Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Fllay's Decision
By Kuwabara99
Chapter 14: Concealing Hatred
"Are you serious?!" Muruta Azrael yelled as he barged into Lord Djibril's office with utter disdain. "Why are we not continuing the fight with nukes and mobile suits?!" he demanded. Djibril ignored the outburst and poured a glass of scotch before beginning, "Because the chance for that is over. President Copeland is announcing a cease-fire agreement sometime in March. Despite your efforts to destroy the Plants, you're losing the battle, and your flagship leaves a bad taste, "
Azrael clenched his fists as he said, "Dammit! Just when we had gotten so close too! You know I want to do more!" Djibril waved his hand and said, "I know how dedicated you are Mr. Azrael, but biding our time is our best option at the moment. I have a certain project in the works that will rid us of those Coordinators in a couple of years. I won't say much about it aside from the name- Requiem. It will have the power to cut those hourglasses to pieces."
Azrael smirked at the thought and said, "That sounds wonderful Djibril, but two years is far too long for me to stand idle. I will create another superweapon to rival yours, and I promise you Djibril...I will have it attack one year from now." Djibril took another drink and said, "I look forward to seeing that Azrael. Blue Cosmos will rise from the ashes of this war to eradicate the damned Coordinator race. For the preservation of our pure and blue world!"
Azrael nodded and said, "Yes...yes indeed! I shall report back in one year Djibril. Good luck on your project as well!" Azrael left the room in better spirits than when he entered. His escort, Matthew awaited him at the entrance. "Things go well sir?" he asked. Azrael kept walking, prompting Matthew to follow while he said, "Hardly! That Djibril can be such a pushover, however I gained a new goal to follow thanks to that conversation." Azrael explained without breaking his stride. "I plan on building a new superweapon, Matthew. Djibril plans on using a space project to target the Plants, but I will make an Earth based weapon to target Zaft and Coordinators on the ground."
Matthew smirked and said, "Sounds like an excellent plan sir. Taking out their bases and homes will definitely push them away from Earth." Matthew's brow wrinkled in consideration, and he paused for a moment before voicing his concern, "There's one issue I have for an underground superweapon, though, sir. After the first shot, won't it be traceable?" Azrael laughed and said, "Not this one. I'm going to have it using nuclear power via a neutron jammer canceller. The best part though is to keep it untraceable by having each shot coming from a different area to throw off any scans and it will retract to deep underground with mirage colloid as camouflage."
Matthew laughed, "Very good sir! We could blast each of their bases with minimal time for them to react. With no one but us to blame, Zaft could invade Earth again, causing the Earth Alliance to counter. We could be the catalyst for a new war." Azrael gave a devilish grin, "Now you're talking Matthew! You are definitely going places with that attitude. I had planned on making Sven the head mobile suit pilot for Blue Cosmos, but I think I'll make an exception this time. I'm glad I held you in reserve during the war, though I'm sure you would've dominated nevertheless."
Matthew smiled and said, "Thank you sir. I plan to do what I can to help your cause." Azrael nodded and said, "That's good Matthew, and you can start by getting my superweapon built. I will authorize the materials through various contacts, but I must take the time to research our new enemies. Remember these names well, Matthew: Kira Yamato, Fllay Allster, Natarle Badguiril, and Lacus Clyne. When you have the chance, check up on their doings and history. I want to know everything about them, to enhance the joy of killing them all…."
Matthew nodded, "It will be done sir, they will all pay for getting in the way of Blue Cosmos!" he said before leaving the room to start the project. Azrael folded his arms and said, "It begins… the end for Zaft on Earth and my revenge on those traitors…." Azrael got on his computer and began the lengthy process of ordering parts for his powerful weapon to be.
Archangel: Outside Debris Belt
The Archangel arrived at the Debris Belt, which was surrounding Earth during the early part of November. The crew was preparing to move through the Belt to enter the atmosphere on the way to Orb, but unlike the last time they entered the Belt, the crew had plenty of water and supplies from Ame-no-Mihashira and Kira had just launched in the Freedom to start clearing a path for the ship as well as Mu in the Strike. Before the Archangel entered the Debris Belt however, they received a communication from behind.
"Captain Ramius, incoming transmission from the Dominion," Fllay said. Murrue motioned for the transmission to be put on the main viewer. "Good to see you again before you arrive on Earth, Captain Ramius," Natarle said. Murrue smiled as she replied, "Good to see you too as well Captain Badgiruel. As you can see, we were just about to clear our way through the debris. What brings you to this area of space?"
Natarle gave a serious look and said, "We wanted to catch up to you before you landed on Earth because we received some important news to share. I know this is a bit forward of a request, but please do not disembark from the Earth Alliance once you arrive at Orb." Murrue looked stunned as she responded, "That is quite forward Natarle. On whose authority is this request being made?" "Surprisingly the request came from Earth Alliance President Joseph Copeland himself. He wants both our ships and crew to be present at the official ceasefire agreement on March the 10th" Natarle said.
The look on Murrue's face was priceless. Her jaw dropped at hearing such an honorable request. "I can't believe the president himself would ask that of us after all we've done, I mean we practically rebelled at Alaska and fought the Earth Alliance at Orb and in space. How is this all possible Natarle?" Murrue asked.
Natarle had a big grin on her face as she said, "I took care of it. I sent a report on everything that we've gone through since Heliopolis and the response I got was exceptional. Mr. Copeland was very impressed by our service and wants to congratulate each of our crews. I can imagine promotions will be in order as well."
