PHASE EIGHT: Protectors of Heliopolis
C.E 79 Kingdom of Scandinavia – Archangel (Present Day)
It was nearing 2AM when the crimson mobile suit finally docked with the Archangel. Athrun slumped back with a sigh as soon as the Justice was safe in the mobile suit hangar of the ship and he covered his eyes with his right hand, rubbing them tiredly with his thumb and forefinger. He inhaled deeply and deactivated the mobile suit, opening the cockpit and grasping the lever to transport himself down. It was a truly tiring day, but he couldn't just leave those civilians without at least offering some help. He knew that the Archangel crew had been helping out with the civilians as well. As he reached the ground, he was greeted by Kojiro Murdoch, the Archangel's senior technician.
"How's the Archangel?" Athrun asked, almost apologetic that he didn't come to help with the ship first.
Murdoch waved him away. "It's mostly the thrusters that took the damage, but the repairs are doing fine. This ship will be back in shape in a few hours," he said, giving the young pilot a reassuring thumb's up before looking at the Justice, examining it with the experienced naked eye. "That left shoulder looks like it took quite the damage. But we should be able to perk it up again in no time." The Justice had faced worse damages than this, which was rather comforting, knowing the nature of the battle they had participated in.
Athrun nodded slowly. "Thank you. Do you need any help?"
Murdoch snorted. "Are you kidding? Lad, you're dead on your feet. Go get some rest," he reprimanded, his right hand quickly pushing the surprised Coordinator away. "Don't underestimate us, we have it under control. You're needed somewhere else. I heard Cagalli was looking for you."
"I see," Athrun relaxed, managing a rather embarrassed smile. "Thanks Murdoch-san. I'll leave it to you," he said, turning away. He walked until he reached the elevator and his eyes widened when the door opened, revealing the princess he was just about to search for. "Cagalli!"
Cagalli raised her eyebrows and relaxed as she looked at him. "Athrun. There you are. Have you just gotten back?" she asked, though the answer was obvious.
"Ah," Athrun answered. "I'm sorry for disappearing for so long. Are you alright?" he asked as they ascended to the Archangel's ground floor together, making their way to the cafeteria. Though Cagalli hadn't launched in a mobile suit, Athrun could see that she looked as exhausted as he was feeling, and that wasn't surprising. Cagalli would've been busy with the Kingdom of Scandinavia's government, trying to see where they could help without weakening Orb's forces.
"I'm fine, thanks. Kisaka-san has returned with the Orb fleet a few hours ago. The King thanked Orb for sending out their forces, but I was really surprised when I first saw that ZAFT fleet outside Scandinavia's territorial waters," Cagalli commented, frowning. They entered the cafeteria and Athrun moved to get them drinks as Cagalli sat down, lacing her fingers together. "I can understand why the King didn't want to accept their help... but I'm sure Lacus is having a hard time. At least they're still sending humanitarian aid. The King couldn't refuse that," she said, accepting the drink as Athrun moved to sit beside her. "Thanks." Cagalli took a sip and bowed her head. Athrun noticed that she looked troubled. "Most of the Coordinators here are going to move to PLANTs. There are a number who asked to seek refuge in Orb, but I told them to head to Heliopolis instead. At this rate, Orb might be attacked next," she said dully. "Even when we're fighting, we're still forced to accept their ideals..."
Athrun lowered his eyes. An attack on Orb seemed like the most logical thing to happen next, after the attack on Scandinavia. He was as worried about that small nation as she was. Athrun reached out and grabbed her hand. "Don't worry, Cagalli. We'll protect Orb's ideals for sure," he reassured her, feeling the emptiness in his words. "In any case, what are you going to do?"
Cagalli sighed. "Orb is already on the defensive. The ones in danger the most are the Coordinators. I've asked them to seek refuge in Heliopolis if they won't move to PLANTs, at least for the time being. But really... Athrun, I'm worried about that place... Heliopolis," Cagalli admitted, her eyes shining with tears. "They've just rebuilt it, and it's nowhere near as safe as it was before this. Orb's forces are weaker there. I'm really worried..."
Athrun considered this. What Cagalli was saying was definitely true. They needed to launch their forces to protect that place, even though not many civilians had settled there yet. Even in the colony, there were only around five cities at most. Yet, it was still important for Orb to protect it. Athrun was worried about Heliopolis as well. He was also especially worried about Lacus who was in PLANTs, but in their current situation, there was nothing they could do. Athrun could only hope that Commander Waltfeld and his old friend Yzak would keep Lacus out of danger. Kuso... If only Kira was still here...
"We should deploy some of our forces to Heliopolis," Athrun said, turning his eyes on Cagalli.
"Yeah..."
"Athrun! Cagalli! Please come to the bridge immediately!"
Again? Athrun looked up in surprise as the announcement was repeated. He stood, grabbing Cagalli's hand as he did so. Her eyes portrayed fear – clearly, their suspicions were equally matched this time. Athrun could only hope that he was wrong as they raced through the corridors, appearing at the Archangel's bridge. "What happened?" Athrun demanded.
Murrue shook her head. "The Earth Alliance is attacking ZAFT's Gibraltar's base as we speak. Their support with the battle here gave them the motive," she said, clenching her fists.
Cagalli took a few steps back. "What? Gibraltar is..?"
Athrun clenched his fists tightly, the anger clearly seen in his green eyes. It was just like Blue Cosmos to pull an act like that. Attacking the neutral nations wasn't enough to sway the ZAFT Council in retaliating, so they were attacking a military base now. Still, Athrun had faith in Lacus. He had no doubt that she would still try her best to calm things down, even against such an obvious challenge of power.
"It's most probably a planned ambush that they knew would happen, after Scandinavia," Mu answered, his voice low. "Whether ZAFT had sent their forces to help or not, Blue Cosmos would find a fault in their actions," he said bitterly.
"Captain!" Sai called, turning his eyes on the group. "We've gotten another message. The forces attacking Gibraltar are from the Earth Alliance but there are also forces from ZAFT's Victoria base. The Renegade is there."
"And Orb?"
"Nothing yet," Sai answered.
"ZAFT forces from Victoria... They were the ones who issued the attack on Botswana," Athrun gritted his teeth, casting his eyes away. They are the ones who started all this... "And that ship again... Captain Ramius, can the Archangel launch? We need to get back to Orb," he said, worried about the nation. He was only thankful that Kisaka was on his way with the Orb fleet as they spoke. With Gibraltar facing its own battles and the Kingdom of Scandinavia devastated, they had nobody left to rely on.
Murrue moved over to the side of her seat, picking up the phone. "Murdoch-san. Can the Archangel launch?"
"Aiya... The thrusters aren't done yet, Captain. There's still a lot we need to repair," Murdoch's voice was troubled. The Archangel could definitely launch, but still...
"Please get it done as soon as possible," Murrue answered, her voice firm.
"Oh, fine. We'll try."
"Thank you. Please do your best."
C.E 79 PLANTs – Aprillius One, Supreme Council Building (Present Day)
"What's going on? Why is Victoria sending its forces to fight against Gibraltar?"
"I think this speaks for itself! Coordinators and Naturals cannot live together!"
It was obvious that the Council was furious, and wanted nothing more than to attack back with the ZAFT forces. But doing so would be devastating – that was exactly what Blue Cosmos wanted: a war. A war so they could wipe out the Coordinators on Earth, using RENEGADE's ideals as their motive. It didn't matter that she was truly against RENEGADE's ideals, something about the separation between Coordinators and Naturals seemed wrong, and Lacus distrusted RENEGADE. Those ideals only attract extremists who would undoubtedly move towards the path of annihilation. Did Yuri Amalfi really believe that they could separate Coordinators and Naturals? Lacus doubted it.
"Lacus-sama! Please issue an order for them to depart from Gibraltar. It's time we truly cut our ties with the Naturals!"
"Why didn't we see this coming?"
"The only way to solve this is if PLANTs join in with RENEGADE's ideals!"
"No, we mustn't!" Lacus stood, her azure eyes burning with anger and determination. "We must not side with RENEGADE's ideals. We must not separate the Coordinators and the Naturals!" she demanded, clenching her hands together.
One of the Council members stood, his blue eyes burning with anger. "If I may say so, Lacus-sama, we are not just thinking about ZAFT and PLANTs. We're looking at Coordinators as a whole! At this rate, we'll be eliminated just because you're sticking to your ideals and pride when we Coordinators will fare better when we're separated from the Naturals! How much more damage do you wish to see happening? Even our forces are going against us!" he cried out furiously.
Lacus bit her lips together. They couldn't even issue a treaty with a group of terrorists like the RENEGADE. "Please send our forces to Gibraltar. We will defend our base. If possible, try to keep the number of casualties to a minimum. Our objective is not to attack them, but to defend ourselves," she said, clenching her fists.
The Council member laughed. "Lacus-sama, we are not like that Freedom pilot you associated yourself so closely with during the previous wars. How are we supposed to relay that message to our forces?"
"Please try your best," Lacus insisted. "If even Coordinators are forced to fight against each other, then there will be no hope left in saving this world."
