Author's note: I have made some edits on the previous chapters of this fanfic to improve the quality of the previous chapters and easy reading. So don't be surprised if the previous chapters are a bit different. Thank you.
Phase 6: A Natural's Resolve
Conference Room, Main Building, ZAFT Headquarters, City of Aprilius One, PLANTs, 4 February CE 71, 1135 hrs
"Councilman Zala!" Siegel calls out Patrick. "Miss Allster is a human, too. We can't just send her to the gallows so quickly just because she is a Natural and the daughter of George Allster. It's better we use her as a bargaining chip tool when we negotiate with the EA forces and their governments." Siegel persuades Patrick to spare Flay.
"No, Chairman Clyne. It's better to see Miss Allster being court martialed instead." Patrick refuses Siegel's recommendation. "She has to answer for her family's crimes against Coordinators. If she wants us to spare her, Miss Allster has to prove herself worthy during the trial." .
Seeing how the head of ZAFT forces is hellbent on prosecuting Flay, Siegel has no other choice but to accept Patrick's idea. "Ensure that she deserves a fair trial, Councilman Zala." Siegel warns.
"Don't worry, Chairman Clyne. I will give her a fair trial." Patrick reassures Siegel before looking at Commander Le Creuset.
"Also, a ZAFT officer from Commander Le Creuset's team will represent her during the trial since they are the ones who captured Miss Allster first." Patrick says. "Commander, which ZAFT officer do you recommend acting as a defence officer for Miss Allster?"
"Let me think, Councilman Zala," Le Creuset replies as he looks at both the elite ZAFT soldiers sitting beside him. "Ensign Joule and Ensign Mackenzie, which one of you wants to defend Miss Allster during a trial?"
Both of the elite ZAFT soldiers look at each as if telling themselves to volunteer and defend that hated red-haired Natural. However, Rusty tells Yzak: "Please defend her, Yzak. I'm not good at defending Naturals well," Rusty urges. Soon Commander Le Creuset agrees and informs Yzak: "Since you have interacted with Miss Allster for quite some time, I think it's in our best interest you represent Miss Allster during her trial as a defence officer." .
"Will it affect my job performance as an elite pilot if I were to represent Miss Allster?" Yzak asks.
"Not at all Ensign. The Supreme Council will reward you if you take up the task," Le Creuset informs Yzak.
After having some thoughts, Yzak agreed to represent Miss Allster and stood up from his seat. "Alright, I will represent Miss Allster. When can I see her?"
"Thank you, Ensign Joule." Patrick thanks Yzak for willing to represent Miss Allster. "Your job is to advise her about legal rights and what she needs to do during the trial. If she cooperates well during the trial, we may be generous enough to send her home quickly." .
"Hence, you have 48 hrs to prepare her and we will meet again in this room for the court martial. We will reward you once you complete this task successfully. Please do your best and good luck, Ensign." Patrick wishes good luck to Yzak.
"Thank you, Councilman Zala. I will do my best." Yzak stood up and thanked Patrick while saluting at him.
Patrick gives a small nod as he acknowledges before looking at Siegel, "Alright. Before we end this meeting, is there anything you would like to add, Chairman Clyne?"
Siegel shakes his head at Patrick as he has nothing else to discuss further. "Alright, the meeting concludes." Patrick announces as he stands up. "Commander Le Creuset, I request that both Ensign Joule and Ensign Mackenzie stay in Aprilius One until the trial ends to testify against Miss Allster if possible." .
"Don't worry, Councilman Zala. I will stay with them until the trial ends." Le Creuset assures.
"Thank you, Commander Le Creuset. We will be back here again in this room on 7 February at 1400 hrs. Other than that, all of you are free to go." Patrick dismisses the ZAFT Commander and his two elite pilots. The trio salute at Chairman Clyne and Councilman Zala before leaving the room. 'This is interesting. I can't wait to see her dreadful reaction when she is sentenced to death by Councilman Zala during the upcoming trial.' Le Creuset thought as he walked out of the meeting room.
Reception Area, Main Building, ZAFT Headquarters, City of Aprilius One, PLANTs, 4 February CE 71, 1150 hrs
Meanwhile, in the reception area…
As Flay sat waiting for Commander Le Creuset and the others to return, she feels something bad will happen to her later. 'I hope everything will be alright.' Flay thought as she stared at the ground, looking worried.
