Gundam SEED: Different Reality
by DreamersLTD
If you can dream, then anything is possible. – DreamersLTD Motto
Disclaimer: Same as before...
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(Previously)
Everyone looked and saw a young girl with pink hair drift out of the pod. Her beauty and kind smile were captivating. Miri and Cagalli instantly realized who the mysterious girl was. It was the Pink Princess of the PLANTS... Lacus Clyne.
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(Archangel)
The Pink Princess hovered in the zero gravity. She wore a grand white and lavender dress, and she looked the same age as Miri and the other students. She was so ethereal that Miri had to vigorously shake her head to help her. She leapt up, taking the pinkhead's wrist, and then gently bringing her down to the floor.
"Oh, why, thank you." She smiled, her icy blue eyes shining. Her expression then abruptly turned to one of confusion. She had glanced at the Earth Alliance insignia on Miri's uniform, then to the other crewmembers and officers. "So this isn't a ZAFT ship, I take it?"
Natarle let out a grave sigh, and Murrue and Mu were simply puzzled.
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(About 4 weeks earlier)
Athrun knelt silently at his mother's grave and placed the bouquet of flowers next to her headstone while Kira quietly stood back, head reverently bowed. It read: Lenore Zala, CE 33-70. She had been an agricultural researcher working at Junius Seven at the time of the nuclear attack. Kira, and especially Athrun had seldom spent time with her, but she always gave them both motherly affection, Athrun (obviously) more so than Kira, when they were together. He missed those research trips. It was the same story with his father, as he was hardly around, but Athrun knew their duties were crucial. He recalled his father's words at the last meeting of the Supreme Council, "we fight to protect ourselves, we fight for our freedom". If they just sat around and waited for it, peace would never come, as the Naturals would not give it to them. Would the conflict end if he shouted that he hated war and wished for peace? No. He needed to fight, and ZAFT needed to fight this war.
Kira too, remembered the woman. She was a family friend of his mother. He quietly paid his respects before turning to give Lacus her sendoff for the Memorial.
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(Sometime after; near the end of the 4th week)
As Kira and Athrun approached the dock where the fully repaired Vesalius lay, they were surprised to find Athrun's father standing alongside Commander Rau. Athrun wondered why his father was there while Kira probably thought something was off. Athrun then concluded it was probably due to some last minute additions to their orders. Kira however, couldn't get rid of a bad feeling.
Patrick Zala saw his son and Kira. "Kira," he said, "Have you heard the news on Lacus Clyne?"
Kira was beginning to get worried. He knew that it didn't it have to do with the ceremony or maybe some new album of hers... Was she in need of help? He hadn't heard from her lately. "Uh, no I haven't heard from her recently. She would have normally sent me some message by now."
Athrun too, was wondering if there was something wrong with Lacus.
Athrun's father nodded, but said nothing. Instead, Rau stepped forward.
"The survey ship that was sent out to the ruins of Junius Seven… has been destroyed." The Commander explained.
Kira's eyes widened in shock at the news, as he knew that Lacus had been aboard. 'LACUS!' he thought. "Commander, will the Vesalius take part in any rescue mission?" he suddenly asked.
"But of course." Rau told him. "That much should be obvious."
Kira visibly relaxed but Athrun frowned. "But we don't even know if there any survivors. Isn't it a bit much to send out a Nazca-class for –"
"Come now Athrun, you're a cold-hearted man. She's your best friend's fiancee," interrupted Rau.
Before Athrun could say anyting, his father raised his hand. "Athrun, there's something else, something that the public doesn't know about." He said, "The Yun Wang Team sent out one of their Reconnaissance GINNs, but it never returned. We're assuming the worst."
"Let me take a ship out to search for her! Commander, you and Athrun can return to hunting the legged-ship."
"Sorry, but Junius Seven has been pulled into the debris belt thanks to gravitational forces." Rau added, "It is a very dangerous place where anything could happen."
Kira and Athrun had to agree with them. Junius Seven was very close to Earth, but it didn't necessarily mean that Earth Forces were around laying wait for civilian ships to ambush. It just didn't add up.
"It's also well known in the PLANTs that you Kira, and Miss Lacus are engaged." Athrun's father spoke firmly. "There is no reason to delay." He put a hand on his Kira's shoulder. "She is indeed one of a kind, Kira. Go take care of her." Then he turned to Athrun. "Help him. We can't lose any of the PLANTs' shining stars. They are the hope for the future."
