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 (Yuuna is a dick in Phase 08!), 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: yeah, Lacus in armor is a weird thought; I've got pics on the way of the exact battle armor and weapons. Fluff is always a must, especially with the popular couples.
RVD: Something's never change is right. 'Let this end the conflict' … seen Destiny yet?
C-town Chica: Everyone needs to kick some ass in their lifetime. Surprises all around eh?
Prince Takeru: lol, 'leave a note'. I promised myself I wouldn't spoil anything.
cherri-chan: I assume you meant to put "can" instead of "can't". I've got to find a link to her profile, hope someone can read Japanese.
-----
Chapter 10: Pain
CE 52, January 2nd
8 Hours Remaining
"Apocalypse Gundam will be in firing range in less than 8 hours at their current speed." A sensor officer warned.
"How nice of them to accommodate the time limit." Ron replied sarcastically.
"Do you really think we can win?"
"We don't have a choice."
-
The fight had been a stalemate up until now, with neither side doing more than shooting at each other from range. Only for brief moments had they actually engaged in melee combat.
"Yzak, this isn't going to work! We can't penetrate the I-Field and Phase Shift while at range, and the other four Horsemen won't let us engage in melee combat!" Athrun warned.
"You think I don't know that?" Yzak yelled back, dodging more blasts from the five Gundams.
"We can't even engage them one-on-one without letting one unit slip by!" Dearka said, very frustrated.
We need a better plan; we need more time, more people! Goddamned Keshitai! Yzak could barely contain his rage. The XML system received the anger stemming from Yzak and fed it into the Matrix Gundam. The black and green Gundam flashed its eye cameras, almost evilly.
Yzak's world took on a red hue as the XML amplified his rage ten-fold. The silver-haired Coordinator was barely aware of his thoughts as he charged the Conquest Gundam. Gideon fired several times while backing away from the charging Matrix.
One of his beam sabers sliced through Gideon's beam rifle, and as the two halves of the rifle separated, Gideon grabbed his two heat shotels from his back-mounted rack. Yzak blocked the attack designed to slice the suit in half and swung his legs up, connecting with the Conquest Gundam's jaw.
Yzak's beam saber arced overhead and came down, ready to slice through his enemy, but Gideon managed to parry the blow and thrust his second shotel forward, aiming for the Matrix's cockpit.
The son of Ezaria Jule twirled his suit inside and past the incoming blade and found himself inside Conquest's defenses. Gideon barely reacted in time, firing his Igelstellung Mk. II CIWS and doing nothing to faze Yzak. An evil smile was plastered on his face as his beam sabers followed his evasive twist and sliced the legs and head off the Conquest Gundam.
Stopping his momentum, Yzak floated in space for a second before bringing his sabers back into a ready position and plunged both into Gideon's cockpit. Flanked by two high-energy weapons, Gideon was vaporized as his battery reactor exploded, destroying the rest of the suit.
The explosion cleared, revealing the Matrix Gundam, floating in space with both sabers still activated. He turned to face the other enemy Gundams and saluted with his right beam saber.
"Gi … de … Gideon!" Kuzzey/Mordecai stuttered out.
"That bastard will pay!" Kali nearly screamed.
"It's time for a new plan." Hiroto spoke. "The three of you will fight and contain those Gundams, I will use the booster pack to enter firing range. Hold them off the short time it will take me to get in range and victory will be ours no matter how many of us die!"
"For a Pure and Blue World!" the spoke in unison.
Yzak's world suddenly returned to color and he realized he was breathing harder than usual. In fact, he could barely feel his arms and legs. What the hell was that? It almost seemed like Zala's 'seed' mode he described to me, but I don't remember him talking about a red hue and extreme exhaustion afterwards.
He didn't have much more time to dwell on his thoughts, the four remaining Gundams charged forward. The Death Gundam targeted Cagalli's Angel Gundam, intent on finishing the job he started. Mordecai in the War Gundam swung his sword at Athrun's Aequitas Gundam, missing every time but forcing the pilot away from his comrades.
Kali settled on vengeance from Yzak. She rapidly fired her beam gatling cannon, tracking Gideon's killer as he avoided the shots. Hiroto assumed that all of the Coordinator allied forces were accounted for and activated his booster pack, sending the gigantic suit off towards the awaiting PLANTs.
