Disclaimer's note- I do not own either Gundam Seed or Gundam X
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Phase 11- The Awakening Sword
"Normally, I'd ask myself what I did to deserve this," I thought as Natarle droned on about all the different rules that Kira and I had just broken, "But after what's happened the past week, asking that would be plain stupid." Currently, Kira and I were standing in the same room that Lacus had been in when the three senior officers had questioned her. Only this time, the two of us were standing up and this was a hearing; with Mu being our attorney, Natarle being the prosecutor, and Murrue as the judge since she was the highest ranking official on board. Kira was looking nervous and I was doing my best to look calm but if anyone had paid any attention to my left hand, they would have seen that I was picking at my nails frantically with my thumb.
"...and in doing so, we have lost what little protection we have against the enemy attacking us again," Natarle finished, "And so now, this ship and everyone on board has drifted right back to square one!"
"Kira, Ryo," Murrue said, looking at the two of us, "Do you have anything to say?"
"Before I do, Lieutenant Ramius," I replied, stepping forward a bit, "I'd like to ask of you that whatever punishments that you may give, you give them to me and leave Kira out of this. I...I was the one who came up with the idea in the first place..." I sensed that Kira was about to say something but I quickly stepped on his foot and silenced him, hoping that he would keep quiet.
"That's a rather...odd request, Ryo," Murrue blinked, "Is there any reason why you would make one like that?"
"There are things that I have done in my past that I regret deeply," I said, "I've done unimaginable things...horrible things, and yet here I am standing in front of you..."
"Putting aside our lamentations," Natarle suddenly interrupted, "I think it would be best to hear just what he has to say."
"I hope you will not take this to heart, Ensign Badgiruel," I started, "But it sounds to me that you think that Kira and I are...inefficient for defending this ship."
"I said nothing of that sort!"
"Nor did I suggest that you did," I said calmly, "I'm just speaking my mind, Ensign, and I apologize if I have offended you."
"None taken," she huffed, still looking rather irritated, "Now then, let's hear from the defense."
"Right then," Mu replied, looking into a small book, "According to Earth Alliance regulations, it is against the Alliance's laws to use civilians as hostages in any situation." Natarle, on the other hand, had her book closed and on her lap, she undoubtedly knew the whole thing word for word; she and Mu went head to head for a while until finally, Murrue held up a hand and the two fell silent.
"I believe that I've heard enough," she said and then turned to Kira and I, "Kira, Ryo, do you have anything else to say on your behalf?" I shook my head and stepped back but Kira stepped forward.
"I just wanted to say that," he said, "We didn't rescue Ms. Clyne to have her used as a hostage."
"Yeah, if anything," Mu added sarcastically, "either of them could've used her as a girlfriend!" Kira blushed and I rolled my eyes at the statement.
"That's enough, Lieutenant Flaga, watch what you say," Murrue warned, "Now then, are you two aware of what the penalty for treason is in the Earth Forces?"
"Capital Punishment, ma'am," I answered almost immediately, "Execution of the offender."
"Correct," she nodded, "Under normal circumstances, the two of you would have been sentenced to death." I heard Kira tense up behind me and I clenched my fists slightly. "However, these regulations only apply to soldiers of the Earth Alliance," she added with a slight smile, "And seeing as you're not official members, it wouldn't really be right to sentence you to death. So I do believe that you won't have to worry about taking the bullet for anyone, Ryo." Kira sighed in relief behind me and I felt my hands relax as she said, "However, I will ask that you both think deeply about your actions. You may leave."
"Congrats," Mu winked as we turned to leave, "Just try not to step out of line next time." Kira smiled and nodded and I nodded as well but as we were about to leave, something unexpected happened.
"Hold it, Ryo," Natarle suddenly said, "I believe you still owe us an explanation about what happened in the previous battle...and what you said to me in the Debris Belt."
