Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Gundam Seed Fated Shift: Rearmed
By Centurious the Azure and Storm Wolf77415
In the Remains of a Fallen Star
(Remains of Heliopolis Space Colony, L3, January 26th, C.E. 71)
It was a sad sight to behold, the once majestic space colony known as Heliopolis had been reduced to a massive spread of assorted debris. In time it would slowly scatter across all of the Earth Sphere. "What a fucking waste." Tatsuo Mishima remarked, settled in the command chair of the ONS Kagutsuchi, the sixth vessel of the Izumo-class that served as the mobile headquarters for Mishima Security Consulting. "I always thought there was something twisted about the White Meteor, but this takes it to a whole new level."
"It seems very illogical that ZAFT would use D-package weaponry here?" A young woman with short blonde hair and ice blue eyes said in a low, emotionless voice. "I can't imagine the Supreme Council would let Rau Le Creuset off with just a minor infraction."
"It shouldn't be that much of a surprise, Alissa." Tatsuo got up from his seat, taking out a cigarillo, putting it in his mouth before lighting it up. "Rau is ZAFT's best space commander, he's protected by no one less than Patrick Zala himself. He can't be touched." His thoughts fell on a young man with dark hair and blood red eyes. "I wonder if the kid made it out in one piece."
"I cannot determine if Yukimasa is present or not at this time, Captain." Alissa said.
"It was a rhetorical question, Alissa." Tatsuo snapped, rolling his eyes in annoyance, wishing she wasn't always so literal minded. "You didn't need to answer it." He tapped his foot in irritation, as the vessel continued to roam about the debris field. "I've had enough. Prep my GINN, I want to inspect that place more closely." Tatsuo put out his cigarillo and departed for the hangar.
He didn't bother with a flight suit, instead just hopping into his custom ZGMF-1017 GINN, colored a deep brown trimmed in silver. Tatsuo reasoned he was going to be dead one way or another. He strapped himself in, bringing the mobile suit on line. "Tatsuo Mishima, heading out! Try not to empty out the entire fridge until I get back okay?" He remarked, eliciting laughter from his crew. The GINN launched off the catapult and into space, heading into the interior of ravaged colony.
"I seriously doubt Uzumi's getting back his security deposit on this place." Tatsuo remarked, recalling the billions the space colony had been to construct. He explored for a few more minutes, but all he could find was dust and echoes. "Oh, this is getting to be fucking pointless! There's nothing out here at all!" He was about to head back to the ship when his radar suddenly beeped at him.
Tatsuo immediately gunned the engines, zeroing in on the mysterious signature. It took him through the resource asteroid. He found a mobile suit in one of the crevices, but it was nothing like his GINN, or any ZAFT mobile suit at all. It was mostly white with the torso, arms, and legs colored a deep green. "The Green Frame…at least one of them is still intact." Tatsuo keyed his radio to an Orb frequency. "Attention Green Frame, this is Tatsuo Mishima, please respond."
"What? No! You weren't supposed to be here!" A panicked voice rang out. Tatsuo's eyes narrowed, he knew the owner of the voice very well.
"Junpei Kato, you better show your sorry face right now!" The sight of the students' former professor, wearing a spacesuit, seeming to be madly typing on the keyboard, greeted Tatsuo. "Kato, you little piece of shit, were you even going to let us know one of the prototypes was still here?"
"Maybe…" Kato managed weakly.
"Then let's go back to the ship, that way we can chat about the old days. You like our chats right?" His voice seemed pleasant on the surface, but anyone who knew Tatsuo Mishima well enough would immediately clap their hands together in prayer for the unfortunate soul that was in his crosshairs. It rarely ended well for them!
It was then that Alissa's voice came on the radio. "Captain Mishima. We located an emergency distress beacon. I believe it may be one of the Heliopolis escape pods. Shall I send out the other mobile suits to retrieve it?"
"Sure, I'm bringing back a…guest." Tatsuo sneered. "In fact, tell the guys…it's time to play our favorite game!"
(EAS Archangel, Captain's Office, En route to Artemis, January 27th, C.E. 71)
"No way, it is not happening at all!" Murrue adamantly shook her head, much to the amusement of both Sharon and Lieutenant Mu La Flaga. "Mr. Mishima can remain in the brig for as long as he feels like. He tried to make off with Atlantic Federation military property. He's lucky that I was unconscious when he tried to steal the Strike or I would have killed him straight away on general principle!"
"I know how it sounds Captain, but I assure you Keijiro isn't that big of a threat. He's not our enemy." Yukimasa sighed. "He's just a Grade A idiot, and a complete coward…who intended to leverage ZAFT into letting him escape by grabbing one of the G-weapons to save his own worthless ass." He shook his head. "Why I put up with him is beyond me."
It had been two days since fleeing from Heliopolis. Two days since Yukimasa's entire world had come unglued. It had all started when a majestic looking ship came out of the harbor.
(Heliopolis Space Colony, L3, January 25th, C.E. 71)
Everyone could only gaze in awe at the Archangel, Sharon looked on in admiration at the Earth Alliance's newest vessel. She had seen the schematics for the ship, but they were nothing compared to the sight of the actual vessel hovering over their heads. "So that's the end result huh? I have to admit, I can help make a pretty good ship when I'm really pressed to."
She looked to where Murrue was being tended by Mirailla. While Keijiro was sitting on the ground, hands tied behind his back. Kira and the other students were readying the Strike. The shapely pinkette put a hand on her hip; she was about to say something to Murrue when the sound of a mobile suit assaulted everyone's ears. "Damn it, kids take cover, Kira get ready!" Sharon cried out.
But before anyone could do anything, a second mobile suit had swooped in for a landing. It resembled the Strike on many levels, even sharing the same color scheme, most of the structure was white with the torso and shoulders a deep blue, and the hips and feet trimmed in red. Unlike the other G-Weapon it was much sleeker, and aerodynamic. Mounted on the right arm was what appeared to be a massive, folded up blade.
No one was sure what to expect, doubly so when the hatch in the chest opened, revealing Yukimasa, who looked somewhat rattled. "Wow…that thing really moves. I'll need to be more careful about I handle this thing in the future." He rode the cable down, walking up to the others. "Hey guys, sorry if I kept you worrying."
"Wha…what is that?" Murrue finally got out, pointing to the new mobile suit. "I didn't know there was going to be a sixth G-Weapon!"
"Oh that?" Yukimasa said, looking back to the mobile suit he had found in the hangar Ghina had pointed him to. "Uh, it's the GAT-X100 Masamune Gundam, according to the boot-up screen." He squared his shoulders, looking Murrue and Sharon in the eyes. "Uh, did either of you ladies know about this extra G-Weapon that was just lying around? Beceause I certainly don't recall it being part of the deal."
"I was just about to ask you that." Sharon said, appraising the machine herself. "Because I certainly don't recall that being part of our deal with Morgenroete." It was around that moment that the Archangel finally came in for a landing on a large field not too far from them. "What do you think, Murrue? I mean, given what happened to the other machines."
The brunette just groaned. "Just get it on board! I don't want to wait around for Le Creuset to come back again." The Strike and the Masamune were quickly loaded on board the Archangel, joined by the Moebius Zero of Mu La Flaga. Even with the addition of the strange new mobile suit, the Archangel was still heavily outmanned and outgunned. The subsequent battle saw Heliopolis fall apart due to the White Meteor's decision to use bunker buster D-Package type weaponry in the colony itself.
