Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam
Here we have the big reveal (not Silver Mask ;) and a tie in to Lion's Silence, enjoy!
Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty
Chapter 16: A Fathers spell
Space had been filled with explosions lately. Athrun had been quite astonished by the amount of mobile suit wrecks he saw floating around the Plants. Right now the amount of dead Earth Alliance suits outnumbered the ZAFT suits. Yzak kept his eyes fixed on the Sho Nenshou Kokoro. It hadn't been part of the official defence line up, and Yzak suspected that the Chairman deliberately left the details out. Whatever Durandal was planning Yzak had no doubt that it would increase morale by hundreds. Ergnes Brahe had the Acidalium follow the Sensou fleet back to the Asgard. ZAFT ships then went on their usual patrol routes. The Nenshou however, kept flying around the Plants. It was as if the Gundam was looking inside the hourglasses, watching over the citizens of the Plants. Athrun's shuttle docked with the capital colony and the young man awaited the Chairman's aides.
Tasha had her eyes fixed on her commander as he carried out his test flight. Over the past hour nothing had been said between the two of them. Instead, Vincent merely flew. Occasionally he would test the transformation capabilities of the suit. The Rezel's designs had been loosely based off of the Neo Raptors. Although once Vincent had fully tested the Rezel, once it went into mass productions there would be considerable differences from the Neo Raptors. For one the Rezel was slightly bigger than the Raptors, which were designed more with speed in mind. Neo Raptor's also employed the incredible Graviton Reactor system developed by Jupiter's Beowulf mercenary band, which was a secret financial backer for Sensou. The Rezel abandoned the use of Graviton Reactors in favour of simple rechargeable generators that would be easier to maintain and affordable. While the Neo Raptor was a lighter blue and employed the use of a small wrist shield, the Rezel had no shield and had darker shades of blue on its armour.
"Commander Rach, I thought I should tell you, the Earth Alliance discreetly declared war on the Plants before they launched their attack" Natarle explained over the radio.
"Strange actually, I read that back in the Twenty first century, the major governments knew where a group of terrorists were, or at least suspected…yet they refused to nuke the place to dust" Vincent said.
"It's easier to nuke a colony than a place on Earth"
"Maybe, but they should have tried other methods"
"Commander, permission to speak freely"
"Granted Captain, speak your mind"
"You mustn't let the past weight you down, this isn't an age of cautious men rather an age in which many opinions can be put on a table, a large majority of people wish to have revenge against the people whom killed their loved ones and it will take more than speeches to change their minds" Natarle explained.
"I know, if my parents had been taken away from me I…" Vincent paused as saw Shinn flashing before his eyes "I would never forgive the person who took them from me" He said.
"I'll be preparing the ships that will be taking part in the Mars colonists rescue missions, good luck in the coming months Commander" Natarle said.
"Good luck to you too Captain, dismissed" Vincent said.
Vincent cut the line and turned his concentration back to the sky. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the light reflecting off of an object ahead. Switching on his radio he conveyed his message over the open frequency.
"This is the Grand Commander of the Sensou Forces Vincent Rach, I am engaging in a test flight, open your frequency and I will exchange my authorization codes with you" Vincent explained.
He widened his eyes as he saw what was approaching. Two were mounted on flight units while the other two were flying under their own power. One was a Strike E, or Strike Noir because of its dark armour and flight pack. Vincent focused on the other two machines, both resembling two of the units that were stolen at Heliopolis. The Blue Duel and Verde Buster were both upgraded versions of the Duel and Buster. But they weren't the machines that had Vincent worried. It was the Gundam leading them.
"The Mercy!" Vincent growled.
Jone wore a Phantom Pain flight suit with pale blue colours on its chest. He sighed as he targeted the Rezel. A sabre popped out of the Mercy's shoulder, igniting as it was pulled out of its sheath. Vincent transformed his unit, flipping it over the Mercy. The Strike Noir raised its beam pistols, firing quick beam rounds at the Rezel. Vincent pulled his sticks to the right, sending the Rezel rolling to the side. He pressed some of the holographic buttons, equipping the Rezel's beam rifle. Then he fired a few warning shots to back the Gundams off.
