"How many men did we lose," asked the Chairman.
"Sir, we lost about 48 of our entire force stationed on Earth," answered the secretary timidly. She knew that her boss was in a foul mood. The atmosphere in the office was more frosty than usual. She wondered when the man would start his tirade.
Patrick Zala sighed. The figures were better than what he had expected. He had heard his son's words in the battlefield, and was proud that Athrun had helped cut down ZAFT's losses. But still, nearly half of the Earth force was gone; more importantly, who had leaked the plans of the invasion to the EAF? He was deep in thought when a knock came on the door.
"Come in," said Patrick in an even tone. His secretary heaved a sigh of relief. Looks like the weather's still clear, she thought.
Athrun Zala, in his redcoat, entered his father's office. After the customary salute, he got straight to the point.
"Chairman, could I have a word with you in private?"
Patrick gave the lady a look. She got the hint and discreetly left the office.
"what is it, Athrun?"
"Father, I believe that Rau Le Creuset was the mole who sold us out."
Le Creuset? Patrick was surprised that Athrun had laid such an accusation on his best commander. True, he's the only other person who knew that JOSH-A was the real target, but...
"Athrun, I stand by Commander Le Creuset. A dedicated person like him couldn't be a traitor."
"But..."
"That will be all." It's clear that his father's faith in Le Creuset was unshakable. Athrun decided to let it go, for now. Besides, he knew of another person whom he could turn to...
The Archangel was heading south, but exactly where she was going, no one knew for certain. Even her captain was at a loss. The officers had gathered on the bridge to discuss their next move. The troops from the Eurasian Federation were either killed or had fled elsewhere, and the ship was now alone.
La Flaga spoke first. The man was not in favour of returning to the EAF and he was determined to have his views heard.
"Let's face it: we got sold out back there. I think the Archangel should break away."
To his surprise, no one raised any violent objections to his suggestion. Even Natarle was silent.
Ramius made up her mind.
"If that's the case, I hereby declare that the Archangel is now no longer a part of the EAF. For want of a better word, this ship is now a rogue ship."
Everyone on the bridge gasped. Though Kira and La Flaga, along with many members of the crew, knew that Murrue was unhappy about the way she was treated at the inquiry, they didn't believe that she would actually stage a mutiny like this.
"But, Captain, this is an act of treason," said Natarle. Despite herself, her voice came across as a rather timid one.
Murrue knew that her first mate was still loyal to the EAF. But the weak voice told the captain that her first mate was also uncertain about the future. Murrue gave Natarle a hard look.
"Natarle, the EAF betrayed us at JOSH-A. Do you wish that to happen again? And don't give me any crap about the military using us as bait or something like that." In that instant, all the abuse that Sutherland had hurled at Murrue during the inquiry came back to her.
"Captain, if we're now a rogue ship, why don't we head to Orb? After all, it'll only be a matter of time before either the Earth Alliance or ZAFT eye the union for its resources." Kira was worried about Cagalli and his parents. Also, many of the crew's families were living there. He was sure that they would want to help defend the ones they loved.
"Good idea, Kira. Arnold, set the course for Orb." The pilot quickly saw to the command.
"But, will Lord Uzumi welcome us?" Natarle knew that the ruler of Orb maintained the union's neutrality zealously. Even if the Archangel was to show up at Orb as a neutral vessel, she's not sure how the Lion would view the ship.
Murrue smiled grimly. It's a chance they would have to take...
At the Clyne residence, Athrun was again swarmed by Lacus's Haros the moment he entered the manor. The robo-pets were chatting non-stop when the Songstress emerged from the kitchen with a tray of foodstuffs. She was a little surprised to see her fiance. Athrun was usually busy during this part of the day.
"I have something to discuss with your father," explained Athrun.
"Lacus, who's the visitor," called Siegel from the second floor.
"Father, it's Athrun. He wants to see you."
"Tell him to come to the study. You may sit in if you wished to."
Athrun was a little uncomfortable with that. Matters concerning national security shouldn't be discussed in her presence, thought the teen.
In the study, Siegel asked the couple to take their seats. Athrun then asked for Lacus to be excused.
"It's about Rau Le Creuset, Uncle Siegel."
