So, I have had this story idea for a couple of months now and thought that it would be nice to show it. Hopefully it won't be a stupid one.
Anyways, without further ado, enjoy the prologue!
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars and Neon Genesis Evangelion. They belong to their respective owners.
"The day of unity has finally arrived. Long live the Great Empire."
- One of the UN officials on February 14th, 2001, after the signing of the Valentine Cease-Fire Treaty
SEPTEMBER 25TH 2000
0600 HOURS
It had been so long since Misato Katsuragi last saw anyone.
The young girl shivered as she cuddled herself, her eyes closed as she tried to warm herself up from the cold. While doing so, she felt the waves of the ocean colliding with the capsule underneath her, rocking it slightly.
Misato slowly grabbed the cross that her father gave her, looking down at it in sadness. She then tightened her fist around it, her eyes watering.
'Father', she thought to herself, before remembering the events that led to her being here in the first place: the sudden explosion, the giant figure in the sky, her injuries resulting in a large scar on her chest, and her father saving her in the end.
It was at that point Misato realized that she never managed to say goodbye to him. As she thought for a moment, the young girl began to feel tears rolling down her cheeks, before covering her face as she cried quietly on the metallic surface of the capsule.
A few hours later, the girl finally began to accept her fate as she slowly began to get weaker and weaker as each second passed by.
Her back on the floor, Misato stared up at the "ceiling", thinking to herself if she really deserved this. On one hand, she never really liked the fact that her father was never around and how she never treated him with respect. Yet, on the other hand, she was only fourteen years old: no one should have to deal with what she had to experience.
Just as her eyes were about to close, she began to feel the waves from the sea slowing down, almost as if they were more relaxed in a way. Either way, she ignored it as she continued to rest, wanting to clear her thoughts for now.
A few minutes passed before she realized that the capsule had finally stopped moving. Curiously, the teenage girl opened her eyes, thinking to herself that she was probably hallucinating.
'But if I was, I wouldn't be in here,' Misato thought to herself bitterly before hearing something. She looked up, still unsure if she was dreaming, before hearing a slight knock on the capsule.
Her eyes widening, she then tried to listen to what was outside. It was a bit hard to know, considering the noise was muffled from the capsule, but it seemed as if people were talking-
Misato stopped herself, thinking of what she had said to herself in her head. She blinked once, before breathing heavily as she realized the implications of what was going on. Gulping a bit, she contemplated what she was supposed to do now. Even now, the rational side of her still believed that it was all in her head. But the rest… Finally, she made her decision. Sighing quietly, she led her hand to the only button that she had only used once.
And then, the door opened.
SEPTEMBER 25TH 2000 - OLD TOKYO
0900 HOURS
D-293 had expected a lot of things during his training for his service in the Great Empire: global panic, civil wars, and the use of advanced technology that would greatly help the planet. The things that he should have been surprised in the first place, yet didn't after the day Second Impact happened, the day of change.
This was not one of them.
It had started off so simple in the beginning: the newly recruited soldiers, which he heard would be known as "stormtroopers", conducted a search after hearing reports of something odd near one of the only remaining beaches of Old Tokyo. Their drill sergeant took this as a challenge and instructed his men to search for the object for "the glory of the Great Empire." Some were a bit unsure if he was being serious, but orders were orders.
They began to do their work as the stormtroopers, in their white armour, stepped on the sandy grains and began to look for anything unusual, some making remarks that this would technically be their "first" mission.
D-293, with his friends C-219 and M-771 by his side, were situated on the east side of the beach, alongside a couple others. After thirty minutes, some were giving up as they believed that they were being tricked by their drill sergeant, where others like D-293 persisted, still wanting to do their part.
That was when one of them found something.
As the others catched up, they began to see some sort of metallic capsule just a couple of feet away from the red ocean, as if it had just now arrived on land. While C-219 contacted their drill sergeant on the discovery, the rest of the stormtroopers discussed what the object was and how it even came here.
"Kinda looks like an escape pod of some sorts, yet doesn't look like any I've seen in the manual."
"Maybe it was from a test and it just got lost in the ocean."
"If it was, it would've been found by now. You know how there are sayings that the Great Empire is relentless on everything, including finding stuff. Either this is some sort of abandoned prototype or something made before Second Impact."