The Strike and Masamune had been adrift amongst the rubble, both Kira and Yukimasa were shaken from the total destruction caused by the missiles going off. "D-did that really happen?" Yukimasa wasn't sure he wanted to believe it.
"It's gone…it was so fragile." The Hawk of Endymion's voice came through on the speaker. Mu's Zero had been damaged and was unable to sortie, so he had taken charge of the Archangel's Combat Information Center. "You kids might want to come back to the ship. I don't think we can do any more around here."
"Wait a second, I'm picking something up! Kira said, noting a faint signal on his radar. "Hang on, I'm going to check it out." Without any protest from Mu or the other senior officers, the Strike's engines ignited and jetting toward the source of it. Yukimasa sighed, taking off after his friend. They found an adrift escape pod. "Hey, we can take it back with us!" Kira said.
"Ease off the throttle, Kira." Yukimasa said, keying the radio. "Uh, we have a situation over here. We found one of the emergency escape pods and it contains civilians. From where I'm standing it looks like it was damaged with the colony came apart. Is it too much trouble if we bring it aboard?" One of the officers, Ensign Natarle Badgriguel, had fervently denied it, but had been overruled by both Murrue and Sharon.
So it was that the Strike and Masamune had dragged the escape pod back to the ship, and the civilians were being unloaded. Yukimasa watched, silently grateful that Murrue had been kind enough to let them come aboard. He caught sight of a flash of pink and red. He cracked a grin, watching as his girlfriend emerged from the pod.
Kicking off the ground, he floated over to the pod. "Flay! Over here, sweetheart!" He called out, waving his arms to try and catch her attention. The redhead turned, a wide smile crossing her face, it was clear she was just as a relieved as he was to see him alive. She floated up to him, giving him a colossal hug that sent them soaring across the hangar. She kept her iron grip around his midsection.
"Oh, I'm so happy to see you're okay." Flay said, taking in her surroundings. It was then she caught sight of the Strike and Masamune. "What's going here, Yukimasa? Did you know about all this?" The redhead asked. "And what's with those mobile suits? Is this…a ZAFT ship?" She indicated to the machine standing behind him.
He wasn't sure how to respond to his girlfriend's question. "I might have." He admitted, his shoulders sagged. "I suppose I have some explaining to do. Once we get everything worked out, I'll tell you everything. If anyone deserves to know the truth. I suppose it's you. Just…don't be too angry all right?" Usually he found it cute when the redhead got angry, but Yukimasa had the feeling if he wasn't completely truthful with her this time around, it would be the equivalent of sleeping on the couch if they were married. "How about we find somewhere private?"
Taking Flay by the hand, he led her out of the hangar, down the winding corridors of the Archangel. The scent of the perfume she was wearing a strident contrast between the harsh antiseptic smell of the freshly polished corridors. They found a viewport that looked out onto the vast expanse of space. "So…are you going to tell me or not?" She folded her arms.
Yukimasa sighed, his red coat fluttering as he floated up against the wall, arms folded. "The truth is, Flay, this vessel and the mobile suits in the hangar are the end result of a joint project between the Atlantic Federation and Orb Union. The AF government came to us because no one knows more about Mobile Suits than Morgenroete. And yes I did have a hand in their development. It's very complicated."
"Oh, by all means…enlighten me." Flay glared. And so Yukimasa launched into his story. By the end, the redhead was in disbelief. Her hand came up to her heart, feeling how rapidly it was beating. "I can't believe it…you're…an inspector of some kind?" Yukimasa nodded, gently taking hold of her hand.
"Yeah, I'm a Colonel with Orb Strategic Security. I was sent here to make sure everything went smoothly. I'm actually a pretty good engineer and programmer, so I offered my expertise in preparing the software for it. At least, that was my role on the surface, I was also sent to provide security for the project. I don't need to tell you what would happen if ZAFT got wind of what we were doing."
"Yeah." Flay didn't need to be told any further, give what had just happened. "Who all knows about this?"
The red-eyed young man sighed. "Your father for starters…" He was sorely tempted to whip his phone out to take a picture of his girlfriend's face. "No, you heard right. Foreign Minster Allster was the one who helped set the whole deal up with my nation. He's been acting as a liaison between Admiral Halberton and myself." He walked a short distance away, not able to look Flay in the face "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Flay. But it had be kept quiet. Unfortunately, it still ended up blowing up in our collective faces."
"So what happens now?" Flay asked, worriedly.
"I don't know yet. I'll have to speak to the lady in charge. After that, we'll see." Yukimasa said.
After his talk with Flay, Keijiro had been thrown into the brig on charges of stealing of Atlantic Federation military property. Yukimasa was still trying to convince Murrue to release him, but so far she wasn't budging. He had gotten to know the brown haired Lieutenant fairly well when they were working on the G-weapons, and she was clearly unhappy with this turn of events. "Can you explain to me just how this happened, Mr. Sahaku? Orb was supposed to be providing security for the project and still ZAFT got word of it!"
"People in Washington are going to be asking questions." Natarle Badgiurel snapped. "It's obvious that it was that Keijiro character. He tried to steal the Strike and all but admitted he was going to try and turn it over to ZAFT to save his own worthless ass! I have a half a mind to introduce him to the airlock!"
"Just take it easy there, Ensign. I doubt Orb would take kindly to us spacing one of their citizens." Mu said. The Hawk of Endymion had quickly settled into the peacemaker role among the four Earth Alliance officers, Sharon herself was just standing off to the side buffing her nails. The busty pinkette had said nothing, content to let everyone work it out of their respective systems.
"We can point fingers later, Nattie. Right now we need to find a safe haven." Sharon sighed. "Even with what we off loaded before we departed. Our supplies are really low. So we can't waste time arguing, can we Ensign?" The dark haired officer just snorted. Yukimasa figured that was about as good a time as any to get the hell out of dodge.
He went down to the hangar where the Masamune was sitting in the docking slip meant for the Duel. Shrugging, he decided it was time to check out the capabilities of his new toy. He climbed in the Masamune's cockpit. He whistled in appreciation at the myriad of images flickering before his eyes. "I have to give Kato credit, he knew how to make a nice mobile suit. He's on par with the likes of Ralph Eifman and Erica herself." Yukimasa clicked over to the weapons menu, giving an appreciative whistle at what he found. "In addition to the main beam rifle/sword on the arm, it's got 75mm Igelstellung CIWS in the arms. A pair of beam sabers mounted on the rear shoulders, beam daggers on the lower hips."
He looked closer, noting a pair of slots that seemed to be dimmed. "And it looks like it was meant to have a couple of other weapons as well…a pair of physical blades, one long and one short, equipped with Trans-Phase Armor. But I didn't see anything like that when I found it. I suppose I'll just have to ask Erica about it when I get this thing back to Orb."
His eyes narrowed slightly when he checked just how many other mobile suits were part of its series, seeing the model numbers. 'GAT-X131 Calamity, GAT-X252 Forbidden, GAT-X370 Raider, GAT-X134 Terminus, and GAT-X232 Renegade.' He banged his fist against the cockpit wall. "That son of a bitch…he developed a whole new series of Gundams apart from what we were working on? I guess I'll have to hunt them down later."
His eyes then fell on one feature of the Masamune. "Minus System? Oh, that doesn't sound ominous at all." Yukimasa muttered to himself, keying the menu, fingers flying over the keys. "Let's see what you can do." He frowned when he saw the system was locked. He tried inputting a few other commands, but he got the same message. "Hmm, I suppose it's not the most pressing issue at the moment right now."
