Greetings one and all!
I've decided to make another chapter that is hopefully better than before. And just to let you know, I've decided to have some chapters set before the actual anime yet. So, it might take a while before some of the episodes that we know and love actually start moving.
Ke-Pa: I have seen the comment: I've already learnt to not trust these sorts of people.
Anyways, without further ado, here's chapter one!
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars and Neon Genesis Evangelion. They belong to their respective owners.
"In the first few months of the Impact Wars, we were starting to win more often, getting more confident. And yet, on that day, when we saw that ship for the first time in the sky…I realized that there would only be one side who would win. And it wouldn't be us."
- A survivor who fought against the Great Empire talking about the first appearance of an ISD, in the documentary The Aftermaths of Second Impact, released five years after Second Impact
NOVEMBER 8TH 2005 - IMPERIAL SENATE
1605 HOURS
It had been more than five years since that fateful day. Despite the efforts that have been made by the Great Empire, some people were still living in fear of the possibility of something worse occurring. There have even been some talks of the idea of a "Third Impact" happening.
However, the Great Empire would not fall so easily.
As the sun slowly began to set on the country of Germany, home to the new Imperial Senate, a large shadow slowly began to cover up the majority of the area near the building. This shadow was coming from one of the Imperial Star Destroyers, or ISDs for short, one of the crowning achievements made by the new government.
Well known for their massive size and overwhelming firepower, the ISDs are considered to be one of the greatest technological advances in human history, along with many others that have been produced. They were used to fight off against those who sought to bring death and destruction during the Impact Wars. Some believed that they were the reason for the Valentine Cease-Fire Treaty from even happening in the first place.
While the almost dagger-like ship was passing over the Imperial Senate, Lord Vader, now proclaimed "ruler" of Earth, looked at the landscape from his throne room from the window, his arms crossed as his heavy breathing emanated from his helmet.
As the sun continued to set in the distance, Lord Vader thought on how much they had achieved thus far: from the more advanced weaponry, including their AT-STs and AT-ATs and starfighters consisting of TIE-Fighters and TIE-Interceptors, to the many medical issues having been resolved so easily after so long, it seemed as if everything would be alright.
And yet, he wasn't satisfied.
Despite what has been accomplished, the dark lord felt like it wasn't enough, for there was one major issue that he realized was the main problem that the majority of the population were dealing with: the physiological effects that occurred from Second Impact.
While it may seem from his intimidating form that Lord Vader didn't actually care for his people, that was the quite opposite: he truly wanted to make sure that the mentality of the remaining human population was, at the most, "stable". He knew that it would take much more than some psychologists to help, but it was more than enough.
The dark lord then thought of Second Impact and found it ironic that despite the beneficial changes that have been implemented by the Great Empire, it still wasn't enough.
The door suddenly opened, revealing a stormtrooper, the normal armour of Earth's soldiers alongside a red pauldron, indicating their rank as a captain, with the E-11 medium blaster in their holster. The man immediately saluted, waiting for permission to speak.
"At ease captain," Lord Vader said as he turned around to see him, the stormtrooper putting down his hand as he stood. "What is it?"
The man cleared his throat, before looking formally at the ruler. "My lord, there are two visitors who wish to see you at once. They claim that it is important."
The dark lord thought for a moment, unsure of who was required for his presence at this late hour. He didn't recall having anyone tell him about this, so this must have been made before they notified him of today's schedule. He then stared at the soldier, having a few moments of recollection. "Did they identify themselves to you?"
"Yes sir," the stormtrooper nodded, taking out a datapad to look at the names. "Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki."
The captain didn't notice it, but Vader's fists clenched a tiny bit in irritation. It had only been three years since they last met, remembering that they were going on an expedition of sorts to Antarctica to discover the reasoning for Second Impact. In truth, he didn't really think of them at all, mainly because he was focused on too many things, but also for the fact that he didn't care about them. While he believed that the old professor had at least some decency, the dark lord did not think the younger man to be a great person, mainly from his attitude towards others. So, the fact that they came here for a great importance gave him a slight pause.
