Gundam World
Phase 4 Episode 5
The Final Stretch
"What!" The captain of the Majestic visibly flinched. "Get me online with the Lexington Flagship." A moment later, the image of the captain of the flagship filled the overhead screen.
"Sir," he said, addressing Kenshin, "I have ordered all ships to commence evasive maneuvers and activate temporary energy shields. We are doing our best at intercepting the incoming missiles, estimated impact time is twenty-five seconds."
Kenshin walked over to his seat and ripped the communication handset from its resting place. "How much damage do you estimate to your fleet?" The captain of the Lexington flagship stopped and said solemnly.
"Eighty percent, nuclear explosions are much more powerful in space and my fleet will suffer severe damage, possibly disabling our ability to function as part of the Expedition force."
"Damn it," Kenshin's fist clenched till his knuckles turned white, he saluted to the captain, "please do your best to limit the damage of impact, we are counting on you." The captain of the flagship saluted in return and the line went dead. "Command all ships to set up energy shields, I don't care how much energy it takes up."
"Yes sir!"
"Captain, we must communicate this information to the Earth high council immediately!" One of his tactical commanders spoke up, sitting on the edge of his seat, "PLANT is not supposed to have nuclear capability! They must have developed devices that can override the effect of the Neutron Jammers, this could result in the elimination of Earth's military capabilities!"
"I am aware of that commander, but our priorities right now is to fend off the oncoming onslaught." Kenshin paused for emphasis; they really didn't have time for this. "If PLANT are firing nukes at us, then they must no-longer see any need for secrecy." His teeth clenched and grinded in frustration, his form rigid and dangerous, "and I'm sure Earth sensors can pick up on nuclear explosions in space." The bridge was in complete silence. "And if we continue to make diplomatic decisions, our entire fleet will be wiped out." The commanders bowed their heads as if in shame, they were. "We have to fight savagely." A blindingly bright light, like a mini-sun, shone in from the direction of the Lexington fleet. It was white at first. After the initial light, a sea of red spread out in the distance, ships burned before oxygen was depleted.
"Sir! Impact detected, radiation reading… one-hundred-forty megatons!"
"Give me a damage report now."
"Yes sir, fifty-six percent of the entire fleet are disabled, one-hundred-ninety plus ships are destroyed."
"One hundred- forty megatons, my god." Someone muttered from behind Kenshin, but he ignored it.
"Are there any more incoming missiles?"
"No sir, none detected."
"What is the status on the retrieval of our mobile suits?"
"Five percent retrieved sir. Enemy fleet from Yakin Doe is commencing attack."
"How are the Joint Federation fleets faring?"
"They have sustained over ten-percent damage, but most ships are still operational."
"Okay, command all ships in the Eighth fleet to adjust their headings and merge with the J.F. fleet, we are going to annihilate the enemy from Yakin Doe, also give transmission to Earth Central control that Yakin Doe base's fleet has left the fortress."
"Yes sir."
"Captain, do you think it's a good idea to risk our fleet in the engagement with the enemy now?" Kenshin turned, with dark amber eyes that spoke of fury.
"What do you suggest we do commander?" He said menacingly, "Watch our fleets be destroyed?" The T.C. backed off.
"Sir! I am receiving transmission from the remaining Lexington fleet of sightings of the Heliopolis defense fleet. They are exiting from the gravity well of the planet and commancing attack on our rear!"
"What? So that's why they had retreated, to shield themselves around the planet and wait for the show to start." Kenshin laughed, a dangerously low laugh, "Very well, we'll give them a taste of what the Earth Alliance can really do." Kenshin ran the data through his head quickly.
A fleet of six hundred from Yakin Doe outnumbered them. Along with a fleet of about two hundred circling them in from the rear, one of their main assets have been damaged by a nuclear assault. And the general outlook was bleak.
"All fleets, full speed ahead, I want the archangel and Kashima to cover our rear and slow the advance of the H.D fleet, tell all ships that our goal is to deal significant damage to the Yakin Doe fleet before engaging the pursuing enemy, we must regroup!"
"Yes sir."
"Aim all available Tannhauser cannons at the Yakin Doe ships, I want our side to deliver the opening salvo, not them!"
"Understood."
All ships aimed and opened fire. The Tannhauser was a beam cannon, the most powerful beam cannon available, it delivered destruction equaling half megaton, dealing out damage equaling a mini-nuke. It was red and wide, with enough effective radiuses to take out standard warships on impact. Cannons melted after delivering its overcharged payload. Huge electric beams rushed and impacted into enemy ships, instantly vaporizing whatever it touched. A sea of explosions was sighted in the distance. Multiple ship readings disappeared from the radar.
