AN: Hey I'm back! Sorry for the wait, but I had a few personal things come up and well this one wasn't the most exciting to write about so I had to spice it up as best I could. Now then before we do anything else, please welcome this chapter's special guest. You know him, you love him, because doesn't love to hate a good villian, the Decepticon Second in Command, all around wimp, and the Con who screams like a little girl...Starscream!
Starscream: Grrr, what kind of introduction is that, and where was the applause?!
AN: What the audience sound effects are broken, and besides I'm just reading the script, I don't write it.
Starscream: Yes you do! You're the author of this story!
AN: Ehehe, oh yeah, right.
Starscream: And I do NOT scream like a girl!
AN: Whatever you say Screamer. Oh snap, uh Starscream...Megatron's right behind you and boy does he look mad.
Starscream: WHAT?! [Screams his usual girly scream]
AN: HAHAHAHAHAHA I can't believe you fell for that.
Starscream: Why you insolent little-
AN: Yeah, yeah. Get angry, threat, yada yada, time to start the chapter. Could you please do the disclaimer.
Starscream: No I will not degrade myself by giving that statement.
AN: What statement?
Starscream: That whole lyokoMARVELanime does not own anything in the Gundam or Transformers franchises or anything else that is not an OC. that statement.
AN: Thanks for the disclaimer Starscream! On with the story.
Starscream:...Wait what?
Chapter 8: On a Calm Day
"Remind me again what we are doing Athrun Zala," Dreadwing asked from the air above Athrun as he followed the young man in his jet mode while Athrun drove along the road. Athrun had the day off that day and had decided to go out for a while, and, at both his father's and Megatron's insistence, Dreadwing was to accompany him as a kind of bodyguard or something.
"I told you Dreadwing," Athrun replied. "We're going to see Lacus because this is the first time in a long while that I have been back at the PLANTs and she and I have both had time off."
"I understand that she is your arranged sparkmate, but really are you both okay with being promised to each other like this?"
"Well I've never had a problem with it, and I have never heard Lacus say that she has so…"
Dreadwing just sighed at Athrun's response. "Your human customs completely elude me."
"Well you didn't have to come along you know," Athrun told the Decepticon sky warrior.
"I know, but it was Lord Megatron's wish that I come."
"No offense Dreadwing, but has anyone ever told you that sometimes it seems like you and Megatron have a relationship similar to that of an obedient dog and his owner?"
"Actually yes I believe so, but in Cybertronian terms, so no offense taken."
Athrun shook his head a bit at Dreadwing as he pulled up to the gate at Lacus's house, and had his identification confirmed by the security system before pulling up to the house itself. After parking his car, he was greeted and allowed inside by the Clyne family's butler after being told that Lacus was expecting him. Giving the butler his thanks, Athrun then walked in after seeing Dreadwing transform and land somewhere in the Clyne family's large backyard. As he began to wonder how Lacus would deal with the fact that Dreadwing would be joining them, the voice of the pink songstress herself brought him out of his musings as she exclaimed, "It's nice to see you again Athrun."
He then turned to see Lacus at the top of the stairs, with all her Haros bouncing around and calling out his name. "I apologize, I was running a little late," Athrun replied in his usual calm tone of voice.
"Oh I didn't notice," Lacus replied casually, indicating she really had not noticed.
Athrun recovered a moment from the Haros bouncing around happily to present Lacus with the flowers he brought her, which she eagerly accepted, and then had to ask, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what's with these Haros?"
Lacus smiled at him as she finished taking in the flowers' sent. "It's just their way of welcoming our guests," she told him. She gestured for Athrun to follow her, with the Haros bouncing around them the whole way outside.
"But don't you think it gets to a point where they get to be a bit of a nuisance?"
"They're a little more excited than usual because they're quite fond of you, and after all it has been some time since you last paid a visit to the house."
Athrun cast a sad look to the side as he apologized once again, only to have Lacus giggle as she assured him it was alright. After asking one of her other robots to take Athrun's flowers and put them in some water, Lacus then finally saved Athrun from the attack of the Haros by getting them set up to play a small game. The little spherical robots eagerly raced off to play as soon as they were given the okay, and Athrun let out a small sigh of relief. Lacus then looked off to the side and noticed Dreadwing nearby overlooking the small body of water in what appeared to be contemplation.
"I hope you don't mind, but it was at both Megatron and my father's insistence that Dreadwing come along," Athrun explained.
"Oh its quite alright," Lacus replied, having had gotten to know Dreadwing a little bit while he was visiting on the PLANTs for business involved with the Z.A.F.T./Decepticon alliance. She then waved over as she called out, "Hello Mr. Dreadwing, its very nice to see you again."