"Oh, is that so," said Siegel Clyne. Although he had been kept in the dark by Patrick about the true nature of Spitbreak, what Athrun was about to tell him now clearly deserved his full attention. To Athrun's surprise, Siegel didn't ask his daughter to leave.
"Lacus's a lot more mature than you think, young man," said Siegel with a thin smile.
Athrun then decided that letting Lacus know about the masked commander's possible treachery may not be such a big deal after all. He told the Clynes about what had happened at Spitbreak.
"Is what you had just told me the truth," asked Siegel. Lacus had a grim expression on her face. It was the first time Athrun have ever seen her so sad. Then again, the anger he sensed from the Pink Princess was also another first.
Athrun nodded. Since the now ex-Chairman Clyne had asked him to watch out for Le Creuset, this turn of events shouldn't have given him much of a shock. Still, the former chairman was clearly disturbed by this piece of information.
Siegel thought hard. Rau Le Creuset was manipulating his friend, and he knew it. A plan was formulating in his mind. If it was pulled off successfully, Le Creuest could be effectively restrained, but it involved Patrick's honour and he wasn't sure that the younger Zala would be willing to do it.
"Athrun, we have a ship which was newly constructed. It's of the new Eternal-class," began Siegel. Though no longer active in politics, Patrick still shared many military details with Siegel.
The teen couldn't understand how that concerned Le Creuset. New ship classes were not exactly his interest.
"You father wished for this ship, along with Freedom, to be under the command of his personal guard. And I have also given him the same advice."
"Uncle Siegel, with my father's blind faith in Le Creuset..."
"Here's my plan. I want you to steal the ship, together with Freedom."
Athrun gave the idea a thought. If he stole the Eternal and the Freedom, that would mean that his father... Siegel saw the look on the young man's face. He knew that an explanation was in order.
"If we want to stop Le Creuset, your father's influence would have to be cut back. And this incident of theft would be just the thing."
"But..." Athrun was worried about his father. The shame of having a traitor for a son might drive him to do some crazy things.
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him. Also, I would help see to it that he is not replaced as chairman of the Supreme Council." With that, he explained to Athrun the purpose of the whole thing. To check Le Crueset's influence, Patrick would have to be reduced to a mere figurehead, with little trust from anyone else. If Patrick was replaced, Le Crueset would simply manipulate the successor into doing his bidding again.
Athrun didn't like the plan at all. But he knew that if it's carried out, Le Creuset would be left without a powerful backer. But he still couldn't figure out how LACUS fitted into all this.
Siegel looked at her daughter when the boy asked the question. He explained to Athrun that a little acting would be in order. But first, he would have to get another important person to join in the discussion. He picked up his phone.
"Andrew, could you come over to my residence now?"
While waiting for Andrew, Siegel told the couple what he had in mind. At the end of it, Athrun agreed to the deed, but not before Siegel's repeated reassurances that his father would be taken care of. Also, Lacus stated that she wouldn't mind her part in the charade. Then, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
A tall, dark-skinned man walked into the study. When Athrun saw him, he was a little shocked to see the man's scar down his left eye. The stranger took a seat beside them.
"Athrun, meet the Desert Tiger, Andrew Waltfeld. He's one of the best commanders ZAFT has ever seen," introduced Siegel.
"He knows Kira, too," said Lacus suddenly.
Athrun's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. He looked at Siegel, who nodded to indicate that he, too, knew about his friend in the EAF. The young man looked down at the floor.
"You're lucky to have a good friend in Kira. That boy's really a kind-hearted fellow, although he was the one who gave me this," said Andrew, pointing to his eye. Athrun gulped. First, it was Yzak. Now, even this man was scarred by Kira?
"Andrew is the captain of the Eternal. Although he didn't like the idea of being under your father, he accepted the assignment upon my request. He's also the assigned pilot of Freedom."
"Chairman Zala is letting that masked man getting the better of him. So, Chairman Clyne wants me to make sure that the Eternal is not used for any fishy business. As for the Freedom, looking at it reminds me of Kira," added Andrew in a serious tone. Although Siegel was no longer the chairman, Andrew clearly believed that he should have remained in his position instead of passing it on to Zala. As for Kira, the Tiger bore no hard feelings towards the boy. Somehow, despite losing 2 limbs, an eye and his love, the ideals which Kira fought for made Andrew respect him instead of hating him for what he had done.