Yukimasa shut down Masamune, and headed for the brig. He decided to go see Keijiro, and maybe talk some sense into his friend, but he wasn't holding his breath in that regard. He was lounging on the bed, smoking a cigarillio. "Where in the hell did you get that?" Yukimasa asked.
Keijiro gave a sheepish grin. "You don't wanna know dude. I mean seriously don't want to know where I hid this."
Yukimasa just shook his head, having a very good idea of where he had hidden it. He had been unfortunate enough to catch a glimpse down Keijiro's gaping maw of an ass crack once, and that had been once too often! "I can't believe you some times. Even when you're sitting in the clink, you decide it's time to get lit up." He began fanning the smoke out of his face. "Ugh, it doesn't help that it stinks to high heaven."
"You could always join me." Keijiro said, inhaling.
"Unlike you, I don't have the luxury. We could end up in combat at any moment. Le Creuset isn't going to give us the luxury since we have the Strike and Masamune onboard right now." Yukimasa insisted, wishing his best friend wasn't such a lazy idiot at times.
Keijiro just snorted. "Well, it's not my fault your old man decided to have the Heliopolis facility be the place where the Astray Frames and G-Weapons were constructed. We could have gotten away with this if it had happened at somewhere like say JOSH-A in Alaska or at Ptolemeaus on the Moon, but noooo, it had to be on Orb soil! It would be a given ZAFT would have come snooping around!"
"Okay, I'll give you that much." Yukimasa relented, even if Kejiro was a buffoon at times, he was far from clueless. "If we had stuck with just the Astray Project at Heliopolis, then we could have just said it was us building up our own forces. ZAFT wouldn't have even given it a second thought." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Of course this begs the question…how did ZAFT find out at all in the first place?"
"Yeah, we took every precaution possible. The project was as secure as it could get. The only ones who knew the truth amongst the Orb contingent were the two of us and…" The two of them looked at each other as they both came to the same conclusion, even uttering it simultaneously. "It was Kato…"
"That no good sack of shit!" Keijiro yelled. "I can't believe he'd sell us out like this!"
"I can." Yukimasa muttered, recalling the new series of mobile suits he had found in the Masamune's database. "I always thought there was something off about that guy."
(ONS Kagutsuchi, Enroute to Ame-No-Mihashara)
The old saying goes that in space no one can hear you scream, but if one were to pass by the Kagutsuchi, they could hear the sounds of faint screams of agony and pleas for mercy emanating from the hull. It begged the question just what was going on that would cause such a commotion. Any sane person would have just gone on their merry way, but for those who had to satisfy their curiosity, let's set the scene.
The room was dark. A single spotlight fell on a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Yukimasa. He held a microphone in hand. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen of the good ship Kagutsuchi!" He broke in a loud voice. "I know that spending weeks at a time in the vast dark ocean of space can be grating on one's nerves. But worry not! Because I've got the cure for what ail's ya!" He swept his arm out in a dramatic gesture. "It's that time again! It's time for!"
"Wheel! Of! Misfortune!" several voicesbellowed out at once. With that the lights came on, revealing the entire crew of the Kagutsuchi, along with several civilians sitting in semi circle on cargo containers, crates, and whatever else was in the ship's cargo hold, while Junpei Kato was tied to a giant wheel behind Morinobu, looking outright terrified at what was to come. Alissa reached out giving the wheel a light tug, which sent the wheel spinning. Kato screamed in agony, silently praying to Haumea to end his suffering. He had heard of what Tatsuo Mishima did to his 'guests', and just desired Death's sweet embrace.
The man smirked. "That's right! I'm Morinobu Sanosuke Sahaku, and I'm your master of ceremonies for this humble contest. Joining us tonight is the esteemed Professor Junpei Kato, once one of Morgenroete Technologies' finest technical minds, but now, I'm afraid he's just another target! Allow me to introduce my special co-host for this edition, the lovely miss Cagalli Yula Attha!"
The blonde came out, looking equal parts mortified and enraged. Mori smirked, gently kissing her on the hand. "Welcome to Wheel of Misfortune, Cagalli. It's not every day we get someone like you on our humble ship. Perhaps you'd like to explain to our audience what earned Professor Kato a spin on the ol' wheel?" He handed her a tennis ball, and Cagalli's expression mirrored his.
"It's really quite simple…" She declared, never breaking eye contact, all the while throwing the ball from one hand to another. She walked up and down, enjoying his suffering. "It's because he betrayed our country!" It all happened so fast, it would have been difficult even for a Coordinator to see how fast Cagalli's wind up was, the ball flew straight and true, nailing Kato right between the legs. The Professor let out a high-pitched squeal of pain. Kuro stood a distance away in the shadows, wincing at his charge's perfect aim. He wondered why Cagalli never went out for any softball teams.
Cagalli stomped right up to Kato, and he flinched, fearing that she would hit him again. "Tell me right now, did it take you very long to decide to sell us out? Did you ever feel any regrets for betraying everything our country stands for? I have a half a mind to just shoot you on general principle, you no good fuck!" It was as far as she got when Mori gently pulled her away.
"Relax and breathe, Cagalli. We'll get the answers soon enough. We just need to take our time. Some of our guests take longer, but they always tell us what we want to know…always." Mori licked his lips as he said that last part. "And to our audience, you'll all get a chance to play a part! I'm certain it's better than sitting in that stuffy old escape pod waiting for you someone to come get you!"
The civilians couldn't argue with Mori's logic, all of them had sat in the escape pod for the better part of three hours. Cagalli had reluctantly revealed her identity to the other occupants, reassuring them that rescue would come. Everyone had seemed to take solace in her words. She hadn't expected said rescue to be Tatsuo's crew, but it was better than nothing. And after learning what Kato had been up to, she thought this was going to be very therapeutic!
"It's time for the first round!" Mori said. "So let's spin the wheel! Alissa, if you will!" The girl nodded, grabbing the wheel, giving it a hard spin. Kato went spinning around very fast. Mori grabbed Cagalli by the arm, pulling her to the side. "I should warn you, this is a splash zone!" Cagalli wondered what Mori meant, when Kato suddenly puked, spraying the area with thick, red chunky vomit!
"And I just had the floor waxed!" Tatsuo snorted, smoking his cigarillo. "I guess that's what happens when you have Mexican!"
All eyes were on the wheel as it finally, mercifully, came to a stop. Or at least, it would have merciful, but that's just now how Tatsuo and the boys rolled. The wheel was divided into numerous sections; each containing a humiliating activity the person attached to the wheel would have to endure. This was one of the more common punishments "Ah! It's time for tomato karaoke!" Mori declared, looking at where the wheel had stopped.
"The victim will have to face the dual indignity of not only being pelted with tomatoes, but also having to endure the horrendous singing of one of our guests! Pass out the tomatoes!" Mori bellowed, Kuro grinned watching as a few of the crew moved through the audience with boxes of tomatoes, and everyone was loading up for what was to come.
"And now, we have to choose the song!" Mori declared. He had to admit, this was one of the perks of being part of Tatsuo's crew. He was a natural showman, and always enjoyed getting to put people in their place. Another of the crew came up with an open shoebox filled with small slips of paper. "Let's see what we have to work with." He reached inside, coming out with a piece of paper. "Tonight's song is…'Nookie' by Limp Bizkit!" Everyone cheered.