Dreadwing cast a look over in their direction and gave a small nod in return. The two coordinators then engaged in small conversation involving a few topics such as the memorial service, and the fact that more people seemed to be joining the war to become volunteer soldiers, including some of Lacus's friends. As he listened on to this, Dreadwing could not help but feel a small amount of pity for the two humans and how this war was affecting them, especially when he remembered what Athrun had told him about how he lost his mother at Junius Seven.
"By the way, I wonder how Mister Yamato's been doing lately," Lacus then stated excitedly. This caused Athrun to turn to look at Lacus in surprise as the subject of Kira had been brought up so suddenly and unexpectedly. "Have you had a chance to see him since then," Lacus then pressed on.
"I believe he is somewhere on Earth," Athrun said sadly as he turned away. "I expect he's doing just fine." The topic of Kira was one that Athrun still had a hard time discussing even with those who actually knew that were closest to him like Lacus. Dreadwing knew all about it, and could not help but wonder what would have happened had either he or his late brother ended up on opposite sides to one and other were he still alive.
"And the two of you have been friends for a long time, since you were little kids," Lacus continued to press.
"Yes that's right. Since we were about four or five years old." Athrun then glanced down at the blue birds on the table that Lacus was feeding crumbs to as he continued on. "We were living on the moon during those years but then it all changed when there were signs that the war might break out, so I decided to obey my father's orders and go ahead to the PLANTs. I was under the impression that he would be joining us later."
They both paused for a moment, letting a small silence carry between the two while the wind gently blew through the trees and against the large, blue Decepticon, and the birds sang. Lacus then gave a small smile as she then continued saying, "I had a discussion with him about Haro, and then he told me that it sounded like you really hadn't changed one bit. It seemed to put him in a much more cheerful mood."
Athrun looked up in surprise at that, hearing that Kira really believed that he had not changed one bit since their days together on the moon. He was glad to hear that his old friend still remembered those old days and that he thought that simply from a small discussion about Haro.
"Birdie," Lacus then contemplated softly. "That was something else you made, and it was meant especially for him right? I saw him taking very good care of it."
"What Birdie," Athrun exclaimed. "Kira still has it?"
Lacus looked at Athrun in surprise then gave a small smile as she continued saying, "Yes, I actually saw him many times with it on his shoulder."
"Huh. Is that so," Athrun then whispered in wonder, amazed that his old friend still had the old green and yellow bird shaped robot that he had given to Kira just before they had gone their separate ways all those years ago.
Lacus then looked out to the beautiful view before them as she softly stated, "I'm quite fond of him." That startled Athrun a bit as he realized that maybe Dreadwing had a small point in bringing up the topic of their arranged marriage on the way here.
"You should be careful what you say Miss Clyne. You never know who could be listening and take that the wrong way," said Decepticon stated as he revealed himself to have moved closer to them.
Lacus looked up at the gold faceplate of the Decepticon warrior as she gave a small smile in wonder. Of all the Decepticons she had met, Dreadwing had seemed to be the only one who actually treated her with some decency. Not to say that the others had not done so as well, it was more that they did so simply because they knew her father was Supreme Chairman of the PLANTs and only did so out of necessity, while Dreadwing on the other hand did so because he felt it would be improper to do otherwise. Still, there was one thing that she did not understand about him, which she then decided to ask. "Mr. Dreadwing," she called out, getting his attention. "If you don't mind my asking, why is it that you seem to hate the Autobots so much?"
Athrun then looked up in wonder at that as well since he too had been wondering about that himself. After giving the two a small glance, Dreadwing so no harm in telling them his tale. "The truth is I do not hate the Autobots. If anything I respect them, for the most part. I simply wish to end their existence because my honor demands it. Many eons ago, my brother, Skyquake, was given a mission by Lord Megatron that involved scouting out possible Energon sources that may have remained on Cybertron. The mission was meant to be simple, but it eventually lead him into conflict with the Autobots, namely Optimus Prime and one of his most trusted warriors and closest friends since even before the war, Jazz."
"Though this was before Optimus had become the Last Prime, he was still a formidable warrior and a well respected commander among his forces, and Skyquake more than welcomed the chance for an opportunity to face off with such a well renowned Autobot soldier. They said that the battle was fierce and that Skyquake had Optimus and Jazz cornered many times, going so far as to eliminate all the Autobot drones that were there with them until they were the only two left, but in the end he was defeated, fallen at the hands of the two Autobot elites. I was told that the soon to be Autobot First Lieutenant, Jazz was the one to have dealt the final blow, and did so from atop Skyquake's alt mode, but none of that mattered to me, as that day I had lost my brother."
