A/n

Here is Phase 44, it took a tad longer than I wanted it to but haven't had as much time as I would like to write. Anyways, same disclaimer still applies as always and enjoy the Phase and the story continuation!

Phase 44: Ambitions of Change

May 15th, 74 C.E.

-Neutral pov-

The close miss the beam from Daedalus caused panic with the citizens of the PLANTs, more than the attempted nuclear strike against the colonies. PLANT officials were having difficulty keeping things from getting worse and chaos breaking down of governmental control. The PLANTs weren't the only place or group that were taken by surprise by the near miss from a weapon previously unknown. Within the Earth Sphere, worry quickly grew at the chance that the same weapon could be used anywhere on Earth. The suspected damaged that a beam like what had been seen wasn't small, just different than nuclear weapons would cause.

The moment that Durandal arrived at the space fortress Messiah, he demanded a status update on what had just happened. When he was told that the green line of light that he had seen was a beam which had missed striking any of the PLANTs directly, Durandal wasn't pleased with what he heard. It took time to get things organized and under control with the panic that came from the near miss. That the PLANTs had been shot at all was something that Durandal didn't want to happen and it irked him. Durandal was sure that Djibril was behind this, but for him to have had a weapon constructed that was capable of striking a target anywhere from the dark side of the moon and no one knowing about was infuriating. And yet, the idea itself had merit for handling possible issues that could likely come up during the coming stages of the Destiny Plan.

If this beam cannon at Daedalus could be captured with the majority intact, then all the better in Durandal's view. With that in mind, Durandal asked that the Minerva head back up into space to help out with the current situation. The ZAFT lunar fleet was already working on disabling the O'Neil colonies as was some Federation forces. The beam cannon unlikely could fire consecutively, so there would be some time before there would be a second shot. However, Durandal didn't think it would be a lot of time with Djibril on the trigger and that man would pull it without hesitation.

So, Durandal contacted the Minerva once she had return to space and gave them the situation as it stood. Durandal then got down to giving the Minerva their mission against the Alliance's Daedalus Base. Once the Minerva headed off towards the moon, Durandal began arranging things to go the way he wanted and would be helpful for the Destiny Plan. The work ended out having Durandal in the office on Messiah, left to his own thoughts that recent events had been bringing on. The flow of events was going well enough for the Destiny Plan to come to change the human race for the better. Granted, there had been and still were setbacks and obstructions making things more difficult, but those weren't halting the plan completely. However, there were still a few worrisome problems that Durandal wanted to be rid of as soon as possible.

The main part of that collection of problems were made of a group of individuals that continuously interfered and meddled in things. Among them was Lacus Clyne herself and her father, both who brought other issues with them. Then there was Athrun Zala who had shown such promise but refused to do as he was told. Durandal also suspected others contributing such as Tyler McGregor, ace pilot and strong believer in 'humanity's potential'. But, out of them all Kira Yamato was the most troublesome from Durandal's point of view. Zala and McGregor were irritating enough with the skills in piloting and abilities in inspiring others to fight for a cause. Nevertheless, Yamato wasn't only the same in that as those two, he also represented an idea that Durandal loathed with much of his being.

Kira Yamato was the foolish dream of the geneticist Ulen Hibiki, a man that had such potential and promise to change so much for the better and yet wasted all of that on his foolish pursuit. Dr. Hibiki had been a genius, a man ahead of his time and had revolutionized the subject of genetics bringing it to what it was today. Nonetheless, for all the good that man could have done instead he had obsessed over the pursuit of a ridiculous dream of 'perfection'. If only he could of been of more the caliber of Durandal's own mentor Professor Blass, then the world would be a better place.

Professor Lance Blass had been one of Durandal's teachers in his younger days when he had been in the field of genetics himself. Particularly, his lecture on true scientific progress had always stuck with Gilbert and helped him to get to where he was today. Especially, the lines 'look towards not only the goal, but also what such would cost and bring about. For if a goal and its results costs be too high, then was the intended goal really worth pursuing?'. Heck, Gilbert had even asked Professor Blass his opinion of the chances of the Destiny Plan. He had said it could work but would likely have problems as a long-term solution for the issues the human race faced. That had been his professional view, the professor's personal view had been that such an idea could have much more harmful consequences.

Anyways, back to Hibiki and his foolishness, he should have failed like those that had come before him and yet, somehow Hibiki had succeeded against all odds. Durandal knew even if others didn't what Hibiki had done to produce his dream, the lives he had ruined and destroyed. The man had been killed for his perfect human and yet his Ultimate Coordinator had survived all the attempts to destroy him and was now bringing nothing but hassle and trouble. Yamato somehow every time and in every situation would survive even if he didn't come out on top as the victor, it was frustrating.

The boy represented the pinnacle of what human beings could become given enough time, and yet he still had the very flaws that caused the whole path towards destruction. To Durandal, Kira Yamato represented the failure of humanity to change and forsake their flaws. He was Hibiki's mistake in giving into an obsession when he could have changed the whole human race for the better forever. He was glaring evidence of why the Destiny Plan was the best hope that the human race had to prevent its own extinction. It was because the boy was made to be so different than any other, his 'superior genes' couldn't be allowed to be. Individuals that stood out from the rest couldn't be permitted in the designed world that the Destiny Plan would create, they were abnormalities. Abnormalities brought chaos and unbalanced the order of the world, so they had to be removed.

Once word came that the Minerva had got back into space, Durandal assigned them to head for Daedalus at the same time that ZAFT's lunar fleet would attack the first relay station before they headed for Daedalus base. If the forces of Logos could be distracted by the lunar fleet, then it would give the Minerva a chance to sneak up from a different direction and strike the base with much less of its defenders around to stop them. The cannon needed to be disabled while Djibril was there and in control, that was clear and there was no debate about that point. Durandal would prefer that the taking of the base happened in such a way that would leave the cannon itself intact for it had potential applications in the near future. However, if that was not how things turned out in the end, that wasn't a deal breaker as there were other options available.