"Crap, how did I know it would all come down to this?" I thought, stopping in my tracks. For a minute, I hesitated but then turned around and faced them. "Alright then," I sighed, "I suppose you of all people should know." Murrue nodded and Kira turned with an inquiring look on his face. "Go on, Kira," I said to him, "I'll catch up with you later." Though his eyes showed confusion, he slowly nodded and left the room, leaving me alone with the three senior officers.
"So, kid," Mu finally started after a brief silence, "What's up?" At first, I was compelled to stay quiet but then I remembered that I had already agreed to stay and that there was no backing out now.
"I hope you're all comfortable," I sighed, trying to lighten up the mood a little, "Because this might take a while to explain." Having said that, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and began to talk. At first, I felt like I had to force the words out of my mouth but as I went on, my mouth seemed to go on autopilot and soon, I was telling the whole story without fully knowing what I was saying. With each word that I spoke, a different image would flash in my mind as I told them everything. How the X Gundam was a ZAFT model, how it had been hidden on Junius Seven, and how I had come to be its pilot. When I finished explaining how the Satellite Cannon worked, however, the three of them seemed to become very interested.
"So you're saying that this weapon can take down a colony?" Murrue asked.
"Yes," I nodded, "That brings me to my next point. I used the cannon against the Mobius units but when almost all of them were destroyed, one of their nuclear missiles detonated nearby and..." It was here that my voice refused to cooperate with me any longer. Swallowing the growing lump in my throat, I finally choked out, "I...I lost...I lost control of it..."
"And...?" Natarle asked, cocking an eyebrow, "You lost control of it and..."
"I...I..." I stammered but every time I tried speak, my throat only tightened, "I...the colony...I...no, no, I can't...! I didn't mean to..." At this, I couldn't speak another word; I turned and looked down at my feet so that my hair fell in front of my eyes. I could feel what was left of my nails digging into my palms and tiny pin-pricks of pain as they began to pierce the skin from clenching my fists too hard. Shaking my head a bit, I gritted my teeth and struggled not to let everything out; I knew that I was going to look like an idiot if I broke down in front of the three of them. I heard someone gasp and I dared to look up and saw that Murrue had her hands over her mouth and her eyes were wide; I guessed that she had figured it out.
"Oh my..." she whispered, quickly getting up and coming over to me, "Oh, oh Ryo..." She raised her arms and I drew back, thinking she was going to hit me. Instead, much to my surprise, she placed her hands on my shoulders.
"L-Lieutenant...Ramius?" I asked, startled. I glanced at the other two and they didn't seem to be too affected by this; in fact, they were approaching too, which confused me greatly.
"It must have been horrible," Murrue sighed, "And you've been keeping it in all this time..."
"Look, kid," Mu smiled, "You really shouldn't be putting all this pressure on yourself. It was an accident, you set out with just intentions and that's all that matters."
"But...all those people," I blinked, "I...what I did...how can you..."
"We won't hold you accountable for it, Ryo," Murrue assured, "No one else in the Earth Forces will know about this." This time, I blinked a few times before looking at the others, who were smiling. I was confused beyond all reason.
"After all that I've done," I thought, "How can they just feel sorry for me when they have every right to hate me?" As I thought this, I grew frustrated as well and I felt my eyes sting a bit.
"I know it must hurt," she said, "Ryo, it's alright, we'll understand..." It was more than I could handle,
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"So, how did it go, Kira?" Sai asked as his friend stepped out from the room, "Where's Ryo?"
"Still inside," he replied, "I think Ensign Badgiruel wanted to ask him something. Other than that, it went pretty well, Ryo and I got off pretty easy."
"Well, you guys sure are lucky," Miriallia sighed, "Murdoch was so mad at us for helping you make off with that Lacus girl that he assigned us to a week of toilet duty." Kira was thankful that no one inside had heard because he was sure that they would have assigned him to the toilets as well if they did. Just then, they heard a minor commotion coming from inside the room but when Kira tried to open the door to see, he found to his dismay that it was locked.
