Gundam SEED Destiny
Kira
By: Tellemicus Sundance
Phase 18: The Changing Tides

January 3, 74 CE
Liberator, Slovenia
4:38am

Luna Ito couldn't help but feel reluctantly respectful of the passionately driven young man whom she was watching. He was everything that the data she had received on him and more. However, no amount of data obtained on a disk could adequately prepare a person for the real deal. And some information could only be gained from meeting a person face to face. Like his most useful talent, which had only been speculated on until she'd had it confirmed it with her own eyes.

At that thought, Luna couldn't help but let a small smile of ironic humor filter across her expression. As soon as he'd laid eyes upon the designs of the GFAS-X1 Destroy, the boy had promptly commandeered her computer keypad, letting his fingers race across the pad with almost alarming speed. He'd spent the next three hours meticulously dissecting and analyzing the blueprints of the mobile suit. Luna had at first allowed him because she knew that he needed to familiarize himself with the Gundam that the Earth Forces were no doubt preparing to unleash. As time went by, Akira continued to review the information. Though she and the other pilots had long since left her office, her computer had a specially encrypted program that allowed her track everything took place within its systems. That was how she was able to pull up the recent additions that Iyadomi had caused. The amount of data that Akira had discovered on the mobile suit from just those fragmented blueprints surprised her. Akira Iyadomi was a genius mobile suit designer and computer programmer, on top of being a deadly pilot!

Once he'd finally decided that he'd learned all he could, Iyadomi had copied all the information upon a data chip and left to begin repairs on his Gundam. When he had first arrived, Iyadomi had quickly refused all help the mechanics of the Liberator offered, only asking that he could use a spare tool set and any necessary cranes. And thus began the long repair sequence of replacing the shredded wreckage of the cameras with the ones that he cannibalized from the Rapier headpiece he'd brought with him. Although she knew that they meant no harm and only intended to help their hero, Iyadomi had vehemently and bluntly proclaimed that he'd fix his Gundam by himself. Either he was intimately passionate for personalizing his machine himself, or he was unspeakably paranoid. Whatever the case, the boy seemed able to go for days without sleep as he fixed the damage that had been done.

That constant vigilance was becoming a real annoyance for Yoshi and the other two pilots. Carter and Maria were very…social individuals. They liked interacting with their fellow pilots, comrades in arms as they put it. No one on the Liberator had been spared from meeting those two. However, Akira made it no secret that he wanted to depart the warship as soon as he was properly repaired. His single-minded need to fix his mobile suit and leave the old ZAFT land battleship was throwing a real wrench into the pair's plans of properly acquainting and worshiping their hero. And because of that, Yoshi hadn't been able to complete his assigned task at long last. If things continued as they were, they wouldn't have any real information to report to their benefactor. This was a crucial mission they were on; they couldn't afford to allow such an opportunity to escape their grasp!

Sighing to herself in disappointment, Luna turned away from the monitor she'd been watching. It showed a head-on view of the Neo Freedom, still missing armor on the damaged right side of the headpiece, with only Iyadomi's legs visible under the bulky device that he was busy securing the mobile suit's systems. The boy's tenacity and drive were to truly be admired.

Turning back to her computer, Luna finished up in typing her report of the current situation. She knew their benefactor would be far from pleased with their lack of progress, but what could she do? He had given her and Yoshi explicit orders, orders that they had followed to the letter. All that they could do from this point was pray that things finally began to go the way that their benefactor had planned.

After all, if his next scheme didn't work, then the Hands of Freedom were his last resort. His final gamble on finally destroying the Neo Freedom!

KIRA – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny – KIRA

Neo Freedom
5:08am

The roar of the waterfall was deafening. The jagged black rocks that formed the cliff face that the moderately sized curtain was falling from gave off an aura of foreboding doom to all who'd dare try to scale the rugged slopes. The deep pool of water and its river that had formed under that cliff offered both safety and beauty. Mosses, ferns, and various trees were scattered around the basin, further enhancing the scenery with rich patches of green. This was true natural beauty, created from many long centuries of geological cycles. He couldn't help but be drawn towards it.

As he stared up at the top of the waterfall, he wondered what was at the top of that waterfall. What could he see from that higher elevation? Without any further thought, he moved forward to climb the cliff. The closer he got to the black rock, the more he realized just how rugged and sharp it was. If he tried to climb that, the sharp edges would slice through his clothes and shoes like butter! Did he really want to see what was up there that badly?

Yes, he did.