C.E 79 ZAFT Gibraltar Base – Renegade (Present Day)
Genei was the oldest Extended among the three that were sent to join the Renegade, and thus had assumed a position as the leader for the trio. They were still waiting for Liesel to make her appearance, of course – she should be arriving soon enough with the Commander after they had settled their own little mission in space. In any case, both Genei and Tierra were being pushed to their limits with the first set of battles, but perhaps it was for the best. After all, he supposed that it was best to use a surprise attack to the best of their advantage, and the beginning of war was usually full of surprises. He yawned slightly, already strapped in his Advocate as he waited for the ship to decide when to let him launch. His fingers were itching to battle again even though Captain Tienn had mentioned that they were unlikely to meet the Archangel again. Whatever. He would pick on that crimson mobile suit again soon enough.
The light-haired pilot crossed his arms and looked at the interface of his Gundam with bored eyes. He could hear the battle outside and assumed that maybe the attack on Gibraltar was being handled better than they had thought. Those forces coming from Victoria would surely help confuse the ZAFT soldiers at the very least even though they would have the coordinates to locate which mobile suits came from which base... But even so, how to determine which is friend or foe? The idea of causing confusion among them tickled the Extended, and he suppressed a giggle. But that was what they were for. To cause confusion. To cause the world to hate each other so much to the point of annihilation.
Sometime after the development of the First and Second Stage Extendeds, the scientists finally discovered that making the pilots addicted to drugs or even controlling their memories and using block words weren't exactly the best way for them to be handled. The Third Stage Extendeds were different in the sense that they could think perfectly well for themselves, but they are prone to following orders set by Captain Tienn, Commander Aiten or Blue Cosmos leader, Ryuu Apene. Genei was a Third Stage Extended, and he prided himself with that fact. Third Stage Extendeds were developed with a love for war. Quite a number of them retaliated when they discovered that they were human weapons, but there were those who accepted the fact and decided they might as well play the part like Genei, Tierra and Liesel. Sure, they needed high maintenance, but not regularly as the previous Extendeds did. Genei was a conscious human weapon, and he accepted that. What else was he good for if he didn't play the part?
"Preparing mobile suits for launch. Connecting APU. Catapult, connected."
Alright! Genei smirked, tightening his grips on the controls of his mobile suit. Time to kill. "Advocate, standby. Systems, all green. Advocate, please launch!"
"Genei Alens. Advocate. Let's go!"
C.E 79 PLANTs (Present Day)
The public uproar was astounding. Coordinators from various colonies in PLANTs were furious that the Supreme Council had allowed the Gibraltar base on Earth to be attacked. Resistant groups were beginning to form in various colonies, with many voicing their support to the terrorists from the Victoria base. Yzak's knuckles were white as he watched the news inside his office, the anger burning in his icy-blue eyes. Lacus, for the past two days, never seemed to exit the Supreme Council Building. A part of him wanted to voice his support to RENEGADE himself rather than watch their base be attacked like this, but Yzak knew that doing so would only add fuel to fire. He had witnessed enough times already how supporting ideals like RENEGADE would lead to the destruction of both sides, regardless of their true intentions of merely separating Naturals and Coordinators. As the flames of war began to spread, the idea of separation would be thrown away, and one of the sides would move to actual elimination.
Yzak sighed. It was a truly difficult situation, especially for Lacus.
As if answering his thoughts, Lacus appeared on the screen, surprising the purple-uniformed Coordinator. With the public shouting their negative views towards Lacus, Yzak hardly believed it was a good idea for her to appear... but as usual, Lacus did what she needed to do. The silver-haired General relaxed slightly as he watched her.
"Everyone... Please calm down," Lacus's voice was unwavering, yet still holding the quiet authority that showed her strength. The rioting people were surprised and they turned to watch the provisional Chairwoman of ZAFT and PLANTs who had always earned their respect before this. "I know all of you are tired and hurt from the previous wars. The Council knows it, too. But that is why we cannot allow ourselves to accept RENEGADE's way of waging wars in order to gain our peace," she said calmly, her azure eyes soft. "What PLANTs want most, above everything else, is peace. But will we fight and kill those against us in order to obtain it? Is that really the price we need to pay to get what we want, and say it cannot be helped that others cannot taste peace as well?" she questioned firmly, her brows pulling together slightly.
C.E 79 Mendel Colony, Lagrange Area 4 (Present Day)
Kira coughed and turned, opening his eyes as he pushed himself up. He blinked, turning towards the screen of the infirmary that was turned on, split into four different sections. They showed numerous battle scenes. Surprised, Kira blinked the sleep from his eyes and swung his legs off the bed, his brows pulling together as he watched the footages concernedly. A familiar crimson mobile suit caught his eye as it landed on the ruined grounds of the place, the blue-haired pilot transporting down and immediately helping the civilians around. A distance behind the mobile suit, Kira could make out the familiar outline of the Archangel.
"Athrun..?" Kira whispered softly, watching as his old friend hurried towards a ruined building and picked up a child from the rubble. A green mechanical bird landed on the young pilot's shoulder and Kira relaxed slightly. Torii...
"Kira?" Hikari poked her head into the infirmary and entered, holding a tray of food which she placed beside the brown-haired Coordinator. She turned her eyes to the screen. "It's awful, isn't it?" she asked softly.
"What happened?" Kira asked, nodding his thanks to the tray of food.
"The Kingdom of Scandinavia went under attack after the Earth Alliance joined RENEGADE. ZAFT sent their forces to help, but Scandinavia declined. The Orb forces joined shortly after," Hikari explained, pulling a chair to sit beside him. "It was awful. They devastated the Kingdom's military forces completely. I heard most of the Coordinators there are making their way to PLANTs, or to Orb. Either way, they're being forced to accept RENEGADE," she said quietly.
I see... That would explain the Archangel...
"There's another battle as we speak, in Gibraltar. They issued the attack two hours ago. I heard some of the ZAFT forces are assisting the Earth Alliance," Hikari said, shrugging. Kira clenched his fists together, his eyes cast low. It was just as he had feared – RENEGADE was definitely being bold with its actions.
"Everyone... Please calm down," The familiar voice caught Kira's ears. His eyes darted to the screen again, looking straight into a pair of blue-grey eyes that he had missed all this time. How Kira longed to be back in Lacus's arms, to fight the battle with her and protect her again as they strive towards a peaceful life. She looked as strong as ever, but Kira wasn't fooled. Deep in the depths of those azure eyes was deep sorrow. He listened as Lacus made her statement, always trying to find a peaceful situation in the things she faced. Lacus... Forgive me...
"We must not allow the world to fight against each other and spread the flames of hatred again. But that can only be achieved if we ourselves can be truly forgiving of the mistakes of the past. Do we really want a world where hatred consumes us all and lead us to disregard one another? Is that truly the path we need to take?" Lacus questioned, her eyes burning with a sort of determination that Kira had come to recognise since the first time they met. "It is not wrong for us to have dreams. And it is not wrong for us to fight. But... The power that we possess and the things we are able to do must not be handled recklessly. We will strive again for the peaceful world we have pledged to find. Everyone... The time has come for us to let go of our anger and pain towards each other. We must fight, but picking up our weapons isn't the only way we can fight," Lacus continued quietly. "There are other ways for us to fight. So... please. Trust in us, trust in our dreams, and please lend me your help," she pleaded.
The announcement ended and, as usual, a footage of Lacus singing the song of peace was then played. Kira closed his eyes, allowing her gentle voice to consume him. It was this song that she had often sung to him at times when he would wake from his nightmares since the first war. A tear escaped from his eye as the tenderness of her voice touched him. They were all fighting. They were all still fighting their battles, as hard as it was. Athrun, picking up the crying child from the rubble... Cagalli, most likely joining the battle after persuading the Orb forces to send their help... Murrue, commanding the Archangel as she tried her hardest to obtain peace... Lacus, as she tried to calm those who began to despise her...
"Kira..." Hikari's voice made him look up, and she had a kind smile on her lips. She handed him the plate of food, which he accepted. "Eat, Kira. You won't be able to return to the Archangel if you don't keep up your strength."
"But..." Kira trailed off, looking away. "The Freedom..."
Hikari shook her head and stood. "Don't worry about how you're going to get there. You'll still return, right?" she questioned, surprising him. Kira nodded slowly. "Then that's all that matters for now. The most important thing is that you know you want to fight. The question on how you're going to do it will come later once you've made your decision," she said, then pursing her lips as she placed her hands on her hips. "That tray better be empty by the time I get back, or I'll consider asking Daisuke-san to drug you again," she winked, leaving him alone in the infirmary as she walked away.
C.E 79 Orb Union (Present Day)
The Archangel docked in Orb eight hours later. The battle in Gibraltar had ended just an hour ago, with neither side winning, though Gibraltar's forces had been truly damaged by the attack. Throughout the attack, the Archangel crew could only watch helplessly as forces kept on coming in from both sides. The end of the fight was once again determined by the flagship, the Renegade, as it pulled away from the battle grounds and disappeared again, most likely making its appearance again with the next scheduled attack. Athrun narrowed his eyes as he watched, keeping his eyes especially on the dark green Advocate that he had encountered in the Kingdom of Scandinavia. The pilot had said that the two units were developed purely for the purpose of defeating the Freedom. Athrun couldn't help but feel angered at the group that had so cunningly worked in the shadows during the five years they had assumed peace. Maybe they've been preparing for this even before the last war... Athrun thought darkly.