The operation against Daedalus was a priority, but Durandal's mind went back to the point that there was a lack of visible movement from the Alliance and Federation forces other than the disablement of the fifth relay station. That fact bugged him quite a bit, even if such was kind of expected from the Federation's military, it was odd for the Alliance. The growing trend was worrisome as there was the possibility of a cooperative agreement between the two factions. If that were the case, then that could complicate things for the Destiny Plan going forward further. Siegel Clyne's speech had caused more than enough ripples that had required work to deal with beyond just damage control. Durandal was having others do what they could to down play the recent interference as nothing to worry about.

However, should there be some form of cooperation or truce between the Alliance and the Federation, that would spell upcoming difficulties. The Human Federation and its military were potential issue enough by themselves, there was no need to add to them when it concerned the Destiny Plan. Were what remained of the Alliance and the Earth Forces to join up with the Federation, that would only make things harder. And Durandal was of the mentality that it's better to take care of problems by preventing them before they become issues that were unavoidable.

Meanwhile, as ZAFT was preparing a coordinate strike against the Daedalus base both the Earth Forces and the Federation Military were gearing up for their own responses to the threat that Requiem presented. Daedalus had been under watch, but not heavy scrutiny and so Requiem's beam had taken most by surprise. With the disablement of one of the relay stations, and one not working fully the beam cannon couldn't effectively fire at a target far away like the PLANTs or Earth. Nevertheless, that merely bought time until that was fixed, and the weapon fired again and possibly did irreversible damage and take countless lives. Whether the weapon was under the control of Logos or ZAFT it was still too dangerous to leave as it was.

As such, two separate tasks happened due to the firing of Requiem to help change things. The first was for Arzachel to speed up the evacuation it was undergoing and the second was to have a mobile suit squadron go to the Daedalus base and do further work to disable the weapon. The evacuation of Arzachel had been happening slowly before now to avoid drawing notice from ZAFT. However, the memory of what had occurred to Ptolemaeus lunar base during the last war hadn't been forgotten and was coming to mind. With the threat of Requiem striking the base in the future, the emptying the base had been sped up and was being covered up by Federation forces under the direction of Duane Halberton. For the second task, ZEL Defender suits were scrambled covertly from Luna Base and headed towards Daedalus. The squadron used the lunar terrain to mask their movements, taking the Crisium Canyon to the east of Luna Base. The route that the canyon was a part of was a less known route that had cave systems and was much less noticed.

As that was happening, the Minerva was going along an arc around the moon's dark side towards Daedalus while the ZAFT Lunar fleet kept the attention of Logos's forces. The defensive strength that Daedalus had was unknown, but most of it was assumed to be busy with the ZAFT lunar fleet. The plan was to have the Minerva strike Daedalus while most of its defenders were not there and that was expected to have a fair chance of success with the record the ship had. The finer detail to the said plan was that the Impulse piloted by Lunamaria would launch before the ship came into range of Daedalus. The Impulse would approach the beam cannon and gain entry through a service tunnel and get into the firing chamber itself. There the Impulse would disable the cannon by locating the control room and destroying it, thereby preventing the cannon to fire.

As the point for the Impulse to launch came closer, Lunamaria prepared herself for the mission she was being given. Pretty much everything for this mission hinged on her making it to the cannon interior and destroying the control room. The fate of the lunar fleet and the Minerva was being place squarely on her shoulders and her success in a timely manner. The nerves were starting to show for Luna, but she was keeping herself together the best she could. She never in her whole life imagined that a situation like this would come up, nor depend on her performance.

Aila wished Luna luck as she headed for the Core Splendor to head out and Rey gave her a smile. Shinn told her to be careful and that she could do this mission and the vote of confidence helped Luna a margin. She launched out with the Blast Silhouette and began her silent journey to the service tunnel to enter Requiem while the Minerva moved forward. And it wasn't long before the Minerva's approach was spotted by those at Daedalus. The Destiny, the Osiris and the Legend headed out from the Minerva in order to fight against the forces deploying from Daedalus. The Logos forces were made up of mobile armors, Windams and three more of their Destroy Gundams.

By the time the clash between ZAFT and Logos was starting, the squadron sent from Luna Base were coming into the 'home stretch' on the approach to Daedalus. There had been not a word said between any of the Federation pilots, they all knew and had been briefed on the mission and its importance. The air of seriousness was only increased by the racks of high-yield explosives that half of the ZEL Defenders were carrying. The explosives were the insurance of Requiem's disablement after the operation against Daedalus was complete. They would line the firing chamber of the cannon and would be above enough of the power conduits to shut the cannon down for a decent amount of time.

The squad flew in two lines, one slightly below the other, the lower line the explosive carriers and the others their escort. Soon enough, the two lines split in half and went down two different paths heading for the two service tunnels that had been identified. The entry went unnoticed as there was a battle going on at the main base and all the fighters made their way towards the Requiem's firing chamber. With all the ZEL Defenders stealth systems up and running, no one saw them come into Requiem's interior.

Once inside the firing chamber, the Federation squadron broke into pairs, one payload carrier and an escort who all headed to the upper part of the chamber. Those with the explosives shifted the racks to aim forward and the suits beginning the deployment of their payloads. The explosives attached themselves to the walls and anchored to the structure around them then vanished from the sight of any. The arming sequence for these explosives were set to activate should there be a moderate surge of power under them with the firing sequence of Requiem would easily trigger. As the charges were being laid, the second of each pair was keeping an eye out for any activity that could hamper the task.

Meanwhile, Luna was flying towards the entrance of the tunnel she was to use to gain entry to Requiem with the silence as her boon companion. Luna was focused on her task knowing that time was not on her side and that her allies would pay the price the longer she took. When she spotted the tunnel, she was surprised to see that it already to have been opened by someone else. That idea didn't make enough sense with the facts as they stood, who else could have come here and before ZAFT? How had they approached and gotten to this point without arousing any suspicion or alarms?