There were plenty of foot and handholds to grab. The first ten feet weren't that bad, until he slipped. A rock sliced through his shoe and foot easily, using his own weight and the waterfall's mist as a lubricant. His ascent grew steadily more difficult the higher he pushed and pulled himself along its surface. But he pushed on, ignoring the growing number of cuts on his body and the blood that was quickly staining the black rocks red.

It felt like he'd been climbing for hours, and making no progress. He refused to look down. If he did, he knew he'd see only rivers of blood and no real amount of travel made. He'd lose his nerve and quit. He wouldn't quit, he couldn't! Not after all this, all he'd done already, and all he still had to do! He refused!

"Need some help there?" a kind, if slightly amused, voice asked from above him.

Startled, his head snapped upwards immediately. A pretty blonde girl dressed in a slightly form-fitting red shirt and wearing dog tags looked down at him from over the edge of the cliff. Her expression was clearly amused and he could swear that there was a superior twinkle in her eyes, as though she knew something he didn't.

"C-Cagalli Yula Athha?" he asked in confusion and surprise.

But now that he could see her, he realized that he actually closer to his goal than he'd thought he'd been. He let out a small chuckle at the irony but he shook his head politely no. If he'd come all this way by himself, he could certainly manage two or three more feet, right?

Then the rock he'd been balancing most of his weight on suddenly fell free! No! It was pulled free! Someone was trying to stop him! Flailing his bleeding and weakened arms in an attempt to angle himself towards the cliff so he could regain his balance, he could feel it…almost there… Something grabbed him by the collar of his black sweater! Pulled him backwards! Before he toppled free of the cliff, he caught snapshot glimpse of the person responsible. It was a long-haired blond man with a white mask and wicked sneer on his face.

Even as gravity seized him and pulled him back towards the lower elevation, he didn't scream. He didn't yell for help. And he refused to give into fear as the water below him came rushing up to greet him.

He threw a fast glance back towards the blonde girl. But she was gone! Where'd she go?! Movement! Directly above him, he could see a white, red, and blue mobile suit suddenly go rocketing over the cliff he'd been climbing. That suit looked like—

It exploded!

As its debris came raining down towards him at unimaginable speeds, he couldn't help but feel a wave of remorse rush through him. That mobile suit had been a—

"Gundam," he whispered, awash with overwhelming sadness.

Then he crashed into the cold water below, the Gundam's wreckage mere nanoseconds behind him.

Snapping awake in an instant, Akira panted slightly as he sat up from where he'd fallen asleep, only to hit his head hard on a slab of unforgiving neo-titanium. Recoiling, his hand flew up to rub his injury, which accidentally knocked something off his lap. That something, whatever the wretched thing was, made several clattering sounds as it fell from its perch and continued to fall.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Akira glared heatedly at the damn thing that he'd hurt himself on. The cold interior of the Neo Freedom's headpiece was predictably unmoved by his accusing glare. Wait, if he was here then that meant…

"I did it again," Akira muttered to himself in annoyance.

He watched as the white, red, and blue flew by overhead before it suddenly exploded, throwing debris everywhere.

Shaking his head violently, the half-blonde/half-brown haired Coordinator tried to force the image out of his mind. But the mobile suit refused to budge. Despite himself, he couldn't help wonder something. Why did the vibrant image of the old GAT-X105 Strike seem to hit him with a tsunami of emotions that he barely understood in his confusion? Actually…the answer to that question, and several others, was slowly starting to come into focus.

But he wasn't sure he wanted to know if his growing suspicions were even remotely true. Because if they were…what and who did that make him now? He didn't want to think about it! …At least not yet.

Refocusing his mind, Akira lightly dropped out of the Freedom's blast-opened headpiece to retrieve his laptop. His immediate repairs were nearly finished, and then he could finally leave this accursed warship and its 'wrong' feeling crew behind!

KIRA – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny – KIRA

Aprillis 1
12:59pm

The most important thing to remember is that nothing remains constant. Things change, evolve, and erode away; it is inevitable with the passage of time. And at this time, Durandal was calmly forcing himself to remember that most important lesson. So many new and unforeseen variables were rapidly appearing on the scene, they were almost enough to drive him towards despair. But had some of them not proven themselves to be potentially quite useful to him, Durandal just might've given into his frustration over these numerous new issues.

However, he held something in his hand that did much in the way to calm his nerves and slight temper. It was a report of the progress on the trio of new Gundams that he'd ordered constructed. Thus far the first model, the X666S was turning out to be progressing quite well. The various new upgrades to its predecessor's design were clearly visible upon the blueprints that had come attached to the report he was reading. With these essential upgrades and many new weapons, Durandal had little doubt that it would pose as genuine of a threat to the Neo Freedom as the last model did to the Freedom in the last war.