"Vincent Rach, never thought we'd be fighting a real war hero" The pilot of the Verde Buster said.
"Careful Shams, you'll mist your glasses up" Said the female pilot of the Blue Duel.
"Oh yeah like you weren't crushing on him until you found out he liked Coordinators Mudie"
Mudie Holcroft merely pouted while Shams Couza laughed. Their leader, the calm and isolated Sven Cal Bayang merely kept his gazed fixed on the Rezel. Sven fired his pistols again, forcing Vincent to perform manoeuvres in midair.
"I didn't want this, I would have preferred to fight you alone" Jone said as he flew behind the Rezel.
He swung his sabre horizontally, but the Rezel flew upwards, narrowly missing the blade. Swinging in midair, the Rezel fired several beams at the Mercy. Jone easily dodged the shots, sheathing his sabre and shooting out his heat rods. Vincent kept his eyes on the glowing red blades, knowing they were one of the Mercy's deadliest weapons. Swinging the weapons like chains, Jone narrowly missed the Rezel's head. Vincent tilted the mobile suit back, just avoiding the swing of the Mercy's heat rods. He aimed his rifle, pointing it directly at the Mercy. Suddenly, the Blue Duel and the Verde Buster opened fire. Vincent flew his machine sideways, dodging a volley of beams and missiles.
"You people are with the Earth Alliance, have you declared war on us too?" Vincent asked.
Sven dived towards the Rezel, firing his shorty beam pistols. Vincent flew upwards, dodging the beams and flying past the Strike Noir. The Rezel fired its beam rifle, narrowly missing the Verde Buster.
"This guys a surprisingly good marksman" Shams said sarcastically. "Time for me to show him how it's done"
Two rifles disconnected from the Buster's waist. Shams linked the two guns together, forming a bigger double-barrelled beam rifle. He aimed the Hulking weapon at the jet like mobile suit. Multiple beams slammed into the Verde Buster's cannon, knocking Shams off balance. The G-wing dashed around the Gundam's, launching missiles and beams. Tasha targeted the Blue Duel, firing a missile towards the Gundam. Mudie turned her machine round, smirking as she drew a Stiletto armour penetrator. The G-wings missile suddenly split open, launching a storm of fragmentation grenades. Mudie crossed her arms together, blocking her chest area from the explosive rounds.
"Bitch" Mudie growled.
She threw the Stiletto, but the rocket-propelled kunai couldn't catch up with the quick mobile armour. Tasha flew the G wing into the air, spinning it around as she released several bombs. The bombs fell down on top of the Gundams. Vincent then fired two shots from his beam rifle, hitting the Strike Noir's pistols. Sven threw the useless handles aside and drew his beam swords.
"Keep on attacking the Rezel, our mission is to keep Vincent Rach from returning to Orb" Sven said.
Athrun walked into the chairman's office, bowing to the man as he walked away from his desk.
"Alex, it's good to see you again" Durandal said.
"Chairman, I had heard earlier about what had happened, I'm glad the Plants were left standing" Athrun said.
"Yes, the attack came as a surprise to me, but thankfully our soldiers managed to defend our home, please take a suit, what did you come here to talk about?" Durandal asked.
"I came to find out what you are willing to do in order to defend the Plants, what ZAFT's path in this coming war will be and how you will choose to lead your people" Athrun explained, sitting in front of the Chairman.
Durandal kept on a calm gaze while Athrun squeezed his hands together. He could tell that the young man was conflicted over not just ZAFT's path but his own path as well. This was a day that would call for heroes, Durandal was already aware of Jeremiah Israfel's plans to paint Simon Hunter as a hero. He also knew of the tremendous charisma Dagger Thanos held. That was why the Plants needed all the heroes it could get.
The Sho Nenshou Kokoro was clearly showing off. That was what Zack felt as he watched the Gundam from his ship, the Raven's nest. Time and time again he tried to reach the pilot with his Newtype abilities. But every time he tried he was thrown back. Zack decided to find out for himself who the pilot was once and for all. He mounted his Wild Raptor and launched out of the ship. Mayura and Anna watched with concern as the Raptor flew around the Nenshou.
