Uzumi Attha's brow furrowed as he turned off the television in his office, sickened at the lack of concern the Earth Alliance had for the situation involving the neutral nations. Lately, it seemed that more and more of their decision regarding the war were complacent, oblivious to the brave men and women who put their lives on their lives every day for their various nations. They were only too happy to let the war continue until both sides wiped themselves out. He was determined not to let Orb become a warzone because of a few empowered fools who could care less.
The Orb Kingdom was a fully sovereign nation, existing in the mass of neutral nations that scattered themselves across the globe. They were one of the few who was holding their own against pressure from the Earth Alliance and ZAFT to take sides in the conflict. Yet he knew it was only a matter of time. Like the fascist Titans of the Earth Federation, the Atlantic Federation was becoming corrupted with it's own strength and would soon collapse under it's own weight. It was only a matter of when and not how.
"As you can see, the situation has become more severe for us." Uzumi addressed to the assembly of young men and women in his office. "Several other nations have given in to outside pressure and internal corruption already. The Atlantic Federation has also sent us an ultimatum as well. Unless we choose to ally ourselves with them in this conflict, they will consider us ZAFT supporters and begin systematic attacks on our borders."
"Didn't you tell them that since we're a sovereign nation, we don't have to side with either?" Cagalli asked her father. She and Kira were asked to come along with Captain Murrue Ramias, Lieutenant Mwu La Flagga, and Kisaka to hear Uzumi's decisions. To hear that the Earth Alliance military would blatantly disregard their status just to have more power than the enemy...
"I've already tried contacting the Supreme Council to plead our case but it was no use." Uzumi replied. "At any rate, there's only one reason that they've put more pressure on us rather than on anyone else."
"The Astray units." Kisaka concluded.
"Correct." The MBF-01 Astray Gundam mobile suits were the basis of Orb's military, the only mobile weapons that could protect the kingdom. The design was based on three lost prototypes, nicknamed 'Frames' because of their colors, and the OS was derived from Kira's work on the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam. He modified it at Morgenrate with the help of Erica Simmons, one of the principal designers of the Strike Gundam, and installed it into three of the mass-production units. Since then, the design had seen much success.
"Despite now having mobile suits of their own, their lust for power is insatiable." Uzumi continued. "Anyone that might have the means to tip power into their favor would be at a risk."
"But at what cost?" Murrue asked. "They're willing to throw away the lives of their own citizens, their own people, just to gain a strategic advantage?"
"And the mass driver located in Kaguya, but I'm afraid it far worse that that alone. You see, anti-Coordinator sentiment has grown in the last few months since the war began. The public has gained a sense of xenophobia and mass hysteria based on media propaganda." He then turned to Kira and Cagalli. "For anyone who is a Coordinator, I'm afraid that Earth is no longer safe for any of them."
"So what is your decision then, Lord Uzumi?" Kira finally asked, having been deeply immersed in thought. "How will you make sure that Orb isn't dragged down with the Earth Alliance or ZAFT?"
"By teaching those who've been pulled down by Earth's gravity that stupidity and weapons of war make strange bedfellows." The voice belonged to a mysterious man standing in the rear of the room, a feel of hidden strength in his body language. His blond hair was combed neatly while his ocean-blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, the red business suit giving him the appearance of a man of great authority. Whomever he was, he seemed immensely powerful or had been once.
"Ah, I almost forgot to mention." Uzumi told the mysterious man as he took a seat away from the windows. "This is Edward Mass, one of our representatives to the Supreme Council on this matter. He's one of the few remaining that is still willing to listen."
"Unlike those in power right now, I understand what's been happening during this war along with Lord Uzumi." the man named Edward Mass explained. "It's a story that hasn't ended since the days of the One Year War. Sadly, it seems that the lessons of those days have long been forgotten." He looked at the small group until his eyes settled on Kira, a feeling of nostalgia coming over him. "A part of human nature is to fear the unknown. Yet the war has taken this to an extreme. That's what we're hoping to change."
