Neon Genesis Evangelion:

War of a New Dawn

by RyoTD

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion, Ground Control or Rose of Sharyn. Characters and lyrics have been used without permission.

Okay, before the start I'll give you a short briefing...

The "Crayven Corperation" is an army of power-hungry capitalists. The "Order of the New Dawn" is a bunch of religious freaks. "Krig-7B" is the desolate, deserted planet they're fighting for control over. The Order has just managed to establish a stronghold there, but the Corperation has sent their finest command cruiser, the Crayven Astrid, to teach those zealots a lesson they won't forget anytime soon.

So this is my new fic. It may not be good, but I've at least tried so put some effort into writing it. So please read and give me some reviews, will'ya? Thanks. Oh yeah, if you haven't heard Killswitch Engage's "Rose of Sharyn," then I order you to listen to it right now, and not to turn it off before you have finished the entire chapter. This chapter will be much better if you have. Unless you hate that song, that is...

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Lyrics

OK, ready to rumble!

War of a New Dawn

Chapter 1 : Rose of Sharyn

Major Asuka Langley Soryu leaned over the railing, her face beaming with pride. In the large hangar below her, a large number of soldiers and pilots were preparing themselves for combat. There was a rumor that Major Soryu's forces were among the finest of the entire Crayven Corperation Army, and that her fighter pilots were the best you could find on this side of the galaxy. And here they were, aboard the Crayven command cruiser Astrid, on their way to the planet of Krig-7B, one of the strongholds of the Order of the New Dawn, the Corperations most bitter enemies.

Asuka's smile grew wider when she thought about her fighter pilots, and the damage they would inflict to the Order forces once they had touched down on the planet. She was one of the Corperation's finest pilots herself, so naturally she would lead her own squads into battle.

"The dawnies won't even know what hit them," she snickered.

"That's good to hear, Major, but weren't you supposed to be in briefing room B ten minutes ago?"

Asuka's smile faltered at once and she turned around quickly to face her superior.

"Commander Hayes! I-I thought that the extra briefering had been canceled, so I decided to take the oppurtunity to inspect my troops in person before the battle begins."

Commander Enrica Hayes sighed. "I'll let it slide this time, Major, but be advised: Once you make another mistake I won't go that easy on you. Do you understand?"

The redhead swallowed. "There won't be 'another mistake', Maam."

The older woman smiled. "Good. I expect nothing less from you, Major Soryu." She checked her watch and spoke up again, now more serious. "Dropship Chicago will be launched in fifty minutes. Make sure that you and your troops are on the launch pad by then, ready for combat."

"Yes, maam."

"Good. You're dismissed."

Asuka let out a sigh of relief once her superior had left the catwalk above the large hangar. It wasn't that she was a bad commander; out of the twelve Crayven commanders that would supervise the invasion of Krig-7B, Hayes was considered to one of the best, and the redhead was actually glad that she was her charge. But there was just something about that woman she couldn't stand - She didn't know exactly what, though.

"Ah, one more thing, Major."

Asuka lifted her eyes to see that Enrica had returned. The young Major looked back at her with confusion in her eyes.

"... Maam?"

"Major Soryu," the older woman started, "don't underestimate the Order. Their officers are cunning, their are weapons powerful, their hoverdynes are swift, their pilots are skilled and their soldiers are more than willing to fight to the bitter end. More than enough of our forces have already perished in the battle for this god-forsaken planet."

The redhead swallowed once again. "I'll keep that in mind, Commander."

-000-

In space above Krig-7B, a young Order pilot grasped the controls of his Phoenix attack aerodyne once again. Flying in space was usually a peaceful experience, but not when you were about to attack a command cruiser like the Crayven Astrid. She had appeared in the airspace above the planet just ten minutes ago, and would most likely initiate the heathen attack in twenty - twentyfive minutes too early since the defensive outposts on the surface wouldn't be ready for battle for another fortyfive minutes.

The attack had to be delayed, and the only way they could do that was to attack the Astrid before it would launch it's dropships and the heretics would begin their invasion of the planet's surface. Each dropship could carry a formidable battle force, and the Astrid could launch at least ten of them at once. If they reached the Order bases before they were battle ready, they would have already lost a most important battle.