When the Archangel finally docked, Athrun stood and exited the bridge, having tending to the co-pilot station beforehand (much to Murrue's dismay). He walked back towards the deck and faced the Murasame team that had launched with the Archangel earlier. Athrun saluted them and thanked them for a good job, but there was a dull ache in his chest as he realised that from the twelve that had joined them, only seven remained. A part of him was frightened if the day ever came when he would see the loss of his soldiers as something that couldn't be helped, and that the dull ache would disappear – he hoped that that time would never come.
Athrun spotted Cagalli speaking to one of the commanding officers from the previous fleet. He waited for her to finish before finally joining her again as they made their way to the Parliament house. Throughout the night, Athrun had not slept, but he knew that lying down and closing his eyes would be a futile attempt at times like this. He watched the blurred trees as they were quickly driven to the Parliament house. Cagalli, for one, had a lot of things to think about and decide, and her silence told him that she was still troubled. Athrun had originally thought of accompanying her inside, but when they arrived, he shook his head at her, signalling that he wasn't getting off.
"Athrun..?" Cagalli raised her eyebrows, surprised.
"I'm going to the military headquarters. I'll see you later," Athrun said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Take care."
Cagalli blinked and nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later," she said, stepping out of the black car. Athrun shut the door and turned his eyes forward, aware of Cagalli watching him leave.
When he arrived, he was surprised to be greeted by Kisaka who was standing outside the large building. Apparently, the Fleet Admiral was just about to leave to board the Archangel, but decided against it when he saw Athrun getting off the car. Athrun saluted him out of respect and relaxed as he joined Kisaka. "How is Orb? Is everything alright?" he asked, referring both to the nation and to the fleet that had returned before them.
Kisaka nodded, steering the blue-haired Coordinator into the military headquarters. "Everything is fine. Archangel suffered more than our forces did during that battle. And, of course, the Kingdom of Scandinavia," he said gravely. "Some of our forces stayed to help out, but there's not much left that we can do for that nation. In any case, how is Cagalli?"
"She's fine," Athrun reassured him. "She has a lot to think about... And she's worried about Heliopolis," he said quietly.
They walked until they reached the main headquarters. Athrun asked for the status, but it was apparent that for now, Orb was still as peaceful as ever. They couldn't be too careful, however, and Athrun issued an order to alert the defence fleet for possible attacks. Until RENEGADE steps down, Orb will remain defensive for the attack that would surely come to assault their neutrality. They then moved to the middle of the room, where an electronic map of the Earth was displayed. Kisaka moved to stand next to Athrun, and a few other commanding officers, including Vice Admiral Armagi, joined them.
"As things stand now, Orb is not in a dangerous position," Athrun said, pointing towards the small island that was their nation located at the middle of the map. "The Kingdom of Scandinavia was first to be attacked due to its position right in the middle of the Earth Alliance territories. It was too easy for Earth Alliance to deploy their forces from Heaven's Base to attack them. Even though a lot of resistant groups are forming in the Eurasian Federation, they'll most likely be suppressed again as they were during the previous war. But still, the only threat Orb is really facing now is in JOSH-A from the Atlantic Federation," Athrun continued, pointing towards the location of the base on the map. "Even then, they are far from us, and the bigger threat is in Panama, which has lost most of its military influence since the United States of South America declared itself as a neutral nation, free from the Earth Alliance. We are also beside the Equatorial Union and Oceania Union – for now, ZAFT's Carpentaria base poses no threat, due to PLANTs still opposing RENEGADE. We are still in a safe position," Athrun said, but there was a dark hint in his voice that the soldiers did not miss.
Kisaka stepped forward, tapping his finger at the Carpentaria base in the Oceania Union. "Our fate lies on this base. If PLANTs decide to conform to RENEGADE's ideals, then Orb will be attacked," he said, turning his eyes away.
Athrun nodded. "As it is, Orb is sandwiched between Carpentaria and JOSH-A... and we are also extremely close to Earth Alliance's base in Kaohsiung and Panama. It will be a tough battle even though I know Lacus is still trying her best to keep the situation under control, despite the forces in Victoria that has turned their backs on PLANTs. Our only hope left of protecting our ideals, and the nature of our nation, lies in Heliopolis."
The senior officers began to murmur anxiously among themselves. After five years of rebuilding and development, Heliopolis had certainly grown strong again, but not as strong as they wished it would be. Athrun tapped into the electronic screen and the map of world was then switched to the map of the Lagrange areas surrounding the Earth.
"As it is, Heliopolis is located in Lagrange Area 3. With Artemis destroyed during the first war, an ambush is unlikely. The only real threat comes from PLANTs which is closest to us, but we should be able to defend it if our forces are strong enough. If worse comes to worse, Heliopolis will be our last ace card," Athrun said, sighing slightly. "At all costs, we must defend it. Otherwise... we will have nowhere else to go."
.
Cagalli and Athrun returned back to the Archangel twelve hours later. With Athrun's predictions and the support of the Orb forces, they had deployed a large number of their military to Heliopolis. Cagalli had also issued a statement to the citizens of Orb, alerting them of the situation once again. Yet, Orb was not known to have strong ideals for no reason – most of the citizens still refused to leave Orb and head to safer places. For what it's worth, they still believed in Cagalli and Orb's military and refused to be driven away out of fear of an attack. The emotional response from the citizens shocked the young representative, and Athrun found her crying quietly in her room an hour later, holding the picture of her and Kira in the arms of their mother – the last item she had received from Uzumi Nara Attha before his death.
"What if I can't do it, Athrun..?" Cagalli had asked, looking up tearfully to the other Coordinator.
Athrun did not respond at first. He sat down beside her and placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. "Then at least they'll know you died trying," he said quietly, the image of Shinn coming to mind, that one day at their orphanage, when the black-haired Coordinator had taken the saw from Cagalli's hands, his red eyes finally showing understanding and forgiveness for what he could not understand before. "We'll die trying if we have to... like Kira did," he said, his green eyes on the baby with brown hair at the picture in Cagalli's hands.
The young representative merely cried afterwards, and it was all Athrun could do to stop the tears from flowing down as he held her tight. He wished he could be more reassuring, that he could tell her not to worry and they would win, but he could not. They had fought for so long already, and they would keep on doing so. That was all there was to it.
When they returned to the Archangel, they were greeted warmly by Murrue and Mu, as well as the rest of the Archangel crew. At that time, Athrun was comforted by the fact that even if he couldn't promise them all a battle finally won, he could promise that they did have loyal comrades who would fight with them until the very end.
"I'm sorry to ask this of you all when you must be tired after the long battle," Cagalli said, clenching her fists together. "But..."
Mu came over to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You want the Archangel to launch to Heliopolis?" he guessed, his blue eyes gentle.
Cagalli was surprised, but Athrun merely nodded. He wasn't surprised that the Archangel crew had figured it out – both Mu and Murrue were top soldiers that he had come to trust more than many others he had known. "I'm sorry..." Cagalli whispered. "But... at this rate, Orb is helpless! We can only rely on Lacus, but even we know that things won't work out the way it's going. The forces in Gibraltar were nearly devastated, and ZAFT had only been taking defensive measures. Those in PLANTs are furious. If this continues, then we... Orb will..."
"We understand," Murrue said calmly, smiling at her as the golden-haired representative wiped her tears. "We were planning on going up to space anyhow. Lacus is in danger," she said, her voice firm. Why else would Waltfeld depart from the Archangel so soon to head to PLANTs? "Will you come as well, Cagalli?"
"Yes," Cagalli said immediately, clenching her fists together. "Kisaka-san is staying behind, and I am needed in Heliopolis more than I am needed here."
"Well, that's settled. Shall we go?" Mu nodded to Murrue, the amused glint never leaving his eyes. "Though I have to respect all of you. We keep on doing the most impossible things," he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"I guess so," Murrue agreed. "Archangel will prepare for launch! We will head to the Heliopolis colony located in Lagrange Area 3!"
C.E 79 Mendel Colony, Lagrange Area 4 (Present Day)
Once again, Kira found himself in the research room of the Ultimate Coordinator project. He was beginning to get stronger, and Hikari's words earlier had persuaded him to believe that he would be leaving this place and be reunited with Lacus again soon. But still, something niggled at his mind and he still wondered what his parents were like. He had learned a lot about his father, Ulen Hibiki, by reading his notes and reports, but not much was known about his mother, Via. Kira leafed through an old journal highlighting the small notes and details of causes of failures and possible attempts they could take to succeed. The way his father had written the notes, it did not seem as if he had viewed the "failures" as "children who died".
As Kira leafed through the different pages, he came across an entry, rather emotional than the others, about how The Ultimate Coordinator Project was running out of funds and that the sponsors were beginning to pull out. The only one who stepped forth to sponsor the project was Al Da Flaga, Mu's father, who would sponsor the project as long as Ulen agreed to make clones of him. Ulen, of course, knew of the dangers of creating clones, and the damage it may bring to the child, as opposed to being an Ultimate Coordinator – not to mention that cloning was illegal. But the need for sponsorship overcame that fear and he agreed, which eventually led to the creation of Al Da Flaga's first clone, given the name Rau Le Creuset. He was born with short telomeres which would ultimately lead to a quickening in his ageing process, something that was deliberately done so he could catch up to Mu's age quickly, but the effect was also devastating. Ulen did not mention how many more clones were produced, but Kira had encountered another one during the last war who had eventually saved his life by shooting the late Chairman Durandal – an elite ZAFT pilot named Rey Za Burrel.
