZAKU Buster moving out."
"Nicol Amalfi. ZAKU Blitz launching."
The two ZAKU were launched, joining their comrades. Within a few minutes, numerous teams of ZAKU mobile suits were racing towards the Earth Alliance forces.
The Voltaire's Hanger
"Listen up everyone. We're at war again. And the last time the PLANTs were attacked like this they were nearly destroyed by nuclear warheads." The Commander of the Voltaire's mobile suit team said to his pilots. "So keep your eyes open for anything. I don't want anything getting near the PLANTs. Stick together and watch each other's backs. I want us all to come back home when this is all over. Am I clear?"
"Sir, yes sir."
He nodded his head. "Alright. Lock and load. We're moving out."
Truthfully, he knew that it was unlikely that they were all coming after the battle. That was just how combat was. He put his helmet on, locking it in place. He climbed into his ZAKU as his second-in-command climbed into his orange ZAKU. The commander put on his helmet and powered up his machine. He was the first to step onto the catapult. "Do you have the same feeling of déjà vu that I'm getting?" Westenfluss asked over a private channel.
"Depends. Are you talking about the whole situation or this particular battle?"
"Both."
"Yes to both. This situation is a lot like how the last war started. And this battle feels a lot like the Battle at Jachin Due." the Commander paused. "Keep your guard up at all times."
"Don't worry. I will."
A moment later, the crimson ZAKU Phantom was launched.
The battle between the forces of ZAFT and the Earth Alliance was brutal. Alliance Dagger Ls clashed with ZAFT GuAIZs and ZAKUs while Nazca-class and Laurasia-class warships slugged it out with Agamemnon-class, Nelson-class and Drake-class warships. A Gunner ZAKU Warrior fired its Orthros rifle, piecing the bridge of a Drake-class. As the Alliance ship started to drift, a pair of Daggers fired their beam rifles at the ZAKU, destroying it. A pair of Doppelhorn Daggers fired their beam rifles and twin cannons at a group of GuAIZs. Two ZAFT mobile suits exploded while a third lost its head. But before they could finish the rest of the ZAFT machines off, a ZAKU Phantom shot the two of them from behind, destroying them. A pair of Nazca-classes fired on a Nelson-class, their combined bombardment overwhelming the Alliance warship. Explosions ripped through its hull, consuming the battleship. Three GINN High Maneuver Type IIs raced across the battlefield, gunning down Daggers before they could get a clear shot on them. A dying Drake-class rammed into the Nazca-class, taking both ships out in a huge fireball.
"Damn… This is getting dicey." Ajay Cortez commented as he dodged the incoming fire from a pair of Daggers.
"That doesn't matter. They are attacking the PLANTs." Diana said, drawing a beam saber from her ZAKU Panther's shield. "It's our duty to defend our homeland. We're not going to take one step back." Diana shot forward, slicing through a Dagger with her saber as she shot down another with her assault rifle. "Am I clear?"
"Crystal, ma'am." Ajay replied, driving one of his arm mounted beam sabers into a Dagger.
At that moment, an Agamemnon-class fired its cannons. The beams pieced a Nazca-class and the warship exploded. Nearby, Lucius fired beam assault rifle. His well aimed shots took down a trio of Daggers in rapid succession. "Ma'am, perhaps we should deal with that ship." He said as he pulled out a grenade, primed it and threw it at a fourth Dagger.
Diana nodded. "Form up gentlemen, we're taking down that ship." she ordered.
Her squad formed up and surged towards the Agamemnon-class. A wing of Daggers moved up, blocking their path. The ZAKUs just tore through them, gunning them down with their assault rifles as they raced towards the Alliance battleship. The ship's point defenses opened up, firing upon them. But they were too fast and agile for the guns to hit them. The ZAKU High Maneuver Types started firing upon the ship. Lucius fired on one of the twin cannon, destroying it. Ajay took out the other with his beam sabers. Diana fired the fatal shot, taking out the ship's bridge. The ship was effectively dead.