"What do you think is going on in there?" he asked, putting his ear to the door.
"I don't know," Sai said, "I just hope it's nothing serious." While the three of them stood outside the door wondering just what was going on inside, Kira could have sworn that he had heard the sounds of someone crying in the room. This caused him to grow slightly concerned but soon, the sound subsided and minutes later, the door opened and Ryo stepped out.
"What was that all about?" Kira asked before noticing that his eyes were somewhat red, "You feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ryo nodded, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, "They just wanted a word with me, that's all." Miriallia looked at Sai and he shrugged but didn't push the issue. "Well, no point in standing out here all day," he finally shrugged and smiled a bit, "We might as well walk around a bit." The others nodded, relieved to see him in a better mood and started down a hallway. They began to talk casually and at one point, Sai asked Kira his opinion on Lacus.
"Well, she's nice," Kira replied, although Ryo could see a faint blush on his face, "And very honest."
"You forgot good-looking, you oaf," Ryo said and Kira's face reddened even more.
"Yeah? Well what do you think of her, Ryo?" Miriallia asked smartly while Sai laughed.
"I agree with Kira, she is very kind," Ryo answered, not bothered by the question, "But she's way too trusting for her own good in my eyes; she's kind of bubble-headed too. And that Haro she carries around, I don't see how she puts up with it everyday." The others laughed at his last comment and that was when Sai remembered something that had been on his mind.
"So, Kira," he said, "Kuzzey told us that he overheard the two of you talking with that girl the other day."
"Oh?" Kira asked, turning to his friend, feeling slightly nervous.
"So that's what I heard moving..." Ryo thought to himself, "Kuzzey..."
"I understand that the pilot of the Aegis is an old friend of yours," Sai added and at this, Kira stopped in his tracks out of shock and the others did as well. It just so happened that Flay was coming down a separate hallway and heard this statement. Naturally, she too stopped out of surprise and listened. "I have to say, Kira, that I was pretty worried about you," he continued before his smiled and said, "But I sure am glad that you came back just like you said you would." At this, Kira calmed down and smiled a bit, relieved that his friends understood. "Well, we'd better report to the bridge for our shift," he said, "We'll see you guys later." The two Coordinators nodded and watched them head to the lift; Miriallia winked as they left.
"What now?" Kira asked, "We don't have much to do..."
"There's always working on the Mobile Suits," Ryo shrugged, "I still need to see if I can get that Scylla Cannon working for both modes." As the two went off to the nearby elevator, Ryo sensed a presence nearby and frowned but ignored it. Once they were gone, Flay emerged from her hiding spot, floating dazedly to a nearby wall before looking over to the elevator that the two pilots had gone into. Memories of the destruction of her father's ship flashed through her head and her hands slowly clenched themselves into fists.
"A friend...!" she thought to herself furiously.
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"Now that Athrun's gotten his fiancé back," Yzak said, "We're now able to attack the Legged Ship freely. However, we'll only have ten minutes before the rest of the 8th Fleet shows up at this point."
"I dunno," Nicol frowned, "Such a small window of attack...I don't like this."
"That's why you're a coward." Meanwhile, on the Vesailius, Athrun was walking down one of the hallways when all of a sudden, a pink grapefruit-sized ball came bouncing from the other way and he caught it just before it hit him in the face.
"Lacus," he sighed as the pink-haired Coordinator appeared after her toy, "We're on combat alert, you shouldn't be out wandering around like this."
"Oh," she replied, "I'm sorry, Athrun."
"It's fine," he said and then asked her something that he had been wondering about, "Lacus, when you were held hostage aboard the Legged Ship...were you scared?"
"No, not at all," Lacus smiled, "In fact, it was a very pleasant experience. The two Mobile Suit pilots were both very kind to me; one of them was an old friend of mine from my childhood days."
"Who was it?" Athrun asked, suddenly curious.
