"You are dead, aren't you? The Duel destroyed the shuttle you were in," said Kira. Elle took no notice of that. She looked up and spoke solemnly, "It's okay. Big Brother will fight and protect us."
To add to the hurt, the child was holding hands with Flay; both were smiling. Kira tried to take the little girl's other hand. He touched something warm and drew Elle's now limp body closer. Still holding hands, Flay followed the girl.
"Big Brother, you lied," whispered Elle in his ear.
"Kira, you lied," whispered Flay in his other ear.
Chills ran up Kira's spine. Everything that he wanted to forget came back to him. His hand went slack and both girls slipped away from him.
"Why couldn't you protect me," both of them called out.
In his hands were a paper flower and the tip of a bullet; both were smeared with blood. Kira let out a long, anguished cry...
Waking up in a start, Kira panted. He looked around and remembered where he was: he was in the Minerva's quarters. It was his first night on board the ship. The bare-chested teen was sweating profusely. He looked down at the malachite stone necklace which Cagalli had given to him. Captain Gladys had allowed him to return to Orb to let the Representative know of his new appointment. Cagalli didn't say much; she merely handed him the necklace and asked him to "take care".
As for the nightmare, it was a familliar one. He had it sporadically in the past, but recently, the dream came to him more and more frequently. Even with his previous visits to the Orb memorial (erected to commerate all casualties of the first war), he couldn't exorcise the ghosts within him. He held his head in his hand...
"Kira, are you all right?"
The teen stared at the bed opposite his. Shinn was lying down, wide awake.
"Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"No, I was busy." He waved a pink handphone in his hand.
"What's that?" In the near total darkness, Kira couldn't make out the object. Also, he had momentarily forgotten about the ordeal he had just went through.
"My sister's handphone. Call me childish, but I asked for it before I enlisted. I missed her voice, so she had a recording stored in here," explained Shinn as he tapped the phone. Kira thought about the younger boy's words. He fiddled with his necklace.
"Was that given to you by your sister too?"
"Ya, she handed it to me when I returned to Orb to bid her farewell."
"Don't worry. You'll see her again," comforted Shinn. His older friend sounded like someone who had seen more than what any average 18 year old should have. Athrun's speech on the horrors of war came back to him.
"Mind if I ask you what that scream was about?"
Kira stiffened, but he realised that Shinn just wanted to help.
"It's nothing, actually. I just had a dream of my late girlfriend.
"Late?"
"She died in the first war." Kira was careful not to elaborate further. To his relief, Shinn didn't probe further.
"I think we should sleep now. Tommorrow, we'll be having pistol practice," reminded the black haired boy. Kira nodded. Both teens then retired for the night...
Athrun was shaking his head at his best friend's results. So, what Cagalli said was true, thought the de facto team leader as he recalled the lady's account of her first encounter with Andrew Waltfeld. He was convinced that Kira could do more harm by throwing a gun instead of firing it. On his part, Kira had a sheepish look. He never did like guns anyway.
Shinn was biting his lip as an embarrassed Lunamaria went about her practice. He had heard from Meyrin about the girl's shooting abilities, or rather, the lack of them. When the boy looked as if he was about to explode with laughter, Lunamaria wished that she could disappear down a hole.
Looks like a proper demonstration would be needed, thought Athrun. At the other end of the range, Rey was shooting by himself. Although he said that there was no particular reason for practising alone, Shinn thought that the blond was isolating himself from the rest of the red coats.
"Now, don't make me repeat myself. First, you have to make sure that your grip is firm. Next, when squeezing the trigger, do not do it too quickly. That would affect your aiming. Last, but not least, watch and control your breathing." After his explanation, the teen raised his pistol and took aim. As he fired at an unhurried pace (with only one hand), the mouths of the three pilots slowly fell open. Athrun never missed the heads and hearts of the flashing targets. After emptying his clip, he put the pistol down and looked at the two poor shooters.
"If you can't shoot properly with one hand, use your other one for support..." He was about to carry on when the intercom sounded for all red coats to assemble at the captain's office.
Talia Gladys had a grave look on her face, and Arthur Trine was trying not to panic. The latest news from the Chairman had been a very bad one. The door to her office opened. After returning the red coats' salutes, she got Arthur to play the video clip.
As the pilots watched the clip, they realised that it was made up of camera footage from ZAFT vessels which had recently engaged the EAF. The Earth Alliance had launched its battleships and mobile suits against the main PLANT defense at Aprilius One, which managed to repel the attack. However, what the pilots were concerned about was the presence of another team. The team launched a squadron of the new GAT-04 Windam units, carrying... nuclear missile launchers. Upon seeing the nukes, Athrun clenched his fists.
Fortunately, a scout unit located the squadron in time. Knowing that it was very likely that the Earth Alliance might try to use nuclear missiles again, a Nazca-class vessel was equipped with a Neutron Stampeder and stationed on standby to protect the PLANTs from this type of scenario. When the device was activated, it sent out high frequency radiation that detonated all the nuclear weapons in the ambush fleet, which was completely destroyed by their own prematurely detonating missiles. Having failed in their mission to destroy the PLANTs with a nuclear strike, the Earth Alliance forces withdrew. The clip came to an end. The captain spoke.
"I know all of you must have many questions in your minds. The Chairman would make an address shortly. Until then, please try to keep calm."
Although Gladys' voice was even, Kira and Athrun were seeing red. Was the EA really a bunch of mad men who would not rest until every Coordinator was dead? Shinn expressed his disbelief.
"This is ridiculous! The ultimatum hasn't even expired yet!"
Lunamaria was dismayed by the implications of the attack. Although she was a red coat, she didn't like the idea of fighting in an all-out war. Rey, on the other hand, had a stern expression on his face. If the EA wants a war, they would get one, thought the pilot.
The screen came alive again. This time, it was Chairman Durandal, ready to deliver his address. Athrun and Kira were surprised to see Lacus standing beside him. In his address, Durandal expressed his regret that the PLANTs have no choice but to reject the EA's terms, thus leading to the declaration of war. He appealed for calm from his fellow Coordinators, a request which was repeated by Lacus. Athrun realised that as an idol and the daughter of a former chairman, her words carry significant weight among Coordinators. He was proud of being her husband.
After the address, Gladys had a short prep talk for her pilots. Since they were at war now, she warned them to be prepared for anything possible. Also, she didn't mince her words that Orb, although officially neutral, may be in league with the EA, just like how Morgenroete produced the five MSes in the first war. Kira and Athrun kept quiet. However, they know that given the EA's attempted invasion of the union, Cagalli would never allow the country to join the EA...
At a meeting of Orb's ruling council, the Representative and the rest of the lords listened to the Chairman's speech. Unato Ema Seiran, the prime minister, demanded for a decision from Cagalli: Which side would Orb be on?
"I would not be rushed into a decision, Lord Seiran. Also, lest you forget, Orb is a neutral party," said Cagalli, her brown eyes staring coldly at the man. Unato sat down. The girl reminded him too much of her father...
Although she had not committed herself, Cagalli knew one thing: Orb would never be an ally of the EA. Although she didn't like Durandal personally, the thought of her brother and Athrun in ZAFT reassured her. Now, all she could do, was to wait for the right opportunity...
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!