Near Solomon Base
As the two fleets battled, two smaller Alliance battle groups were moving into position, one heading for Solomon, the other heading for the PLANTs. But they didn't escape notice. Hidden ZAFT scouts observed their movements and reported their positions. One group consisted of eight Agamemnon-class battleships, while the other was just a four Agamemnon-class ships and the Girty Lue. Neo rose from his seat. "It's time to show them our plan. Launch the mobile suits. Let them clear the path for the ships." he ordered.
The Girty Lue's hangers opened. The Specter and the Chaos were on the catapults, ready to launch. One by one, the Extended pilots launched, heading for the Solomon Base with several squads of Doppelhorn-equipped Windams from three of the four Agamemnon-class ships close behind.
"Spread out and destroy them all." Treize said to his comrades. "Not a single Coordinator survives."
With that, Treize pushed the Specter's boosters to their maximum, propelling the machine far ahead of the rest of the Alliance forces. GuAIZs, GuAIZ Rs and ZAKUs opened fire on the Specter as it approached, but it was too fast, always being where their beams weren't. "Too slow, Coordinators." Treize said as he continued to dodge their shots.
He drew the Specter's beam revolvers and started firing. Everyone of his shots were dead on, the beams tore through the bodies of many mobile suits as the survivors continued to fruitlessly fire on him. "Impossible… He's too fast!" one panicking pilot shouted just before a beam pierced his cockpit.
"This guy can't be human! He's moving way too fast!" a ZAFT commander exclaimed as more of his men were cut down. "Keeping firing! We need to try to pin him down!"
"It's no good! He's too-AAAAAGH!!"
"Can't get a lock on him. He's just too-"
Pilots were beginning to panic. The Specter was living up to its name, its speed turning the machine into phantom. There one second, gone the next, taking out several of their own in process. The commander kept on firing at the Specter, wondering how a Natural, or anyone for that matter, could pilot a mobile suit so well at those speeds. It seemed inhuman for anyone to be able to do that. Suddenly, his rifle battery ran dry. He swore as pulled out the dead battery. Treize grinned, swapping one of revolvers for his sword. As the man was about to load a battery onto his rifle, Treize lunged at the ZAKU Phantom with his sword. The commander threw his rifle up as he backed off. Treize's sword sliced through the rifle, but missed the ZAKU. The Commander drew his beam tomahawk and roared as he lunged forward. He brought his axe downward but Treize block it with his shield and thrust his sword into the ZAKU's cockpit, crushing the man inside. Treize pulled his sword out and the ZAKU exploded.
Nearby, Gyunei fired off his Scylla cannon. A trio of curving beams through a closely packed cluster of GuAIZs and GuAIZ Rs, destroying most of them. The Extended laughed at sliced a survivor in two with a beam saber. Then the Rosso Aegis transformed and ensnared a GuAIZ in its limbs and crushed it. "Such flimsy machines. Do they really think that they can win with these things?"
A pair of ZAKU charged toward the Chaos, firing their rifles. Sting dodged the shots, but didn't fire back with his rifle. His weapon pods did instead. A beam pieced one ZAKU from behind while the other mobile suit was hit from above. Sting smirked as his weapon pods reattached themselves.
A pair of GuAIZs fired their arrestors at the Strike Noir. Before they could reach her, Maia slice through them with her beam blades. "How rude. If you wanted to dance up close, you should have asked first." she said to the pilots.
Maia let go of her blades and fired out the Strike's hand mounted rocket anchors at the two ZAFT machines. The anchor embedded themselves within the chest plates of the GuAIZs, surprising their pilots. Maia then pulled the GuAIZs towards her as she took aim with the railguns built into the Noir Striker Pack. As they were nearly on top of her, she fired the guns. The rounds tore through their cockpits like it was tissues paper, killing the pilots. She grabbed the GuAIZs and threw them away just before they exploded.
