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Hey guys, I'm back with another update, with editing credit going to 00virtuezero
Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty
Chapter 26: The soldier's life
War is not just a case of fighting; throughout the history of war the media has played an important role. There have been icons in the media and propaganda, like Uncle Sam or the numerous posters of the world war battlefields that portrayed a heroic outlook of the soldier's life. Even women have had icons, like the tough lady wearing a bandana and showing her fists, a way to encourage strength in the women and lead them to the factories. Strength can be gained from high morale and morale soared in the ZAFT and Sensou alliance. This was in short part due to the presence of Gekido Jaeger, or at least some people believed Gekido Jaeger. Lacus Clyne watched the tapes of the Sho Nenshou Kokorou dispatching multiple attacks on the Plants. She seemed more focused on this man that may very well have been her friend and former lover, than the woman that replaced her.
Meer Campbell seemed to have fitted into the role Durandal assigned her well. Her impersonation of Lacus Clyne wasn't perfect, but people rarely do know famous faces and what they are really like. Any doubts people had over her sudden appearance and change in attire were quickly swept away when she sang. And sing Meer Campbell, or rather Lacus Clyne did. The pop star image seemed to suit her well as "Lacus" danced and sang on a stage, hundreds of lights shining on her and thousands of spectators watching and listening. Gekido Jaeger bought morale to the battlefield; Lacus Clyne bought happiness to the people.
"Thank you everyone you've been a wonderful audience," Meer said, waving to her crowd of loyal fans.
She'd never had fans before and that was something Meer loved about this new life. People loved Lacus Clyne and for as long as the war went on Meer would be Lacus Clyne. When she got back stage, Meer wiped her face with a towel. She had also never performed like that in public before. Despite her training, she still couldn't fight the beads of sweat that formed on her skin. It wasn't the fatigue but the stress of her new life. She had to be Lacus; she had to convince everyone that she was Lacus Clyne.
"They'd never like plain old Meer Campbell," Meer muttered.
"Ma'am!"
Meer turned to her door and saw a soldier in ZAFT's purple and black colours.
"Oh hello, how may I help you?" Meer asked.
The soldier bowed his head slightly as he handed her a USB stick. Meer looked at the stick in confusion. The soldier sighed and motioned to her computer. Meer inserted the stick and waited as her computer booted up. She gasped in shock and awe as Gekido Jaeger's face appeared.
"Lacus, good to see you again, Remus there recorded your show for me, you've been doing extraordinarily well," Gekido explained.
"Thank you Mr Jaeger," Meer blushed.
"Just call me Gekido," the young man sighed in frustration.
"Of course Mr…I mean Gekido, its good to talk to you again," Meer said.
"Well pretty soon we'll be speaking face to face Lacus, it'll certainly be a sight to see wont it? Athrun Zala, Lacus Clyne and Gekido Jaeger together again, former allies and friends joining to do their parts in the war," Gekido mused, crossing his arms together as he smirked.
"It certainly will be a sight to see old friend," Meer sighed.
"Yes, but remember to play your part to the letter," a dark look crossed Gekido's face as he narrowed his eyes at Meer.
"Don't worry, I'll do my part perfectly," Meer said.
Gekido nodded his head in satisfaction before cutting the communication line. Meer squealed in delight, it must have been fate for her to lead this life. Years ago she had met a young man named Simon Hunter on a plane and they had discussed her rise to stardom. The pretty much straight after Meer had met with Durandal and Gekido and had been drawn into a life she never imagined living.
"When you get out of surgery all those idiots out there will tell you to act the way they wish Lacus will. But being Lacus is more than just having a pretty voice and prettier face, Lacus had an air about her that's hard to mimic, even those whom have spent but a short amount of time with her are drawn to her," Gekido explained, standing over Meer's hospital bed.
She'd been left there to speak with Gekido, who personally requested the meeting. He kept his face covered by a sleeveless hooded jacket, but Meer could look into his eyes. She felt fearless in his presence, yet anxious at the same time. He could reassure her yet still bully her in a way. Right now he was giving her advice.
"Lacus never played the game if you will, people demanded something of her and she'd do it because she was helpful to others. But there's a fine line between being kind and generous and just being a damn fool. In a way Lacus was a soldier without even having to carry a weapon, society had orders for her but she refused to follow Zala's order," Gekido crouched at Meer's bedside and took her hand with his.
"M-Mr Jaeger," Meer gasped.
"I've seen the look in your eyes Meer, you want to be Lacus because it'll be a better life but the reality is far from satisfying. Lacus lost her mother and endured, her father was murdered and she endured, her fiancé tried to kill her, her lover refused her affections and she endured. Yet now in a world that needs Lacus Clyne she ran and went to live in a shack raising petty orphans."
Meer was taken aback by the sudden fierce tone in Gekido's voice. His anger truly was infamous, as was his ability to inspire through "tough love".
