Gundam SEED: The Keshitai
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com
Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y ... uh ...
This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (anyone seen Phase 01: Angry Eyes yet? It's awesome, with good background music!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as Battlefield of Pacifists and Ground Zero was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine.
Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned
Angel of Dreams: Well good to know someone thought it was a cliffhanger.
King Arthur6687: My spellcheck doesn't show any errors (other than fragmented sentences), unless you mean the names. Feel free to e-mail me any and all words you feel are spelt incorrectly, and I'll try my best to proof-read everything again.
Chapter 2: Their Legacy Continues
C.E. 71
Lacus woke up to the almost silent thrumming of the engines. The ship was of Earth Alliance design, the OMNI logo in front of her cell told her as much. There was a single guard off the to the right hand side of the door, his Blue Cosmos shoulder insignia identical to the one Kira showed her at Malchio's.
Loud booted footsteps were heard coming down the hallway, and the guard in front of Lacus stiffened up and saluted. Someone spoke the words "at ease" and the guard went back to his relaxed pose. Finally the man stepped into her view.
He was at least 6 feet tall, with cropped dark brown hair, brown eyes and an athletic build. His uniform was the standard OMNI Enforcer officer's uniform, white pants and a white coat with patches of grey and a rank insignia, labeling the man as a Commander.
"Welcome to the Vanguard Miss Clyne, I am Commander Hiroto Syuu, the commander of the small mobile suit complement onboard." He introduced himself.
"Why am I here Commander?" Lacus asked.
"That will be revealed at a later date Miss Clyne. For now, you are here because you are here. If you will accompany me to the briefing room we will begin."
Lacus didn't really have a say in the matter. The door was unlocked and opened and two armed guards stepped in, guns pointed at her incase she tried anything suspicious. Sighing, she stood up and followed Commander Syuu. Two guards took up station ahead of the Commander, while the first two guards followed behind, weapons still aimed at the pink-haired Coordinator.
It was a short walk to the room Syuu called the Briefing Room, which turned out to be more of an interrogation chamber. She was asked to sit in a chair, and still seeing no real choice, complied. One of the guards strapped her feet and arms to the chair with zip-ties.
The Blue Cosmos members left the room and close the door, leaving Lacus confused and alone. Screens slid out from the ceiling on all sides, and started showing images of the Valentine War. Speakers imbedded in the walls, ceiling and floor allowed her to hear the sounds that accompanied the 'film'.
"In the beginning, there was man, and for a time, all was good. Then man created machine, thus did man become the architect of his demise. For hundreds of millennia, man was united. With the advent of space travel, man became closer to his fellows than ever before. Nevertheless, a single man would change it all.
There are always those who oppose the immoral. The Blue Cosmos group was founded as an environmentalist group, seeking the Preservation of the Blue and Pure World. As George Glenn released his controversial findings, man split apart.
Mother Earth intended us are we are, Pure and Clean. Those who agreed with the 'Coordinator' wished for nothing but anarchy. Thus did an Alliance form to oppose the anarchists. In every recorded war there have been religious groups to help those righteous warriors. The Blue Cosmos were considered by many to be that group, a group that aided in monumental decisions during the war, and provided the Earth Alliance with holy warriors.
This special corps, called the 'Keshitai' for their fanaticism, turned the tide in many battles, and helped to develop ground-breaking technology, such as the Cyclops system used on the Grimaldi Front's Endymion Crater Battle, and the Battle of JOSH-A, or the Battle of Alaska as some call it."
The images on the film accompanied the words. The members of the Blue Cosmos were shown in a holy light, much as the Knights of the medieval times were. The Coordinators were portrayed as vicious and brutal murderers, who killed for the pure joy. When the Endymion Crater was shown, an entire corps of Moebius Zero's was on-screen, valiantly defending retreating civilian transports and stalling the ZAFT forces to allow time for the destructive Cyclops system to be detonated.
"The word Keshitai was rumored to originate from the first major war of the 20th Century on Earth. Used by the Japanese, it literally meant 'Suicide Corps', and it was fitting as their orders usually ended with 'Don't except to come back alive'. The Keshitai during the 20th century turned the tide of a massive battle, allowing their nation control of enemy-held fortresses and harbors.
Much remained the same, with the Blue Cosmos members of the Keshitai turning the tide during several battles even before the war officially started. It has been rumored that the one who self-destructed inside the GENESIS cannon wished to become a member of the Keshitai.
