Trials And Lies
Chapter 8
AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me...
As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format...
Italics represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.
Bold represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...
"Shh...Lacus save your strength. I'm here, don't you worry," Kira Yamato grasped for Lacus' cold hands, as his twin sister watched with heaviness in her chest.
Cagalli's eyes were about to burst into tears as she watched Kira futilely try to hold on to Lacus, who gradually started to slip away. It was already out of Cagalli's hands the moment she slipped two small tablets through Lacus' shivering lips without anyone noticing, slowly but surely, sending the PLANTs Chairwoman into a state of suspended animation.
Two pills that were given by Lacus herself moments before she was shot. One would think she was trying to run away from her responsibilities by killing herself, but Cagalli knew better. She bit her lips while Lacus moved hers, trying to get the attention of her beloved as the strong wind blew past their hair and blood-stained clothes.
"Kira...I'm...sorry..." Lacus managed to say out with a whimper as she held on as tight as she could onto Kira's hand. Cagalli knew it wasn't because of Lacus dying, but more of her having to keep Kira out of the loop through one of the most painful ways she could imagine, which was the only solution at the time.
"La-...Lacus?" Kira called out to his beloved instinctively as her body went limp, her bloody face buried lifelessly against his chest. The drugs were finally taking its effect, slowing down Lacus' life processes.
"Lacus! Hey, wake up!" Cagalli tried waking up the 'dying' princess as she gave a few gentle slaps to her cheek. She felt bad for acting a death scene, "What's taking you so long to get there!?"
"We're reaching in a moment! Please hold on!" the pilot desperately cried out as the chopper slowly descended on the helipad of a large hospital in downtown Orb Union. They could have gone to a military hospital, but Cagalli didn't want to take any chances. The faster they got to one, the better. Kira was already broken down in tears as he hugged Lacus' limp form while a host of hospital staff came running with a gurney.
Kira, as expected, refused to pass Lacus along to the professionals and instead kept her for himself...showing signs that sanity was slowly seeping away from him for that few moments. Cagalli had to call in the help of the two crewmen and even the pilot of the helicopter just to tear Kira away from Lacus, a sight she would never forget for the rest of her life. That ominous aura that enveloped Kira, the strength he displayed to get away from his captors was too menacing to even call it human.
"Please, take her down quickly," Cagalli told the nurses as they quickly rushed Lacus into the elevator.
The silent breeze of the night caressed itself against Cagalli's cheeks as she watched Kira on all fours, the doors to the elevator sliding shut and before they knew it, Lacus was gone from their sight. There was nothing Cagalli could say to reach to her brother. She knew how it felt. She knew better than anyone else how one could feel after a loved one dies. Her father taught her that as his final lesson to her.
Cagalli couldn't take the sight of her brother and quickly went down the elevator, lest she too will break down in tears. Even though she claimed herself to be hardy, there are some things that can even break the walls around her heart. The cold atmosphere of the hospital didn't calm her down as thought after thought plagued her. Was it really true that Lacus lost control of PLANTs' Supreme Council? Cagalli remembered the PLANT's Chairwoman mention a puppeteer behind it all. But who was it?
As the elevator doors opened, so did Cagalli's attention when a tall lone figure in a black leather jacket with white cargo pants and boots entered the space, not even fazed by the amount of blood that stained Cagalli's white ceremonial uniform, nor the coppery stench of the red liquid. The heavy elevator doors slid shut once again as it recommenced its journey downwards.
"Wonderful evening isn't it, Lady Cagalli?"
"I take it you're the one Lacus told to meet. Karmen was it? How is she?" the Orb Representative questioned with an exhausted voice as she glanced to the figure beside her. Tall, lean and at the same time so menacing with that jet-black hair tied into a ponytail. Cagalli thought if this woman really was an elite soldier under Lacus' employ, or was a famous brassiere model instead. Her skin was so fair, and her eyes, such magnificent silver orbs hiding behind those curtain of raven black hair. Cagalli blushed to herself as she scratched her face in silent anxiety for staring.
"She's in good hands, Your Majesty," came the sultry but sarcastic reply, as Karmen smiled at Cagalli.
"What was she trying to accomplish anyway?"
"Its not her idea actually. Commander Hayabusa was the one who planned it all. Chairwoman Clyne is being hunted down by her own family."
"The guy who was supposed to be executed?"
After a brief explanation about the truth behind Clyne Faction and its notorious deeds dating back from its inception, Cagalli finally understood why Lacus was being targeted by said organization. She knew that Lacus was one who never tolerated corruption or unfair treatment. And Visotoniki was, even by Coordinator standards, a huge black stain in human history. Ethically questionable, and inhumane. If found out, PLANTs would be accused of breaking more than a dozen international treaties.
Knowing that, Cagalli was surprised one of such child was now standing beside her.
How could one keep that smile on after all that devastating augmentations?