Mori handed a second microphone to Cagalli. "Here you go, Lady Cagalli. Since you clearly have an issue with the good Professor. How about you take the stage?" The blonde mouthed 'what?' Mori leaned in close. "Oh come now, Cagalli. I know you have a lovely singing voice, I'm certain you'll entertain all of us…except maybe Kato. I do suggest you duck from time to time, if not to get hit in the face."
She seemed reluctant to stand up there in front of everyone. Cagalli looked back to where Kato was still on the wheel. "Lady Cagalli, please I beg of you! This whole thing is a giant mistake!" Kato pleaded. "I was only trying to protect the Green Frame. I would never betray Orb!" Golden eyes narrowed, all of a sudden she didn't feel so bad.
"Don't hesitate to get him in the face!" She cried to the audience, taking a red baseball cap, putting it on her head. "It's everything he deserves! Alissa, hit the music!" With that, she began singing as Kato was spun on the wheel. His cries for someone to end his pathetic, meaningless existence were drowned out by Cagalli's singing as the audience pelted tomatoes at him, by the end he looked like he had taken a ride in an industrial sized washing machine with a bunch of tomatoes.
"Anyone want tomato soup?" Tatsuo said, lighting up yet another cigarillo. "Although I'm not sure if anyone would want to taste this batch, considering it's tainted by failure." Everyone laughed, for this was Tatsuo's contribution to the little game the crew played, after a round of humiliation, he'd throw out a smartass remark.
"Fuck you, Mishima!" Kato raged, only to be hit in the junk by another tennis ball courtesy of Tatsuo himself.
"What is your problem, Stupei?" Tatsuo snapped. "Can't you see there are women and children present? Don't you have any sense of common decency? You're a pathetic excuse of a man! Alissa, it's time to pick the next round!" Alissa gave a dutiful nod, sending the hapless professor on another round of dizzy twirling, although to his credit he didn't throw up this time. He paled when he saw what the wheel had chosen this time.
"Ah, it's time for Pictionary!" Mori sneered. "Always a crowd favorite. Everyone get a marker!"
(Twenty Minutes later)
A sobbing, broken Kato was brought down from the wheel, covered in head to toe with dicks drawn on him. It was all that the Pictionary round really consisted of. "Just make it stop, please!" he whined, having finally had enough, as he was sat down on a box. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Please, no more humiliation." Tatsuo just smirked, putting up a foot on the box, causing him to flinch.
"See, now was that so hard, JP? Look at the bright side, you could start a new career as a living billboard for Viagra, but I digress." Tatsuo leaned in close, eyes anything but merry. While Mori just stood off to the side, arms folded in front of him. "Start talking, and you better not leave anything out! If not, it's back on the wheel, and I'll be sure it stops on the lightning round."
"I was personally contracted by the Atlantic Federation government to begin working on a second series of Gundams for them, independent of Morgenroete." Kato spoke fast. "I had already completed one of the prototypes, the GAT-X100 Masamune. I sent the data about it and the other machines to the people in Washington." He bowed his head. "And then I sent the data to Rau Le Creuset. I made it possible for him to make off with four of the prototypes."
Cagalli was half tempted to punch Kato in the face, knowing that was the reason ZAFT had obliterated Heliopolis, but a firm hand on her shoulder kept her restrained. Kuro just gave her a gentle look. He had some questions to answer and he needed the man coherent to speak.
"What were you going to do with the Green Frame, Kato?" Kuro asked. "That machine is the rightful property of my family. I'm certain my brother Ghina would not be happy to find out it was stolen. And let me tell you he's even more ruthless than I am when it comes to people who steal from him."
"I was waiting for someone to pick me up." Kato stated. "I was trying to get to the PLANTs in order to meet up with an old friend of mine…" He swallowed hard.
"Who?" Mori snapped.
"Durandal, Gilbert Durandal!" Kato blurted out. "He and I go back a long way."
"Gilbert Durandal?" Kuro seemed surprised. "As in Doctor Gilbert Durandal, the PLANT Minister of Genetic Sciences? Doctor Gilbert Durandal, the geneticist who is currently in charge of the team trying to solve the Coordinator birth rate problems in the PLANTs? I wasn't aware you were associates with him."
Kato rapidly shook his head. "The one and the same. He would have the power to get me a cushy position in the PLANTs researching anything I wanted." He glared at Cagalli, his earlier humiliation forgotten. "And yes, Lady Cagalli, he offered me a very sizeable amount of money to retain my services. The director position should have gone to me, but I was passed over in favor of that bitch Simmons!" Kato's rant was cut short by yet another tennis ball to the groin, courtesy of Mori. "Why is it always there?" He whined, before slumping to the ground.
"Take him out of here!" Tatsuo snapped his fingers, and two of the crew dragged the stricken scientist to the sick bay. "Just make sure you don't fix his dick entirely. We don't want to taint the gene pool any more than it already is."
"Gilbert Durandal?" Kuro was in shock. "Who'd have that thought asshat, Kato, was buddies with him?"
"I've heard of his reputation. They called him a boy genius." Cagalli recalled reading a couple of articles about him over the Internet, and how he was a natural talent in his field. "How do you know him, Kuro?"
He just shrugged. "He's our family doctor. Has been since we were kids." Kuro considered this for a few minutes. "I get the impression Kato is still holding something back, something he doesn't want to reveal to us at all." He looked to his older brother. "What do you think, Mori?"
Mori just threw his head back, tossing his hair about as he did so. "I think we should be play it by ear for now. We can take Kato back to Orb and have him prosecuted, but I think this is worth investigating further. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, just keep doing what you're doing and protecting Cagalli."
"I would have done that anyway." Kuro said, putting an arm around Cagalli's waist.
(Crew Quarters, EAS Archangel, L3, Artemis airspace, January 27th, C.E. 71)
Kira lounged on his bed. The young student was still trying to process the events of the last two days. It seemed like everything had happened so fast. One minute he had been lounging on the campus, doing his homework with Yui. The next minute he was crammed into the cockpit of the mobile suit known as the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, fighting for his life, as well as that of his girlfriend and friends. He sighed, feeling Yui drape her slender arm over his waist, cuddling up to him, a gentle smile on her face. "You okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Kira said, stroking her cheek. He silently thanked Haumea that he had taken Tolle and Miriallia's offer for the blind date, otherwise he would have never fallen for Yui, and would probably have still been pining after Flay. The redhead was gorgeous, of that there was no doubt, but Yui Takamura had truly stolen his heart, not just with her beauty or her sharp mind, but her loving soul as well. "I'm just…tired is all. I never wanted this to happen."
"You couldn't have stopped this from happening, Kira. No one saw it coming." She blushed slightly. "Of course, you stood up for us by taking out the Strike and fighting off the GINNs. I didn't get the chance to say it then, but it was quite gallant of you. You were my hero." Kira straightened up a little bit, as Yui reached up to kiss him on the lips.
The two settled down on the bunk together, Kira rubbing Yui's back, happy to enjoy a quiet moment just for the two of them. A good thing since they both knew it wouldn't last long, especially since the White Meteor and his team were hot on their trail and would not rest until the Strike and Archangel were either destroyed or captured.
(Bridge)
Murrue was sitting in the command chair, watching as the massive asteroid slowly loomed up on them. Her mind had been racing ever since their mad dash from Heliopolis. There had been a very heated argument between her and the other officers about where to go with the colony's destruction. On the surface it seemed like common sense to head for Artemis, which was in close proximity to the colony.
