The war situation turned progressively worse following the reappearance of the Archangel.
The world had been completely divided into two power blocs: ZAFT and the North Atlantic Federation. Even countries that initially objected to the war, like Orb, could not defy the political pressure of the Federation and had joined the ranks of the OMNI. The last haven for liberty and peace was humbled into a lifeless puppet in Cagalli Yula Athha's absence.
Yzak had to fight tooth and nail with the ZAFT headquarters to stay up in space. Most of the fighting was happening down on Earth, and the headquarters wanted nothing more than to send his team down as aid. After all, the Joule team had a near impeccable record in the last war, and he, Dearka and Shiho were among the most highly credited pilots in ZAFT. But he was fighting for the security of the PLANTS, and he made sure that the higher-ups in their comfortable chairs up in headquarters got that fact drilled through their thick skulls.
Consequently, he found out about the OMNI massacre in Berlin and the introduction of the Destroy Gundam through the video message Dullindal addressed to the entire world in the bridge of the Voltaire.
"This is fucked up, dude."
He gritted his teeth at Dearka's comment. The screen in the bridge of the Voltaire was hardly large enough to contain the horror and despair caused by the incident. The entire bridge –and the entire world, Yzak knew- fell completely silent as they watched entire troops mowed down and an entire city annihilated by the Destroys. Death himself would have paled in comparison to the towering, ominous mobile suites lit by the flames that burned Berlin to ashes.
But the Chairman had more up his sleeves than anyone could have imagined.
The image of the disaster was replaced by a series of photographs, which Yzak realized in horror was the members of LOGOS, the largest military-industrial complex that existed in the history of the world.
"These people are deliberately keeping us from peace for their own personal gain…"
"This has yet to be the craziest thing the Chairman has done."
Only Dearka heard Yzak mutter under his breath and threw him a worried glance. Yzak kept glaring at the screen, his brows deeply furrowed. He did not like this at all. Eighteen months was definitely not a long political career, but it was long enough for Yzak to realize that Dullindal's statement would shake the very foundations of modern politics.
xoxox
Later that day, as Yzak sat alone in his quarters, arguing with the headquarters for information about what exactly the Chairman's motives were in releasing the video, he received a call with a Minerva ID. Frowning, he cut communications with the headquarters and took it. There was only one person who he even vaguely knew aboard the Minerva, and he was not exactly on friendly terms with him.
Yzak's frown deepened when an all-too-familiar face appeared on the video monitor.
"What the fuck do you want from me, Athrun Zala?"
His old teammate smiled wryly in the screen.
"Long time no see, Yzak."
"I don't have time for chatting, Athrun. As you probably also know, we have an extremely complicated situation at hand…"
"That's why I called."
Athrun's expression became serious, and Yzak leaned back in his chair waiting for Athrun to start explaining. Athrun looked away from the screen before starting carefully.
"Look, I know you're probably more up to date with what's going on. I just… I'm not really buying this, Yzak."
Yzak glared at the screen, and reached out his right hand to terminate the call. The monitor went blank for a moment, until he reestablished communications through a different line.
Athrun looked completely baffled when he reappeared on the screen, and it was all Yzak could do to not curse at that pretty, naïve face that stared back.
"Yzak, what the hell…"
"Thinking that Dullindal is a fishy son of a bitch is one thing. Saying that over a ZAFT-administered phone line, after you've already been court-martialed for deserting, is sheer stupidity. Is political tact a completely foreign concept to you?"
Athrun's expression turned into one of shocked realization after a moment's pause, and Yzak could not help but sigh. Athrun was an absolutely brilliant individual, but sometimes he lacked the simplest common sense.
"Uh… Then shouldn't you not be saying that now, either?"
Yzak simply sneered.
"This is my personal line, and I can assure you it is secure."
Athrun did not seem convinced, but Yzak crossed his arm and glared at the screen. Finally, Athrun gave in and continued to talk.
"I just feel like… He's using LOGOS as a scapegoat. Like he's creating an enemy to focus everyone's hate."
Yzak scowled.
"What the Chairman said is true, Athrun. LOGOS has influence over virtually every government on Earth, and its members are integrated deep into society. Without somehow removing them from the system, there is no hope for lasting peace. Everyone who's involved in politics know that, even Cagalli Yula Athha. You would know that too, if you did not spend the last two years blindly babysitting your girlfriend under a rock on some tropical island."