In contrast however, the X42S was proving to actually be the easiest of the three to be assembled. For all its incredible weaponry and experimental systems that were being tested and installed, the basic design was strikingly similar to the original Freedom. As such, the engineers were actually much closer to completion on this model than its brothers.

Yet, with all the good news for the previous two Gundams, the final suit was proving to be the trickiest one. Overall, the X44S had an extremely straight-forward design. However, due to a strike of true ingenuity among the ZAFT designers and engineers, the special features of this Gundam were taking considerably longer time building and testing. They were toying in technologies never before used, so Durandal could understand the much slower pace they were taking for this mobile suit. But even so, it was almost ready for actual pilot testing.

Once these machines had been properly field tested, he had every intention of delivering them to his chosen pilots. Though he had every confidence that they would use them to the best of their abilities, one of them had recently begun seeming less than enthused to continue in the role that had been lain out for him. That thought brought up another of Durandal's recent problems.

Although Athrun Zala had performed all his duties to the best of his abilities and completed his missions without question or disobedience, Durandal had an itching feeling that the boy was going to become very problematic in the near-future; especially if he continued down the path of trying to understand his long-lost friend's actions. The longer that the Neo Freedom was allowed to run free in this war of reformation, the more likely it seemed to Durandal that the boy might decide to abandon ZAFT once again. Athrun had done it before, it went without saying that he could and would do it again. Thankfully, he had a special 'back-up plan' should things really started to develop that way.

At least his other pilots for the remaining two machines didn't seem to have that problem. One simply loved his homeland enough that he would follow any order as long as he was able to be of service in protecting it. The other one harbored unimaginably deep hatred towards anything he didn't understand or feared, and it was always easy to manipulate such rage.

But until these three machines were completed, he'd be forced to wait. Without their awesome firepower and abilities, he knew that the only way he could bring down that infuriating rogue Gundam was by overwhelming it with numbers and long-range bombardment. He had watched the first engagement of Operation Hunter on television, along with most of the world.

At first it had seemed though the Neo Freedom would actually fall, especially when it had taken that blow to its cameras. And yet it had still managed to put up a formidable fight, destroying several more enemies before that ZAKU had gotten in a sneak shot at its back. That was when things had taken a drastic turn. A trio of black Earth Forces Rapier mobile suits had arrived and saved the Gundam. The Neo Freedom had finally gained some actual allies?

Durandal's spies had immediately gone to work trying to find all they could about this mysterious new group. Unlike how aggravating it had been locating the Neo Freedom, this new group made it no secret who they were or what their intentions were. The name of this group was the 'Hands of Freedom' and they were intending to end this war, no matter the cost to themselves or those they deemed their enemies. However, despite their mutual goals, Durandal strongly suspected that Akira Iyadomi had already left them behind. Because if he'd come to understand anything about that young freedom fighter, it was that he worked alone.

Yet Durandal could clearly see that these Hands held very different philosophies than the one who'd inspired them. Of the bases and factories that the Neo Freedom had destroyed or attacked, there was a surprisingly lack of lives lost. Akira clearly went out of his way to take as few as he possibly could. In contrast, the small outpost that the Hands had destroyed prior to rescuing the Freedom had been done with the same blitzkrieg tactics as the Freedom but they spared no one, killing all involved; be it civilian or soldier. A truly despicable tactic, even by Durandal's standards of getting what he wanted by any means necessary.

As this thought passed through his mind, Durandal let a small sneer. Though not a religious man in any regard, he couldn't help but thank whatever higher entity was that was out there for this unexpected blessing. This was just the thing that he needed to finally and fully turn the people of Earth against Akira Iyadomi and to side with his ZAFT forces!

KIRA – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny – KIRA

January 4, 74 CE
Linz, Austria
7:09am

Letting out a sigh of relief, Akira gently nestled the Neo Freedom into its hiding place and deactivated the Mirage Colloid. The damage to the headpiece after that beam blast had been even more extensive than he'd at first predicted. Thankfully with that severed Rapier headpiece he'd taken, he'd had a full supply of spare parts ready. And while he had unable to replace the lost Balaena cannon, the primary cameras were once again working at their optimal potential.