As the soldiers conversed with one another on the topic at hand, D-293 looked at the capsule for some time, thinking in his mind on what it was. While doing so, he slowly went over to it, knocking on the contraption once. He then chuckled to himself.
"Can't expect everything to work," the man said, before turning back as he headed to the group of stormtroopers.
That's when they all heard it: a whoosh and click sound, almost as if someone was opening a door. Suddenly, all words that almost came out from the soldiers stopped in an instant, their eyes following the only thing that could have made it: the metal capsule.
Already, all the men drew their blasters, weapons that had the actual capability to shoot out particle beams which they've been given for this special mission, towards the object, noticing that there was now a hole there.
"Hold right there," M-711 exclaimed loudly as he could, a tiny hint of fear in his voice, as he aimed his weapon at the capsule, "Put down any weapons you might have and slowly reveal yourself. We will not hesitate to kill you if necessary!"
For a while, nobody said a word, only the sound of the waves from the ocean and the heavy breathing of the stormtroopers. D-293 gulped as quietly as he could, glancing at his fellow compatriots, before turning his gaze back to the object. He was a bit unsure if anything was even in there.
Until he saw her. And she saw him.
D-293 held his breath as he saw a young girl, probably in her early teens, reveal herself. She seemed to be Japanese, with purple hair (who knows how that could be possible) and wearing a winter coat including a cross of some sorts. He then noticed that she was gravely injured and weak.
Very weak.
He held his breath in, before lowering his weapon as he slowly began walking to her. As he did, the soldier noticed that the girl looked a bit scared, moving as far back as she could in the capsule. Noticing this, he began to think of the best solution, before taking off his helmet revealing himself to the girl.
In doing so, he noticed that the girl calmed down a bit, the stormtrooper internally sighing in relief.
"Hello, you okay?" The man asked in poor Japanese, due to him only being practicing recently, which in turn caused the girl to smile for a brief moment before her face looked sullen.
As she began to step out, D-293 waited patiently for her response, glancing back at the others who were still wary of the girl, their weapons slightly raised as of now. He looked back at the girl, who hid her face as she looked down at the sand.
At first, he was confused, thinking that he said something wrong. He then noticed that small drops of water were falling to the ground. That was when the man realized what was going on: she was crying.
When she looked back, her eyes were swelling up as she looked at the man, her tears continuing to be released. This went on for a few moments, before suddenly running up to the man and hugging him as she buried her face into his armour.
Not knowing how to react to it, he merely hugged in response as the only way to comfort her.
"Any orders, D-293?" C-219 asked him, causing the man to look at him as he tried to think of what to do. Finally, he gave his response.
"Inform the drill sergeant to prepare the medbay: we have a second mission to complete now."
SEPTEMBER 25TH 2000 - 3RD IMPERIAL ACADEMY OF JAPAN
1145 HOURS
"And you're certain that it's not one of our own?" The drill sergeant asked confusingly to D-293, the rest of the stormtroopers that had been part of the event and some of the doctors from the medical station.
"No sir," the man answered with no hesitation, his helmet off as he stared directly at their "leader", "Some of our men have already checked it more than once and still have said that it's not part of Imperial technology. We have made some speculations on what it could be, but we're still unsure on who made it and why."
The drill sergeant merely hummed in thought, standing up as he looked out the window next to his office, his brown eyes looking at the training field below. "And what of the girl? Do we know who she is?"
The soldier hesitated, before C-219 came to the rescue. "Blood tests identify her as Misato Katsuragi, a Japanese girl born on December 8th, 1986. She apparently was born in Old Tokyo and she had apparently lived with her parents, Hideaki Katsuragi and-"
"I don't care about her personal life," the drill sergeant interrupted the stormtrooper, not looking back, "I want to know how the hell she managed to be in that capsule: did you try to ask her?"
"That's the thing sir," M-711 stated, unsure of what he was about to say but continued on his way, "I don't think she wants to talk."
That caused the drill sergeant to turn around, his eyes clearly showing confusion. "Explain."
"Sir," D-293 stepped forward, eyes focused on him, "When we tried to ask her not just on that but on anything, she didn't seem to respond to our questions at all."