"Hey, whoever you are you certainly cant be Gekido Jaeger, he may have been a thug but he didn't try to completely wipe out his enemy as you've done" Zack explained.
Stopping in its tracks, the Nenshou disconnected its funnel wings. It then opened the palm of its hand at the Raptor. Zack raised his eyebrows at the machines actions and suddenly clutched his head. He felt a wave of killing intent, a force that would have paralysed younger Newtype's. But Zack was made of sterner stuff, and was able to fight off the wave.
"You want to fight, let's fight" Zack growled.
He flew at the Nenshou, aiming a kick for its head. The Nenshou dashed around the Raptor, planting its hand on the blue machines shoulder. Zack widened his eyes before swinging around. He threw a punch at the Gundam. But the machine ducked underneath the punch.
"Who are you? Are you someone else whose come back from the dead?" Zack asked. "Silver Mask, Alex Leonard and you…if you are Gekido Jaeger then that makes life unfair…why do people like you have to come back when there are far better people that deserve second chances" Zack explained.
He kicked at the Gundam, which continually moved from side to side. Zack yelled as he threw a fist towards the Nenshou. But the machine quickly grabbed the Raptors wrist and flipped the mobile suit over its shoulder.
"Lily's dad, Aunt Karn, Sarah and Reccoa, Mayura's friends and Sumika and my parents, WHY CANT PEOPLE LIKE THEM CHEAT DEATH THE WAY YOU HAVE!" Zack yelled.
The Nenshou suddenly flew forward, punching the Neo Raptor Square in the face. Zack's main camera cracked and he felt the machine throw itself back from the force of the punch. He slammed his hand into his console and followed the Nenshou as it flew towards the ZAFT capital. Zack could feel the intense emotions running throughout the Plants, they were all angry.
"How dare the Alliance just turn to nukes, what is our government doing about it?" A civilian asked.
"They destroyed Junius Seven, they're the ones who created that wreck"
Zack clutched his head for a moment as he felt another feeling. Casvall's face flashed before his eyes and Zack knew that the mute pilot was showing no mercy towards the Alliance forces still in the area. The Nenshou flew into the colony hanger and Zack quickly followed. Once the doors were safely closed, Zack jumped out of the cockpit of his machine. He floated towards the Nenshou as it began to open its cockpit. Suddenly, his radio chimed and he turned his attention away from the Nenshou.
"Mayura what's wrong?" Zack asked.
"It's Anna, she cried out and now she's fallen unconscious" Mayura said.
"Damn it, its Casvall, he's shown the Earth forces no mercy, I knew I should have ordered you guys to leave the area" Zack said.
Zack turned around and threw his head back with a yell. The Nenshou's cockpit had been opened, but the pilot had quickly floated past Zack when he had been talking to Mayura.
The Rezel flew backwards; dodging sword swings from the Strike Noir. Jone swung his heat rods at Vincent, but the Commander was able to flip his suit back. He fired his Vulcan's, narrowly missing the Mercy.
"His targeting skills are worse than I thought they'd be" Jone said.
Tasha turned the G-Wing round, firing her beam cannon into the Duel's shield. Mudie fired her beam pistols, missing the G-Wing's nose by inches. Tapping her touch screen, Tasha bought up the G-Wing's special features. Pulling the trigger on her control stick, Tasha released a trail of red smoke from the G-Wing's tail binder. The smoke spread across the Duel's armour and Tasha flew around the Buster, spreading the smoke onto Shams's armour.
"What the hell is this?" Shams wondered.
In space, Sensou sniper GM's slid their faceplates down as they aimed their rifles.
"All right boys, there's Tasha's usual signal, commence firing" Nick said.
His GM Custom led the snipers, launching a barrage of beam bullets. They had specifically been equipped with orbital sniper rifles in order to launch bombings on highlighted targets. Shams and Mudie widened their eyes as the beams rained down on their mobile suits. Mudie jumped off of her flight platform as a beam cut straight through it. Shams flew around the beams as best he could, but Nick again fired his orbital rifle, sending a beam flying straight into Shams flight platform.
"SHIT!" Shams yelled as he jumped off the platform.