"Andrew, would your men be ready to take over the Eternal within a short notice?"
"What do you mean, Chairman?" Siegel explained the plan to the Tiger. Andrew then had a smile on his face.
"Don't worry. I'll get Martin and the rest on board that ship. The moment you are ready to go, young man, we'll move out. Of course, Miss Lacus here would have to endure a little pain."
"It's alright. What's a little pain if that masked fiend no longer gets his way," replied Lacus.
Athrun felt a little overwhelmed. The success of the whole plan depended on him, and his acting. Still, he would do anything to stop Le Creuset from getting his way. He steeled himself for the things to come...
The next day, Andrew took his crew on board the Eternal for some drills. For "training" purposes, the METEOR units were also loaded on board. According to the plan, Athrun sought permission from Patrick to move the Justice on board the ship. After all, he was a part of the personal guard and he had heard of the Tiger's name, and wished to learn more from him. Patrick agreed to the request. Athrun smiled. So far, so good, he thought.
"Captain, can't we rest for a while? These procedures are getting boring!"
Martin Da Costa shook his head silently. Since his return from the desert, his commander had become softer on the men, not least because he wasn't as physically robust as he used to. The prostetics still needed getting used to, and Andrew missed Aisha. Nevertheless, the band of desert warriors respected the Tiger. Although they teased him, Andrew could count on them any time.
"Well, you guys better know them by heart. Who knows, you might need to use them sooner than you think," retorted Andrew.
Martin couldn't resist a little smile. Andrew had already told him of the plan. Of everyone on board, only the 2 knew what was going to happen...
"Captain, the Justice is going to be loaded on board the ship!"
"Good! You all can now practise your loading drills for MSes. Come on, get going!"
After the loading, Athrun made his way to the Clyne residence. Here comes the hard part, thought the pilot.
"Ah, Young Master Zala. You're early today," said the servant who opened the door. Athrun acknowledged the greeting. He hoped that Lacus would be in her room. As it turned out, she was in the living room, playing with a Haro in her hands. Looks like it's plan B then, thought the pilot.
"Oh, it's you. Navy, say hello to Athrun."
"Haro! Athrun!"
Athrun smiled at the Haro. He then pulled out a revolver from his coat and pointed it at his fiancee. Everyone in the area froze. The Haro leapt from Lacus's hand onto the floor, still blabbering away.
"No one tries anything funny, and Lacus will not be harmed." To emphasize his point, the pilot cocked the lever of the pistol.
"What's going on here," asked Siegel Clyne as he emerged from a room. His face changed when he saw the sight before him.
"Athrun! What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Uncle Siegel. I need Lacus as a hostage," said Athrun in an even tone. He then hit the back of Lacus's neck. The Songstress was knocked out cold.
"Get some rope or tape, anything to bind her limbs and seal her mouth," ordered Athrun. The servants quickly scrambled to find the items.
Siegel knew that he had to keep up the act. But seeing Lacus unconscious was hard on him as a father. He prayed that the couple would be fine.
After the Pink Princess had been bound and gagged, Athrun got the servants to put her in the boot of his car. Before he got into the vehicle, he told Siegel,"Tell my father that I'll return with Lacus if he drops Rau Le Creuset from ZAFT." With that, he sped off.
"What do we do now, Sir," asked a maid anxiously.
"Give Chairman Zala a call right away! Tell him that his son has kidnapped my daughter!"
When Athrun drove to the base where the Eternal was docked, he appeared normal enough to fool the guards at the gates. Once inside, he headed straight for the ship. He asked for the captain to allow him to drive the car into the ship's hangar. A little surprised at this request (or so he appeared), Andrew went to the hangar to see Athrun.
"Athrun, why would you want to drive your car onto the Eternal?"
"You're going to order this ship to take off now, Captain."
"Why should I do that?"
"Take a look at this," said Athrun as he opened the boot just a little bit. The sight of Lacus bound, gagged and out cold was enough to spook him out. He turned to Da Costa.
"Martin, tell the crew to take this ship for a little spin." When he got next to his second-in-charge, he whispered, "This kid is holding Lacus Clyne hostage."
Martin knew that it was time to get the show on the road. Back on the bridge, he ordered the men to get serious and be prepared to launch the ship. When they realised that he wasn't joking, they quickly followed their orders...