With Kira's position as a high-ranking Commander in ZAFT, of course he had tried to find out as much as possible about both Rey and Rau, but failed to do so. Their profiles revealed nothing from that of an ordinary person, and until now, he still did not know how many clones were created. Chairman Durandal did wipe the records clean during the last war, after all... except for this small place which only Daisuke knew about.
"Kira."
Kira turned in surprise, coming face-to-face with the silver-haired Coordinator. "Daisuke-san..."
"I'm surprised to find you here again. I actually would've thought that you would stay out of a place like this after finding out what it is," he said, walking over to Kira. "Did you find anything interesting?"
Kira was about to shake his head, but then another thought came to him. He examined Daisuke closely. This scientist was, after all, a comrade of his father's. "About... Al Da Flaga. Did you know a lot about him?" Kira asked.
Daisuke crossed his arms, resting his back against the cabinets. "No," he admitted, a dark look in his eyes. "But I for sure hated him. He knew how close we were in creating an Ultimate Coordinator – he could see the determination in your father's eyes, but we were running out of funds and there weren't many sponsors left who believed we could do it. I didn't like the look in his eyes. He was a very arrogant man," Daisuke's face was thoughtful as he recalled his memories. "I didn't know how your father managed it, but we got the sponsors. A great deal of money for sure. This lab was actually for the clones he created," he said, surprising Kira.
"But I thought..."
Daisuke shook his head. "Cloning was illegal at the time. Doing it in the main research and production lab in Area Four would have been a devastating thing to do. This lab was built in secret to produce Al Da Flaga's clones. Al didn't seem interested in how or where we did it, as long as he had his clone. So this place was securely kept, between Ulen, me, and a few others who were eventually killed. That Chairman Durandal seemed to know a lot for some reason, but I gathered that he was once acquainted with Rau Le Creuset. He really wiped the place clean of any information possible," Daisuke scowled. "Still, it's probably for the best."
Kira nodded slowly. He particularly disliked Chairman Durandal for a number of reasons, but this wasn't one of them. He was actually grateful for the Chairman's acts of wiping the documents clean. It was bad enough that the title of being a Coordinator already incited hatred within people... Kira didn't dare to think what his existence would lead people to do. "Daisuke-san..."
"Yes?"
"I was wondering about... about Cagalli. She..." Kira trailed off. The question had bugged him a lot for years, whether she her genes had also been modified or not.
Daisuke smiled. "I wondered if you were going to ask me that question, Kira. Cagalli is a Natural, through and through. You're not exactly identical twins," he laughed, and Kira couldn't help but smile at that. Cagalli was perhaps the exact opposite of him. "A Coordinator is produced by taking out the embryo in the very first stages of development, and modifying it. Once it looks stable, it is placed back inside the mother's womb to grow, and then to be born. But the condition within the mother's womb is very unstable, and it is a normal case where changes within the child happen because the mother's womb could not support those changes. Thus," Daisuke waved his hand around the room, smiling slightly.
"So Cagalli's genes were never modified?" Kira asked.
"No, never," Daisuke shrugged. "Via never particularly cared about having enhanced abilities or immunity – all she cared about was that children are there to be born, and not to be manufactured," he said, nodding to Kira. "They argued a lot when she found out that you were taken from her womb. And she cried. She always cried. Even when she was pregnant with Cagalli, she still feared for you. And when you were taken out from the artificial womb, she loved you fiercely even though she never gave birth to you. I suppose that's what a mother is. I was surprised when I first saw you," Daisuke continued quietly, his eyes faraway. "Brown hair, the same shade of violet eyes. Ulen never tampered with your appearance, which was already set to be identical to your mother's. He did love her, after all," he said, turning his eyes on Kira again. "Mankind and their ambitions. I think you know the rest."
Kira nodded. "I heard a little from Rau Le Creuset during the first war..." he said quietly.
"I heard you encountered Creuset. A funny play of fate, if I may say so. He despised himself, that boy. His condition, his pain... He hated everyone, not just us."
"So what will you do after this?"
He shrugged. "Go into hiding again, most likely. Try and live a small, comfortable, quiet life where I no longer need to fear that there are some clones out there to kill me," he laughed. "Most of the clones never survived the pain of having short tolemeres. But I don't know how many there are – only Ulen and Al did. Maybe once the world is peaceful again, I can try and put my talents where they will be welcome," he said, turning his silver eyes hopefully on Kira. "You're not the only one who wishes to make the world better."
Kira's brows pulled together. "Why not return to PLANTs? I'm sure you'd be welcome there," he said.
Daisuke shook his head. "Hardly. At least, I suppose I'm rather paranoid. Don't worry about me, Kira. We'll undoubtedly meet again, I have no concern about that... You know, once everything is cleared, once everyone can live without fear again, including me," he smiled slightly. "Right now, you need to rest. I don't know how you survived that battle, but the debris certainly did the damage. You nearly died," he smiled. "But it's not your time yet." Daisuke straightened and walked back towards the exit, pausing to wave at the brown-haired Coordinator before disappearing again.
C.E 79 Heliopolis, Lagrange Area 3 (Present Day)
"Archangel has officially docked!" reported Arnold Neumann, the Archangel's pilot. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. At least they arrived without any troubles. With the world now at war again, the Archangel was most likely the most hated ship, and they had learned to be on constant alert for possible battles. Athrun stood from the co-pilot seat, nodding to Cagalli, Mu and Murrue – they would disembark first.
"I'm glad we finally made it," Cagalli said, walking beside Athrun.
"Ah," Athrun agreed.
They exited the Archangel and were warmly welcomed by Erica Simmons, one of Morganroete's senior engineers. Murrue shook her hand gratefully and even Cagalli seemed happy to be in Heliopolis again. Athrun remained silent as Erica led them away, the memories of him coming here to steal the mobile suits and meeting Kira during the first war coming back to him. They had truly come a long way since then. "The Orb fleet that was dispatched a while ago arrived safely, but I didn't think you should worry too much. Heliopolis is fine, and Morganroete has been working hard in developing more mobile suits for possible battle," Erica reported, showing them around the large factory. She led them to an elevator and turned to Cagalli as they descended. "We're aware of the situation in Orb. There's something I'd like you to see," she said, nodding to Athrun. Athrun raised his eyebrows slightly, but he said nothing.
The doors opened and they entered another corridor, eventually leading to two passages. Erica led them through the right until they met a security door. She unclipped her badge and slid it through the locking device, tapping in the security code as she did so. The large doors slid open, revealing a large working space and what looked like two abnormally large rings, the insides glowing like strange disks. "We've been working on this for a while, but it's only recently that we're putting our all into it," she reported.
"A shield?" Athrun realised, blinking at the sight.
Erica nodded. "We call it the Protectors of Heliopolis. It's capable of withstanding large amounts of highly-concentrated gamma ray emissions and high-powered microwaves," she said quietly, glancing at Athrun.
"In other words, an anti-GENESIS... huh?" he guessed, smiling slightly. The first GENESIS weapon was launched during the first war seven years ago by his father, Patrick Zala. Athrun had destroyed it by self-destructing the Justice inside it then, but a second GENESIS, under the name of Neo-GENESIS, was later launched by Gilbert Durandal during the war five years ago, later destroyed by Kira Yamato. The Earth Alliance was known to use high-powered microwaves, such as the Cyclops System, but that attack never reached PLANTs.
"It's still in development... But they are our hope in protecting this small colony," Erica smiled faintly, placing a hand on her hip.
Cagalli was tearful. "You guys..." she trailed off, laughing slightly despite herself. Her eyes took a determined look and she turned to Erica. "Please do your best."
As Erica led them away with more news, Athrun found himself walking away from the group, heading towards the development site. The shields were indeed very large and he crossed his arms as he examined them.
"You can almost say that this is a more concentrated form of N-Jammers," a voice came from behind him. Athrun turned and was greeted by a middle-aged man who held his hand out, which Athrun shook. "Heiji Sato. Head of Area Three of Morganroete... which is this place here," he said, waving his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Admiral Zala."
Athrun raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "Not at all. Thank you for the work you've been doing," he said, nodding towards the large disks. "Cagalli has been worried about Heliopolis, but this may put her mind at ease for a little while."
"Just when isn't Cagalli-sama worried about us?" Heiji laughed. "I'm not surprised she left Orb to come up here, but that's why she always has our support. We're with her until the end, if it means peace between Naturals and Coordinators," he signalled Athrun to follow and they walked beside the large disks. "N-Jammer Cancellers work by cancelling the effects of N-Jammers. But one advantage we have is that fission reactions are never 100% efficient in producing energy – not even close. As long as there's something stronger that can overwhelm it, then we have the means of controlling it. This machine is more of a Nuclear Absorber than a Jammer. High levels of gamma ray emissions are absorbed and converted into a different form of energy. If we transport these disks to Earth and have the GENESIS constantly firing at it, then at the right setting and usage, we're looking at the number one energy producer right here, after antimatter," he said, crossing his arms. "Nowadays, people make a lot of discoveries. Positron cannons were once a fantasy, but it has now turned itself into a reality. Do you know how much those antimatter particles are worth? How much energy they produce?"
"They have a 100% efficiency rate, which is nowhere near that of a fission reaction," Athrun said quietly.