Rezin fired the Verde Buster's beam cannon and gun launcher at a Nazca-class, obliterating its bridge and sparking a chain reaction that destroyed the entire ship. A pair of GuAIZ Rs fired their rifles at her, but Rezin evaded the beams and fired back with her own rifles, blowing the head and arm off one while destroying the other. The crippled mobile suit turned and started fleeing. "Oh no, you don't!" Rezin called out as she chased after the GuAIZ.
The bayonets within her rifles extended. Rezin took aim, carefully picking her target before she fired. Beams tore through the GuAIZ's legs. The legless mobile suit stumbled and as the pilot tried to right himself, Rezin thrust her bayonets into the GuAIZ's back. The Verde Buster pulled back, leaving the GuAIZ floating there for few seconds before it exploded.
Auel swung his halberd in wide arc, cutting through the chests of two GuAIZs before ramming it into the chest of a ZAKU Warrior. A ZAKU Phantom and pair of ZAKU Warriors fired on the Abyss. Auel jumped back, pulling his halberd out of the ZAKU. The beams miss Auel, and a stray shot even hit the ZAKU he had just taken out. Auel fired his twin triple cannons and chest mounted cannon at the trio. His shots tore through the ZAKUs, destroying them.
Reccoa fired her twin beam guns at an incoming wing of ZAFT mobile suits. Like Treize, she earned spectacular results. Heads and limbs were blown off. Mobile suits exploded. One GuAIZ's leg was severed, causing its pilot to lose control and crashed into another GuAIZ. But as the surviving ZAFT machines drew closer, the switched to their close-quarters weapons. Reccoa pulled back her beam guns and drew her beam sabers. A pair of ZAKUs rushed her, swinging their tomahawks at her. The Blu Duel ducked down and impaled them both on its sabers.
A ZAKU gunned down a pair of Daggers from behind. The ZAFT pilot sneered. "You Naturals aren't so tough. You're nothing but a pack of wild dogs. We should put all of-AAAAAGH!!"
The blade of a beam saber erupted from its chest. "Arrogant Coordinator." the Alliance pilot said as the ZAKU exploded.
Suddenly, something caught his eye. Another ZAKU, moving much faster and was heading towards him. The pilot fired on the ZAKU, but it dodged his shots and threw a claw weapon at him. The claw tore through the Dagger's torso.
Two more Daggers appeared, firing on the ZAKU. The green mobile suit sidestepped their beams, racing towards them as it drew a pair of swords. Before the Daggers move to counter him, the ZAKU's swords sliced the Daggers in two.
"Not bad, considering I'm rusty." Saul commented.
But at that moment, a Dagger ambushed him, a beam saber in its hand. However, the Dagger didn't get a change to hit him. The Gleipnir anchor hit the Dagger's arm, severing it. Saul spun around, slicing through the Alliance mobile suit with his long sword. "Guess you're a little rustier than you thought." Nicol said.
More Daggers approached them, firing their rifles. "Looks like got more company." he added, firing back with his own rifle.
The pair fired at the approaching mobile suits, alongside there fellow ZAFT soldiers. Shiho fired her rifle and thermal cannons, taking out three Daggers and crippling a fourth. Nearby, a GuAIZ took a hit, losing its left leg. Shiho pulled her machine in front of her damaged comrade and shot down the Dagger that crippled the machine. "Fall back." she said to the pilot.
"Yes ma'am." the younger pilot replied, pulling back.
Elsewhere, Yzak swung his axe, slicing through a Dagger while Dearka fired his cannons at trio of Daggers, destroying them all. Suddenly, a fourth Dagger rose up behind Dearka. "Dearka! Look out!" Yzak yelled.
The Dagger was about to fire on the ZAKU, when a beam axe tore through its chest. The Dagger exploded, leaving a crimson Slash ZAKU Phantom in its place. Before either Dearka or Yzak could react, the ZAKU took off, searching for more enemies.
"Was that Zane?" Yzak asked.
There hadn't been any trace of Zane after the Battle of Jachin Due. He completely disappeared. No one even knew if he had survived the battle or not.
"I don't think so. That ZAKU may have been blood red, but it had black birds painted on it." Dearka replied.