Climbing out the cockpit after locking the Gundam's OS, he turned and stared sadly at the headpiece. For the all the repairs he'd managed to accomplish in the Liberator's mobile suit bay, the damage to the once proud headpiece and its crests were still critical. The armor that once covered the right side of its face was still missing, exposing the camera and all gadgets inside to the elements now. Of course, those were the only repairs he could've made while aboard the Liberator. Without the properly materials that even the Hands' didn't have, the Balaena plasma cannon was still inoperable.

With another sigh, this time of resignation, Akira turned and grabbed the cable hoist. There was a certain waitress in a certain restaurant that he needed to check up on. Although he wasn't too sure what his reception would be like when he walked in. Either way, hopefully now that he was somewhere semi-familiar, he could acquire enough parts to fix that Balaena cannon.

KIRA – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny – KIRA

Minerva, ZAFT Gibraltar Base
3:09pm

The young captive sat upon his chair in as comfortable a slouch as he could manage with his slowly-healing injuries. To amuse himself, the boy had been thumbing a random beat upon the table in front of him as he gazed off into space. He had been like that for almost the past hour, with little if any change. The food and drink on the table had been left untouched as well.

Captain Gladys had said that the pilot was a bit unpredictable; that despite being as chatty as he was, he rarely said anything of much value to his interrogators. However, Gladys and none of her crew were properly trained in interrogation. Captain Aikoda, on the other hand, was the most seasoned veteran on the subject that the Gibraltar Base had to offer.

Aikoda stared at his latest subject with objective interest. The boy's gaze had the thousand-yard stare, which likely meant he was lost somewhere in his head, either his memories or trying to think up ways of escape. The gentle, slightly rhythmic, tapping of his fingers on the table indicated that he was bored, which increased the possibility of him running at the mouth and unintentionally letting something important slip. But it was the untouched food and water that had Aikoda slightly displeased with the situation. Even though it wasn't ZAFT's policy to use drugs, the Chairman had been extremely explicit when he said that he wanted this prisoner to be thoroughly interrogated. And though his knowledge of special drugs was nothing compared the Earth Forces, Aikoda was still quite adept in creating a foreboding environment that many would eventually give into.

Walking forward at last, Aikoda entered the room. His entrance seemed to have no effect upon the captive pilot, who still wore the thousand-yard stare. It wasn't until he'd moved to his chair across from the young man that Aikoda gained his prisoner's attention. Silently taking his seat, Aikoda pulled out the folder he'd been carrying to review what was known of the boy.

"Lieutenant Tolle Koenig," Aikoda said without preamble. "Born in the year 55 of the Cosmic Era on April 11, you were formerly a resident of the Orb satellite Heliopolis prior its destruction by the ZAFT strike force under the command of Commander Le Creuset. Then you enlisted into the Earth Forces and worked aboard the Archangel warship until shortly before your disappearance and presumed death on the Marshall Islands. Discovered by Orb rescue forces, you were brought to Orb and healed before being released. Then you participated in the Battle of Orb, eventually rejoining the Archangel and fighting alongside it to the end of the war. Afterwards you fully enlisted into the Orb military and became designated as the pilot of their various experimental mobile suits and the official escort pilot of their Chief Representative. You played a role in the defense of Armory One during the theft of three of ZAFT's newest Gundam mobile suits, as well as aiding in the Minerva's escape from the Earth Forces after they had been betrayed by the Orb's Chief Representative. And finally, after kidnapping your Representative from her wedding, you and the Archangel reappeared and interfered with several battles between the Orb Forces and the Minerva before being captured."

"Aside from insulting the Orb Chief Representative's good name with that 'betrayal' comment, what was the point of all that?" Tolle demanded with his eyes alight from slight anger as he glared at the Coordinator.

"With such a…colorful record as yours," Aikoda said easily. "I or my superiors may have to take some…unpleasant measures to ensure that you don't do anything to threaten our operations. You must understand just how this looks to us, don't you?"

"Let's not play your little games, shall we? You think that I'm a loose cannon. Is that what you're trying say, whoever the hell you are?" Tolle asked in an almost disinterested tone. "That's the funny thing about labels. Because you don't understand my ideals, you automatically call me a 'loose cannon.' Let me guess: you still think you stand to gain something from me despite not understanding me. So you're hoping to redirect this 'loose cannon' to help you blast away at whatever you need destroyed. Am I close?"

Aikoda's face remained completely impassive. The young man was so blunt, it was almost painful. He was also quite smart and observant, something that Aikoda was rather expecting given his respectable piloting skills. But he was clearly willful, headstrong, and passionately dedicated to his preconceived cause. This was shaping up to be every bit as difficult as Aikoda had been expecting it to be.