Kira and Athrun watched as Patrick Zala left before turning to Rau. "So now Kira's supposed to rescue the damsel in distress and play the role of the returning hero?" he muttered.
"That, or else return crying over he frozen corpse and grieve her loss," he said. Athrun was stunned while Kira silently glared. "Either way, it's better than doing nothing at all. And if not for her sake, then do so for her father's." It was then he and his subordinates climbed aboard the ship.
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(Archangel, present time)
A small group gathered at the interrogation room's door. Canard and Tolle shoved at one another to get an ear against the door to listen to the conversation while Sai and Kuzzey pushed from the back, and Officers Tonomura and Pal hovered from behind. Each one was curious about the young girl. Only Cagalli and Miri hung back.
"Come on, don't shove me."
"Can you hear anything?"
"If you would shut up I could."
Quiet! They'll hear us!"
"What's going on in there?"
The door suddenly flew open, and they all tumbled to the floor. They looked up to meet Natarle's cold stare.
"You still have supplies to restock!" she harshly reprimanded them, "Get back to your posts!"
The group stood and hurried off, but not Miri nor Cagalli. They lingered momentarily, getting a glimpse of the pink-haired beauty. She noticed them, and gave them a smile and a wave. They were both surprised and turned quickly, taking off.
Mu closed the door, grinning at the little exchange. But the atmosphere became serious once more when Murrue brought the conversation back to where it had left off.
"Please pardon my crew, they're young and new at this." She said, "Now, as you were saying?"
"My name is Lacus Clyne." The girl said. The tiny pink robot in her lap twitched and chirped. "And this is my friend, Haro."
Natarle sighed at the robot's display, thinking it absurd. Mu palmed his face, when something came to him. He suddenly looked straight at the girl.
"Clyne, you say?" he asked her, "As in Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne?"
The girl's face brightened. "Why, yes!" she exclaimed, "Siegel Clyne is my father. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?"
All three Earth Alliance officers slumped their shoulders in disbelief. First, they get one problem solved, but then a new one appears. Why was fate so cruel to them?
Mu stood up straight and crossed his arms. "So tell us, what happened out there? Why were you in that escape pod?"
Lacus' smiled turned to a frown. "I was with a small crew to survey Junius Seven prior to the official memorial services in their memory." She appeared hesitant, but Murrue ushered her on. "We came across an Earth Forces vessel, but not like this one. They claimed that we were ZAFT spies, and so they were there to make an inspection, so I assumed it'd be all right for them to come aboard."
Murrue had a feeling that the story was going to take a turn for the worst.
"A number of Earth Forces officers seemed to take offense to our peaceful mission when we explained the situation to them." Lacus continued, "An argument began, followed by a scuffle, and then a fight broke out."
Murrue and Mu exchanged glances while Natarle remained impassive.
"You must understand, no one onboard had done anything wrong." Lacus said, "However, the Earth Forces officers should've better understood, but they refused to listen. Before I fully realized it, I, along with several others, were shoved into personal escape pods. I only hope that everyone on the ship is still all right."
Mu bit his lower lip. Miri had mentioned the wrecked civilian ship and he wasn't about to upset her further with that news. With their main questions answered, they decided to give Lacus some privacy for the time being. Mu watched as she stepped to the window, gazing out to the ruins of Junius Seven.
"Let us pray, Haro." She whispered to her robot, hugging it. "Let us pray, for those lost souls so that they may now rest in peace."
Suddenly feeling ashamed, Mu slipped out quietly, closing the door as he left. A few hours later, the Archangel finally had gathered enough supplies to sustain the remainder of the trip and was ready to go. Before that, however, Miri, Cagalli, Mu, and even Canard had pressed that they should at least have a moment of silence for those killed in the Bloody Valentine. Miriallia released several dozen origami flowers that she and some of the refugees had made among the litter of the debris. The crew gave their respects for the dead, and then headed off on their voyage once again.
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(Later)
Miri was walking towards the cafeteria, when she heard the sounds of an argument. She stepped to find Flay and Cagalli bickering.
"No, I won't do it!" Flay shouted, "And that's final!"
"Why not?" Cagalli countered.
Miri nodded over to Kuzzey. "Hey, what happening here?" she whispered.
"Cagalli asked Flay to take some food to that girl you found. It set her off for some reason."
"I'm not doing it!" Flay stamped her foot down. "I'm not going anywhere near one of those Coordinators!"
"Flay!" Cagalli scowled, pointing to Miri.