Vincent held out his rifle, using it to block one of the Noir's swords. But the Mercy flew behind the Rezel, whipping it with its electrical rods. Vincent yelled as electricity flowed into the cockpit. But he managed to fight the pain long enough to push the noir back. Then he fired his rifle, hitting the Mercy's shoulder.
"Commander, I'll give you the Burning components" Tasha said.
"No, just fly back and tell Branden and Kojiro the plan" Vincent said.
"They already know the plan, I'm staying to help you"
"Tasha I'm giving you a direct order"
"I'm Black ops remember, I don't exist so you can't punish me for insubordination"
Jone closed his eyes as he wrapped his coils around the Rezel. Vincent widened his eyes before yelling out in agony. Electricity flowed through the machine and its pilot's veins. Jone rubbed his forehead in frustration while Vincent continued to yell out in agony.
"I hate this" Jone said.
"COMMANDER!" Tasha yelled.
Flay sat at her desk, reading over the latest reports from the battlefield. Not even five minutes in the Asgard and she was raided with reports and transfer requests from Casvall's unit. The mute pilot had been going all out in the battles, using methods that had shocked his Sensou comrades. It had been frustration for Flay, not only because Casvall used to be calm and reliable but also because he was Cagalli's adoptive brother. He was the true son of Uzumi Nara Athha, but a soldier through and through. Sensou didn't have much information on him, but he had been a valuable pilot during the first war. The door to Flay's office opened and Flay sighed as Natarle walked into the room.
"Chairwoman you wanted to see me?" Natarle asked.
"Yes captain, it's to discuss your new mission" Flay said.
"In contrast to Captain Noa, I am comfortable with the changes to my crew" Natarle said.
"That's not it…I want you to take Casvall"
"Ma'am, I don't understand"
"Casvall…I'm afraid of him losing himself to whatever anger he's feeling, no one knows what he's thinking about or whether he even believes in Sensou"
"With all due respect Ma'am you are talking as if he is a threat" Natarle said calmly.
"I know almost everything there is to know about every member of Sensou apart from Casvall, his past is a mystery, his goals, his dreams even are mysteries…how often have you seen him smile? How often has he even tried to laugh? I'm afraid Natarle, he's the best pilot in Sensou hands down and well deserving of his red colours but I'm afraid…that if he fights in this war, if he's turned against Orb then he'll become a monster worse than Rau Le Creuscet" The Chairwoman explained, wiping her eyes, her hands shaking from the stress.
Natarle looked at the girl, she had seen her like this before. The stress of battle and constant concern for Kira had driven Flay to tears once, and Natarle had been the only person on the ship she served on that could support her. In the final battle of the war, Flay was constantly worried about Kira and Natarle had no doubt that she was counting down the seconds they were apart. Natarle had personally thanked Vincent for saving their escape shuttle. She didn't want to die knowing that Flay would never hold the man she loved again. Now Flay was concerned over the fate of her best friend's brother.
"Chairwoman Alster, I accept this mission you have given me" Natarle said. "I will keep Casvall away from the main conflict and put him to work in helping to find the missing colonists"
Flay wiped a tear from her eye and chuckled. Natarle was still acting professional. Not many people liked that, but Flay saw it as a quality.
"Thank you Natarle" Flay said.
"It's no problem Chairwoman"
"What's the big problem Graham?" Branden asked.
"Natarle and I work well together, now she's being given a new crew a new ship and what have I got, a stint in the Black Ops" Graham groaned.
Kojiro and Branden were both sitting at a café, communicating with Graham via wireless laptop communication. The Flag fighter was complaining about his new assignment as well as the situation on the Asgard. Kojiro was indifferent to it, while Branden shared some of Graham's concerns.
"Captain Noa and Badgiruel have been given command of crewmen they aren't familiar with, a large majority of the support crew are green and haven't seen actual combat, the most experienced mobile suit pilots are Lieutenant Burning and Lieutenant Major Ray" Graham explained.
"Burning's a nice guy, although he's a bit too old school military, that Amuro guy…I don't like him" Branden said.
"That's a surprise"
"Hey, he's a pretty boy preacher, used to be an angst ridden teenager who just happened to be good with mobile suits"
"And a few years later he's now one of our top aces" Kojiro said.