He thought for a few moments, before nodding. "Very well. Bring them here."
The soldier saluted, before turning around to fetch the two strangers. Once the man left, the Excellency turned around, noticing from the window that the ISD was moving further from the Imperial Senate, the blue engines managing to push it away. Lord Vader looked at the ship, his arms crossed as he waited for his visitors to come.
'There should better be a good reason for coming here after last time, Gendo,' Vader thought to himself as a bit further away from him, a small crack formed onto the window out of nowhere.
Kozo Fuyutsuki had considered the past few years of his life to be rather strange: meeting a female student being interested in his work, a guy who had tried to attract the attention of him who was also seeing the woman, learning many truths of the world that he grew up in, and now being part of a group that would help in "creating a new genesis for Mankind."
This moment, however, would be one of the scariest events in his life that he would have to bear witness to: meeting with the ruler of the Great Empire, Lord Vader.
He wasn't really sure on why it was necessary to come here, but Gendo insisted on how it would be beneficial in their cause and how it would be best for the old professor to come along. Although he refused to at first, he reluctantly agreed. The man rubbed his eyes a bit as he walked alongside Gendo, who showed no emotion on his face, with two stormtroopers right behind them, their blasters in their hands as they kept an eye on them.
Kozo grimaced slightly at the idea of him being shot. To this day, he still didn't know how to deflect a blaster blast. Letting go of his train of thought, the two men noticed two Royal guards beside a door, their staff near them as they let them through. Once having to go through the long hallway, they eventually arrived at the entrance to the dark lord's throne room.
The old man looked at Gendo, noticing a stern scowl in his face. He shook his head lightly, before both stormtroopers granted them access into the place, the sound of heavy breathing reaching their ears almost instantaneously.
The professor's eyes widened in shock as he took in the figure before them.
Lord Vader, leader of the Great Empire, stood out before them like a beacon of darkness, the ruler facing away from them as the man looked out the window, a triangle-like ship in the far distance.
Silence overtook the room, minus the sound coming from the Excellency's respirator. Kozo hesitated, unsure of what to do. He turned to Gendo, seeing a bored look pouring out. It seemed as if the young man had dealt with this before.
"I was not told that you would be here," the ruler said all of a sudden, scaring Fuyutsuki a bit as the dark lord turned around, his cape giving him a sense of elegance.
"Apologies my lord," Ikari acknowledged, bowing down with the professor following, before standing up. "It was only decided at the last minute to speak with you."
"So that you say," the leader implied, before turning his attention to the stormtroopers. "Leave us. You will be notified of your presence when requested."
The two soldiers saluted, before they exited the room, leaving only the three men inside. The dark lord looked at both of the visitors, his skull-like helmet peering into their eyes.
"Why are you here?" The ruler asked, the room getting a bit cold as seconds quickly passed by.
"We…request aid," the scientist finally admitted, his face showing just a tiny bit of hesitation, but not too much to be noticeable.
"On what?"
Gendo stopped himself, turning towards Kozo as if waiting for him to respond. The old man sighed, before forcing himself to look at the Excellency. "On Project E."
Lord Vader paused, his heavy breathing intensifying as the room became more chilly as if it represented someone's fury. The professor noticed that the leader's hands slowly began to clench in anger, his eyes showing the smallest sense of fear.
"…why?" The dark lord questioned, his tone of voice sounding more angry than what one would expect from a human.
Unfortunately, Vader wasn't one.
"The experiment was a failure," Gendo stated out loud, going right to the point as he took a step forward. "We underestimated what the results would be like and it ultimately led to a catastrophe."
The Excellency thought for a moment at the implications from what had occurred, before realizing something. "Where is Yui?"
Kozo grimaced, knowing just how important the woman was to Ikari as well as to the professor. He turned to the scientist, whose hands were clenched as tightly as one mourning their wife would be. "She's gone."
"My condolences," Vader merely nodded out of respect to the man. "While I admit that I did not have much time with her, I could sense her passion in helping humanity and her ideals of preserving and remembering. I presume that her death was caused by your 'project' of yours?"