Luna shook her head and refocused on her mission and entered the tunnel and began making her way towards the Requiem's firing chamber. After traveling through the tunnel, she came out into a large chamber where she quickly began looking around for anything that could be the control room of this cannon. She did shoot at places that looked to be of interest that she could spot as Luna was focused on making the cannon unable to fire. And as fate would have it, one of the shots hit the control room, disabling the cannon from being able to fire. The outer covering for Requiem's barrel had already opened in the preparation to fire, but now that provided a way out of the firing chamber and to the lunar surface.

While that was happening, the clash between the Minerva and its mobile suits going against those siding with Logos was growing heated. Aila had made it clear to both Shinn and Rey, more the latter than the former that cooperation and teamwork would be best in this situation. She wasn't worried that Shinn got and understood the message, it was Rey who was the potential issue to her. Shinn was shaken from recent events and Aila could sympathize, this war had been getting more than just harsh. However, Rey had been developing an unhealthy interest with beating talented and skilled opponents lately and that had come very close to getting him killed in the last battle at Carpentaria. In this mission, the three gundam-types that the Minerva had could win against the stacked odds, but not just by rushing in alone and shooting at enemy units.

Shinn and Aila worked together going against the windams while Rey handle the mobile armors as the Legend was better equipped to deal with positron reflectors. While the mobile suits fought, the Minerva brought out its positron cannon out and aimed for the main area around the cannon. Yet, when the Minerva fired a volley, one of the mobile armors moved itself between the ZAFT vessel and the base deploying its reflector. The Minerva's positron beam was halted and resulted in a shockwave that forced all close by back a distance. The mobile armor began surging forward focusing on the Minerva with windams behind it. So, when the Osiris zoomed up behind the armor, beam javelin at the ready the armor had no idea what was coming. Aila plunged the javelin into the back section of the mobile armor, then backed away before the armor exploded.

The Destiny was making its way towards the Daedalus base itself fighting the windams that were trying to take Shinn down. The windams were only slowing Shinn's progress, the Destroys on the other hand made things harder. Still, Shinn pressed forward trying to disarm the Destroys rather than simply take them down. He remembered from the battle around Berlin that these machines could have nuclear reactors powering them. Striking or damaging a nuclear reactor carelessly could cause the reactors to detonate rather than go through an emergency shutdown and that wouldn't end well. The task was by no means easy, those piloting the Destroys were seeing to that.

Rey was focusing on ridding the field of mobile armors, especially ones with positron reflectors, which the javelin pods were very effective at doing. He was making up for not just the last battle around Carpentaria against the Federation forces, but also the failure around Orb. The defeat Rey had experienced during the defense of Carpentaria had been the worst he had even gone through and facing both the Freedom and the Justice hadn't been much better. That was acting as motivation for Rey in this fight, he even imagined some the mobile armors as the new Justice and Freedom.

As the battle continued, the Impulse came out of Requiem's firing chamber and Federation forces appeared on the field. Luna immediately began helping her allies, while the Federation suits were going against what remained of those loyal to Logos. The appearance of the Federation mobile suits wasn't questioned at this time, but it still left those on the Minerva to wonder why they would have shown up when they did. Yet, none complained about the unexpected extra mobile suits that were assisting in the assault against Daedalus, not when they were cancelling out the former Earth Forces' advantage with numbers.

Shinn made his way past two of the Destroys and brought one down without its reactor if it was a nuclear one to detonate. He then headed for a tunnel that led to the inside of the base and found himself coming into the docking area for ships. Shinn brought out the long-range beam cannon and began shooting at the structure around the ships to trap them where they were docked. He still didn't want to kill if it could be avoided, along with the words that Athrun had said echoing in his mind 'I said what kind of future do YOU wish and fight for Shinn'. No matter how many battle Shinn went into, they seemed to end with more suffering as a result and that left bitter feelings in Shinn's heart that he couldn't ignore.

As the destruction of key points that were involved in Requiem's operation were occurring, the Girty Lue was lifting off from an auxiliary dock. Djibril was fuming with the turn of events watching the ruins of Daedalus expanding in size. Victory had been within their grasp, one more shot was all that it would have took to seal the deal! And yet, as the finish line was in sight Durandal's favorite ship had to butt in and wreck everything. Now Djibril would have to keep a low profile for a time before doing anything else towards eliminated Coordinators.

Nonetheless, all that changed when the Legend moving towards the Girty Lue when it noticed the ship. Mobile suits were launched to fend off the Legend while the Girty Lue veered away to try and escape. Rey detached the Legend's DRAGOON pods and had them attack the Alliance mobile suits that were slowing him down and keeping him from taking down those running. However, by the time Rey had dispatched the opposing mobile suits the Girty Lue had vanished, and Rey was left cursing at the turn of events.

The battle kept going for a short period before what remained of Logos forces transmitted their surrender. The Federation suits had disappeared before the battle was settled, to where none knew. By the time some of ZAFT's lunar fleet arrived at Daedalus, things were coming under control. Those who had surrendered were not killed but treated humanely by ZAFT forces. Durandal after hearing of the success of the operation against Daedalus was pleased for a couple of reasons. First, it meant that Djibril was out of the way and good riddance in Durandal's opinion as the man had been an annoyance and troublemaker. It would have been better if Djibril would have been killed, but as he had nowhere to run and be safe, it was more a matter of time before he was dealt with once and for all. Second, according to reports, the beam cannon at Daedalus was still in fair working order, and after some repairs it would be good to use again. The cannon could serve as a deterrent for those that would oppose the Destiny Plan, and either get them to conform or weed them out.

The ZAFT lunar fleet soon arrived above Daedalus and teams were deployed to investigate the cannon and survey it. Durandal also gave orders to the commander over the teams to do what they could to get the cannon back into operational status. The other thing that Durandal mentioned was to look to see if there was anything off. The point that the Federation had been around Daedalus during the operation against it nagged at Durandal. There was the possibility that they had done something unseen before any had noticed them on the field. Such an action could still be potentially an issue later on if not seen to as soon as possible.

-Line Break-

The squadron that was sent to Daedalus base to disable the beam cannon returned after completing their mission. No one sent had been lost, but the information they brought back to Luna Base wasn't comforting. ZAFT had gotten a team to Daedalus and they were apparently fixing the damage done to Requiem, likely to have it operational again to use. True, if the cannon was fixed it would fire for a few seconds before the explosives would disable the cannon, but that was more than enough time to do irreversible damage. Hence, why everyone that could was working hard to find out what could possibly be coming and the base itself went to high alert.