"Ryo Mouri," she said, "My father knew his father and we met many years ago in Aprilius City, but I must say that he's changed quite a bit since then. And Kira is a very sweet person but also quite strong, I can see why the two of you are such good friends."
"He's a fool," Athrun muttered, "Letting the Naturals use him like this and using his friends as an excuse. He's only with the Naturals because his parents aren't Coordinators."
"You seem rather bitter these days, Athrun," Lacus sighed, "Why are you so sad?"
"No one can fight a war and wear a smile at the same time," he explained, "No one that I know, that is."
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"You know, I've been wondering," Sai said, "What's gonna happen after we link up with the 8th Fleet? Are we gonna be allowed to go home?"
"I dunno," Kuzzey sighed as he remembered what Murrue had said back on Heliopolis, "Lieutenant Ramius sounded pretty serious when she said that we were gonna have to stay."
"Yeah, but still-" Sai started to say but was cut off when both Kira and Ryo came into the cafeteria. Kira cast them an odd look as Ryo went to get a drink before Kuzzey glanced away quickly to avoid making eye contact. It was about then that Flay also appeared in the doorway, causing the other occupants to look up at her.
"Flay?" Tiffa asked, "You're feeling better?"
"Flay, you should be resting," Sai told her, standing up.
"I'm fine," she said, brushing past him and instead, going over to the two pilots. Seeing her coming, Ryo looked back to his drink and went back to filling it.
"What is it, Flay?" he asked, not looking at her.
"Kira, Ryo," she began, looking slightly uneasy, "I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier." At this, everyone blinked in surprise and even Ryo looked up in interest. "It's just…I was in such a mad panic," Flay continued, "And I said some things that I shouldn't have. You were out there fighting for us and yet I…"
"Flay, please!" Kira suddenly said, "Don't be so hard on yourself! We were all a bit stressed out."
"I know that you were doing your best," she sighed, "And yet…yet I…" At this, she faltered and after a few minutes, Kira smiled.
"Ah Flay," he said, "Thank you. I'm just sorry I couldn't save your dad."
"War is a terrible thing, isn't it?" she asked and then lowered her face a little, "I just wish it would hurry up and end." At her last words, Ryo frowned. There was something about the way that she had said it that made him question her real motives. He wasn't the only one either; Sai was also glancing at Flay suspiciously.
"I'll see you guys later," Ryo suddenly said, "I just remembered I have to go do something." With that, he set his barely touched drink on a table, glanced at Tiffa once, and then left. Tiffa caught on immediately and stood up from her seat as well.
"I'm going to get some sleep," she told them, "I'm still a little tired." Having said that, she left as well and found Ryo waiting for her in the hallway. When he saw her, he turned and started down the hallway at an easy pace, allowing her to catch up easily.
"So, what do you think of that?" he asked after a while.
"I think it's very nice that you and Flay have finally made peace with one another," she smiled.
"I don't know," Ryo sighed, "There was something about her voice…it sounded almost like insanity."
"She did sound a little strange," Tiffa nodded, "And it is rather odd that she forgave you so quickly after what she said before."
"I don't like this, Tiffa," he frowned, "I've got a real bad feeling about Flay." On the bridge, Petty Officer Pal was busy monitoring the radar when suddenly, the screen filled with static for a second and then three red dots appeared on it.
"The radar's being jammed!" he announced, "I've confirmed three hostile contacts! X-102, X-103, and X-207!"
"Alright then," Murrue nodded and sounded the battle alert, "Attention! All hands at Level One battle stations! Repeat, all hands at Level One battle stations! All non-combatants please remain in your quarters!"
"Well that's just great," Mu sighed, looking up from the magazine that he was reading, "I'll never finish this thing at this rate…" Back near the cafeteria, Tiffa and Ryo heard the battle alert and went back so that Tiffa could return to her room and Ryo could get to the lift to the dock. At around this time, a little girl was running down the hallway the other way and the students were coming out.
