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: Of course Milly cares, if she didn't, I might get mugged!
Chibi Fyrefly: I had trouble thinking of a title for Chapter 4, but it is accurate. But sometimes skill can't compete when your suit is the first mass-produced suit. I got the name Aprilius Null mainly from the PLANTs, and their naming conventions (check under Glossary for more details), as for the Astray promos, I used Bittorrent to d/l them. Check for more details, or e-mail me.
Chapter 5: The Dawn of the Apocalypse
CE 71, December 24th
It was December 24th, Christmas Eve. Yzak had just been discharged from the hospital and was sent home with his mother, Ezaria. There had been no more attacks from the Keshitai, not since the attack on their Port Arthur.
It was painfully obvious to the PLANT Council that Yzak's actions had saved a great deal of Coordinators from more guerrilla attacks, so instead of demoting him, they instead exonerated him and his mother from all of their previous actions.
That was one of the main reasons Yzak had joined the Council, to clear his mother's name. No one had any idea that Patrick Zala was willing to go so far as to try and destroy the Earth, but his accomplices were considered to be just as radical. It was fortunate that Rau Le Creuset had died in the Battle of Jachin Due; it wouldn't have looked too good putting ZAFT's former top ace on trial for attempted genocide.
Their borrowed mobile suits had been returned to Armory One with an apology, but the engineers and technicians stationed there didn't seem too concerned about the state of the suits. The Aprilius Null was put back on active duty as an escort shuttle for PLANT and Earth Alliance officials.
Reverend Malchio was relieved that Lacus was unharmed, and overjoyed to hear that the attacks were stopped, but he knew that someone would try it again. The group had to agree, after all Blue Cosmos wasn't the type to give up after taking a hit. Quite the opposite, they would most likely triple their efforts to exact revenge and carry out their plans.
For now, none of them worried about any attacks. They were all present in Lacus' rebuilt mansion, enjoying a warm fire as snow lightly fell from the sky. Kira and Lacus were cuddling in a chair built for one, enjoying the peace and quiet. Milly had warmed up to Dearka after he confessed that he cared a great deal about her. Shiho and Yzak were talking about something in hushed tones, and the brunette Coordinator seemed to be enjoying her time with her former commander. Cagalli and Athrun were off somewhere in the house, Lacus believed that the blue-haired Coordinator was giving the princess of Orb a guided tour of the house he knew almost as well as his own.
Sai was still on the comm line, talking to his boss, apparently still explaining the recent events that had occurred. It had been almost a month since the kidnapping at Malchio's, but Sai's manager wasn't buying the entire story, despite what the news was showing.
With a frustrated sigh, he turned the comm unit off and stormed out of the room. Milly excused herself to try and calm her friend down. Something flashed through Lacus' head: Sai needs a girlfriend.
The same thought seemed to occur to Kira as well; he looked down at Lacus fondly and hugged her just a little tighter than before, grateful that he had such a wonderful girl to care for.
It wasn't more than five minutes before Miriallia came back with Sai behind her, looking a little dejected, but certainly not angry anymore. Milly sat down beside Dearka as Sai took the last free chair. Lacus turned the large comm screen on and tuned the receiver for the evening news.
A man in his late 30s was describing a foiled attack on Armory One. Several individuals were caught trying to steal several mobile suit prototypes. Their ship was detained by PLANT security forces and later impounded. The thieves and their crew were placed in a high-security prison, awaiting trial.
"So I guess Blue Cosmos is at it again." Yzak said tiredly.
"Looks like it, but it must have been an amateur job, the security forces aren't that well trained." Dearka said.
The news anchor signed off, and next was a repeat of one of Lacus' performances from the war. Kira had never actually seen her perform; his knowledge was limited to what he had heard aboard the Archangel. Sai and Milly were in the same boat as Kira, but Cagalli had heard her several days before she was kidnapped. Athrun, Yzak and Dearka had been to several of the songstress' concerts, as part of the morale-boost to keep the frontline soldiers happy.
Itsukara Hohoemi wa
Konna ni Hakanakute
Hitotsu no Machigai de
Kowarete Shimau kara
Taisetsuna mono dake wo Hikari ni kaete
Tooi sora koete yuku Tsuyoso de
Hoshi no
Furu basho e
Omoi wo
Anati ni todoketai itsumo
sobani iru
Sono tsumetasa wo
Dakishimeru kara
Ima tookutemo
Kitto aeru ne
Shizukana yoru ni
Dakishimeru kara
I'm waiting for you,
In the still of the night ...
Hoping you'll return
For the smiles from past delights ...
Time has passed since those days ...
And now memories are all gentle waves ...