Cagalli Yula Athha unbuttoned the top of her uniform as they exited the elevator, walking down the busy hallway of the pristine hospital. Eyes were at Cagalli as they watched quizzically about how the blood got to her uniform, some even felt alarmed but Cagalli didn't let it get to her as they approached the morgue where a few of the hospital staff stood outside as if something scary was in the room.
"L-Lady Cagalli! I'm glad you're here! There're armed men in the morgue. We called the cops but they're not here yet," a medical staff spoke to Cagalli as her eyes questioningly looked at Karmen, who in return, gave the same sadistic smile she always wore.
"Huh? Uh well...don't worry, Doctor. They're from PLANTs to escort Lacus Clyne's body back to space for an immediate post-mortem," Cagalli gave a stiff reply as she entered the room, making sure none of them followed. Even she was surprised how fast she could come up with that lie.
"That is sure to spread the word around. It would work to our advantage; good work Representative," Karmen gave a 'good job' look as they entered the cold atmosphere of the morgue, which housed the dead. Cagalli's voiced choked in her throat as she could feel a deathly aura wafting in the silent air. Thank god the lights are fully functional, or this would be a scene from a horror flick, Cagalli thought to herself as they turned a corner.
By the end of the hall, stood three figures as tall and well-built as Karmen and all armed to the teeth with tactical face masks on. In the middle sat Lacus Clyne on a wheelchair, alive and somewhat well, her pale face a good couple with the choking dismal atmosphere of a morgue. The soldiers turned as soon as Karmen was within earshot. One of them held a data-pad, that was displaying Lacus' overall health.
"Vice-Commander Valkyrie, recovery state is nominal. We've injected sealing foam into the wound to stop any further bleeding," the soldier gently took off Lacus' bandage and showed a closed wound that no longer bled.
"Even though Commander Conrad said they'd shoot her abdomen where the dampening plate was," Karmen quietly pondered while Cagalli looked at Lacus who was deep in thought, "He obviously wanted to take her head off, at that distance even a kid could hit you, Chairwoman. I'm glad the refracted window Rei told Orb to put kicked the bullet in a different trajectory."
"Lacus, are you okay?" Cagalli asked as she knelt in front of Lacus. She didn't care about the gamble Karmen and her ilk had tried on Lacus' life. No, rather than not care, she was pissed.
"Mmhm," the songstress nodded weakly with a small smile on her face, "The pain is gone for now. I'm just abit dizzy."
"Must be the drugs still taking effect. I'm sorry, Ma'am, but we'll have to monitor you further when we're on the shuttle later."
"Thank you," Lacus nodded politely to the soldier's suggestion. Cagalli could see that Lacus was getting nauseous. The stale air in the morgue wasn't helping.
"We shouldn't waste any time. Is the vehicle outside ready?" Karmen quietly placed her graceful fingers around the handle of the wheelchair Lacus was sitting on.
"Engines are running, Vice-Commander."
"Good. We'll head to the shuttle now. Come on, Chairwoman. The Nocturnal Delta is waiting for us," Karmen said with a genuine smile as Cagalli watched Lacus return it weakly. Lacus then quickly asked for forgiveness from Cagalli for troubling her and Kira. But even though she was apologizing to the Orb Representative, the blonde could see and feel that Lacus was actually apologizing to Kira instead.
"Oh, and Cagalli? I'm not confident about it, but please be prepared for an attack. Conrad and his forces might be planning to hit Orb too," Lacus said as she disappeared through the doorway and into an ambulance, before speeding off down the road.
Cagalli pondered on the words Lacus told her before she left. An attack on Orb? Cagalli wanted to stick by the ideals of her nation. Orb will not attack another nation, will not allow another nation to attack them, and will not intervene in the conflicts of other nations. But this was turning personal for her.
At least, that's what her idle mind told her at the time.
A few weeks later...
"Adjust deceleration carefully, the refueling procedure is not what we are accustomed with," Yzak Joule silently watched as the Captain of the Voltaire watched over the docking procedure from inside the ship's bridge. After the loss of the Rousseau, the Voltaire's sister ship, things were rather...unorganized on Yzak's end. All the roster had to be reshuffled and appointed appropriately and most missions that were assigned to his small fleet had to be abandoned due to insufficient hands.
Even the last mission for the Lunar drug bust on Arzachel Base a few days ago was supposed to be a three-ship assault, but only the Voltaire and Lacus' newest Girty-Lue stealth ship, the Nocturnal Delta, participated in the operation albeit unofficially. With all things considered, Yzak never really liked on-foot missions. He'd rather be in the safety of his GOUF Ignited rather than face to face with blood and bullets, just like the rest of Joule Team.
But now, it was different. There was no longer any need to scout into enemy territory to take out key installations. Nothing so complex anymore. Before Yzak's ship, was the majority of the ZAFT, Orb Union and Earth Alliance Space forces as they took on a holding pattern with the Moon directly in front of the vanguard. After much investigation and cross-sharing information between the three nations, the Allied forces were able to pinpoint where majority of the Radical forces were stationed. The Lunar base ruins.