"What? Birds?"
"Yeah. They looked like ravens."
Yzak shook his head. "This is getting to weird."
At that moment, more Daggers appeared, firing at the pair, forcing them to focus back on the battle at hand.
ZAFT Gibraltar Base
"What are the latest reports from the battle?" Commander Ienzo asked as he paced across the across the base command center.
"It's seems to be at a stalemate for now. The Alliance forces can't seem to push any further into our lines." an operator reported.
Ienzo nodded and said a silent prayer. Everything rested on this battle. If the Alliance won this battle… Ienzo suppressed a shutter. Given the state of world, he didn't want to imagine that outcome.
The radar operator's eyes widened in shock at what appeared on his screen. "Sir! Incoming mobile suits!"
Ienzo froze. "What?!" He rushed to the man's console, seeing the numerous mobile suit signatures heading towards the base. He slammed his fist into the console in anger. "Scramble all mobile suits! Activate all batteries!"
Clearly, the Alliance wasn't taking any chances. They were attacking both the PLANTs and their bases on Earth. If the assault on the PLANTs failed, then they would take ZAFT's only footholds on Earth, Gibraltar and Carpentaria. Worse, currently the base was at reduced strength due to the fact that many of their personnel were still aiding in the relief efforts.
As the battle raged in space, a special detachment of the Earth Forces new Windam mobile suits, equipped with a special Striker Pack, headed towards PLANTs. A GuAIZ pilot spotted the group, his main camera zooming in on them. He paled in horror as he spotted the nuclear warning symbol on the mobile suits. "Nukes!!!
Word quickly spread across the ZAFT forces. ZAFT mobile suits broke away from their battles, racing towards the Windams. "Come on!" Yzak shouted, his voice filled with desperation. "We have to stop them!"
Aboard the Gondwana, men and women were rushing to move everything they could into the path of the Windams. "Calm down everyone. We've prepared for this." Admiral Kessel said. "Move Defender-1 into position immediately. We only have one shot. We need to make count."
In front of the PLANTs themselves was a small flotilla Nazca-class ships with a special Nazca-class fitted with a large array. The Neutron Stampeder. The specially equipped warship moved into the path of the Alliance mobile suits. The crew aboard the ship rushed to power up the weapon, knowing just how important this was.
"Dammit!" Saul swore as they raced towards the Windams. "We're not going to make it!"
"We'll make it!" Yzak yelled back, pushing his machine's thrusters as fast as they could go. "Push your thrusters into the red zone! We're not going to let those missiles hit the PLANTs!"
At that moment, the Windams fired their missiles. The warheads streaked towards the PLANTs. ZAKUs and GuAIZs vainly fired at the missiles, but they were just too far.
Defender-1 was position, its Neutron Stampeder powering up, the large array glowing with energy. Once it reached full power, Defender-1 fired the Stampeder. The massive beam streaked towards the missiles, frying the array in the process. In a matter of seconds, it tore through the missiles and mobile suits and straight on through to the small fleet of ships they had come from. …But nothing happen. The missiles continued towards the PLANTs.
"Ma'am! The Stampeder had no effect on the missiles!" an operator aboard the Gondwana shouted in horror.
Everyone was stunned. That shouldn't have happened. "Impossible… Those nuclear warheads should have exploded." Rebecca said in complete disbelief.
The Stampeder was designed to prematurely detonate nuke weapons, destroying them before they reached the PLANTs. Not only that, but the Alliance shouldn't have the means to block its effects.
As the missiles continued on their course, the ZAKU High Maneuver Types caught up with the missiles. Yzak fired his rifle. The beam struck a missile and it exploded. Not in a large nuclear explosion, but in a smaller, normal explosion. Dearka, Saul, Nicol and Shiho started firing as well. More missiles exploded, but none of them were nuclear. It was then that the realization hit Yzak. "They're decoys…"
"Yeah." Shiho said, just as surprised. "But why?"