"Ever since, I have sworn to eliminate as many Autobots as I could in order to avenge my brother and his honor, while serving Lord Megatron valiantly in his place. While I do respect Optimus Prime for all he had accomplished in the past, I would be lying if I were to say that I respect him enough to spare him from my wrath in my quest for vengeance."
Both Athrun and Lacus looked at Dreadwing in shock, sadness, and sympathy. They could not believe that Dreadwing's brother had died in the line of duty, and felt great sorrow for him. Lacus even made a small note to pray for Skyquake at a future memorial service for Dreadwing's sake. Athrun truly sympathized with Dreadwing's loss, having lost family himself due to war, and truly wished that he could do more for the Decepticon.
Still Lacus had to ask, "But is seeking vengeance really the only way to honor your brother? Or is that what you believe simply because you were told so by Megatron and other Decepticons?"
Now it was Dreadwing's turn to look on in shock, as something that the pink princess of the PLANTs said did seem to hold some truth to it. Being a Decepticon for nearly his entire existence, Dreadwing had long since believed in the beliefs and ambitions that Megatron's forces had fought for in their war with the Autobots. Having someone ask him if vengeance for his brother was truly what he wanted for the first time in his life, even for the sake of Skyquake's honor, was enough of a shock to him to cause him to wonder whether or not everything that his lord and master had spoke of to him and his brethren was really the only way things could be for them.
In a small dark conference room, Athrun's father, Patrick Zala, was actually watching the footage of the G-Weapons in combat once again, glaring at them as he kept thinking about what he considered to be Orb's betrayal and further proof of the Naturals' terror and oppression of Coordinators. His latest public announcement had furthered public opinion in his favor in terms of the view that after all that had happened, any attempts at talks for peace and ending the war would be pointless, and the only way it would win would be in a decisive victory for Z.A.F.T. and the PLANTs. As he often said, there is no meaning in having a war unless one can end it in victory.
"Must you continue repeating the same points over and over," a voice said from behind him. Zala turned to see Siegel Clyne had entered the room and once again was voicing his disapproval at planning more operations that he felt would further the conflict.
"All I want to do is provide accurate information," Zala calmly answered.
"Or information you've carefully selected to make your point. The case you've made with Operation: Spitbreak should guarantee its approval today. Public opinion favors you so there's no stopping this from going ahead."
"We're taking steps in accordance with the general consensus, that's all Siegel. Please try to keep that in mind when speaking of this."
"But by allowing the war to spread you risk spreading more hatred. How far do you people plan to take this? Or have you forgotten what a war like this has already done to the home world of the Decepticons?"
"I remember full well what Lord Megatron told us had happened to planet Cybertron," Zala assured the PLANT Supreme Chairman in a soft, yet dangerous tone. "And that is why with his and the Decepticons' help we must work on effective measures to end both wars quickly so that doesn't happen to us as well. There is no meaning in having a war unless one can end it in victory."
"Wise words indeed Vice Chairman Zala," Megatron's voice complimented over a radio in the room. A moment later, the video feed of the G-Weapons was replaced with the face of the Decepticon war lord. "And rest assured, my Decepticons and I are doing everything in our power to assure both your victory and ours as well."
Siegel gave both the man and the Decepticon a small glare to show he thought otherwise of what the two were thinking. "You forget Siegel that we Coordinators are very different to the point where we should view ourselves as a new species. There is no reason for us to coexist with Naturals," Zala then stated.
"As I have stated many times Chairman," Megatron interjected. "The ideas you have about this conflict are as foolish and naïve as those of Optimus Prime and his Autobots. It is only through the combined efforts of Z.A.F.T. and the Decepticons that we can assure a better future for both our worlds and the rest of the universe."
"How can either of you call Coordinators a new species when there are signs we are nearing the end of our road," Siegel shouted. "Even with our push towards regulated marriages, birth rates among third generation Coordinators are declining!"
"No road is without its obstacles Chairman Clyne I assure you," Megatron stated. "But it matters not what obstacles you face if you have the strength to overcome it."
"Lord Megatron is correct Siegel," Zala agreed. "We have always been able to overcome every obstacle we encountered in the past and we will continue to do so, if we put our minds to it."
Siegel slammed his hands onto the table in anger at that. "Patrick you must realize that lives are born not manufactured!"
"I feel as though I should take offense to that in some way Chairman," Megatron snarled.
"Siegel your ideals are old and outdated. People will always work to progress towards a new tomorrow," Zala stated.
"But does that lead to happiness," Siegel asked.