"Commander, a message from the Gondwana. We're in condition Orange," Shiho suddenly barged into the bridge of the ship in her red pilot suit as the crew in the bridge began to get busy, the chatter rising to a whole new level that day, "All the pilots are assembled in the ready room."
"Alright. Take care of things for me here will you?" Yzak said to the Captain of the ship who responded with a nod and smile, before Yzak quietly floated to Shiho's side to where the small elevator was. Yzak was tired of always going out for a life-threatening mission. He quietly thought to himself what he was going to retire as. He pondered if he really will be able to leave behind a soldier's life after all he's seen. As the saying goes years ago, 'You can take a soldier out of a jungle, but you may not take the jungle out of the soldier'.
"Commander? Are you...alright?" Shiho questioned him as the door hissed open, both of them grabbing onto the travelator's handles as they move down the quiet cold corridor towards the briefing room.
"Just a thought, Shiho. Don't have to worry about it."
"Well...you know the crew is there for you if you need anything. That goes for me too," Shiho calmly said as she placed a hand on Yzak's shoulder. Yzak in response just gave a generous smile for the gesture, feeling slightly better knowing that he wasn't alone in the fight.
"I will keep that in mind, Shiho," the both of them entered the ready room where most of the pilots, both new and old, were waiting.
As per the usual 'ritual' before a briefing, Yzak read through the reports passed on by Command while the rest continued chatting away in an effort to make full use of their peacetime that they can get before a chaotic battle. Such simple acts of social communication served as a good barrier between coming back alive, and coming back alive totally scarred.
Not that it matters for the senior members of the Joule Team, for they knew that every battle fought, brings along with it bad news. No battles bring in good news when you realize all war does is to take away lives. A husband or wife, a father or a mother...even a child can be sacrificed when caught in the flames of war. The reason Yzak and the rest trained so hard, was that they could minimize the loss of life as much as they can.
Yzak Joule cleared his throat loudly as he stepped to the front of the boisterous room filled with newly commissioned pilots, except for Yzak and a small handful of old-timers. Its been such a long time through the fight, that it was almost impossible to find a whole squad filled with veterans. This many years into the fight, almost everyone's a replacement.
"Time to shut up, guys, come on," Yzak said more to himself than he did to the occupants of the room. Unexpectedly, the whole briefing room went silent, his loyal subordinates, Shiho Hahnenfuss and Dearka Elsman, sitting quietly at the front of the assembly. Goes to show how menacing Yzak's aura was right there and then. And who could blame him.
"We don't have much time to rest. Even if its after the war, we still have much to do," he says as he stifles a yawn, obviously from all the exhausting work, "Now that we're being pushed back to the frontlines, our goals and targets will change."
After such a long time since the end of the war, the Radical forces were given more than enough opportunities to regroup and grow as a whole while PLANTs, Orb and EAF worried about post-war relief efforts. Because of that, most of the Moon bases were now hives for the terrorist activities, illegal arms and drugs manufacturing and the latest one discovered, black market for live human organs as well as human trafficking.
With the income from all that, any idiot could build an army.
"Commander, the Radicals numbers are initially small. How can such a force have hoped to even overcome so much ground?" one of the newer, more eager pilots sounded off, his arm in the air.
"Obviously, you have not followed the news on PLANTs. But for your sake, and the rest who might share the same brain matter with you, I will explain," Yzak said with a frown as he placed his file gently on the nearest desk, "I'm sure you've heard why the 'Radicals' exist."
"That we do, Commander."
"Well then, you would know that most of them are Coordinators. And using their skills or some other unknown venues, they managed to annex other smaller terrorist cells into their ranks while we were-" Yzak Joule got mad suddenly about what he was going to say but restrained himself, "...busy chasing waterfalls. We have a prime suspect on who's the mastermind of the Radicals are, but no concrete evidence as of yet, as well as their goals and intentions."
Yzak quietly noticed throughout the briefing that Shiho was just quietly staring at the floor. It really was alot for her to take in. After so many years of searching for her brother and never giving up hope, she finally found him in the center of a very dark and shady business. The platinum blonde couldn't even count with his hands how many times he had heard her sigh heavily.
"The Voltaire will be joining the Allied Advance Forces to take back the Daedelus tonight. Its going to be messy...but...well...who am I kidding, since when has a battle ever gone according to plan."
"Commander..." a few of the pilots whispered to themselves. Because most of them were new, they haven't really seen how Yzak and the more experienced members worked in combat under pressure. Naturally, they'd feel nervous and scared. Dearka suddenly manned up.
"Don't worry, Yzak. This is just another day for us ZAFT pilots. Besides, we're at the back of the advancing forces. If anything, we'll be the first to know, the last to get hit," Dearka claimed as he smiled at Yzak, the few pilots in the room nodding at their own discretion and standing up to salute, marking the end of the briefing as they all left leaving the trio.
"Right... Get prepared and good luck, everyone."