"The memories of those who fought and died have been insulted by her and they'll be insulted by you if you aren't doing this for the right reasons. Do not be Lacus Clyne the woman who abandoned her duty but be Lacus Clyne, the woman who will inspire and eventually lead her people. When you come out of that surgery you will bear Lacus's face and the power that comes with that face, use it to improve the Plants in ways Lacus never did," Gekido paused as he ran his hand along Meer's forehead.
He planted a kiss on her head and turned his back to the bed.
"Do that and perhaps one day the world will accept that Meer Campbell was better at being Lacus Clyne then Lacus Clyne ever was," he whispered just load enough for her to hear.
Be a better Lacus; that had become Meer's goal.
The Archangel currently resided in the waters of the Kingdom of Scandinavia. The government in secret sheltered them, but Scandinavia's military strength wasn't enough to support the Archangel besides simple shelter. The crew sent up a Comm. buoy to receive information from the media networks. News would come in of the fragile situation in Eurasia. Dagger Thanos had also completed his "conquest" of Portsmouth and had begun moving his forces through the cities leading to London. That and to add fuel to an even larger fire, the new director of Anaheim electronics was making his intentions clearer. Like Durandal, Heiwa Jaeger knew how to get a crowd riled up. But landing on the beaches of Eurasia Heiwa was met with a site he couldn't accept. Eurasia was infamous for hating those from the Atlantic federation, but meeting with Djibril's Logos allies Heiwa saw people clapping over his arrival.
"The people have come to meet you Heiwa, you are becoming a symbol of a still prospering economy, give Eurasia a reason to keep the Alliance," the overweight Alliance official said.
Heiwa shot the man an uncharacteristic glare as he walked past.
"I will give the people a reason to keep us," Heiwa said. 'You pompous ass disgrace of a homosapien!' He thought disdainfully.
He walked forward, raising his arms to halt the applause.
"Enough of this charade, I know that none of you are really happy to see me. You think I don't know that your families have been threatened, that some of you have even been paid to welcome me with open arms. What reason do you have to trust the Atlantic federation? No reasons, when have they ever defended or protected you, they spat on you, looked at you as if you were coordinators, used your husbands and sons as martyrs at Alaska and Djibril, Djibril and his fellow lords seem only content to cheat and lie to you," Heiwa explained, turning his head to Djibril's party.
His smirk never faded as he looked back at the crowd.
"You think I don't know that there are those amongst you who are prepared to kill me? What makes me so different from them? Well grant me five minutes and I will explain to you my intentions for Eurasia," Heiwa walked closer to the crowd, even going past the guards.
"They take our food and leave us with piles that aren't even fit to serve dogs," one man in the crowd said.
"Our homes barely have the energy to run anymore, Djibril has plenty of power and he doesn't share it," said another.
"People please, I am prepared to listen to every complaint you have about the alliance, but right now we must focus on something more important, the future and our liberty to create a future we can be proud of…my brother Gekido Jaeger lost his faith in the alliance, in his people and his comrades, but he had a dream a dream that the Earth could be united in warfare and from the ashes of that war become a world we could be proud of. Pride not in Earth's purity but in our own efforts to improve that Earth, I stand here before you now with no smile, no threat or mask, only a pledge an absolute pledge that Anaheim electronics will improve not your military but you the people."
Watching the scene from his office, Djibril tightened his grip on his cat. Neo watched with raised eyebrows underneath his mask while Durandal smirked.
"Anaheim electronics stands with the Alliance so that we may have the power to help you the people, we will improve your power stations, your buildings, and your economy. Too long have we provided the Earth with something to blow up, now we will turn that fortune towards remaking Earth with the combined pride of the people that live here, starting with Eurasia," the crowd grew ever silent as Heiwa walked amongst them.
"I give you my word, the word of Heiwa Jaeger, brother of Gekido Jaeger the shining star of the Earth Alliance that I will not abandon you and that I will do everything within my power to rebuild Eurasia, the Earth and create a planet THAT WE CAN BE PROUD TO FIGHT FOR AGAIN!" he yelled.
The crowd cheered as they surrounded Heiwa, welcoming him as de facto leader of Eurasia. Some saw it as a symbol of hope; others saw it as a change for the worst. Either way change was a force that existed throughout the universe and it didn't care if you loved it or hated it. Change is indifferent and it won't be denied!
"They certainly seem to be having a good time, though on the English front we could do with something a little more uplifting," Andy sighed.
The whole Archangel crew now sat on the bridge, drinking coffees made by Andy and John.
"Would you prefer a report on a white dolphin giving birth to cute little baby dolphins?" Murrue asked.
"Well, maybe not that uplifting," Andy chuckled.
"I don't know whether to be pleased or concerned about the state of Eurasia, this Heiwa guy seems to be as overzealous as his brother," John said.