"Perhaps, but the only way for that to happen is if there was an understanding of the unknown." Kira commented. "No one can really claim that they even understand why they're fighting and for what reason."
"Sadly, that is the nature of conflict in human history." Uzumi said. "However, the day is coming when we won't be able to beat our swords into plowshares any longer. I pray that when you all decide what to fight for, you may even question why you wear the uniform you wear."
Cagalli noticed that Kira seemed satisfied with that answer, as if it had confirmed a thought he was already addressing. He had changed since his final battle with the Strike against Athrun, seeming much more mature about the war and the world around him. She hoped that she would eventually find her own reasons as well. With that, the two left the room along with the others. The only exception was the man named Edward Mass, who stayed behind with Uzumi.
"Kira, did you notice something about that guy?" Cagalli asked her friend.
"Yeah." Kira commented. "He looked familiar, almost like..." He shook his head knowing it was impossible. The person he was thinking about died several years before. He couldn't be the same as the man they saw... could he?
The man named Edward Mass relaxed into the chair as he and Uzumi sat down, going over the vague impression that the boy named Kira had given him. He had an abundance in raw potential, that much he could tell, and had a familiar yet intangible aura around him. Yes, he would be vital if everything goes as it should.
Many years ago, he had been under the name of Char Aznable, the so-called "Red Comet" that the Zeon praised and the Earth Federation feared. Since the Battle of Loum in UC 0079, he had gone unmatched in sheer talent and finesse on the battle front. That is, until encountering a white mobile suit named Gundam and a pilot named Amuro Ray. Throughout the entire One Year War, the two were destined to battle each other in attempts to outdo each other. Time after time again, both would be in dead stalemate. It was only broken when the young life of Lalah Sune, a Newtype protege Char had taken under his wing, became caught in their desperate struggle.
Lalah was a beautiful young Newtype, one of the earliest documented during those times. She had an immense amount of power yet was almost overwhelmed at Amuro's own power, seeing him as a sort of kindred spirit. Eventually, she had fallen in love with both of them and was taken from the world by a horrific accident of fate.
Char had grown obsessed with avenging her death, since having also fallen in love with Lalah during his time with her. He blamed Amuro for it and forged a long-heated rivalry with the ace Gundam pilot. Over the years, with the sole exception of the Gryps conflict in UC 0087, the two would constantly wage a private war with ideals and a physical one with mobile suits. It finally reached it's peak in UC 0093, when both of them had been pulled into Earth's gravity by the fall of Axis.
He had survived the encounter yet again, still feeling that Amuro was also still alive somewhere. Unlike the legendary ace, he hadn't lost his abilities as a Newtype and could still sense him. He later changed his identity to his old alias as Sayla's brother, Edward Mass, and went into seclusion. He only recently learned of the newly-formed Earth Alliance's corrupted goals, using a series of limited contacts to begin talking to several members of the Supreme Council. He understood Orb's refusal to become involved directly, admiring Uzumi's stance and began helping them as a representative.
"I see the rumors are true, Lord Uzumi." Char, known as Edward at the moment, told the Orb leader. "You intend to fight the Earth Alliance."
"There may not be another choice in the matter." Uzumi said. "They are so blinded by their own need for dominance within the Earth sphere that they'll create enemies needlessly. It is the worst case of power corrupting..."
"...and absolute power corrupting absolutely." Edward finished. "Yes, I can see much of that in ZAFT also. Patrick Zala intends on fully recreating those lost ideals and dominate space as well."
"I see..." Uzumi stared at Edward, already knowing fully whose eyes were behind those dark sunglasses. "You should know that he's returned. Amuro Ray."