"What!" Patrick Zala felt as if he had been shot. His son actually kidnapped his fiancee in the presence of her father? It sounded ridiculous, but it was the truth. Quickly, he sounded the alarm for ZAFT to hunt down Athrun. But it was too late. The teen was nowhere to be found.
Just then, the report came to him. The Eternal had been launched. The Chairman immediately gave orders to chase after the ship.
On board the Eternal, Andrew told his men the whole story. All of them were supporters of Siegel and therefore had no complaints whatsoever. Another criterion Andrew used to choose them was their martial and family status. All the men were single and their families were small or non-existent; the Tiger knew that all of them would become renegades if they come on board the ship.
"Now, I know why we needed to load so much supplies for this 'training' exercise," wisecracked a member of the crew. Andrew and Martin grinned at each other.
Athrun had taken Lacus out of the boot the moment the Eternal took off. He tore the tape off her mouth, but he didn't untie her. That would have to wait, until he had spoken with the pursuers who were bound to come. Sure enough...
"Hailing the Eternal. We are looking for the fugitive Athrun Zala. Is he on board," asked an officer who was the leader of the group of 3 Nazca-class destroyers. Zala must be getting worked up now, thought Andrew.
"I am here," said Athrun as he stood before the video intercom, with Lacus in tow. The lady was still unconscious.
"Athrun Zala, you are hereby under arrest for kidnapping Lacus Clyne, the theft of the Justice MS, and coercing the crew of the Eternal. Surrender yourself at once!"
"And what if I don't? Put my father through the intercom. I want to speak with him," replied Athrun coldly. Andrew was a little surprised at the teen's tone. He must have some genuine grievances, thought the Tiger; if not, the kid's acting was better than any professional he had ever seen.
After a short while, Patrick Zala came on the intercom. He was visibly agitated.
"Athrun! What is the meaning of this!"
"Simple, Father. If you agree to strip Rau Le Creuset of all his powers, I'll return with Lacus. If not, she's staying here with me."
"That's absolutely out of the question!"
"Very well, Chairman. Lacus Clyne shall remain in my hands until you change your mind."
"Captain Waltfeld! Get the Eternal back to Aprilius One at once," ordered Patrick in a huff.
"Do that, Captain, and you can return Miss Clyne's body to her father as well." Athrun Zala pointed the pistol at his fiancee's temple.
"I'm sorry, Chairman. I'll not risk a civilian's life like that. In fact, given half a chance, I would have already taken the ship back. The only problem is... your son had never taken his gun off Miss Clyne."
Patrick went cold when he heard Andrew. Was the teen holding a lady and the entire crew of a ship hostage really the son he knew?
"Why," asked Patrick quietly. He suddenly felt very tired.
"You dare to ask me why," said Athrun bitterly. In his mind, he was close to tears.
"Which father would rather trust a stranger in a mask instead of his own son? Which father would use his son as a tool to further his own ambitions?" said Athrun with the same bitter tone.
He was sick of having to care about his father's reputation all the time. With his mother gone, he wanted his father to confide in him, just like any average father-son relationship. He wished that he was just an average 15-year-old, not an elite pilot of ZAFT. But the teen kept his nerve; now was not the time to despair.
Andrew sensed that both parties were now emotionally drained. He decided to suggest a "solution" to the Chairman.
"Sir, if you don't mind, I'll help keep an eye on the fugitive and the hostage. The crew would persuade him to turn himself in."
Patrick sighed. It seemed the best course of action for now.
"Very well, Captain. As for you," said Patrick, directing his gaze at Athrun, "even if you return, you are no longer my son." The intercom went dead and the group of destroyers retreated.
Andrew looked at the boy. Athrun had sacrificed his own reputation and shamed his father, all in a quest to deter Rau Le Creuset. He felt sorry for the redcoat. But there's no turning back now.
"You've any idea where we should be going next," asked Andrew quietly.
"Head for Orb." Athrun was hoping that the neutral union would allow him to enter their territories. He wanted to see Cagalli too. The plucky girl would be able to understand his troubles, he thought. Looking at a still-sleeping Lacus, the boy decided that he would not burden his fiancee with his woes.
Andrew nodded in agreement. The Orb union would be their best chance of finding safety anywhere. He ordered the crew to set a course for the country of peace.
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!