"Then there's this," Cagalli said, pointing to a screen showing Meer's latest concert. "Are you really okay with this?" she asked Lacus.
"She's right Lacus you seem awfully calm about Durandal replacing you," Kai said.
"It's even more evidence that we can't trust Durandal," Kira said.
"I know that, but I still don't like sitting here doing nothing," Kai growled.
"What the?" Chandra paused, looking at his screen in confusion.
"What is it Chandra?" Neumann asked.
"I just got an email on the ship's computer, it's a typed out text message," Chandra said.
"What does it say?" Kira asked.
"To those whom oppose the redundant Earth Alliance, grant me your time and I will discuss with you the future of not just the Earth but the Plants and Orb as well, failure to reply to this message will imply that you are an enemy of the storm," Chandra explained.
"Dagger Thanos," John sighed.
"Yeah, the message also has a set of coordinates set in; he's planning a summit with military leaders to discuss a possible alliance!"
"Joining Thanos would get us into action sooner," Andy said.
"No, we're not joining Thanos," Kira said.
"Kira you do remember the concept of democracy don't you?" Cagalli asked.
"I don't trust that man," Kira shook his head.
"Or your probably a little jealous of the fact that Flay may still have feelings for his long dead son," Kai smirked.
The crew turned to Kai, either glaring or in Lacus's case casting him a gaze of disapproval.
"What? They did kiss once you know," Kai shrugged his shoulders. 'And people seem to like the idea of Lacus/Kira, when they would show zero physical affection, seriously it would be like a kindergarten relationship,' he thought.
"Dagger Thanos raised a boy like Akushi or Kyusai or whatever we call him, what's the chance that he isn't misleading the people under his command that he's not going to create people misguided in the way they do things?" Kira asked.
"One thing that has guided Dagger's men is the belief that they can leave whenever they want, few do, unless we count Akushi as someone under Thanos's command," John said.
"I do know Dagger as a man of his word; he also has a code of honour that I can't fully understand, probably because I've never served under him. His rise to power was almost inspiring, a common soldier rising to the greatest Special Forces commander of his time," Andy explained.
"We need to be cautious though, unlike Gekido," Kira said.
"Are we sure that this guy is Gekido?"
"I don't know, I'm starting to have doubts," Kira sighed.
"I wish Athrun was here," Cagalli said.
Meanwhile, the Minerva had arrived in the Arabian Peninsula and was approaching ZAFT's Mahamul base. Everyone was hard at work, carrying out the tasks that had been assigned to them. Engineers worked on the mobile suits alongside their pilots. One pilot however was thrashing around in his sleep. Silver Mask let out a yell as he awoke from yet another nightmare. He grabbed his helmet, sliding the contraption over his face and locking the clips into place. Walking out of his room, Silver Mask's red eye blinked in confusion as two soldiers passed by.
"In this quiet night I'm waiting for you…"
"Forgiving the past and dreaming of you!"
"Why are you two singing?" Silver Mask asked.
"Oh sorry sir, we didn't see you there, we just got a call from my cousin, he was at Lacus Clyne's concert the other day and sent us a video," the soldier pulled out his I-Pad, showing Silver Mask the recording.
"Look at that dress, I always thought Lacus Clyne was cute but now she's straight out hot," the soldier grinned.
"Hmmm, I suppose being hot is an improvement over being cute, I hate cuteness after all," Silver Mask growled slightly as he walked away.
He walked along the corridors of the ship, contemplating everything that had happened lately. Dagger Thanos had made it his intention to conquer Earth Alliance territories. Lacus Clyne or in actuality Meer Campbell was slipping further into the role of Durandal's puppet. The Archangel crew was just sitting around, waiting for the moment to strike, or at least that's how Biggs reported it. The ironclad defence of Bhishma Alhazard was holding back repeated attacks from ZAFT on Earth Alliance positions. Silver Mask had no doubt that eventually Bhishma would be transferred to a unit as prominent as Phantom Pain. If Bhishma did choose to allow himself to be transferred then he'd be an obstacle in the Minerva's path and the defences of those key positions in the alliance would suffer greatly. Phantom Pain had seemed to make it its personal goal to destroy the Minerva. That was a sign that Djibril saw them as a legitimate threat. Furthermore was the state of the Minerva crew itself.
'Bet the Archangel never had this many colliding personalities,' Silver Mask thought. 'On second thought I think it did,' he chuckled inwardly.
Shinn had been avoiding two pilots. Vincent Rach, the man he held responsible for his family's death and Athrun Zala, the famous pilot that had suddenly returned to ZAFT. Walking onto the hanger, Silver Mask gazed at the Purpose, the supposedly sentient machine looked at the launch catapult like a child waiting at the door.
"No, you can't go outside," Sheryl said, waving her finger at the machine like a mother would her child.
"Ignore it; the thing obviously doesn't have the strength to rip the hatch…DID YOU JUST FLIP ME OFF!" Branden yelled.