Gendo merely grunted in response, wanting to move on from that. "Because of my-our mistake, we believed that it would be best to ask for more…sufficient materials in order to make the operation work."
"And you have decided to turn to me for assistance," the dark lord continued as he folded his arms behind him. "While there may be a chance in providing what you require, there is one question that still remains unanswered."
"And what would that be?" The scientist asked, already knowing what the question would be. Kozo knew that the man had an answer for it. There was just one issue.
"What is the purpose of these EVA Units?"
No one would like it.
NOVEMBER 8TH 2005 - IMPERIAL SENATE
1800 HOURS
The Imperial Ruling Council, considered to be the highest-ranking authority of the Great Empire's administrative branch, was in disarray. Most of its members were babbling for what seemed like an hour, argument after argument, never seeming to stop.
After all, how could one accept the fact that extraterrestrial monsters would be invading their world at one point in time?
"This is nonsense, I say, utter nonsense! How is it only just now that we have been told about this?!"
"Maybe this information has only been found out recently."
"I find that very unlikely! Now our chances of keeping Earth secure are minimal at best now!"
While this was going on, some stayed quiet, including Gendo and Kozo, who merely watched on as the fighting was escalating ever so slightly. However, there were also strategizing on what solutions could be made regarding this discovery.
Among these people was none other than Grand Moff Tarkin.
Born during World War II, the man had become an "icon" of sorts to the citizens of the Great Empire, for he was responsible for the majority of the changes that were implemented for the past five years. Some people believed that he was the one who suggested the idea of uniting all the countries.
While it seemed like a plausible idea, Wilhuff Tarkin had more pressing things to focus on at the moment: especially on how these EVA Units must be made and more importantly, why. In his eyes, the ISDs and every other weapon that had been created seemed more useful than what was proposed. Plus, making these machines would require many resources in order for the Japanese men to obtain what they required.
"Quiet!" Tarkin suddenly shouted, causing all heads to turn around to see the stern scowl on his face. "I understand that these events have been…unexpected to say the least, but we must still act like civilized men in this."
"Apologies Grand Moff for our reaction," Rae Sloana, the only woman on the Imperial Council, replied back to the Grand Moff. "It is just that this is something that should be tolerated as simple. This is completely new to us."
"I concur," Mytus Adema agreed, nodding before looking over at Tarkin. "For the past five years, the only true threat that we've had to deal with are some rebels. And only now, information on these creatures that we've had no knowledge of comes to our attention. Tell me, how are we supposed to prepare for that?"
The majority of the Imperial officers muttered in agreement, looks of concern on their faces as they imagined what it could be like if they arrived: cities all around the world destroyed, thousands of lives littered in the ruins, with the mighty beasts merely laughing in satisfaction.
"I understand your worries and even now, I do remain cautious of this," Wilhuff began, his eyes peering into the souls of those around him. Truth be told, all he ever wanted was to finally have a life of piece and order, where nothing would disturb him. However, with the great arrival of these things approaching, that reality was slowly fading away bit by bit.
Does that mean he should falter now though? No, for he is a man of the Great Empire: and when they want something, they get it no matter what.
"However," Tarkin continued on, receiving several glances from the officers. "This does not change anything. Our mission is still the same, the only thing that has changed is this new enemy. But we will not let them succeed. This new era of the planet will not fall from some mindless beasts."
"We will win. And we'll make sure that they lose."
Silence filled the room, Gendo and Kozo merely staring at the scene before them. Then, one of the men, General Ozzel, stood up before saluting. "Long live the Great Empire!"
Following suit, another man stood up and did the same actions as Ozzel did. Soon enough, almost everyone had done it, minus the exception of Tarkin and the two visitors.
Once they all sat down, the old man briefly nodded in acceptance, the faint traces of a smile on his face. "Thank you, General Ozzel. Now then, I believe it is best to discuss what countermeasures should be used against these things."
"Perhaps the Star Destroyers?" Gilad Palleon, one of the more respected people in the Imperial Council, suggested, gaining the interest of some commanding officers. "They are after all, in my opinion, the greatest weapon mankind has produced."