There was good news from this mission, the individual Lord Djibril had been apprehended before he could get to any of his remaining allies. The man had been trying to escape from Daedalus on a ship during the chaos of the battle. However, a Federation patrol had spotted them as they were making a bolt from Daedalus and the ship had been captured. Djibril had been seized immediately and handled like any war criminal would be, put in a cell and brought to be put on trial and sentenced. His hearing would take place once things were settled, but he would have no contact with the outside world in the meantime.

That point determined, that left just Requiem to worry about and deal with. The potential targets that would be in the scope of ZAFT with Requiem under their control weren't small, none were kidding themselves with Durandal doing what he had done recently. The Federation member nations would be within that scope and likely were near the top of the list. An air of focused seriousness hung over all working at Luna Base as they did everything possible to find out what coming. The informants from ZAFT were specifically being peppered with requests for information of any kind that could help. It was deemed critical that what Durandal was planning be identified as soon as possible to prepare properly.

Although it wasn't official, those who hadn't defected from the Earth Forces worked alongside the Federation's military. With a weapon like Requiem around to cause destruction to its target, even if it would be a little time before it was operational, the fear of what could happen was easy to feel. Even with the apprehending of Lord Djibril spelling out the effective end of Logos and threw Blue Cosmos into disarray that didn't mean that it would end the conflict. Both the Federation and the Alliance Forces were made to scramble somewhat to ready themselves for whatever it was Durandal would do next.

At Serenity City, those on the Archangel, Normandy, Dominion and Eternal were viewing the events as the news came in. The battle at Daedalus and the attack that had preceded it were horrible and only seemed to be building towards something. Tyler, Kira and Athrun watched the events then gathered together to discuss the developments. "Recent events only seem to be helping gain momentum for this 'Destiny Plan' in the notes from Mendel. But I don't understand what the point of the Destiny Plan is, what it is supposed to achieve in the end," Athrun started.

There was silence for a moment, "Such a world as those note from Mendel paint sounds quite tempting, I can't deny that without lying personally. I would be among the first to say that a world where war is gone would be a good thing. But I don't think that's all there is to this Destiny Plan," Tyler mused.

"Yes, and if Chairman Durandal hadn't targeted Lacus, we might have agreed with his views as well. He's the one that said we shouldn't fight, Lacus and I agree with that principle as fighting will bring hatred and regret. But for him to dictate what Lacus or anyone else should do is wrong, a world that such is done is the kind is based on arrogance," Kira said.

"That's true," Athrun replied.

Tyler shook his head a bit, "Once again Kira, you leave us to wonder if your naïveté is genuine or one of the most impressive acts that could fool many," Tyler remarked, to which Kira looked to the floor. Tyler continued, "However, a valid point you have nonetheless Kira, a world where every detail is decided for you isn't living, it's mere existence no matter how others might spin the idea."

"Indeed, but it depends on how such an idea is spun that would determine how others will see it, regardless of if the way it is presented is the truth or not," remarked Athrun.

"If Durandal is trying to bring about a world as described by the notes from Mendel, then shame on him. A world of forced existence in akin to being kept in a cage you can never leave, and humans were never met to exist, let alone live in such a way," Tyler said.

-Line Break-

The answer to what Durandal planned and how it would be spun came a few days later in the form of a broadcast he made days after the attempted attack against the PLANTs. "Greetings to all members of the human race. For those who do not know me, I'm Gilbert Durandal current chairman of the PLANTs Supreme Council," Durandal opened. "This current ongoing war has done many terrible things to countless people, none should deny that fact. I share fully your disgust of these things and what this war has produced. I also feel the pain that results from these events for it is mine as well. The sorrow and anger being felt is understood not just through mere words but through experience. I won't say as others have to brush these emotions off or ignore them. Such words and mentality are wrong to do to those that have lost loved ones and shouldn't be passed off as nothing, be mitigated or dismissed."

Durandal paused before he kept going, "Many are and have been asking how can these events that have befallen us all due to this war happen? Although, I realize it's too late at this time to dwell on it, my heart wanders as well looking for the answer to that very question. It was but a few years ago that we experienced a major war, and when it ended we made a solemn vow that we would never again repeat those same mistakes that brought it about. Yet, Junius Seven fell despite our efforts to prevent that, and even with our best efforts we found ourselves embroiled in another war, which escalated uncontrollably and once again we were forced to grapple with the pains of sorrow and great suffering."

"So how in the world could this happen," Durandal posed. "How did these foolish tragedies come to pass once again? One reason as I've previously pointed out is the existence of Logos. They created enemies, promoted fear to force the three faction to fight with one another so that they could produce weapons to collect the resulting profits. Throughout history they have been the people that have thrived from the shadows, the merchants of death. It was but recently that we saw the actions of a mad man that was a part of Logos come close to committing mass genocide and he thinks little about it, instead seeing himself as some sort of hero. Thankfully, Lord Djibril's attack missed the intended target due to the efforts of many good men and women who possess common sense and decency. And that provided the opportunity to succeed in defeating the mad man Lord Djibril and he has faced the consequences for his crimes with his death! The world and colonies will sleep better with Djibril gone and Logos being torn down going forward."

For all those listening, hearing that Djibril was dead was a relief as the man was dangerous and wouldn't hesitate to kill those who opposed him. Yet, for those who knew that Lord Djibril wasn't dead but detained and awaiting trial were even more suspicious of what this was about. Durandal continued, "That is precisely why the time is right to take the next step to make sure that this chain of events that make up this war don't happen even one more time!"