Soon, Commander Le Creuset and the other two elite pilots arrive at the reception area to meet up with Flay. "There you are. I got something to tell you, Miss Allster." The ZAFT Commander says as he looks at Flay sharply. This makes Flay feel uncomfortable as she suspects something is off and thinks that there is bad news awaiting her.
"As for you, young lady. Councilman Zala wants to court martial you for you and your family's ties to Blue Cosmos. Hence, ZAFT soldiers will later escort you to a room at ZAFT Headquarters for accommodation until the trial is over. Also, Ensign Joule will be your defense official for the upcoming trial and he will discuss with you the details after lunch," Le Creuset briefs Flay. However, this alarms Flay in fear as she thought the Supreme Council would just detain her. Now, she has to undergo a court martial where she will face her terrifying fears.
"What if they sentence me to death?" Flay asks fearfully.
"If you follow what Ensign Joule advises you to say during the trial, the Supreme Council will be generous enough to let you live," Le Creuset tells Flay.
With no other choice left and with the need to continue living, Flay reluctantly accepts Yzak as her defence official for the upcoming trial. "Alright Commander, I will accept Ensign Joule as my defence officer and when can I discuss with him?" Flay asks.
"Good. You will discuss with him after lunch. For now, let's head down to the nearest canteen for our lunch. You will sit with us while having your lunch, Miss Allster." Le Creuset says. Flay nodded, and she followed them to the nearest canteen to have her lunch with the Le Creuset's team.
Holding Cell 5, Main Building, ZAFT Headquarters, City of Aprilius One, PLANTs, 4 February CE 71, 1400 hrs
After consuming her lunch, Flay is being escorted to a holding cell with Yzak following behind her. Soon they arrive at holding cell no.5 and Flay enters the holding cell together with Yzak. While Flay waits, Yzak orders the ZAFT soldiers escorting her to wait outside as he speaks with her in private.
"Miss Allster, come over here. I need to discuss with you about the upcoming trial," Yzak directs Flay to the nearby bed to sit down and discuss with him together. Flay obliges, and she walks to the bed to sit down before discussing with Yzak. "Ensign Joule, what will happen to me during the trial?" Flay asks.
"Let me explain to you first about the details for the upcoming trial," Yzak begins. "Miss Allster, the Supreme Council found that you have gone through both military and mobile suit pilot training under Blue Cosmos when you are young." Yzak explains. "Hence, they want to court martial you to confirm their suspicions." .
"So, if you want the Supreme Council to judge you favorably, you need to prove your innocence to them. If not, they will most likely sentence you to death by firing squad." Yzak advises. "Hence, I seek your cooperation and answer me truthfully when I ask you questions so that I can do my best to defend you, Miss Allster."
Flay eventually agrees to cooperate as she sees Yzak as her only hope to convince the Supreme Council to spare her. "What should I do to convince them to let me live, Ensign?" Flay questions.
"Well Miss Allster, is it true that you have undergone both military and mobile suit training? If true, how long have they trained you?" Yzak asks Flay with a serious look.
"Yes, I have undergone both military and mobile suit training for close to 5 years when I was 10. I just simply follow my father's instructions without questioning him," Flay reveals. "Still, I'm neither a soldier nor a spy for Blue Cosmos!"
"I know you want to prove your innocence badly. But the Supreme Council won't take your statements likely," Yzak sadly replies. "Since you had several years of both military and mobile suit training, the Supreme Council would see you as an enemy of the PLANTs." Yzak points out.
"How should I avoid the death penalty?" Flay asks in a worried tone. "I just don't want to die so soon." Flay breaks down in despair.
"The only way to save yourself is to plead guilty, Miss Allster. If you plead guilty and atone for your father's crimes, the Supreme Council would consider sparing you." Yzak advises.
Flay felt hopeless after hearing Yzak's advice. She had never expected to be forced to atone for her father's crimes in the worst way possible. Having Coordinators dictating to her on how to atone for her father's crime is worse than Blue Cosmos staff punishing her for a mere transgression.
However, there is no other choice for Flay but to plead guilty. Should she not plead guilty, Supreme Council members like Patrick Zala and Ezalia Joule would rather see her executed by firing squad. Flay remembers the warning Ezalia had told her hours earlier that if she lied to the Supreme Council, her life would be over.
"Do you need some time before we continue our discussion?" Yzak asks after seeing a depressed Flay.