I've prayed to find you
Laughing under the stars ...
You may be away, so far ...
But one day,
We'll meet again,
Before the grave ...
When did happiness become so fragile ...
Easily destroyed by a single mistake ...
Only treasures turn into light ...
With the strength to venture
Past the sky's distant wake ...
I want to deliver my thoughts to you
Under the shooting stars ...
I'll embrace the coldness surrounding you ...
You may be away, so far ...
But one day,
We'll meet again before daybreak ...
... in the silence of the night ...
Lacus was lip-synching along with the song, her eyes closed contentedly. Kira was humming quietly to the simple beat while Milly found herself relaxing into Dearka's arms. The fire crackled away as the group sat there, contentedly.
-
CE 71, December 31st
It was the time of the annual PLANT Council Ball. Yzak was invited immediately, being as he was a Councilor and his two aides, Dearka and Shiho received their invitations as well. Lacus received one, being the daughter of the former Supreme Chancellor and ever-loved songstress. Surprisingly, Cagalli received one as well, being the Princess of Orb. They all were allowed to invite a guest to join them, so Dearka immediately asked Milly, who blushed profusely.
Lacus had fussed for days about which dress to wear until Kira suggested the strapless and sleeveless blue satin full-length gown, which had a slit up the right side up to the middle of her thigh. When he said it would complement her eyes, she realized that she hadn't asked him yet. She started to ask when Kira said yes and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. He had picked out a simple white dress shirt and black dress pants.
Cagalli picked out her traditional green and white dress, the same one she had worn when the Archangel had first set in at Onogoro Island. Athrun was going with her as an escort, date and bodyguard, so he picked out a simple black tuxedo.
Sai declined the invitation to come along as a guest, stating he had to go back home. Yzak pulled a few strings to get a high-speed transport for Sai, and apologized for dragging him into space.
Yzak donned his Councilor's dress uniform and Shiho and Dearka wore their PLANT military dress uniforms. Milly picked out a body-hugging silver gown, accompanied by a white shawl and elbow length white satin gloves.
A limousine picked all of them up from Lacus' mansion and dropped them off at the PLANT reception hall 20 minutes later. Yzak's mother, Ezaria, was already there with several men around her offering to be her date for the night.
Senator Tad Elsman was there from Februarius City, and there was also Senator Yuri Amalfi and his wife Romania, Nichol's parents. Eileen Canaver was also there, and the rest of the officials were relatively new to the scene.
"Dearka Elsman!" Tad said in a loud voice to get his son's attention.
"Father." Dearka said respectfully, moving towards an older-looking version of him. Dearka saluted his father once they were face-to-face.
"No need for that son, now tell me, who is this pretty young girl you're with?" he asked, dismissing his son's salute.
"This is Miriallia Haww. Milly, this is my father Senator Tad Elsman." Dearka introduced.
"Nice to meet you Senator Elsman." Milly said, allowing Dearka's father to kiss her hand. He's as much of a lady-killer as his son is she mused.
"Please, call me Tad." He said.
"Dad, Ezaria is here tonight." Dearka said, casually pointing her out.
"Got to go! See you later son!" quick as a flash, Tad Elsman disappeared into the crowd, making his way towards Yzak's mother.
The crowd made its way inside the hall. There was a podium at the far end, raised enough to overlook the entire floor and multiple round tables. The itinerary called for a few welcoming speeches from Gilbert Durandal, Yzak Jule and Eileen Canaver, next was dinner, then about a 30 minute resting and mingling time, speeches from various people and finally a dance at the end, featuring a few singles from Lacus to celebrate the New Year.
There was a table reserved for the group, placed in a good location for easy access to the exit, podium and other facilities. Yzak sat first; taking the chair facing the podium, on his right sat Shiho and on his left sat Dearka and Milly. Cagalli sat in between Athrun and Shiho, with Kira taking a seat beside Athrun. Lacus took the last chair, sitting beside Kira and Milly.
Once everyone was seated, Supreme Chairman Gilbert Durandal stepped forward to the microphone on the podium. The small talk disappeared as most, if not all, eyes turned to the new Chairman.
"Thank you all for coming here tonight. I am greatly honored by everyone who showed up." He started.
"Tonight marks a great even in history: after two months of deliberation a mutually agreeable treaty has been formed. Both PLANT and the Earth Alliance has committed a lot of time and effort to this momentous occasion, and the official signing will be in a few months, at the Junius 7 remains site."
People started to whisper about the now-formed treaty and what ramifications it would have on daily life for both Naturals and Coordinators.
