Gundam Seed: Fates

Your own tale of two mecha.
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Mwulf
Posts: 793
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:46 am

Gundam Seed: Fates

Gundam Seed: Fates
WARNING!
Subsequent episodes WILL contain graphic descriptions of violence. Gundam is traditionally anti-war, so I have done my best to portray the horrors of war in an honest fashion. You have been forewarned.
*Note: Due to BBS post-length limitation the actual story does not begin until the 4th post.

Updates:

03-10-08
-Added Episode 28
-Small update to the Encyclopedia and Timeline to cover recent episodes.

03-08-08
-Added Episode 27.

03-02-08
-Added Episode 26, after a very, very, very long absence. ~__~

09-23-07
-A massive update to the Encyclopedia, covering everything from the Lift-System and PICES to to origins and mythology of ORB.
-Timeline now up to date, including the events of episode 22, which will be posted shortly.

08-21-07
-Episode 21 added.

07-23-07
-Episode 20 is up. A rather large update to the Encyclopedia is also in the works. That update, as well as Episode 21, ought to be done and posted sometime this week.

06-29-07
-Massive update to the Encyclopedia. Unit-types gives for ALL mobile suits listed; new characters added; timeline expanded to accommodate the events of episodes 18 and 19.

06-25-07
-Apologies for the delays. Episode 19 is now up.

05-31-07
-Episode 18 posted.

04-30-07
-Episode 17 is up. The character descriptions and timeline have been updated to accommodate the new episode as well.

04-04-07
-Added episode 16.

03-16-07
-Added episode 15
-Added new, expanded Encyclopedia, which includes a completely revamped timeline.

03-14-07
-Added episode 14 and added a bunch of stuff to the encyclopedia--including a spiffy little map of Jovian space. (Which is mostly irrelevant to the story, but oh well...)

03-12-07
-Added epiosode 13

03-11-07
-Added a TON of stuff to the encyclopedia, or at least it felt like a ton, including the long-overdue lineart for the Impulse Gundam. If nothing else, I'd suggest you check out image 2 and 3 of the Angelwing and image 4 of the Black Tri-Star Vandal... they're pretty cool, if I do say so myself. :8

03-10-07
-Added episode 12 and updated the encyclopedia and timeline.

03-09-07
-Added episodes 8, 9, 10 and 11.
-Added Disclaimer after episode 11 and to the top of the thread.

03-05-07
-Posted episodes 6 and 7.
-Added additional information to the timeline.

03-04-07
-Added Episodes 4 and 5 and added new descriptions/Images to the Encylopedia.

03-03-07
- Apparently I posted the First drafts of the first three episodes rather than the updated ones... other than a quick change of the dates the first 2 episodes are mostly unchanged, though it might be a good idea to re-read the third episode.
-I've bumped the posts back to make the 2nd post an "Encyclopedia of Terms" to help ease some confusion. It has basic information of characters, weapons and technology. As additional items are introduced in the story I shall update the Encyclopedia. Also, the names of various mecha and weapons will contain links to original lineart--though at present the only finished artwork is that of the ZAKU-Gunner, which is almost unchanged from the original version. At the end of the post I've also added a very simple, concise timeline of the series to both make it easier to understand the time-frame of the series, as well as make it easier for the reader to understand what's going on after a long break without having to re-read anything.
-I've added more to the Introduction here to better articulate myself. Whether or not I succeeded is still in debate.

Introduction:
Welcome to the opening page of my "fanfic"--Gundam Seed: Fates. I use the term fanfic loosely, as it is far from a traditional fanfiction. For example, there is absolutely no dialogue of any kind. Indeed, rather than explaining what it is perhaps I ought to begin with ~why~ I decided to write in to begin with.

Ever since I first saw Gundam Wing on Cartoon Network, so many years ago, I became infatuated with all things Gundam. I delved into Gundam X, Seed, Destiny, 0080, 0083, 8th MS Team, Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, ZZ Gundam, Char's Counterattack, F91, Victory and, finally, Turn A. I loved it all and I couldn't get enough. Eventually my fascination led to a vague idea developing in my head of my IDEAL Gundam series--but this idea never amounted to very much.

Then, last Winter I decided to re-watch Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny. I was again struck with how well Seed ended compared to such a poor begining, along with how poorly Destiny ended despite such a good begining. I was irritated at that, and such was my incentive for finally penning a Gundam Series of my own. Following the format of Chris' episode reviews here at MAHQ, I am writing simple summaries of each individual episode. The animation is FANTASTIC--but it's all confined to the boundries of your imagination. As such I can be nice and concise when describing events and go into greater detail when I have specific scenes in my head. With everything short, along with a well-defined and envisioned 50-episode arc in mind, I think the end result will turn out well--indeed, from a simple pacing perspective I can't imagine it turning out better.

So here you have Fates. The basic premise is that of Destiny. It is a sequel to Gundam Seed and it borrows certain plot elements and characters from Destiny, but tells a wholly unique story. My faviourite Gundam series' are UC, so most of my influences to come from UC instead of CE. I think what I have is pretty cool, and I hope everyone here has as much fun reading it as I have writing it.

Fates takes place seven years after the events of Gundam Seed. Shinn (and his fellow pilots) are all 18 years old, and that makes characters like Kira and Lacus from Seed 23 years old.

You may want to take notice of the title--Fates, not Destiny. What is the differnce between Fate and Destiny? Destiny is a parth that cannot be deviated from. It is a concept that denies free-will. Fate, however, it Greek in orgin and refers to the three sisters that wove the destinies of all humanity. The threads of Fate and unravel, they can be rewoven--they can be changed. Fate is fluid whereas Destiny is static. The idea of changing the flow of Fate will be a major theme of course, though ~a~ "Destiny Plan" will also play a vital role in the story--though it is a Destiny wholly different from the one in the ill-fortuned anime.

The best part is I know the WHOLE story through and through. It's 100% outlined at this point, so there will never be a point where I'm simpling making stuff up as I go along--and there is a deffinitive end. Since the episodes are short and to the point they are also--hopefully--much easier for the reader to get through. Because so much of the imagery is left to the imagination, perhaps it will be a fun read as well.

Commentary:
Please post as many comments as you can! So long as you don't insult me personally, there's no such thing as too much criticism! If you like it, let me know! If you hate it, let me know ~why~! All I ask is that if I take more than one-post for an episode that you DO NOT post in the middle of an episode so that it's easier for everyone to read.

I hope to be able to post 2-3 episode per week (more early on, of course, as the first tenth is already completed) and keep the rate-of-release steady.

Episode Status:

Episode 01: Draft 3 Written and Posted
Episode 02: Draft 3 Written and Posted
Episode 03: Draft 3 Written and Posted
Episode 04: Draft 2 Written and Posted
Episode 05: Draft 3 Written and Posted
Episode 06: Draft 2 Written and Posted
Episode 07: Draft 2 Written and Posted
Episode 08: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 09: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 10: Draft 2 Written and Posted
Episode 11: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 12: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 13: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 14: Draft 2 Written and Posted
Episode 15: Draft 3 Written and Posted
Episode 16: Draft 2 Written and Posted
Episode 17: Draft 3 Written and Posted
Episode 18: Draft 4 Written and Posted
Episode 19: Draft 2 Written and Posted
Episode 20: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 21: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 22: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 23: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 24: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 25: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 26: Draft 2 Written and Posted
Episode 27: Draft 1 Written and Posted
Episode 28: Detailed Outline
Episode 29: Detailed Outline
Episode 30: Detailed Outline
Episode 31: Outlined
Episode 32: Outlined
Episode 33: Outlined
Episode 34: Outlined
Episode 35: Outlined
Episode 36: Outlined
Episode 37: Outlined
Episode 38: Outlined
Episode 39: Outlined
Episode 40: Outlined
Episode 41: Outlined
Episode 42: Outlined
Episode 43: Outlined
Episode 44: Outlined
Episode 45: Outlined
Episode 46: Outlined
Episode 47: Outlined
Episode 48: Outlined
Episode 49: Outlined
Episode 50: Outlined
Episode 51: Outlined
Episode 52: Outlined
Last edited by Mwulf on Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:13 pm, edited 23 times in total.
User avatar
Mwulf
Posts: 793
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:46 am

Encyclopedia of Terms

Though I borrow many characters, technology, and weapons from Destiny, there are many changes. Here I have complied an encyclopedia of sorts to organize both the existing elements I have modified, as well as new elements that I introduce. As the story progresses I will add additional information to this post. This encyclopedia will contain minor SPOILERS for the story, so please read everything posted before looking here.

Characters:

Varis Arcante – A Senator in the Jovian Autonomous State.

Sarah Adriennes -

Sai Argyle - Former crew member of the Archangel. Currently serving as an aid to the Minister of Technology in the Eurasian Confederation. He possesses a strong mind and has made numerous technological breakthroughs in robotic prosthetics. Following the political, economic and social turmoil after the Junon incident, Sai attempts to make a living as a battlefield-doctor. While volunteering in Brussels, Sai meets Richard Henne, a former statesman of the Eurasian Confederation, whom Sai grows to see as a mentor.

Shinn Asuka - A Test-pilot aboard the Minerva, assigned to the ZGMF-X56S Impulse Prototype Gundam. He was born in ORB and lost his family in the Bloody Valentine War. He was taken in by a family in ORB's Adrianapolis colony and enlisted in ZAFT as soon as he was old enough. He is an extremely talented pilot, but has a tendency to act before he thinks. After the Pirate Crisis of C.E. 77, ZAFT begins development of three prototype Gundam mobile suits, each designed to excel in a particular area of combat. Shinn is assigned the Impulse Gundam, which is later refitted for land-combat as the Impulse Gundam-Kai.

Cagalli Yula Atha - Current Chief Representative of the United Emirates of ORB, she fought as a mobile-suit pilot at the Battle of Jachin Due in the Bloody Valentine war. She is known throughout the Earth Sphere as the "Soldier Princess" and has a reputation for being rash, prone to violence, ill-tempered, and uncultured. Cagalli tries to do the best she can for her people, but is inexperienced as a politician and feels much more at home in the thick of the action.

Rey za Burrel - A Test-pilot aboard the Minerva, assigned to the ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam Prototype. He was born in Julius-3, but spent a great deal of time in the autonomous Delphi colony. Rey later enlisted in ZAFT and was quickly recognized as a talented pilot. Rey is generally soft-spoken and confident, but sometimes makes subtle sarcastic comments to annoy his friends. Rey has the uncanny ability to sense his friends across great distances, and a slight inclination toward prescience. His comments can sometimes be unnerving as a result, but his statements are rarely wrong.

Kuzzey Buzzkirk - A former crew member of the Archangel, he now lives a quiet life in Brussels as a communications specialist, and he volunteers with the local Fire and Rescue Department. After the Junon disaster, Kuzzey moved from one relief organization to another, eventually finding his way to ZAFT. While working with ZAFT's refugee support organizations, Kuzzey met and fell in love with a volunteer from PLANT. The two were married in December of C.E. 78.

Meere Campbell - Elected First Citizen of the newly-created autonomous republic located at LaGrange point 2 known as the Independent Colonies. Though publicly an autonomous region, the Independent Colonies are actually under the control of Gilbert Durandel; Meere is forced to play the role of Durandel's puppet. Meere is not happy with her role, and seeks to undermine Durandel's authority over the independent colonies. As the Destiny Plan proceeds and the population of the Independent Colonies swells to unparalleled numbers, Meere hopes to gain enough power to face PLANT on an equal footing. However, the increase in population may cause more problems for Meere than solutions.

Lacus Clyne - Daughter of PLANT's late Chairman, Siegel Clyne. Following the death of her father she assumed command of the Clyne Faction in PLANT's civil war. At the Battle of Jachin Due Lacus Clyne commanded a fleet of warships against ZAFT in the first (and last) large-scale battle of the civil war, defeating Patrick Zala's GENISIS super-weapon and brokering a ceasefire between PLANT and the Earth Alliance. After the war a movement began in PLANT to install Lacus as the next Chairman, but she declined. Instead Lacus went to ORB on Earth where she has been living a quiet life with Kira Yamoto. Though she is massively influential in politics, beloved by the people, and respected by the military, Lacus prefers to live a quiet life. This decision has drawn in some criticism as there are those who believe she is acting out of undeserved selfishness, though for the most part her decision is respected. She currently resides in ORB and has been romantically tied to Kira Yamato.

Jarrod Crux- An ace pilot in ZAFT, assigned to the elite--and top secret--Panzer squadron. Though rash and violent, Jarrod knows when to give up and has survived many battles. He is particularly ruthless and unforgiving of anyone he finds lacking. Jarrod harbors a particular hatred for anyone he deems cowardly, and will not hesitate to murder a comrade should they show signs of weakness.