"Give me some minutes to decide, Ensign." Flay replies, as she wants to take some time to decide. 'How to avoid the death penalty?' Flay considered a way out of her situation. As she reflects, Flay thought that the past training she went through was to protect her home and family from evil ZAFT Coordinators. But now, she is deeply wronged ever since she got taken alive back to their ship and treated well. Also, what Ezalia had told her makes Flay now realize that she is being used as a mere tool by Blue Cosmos to achieve their nefarious Anti-Coordinator goals.
Disgusted that Blue Cosmos is using her, Flay vows to put an end to that evil organisation. However, she realizes it is quite impossible to bring down Blue Cosmos if she does it alone, since the evil organization is quite influential and would do anything to silence any Naturals who do not agree with their ideology. Worse, her father is also a high-ranking official of Blue Cosmos as well, and he may not hesitate to silence Flay as well if she disagrees with his Anti-Coordinator stance.
Hence, Flay knows that she must join the ZAFT forces as a ZAFT pilot to bring down Blue Cosmos. Since she has undergone military training and has some experience of piloting mobile suit through simulations, Flay will be a valuable asset for ZAFT. With her resolve, Flay decided that she will plead guilty to the Supreme Council and urge them to let her enlist as a pilot for the ZAFT forces.
"Ensign Joule, I will plead guilty based on your recommendation but on one condition." Flay informs Yzak. "So, what is the condition?" Yzak asks. Flay lets out a deep breath as she is about to say the condition. "I want to join ZAFT as a pilot." .
It flabbergasted Yzak as it surprised him to hear Flay's condition of joining the Coordinators' army as a pilot. He had never heard of a Natural wanting to join the ZAFT forces before. Also, the Supreme Council would never let her join ZAFT as a pilot since Flay is the daughter of George Allster.
As a result, Yzak thinks it is impossible the Supreme Council would accept Flay's condition for her to join ZAFT. He is even more worried that what if those newly enlisted ZAFT recruits know her full name and family background? Will they be more willing to kill her during training? These are the questions that troubled Yzak. Even though Flay comes from the family he loathes, Yzak wishes not to see Flay from being harmed by other ZAFT Coordinators.
"Miss Allster, please listen to me. There is no way the Supreme Council will allow you to join ZAFT," Yzak begins. "Councilman Zala would never allow Naturals to enlist in ZAFT forces as soldiers or pilots. Just because you have experience in piloting mobile suits in the past doesn't mean you can join ZAFT forces easily." .
"I have to join, Ensign. After your mother told me what my father did in the past and his determination to turn me into a mindless Extended pilot, I need to stop Blue Cosmos from committing anymore atrocities." Flay justifies why she wants to enlist in ZAFT forces.
Yzak has no words to argue back with the red-haired Natural lady, but deep down it impresses him that Flay is determined enough to distance herself from her father and become a pilot for ZAFT as atonement. "Alright, you can try to convince the Supreme Council to let you join ZAFT as a pilot, but they might not let you join. Still, I need you to tell them the truth when they ask you whether you have undergone both military and mobile suit training in the past." .
"Next, they might ask you more details about your father associating with Blue Cosmos's leader, Murata Azarel. So, I would like to ask, do you know Mr Azarel well, Miss Allster?" Yzak quizzes Flay whether she knows the Blue Cosmos leader as well.
"Not much Ensign. I only see him interacting with my father when he comes to visit me during one of my military training sessions." Flay answers Yzak's question.
"I see." Yzak lets out a sigh before continuing. "Still, should they attempt to ask you questions that link you to Mr Azrael, just say that you have never met him before." Yzak advises. "Before I end this discussion, I have one more thing to add. Should the Supreme Council ask other questions, just answer them truthfully and don't reveal more about yourself if you don't want to get entrapped by them." .
Flay nods in acknowledgement as she mentally takes notes of what Yzak had told her. "Other than that, I will see you again on 7 February at 1000 hrs to speak with you before the trial starts. Thank you for today's discussion, Miss Allster." Yzak stands up as he prepares to leave.
"Thank you, Ensign. For choosing to defend me." Flay sincerely thanks Yzak in a soft voice. Yzak pauses, standing for a while before turning back to look at Flay. "You welcome, Miss Allster. I will do my best to help you, but you must answer to them truthfully. Goodbye, miss." Yzak bids Flay goodbye as he walks out of the holding cell, leaving the red-haired Natural lady alone.
As Flay lies on the bed, she can only hope that the court martial trial can go smoothly and ends with the verdict of letting her live instead.
To be continued…
End of Phase 6
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