"NO! He's moving in to destroy the PLANTs!" Athrun yelled.
"He's mine!" Dearka accelerated after the rapidly accelerating Gundam.
Athrun evaded another swipe from Mordecai's sword and kicked his seemingly skill-less yet persistent and annoying enemy away. I won't let my home be destroyed, not again! He moved to support Dearka and chase after Hiroto. Mordecai stopped his attacks for a second, halting himself and assessing the situation.
There was no humanly way possible that those two Gundams could catch up to Hiroto before he reached firing range, and there wasn't much sense chasing after them when it could turn into two-on-one. Better instead to turn the odds on their allies and fellow pilots.
Suiting his thoughts to actions, Mordecai moved to help Untensu fight Cagalli, much to the Asian pilot's annoyance. As much as Untensu hated Kuzzey, he also made no move to stop the coward. The younger Syuu realized that the end of all Coordinators was above petty rivalries between fellow Naturals.
Mordecai threw his 10-meter katana away and flew in close to Cagalli. She turned and fired her leg-mount tri-barreled "Pulsar" beam cannons at the Conquest. Laughing maniacally, Mordecai crossed his forearms and quickly snapped them outwards, igniting all ten of his built-in beam sabers.
Beams of energy hissed to life from his wrists, elbows, shoulders, knee-caps and feet, allowing the traitor to block the incoming beams and charge forward. Cagalli inhaled sharply as she activated her "Energist" system in the hopes that it might block the beam sabers.
She didn't get a chance to find out, with her back turned, Untensu charged in his Death Gundam, his double beam scythe held above his head, ready to strike again. The scythe swung down and Cagalli's alarm went off.
"Athrun!" she called out before the scythe connected, and then she knew of nothing else.
-
"New estimate on Apocalypse's firing solution, 30 minutes at current speed." The sensor officer reported.
Ron and Otto looked at each with worried looks. Ron spoke first.
"That's not enough time."
The lift doors opened, stalling Otto's response. The two senior officers turned to see their new arrival, it was Lacus. She was very calm and collected as she floated out of the lift, allowing the doors to close.
"Can I help you Miss Clyne?" Otto asked, stepping forward to meet her.
"Have you seen Kira?" she asked politely, gazing at Ron and Otto alternately.
"Last I heard he was recovering in the infirmary from his wounds suffered at the hands of Hiroto's Keshitai." Ron replied from behind Otto.
"He has since disappeared, along with the SF-99-X01 Eternal Gundam assigned to him." Lacus curtly informed them.
"That's impossible; there were no launches after the X02, X03, X04 and X05." Ron disagreed.
"That doesn't change the fact that he and his mobile suit are missing from this ship, where they were last confirmed." Lacus was starting to lose her cool, she was getting nowhere with these stubborn officers.
"Apocalypse will be in firing range in 26 minutes." The sensor officer interrupted.
Recent events flashed back into Lacus' mind.
Lacus stood on a walkway, staring at the Eternal's empty space. There were no obvious signs of forced exit, but Kira was smart, if still injured. But the more she thought about it, the more it saddened her.
Finally, it got too intense and she curled in a ball, floating in the zero-gravity environment of the hangar bay, her knees hugged tightly to her chest as she buried her head to hide the tears that flowed freely.
Then, a thought hit her like a barrage of missiles. Otto, Ron, the bridge. Steeling herself, she shook away her tears and headed for the bridge, intent on finding the answers she sought.
"Where is Kira?" Lacus asked again, this time with more force in her voice.
"Otto, escort Miss Clyne off the bridge and back to her room." Ron ordered, turning around to resume watching the battle being waged for the fate of all Coordinators.
Otto moved to gently guide Lacus by her shoulders but she shrugged him off and asked again.
"Where is Kira!"
Her eyes filled with tears as Otto picked her up and carried her into the lift. She started to cry as the lift doors closed.
Ron sighed sadly and shook his head, and then turned back once again to the battle ahead.
-
Athrun was halfway between Dearka and Cagalli, chasing down the Apocalypse Gundam with the intent on destroying it before Hiroto could launch his remaining nuclear missile.
"Athrun!" Cagalli screamed.
"Cagalli." He said quietly, fearing the worst.