"I believe we're getting off on the wrong foot here," Aikoda said, trying to redirect the young man's attention and not answer his question. "Let's start with something simple: why did you first choose to pilot a mobile suit back in the first war?"

Aikoda needed to better understand this pilot's motives. To ultimately complete his mission, it looked like he needed to play this one slow and steady. Oh well, mind games and conversations were always his favorite form of entertainment. He'd eventually get this boy to talk, one way or another.

KIRA – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny – KIRA

Milano, Italy
9:09pm

The night was cold, clear of both clouds and the moon. Without the moon's light, even the whiteness of the snow-covered land seemed a touch darker than usual. Everything was still and calm. There was little noise that disturbed the serene quiet of the night, not even the gentle winds. These were just the conditions that he liked to have whenever he was about to destroy something he hated passionately. The three black Rapiers flew high in the sky, perfectly camouflaged against the dark starry background of the night sky.

The man who went by the name of Yoshi watched as his target came into view. It was a weapons' factory that ZAFT had recently commandeered after they'd all but taken over the Mediterranean Sea. The nearby city of Milano had all but celebrated ZAFT's arrival, even going so far as to aid in the construction of a new outpost for the Coordinators. Although this factory and outpost held little value to the war effort for either side, it was still being used a potential staging and resupplying point for the greatly enlarged patrols that the Coordinators were making to defend the area. And the factory's production lines granted the ZAFT forces surplus of much needed energy cells and ammunition for mobile suits.

Just the thought of Naturals working alongside Coordinators was enough to fill him with unfathomable rage. 'Those filthy space monsters and the bloody traitors will soon get exactly what they've earned,' he chanted to himself for the umpteenth time. He hated working on the Liberator due to all the disgusting creatures that had been allowed to join, but he hid his hatred well. Besides, he had a mission to carry out.

"Objective in sight," Carter intoned with the calmness of any field commander. "Alright, Hands, respond to the mission as forecasted by Captain Ito. Keep the radio channels open and expect revisions to the plan as needed."

"Roger," Yoshi answered bluntly. He hated acting like the subordinate. "First Phase commencing on schedule."

"Okay!" Maria cheered in a playful tone.

As alarms sounded through the ZAFT base, the three Rapiers immediately split apart and headed towards their individually assigned target locations. Though the ZAFT pilots were rapidly scrambling to meet the unknowns, they still hadn't properly mobilized when Yoshi's Sword Rapier settled into a hover over the mobile suit hangars. Bringing up the salvaged Orthros cannon he'd been given for this part of the mission, Yoshi fired into the collection of hangars below him. The powerful plasma beams tore through the hangars easily, incinerating and destroying everything in their path. In short order there was only large piles of debris remaining of the hangars. Dropping the Orthros, Yoshi withdrew his sword as he switched to the Second Phase, interception of any mobile suits that may have survived.

Giggling helplessly at the sheer amount of fun she was having, Maria destroyed one building after another. First she'd blown up the command center, then the barracks, and now she was playfully sniping at the fleeing ZAFT soldiers with her CWIS. This was so much fun! This was what she'd been created for; death and destruction on a concentrated scale! Oh how the good Doctor would've been so proud of her!

Carter, on the other hand, was methodically destroying the factory with one Agni blast after another. First he targeted the primary building, causing a massive explosion when the ammunition and energy cells ruptured. Now he was focusing on the warehouses that were filled with the finished products and awaiting shipment. He felt that he was lucky to be counted as a member of the Hands. After the previous war, he'd grown to enjoy the brief peace that had followed. Now he wanted to end this war as quickly as possible without resorting to genocide (again) so he could return to those peaceful days.

A proximity alarm! Glancing at his radar as he turned to face his new enemies, he called out, "Yoshi, three BABIs and four GAZuOOT mobile suits incoming from five o'clock; distance three kilometers."

"Roger," Yoshi confirmed as he turned rocketed off to destroy the approaching enemies. "I will eliminate the targets."

"Hands, this is the Liberator," Luna said as her face appeared on a side monitor. "Skip the Second Phase and proceed to Third Phase!"

"Switching to Third Phase," Carter intoned as he returned the Agni to its standby mode. As he was turning away, he noticed Maria was still savagely attacking the fleeing soldiers. "Come, Maria. We're withdrawing."

"AW!" the young woman whined. "But I was just getting to the good part!"

"We're withdrawing," he repeated, iron in his voice. "We've lost the advantage and ZAFT reinforcements will be here shortly. Or do you want to fight the Minerva on your own?"