The machine retracted its finger as Sheryl turned to look at it. Branden waved his arms around, being held back by Joe and Kojiro. Silver Mask took the elevator down and walked over to his machine. It was stood next to the Saviour so he had a good view of Vino and Youlan's conversation.
"Her singing style has certainly changed hasn't it?" Vino asked.
They were obviously discussing "Lacus's" latest concert.
"Yeah, I like her better this way, its more upbeat," Youlan said.
"Then there's her outfit!"
"Oh yeah, now that is ho…"
"Ahem!"
Silver Mask stifled a laugh as Athrun walked up behind the two mechanics.
"I'm here for the Saviour's maintenance report," Athrun said.
Vino nodded his head, handing Athrun the report. As soon as the pilot was out of sight, the two mechanics sighed in relief.
"Wow, that guys sure lucky to have a fiancé like Lacus," Vino said.
"Do you think he'd noticed if we disconnected some of the Saviour's cables," Youlan grinned.
"I can still hear you," Athrun called out.
"WE CAN ALL HEAR YOU IDIOTS!" Nia yelled.
Vincent shook his head, laughing as Vino and Youlan cowered at Nia's approach.
"Keep your perverted comments to yourselves assholes, especially with the woman's fiancé on-board," she said, slapping them both across the head.
Vincent took the elevator down to the deck and walked away from his RX. He read a report handed to him by Sheryl and smiled as Nia walked by, wiping the dust off his fists. She stopped for a moment, saluting him. Again he shook his head with a smile. Athrun then walked up to him, handing him yet another report.
"This came to my desk first, what were you hoping to gain from this?" Athrun asked.
"That Shinn freed people that were intended to be slaves, Sensou has now finished relocating them," Vincent said.
"So you think he did the right thing?"
"There's rarely a right thing to do in war," Vincent sighed.
"Commander Rach, there's a message for you at the Comm. Station," a soldier ran up to Vincent.
"Sheryl, take these reports and approve any operations they suggest, I need to check this," Vincent said as he walked away.
Shinn watched the man walked to the communications terminal, looking at him with the same stare he used with Athrun.
"If you want to talk to him just go over there," Luna said.
Shinn huffed before walking away.
"Men," Luna muttered.
Vincent typed at the Comm. Station, highlighting and reading the email he had been sent. His eyes widened as he bought a hand to his head.
"No," he whispered.
Rubbing his eyes, Vincent walked back to the hanger.
"Commander, we were just wondering how long our shore leave would be when we get to base, also we've got a maintenance log on the RX…"
"Ask Sheryl, she's in direct contact with the Captain, as for the RX, give me the report and I'll read it when I have the chance," Vincent explained.
"Yes Commander," the mechanic replied.
Sheryl noticed the look in Vincent's eyes, a look she had seen before. Nia also noticed the change in the way Vincent carried himself, Shinn however didn't.
"Commander Rach, I wanted to talk to you about what happened the other day," Shinn said.
"Take whatever inquiries you have about the hostages to Sheryl, she's got all the information you need," Vincent dismissed the teenager, brushing past his shoulder.
"Rach try to watch where you're going, you damn near knocked me over," Shinn growled.
"AND WATCH YOUR TONE SOLDIER!" Vincent yelled.
Shinn widened his eyes slightly before glaring at the commander. Branden and Kojiro got out of their machines and walked over to the commotion.
"What's your problem huh? First you praise my actions yesterday and now your yelling at me like Zala, what did you think you couldn't suck up for my forgiveness?" Shinn asked.
Vincent squeezed his hands into fists, breathing heavily as he glared at Shinn. Youlan and Vino nervously looked between the commander and their friend, while Nia remained uncertain of whom she should support. Sheryl however, the oldest (and more mature than Joe) person present walked in between the two men. She did two things that shocked everyone present. First; she punched Shinn so hard that he fell to the ground.
"Wow, sweet punch," Joe muttered, causing Luna and Rey to look at him in dismay.
'Can't say he didn't have it coming,' Nia thought, hiding a grin.
Shinn looked up at Sheryl in shock as she stood over him.
"Durandal may have faith in you but all I see is a spoilt little punk who thinks he's the centre of attention. Yes you have skill but it takes a lot more than that to pilot a machine like the Gundam and even if you're more skilled than your commander you still have no right to say "shut up" over the radio or to have a show down with him about something as small as a shove." Sheryl explained.
Sheryl then turned to Vincent and slapped him across the face.
"I apologise Commander, feel free to have me disciplined later, but right now it's clear that you're not fit to carry out your duties," a comforting look spread across her face as she rubbed Vincent's cheek. "Take time off and do what you need to do," she said calmly.
She kept her calm and soothing expression as she pulled Shinn to his feet.
"Your deserving of praise Shinn but your reckless too, you're a young man with his whole life ahead of him, get your act together before it kills you," she explained, ruffling Shinn's hair.
