Phase 01: A Time of Peace
Cagalli sighed for the nth time this week.
She was reading the email about the ball in the next few days, outlining the logistics and the schedule while she was there. Considering her busy schedule and her outfit preferences, she'd rather not attend and prioritize other things that needed to be done. Unfortunately, as a politician, one of her duties was to go to these gatherings to maintain their friendly relations. This ball was being hosted by the Kingdom of Scandinavia, one of Orb's longest standing allies.
"Cagalli nee-sama, it can't be helped. Your attendance is highly anticipated." Touya, her secretary, placated her seeing that she looked a bit peeved. He had spent years working with her already to know that she did not like this one bit.
"I understand Touya." Cagalli let out another sigh and changed her tone before her mood also affected him. "The avenue might be less rigid as compared to conferences or summits, but it's a good opportunity for us to get a bit of insight on what new policies the crowned prince has in store. It may be something that Orb can also implement."
"Yes, Cagalli nee-sama. I will make sure to listen in." Touya nodded enthusiastically. "The Prince of Scandinavia is admirable. He hasn't ascended to the throne and yet, he has been behind a lot of the fiscal strategies that were introduced in their Kingdom. Their country has been having sustained growth for the past few years ever since he involved himself in politics."
"It's always good to listen to ideas that differ from your own." She took this as a chance to share more about the Prince of Scandinavia, Fredrik Nikolai Arik Haward, whom she knew personally. "Fredrik was sent by the King to study abroad so when he came back to Scandinavia, his ideas all come from fresh perspective of having seen more. Initially, there were a lot of officials in the parliament that weren't very accepting of his "modern" views, but after some time, he got more and more officials on his side."
"That's impressive and I'm sure it wasn't an easy task to convince the members of the Parliament, considering that the Kingdom of Scandinavia always upheld their traditions." Touya remarked.
Cagalli shook her head. "It wasn't, but thankfully His Majesty was on his side. Besides, Fredrik is also not the type to go down without a fight. Unless the conversation ends in his favor, he's not letting it go. Even when we discuss trivial things, it starts to get on my nerves because it seems like we both can't come up with an agreement."
"I can already imagine…" Touya nervously chuckled, knowing how she had the same personality and was very stubborn too. He was already picturing a scenario in his mind where both had their own views and refuse to meet in the middle.
"But Touya," Cagalli paused before speaking again. "Those types of people are valuable, especially once you take over as Orb's Chief Representative. Even though you might not share the same thoughts, or these insights are not what you are used to, it's important to always view things from different angles and perspective. After all, there's multiple ways to approach things or to solve a problem. You'll be surprised how working with different people leads to better and innovative solutions."
As Cagalli was his mentor, Touya focused on her words intently. "I understand perfectly Cagalli nee-sama. I'll take your words to heart."
"That's good." She nodded and satisfied to have imparted words of advice to him.
They continued their work and Cagalli was reading through some documents and Touya handed her new ones that he'd already reviewed and just needed her signature. As she sat in her chair, Cagalli couldn't help but notice that he seemed to have grown by a few centimeters again. He was towering over her now when he used to be a young frail boy with a small stature.
How time flies. Even his pre-pubescent voice was now replaced with a deeper, more serious and confident tone. In the past, he would always be nervous to face other officials and always look to her for guidance hen he didn't know what to say. Now, she could trust him enough that she'd leave him alone to handle some discussions or attend commitments that she could no longer fit in her schedule. He even has made great inputs during parliament meetings, impressing more senior members.
He has made such a big progress and Cagalli couldn't feel any prouder than she already did.
As they were both part of Orb's noble families, Cagalli and Touya often saw each other during gatherings growing up. They played a bit, so Cagalli always remembered him as a cheerful little boy who looked up to her in awe when she climbs up the trees or when she tells him stories of her adventures.
When they met again after the second war, it was clear that Touya had lost his childlike innocence. He was very apprehensive, and his expression seemed like his shoulders were holding a very heavy burden.
Touya Mashima became the head of the Mashima Family at the very young age of 13. His father, Tatsuki Mashima, died with Unato Ema Seiran and the other Emirswhen a Goohn broke into the shelter they were taking refuge in. With that, all the responsibilities that he left behind went to Touya.
Of course, he eventually would take over the position but that was supposedly years down the road. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
She felt bad that Touya was barely a teenager and was already entering into this kind of work, at a time when tensions were still high. He should have been enjoying his youth in school with his friends, not worrying about these things for now, but they had little choice. A lot of the noble families that were part of Orb's parliament after the first Bloody Valentine were either dead or were heavily mistrusted by the public due to the Seirans being in cahoots with Djibril.