However, Natarle had brought up things were rarely so simple, as the Archangel had built under the strictest of secrecy, and due to the sudden attack, didn't even have any kind of IFF codes installed. Plus the ship was an Atlantic Federation vessel, and Artemis was an outpost of the Eurasian Federation. Despite the two nations being partners in the Earth Alliance, there was still a long time rivalry between them, and old feuds were difficult to put aside.
Still Murrue, Mu, and Sharon had overruled Natarle and plotted a course for the home of the fabled Umbrella of Artemis, the seemingly impenetrable Umbrella of Artemis. "Captain!" Sharon's voice shook Murrue from her musing. The busty Pinkette had taken over duties at communications. "We've got incoming heat signatures, it looks like those two ZAFT ships are closing in fast."
Murrue sighed. "I guess we couldn't expect them to just leave us alone." She sat up a little straighter, as the most ranking officer on the ship, Murrue had been made the Archangel's master, and she had to take the lead. "Get all hands to battle stations. Contact Mr. Yamato and Mr. Sanada, tell them we're going to need them to launch with Lieutenant La Flaga in the Strike and Masamune."
(Crew Quarters)
The blaring of the alarm klaxon awoke Yukimasa with a start. After meeting with Kejiro, he returned to the quarters to get some rest. Flay had been curled up against him, the only sound had been that of her deep even breathing. It was quite soothing and he was about to join her in sleep when the alarms went off. The redhead sprung up at once. "What is that?" She screamed.
Murrue's voice came over the loudspeakers, giving Flay all the answers she needed. "We are now at Level One Battle Stations! All personnel to their posts." Yukimasa groaned in agitation. He was just about to nod off and now he was going to have to fight again. He gave Flay a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry, love. Sounds like I have to go to work. Don't worry, I'll be careful out there." He hopped out of his bed, heading for the hangar. He ran into Kira on the way. He could see the sorrow building in the other boy's eyes. "I guess we don't have a choice, huh? We've got to keep this ship safe otherwise we're all in trouble."
"I suppose you're right." Kira said, silently wishing he could just crawl into one of the bunks and ignore everything, but sadly it was not meant to be the case. He followed Yukimasa to the locker room, where he found a pair of light blue flightsuits that had been set out for them. The two began changing their clothes.
"Why they picked a color like this is beyond me." Yukimasa muttered to himself, having caught sight of the flightsuits for female pilots, which was an equally bright pink. A part of his mind silently contemplated wondering what Flay would look like wearing it, but quickly dismissed it, reasoning he would have time to fantasize about his girlfriend later when no one was trying to kill them.
The two young men entered the hangar with a grim determination, helmets under their arms. Mu was already present in his purple flightsuit, helmet also in hand. The Hawk of Endymion was making final checks on his Moebius Zero when he saw Kira and Yukimasa enter, he quickly made his way over to them. "You guys ready?" the ace asked.
"Yeah, although I have to wonder about the Earth Alliance's fashion sense." Yukimasa said, idly contemplating whether he could start juggling his helmet along with Kira's. "But enough of my wisecracks. I get that we've got some problems from ZAFT, so how about we just get to work and try and get ol' Metal Mask and his goons out of our hair? I left Flay in our quarters and I want to get back to our nap." He said, before heading for his machine.
Mu just cracked a grin. "We'll do the best we can." He remarked, clapping a hand on Kira's shoulder. "I imagine you'll want to get back to your girlfriend as well, huh kid?" He had caught sight of the two couples, noting how Kira and Yui had been seen holding onto each other, the protective gaze he had been giving everyone. "You and Miss Takamura seem very close. I can imagine she's very grateful to have someone like you as her boyfriend, always looking out for her."
Kira managed a small smile, recalling the fond memories he had made with Yui over the past few months, her gentle demeanor, the shy smiles she would give him and no one else. At the same time he thought of how strong she really was, not afraid to lay down the law during Kato's classes. And of course, whenever she was in the swimming pool, wearing her preferred blue and white one piece swimsuit, doing a gentle backstroke, leaving a slight wake behind her as she swam. "Yeah…you could say that." He said, an edge of conviction that hadn't been there before creeping in. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I couldn't protect her." Mu just gave a nod of approval, before heading to his mobile armor, while Kira went for the Strike.
It didn't take long for Yukimasa to bring the Masamune's systems online. He checked to make sure the Minus System was still secure, very nervous about just what it was. The Masamune headed for the starboard catapult while the Strike made for port, seconds behind the Hawk of Endymion's Moebius Zero.
Yukimasa made one last check of his machine's systems. "Yukimasa Ikari, Masamune, taking off!" Having been used to taking off from the Kaguya Mass Driver back home, the Archangel's linear catapult was a gentle push. The metallic tunnel of the ship's launch deck quickly passed, and all he could see was the void of space. He caught sight of two ZAFT ships, the Nazca-class destroyer, PSV Vesalius, and the Laurasia-class frigate, PSV Gamow. The ships attached to the team of Commander Rau Le Creuset, the White Meteor.
He could see the points of light emerging from the two ships, and he knew exactly what was coming out. "Those ZAFT bastards, using my own creations against us? Well, if they want a fight." Red eyes flickered over to the folded blade on the right arm. "I'll be happy to give it to them!" He gunned his engines as he made for the other G-weapons.
A blue and gray shape slowly emerged from the void. "The Duel! So you want a rematch then, pal?" Yukimasa quipped. He raised the Masamune's right arm, firing the beam rifle that made up part of his machine's primary weapon, letting loose a flurry of emerald beams. The blue and gray Gundam raised its shield, letting the rounds that weren't avoided dissipate on the slab of anti-beam coated metal. "Those redcoats are the real deal it seems." He remarked, having long heard of the skill that came from ZAFT's most elite pilots.
"It's that new mobile suit from earlier!" Yzak sneered, opening fire with his own beam rifle, popping off a grenade as well, only for the other mobile suit to neatly evade everything the Duel threw at it. His ice blue eyes goggled at the raw speed the Masamune possessed. The way the machine moved was so fluid. Yzak could swear it almost seemed human.
"Okay, time to take this to the next level!" Yukimasa said, bringing the hybrid weapon up, shifting it to blade mode. He swept it in a wide arc, watching as a trail of glowing blue particles swept across it, a slight gleam catching along the razor sharp edge.
(Archangel, Hangar)
Kira didn't have Yukimasa's attitude as he settled down in the Strike's cockpit. He was still uncomfortable with the prospect of combat, but then he thought of what Mu had said to him. The image of the girl he loved came to mind. His hands clenched, Yui had been the best thing to ever happen to him, and it would be a cold day in hell before he let any harm come to her. He wasn't expecting to see Yui's face come on his monitor. "I'll be acting as your mission support from here on out. Strike, prepare for launch. Equipping Aile Pack now."
He could the see equipment coming out of the walls, the beam rifle and accompanying shield retracted out of the wall and into his hands. The thruster pack descended from the ceiling, attaching to the hard points on the Strike's back. The Phase Shift Armor blurred to life, coloring the entire unit white, while the torso became a brilliant blue, trimmed in red. Yui winked at him. "Make me proud." She whispered.
"Kira Yamato, Strike Gundam, heading out!" the familiar lurch of the linear catapult sent the mighty war machine into the heart of the fray. He felt a great weight fall on him when he caught sight of a red mobile suit, approaching him. A mobile suit piloted by someone he knew quite well. His mind flashed back to Helipolis, where he had a very unlikely reunion with an old friend.