Shinn stood in shock, sighing as Vincent walked away. Nia watched the blonde haired man leave and walked after him without hesitation. Sheryl however grabbed her by the arm.
"Let go," Nia growled.
"You watch your tone too Nia and take my advice, leave the Commander be, he deals with emotions on his own," Sheryl said.
"Great job so far," Nia muttered as she shoved past Sheryl.
Youlan and Vino ran to Shinn's side, followed slowly by Rey.
"Man I never knew Sheryl could be so aggressive, she was a little harsh," Vino said.
"Not really," Rey said.
"Tell that to my jaw," Shinn cringed.
"But what was with the complete one eighty turn?" Youlan asked.
"While it's true that Sheryl is an officer, she is also a woman," Kojiro said as he walked over the group.
Branden entered one of the elevators, with Luna following shortly afterwards. Shinn, Youlan and Vino got water canisters and sat around the Impulse's core while. Rey and Kojiro leant against the machine, both with their arms crossed.
"Sheryl was also once a mother," Kojiro lowered his head slightly, though his voice didn't betray his emotions.
"I didn't know that, wait did you say was?" Vino asked.
"Yes, Sheryl was very young when she had her son Wes. I'm not completely aware of their situation but before his death Wes had joined the Earth Alliance to become a mobile suit pilot. Though he didn't earn any medals in life or great victories, Wes was valued because of his talent and ability to pilot a machine that was greatly overworked. To my knowledge I know that Wes encountered his killer at least three times on the battlefield, perhaps more and perhaps even outside the battlefield," Kojiro explained.
Vino and Youlan both looked at Kojiro in shock, unaware of soldiers meeting outside the battlefield. The life of a soldier was complicated. Kira once met Andrew Waltfeld off the battlefield, while Gekido had his infamous duel with Miguel Aiman within the halls of Andy's mansion. Vincent himself recalled a time when he met a member of an extreme anti-war group. Soldiers on opposing sides could often meet without fighting, either because they are unaware of the other's allegiance or because at the time they were off duty and had no care for the conflict. Then there was the time that former enemies would meet as allies. Those were the complicated times of war.
"Who did kill Wes? Is the person even alive today?" Vino asked.
"Yes, he was a commander by the name of Noah Bagal!"
"That's right, Noah Bagal is back from the front, no need to start without me," The aquamarine haired coordinator grinned as he walked into the ZAFT briefing room.
Linda and Shadi both stood behind Noah with their hands behind their hips. They remained stoic to the fact that Noah had barged into the room mid briefing. The officer in charge of the base however looked at him with a glare. Athrun suppressed the urge to chuckle while Talia shook her head. Sheryl however, who was representing Sensou in Vincent's place remained unreadable. Noah walked over to the briefing table, looking at the highlighted areas.
"Ah, I see you guys have been stuck with the Positron cannon, you guys get the warm welcome from those terrorists while we get the hug from a giant Russian…in his mobile suit," Noah sighed.
"Correction Commander, those "terrorists" are in actuality Freedom fighters suffering from the oppression of Atlantic Federation forces in their area," Sheryl said.
"One man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist Miss Mercis," Shadi pointed out.
"Besides, I've read the reports and your "freedom fighters" have been just as brutal to Earth Alliance forces as they have to them. They've executed unarmed prisoners, your Commander was ruthless but he never shot people that actually gave up," Noah explained.
"Can we please move on to the secondary objective?" Athrun asked.
"Yes, as you know the Earth Alliance is maintaining an iron clad defence led by Bhishma Alhazard. We have reports that he will be demoted shortly because of his opposition of the treatment of prisoners of war and then put into a black ops unit. If this information is true this will substantially affect the defensive abilities of the Earth Alliance. But even without Alhazard they'll still maintain a determined defensive effort," the commander explained.
"Which is why you plan to slip a team into Alliance territory and destroy their supply depot," Linda said.
"By destroying their supply line you'll have affectively crippled the EA defensive line, with Alhazard gone they won't be able to main their defence and will have to abandon naval lines in order to protect their island fortresses," Athrun explained.
"Yes, with the absolute defence gone and their supplies destroyed we will push through the remaining Earth Alliance forces and retake the territories lost to us in the last war," the commander said.
"Looks like we've got it all sorted, but in case you haven't noticed my teams a little short," Noah said.
"A small team would work out better for this mission, drop in and establish a firm hold on the base before their forces arrive to retake it. But you won't be alone; you and your men will drop from the sky, while a small ECOAS unit will infiltrate the supply depot from the beach. We put the task force together on the way here, I'll be leading the engineering teams," Sheryl explained.
"I see," Noah mused.
Sheryl narrowed her eyes at the commander. He didn't look interested in what was going on, something that offended and infuriated Sheryl to no end.