"Maybe, but he's got nothing on Casvall" Branden said.
"I wouldn't tempt fate if I were you, for all we know Casvall may turn on us, if that's the case I would say that Amuro Ray's the best pilot to have in case that happens"
"Don't tell me your thinking that Casvall's too dangerous to keep around, what is wrong with you idiots?" Branden asked.
"I've worked with Casvall before when I was full time Orb military, he was a skilled pilot but a mystery…I've read that if a man keeps too many secrets they are bound to catch up with him, Casvall is a man with secrets, such as what crime has he committed to earn him time in prison and how does he become Sakon Date's best friend, perhaps you should be asking those questions as well Branden" Kojiro explained.
Branden grinded his teeth together and shook his cup.
"You know lad he brings up a good point" Graham said.
"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Branden snapped.
Across Orb, Cagalli knelt at her father's memorial. Kojiro had told her of the situation regarding Casvall. Not only did she have the pressure of Yuuna's proposals but also her concerns over her brother's sanity. Cagalli couldn't explain why but she had a feeling that Casvall was experiencing doubts as she did. But for a man whom had spent time in prison and on the battlefield, witnessing the worst of humanity then Cagalli could only assume that Casvall was doubting humanities future.
"Oh Cagalli, you're here"
Cagalli felt like groaning, but kept it in check as she turned to face Yuuna. The nobleman walked towards the memorial bowing his head solemnly.
"I have said that your father should probably be given a bigger memorial, after all he was a wise and powerful leader before the war, it's too bad that the Earth Alliance trapped him in a corner" Yuuna said.
"What did you want Yuuna?" Cagalli asked.
"I wanted to see how you were doing, after all you're so young, I imagine that the responsibilities you're faced with seem too much, I only wish to help both you and our nation"
"Accepting an alliance with the Atlantic federation stands against every ideal Orb has stood for" Cagalli said as they walked down the steps of the memorial.
"And yet if you don't it is inevitable that Orb will become a target of the Earth Alliance, I thought it was made abundantly clear in the last war that Orb is a nation of Earth and thus must stand with the alliance, I know that you are concerned for our coordinator population but know Cagalli that Earth Alliance policies on coordinators have changed, men like Israfel and Jaeger are slowly changing the Alliance" Yuuna explained.
"Gekido is dead!"
"True, but I was actually talking about his brothers" Yuuna said.
Cagalli stopped and looked Yuuna in the eyes.
"What did you say?" She asked.
"You see Cagalli, we have to side with the Alliance, because if we don't we'll have the anger of the Jaeger family" Yuuna said, opening the door for his car.
Cagalli's hand shook as she stepped into Yuuna's limo. Over at the docks, Joe and some of the rookie pilots watched the news reports of the events. Luna and even Nia were in awe at the sight of the Nenshou. Joe crossed his arms and huffed.
"I had hoped that if Gekido Jaeger was alive then he would have returned to the Earth Alliance, that way he and I could have fought, I would have been able to prove that Coordinators can work hard as well" Joe explained.
"But this is great right? I mean what if he really is Gekido Jaeger, even records were sealed a lot of people talked about him" Luna said.
"He's good for morale, but he's a liability as part of a team" Rey said.
"He got along well with the Archangel crew"
Silver Mask leant against the wall on the far side of the cafeteria. He kept his eyes on the TV, waiting for the news to be dropped. At Earth Alliance headquarters, Heiwa sat in his office, waiting for his interview to begin.
"Brother, the press are ready for you" Nina said.
"Just wait Nina, I think I'd rather drop my bomb after Durandal's dropped his" Heiwa said.
Athrun had asked Durandal how he was going to respond to the Earth Alliance attacks. They both knew that outside, civilians were already debating with one another. Some said they didn't want another war, others said that they needed to defend themselves. And unfortunately, some called for revenge.
"If we retaliate for their attack on us then the world will once again sink into the quagmire of war" Durandal said.
As Athrun listened to the man he remembered Junius Seven and the first ZAFT mobile suits launched onto the Earth. Even his own battles flashed before his eyes.