Shiho, as expected, was the last to leave. Being deep in her own thoughts, even an explosion wouldn't shake her. Yzak quietly sat down beside her while Dearka shut the door, thinking it'll be better to just leave the two. The room was silent, with only the sound of the air-condition whirring away. Yzak found comfort in its noise, hiding his own breath under it as he turned to Shiho.
"Shiho...you sure you wanna take part in the next sortie?" Yzak asked with a concerned tone, his face for the first time, showing a worried look on that day.
"Mhmm. I'll be fine," came the short reply a few seconds later before she stood up, "I just...need some time alone."
Before Shiho could start making her way towards the exit, Yzak grabbed onto her arm tightly and not letting her go. He has been a Commander for a few years. He knew how to deal with subordinates who had seen too much and not able to cope with it. Shiho was the same case. And he did what he had always done to those he felt aren't suited for frontline combat duty.
"Shiho. I need you to sit this one out," Yzak's stern order fell upon Shiho's ears, who slowly spun around with a quizzical look on her face, as if she heard something that she wasn't supposed to hear.
"What are you talking about, Yzak?"
"There's no way you can go out there in this condition. Stay in the ship," the silence of the briefing room only boosted the power of Yzak's orders, but Shiho refused to back down.
"You're kidding me! Here we are at the front lines, against my own brother. And you wanna pin me down?"
Yzak didn't know what to reply to Shiho's protest. There was no way he could. He would act the same way she did if he was in her shoes. But he needed something quick. Something to make sure the young brunette remains within the ship and not out there where a single moment of distraction could prove lethal. It was too risky even for an experienced pilot such as Shiho.
"Shiho, that's an order."
"But-!"
"Lieutenant! You're not mentally prepared!" Yzak raised his voice as his grip on Shiho's arm grew tighter, "Not only will you be putting your own life in danger, but also that of others! You are a hindrance to the unit! Now stand down before I use force!"
"A-...a hindrance?" Shiho whispered to herself as she stared defiantly at Yzak. He could see in her shaky eyes that she never expected to hear those words from her own trusted Commander. But here they were. Shiho's face contorted with mixed feelings, before she aggressively snapped her arm away from Yzak's hold causing him to gasp in surprise.
Before Yzak could respond to that, Shiho was already out of the briefing room, leaving him alone in the silent briefing room to ponder on his own words.
Kira always liked the interior of Lacus' own ship, the Eternal.
Shaped ever so sharply with those handsome edges and all painted in her favorite bubblegum pink. Coupling that with the most advanced weapons and engines ever manufactured, it was unbeatable. But if he were to compare it to another, Kira would choose the Nocturnal Delta, a ship specifically designed for stealth scouting deep behind enemy lines as well as being able to rival a regular-sized fleet on its own with an array of arsenal. Even its bridge was designed to be combat effective, where a crew could easily see what was below the ship just by looking at his feet as if it was a transparent ship.
Even now as it slowly floated by the outskirts of the imminent battle, its Mirage Colloid capabilities shields itself from any eyes. By his side, Lacus Clyne sighed quietly as even her thoughts drifted to the Eternal, now in the hands of the traitors of her own family faction. But what worried them more than anything for now, was the fact that the supreme leader of her shadow forces, the Visotoniki, was letting a huge force creep up on him on the Moon.
"Something's not right, Kira. Konrad is being unusually lax in his security," she voiced out her concern to the man standing at her side as they watched Mobile Suit teams being deployed from various ships of all three nations. A huge force comes up to your doorstep and you didn't even mobilise your force? Something was definitely up.
"He's the overall in-charge of Visotoniki, right? Yeah. Something definitely is amiss," Kira spoke out as he adjusted his uniform, now back to how he was, all freshened up and ready to take on anything compared to a few days ago where he seemed as if a single knife would take his life.
"It's Commander Conrad's usual tactic. A few flies won't know they're in a spider's nest," Karmen whispered as she took her place in the Captain's chair, "But once they find out they're stuck, it would already be too late. Right now...the Super-Carrier Gondwana is the biggest, fleshiest bug in Konrad's web."
"Wait! You knew about this!?" a violent outburst came from Kira as he walked up to Karmen's side, who was still wearing her usual sadistic smile, "And no warnings were given to them?"
"We'd just compromise ourselves, Commander Yamato. We have to play Conrad's game or we would never catch up to him," Karmen shook her head at Kira's suggestion. Before they could continue their conversation, a crewman turned to the female commando.
"Vice-Commander Valkyrie, we have thermal coming from behind the Gondwana. Count, 20 at least," the male soldier said. Now that Kira was able to look around, he noticed that all of the crew that was in the Nocturnal Delta were the same. Jet-black hair, well built, and with those trademark silver eyes to boot.
"They're here... Rei, you okay in there?"
"Yeah. The Hierarch's systems are green, no anomalies."
"I'm talking about you, Commander... Hierarch, report me on the Commander's physical status," with a smirk, Karmen waited for a second before a synthesized voice of the Hierarch's Artificial Intelligence replied.