The battle at Solomon Base was steadily turning against the ZAFT forces, despite actually outnumbering their attackers and their new ZAKU mobile suits. While the ZAKUs were proving to be superior to the Dagger Ls that currently made up the backbone of the Alliance military forces, they were no match for the new Windams. Added to this, were the Extended pilots and their machines. Where ever they were, ZAFT pilots died in droves, cut down by the Alliance super soldiers, none more than Treize. He struck like a raging tempest, wiping out scores of ZAFT machines. Aboard the Girty Lue, Dr. Andras smirked. "As I said, he'll be operating at his maximum from now on."
"He is quite impressive." Neo commented.
"Of course. Do you know that when I was creating him, I sought to create a pilot that was superior to the Justice and the Freedom from the last war?" Andras replied. "Personally, I would love to see him battle those 'Unstoppable Angels'. So he could destroy them and prove his superiority."
"The path for the Peacemaker Force is clear." Treize said over the comm. "Deploy them now."
Neo nodded his head. "You heard him, deploy the Peacemaker Force." he ordered.
The rear Agamemnon-class ship began deploying its mobile suits, GAT-04 Windams equipped with AQM/E-M2N Nuclear Striker packs. The Windams gathered together and advanced towards the Solomon Base.
"No way… They got nukes!" one GuAIZ pilot exclaimed. "We have to stop them!"
The GuAIZ was about to move when a beam blade descended down on it, slicing through the mobile suit. "Hey! Don't ruin the surprise!" Maia said. "We worked hard to bring you those presents, so no peeking!"
The rest of the Extended pilots and the combat equipped Windams formed up around the nuclear missile equipped mobile suits, cutting down any ZAFT machine that got in their way.
"Safeties off, weapons are hot." the Windam commander said as he and his team reached firing range. "For all those lost in Break the World! Let's send these space monsters to hell!"
"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!" a Windam pilot added.
The Windams fired their deadly payload. Nuclear missiles streaked towards their target, Solomon. Thanks to the Extended, there was nothing to stop them. The missiles hit their target. Explosions tore through the Solomon Base. The ZAFT space fortress was quickly consumed in the nuclear fire.
A predatory grin spread across Treize's face as he impaled a stunned GuAIZ with his sword. "A shame that ship wasn't here as well."
Reccoa smirked. "Regardless, mission accomplished."
"Awesome!" Auel cheered.
Sting grinned. "Hah! That's what they get for trying to destroy Earth."
"Look at all the pretty lights. Don't you love our present, Coordinators? It's just so beautiful!" Maia said in awe.
Gyueni laughed. "Burn Patchworkers! Burn! Ha ha ha ha!!"
"Now that is an explosion!" Rezin exclaimed in delight.
Stella didn't say anything as she was mesmerized by the explosions.
"Excellent work." Neo said over the radio, congratulating them. "All forces, our mission is complete. We're withdrawing."
The Gondwana
Confusion was reining aboard the Gondwana. Officers were struggling to figure out why dummy warheads had been used against the PLANTs. That's when the first reports came in. "My god… Admiral, Solomon has been destroyed!"
Rebecca turned to the holo-map. Solomon's icon was gone with only a scattered ZAFT forces still in the area. "Impossible. There were only five warships attacking, more than enough for those still at Solomon to handle." she said.
"They used nuclear missiles, ma'am. And also Bogey-1 was present with the force." the officer replied.
The Admiral swore. "What?! And you decide to tell me this now?!" she shouted at the poor man. "If that ship was present, you should have said something the moment you spotted them!"
"I'm sorry Admiral. There were conflicting reports. I didn't want to bring it to your attention until I confirmation on the target."
Rebecca sighed, rubbing her eyes. "From now on, if there is so much as a single man sighting that ship, I want to be told immediately."
"Yes ma'am."
'So they used the real nukes against Solomon. Were the dummy warheads a decoy? To draw more of our forces away? Or was it something else? Could they have been testing to see if we had developed any anti-nuclear defenses?' She thought, staring at the holo-map. 'Logically, we would deploy any countermeasure to our homeland from a nuclear strike, so could that be the reason for the fake nuclear strike? To trick us into revealing it against a false target?'
