Disclaimer: I own Gundam SEED & Gundam SEED Destiny, and because of this blatant lie, I shall be fined gazillions of dollars in addition to N years of jail time. Hurray!
(No, I honestly do not expect anyone to take the aforementioned statement seriously)
Summary:
How can Orb, or more importantly, the Clyne Faction, rebuild an Earth devastated by the last war, and amend the shattered relations between PLANT & the world? Is Lacus Clyne a practical idealist, or a hopeless romantic? Is Kira Yamato's belief just, or is he merely a piece of an ever-expanding chessboard that is warfare?
I am writing this mainly as a possible continuation after the Second Bloody-Valentine War.
However, this is written from the standpoint of Yzak Joule and Shiho Hahnenfuss, therefore it is essentially a pairing of these two characters.
And with this being my first fan-fic ever, I suppose I deserve mercy points?
Prologue
CE 75, the aftermath of the Second Bloody-Valentine War left Earth tattered and broken. The Atlantic & Eurasian Federations were all but decimated and in ruins. Power vacuums seeded various corners of the globe, propagating chaos and turmoil in their wake.
In the midst of uncertainty, a new resistance evolved into an ever-growing menace, and threatens to challenge the very foundation of a 'New World Order' proposed by Lacus Clyne.
Despite the best efforts of ZAFT and ORB to curb this new threat, victory seems elusive.
Fifteen mobile suits mobilized within the capacious hanger the Voltaire, their thrusters gunned & weapons charged.
ZAFT fleet admiral Yzak Joule was pleased to be strapped inside a cockpit once again. It felt like eons since his last sortie, and he was not about to pass this up. He anxiously adjusted his control modules, followed by last minute inspections of his mobile suit, the Slayer Mirage.
Inside the docking bays were three individualized officer mobile suits and twelve ZGMF-3000 Zaku Paladins, the latest generation ZGMF mass-production types. Despite the second war's end, ZAFT remained on the cutting-edge of military-technology. In as little as two years, ZAFT introduced no less than three ZGMF series mobile suits alongside countless variants.
Akin to previous ZGMF series, the basic Paladin is a jack-of-all-trades, but one with enormous customization possibilities. A Paladin in the hands of a skilled pilot in conjunction with the right support systems can easily become a friend's greatest ally, or a foe's worst nightmare.
Being a ZAFT fleet admiral did not stop Yzak from heading the infamous Joule Team into what appeared to be an imminent skirmish. It was extremely uncommon for any ZAFT admirals to lead MS squadrons personally and partake in the thick of battle. Yet, the temptation proved overwhelming. After all, unlike most ZAFT admirals who begin their military careers first through the mundane process of attending officer academies, Yzak enjoyed a vibrant life in both wars, first and foremost as a MS pilot. Moreover, after spending a good portion of his youth in mobile suits, he felt genuine 'power' whenever he found himself surrounded by the cramped confinements of a cockpit. For him, it was an entirely different perception on the spacious bridge of his flagship, the Voltaire, where death lurked in nearly every corner. Indeed, with few exceptions, fleet ships tended to have a reputation for being 'floating graveyards'.
Even after six months since his promotion, Yzak still considered himself somewhat of a victim to false advertisement. Certainly, his new job details provided a mobile suit custom-made to his specifications, assembled his old squad & crews, and no longer two mere ships, but an entire fleet under his personal directives. What it failed to address, perhaps intentionally, was the trauma associated with every ZAFT admiral, the trauma of office life.
To be restrained daily inside a lifeless cubicle of a fleet ship living off coffee & instant, ready-to-eat meals while gaining unnecessary weight made Yzak feel like dead man walking (or in his case, sitting). He even kept a sleeping bag with him at all times, as he rarely had the chance to leave.
In the past, Yzak dismissed the phrase: "a pen is mightier than a sword", but now he found a new appreciation for the term. He spent most of his working hours and beyond reviewing piles after piles of documents, a process he considered to be far more lethal than being on the receiving end of a beam rifle. He hardly showers or change, and the only confirmation of his still living existence was the presence of his ever-faithful subordinate, Colonel Shiho Hahnenfuss, periodically stopping by his office to deliver more coffee, more junk food and of course, more documents.
Yzak attempted to resign, but was declined every time he tried. Instead, whenever he filed a resignation, his paycheck increased that same week. Yzak cannot help but to feel bribed, which was understandable, considering he was one of the few survivors of two wars, and one with significant military experience to boot. Men like him were rare, and invaluable to ZAFT.
No doubt the rank of fleet admiralty had its benefits. Such as awe-inspiring paychecks and virtually unquestioned power. Except as a filial son, Yzak allowed his mother to have complete access over his finances. Except with no wars in sight, his ZAFT-given powers were nearly worthless.
But today was different.
He was no longer in the office, at least for the moment.
And he was not about to let this small window of liberation go into waste…