"Launch all anti-beam capsules, and prepare for the second salvo!" The immense number of ships in the Earth fleet formed a long cavalry in space while the ZAFT fleet took on a similar formation. Viewed from a distance, it was like an 18th century battle of opposing factions, their guns poised, and ready to take the lives of their enemy.
"FIRE!" A second wave of beams and missiles launched from the Earth Fleet, and impacted on the enemy. Not a moment later did a counter attack, a wave of energy blasts from the ZAFT fleet rush past them. They drilled into the front of Earth ships, skewering them right through to the end and causing the ships to explode a second later.
"FIRE!"
"FIRE!"
"FIRE!" The exact commands were given on both sides, the Earth and ZAFT. The same people on both sides gave the commands, and the destruction were creatures of the same kind.
Men screamed as their bodies were engulfed in fire and plasma, instantly vaporizing their remains. Though their screams of agony were drowned in the sea of yells.
In the middle of his commanding the fleet, Kenshin stopped and looked up. On his display screen, the planet known as Heliopolis shook as its surface turned white-hot. Countless explosions dotted its evaporating atmosphere, most likely Earth and ZAFT mobile suits trying to escape their fate. A second later, a giant fissure cut right across from the middle of the entire length of the planet; fires of hundreds of kilometers high erupted from the fissure like a giant claw that destroyed anything it touched. Then the flames went out abruptly.
A second later, the planet exploded, its entire surface cracked and burned, its atmosphere completely burned away. The planet was engulfed in a white orb of plasma. It was a man-made sun if one hadn't known better. A second later, the light was gone. Replaced with an empty, debris filled space where a Planet had been a few minutes ago, a true man-made supernova.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
The broken frame of the Strike floated through the debris filled space, the gravity that pulled on it a moment ago was completely gone, replaced by a series of small gravitational fields all around it that were created by the larger chunks of debris.
Inside the cockpit, Kira had cried. While escaping the raging atmosphere, his grip on the Blitz Gundam had slipped, and he had watched his childhood friend be sucked in by the gravity, falling aimlessly, it's broken arm and shredded frame reaching out in desperation. What remained of its 'eyes' flickered bright green as a last burst of power were sent to the thrusters, but nothing could save it as it continued to fall. A moment later, the planet had exploded. Obliterating most of the Strike's armor, leaving no trace of anything that had been there.
Kira had sent out endless signals and transmission to the Blitz, but all that he received in return was static. He doesn't know the fate of his fate and of Captain Himura. He was utterly and completely alone.
A sudden alert sounded as an enemy unit was identified and approached his location on the radar. Kira zoomed in on the distant image. It was the 'bird', now labeled 'Freedom' on his radar screen. Just like the strike, the planetary explosion had burned most of its armor away.
Kira's eyes narrowed, his shaking fist clenched around his thruster grip and pushed forward violently.
"It's all your fault…" he said quietly as the Strike rushed towards the Freedom, which became rigid and drew its beam saber. "It's all you and your people's fault!" The Freedom's thrusters pushed it forward; ready to engage the surviving enemy. "I'll kill you!" Kira yelled explosively, an electric spark, like a shock, ran through his brain. He suddenly felt strange and cold power that began to spread out through his whole body, and his emotions died down, being replaced with the one thought of killing his enemy. His soulful, purple eyes becoming flat and dangerous as they darted from left to right, up and down; carefully analyzing every bit of information in cold calculation.
I am going to kill you
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
"Dearka?" Athrun tried to hail his team, "Nicol?" There was static, "Bridge? Do you copy?" Static. Suddenly, a faint voice resounded in his cockpit.
"A, Athrun?"
"Nicol! You are still alive? Where are you?" No longer had Athrun said that then Nicol's blade Zaku emerging from behind a large piece of what used to be Heliopolis. The frame of his unit looked like it was ready to fall apart. Athrun laughed, he couldn't speak better about his own unit's condition either. Nicol's Zaku began gliding towards him with short bursts from its thrusters.
'ENEMY APPROACHING, ENEMY APPROACHING.' Athrun's head snapped to his radar screen to see one red dot speeding towards him, labeled "Strike."
"No, not him, not now." He muttered under his breath, he hailed Nicol's Zaku. "Nicol, retreat for now, I'll handle him."
"Athrun, I can help." With that, Nicol's boosters ignited to full blast and accelerated forward.
"No!" Athrun yelled in protest, sending his Gundam after the Zaku.