"Athrun…" He breathed, hands curling around control grips, as the image of a young with dark blue hair and emerald green eyes, wearing the red flight suit of a ZAFT elite pilot came to mind. Reluctantly, Kira raised his beam rifle, watching as the GAT-X303 Aegis Gundam readied its own weapon. The two began weakly firing at each other, circling about in a halfhearted manner.
One could almost tell neither wanted to fight each other. Within the cockpit of the stolen Aegis, Lieutenant Athrun Zala was approaching the fight with equal trepidation. He had no clue that his long time friend would have been present on the colony. He couldn't fathom why Kira would have defended the Earth Alliance officer he was about to kill in order to avenge Rusty's death. He narrowed his eyes. "Kira, I don't know why you're doing this, but if you can see the Naturals are using you, then maybe we can forget this ever happened."
A golden blade of synthetic lightning erupted from the Aegis's right arm as Athrun activated one of the wrist mounted beam sabers, Kira went for a saber of his own, taken from the Aile pack, the two glowing weapons intersected. "Athrun…" Kira whispered. He opened fire with the CIWS, the 75mm shells bounced off the Phase Shift Armor. It would appear that this battle would continue to move slowly.
(Artemis Airspace)
Yzak had thought this unknown mobile suit would have been an easy mark, after all, how good could a Natural be compared to a Coordinator? But Yukimasa was about to prove the white haired redcoat wrong. He wound up with a back handed strike, locking blades with the Duel, who had gone for one of the ES01 beam sabers mounted on the back. The blade of frozen fire strained against the metal, he noted with surprise what appeared to be a thin field of energy surrounding the weapon.
Yzak couldn't believe his eyes. The initial appearance of this unknown mobile suit had caught the entire squad off guard. However, he had been certain that his beam saber would have turned the large blade his opponent was carrying into a molten stump. He hadn't expected the blade to actually deflect his saber. The Masamune's leg whipped out, catching the Duel in the chest.
Yzak struggled to get his mobile suit back under control as it tumbled end over end through space. He managed to right himself, only to find Yukimasa barreling right at him, firing his beam rifle, emerald beams managing to catch the Duel in the left shoulder, right leg, and hip. "You bastard!" he raged, blasting away madly.
"Wow, this guy is a real hothead." Yukimasa remarked, using his machine's superior speed and agility to dodge and weave. He decided it was time to make use of some of his mobile suit's other features, beginning with the wrist mounted CIWS. Much to his amazement, and Yzak's dismay, it turned out that the Masamune's vulcans were beam rather than shell based, as small emerald bursts began spitting out from the barrels.
The white haired Joule heir snarled, madly trying to avoid getting pelted by the tiny beams, clenching the shield, but the small bursts still managed to find their mark, scoring tiny hits all along the Duel's super structure from head to metallic toe. "Why you!" Yzak raged, returning fire with his beam rifle. The Masamune just continued to dance in and out, while firing back with his own weapon.
(Archangel, Bridge)
Murrue settled in her command chair, watching as the four captured G-weapons engaged the Strike, and Masamune, while the Moebius Zero veered in another direction toward the enemy carriers. "Ensign Badguiruel, ready all weapons, load missile tubes with Wombats and Sledgehammers, and have the Gottfrieds and Valiants. In addition, have the…" She hesitated. "Have the Lohegrins brought to standby mode and begin charging up." Murrue's command drew attention from everyone.
"Wow, you're not holding back at all, are you, Murrue?" Sharon remarked. The Lohegrin positron cannons were the most powerful weapons in the Archangel's arsenal, firing powerful streams of antimatter capable of ripping apart a target on the molecular level. "You really think they're going to be necessary?"
"Not against the Gundams, but if Lieutenant La Flaga's plan works, it would be a great change to take out the Vesalius and Le Creuset with it." Murrue's eyes narrowed. She knew the reputation of the White Meteor all too well, having learned it from her mentor, Rear Admiral Lewis Halberton, considered by many to be the Earth Alliance's answer to Commander Rau Le Creuset. The two had actually had the chance to match wits earlier in the war during the Battle of Nova, which had ended in a stalemate. But Halberton said he could have won against Rau.
The Hawk of Endymion had proposed launching a sneak attack on the Vesalius, taking his Zero through the debris field and hitting them from behind, hopefully it would be enough to dissuade ZAFT from pursuing them at least for a little while, long enough for them to get to the Moon, or even to Alaska. Murrue's hand clenched into a fist, as she offered a silent prayer to the Hawk of Endymion. "Come on, Lieutenant!"
(Artemis Airspace, Strike vs Aegis)
Kira and Athrun were still exchanging shots; neither of them seemed to be willing to make an aggressive move. The Aegis dodged to the side, emerald rounds bouncing off its shield. "Kira, please, can't you see the Naturals are using you?" Athrun tried to reason with his old friend, "Why are you fighting for the Earth Alliance to begin with?" The Strike and Aegis locked blades, Kira slashed upwards.
"I didn't join the Earth Alliance officially, Athrun. I'm only doing this to protect my friends onboard the Archangel…not to mention my girlfriend as well!" Kira stated. His eyes narrowed slightly, while he was hesitant to fight against his brother all but in blood, for Yui he would have taken on the whole might of ZAFT itself.
As for Athrun, his eyes widened at the mention of 'girlfriend'. He had always known Kira to be very quiet and shy as a boy, and hadn't ever considered he'd fall for a girl. He put the thought aside, "Be that it may, you're still going against your own kind!" He took note of the Aegis's battery, the indicator stating he was at about forty-one percent. He could continue for a little bit longer. "If you're not going to listen to reason, I'll have to get tough then!"
He put his rifle aside, igniting both beam sabers. "I'm going to bring you back with me one way or another!" It was a desperate plan, but Athrun reasoned it could work, if he could run down the Strike's battery, it would leave the mobile suit powerless and then he could bring it and Kira back to the Vesalius and they could straighten this whole thing out. Kira wasn't prepared for the sudden onslaught from his friend, but he didn't stay that way for long.
Kira opened fire with his beam rifle, squeezing off a barrage of rounds, only to be met by Aegis's beam saber, cutting through the upper part of the Strike's beam shield, leaving a molten gap. He ignited a beam saber, going for close range combat. So focused on fighting him, he didn't notice that his battery power was rapidly dwindling.
(Artemis Airspace)
Dearka and Nicol were currently engaging the legged ship, madly avoiding getting hit by the CIWS and any missiles. The blonde haired sniper joined his weapons together, firing a round that managed to connect on the lower part of the white vessel's hull, smoke beginning to billow out into the void. At the same time, the GAT-X207 Blitz Gundam was firing its beam rifle.
"The Earth Alliance's new ship just will not die!" Nicol remarked, firing a few more rounds, while nearly avoiding being torn up by a barrage of Helldarts. It was equal parts admirable and irritating that the ship was taking so long to sink. The youngest of the Le Creuset Team's redcoats looked to where Athrun and Yzak were facing off with their respective opponents. "Should we help them out?" Nicol wondered.
"You heard what the commander said, we need to lure the ship into the range of the Vesalius's weapons." Dearka replied as he snapped off another round, punctuated with a barrage of missiles from the Buster's shoulder mounted launchers. "Yzak seems to have developed a mad boner against the pilot of that one mobile suit, and I don't know what Athrun's problem is. Let's just do what's been asked of us."