Yet even with the bloodiest war over, members of the anarchist ZAFT continue to pursue the destruction of war. The Earth Alliance will never allow this, and they will have the Blue Cosmos' support with the Keshitai at the front lines.
Let it be known: ZAFT paid for the first war, and they'll pay for a second."
The film finally ended, and Lacus was aghast at what the Blue Cosmos believed in. Such extreme ideals were the cause of much of the devastation in the closing weeks of the war, and to continue to believe them would only lead to more suffering.
What concerned her even more was the fact that they believe that Athrun had died, and that his final thoughts would have been wishing to join. The Blue Cosmos was the reason the war had started, and they were the reason Junius 7 was attacked with nuclear weapons, they were the reason GENESIS, the GAT-X series, the ZGMF-X series had been developed.
They were the reason Kira had been interrupted from professing his love to Lacus. The reason she was here. The reason she wasn't with her friends. The reason she wasn't with Kira.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Syuu and the guards entered the room.
"Well Miss Clyne, was it informative?" he mocked.
"That was the biggest load of lies I've ever seen and heard." She replied.
Syuu smiled at that comment. "Well then, I guess we'll start the second round."
They left the room again, and a second movie started.
-
Kira had never felt so powerless and helpless in his life. Even when Heliopolis was under attack and his friends in danger, he had the Strike to defend them. When Operation Spit Break's true target was revealed, the Freedom was made available to him. Now he had nothing, no suits and no Lacus.
They called Kisaka, Murrue and Andrew Bartfelt for answers and maybe even a plan, but all three were busy attempting to find the phantom attackers. After that Athrun called Yzak, only to find out that he, Dearka and Shiho had stolen several mobile suits and disappeared.
The captured Blue Cosmos members had no information to reveal, at least not to the amateurish techniques of Athrun and Kira, the former usually trying to beat the information out, only to be held back by his friends.
They were gathered inside the house, with Malchio and the orphans at the temple praying for Lacus' safety. A low rumbling sound was heard, and they rushed outside to see what it was. Whatever it was, it was large and was blocking the sun as it descended. To Athrun, it looked vaguely like a ZAFT design, while Cagalli and Kira were boggled.
Sai and Milly pointed to the sky, shouting at each other to be heard over the roar of the engines. It finally set down, and Athrun realized it was small suit shuttle, capable of atmospheric and space flight. The boarding ramp lowered, and out strolled two young male figures, one with blond hair, the other with silver.
"Yzak? Dearka?" Athrun said.
"Dearka?" Milly asked.
Dearka heard his name twice, once by Athrun, the next by a voice he would never forget.
"Miriallia!" Dearka said in surprise.
"Good, you're still here Athrun. I take it he must be Yamato?" Yzak asked, pointing at Kira.
"Yes, that's Kira. What are you doing here Yzak? Why aren't you in PLANT?" Athrun demanded.
"Long story, I'll explain on the way." Yzak responded, turning to walk back inside the ship. He had gone only a few feet when he realized no one was following him.
"I meant all of you, not just me." He said tiredly.
They still stood there as Dearka fixed his gaze upon Miriallia.
"Look, Blue Cosmos has been on a rampage, attacking former ZAFT forces and PLANT council members. Dearka, Shiho and I took it upon ourselves to stop the terrorists, but we need your help and Lacus' also."
Kira narrowed his eyes as an angry expression settled on his face. Yzak looked puzzled at the brown-haired Coordinator.
"What?" he asked.
"Lacus was kidnapped a few days ago by some of Blue Cosmos." Athrun explained quickly.
"Then we're the means of rescue. Get onboard, time is wasting!" Yzak said again.
This time Kira started up the ramp, followed by Milly who was eager to talk to Dearka. Sai sighed and followed, and the Cagalli with Athrun in tow.
The pilot wasted no time in taking off when the ramp was closed. The group could feel the vibrations through the floor as the ship ascended high in the sky.
"Tell me you have good suits on this thing." Kira growled.
"Four ZGMF-1017M High Mobility GINNs, a 'borrowed' GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger for Dearka, and a GAT-01D1 Duel Dagger for me." Yzak listed.
"And Shiho has one of the 1017M's claimed, that leaves three." Dearka put in.
"It's no Freedom, but one of those GINNs is now mine." Kira said.
"I really have no choice. I'll take the third HM GINN." Athrun conceded.
"That leaves the last one for me." Cagalli said.
"I can take suit operations and communications while you're all on missions." Milly volunteered.
"Why not, I can do CIC work." Sai announced.