Before either could answer him, Patrick was asked to come to the assembly hall. He then led Siegel out of the room while reminding him that the decision was based off of the general consensus, and implying that they could not go back on their evolutionary change and return to being Naturals. As he watched the two through the video feed, Megatron could not help a small, dark chuckle that came on at the sight of the two lowly humans debating whether or not they had truly evolved. If he were to be honest, the Decepticon war lord found it quite pathetic.
Later that same day, around sunset, Athrun was driving home after promising Lacus to try and come visit again the next time he had time off with Dreadwing following from the sky once more. The Decepticon in question had received word from Megatron that Operation: Spitbreak would happen and that the Decepticon forces would more than likely be taking part in it along with Z.A.F.T. on the suspicion that Autobot interference was likely.
As Athrun drove home, he could not help but remember why he joined .T. along with Dreadwing's story about why he had sworn vengeance on the Autobots. The two of them both wished to put a stop to an enemy force because they had lost loved ones, Athrun his mother and Dreadwing his brother, but now, with what he had heard from Lacus about his old friend, Athrun was wondering if it was really possible for he and Kira to once again be on the same side.
Dreadwing on the other hand was also wondering if perhaps the songstress had a point in asking if vengeance for his death was truly what Skyquake would have wanted. True he missed his brother greatly, and the loss of it hurt him much, but was that really reason enough for him to become a killer? That was the question that plagued Dreadwing's mind for the first time in many cycles.
"What do you think," Athrun then asked, bringing the two out of their respective stupors.
"What are you referring to Athrun Zala," Dreadwing asked.
"Is it really possible?"
Dreadwing paused to consider once he understood what Athrun was asking about. "I cannot say for certain Athrun. Perhaps neither of us will ever know, but the answer may present itself in due time."
Athrun nodded at that, and the two continued on their return journeys to their respective homes in silence.
That night, in the hangar that the Decepticons often used to enter the capital of the PLANTs, Megatron was meeting with Patrick Zala and Rau Le Creuset, discussing progress of the operation Megatron had in motion and the true Operation: Spitbreak.
"I'm counting on you both with the real Operation: Spitbreak Le Creuset and Megatron," Zala stated.
"But of course you have nothing to worry about Vice Chairman Zala," Megatron assured, his dark purple optics seeming to flare with eager anticipation for this. "And rest assured, the operative I have chosen for this understands his role with our plans quite clearly."
"As long as you are certain he can succeed I doubt we have much to worry about Lord Megatron," Le Creuset commented with a unnoticeably devious smile. "And Vice Chairman Zala, there is no doubt in my mind that you will be selected to succeed Clyne in the upcoming election. Well then I'd best get started on the preparations."
Zala nodded to the masked man and the Decepticon warlord, knowing that things were about to sway greatly in Z.A.F.T.'s favor should both endeavors prove successful.
That same day, the Archangel, Desert Dawn, and the Autobots were making final preparations for the upcoming battle they were expecting to have against the Lesseps in a few days time. While Miriallia and Tolle oversaw the loading of supplies onto the Archangel, and Hound was checking over the Autobots' chosen weapons for their part in the battle, the leaders of the three groups were meeting to discuss the final set up for the battle plan.
"This area here is full of caves from abandoned mines," Sahib indicated on the map that lay on the table in front of him. On the other side of the table stood Murrue Ramius, Mu La Flaga, and Natarle Badgiruel, while Optimus was kneeled down near the entrance so he could see better while giving his input. "And this spot has land mines that we set, so if we were going to use any place for a battle field it would be here. The enemy is probably thinking the same thing of course, but it would be a waste not to put our land mines to some good use."
"And are you sure you're okay with that," Mu asked. "Putting us and Prime's team aside, if you consider how well your equipped you can expect heavy casualties."
"While I have given my word that the Autobots will do everything in our power to protect human kind, it does not mean we are able to protect you from everything completely," Optimus then pointed out. "I believe that the human saying most appropriate to what I am stating is that, we are only human, in a manner of speaking."
Sahib looked at the map sadly as he let that information absorb in. "We could do as the Tiger says. Give up and work for those guys, it's a very tempting offer since we most certainly would be offered a peaceful life…much like in Banadia. In fact a number of the women have asked us to consider it; however, a ruler's hand can be unpredictable, and brutal. I believe our people have suffered for centuries because of this."
Optimus had to concede that point to Sahib, considering what he knew would result from Megatron being victorious in the Cybertronians' war. "We will not rule, and we will not be ruled. That is all we wish for," Sahib continued. "If we can reclaim the mining area that the Tiger took over in the east, that wish should come true."
The Desert Dawn leader let out a sigh as he straightened up from standing over the table. "Of course we'll be taking advantage of each of your powers to so that would make it even. That should set both your minds at ease."