"Ma'am! The Alliance forces are signaling their retreat. They're withdrawing from the area." another officer added.
The surprises just kept coming. Rebecca couldn't figure it out. Why were they retreating? They had just taken out Solomon, so why withdraw? A prolonged battle would favor the Alliance.
"Admiral, we're receiving word from Earth. Both Gibraltar and Carpentaria are under attack."
Then it dawned on her. "Damn… This whole battle was one big diversion." Rebecca said. "They made us believe that they were going to hit us directly with everything they had. Even tricking us into revealing our anti-nuclear defense against a decoy."
"But why ma'am? It doesn't make any sense. Why attack the PLANTs directly if they weren't trying to take us out?"
"Simple. The defensive perimeter of the PLANTs was centered around the Solomon Base with the Gondwana serving as mobile support. With Solomon gone, the Gondwana is now the core of that defense, which means that we can't use it offensively as a carrier or for mass orbital drops. But the second part of the deception was to draw the bulk of our forces back to the homeland, stranding our terrestrial assets which have already been stretched from relief efforts. So they could take them with ease." She paused for a moment. "We're in for a whole new war now."
Earth
Serena Ryker took the podium. "People of Earth, people of the PLANTs, today we saw the first battle of the war. It ended with a display of leniency on our part. Because we in the Earth Alliance believe that things can be settled peacefully. We could have struck at them with everything we had and smashed their military, resulting in many, many losses. But we chose to use this opportunity to show you, the people of the PLANTs, our strength and our resolve. Your government is hiding the masterminds behind Break the World, if they are not responsible for it themselves."
"Now, I will not deny that the Alliance military used both dummy and tactical nuclear warheads in the battle. Now Durandal and his supporters will say that we wanted to wipe out the PLANTs with nuclear weapons. Personally, I find that deeply offensive. The Earth Alliance has changed since the last war. Blue Cosmos still exists, but they have no sway over the Alliance. The nuclear weapons were only intended to be used against military targets. We do not desire the destruction of the PLANTs. While we may use tactical nuclear weapons in future, they will only be used against military targets. Unlike the lies that Durandal would have you believe, we in the Alliance still hope that this conflict can end peacefully.
"Our demands have been simple. We demand that they hand over the masterminds behind Break the World to stand trial for their crimes. Or failing that, allow full access to an Alliance investigation. Yet Durandal and his administration have stubbornly and repeatedly rejected these demands. I find myself wondering, why? Why would he reject these simple demands if they could prevent a war? Ask yourself that, people of the PLANTs, why would your Chairman who proclaims to want to preserve peace, reject the way to preserve peace? Ask yourself that, people of the PLANTs. Ask your government. Remember, we of Earth do not wish to the enemies, but we will not tolerate a government that is supporting terrorists that seek to destroy us because of their pointless hatred. Maybe Durandal has rejected our demands because he really wants a war. Maybe he really does want to wipe out the Earth and all of us Naturals. The terrorists were certainly well equipped for their attempt at genocide. Perhaps someone at very top of ZAFT was supporting them. Think about it, people of PLANTs. You could very well be on the side of the people who sought to wipe out the Earth. Is that the side you want to be on?"
"And… cut." the director said.
The filming stopped as Djibril started clapping. "Quite wonderful, my dear. Sowing the seeds of anger among the people of Earth while spreading doubts among the people of the PLANTs. If your speeches continue like this, I wouldn't be surprised if ZAFT forces began to defect to our side."
Serena bowed her head. "Thank you, Lord Djibril. I trust the Operation has succeeded."
"Yes. It ended flawlessly. ZAFT never realized what was happening until it was too late. Solomon has fallen and both Gibraltar and Carpentaria are not far behind. After they are conquered, we'll be able to take our time and wipe out the PLANTs at our leisure, if they don't surrender to us to save themselves." the leader of LOGOS replied. "But they won't. At least not as long as Durandal runs ZAFT.