Flay then noticed her and began to stutter. "W-well, you're, uh, you're different, Miri. But that girl's from ZAFT! And all Coordinators have fast reflexes. What if she attacked me?"
Strangely enough, Miri did agree with her to a small degree. Flay could have her neck snapped by her if Lacus really wanted to (if she were to ever find Flay flirting with her Kira). But she didn't say anything.
Kuzzey shrugged. "Look, I don't think she'll just come at you like some wild animal. She came here on a peaceful mission."
"But how would you know?" Flay demanded.
"Excuse me." A soft voice said, "But who might this person you're talking about be?"
Miri whirled about to find Lacus standing at the door. Everyone froze in surprise.
"I apologize if I startled you." Lacus bowed politely. "I'm just thirsty, and to be honest, though I know it's very unladylike, I have to confess that I am rather hungry. Would this happen to be the cafeteria?"
"Wait a minute." Kuzzey said, "I thought your door was locked."
"This is nuts. How does someone from ZAFT just get to wander about as they please?" Flay demanded.
Lacus remained her politeness. "I did ask properly if it'd be all right if I came out."
"And someone gave you permission?" Miri asked.
"Well, I did call out three times, but no one answered." Lacus said, "I waited a bit longer until I assumed that it'd be fine." She then stepped up to Flay and offered a handshake. "Anyway, I'm not a part of ZAFT, that's the Military. I'm just a civilian. ZAFT stand for Zodiac–"
"Shut up! It doesn't change that you're a Coordinator!" Flay shot back.
Lacus nodded and sighed. "Yes, I am a Coordinator," she admited, "but I'm not in the military. I mean, you're a Natural, but you're not in the military either, right? It's the same thing, so we aren't all that different." She offered her hand again.
But Flay smacked the hand away. "Why would I want to shake hands with one of you?" she growled, hatred streaming from her voice, "I don't want to be friends with any of you freaks!"
Miri felt like a blade her pierced her chest. The way Flay lashed out at Lacus simply because she was a Coordinator was cruel, and her words stung her as well. She and Lacus couldn't change who they were, but no act of kindness towards Flay would change her mind. Why couldn't she understand that Coordinators were human also? But just in a different and enhanced body? What would Dearka say about this?
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(Gamow)
The man in Miri's thoughts had been suffering from restless sleep syndrome lately. The object of his restless dreams was Miri herself. After tossing and turning for the umteenth time, he sat up in his bed. 'Damn it. Miri, you're probably suffering in their hands! Why won't you just let go and come back to me?' he thought.
He quietly turned on a reading light and dimmed it enough so as to not wake his roommate, and picked up a porno magazine that he had smuggled onboard. 'Hopefully something here would distract me...' But each time he tried to let his dirty thoughts loose, it all ended up back to that young brunette. He just couldn't let go. Soon, even the faces of the women in the magazine became Miri. '... Damn it, it must be the lighting.' He tossed the magazine back into its hiding place and let his eyes wander over the few pictures he had of Miri and himself. Soon, one of them held his attention. It was a picture of them together and boyfriend and girlfriend for the first time. He remembered that day well.
Flashback.
It was Saturday, and he was heading home from dance lessons (his secret hobby; Japanese interpretive fan dancing) when he ran into someone at the entrance. As he looked up to apologize, his purple eyes (is that right?) met feminine blue ones. He knew those eyes. "Miriallia! What are you doing here!? Scratch that. I'm sorry for running in to you. Are you alright?"
Miri giggled. "Yes, Dearka, I'm fine."
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?"
"Well, yes... but..." Miri looked like she had something to say.
"But?"
"But I wanted to talk to you. I needed to know... well... you know..." her eyes were darting everywhere but his.
"Come on Miri, I've known you for awhile. Don't be shy. What is it?"
"Well, Iwanttoknowwhat'sthestatusofourrelationship!"
"... Could you please run that by me again, and slower?"
"I want to know what's the status of our relationship. I mean... since your... and I am..." Miri was now incoherently rambling.
"Miri." That got her to stop and look at him. "I was wondering the same thing. We've been through a lot, and I was wondering if you're willing to be more than just a friend. At least, be my girlfriend. And that's not an order. That's a question. Please answer honestly."
Miri was silent for awhile while thinking it over thoroughly. "Yes, I would love to."
"Are you sure? I hope that you are not doing this just because I'm your controller and your are my... what's the least derogatory name for it... subordinate. If you really want to be my girlfriend, I truly need to know if we will be able to communicate openly."