"But what if they are able to resist them?" Helvue Vesino, a recently accepted African-American man, countered back, visible displeasure on his face at the thought of it. "If these beings are truly powerful, then I doubt they wouldn't have any defensive capabilities to protect themselves."
"Are you saying that you doubt our capabilities of defeating the creatures, Vesino?" Tarkin questioned, his eyes seemingly peering into the man's soul.
"Not at all," The man assured the Grand Moff, not wanting to upset him. "I am merely saying that we should not underestimate them. It's just that in order to keep the people safe, it is probably best to make even more weapons. Something that can fight at the same level as them."
"I believe that we have a solution for that."
All eyes followed the new voice, revealing it none other than Gendo Ikari, his arms folded back as his glasses hid the man's eyes. "While it might not have the same capabilities as what you have made, it is still as formidable."
"And pray tell, what would that be?" Adema asked, her eyes furrowed as she stared at the Asian man.
In response, Ikari smiled, the first one that was seen by many people. "The EVA Units."
Muttering filled the room, some of the Imperial officers looking at each other in confusion as they tried to think on what it could mean. Finally, Tarkin responded. "In all of my years of serving the Great Empire, I have never heard such a term. What are these units?"
The scientist looked at Kozo, nodding as if to indicate something. Sighing, the man took out a small device, before turning it on as it revealed to the audience, some of them gasping in shock at what was presented before them.
Whatever it was, it seemed to be the exact opposite of the ships used by the Great Empire: sleeker. A mechanical robot of some sorts with two large plates covering the pectorals, as well as three triangular pieces on the abdomen up to the crotch. Its most characteristic element is undoubtedly the helmet, with its prominent horn and its "collar", vaguely evoking that of a single horn oni from Japanese folklore.
The majority of the Imperial Council looked on in disbelief at the strange being presented before them. Even Tarkin looked at it with a tiny bit of fear, his eyes widening ever so slightly, before calming himself down. "I am guessing that this is one of the EVA Units, correct?"
"Indeed," The man answered with no hesitation, pushing his glasses up for a moment. "The EVA Units, short for the Evangelion Units, is what I believe that should be used to defeat the creatures. It is only if you allow the project to develop."
The commanding officers furrowed their brows as they continued to eye at the "mecha", trying to think of the best form of action.
Suddenly, one of them slammed his hand in anger onto the table, standing up as he did so. "If you think that we will allow someone like you to insult our great work with this thing, then you are sorely mistaken!"
"Ellho-"
"Don't interrupt me!" Cerasus Ellho screamed out towards Adema, before pointing his finger at the scientist. "I know what you are like: arrogant, clever, dangerous. You may try to convince the rest of them with your creation, but not me! All you want is praise."
"That's enough of that. Cease this bickering at once!" Tarkin ordered the man as he stood up.
The man in question merely rolled his eyes in disgust, shaking his head. "Don't any of you see past his lies? It's clearly obvious what he wants to have."
"And what is that exactly, hm?" Kozo spoke up for the first time, gaining the attention of the commanding officer.
"Fame," Cerasus sneered on remark, his fists clenching in anger. "Money. Pride. All things that someone like him would want."
"I assure you, there is no reason to think of me like that," Gendo replied back in turn, his face showing no emotion. "I am merely serving my duty to the Great Empire."
"Oh please," Ellho scoffed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "Like I would believe that. I can sense the hesitation in you. In fact, if the Excellency was here, then he would agree with me!"
"Then that reality would only be a dream."
Everyone froze in shock, knowing who that voice belonged to. They all looked to the door, revealing Lord Vader gazing at them as his breathing filled the room. In response, the commanding officers, including Gendo and Kozo, bowed, with the confident Cerasus now feeling powerless.
"Your Ex-excellency," The man stammered out, before bowing as quickly as he did before standing up. "I d-didn't expect you to be-"
"That is because I was in thought," The dark lord interjected, staring at the commanding officer with a piercing look.
"On what?" Tarkin asked, the ruler turning towards him.