Many were wondering what Gilbert Durandal was talking about for what he said didn't make complete sense. However, for those who had been looking at the signs, they waited to see what Durandal had in mind and either confirm that their suspicions were right or wrong. "Now is the time for all of humanity to confront another enemy, the greatest that we have faced," Durandal stated. "And we must achieve victory against this enemy and nothing less if we are to know true liberation. I believe that this needs to be clarified and simply defined so that we can all understand to what I'm referring." The world held its breath to hear what Durandal would say next, "Our greatest enemy is the one that creates and causes conflict that leads to war. It produces those that are humankind's true enemy, so can be seen as the greatest one of them all. It is the reason why conflict has been with us since the dawn of the human race and why it will never disappear on its own as things stand. This enemy that we have yet to overcome is none other than our own ignorance and selfish ambitions."

The claim shocked many while others waited to hear how Durandal would explain and justify his statement. What Durandal claimed was the cause of all the conflict also slapped a number of the qualities that made up the foundation of human race. "Even now after leaving Earth and reaching the heavens, little about us has changed. Although we've learned the secrets of the human body, we still fail to understand one another, to understand ourselves. Because of that we face the future with uncertainty and hardship. The anxiety we experience, to be equal no, to be richer than others! Our limitless desires urging us to grasp at more, to never be satisfied, that's who we are as human beings right now. We ourselves plant and sow the seed of conflict whether it is knowingly or unknowingly, we are the problem as we currently are! It is these flaws that chain us down and lead us through the horrors of war and suffering," Durandal exclaimed.

"However, there is hope for us all now when there has been only acceptance of these clear flaws before. We are now at a point where we can change and end that, where we will end these blatant flaws and what they produce! We have acquired the means to overcome them and shed these shackling flaws once and for all. The answer to everything already lies within each and every one of us already." Durandal paused for effect, "Taking this step forward will result in people understanding each other, ourselves and the future we can have. This is the only way to prevent the tragedies of the past, to change ourselves for the better. And so, I hereby initiate the Destiny Plan, the last defensive measure to preserve humanity from extinction and give us all a guaranteed future!"

-Line Break-

-Tyler's pov-

I was viewing the broadcast Durandal was making from my quarters as I was off-duty and I wasn't impressed, I more wanted to break something the longer I watched really. When he said that Djibril was dead, I gritted my teeth for he made it sound like ZAFT were the reason all of us were still alive right now. It is one of the points I have against the man, he is taking events out of context and using that for his benefit much like he had with what had befell the Euros Coalition. The punk Djibril was going to stand trial for the crap he has pulled and will be held responsible for since he had been captured recently. Yet, Durandal was still going, "Our greatest enemy is the one that creates and causes conflict that leads to war. It produces those that are humankind's true enemy, so can be seen as the greatest one of them all. It is the reason why conflict has been with us since the dawn of the human race and why it will never disappear on its own as things stand. This enemy that we have yet to overcome is none other than our own ignorance and selfish ambitions."

My fist slammed into a wall of my quarters at Durandal's last statement out of the sheer fury I felt. What Durandal was claiming was the cause of all the conflict was ridiculous for dreams and learning were some of the qualities that made up the foundation of human race or what he called ignorance and selfish ambition. Then if Durandal is going to announce what was iterated in those notes from Mendel, then his "Ambitions" should be questioned the most. Did Durandal's preaching stop there? Of course it didn't, that would be too logical and sensible, "Even now after leaving Earth and reaching the heavens, little about us has changed. Although we've learned the secrets of the human body, we still fail to understand one another, to understand ourselves. Because of that we face the future with uncertainty and hardship. The anxiety we experience, to be equal no, to be richer than others! Our limitless desires urging us to grasp at more, to never be satisfied, that's who we are as human beings right now. We ourselves plant and sow the seed of conflict whether it is knowingly or unknowingly, we are the problem as we currently are! It is these flaws that chain us down and lead us through the horrors of war and suffering."

This man… how could I have ever fallen for his preaching for even a moment?! Still the 'best' or 'worst' depending on the viewpoint was on the way, "However, there is hope for us all now when there has been only acceptance of these clear flaws before. We are now at a point where we can change and end that, where we will end these blatant flaws and what they produce! We have acquired the means to overcome them and shed these shackling flaws once and for all. The answer to everything already lies within each and every one of us already." I didn't know if it would be better to barf or chuck something out an airlock to vent disgust and anger. Durandal continued, "Taking this step forward will result in people understanding each other, ourselves and the future we can have. This is the only way to prevent the tragedies of the past, to change ourselves for the better. And so, I hereby initiate the Destiny Plan, the last defensive measure to preserve humanity from extinction and give us all a guaranteed future!"

Durandal's speech overall was many things in my view and most of the descriptions that come to my mind are not good and a portion are not without profanity! His "Destiny Plan" is sick, wrong and ridiculous, that's just a few of the words that I would say, I can think of much more colorful ways of saying what the idea is, but that's the profanity part. The notes from Mendel had laid out the idea clear enough, but Durandal had gone farther by the way he sold it. The plan in simple terms would strip the human race of the very qualities and capabilities that sets humans apart, yet that wasn't how it had sounded. The way Durandal explained or sold his plan was everything would be decided for an individual at birth. There would be no uncertainties, everything set going forward and it sounded like a revolutionary idea as he worded it. And if not for my dad teaching me to use logic and common sense to make decision, I might consider what Durandal says as part truths, but I know better.

After taking a step back and considering what the Destiny Plan would do in actuality compared to what Durandal was selling, there is a different picture than advertised. Granted, he claimed that his ideal world would remove war entirely and I wouldn't doubt it would, the notes from Mendel had been detailed enough to show what could be done in essence. But as with everything there is a price paid and that's what Durandal left out and he did because it would literally display his plan for the horrible idea that it is! Why would Durandal's world without war be so horrid many might ask? Because war isn't the only idea that would disappear and not exist by any stretch of the imagination. No, along with war would be misery and other negative feelings and emotions would vanish, yet also will be peace, happiness and the good things as well. The reason I stated that is without one, you cannot truly know the other, thus is contrast and the necessity of the principle.