Julius Djibril - A key member of the Earth Alliance and citizen of the Scandinavian Kingdom, Djibril was also one of the primary leaders of the Blue Cosmos terrorist organization. Following the Junon-incident Djibril assumed command of a small Atlantic Federation Military force which he used to attack ZAFT forces landing on the planet as part of Operation Endurance. Djibril took a large contingent of troops and left the Atlantic Federation, and helped to found the Atlas organization alongside Richard Henne.

Gilbert Durandel - Supreme Chairman of PLANT and supreme-commander of ZAFT. Durandel is responsible for the increased colony-production at L2 where he established himself as the de facto leader--behind the scenes--of the autonomous government there. Recently, Durandel enacted the Colonial Re-Armament program to increase PLANTs military force which had been drastically depleted in the Bloody-Valentine war. This act has brought him much criticism from those who fear that PLANT's remilitarization may lead the world down the path of war once again. Durandel had ties to the sociopath Rau le Creuset, and his motives are very-much unknown. He is the younger brother of the JACS Prime Minister, though the two rarely speak to one another. Durandel's goals are shrouded in mystery and many of his actions appear to be contradictory; no matter what his ambition is, it will surely help to shape the future of the world.

Guiette Durandel - Former director of the Jupiter Trade Consortium and current Prime Minister of the Jovian Autonomous Colonial States--or Jupiter Autonomous State--Guiette Durandel is also the older sister of PLANT's Chairman. Though her relationship with her younger brother is apparently very poor due to the great distance between the two, it is rumored that she was responsible for exporting a vast quantity of raw material to PLANT from CE 76-77 without any monetary payment. This theory is reinforced when Neo Roanoke arrives in the Earth Sphere in CE 78, apparently on the Prime Minister's orders, to serve Gilbert Durandel, possibly as part of the same back-room arrangement. What PLANT's chairman gave his elder sister in return for these services is unknown, though it must have been extremely valuable to her.

Dearka Elsman - Second-in-command of the Joule Task Force. A capable pilot who served in the Le Creuset Squadron in the Bloody Valentine War, he was listed MIA after a battle in the Pacific and re-emerged after the Battle of Jachin Due where he retired from the service with full-honor. Two years later Dearka re-enlisted as was assigned to the Joule-team by special-request.

Talia Gladys - Captain of the Minerva. Talia Gladys began her military career at the start of the Bloody Valentine war and served as a minor technician on GENISIS. She demonstrated her leadership skill in the evacuation when she remained on the station as it self-destructed to get as many soldiers to evacuate as possible. For her actions she was highly decorated, and earned a rapid-series of promotions eventually granting her command of ZAFT's newest warship--the Minerva.

Lunamaria Hawke - A Test-pilot aboard the Minerva, assigned to the ZGMF-X23S Saviour Gundam Prototype. Lunamaria has a younger sister also enlisted in ZAFT. Lunamaria received the highest grades in the ZAFT Military Academy's history and was assigned the most-advanced prototype mobile suit upon graduation. She formed an awkward friendship with Shinn Asuka and Rey za Burrel in the academy and is supremely confident in her own ability. Some might say that she is overly prideful.

Meyrin Hawke - Younger sister of Lunamaria Hawke, Meyrin is the communications officer aboard the Minerva. In contrast to her sister, Meyrin lacks self-confidence and is very unobtrusive around everyone other than her closest friends.

Richard Henne - A former statesman of the Eurasian Confederation, Henne was instrumental in the alliance between the Eurasian Confederacy and the Atlantic Federation in the early days of the Earth Alliance. Henne retired from public life with the close of the Bloody Valentine War but remained very influential by way of reputation. Shortly after the ZAFT's implementation of the "Destiny Plan" Henne organized the first general resistance movement, the paramilitary organization "Atlas."

Ezalia Joule - A member of the PLANT supreme council for nearly two decades and the mother of Yzak Joule. During the Civil War, Ezalia led a small-but-influential conservative movement rejecting both the violent zealotry of Patrick Zala as well as the armed revolt of Siegel Clyne. Following the Battle of Jachin Due, this moderate faction assumed control of PLANT and an internal movement to install Lacus Clyne, leader of the Clyne faction in the civil war, as Supreme Chairman began. Ezalia Joule was against this proposal because, regardless of the reason, Lacus and her followers had committed treason. The council granted the Clyne faction complete amnesty for the duration of the war, and Lacus chose to go to Earth rather than remain on PLANT. Since then Ezalia Joule has been an iconic, powerful figure in the Supreme Council.

Yzak Joule - Commander of the Joule Task-Force and a decorated Ace-Pilot who served at the Battle of Jachin Due. Yzak's brash mannerisms and tendency to underestimate his peers have stunted his rise through the ranks. He currently commands a task-force of three Nazca-class high-speed carriers.

Noah Jung - An intelligence operative employed by Ezalia Joule, he tends to work outside of the law to get things done.

Klahan - Militia soldier fighting the corrupt government of the former Thai Republic in the chaos following the Junon-Incident. Klahan finds Shinn Asuka lost in the Jungle after he was shot-down during the Minerva's arrival on Earth.

Auel Loussier - A young man that is almost-always at the side of JAS lieutenant-commander Neo Roanoke. Unlike Neo, Auel is not a member of the military and the reasons for his presence are unknown. It is stated that Auel, along with his companions, has a certain "factor" that interests both Durandel and the Autonomous States. He is accompanied by is older sister, Stellar, to whom Auel is emotionally dependent to an extreme degree.

Stellar Loussier - A young woman that is almost-always at the side of JAS lieutenant-commander Neo Roanoke. Unlike Neo, Stellar is not a member of the military and the reasons for his presence are unknown. It is stated that Stellar, along with his companions, has a certain "factor" that interests both Durandel and the Autonomous States. She is accompanied by her younger brother, Auel.

Sting Oakley - A young man that is almost-always at the side of JAS lieutenant-commander Neo Roanoke. Unlike Neo, Sting is not a member of the military and the reasons for his presence are unknown. It is stated that Sting, along with his companions, has a certain "factor" that interests both Durandel and the Autonomous States.

Luc Renoir -

Neo Roanoke - Lieutenant-Commander in the JAS Navy, Roanoke is sent to the Earth Sphere in CE 78 under the orders of the JAS Prime Minister, Guillette Durandel to serve PLANT's chairman and younger brother of the JAS Prime Minister, Gilbert Durandel. Roanoke swears fealty to Durandel upon their meeting. Neo Roanoke wears a large mask covering most of his face and his entire head that is actually part of a large computer-like device embedded in his skull. Whether or not the technology used on Roanoke is the result of an accident or some other force is unknown. Roanoke is always flanked by three subordinates who rarely speak publicly: the twins Stellar and Auel Loussier and Sting Oakley.

Yuuna Roma Seiran - The young head of one of ORBs seven ruling families and a high-ranking member of Atlas, Yuuna is a crafty individual constantly seeking ways to manipulate to political world to suit his own ambitions.

Senator Geld - A leading senator in the Atlantic Federation's congress, senator Geld is the driving force behind the Federation's war with Eurasia.

Senator Hurst - Another senator supporting the Eurasian war, Hurst advocates close cooperation with Atlas, because ZAFT's operations on Earth have had a detrimental effect on the Atlantic Federation's military actions.

Senator Treebach - The leader of a congressional minority supporting Durandel's Destiny Plan. Treebach sees the damage wrought by Junon and by the war with Eurasia as irreparable, and thinks the war is little more than prolonging the inevitable.

Sumalee - An eleven year-old Thai girl who befriends Shinn after he is captured; Shinn later saves her life. Eventually Shinn sends Sumalee to ORB's Adrianapolis colony at LaGrange point 3 to live with his foster parents.

Arthur Trine - First Officer aboard the Minerva, Arthur is a very down-to-earth person and often seems to lack military discipline. In truth, Arthur has an exceptionally strong sense of honor and personal responsibility, and is an extremely capable officer--particularly in times of crisis. He is later promoted to Captain and given command of ZAFT's flagship, the Excalibur.

Heine Westenfluss - ZAFT Ace who made his name during the Pirate Crisis of CE 77, pilots a distinctive orange-colored GINN. Heine participates at the battle of Corinth in CE 78 and is later transferred to the Minerva where he is assigned one of the new ZAKU-prototype mobile suits. He is later re-assigned to the Panzer special-ops MS Squadron under the command of Jarrod Crux.

Kira Yamato - The "Ultimate Coordinator" and pilot of the Strike Gundam. He is also the pilot of the legendary Freedom Gundam and fought alongside the Clyne Faction in the Bloody Valentine war. He defeated the sociopath Rau Le Creuset in a duel at the Battle of Jachin Due, and helped avert a large-scale nuclear attack against PLANT. Following the war Kira became a hero around the Earth Sphere as a selfless defender of liberty and freedom. He chose to retire from public life and now lives in the United Emirates of ORB. He has been romantically-tied to ZAFT's heiress, Lacus Clyne.

Athrun Zala - A former member of the Le Creuset Squadron and the son of Patrick Zala, Athrun fought against his father at the Battle of Jachin Due alongside the Clyne faction. After witnessing his father's death at the end of the war, Athrun fell into a deep depression. Eventually Athrun decided to leave the Earth Sphere and set off on a journey to Jupiter and the outer rim of the Solar system.


Geo-Political Entities:

Alexandria - A closed O'Neill-type colony six-times the size of a traditional colony located at LaGrange-point 1 in the Mars Sphere. Alexandria is the hub of the Mars sphere from which the long-running Martian Terra-forming project is led.

Atlantic Federation - A leading member of the Earth Alliance, the Atlantic Federation is the strongest militarily and financially. The Atlantic Federation was the chief Alliance nation involved in the Bloody Valentine war and was forced to attack PLANT at the end of that war without support from several other Federation states, including the Eurasian Federation.

Atlas - A paramilitary organization created by Richard Hennes in direct opposition to Gilbert Durandel's "Destiny Plan". Utilising a decentralized command center, and drawing upon the collective resources of dozens of Earth nations, Atlas is fighting a war of attrition against ZAFT to protect their lives on Earth. The name Atlas is derived from the Greek Titan who bore the weight of the planet on his shoulders; in a similar fashion the Atlas organization has assumed the burden of protecting the people of the Earth.

Belt Pirates - The term "belt pirates" refers to the large, disorganized number of outposts, ships--and in a least one case--rogue colonies that rely on illegal activities for sustenance--most notably piracy. Operating on the fringes of civilized space, the Belt Pirates have developed their own, unique subculture and are notoriously xenophobic.

Earth Alliance - A military and economic alliance of nations on Earth, asserting hegemony over 73% of the planet. Violently xenophobic, the Earth Alliance has long-held a reputation for acts of violence against coordinators. The Alliance was created shortly before the Bloody Valentine War to counter PLANT, but ideological and ethnic conflicts within the Alliance caused its collapse shortly after the Bloody Valentine War came to an end with the second battle of Jachin Due.

Earth Sphere - The region of space around Earth including the colonies at various LaGrange points, the moon, PLANT, the debris belt, and the four super-asteroids used for mining and construction in the area.

Eurasian Confederation - A member of the Earth Alliance. After the Alaska fiasco the Eurasian Federation has been at odds with the Atlantic Federation and has refused to participate in any military action. As a result the Eurasian space-forces were spared much of the destruction at the Battle of Jachin Due when they refused to mobilize with the rest of the Alliance military. Following the Junon-incident, the Eurasian Confederacy enters a long and brutal war with the Atlantic Federation for control of the few remaining resources left on the planet.

Gaia - An enormous subterranean city beneath Istanbul, it was built by the Eurasian Confederacy durring the Bloody Valentine war, and now serves as the military headquarters for the paramilitary organization, Atlas. There are several elevators between Istanbul and Gaia, and even a large undersea submarine dock that allows Atlas to move supplies in and out without attracting notice.

Independent Colonies - An ostensibly autonomous Republic of newly-constructed space-colonies located at LaGrange Point 2. The Republic is divided into 12 clusters consisting of 5 rotating O'Neil colonies. Of the eighty colonies, only twenty are complete. The population density of the completed colonies is extremely low--estimated at slightly above 2% of their maximum capacity. In addition to their colonies at L2, the republic of the Independent Colonies also maintains a small research-oriented base located at the former resource-asteroid Nibel, near LaGrange point 4.

JACS - The Jovian Autonomous Colonial States, also known more simply as the Jupiter Autonomous State. When the Jupiter Trade Consortium was dissolved in CE 70, the Guillete Durandel established a loose republic in the Jupiter Sphere consisting primarily of the seven colonies in the Roma Cluster, near Ganymede. Eventually Guillette Durandel managed to mold the burgeoning republic into a powerful, centralized industrial powerhouse dominating the majority of the Jupiter Sphere and nearly all trade with the Martian and Earth Spheres. Currently the JACS administers control over a total of twenty-three O'Neil type colonies and nearly 200 individual mining bases, as well as numerous scientific outposts scattered throughout the area. To combat the Belt Pirates the Jupiter Autonomous State maintains a sizable military force..