"Understood, Commander Valkyrie. Codenumber Victor Seven-One-Niner is currently experiencing-"
"...Belay that request, Hierarch. Chairwoman Clyne, your orders?" came the radio reply as Reiatsuma ignored Karmen's concern. Lacus quietly walked over to the Captain's chair, and with her usual confidence that she had always put on before a battle, gave out her command. Kira was pissed. He hated sitting down and watching as the battlefield went by. It was his one weakness. But looking at Lacus' determined eyes, he immediately turned docile. The enemy is still largely unknown, and tactics still stand that it is prudent to keep Lacus and Kira hidden from any spy networks.
"Save as many as you can, Commander..."
"Gaius-1 to Gaius Squadron. I don't have to remind you to prep up. We're deep in enemy territory as it is," Yzak calmly said inside his helmet as he pressed a few buttons and keys here and there, "Keep on your toes and you'll make it out alive."
"This is the Reconnaissance unit to Command. Currently, enemy strength is... a Nelson-Class Battleship, Three Nazca-Class Destroyers, a Girty Lue-Class Battleship...and...that's it."
"Command to Recon...Confirm 5 battleships?"
"Affirmative...Long range scanners and scopes suggest no other enemy vessels within the vicinity of the Lunar bases."
"Something's wrong. All Allied Forces, proceed with caution."
"We're outnumbering them? This isn't normal-!"
"Here they come!" Dearka broke into the radio as a small swarm of enemy mobile suits quickly approached the front vanguard, far from where Yzak's battle-group was.
"Looks like Orb's doing well on the front. ZAFT might just sit back on this one," one of the rookie pilots in Yzak's team broke the radio silence as the enemy swarmed the front guard of the advancing Allied Forces.
"Shut up. Keep your guard up. If I see any of you slacking, I'll slap you with a week's latrine duty!" Yzak raised his voice into his comms as he looked around the battlefield through the screen. Nothing much to go on. Its like, all that intel about the large number of enemies was folly. Yzak couldn't help but feel uneasy as his GOUF Ignited stood quietly atop the Voltaire.
"T-this is the Gondwana! Command! We're under attack!" the radio suddenly burst out-loud on an open channel, the commander of ZAFT's Super-carrier cried out with his voice in a real panic. Yzak's stomach twisted into a knot as his team turned to view the Gondwana.
"W-what!? Rear guard's being attacked!? Recon! What the hell are you doing!?"
"This is Recon! There's nothing on radar, Sir! We can't track anything!"
"Gaius 4 through 7! On me! Gaius 2, establish a defence perimeter around the Voltaire with the rest," Yzak burst out as his mobile suit's engines roared out with extreme force, weaving through the countless mobile suits and ships of the Allied forces. There really wasn't anything on the radar! Though the Gondwana was there with holes in it from all the explosions and beams. It was already fuming and Yzak was nowhere near it despite the powerful engines of his machine.
"Gondwana, this is Command! Retreat from the battle-space!" too much frantic voices filled up Yzak's ears, he was getting confused.
"The Kusanagi is under attack! Athrun, are you alright?"
"Command, this is the Athena. We have to leave the battle-space. Impulse! Destiny! I need you overhead now!"
"Command. We just lost the Montgomery. No escape pods detected."
"G-gaghh! B-Barfest is lost!"
Yzak's head was spinning so much, that only the bright explosion and shattering vibration from the destroyed Gondwana Super-carrier was able to really shake him out. He was too late. ZAFT's only super-carrier, capable of carrying hundreds of mobile suits, was gone just like that and they did not know the cause! All the beam-fire and rockets, all came out of nowhere as they watched the huge behemoth take its final breath before exploding into a million pieces of space debris.
"B-battle report. The Gondwana is lost. No survivors detected."
"What's going on!?"
"Gaius-1, Voltaire, message. We need to break off," Shiho's voice came over all of the channels, her voice in panic as the Voltaire quickly closed in on his Mobile Suit. After turning back, Yzak could see the widespread anarchy among the allied forces advancing force. So many casualties in such a short time. Was this a new weapon?
"Voltaire, retreat. Gaius Squadron, converge on the ship and create an opening, we have to punch a hole through."
"...I take my words back, Commander! Orb got its butt kicked!"
"Shut up! Gaius-2...do you think it is-"
"Definitely, Gaius-1...its Mirage Colloid."
"Woah! What's that red glowing trail!?"
"Yzak! Its the-!"
"The Hierarch!?"
Meanwhile on the other side of the battlefield...
"Luna!" Shinn's voice reverberated into the bridge of the ship as the Athena's Captain witnessed the carnage before him. The whole battle space was littered with explosions, beams and panic. Not that he hasn't seen one before, but this was horribly unexpected. How modern warfare has changed! Ryuzaki Kidouya quickly issued the retreat flares as the ship turned towards a less crowded aerospace.
The Destiny quickly zoomed past the Athena, apparently chasing down stray enemy Mobile Suits that was trying to take down Impulse.