I mean, the general idea of the plan and more specifically how it was executed was bold to say the least. To pretty much design a person's genes down to the level that Durandal said it would be done was an achievement, not a good one but an achievement nonetheless. Although, I completely disagreed with the mentality that the Destiny Plan is based and founded upon, that one's genes determine one's nature period. It is the choices that we make that shape how we are and how we wish to be, and where genes may play a part, they aren't the end all be all of nature. So, in my eyes the Destiny Plan would rob we humans of choice and everything that literally makes life worth living in any way feasible! Just thinking about existing by a script as really Durandal's ideal world would have everyone doing makes me beyond sick to my stomach. Mere existence is and will never be enough, living is far better no matter how bad things get! Hence why this Destiny Plan is outright crap and should be spat out like a horrible tobacco habit!

So, with the announcement of Durandal's Destiny Plan the world and colonies were sent reeling honestly though not surprising with the foreign concept provided. As I stated, the very idea that the Destiny Plan challenged what had never been questioned before this, the very foundations that made up humanity. The very idea of designing an individual's genes and through that all people was not exactly unheard of, but it was only mentioned within certain circles. It is a form of control and one of the more extreme ones at that, and that says a great deal about Gilbert Durandal in my eyes.

In response to Durandal's broadcast, the leaders of the Federation flat out rejected the Destiny Plan, which pretty much anyone that know anything about the Federation's core values would expect. The caveat was that the announcement triggered the Federation member nations to be more on edge than they were before. The military forces in each member nation had gone to high alert and were locking down the borders and tightening security. But then, that was understandable as they were or would be high-stake targets of Durandal's since I bet he will force any that don't agree with him to either conform or just wipe them out. The point that scares me is Durandal doesn't seem the type to have that much of an issue with or will justify killing lots of people as necessary.

Then, what there still was of the Earth Alliance was also scrambling but they are as likely to be targets just about as much as the Federation will be. For both the Federation Military and the Earth Forces, cooperation was seen as the best policy going forward by doing their utmost to keep their movements the least noticed as possible. The less ZAFT knows about what contingencies are being prepared, the better things should be going forward right now. The big things right now are the assembling of the force that would assault Daedalus and the beam cannon Requiem.

Now the flat-out rejection from the Federation leaders had come, but there would be more I wouldn't doubt. I say that for two reasons, the bigger of the two, the Destiny Plan goes against most of the Human Federation's core values and that doesn't stand unchallenged. The second reason is that there were a number of people and groups that were not quite demanding an explanation, but it was heading that way. So, I'm just curious on what the verbal response for the Federation leaders including my mom will be, for I would bet it will be epic in its own way. I couldn't even begin to guess what would come in that way, but I look forward to seeing and hearing it!

In the meantime, the Normandy, Archangel, Eternal and Dominion were on standby until receiving further information and/or orders. It's times like these that aren't the nicest nor am I fond of the waiting part especially with the current situation as it was. The one clearly mad man that had been on the loose was imprisoned and awaiting trial now. The other has much less stopping him in his ambitions which he has finally revealed it to the rest of us. This will very likely get worse before it gets any better and circumstances like these are not just the pits, but also plain suck for most of the rest of us!

The stress was building for me and it wasn't helping my health, sanity or peace of mind in any way, shape or form. These days it was rare for me to talk in the context of a conversation, I gave short direction answer to queries and handed out orders, that was about it which isn't really unusual for me. The only exception was the brief talks with Kira and Athrun, it was the signs of the growing frustrations I was feeling. But, while the allied fleet was assembling, there was much less to do, and I was becoming irritated at doing little to nothing. The building tension was driving me nuts and I don't know how much longer I would be able to handle this without doing something drastic and doubtlessly would be against the rules!

I certainly wasn't the only one that was feeling restless, I was just one of those that it was easier to see it outwardly with. Athrun was not showing the idea as clearly as I was, but it was fairly obvious that he was feeling the tension as I was. Kira it was much harder to see the frustration, but Kira doesn't show emotions like some of us do. In fact, most of those in the crews of the four custom class vessels docked at Serenity City were showing signs of restlessness. The tension was rising, and it was going to hit a breaking point sometime soon, and when it crashes through that roof it won't be pretty!

-Line Break-

-Neutral pov-

In the week and a half that went by since Durandal's declaration and initiation of his Destiny Plan. The quick but firm refusal of the Destiny Plan still stood with the leaders of the Federation much to the grumbling of others. Nonetheless, it was agreed upon to broadcast a bit more of a detailed explanation as to why the Federation refused the Destiny Plan. There was increasing pressure mounting for the leaders of the world to support and endorse the Destiny Plan even after the refusal. Just saying no or refusing wasn't seen as enough without a further explanation, anonymous cries made sure that was the case.

For the leaders of the Federation, it was agreed that meeting together in-person was best so that they could present a united front when giving the explanation that was being demanded. Plus, there would be some time to discuss the subject matter that would be covered in the said explanation. Normally, the Euros Coalition would host such an event, but with the ongoing recovery effort from Logos's attack that was not possible. And so, the designated meeting place was set to be Shira in the Republic instead as it was better to handle the idea right now and keep security at a acceptable level. Thus, was a rare gathering made which was a security nightmare for more reasons than any wanted to admit. Security was tight and those that couldn't verify and prove who they were satisfactory, were taken aside and away from the areas deemed safe zones.

Ellen greeted each of her fellow leaders of the member nations as they arrived, trying to relieve the strained feeling even if only a little. However, it was clear that the toll that this war was taking was being felt by everyone. Each leader was given the opportunity to bring an individual that they themselves had invited should they choose to. Uzumi had brought Cagalli with him, leaving his brother Homura to lead the Representative Council.

Marina had a woman accompanying her that seemed to be her assistant and trusted friend. The woman has similar features as Marina showing that they likely were born around the same basic area. She had brown hair the length of her face, which frame her half-rimmed glasses and grey eyes. The woman was also slightly taller than Ellen herself in height but had much the same overall body shape. She was wearing a turquoise long-sleeve formal top and a mermaid skirt of the same color.

Markus Noventa had brought his granddaughter with him who was in her early teens. The girl wouldn't be involved in the politics that would be going on, but she looked excited nonetheless to have come, she had been show elsewhere while the meeting occurred. The resemblance between the girl and Markus was there though it wasn't a stark similarity. Brian Stegmeyer didn't bring anyone with him, nor did Diana Soreil. Ellen herself had invited Siegel Clyne and he had accepted and so he was there as well. With his years of experience on the PLANT Supreme Council, his input would be helpful.