"Of that I have no doubt, needless to say I wish to avoid that at all costs, but there is no denying how grave the situation is, if they knew the full details then the people would rage in anger, they want vengeance…so how should we proceed? The clock is counting down just as it did in the previous war, but how can we bring the process to a halt the fact is Alex that this isn't the first time they launched nukes" Durandal explained.
Right now, revenge had become the number one reason that the civilians wanted to go to war. Talking and negotiation was out of the option for them now. The pilot of the Nenshou tapped his foot against the elevator floor impatiently. His escorts looked at him with a mix of awe and fear.
"Mr Chairman, I know what your saying, but please reconsider" Athrun said. "Fighting is not the answer, we can't let anger and hatred control us, if we attack one another now then we will be caught in a conflict in which nothing will be gained, and everything will be lost, please you cant let that happen"
"Alex…"
"My name is Athrun Zala, the son of Patrick Zala a man whom fanned the flames of a war that spiralled out of control and poisoned the whole world with his hatred, I believed what my father said and fought, I killed the enemy, fought my best friend and even realised how wrong we were I couldn't stop him, I couldn't save him" Athrun explained.
He remembered everything, the times he piloted the Aegis, killing Kira's friend Tolle. His fights with the Purpose and Gekido Jaeger and Nichol's brutal murder stuck out as the feelings of that day came to the surface. The gunshot echoed in his ears and his father's floating body flashed before his eyes.
"And yet, even in death my father's words still linger"
He couldn't hear the Chairman calling his name.
"We must never repeat that tragedy, not ever again"
"I think the real question that needs to be asked is do you feel justified fighting on the side of cowards who attack soldiers that cant even fight back and then toying with an enemy by critically damaging his mobile suit? DO YOU FEEL JUSTIFIED FIGHTING BY THE SIDE OF THESE COWARDS!" He yelled hitting Athrun with the truth in his words.
"ALL OF YOU STOP FIGHTING NOW!" Gekido yelled desperately.
"GEKIDO STOP! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU OR ATHRUN!" Kira yelled.
Gekido paid no attention as he roared; he lifted the Strike's cracked blade on top of the Strike's shoulder.
"ATHRUN!" Nichol yelled over the radio.
The Blitz suddenly appeared, holding one of its Triskeros as a make shift spear. Nichol thrust the weapon towards the Strike. But the Strike ducked under the thrust and tackled the Blitz to the ground. Athrun watched in desperation as the Strike stabbed its sword into the Blitz's hand, pinning it to the ground. Gekido yelled as he stabbed the Blitz with the Strike's knives. Miguel looked towards the Strike and this gave Mu enough time to blow the DINN's arm off.
"Shit, Nichol!" Miguel said as he flew towards the area.
Kira and the rest of the Archangel crew watched in horror as the Strike continued to drill its knife into the Blitz's belly. Nichol cursed, as his controls didn't respond. A smile spread across the face of Akushi, it was almost as if he could sense the battle or see its outcome, and he enjoyed it. Zack aimed his rifle but hesitated, in fear of hitting Nichol.
"GEKIDO JAEGER!" he yelled, "This beast isn't you Jaeger, it isn't you" Zack said.
"Gekido please stop he's done his phase shift is down" Kira said.
"STOP IT!" Flay screamed.
The Strike broke through the Blitz's cockpit and the imposing machine looked down at the pilot inside.
"Gekido stop this, look at the pilot, look at him…he's not supposed to be here" Miguel said on the radio. "He's 15, his names Nichol Amalfi and he likes to play the piano, he should be performing in concerts and he can still do that, do you really want to take the life of an opponent who cant defend himself?" Miguel asked.
Gekido growled, as the Strike seemed to back away.
"KILLLLL…ALLLL…KILL…ALLL…KILLL…ALL!" He roared with hesitation.
Kira and Miguel relaxed as the Strike baked away and lowered its knife. Zack smiled to himself, knowing that Gekido had made the right choice. In the Plants there was a moment of peace for Lacus before her eyes widened and she looked at the sky.
"Kill all COORDINATORS!" Gekido yelled.