That had been a lie for the Minerva was still at Gibraltar as far as he knew, but there was always the possibility that things changed without their knowing. Yet the lie was enough to cause the ruthlessly attacking Rapier came to an immediate halt for a moment. Then it gunned its engines and shot into the skies towards its partners in death.

Switching to the external speakers, Carter turned to face the surviving ZAFT forces. "Attention, ZAFT personnel. This is your first and only warning: withdraw from this region immediately or the Hands of Freedom will return. And we will not spare you again as we have tonight."

Turning around the two Rapiers flew off towards their comrade. They watched indifferently as Yoshi finished coldly cutting the seven ZAFT suits to pieces, killing all the pilots without remorse.

Now the ZAFT Gibraltar base would have to find a new source for their ammunition. This would cause the Coordinators to once again expend massive amounts of fortune and time to resupply themselves. And this attack would likely cause any other city to think twice about siding with either side of the war until it had ended.

Mission complete.

KIRA – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny – KIRA

January 7, 74 CE
11:21am

"This is terrible," Shinn said quietly as he walked through the ruins of the destroyed Milano Base. When the news of the destroyed outpost had reached Gibraltar, the Minerva had immediately been sent to aid in recovery and defense of the outpost. But even expecting the worst, the bitter truth of the matter was far worse than the young super ace had feared.

The destruction caused to the small outpost was complete. The mobile suit hangars were just piles of twisted metal and charred concrete. The various buildings had either been blown to bits or collapsed upon themselves due to beam saber slashes. And the factory itself was a complete loss. It would take months to clear away the debris alone! And the causality count went as high as a thousand dead and another thousand wounded.

"What kind of monsters could do such a thing?!" Shinn demanded hotly to no one in particular. "There was no warning. They just came and killed everyone!"

"That's not entirely true, Shinn," a calm voice said from behind him. Turning, the dark-haired Coordinator spotted his fellow pilot, Heine Westenfluss, walking towards him. "Though they did initiate an unprovoked attack, they could've done a lot more damage if they'd not pulled back when they did."

"But they still killed a lot of innocent people," Shinn growled. He respected Commander Westenfluss a lot, much more than Athrun. But at the same time, he didn't want to be told that the villainous beasts who'd killed innocent civilian factory-workers weren't the group of savages that he was imagining them as. "There is no justification for killing civilians who are only trying to live their lives."

"Yes, I do agree with you, Shinn," Heine answered with a slightly nod as he looked sadly at the collapsed command center in front of them. "And it is for that reason that we must not let them get away with this."

Nodding resolutely, Shinn turned and looked back towards the ruined command center. There were several long rows of dead bodies lying on the ground, their bloody corpses covered respectfully by blankets as they awaited transport. It was this sight that solidified Shinn's already formulated determination to kill those responsible for this massacre. Such demons did not deserve to live in this world!

"Have we learned anything yet on who was responsible for this?" he asked quietly, his voice hard as he continued to gaze upon the saddening scene.

"Yes," another voice spoke up from nearby. It was Rey, accompanied by a slightly-limping Athrun and still-bandaged Lunamaria. "I just received the information from Deputy Captain Trine. Apparently it was that same group that showed up in the Balkans Conflict. It was those three black Rapiers that helped the Neo Freedom escape."

"Wait," Shinn snapped as a sudden realization dawned on him. "You mean the Freedom was behind this?!" I should've known it was Iyadomi all along!

"That's not what he said, Shinn!" Athrun pointed out, his expression drawn and very much annoyed. But Shinn utterly ignored him in favor of listening to Rey. Why should he bother listening to such a weak and pathetic pilot as Athrun when he had knew the Chairman had supported him?

"It was those three black Rapiers that did this," Rey said calmly. "Although, considering their actions during the Balkans Conflict, it isn't entirely out of the question to assume that Iyadomi was with them, even if the Freedom itself wasn't here."

So, even Rey agreed Shinn. It was the Freedom! It was only logical, wasn't it? The Gundam hadn't been seen since that big battle in Romania, when it disappeared with the three black Rapiers. Given the damage that it had sustained, Iyadomi had likely taken refuge with that mysterious group to repair his machine. In the process, he'd managed to talk those pilots into joining his cause (if they weren't already part of it!) of spreading confusion and chaos throughout the world and furthering the war! Yes, it made perfect sense!

'If only I'd known what would happen, I'd have destroyed Iyadomi back on Junius 7!' Shinn growled to himself in anger. 'I'm the Minerva's super ace; I should've known this would happen!'