Nicol got to the Strike first; he swung his unit's beam axe, a straight chopping slash. Athrun could see the futileness of it as the axe swung down, Nicol was a good piano player, but his unit was no match for a mobile suit like the Strike.
The Strike, despite its pitiful condition, blocked the attack with one mechanical arm, while the other drew a solid switchblade from its hip and, with one swift motion, jabbed the blade straight into the cockpit of the Zaku.
Nicol's line went dead, to be replaced with static.
Athrun watched in horror as the Zaku stopped moving, its cockpit cracked with sparks as the short blade was left implanted in it. Athrun opened and closed his mouth, trying but failing to form words with them. The Strike reversed its thrusters and planted its foot on the chest of the broken Zaku and pushed off. A moment later, the unit exploded.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
The Freedom sped towards the burning Zaku with one hand reached out in desperation. But it was too late, whoever had piloted it before was dead, burned away by the explosion.
"Nicol!" Athrun tried repeatedly to make contact, but there was nothing but static. And his radar flashed with the incoming red dot labeled 'Strike'. The blue-haired boy stopped, his hands shaking violently. "You…" He turned his eyes to the image of the Strike coming in from his side. "You killed Nicol…" Athrun's eyes flashed, and replacing its normal, sapphire-clear orb, is a dull, emotionless hue. He turned the Freedom to face the Strike. "It's all your fault, you and your people." He paused and spoke explosively, "for making everyone die!" He activated the beam saber, which the Freedom held in its hand. Pushing the Thruster grips to maximum, the battered Freedom shot towards its enemy.
KiraPower has run out, phase shift armor down. My options are one, flee, and two, fight using my surroundings and one armor Schneider assault knife. He is going to die today, I am going to fight.
I decided to fight, to kill my enemy, to avenge my friend Soujirou. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance against the Freedom in a head-on clash. So I turned the Strike, and accelerated towards one of the nearby debris. The Freedom wasn't expecting that, good.
I lay in the shadow of the debris, turning my system power to a bare minimum, waiting for a confused Freedom to appear so I could kill him.
The Freedom, its phase shift armor still on, speeds towards my location. He flew right past me, it seems like shutting off all of my systems had erased me from his radar. I gently give a nudge to the thrusters, letting a wink of energy pulse through my entire system and slowly track the Freedom. It turned around, noticing me. I send my entire unit at full power towards him, brandishing my only weapon.
Before I reach his position, I grab onto my shield and position it in front of me, I have no energy to activate the beam shield, damn it. So I threw it, tip forward, hoping to catch the Freedom off guard and destroying the phase shift near its cockpit.
He deflected my shield! It seems like he is faster and more skilled than normal, could he be in the same state as me? No time to think, it's coming.
I barely avoided the first slash aimed at my left arm, which was holding the remaining armor Schneider arm. Losing my only weapon would lower my success rate to a mere 7 percent, I can't allow that. I push on the thrusters and sent my entire unit into the Freedom, forcing him back. While he is off guard, I brandish my solid weapon and stab it towards the cockpit, much like what I did that killed the Zaku…
He catches my stab with his hand, how's that possible, though I have disabled one of his hands, his left hand.
AthrunI block the attack of the Strike, the bastard thinks he can use the same attack on me that killed Nicol, I'm going to kill him. With my disabled left hand, I push him away. The Strike's phase shift armor is down, probably from the blast that destroyed Heliopolis. It's their entire fault! I slash with my beam saber, ah, he is off guard. I caught him in waist. The Strike's waist armor is crackling with sparks, good.
The two Gundams twisted in combat, not giving each other the least amount of space to breath. With one clean slash, the Freedom ripped its beam sabers through the right shoulder of the Strike. But with that move, the Freedom left itself vulnerable. The Strike concentrated all its remaining energy into its left hand, which turned red from heat and jabbed it into the back of the Freedom, where it's nuclear power plant lie. The nuclear center crackled from the disturbance.
The Freedom knocked away the imposing hand immediately. One mechanical fist smashed into the face of the Strike. As it flew backwards, the Freedom brandished its beam saber and struck its entire length into the open cockpit.
Open cockpit
The pilotless strike's hands latched onto the arm of the Freedom while its empty cockpit burned away. Athrun, through his furious haze, saw the Strike detonate, burning away at what remained of his Gundam.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
The battlefield was large, spread out through space. The casualties were high. The remains of countless ships floated through space. Both the ZAFT and Earth had went all out, nearly decimating what remained of their fleets.