"Good. I'll leave it to each person to inspect their stations and suits and learn their job duties." Yzak said before walking off to relieve Shiho.
-
In a matter of hours, Lacus had been forced to watch almost a dozen Blue Cosmos propaganda movies in a row. The circulation to her butt and legs was slowly being cut off from sitting for so long and any minute she was going to fall asleep.
A war of attrition was what this was; Lacus versus her captors, and unfortunately her captors were going to win very soon. As the last scene died away, the door opened again, allowing Syuu to enter. Lacus didn't acknowledge the man even as he cut her bonds and stood her up.
"Well, it looks like our little songstress has had enough for one day." He said while looking her over.
"Escort Miss Clyne back to her cell while we dock, and be gentle with her. She's going to be our ultimate weapon."
Two of the guards entered and gently lead Lacus back to her cell.
-
The ZAFT shuttle, called Aprilius Null, had left Earth's atmosphere. The group was back in space once again, and ready to fight for peace yet again. Kira, Cagalli and Athrun were examining their High Mobility GINNs and tweaking the OS to suit their respective needs.
Kira wasn't used to a machine gun; he had fought with beam rifles since reprogramming the GAT-X105 Strike at Heliopolis. The ZAFT Elite Pilot uniform was a different story. Only Cagalli had never worn it, while Athrun, Yzak and Dearka were all graduates of the elite academy and Kira had worn one when he received Freedom.
At least the OS already had an automatic reload function driver built-in, the only thing Kira had to worry about was ammo consumption.
"No beam weapons at all. Yeesh, no wonder Yzak and Dearka took the Dagger variants." Kira muttered, going over the heavy sword that was attachable to the rifle like a bayonet.
"At least this hunk of junk can fly faster than most of the suits out there. Yzak can almost keep up with his Duel Dagger and Fortrestra Armor." The group of pilots had started a small simulation to allow Kira and Cagalli time to get accustom to their new suits. The former ZAFT pilots had flown some 1017HM's during their academy training.
Kira had quickly adapted to his new suit, but the previous training that the other Gundam pilots had (minus Cagalli) had was almost unmatched. Cagalli had an even harder time, not used to the response times of the lightning-quick unit.
Yzak had managed to secure several sets of "Pardeus" 3-barrel missile launchers, which attached to the legs for the GINNs. Each GINN would have two Pardeus launchers, one for each leg, a MMI-M8A3 76mm heavy assault machine gun and a MA-M3 heavy sword.
The Buster Dagger was in essence the Buster Gundam, only with fewer missiles and no phase-shift armor. It was the same case for the Duel Dagger, no phase-shift armor and fewer missiles, but it was the best that Yzak could get given the circumstances and time restraints.
Naturally Kira, Sai, Milly and Cagalli had questioned Yzak and Dearka about the 'borrowed' Daggers, but neither pilot shared any information. Athrun suspected the reason why they were in Armory One, but didn't share anything with Kira and his friends.
"Get your butts to the bridge now." Yzak announced suddenly over the intercom. Cagalli muttered some rude things about Yzak as she finished her tweaking and started for the bridge.
Athrun and Kira met her halfway across the small hangar bay, together they floated towards the lift. Yzak was waiting impatiently for them, and a scowl greeted the three as the lift doors opened to the bridge.
"About damn time! CIC has picked up several unidentified Strike Daggers heading for a small Coordinator convoy. We'll be launching in order to protect the convoy should the Daggers show hostile intentions. It'll just be like the simulations: Dearka will hang back, Athha and Shiho support him while I, Athrun and Yamato engage any potential targets." Yzak explained, showing them the space map, which was zoomed in at a particular section.
"What about the shuttle? Who's going to protect the Aprilius Null while we're gone?" Cagalli demanded.
"This shuttle has been outfitted with a dozen 75mm CIWS Igelstellung cannons, four banks of triple missile launchers and two 300mm rail guns." Dearka explained.
"It'll take a battleship to down the Aprilius Null, and we'll detect a battleship long before it can harm out ship." Yzak said, ending the conversation.
"Now get to your suits and await launch orders."
Dearka, Athrun and Kira immediately started for the lift while Cagalli glared at Yzak before joining them. Yzak sighed and shook his head as Shiho followed him to the second lift.
As the pilots waited for the order to launch, the shuttle's sensors confirmed their targets.
"Targets are four GAT-01A1 Strike Daggers, equipped with two beam sabers, a beam rifle, beam-coated shield, upgraded head vulcans and anti-infantry vulcans located in the feet of the suits. They are painted black and are currently observing minimal power protocols, with minimal emissions of any kind." Sai stated.