The discussion opened when the leaders sat down and settled with the outline of Gilbert Durandal's Destiny Plan. Overall the idea Durandal presented was different than any that had come before it. A world where war was an idea of the past, merely a concept mentioned and taught to the young with history was desirable, none would deny that. The way Durandal put, a life without uncertainties, to live peacefully for the foreseeable future sounded wonderful. However, it was the common sense and logic possessed by humans that brought up the point of what would be paid to achieve that type of world. That collection of information was left out by Durandal and it being left out said one of two things. Either Gilbert Durandal didn't know or see what would be given up achieving his ideal world, or he didn't admit or say what would be given up for various reasons. Which one was the truth was debatable, but in the end, neither was really acceptable in the long-run.

The real issue with Durandal's Destiny Plan was what would vanish along with war and the other things Chairman Durandal claimed would go away with the plan. Yes, war could potentially be removed, but so would peace as it couldn't exist without understanding of what peace is not. The principle of contrast was the crux of the matter and why the Destiny Plan as a whole was such a problematic idea, it took away contrast in everything. Between the leaders, it was agreed that doing such a thing would not be a step forward for anyone definitely not for the human race, it was one of the largest steps back humanity could ever take. Ellen's closing statement summed up the idea well, "If one isn't moving forward, whether it is due to standing still or are heading in a backwards direction, they are not moving towards a future. The Destiny Plan will have the human race at a standstill for generations and that is not progress in any way, it is the opposite," Ellen said firmly.

There were mutterings of agreement, "Yes, such would stunt any growth that can be made from the lessons learn from the strides made including those from these recent conflicts. To wave the fighting off would make all those that have died and given their lives meaningless," Siegel remarked.

"Indeed," agreed Markus, "however, with the world in the unstable and vulnerable state that it is, there will be those who will be led blindly into this idea without comprehending what they are letting go of and they will unlikely be told."

"It goes to show that Gilbert Durandal has been leading and playing many for who knows how long. The man cares nothing about anything other than his ambitions, his more righteous than thou act is as ridiculous as it is his plan he claims will save the human race," commented Diana.

Stegmeyer hummed, "Agreed, though this Destiny Plan is clearly well-thought out and that's not something that one does in a short period. This had to be in the works for an extended period of time, the question would be how long has it been in development," he said.

"Back to the main point, our united rejection of the Destiny Plan will stand," asked Marina.

All turned to look at Marina, "Having some second thoughts Marina," posed Uzumi.

Marina shook her head, "Oh no, nothing like that," she assured. "I've seen more than enough brave men and women sacrificing their lives to make a path towards the future. To agree with the kind of world that Gilbert Durandal paints would be a dishonor and a failing of those that gave everything for those still alive to have opportunities."

"Were it so easy to refuse the Destiny Plan and leave things at that, then we would unlikely be meeting like this now," stated Ellen tiredly. "There are those that are unwilling to let a simple refusal stand without as it's being put 'an explanation and justification' to go along with it. The voices that cry out in favor of the Destiny Plan are attempting to rally as many as possible to their given cause. Hence why we are gathered today, to make it clear why the Destiny Plan is an idea that we nor our citizens will follow as it is being stated."

"Then let us get to that business and waste no more time on this matter," replied Diana.

The room and seating were rearranged while recording and broadcasting equipment were brought in. Once everything was ready, the broadcast began where the explanation to why the Federation was rejecting the Destiny Plan. Ellen was the one that started the broadcast when the signal that what was being recorded was being transmitted. "We, the leaders of the Federation member nations are using the media to answer those who are insistent on an explanation and justification for our unanimous refusal to agree and endorse the Destiny Plan put forth by Gilbert Durandal." Ellen paused and took a breath, "All of us seen here still stand firm in our decision of the rejection of the Destiny Plan as presented by Chairman Durandal eleven days ago."

Markus spoke next, "We ask that none mistake our decline as us saying that we don't wish for a world without war. We also are working towards the goal of peace for the human race as a whole. However, we see the Destiny Plan as it has been iterated as not the best way to have lasting peace for as many as possible."

"With that fact stated," Diana chimed in, "Chairman Durandal's Destiny Plan may work were it employed for a while. However, as it is stated by him, it leaves too many questions unanswered and those we shall not ignore for our citizens nor humanity as a whole."

Brian Stegmeyer nodded and took up the narrative, "Chairman Durandal stated that the enemy that we have yet to overcome is the ignorance we possess and selfish ambition. Yet, ignorance can be changed with knowledge, ambition is a different subject, neither of which are addressed much in the Destiny Plan."

Uzumi Athha took over the message after Stegmeyer's piece, "It is true that there are those that let their desires and emotions get the better of them and tragedy follows such individuals. Nevertheless, the lessons learned from hardship is how we can grow and progress forward with new found understanding."

"To pretend that the events that have happened in the recent years didn't occur is no different than denying or forgetting the brave men, women and children that have given their lives already," Marina entreated. "For those that have put forth everything they have to protect not just those who are alive, but those who have yet come, their sacrifices cannot be forgotten."

Siegel came in next, "The reason that the Destiny Plan is being refused as presented, is that it is a form of control, done through the manipulation of each individual's genes. Coordinators may have an amount of their genes altered, but it is not to the extent that is being proposed by Chairman Durandal. Flawed as we human beings may and can be, is it not better to be flawed than merely being something akin to dolls or puppets? That is what the Destiny Plan will do as it has been stated, were there further detail provided, perhaps that could clear up things, but as it stands that is what has been proposed."

The message delivered was simple yet powerful, each leader saying their thoughts of the Destiny Plan. Again, the political leaders of the member nations of the Federation showed their united front in what they believed. They were shortly followed by the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation in refusing the Destiny Plan.