"Exactly! Yet they discover how to create antimatter, and they use it to make positron cannons!" Heiji said incredulously. Athrun couldn't help but smile at how dramatic he was being. Even with positron cannons like Archangel's Lohengrin, the cannon used no more than only a few particles of antimatter. "Morganroete was in the process of researching antimatter, until our need of protection led us to develop these disks first. Antimatter is too unstable, which is probably why it is best used as a weapon. But if we can utilise it properly, then we will have a very rich world. Unfortunately, people aren't worried about the energy crisis, are they?" he asked Athrun, his eyes twinkling slightly in amusement.
Athrun looked away. "I suppose not," he agreed. People are more worried about fearing each other more than this... he thought. It was discouraging, of course. All the major breakthroughs they have made since the past eight years had been utilised for the use of producing deadlier weapons due to fear of one another, yet poorer countries were still suffering as they always had been. "Why do we start fighting with each other anyway?" Athrun asked darkly, his voice barely audible.
Heiji shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know. And I'm not surprised if those of you who are fighting don't know as well," he said truthfully. "These wars have been going on for so long, we eventually forget the real reason why we're fighting in the first place and create any other excuse that can support us to continue fighting."
A few hours later, after learning and sharing many things with those in Morganroete, Athrun found himself on his bed in the Archangel. Though those in Heliopolis had argued and asked them to stay in more comfortable rooms in the city, Athrun, Cagalli, Mu, Murrue and the rest of the crew had declined. They felt more secure sleeping on the ship where they could easily launch at any time if there were any emergencies. Athrun had asked the crew to keep a close watch on PLANTs before retiring back to his rooms to rest. His mind had been thinking about Lacus constantly, the worry aching in his chest as they waited for the inevitable to happen. Heiji's words echoed in his mind and Athrun turned, sighing to himself. It did not seem as if they had a reason to keep on fighting.
A green mechanical bird landed on the side of his head and Athrun smiled slightly. He raised his hand, allowing Torii to hop on it and Athrun lowered it so that he was face-to-face with the bird. "Can you sense him, Torii?" Athrun asked quietly. The bird cocked its head questioningly. "Kira..."
C.E 79 PLANTs – Aprillius Four (Two Days Later)
Yzak was restless. Playing the waiting game did not settle well with him at all, and he didn't like it. He turned and shifted slightly before running a hand through his silver hair yet again, exhaling as he did so, then crossing his arms. Once again, they were keeping watch outside Lacus's house, but this time, Yzak did not ask his squadron along. He knew that he was pushing them too hard, and the reality of the situation of what they might face by turning against RENEGADE was beginning to dawn on the young General. After he bade his squadron a good evening, Yzak got into his car and was about to make his way up the elevator when he was stopped by Dearka and Shiho.
"Oy. You're going to keep watch outside her house again, aren't you?" Dearka had asked knowingly. Yzak only snorted and turned his head away.
It was Shiho who surprised him. "We're going with you."
"W-What?" Yzak had sputtered. He hadn't expected the two to accompany him – he didn't even know they were aware of him keeping watch in front of Lacus's house since the day they were ambushed by those colourful Haros. "But... You..."
"Come on. I kinda wish you'd get ambushed by her Haros again," Dearka had said, pulling his arm as they made their way to the elevator.
Yzak's cheeks turned red at that. He preferred to keep that memory stored away in the past, never to be remembered again. "Shut up, Dearka," he managed. But deep inside, he was truly grateful for the company.
Now, as they kept watch, Yzak realised that Dearka was unusually silent. Maybe it was because this time, he had volunteered to go and wasn't forced, but Yzak doubted that. They were as anxious as he was. Lacus's decision in taking the defensive position against the Earth Alliance was definitely an unpopular one even though her words had enough influence on some of the public to support her. But with the Earth Alliance constantly attacking ZAFT's smaller bases on Earth, it was beginning to become a difficult situation. The public wanted action. They already knew that this war was no longer a war between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT – this war was between Naturals and Coordinators, pure and simple. Even the neutral nations weren't allowed to escape this time. Lacus's actions might have been supported thoroughly by the public during the previous war, for her actions mirrored that of Chairman Durandal's, but the people were growing wary of the game of politics. Plus, during the last war, the Earth Alliance had definitely not attacked any neutral nations like they did with the Kingdom of Scandinavia. Lacus's aim was simply to stop war from growing, but even with that, people were beginning to suspect her of having a hidden agenda.
"Commander... Are you alright?" Shiho's voice was quiet. Despite Yzak's promotion three years ago, she still preferred to address him as 'Commander' just to spite him. Yzak decided to ignore her. He wondered why he was feeling so restless, but then the realisation came to him.
"It's too quiet," he said, the reality of it hitting him hard. "It's far too quiet. I'm going out," he said, taking out his gun.
As a soldier, Yzak had been trained for many things. It was difficult him to enter any place or meet anyone without making a thorough assessment, and this was no exception. Having people walking around at night or even causing some noises was normal, but this... the silence was too loud. It was a planned silence. Yzak was vaguely aware of Dearka's shadow behind him as his second-in-command followed him. Yzak paused and glanced over his shoulder – the glint in Dearka's violet eyes told him that the black-uniformed Captain had suspected something amiss as well. That might be why he was quiet, Yzak thought despite himself. He reached the side of the house and pressed his back against the stone wall, listening intently. One might say that it was a peaceful night, but even in the silence, Yzak could sense something approaching. He focused his eyes into the darkness, and as soon as he saw something move, ever so slightly, Yzak open fired. He had been right.
The bang was amazingly loud, but others followed immediately. Dearka moved to crouch beside Yzak, shooting a few times before ducking and releasing his bullets again.
"Kuso!" Yzak cursed. This was no Haro ambush.
Running to the other end of the house, Yzak slammed his left elbow into the glass window, smashing it into pieces. He fiddled with the lock inside and jumped in, followed instantly by Dearka. Yzak stayed low as he moved through the corridors, allowing Dearka to cover his back. "Commander Waltfeld! Lacus!" Yzak shouted amidst the noise, firing two rounds when he saw a shadow lurking outside the window. The window shattered and the man fell.
"Yzak Joule!" Waltfeld called from above and Yzak hurried to his side immediately. A startled Lacus Clyne was standing beside him. "Good thing you're here, Yzak. The rest are outside, but I haven't heard anything," he said, clenching his teeth.
"We didn't get any back-up," Yzak said, his brows pulling together. Could it be that the group had already killed Lacus's guards outside?
"Yzak! They're breaking in!" Dearka shouted, running up the stairs as he dodged the bullets coming his way. Yzak and Waltfeld immediately open fired as Dearka joined them.
Hahnenfuss! Yzak thought, immediately turning to Lacus. "Come on!" He grabbed her hand and led her quickly to the corridor away from the stairs. Kuso! It's impossible to survive this one, Yzak thought to himself, his mind racing as they entered the songstress's room. Yzak released Lacus's hand and immediately made his way to the balcony, firing shots from above. He could just make out his car parked outside the lawn, in the depths of the trees, but could he make it? Yzak turned and watched as Waltfeld and Dearka shut and barricaded the door. He'd have to survive it. Yzak took out a couple flash bombs from inside his pocket. He hadn't stationed himself outside Lacus's house for nothing.
"Lacus! As soon as I give you the signal, you're going to jump," he said urgently. Lacus's eyes widened, but knowing the severity of the situation, she merely nodded. It was most likely that they were facing ZAFT soldiers after all.
"Hey, aren't you going too far, Yzak?" Dearka joked, appearing beside him.
"Shut up," Yzak snapped, moving to the edge of the balcony. He glanced at where his car should be parked again and turned to glance over his shoulder. Waltfeld gave him the thumb's up. A bold plan... Yzak thought, disgusted. But it was always the most obvious of plans that threw soldiers off. They were probably expecting them to hide in a shelter or something. Yzak launched the two flash bombs and shut his eyes as they exploded. He could hear a number of confused cries down below and jumped instantly, landing smartly and immediately shooting with his two guns. He watched as a few guards went down silently – Shiho's sniping. "Lacus!" Yzak turned and signalled to the songstress. Lacus hesitated, but Waltfeld placed a hand on her shoulder and she tensed, jumping straight into Yzak's arms, followed almost simultaneously by Dearka and Waltfeld who landed on each side. "Come on!"
Yzak pulled her and they broke into a sprint towards his car. He could only count on Dearka and Waltfeld to cover their backs, his teeth clenched together as he heard the rounds being fired. "Get inside!" Yzak commanded, pulling the door open and firing a few more rounds before getting into the car. Waltfeld was the last to slam the door shut, and as soon as he did so, Shiho slammed the pedals and the car shot away. They had a few seconds of advantage, but was soon being pursued by another three cars. "Kuso! To think that ZAFT would act so boldly like this!" Yzak cursed loudly. He had recognised one of the soldiers when he passed them earlier, his icy blue eyes missing nothing.
"Please make your way to the Aries Hangar," Lacus commanded, her azure eyes burning.
"Aries Hangar?" Shiho asked, surprised, yet the speed of the car did not go down. "Are you sure?"
"It's our only hope," Lacus promised.