"Some of the pilots from my ship will be joining you, while the Minerva will be working with desert forces seeking to take or destroy the Positron cannon," Talia said.
Linda nodded to her sister, but only to regard the order. She traded no smile or words of encouragement.
"Zack Tempest also volunteered to help you take the supply depot, apparently he didn't want to be paid for the operation," the commander said, raising his brow slightly in surprise.
Noah smirked, relishing at the opportunity to fight alongside the Minerva crew again. He was particularly eager to see Zack Tempest in action. The Newtype pilot was definitely worthy of his reputation, as well as his customised Neo Raptor. Though Noah was eager for the day the man from Jupiter would pilot a Gundam again, as he was always meant to. Sheryl noticed the gleam of excitement in Noah's eyes and grit her teeth together, keeping her mouth firmly shut to conceal her anger. Noah lazily saluted the people present before he walked out of the room.
"Thank you for the information, I will find Commander Rach and inform him of your decision sir," Sheryl said, respectfully saluting the ZAFT officer.
"I understand that Vincent Rach is young, but he mustn't overwork himself like he has been lately."
"Agreed," Sheryl nodded her head. "But unfortunately in this life we cannot always choose an easy option."
"Indeed, it was good to meet you Miss Mercis," the commander saluted Sheryl before he walked past her.
Sheryl saluted Athrun and Talia before walking down a separate corridor. She sighed as she made her way to Noah Bagal's "camp", the hanger his drop ship and mobile suits had been stored. Some of the younger pilots were polite enough to salute her, while one man merely wolf whistled at her. Sheryl was about to turn and smack the man when a wrench suddenly flew into his head.
"Somebody get that pervert to a medic, and let that be a lesson to the rest of you," Noah said, waving a second wrench at his recruits.
He was dressed in engineering overalls and working on modifications to his CGUE. Sheryl spotted some of the components and new that the CGUE would come out much more powerful than it was before. Noah jumped off of the suit, landing smoothly in front of Sheryl.
"Good to see you again Miss Mercis," Noah said.
"The feeling isn't mutual," Sheryl coldly stated.
"You know I was expecting your Commander, is there something wrong with him?" Noah asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Sheryl said.
"I do worry if Rach gets so fatigued he ends up sending the Sensou den mother to a mission briefing. I mean thank god some of our soldiers are tougher, the military would be a sad place if all our soldiers ended up losing their minds," Noah explained.
Sheryl squeezed her fists together.
'The nerve of this man,' she thought.
Her father had been in the military and had lived through the hell of the Middle Eastern uprisings. He had fought against child soldiers deployed by mercenary forces. Shadi himself had been one of numerous victims of a child soldier upbringing. But while religious fanatics deceived him, the mercenary forces had consisted of people brainwashed into accepting battle as a form of everyday life. Shadi and Sheryl's father had unknowingly fought in the same battles. One mercenary soldier, a boy with only one workable eye, had haunted them both. Despite the disability he fought with the ferocity of a cornered dragon, killing a large percentage of the attacking EA soldiers with a knife and rifle. This led to people within Shadi's camp referring to him as "the One Eyed Dragon". Sheryl's father had been forced to kill children, whilst seeing his friends gutted by a child who had seemed like he was possessed. The EA called the child "the Possessed One".
After returning from his military service, Sheryl's father was a shadow of his former self. He was disconnected from his family in a way that Sheryl and her mother couldn't understand. Despite the ray of light that had been Wes's birth, Sheryl knew that her father would always be haunted by his life as a soldier. It was only now that she understood that the life of a soldier was cruel and that if one wasn't strong enough it could potentially break them. She glared at Noah, causing him to raise his eyebrows slightly.
"You damned ignorant MURDERER!" Sheryl yelled.
Her outburst came as a shock to the people present and that shock deepened further when she grabbed the collar of Noah's shirt.
"It's all just a big joke to you isn't it? Good people, children die and someone like you goes on living and to be what, just another soldier? What more do you gain out of living, you cost people their siblings, husbands…their sons and you just keep repeating the same thing again and again," Sheryl explained.
Noah looked Sheryl in the eyes with a gaze of indifference.
"I see, so it's come to that then hasn't it, me killing your son. Well fine, if it's an apology you want to hear then here it is…I make no apologies!" Noah said casually.
Suddenly, Sheryl punched Noah in the face, once, then twice and a third time as the men around them moved to aid their commander.
"Commander Bagal," Linda said.
"STAY BACK! DO NOT INTERFERE!" Noah yelled, glaring at Sheryl defiantly.
Sheryl shook her head as he tears began gushing from her eyes. She couldn't bottle up her feelings anymore and desperately needed to let go. Before she had taken comfort in the bottle, now she sought to punish the man who took her son.
"Don't you get it huh? Don't you understand it at all? HE WAS MY SON! MY BABY!" she screamed as she punched Noah again and again.