The pilot nervously checked his battle systems. The Order attack aerodyne OA2/HAA-309 "Phoenix" was armed with Hugh SZX-3000 "Jaguar" torpedoes, effective against practically any kind of enemy thanks to the twin shaped charges: the first to punch a hole in the target's armor, and a second to destroy whatever is inside.

The Phoenix had also been modified by fitting two twin-mounted pulse laser cannons on the wings, giving it a greater ability to survive dogfights. The pilot had to concentrate not to laugh at his own thoughts; even though the pulse cannons gave him a small advantage in dogfights, the Crayven forces would most likely use their new fighter aerodyne - the dreaded AV/F-1001 FA "Delta" - so the odds would still be below bad in this desperate battle.

Still, the pilot was far from alone - the "Sacred Scimitars" aerodyne squad had been placed under his direct command, and it was believed that they were among the best fighter pilots the Order had on this side of the entire Calistrix sector. Still, this was a suicide mission - even they did manage to delay the Crayven attack for long enough, most of them would probably never return alive.

The young pilot's dark thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a flickering screen inside of the cockpit. After a few seconds it displayed a bald man in his late thirties, dressed in a dark robe and a simple kevlar west. The troubled face of the young pilot lit up almost instantly.

"Paladin Magnus! You're back!"

The older of the two men smiled at the younger. "Yes, Deacon, I'm back. I was requested here by the Order command, and I had just arrived at the surface when the Crayven command cruiser showed up above us. It's good to see you again, my friend."

The Deacon's smile faded. "I'm afraid this will be the last time we'll ever see eachother. Do you know the situation?"

"Yes, and I've got news for you: The heretic attack will begin in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes! B-but... That's twenty minutes early! We'll never be able to prepare the defensive outposts in time!"

The Paladin smiled back at him. "Relax, young Deacon, there is more: An Order support cruiser has come to our help, so it will only take another twenty minutes before the outposts are ready to face the heathens. Tell me, how long will it take before you can reach the Crayven Astrid?"

The pilot quickly checked his sensor display. "It will take eight point five minutes at full speed, sir."

Paladin Magnus nodded. "Good. The best way to delay their attack is to stick close to the launch pads. The won't risk to launch their dropships as long as there's a battle going on just outside of their ship. If you are luckly, they will even hesitate to go after you with their Deltas. You know about it's technical weakness, don't you?"

The older man paused for a moment while Shinji nodded, then he countinued. "Try to keep yourself alive. We don't want to lose one of our finest deacons before the real battle has even begun. Good luck, my friend, and let the Light guide you on your path."

"Thank you, brother. If it's the will of the Light, then I will return alive to fight the Heretics once more. Deacon Shinji Ikari, out."

-000-

Asuka was growing rather impatient. Her troops had been at the launch pad long before the designated time, and now she had nothing to do for the next five minutes before she and her troops would be allowed to board the dropship. Then it would take another five minutes before the dropship was actually launched. Ten minutes may seem like a short time, but for the redhead, it might as well have been ten hours. During her past years in the Crayven Corperation army, she had come to fear the long, silent minutes before a battle more than the battle itself. She knew it wasn't a good time to think about life, but she couldnt help it.

'Well, this might be it. Many troops on the front line die every day, who tells me it's not my turn next? Heck, I might die the second my Delta leaves the dropship because of some kind of technical failure... But I can't die yet. I just can't...'

A flash of red light and a blaring alarm abruptly woke her up from her thoughts.

"Major! We've picked up several incoming Order aerodynes!"

"The Order is attacking us! How many of them?"

"It appears to be at least thirty attack aerodynes, maam! Not enough to destroy us, but...!"

It didn't take long for Asuka to make her decision. "I will go after them myself! Unsung Heroes, come with me!" The second she spoke, a large group of pilots ran towards their Deltas. They were interrupted, however, by a stern voice over the PA system.

"Major Soryu! What are you doing?"

"Commander Hayes! I'm sorry, but this is the only way we can fight them off before our attack is scheduled to begin. If they mangage to prepare their defensive outposts before we strike, the initial phase of the invasion is going to be a lot more harder than we have expected."

Asuka heard a deep sigh before Hayes continued. "I can see that, but how are you supposed to launch your Deltas? The Order aerodynes will destroy you down as soon as you leave the Astrid!"

Asuka paused for a moment, then her gaze turned to one of the empty dropships in the hangar next to them. "... I have a plan."