Cagalli saw herself so much in him. After all, she was only 16 when she was thrust into the world of politics. Coming back to Orb after the first war, the government was in a state of chaos and there was so much unrest amongst the citizens. With her father no longer around, she had to grow up quickly. She was young, naïve and inexperienced with the many ways of the world.
Even so, she had this overwhelming sense of duty to protect Orb and their citizens. She wanted to do what she can to make sure that Orb would never burn down again. With that, she took on the role as Orb's new Chief Representative.
Touya was the same as her. Even though he looked very terrified to be in this kind of position, he bowed down to her and humbly asked for guidance. He asked for her patience as he was very inexperienced and had so much to learn. But even so, for his father's involvement in Orb joining the alliance, he would atone in his place and make it up to Orb.
Cagalli's heart broke when she heard that from him. No child should ever be made to feel that they should do penance for something that isn't their fault. She understood his sentiments though. She vowed to herself that she would look after him and make sure that he never had to experience what she went through. Manipulated, talked down and taken advantage of. She would protect her like a younger brother and teach him everything that he needed to know. When the time comes for her to step down, she hoped that he would be prepared to take on the role of leading the whole country.
Looking at him now though as he sifted through documents with so much concentration, she smiled to herself. He's grown so much, not just physically. She's very positive that Touya will be a very good leader once he takes over.
Two Murasame units were in a simulation combat in Morgenroete. These were prototype units with updated OS, upgraded armaments and armor. Erica Simmons, chief of Mobile Suit Development in Morgenroete, was very confident that with the improvements they've made, these Murasames were on a level of their own. She would even go as far as to say that these are better, compared to ZAFT's mass produced mobile suits.
Even though both units have all the new features installed, one Murasame clearly had the advantage over the other. It was outmaneuvering the other Murasame in every single way and the second unit was finding it harder and harder to keep up. The first mobile suit clearly was the superior pilot. If this were an actual battle with real weapons, the second mobile suit would have been defeated in seconds.
"Alright, that should be fine, the simulation is over." Erica announced from the control room. She turned her speaker off and muttered. "Any more of this, and the prototype might get damaged."
Both units halted and proceeded to walk back towards the hangar for maintenance.
The pilot of the second Murasame came out first and sighed in relief. "Aahhh! I'm really no match against him." He scratched his head in defeat, remembering how pathetic he looked in that simulation battle.
"Looks like you still have a long way to go, Cornwell." Erica teased.
The pilot didn't like that remark, but it was true. Even if he was one of the top graduates of his military class, he had been thoroughly embarrassed. Good thing no one from their class was there to witness the utter humiliation. "I know…"
"Your movements were good, it's just that your response time should be quicker, otherwise your enemy will get the upper hand." The pilot of the first Murasame, who just got out of the mobile suit, interjected.
The second pilot completely changed from brooding and stood firm, giving the other a salute. "I understand, Rear-Admiral. Thank you for the advice."
The Rear Admiral nodded and motioned for him to put his hand down. "But I'd say that your movements have greatly improved as compared to when you were still in the academy. Keep at it."
Cornwell was greatly elated that he received compliments from none other than the ace pilot, Athrun Zala. "Thank you so much, Sir. I will continue to work hard. If you'll excuse me." He saluted again and walked towards the mobile suit to check out the data that it got from the simulation.
Both Athrun and Erica looked at the retreating form before walking in another direction. "What did you think, Athrun-kun? It's your first time testing out the prototype, so I want to know your thoughts." Erica and Athrun go way back so formalities weren't necessary especially when it was just the two of them. Athrun didn't feel right having to enforce Erica to call him by his rank when he was the one that looked up to her like a senior and a mentor.
"The modules were better than the first time I saw the initial specs. The motor unit was also calibrated with the parameters I proposed I take it? The motion performance is good." Athrun remarked as he looked over more information of the prototype Murasames from the clipboard that Erica just handed to him. If the pilot stayed to listen in, he probably wouldn't understand what they were talking about.
"Of course, your advice is always appreciated. In fact, we revised the numbers that we initially calculated because with your input and we achieved optimal motion control." Erica responded. She was quite happy that Athrun was involved in this project, knowing his extensive knowledge in robotics.
"But…" Athrun stopped in his tracks, seemingly in deep thought as he read through the files.
"But…?" Erica urged him to continue.
"The actuators don't seem to be that compatible with the Hyper Deuterion Engine. The component is different from the usual ones you install, right? I'm not sure if the limiter can keep up especially if the Murasames are overexerting and consuming a bit too much of energy." Athrun noted, handing the files back to Erica.