"Everyone, it's another war!" she shouted, "We're gonna have another war again!" As Kira came out of the cafeteria, she couldn't stop in time and ran right into him with enough force to send her sprawling backwards. As she slowly got up, Kira turned to help her but Flay got to her first.
"I'm so sorry!" Flay said, helping her up, "Kira was in a hurry and didn't see you!" It was around this time that Ryo and Tiffa arrived and Sai and Kuzzey gave them a quick greeting before going onto the lift and holding it for Kira.
"Kira, come on!" Ryo called out, "Go on, Tiffa." She nodded and went off but Flay heard him and looked at him then back to the little girl.
"It'll be okay," she smiled, "Kira and Ryo will be fighting to protect the ship."
"Really?" the other girl asked, amazed.
"Yup," Flay nodded, "They're gonna go out there and beat up all the bad guys."
"Kira, hurry up!" Ryo shouted, "If we're gonna to get to the dock anytime soon, we'd better go now!" Seeing that Flay had everything under control, Kira turned and hurried over to the lift and the others activated it when he was on.
"That's right," Flay said, standing up with a small smile while still holding the girl's hand, "We have to make sure they get rid of them all." Unwittingly, she increased her grip on the girl's hand until she yelped in pain and tugged her hand away before running off, leaving the red-head standing there alone. In the dock, Kira and Ryo had already boarded their Mobile Suits and were waiting for launch clearance; Mu had already launched in the Mobius Zero.
"The enemies that you're up against are the Laurasia Class, Duel, Buster, and the Blitz," Miriallia informed them as the Aile Striker was installed onto the Strike Gundam, "Good luck, you two."
"Kira Yamato, launch!"
"Ryo Mouri, blast off!" By the time the two had activated their Phase Shift Armor, Ryo could see that the three enemy Gundams had assumed a tight formation and were back to back. "I don't like this," he frowned, "They're hiding something…" Then he remembered and activated his radio, "Archangel, steer over to the right! Duel, Buster, and Blitz are concealing the Laurasia class so that it can fire its cannons at us!" It was not a moment too soon, a burst of concentrated energy shot from the Gamow's cannons and the three Gundams separated to let it through.
"Evasive maneuvers! Starboard!" Natarle ordered and Neumann immediately turned the ship right and barely avoided the shot.
"Damn! That was so close!" Yzak swore as he went after the Strike, "How the hell did they see through our formation!" Meanwhile, Mu had gone after the Buster Gundam but even though he was a good pilot, his linear gun and wired gunbarrels were useless against Phase Shift Armor. Seeing this, Ryo fired the X Gundam's beam rifle at the tan Mobile Suit but it dodged before the shot could hit it. Noticing that the others were busy, Nicole activated the Blitz Gundam's Mirage Colloid and flew towards the Archangel.
"I've lost the Blitz!" Tonomura said, "It must've activated Mirage Colloid!"
"Deploy Anti-beam Depth-charges!" Natarle ordered and moments later, the Blitz fired at the Archangel but the beam was absorbed by the invisible shield.
"Archangel, use the Blitz Gundam's shots to counter-attack!" Ryo said into his radio, "Aim at the point of origin of where the beams are coming from!"
"Of course!" Natarle thought, "If we watch where it's shooting from, we can track the Blitz's movements as well…" She waited until she saw another beam and then ordered, "Anti-air warheads, fire!" The missile pods along the bridge opened up and launched several warheads at the invisible Gundam. Halfway there, they split apart and fired several smaller rounds from the bases. Nicole was forced to deactivate the camouflage so that he could use his Phase Shift Armor and raised his shield just before the Blitz was peppered with the counter-fire.
"I forgot, you guys were the ones who built this thing," he smiled, "Of course you'd know its weaknesses!" Saying that, he flew aside before disappearing again.
"Gottfrieds, aim, fire!" Both of the Archangel's main cannons fired at the Gamow but the ship dodged and both shots went wide. "Valiant one, aim, fire!" Natarle ordered, "Valiant two, follow up after two seconds!" Both guns fired but once again, the Gamow avoided them.