-000-

Shinji barely breathed. The few seconds before a battle started were never pleasant, and the fact that he'd soon combat enemies with a technical and possibly numerous advantage didn't really help. But once he had approached the Astrid and the large AKA-500 cannos opened fire at his Phoenix aerodyne, his instincts took direct control over him, just like they had did in every battle since he had joined the Order. His hands moved over the controls quickly as he began his attack run.

Dive! Fire! Turn! Stay low! Center the target! Fire! Direct hit! Evade! Center the target! Fire! Fire! Direct hit! Evade! Rapid ascent, afterburner! Turn! Evade! Dive! Fire! Fire! Fire! Evade! Center the target! Fire! Direct hit!

In a matter of twenty seconds, Shinji had successfully destroyed three of the twin-barreled cannons. Shortly after him came the skillfull pilots of the Sacred Scimitars squad and cleaned up what their Deacon had missed. After another minute, the large guns of the command cruiser were pretty much destroyed. The battle was fram from over, tough. There were lighter CCT-123 turrets all over the behemoth spaceship, and two of the Order pilots had already perished. The Crayven forces had yet to launch their Deltas.

Shinji smiled. Because of a bug in the Crayven ship's computer, the Delta fighters wouldn't be able to manouver well for almost five seconds after they had taken off. The bug had been proven fatal when Order forces had attacked a Crayven airfield three weeks ago, where over twenty Deltas had been destroyed before they could even return fire.

"Deacon! The heretics are launching a dropship!" The voice of his wingman woke him up from his semi-trance. Shinji's answer came quickly.

"I'll take care of it myself!"

After a few seconds he saw it, a huge rectangular spaceship moving away from the battle, towards the planet's surface. It was already far away, and it moved fast. Not fast enough, though.

'Center the target and pull the switch'

The entire cockpit lit up when Shinji fired his single Hugh SZZ-5000 "Helios" torpedo. The Helios was slower than a Jaguar torpedo, but it made of for it with a destructive power that was unmatched by anything short of a N2 bomb. Shinji knew that he had hit the second he pulled the trigger and promtly turned his Phoenix to return to the battle. But the quick encounter had left him with a thought. 'Why did the Crayven commanders launch that dropship? They should've known that we'd destroy it - and the troops within it - as soon as it left the Astrid. But they still did it.' He frowned. 'Is their respect for their own soldier's lives that low?'

The second the alarm reached his ears, he knew that he had been fooled.

He turned his attack aerodyne around once to face the wreck of the dropship. The Helios torpedo had ripped almost the entire topside of the dropship away, and it was out of that hole that a large group of Delta fighters now approached him. He considered to fire his two remaining Jaguar torpedoes, but the torpedoes were too slow and the distance too large for him to hit the manouverable fighters.

Shinji was too far away from the battle to ask for assistance now, the distance between the him and the Corperations aerodynes closed rapidly, and soon the Phoenix would be within the Delta fighters optimal range of fire. A straight head-on dogfight was an insane option as well as he would be ripped to pieces by the twenty fighters in a matter of seconds. Still... He couldn't run away now. He was an Order Deacon, wasn't he?

Shinji smiled faintly and his grip around the controls tightened before he pushed them forward and accelerated into battle, and into his death.

In his mind, a song that he hadn't heard in a long time began to play.

-000-

Asuka winced when a single explosion rocked the large dropship and threatened to rip it apart. It didn't, however, but it left an enormous hole were the top side of the spaceship had been. She relaxed instantly as her plan had been a succes. She felt her Delta lift from the floor of the ex-dropship and acsend trough the hole on it's top. Around her, the fighter aerodynes of the Unsung Heroes squad did the same. After the Crayven fighters had all left the wreck of the transport behind them, the control of the Deltas was finally returned to their pilots.

Asuka frowned when she saw a single Order Phoenix approach them. Her frown soon turned to into a grin when she saw the rest of the Order attack aerodynes form a formation behind it.

She shifted in her seat, turned off the communications device, and turned on the ship's music player. It had costed a lot to get it installed, and some of her superiours thought that it lowered her battle performace, but she didn't care. If all of the other pilots could get one, why couldn't she? It didn't take long before music blared out of her speakers, as song that she hadn't heard before.

The two opposing forces clashed, and the battle had begun.

Numb, and broken, here I stand alone!

Wondering, what were, the last words I said to you!