"Ah yes, you're right. We're also in the testing stage for the new model of the actuators. Of course, once that's done, could you review it too? I understand that you're busy with other duties, but I feel at ease if you test the mobile suit again once we've made the necessary adjustments."
"That's no problem, Erica-san." Athrun gave her a light smile. "Thank you for all the hard work."
"Thank you too Athrun-kun. You're heading back now, right?" Erica asked and when Athrun nodded, she continued. "Safe trip. Give the Representative my regards."
"Aaa." He was caught off-guard with her comment but regained his composure quick and nodded. "Thank you too Erica-san."
They parted ways and Athrun started to walk away.
His schedule was packed as always as a Rear Admiral of Orb. Even when it was peacetime, there was a lot to be done. Overseeing the military operations, training of new recruits and subordinates, review of the reports submitted to him and attending meetings were just some of the things he had to deal with daily.
Just two years back, he was still on loan by the Orb military to Terminal where he worked as an undercover agent. He was always on long-haul missions, going to other countries to gather intel and relay the information back to the group. Eventually when they recruited other people that they trusted to take on those roles, Athrun went back to Orb military to resume his other duties.
The new undercover agents in Terminal were quite skilled too. After a few years of training them, Athrun was very confident in their abilities. A lot of Blue Cosmos and extremist Coordinator ploys were obstructed before they could even begin, saving many lives in the process.
Athrun felt like there was nothing left for him to teach them so his stint in Terminal was officially done. With that, he bid his goodbyes to his colleagues in Terminal.
But if he was being honest, he just wanted to be back in Orb. His missions as an undercover usually took months and that meant being away from Cagalli for long periods of time. In the four years, he was in Terminal, he could count the times he saw Cagalli in person with his two hands. It was that rare. He endured it if it meant being useful to Cagalli and feeding her information that she needed.
Over time though, his longing for her grew. Calls with her are good, but it's different when she was within his reach. It was also rare as there were times he was on the other side of the world, in a different time zone. Most cases, they were just busy and couldn't find time to contact each other.
He was getting weary with this type of work so he ensured that before he left Terminal, the new recruits would be able to carry out high-level missions on their own. As much as he wanted to leave his assignment earlier, he had to be patient.
Now that he was back in Orb, he was busy, but at least he had more chances to see Cagalli. Like today, and he was looking forward to it.
When he got back to Orb from his Terminal assignment, Cagalli told him that he was welcome to stay in the Attha estate and that his room was left as it is, but he just felt like it wasn't appropriate anymore since he was no longer her bodyguard. He didn't want to create any issues for Cagalli if anyone found out that he was staying in her estate. He now lives closer
Athrun thinks he saw a disappointed expression on her face when he told her that he would find a place of his own. He wanted to backtrack and tell her that he would stay but he already made his decision. He wanted to establish himself as a citizen of Orb, as Athrun Zala. He wanted to earn his place to be beside her. He can't do that if he's always relying on her for everything that he needs, even his living arrangements.
Besides, his work now mainly consists of training military recruits and assisting Morgenroete's development of their mobile suits, battleships and military equipment so he really had to relocate. This wasn't like his assignment in Terminal though as he was frequently flying to Olofat for work or when Cagalli called him over. Cagalli also occasionally flew to Onogoro so they had a lot of chances to see and spend time with each other.
Athrun was fine with their current situation and cherished every time that they had with each other. For now, this was enough for him.
He boarded his mobile suit and arranged preparations to take off. He could take off in a shuttle but with where he was currently heading, it was best to use his own mobile suit for privacy reasons.
Athrun booted on his mobile suit's engine and waited. The base hangar hatch was opened and while inside his mobile suit, he got confirmation from other officers that signals were all green and he was okay to take off.
"Athrun Zala, taking off." He announced.
He launched out of the base and when he was in a reasonable distance, he activated his Mirage Colloid so he could no longer be detected. Everyone knew he was leaving work early today, but none of them knew where he was headed, and he'd like to keep it that way.
"That's it for today!" Cagalli declared cheerfully, the sky outside her office was already dark. "Touya, you can head home now."
Touya looked up from his laptop, startled. "Oh, it's time already?" Usually, Cagalli would work late in the evening and Touya would be the one to leave first. But on rare days, she would wrap up early, surprising him.
Cagalli wasted no time and started to pack up for the day. She was finished in mere moments, stuffing important documents in her bag and her phone into her bag. She abruptly got up from her seat and walked towards the door. "Great work today. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Have a safe trip home, Cagalli nee-sama." Touya stood up and offered a light bow to her, as the current representative of Orb.
"You too, Touya." Cagalli nodded in acknowledgement and headed to where her chauffeur was waiting for her.