"But why not? Have you at least tried to give her some space before asking questions?"
"Well yes, but even then it didn't seem to help. When I looked into her eyes, I saw something no teenager should have: trauma. Whatever she had to experience, it seems that it may have impacted her physically and emotionally."
The drill sergeant's eyes softened a moment at the words, before shaking his head as he looked back at the soldier. "Have you managed to find out how long she has had those injuries? Maybe it could help us determine what she saw."
"That's what we did sir when we first brought her in the medbay," one of the doctors spoke up, her voice trying to sound as calm as she could try, "After several tests, we can confirm that they've been around for twelve days at least."
The man thought for a moment, doing the math in his head, before his eyes widening as he realized what she was trying to say. "But that means that-"
"Yes sir," the lead doctor, an elderly man, stood up as he looked directly at the drill sergeant, "While it is just a theory for the moment, there is a possibility that Misato might have been there at Second Impact."
All was silent in the office, the idea of a young girl being right there where a meteorite crashed into Antarctica was deafening. And yet…
"But why was she even there in the first place?" The drill sergeant asked the doctors, his eyebrow's furrowing in contemplation. "I'm no scientist, but it doesn't make sense for someone like her to be there."
"Maybe it was work day," one of the stormtroopers whispered, causing him to be slapped on the back of his head. "What? It could happen!"
"As much as we would like to know as well," the lead doctor responded in turn, his tone of voice sounding unsure, "We do not have enough data to confirm whether it's true or not. It is only a theory after all, but it's the only one that explains what the capsule was for: an escape pod of some sorts."
The drill sergeant sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes as he did. Admittedly, he was unsure what he was supposed to do now. Maybe he can send the girl back to the rest of Japan's remaining population, but even then it would not be a viable option for her. In the end, he realized that she would have to stay at the Imperial Academy for a while. But first…
"I've decided that today will be your break day of sorts: I won't be able to teach you for today considering what I've just learned about. You may visit the girl if you want, but not for long: we don't want to disturb her for a long time. Is that understood?"
All Imperial personnel, stormtroopers and even doctors, all responded with a "yes sir!" to the drill sergeant, making him nod before signaling them away. As soon as they walked away, he locked the door, made sure to close the blinders of the windows just in case, before it was just him.
Time for him to make some calls.
SEPTEMBER 25TH 2000 - THE UN HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK
1454 HOURS
The man walked down the pathway, fear coursing through his veins as he marched towards his destination.
This day wasn't supposed to be like this: he was only supposed to answer calls and simply respond to them in assurance. Not having to give any situations to…him.
He shuddered even at the thought of it, the office almost at reach as he began to think of the "Great" leader. Of how he manages to gain authority over others so quickly, of how he has powers and ideas for technological advances so unimaginable to believe.
Of how he even exists.
Finally, he arrived at the entrance, where two proclaimed "Royal Guards" were at, with crimson robes and armour, as they blocked the doors with their staff. The man sighed before clearing his throat.
"I have a message for his Excellency," he said to the guards, their masks hiding their expressions, "It is imperative that I see him at once."
The Royal Guards looked at each other for a moment, before removing their staff from the door, allowing the man to enter. Thanking them, he quickly went through to see four more guards on each side of the small hallway, with the entrance to the Great Leader's office.
He sighed to himself, trying to calm down, before walking inside. As he entered, the man immediately regretted it as he instantly felt something that he instantly knew what it meant: the cold.
There could only be one thing responsible for that.
There, looking down at the destroyed city, was the man responsible for the very foundation of the Great Empire: Lord Vader.
Wanting to make it quick, the man cleared his throat. "My lord."
The figure didn't react, continuing to observe outside the window, yet his deep booming voice still spoke out loud. "What do you bring to me that is important?"
"We…have received a report from the 3rd Imperial Academy of Japan. They have information that might be useful to us."
All was silent, safe for the heavy breathing of the Great Leader. "What information?"
He hesitated, before replying. "Of a possible survivor of the incident at Antarctica."
The figure didn't say a single word, and yet, the man could feel something more terrible: the hatred towards someone.
Finally, he responded. "Bring my shuttle."
SEPTEMBER 25TH 2000 - 3RD IMPERIAL ACADEMY OF JAPAN
1800 HOURS
The drill sergeant calmed himself as much as he could, despite the fact that it was hard to even try as he waited for him to come.