Junon Resourcing Asteroid - A giant asteroid rich in various industrial ores brought to the Earth Sphere at the beginning of the Cosmic Era, its mass is roughly one tenth that of the Earth's moon. The Mining Asteroid was mined dry by CE 58 after providing the raw resources to construct many of the PLANTs and several other colonies throughout the Earth Sphere. Junon was moved to a stable orbit of Earth midway between LaGrange-Point One and the Debris Belt. Control of the asteroid was ceded to the Scandinavian Kingdom in CE 61, and they maintained a small presence on the Asteroid until the outbreak of war in CE 71. Though the asteroid still belongs to the Independent Kingdom of Scandinavia it is utterly worthless and abandoned. Ostensibly the Kingdom monitors the asteroids orbit to ensure the safety of the region.

Jupiter Sphere - The area around Jupiter, it serves as a major industrial center in civilized space. Teams of workers move asteroids from the solar belt into the Jupiter sphere where they are mined and refined. Some metals are forged in Jovian space before being exported elsewhere, and other times the asteroids themselves are exported for the buyer to mine. Both Junon and Nibel fit into the second category. The Jupiter Sphere is governed by the Jupiter Autonomous State, with it's capital in Roma colony. The Jupiter Sphere, however, is also home to several belt-pirate groups, as well as the neutral (rogue) colony of Cortazzo which is often seen as a home for these pirates.

Jupiter Trade Consortium - Created in CE 49 and dissolved in CE 70 at the outbreak of the Bloody Valentine War, the Jupiter Trade Consortium was an economic alliance of all the major political powers in the Earth Sphere that established and maintained the trade routes between the Jovian colonies and the Earth Sphere. With the end of the Bloody Valentine War and the recognition of the Jupiter Autonomous State, the trade consortium was resurrected--this time as a government agency under the supervision of the JACS--and trade between Earth and Jupiter was resumed. To date, the Trade Consortium maintains several hundred space-faring vessels used to transport materials--both raw and refined--to all parts of the Solar system.

Nibel Resourcing Asteroid - A giant asteroid rich in various industrial ores brought to the Earth Sphere in CE 68 and placed at LaGrange point 2. The resource-asteroid was left unused due to the chaos of the Bloody-Valentine War, when it was ignored because of its strategic impracticality. Nibel was the principal resource-asteroid used for the construction of the vast colonial-clusters at L2, and was mined barren by CE 77. Nibel was moved to a point mid-way between L4 and the debris belt where it is used as a base of operations for a small research-station belonging to the Independent Colonies. With an estimated mass one fifth that of Luna, Nibel is twice as large as Junon.

United Emirates of ORB - A neutral nation in the Pacific Ocean, ORB is a technological powerhouse that maintains more colonies in the Earth Sphere than any other nation. Over 80% of ORBs population lives in space. The islands of ORB are relatively new to the Earth, first emerging as a result of abnormal volcanic activity in c2087. The islands were claimed almost immediately by the declining United States of America, the Republic of Japan and the People's Republic of China. The islands remained in dispute for several years, but in c2092 it was determined that the islands would be neutral, and not belong to any nation. Emigration to the islands soared, and thousands of people emigrated from all across the Pacific region--most notably from Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the U.S.--and the main island Onogoro (named by the Japanese fisherman who first discovered it) soon became a bustling metropolis and a major economic and scientific center. In the chaos of the reconstruction wars, many scientists fled their homelands to the relative peace and safety of Onogoro, and eventually the nation of ORB was founded. By the end of the reconstruction wars, with much of the world in disarray, ORB arose as the sole modern nation with a strong economic, industrial and scientific base. It can be said that of all the modern nations, ORB is the oldest, predated only by the Scandinavian Kingdom, which was established after a period of civil war early in the Reconstruction wars. It is interesting to note that while ORB has no true mythology or ethnicity, the people of Onogoro have established a unique culture and adopted several myths from various lands, from ancient Japanese mythology to Aboriginal myths and have also inherited certain animalistic beliefs from the Americas. This faux-mythology, or pseudo-culture, helped to firmly establish a national identity for ORB in the wake of the Reconstruction wars, and was later given much more prominence in culture when it was adopted by the "Lions" --essentially hereditary monarchs--that would rule ORB starting in the 23rd year of the Cosmic Era.

PLANT - A cluster of 144 Hourglass-shaped colonies located at LaGrange point five in the Earth Sphere. The colonies are separated into twelve groups of twelve colonies, each grouping of twelve colonies is named after a month in the Roman calendar (from Januarius to Decembrius) and assigned a number. Aprillius 2 serves as the capital. PLANT also maintains several terrestrial bases, most notably at Gibraltar and Carpentaria. At one time PLANT maintained a strong military force, but after the Bloody Valentine War most of its weapons were destroyed and the colonies have lacked both the resources and the willpower to re-arm.

Scandinavian Kingdom - Before the Bloody Valentine War the Kingdom of Scandinavia was a major power--on equal footing with the Eurasian Confederation--and maintained dozens of deep-space outposts and dominated the trade routes and mining operations in the Jupiter Sphere. Following the outbreak of war with PLANT and the formation of the Earth Alliance, the Kingdom of Scandinavia fell apart and was assimilated into the Eurasian Confederation and became part of the new global alliance. After the Bloody Valentine War, following Eurasia's secession from the Earth Alliance, Scandinavia was granted it's independence, though the modern nation retains only a fraction of its former power and territory.

Mobile Weapons:

A1-A1 Windam - The A1-A1 Windam is the base model Windam used by Atlas. It is essentially identical to the original GAT-04 Windam, except it bears the blue and green color scheme of Atlas, and bears the new designation A1-A1. The first "A" stands for "Atlas" and the first one stands for the type of mobile suit. The second "A" designates the type of mobile suit and the second "1" designates the variation number. Therefore the A1-A1 Windam is the first Atlas mobile suit. first type and first variation.
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

A1-C1 Windam High-Mobility Type - The high-mobility type Windam appears very similar to the original Windam, but beneath the surface lies a wholly different beast. The A1-C1 is the third model Windam developed by Atlas. It utilizes a hybrid visor sensor, combining monocular and panocular function, Generator output is increased from the A and B models, and additional thruster grant the C1 greatly improved mobility and speed.
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

A1-C2 Windam Enhanced High-Mobility Type - The A1-C2 Enhanced High-Mobility type Windam, or EHM, is by far the most effective of the Windam variants developed by Atlas. The A1-C2 is equipped with trans-phase armor and a new type of ultracompact radiator which, coupled with the new cell-energy storage technology grants the A1-C2 far greater operational time and energy surplus than previous models. With the addition of two large variable-angle thruster pods on the Windam's back, the A1-C2 is amazingly fast and maneuverable; combat estimates place the performance of the A1-C2 Windam above that of ZAFT's latest E-Type ZAKUs.
Unit Type: High-Speed Interceptor Unit.

A1-C2 Windam Enhanced High-Mobility Type Phantom Pain Custom - Though it appears to be identical to the A1-C2 Windams, this custom unit used exclusively in the Phantom Pain special operations unit utilizes a variety of unknown technologies that grant it moderately superior performance compared to the standard A1-C2 models.
Unit Type: Special Operations Combat Unit.

CMS-01c Centurion - A Jovian mobile-suit given to the Independent Colonies as a gift by Neo Roanoke along with several other mobile suits. Redesignated the CMS-01c and re-painted, the Colonial Centurions are very similar to their Jovian counterparts, save for a few modifications. The CMS-01c is equipped with a single heavy beam saber and has a reactor powerful enough to utilize handheld beam-weaponry. The Independent Colonies only have a few squadrons of Centurions to act as a self-defense force, and lack the industrial base to produce military suits of their own.
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

CMS-09 Vandal -
Unit Type: General Purpose Assault Unit.

CMS-09b Vandal (Black Tri-Star Custom) - Image 2 - Image 3 - Image 4 -
Unit Type: Special Operations Assault Unit.

GAT-04 Windam - A cheap, high-performance mobile suit designed by the Earth Federation to replace the aging 105 Dagger mobile suits. Windams boast above average speed, mobility and range, but lack firepower and armor. Their overall performance is significantly inferior to that of ZAFT's new model ZAKUs.
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

Izumo-class Refit - An upgraded version of ORB's Izumo-class warship, the Izumo-refit is intended to be a high-speed mobile suit carrier capable of sustained atmospheric flight. Many of its weapons have been removed to accommodate a new propulsion system and the attachment of large stabilizing wings to the rear-hull.
Unit Type: High-Speed Light Carrier.

JAS-MSNT-01b Cerberus -
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-MSNT-02s Crusader - Image 2 -
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-NTX-06 Blue Breaker - The Blue Breaker, though manufactured by the Atlas organization, is a high performance Gundam-type mobile suit that makes use of very advanced experimental technology developed in the Jupiter Sphere. The form of the Blue Breaker is very similar to that of the ZGMF-X23S Saviour Gundam. The Blue Breaker, however, is roughly 26.2 meters tall--almost twice the size of the Saviour. The most notable aspect of the Blue-Breaker is the PICES device used to guide it's 10 heavy-assault missile. Each of these missiles is very powerful--the direct hit of a single missile can destroy a warship--and very maneuverable. Linked to the pilot after-launch by PICES, the missiles are exceptionally accurate and very difficult to shoot down. Unfortunately, the PICES device is still experimental, and it can only be used by individuals with a certain attribute; and even then, prolonged usage results in numerous unpleasant side-effects.
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-NTX-07a PICES Queen - The PICES Queen is the name of a non-combat aircraft designed to contain a PICES operator and relay data, via an expanded PICES system, to various remote weapons. Externally, the PICES-Queen appears to be little more than a typical transport plane with a large disc attached to the top--very similar to AWACS planes of the distant past.
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Control Unit.

JAS-NTX-07b PICES Worker - The PICES Worker is little more than a basic drone-aircraft. Flaps on the wing allow for moderate maneuverability, and with the PICES receptors active it can be used as a weapon at great distances. In the nose of the worker is a revolving barrel that houses six beam cannons that can unleash an incredible amount of firepower over short distances. Unfortunately each time a beam cannon is fired, the sheer power of the blast melts the barrel into slag. The Worker then rotates the chamber to the next barrel, allowing for a maximum of 6 shots.
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-NTX-07c PICES Soldier -
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-NTX-08 Cerberus -
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-NTX-10 Crusader - Image 2 -
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-NTX-11 Ares Gundam - A Black Gundam in the possession of Neo Roanoke. He bequeathes the unit to Kira Yamato. The Ares utilizes several advanced Jovian technologies, including a 360-degree cockpit, PICES-enabled Dragoons, and a gravitic propulsion system. Though the Ares is a very powerful mobile suit, it is actually too powerful to be usable--even brief stints of combat can be fatal for the pilot.
Unit Type: 01-Derivative Test Unit

JAS-NTX-12 Angelwing - Image 2 - Image 3 -
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-NTX-12 Angelwing (Loussier Custom) -
Unit Type: Experimental PICES Unit.

JAS-OMS-05 Centurion - The first mobile-suit developed by the newly-formed Jupiter Autonomous State during the Bloody Valentine war. Though the JACS saw little combat in the war, squadrons of Centurions were assigned to transport vessels ferrying cargo from Jupiter to the Earth Sphere, and were an instrumental weapon against pirates in the rim and military attacks within the Earth Sphere.
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

JAS-OMS-05d Centurion Kai -
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

JAS-OMS-06 Hussar - Essentially an armored-version of the OMS-05 Centurion, the Hussar is coated in thick armor plating and boasts a new propulsion system to give it surprising speed and maneuverability. The Hussar was built late during the Bloody Valentine war and saw little action; only a few of these units were produced.
Unit Type: General Purpose Defense Unit.

JAS-OMS-07 Centurion II -
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

JAS-OMS-97f Centurion II High-Mobility Type -
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

JAS-OMS-09 Janissary -
Unit Type: General Purpose Interceptor Unit.

JAS-OMS-09z Janissary Kai - Image 2 -
Unit Type: Interceptor/Assault Unit.

JAS-OMS-14 Legionaire -
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

JAS-OMS-14d Legionaire Phalanx -
Unit Type: General Purpose Assault Unit.

JAS-OMS-14j Legionnaire Jager -
Unit Type: General Purpose Attack Unit.

JAS-OMS-14r Legionnaire High-Mobility Type -
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

JAS-OMS-14s Legionnaire (Renoir Custom) -
Unit Type: General Purpose Command Unit.

