After fleeing to the Moon, Djibril turned the massive beam weapon, Requiem, towards the PLANTs. Durandal ordered the Minerva to head immediately to the Moon. There, the ship managed to disable Requiem and finally defeat Djibiri. With Logos exterminated, everyone assumed the world was once again at peace, until Durandal announced the implementation of his Destiny plan. Even Shinn was shocked by the idea of our genes determining our entire future. However, Rey was adamant that this was the only way to ensure a world free of war.
"Humanity has to truly change! If it doesn't, it won't survive. Remember that Extended pilot… Or rather...what would've happened to her." Rey said. "We can't let those things happen ever again. We have to really change the world this time."
Rey, just like Rau Le Creuset, was a clone of Neo's father. He was created as a by-product of the research that produced Kira, the ultimate Coordinator.
"We are all defective children of the world. So we must end it all. To ensure that there will be no more like us. That's why you must protect this future!" Rey said.
Shinn couldn't help but think Rey was right.
Cagalli of Orb opposed the Destiny Plan. Durandal declared her an enemy of humanity, and began by destroying the Alliance's lunar base, which sided with Orb. To do so, he used the Requiem weapon captured from the Alliance. The fact that he used a weapon of mass destruction, rather than destroying it, sent shockwaves throughout ZAFT. Requiem's next target was Orb. Kira, Athrun, Lacus, Cheetah, David and the others entered the fray to stop Requiem from firing, and to reclaim their futures.
"Orb is the last bastion against the Plan! If it falls, the world falls with it. We have to protect it, no matter what." Lacus said.
"Unless we take out the relay stations, we could be attacked again at any time." David said.
"We'll destroy the relay station, while the Orb detachment hits Requiem itself." Neo said.
"If we want to protect Orb, we have no other choice." Murrue said.
"Speed will decide this victory! Hit the defense forces and capture the station!" Lacus said.
"Kira Yamato, Freedom, here I go! Let's go, everyone!" Kira said.
"Right. Let's get started. Athrun Zala, Justice launching!" Athrun said as he launched as well.
"H-hey, don't leave us out of this! Mayumi Kirishima, Vanguard Gundam, launching!" Mayumi said.
"Riesz, launching in the Palace Athene!" Riesz said as they both launched.
"Sectonia, launching in the Queen Bee Gundam!" Sectonia said.
"Ready, Cheetah. Let's do this." David said.
"Ready when you are." Cheetah said.
"David Ishihara/Barbara Minerva, Frost/Apex Predator Gundam, launching!" David and Cheetah said together as they launched.
"Hm? Is that Yzak?" Athrun asked. "I'll try to talk him into our side again." he said as he started advancing.
"You've got some nerve, Athrun! What the hell are you doing here?!" Yzak asked.
"Come on, let's do this." Dearka said.
"Not you too, Dearka!" Yzak said.
"It's not us he's after, right?" Dearka asked.
"Damn… Fine, you win! I'll watch your backs until you get to the station. The rest is up to you!" Yzak said.
"Messiah is now going to combat status. Prepare to fire Neo-GENESIS!" Durandal said.
Meanwhile, the group was waging battle against the Destroy Gundams produced by the Alliance.
"You snobby assholes! You give Earth a bad name producing stuff like this!" Mayumi said.
"Kirishima! I understand your rage, but calm down. We have to approach this level-headedly." Cheetah said.
"Y-yeah. I wouldn't want to be another Shinn…" Mayumi said.
"Damn… Incoming fire from the Messiah again! Pull units in the line of fire back, now!" Yzak said.
"Uh oh! Guys, we're in trouble!" Sectonia said.
"Kira Yamato… your existence shouldn't be permitted!" Rey said.
"Ishihara, I'll fight Rey, you take the others to destroy Requiem!" Cheetah said.
"I'll go with her. The rest of you, hold the line!" Kira said.
"Understood. We won't let you down!" David said. "I'll catch up with you later, so don't go getting yourself killed, you hear me?!"
"Come on. It's me you're talking to, remember?" Cheetah asked as she and Kira fled from the battlefield to face Rey.
"Heh. That's what I'm worried about. Ha! Like I'm one to talk!" David said.
"Target the Archangel! For the honor of ZAFT, that ship goes down today!" Talia said.
"Captain Gladys!" Murrue said.
"I think I've heard just about enough of this mockery. I'll shoot that ship down myself!" Riesz said.
"Let me help you." Mayumi said.
"Fire!" Murrue and Talia declared as they fired their missiles.
"Thirty degrees to port. Ready the Tannhauser." Talia said as the Minerva began charging.
"Oh no!" Murrue said.
"This is not good." Vera said from inside the Last Crusade.
"Fire!" Talia said. The cannon was about to be fired before Riesz caught the blast.
"Riesz! What are you doing?! Get out of there! You're going to get fried!" Belladonna said.
"Maybe I will… But… Belladonna, you should know better than anyone why I'm doing this!" Riesz said.