"H-Heine," Lunamaria stuttered, still not entirely accustomed to calling her superior officer his name outside of a combat situation. "I heard from Meyrin that you'll be receiving a new mobile suit soon. Have you heard anything from Headquarters about that?"

Smiling softly, Heine nodded. "Yes, I had been informed that my next unit will be arriving at the Gibraltar Base in about a month's time. And I can't help guessing that it's a specially-designed next-generation machine. Hopefully I'll be able to put it to good use soon… Though I haven't heard any news about you or Rey receiving new machines in the near-future, I'm sorry to say."

Waving off his apology, Lunamaria said, "As long as my arm's like this, I can't pilot anyway. No big deal." That wasn't entirely true, Shinn knew. Lunamaria hated sitting on the sidelines while the men of the group went off to battle. It was for that reason that she had actually managed to become a Red Coat in the first place.

As the other pilots entered a good-natured conversation about potential new mobile suits and what their weaponry could possibly consist of, Shinn turned and looked back over at the ruins again. If he ever saw the Neo Freedom again, he'd destroy it immediately. No questions asked, no mercy given, and no warning provided, just like Iyadomi's cronies had done here!

On this site, Shinn made that oath.

KIRA – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny – KIRA

January 11, 74 CE
Linz, Austria
9:00am

"When it had first appeared during the Break the World incident, I had first assumed that Akira Iyadomi had been a good person with a strong, courageous heart," Durandal said, his expression seemed sad and slightly confused as he continued his speech. "And indeed his many actions following the outbreak of this terrible war have only seemed to strengthen that belief I held. Even when he had kidnapped Miss Lacus Clyne from under my security and care, I had believed that he was a good person who merely was going about ending this war in his own way."

'What are you up to now, Durandal?' Akira wondered to himself as he and the rest of the restaurant watched the live broadcast. 'And why do I have a bad feeling about this?'

"And yet I now have evidence that he isn't the white knight that he has been trying to trick all of us into believing," Durandal continued, his gaze hardening ever-so-slightly, giving the impression that he was still angry for falling for the ploy that Akira seemed to be putting on. "In the past few days, numerous ZAFT bases have been attacked by the same mobile suits who had rescued the Neo Freedom in the Balkans Conflict."

The screen suddenly changed to show a live battle. Floating in the sky were two of the black Rapiers, attacking and destroying several ZAKU and BABIs, while the third Rapier went about incinerating the obviously ZAFT base, even mowing down fleeing personnel with its CWIS. Akira could only stare at the massacre as he felt his blood run cold.

"This new group of terrorists, who call themselves the 'Hands of Freedom,' have thus far attacked and destroyed over a dozen ZAFT outposts, patrols, and even seven civilian factories who had been kind enough to offer ZAFT supplies during this war. Over nine thousand, mostly civilians, have been killed due their attacks. They have struck without warning and spared no one within sight.

"And given the amount of damage that the Freedom had sustained during the battle in the Balkans Conflict, I think it would go without saying that the Gundam is still with this group of terrorists. With all this, it is only logical that Akira Iyadomi had a significant role in its creation if they were willing to name themselves after his machine. Clearly he has known what they were planning to do, maybe have even encouraged them to do it."

'That is only conjecture,' Akira accused silently.

"I am sorry that things have had to come to this, Akira Iyadomi," Durandal said, letting out a theatrical sigh of resignation. "But I will no longer sit by and allow you and yours to wreak havoc on our attempts to end this war quickly to return peace and order to our world. And I implore you, the people of Earth, to aid us in our efforts of locating and capturing not only Akira Iyadomi but his underlings, the Hands of Freedom. We must put a stop to them before they cause any more chaos and death."

Akira couldn't help but glare coldly at the screen. So that was what Durandal was up to, the clever bastard. And because Akira had thus far neglected to come forward with a public statement, in an attempt to hide his identity, Durandal was effectively using his lack of response to his advantage to steer public opinion against him. And, to a degree, Akira had to agree him. 'I am responsible for setting this beast upon the world.'

Durandal was continuing his speech, but Akira was no longer listening. Standing up, he mutely grabbed his plate of half-finished breakfast and moved towards the backroom. His movement was largely ignored by the rest of the customers, whose eyes were firmly glued to the PLANTs Chairman. However, at least two people had noticed his movement. One let out a small sigh of resignation, because she knew full well exactly what he was going to do. The other's expression was awash with confusion and undirected anger, but she quickly hurried after him.