"I know." Edward noted, his tone serious now at the mention of his sworn rival. "I heard the rumor recently several weeks ago. Apparently, he's returned and is aiding Londo Bell in space. However, my primary concern is just how much damage his return will do." He leaned over in deep reflection, mentally going over the course of action everything will take. "Right now, both Earth and space is a different domain than he remembers. He can't turn back the clock to the One Year War and expect to win. Unless he knows that, he and his allies will be consumed by space."
"I see." Uzumi noted, equally deep in thought. "So you still cling to your beliefs, after all these years, that the souls of humanity are being pulled down by Earth's gravity."
"How else would you explain the constant state of pollution that Earth governments have had in the last twenty years alone, Lord Uzumi?" Edward told him. "The Earth is becoming nothing short of a black hole for mankind. Amuro's soul was already pulled down when the colonies dropped and killed his wife. I only know this because I've kept track of him over the years. If it can destroy his soul, then it will happen again."
"You speak as though you know personally." Uzumi then rose, facing Edward with a calculating look in his eyes. "Exactly who are you, Edward Mass?"
"Just someone who has no wish to see history repeat itself, sir." With that, Edward rose also and headed toward the door. "I would also advise you to pay special attention to Kira. He's important enough that someone like him could change this war."
"I know, since he and my daughter have already become close." Uzumi said as Edward left the room. He then took out a photograph from his pocket, a sense of remorse over the contents. "But I wonder sometimes if that young man could really be the one..."
It was a picture of a brown-haired woman holding two infants, one blond-haired and one brown-haired. The back was labeled:
CAGALLI X 'KIRA'
September 0056 CE
Athrun could feel the heat on the ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam's frame as the red mobile suit flew through Earth's atmosphere. The Phase Shift armor on the mobile suit prevented it from being scorched, allowing it and its pilot to remain safe through the intense friction of re-entry speed. The last thing he wanted was for it to be damaged so soon, especially since he was one step closer to finding Kira and resolving this.
Lacus's words to him haunted him as Athrun returned to the ZAFT-controlled hangar that day, forcing him to come to a difficult conclusion. He was tired of the war, tired of the senseless massacre by those who didn't see the names attached to the bodies in the battlefield. He was NOT a harbinger of death, not now nor ever again. This conviction rested in his mind when he boarded the Justice Gundam, a hard look in his dark-green eyes.
'According to the last known reports, the Freedom Gundam could be heading for the Orb Kingdom.' Athrun thought to himself as the last of the re-entry turbulence faded away, letting the mobile suit steady its flight through the atmosphere. 'If that's the case, the Kira's probably already there by now...' He frowned at the memories of those distant battles he and Kira had fought against each other. The former Strike Gundam pilot had powerful convictions to fuel his resolve not to join with Athrun, to continue opposing the meaning of the war in the first place. Kira had already found something to fight for and even die for. Yet Athrun...
(What is it that you're fighting for now?)
'You were right, Lacus.' Athrun activated the FATHOM lifter backpack's thrusters, allowing it to carry the Justice Gundam to it's destination. 'I will have to find a new reason to fight this time.' The red mobile suit flew onward into the afternoon horizon, a silent scarlet sentinel against the azure-blue sky.
"So what should we do now?" Mwu asked as he and Murrue walked the corridor towards the Archangel's hangar, the uneasy silence between the two officers broken by the statement. "Where do we stand on getting involved?"
"Returning to the Earth Alliance is out of the question for now." Murrue told him, going over their options in her mind. "If we do, all of us will be executed not just based on what we know but for deserting. I won't subject the crew to that. However, after seeing what Uzumi showed us, I'm really beginning to doubt whether or not we should leave in the first place."
"I guess all of us have to find some reason to keep fighting." Mwu stated, suprising Murrue as he placed a hand on her shoulder. It fet comforting to her, knowing that there was someone she could still address her thoughts to since Natarle, her former first officer, was promoted to captain of her own battleship. She didn't move his hand away, instead letting the gesture help her make up her mind.
"The real question is just what were we fighting for before," Murrue told him, "and what are we fighting for now?"