MBF-07a Strike II Gundam - An advanced mobile suit constructed by Morgenroete based on the Strike Gundam design; it features a giant backpack similar to that of the Aile-Striker Pack with increased power and larger wings. The Strike II is designed for Commanders and elite pilots, and although it's armor and armaments are average it possesses extreme speed. According to pilot testimonials the Strike II flies more like a fighter with arms than a mobile suit. It's armaments are mostly unchanged from those of the original Strike Gundam, save for the addition of a high-output beam saber--increasing the mobile suit's melee ability significantly.
Unit Type: Multi-Range Combat and Support Unit.

XR-100 Kestrel Gundam - A highly advanced Gundam designed by Genus Dunne, it utilises a movable frame and was designed as a highly versatile test-bed for Rubicon Industries' most advanced technologies. In addition to it's movable frame (which allows for unprecedented mobility as well as transformation into a mobile armor) the Kestrel also has a powerful mega-particle beam cannon, a prototype beam-shield, and Magnetic field-projection/manipulation technologies--allowing for a variety of beam-based defensive and offensive techniques.

XR-102S (ZGMF-X23SS) Refined Saviour Gundam - An enhanced version of the Saviour Gundam. It is lighter, faster, stronger, and more resistant to beam-weaponry. It's larger backpack makes it far more mobile than it was before. Currently piloted by Lunamaria Hawke.
Unit Type: All-Range Combat Unit.

ZGMF-1000 ZAKU Mass-Production Type - The first mass-produced version of the ZAKU mobile suit, it lacks the shoulder-mounted manuevering verniers and the ability to dock with WIZARD Striker Packs. Only a small number of these units were produced in the brief period of time before the Junon War spread across the Earth Sphere; the ZGMF-1000 was quickly replaced with the more versatile ZGMF-1000d and ZGMF-1000e variants.
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

ZGMF-1000d ZAKU - Terrestrial Combat Type - A variation of the ZGMF-X1000 designed for terrestrial combat; it's design has been simplified, eliminating the shoulder-mounted manuevering thrusters and the hip-mounted propellant tanks. First used in relief operations following the Junon-Incident, these ZAKU variants were painted green with red crosses emblazoned on their armor to designate their humanitarian mission. Unlike the initial mass-produced ZGMF-1000 models, the ZGMF-1000d is capable of mounting WIZARD striker packs to increase its firepower and battlefield versatility.
Unit Type: General Purpose Combat Unit.

ZGMF-1000e ZAKU - A variant of the ZGMF-X1000 mobile suit design designed primarily for zero and low-gravity environments, it is nearly identical to the ZAKU Prototype unit, maintaining the same design, performance and color-scheme. Unlike the Prototype units, however, the ZGMF-1000e is not equipped with phase-shift armor, adopting instead to coat certain parts of the mobile suit--most notably the front torso and shield--with Trans-Phase armor. The armor plating has been made slightly thicker, making the 1000e marginally slower and less maneuverable than the Prototype units, but the computer-system is far more advanced and the ZGMF-1000e remains a top-tier mobile suit in any conditions.
Unit Type: General Purpose Assault Unit.

ZGMF-1000e (B) Blaze ZAKU -
Unit Type: General Purpose Support Unit.

ZGMF-1000e (G) Gunner ZAKU – An E-Tyep ZAKU equipped with a powerful Gunner-type backpack, it has decreased speed and mobility but can provide extremely powerful long-range artillery support. Often a key-unit in large-scale offensive operations.
Unit Type: Medium and Long Range Support Unit.

ZGMF-1000(s) Slash ZAKU -
Unit Type: Close-Range Support Unit.

ZGMF-X23S Saviour Gundam - A prototype Gundam emphasizing speed and firepower, it has very little armor. The Saviour is capable of transforming into a fighter-like mobile armor mode granting it even greater speed and mobility.
Unit Type: Experimental Medium Range Combat Unit.

ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam - A prototype Gundam emphasizing ranged combat; its abilities are well-rounded in most aspects but it excels at long-range combat. It is designed as an artillery-type mobile suit and has excellent combat performance--both ranged and melee. It is armed with two giant beam cannons, two missile bays, two beam javelins, two beam sabers, and a traditional beam rifle and shield. The suit, however, is not as fast as the Saviour and Gaia Gundams, and posses only slightly above-average mobility. In the hands of a skilled pilot, however, the Impulse Gundam can be a devastating weapon.
Unit Type: Experimental Long Range Combat Unit.

ZGMF-X56SS Impulse Gundam Kai - A modified version of the X56S Impulse Gundam, the Impulse double-S (or Impulse Kai) is designed for terrestrial combat. It's missile capacity is increased and it's back-thrusters have been removed; in addition, the Impulse Kai is painted in more practical shades of black and dark-green.
Unit Type: Experimental Long Range Combat Unit.

ZGMF-X88S Gaia Gundam - A prototype Gundam designed for combat in difficult terrain. Its performance is roughly equal to that of the ZAKU, but it can transform into a quadrupedal mobile-armor mode allowing it to quickly traverse the most difficult of terrain.
Unit Type: Experimental Short Range Combat Unit.

ZGMF-X1000 ZAKU Prototype - The first new mobile-suit to be developed by ZAFT since the GuAIZ at the end of the Bloody Valentine war. The ZAKU is a multi-role mobile suit equipped with trans-phase armor and can be equipped with a variety of WIZARD Striker-packs. The ZAKU was developed concurrently with the XS Series Gundams--Gaia, Impulse and Saviour--and has a similar cockpit-interface.
Unit Type: Prototype General Purpose Combat Unit.

ZGMF-X2000 Gouf Prototype – A mobile suit developed as a joint-project between Rubicon Industries and ZAFT's Grunder Mobile Suit Factories, the Gouf was meant to compete with Grunder's ZAKU. Twelve proto-type units were constructed, and all 12 units were assigned to the Panzer black-ops squadron.
Unit Type: Prototype Special Operations Attack Unit

Technology:

Colony Thrusters - Around each "disc" on an Hourglass-type colony (PLANT) are twenty giant nuclear thrusters mounted of large rotating cylinders. These thrusters are designed to move colonies in the event of disaster or war and were initially used to move the PLANTs into their current positions.

High-Output Beam Saber - The high-output beam saber is slightly larger in size than a traditional beam saber and is three-to-four times more powerful. Because the beam saber is so powerful it quickly expends the energy stored in it's battery and must be placed on its mount to recharge. A high-output beam saber can only remain active for a few dozen seconds, but it recharges quickly, forcing the pilot to either defeat the enemy quickly or withdraw very-soon-after attacking.

Lift System - A potent propulsion system developed by Rubicon Technologies, Inc. The Lift System uses flat panels covered with microscopic gravitonic field generators to create an ultra-thin Zero-G field and project around a mobile suit. This makes everything within the field nearly weightless, and allow mobile suits to fly through the air with the agility of an aerospace fighter. The Zero-G fields, however, can only be generated on wide, flat surfaces, so the Lift System is generally only applied to certain parts of a mobile suit (or other craft) enabling flight, but still retaining a great deal of weight. The mass-produced mobile suit to fully incorporate the Lift System was ZAFT's ZGMF-2000 Gouf, though the Lift System was also seen in both the Blue Breaker, Saviour and Kestrel prototype models.

Phase-Shift Armor - Phase-Shift Armor is a special composite material that, when charged with a particular energy wave, shifts slightly out-of-phase with the physical universe according to the principles of Quantum Theory. In theory, the molecules of the armor are jumping from one point to a nearby point an infinite number of times each second, within an infinitesimally small area. As a result, energy weapon discharge and physical munitions have a diminished effect. It is estimated that Phase-Shift Armor incurs somewhere between 42 and 75 percent less damage than traditional armor.

PICES - PICES stands for Psycho-Intuitive Communication Enhancement System. It is a mechanism by which commands can be transmitted directly from the brain to electron equipment, allowing for immediate--and in rare cases apparently prescient--reaction times.

Radio-Tower - A radio tower is not truly a traditional radio tower, but rather a large device used to receive and boost the strength of radio signals across great distances. These devices are suspended high in the atmosphere to boost signals from Earth to Space and vice versa, as they are capable of penetrating the incredible electromagnetic interference caused by the Junon-Impact.

Trans-Phase Armor - Trans-Phase armor is similar to Phase-Shift Armor, but uses twin-oscillating energy waveforms to increase its effectiveness. It is estimated that Trans-Phase Armor is twice as effective as Phase-Shift, incurring somewhere between 90 and 150 percent less damage from weapons fire and impact. Unfortunately, Trans-Phase Armor can only be used on very small, highly enhanced plates of thin synthetic myomer, and is therefore unsuitable for large-scale use. Trans-Phase Armor is generally only applied to the most essential parts of a mobile suit--such as the cockpit--and, even then, does not cover it completely.
Last edited by Mwulf on Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:36 pm, edited 34 times in total.
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Mwulf
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Timeline:

AD 2112/CE -50
Start of the Reconstruction Wars. Dwindling petroleum resources on Earth, along with environmental pollution and the collapse of the economic power of the Western nations lead to an era of ethnic and religious strife while the Type-S Influenza virus spreads throughout the world's population. Disease and war produce massive casualties and most of the established nation-states collapse. In the ensuing chaos every nation vies for a place in the power-vacuum.

CE -26 - April 1
George Glenn, the first coordinator, is born secretly on Earth.

CE -17
Kreuze da Flaga born in Rotterdam.

CE -1
The Reconstruction Wars end.

CE 1
Space Colonization begins. Cosmic Era calendar adopted; first space-colony Copernicus completed on Luna. Several hundred O'Neil type cylindrical colonies are begun at LaGrange points 1, 3 and 4.

CE 2
George Glenn is put in charge of the design and construction of the Tchaikovsky, a long-range exploratory vessel built to travel to Jupiter and beyond.

CE 5
Tchaikovsky departs the Earth Sphere, captained by George Glenn. As the ship departs, George Glenn confesses the nature of his birth to the entire world and distributes the necessary genetic engineering techniques to the entire world. The planet is thrown into chaos.

CE 6
Kreuze da Flaga settles Nicaea, a newly constructed space-colony at LaGrange point 1.
The first generation of “coordinators” are born on Earth, genetically engineered children brought into the world by the same technologies that birthed George Glenn. Among the first generation coordinators are Edward Durandel and Marie Duvalier.

CE 7
Mass-Drivers built at Panama and Lake Victoria; construction of the new orbital colonies intensifies.

CE 8
First generation of coordinators born. Blue Cosmos, an anti-coordinator terrorist organization, is created.

CE 11
The “Children's Renaissance” begins. As the first generation of coordinators mature, their vastly superior abilities begin to manifest. Also known as the “Age of Prodigies.”
Marie Duvalier, five years old, begins her career as a professional cellist, gaining international renown.

CE 12
Tchaikovsky reaches Jupiter; George Glenn discovers the gigantic fossil known as Evidence-01 on an asteroid orbiting Europa.

CE 13
Construction of a massive cluster of 144 hourglass-shaped PLANT colonies begins at LaGrange point 5.

CE 18
George Glenn returns to the Earth Sphere; Evidence-01 is brought back with him and turned over to Descartes University on the first finished PLANT, Janus-1. George Glenn founds the Zodiac Commission to oversee research of Evidence-01.

CE 22
Construction of orbital colonies at LaGrange points in the Mars Sphere begins. Mars Terraforming Project is initiated.

CE 25
The beginning of the militarization of space. The Atlantic Federation establishes a military base on Luna and begins production of space-weapons called mobile-armors.

CE 26
George Glenn is assassinated; Blue Cosmos is rumored to be responsible. Rising anti-coordinator resentment on Earth, coupled with increasing incidents of terrorism, prompt many coordinators to emigrate into space. A majority of these colonists go to PLANT, giving the new colony cluster a reputation as a haven for coordinators.

CE 31
Kreuze da Flaga emigrates Janus-1.
Edward Durandel and Marie Duvalier are married near Bordeaux.

CE 33
Guiette Durandel born in Puimisson , France. He is the youngest son of Edward and Marie Durandel, first-generation coordinators famous for their unparalleled musical abilities.

CE 34
Large-scale colony construction begun in Jovian space. Dozens of industrial and agricultural colonies are established in orbit of Jupiter along with hundreds of mining-stations. Though the various colonies belong to their respective sponsor-nations, their isolation makes them more or less independent of Earth.

CE 37
Kreuze da Flaga, a first-generation space colonist and professor of history at PLANT's Descartes University, begins spreading a new philosophy called contolism. The general theory holds that mankind will eventually evolve into a superior life-form and coordinators exist to help facilitate the change. Contolism rapidly spreads throughout PLANT and the other space-colonies, becoming popular among most space colonists--both natural and coordinator alike.

CE 42
Gilbert Durandel born in Bessiers, France. He is the youngest son of Edward and Marie Durandel, first-generation coordinators famous for their unparalleled musical abilities.

CE 44
Kreuze da Flaga dies at the age of 62.

CE 46
Kreuze da Flaga's disowned son, Al da Flaga, visits Mendel Colony at LaGrange point 4 where he commissions Dr. Ulen Hibiki to create a clone of himself. Rau la Flaga is born later that year.