"Rest assured that the treaty benefits BOTH sides, and favors neither. It is only fitting that with a new year, comes a new hope: the promise of peace. Conflicts have plagued both nations for over 18 months, and I am pleased to announce that the party at fault has been stopped, and will be standing trial before a joint PLANT and Earth Alliance committee."
Applause broke out, along with some grumbling. Some weren't happy that the Earth Alliance had a say in the trial of criminals that had targeted Coordinators, but at least the attacks had been stopped.
"Now I welcome PLANTs newest Councilor to the podium, Yzak Jule!"
Yzak calmly walked towards the podium, keeping his expression passive in regards to the applause he received. His mother was beaming at him from her table, and his two aides, Dearka and Shiho, were clapping harder than anyone, even Athrun.
"Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen. It is an honor to be on the PLANT Council, and I assure you all I will do my best to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Now I present to you PLANTs most valued member: Eileen Canaver." Yzak's introduction speech was short, sweet and simple.
Another round of applause broke out as Eileen stepped forward. She had been a friend and ally of the late Siegel Clyne, a man who wanted nothing more than to end the war peacefully. It was fate that Kira was recovering at Lacus' when Eileen's frantic transmission came through about the true target of Operation Spit-Break. She had been responsible for the arrest of Ezaria Jule in the closing hour of the war.
"Thank all. It was a shock and a great honor when I was notified that I would remain on the Council, and I will serve you now as I did before: with compassion and dignity. A new era is among us, and I hope that my actions will preserve this new era of peace." She sat down as Durandal stepped up again.
"Thank you all for your time, dinner will be served in approximately 10 minutes."
The guests mingled a bit, talking to each other about various topics, but the treaty kept coming back several times a conversation. They were clearly all eager to find out what it would entail, and they were excited that the signing would be held a Junius 7's remains.
Soon enough dinner was announced, and a fabulous meal was served, two light appetizers, the main course and a delicious desert. The empty plates were cleared away with minimal fuss and all too soon, the dinner came to a delicious end. The guests were free to mingle about once more.
Dearka and Milly disappeared quickly, saying something about a walk. Shiho helped Yzak compose a short speech on the recent activities of the Blue Cosmos while Kira helped Lacus decide which songs to sing during the dance. Athrun and Cagalli went off to find Milly and Dearka to ensure nothing 'bad' was going to happen.
Yzak was slated to give his speech on the attacks first. Once everyone was seated again, he cleared his throat and plunged into his speech.
"The weeks after the end of the war have been plagued by attacks from a group of radicals. An elite team was sent out to find their base of operations and disable it in any way possible. They succeeded in their mission, the asteroid base was disabled and most of their mobile suit forces destroyed soon after. The team sustained heavy damage to their older model suits and there were a few injuries, but everyone made it through. The base was run by a faction of the Blue Cosmos. They consider themselves 'elite holy warriors' doing god's work. It is unfortunate that several Junior Councilors and pilots lost their lives before the terrorists could be stopped.
With the new treaty, a joint task force will be assembled to eliminate anymore rebellious groups that may emerge, but until then we will keep our vigil. I can assure you that any necessary steps will be taken to preserve PLANT and the fragile peace."
"That was certainly a good speech for a spur-of-the-moment thing." Dearka whispered to Athrun. Athrun nodded in reply.
Eileen Canaver and Gilbert Durandal had the same basic speech about rights, freedoms, peace, the treaty and how everyone should move on. By the end of Durandal's speech, the guests were ready to doze off. Athrun had to admit that he had heard better speeches and worse ones as well.
Cagalli was fiddling with her coffee spoon, with a bored expression on her face. Lacus and Milly were whispering animatedly and excitedly about something, most likely boys, or more specifically, two boys. Dearka and Yzak were talking about their missions together as Kira stared into space, his head cocked back and looking at the ceiling. Only Shiho seemed interested in the speech. Athrun rolled his eyes and relaxed in his chair.
"Thank you all for bearing with me through that tedious speech. Now please enjoy the dance and the rest of the night before the New Year begins!"
People started to move to the dance floor as Lacus adjusted the microphone to her level. She began to sing in a soft, melodic tone with a quiet piano to accompany her.