Mu gave an understanding smile at that as he stated that he was with them. Murrue then looked to Sahib and stated, "Then its settled. We will be glad to accept your cooperation with us in this plan to get past the Lesseps."
"My Autobots and I would be honored to fight alongside each of you as well in this endeavor, so long as you remember that our code will only allow us to engage the Decepticon forces unless the Z.A.F.T. forces strike at us first," Optimus then stated. After getting an affirmative nod from Sahib, the commanding officers of the Archangel and her aircraft and mobile armor pilot departed for their ship to make sure it was ready for the upcoming battle, with the Last Prime following in his vehicle mode a moment later to head for where his Autobots were gathering for their own mission briefing.
During that time, Cagalli had just finished up a run in an aircraft battle simulator with Miriallia, Tolle, Kuzzy, and Ensign Neumann watching, impressing all of them. Neumann went so far as to ask if the blonde had actually flown an aircraft somewhere before, to which Cagalli just chuckled. After climbing out of the simulator, which Tolle then quickly climbed into for a shot himself, Cagalli made her way over to one of the two Sky Grasper fighter planes and stared at it in concealed in excitement.
"You're not ready for the real thing," one of the engineers shouted as he moved to stand between her and the blue and white aircraft.
"Yeah I think I know that," Cagalli replied, moving to leave, only to find herself stopped by a certain blue Autobot femme.
"If you ask me, I think that's a load of scrap," Arcee stated bluntly.
"Oh really," Cagalli asked in surprise.
"Hey if you want to take one of those jets for a spin just to see if you can handle it, I say why not? After all, from what I've seen the Archangel needs as many pilots as it can get right now."
Cagalli looked from Arcee to the Sky Grasper, considering what the female Autobot had told her. Cagalli remembered Optimus saying that Arcee is one of the best warriors in the Autobots, and with that in mind Cagalli could not help but think to herself that if someone Optimus considered to be a strong warrior was saying she could probably do it then maybe it was worth a shot. She then turned back to Arcee and asked, "Even if I wanted to, how would we see if I really was ready to fly one of those things into battle?"
Arcee smirked as she shifted her left hand into its blaster mode. "Oh I think we'll be able to think of something, and I'm sure Hound or some of the other Bots wouldn't mind lending a hand."
Cagalli smirked in excitement to that and then quickly asked, "Well then what are we waiting for?"
As it turned out though, Hound had to decline saying he still had to check over some of the other weapons, but the two did receive additional help, surprisingly, from Elita One. Of course, they did not intend to do anything without the captain's approval, and once they had that, Cagalli found herself seated in the cockpit of one of the Sky Graspers.
"Don't get nervous Cagalli," Arcee's voice said over the radio. "Try to keep in mind this just practice, but all the same, make sure you take it as seriously as you would the real thing okay?"
"Right whatever you say sister," Cagalli replied. When Elita heard that, she could not help but let out a chuckle at Arcee's put off expression at being called sister. She knew it had been a long time since anyone had called Arcee anything close to that, and was glad that someone had done so now.
After the two Autobots took a moment to check to make sure their weapons were currently loaded with blanks, they gave the ship the all clear signal to start, and Cagalli then rocketed down theArchangel's catapult and blasted into the sky. Almost immediately, Arcee opened fire on the jet, but Cagalli swerved the plane to the side to avoid it by the skin of her teeth. After dodging a few more shots from both Arcee and Elita, each changing their positions as they fired to make it as much like a real battle as possible, Cagalli decided it was her turn to start shooting and returned fire with the Sky Grasper's guns.
Though Arcee and Elita both swiftly dodged many of the young amber-eyed woman's shots, they still received at least a few hits from her. Needless to say, from that fact and the sight of how easily she handled the jet impressed both of the female members of Team Prime, along with Murrue and Natarle who were watching from the bridge's monitor, and the small crowd that had gathered to watch which was composed of Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Miriallia, Tolle, and even some of the Desert Dawn.
Once they had finished their little mock battle, Cagalli carefully but quickly landed the aircraft back in the Archangel's hangar and dismounted, being greeted a moment later by the sounds of applause from the gathered crowd. At the sight of this and the sounds of clapping from everyone there, Cagalli found herself, surprisingly, a bit embarrassed. She then looked and saw that Arcee, Elita, Murrue, and even Natarle were all clapping as well.
"I must admit, that was quite an excellent performance Miss Cagalli," Murrue commented as the applause began to die down.