"Yes, Dearka. I have thought it over long and hard. I want to be with you because I like you for you. Not for anything else."
"Miriallia..."
"I like you Dearka, a lot. And I would be happy to have you as my boyfriend." She paused for a moment. "But that means no more flirting with other girls, or else I'll dump you."
Dearka feigned hurt. "Not even with one?"
"No. Or you can find another girl."
"I could always command you to..."
"And I would forever hate you too..."
"I'm just messing around with you Miri." He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "And I'm not letting you go."
"Ever?"
"Never ever."
They shared a nice first boyfriend/girlfriend kiss, before they were interrupted by a flash. They immediately whirled around to find Dearka's elderly dance teacher with a camera in his hands. "Hey, this is your first official kiss. Why not preserve the moment?"
End Flashback.
And his words rang true, still. 'If only things were different... if only I truly never let you go... if only I forced you to stay with me... then we wouldn't have to fight each other...' Dearka's continued "what if's" finally managed to get him the sleep he required.
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(Archangel)
Murrue watched as Mu came onto the bridge. It looked like he had a lot on his mind.
"Just when we thought we were in the clear," he said, rubbing his temples, "we go and find a little pink princess that belongs to the PLANTs. That's the last thing we need."
Murrue nibbled at her lower lip. At times, he looked to be irresponsible, but in reality he was the most dependable person she had met in her life. He had helped them out of tight situations one after another, and she was grateful for that, though his unorthodox ideas had high failure and remarkably low success rates. She did wonder on occasion if his attitude was just a facade so that she and the crew would remain calm and collected. If it really was, she really appreciated it, for it must've been exhausting to him.
"I guess we'll just take her to the lunar base with us." She shrugged.
"Isn't there some other port we could drop her off at?" he asked.
"Yes, but at the base, we can–"
"Captain." He politely interrupted, "Do you really believe that she'll be given a warm welcome?" He raised a brow. "The daughter of ZAFT's political leader would only be seen as bargaining chip. And a major one at that."
Murrue understood his point. "I don't want anything like that to happen to her, of course." She clarified. She hated to have Mu get the wrong impression of her. "After all, she is only a civilian and a child."
Behind them, Natarle loudly scoffed. "So what about them then?" She pointed to Tolle, who sat in the co-pilot seat. "They're only children and civilians, yet we plucked off from Heliopolis and now have them fighting aboard a battleship."
Murrue suddenly felt exhausted. "That's enough, Ensign Badgiruel." She didn't want to put up with her rambling of military protocol and regulations and other BS that she didn't need right now.
But Natarle didn't let up. "We have children serving as soldiers, but you want to exclude that girl? She is Chairman Clyne's daughter, after all. She's not the average Coordinator."
Murrue acknowledged that Lacus could be instrumental in stopping the entire war, but her instincts told her it was still wrong. However, Natarle was the seasoned officer and was very persistent. Maybe she did know better...
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Cagalli, with a tray of food, and Miri with a glass of water, took Lacus back to the interrogation room she had originally been held. They hated seeing the sad expression on her face as they led her inside.
"Must I really stay in here?" Lacus frowned.
"I'm afraid so," she forced a smile and gave her a glass of water.
"But I feel so lonely," She pouted, "I wish I could eat with the others and get to know them. Here, the only things I get to know is the cold, impersonal walls and the window of stars."
"I know, but this is an Earth Alliance ship. That being the case, there are those who don't care for Coordinators. I'm afraid it cannot be helped." Added Cagalli, setting the tray down next to the glass of water.
"It is a shame." She sighed, "However, you've both been very kind to me. Thank you."
"No problem. To me, Coordinators and Naturals are all human," answered Cagalli.
"Well," Miri muttered, "the truth is that I'm a Coordinator as well, or rather, half-Coordinator, so I kinda know what it's like. It's because of that."
She smiled sweetly. "No, you're kind because that's the person you really are." The girl smiled for real this time. "What are your names?"
"Miriallia, my names Miriallia Haww."
"Thank you, Miss Haww."
"Oh, feel free to just call me Miri."
She giggled. "All right, thank you, Miri. And you?"
"Cagalli! Cagalli Yu–!" Cagalli broke off, realizing she was giving away her real name. "I-I mean... Kasumi! Kasumi Reyes!"
Lacus already knew. "You must be Princess Cagalli Yula Attha of Orb. You're engaged to Athrun Zala of ZAFT, right?"