"Athena! Captain, where are you?" Lunamaria's voice crackled into the frequency as the Impulse weaved in between the enemies easily and smoothly.
"We're retreating. Its obviously a trap," Ryuzaki's voice came on as the Destiny literally pulled the Impulse out of harm's way.
"Gah! Pay attention, Luna! You could've died!"
"W-What!? Its not my fault!..."
"This is what happens when you skip trainin-!"
"Don't even go there!"
"You two! I'll put you both on time out! I don't care how you do it, Shinn. Just PLEASE get her back in here right now!" the Captain pleaded for them to quickly come back. But they were waist deep in trouble as it is. By the way Shinn was flying, Ryuzaki knew he didn't know friend from foe any longer. Though, it didn't take long for them to return to the hangar.
"Alright, Captain! We're in!"
"Captain! An unknown Mobile Suit is entering our battle-space! IFF(Identification Friend or Foe) is reading negative!"
"Maintain course towards the battle space's ex-! Wait... It's the Hierarch. Rei!?"
"Hierarch's not decreasing his speed, Captain. He's heading straight for the Moon!"
As observed, the red glowing Mobile Suit left a long trail as it sped through the anarchic battlefield, taking out hindrances as it needed while making its way towards the Moon base. Most of those who knew the Hierarch, were confused at its destination, not even stopping to aid the ships in peril. After a few minutes, it was already gone from radar and visual, and already deep within the enemy's lines.
The battle was over before it even began for the Allied Forces.
The ZAFT Headquarters had never been so busy as the whole crew, even the ones on reserve, were being activated after the battle on the Moon. One could tell immediately that the Allied Forces had suffered a crippling defeat even with insurmountable numbers against the enemy. Recovery from the event would prove to be a grueling one for all three nations.
Even the the ships, or what remained of them, from other nations like Orb and EAF were seeking assistance within the Headquarters as ship after ship forced their way into the docking bays of ZAFT's headquarters. It was a horrendous sight. Most ships suffered major structural damage, with some even losing half of its body on the way back to base, while others were in no shape to navigate into space, let alone fight.
And that wasn't even including the ones in the distance, scurrying hard to get to ZAFT. A few met with accidents, crashing into another ship and causing explosions which sent tremors all over the base. Yzak Joule winced as he watched a ship crash into the outer hull of ZAFT's Headquarters. It was hell on PLANTs. He quietly paced near the bay doors of the ship with his team standing at attention in front of him, while the rest of the area had gone to oblivion.
They were lucky they got out of that one alive, even more miraculous that the Voltaire did not suffer any major damages.
"As a member of ZAFT's Peacekeeping Force, I'm expecting you to maintain at least good decorum and professionalism! What you said out there was blatantly uncalled for, you idiot!" a pissed off Yzak shouted as he side-hooked his subordinate newbie pilot, who crashed against a few of his greenhorn comrades.
"I-I'm sorry, Commander!" the rookie pilots quickly stood up straight under Yzak's menacing glare, the one who got punched bleeding from his mouth slightly, his cheek swollen and bruised. Dearka and Sara quietly looked on by the side, not wanting to show their soft side yet in fear of them stepping on their heads, but also amused at Yzak's outburst of violence.
"Let this be a reminder! If I hear one more jeering or any nonsense, I'll kill you myself!" he finally claimed as he walked over to Sara, who just got back from the Command Center to get a situation report from the crippling battle they just had. Morale was at an all time low, that even Yzak and Dearka were edgy.
Yzak gently took the report from Sara's hand, sighing as he looked at the figures. He frowned hard and balled up his fists tightly, his fingers turning white under the pilot suit. Scratching his head in frustration, he passed it back to her, eyeing him as if wanting an opinion.
"It was horrible to say the least. Almost half of our advancing forces were wiped out...including the Gondwana. Thousands of lives lost too," Yzak slowly turned to his rookie pilots, "I don't know how you guys could have put such a happy face during the battle, saying all that crap. We lost thousands of our own people, you could've at least shut up."
The newbies just bowed their heads, guilty and repentant of their actions. Even though some might say that the remarks they made had no relations, in actual fact, it did. It did a WHOLE lot of impact psychologically. To say 'Orb got its butt kicked' is the same as asking someone in depression to commit suicide. The enemy was laughing at them, their plan on psychological warfare worked! On top of all those death tolls.
"That is all I can say to you guys as your Commander. There's nothing more I can offer you," Yzak finally hissed as he dismissed his pilots, leaving him alone with Dearka and Sara. Shiho, in the meantime was nowhere to be seen. As Yzak expected, she was still pissed with Yzak's earlier comment. It wasn't uncalled for, but it was hurtful - and he knew it.
"Commander," Shiho softly whispered under her breath, appearing from out of nowhere as she stood a ways away.
"Shiho...you okay?" Yzak asked for the thousandth time that that day, his face showing a sign of exhaustion from having to deal with his unit, on top of the horrendous defeat his faction suffered. Shiho just gave a gentle nod as a reply, not wanting to meet her Commander's eyes. Dearka, and Sara, thinking they needed time alone, quickly made their way out of the area.