"On what will be done once the EVA Units have finished construction." Lord Vader said in response, the answer weighing in on the members of the Imperial Council. Finally, they all stared at him in shock and disbelief.
"Are you saying that-"
"Yes, Ikari: you will receive the needed assistance in the creation of the Evangelions."
Kozo barely managed to notice the small smile on Gendo's face before it disappeared.
"My lord," another voice spoke out, revealing it to be Lieutenant Gorn, who stood up as he hesitated in his response. "I do not wish for me to be rude, but is that wise?"
"That's what I want to know as well," Cerasus Ellho interjected, interrupting the answer from the Excellency. How can you be so sure to trust him? For all we know, he can use this to achieve personal wishes."
'You're not wrong,' Kozo thought to himself, before looking at Lord Vader.
"While I understand your issues, there is no reason to feel worried," Vader consoled the commanding officer, before turning towards Ikari. "Because if the Great Empire will assist in making the Evangelions, I believe that it is best to make some negotiations."
"And what exactly would they be?" The scientist asked, his face not showing any emotion as if he was a wall.
"For starters, I would like to hear about the development of the units' construction whenever possible to gather insight on how much progress has been made and of any issues that may have occurred. I also believe that it is necessary for more security measures to be made to prevent any incidents happening like last time."
The Imperial officers looked at each other with unease, having been told about what had happened beforehand. After all, no one wanted to lose good people: especially those who were still young.
Gendo merely stared back at the Excellency as his eyes showed a bit of hesitation, before instantly calming. "Those terms are…acceptable. Does that mean that we have an agreement?"
"That is correct," The ruler nodded, before turning to Tarkin. "Inform several Imperial outposts in Japan to leave at my command. They will assist in the production of the Evangelion Units."
"I'll see to it that the men over there receive the message Lord Vader," Tarkin replied in full honesty as his head bowed down a bit in respect, his eyes glancing over to Cerasus as if to let him know what to do. The commanding officer scowled a bit, before bitterly nodded as he knew his mission.
"Good," The dark lord said as he looked back at Ikari. "Make sure to send the necessary resources that are required for this goal. Ensure that you succeed in your plans and that there are no accidents during this. You are in command now, Commander Ikari."
"Yes my lord," The scientist said as he put up his glasses for a moment. "I will not fail you; we will not fail."
Lord Vader stared at the newly-named commander, before looking back at the members of the Imperial Council. "This meeting is adjourned. All those who have work to be done may leave to perform their duties now."
As soon as he said this, everyone began to stand up, muttering being heard across the room as Vader walked out, presumably back to his office.
Gendo and Kozo immediately took off, not wanting to bother with talking with anyone else from the Imperial Council as they walked back to their transport ship back to Tokyo-3.
During this time, the old professor began to feel as if something was off from Gendo. Having been with the strange man for five years has made him detect him sort of things: he only smiles when he actually shows true emotion, with every other one to make people perceive something else entirely, and how a little misstep could mean that there was one major reason for that:
The fear of something.
NOVEMBER 8TH 2005 - OUTSIDE OF IMPERIAL SENATE
1840 HOURS
The two men didn't say a word until they entered the Imperial Shuttle that would take them back to Japan, stormtroopers having gazed at them from a few meters away in disdain.
"How do you think the Old Men will react to this?" Fuyutsuki remarked out loud, turning to Gendo who didn't flinch as they sat down in their seats.
While that might seem to be referring to something else entirely, they both knew what it meant: the people room from the secret group known as SEELE, German for "soul".
As of yet, the two men didn't have much information on their origins, although they were certain that it had been active around World War II. The members of SEELE wanted to accomplish the Human Instrumentality Project - uniting every life form on Earth into one being, ending any wars and individual struggles for all of mankind in order to become part of God.
This was the reason for how the Second Impact occurred in the first place: as written in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a set of documents containing prophecies that SEELE has been using to its advantage for many years, they wished to reduce Adam, the First Angel as well as the cause of the Second Impact, to an embryonic state in order to make sure no contact was made between it and its "children", the Angels.