"Ah…!" Belladonna muttered in shock.
"This ship is a mockery of Barbara's name… And my mother's. That's why… No matter what it takes… I'm shooting it down!" Riesz said as she attempted to push the blast back.
"Riesz…" Belladonna said as she saw Mayumi join in. "Grr… I'm not just going to sit here!" she said as she launched and joined the two girls on the defense.
"Those… those three girls… They were like…" Neo said as he had a flashback of when he did the same thing in the previous war. "Murrue… I…" he muttered as he dove through the Minerva's cannon and destroyed it.
"What the?! Mu… Is that…" Belladonna said.
"That's right, Belladonna. I'm back. And it's for real this time!" Mu said with a smile. He disengaged the Akatsuki's funnels and formed a barrier around the four that blocked the Minerva's lasers. "Now… Let's finish this!"
"Riesz… Belladonna… Traitors, the both of you! Regroup forces! Prepare to engage Mobile Suits!" Talia said.
"Captain Gladys! You won't get away!" Riesz said as she launched a full barrage that sunk the Minerva.
"We've taken too much damage. Abandon ship! I'm sorry about the timing but it's no use." Talia said.
"Now then… Time to send all of these miscreants to oblivion." Durandal said.
"So this is okay, right? You're sure this is okay?" Lunamaria asked.
"The Impulse…? That's Lunamaria! I've got her!" Sectonia said as she quickly engaged Lunamaria.
"The Queen Bee Gundam?" Lunamaria asked.
"Stop this, Lunamaria! This isn't what Athrun would've wanted!" Sectonia said.
"Full speed ahead! We'll regroup with survivors from the detached force and destroy Requiem!" Murrue said.
"Shinn, you take care of the Frost Gundam. I'll take the Freedom and Apex Predator myself!" Rey said. "Give that punk what he deserves! Do this for Stella!"
"Rey… Understood!" Shinn said. "Don't worry, Luna! I'm coming!" he said before he was intercepted by David. "Well… Look who it is? Have anything to say?"
"You know, Shinn… I've actually met a few people like you. And I must say… Your attitude disgusts me." David said as they both clash their blades.
"What are you getting at?" Shinn asked. "You took Stella away, you took Cheetah and the others away, and now here you are saying I'm the bad guy?!"
"Because that's exactly what you're acting like! Reformed Society couldn't stand that attitude of yours. The whole 'me against the world' shtick isn't going to work anywhere!" David said. "We get it, you saw your family killed in front of your eyes. But causing wanton destruction isn't going to bring them back! You can't change what happened in the past, and here you are throwing away your future!"
"The world has to change! But for that, Orb must be destroyed!" Shinn said.
"Don't you have any idea how insane that sounds?! Is that the kind of world you want? One ruled by power?" David asked. "Are you so self-indulgent that you are content with being Durandal and Rey's puppet?! Is that the kind of world that you want Stella to live in?!"
"Shut up! Don't act like you know me!" Shinn said.
"Color Gods, I can't stand people like you who think they're some tragic figure that's entitled to their own private pity party." David said. "Look at Cheetah! Back when she was my enemy, she never wanted me to pity her, so I didn't. But now look at her. She's trying to take the intelligence and knowledge she had when she was a human, and combine it with the benefits that she has with her form now. She's trying to bring out the best of both worlds. Can you say the same?!"
"Shinn… Shinn! Athrun! Please, stop this!" Lunamaria said as she tried to get between them and was hit by Shinn's attack that was directed at David.
"Luna! You… You bastard!" Shinn said.
"Me bastard?! You were the one that hit her! Don't you see what your toxic attitude is doing to the people around you?!" David asked before he was attacked by Shinn again. "Tch… GYAAAAAAHHH!" David let out a battle cry as he ran Shinn down.
"N-No way! This… This can't be…! I was...supposed to…" Shinn said as both he and Lunamaria were disabled. "What have I… What have I done…?"
"Shinn… You damn fool…!" David said. "Now for the Requiem…"
"Don't worry about that! We'll take care of it. You try to catch up with Cheetah and Kira!" Mayumi said.
"Understood." David said as he raced off.
Meanwhile with Cheetah and Kira...
"Ishihara… Everyone… Don't worry. I'll put an end to all of this right now!" Cheetah said as she and Kira confronted Rey and started fighting him.
"We were created as samples to help realize the dream called Kira Yamato." Rey said. "They did it simply because they could… But as a result, I'll soon die of old age. The other me cursed this fate. Fought and died trying to destroy everything. By the both of you, nonetheless."
"You mean Rau Le Creuset?" Cheetah asked.
"That's right. Who was in the wrong? Whose fault is this? We are all defective children of the world." Rey said. "So we must end it all! To ensure that there will be no more like us! Yes… We must finish it… This time, everything must end!"
"Those words… They are like…" Cheetah said.