"Is it true?" Meer demanded hotly in a loud whisper as she entered the backroom to find Akira washing his dishes clean. "Did you send those terrorists off to kill people?! I thought you weren't that kind of person!"

"I hold no responsibility to the Hands' actions," Akira said bluntly. "However, I am quite at fault for their creation… They said they had been 'inspired to fight' by watching me freeing cities and nations."

Meer said nothing in response, only staring at Akira with a tight and accusing glare. Her belief in the Chairman's infallibility was clearly still very strong.

"Please don't do anything rash while I'm gone," Akira said as he set his cleaned dishes aside. "Things are going to start getting very difficult for me very quickly… Please, I only ask that you keep an open mind for everything that is about to happen."

"…Where are you going?" Meer asked quietly as Akira moved past her and towards the backdoor.

Pausing on the threshold, Akira looked over his shoulder towards her. For just a split instant, she saw razor-sharp steel in his gaze. He was no longer the stoic pilot who tried to minimize collateral damage. He wasn't the simple traveler who acted like a common teenager trying to escape whatever chores his adopted parents wanted him to do. For just an instant, she saw a scorned warrior in those sharp violet eyes.

"Where am I going?" he asked as he closed his eyes and let loose an almost careless smile. "Why, I'm going…hunting."

KIRA – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny – KIRA

Torino, Italy
9:16am

Luna Ito couldn't help but frown slightly as she watched the speech that Durandal. Although she'd expected that the man would do something like this, the sheer fact that he'd had the nerve to explicitly state it so bluntly to the entire world had caught her by surprise. Calming herself, Luna's frown deepened slightly. The man was smarter than she'd originally believed. He was effectively painting the Neo Freedom in the role of being the creator and commander of the Hands, without any real proof either.

That was a very clever move. Now not only was he finally able to turn the public opinion the Freedom because of the actions of its 'underlings', he was guaranteeing the Hands' destruction. By the Freedom itself! After her brief meeting with the young man, Luna felt that she could already guess what his first reaction would be to their actions when he learned them. He'd seek them out and attempt to stop them from causing any more harm or destruction. He wanted to end the war without killing anyone. This sentiment, clearly shown in many of his battles, was what had caused people to start seeing as a hero.

However, it was a sentiment that none of the Hands' pilots agreed with. Maria was a bloodthirsty pilot who lived for the battlefield. Carter believed that a war could be won much quicker and easier if the number of experienced pilots and personnel decreased, so he killed as many as he could to prevent them from causing any more trouble in the future. Yoshi just simply hated Coordinators with a fiery passionate that would've been marveled by even the most die-hard Blue Cosmos supporter on the previous war.

'It seems that the first stage of the plan has been completed,' Luna observed calmly. 'Although I dislike that it's thanks to Durandal that it seems to be happening so quickly. We still haven't gained any real firepower and, as they are now, none of the Hands would last longer than five minutes in a battle with Iyadomi. This isn't good… Hopefully we have time on our side to—'

A sudden beeping on her computer snapped her out of her thoughts. It was a high-priority message from their benefactor! What could he want now? Quickly scanning the message and comparing its identification codes, she opened the message and watched the video.

"Captain Ito," the man said, his face covered in thick shadows and his voice cold. "The time has finally come. With ZAFT taking this new approach, I have little doubt that the Freedom shall seek you out to destroy you. However, I do not wish for your destruction yet as you have proven to be an extremely efficient weapon. Therefore, I am entrusting you with the Alliance's latest and greatest weapons. Use these—" A side screen came up with the schematics of three new mobile suits. "—to complete your mission… I expect to hear good news from you in the near-future."

The video disappeared, but Luna ignored it as she reviewed the information given to her. The schematics of the mobile suits were…interesting to say the least. And Lally McWilliams had even provided their current location, security codes, and even false identifications in order to aid in their 'acquirement' of these new Gundams.

Slowly a small, ruthless smile spread across her face as she continued to review the various capabilities of these new machines. With these…they could easily destroy the Neo Freedom!

"Thank you, Logos," Luna muttered to herself darkly.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE) Whoo, that chapter was much easier and funner to write than the previous one for some reason. I hope you all enjoy it, along with the foreseen(?) events that have taken place. So (A)Kira is hunting the Hands, the Hands seem ready to acquire new machines, and ZAFT is taking much more aggressive moves against them both. Do I foresee a potential three-way battle in the near-future? Perhaps...

A shout-out to my old friend FictionReader98 and newcomer Inferno Phoenix for helping me with this chapter.