"Don't worry. Our comrades should be there," Waltfeld said quietly. The idea did not appeal to Yzak at all, but they had no other choice of staying alive. He nodded to Shiho – they would follow. Shiho cranked the gear and they accelerated faster, if possible. Yzak had always been a rather crazy driver with the love for speed, but even he had to admit that Shiho was a terrifyingly skilled one, if not suicidal. It was perhaps all he could do not to command his ace pilot to slow down. They drove straight into the hangar – Shiho's driving had given them a two minute advantage at most and Waltfeld led the way to the elevator. The crew members there, much to Yzak's relief, allowed their entry without question. Lacus's followers, no doubt. Yzak had no problem about that, but what worried him was how they were going to launch from this hangar to the main elevator and out of PLANTs.
They descended into a small hangar which revealed four mobile suits. Waltfeld immediately commanded them to pilot one each, except for Lacus who would be going with him. Yzak nodded in approval. They were merely ZAKUs, but it wasn't as if he had any place to argue. Yzak climbed into the cockpit of the mobile suit and activated the system, turning his blue eyes to Waltfeld's ZAKU beside him. "What's your plan from here?" he asked menacingly. Most of his anger, of course, was directed to Lacus even though he knew that the situation really couldn't be helped.
"There should be a shaft in the other hangar, if we can break into it," Waltfeld said easily. Yzak sighed. Of course the Commander would come up with such bold ideas. He gripped the handles of his ZAKU tightly, clenching his teeth. If he lived to see tomorrow, he really would like to unleash his temper on someone. They launched and exited the hangar, but there was nobody in sight. Yzak was beginning to feel apprehensive of the situation – where were the black cars chasing them earlier?
As if answering his question, the alarms in his cockpit sounded and Yzak boosted his thrusters just in time to evade a high-energy beam cannon. "What?" Yzak turned, his eyes turning to the radar that had just detected an unknown mobile suit. That can come from nothing but a Hyper Impulse Cannon... Yzak thought, immediately spotting the mobile suit on his screen. He focused on the mobile suit, his eyes widening at the sight. It was blue and white, with heavy armour covering its sides and a large Hyper Impulse Cannon mounted on its shoulder. "G-Gundam..?"
"Oy Oy, what's going on?" Dearka sputtered. "We didn't expect to be facing something like that!"
"That is no ZAFT unit," Lacus's voice was firm. "Please defeat it before it can harm those in the colony," she commanded.
Yzak slammed his fist against the armrest of the ZAKU. "KUSO!" he cursed. "Commander Waltfeld, take Lacus away to safety. We'll handle this guy," he seethed, immediately taking out his beam axe. A unit with a Hyper Impulse Cannon was similar to Dearka's Buster during the first war. Yzak had battled with it enough times to know its weakness – it cannot fight in close-range combats, and the cannon usually would take its time to recharge. Boosting his thrusters, Yzak immediately lashed out with his axe, smirking slightly as the mobile suit boosted its thrusters and headed up.
"Give up, you idiot!" the pilot's voice surprised the young General.
A... A girl..? Yzak thought, the fury immediately burning through him. How dare she..! "Kisama!" Yzak lashed out again and fired with his left beam cannon. How dare this stupid, idiotic, pathetic girl turn up and tell him to give up like that? Another cannon fired and Yzak evaded, turning his eyes below. Dearka and Shiho's units were battling against five ZAKUs, much like their own.
"Give me a break!" Dearka moaned.
Yzak fired again, chasing after the blue and white Gundam. "You think you can defeat my Premium with that old ZAKU?" the pilot laughed, and Yzak cried out angrily, launching a grenade towards the mobile suit, which exploded by her left leg. "You..!"
The sound of a large explosion made Yzak stop and his eyes widened as he realised that Aprillius Four was shaking. "Aprillius..?"
C.E 79 Mendel Colony, Lagrange Area 4 (Present Day)
"You can't! You'll be sending him to his death!"
Daisuke's eyes were icy cold as he turned to Hikari, already expecting the outburst. "We cannot keep him here any longer! When he finds out about this, he'll demand us to let him go!" Daisuke said quietly, his voice full of authority.
"But..!"
Ken stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let it go, Hikari! We can't protect him forever. That wasn't the reason why we took him in with us," he pointed out. Hikari lowered her eyes. "Go with Daisuke. I'll take it from here," he said, turning and moving quickly to the infirmary.
C.E 79 PLANTs – Aprillius Four (Present Day)
"How dare you attack at Lacus-sama like this!" Hilda Harken, a loyal member of the Clyne Faction, shot at the GOUF that had been lingering outside of Aprillius Four along with the defence lines. They had been alerted of the situation by the members inside the colony, and immediately launched from Terminal to help. ZAFT was finally turning its back on the true songstress, and Hilda did not like that one bit.
Her mobile suit detected a large heat signal coming her way and she boosted her thrusters, moving up just in time to evade the powerful beam cannon attack that shot straight into the PLANT wall. "What?" Hilda turned, immediately spotting a Nazca-class destroyer heading their direction, which immediately deployed a large number of ZAKUs. Her eyes widened as it aimed for her again and she moved, evading just in time. However, the PLANT walls were weak against such high-energy beam attacks. A hole began to form, and Hilda watched in dismay as the air from inside Aprillius Four began to escape into space. Though it would take a long time for the air in Aprillius Four to be sucked out from that small hole, it told Hilda one thing for sure – these guys did not care if the PLANT collapsed.
.
By the time Yzak had made sense of the situation, it was already too late – the hole had been formed at the top of the colony, and if something wasn't done quickly, the colony would undoubtedly go down. "Dearka! Hahnenfuss! Commander Waltfeld!" Yzak called urgently, alerting them of the situation. They understood immediately, each of them boosting their thrusters as they made their way towards the escape into space. "Our primary objective is to escape. Put as much distance as we can from PLANTs!" Yzak commanded. Things were chaotic, but if he had placed his faith in the right people, the Voltaire would come to them soon.
Yzak stayed at the rear, firing his gatling beam cannon at the pursuing Premium Gundam. He launched his grenades again, taking out the remaining enemy GOUFs behind them and turned to the Premium again. "Kisama! Don't mess around with me!" he shouted at her, switching for his axe again.
The Premium pilot did not respond and dodged as Yzak attacked. She boosted her thrusters, moving away from Yzak before combining her cannons again, mounting it on her shoulder. The Hyper Impulse Cannon fired, but Yzak's reflexes were quicker. Even with the slow ZAKU, he evaded the attack just in time and the beam went straight into the PLANT wall, breaking it with its enormous power. Yzak turned and watched, horrified as the crack continued until it reached the escape hole they were heading to. "KISAMA!" He took his axe and threw it – surprised, the pilot rushed back, but the axe planted itself firmly into one of her cannons and it exploded, sending her back. Using that opportunity, Yzak boosted his thrusters and followed Waltfeld and the rest out of Aprillius.
It was as hectic outside as it was inside. Mobile suits and Nazca-class ships were beginning to appear, and it took Yzak a split second to realise that the Unknown mobile suits (except for the Premium Gundam) were fighting on their side and they were actually battling against ZAFT. Lacus's followers. As expected, Yzak thought darkly. He followed Waltfeld as they tried to get away from the side of Aprillius Four's wall, but Yzak suddenly spotted a Nazca-class ship locking its beam cannon on them. "Look out!" Yzak shouted.
The ZAFT battleship's cannon ignited, ready to fire at them, but a red flyer suddenly went through it and exploded. For a moment, everyone stopped, stunned, but Yzak knew what that thing was. He looked around and immediately spotted that damned crimson mobile suit – a gold Gundam was beside it; the Akatsuki. The flyer earlier was the Infinite Justice's Fatum-01 Backpack which Athrun must've detached from his mobile suit, sending it straight into the Nazca-class battleship.
His patience finally ran out. "KUSOO! How dare you show your face up here, KISAMA!" Yzak shouted.
"Y-Yzak..? Yzak?"
"Hey, Athrun. Looks like you came just in time."
"Dearka!"
"Athrun! You're late."
"Waltfeld-san! Lacus! Thank goodness you're safe..."
Yzak snorted. Trust them to have their heart-warming welcome right here and now. "What do you think you're doing here, kisama?" Yzak shouted at the blue-haired Coordinator. He still had not forgiven Athrun for creating those damned Haros that had ambushed him a few days ago.
"Hey, Yzak, I don't think we should worry about that right now." Dearka sighed.
"What happened? Yzak... Why are you in a ZAKU?" Athrun's voice was puzzled. Whatever he was expecting, it clearly wasn't this.
"Shut up!" Yzak snapped at him.
"Like said, this isn't the time!" Dearka reprimanded them both. He took out his gatling beam cannon, firing at the mobile suits that were beginning to pursue them.
"Kuso!" Yzak cursed, mirroring Dearka's actions. Whatever the reason the kisama was here, he would settle things later. For now, they had to get Lacus to safety.
"Waltfeld-san! Take her to the Archangel. Your Gaia is there," Athrun informed, taking out his beam sabers and boosting his thrusters, immediately disabling the incoming mobile suits.
"Roger!"
"No, you don't!" A mobile suit pilot shouted, and at the same time, a Nazca-class destroyer fired straight at Waltfeld's retreating ZAKU. Yzak's eyes widened as he froze on the spot, the beam inches from the ZAKU before a black and gold mobile suit slammed into it, its shield taking the impact of the beam before exploding, sending it and the ZAKU away.
"Destiny Gaia?" Yzak's eyes widened, recognising the new Gundam instantly.