"That's right, Barbara Minerva! I am… Rau Le Creuset!" Rey said. "And that boy is Kira Yamato! The wondrous result of humanity's dream and future! Just as you are a product of a researcher who had the off-chance of an encounter with a Hunt Goddess and blessed with her power! And the boy you speak of… David Ishihara… The boy whose very existence bends the very fabric of fate itself! That is why I must extinguish your lights! All of you! Together with ours! So that the world can be reborn!"
"He's getting out of control… We have to stop him now!" Cheetah said.
"I cannot bring back the past! So all must be sent into oblivion!" Rey said. "Only then will things return to their right and proper form! Humanity! The world!"
"No, that's wrong!" Cheetah said. "We all have only one life to live, and each one of us has a say in where that life goes! You decide, not him!"
"Hah! Like you're one to talk! Everything you do is for your Goddess!" Rey said.
"Yes… But she's right." David said as a shot was fired at Rey, allowing Cheetah to finish the job. "In the end, our lives are defined by the choices we make ourselves."
"Quickly! We have to get to the Messiah!" Cheetah said.
Back outside, the four female pilots managed to punch through the barrier that was protecting the Requiem, and managed to destroy it. At the same time, Kira, Cheetah and David all reach a combined effort to deal massive damage to the Messiah.
At last, the PLANT fortress Messiah was destroyed. Kira, Cheetah and David entered the crumbling Messiah, found Durandal and leveled weapons and claws at him.
"Are you all sure about this? Without me, the world will fall back into darkness and chaos. You all know I speak the truth." Durandal said.
"Perhaps that is true. But we can choose a different road, if we so wish. Because this is a world that permits such a thing!" David said.
"Hmph… But who will choose that? People forget the past, and repeat its mistakes. Who can promise that it will never happen again? That the new world will be better than the old?" Durandal asked. "Nobody. Not you, not Lacus Clyne. None of you can see the future."
"Maybe so… But we know we are ignorant. We know the dangers...and that's why we can change!" Kira said.
"Kira… David… Both of them really do share the same fire. And that's why I support Kira's cause. For an uncertain tomorrow with limitless possibilities. We don't want a world where nothing changes!" Cheetah said.
"Such pride! Spoken like a true Champion of the Hunt!" Durandal said.
"Heh. Well, aren't you the proud one? I may not look it, but I was once human too. I'm no different than anyone else here on this battlefield." Cheetah said. "And that's why you must be stopped."
"The world you all speak of, or the world I promise… Which do you think people prefer? If you all kill me now, and the world falls into chaos again, what would you do then?" Durandal asked.
"We'll be ready. Ready to fight!" Cheetah said.
It was by then that a shot rang out. Durandal slumped to the ground, blood flowing from his chest. However, it was neither Kira nor David that fired.
"Gil… I'm sorry… but, I want… their future…" Rey said.
Cheetah, David and Kira's speech had woken Rey from his delusion, and he shot Durandal to protect the future. Somehow, Durandal seemed satisfied with Rey's final decision. Talia ran to Durandal's side, and the three of them were engulfed in flames. Cheetah and everyone else turned and left the scene behind them. Tomorrow would be a whole new world.
"This is Lacus Clyne in the Eternal. I have a message for ZAFT high command." Lacus said. "We don't believe there's any reason to continue fighting in this sector. We are requesting a mutual ceasefire, starting now. I repeat…"
Cosmic Era 74. Hostilities between the PLANTs and the Orb Union came to an end. A conference was held to broker peace. Lacus Clyne, who had served as mediator between the two sides, accepted an invitation from the PLANT Supreme Council and returned to the PLANTs.
"Whew… That was pretty crazy!" David said.
"It sure was. But I'm glad we made it through. Thanks for your help." Sectonia said.
"I should be the one thanking you. It was because of your efforts that we were able to end this war again. Hopefully for the better this time." Cheetah said. "So, will you be going back to them?"
"Yeah. I think we've been away from them long enough." David said. "We should get back before they start missing us. You're welcome to come along, if you want."
"As much as I would like to… I'm afraid I must decline." Cheetah said.
"Again? But why?" David asked.
"It's nothing against all of you, I assure you. But getting clearance in the Hero Universe is going to get difficult. Especially with our counterparts in this dimension and their reputations over our heads." Cheetah said.
"I-I see. I know how the Hero Universe can get with people like you. But still… You've been helping us out a lot since you went along with us after the King of Fighters. It's going to be tough getting used to going through these events without you." David said.
"I know. But this is for the best. At least this way, you won't be jumping through hurdles trying to vouch for us every time you go there." Cheetah said.
"I… I understand." David said. "I respect your wish."
"Don't be sad. One way or another, we'll meet again. After all, it's just as we told Rey… The future is full of possibilities. We are just living in one." Cheetah said.
"Well said. Well… See you guys around." David said.
"Take care, comrades." Zacian said.
"Don't worry about us, Zacian. We'll be alright." Zamazenta said as the Last Crusade took off for the Hero Universe.
The End...