The Strike raised its blade and slammed it into the hole on the Blitz. Nichol's line went dead and the ZAFT pilots widened their eyes in shock. A tear fell down Miguel's cheek while Athrun out right cried. The Strike raised its knife and Kira gasped in utter shock, for it was covered in what only a man like Akushi would describe.
"NICHOL!" Athrun screamed.
"Athrun!" Durandal said.
Athrun snapped out of his remembrance and looked at Durandal as the man got off his chair.
"I know what the criminals at Junius Seven said, Shinn told me, to hear that must have been difficult for you" Durandal said.
"No…it's better that I know the truth, otherwise I would be blind to the truth again"
"That's not true Athrun, you can't blame yourself for what has happened, its sad that the memory of you father pains you, that it is a source of great bitterness for you, but I suppose it cant be helped, and yet Chairman Zala was not always like that was he?" Durandal asked.
"No, he wasn't" Athrun said.
"And yet I have no doubt that even with the mistakes he made his goal was always to protect the Plants and his people"
"With all due respect Chairman…that wasn't the case, yes from the very beginning he wasn't so full of hate, but when my mother was killed and as the war got worse and worse he fell deeper and deeper into madness, he wanted revenge more than he wanted the Plants protected, and now his will still lives on" Athrun explained.
"Don't be so hard on your father Athrun, sometimes great men can be led astray by the intensity of their visions, and often their statements can be used by others, listeners with an agenda will often use the words of great men out of context, twisting them to suit themselves, much like those terrorists at Junius Seven"
Athrun turned to Durandal in shock.
"They said "we're doing the right thing" why is that? "Because Chairman Zala said so himself", keep that in mind, you mustn't let something like that control your emotions…you were you Athrun, the terrorists were the terrorists and the Chairman was the Chairman, it doesn't matter whose son you are, you cant let this drag you down because it has nothing to do with who you are" Durandal explained.
"Chairman…" Athrun paused, getting off his chair.
Here was a man whom understood the world and people perhaps better than they understood themselves. In a way, he reminded Athrun of Gekido Jaeger. Both believed in the power individuals had to forge their own Destiny.
"You are an individual and you came here because you just wanted to help, you just want to stop war from spreading, keep that in mind, your not responsible for all of this, I'm glad you came up here Athrun…it is people like you who will save the world" Durandal said solemnly. "Some people might call me a dreamer but I very much believe it to be true"
The citizens of the Plants were ready to start riots. But their attention was drawn to the giant screens throughout the cities. They widened their eyes as they saw a familiar face.
"Please my friends stay calm"
Athrun looked at the chairman's screen in shock, something shared by many. The details of the report had been sent to the Earth media companies as well. And yet the details of "Lacus Clyne's" speech were left out. But the citizens of the Plants stopped to listen to a woman they felt was their true leader. On the Minerva, Silver Mask huffed, knowing that it was a ploy. Branden and Kojiro watched the scene from a television screen in their hanger.
"This is some kind of joke right?" Branden asked.
"Don't underestimate Lacus Clyne's abilities to lead" Kojiro said.
"Yes it is I Lacus Clyne, I understand why your all angry, I share your concerns…they declare war on us and attack us with nuclear weapons but please let reason carry the day, losing yourself to anger will only lead to more conflict, even as I speak the Chairman and the supreme council are doing everything within their power to solve this situation but please I beg of you, each and everyone of you please show that you believe in peace and have faith in Chairman Durandal and the supreme council" "Lacus" explained to the people of the Plants.
Athrun looked at the scene, unsure of how to react.
"You can laugh if you want to" Durandal said. "I'm sure you know what's going on"
The melody of Lacus's signature song began to play and she san the lyrics perfectly. Zack looked at the scene with a mix of shock while Mayura calmed Anna down. If he were closer to the Plants he would try to determine whether this woman really was Lacus Clyne. His Newtype senses didn't tell him anything, but his instincts said otherwise. Outside of the Plant border, Dagger Thanos and his pilots watched the scene from the bridge. Dagger sat lazily in his chair, while his long time comrades stood beside him. Michelle had suffered from severe burns during the last war, but after surgery her face was as good as knew. Cairo was his usual self, and he was equally as shocked as Lain was.