"Strike, isn't that what you're called!" Yzak asked as he flew in and drew the Duel's beam saber; Kira, seeing this, put his beam rifle away and drew the Strike's before the two clashed. "You're good, I'll give you that," the platinum-haired Coordinator said, "But you won't get away this time!"
"I won't be defeated out here!" Kira retorted and fought back aggressively, remembering what Flay had said back on the ship, that it was up to him and Ryo to protect the Archangel and everyone on it. At that moment, the Gamow fired again and as the Archangel turned to avoid it, the Blitz suddenly rematerialized beside the ship's hull and landed on it.
"The Blitz has reappeared!" Pal exclaimed, "It's right next to the hull!" Suddenly, the bridge shook as the Blitz began to shoot at the hull at point blank range.
"The cooling systems can't seem to keep up!" Chandra reported, "Armor temperatures are continuing to rise!"
"Kira, Ryo! Come back!" Miriallia said, "The Blitz is too close to the hull! We can't shoot at it without risking damaging the ship!" Kira zoomed his camera in on the Archangel and saw to his horror that she was right.
"No!"
"Crap!" Ryo swore, "Mu, I'm pulling back to help the Archangel, cover me!"
"Will do!" Mu nodded and used his Gunbarrels to hold back the Buster while the X Gundam flew off towards its mother-ship
."The Archangel," Kira and Ryo thought at the same time, "I won't let you destroy it!" What happened next was simultaneous, both of them saw nothing but black and then all of a sudden, a shining purple seed surrounded by a glowing rainbow of colors appeared in their minds. It rotated a bit as it descended and then it hit some invisible surface and shattered like glass. Their eyes opened up again to reveal that the irises were now dulled to a paler color and their pupils had shrunken drastically.
"You're finished!" Yzak shouted and gunned the Duel's thrusters but Kira easily outmaneuvered it and before Yzak could blink, it was behind him before it sliced into the Duel's torso with its saber, damaging it before flying off. "Take this!" he snarled, frustrated as he fired the Duel's beam rifle at the retreating Strike as it put its beam saber away, which dodged his shots just as easily before he gave chase. Before long, the Strike and X Gundams met up and flew right at an unsuspecting Nicole who was continuing his assault.
"Stop that right now!" Kira shouted angrily and Nicole barely had time to dodge as the X Gundam drew its oversized beam saber and swung at it. Just as the Blitz flew off, however, the Strike came up from right under it and kneed it in the face, knocking it back and shaking its cockpit quite a bit.
"Now I've got you!" Yzak declared triumphantly but Kira turned around and drew an Armor Schneider knife before plunging it into the damaged part of the Duel's torso just as the X Gundam stabbed it through the other side with its saber. The result was a small explosion in the Duel's cockpit right in front of Yzak; with some of the flying shrapnel cracking his helmet's visor and cutting deep into his face. If the cockpit had been damaged so that there was a hole in it, he would have surely been killed by the vacuum of space.
"Yzak!" Nicole called out and quickly retrieved the damaged unit before noticing something on his sensors, "Dearka, we have to pull back! The enemy fleet is coming!"
"Dammit," Dearka swore and the three immediately flew off back towards the Gamow.
"Yzak, are you alright?" Nicole asked, "Yzak, say something!"
"It burns…" was all that the injured pilot could say, clutching his hands over his cracked visor, "It burns…it burns!..." Meanwhile, both Kira and Ryo had returned to normal and Kira was quickly catching his breath when he heard Pal announce some good news.
"The 8th Fleet is here!" he said and Kira breathed a sigh of relief, even Ryo smiled a bit when he saw the blinking lights in the distance. Inside the ship, however, Flay was sitting on her bed, the room only dimly lit.
"That's right, we have to make sure he gets rid of them all," she smiled oddly, "Other wise, this war will never come to an end."
-Phase 11: End