"They will register your launch before you can lock onto them, so don't expect an element of surprise. They're probably hoping that we pass over them without noticing, and I think we should launch when we're directly above them." He continued.
"Good idea. Launch order: me, Athrun, Shiho, Dearka, Yamato, and Athha. You know your duties." Yzak agreed.
"Roger." They all said.
"Just tell us when, CIC."
A few tense minutes had passed as the shuttle approached the almost invisible Strike Daggers. No doubt the natural pilots were wondering what the chances of a shuttle being there was. Finally Sai told them the time was right to launch.
"Yzak Jule moving out!"
"Athrun Zala launching!"
"Dearka Elthman making a sortie!"
"Shiho Hahnenfuss going out!"
"Kira Yamato, GINN HM launching!"
"Cagalli Athha launching!"
All of the mobile suits launched quickly, surprising the pilots of the four Strike Daggers. Dearka moved to combine his beam rifle and gun-launcher to form the hyper-impulse sniper rifle and fired at one of the Daggers. The pilot couldn't dodge in time, and consequently lost the suit's left arm, and sustained major damage.
Kira and Athrun moved to the left, flanking the Daggers and opening fire with their rifles. The three remaining Daggers dodged, but one was caught in a hail of bullets from all four GINNs and was destroyed.
The third pilot started to retreat from the battlefield, but Yzak wasn't about to let the coward get away. He pushed his thrusters to full, and started to chase after the Dagger.
The remaining undamaged Dagger started to fire his beam rifle wildly, doing nothing but wasting power. Shiho and Cagalli moved in on the pilot, angling their attacks so the Dagger couldn't dodge the bullets from both sides. Soon enough the bullets penetrated the armor and the battery reactor went critical, destroying the suit.
The damaged suit pulled out one of his beam sabers and charged Dearka. The blond Coordinator rolled his eyes and fired his sniper rifle again, this time destroying the suit in with a large explosion.
"Aprilius Null, guys, follow me, I think I've found their base!" Yzak said excitedly over the COM link.
Kira and Athrun took off first, while Cagalli and Shiho escorted Dearka and his slower Buster Dagger. They found Yzak just outside a small asteroid on an ecliptic orbit around the Earth.
"The cowardly bastard thought he escaped detection in here, so I scanned it and found energy readings that coincide with a power grid. Looks like a perfect base to launch strikes from to all Lagrange Points." Yzak said before powering up his thrusters and moving towards the asteroid.
Kira followed suit without even asking, eliciting cries of confusion from the other pilots. Shiho followed her former squad commander in, and seeing no choice, Yzak's former teammates followed as well. Not wanting to be left alone and not wanting to leave Athrun, Cagalli followed in last, covering their tail.
The hangar bay inside was strangely deserted, but kept in good condition. The pilots set their suits onto the deck and disembarked. They had gone no more than 20 feet towards the lift when a voice spoke up.
"Well now, there's something you don't see everyday. Councilor Jule, Commander Elthman, Commander Zala, Princess Athha, Sub-Commander Hahnenfuss and Mister Yamato together as a team, invading a harmless rock with stolen mobile suits." The male voice said.
"I don't have time for games. Who the hell are you?" Yzak demanded, slowly reaching for his pistol.
"No need to be rude Councilor, and no need for your firearm either. I am Commander Hiroto Syuu of the asteroid base Port Arthur." He replied.
"You're part of the Blue Cosmos aren't you!" It was a statement, not a question.
"How perceptive Princess." Syuu said.
"Then you're the ones responsible for all of the attacks lately." Shiho said.
"Yes we are. Quite a good job if I say so." Syuu confirmed smugly.
"What the hell have you done with Lacus?!" Kira demanded angrily.
"Miss Clyne is currently enjoying her time watching some choice selections on our history. Unfortunately she cannot be disturbed at this junction, please try again later." He said mockingly.
"Enough of this crap, let's take it to them." Yzak growled quietly. Kira and Athrun nodded, while Dearka, Shiho and Cagalli armed themselves.
Guards entered the hangar from all sides and surrounded the pilots.
"Move and Die Coordinator Scum." The leader said, brandishing a machine gun at them.
A/N: Whew, well once again constructively criticize my errors, please point out any spelling/grammar errors in an e-mail (prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com), and please read and review. The next chapter might take a little longer, I have some big plans I want to implement. Until then!