"Lacus Clyne, so she returns to lead the Plants, maybe with her influence ZAFT will improve" Lain said, offering Cairo a piece of garlic bread.
Cairo ate the bread, looking at the scene curiously. He then turned to Dagger.
"What do you think Commander?" He asked.
Michelle covered her nose, gagging slightly while Thanos remained indifferent. Lain was a good cook, but she would put way too much garlic on her food. Combine that with Cairo's big mouth and the whole bridge would be clutching their noses.
"It's not Lacus Clyne" Dagger said.
His crew looked at him in shock.
"She's good, convincing but if you really pay attention, if you remember what Lacus Clyne was like in the first war then you would know, she'd never read off a script"
"Of course, this woman is reading from a script" Cairo said.
Her words took away the anger people felt and many began to rethink what they said. When she had finished singing, they were all willing to follow Durandal. On Earth, Simon launched in the Liberty. It had been equipped with blue flight pack, an Earth Alliance shield and a beam rifle. He flew, unbeknownst to the revelation that was about to take place across the world. People on Earth and the Plants were faced with another image. In contrast to "Lacus's" peaceful atmosphere, a more professional background was chosen for the Sho Nenshou Kokoro pilot. He wore a grey ZAFT pilot suit; the visor he wore was a pure black colour.
"Time to find out the truth" Kojiro said.
Branden nodded his head, zipping up his Earth Alliance flight suit. Kojiro had an old version of the Orb flight suit. Lacus leant forward on her seat as John and Andy put their coffee mugs on the table. People across the Earth and the Plants looked at the full video of this pilot. Flay turned away from the launch of the Peacekeeper mission, checking her own TV. Casvall, Natarle and Bright would be in for quite a shock when they got back.
"People of the Plants, war may be inevitable no matter what the Chairman does, if that is the case…" The pilot began as he began to remove his helmet.
Lacus widened her eyes in utter horror.
"You've got to be joking!" Branden growled.
The Minerva pilots widened their eyes and then turned to Silver Mask. He was laughing, genuinely laughing.
"Clever man Durandal!" Silver Mask said.
Lacus's hands quivered as she touched her mouth. Kira caught her as she fell and the children gathered around them.
"It can't be" John muttered.
He dropped his helmet, revealing his wild grey hair and blue eyes.
"IF that is the case, then know people of the Plants that I, Gekido Jaeger swear to protect you with my life!"
Athrun looked at the scene, the pilot wasn't reading from a script, his method of talking was similar. His voice and face identical, his formerly missing eye was back, no doubt replaced by a cloned and surgically implanted replacement.
"If war is what the Earth Alliance wants then know that I'll be ready to fight them" Gekido said.
Zack rubbed his head, fighting the headache he suddenly got. This feeling he had, there was no doubt in his mind over the identity of this pilot. The screen split apart, revealing Heiwa. It was as if the two men were standing apart from one another.
"People of Earth, I know it is hard for you to consider this, Gekido Jaeger has indeed joined the ranks of those whom shelter terrorists, though I despise our use of nuclear weapons I can not stand by any longer, if the Plants attack I will defend my home…know that that man there whom massacred our troops, our fathers, our son…our brother's, know that he is Gekido Jaeger" Heiwa explained.
Gekido and Heiwa both smirked as he delivered yet another revelation.
"I would know, I would know without a doubt…because my real name is Heiwa Jaeger, the twin brother of Gekido Jaeger!"
Next Chapter 11: Chosen Path's, proof of existence
Cagalli: We can't join the Earth Alliance; it will destroy everything our country stands for
Yuuna: Yet we must protect our country no matter what
Athrun: Who are you?
Gekido: I am myself and I have chosen of my own will to be here, what will you choose to do?
Tasha: I'm black ops…I don't exist
Mudie: The only good coordinator is a dead coordinator DIE!
Vincent: Stop talking like that Tasha, you live…you exist!
Tania: Are we going to have to fight big brother?
Heiwa: Yes, I'm sorry all of you, but I'm afraid Gekido isn't part of the family anymore
Tasha: VINCENT!
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I'll be getting Lion's Silence up soon, review and tell me what you thought please