Cagalli felt herself blush while Miri was surprised to hear that. "Y-yes... that's... correct..."
"I wondered why you looked familiar. I've met you before, when Kira and I accompanied Athrun to meet you."
"E-enough about that... I still don't know him well enough!"
"Then could you please answer my next question?"
"What is it?"
"Why are you, the Princess of Orb, with an EA vessel?"
"This is only temporary. I was on Heliopolis when it was attacked by ZAFT, and this was the only ship that could take me to the nearest Orb base."
"I see. Well, thank you for chatting with me," Lacus said as Miri was dragged out by Cagalli.
Back in the cafeteria, no one had said anything following Flay's outburst. It was an awkward situation. Flay just sat with a frown on her face, not feeling sorry for what she said.
"Are you a member of Blue Cosmos?" Kuzzey finally asked. Originally, Blue Cosmos was an environmental pressure group, but now they were the most radical of anti-Coordinator activist groups. Their tactics even included piracy and terrorism.
"No, I'm not." Flay retorted, "But I don't think their cause is completely wrong. People who have altered genes when they don't need them are against nature. They're abominations!" She paused and peered to the others. "Don't you agree?"
Toelle got up and left, while Kuzzey just stared at his food. "You know, you're forgetting one thing." He said, "Miri's a Coordinator and if she hadn't piloted that Gundam along with the rest, we'd all be dead." He spoke the truth, as Miri had saved his life hours before when the ZAFT Recon GINN opened fire on his collector pod. "Just think about all that she's gone through."
Suddenly, Flay's argument lost its validity. She recalled that it was Miri who retrieved the lifepod that she had been on. Now she felt like she had alienated herself.
Miri had locked the door to Lacus' room and was ready to head down the hall. However, before she even took a step, Sai caught up to her.
"Miri." His friend said, "Toelle told me what Flay said. I'll go talk to her later about it." With the way he had to defend her, he sounded more like her attorney and less like her boyfriend. The two of them seemed an unlikely couple to Miri until she had learned about the letter.
Just then, a soft, soothing voice drifted from the room, and Miri and Sai listened closely. It was Lacus and she was singing. It wasn't much of a surprise, for she was a pop idol after all. Miri could easily understood why she was well known in the PLANTs.
"That's so beautiful," she murmured, enchanted.
Sai nodded. "Yeah, but did she get that voice from her altered genes, or was she already born with that talent." He chuckled and headed down the hall.
Miri blinked and followed after Sai. Her friend's remark may have been a joke, but it certainly killed the inner peace she had.
Officer Pal sat at his communications station on the bridge, sipping at his water bottle, when a message appeared to be breaking through the interference. He tossed the bottle away, and then checked the instruments. "Captain!" he shouted. There was excitement in his voice.
"What is it?" Murrue asked. She and Natarle dashed over to him.
"It's an encoded message from the Eighth Fleet!" Pal said.
"Admiral Halberton." Murrue muttered. "Can you trace it?"
"I'm already on it." Pal said, his fingers flying over his keyboard. Moments later, a voice crackled through the speakers.
"This…Eighth Fleet vanguard…Mongomery…come…Archangel. Come in." Though it was coming trough jumbled, the message made everyone know that friendly forces would soon be joining them. Excitement built within the bridge.
"What's their position?" Natarle asked, peering at the monitor.
"They're still a fair distance away." Pal answered.
It didn't matter, for they'd soon meet with the allied ships. Neumann and Tonomura even exchanged a high-five due to their excitement. The crew and its crew had been on their own from the start, and finally there was some hope. The initial excitement shortly died. All they had to do now was be patience for a while longer, meet with the ships from the Eighth Fleet, and then reach the moon. Hopefully then they'd have news on their families.
As the news spread, Sai had a particular piece of delightful news for Flay.
"My dad, really?" she beamed.
"He's with the ships that'll meet us." Sai told her. "He went over the ship's roster and found your name, so he personally requested to make the trip. You'll see him soon."
Flay just smiled and hugged Sai. She had never felt so happy in quite some time.
However, Miriallia, Cagalli, and Canard realized that one person wouldn't be rejoicing once the ships from the Eighth Fleet arrived, Lacus. She sat in her room, playing with Haro, alone.
"So where you do think we're going, Haro?" she asked her robotic companion. Haro simply rolled about, chattering on. She giggled, feeling so carefree.
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To Be Continued…