CE 49
The Jupiter Trade Consortium is established.
On a tour of the space colonies, Edward Durandel is killed when a tiny chunk of debris collides with his shuttle, decompressing the compartment and killing all of the passengers.

CE 50
Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala form the Zodiac Alliance, an organization devoted toward obtaining autonomy for PLANT and upholding the human rights of coordinators.

CE 51
Marie Durandel is violently gunned down in the middle of a concert. Her son, Gilbert Durandel, witnesses her death. Though the assassination was believed to have been the work of Blue Cosmos, no suspects are found and no arrests are made.
Gilbert Durandel, age 9, meets Rau le Creuset, age 5.

CE 53
PLANT forms a supreme council, with a single representative from each of the 144 colonies.

CE 54
Type S-2 Influenza outbreak; it is rumored to be a biological attack on natural perpetrated by coordinators as revenge for the murder of George Glenn.

CE 55
As a result of the S-2 Influenza outbreak, public attitude on genetic enhancement sours. Mendel colony is destroyed in an attack by the increasingly-powerful terrorist organization Blue Cosmos, which is rumored to have the support of the Atlantic Federation. Kira and Cagalli Hibiki are born. Caridad and Huruma Yamato help the two children survive the destruction of Mendel.
Gilbert Durandel, Guiette Durandel and Rau le Creuset move to PLANT, Guiette having won a scholarship to Descartes University. Before leaving, the nine-year-old Rau visits his father, Al da Flaga.

CE 56
Evidence-01 is moved to Aprillius-2 after all scientific testing yield inconclusive results.

CE 57
The Atlantic Federation, along with the Eurasian Confederacy and the Republic of East Asia, establish a military presence in PLANT, whose population is estimated to be 90% coordinators.

CE 58
Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala are elected to PLANT's supreme council; Siegel Clyne becomes Supreme Chairman.

CE 60
The PLANTs become the primary source of energy and manufactured goods for Earth. The sponsor-nations use their military power to reap greater and greater benefits from the colonies, steadily raising taxes and industrial quotas.

CE 63
Increasing terrorist activities in space, as well as growing resentment against naturals prompts Siegel Clyne to research the military applications of Mobile Suits. With the help of Patrick Zala, Clyne increases the national government of PLANT and bans the teaching of contolism.

CE 65
Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty. PLANT declares its autonomy from the sponsor nations and begins developing a military force. The first fully-functional mobile-suit designed for combat operations, the GINN, is developed and deployed. ZAFT, the name of PLANT's military branch, is placed under the command of Patrick Zala.

CE 67
The Three-Week War begins. A military force from the sponsor-nations sent to subjugate PLANT is defeated; after which the sponsor-nations still refuse to recognize PLANT's autonomy, but allow it nonetheless.

CE 69
PLANT and the Atlantic Federation engage in open hostilities; start of the Bloody Valentine war.

CE 70 - January 12
The Atlantic Federation demands that the Jupiter Trade Consortium cease all of its business with PLANT. The Trade Consortium refuses and is dissolved; all of their assets outside of the Jupiter Sphere are seized.

CE 70 - February 7
The Atlantic Federation announces the formation of the Earth Alliance, pooling their military forces with those of many other Terran nations; most notably the Eurasian Confederation.

CE 70 - February 14
The Bloody-Valentine Incident. The Earth Federation uses nuclear weapons on the agricultural PLANT Junius Seven. Nearly 250,000 civilians are killed. Rather than retaliate with nuclear weapons, Siegel Clyne orders to use of neutron-jammer.

CE 70 - February 18
The United States of South America and the Oceania Union, motivated by the prospect of unfettered trade and the horror of the Bloody Valentine incident, enter the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty.

CE 70- March 20
Former director of the Jupiter Trade Consortium, Guillette Durandel, establishes a loose colonial republic at the Roma colony cluster. The republic asserts its independence of Earth and declares itself to be the Jupiter Autonomous State. Using the former resources of the Jupiter Trade Consortium, Guillette Durandel rapidly turns the JAS into an industrial powerhouse and cuts off trade with both the Earth Federation and PLANT, adopting the policy of never trading with a nation engaged in open hostilities.

CE 71 - May 5
Operation Spit-Break. ZAFT forces attack the Atlantic Federation naval headquarters at Alaska. The Atlantic Federation, who knew of the attack in advance, sacrificed thousands of Eurasian soldiers in the defense of the base after they set up its self-destruct sequence and fled. Following the battle relations between the Eurasian Confederacy and the Atlantic Federation were extremely poor, but Eurasia remained a member of the Alliance for the duration of the war.

CE 71 - May 9
Clyne Rebellion; Siegel Clyne rebels against the government of PLANT with the support of many soldiers; fully 30% of ZAFT's space forces openly join the Clyne faction, but flee PLANT rather than fight ZAFT directly--their goal is a peaceful, bloodless end to the war. Siegel Clyne remains at PLANT and is assassinated soon thereafter; leadership of the rebel faction passes to his daughter, Lacus Clyne, who demonstrates remarkable ability.

CE 71 - June 15
EA Attacks ORB; Shinn's family is accidentally killed as a result of Kira Yamato's duel with invading EA forces.

CE 71 - September 26
Battle of Jachin Due. The Bloody Valentine War ends.

CE 71 - October 1
The Eurasian Confederation formally withdraws from the Earth Alliance.

CE 72
ORB, PLANT and several other financial backers initiate construction of a new cluster of space-colonies at LaGrange point 2, independent of any existing nation.

CE 74
Geranea, Athens, Thermon, Hestiaea and Delphi colonies built at LaGrange 2, operating under an autonomous government separate both from PLANT and the Earth Alliance are completed. The autonomous republic adapts the name "Independent Colonies."

CE 75 - January 1
15 additional colonies completed at L2.

CE 76 - April 19
ORB proposes the construction of forty additional colonies at LaGrange point 2 in anticipation of an expected post-war population boom and to accommodate the ever-increasing rate of space-migration. Surprising everyone, newly-elected Supreme Chairman of PLANT, Gilbert Durandel, endorses the proposal and goes further--agreeing to help fund and construct a total of 60 new colonies and L2. Detractors that claim the project is wasteful--but Durandel promises that PLANT's resources will not be strained, which--however impossible it seemed to be--proved true Durandel was able to provide enormous amounts of raw resources for the L2 construction at exponentially low costs.

CE 77 - March 12
Start of the "Pirate Crisis". A Eurasian ambassador visiting PLANT's deep-space mining operation at Nibel (A giant resource-satellite) is killed when pirates raid the site. Following the incident ZAFT engages in a handful of small scuffles with the Eurasian space-forces and hunts down the pirates responsible.

CE 77 - March 19
End of the "Pirate Crisis".

CE 77 - December 24
Chairman Durandel secretly increases PLANT's military budget and begins remilitarizing ZAFT. PLANT imports vast quantities of resources from the Asteroid belt without publicly spending any money.

CE 78 - August 28
ZAFT's remilitarization made public; many Earth nations voice their disapproval. Fear of another invasion strengthens anti-coordinator resentment.

CE 78 - September 3
Cagalli Yula Atha travels to plant; the Minerva launches.

CE 78 - September 6
Joule team encounters Zala loyalists outside of Rhodes colony.

CE 78 - September 7
Joule team joins forces with the Minerva and the combined fleet determines to hunt down the terrorists rather than proceed to LaGrange Point 2. Terrorists flee to the debris belt.

CE 78 - September 11
The Minerva and the Joule-team engage the Zala-loyalists in battle in the area near the Junius-Seven ruins. The terrorists succeed in using the power of the damaged PLANT to rapidly push the abandoned resource-satellite Junon onto a collision-course with Earth. Zala-loyalists also break the giant asteroid into fragments in order to cause the greatest possible damage to the greatest possible area. Cagalli Yula Atha and ORB join the fight, but are forced to fall into the atmosphere along with Junon. The fragments crash to earth, destroying almost everything and leaving nothing but chaos in their wake. Minerva returns to Plant, Joule-team is assigned to hunt down the Zala-loyalist remnant.

CE 78 - September 13
Joule team engages Zala-loyalists in the "Boaz Sea" shoal zone; EA forces based at Bruges prepare to counter-attack.

CE 78 - September 22
At 8:08pm, the majority of the EA space forces gather and attack the neutral colony Corinth. The Joule-team responds, but the colony is heavily-damaged. The Joule-team manages to keep the EA fleet at Corinth long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

CE 78 - September 23
Minerva, along with ZAFT fleet, arrive at Corinth and rout the EA fleet, which then self-destructs. Lunamaria Hawke earns a special commendation for superior valor in the battle.

CE 78 - September 24
Minerva proceeds to Delphi colony for repairs and resupply. Crew is assigned shore-leave on an alternating schedule.

CE 78 - September 26
Minerva's pilots granted shore leave; Heine Westenfluss is assigned to the Minerva along with two other pilots for the new ZAKU prototypes. Minerva is ordered to Earth.

CE 78 - October 1
Minerva is attacked during atmospheric-entry; Shinn is shot down and the Minerva is forced to make a crash-landing. Shinn is captured by guerrillas. ORB fleet arrives to escort the Minerva to Onogoro.

CE 78 - October 2
ORB rendezvous' with Minerva; Impulse Gundam is recovered but the pilot is not. ORB fleet and Minerva sail to Penang for repairs--continuing to search for Shinn Asuka. Meanwhile, Shinn helps his captors fight off a government attack.

CE 78 - October 3
Government forces attack the guerrillas in force; nearly everyone is massacred. Shinn, Sumalee and Klahan escape the battlefield and flee North along the coast.

CE 78 - October 4
Minerva repaired and forced to leave for ORB. Shinn Asuka officially listed as missing-in-action.

CE 78 - October 7
Start of Operation Endurance: ZAFT begins sending humanitarian aid down to Earth; multiple refugee camps are established near ZAFT-controlled territories.

CE 78 - October 18
In response to the massive food-shortage following the Junon incident, the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Confederacy go to war; because of the lack of communication it is unknown who started the war. Each side hopes to gain control over the few remaining agriculturally viable areas in North and Central America.

CE 78 - October 22
In response to the increasing violence on Earth and certain acts of terrorism staged against the refugee camps on Earth, ZAFT begins sending small numbers of mobile-suits down to the planet to defend the relief workers. The newly mass-produced ZAKU mobile suits are included in the operation.

CE 78 - October 30
ZAFT is successful in establishing a rudimentary communication network on the surface of the Earth; communication between Earth and the space colonies is reestablished.

CE 78 - November 17
Neo Roanoke, an emissary of the Jovian Autonomous Colonial States (also called the Jupiter Autonomous State), arrives at Delphi and meets with Meere Campbell and Gilbert Durandel. Roanoke later swears fealty to Durandel. Shinn, Sumalee and Klahan arrive at a ZAFT refugee camp in Eastern India shortly before Lord Djibril attacks the refugee camp. Klahan is killed in the battle and Shinn commandeers an allied ZAKU sent in to help defend the refugees.

CE 78 - November 19
Lord Djibril attacks a ZAFT refugee center south of Myanmar; Shinn, Sumalee and Klahan are caught in the attack; Klahan is killed. Shinn commandeers a mobile suit and helps fight off Djibril's forces. ZAFT forces recover Shinn and Sumalee and take them to ZAFT's military base at Myanmar.

CE 78 - November 24
Meere Campbell, First Citizen of the Independent Colonies, signs the Ghent Papers, officially agreeing to Gilbert Durandel's Destiny Plan. This agreement is withheld from the public until Durandel publicly announced the Destiny Plan on December 25.

CE 78 - November 25
The Minerva is ordered to Gibraltar.

CE 78 - November 26
Neo Roanoke, Sting Oakley and Auel and Stellar Loussier leave Delphi for Earth.

CE 78 - November 28
Minerva arrives at Gibraltar; the Impulse Gundam undergoes an extensive repair and is modified for improved performance in terrestrial combat. The new Impulse is christened the Impulse-Kai, or ZGMF-X56SS Impulse Gundam.

CE 78 - November 29
Shinn arranges for Sumalee to travel into space to live with his foster family at Adrianapolis. Shinn is reassigned to the 13th Mobile Suit squadron, which is given the mission of reinforcing the Gibraltar base.

CE 78 - December 1
The 13th Mobile Suit squadron supports the Minerva in defending a drop-ship landing in Atlantic Federation territory. Most of the 13th MS squadron is killed; those who survived the battle--including Shinn Asuka--are reassigned as support pilots on the Minerva.

CE 78 - December 7
Under orders from Ezalia Joule, Noah Jung begins investigating the terrorists responsible for the Junon-incident.