Mizu no naka ni yoru ga yureteru
kanashii hodo shizuka ni tatazumu
Shiho watched the moving dancers, and glanced at Yzak occasionally, who was talking to Tad Elsman and Eileen Canaver.
midori na sukishibe
Dearka invited Milly for a slow dance, and she accepted, wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling into his chest. He put his arms around her waist and gently lowered his head onto hers.
utsukishii yoake wo tada matte iraretara
Cagalli smiled genuinely as she led Athrun onto the dance floor by his hand.
kirei na kokoro de
kurai umi to sora no mukou ni
There was a twinkle of light in the night sky of the PLANT. A man spoke softly to himself: "And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."
arasoi no nai basho ga aru no to
Another glimmer of light in the sky, another man spoke: "And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."
oshiete kureta no wa dare
There was a third flash of light, the third man continued: "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine."
dare mo ga tadoritsukenai
A fourth twinkle, barely visible even to enhanced Coordinator sight, and the fourth man spoke: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
soretomo dareka wo kokoro na naka ni
"And unto thee," they spoke in unison, "we reveal the dawn of the Apocalypse, so it shall forever change the worlds we know."
mizu no nagare wo shizumete
kureru daichi wo uruosu shirabe
They descended upon the hall where the festivities were taking place, using the simulated gravity instead of thrusters to maintain their surprise.
ima wa doko ni mo makute mo
kitto jibun de te ni ireru no
itsumo itsuka kitto
Without warning Lacus was sent flying forwards as a white mobile suit foot crashed through the back wall. Screams of terror were uttered as a second foot broke through the wall. Within a few seconds, the entire mobile suit broke through the wall.
Kira deftly caught Lacus before she hit the floor. Her dress was torn in a few places and her hair was a mess. He set her down gently before stroking her loose hair out of her face.
"Are you all right Lacus?" he asked worriedly.
She opened her mouth to speak, but instead uttered a whimper of pain. Her hands shot to her ribs and clutched them protectively. Kira looked over to where her hands were and saw a shard of metal had imbedded itself into her ribcage.
There wasn't a chance to do anything about it immediately, as three new mobile suits crashed through the other walls. Joining the white one was a red one, a sickly-green one and a black one. They all shared similarities and all were armed to the teeth.
"Gundams?" Yzak asked.
Everyone inside the building was effectively trapped by the four new Gundams. They moved in closer in perfect synchronization, herding the trapped guests towards the center of the hall.
"You people have been chosen to reveal our existence to the world!" the black suit announced.
"We are the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse!" the pale-green suit added.
"I am known as Conquest!" the white suit proclaimed, hefting his heat shotels.
"I am War incarnate, bane to all mortal beings!" the red one said, hefting his large sword.
"Famine comes to plague you all!" the female pilot of the green one said.
"The Reaper comes in many forms, and in his latest incarnation, he is known as Death." The man in the black suit, whose voice sounded almost familiar to the group of young friends, activated his triple beam claw on his shield.
Two anti-vehicular missiles exploded on the War Gundam's back. The pilot took a step forward to maintain balance from the unexpected attack and turned around to find his foolish attackers. Two men were kneeling 50 meters away, holding Decimator missile launchers.
Just a few meters behind the men, an armored truck with a large-caliber linear gun was being set up. War Gundam opened fire with its four Igelstellung head vulcans, obliterating the opposing Coordinators in a flash.
Two DINNs swept in and fired on the War Gundam, to no effect. The aerial units came around for another pass as a GuAIZ stepped out from behind its cover and took aim. The GuAIZ fired its extensional arrestors at the War Gundam. Three arrestors flew from behind the War Gundam, blocking both of the GuAIZ's and the third crushing its head.
The War Gundam drew his 10 meter sword, ignited his boosters and sliced the GuAIZ in half, from top to bottom. The three attacking extensional arrestors flew back to their owner, the Death Gundam. The Famine Gundam raised her large gatling rifle mounted on her left forearm and opened fire, tearing holes in the ceiling as the arm moved to track the DINN units.
Dual explosions marked the end of the DINN units and their pilots. The proximity alarm in the Conquest Gundam went off, alerting the pilot to incoming missiles.
"Fools, they would kill their own to destroy us? This is why Coordinators must be wiped out, so they endanger no one else!" he muttered angrily while arming his beam rifle and placing his heat shotels on top, forming a bow-like weapon.
Famine and Conquest opened fire, shooting down the anti-MS missiles like flies. More mobile suits started to appear, forcing Death and War to move forward to cover their allies. Yzak and Dearka saw this as their only chance to escape, so they seized it.
"Kira, grab Lacus, Athrun, Cagalli, Shiho, get ready to move on my mark! We're getting out of here before those damned Gundams turn their attention back to us." Yzak said, informing the group of the plan.
... in the silence of the night ...
A/N: Damn, that took a while; my inspiration was down the drain. Please R&R, I only got two reviews for "A Series of Unfortunate Events", and thanks go out to Chibi Fyrefly and Angel of Dreams for reviewing. More new suits will be appearing in the next two chapters, I guarantee it! Again, Please Read and Review!