Nicol gave no reply, wondering about the people onboard the legged ship. He had nothing against Naturals in general, and wondered if they were just trying to do their jobs, same as his teammates. He looked to where Athrun was fighting the Strike, recalling what had been confided in him, how the pilot of the white and blue machine was in fact a Coordinator like him. "I hope that nothing happens to you, Mr. Yamato. I'd like to meet you under better circumstances than this."
(Vesalius, Bridge)
"The Legged Ship is in range, Captain. Our main cannons are primed and ready to fire on your order, sir." For Captain Ades it couldn't come sooner. There was something about that ship that made him very uneasy, and the sooner it was blasted out of the sky, the better.
"Very well, we are going to finish this in one fell swoop!" Rau declared, it was then he felt a familiar pressure building in his skull, a feeling he had encountered many times before. "La Flaga?" Was all he had to time to say before the entire ship began rocking from multiple impact. The weapon operators began madly chatting, the CIWS spooling up.
It was that moment that the orange craft erupted from the debris field, giving it a predatory look that made its pilot's name seem all the more fitting. "A little present from me to you, Rau! Let it be said I never gave you anything!" Mu La Flaga smirked, opening fire with his main linear cannon, the wired gunbarrels spooled out, beginning to rake alone the entire ventral surface of the Vesalius.
Mu grinned beneath his helmet, the entire underside of the ship had been gutted, and wouldn't be bothering them for a while at least. Satisfied with his handiwork, The Hawk of Endymion used the Zero's grapple tether to make a hard about face, looping back toward the Archangel. He reeled the wired gunbarrels back in.
"Give me a damage report right now, Ades!" Rau barked to his flag captain, as emergency lights began flashing on, bathing the entire bridge in an angry red color that reflected off of his mask, giving him an evil appearance.
"It appears the number five sodium wall has been damaged." Ades reported, wincing at the multitude of damage reports rapidly coming in. "There are fires on all decks. The port side engine has been take out as well. The damage is extensive sir. There is no way we can take the legged ship in our current state. We'll need some serious time in drydock to repair everything."
Rau frowned, his fists clenched as he cursed the Hawk of Endymion, vowing he'd pay him back for this. "I suppose we have no choice then, call our mobile suits back, we may have to leave the Gamow behind to continue the pursuit without us, while we return to the PLANTs." He cradled his chin in his hands. "Councilor Zala will not be pleased by this turn of events."
(Artemis Airspace, Strike vs Aegis)
"Why would you even join ZAFT in the first place, Athrun? You hate war." Kira tried to pry more from his friend. He remembered the words Athrun had spoken to him that day in Copernicus, the day his father had recalled him to the PLANTs. You will see, the Earth Alliance will see reason. There will be no war, you're coming to join us in the PLANTs, right? The words had stuck to him that day, and thus he was trying to find some answers. As such he wasn't really paying attention to how his energy levels were dipping into the red zone.
"My mom was killed during the Bloody Valentine." Athrun winced, struggling not to let any tears fall. "I couldn't let her death go unanswered, Kira." He opened fire with his rifle, catching the Strike in the shoulder. "I know you'd feel the same way if it was your parents."
"Maybe." Was all Kira had time to say when his master alarm starting blaring. Kira's heart stopped when he looked at his battery level and it read zero. He could hear a scraping sound; the Aegis had shifted to its mobile armor mode, catching the Strike in its metallic grasp. "I'm taking you back to the Vesalius, Kira. Maybe then you'll be able to listen to reason." Athrun said, praying that Commander Le Creuset wouldn't insist on throwing his friend in the brig because he was piloting an enemy machine.
It was around this time that Dearka and Nicol showed up. "Athrun, what are you doing? Our orders are to destroy that thing." the blonde pilot asked, wondering why the fifth prototype was in the Aegis's claw.
"It will be easier this way, that way we can keep it out of the Earth Alliance's hands." Athrun said, hoping he could explain to his friends just what was going on with Kira. Nicol would be easy to win over, and Dearka might warm in time, but Yzak would be the tough call.
"Like hell I am! I refuse to even set foot on a ZAFT ship!" Kira struggled to get free, but the Strike's controls were unresponsive. "Archangel, I'm in a bit of a tight spot right now. The Aegis has me captured and my battery is dead!" He banged the console in frustration. "Any time you wanted to come and bail me out, I wouldn't complain at all!"
"Hang in there, kid. Murdoch and the others are prepping the Launcher pack for you right now." Mu's voice came in. "I'll see what I can do about getting that oversized crab off of you." the Hawk of Endymion came through, opening fire with his linear cannon. The 110mm shell hit the Aegis square in the back, and it was enough for the red Gundam to relinquish its hold on the Strike.
At the same time the Launcher pack roared off the linear catapult straight at the Strike. Kira hit the ejection button, causing the useless Aile pack to fall away. He ignited the Strike's engines, making for the Archangel while the Aegis and Blitz followed after him. "Come back here, Kira!" Athrun yelled.
Nicol raised the Blitz's Trikeros system, reading the lancer darts, he hoped to just disable the Strike, not wanting to cause any harm to Athrun's friend. But the Launcher pack reached him first. Kira's battery power leapt straight up to one hundred percent. He raised the Agni, the Aegis squarely in his sight. "Just back off, Athrun! I don't want to hurt you, but I won't go back…I'm sorry man."
"I see…then in that case. The next time I'll have no choice but to shoot you down. Until next, Kira. Dearka, Nicol, we're returning to the ship." Dearka was about to protest. "Do as I say, right now, Lieutenant Elsman! This battle has no more point." The Aegis flew off, the Buster and Blitz falling into formation right behind it.
"Athrun…" Kira muttered, watching as the three mobile suits retreated into the void of space. His shoulders drooped in a mix of despair and exhaustion. Some days it really didn't pay to get out of bed!
(Artemis Airspace, Masamune vs Duel)
"Why won't you just die, you stinking Natural?!" Yzak raged. The Duel was the most basic of the Gundams, but Yzak was an elite of ZAFT, skilled enough to catch onto the basic operations of the Earth Alliance machine fairly quick. However, this new mobile suit was proving to be a colossal pain in the ass. He smirked when he saw one of the emerald lances manage to catch the Masamune in the shoulder.
Yukimasa grunted as his machine shook from the impact. "Hey! Don't trash my ride, pal!" He cycled through his other weapons. "Let's see, what else have I got here?" His eyes fell on something in particular. "Beam Daggers? Perfect!" Squeezing off a few more rounds from his rifle, followed by a quick barrage from the CIWS, he quickly spun his mobile suit, making it appear he was retreating.
"Oh no you don't!" Yzak growled. "I'm not going to let you run away so fast!" Gunning the Duel's engines, he took off in pursuit, yelling at the top of his lungs. He brought his beam rifle to bear, taking very careful aim at the Masamune's engines. His plan was to disable the mobile suit's propulsion in one hit, before using a grenade and a beam saber strike to finish it off. "Get ready to taste ZAFT's might, Natural Scum!"
Yzak's plan was actually fairly solid, and it would have worked if he weren't so hot tempered all the time. Yukimasa anticipated that he would be pursued; he went for one of the beam daggers mounted on the waist, while keeping his finger on the trigger for the sword/rifle. His eyes watching carefully as the Duel brought its own rifle up. "That's it pal…right where I want you!" He flung the dagger, the short glowing blade embedding itself in the scope. The massive switch blade flipped open, hacking the enemy's weapon in half.