CE 78 - December 11-15
The Battle of Berlin; the war between the Eurasian Confederacy and the Atlantic Federation comes to a head in the city of Berlin, as the military forces of both nations collide. The city of Berlin is completely destroyed, and neither the Atlantic Federation nor the Eurasians are able to claim a solid victory. Tens of thousands of soldiers--and countless civilians--are killed in the battle.

CE 78 - December 17
Schwartzwoche Armistice: the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Confederation declare a temporary truce, and armed conflict between the two superpowers decreases--though still continues. Both sides try to use the lull in combat to lick their wounds and prepare to resume the conflict with renewed vigor as soon as possible.

CE 78 - December 18
ZAFT declares a cessation of operations, temporarily halting all military operations and refugee-support operations on the Earth's surface.

CE 78 - December 23
Noah Jung discovers evidence in the computer records linking Gilbert Durandel to the perpetrators of the Junon-incident. The evidence implies that Durandel was responsible for allowing the terrorists a safe-haven in the Earth Sphere and kept them from prosecution. Noah Jung delivers the information to Ezalia Joule, who decides to keep it to herself until she can present an ironclad case against Durandel.

CE 78 - December 25
Gilbert Durandel uses ZAFT's hastily constructed planetary communications network on Earth to broadcast a speech across the entire Earth Sphere. Durandel reiterates the chaos of the Junon-incident, but bloodbath of the war between Eurasia and the Atlantic Federation, and ZAFT's own efforts to help the increasing number of refugees on the planet. Durandel introduces a bold new vision of the future, dubbed the "Destiny Plan" to the world, which is embraced enthusiastically by the people of Earth.

CE 79 - January 1
The first wave of colony ships depart Earth and sail for the Independent Colonies. The United Emirates of ORB begin to divert their own resources to build similar orbital launch vehicles to further hasten the completion of the Destiny Plan.

CE 79 - February 14
Estimates place 40% of the Earth's surviving population successfully relocated to Earth.

CE 79 - February 26
More and more civilians refuse to participate in the Destiny Plan, preferring instead to try and mete out a living on the scorched Earth. Durandel decrees that every civilian is the be extricated to a safe home in the Independent Colonies, but many protest. Finally, Durandel permits the use of violence to forcibly extricate unwilling populations.

CE 79 - March 1
The "Great Freeze" is named. Due to severe climate changes wrought on the planet by the Junon disaster, the Earth is stuck in a perpetual state of winter.

CE 79 - March 2
Durandel forms the Panzer Squadron, a special-forces mobile suit task force assigned to pacify more violent populations. The Panzers are ordered to kill anyone who refuses to accept the Destiny Plan.

CE 79 - March 4
Panzers massacre the entire city of Dakar. News of the even is withheld, but rumors reach ORB. Cagalli Yula Atha dismisses the rumors as unfounded, but her brother chooses to investigate the truth of the matter on his own.

CE 79 - March 5
Lacus Clyne and Kira Yamato take a small contingent of ORB warships (including one mobile suit carrier) into the Indian Sea, ostensibly under orders from ORB to monitor the various ZAFT forces involved in Operation Destiny.

CE 79 - March 7
Richard Henne orchestrates a meeting with influential people from all over the planet; as a result of this meeting the paramilitary organization, Atlas, is formed.

CE 79 - March 20
With the Destiny Plan nearing 80% completion, PLANT's supreme council leaves the capital to join Durandel on Earth.

CE 79 - March 22
Kira Yamato engages two members of the Panzer squadron in a remote village near the coast of the Black Sea. One of the Panzers is killed and the other manages to escape. Viewing the massacre, Kira vows to stop Durandel.

CE 79 - March 23
Atlas attacks the military base in Germany where Durandel was to meet the incoming members of the Supreme Council. Atlas' debut on the world stage was marked with a grand attempt to sever the head of PLANT's government. Of the six shuttles carrying members of the Supreme Council, five were destroyed and a sixth was missing. Full casualty reports were unknown at this time, but the Supreme Chairman of PLANT, Gilbert Durandel, amazingly survived the attack, but the effect on ZAFT's morale was still great.

CE 79 - March 31
Atlas forces attack the ZAFT base at Izmir, where the Minerva is docked. Using bizarre remote-weapons Atlas manages to decimate the defending ZAFT mobile suits and lay waste to the base. Shinn Asuka, however, determines the source of the remote weapons and engages the craft in combat. As a result of his actions, the remote weapons are destroyed and the Minerva is saved, but in the process of doing so Shinn's Impulse-Kai is destroyed in battle and Shinn is left to fend for himself in the wild until the Minerva can spare the time and resources to send out a search party.

CE 79 - April 1
Shinn Asuka meets Stellar Loussier, the Atlas pilot who was controlling the remote weapons. The two work together to stay alive during a fierce thunderstorm and establish a friendly rapport, even though the two are enemies. ZAFT forces later rescue Shinn, capturing Stellar as a prisoner of war. Upon returning to the Atlas base in Edirne, Neo Roanoke departs for the Atlantic Federation. Auel learns of Stellar's capture and goes berserk Stealing the prototype mobile suit Blue Breaker, Auel begins attacking ZAFT forces indiscriminately in an attempt to find his sister. Shortly before midnight, Auel attacks the ZAFT base in Athens, Greece, and shoots down twelve colony ships as they launch, killing an estimated 48,000 civilians.

CE 79 - April 2
The Blue Breaker annihilates a ZAFT fleet in the Aegean Sea. The Blue Breaker later attacks and destroys a ZAFT supply convoy in Western Turkey.

CE 79 - April 3
Auel takes the Blue Breaker to the fortified city of Adana, attacking the ZAFT forces stationed there. In the Atlantic Federation, Neo Roanoke places a bomb in the Senate Building, assassinating key Federations leaders--including many that supported the Atlas Organization. As a result of the attack, Senator Treebach comes to power and leads the Atlantic Federation to adopt a pro-Destiny Plan policy, allying themselves with Durandel and PLANT.
Kira Yamato once again engages ZAFT's Panzer Squadron in combat. Kira is unprepared for the battle and is nearly destroyed, but his life is saved when Neo Roanoke appears and drives off the ZAFT forces. Neo Roanoke invited Kira to join Atlas.

CE 79 - April 4
The Minerva, though badly damaged from its defeat at Izmir, proceeds to Adana to defend against the Blue Breaker's attack. After a fierce battle, the Blue Breaker is defeated, but Phantom Pain intervenes and rescues the Blue Breaker's pilot, Auel Loussier. Seizing upon the panic and confusion of the battle, Stellar Loussier manages to escape from her cell in the Minerva.
The Gaia Gundam is destroyed and its pilot, Rey za Burrel, is mortally injured.

CE 79 - April 9
ZAFT's First Terrestrial Fleet is officially formed. Though consisting primarily of the new Maab-class carriers, the Fleet is ordered to Earth as the first wave of ZAFT's counterattack against Atlas.

CE 79 - April 16
Ezalia Joule obtains evidence implying that Gilbert Durandel was the mastermind of the Junon disaster, but in the face of Durandel's overwhelming popular support she is unable to do anything with the information.

CE 79 - April 21
Neo Roanoke leads Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne to Istanbul, to meet with the leaders of the Atlas organization.
Gilbert Durandel returns to PLANT.

CE 79 - April 28
Heine Westenfluss is transferred from the Minerva to the elite Panzer squadron. Arthur Trine is promoted to the rank of captain, and ordered to take command of the newly-commissioned Excalibur, the new flagship of the First Terrestrial Fleet.
Lunamaria Hawke and Shinn Asuka depart Gibraltar for Seoul, where they are to pick up their two new mobile suits personally from the Rubicon Technologies, inc., Terrestrial R&D (research and development) department's Advanced Technology Laboratory.

CE 79 - April 29
The President of the Jovian Autonomous State, Guiette Durandel, is assassinated.

CE 79 - April 30
Based on information obtained from the captive, Stellar Loussier, ZAFT's First Terrestrial Fleet attacks Atlas' base of operations, the subterranean city Gaia.
Ezalia Joule, the only surviving member of ZAFT's Supreme Council, is killed in the battle.
The Jovian-built Ares Gundam, piloted by Kira Yamato, makes its first combat appearence.
The Gundam Kestrel (piloted by Shinn Asuka) and the refined Saviour Gundam (piloted by Lunamaria Hawke) make their respective combat debuts.
A coup in ORB deposes Cagalli Yula Atha from leadership. The coup was timed to co-incide with the ORB fleet turning against ZAFT allies at the battle over Gaia.
Last edited by Mwulf on Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:05 am, edited 6 times in total.
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Episode 01: Prelude To Battle

June 15, CE 71: The Earth Alliance invades the sovereign nation of ORB in an attempt to seize control of the Kaguya mass-driver. Shinn Asuka and his family rush to pack up their belongings and flee their home as Uzumi Nara Atha's order of evacuation plays on the television; they run out of their home and into a crowded bus as an M1 Astray crashes into a nearby building. Several Alliance Dagger mobile-suits appear, shooting at the fleeing ORB mobile suits as the bus with Shinn and his family flees.

Kira Yamoto, piloting the Gundam Freedom, engages the three EA Gundams (Forbidden, Calamity and Raider) in the skies above a military port at Onogoro Island. The Calamity fires its twin high-energy beam cannons, which Kira dodges. The beams pierce through an ORB battleship and it explodes. Shinn and his family, along with many other refugees that fled to the port are showered with debris from the exploding battleship. Kira continues to trade shots with the three EA Gundams as the terrified civilians pack themselves into a transport ship. On the ship, Shinn is violently thrown off the ship by a panic-stricken man and falls into the sea; losing sight of his parents and little sister in the confusion.

While fighting the Forbidden and Calamity, a Dagger tries to attack Kira from behind, but is cut down instead. Shinn struggles to stay afloat in the churning waters as his family shouts at him from the deck of the ship. Shinn watches as the Freedom slices the Dagger in two, and each burnt half of the mobile suit crash down onto the refugee ship, exploding in a plume of orange fury. Shinn's sister screams his name as she disappears in the flames. Shards of flesh and blood splatter Shinn's face. He screams at the Gundams fighting in the sky above him and faints. Shinn's body washes away in the sea while the battle for ORB continues.

Ezalia Joule is seen meeting with an EA Admiral. A short narration details the events following the battle of Jachin Due. Both the EA and ZAFT lost the majority of their fighting ability along with their respective wills to fight, and thus sign a peace-treaty. After the unprecedented violence of the Bloody Valentine War, both the Earth Alliance and PLANT are threatened more by internal strife than each other. The Earth forces abandon most of their colonies and stations in space, withdrawing their decimated fleets to a handful of orbital facilities. The EA lacks the resources to repair the majority of it's ships. The Blue Cosmos influence in the Alliance Assembly is apparently removed, while most of Patrick Zala's supporters in PLANT are stripped of power and the Clyne-faction is granted amnesty. Seven years after the war's end the Earth Sphere is still in a state of chaos. The Earth Alliance has all-but collapsed, leaving the fragmented nations of Earth to fend for themselves. The delicate political landscape of the PLANTs has fallen under the control of the most decisive leader since Patrick Zala, Gilbert Durandel, who has started re-arming the ZAFT fleets. ORB protests this re-armament, and the Chairman of ZAFT agrees to meet with a representative from ORB to discuss the re-militarization effort.

October 3, CD 78: Cagalli Yula Atha, Chief Representative of ORB, along with a diplomatic entourage, arrives at a PLANT colony. Her envoy is greeted by an honor guard from ZAFT to escort her to a diplomatic conference with Chairman Gilbert Durandel, leader of ZAFT in the Capital. A group of young ZAFT pilots (including Lunamaria Hawke and Shinn Asuka) whisper to each other as they watch the delegation from ORB pass by. Lunamaria asks Shinn what he thinks the ORB princess is there to do, but Shinn turns his head and walks away silently.

Gilbert Durandel prepares to meet the ORB delegation in his office, while several advisers stress to him the necessity of appearing strong. ZAFT lost most of its military capabilities in the Bloody Valentine War, and the lingering animosity from the conflict still remains. If ZAFT shows the slightest weakness, Durandel's advisers fear that the Earth Alliance--and the Atlantic Federation in particular--will see it as an open-invitation to resume the war, and the colonies would not have the resources to defend themselves in a protracted conflict. Durandel interrupts his advisers, saying that the new mobile suits will be a more than adequate display of strength, and that it is time for him to go and meet the "Soldier-Princess" from ORB.

Meanwhile, in open space near LaGrange-point 1, three Nazca-class ZAFT warships approach the abandoned colony, Rhodes. On board, Yzak Joule and Dearka Elsman discuss the rumors of the rebel ZAFT military units that refused to recognize the treaty ending the first Bloody Valentine War gathering at an abandoned L4 colony. The rebels are ZAFT soldiers that still follow the path that Patrick Zala preached seven years prior. Yzak says their mission is to eliminate the ZAFT remnant before they can do any damage. ZAFT's intelligence indicates that most of the rebels are gathering at Rhodes in preparation for a terrorist attack against the current ZAFT government code-named "Operation Skybreak". Yzak wonders what the purpose of the operation is, and how ZAFT found out about it. Dearka comments that they should not underestimated soldiers that have held true to their beliefs for so long without anyone supporting them.