Shinji's instincts took over his body once again and left his head with his thoughts. Exlosions filled the space around him, and his hands moved on their own. A Crayven Glory missile almost hit him, but his quick reflexes had saved him once again. He had already fired his two remaining Jaguar torpedoes, and one of them had hit a Crayven Delta, making it erupt in a fireball that left only some pieces of scrap metal floating in space.

Hoping, praying that I'll find a way to turn back time!

Can I turn back time?

As the song played on in his mind, he found it harder and harder to focus on the battle. The song reminded him of so many things that had tried to forget. But no matter how hard he tried to, he couldn't focus. 'What is this? Why can't get this song out of my head?'

What would I give, to behold

The smile, the face of love?

Shinji's grip around the controls hardened. He was chased by at least one Crayven Delta, but he could care less. His hands moved automatically and performed a barrel roll to aviod the missiles that had been fired at him, but he didn't notice. He was too occupied with his thoughts to notice anything of the battle at all.

You never left me!

The rising sun will always speak your name!

He woke up from his thoughts and found that he was behind a Craven Delta, chasing it over the Astrid's topside. The laser beams from his pulse cannons blazed over the uneven surface of the command cruiser, missing the Delta but destroying the smaller turrets instead. The other pilot tried to shake him off, but Shinji wouldn't let him go. His face had turned from his usual, emotional expression to something different. Cold and unemotional. His shots became more and more accurate, and it didn't take long before the Crayven Delta and its pilot erupted into a fireball, just like all of the other Crayven pilots he had killed in the past years...

Numb, I'm broken, here I stand alone!

Wondering the words, the last words that I said to you!

Another N69-PDU "Glory" missile launched from her Delta hit her target and destroyed it, but Asuka didn't smile. She grimaced as the lyrics of the song entered her brain. 'Dammit! What's with this stupid music? I can barely focus on the battle!'

It won't be long!

We'll meet again!

A Jaguar torpedo fired from one of the Order aerodynes snapped her out of her thoughts, and she quickly performed a series of evasive manouvers. She found herself behind the attack aerodyne that had fired at her, and fired her own missiles.

What would I give, to behold

The smile, the face of love?

The Order pilot must've seen this coming, as the Phoenix easily avoided the two Glorys. Asuka fired again. And again. She gritted her teeth before she fired again, both because she wouldn't hit the Order aerodyne, and becuase of the song that blared from her speakers without mercy.

You never left me!

The rising sun will always speak your name!

The enemy pilot was skilled, that was for sure. But not skilled enough. When Asuka's missile launchers were almost depleted, she finally managed to hit the Phoenix. It exploded and left nothing but a few pieces of metal scrap in the black space. She immidiately targeted another Phoenix, and fired all weapons she had.

It won't be long, we'll meet again

Your memory is never passing!

Shinji's facial expression was above serious. It had turned from cold back to his usual self, and his hands were now shaking. A copule of missiles and a torrent of laser pulses passed just outside of his cockpit. He had almost depleted his weapons, and could only rely on evasive manouvers to survive the battle. Even though he was intensly focused, the song wouldn't get out of his head. Supressed memories threatened to reach the surface, but he wouldn't let them. He had to focus, focus...

It won't be long, we'll meet again

My love for you is everlasting!

Asuka saw the Order Phoenix try to get away from her, but she overwhelmed it with her own pulse cannons. The situation was obviously at her advantage, but she couldn't relax just a little bit. This song... Someting snapped inside of Asuka's head, and she almost lost control for the first time in years. She had heard it before. A long time ago, in a faraway place... She swallowed, and the grip on her controls loosened.

I mourn for those, who never knew you...

Shinji realized that the torrent of pulse laser fire that threatened to kill him had stopped. He had to concentarte not to stare wide-eyed. 'This is my chance!' He quickly turned his Phoenix around to face his enemy. 'Center the target and...'

I mourn for those, who never knew you...

Asuka's expression turned from concentration to shock to terror. The enemy had use her moment of weakness to his advantage, and now she was going to pay the ultimate price. A single thought ran trough her head. 'No!'

It won't be long, we'll meet again

Your memory is never passing!

'No!' The thought echoed in Shinji's head and he quickly moved his finger away from the trigger. 'What was...?' he though, before he realized that the two aerodynes were now on collision course. He could destroy the other aerodyne before the collision and survive, or they would both die. He swallowed.

It won't be long, we'll meet again

My love for you is everlasting!