She got inside her car and looked at her driver, who was already waiting to meet her gaze.
"Representative…?" He was anticipating for her to give him the cue.
"Yes, let's go there today." She gave a very cryptic response to which her chauffeur already understood.
"Right away, representative." He then proceeded to drive the car away from Orb's government building.
As Cagalli settled in her seat, the image of Touya bowing as she rushed out crossed her mind. She felt guilty as she may have lied a bit to him and didn't even meet his gaze.
She was not going home yet.
Rather, she was going to visit Kira and Lacus. Athrun would be there too.
She had been very tight-lipped on the location of Kira and Lacus that that not even her trusted aide, Touya, knows about it. Cagalli was sure that he knows she was helping them hide but was thankful that he wasn't saying anything nor trying to pry.
At this time, very few people knew about their whereabouts. She couldn't risk it, which is why she didn't really correct Touya when he wished her a safe trip home.
After the battle with Foundation and Orphee Lam Tao announcing the existence of Accords, the world wanted answers. They demanded it like they had pitchforks in their hands, wanting to begin a witch hunt. Despite Kira and Lacus' efforts in leading the charge to fight against the forceful implementation of Destiny Plan and the takeover of the Accords, people were still angry. Some still could not be swayed even despite official announcements and press releases where the truth behind the Foundation's foiled plans and the treason of ZAFT's National Defense Committee Chair, Hari Jagganath, were exposed.
There were several groups of naturals, including Blue Cosmos, that ignored the facts and chose to believe that Coordinators wanted to establish themselves the superior race by ruling over them. Why else would ZAFT forces assist them? Some refused to believe that Lacus Clyne was not involved with the Accords' plans and since Kira Yamato was her partner, he must be assisting her. There had been a few attempts at infiltrations in COMPASS to weed both out, thankfully they were all stopped and there were no casualties on that end.
Even Athrun wasn't safe from the allegations as Lacus Clyne's former fiancée and Kira Yamato's friend. She was thankful that they let him off the hook easier just because now, he appeared to no longer have any ties to Lacus or Kira as he wasn't working in COMPASS and appeared to lay low after the second war.
And so, the accusations were thrown her way as their long-standing ally, but she managed to avoid them every single time. First, she would deny that Lacus and Kira were involved in the Foundation's plans and second, she would feign ignorance when asked about they could possibly be at. Even some of Cagalli's properties located in various islands in Orb were being scoped out according to her security and surveillance team. She had to be careful in relocating them.
Thankfully, only a few trusted people know that Kira and Cagalli were related by blood. Orb military looks up to him, not because he was her brother, but because he was the pilot of the Freedom that rescued her from being married to Yuna Roma Seiran. She was glad that she didn't reveal their family ties until now.
There had been a lot of chaos since then. The Battle with the Foundation significantly weakened the Earth Forces and ZAFT's fighting power and left a lot of cities with significant damage in addition to what they've sustained during the first and second war. Now, most of the resources went to relief efforts and reconstruction instead of kickstarting conflicts and battles. Citizens across countries echo the same sentiment that they were already tired of their officials' putting their tax money into the military instead of aiding them.
Most countries and the PLANTs all had to put their focus on where the citizens demanded it to be instead of search efforts for two people, that have nothing to answer for and didn't want to be found. Cagalli could also deal with small fry groups trying to find their whereabouts. Even Blue Cosmos was no problem now, with how their influence has weakened over time.
For the past five years, Cagalli, with the help of Athrun, has been protecting Kira and Lacus, ensuring that they can live their days in peace, away from suffering and pain. They have done so much for the world and yet some people still want them gone or want them to continue fighting. But they won't allow for it. Definitely.
She hoped that soon enough, they no longer needed to hide. While they seem to be content with their current life, Cagalli doesn't find it fair that they don't have that much freedom to do as they please or to go wherever they like. If she were in their position, she would feel so restless and depressed with that way of life.
That's why she vowed that if she had the power to make a difference, she would do whatever she can. She would continue to work hard to achieve the dream that they had. A world where all the pain and suffering that they went through would no longer be necessary for anyone. A place where naturals and coordinators weren't at odds with each other, where Kira and Lacus can live freely, and she need not hide that she was in a relationship with Athrun.
She wanted a world where they could all be happy.
I always talk about how it'd be great for the Prince of Scandinavia to be an actual character that interacts with Cagalli and since this is my fic, I can do whatever I want. Watch out Athrun. HAHAHA.
I just googled Scandinavian names to come up with the name of the Prince of Scandinavia but let me know if this name is inappropriate (I hope not).
Also, I have no idea what I was writing when Athrun and Erica were talking technical stuff. I just googled stuff and went with it.