Noah stood on the spot; fresh bruises spreading across his face. He looked down at Sheryl, his eyes betraying a small hint of regret as he watched the woman cry.
"How many sons do you think Branden, Kojiro and Vincent have taken? How many sons, daughters, husbands, wives, cousins and siblings? How many Sheryl Mercis? You yourself once beat a prisoner out of a sense of revenge, that's no different than any other misguided fighter. But know this your son…" Noah paused, thinking over whether his true thoughts on Wes were appropriate to speak to his mother about. "Your son…I…I felt no hatred for him, nor he for me. I took his life as a soldier, nothing more. Perhaps we could have been colleagues, even good friends, but unfortunately we were soldiers on opposing sides and when one chooses to live the life of a soldier, death being in your life is a certainty!"
After finishing his speech, Noah turned his back to Sheryl. He widened his eyes for a moment, seeing the image of a young man standing with his hands on his hips. The lad smiled at Noah and shook his head. Noah sighed as Sheryl wiped her tears. She got up off the floor and aimed a glare at the back of Noah's head.
"So long as I live I will never forgive you Noah Bagal, but I will fight with you, so long as we are still allies, good luck to you Bagal, keep your boys safe," Sheryl shot a quick salute before she walked away.
Linda and Shadi walked to their leader's side as he wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Are you happy with how that ended?" Linda asked.
"And was that the extent of your feelings?" Shadi crossed his arms and gave Noah a look that told him he would be unconvinced by any response he gave.
"It can't be helped," Noah sighed. 'Wes, what difference is it gonna make if I do tell her the truth as well as how…. proud of you I was?' he wondered as he looked up at his CGUE.
Vincent stood on the outer deck of the Minerva, looking at the setting sun. A sigh escaped his mouth as he looked at the unanswered message on his phone.
"I thought Asuka was the only one that held a phone possessively."
Vincent turned around, smiling slightly as Nia walked to his side.
"He thinks no one knows about it but we all know about it, he thinks we'll make fun of him for it but that's not true…its natural to cling to an object that reminds you of your loved ones," Nia explained, touching the pendant around her neck.
"I know that, I'm just thinking whether I really want to know what the last thing my Dad said to me was," Vincent sighed, putting the phone in his pocket.
'Oh Vincent' Nia thought as she moved to touch the Commander's shoulder.
"So you're both out here!"
'DAMN IT ZALA! IMPECCABLE FUCK TIMING!' Nia yelled from the confines of her mind.
Athrun walked over to the two pilots, running a hand over his hair as the wind blew.
"About the other day Vincent, do you really think that Shinn did the right thing?" Athrun asked.
"I don't know there's a right thing to do in war, I'm not as Naïve as Kira," Vincent said.
"He's not really that naïve either," Athrun smiled.
"Well he sure as hell didn't show it!"
Nia stepped back slightly, looking between the two men. An intense silence hung over them both before Vincent turned his back to Athrun.
"Whatever you've got to say Athrun I'm not interested in hearing it, I know what a soldier's life is," Vincent said as he began walking towards the exit.
Shinn walked onto the deck, brushing past Vincent. The burnt, blonde haired man focused his eyes on the back of Shinn's head.
"Shinn, I wanted you to know that the person who was in fact responsible for your family's death is dead, Saint Yuri, an Earth Alliance pilot, I killed him at Jachin Due. I hope you knowing that gives you some kind of comfort," Vincent explained before he left.
Nia followed close behind, shooting a glare at Shinn before she walked off the deck. Shinn shook his head slightly, shocked and torn by the news. His eyes then turned to Athrun, who looked at him with a casual expression.
"Does a guy in Faith have time to stand around like this?" Shinn asked.
Athrun smiled slightly, amused by Shinn's defiant tone.
"You know you have a habit of saying things to anger people, you've been hit twice for it and I'm pretty sure Commander Rach came close to hitting you too," he explained.
"Yeah well you should try understanding of my view of things too; I mean you were in Orb and now your back here, what's up with that?"
"I get it, you seem to have a problem with Orb and Rach, and I understand that your family was killed at Onogoro but I'm having a difficult time understanding why you're angry with…"
"KOJIROOO!"
"That sounded like Branden," Shinn said.
"Oh no," Athrun sighed.
Several minutes earlier
"So are Shinn and the commander still having problems?" Meyrin asked as she dried her hair.
She and her sister were both in the women's locker rooms. Luna stood in one of the showers, soaking her hair as Meyrin dried. The younger Hawke looked at the customised skirt her sister wore, abandoned on the bench. She picked the pink cloth up and thought of the size of her sister's waist in comparison to hers.
"Which one? He doesn't seem to like either of the CO's," Luna smirked.
"Well he was having a showdown with Vincent earlier and just the other day he was being backed up by him," Meyrin sighed.