Athrun flinched, but glared back defiantly.
"But this is…"
"Bullshit, I know."
Shocked, green eyes stared at him from the screen, and Yzak sighed again.
"I'm not a fucking idiot. Eliminating LOGOS is important, but they don't fight the war. We do. We're not going to magically enter an era of everlasting peace just by driving them out of the political arena. The Chairman is oversimplifying the process."
Athrun looked down.
"Yzak, the Archangel was there at Berlin. They were edited out of the clip that Dullindal showed the world. And his Lacus… She's a fake."
Yzak froze at his friend's confession. He had always suspected something behind that man's patronizing smile, but he could not even begin to imagine how anyone would be able to tell such a bare-faced lie. He clenched his fist on his desk.
"How could he do something like that?"
Athrun sounded so lost, so helpless, that Yzak felt anger rise within him. How? Wasn't the answer simple?
"Because that's how politics works."
He hissed, and Athrun frowned.
"Because that's how much Lacus Clyne's name is worth. Lacus Clyne was a hero, and people will buy any bullshit story that comes out of her mouth."
"But the Chairman is lying to the entire world."
"If you're so fucking noble, what the fuck were you doing after the last war?"
Yzak snarled, and Athrun's eyes darted up in shock. He continued, his voice rising.
"Keeping the world in peace means reforming the entire system, changing the way people view the fucking world. It's much more complicated than just destroying the Genesis! And where were you? Lacus Clyne? Kira Yamato? The public would have eaten up your ideals. Do you have any idea how much the PLANTS… the world needed you after the war?"
Athrun stammered.
"But… But you were in the council."
Yzak scoffed.
"My mother is still under house arrest for political treason, and I was almost sentenced to death for shooting down a civilian shuttle. You don't get very far with a record like that."
"I'm the son of Patrick Zala, Yzak."
"Right. And you very clearly rebelled against him. Patrick Zala might have started the war, but everybody knows that Athrun Zala helped end it."
Athrun stared at him in stunned silence.
"…I don't have what it takes to change the world. You do. So tell me, Athrun Zala. Are you actually going to live up to your potential this time?"
Before Athrun could give him an answer, Yzak angrily slammed the button to terminate the call. It was a rhetorical question anyway, and seeing that oh-so-innocent face for another moment would have increased his blood pressure to an unhealthy level. He felt a twinge of guilt at hurling his frustrations at Athrun like that, but irritation greatly overpowered any kind of sympathy he had for his ex-comrade.
What he hated the most about Athrun Zala was not the fact that the younger boy beat him in virtually any kind of competition they ever had, but the fact that Athrun seemed so clueless about what he could accomplish.
His door slid opened and Shiho entered only moments after the call. Shiho was scowling in disapproval, and Yzak subconsciously tensed in his seat. She walked up to his desk sternly and threw both hands on the plastic surface.
"Next time you make calls like that, Yzak, I would suggest not shouting at the top of your lungs so anyone standing in the hallway can hear what you're saying."
Yzak closed his eyes and sunk in his chair. He had always known that his temper would be the bane of his existence.
"…Who heard me?"
"No one but me, because I am just that amazing."
He slowly opened his eyes, relaxing slightly.
"Honestly, Shiho, what in the world would I do without you?"
"You would probably end up dead in some ditch somewhere, that's what."
He smiled wearily, knowing it was more than true. From that very moment when he first asked her to be on the team –those days aboard the Vesalius seemed like an eternity ago- Shiho had constantly been saving his ass. He knew that he could not possibly have come this far without her.
He reached out to her face. Shiho growled, but only resisted for moment before leaning in for a kiss.
She was his savior.
In more ways than he could possibly say.
My summer break has now officially started. Which means, of course, MORE UPDATES! I am actually uploading this from the airport, just because I am that excited.
This is another one of those chapters that deals with Yzak must have had during the 2 years between the wars. No, I swear Yzak is not just being an ass because of their pre-existing differences. I swear.
As always, thank you to all of my readers, and thank you even more to my reviewers. You keep me going (even when I'm overloaded with college and/or have been travelling for more than 20 hours and am half delirious).