"Oy, have you lost your touch, Athrun?" Shinn voice greeted them, as he took out his beam rifle and immediately shot down the mobile suits surrounding Waltfeld's GOUF.
"Shinn!"
"Shinn Asuka!" Yzak commanded, boosting his thrusters as he closed the distance.
"General Joule! The Voltaire!" Shinn's voice was surprised. At the mentioning of his ship, Yzak saw his Nazca-class destroyer firing its cannon, hitting the other ship's cannon that had fired at them earlier.
"Dearka! Hahnenfuss!"
"Yes, sir!"
Yzak boosted his thrusters and neared the Voltaire, noticing that Kira's Aurora was flanking his ship as well. It was then that he spotted Sierra and Lunamaria's custom Enigmas fighting with Shinn, defending the two battleships. Yzak smiled slightly at that – finally, their forces were strengthening. But two Nazca-class destroyers and the Archangel against a large ZAFT force was still tough to beat. They already demonstrated that even breaking Aprillius Four was nothing compared to the need for Lacus's death. "Voltaire! This is General Joule speaking. I'm making an emergency land. Prepare my Hyper Duel, and the two custom Enigmas!"
C.E 79 Mendel Colony, Lagrange Area 4 (Present Day)
"Kira. Kira! Wake up," Ken's voice was loud, and Kira forced his eyes open as the red-haired Coordinator shook him.
"Let's go," Ken said, his hand grabbing Kira's wrist. He pulled Kira to his feet quickly and to their left, past the large clearing and down the other corridor that Kira had yet to explore. They went through the hallway and came to a smaller room – it looked like a changing room. "This used to be the room they used to get rid of any external germs that might have followed, but I guess you can call it a changing room now," Ken said, pulling one of the lockers open. He took out a blue pilot suit and helmet and turned to Kira, eyeing him for a moment before shrugging his black jacket off, throwing it to the brown-haired Coordinator. "You'll probably need this. You might feel a little warm, but it's for your own good. Wear that, and put this on," he said, gesturing to the pilot suit. "No questions."
"What's going on?" Kira asked, ignoring his command as he took Ken's black jacket and wore it over his black shirt. He wondered why he needed a jacket underneath a pilot suit. Never mind that, why was he even wearing a pilot suit? As he stepped into the suit, he noticed that Ken seemed to be nervous about something. "Ken... Are you alright?" Kira asked.
Ken pursed his lips. "PLANTs is under attack. They're attempting an assassination on Lacus Clyne," he said.
The young pilot immediately froze, the image of the songstress coming to his mind. "What?"
"It happened sooner than we thought. I'm sorry. But it's time for you to leave us, Kira," Ken said, crossing his arms. "Hikari didn't like it, but this is what we took you in for. You want to go back, right? You will fight, right?"
"Of course!" Kira nearly burst out. "Lacus is in danger. I have to save her!" he cried out, clenching his fists.
"As I thought. Are you ready?"
"Yes," Kira answered, perplexed.
Ken led him through another corridor and they reached an elevator. They descended, and when the door opened, a large security door faced them. Ken moved to the controls and tapped into the keyboard, his fingers moving swiftly. Kira was already feeling apprehensive as he watched the other Coordinator. There was still so much he hadn't learned and didn't understand. The door slid open, revealing Daisuke and Hikari there. Hikari was seated at a control panel, tapping into the large keyboard and fiddling with the switches. "Come here, Kira," Daisuke said, holding his hand out. Kira walked towards him and he placed his arm around Kira's shoulders. The lights turned on, revealing a machine that was all-too-familiar for the brown-haired Coordinator.
"A... A Gundam..?" Kira gasped.
Daisuke nodded. "ZGMF-X30A Ultimate Freedom," he said quietly.
"Ultimate... Freedom..."
"This unit has been developed from your own Freedom, Kira. We did what we could do with the remaining parts – thankfully, your nuclear reactor was pretty much intact, so we could get this developed in the short time we had," Daisuke said, his eyes on the mobile suit. "There's a lot more that we couldn't get done in time, but this should be useful enough for you when you reach PLANTs. They moved sooner than we thought they would, and there's a lot we couldn't do. What we did manage to install into this Freedom is an Antimatter Hyper-Propulsion Catalyst System. Activating that will activate an antimatter reaction within the Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Reactor, enabling the Freedom to reach a speed at least three times as fast as its normal speed, but that ability only lasts for a short while. Use it to get to Aprillius," Daisuke advised.
"Antimatter?" Kira's eyes widened.
Daisuke nodded. "As the world is now, antimatter is already widely used – positrons, especially, in the form of cannons like the Archangel's Lohengrin. Scientists have discovered the way to creating antimatter particles, but they haven't yet to properly utilise it as a catalyst, and this is what I'm giving to you. Use it well, Kira, for the sake of this world."
Kira shook his head. "Why are you giving this to me?"
Daisuke's eyes softened. "It's just like I said, Kira. I want to believe..." he said, resting a hand on his head. "You are Via Hibiki's son."
"Who are you?"
The silver-haired Coordinator laughed. "There are many people with power in this world, Kira. Understand that. Power does not come to people without reason. In the world we live in now, power comes to those who are willing to fight for the same cause. Without support, you have no more power. Without power, there is nothing you can do. Learn that, Kira Hibiki!" Daisuke said firmly, grasping Kira by his shoulders. "Learn the true nature of this war, learn the true way of fighting your battles. Bring the change that you want to bring – if not because you are the Ultimate Coordinator, then because you want it!"
Kira pressed his lips together, the determination coming to him. He nodded firmly. "Yes. But what will you do?"
Daisuke smiled. "My job here is done, Kira. But I have no doubt that we will meet again. My job is not to fuel war, so I will go into hiding once again, but please do not worry. We are fighting for the same battle. Maybe once you clear up this war, I can help rebuild the world again with my new invention," Daisuke said, smiling slightly. It was then that Kira saw Daisuke for who he really was – a runaway scientist, hunted by ZAFT and the Earth Alliance as well as those who hated him for what he had done...
"I promise," Kira vowed.
GENERATION UNSUBDUED NUCLEAR DRIVE ASSAULT MODULE
G.U.N.D.A.M Complex
"Wow... This unit even comes with an Universal Communications Channel," Kira realised, activating the system. Though he had no idea what he might use that system for. He pulled the keyboard out, activating the Ultimate Freedom's OS, his fingers moving through the keyboard instantly. CPG setting complete. Neural linkage ion concentration nominal. Meta movement parameters updated. Nuclear reactor and power flow nominal. Antimatter hyper-propulsion catalyst system activated. Direct linkage to nuclear reactor formed, course set. Ultimate Freedom, system updated.
Kira raised his head, watching the man who had saved his life. Hikari was waving and Ken had his arms crossed, his face set. Daisuke raised his head, a signal of farewell, also telling Kira that he was clear to launch. Disconnect plugs. Activate phase shift. Boost thrusters.
"Kira Yamato. Freedom. Launching!"
C.E 79 PLANTs – Archangel (Present Day)
Lacus watched from the ZAKU with worried eyes as the battle commenced. The two Nazca-class battleships (Yzak's Voltaire and Kira's Aurora) made their way quickly to Archangel's side, but they were severely outnumbered. That wasn't all that Lacus was worried about. A few mobile suits from Factory had joined them, and she could not allow that to happen. It was probably too late already, but as soon as they moved away from Aprillius Four, she punched in the code to the special communication channel linking her to Factory. "Hilda-sama! Please make your way back to Factory!" Lacus commanded, her eyes unwavering.
"What? We can't do that and leave you here!"
"Please! You must!" Lacus pleaded. "Those mobile suits aren't fully ready for battle yet, and I wish to give Factory more time until they can be used. If we lose you, then it's over. Please trust the Archangel. This battle isn't for us yet," she said determinedly, her voice firm.
There was a brief silence on the other side. "Very well. Everyone! You heard the True Songstress. Let's go!"
The unknown mobile suits boosted their thrusters, whizzing past the Archangel and quickly escaping the battlefield. Those that pursued were immediately shot down by Shinn and Athrun.
"Archangel! I'm making an emergency land!" Waltfeld called as he piloted the damaged ZAKU nearer towards the hatch that was opening on the Archangel's right side. It wasn't the most graceful land ever and Lacus cried out as the ZAKU slipped, having lost one leg already, and it fell heavily to its side. Waltfeld caught the pink-haired songstress before she could knock her head against something dangerous.
"Thank you, Waltfeld-san," Lacus managed. The Archangel technicians pried the cockpit door open and Lacus climbed out, immediately spotting Cagalli. Cagalli relaxed instantly and rushed to Lacus's side, hugging her tight.
"You're safe. Thank goodness," she said as Lacus returned the hug.
"Prepare my Gaia! I'm going out!" Waltfeld ordered, managing a small nod to Cagalli before turning to run towards his mobile suit.
"Come on," Cagalli said, pulling Lacus's hand as she led her to the bridge.
The Archangel bridge was buzzing with energy. They ship was unable to move due to the number of mobile suits surrounding them, and Murrue was determined not to attack if at all possible. Even though they were most likely to be blamed for the battle, Murrue knew that it was essential that they did not attack back.