"I was skeptical at first about letting a civilian try to pilot a Sky Grasper in a mock battle against two well trained Autobot soldiers, but I will admit that was impressive," Natarle then added, allowing a small smile to grace her face.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were actually one of the Cybertronian flyers that I've seen out in the field over the course of our war," Elita commented.
Arcee then smiled proudly at Cagalli and winked as she boasted, "I told you that you were ready for that."
Cagalli then smiled happily and mentally thanked Arcee a million times over for that chance and for the confidence she seemed to have in her. Then noticed that Murrue had walked up and held her hand out to her. "As I'm sure you know the Archangel is short on pilots, and given what I just saw I would like to know if you would consider becoming an official pilot for one of the Sky Graspers," the captain requested. At Cagalli's shocked silence, Murrue continued by stating, "You don't have to do so permanently or even if you don't want to, but if you want to at least consider doing so until we've reached the ocean we'd be more than happy to have you."
Cagalli continued to stare at the captain for a moment, then looked to the Sky Grasper she had just flown, then to Arcee who was smiling at her and gesturing to go on and do it, before finally looking back at Murrue and accepting the handshake. "Alright I'll do it."
A new round of cheers and applause broke out at that, and both Cagalli and Arcee felt excited at the fact that the young blonde would be fighting with the crew of the Archangel in the upcoming battle. Elita looked on at the two and smiled as she thought, Arcee you really are starting to open up more after all these years. I know it hasn't been easy, especially with the loss of Cliffjumper and her, but I'm glad that you're at least opening up to someone other than me and Bumblebee. Though I must admit, given your similar personalities, I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner.
Not everyone on the Archangel was enjoying themselves though. Kira had earlier gone with Kuzzy to deliver Sai his lunch for that day after hearing about what had happened during his previous absence. Since he had nearly damaged the Strike with his actions, Sai had to spend a week locked up in one of the closest as a consequence. Kira stood off to the side when Kuzzey opened the door, and even though he heard Sai say he was alright and would manage, he could not help but feel responsible for what had happened to his friend. As he thought about how he and Sai could start to patch things up, he noticed Flay watching from around the corner before she scurried off after realizing she had been caught.
When he tried to confront her about it, she just called Sai a fool that could never compare to Kira, which only made him more upset. When Flay tried to start a make out session with him though, Kira felt he had enough of the girl dodging the subject at hand and stormed out of the room. This was a few hours ago and some where during that time he had wandered into the hangar and ended up staring up at the Strike.
As he looked on at the powered down, grey mobile suit, he grabbed his head and growled in frustration as he thought again about what had happened lately. First he found himself on the opposite side of a battlefield than his friend Athrun Zala, who he seemed to be drifting further apart from everyday, and now his friend Sai was jealous of him because of a few things that he could do that Sai could not. As far as he knew, Sai may very well hate him now, but Athrun on the other hand he was not so sure about. He knew that he and Athrun had promised that the next time they met in battle they would have no choice but to show one another no mercy, but he could tell from the look in Athrun's eyes that day that the young bluenette did not want it anymore than he did.
As he let these thought spin around his mind, Kira did not notice the sound of large, metal footsteps approaching him until a familiar whirring sound caught his attention. Lowering his hand from his forehead and turning around, Kira looked to see the concerned face of Bumblebee looking down at him asking if something was wrong. "It's nothing Bumblebee really," Kira tried to reassure the scout, although he did not even sound all that convincing even to himself.
Bumblebee continued to stare at Kira for a moment before standing up and stating, "Come with me for a minute Kira, and bring your mobile suit with you." At the questioning glance Kira gave him Bumblebee continued on saying, "The captain has already given approval for you bringing the Strike out for a bit, and Optimus wants to talk with you about something. It may very well be important."
Knowing that Bumblebee was right about the fact that Optimus may have something important to say to him if he wanted to talk with him, Kira nodded and went to get his pilot suit. After suiting up and launching in the Strike, Kira followed Bumblebee to where Optimus was. As they approached him, Kira saw Optimus was looking at something that was clearly very big and heard Optimus say over his communicator, "Excellent work Autobots. I believe that we shall be ready for its launch by the time we need to head out for the operation."
Optimus then turned off his communicator and turned to Bumblebee and Kira. "Thank you Bumblebee," Optimus said before turning to Kira who had climbed out of his seat to stand in the entrance of the Strike's cockpit. "Kira Yamato, I am sorry for the lack of time we have had in each other's company as of late."
"It's no problem Optimus," Kira reassured. "Bumblebee said you wanted to talk to me about something?"