"He was like that at the academy, he can be so immature that way," Luna said, soaking her hair in soap. "Hey speaking of immature, it's a little surprising that of all people Kojiro would switch the signs for the wash rooms, I mean we've been on this ship near a month now, whose he thinks he's going to fool?"
"I don't know," Meyrin said, only half interested.
She dropped her towel and put on her shirt. Picking up her sister's skirt she tied the cloth around her waist. She sighed as she expected the skirt didn't fit. The door suddenly swung open and Meyrin turned around, dropping the skirt. Standing at the doorway, shirtless and drenched in sweat was Branden. They looked at one another in shock, Meyrin staring wide-eyed at Branden's muscled chest while Branden's eyes drifted down Meyrin's smooth legs.
"What…WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE BOYS/GIRLS WASH ROOM!" they screamed, fierce blushes overcoming their natural skin colours.
"OI! What's going on here?" Luna asked.
"Damn it…KOJIROOO!"
(B-Bird Gundam UC 4 Ending (No Vocals))
Athrun looked at Shinn with a mixture of sympathy and understanding.
"I can't stop you from feeling this way, if you hold them both responsible then that's your baggage. You watched your family die so you formed an idea right?" Athrun asked.
"An idea," Shinn raised his eyebrows, confused by Athrun's statement.
"If only I had more power," Athrun said. "You're not the first person to shed tears over their powerlessness, you crave power to protect the people you cherish…"Athrun paused as he thought of three years ago, when he watched Junius Seven, the colony his mother was on blow up before his eyes.
Sheryl stood in front of the Purpose Mark 2, both chiding it for leaving the ship and lecturing the ZAFT soldiers.
"He's on our side, he just wanted to get off of that ship and explore, you can't blame a child for curiosity nobodies gotten hurt," Sheryl explained.
Her memories drifted to her son, when she bandaged his cuts when he fell. Noah closed his eyes, imagining a Strike Dagger slamming its sabre into his CGUE's shield. Nia touched her pendant as she walked, recalling an oath she and her sister had made. She remembered separating from her sister Lain, both of them tearing their whole pendant apart to strengthen their bond and oath.
'We'll always be together' Nia smiled.
She then looked to Vincent who rushed over to the ZAFT soldiers.
"That's enough all of you, I'm in charge here so follow my order and stand down," Vincent glared at the soldiers.
"Once you have that power, you become the person who makes other cry," Athrun sighed as he walked past Shinn.
"KOJIROOO! Get back here you asshole," Branden growled as he ran after Kojiro.
Kojiro slipped into his mobile suit, conveniently running a diagnostic of the cockpit, whilst Branden smashed his fists against the machine. Vino and Youlan laughed while Rey hid a smile. Talia looked at her son's photo, just as Linda thought of her nephew. Durandal moved his chess pieces into place, running a hand over his hair as he sighed.
"Something's must come to pass," he sighed.
Vincent raised his head as he saw the ZAFT technicians rolling out the EMP unit Tieria had been designing. He ran over to the mechanics, unknowingly dropping his phone.
"What are you three doing?" he asked.
"This machine can shut down mobile suits right, that thing is a danger to us all, we need to shut it down and commence a thorough check of its systems before we decide to trust it," the commander explained.
"You'll do no such thing, besides you have no idea how to work it," Vincent said.
The other mechanics turned away from the machine. Vincent nodded his head in approval as he began walking away. While the other mechanics sighed, the commander walked the devices control unit. He pressed several buttons and turned the dial for the power output. Vincent widened his eyes as he heard the machine activate.
"Remember that and you'll become a good pilot, if you forget it then the only thing you'll be is an idiot," Athrun said as he walked away from Shinn.
"STOP THE MACHINE'S UNSTABLE!" Sheryl yelled as the Gundam "bomb" surged with energy. "COMMANDER MOVE!"
Vincent was frozen in place as the device exploded, releasing a blast of Arc energy mixed with GN particles. The Purpose Mark 2 moved forward, kneeling behind Vincent and using its arms as shields.
"VINCENT!" Nia yelled as she ran over to the scene.
The other Minerva crewmembers stopped what they were doing, hearing or in Shinn's case seeing the explosion in the distance.
"VINCENT! COMMANDER ARE YOU OKAY!"
Nia and Sheryl ran over to the Purpose as it separated its arms. A digitised cry escaped the Gundam's speakers as it looked at Vincent. Sheryl and Nia both widened their eyes in horror as the curled up Vincent screamed. His face had been burnt beyond recognition, strands of his hair were spread out around his head and Nia covered her mouth as she saw a fragment of bone on his cheek, yet he was still alive and in complete agony. The Purpose stood up and raised its hands to its head.
"You see brother, to love is to cherish and to lose that love is war…no… one might even say that it is life! The kind of life we seek!"
The Purpose squeezed its hands into fists and released a howl that echoed through the base.
Next Chapter 27: A half ready job, Attack the Lohengrin
Thats the chapter everyone, find out what happens next time