C.E 79 PLANTs (Present Day)
They were surrounded. Seven Nazca-class battleships flanked them, and the number of ZAFT mobile suits pursuing them was nearly uncountable. Athrun looked around and judged their situation. They found themselves sandwiched between PLANTs and the battleships, and it was beginning to seem as if trying to get Lacus away was impossible without fighting back. The pilots included Athrun, Mu, Waltfeld, Shinn, Lunamaria, Yzak, Dearka, Shiho and another pilot whom Athrun believed was from Kira's squadron, named Sierra. Mu, Lunamaria, Sierra and Waltfeld were busy defending the three ships, leaving only five pilots against the many mobile suits. It could be an easy battle, but they knew how important it is to refrain from killing anyone. It was a tough to manage with the numbers they faced.
Athrun cursed, shielding himself from the beams as the Premium shot him with its beam rifles. He clenched his teeth and lashed out again, but the mobile suit was fast. Athrun cried out angrily, his cannons locking onto the mobile suit just as she took out her remaining cannon and they fired at the same time, the two beams meeting and then exploding in front of them. Athrun boosted his thrusters as he tried to pull the Gundam away, but it continued to attack from afar. The ZAFT forces were not going down, nor were they decreasing. The Archangel members had turned back, trying to shake off the pursuing forces, but it was difficult. "Kuso! These guys are really persistent..." Athrun cursed, watching the fights taking place. If they could only escape...
What happened after that was beyond anyone's imagination. In the midst of the battle, a nuclear missile was launched, striking the damaged Aprillius Four. It was too quick and too unexpected. One moment they were battling, and the next moment, Athrun was thrown backwards due to the force of an unbelievably large and bright explosion, particular to that of a nuclear attack. He didn't know what had caused such an explosion, but he definitely did not expect a nuclear attack. The alarms rang deafeningly in his cockpit and he immediately detected heat signals coming from above them. Athrun looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of more nuclear missiles heading their direction.
"Shoot them down!" Athrun shouted, immediately taking out both his beam rifles and he began to shoot them all, almost simultaneously. But how many were there?
"KUSOOO..!" Yzak cried out angrily. "What the hell is going on?" Yzak's Duel and Shinn's Destiny immediately appeared beside him as they, too, began to shoot down the nukes. The aims were accurate – the multiple shots hit the nuclear missiles at the same time, and Athrun was nearly blinded by the light from the explosion that threw them back yet again. It was impossible for them to get all the nukes, however, even as the Archangel fired its missiles and Valiants towards the nukes. Four went astray and made direct contact with four Nazca-class ships... one of them was Yzak's Voltaire. Athrun's breath escaped him as the large ship exploded in front of his eyes, the whole squadron wiped out in the blink of an eye.
"VOLTAIRE!" Yzak's cry sent chills down Athrun's spine. He could feel the fury radiating from the Duel beside him as, with another cry of pure rage, Yzak boosted his thrusters to attack the Earth Alliance Windams that appeared above them. Athrun clenched his teeth together, boosting his own thrusters and he took his beam saber out, his mind registering nothing but pure anger as he made his way to kill those damned pilots who released the nukes. There were still others who hadn't fired their cannons yet. The image of his mother, of Junius Seven, came back to his mind. Those nukes might have been aimed at them, but Aprillius Four also took the damage. And because of them, the Voltaire...
"Athrun! Don't!" Lacus's cry from the Archangel was ignored.
Athrun would have killed every mobile suit there from rage if not for the shots released by the Premium Gundam's beam rifle which he managed to dodge just in time. Athrun turned, his eyes fiery as he faced the Premium. "You..." he spat.
"I want to live in a world where I don't have to fight."
"...I don't want to fight. Please don't make me fight..."
It was a planned battle. Everything that had happened was a planned battle, since the assassination of Sirne Anfiel. No, not even that. It was planned since Yuri Amalfi made that declaration about RENEGADE. Athrun gripped the handles of his Justice tightly as he glared at the Premium. He barely registered the Earth Alliance forces coming close, attacking the Archangel members – some even attacking ZAFT. They were against both groups now, but Athrun was ready. He would eliminate every single mobile suit here for causing the damage and starting the war that they wanted so much. He gritted his teeth, the image of Kira coming to mind. Yes... He would have his revenge for these people who had killed his closest friend. The thought of fighting Kira's battle was gone from his mind now. Athrun was ready to kill again.
"What's wrong? Nukes got your tongue?" The Premium pilot jeered. A female.
"I'll make sure you guys regret this," Athrun said, his voice quiet but menacing as he bowed his head slightly, his fringe covering his eyes. The alarms suddenly sounded in the Justice's cockpit and Athrun's head shot up in surprise. Another wave of nuclear missiles were heading towards them.
"KUSOOO! You guys are STILL FIRING those things?" Shinn shouted angrily, taking out his beam rifle.
He never got the chance to fire. Out of nowhere, multiple beams were fired and the nuclear missiles exploded, blinding Athrun's eyes once again. His Justice moved back as he covered his eyes. Athrun turned towards the source of the attack, aiming his beam rifle, his eyes widening as soon as he took in the familiar mobile suit. His finger froze at the trigger, unable to pull it as shock began to set with the blue-haired Coordinator. What? Impossible!
Blue wings. White, blue and gold armour. Athrun felt his hands shake. "F-F... Freedom? Kira?"
ZGMF-X30A Ultimate Freedom (Kira Yamato)
Unit Type: Assault Mobile Weapon
Model Number: ZGMF-X30A
Code Name: Ultimate Freedom
Developed From: ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom
Launched: 79 C.E
Manufacturer: Unknown
General Characteristics
- Overall Height: 19.55 meters
- Empty Weight: 78.09 metric tons
- Colour: Blue, White and Gold
Power Plant: Ultracompact Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Reactor
Accommodation: Pilot only, cockpit in torso
Armour: Multi Phase-Shift Armor
Armaments
10 x ACNP-3X Ultra DRAGOON mobile weapon wing
- 2 x AX-327A Short Beam Sabers
- 1 x AX-243A Beam Boomerang
2 x MX-395A 15mm CIWS (mounted in head)
4 x MX-396A 20mm CIWS (mounted in chest)
1 x MX-904A Beam Assault Cannon (mounted on right shoulder)
1 x MX-906A Multi-phase Beam Cannon (mounted on left shoulder)
2 x MX-293A High-energy Beam Rifle (stored in hips)
2 x MX-000A Railgun (stored on legs)
2 x MX2300 Beam Shield Generator (installed on arms)
2 x AX-294A Beam Saber (mounted on hips)
2 x AX-395A Armor Schnieder (stored in legs)
1 x AX092 Anti-Ship Strike Sword (stored at back, able to create a beam coating)
Special Equipment and Features
Hardpoint for docking with METEOR
Ultra High-Mobility Aerial Tactics (U-HiMAT) System
Multi-Lock Weapons System ("Full Burst Mode")
Antimatter Hyper-Propulsion Catalyst System
Neutron Jammer Canceller
Universal Communications Channel
DRAGOON system
Optional Equipment
METEOR unit
NEW TECHNOLOGY
N-Absorber - A feature unique to Heliopolis's new shields, "The Protectors of Heliopolis". It is a special device that enables high levels of gamma emissions to be absorbed and transformed into a different form of energy. It could even possibly hold up against a GENESIS equipment, making it a form of anti-GENESIS device.
Antimatter Hyper-Propulsion Catalyst System - A separate generator installed on the Ultimate Freedom, whereby the generator is able to generate antimatter particles used as a catalyst to the nuclear reactor installed. The reaction caused by the particles are then used to generate a tremendous amount of energy, giving the mobile suit the speed of three times its normal for a limited amount of time.
Author's Note: Ah, finally! Finally, we have reached this moment! For sure, that the long-awaited reunion will definitely happen in the next chapter. :D Chapter 5 is now updated with Ultimate Freedom's specs. I hope you all don't mind the long chapters - as long as the internet is down at home, I don't know how often I can update. I've honestly enjoyed writing this fic a lot, with all the dear readers out there. Let me again express my thanks to my reviewers - without them, I'd have little motivation to write like this. Thanks to the five who reviewed last chapter: AngelicFox12, sugarcarly and PrincessOfDestiny14, nxkris and San17! Also, as usual, thanks to those who favourite-d, alert-ed and read the fic! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and will wait for the next update. Please let me hear your thoughts, if you have any requests you'd like to make, or anything! Let me know what you think! ;D Please review!
AngelicFox12: I'm really, really happy you said that. XD Action is never my strongest point, so I'm really glad you liked that scene. It was a pretty awesome experience writing it, but there will be plenty more to come. :D In any case, thanks for your constant support! I really appreciate it.
nxkris: I think you'd work it out by now that ZAFT and EA will definitely battle against each other again in this fic now that Lacus has been pulled away from PLANTs. But it'll be their last battle. :3
San17: Thanks for your review in "Kira's Freedom"! :D Kira/Lacus reunion coming up next chapter, with a LOT of the characters interacting as well. :D I've done some research on Gundam WIKI for that, and I think I got it right. Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Reactors (equipped in Freedom/Justice) are more advanced than fission reactors because it is a hybrid system that uses deuterion conversion technology as well as a nuclear reactor. Freedom/Justice has the reactor where it draws the deuterion energy, which is a little different to Shinn's Destiny in GSD that uses a deuterion battery (which is why Shinn's Destiny once ran out of power). If you discover otherwise though, let me know so I can make the changes. :D Thanks as well!