"Captain, I am receiving a message from headquarters." Kenshin looked to the speaker and nodded for her to continue. "It says that Hiko Seijurou, the Chairman of Earth Alliance, had forged a last minute agreement with Siegel Clyne, the Chairman of ZAFT, on a ceasefire."
Kenshin shook his head as if to clear away stray thoughts.
"What? Say that again."
"Sir," his speaker said, a huge grin spread across her face. "The war is over, Hiko and Clyne had forged a deal to end the fighting!"
Kenshin stood, not moving. He turned his gaze to outside, where ships were still firing upon each other.
"Get me on the international emergency line and hot-link me through to the commanding officer of the ZAFT fleet now."
"Sir, you are online."
Kenshin Himura, the Captain of the Majestic, strode shakily to his seat and picked up the communications handset. Instantly, the face of Saitou Hajime appeared on screen.
"Saitou," Kenshin began, "I hereby call a ceasefire, and I want your side to stop firing at us while we stop firing at you. No need for additional casualties."
A huge smirk spread through Saitou's face.
"Ah, Himura, long time no see," Saitou laughed and took a long drag from his cigarette. How he was allowed to smoke on the bridge, Kenshin would never know. "I have already ordered my ships to cease the attack at twenty-five hundred hours sharp." He glanced at his watch for a moment, "there is twenty seconds left, I was just going to call you." Kenshin briefly stopped speaking to order his fleet to cease-fire, which his operator did quickly.
"Saitou, I am bitter about the casualties which you caused the Earth Alliance and its people, and I'm sure you feel the same way if not more so." Kenshin said solemnly, "But I am ready to get over the bitterness for a brighter and more hopeful future for man-kind." He stood and saluted to the enemy captain.
"Good, I'm glad that you understand Himura." Saitou stood from his position and saluted.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
The destruction of Heliopolis and the firing of nuclear weapons had raised the attention of the Earth Alliance high council. For the first time, they had discussed issues concerning the war in the ZAFT's point of view.
I.e.
"Why would they destroy their own planet?"
"Why would they use the very weapon that they themselves declared forbidden?"
They had realized that the ZAFT were desperate enough to destroy one of their own colonies and launch the forbidden weapons for Freedom, their perfect society.
Many shouts of anger were sparked from the Earth High council; some even suggested the total annihilation of PLANT.
Hiko Seijurou, the chairman of EA, had stepped up.
"The goal of this war is to attain a unity to man-kind, our own perfect society." He had said, calming the entire council. "If we expand the aggression to a even higher level for a whole different reason, then what separates us from the savages?" He also asked, "what 'unity to man-kind' will we attain by annihilating the very people that we strive to combine with? We, as the mother land, must step back and stop the aggression immediately." He went on to propose a cease-fire for further negotiations. The act was passed within 20 minutes.
Siegel Clyne, the Chairman of ZAFT, had agreed to the cease-fire immediately.
The war of the Cosmic Era was ended, but not without the lives of thousands of men and women that fought on both sides. In the end, one must, as Kenshin said, question the whole validity of the war. No one had wanted to die a nameless soldier out in space; yet they fought savagely. People desired peace, yet they created war to achieve it.
The fate of Athrun and Kira, just two teenagers that were unfortunate enough to be caught in the evils of war, remains unknown. Maybe, under different circumstances, they could have become the best of friends. But now, the remains of their friends and possibly themselves float aimlessly through space, through the remains of what used to be a paradise of a planet.
No one could have pointed fingers at anyone, as when one is in the middle of a war, they cannot view anything with a clear picture. In the end, Earth and PLANT had formed an uneasy truce. A new, United Nations/Colonies central government (UNCCG) was formed. Both Hiko Seijurou and Siegel Clyne held the highest power mutually.
One may say that this is what fulfilled both ideals. The PLANT obtained their freedom while the Earth united mankind. But how long could this last before a new conflict, a threat perhaps, arise and once again draw the human race into a bloodbath with one another? After all, the very nature of man is to obtain power; to be stronger, to be faster, and to be more privileged than others.
We can only hope that a perfect society, meeting everyone's demands and needs, where each human could live happily, would be developed.
But then we'd have to ask ourselves.
Is such a world possible?
The End
Author's notes: Hope you liked the story, please tell me how you think I wrapped things up. Now, I know that there are still lots of loose ends that haven't been tied, like "what happened to Cagalli?" Or "Where did the Aegis get to when they raided the transport?" Now, I hope, all those questions will be answered in the sequel. Please wait for that patiently, as I don't know when I'll start on that yet.