"It seems like Kira's started to find his answers. Maybe we can do the same here."
A brief sense of realization crossed Murrue's mind as she thought of the young Coordinator. He constantly placed his life on the line for the Archangel and its crew, his only concern being their protection. Yet when he returned, he seemed like he was fighting for a larger reason than this alone. It almost seemed like he had moved beyond the same young man who wanted only to save his friends, instead gaining a newfound maturity.
"Have you heard the stories about people called Newtypes, Lieutenant?" Murrue asked the blond-haired pilot. "It was said that they had the capacity to do what people think Coordinators do today: see beyond the scope of war and destruction into a brighter vision for humanity. They also had brilliant talents as mobile weapons pilots and a strong sense of intuition. But after the Seventh Space War, the rumors faded when Coordinators became more prominent."
"So you're thinking that Kira's also a Newtype?"
"Maybe. If he is, perhaps the rumors are also true. Maybe the only way humanity will ever outgrow the need to kill one another is for everyone to become a Newtype." The two officers reached the doorway to the hangar, crossing the catwalk to the mobile suit deck. They saw Kira and Cagalli talking with Erica Simmons, the chief designer for the Astray Gundams as well as one of the main designers for the Strike Gundam.
"Captain, Lieutenant, I'm glad you could be here." Erica said as the two officers joined them. "We were just going over the improvements made to the Strike over the last few weeks."
"It's been repaired?" Murrue asked. "We thought it had been destroyed several weeks ago."
"That wasn't exactly the case, Captain. After your ship departed, we recovered the unit as well as the remaining components of the GAT-X333 Aegis as well. Though the Aegis was a complete loss, th data did help us develop some major system improvements as well as a new option pack as well." The small group boarded a lift next to the catwalk, letting them see the mobile suit's condition as it rested alongside the Freedom Gundam. It looked in the same condition as when it was discovered on Heliopolis months before. No signs of battle scarring existed at all.
"We simplified and improved the OS parameters as well." Erica continued. "Now anyone can pilot it, Coordinator or Natural, and utilize it's fullest potential."
"Then I volunteer." Cagalli said almost immediately, suprising the small group. She had wanted to pilot a mobile suit for a long time, despite being ridiculed by her peers many months before. Her skills had improved much since she made use of the Sky Grasper support fighters, letting her loog several hours of actual combat. She needed to do this, the desire to prove herself as well as help defend her homeland later burning strong.
"Sorry, Miss Attha, but that job goes to me." Mwu told her, Cagalli's disappointment showing in her eyes. "I'm still the senior pilot on this ship and have more experience than you or Kira in battle."
"Besides, we already thought of that." Erica told her, directing their attention to the eastern wall of the hangar. "With some help, we've built a new model based on the data from the MBF-P01 Astray Gundam prototype 'frames' as well as the recovered GAT-X333 Aegis. It's called MBF-P04 Astray Gundam, TL Frame type."
Cagalli studied the new mobile suit carefully, absorbing the lines and features of it's frame. The pink-colored armor was lighter-looking than the normal Astrays, the overall sleek appearance designed more for speed rather than firepower. The head was also different than the original prototypes, sporting the traditional V-shaped antennae design seen on the other Gundam designs. Other than those things, it seemed like a well-designed weapon.
"What does 'TL Frame' mean?" Cagalli asked, finally addressing the mobile suit designer.
"It stands for 'transformable linear' frame. It's capable of changing into a mobile armor since it's based on the Aegis's systems."
"I see..." Cagalli went to the prone mobile suit and smiled to herself. This was something she would be honored to pilot. She turned to the small group, seeing Kira smile at her also. It made her feel good to have his support, despite his earlier feelings on her joining them on the battlefield. The last thing he wanted was for her to end up being killed like Tolle. Now his attitude was different. He understood her need to defend her homeland, a worthwhile desire to have something to fight for. For now, it would be enough for both of them.