He whipped the Aequitas around and sped off to help Cagalli, who now had Untensu's double beam scythe embedded in the torso of the Angel Gundam.
"CAGALLI!" he yelled in rage, and increased his thrusters past their limits.
Mordecai moved to intercept Athrun's mad charge, re-igniting all of his beam sabers and halting Athrun's mad dash. Untensu pulled his scythe out and sparks flew from the Angel Gundam.
"Kali, go support your Lord and defend him from that artillery suit." Untensu ordered, rotating in space to face Yzak and the Matrix Gundam.
"He's your lord as well Untensu Syuu." Kali spat back, following her orders nonetheless.
The intense barrage Yzak had been dodging suddenly stopped as the Famine Gundam ignited her thrusters and started to chase after Dearka and the rapidly dwindling form of the Apocalypse Gundam.
He is not my lord if I am superior Untensu glared and accelerated to meet Yzak head on. Beam sabers and the beam scythe met in a clash of energy as their thrusters were pushed to their limits, vying for an edge.
"You may have murdered Gideon in a brutal manner, but I am not so easily taken!" Untensu yelled on an open channel, allowing Yzak to listen.
"You're one to talk about murder? You and yours intend to commit GENOCIDE!" Yzak yelled back
"For the greater good, for all of humanity, and for a Pure and Blue World!"
The two Gundams backed off for a split second and then charged each other again.
-
Dearka was losing ground rapidly to the Apocalypse Gundam. The thruster pack on the gigantic Gundam more than doubled his normal top speed, and it seemed like it had infinite running time.
An alarm went off in Dearka's cockpit, and a magnified image of the Famine Gundam behind him appeared. Kali was chasing after him and aimed her 6-barreled gatling cannon at him.
The rounds did nothing to him, whatever his own I-Field didn't block, the phase shift would. The only weapon capable of damaging him was a beam saber. With his N-Jammer Canceller, Dearka was virtually invincible.
Unfortunately, so was Hiroto. And the Asian man was armed with the nuclear missile. How much longer until the end of my world?
-
"15 minutes." Was the short report from the sensor officer.
"It's in the hands of those kids now." Ron whispered gravely.
The officer turned in his chair to face Ron. "Do you think we should have told her about the plan?"
Ron was momentarily confused at the quick and sudden change in topics, but his brain quickly caught up, allowing him to answer coherently.
"If I didn't inform our steadfast PLANT Councilor of the plan, what makes you think I'd tell Miss Clyne?"
"Because it would be the compassionate thing to do. I mean, her and Kira are together … I think." The officer said, frowning.
"This is war, and in war we must do things that may go against our moral fiber. Besides, do you really want Yzak on our case for telling her and not him?"
-
Lacus had regained some of her composure as Otto took her back to her room. Her crying had quieted down, and now very few tears were being shed. There was the occasional sharp intake of breath, but to Otto, it appeared as if Lacus was ready to start another round of questioning.
"Whatever your plan is, I don't care right now. What I want to know, did you and Ron coerce Kira into all of this?" she stopped and faced Otto, boring her crystal blue eyes into his dark brown eyes.
He sighed and dipped his head a few inches before replying.
"A man called Jonathan Kozel once said long ago 'Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.' None of us have that luxury right now. This battle is bigger than anyone thought it would be, making it matter even more and giving us no choice but to win. Ron knew this, I know this, Kira … Kira knows this."
"Kira chose his own path, none of us could choose for him. He volunteered, knowing the inherent risks, and now we have to play the cards we're dealt."
His answer seemed to satisfy Lacus, at least for the moment. He was about to resume leading her back to her room when they locked eyes again.
"Did we really have a choice?" she asked quietly.
"We write our own destiny, we become what we do." He spoke softly.
-
"God damn you, get out of my way!" Athrun cursed.
Kuzzey was doing an excellent job in keeping Athrun away from Cagalli's damaged suit with his ten beam sabers. Athrun couldn't go on the offensive for very long before Kuzzey would start on him.
Yzak and Untensu were dueling in the background, neither of them doing any damage to each other. The blue-haired Coordinator wasn't too concerned about them, Yzak could take care of himself, at least he hoped.
"So if the rumors are true, then Untensu killed your girlfriend." Kuzzey taunted over a general broadcast channel. Athrun caught every syllable.