"How can you be so sure Lord Djibril?" Serena asked.
Djibrill smirked. "I just know."
Aprilius One
Athrun turned the facet on. He cupped his hands together under the pouring water, gathering the water in his hands. He splashed face with the cold water, jolting him awake. He had been waiting for hours to see Chairman Durandal. Given the situation, he wasn't all that surprised that the Chairman was running late. Athrun glanced at his watch. It had been several hours since the battle ended. He had hoped that the Chairman would have been able to see him by know, even if it was only for a few minutes.
Athrun left the men's room, heading back to where the Orb ambassador was waiting, when overheard someone ask, "How much longer will it be?"
He froze. Athrun knew that voice. But it couldn't be. She was still in Orb. Wasn't she? Athrun had to find out. He rushed towards the sounds of the voices. Turning a corner, he spotted her. At the top of a flight of stairs, was a group of men and a lone woman. The woman's back was to him, but Athrun could clearly see her long flowing pink hair. "Lacus?" he said, much longer than he realized.
The girl turned around and stared at him. A big smile spread across face. "Athrun!" she gleefully called out as she rushed down the stairs.
The girl quickly embraced Athrun in a hug. He quickly realized that despite how she looked, this was not Lacus. She was far too giddy. While Lacus was a fairly cheerful person, this girl was far beyond Lacus's normal cheerful demeanor, especially given the situation the world was in right now. Secondly, there were her clothes. Lacus always dressed modestly, showing off at best, a moderate amount of skin. This girl on the other hand, was wearing clothes that were on the line of inappropriate to wear in public. Then there was the girl's bust. Which were noticeably bigger than Lacus's. Not that Athrun paid attention to that sort of thing.
"I'm so happy to see you Athrun!" the girl said, breaking the hug.
That was other thing Athrun noticed about this girl. Her eyes. While they looked like Lacus's eyes, there was something those eyes that screamed 'not Lacus' to Athrun. What that something was, Athrun couldn't place. But he knew this girl wasn't Lacus. So then why did she look like Lacus?
Athrun opened his mouth, intending to ask the girl who she was, when a voice cut him off. "Alex?"
Both Athrun and the girl turned to voice. It was Chairman Durandal and his entourage. "That's right. I have a meeting with you. I'm terribly sorry about forgetting about you."
"Alex? Isn't this Athrun?" the pink haired girl asked.
"Publicly speaking, no. His name is Alex Dino. However privately, he's Athrun Zala." Durandal explained. "Miss Clyne, don't you have somewhere to be right now?"
The girl flashed an embarrassed grin. "Sorry, Chairman Durandal. I was distracted. After all, I haven't seen my fiancée in a long time."
'Fiancée? Just who is this girl? The arranged marriage between Lacus and me was called off years ago.' a very confused Athrun thought.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to see him again once we've finished talking and once you've finished up." Durandal replied.
The girl nodded. "Good bye Athrun! Good bye Chairman Durandal!" she called out as she climbed back up the stairs.
Durandal turned to Athrun. "Now I believe that we have much to discuss Athrun. Shall we head to my office?"
Athrun nodded. There was indeed much they had to discuss.
And so the war has begun, with an unexpected outcome of the first battle. ZAFT has been sent reeling from the Alliance opening salvo. One thing about that battle I never understood, why didn't the Girty Lue and the Extended fight in it? They didn't return to Earth until later, so why not use them in the battle?
Also, Meer has made her debut. She's the one CE character that I'm conflicted on about how I feel about her. When I first saw her, I hated her, making her the second CE character I hated. I called her some nasty things about her, which I won't say yet because I'm going to have other characters say them. But in later half of the series, when we saw her demons, my opinion of her changed. I understood her and part of me could relate with her. So I'm very torn about her. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to have a bit of fun with her. Though I did notice after rewatching episode 9, that at the end of the episode, Meer gives Athrun a couple of looks that look a little crazed. Not full blown crazy like she shows in later episodes, but definitely something that looks off.
As always people, I live off reviews. So hit the button and write something.