"Damn it!" Yzak raged, going for a beam saber. Yukimasa smirked, deciding to meet his opponent head on, drawing a beam saber of his own from the back mounted rack, the two flaming blades meeting in a shower of sparks. Yzak went for a big overhead strike, Yukimasa going backhanded, although he wasn't aiming for the actual blade, instead targeting the saber handle itself, managing to cut right through it. "What?" Yzak was in disbelief, going for his other beam saber, only for his commanding officer's voice to come over the radio.
"That's enough Yzak." The suave, cultured voice of the White Meteor spoke. "We're going to withdraw for right now. We can't do anything more here." Yzak hesitated for a moment, looking at the machine that had humiliated him, but he also didn't want to violate a direct order from his superior, and reluctantly turned his machine back toward the Gamow.
(Archangel, Hangar)
The Masamune settled into its docking slot. Yukimasa sighed in a mixture of relief and fatigue as he powered his machine down, and removed his helmet. "Wow, the guy who took the Duel is a regular hot head! But then again…he is a redcoat. I guess that uniform isn't just for show." He gave his mobile suit a loving pat. "But on the plus side, this bad boy is a real beast. I think I could get used to it."
"Yukimasa!" Flay had come into the hangar, She floated right up to the cockpit, not waiting for him to get out, the redhead went straight in, giving him the biggest, deepest kiss she could manage. "Oh, I was so worried about you! Are you okay?" She went on a mile a minute, all the while not relinquishing the death grip on him. He brought his hand up to stroke her brilliant red locks.
"I'm fine, honey. Couldn't be better in fact. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get out of this monkey suit and get a shower. After that, maybe we can get back to that nap, huh?" He gave his trademark roguish grin. Flay flashed a playful smile back at him, before planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. The couple left the hangar together.
(Archangel, Locker Room)
Kira had paid no mind to Murdoch, Mu, or anyone else. He just got out of the Strike's cockpit, and went straight to the locker room to change out of his flight suit into his uniform. He punched the wall in anger and frustration. Everything seemed to be falling apart around him and he had no guidance at all. "Damn it Athrun…How did it come to this?" He said to no one.
"Kira?" He turned to see Yui in the doorway. She came up, giving him a firm hug. He stiffened, the feeling of her breasts digging into him alleviated some of his pain. He had forgotten that Yui was quite endowed, not as big as Murrue or Sharon, but still pretty close! "I was so worried for a few minutes when you got caught by the Aegis. Are you okay?"
"Yeah…I'm fine." Kira couldn't bring himself to look his girlfriend in the eye, his mind still roiling with conflict, Yui brought a delicate hand up to his face, the fresh pink nail polish catching the harsh lights of the room.
"What's wrong, Kira? Something is bothering you, I can tell." Yui had taken note of how meekly the Strike and Aegis had faced each other through the entire battle. It was evidet neither side wanted to cause any real harm. Her smile was warm and inviting. "You know you can tell me anything."
He sighed, if it were anyone else but her, he wouldn't have said a thing. But he trusted Yui, and knew she would give him all the support he needed. "Yes, something is bothering me. The pilot of the Aegis is a friend of mine. Someone I haven't seen in a long while." Kira took a seat on the bench, Yui right next to him. "Athrun Zala."
"Athrun Zala?" Kira and Yui turned to see Yukimasa and Flay standing in the doorway. "As in…the son of Defense Committee Chairman Patrick Zala? He's a friend of yours?" Neither of them had expected that would be the first they'd hear when setting foot in the room. "He's a friend of yours…and he's fighting for ZAFT, fighting us right now?"
"Yes." Kira said, knowing there was no way he could keep it hidden any more.
Yukimasa took a seat on the bench across from Kira, Flay sitting by his side. "Wow…talk about the worst kind of luck a guy could hit with. My heart goes out to you, man. Word of advice to you…it may be a good idea to keep out of the way of Athrun. Because if what happened today is any indication. I don't think your next meeting will go very well."
"But how can I avoid him? He's my best friend!" Kira protested. Athrun's promise to shoot him down the next time they spoke still ringing in his head.
"You should listen to the guy." Keijiro piped up, everyone could only gape in surprise, considering he should have been locked up in the brig. "If you and your buddy have been forced onto different sides, common sense dictates you avoid each other at all costs. I think your logic is rather flawed."
"How did you get out of the brig?" Flay asked. Keijiro just folded his arms.
"I helped design this tub, sweetheart. I know the electronics inside and out. I may have also installed a few backdoors. I could have left the brig anytime I wanted to." Keijiro put his hands in his pockets. "Look Yamato, I know I'm a an asshole, but what I'm saying is the truth. You don't want to fight Zala? Then don't go near him at all. It's that simple."
Yui took hold of Kira's hand, ignoring Keijiro. They could do without his particular brand of encouragement. "Athrun means a lot to you, doesn't he, Kira?" Her violet eyes full of understanding. It set his mind and heart at ease.
"Yeah, he was the closest I ever had to a brother. I only wanted to talk to him, and find out what his reasoning is for joining ZAFT. I remember the last time we spoke to each other, he said there would be no war. The first time I see him in two years and he's wearing a ZAFT uniform. I just don't know what to believe in. He kept going on about how I was betraying my people and that I had to come with him." He brought his hand up to cradle Yui's face, causing her to start blushing. "But that would mean leaving you. I could never do that."
Flay giggled as both Yukimasa and Keijiro rolled their eyes. "Well, at least we know you have your priorities straight." Yukimasa said. Feeling confident Kira wasn't going to suddenly run off with the Strike. "I'll try not to scar you for life about the summer Athrun and I were at band camp together." Kira, Yui, and Flay all looked at him. "What? Our dads know each other, we met at a party in the PLANTs."
"Then you know the kind of guy he is, right?" Kira said. "I mean, he's not the type who goes around hurting innocent people."
Yukimasa just sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I do. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Maybe if we get lucky, you can introduce him to everyone. Although I still think you should stay away from Athrun for right now, Kira. If just to keep from having a repeat of what happened today." He stood up, "Come on Flay. I'd like to get back to that nap now. As for you." He looked to Keijiro. "You better get back in the brig, that Badgiruel lady would pitch a fit."
"Aw, why should I? It's dank and cold in those cells, and It's not like I have anything to spruce the place up!" He whined.
"Because if you don't, I'll chuck you in there bodily myself!" Yukimasa really wondered why the two of them became friends at times when he acted like such an idiot! "You do realize they will shoot you on sight if they see you out and around. Even you are not that stupid!"
Kejiro folded his arms across his chest, pouting like a six year old who was told he couldn't have a toy and was about to throw a colossal tantrum. "I just wanted to stretch my legs a little bit, is that such a crime?"
Yukimasa finally had enough, and just grabbed Keijiro by his collar. "Come on, you idiot!" He dragged the protesting teenager out the door. Flay giggled again, giving a little wave to Kira and Yui before following the boys into the hall.
Kira and Yui sat there in an awkward silence for a few seconds before she pulled him up to his feet. "Come on, I imagine you need a shower and some rest. We may have pushed away ZAFT for right now, but we both know this isn't the end. They won't stop until this ship is destroyed."
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Kira said, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. Whatever his reluctance to fight Athrun specifically, if any ZAFT soldier dared lay a hand on Yui, he would show them just how focused he could really be. In the mean time he would be satisfied with just relishing the soft touch of his girlfriend's hand. Kira reasoned that he'd become quite intimate to what Yui's hand felt like, if things continued on the way they did.