"Come on, Sara! Let's go check our Mobile Suits," came the suggestion from the tanned blonde.
"But we checked it before debriefing..."
"JUST-! Follow me..." Dearka was getting tired of Sara's airheadedness, but entertained it just for the fun of it. Before long, Yzak and Shiho were alone by the bay doors of the Voltaire.
Shiho gave off that uncomfortable aura as she stood with her head bowed near Yzak. This was the first time Yzak saw her like this, and he had no idea how to deal with such a behavior from her. As of now, he had already considered them both to be more than just comrades in arms and he obviously knew, now was not the time to act as a Commander, but a caring officer and friend.
"Shiho, look at me," Yzak said as his hands started to feel fidgety. He's not good in dealing with inter-human behaviour this volatile, but he had to start some day. Not receiving any response from his subordinate, Yzak gently grabbed her shoulder, trying to catch her attention. The surrounding noise of the busy docking bays were suddenly drowned out as Shiho raised her face to meet Yzak's.
"..." Shiho still remained silent, her eyes hesitant.
"I'm sorry for saying that you're a hindrance. You were never one," he said with a genuine caring tone, "You're always an important part of the team. I just...didn't want you to get hurt-!"
"I understand. I made a mistake. I was too emotional and let it get in the way," Shiho claimed as she rubbed the side of her neck as she looked at her officer, apparently looking uncomfortable at something which Yzak can't put his finger on.
"So...you're okay?" Yzak just looked at her, dumbfounded at how easily she was able to revert to her usual self...or appear to be.
"Yeah, I'll be good. I just need some time alone, Commander."
"Okay then. You know where I am if you need anything, Lieutenant," he gave a pat on her back as she smiled at him again, before moving past him and towards the Voltaire where they would most likely continue with their work. Yzak didn't know what else he was expecting. Maybe he was expecting her to open up to him, but it can also be that he was expecting too much too fast. She was still in shock from the drama recently and he thought it wise to let her cool down before any courageous ventures could take place.
The scream of agony haunted the hallway of the Lunar base ruins, causing a few of the children to sniffle in fear as they clutched to their parents' clothes. But try as they might to run away from the horror of the nightmare they were facing, it didn't stop. It only got worse as the deafening sounds of gunfire tore through the air like a thunder during a chilly and eerie night.
The children were already starting to cry as their parents watched with hopeless eyes through the steel bars of the prison they were in. Such a life was never what they wanted, expected nor deserved. But here they are now, fighting against the gnawing cold of the damp atmosphere with only their loved ones beside them as comfort. Even though, even that would soon be taken away and sold to the highest bidders of the underworld.
"Mommy...I wanna go home..." a child whimpered weakly to her mother as she buried her face into her mother's bosom, the flickering lights glimmering upon them like that of a dying sun shining down on withering plants. Their faces were tainted with dirt and scars from harsh treatments past...even the children's bodies had their own stories to tell.
"Shh, its okay, Serina. Mommy and Daddy are here. Its going to be okay," her mother reassured her, even though most of the adults there knew...it was a hopeless situation. There was nothing to fight against, for the thumb of those in power were pushing down on them without effort. The nightly ritual of screams and gunshots were almost burned into their minds. But this time, the gunshots were meant for a different enemy.
From the shadows of the hallway, Serina saw a figure limped over to the prison cells as it quietly took out a key card. The faces of the captured innocents remained fearful as they watched the man slide the card down the reader, effectively unlocking all the cells with a short beep. With confused looks, the prisoners waited to see if anything happened. Nothing. As cautious smiles soon crept onto their faces, they quickly got up against the hunger and chill of the cold and walked up to thank their savior, but hesitated as they saw the burn scars on his face and the blood that was dripping from his combat gear, pooling onto the floor as if he was a melting snowman. Serina was small at the time, but she understood that the man was at the tip of the blade.
With a deep and ragged breath, the small girl Serina clearly remembers what the soldier told the last group of captured civilians what he told the countless others before them, "Follow the dead bodies...there will be a ship waiting for you at the end."
Despite the heavy air, one of the older ones quickly took lead and with caution and organization, led the group down the hallway where countless of those that tortured them lay dead in their own pools of blood. The strong smell of death choking them as they moved. The dying soldier, on the other hand, just leaned back against a wall and slid down with a loud thud. His energy seemed spent, the remains of it slowly seeping away with the oozing blood. The hanging coppery smell of his blood was memorable even to little Serina even years after this incident.
"Mister? Are you okay?" the young Serina, barely the age of five, looked at the man as his breathing slowly became more labored. It was even miraculous that he was able to survive up till now. Gunshot wounds all over his body, with a few knife stabs on the abdomen, not to mention a phosphorous grenade that almost burned half of his combat garb off with portions already melted to his skin. All thing's considered, his physical condition failed to reflect his conviction.