It had been so sudden. While he did expect for his Excellency to receive the message at some point, he did not expect him to come today at least. It was a big shock not just for him, but everyone else at the Academy.
The man then started to see something in the distance, squinting his eyes to see a bit clearly. He widened his eyes once he realized that it was a Lambda-class Imperial shuttle. It could only mean one thing.
"All men, prepare for his arrival!" He shouted as loud as he could, before seeing all of the members form two lines as they all faced each other. He nodded, before turning around as he witnessed the ship beginning to land in front of him.
As the ramp began to descend, he saw two crimson guards exiting the craft, before hearing a mechanical breathing sound.
He held as much as he could of his breath.
As the breathing intensified, the figure revealed himself in all his glory: from the black helmet that resembled like a skull, to the cape that flowed behind his back, and to the machinery on his armour, Lord Vader had proudly revealed himself to the Land of the Rising Sun.
The drill sergeant stood proud and tall, though noticed someone behind the dark lord, that being what seemed to be a young scientist of some sorts, who by all accounts didn't seem afraid of the dark lord at all. He looked away, just in time to see the Great Leader stand in front of him.
"Are you the drill sergeant of this Academy?" The Excellency asked, the scientist being next to him.
"Correct, Lord Vader," he said as he bowed, before going back up, "I apologize if I've interrupted anything that may be-"
"People are much more important than some petty wars," Vader interrupted, before walking towards the medbay, "Especially those who had to face much more death than one should have."
"Yes, of course, I mean no disrespect." He reassured the Excellency as he followed him alongside the strange man.
Once they arrived at the medical center, Lord Vader immediately went over to the bed where the girl was found alongside the scientist. They stared at the purple-haired girl for a moment, before the Great Leader turned towards the accomplice.
"Do you recognize this girl, Gendo?" The dark lord asked Gendo as he stepped back to let the man look at the survivor. After a few moments, he nodded slowly.
"It is," he answered in turn, his arms crossed as he continued to stare, "I remember seeing her alongside Dr. Katsuragi for a moment before I had to leave."
The dark lord nodded, his helmet staring at the girl. "And yet you never mentioned her to me, Ikari."
The man shrugged as if he didn't care. "Must've slipped out of my mind."
The drill sergeant, who had been quiet during the talk, noticed that Gendo's face suddenly began to show discomfort as if he was being hurt. Then, he began to choke as he fell to the ground. Unsure of what to do, he looked over to the Excellency.
"My lord-"
A black glove halted the man to help the poor scientist, which continued to gag in discomfort. "There are many things that I do not appreciate about you: and your lack of careness for others is one of them."
The drill sergeant watched in amazement as the scientist was lifted, continuing to suffocate all the while trying to resist.
"I will not tolerate this any longer: if an action from you like this comes to my attention again, then I will make sure that your death is slow and steady. Is that understood?" Lord Vader asked, not letting go from his grip. As soon as Ikari nodded, albeit not easily, the Excellency let go, allowing the man to drop to the floor. He then turned towards the drill sergeant.
"The girl shall now come with us. Good work drill sergeant."
The man merely saluted, before signaling some men to help bring Misato to the ship. As they did, Lord Vader followed them, alongside the injured scientist who didn't look at the drill sergeant.
Eventually, the ship flew away, where finally the members of the Academy could go back to their dormitories. As he saw all of them leave, he looked over to the direction where the ship went away.
He slowly began to chuckle, realizing that maybe this "Great Empire" may help the world after all. Once all the civil wars have ended and all the problems relating to political, territorial, and economical issues have been solved, peace and order will finally be installed around the world and maybe, they can all be united as one.
Long live the Great Empire.
And that's the prologue! Hopefully it was a good one. Admittedly, I find it a bit too long for a prologue, but whatever.
Now question for all of those who are interested in this story: what episode should I officially start off with? One thing I know for certain is that it has to be after the first few episodes, since I wouldn't really change much of it, unless someone makes me consider otherwise.
Finally, what did you think of it? Were there any mistakes that I missed? Any suggestions for what I should do? And if you have any questions? Please let me know in the review section!
And that's all for now: adios!