Yzak silences Dearka with a quick nod and says that now is the perfect time to strike and remove the soldiers that still follow Patrick Zala's genocidal beliefs once and for all. Dearka says that it will probably be an easy battle since the Zala-loyalists only have older-type GINNs and CGUEs mobile suits at their disposal. Yzak says he hopes Dearka is correct and gives the order to launch. Sixteen GuAIZ mobile suits launch from the three Nazca-class warships and boost towards the colony. Dearka and Yzak don their helmets and prepare to sortie as well.

Chairman Durandel meets with Cagalli and they board the Minerva--the first ZAFT warship to be commissioned since the end of the war. Durandel boasts that the Minerva's state-of-the-art propulsion system could sail the ship from PLANT to Alexandria (Mars) and back in less than forty days. Cagalli asks if it's truly necessary to hold the conference on board a warship. Durandel says that the conference will double as an inspection of the new autonomous colonies being constructed at LaGrange-point two as part of a joint effort between ORB and ZAFT. In the hangar of the Minerva, Shinn is chastised by a mechanic for failing to take care of his mobile suit. Shinn apologizes, and climbs into the cockpit of his mobile suit, the ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam. He begins running a diagnostic on the system, but as he glances at the stylized "head" of his Gundam he remembers the stoic "faces" of the Freedom, Calamity and Forbidden as they fought at ORB. Shinn then wonders what Cagalli will say to Durandel, and what she hopes to accomplish. Shinn forces himself out of his musing by slamming his fist on a cockpit-screen and saying to himself that it doesn't matter, and resumes work.

Cagalli and Durandel sit down in an observation room just under the Minerva's bridge. The Minerva launches. Cagalli tries to start talking to Durandel about ZAFT's recent re-militarization, but Durandel interrupts her saying that there will be plenty of time for that conversation later, and that for now she should enjoy the view. Cagalli sighs and looks out the window as the Minerva exits the colony's port and heads into open space.

Yzak, Dearka and their team of mobile suits enter Rhodes-colony where the Zala-loyalists are supposed to be. Rhodes is a dry wasteland and the air inside the colony is saturated with dust. Dearka and Yzak fly their GuAIZ mobile suites through the center of the colony and scan the "floor" for activity while the rest of their team splits up. Yzak quickly realizes that the colony is empty and exclaims that they've been had. Dearka continues to scan the surface of the colony but sees nothing. He frowns, and says that maybe the Zala-loyalists are gathering in a different colony, or have already left. Yzak calls Dearka an idiot, and orders his team to return to the Nazca-ships.

Next Episode: Those Who Seek War
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:33 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Antares
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Very interesting concept, it seems that you are doing what I started to do (write a short alternative for GSD) before it got out of hand. :wink: I can't help but feel that there is so much more we would like to see than just a summary. Then again this could work as a basis for later, larger installments. Anyways, it looks interesting. Different kind of personal chemistry, and I liked the point Rey makes in ep three about them all graduating too soon. :) And by the looks of your intro you have a lot more lined up, so keep'em comin'.
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
Ravager
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Still,can't help playing devil's advocate here,how did 105 Daggers appear so early in the Battle of Orb and i'm kinda hazy concerning when your alternate-GSD takes place.Is it still CE73?
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Mwulf
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Episode 02: Those Who Seek War

As Yzak's team leaves Rhodes Colony, they detect a single recon-type GINN. Yzak orders 2 pilots to launch and capture the rebel GINN pilot for interrogation. Dearka asks Yzak if it wouldn't be better to simply destroy the GINN, by Yzak says he's still worried about the rumors of ZAFT-rebels gathering at Rhodes, and fears that the reason they left was because they had already determined a course of action. Dearka shrugs and moves to the edge of the Nazca's bridge to watch as the two GuAIZ mobile suits approach the GINN. The GuAIZs and GINN exchange several shots, but one of the GuAIZ mobile suits manages to get behind the GINN and grab onto it while the other GuAIZ cut off the Ginn's arms and legs. As the GuAIZs return to Yzak's Nazca with the captive, the rebel pilot initiates his suit's self destruct. Yzak curses in frustration as the GINN and the GuAIZ towing it explode. The second GuAIZ is severely damaged, but still operational. Dearka orders the Nazca to open its hangar and pick up the damaged GuAIZ. Yzak wonders if he was too late and failed his mission. A communications officer alerts Yzak that the Minerva is nearby and that he is ordered to rendezvous with the new warship at best-possible speed. Yzak orders the Nazca trio to set-course for the Minerva and stares out at the empty starfield, wondering where the Zala-loyalists scurried off to.

On the Minerva, Cagalli asks Durandel why ZAFT is funding new armament-production, like the new warship they are on, rather than increasing its presence in the Asteroid Belt and Lunar mines to strengthen ZAFT's economy and access to resources. Cagalli says that the colonies will never be able to stand on their own so long as they rely on goods imported from Earth, and that the Earth itself cannot afford to sustain those living in space indefinitely. This problem will only increase as the newly-constructed L2 colonies are completed. Durandel counters by saying that the new weapons serve an equally important purpose, being symbols of strength that are necessary for ZAFT to maintain an ordered national identity. Cagalli asks if such things are truly necessary, and Durandel says that the greatest deterrent to war has always been the threat of war. ZAFT's new weapons are not enough to fight a war, he says, but they may be enough to prevent one from occurring. Cagalli says she doesn't understand what he means; all weapons do is encourage fighting. The easier it is for two opponents to fight each other, she argues, the more likely it is that they will. Durandel says he can understand her perspective, but suggests that an inspection of the new mobile suits might help her to better understand his.

On the Minerva's bridge the captain, Talia Gladys, drinks a cup of coffee while the bridge-crew go about their routine. An officer announces that three Nazca-class ships are coming into range. Talia asks if they can open up a comm channel, but is told that there is still too much interference. Another crew member reports some unusual readings in the distance towards the debris belt. Talia asks if it might be the result of solar activity or comets, but is told that it appears to be artificial. Talia says that as soon as they meet up with the Joule-team, they will make a short-detour to the debris belt to investigate before continuing to L2.

Mechanics and maintenance workers swarm about the Minerva's hangar deck, moving the mobile suits out of their locks and into a neat line on the deck for the Chairman's inspection. Shinn is talking with fellow pilot Rey za Burrel near the normal-suit changing room as Lunamaria runs past. Shinn stops her for a moment and asks her what all the commotion is about. Luna tells him that Chairman Durandel is preparing an inspection to show-off the new mobile-suits to ORB's representative. Shinn is mildly shocked, and wonders if Cagalli is truly so far removed from her father's ideals that she enjoys the aura of machines designed to kill. Rey smiles and says that now is the time for them to show everyone why they were good enough to pilot the new mobile suits and Luna agrees with him. Rey and Shinn head to their bunks to change into their formal uniforms.

Shinn, Luna, Rey and the rest of the Minerva's pilots stand at attention while Durandel and Cagalli enter the hangar. Standing at attention like human soldiers are eight of ZAFT's newest mobile-suit prototypes. The first five are prototypes for ZAFT's new mass-production line, the ZGMF-1000 ZAKU, painted a soft shade of blue with pale-gold trim. The ZAKUs utilize trans-phase armor and therefore have superior durability. The last three mobile suits are Gundams. The first is Rey za Burrel's unit, the Gaia Gundam, painted black and red. The second is the Saviour Gundam, painted bright red and piloted by Lunamaria Hawke. It is designed for superior speed and mobility, and is therefore somewhat lacking in defensive capability. The last mobile suit belongs to Shinn Asuka, the Impulse Gundam. It is a well-balanced machine with above-average speed, armor, mobility and firepower.

Durandel and Cagalli walk down the stairs from the main catwalk to the hangar floor, followed by several security officers. Durandel says that though ZAFT lacks the resources to fully mass-produce these mobile suits, simply producing a visible quantity of them will cause the warmongers to think ZAFT can mass-produce them and thus serve as a deterrent. Cagalli asks Durandel if he really thinks such a half-hearted defense will be feasible in the long-term. Durandel laughs and tells Cagalli that in war the actual capability of an army is usually less important that the perceived capability of that army. So long as ZAFT appears to be strong, it will be able to stand on a position of strength.

However, Durandel says, he does plan on constructing enough new mobile suits to defend PLANT should the need arise. Cagalli asks Durandel who poses enough of a threat to ZAFT to warrant such actions, reminding him that most of the Earth nations are too busy with internal troubles to worry about what happens in space. Durandel tells her that as long as Naturals have weapons, they will almost certainly turn those weapons against coordinators. Without a fundamental shift in human nature, the envy between Natural and Coordinators will never end, and that envy will almost always lead to violence. Durandel tells Cagalli that Blue Cosmos is not simply an organization--it is a way of thinking that pervades the mindsets of many Naturals. So long as the distinctions of "Natural" and "Coordinator" exist, humanity will be divided. Durandel tells Cagalli that long ago people used flimsy notions of ethnicity and religion as excuses for war, and that attitude took millennia to diminish, though it still exists. Coordinators and Naturals are truly different; there are no semantics, and the gap between the two groups is, therefore, much harder to bridge. Cagalli says that Durandel may be right, but that so long as people continue to think like he does the world will never change.

While Durandel and Cagalli talk, they slowly move down the line of mobile suits. At the end of the assembly, Shinn shifts his footing uncomfortably.

Yzak sits in the captain's chair of a Nazca-class vessel. An officer tells him that the Nazca group will rendezvous with the Minerva in three hours. Dearka crosses his arms and leans against a bulkhead. As the Nazcas cruise through space, an alarm klaxon sounds on the bridge. An officer shouts that a trio of CGUE mobile suits--presumably from the rebel ZAFT forces--are approaching the Nazcas at combat-speed. Yzak angrily asks where the CGUEs came from, but no other ships can be detected. Yzak gives the order to launch all mobile suits to defend the Nazcas. Dearka head toward the hangar and Yzak starts to follow, but Dearka stops him and tells him that the captain needs to stay on the bridge until he knows exactly what his happening. Yzak snarls and tells Dearka to hurry.

Dearka and 5 other GuAIZ pilots launch from the Nazcas. The CGUEs closed fast, and three of the GuAIZ were destroyed while launching from their respective Nazca-carriers. Dearka boosts upward while two of the CGUEs charge Yzak's Nazca, and destroys one of them. The other CGUE cuts down a GuAIZ and then goes after Dearka. After exchanging fire with one another, neither Dearka nor the CGUE are able to land any direct hits. Dearka gets the CGUE to follow him in a wide arc, luring the CGUE directly in front of the Nazca's 66mm Dual Railgun. After the Nazca destroys the CGUE. Dearka watches as the remaining Joule-team GuAIZs rout rout the CGUEs. Two CGUEs flee the battle after the others are destroyed, and Yzak orders the Joule team to follow them in hopes of finding the Zala-loyalists.

On the bridge of a Laurasia-class vessel, a Zala-loyalist captain is informed that they've been discovered by the Nazcas, and that the CGUE force was nearly destroyed. An officer informs the captain that repairs on the engine are still under way, and that they won't be able to outrun the Nazcas. The captain complains that they won't be able to make it to the operation-point in time, and that their discovery could very well have jeopardized the operation. The captain tells his crew that the time has finally come to crush the naturals, and that it is their sacred obligation to fight off the ZAFT ships long enough for "Operation Skybreak" to succeed.

Cagalli and Durandel near the end of the inspection. Cagalli tells Durandel that the only reason Naturals fight Coordinators is because Naturals feel threatened by Coordinators, and increasing ZAFT's military will only heighten that threat. Weapons incite violence, she says. Durandel says that may be true, but Shinn shouts at Cagalli and calls her a hypocrite. Shinn tells Cagalli that Durandel is doing the same thing her father, Uzumi Nara Atha did, and by chastising the Chairman she is shaming her family. Shinn asks Cagalli what is wrong with fighting to preserve ones beliefs. He asks her if she didn't do the same in the Bloody Valentine war. Before Cagalli can answer to Shinn's barrage, however, Rey and Luna drag him take him away. Rey bows to Cagalli and apologizes on behalf of Shinn, and tells her that Shinn lost his family in the battle for ORB. Cagalli starts to apologize, but Durandel stops her and tells her such things are not necessary

On the bridge of the Minerva, Talia is told that the Joule-team is engaged in battle with an unknown force. The Minerva's sensors pick up a single unregistered Laurasia-class warship headed toward the debris belt at a reduced speed. Talia speculates that its engines are damaged. The sensor officer then informs Talia that the Joule-team is advancing on the Laurasia-class at combat-speed. Talia then orders the Minerva, too, to advance on the Laurasia and orders all crew members to battle-stations. Rey and Lunamaria try to ask Shinn why he got so upset at Cagalli, but he is unresponsive. The call to battlestations resounds throughout the ship, and the three test-pilots head off to their respective Gundams.