"H-hey, Serina! Come on!" her mother tugged the little girl's hand. But the child did not respond, instead finding the blood and wound-riddled soldier to be... interesting, if not monumental. The dying soldier smiled deep inside his heart as he watched the child, even though his lips was contorted in pain. As a final gesture, the hero took out the dog-tags that he held on for so long, and added his own to the other two that was on the chain.
"Hello Serina...can you...take this to the mean smiling lady when you get to safety?" the soldier requested with the most genuine smile he could muster.
"Okay! Will you be there?"
"Of course...and...Thank you, Serina."
"Serina! Let's go!" the mother finally pulled the young one away, quickly catching up to the group. Even for her age, Serina knew deep in her heart the man was lying. But she was hopeful, and clung onto the dog tags tightly with a small smile on her face as she stepped into the sterile environment of the transport shuttle soon after, watched over vigilantly by a glowing bipedal machine overhead which brought the light of the Sun to them that they sorely missed for years.
The battle between the Allied Forces and the Radicals was long over, but Kira and Lacus were still on their toes as the Nocturnal Delta still maintained its orbit far from the Moon, awaiting Reiatsuma and the Hierarch's return with the captured civilians who were involved in the human trafficking network that Visotoniki had organized.
"Vice-Commander Valkyrie, we've picked up the Hierarch's signal!" a crewman happily said as he smiled to Karmen, who returned the soldier with a genuine smile of her own. Lacus and Kira breathed a heavy sigh of relief as they watched the Hierarch carrying a transport shuttle in its mechanical arms.
"Good job, Rei. Flashy as alw-!" before Karmen could finish her sentence, an enormous explosion erupted on the surface of the Moon where the enemy base was. The bridge lit up a brilliant color of blue than slowly hued to a destructive red as the explosion took out most of what was in its radius, making another huge crater on the Moon's scarred surface.
"A nuclear explosion, regular magnitude, off of Arzachel Lunar Base. Did the Commander set it?" a fellow crewman asked another.
"Wasn't in the orders as far as I know. What do you think, Comm-!"
"Rei! Respond!" Kira and Lacus jumped at Karmen's sudden verbal outburst, her fist heavy on the controls of her seat. Receiving static instead, she quickly changed her communications channel, "Damn it, Hierarch! Answer me!"
"Hierarch preparing to receive, Commander Valkyrie."
"Commander Hayabusa's status?"
"Code Number Victor Seven-One-Niner, issued an override order, a full retreat of civilians. Last known active location is on location tagged 'Arzachel Lunar Base' before a nuclear device explosion severed all radio contact. No response on vital signs monitor; designated MIA."
"..."
The whole crew of the Nocturnal Delta went quiet as they tried digesting what Hierarch's AI just reported. Kira and Lacus both stood there speechless as they watched Reiatsuma's team respond to his 'Missing in Action' status. It was obvious what his fate was. Even the couple could tell. For the first time ever, Kira saw Karmen's face lose her usual sadistic smile, taking now a more neutral look on her face.
"Understood, Hierarch. Return to base," Karmen commanded to the AI as it sped towards the ship. Before anyone could say anything, Karmen was already out of the bridge in a hurry.
"Hayabusa..." Kira whispered to himself as he watched the side of the Moon that was marred by Reiatsuma's handiwork. Kira felt bad all of a sudden as he remembered the beatings that he had done on Reiatsuma. But as much as he wanted to stay and mourn the loss of one of ZAFT's soldiers, the enemy was hot on the Hierarch's tail. Even if it was a heavy loss, both Kira and Lacus thought it was a necessary sacrifice if it had come to that.
Innocent lives are on board the shuttle that was in the Hierarch's clutches, and most are thankful for the save, but all that would be wasted if the Hierarch gets within range of the enemy's weapons. Kira quickly zipped his suit up as he prepared to go out in one of Voskhod-3's StealthMobile Suit to fend off the enemies from Hierarch's back.
"Kira... Be careful out there, okay?" Lacus said as she hugged him from behind, burying her face into his back. It seemed that she took the loss harder than he had thought.
"I'll be okay. These innocent civilians will enjoy freedom before this ends," the young Coordinator said to his beloved as he gave a gentle kiss on Lacus' lips, "Everything will be okay, Lacus. I promise."
AN: Apologies if this chapter is much MUCH longer than the previous chapters. I just wanted to experiment how it goes (whether if its comfortable for readers or no). Please send in your feedback if you have any (preferably in PM form) and I will tailor accordingly if need be! Again thanks to all readers and/or visitors! LOL
And again, thanks to Rouge-Impulstice1 and Voltage Axe for reading and providing me insightful suggestions! Also to Elza Eldaniella 1, alphariuslau and amwick for favouriting and/or following my story! You guys have no idea how much support just a click of a mouse could do! Well the same effort could also send me tumbling to despair but what the heck, that's life! Just like how we lost Rei in this, good things will come to those who do their best.
Anyways! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing! Do svidaniya, everyone! (LOL no I'm not Russian!)