Optimus nodded as he sat down on a nearby rock so that he was close to being at eye level with Kira. "Bumblebee had told me much about you and the struggles you have dealt with thus far since you first piloted that mobile suit which you currently stand in, and I must admit that I can see why he feels a need to compare you and I. As you are well aware, there was once a time when Megatron and I were not enemies, but that all changed when the war for Cybertron began; however, in the case of you and your friend, Athrun Zala as I believe his name was, I do not think it is too late to the point where it is the same."
Kira looked at Optimus in surprise. "You clearly still value your friendship greatly with Athrun, and I believe that from what I heard of Bumblebee's encounter of watching the two of you together, that Athrun Zala may feel the same way as you do. As for your friend Sai, I would not let it worry you too much. There is always some small amount of jealousy among even the best of friends, but I truly believe that whatever tension there currently is between the two of you shall pass eventually given time."
Kira smiled at that, glad that Optimus was so optimistic about how things were between him and his friends and made sure Optimus knew that he appreciated that before letting the last Prime continue. "Although if I were you, I would find it best to be cautious of the young woman you are currently in a relationship with. Bumblebee and I both suspect that she is not what she is leading you to believe."
"Are you sure about that," Kira asked, shocked that Optimus would say something like that about Flay, though deep down he could not deny that Flay was being somewhat cruel when she was talking about Sai earlier and seemed only interested in just being close to Kira.
Optimus seemed to quickly look around a bit before leaning closer to Kira and whispering, "Bumblebee is often a very trusting Autobot that can befriend many individuals quite quickly and easily, so it is rare to find him considering anyone in even the faintest of a bad light. I find it best to take him for his word and deal with things appropriately in those instances."
Kira chuckled a bit at that, finding it a little funny for some reason, and had to admit that Optimus was right. Bumblebee did seem to get along very well with everyone but Flay for some strange reason. Deciding that he should follow Optimus's advice, he then looked up and asked, "Is there something else you wanted to speak with me about, because I get the feeling that you didn't ask me to come with the Strike if that was it."
Optimus smiled at the young coordinator and stood up. He then lead both Kira and Bumblebee outside, the former having followed in the Strike. Optimus then turned around and, knowing that he and Kira could communicate with one and other over his radio, told the young pilot, "I wish to help train you in combat so that you may be ready for the future battles you will encounter."
Kira was truly surprised at that and all but shouted, "But I keep telling everyone I'm not a soldier! I never wanted to become a mobile suit pilot, and most importantly I never wanted to kill anyone ever!"
"Then do not fight to kill," Optimus calmly answered. That caught Kira off guard as he looked at Optimus, which prompted the Autobot leader to continue. "If you can refine your skills as a warrior, then when you enter battle you will be able to disable your opponents without killing them. You are aware that this is possible correct?"
Kira nodded and then remembered that Optimus could not see him at the moment. "Yes, but I'm not good enough to do that."
Optimus smiled softly and chuckled a moment at that. "Hound and Bulkhead both led me to believe otherwise when they had told me of what you did in Banadia the other day."
"But that was just a reflex reaction. I can't do that in a mobile suit!"
"Which I intend to help you to change with Bumblebee's help of course, if you will allow us." As soon as Optimus said that, Kira looked down at his lap as he thought it over. If he was trained by Optimus and Bumblebee he could become better and be able to protect the ship and friends on board more effectively. Not only that but if Optimus and Bumblebee could somehow teach him how to defeat an opponent without taking their lives then he really had no reason to say no to that as it would mean that there was little chance of him ever killing someone again.
Finally deciding on his answer, Kira looked up and grasped the controls of the Strike as he called out, "Alright, I accept, but before we start I have to ask you something. What exactly is a berserker?"
"If I remember what I have read of human terminology, history, and stories, it is a mythological warrior who becomes crazed with anger and rage when in battle. While they were normally gentle and well behaved beings, when a berserker went into battle they would become entirely different beings."
Kira gasped in shock at that, as he thought back to some of his own battles in which he felt a sudden change in himself that resulted in him performing incredible feats on the battlefield that he felt he was normally not capable of. Bumblebee noticed that something seemed to change about Kira's composure, despite not being able to see him, and had to ask, "Kira are you alright? Something wrong?"
"Uh…no Bumblebee its nothing," Kira said shaking his mind free of those thoughts. He then activated the Strike's Phase Shift armor and stated he was ready to start. At that, both Autobot leader and scout assumed ready positions, and thus a moment later, Kira's training under the two Autobots began.
Meanwhile, at the same time as Kira's training had begun, a certain silver jet arrived a short ways away from Banadia, where the Lesseps currently was, and quickly changed into Starscream. Waltfeld was there to see the sky commander as he landed on his pedes and then growled in annoyance at something.
"I take it your meeting with the big boss didn't go the way you were hoping it would," Waltfeld remarked casually.