Asuka could do nothing but stare wide-eyed as the Phoenix ascended, missing her Delta with only a few feet to spare. At the same time, she was filled with a felling of... Compassion?She frowned. 'What the hell?'

It won't be long, we'll meet again

"Deacon! The surface bases are ready to face the enemy! Get back here, at once!"

The unmistakeable voice of Paladin Magnus reached Shinji's ears, but he barely reacted.

"Yes... Magnus..." he replied, trembling, while activating his afterburner and leaving the Astrid behind him. Around him, the surviving Order pilots did the same. The Crayven Deltas, however, didn't seem chase them.

"Ikari? Is everything alright? You look awfully pale."

Shinji shook his head. "Nothing. I'm alright." 'What's happening to me?'

It won't be long, we'll meet again...

Asuka noticed that the Order aerodynes were returning to Krig-7B. She sighed when she realized that that must mean that they had succeeded in delaying the invasion.

"Major? Major Soryu? Should we go after them?" one of her pilots, she didn't know who, asked.

She shook her head. "No. Return to the Astrid and prepare for the surface battle." 'What the hell just happened?'

It won't be long, we'll meet again...

Two hours later, Shinji was writing the customary battle report on his laptop. The "Sacred Scimitars" squad had been almost entirely wiped out, and he was very luckly not to have been killed, himself. He sighed before he exited the small building and stepped out on the airfield.

He took a deep breath when he tried to remember the battle, or rather, the last minute of the battle. He had been chased by a Crayven Delta, but suddenly it had stopped firing at him. He had used that moment to turn his Phoenix, target the Heretic aerodyne, and then...

'No!'

Shinji had never hesitated to kill a Crayven pilot in combat before. But that voice... A young womans voice... He shook his head and sighed.

Tomorrow was another day, and another battle. Another Paladin to give orders, and another soldier to die. And on top of that, he still couldn't get that song out his head. It had reminded him of someone... He paused. 'Could there be a conection between the song and the woman I heard?' He looked up on the evening sky, as if the answers was somewhere up there, hiding itself among the stars.

It won't be long, we'll meet again...

At the same time in her room on the Crayven Astrid, Asuka read the damage report of the battle. Only ten of the thirty Delta's had been destroyed in the battle and none of her best pilots had died, but they had still failed to cut off the attack. The invasion on the planet's surface had just begun, and a series of hard battles would follow tonight, before the Corperation had gained some ground.

But she didn't have to fight tonight. Commander Hayes had recorded the battle, reviewed it, and said that Asuka's efforts were hard enough for one day. Tomorrow she would lead her forces again, as a commander. Not that this was out of the ordinary, but still...

She walked over to the small window in the room. Outside, beyond the cold space, was Krig-7B. And on that planet was the Order pilot that had spared her life. She had probably spared their's by not chasing after them as they returned to the surface. And that stupid song... She would have to get erased from her music players memory. Not only did it distract her in battle, but she felt that it had threatened to bring back memories of her life before the Corperation. Things she absolutely didn't want to remember.

But that feeling of compassion she had felt just as the Phoenix steered away from her... It didn't come from herself. Was that what the other pilot had felt? And in that case, why?

She stared down on the desloate planet, unable to find an answer.

It won't be long, we'll meet again...

To be continued...

Authors self-loathing (called "notes" in some desolate parts of the world):

Well, how was that for a start?

When I was working with the second chapter of Zone, I realized that I shouldn't have rushed the intro and the first chapter so badly. When the plot holes start to overwhelm you after two minor parts, then you know it's time to stop writing and start on something new. That's it, Zone is on hold, and probably will remain so for a long time, possibly forever.

I've had the idea of a Eva/Ground Control crossover for quite some time, but I needed some time to figure out how I'd accomplish it. Don't feel bad about being confused about the setting for this story, it will eventually be revaled to you in later chapters. And the song-ficish second half of the chapter... Don't ask. Just don't ask.

The first version of this chapter was horribly WAFFy, and it was horribly written WAFF on the top of that. Hopefully, this will work better...

The rating is M for violence and possibly slight adult themes later on.

As for my English (or lack of it; you decide), it's not my native language, so expect to find some minor (and major) errors here and there. I'm looking for a pre-reader, so feel free to contact me if you think that you're up to the challenge.

Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. Ja.

-- RyoTD

P.S - zOMG quick-edit is teh sux!11one