After the impactful event (no pun intended), SEELE had hoped to gain control over what was once the United Nations to make it easier for them to complete their goal.
It was all perfect…that was, until the Great Empire appeared in response to Second impact.
From this new power, things that were deemed to be fictional came true as ships of varying sizes and new weapons were made and scattered across the globe out of nowhere, which suddenly allowed the people to feel a sense of security of hope that they would persevere.
Just like that, all of the hard work that the Old Men put in was all for nothing as their original plans had changed, having to figure out another solution to achieve the Human Instrumentality Project. Some suggested that they should just abandon their mission and move on, but the majority of them were disgusted by the notion. As such, varying ideas were flung around as they rushed to come up with something that would work without the Great Empire interfering.
This is what made Gendo think of a plan: instead of merely wasting their time, why not ask the Great Empire for help?
Of course, some information had to be left out such as when the Angels would arrive, who would pilot the EVA-Units, what was hidden below Tokyo-3, etc. But in the end, they managed to get what they wanted.
"They will ultimately accept it in the end," Ikari merely responded back in earnest, the Lambda-class Imperial shuttle taking off as the pilot began to fly it to his destination. "Nothing has truly changed from the original plan: all that must be done now is wait."
"Has it?" The old professor eyed the young man disinterestedly, looking away as he merely stared in his front direction. "So nothing will interfere with you meeting Yui again?"
Gendo didn't say anything, though he kept his thoughts to himself. The truth was, that while SEELE wished for themselves to be God, he wanted the role for himself so that he could meet his wife once more.
'I knew that he loved her a lot, but this is just too much,' Kozo admitted mentally as he shook his head a bit, not wanting to dwell on the thought.
He sighed a bit, before turning back to Gendo, having a worry of sorts. "Do you believe that Vader might know of the plan?"
"If he did, I would already be dead as of now," The man answered quickly, understanding what he was trying to say. "When he does know of it, it would have already been too late for him to stop us."
"Or do you mean only for yourself?" Fuyutsuki refuted, causing the scientist to turn his head around, eyes piercing into the old man's soul. "I technically have no relation to your own project at all: I am only giving advice to a man in need."
"But you will still be caught collaborating with me."
"That is obviously true. Worst case scenario, I will probably spend my last few years in a prison cell and be tortured in some ways. However, it will be much better than what you believe will be like bliss to you."
The two men stared at each other, not showing any emotion at each other as the ship continued to fly towards their base in Tokyo-3. Eventually, the old man looked away, disappointment stretching in his face.
"Was it right for you to leave your son like that?" Kozo asked out loud, the sounds of the engine of the ship filling the loud silence as it seemed to be slowing down.
No words were spoken for quite some time. It was only until after the ship had finally landed that Gendo gave his response: "Yes."
NOVEMBER 8TH 2005 - 5 METERS AWAY FROM A SCHOOL IN TOKYO-3
2100 HOURS
As stars filled in the night sky that spanned for miles, four-year-old Shinji Ikari stared at them in awe, trying to count each and every one as hard as he could try.
It had been more than a year since he lived with his sensei after his father had left him. The young child was still upset and angered, as much as someone like his age could, by the man's actions. How dare he leave his own son after witnessing such a horrible event? Not even thinking of helping him after seeing his own mother die right in front of him!
He began to feel tears coming out of his eyes, though quickly shutting them out as he tried to remain calm.
"Ikari, get back inside now!" A voice called out, causing Shinji to turn around to see the old teacher standing outside of the school. "It's already 9 PM: you need to go to sleep now!"
"Coming!" The young boy exclaimed as he got back up and ran over to the man as fast as his little legs could.
As he went inside the school with the teacher, the boy thought of four words that would be lodged into his mind in his life for all eternity:
I mustn't run away.
Well, that's finally done.
Hope you enjoyed this new chapter of mine. I admit, I am a bit unsure if some of the characters are OOC, but that's what the reviews are for right?
Anyways, if you like it, have any criticism or just want to ask a question, review! It really helps me out if I need to change anything.
As always, I will see all of you in the next chapter!