Starscream scoffed in response. "That old fool Megatron thought that the actions I had taken were worth punishing in person, and then felt it necessary to send, as I quote, 'necessary precautions' for our upcoming battle."
Waltfeld smiled. "So I take it that means we should expect our supplies soon?"
"Yes along with a pair of Z.A.F.T. pilots that are from what you know as the Le Creuset team. Honestly though, I do not know what Megatron is thinking sending those two along with me."
"Oh quit your complaining, brother. I'm not enjoying your sniveling company anymore than you are," a feminine voice then spoke up. Waltfeld then looked up to see a light purple, indigo highlighted jet fly down and transform into a robot that looked surprisingly a lot like Starscream, much like Thundercracker and Skywarp, except for one major difference. This one was a female.
"Commander Andrew Waltfeld, it is my…pleasure to introduce the final member of the Seeker family, and its sole female member, my sister Slipstream," Starscream choked out.
"Well now this is a surprise," Waltfeld commented. "I was actually beginning to wonder how long it would be before I met a female Decepticon."
"Glad I could help you to deal with that human," Slipstream retorted with heavy sarcasm.
"Oh come now Slipstream, be glad you did not have to endure any harm to your finish as you made your way here unlike some of us," another voice piped up. A moment later, a large bright red robot with red eyes on a silver face approached them.
"Ah Knockout, how good of you to grace us with your presence," Starscream stated.
"Well I do try to please," Knockout replied casually. "Of course I would have been here sooner, but I did find an interesting race to take part in."
"Ah yes. You're one of those types of Decepticons," Starscream moaned.
"Pardon?"
"I will never truly understand how any self respecting Decepticon could ever select a land based alt mode for himself."
"Well it certainly seems to do wonders for myself and my old partner Breakdown."
"Well you certainly seem quite laid back compared to some of your fellow soldiers," Waltfeld interjected. "And you would be?"
"Oh my apologies sir," Knockout answered. "I am Knockout, the one that many Autobots call the Decepticon Doctor of Doom."
"I take it that means you're the medical officer of the Decepticons?"
"You would assume correctly. Just do me a favor and tell me if there is some way I can keep all this desert sand from mucking up my finish."
Waltfeld chuckled at this, and then thought over what had just happened recently. He would be getting his supplies along with a pair of Le Creuset's pilots, and now it seemed that the Decepticons had the Autobots outnumbered in terms of elite soldiers as well as overall numbers, at least in the sense of the ones that were gathered here that he had seen so far. One thing was certain; the next confrontation would be very exciting indeed.
AN: Yes I know I had Optimus tell Kira what a berserker was instead of Mu and it was ahead of time, but I felt that it would be better this way. Also, before anyone starts pointing out errors in judgement on Waltfeld's math, I feel I must remind you, that Waltfeld has only seen a total of five Autobots counting Cliffjumper, who is now dead. He has not yet seen Arcee or Elita One yet.
Starscream: What I want to know is why you included Slipstream in this story, I thought you were not that big a fan of Transformers Animated.
AN: I'm not, but that doesn't mean I don't think it has some good points. Plus lets face it there really aren't that many female Decepticons I mean really, how many female Decepticons do you know of? And in a good majority of Transformers series, if there are female Transformers, they're usually all Autobots.
Starscream: Hm. You have a point there. Does this mean that we should expect other female Decepticons to show up in this story?
AN: You mean aside from the only one to actually appear in Transformers Prime...eh I'm still thinking about it. So on with the preview...
The next battle between the Archangel and the Desert Tiger begins, as the Autobots fight alongside Kira and the others, and wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons (heh see what I did there?) that Starscream now leads against them. As she flies off into battle, Cagalli is reminded of a fallen friend and comrade, and is determined to fight just as fiercely. The Autobots prove they are more than ready, as they charge into battle with an addition of a long awaited project of Elita One's. The conflict will lead to many outcomes, such as the now inevitable confrontation between Andrew Waltfeld, and Kira and Optimus Prime. And when things seem to reach their bleakest, one warrior shows he will not be returning with the rest of his soon to be former allies. Next time on Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Prime…Chapter 9: One Storm's End. Attack when ready Autobots and Gundam!
AN: Oh and Starscream, Megatron's here.
Starscream: [chuckles] Oh like I'm going to fall for that one again.
Megatron: [Storms on set, really ticked] STARSCREAM! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING HERE?!
Starscream: DAH! L-lord Megatron. I-I can explain sir...
AN: We'll let those two work things out. See ya next time, and remember to read and review please! Oh and be sure to check out my first story challenge posted in my profile and my other stories when you get the chance.