-Line Break-

In space, the fleet assembling to assault Requiem was growing by the day with ships both from the Alliance, the Federation and even from ZAFT. The meeting point was a moderate distance from the beam cannon's first relay station, out of view of Daedalus itself. The growing fleet was hidden as a optical camouflage field had been erected, which was keeping ZAFT and Durandal none the wiser. Information was flowing in from Luna base about what there was on Requiem along with the movement of ZAFT's lunar fleet. The fleet overall was under that command of Lanus Treize though there were sub-leaders which managed and delegated to different parts of the growing fleet.

A week went by with things somewhat quiet yet felt long for many people with the ominous air that was present. There were whispers of unrest as tensions built between ZAFT and both the Federation and the Alliance. It was unsaid, yet it was becoming not a matter of if the tension would break out into fighting, but when it would turn into battle. The coming battle was one that would determine the fate of Humanity and its future, even a child could comprehend that.

Durandal during that week kept promoting the Destiny Plan enthusiastically through every media outlet he could get to or influence. The response from the Federation political leaders had been a blow to the credibility of the Destiny Plan. It was taking a number of people working hard to fix and patch up the arguments that were sprouting up. Yet, Durandal kept claiming that with the Destiny Plan, there would come a world where war would be nothing but a fear of the past. The picture that Durandal and those he delegated to painted was of a 'perfect world' where everything would be peaceful and happy. The way the Destiny Plan was being advertised by the PLANTs made it sound wonderful and had many questionings why others were refusing it. That translated into pressure from people to those that were saying no to the Destiny Plan even after explanations as to why it was being refused.

Nevertheless, even with the pressure, not a single member nation of the Federation budged, nor did the major states of the Earth Alliance. There was digging in of heals and firmly hold positions and entrenching in the beliefs held by those against the Destiny Plan. Preparation were steadily being made for the planned assault on Daedalus and the beam cannon Requiem by the allied fleet. Tension broke somewhat when Requiem fired, and the beam bent around and struck the Earth Forces' Arzachel lunar base. The Alliance base was destroyed by the beam, much in the same way that Ptolemaeus Lunar base had been in the previous war.

However, the beam wasn't sustained long, just for a mere few seconds in fact before it ceased firing. When Durandal contacted those at Daedalus which was the Ricter Team, in order to find out what had occurred for the beam to stop so suddenly, they informed him that the cannon had been badly damaged. According to the team commander, there had been explosions inside Requiem's firing chamber seconds after the cannon had initiated a firing sequence. The explosives had seriously damaged key power conduits that would need to be fixed before Requiem could operate again. Durandal asked where the explosive charges could have come from though he already had a good guess. When the Minerva had attacked Daedalus, there had been a group of Federation mobile suits, they had probably set the charges before appearing on the battlefield. The team commander had much the same guess as Durandal himself as to where the explosives came from.

Rough estimates for need repairs were figured to come out at about a month, which wasn't what Durandal wanted to hear. Yet, that would give the time to prepare and check the relay stations to make sure they worked correctly. The fifth station especially needed work and repairs from the damage the Federation force had done to it. Although, what worried Durandal most was there was still no solid evidence of what the Federation's military was doing or planning. He wanted to be as ready as possible for what possibilities existed with the Federation as they were the most likely to hamper things. Durandal did put the ZAFT intelligence department on the task to find out what they could about the movements of the Federation's military. There were some watching the Federation's Luna Base from a distance as well as others looking around for evidence of the activities of the Federation. But, they were turning up only unfounded rumors and weak guesses as to the activities of the Federation's military and the Earth Forces.

When the estimated time of Requiem returning to operational status came over the Information Network, the time for the assault against Requiem was set. The Archangel, the Dominion, the Eternal and the Normandy launched from Serenity City along with Orb's space fleet the day the operation was set for. All but the Archangel, the Dominion and the Eternal sailed towards Daedalus to meet up with the fleet and join in with the assault. The other three began making their way towards the first relay station, for if that station failed in bending the beam, then the progress of the beam would stop.

Phase end

A/n

And I'll leave off there for this Phase. I know this is a cliff hanger, but had I kept going with what's coming then this chapter would be super long! I do apologize for leaving of just before the epic battle, but this was the best place to pause, before the plunge. And as I said at the beginning authors note, the reason this Phase took so long is I get less time to write between work and the rest of life, I'll spare more details about that.

So then, on to the points of interest from this Phase to go over. The first, Durandal's views of those interfering with the Destiny Plan. The man does seriously believe the Destiny Plan is the only way to save the human race from destruction, that is an important fact to state. The reasoning that is stated about Dr. Ulen Hibiki is also the reason he dislikes Kira. It is more about what Kira represents that Durandal detests than Kira as a person. Also, Gilbert Durandal is a former student of Tyler's father Lance and he respected him as a scientist and mentor. And no, Tyler has no idea that Durandal is one of his father's former students, Tyler doesn't know most of them honestly.

On to Djibril's fate, no his not going to die yet, probably going to wish he had soon enough. His capture and the trial that will follow I intend to be more fitting a close for him. I'll say it this way, Azrael took his fall with some dignity, Djibril will not be doing so gracefully. The next point I want to clarify is Shinn's position, he has growing doubts if that hasn't been made clear. I will neither confirm nor deny that he believes he's being lied to, will spoil the surprise now wouldn't it? You will see the results of this argument in the next Phase, I assure you.

For those that like Mu, hope you're happy that I have him back to himself now, planned for that. Plus, I like the scene where he saves the Archangel in the same way he did with the Strike so I kept it in this story. The response of the Federation leaders was something I've been working on and it took me time to write it. It is kind of the first point that the side opposed to Durandal stated their view of the Destiny Plan. Final note, for those that are rooting and demanding more detail on the situation between Tyler and Sakura, be patient, it comes in the next Phase. The reviews that have been coming are appreciated and please keep them coming my way! Until the next Phase!

REVANOFSITHLORD

Honestly, I hadn't considered the idea until rather recently, though if I do, then it would be either a side chapter or later on a flash back of some sort.

Flaxj

I do plan for Meer to have a part, it's just not going to be in the battle coming, more afterwards, that's all I going to say for the moment.

Just a Crazy-Man

I'm glad you like this story, it's fun to write.