"Sounds like a good deal Captain," Mu said over the com. Murrue nodded and said, "I think this is a wonderful gesture by the Earth Alliance. Tell the President that we will be there on March 10. I suppose we shall have to use the Victoria mass driver to get back up to space?" Natarle nodded, "That would be the best approach unless Zaft was nice enough to lend us Carpentaria's driver. Either way, it would be best to leave near the end of February. It would take years to remake Orb's driver, so just go on and use Victoria. With the base on the moon gone, the Dominion has become the sole supply route for the Earth Alliance at the moment, so I'm sure at some point that we will need help from the Archangel," she said.
"I don't doubt that Natarle. We would be happy to help once we get Orb up and running again. We owe that nation a great deal for the support they gave us over this war, and I can imagine that the ceasefire will hand Orb back to Cagalli and any other Orb officials still around. I'm sure there will still be plenty of bitterness over the whole situation, but I think things will work out in time," Murrue stated.
"Sounds good to me," Natarle said. "Just remember March the 10th, next to the ruins of Junius 7. Safe journey to you all until we meet again." she said as the transmission cut off. The Kusanagi finally caught up to them at that moment with Cagalli in the Strike Rouge ready to help Kira and Mu clear the debris and with their combined efforts it took only half a day to get through to the lower orbit of Earth. Both ships began their descent process using ablative gel.
Kira stayed in the Freedom, keeping watch so nothing interfered with the drop, but once they cleared the atmosphere, Orb was in sight. Both ships landed on a grassy hill next to the crater that was once Morganrote. A good sized gathering of people came up to the ships to see what was going on, so when Cagalli and her crew came down from the Kusanagi, the people cheered. Kisaka handed Cagalli a loudspeaker so she could address them.
"Fellow citizens of Orb! As you can see, we have just returned from the ending of the war. Exiting the Kusanagi and the Archangel now are refugees that escaped Orb to Ame-no-Mihashira. We have returned to rebuild Orb from the destructive war that has plagued this world. As the daughter of Lord Attha, I will see this through till we are once again a proud and strong nation," Cagalli said. Massive applause and cheers went up over the area and the crews of both ships were greeted by the many citizens who gave their thanks for protecting them from harm.
The Archangel crew waded through the crowd to reach the Freedom, which had just landed near the crater of Morganrote. "Fllay! Fllay Allster!" A couple of girls in the crowd yelled, gaining her attention. The immense shock of seeing these two again caused Fllay to tear up. "Jessica….Misha…." she said as she ran to them.
Fllay's friends hugged her as she came over to them. "Wow Fllay, I never dreamed that you would ever join the military," Misha said as Jessica looked at her uniform from all angles. "Pretty snazzy uniform you got there. What rank are you at now?" Jessica asked in turn. Fllay pointed to the rank on her collar and said, "I am now Petty Officer First Class. I started in a volunteer uniform as Crewman Second Class." Misha paced around a bit and asked, "Why did you join the military?" Fllay fidgeted with her collar at the question, "It's a long story. The main reason was that daddy was killed in battle… and I was tired of moping around over it too. The other reason is this guy here, " she answered as she pointed to the pilot that was coming down the zipline of the Freedom.
When Kira reached the ground, he pulled off his helmet, revealing a brown haired teenage boy, which caused Jessica and Misha to gasp. "Isn't this Kira Yamato from classes?" Jessica asked Fllay. Fllay smiled as she replied, "Yes he is. Throughout the war he has saved me countless times. He is also my boyfriend..." "How is that possible? I thought you were engaged to Sai, " Misha wondered. Fllay put her hands behind her back, "I dumped him for Kira when my dad was killed. Dad's verbal agreement was null and void in my eyes after it happened, and Sai has someone else now anyway." She said. Kira walked over to them, giving Fllay a hug. "Wait long, Fllay?" he asked.
Fllay giggled from the embrace, "Not too long Kira. These are my friends; Jessica Barton and Misha Stevens, whom I'm sure you have met in class on Heliopolis. They were able to find a shelter here on Orb when it was attacked," she said. Kira shook their hands, "It's good to see you two again. I'm glad that you were able to escape Heliopolis and the Battle of Orb. I've kept Fllay safe throughout the war myself," he stated. The two girls smiled at Kira and then nudged Fllay, "You got a real stud there," Misha said while giggling. "Don't let him get away," Jessica said, causing both Kira and Fllay to blush with embarrassment.
"So… what brings you two here?" Fllay asked. "Just curiosity really….My boyfriend said it would be quite the spectacle," Misha stated. Fllay stood there gaping, "You have a boyfriend Misha?! Since when did that happen?" she asked. Misha had the silliest smirk on her face and said, "This past week I met him. Speaking of, here he comes now. Yoo-hoo! Over here Kuzzey-kins!" Kira and Fllay looked at each other and back to Misha with both exclaiming, "Kuzzey is your boyfriend?!" Misha just grinned as Kuzzey approached.
Finally finished this chapter. Took a bit more ideas to think over. Had lots of other things to deal with. Like my hockey team making the playoffs again finally(Dallas Stars). Got my first flame post, wearing it like a badge of honor. They sent it anonymous, so you can't see it. Someone mad that Fllay didn't die. :P Ah yes, In October, I'm gonna be at a My Little Pony convention. I got one of the best tickets, so I will get to eat steaks with Tabitha St. Germain(who voices Fllay). I'm so excited. I met her last year, but this next visit takes the cake. I have another chapter already written. Just need to type up. Read and review please.