"Pity he had to kill a Natural, but that's what happens when you join forces with a Coordinator." He continued.
"You were Kira's friend! How can you betray him like this?" Athrun demanded, seething with rage.
"I gained a new perspective after ZAFT fooled the Earth Alliance into attacking Orb. It was one of those foundation-shaking epiphanies, you know, it was like having your father shoot at you."
Athrun didn't know if that last phrase was meant to mock him even more or not, but it drove his rage and fueled it to greater heights. Screaming in anger, he charged at Kuzzey.
The Natural pilot blocked the overhead slice with his wrist-mounted beam sabers, crossing them and creating an 'X'. Snorting in disgust, he kicked at the Aequitas Gundam, the foot-mounted beam saber aimed at the cockpit.
Athrun's shield intervened itself between the weapon and its destination, and for a second the two suits did nothing. Then Athrun quickly backed off several meters. Twirling his beam staff in one hand, he charged forward again, aiming a slashing cut at the side of the War Gundam.
Kuzzey sighed, muttering something about retards piloting mobile suits and blocked the attack with his elbow-mounted saber. Seeing an opening for an attack to end the fight, Kuzzey thrust his other arm forward, the wrist-mounted beam saber poised to strike.
The former Justice pilot smiled grimly as he ducked underneath the attack and appeared mere centimeters from his enemy. Kuzzey quickly boosted away, firing his second generation head-mounted CIWS defenses. The bullets would have done little to him if he hadn't had his phase-shift activated; they did nothing with the armor turned on.
A memory popped into Athrun's head, and he quickly seized the initiative. He threw his arm-mounted shield at the War Gundam, which was still backing away. Inhaling sharply, Kuzzey sliced at the shield his one of his sabers. The beam weapon hit the beam-coated side of the black and beige shield and sent it back to Athrun at a greater velocity.
Quickly positioning himself, Athrun kicked the shield, his foot just catching the handle that attaches to the arm, sending the shield once more at Kuzzey. It impacted on the War Gundam's left shoulder, doing minimal, if any, damage but it left its pilot vulnerable to attack.
Jetting forward, sliced off the War Gundam's left arm at the shoulder, taking out three of the ten beam sabers and leaving a big gap in his defenses. Kuzzey's surprised expression turned to anger as he boosted forwards as well, slicing off Athrun's right leg at just above the knee.
His balance thrown off, Athrun barely realized another attack was incoming, and thus didn't defend himself from the diagonally angled attack that started at the top of the neck and exited out just below the right shoulder. Fortunately, he missed the cockpit, it was still airtight, but Athrun was now minus an arm, the head, all of his weapons and most of his cameras.
Cagalli, I've failed you, I've failed PLANT, I've failed my duty. Laughing loudly, Kuzzey watched as several connections short-circuited, disabling the phase-shift armor that protected the pilot against most forms of solid weaponry.
"Mordecai! Stop playing and help me deal with this bastard." Untensu ordered.
"You, calling me, for help? How the worlds have changed." Kuzzey said laughing as he sped off to assist his teammate against Yzak.
-
Numbers counted down inside Hiroto's cockpit as he neared the PLANTs and firing range. When he hit 10,000 meters, he armed the powerful nuclear warhead and began to slow down.
The range scrolled down, less than 5000 meters to go, as he acquired his target. It was an old-fashioned target acquisition sequence, with two red reticules starting out at either side of his screen, and slowly making their way to each other as he closed the range, slowing down but still moving quickly.
The reticules were more than half-way across the screen when he disabled the safeties on the warhead. There would be no going back, not if they wanted a Pure and Blue World.
With just over a thousand meters to go, the end of all of the PLANTs was mere seconds away. Finally, the reticules settled over each other and a tone sounded in his ears, signaling a clean lock.
Smiling, he depressed the trigger, sending the devastating nuclear warhead flying toward his targets. More numbers started to count as the warhead closed in on its detonation point.
"Tobe! Fly and kill all those unworthy." He whispered as the warhead neared its destination.
And then there was a large explosion.
-----
A/N: I know, it's shorter than usual, but the next chapter will be longer. There were few reviews for the last chapter; I assume it was due to the technical difficulties the site was experiencing. Questions, comments, put them in a review or e-mail them. Please Review.