Next Episode: A Call To Arms
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Episode 03: A Call To Arms

Yzak, Dearka and several other pilots engage the lone Laurasia in a brief firefight, quickly destroying the two remaining CGUEs. Yzak lands his GuAIZ in front of the Laurasia's bridge and uses its dual-beam claw to decapitate the vessel. The Laurasia lists, and the Joule-team GuAIZs back away from the vessel. A swift artillery barrage from the Joule-team's trio of Nazca's destroys the Laurasia in a plume of light-red flame. The Zala-loyalist captain smiles and says that it's too late to stop Operation Skybreak as his ship explodes around him. Yzak turns away from the blast and slowly drifts towards the Nazcas. He spots the Minerva approaching and comments that they missed all the fun. Dearka shrugs and asks Yzak what he expected from a ship piloted by a rookies.

Cagalli and Durandel enter the Minerva's bridge. Talia informs Durandel that the Joule team destroyed the rebel Laurasia ship. Cagalli asks Durandel who they're fighting, and Durandel tells her that many ZAFT officers and soldiers refused to acknowledge the ceasefire seven years ago, and have been committing minor acts of piracy and terrorism ever since. Durandel says that although the rebels claim to follow the overzealous beliefs of Patrick Zala, preaching the annihilation of all naturals, in reality they are little more than thieves and pirates. He tells her that the Joule-team was coming back after a mission to destroy the terrorists and the Laurasia-class was probably a straggler. Durandel tells Cagalli not to worry because the Zala-loyalists are most likely completely defeated. Durandel tells Talia to invite Yzak to the Minerva, and that the ZAFT ships will do a sweep of the area before continuing to L2 just in case there are other rebel ships in the area.

In the hangar, Shinn, Luna and Rey exit their mobile suits as they hear the order to stand down. Shinn starts to remove his normal suit but Rey tells him that they are still on alert. Luna sighs and tells Shinn that he graduated too soon. Rey comments that they all graduated too soon. ZAFT lost too many soldiers in the war and needed to bolster its ranks. Luna snaps at Rey, saying she knows that, and walks off. Shinn wonders what upset her.

Yzak and Dearka enter the Minerva's bridge and salute Chairman Durandel. Durandel returns the salute and approaches Yzak, welcoming him to the Minerva. Durandel comments that Yzak's mother is making things rather difficult for him in the Assembly. Yzak apologizes to Durandel for failing his mission and tells him that they made it to Rhodes Colony too late. Talia mentions the strange readings from the debris belt, and Dearka notes that the damaged Laurasia-class ship had been moving toward the debris belt. Yzak thinks that the Zala-loyalists have likely moved their combined forces toward the debris belt to escape ZAFT. Durandel agrees and orders the Minerva and the Joule-team's three Nazcas to sail into the debris belt and search for the rebel ships. Durandel apologizes to Cagalli for the delay in the L2 colony inspection, and Dearka wonders what the Zala-loyalists really fled to the debris belt to escape ZAFT.

Kazuki Sato, a Zala-loyalist, floats through the hangar of a rebel Nazca towards his mobile suit, a red-and-green colored CGUE "DEEP Arms". An announcement echoes through the hangar ordering all pilots to prepare to sortie. Sato asks another loyalist if the explosive charges are ready, and is told that if everything continues at it's present pace the operation will end in two hours. Sato fastens himself inside the CGUE's cockpit, gently touches a faded photograph of himself with a woman and two small children, and activates his mobile suit. Above the hulking remains of an hourglass-shaped colony that was destroyed two years prior, the Nazca-class vessel and two smaller Laurasias leave the small rebel fleet's formation and sail towards the Minerva. Dozens of CGUEs and GINNs dart back and forth between the remaining ships and the two rounded colony halves, large nuclear-explosives from storage bays on the surface of the colony to a point somewhere below the wreckage. A rebel Nazca flies away from the remains of Junius Seven, revealing the massive form of the Junon Asteroid--a gigantic resourcing satellite brought to the Earth Sphere at the start of the Cosmic Era with a mass nearly one-quarter of Luna and ostensibly in the control of the Scandinavian Kingdom--below. Tiny lights dart back and forth between Junon and Junius seven as the Zala-loyalists set their explosives on the Asteroid's surface.

Two Nazca-class vessels break off from the Minerva as it enters the debris belt and move ahead to search for the rebels. Yzak's Nazca stays on the Minerva's flank. Talia asks if the ships sensors can detect any rebel ships, but before she gets an answer a half-dozen CGUEs boost out from behind a wrecked Nelson-class warship, charging at the Minerva's bridge in a moving spiral formation. The Minerva shakes violently as the mobile suits attack. Sato's CGUE flies over the bridge and blasts a breach in the ship's rear-hole. Shinn and Luna launch in their respective Gundams. Shinn fires off a barrage of missiles at two CGUEs strafing the Minerva as he launched, destroying one and damaging the other. Lunamaria launches at full speed and cuts the damaged CGUE with her beam saber, destroying the suit. Rey prepares his Gaia for launch, while Shinn engages Sato's CGUE DEEP Arms. Unable to land any hits on Sato, Shinn closes in for melee combat. Sato brings his sword to bear before Shinn's beam saber, slamming it into the Gundam's chest--directly over the cockpit area. Thanks to the phase-shift armor of the Gundam, the Impulse Gundam is unharmed. But Shinn is visibly shocked by the difference in ability.

Luna flies toward Shinn to help him out, and Sato boosts over the Minerva, firing his shoulder-mounted energy cannons at the catapult deck, destroying the Minerva's primary launch mechanism before Rey can take off. Rey's Gaia is thrown back into the hangar by the explosion. Shinn and Luna take out one more CGUE, and then attempt to attack Sato. However Sato and the two other CGUE pilots dart into the dense wreckage of the debris belt and disappear.

Talia orders both the Impulse and the Saviour to remain in space, and a pair of long, sinewy power cables unfurl from the upper seam of the Minerva's wing, locking into place in the rear of both Gundams. Though neutron-jammer cancelers were available, they were still far too expensive to be used on mobile suits. The Saviour, Impulse and Gaia were all equipped with enhanced energy-storage batteries that could be recharged mid-flight by way of detachable power-cables. Talia tells Shinn and Luna to be careful, because the rebel mobile suits could attack them at any time. She tells them to watch out for the enemy's mother ship. Shinn and Luna wonder who the pilot of the green-and-red CGUE DEEP Arms was.

On the Bridge of the Minerva Meyrin Hawke informs Talia and Durandel that the location of the rebel fleet is confirmed: they have gathered in the ruins of Junius Seven. Meyrin frowns and says to herself that something isn't right, Talia overhears and asks her what it is. Meyrin shakes her head and says it cannot be right; there must be a problem with the Minerva's instruments. Talia's eyes narrow and Meyrin quickly apologizes, haltingly informing Talia that the Ship's sensors indicate that the ruins of Junius Seven are less than a kilometer above the abandoned Junon resourcing asteroid. Durandel stands up, commenting that Junon is supposed to be in a stationary orbit at least ten kilometers further out; Talia mentions that the maintenance of Junon has been left to the Scandinavian Kingdom for the past thirteen years and Durandel orders her to move the Minerva to the Junon's new location as fast as possible.

Cagalli frowns and asks Durandel if she can borrow a message-buoy Durandel allows Cagalli's request and directs an officer to show Cagalli off the bridge. Talia asks if the mobile suits that attacked the Minerva could have been launched from the fleet at Junius Seven, but is told that the rebels at Junius Seven are too far away. Meyrin then informs Talia that communication has been severed with the two patrolling Nazca's that had separated from the Minerva earlier. Yzak assumes that they have been destroyed.

Durandel notices three small points of light in the starfield. The points expand and a trio of warship artillery-beams lance out at the Minerva. the first one misses both the Minerva and Yzak's Nazca, the second scores a glancing hit off the Minerva's port wing, scorching the red armor, and the third slams directly into the main hull of the Nazca destroying it in a fury of light and flame. Yzak curses. Sato's CGUE team emerges from the debris surrounding the Minerva and attacks. Cagalli returns to the bridge and tells Durandel that anyone ORB ships in the area will attempt to support the Minerva. Talia orders the Minerva to open fire on the Nazca.

The umbilical cables snap off the Impulse and Saviour, rapidly retracting back into the Minerva. Lunamaria Hawke shoots off the leg of an attacking CGUE with her beam rifle, and the mobile suit crashes against the Minerva's hull shaking the entire ship as it explodes. Yzak curses again, and leaves the bridge. Yzak and Dearka enter the Minerva's hangar, where the mechanics are struggling to remove the Gaia Gundam from the launch deck. Yzak asks if any of the catapults are working, and Dearka asks him if it matters. Ignoring the protests of the mechanics, Yzak and Dearka leap into the waiting cockpits of two prototype ZAKU mobile suits.

Sato takes Shinn by surprise, flying past the Impulse he blasts away the Gundam's shoulder armor with an Energy cannon. Luna tries to get in close and attack Sato, but the Zala-loyalist dodges her attack. Shinn curses and flies at Sato, only to be attacked by another CGUE. The Minerva shudders as it fails to avoid an artillery shot from the enemy Nazca. While Shinn is distracted by the CGUEs, Sato flies at him from behind and prepares to finish off the Impulse by firing his twin energy cannons at close-range.

Next Episode: This Is How The World Ends
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:33 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Episode 04: This Is How The World Ends

Sato boosts at Shinn and swings his sword at the Impulse's torso, Shinn manages to lean back and avoid the attack, but as he finishes the swing Sato fires his right-shoulder energy cannon directly at the Impulse's cockpit. Shinn freezes for a moment, and then tries to boost up and away. The energy blast melts the Impulse Gundam's left leg into a molten stump. Shinn wonders how the enemy pilot can be so good while he struggles to avoid Sato's assault machine gun. Lunamaria Hawke jets towards a pair of JINNs as they begin strafing the Minerva, slicing both suits in half with her beam sabers As the JINNs explode behind her, Luna turns to see Shinn fleeing from Sato's CGUE DEEP Arms.

Yzak and Dearka's ZAKU mobile suits gently leap off of the Minerva's deck and drift away from the ship before engaging their thrusters. The two veterans manage to destroy the remaining JINNs and CGUEs, and then move to support Shinn and Luna as the struggle against Sato. The Minerva fires its Tannhäuser cannon at the rebel ZAFT ships; the positron beam cuts through both of enemy Nazca warships, destroying them instantly. Sato barely manages to avoid a shot from Dearka, and realizes that he cannot win. He flees toward Junius Seven; Shinn and Luna are too exhausted to give pursuit. Dearka starts to follow after Sato in his ZAKU, but Yzak stops him and tells him not to be rash.

On the Minerva's bridge Talia wonders what the Zala-loyalists are trying to do with Junius Seven and the Junon asteroid. Durandel says that given the enemy's ability and level of coordination, they have to assume the worst. Cagalli says that whatever they're doing, it's going to be bad. The bridge is silent for a moment, prompting Arthur to turn to Talia and ask her if the nuclear-powered positioning thrusters on Junius-7 are still operational; Talia looks to Meyrin, who is busy pulling up information on her screen. After a moment, Meyrin confirms that the colony's engines are still operational, despite the damage. Durandel raises his hand to his head and presses his eyes closed as the reality of the situation dawns on him. Before anyone has time to dwell on the news an officer alerts Talia that three unidentified ships are approaching the Minerva from the starboard flank. Arthur declares that two of the ships are the Joule-team Nazca's, but the third is unknown. Talia asks for a visual, and the three ships appear on screen. Cagalli smiles grimly and identifies the third ship as one of ORBs Izumo-class refits.

An intense light fills the Minerva's bridge. Arthur identifies the light as the result of Junius-Seven's nuclear engines firing. The lower landmass of the colony begins accelerating towards downward and Talia demands to know the trajectory of the advancing colony. Meyrin, terrified, announces that the remains of Junius Seven have collided with the Junon Asteroid and the combined mass is slowly accelerating toward the surface of the Earth. A collective gasp is heard throughout the bridge. Cagalli informs Durandel that she will be transferring over to the Izumo.

The two Nazcas, Izumo and the Minerva approach Junius Seven. The small Zala fleet moves away from the colony wreckage to engage ZAFT while the Zala mobile suits continue placing nuclear thrusters on the surface of Junius Seven, increasing the falling colony's acceleration toward Earth. Several Zala-loyalist JINNs and CGUEs join the attack. Sato remains on the "ground" of Junius Seven to supervise the remaining forces. The power cables snap off the ZAFT mobile suits as they boost towards the enemy. Cagalli launches from the Izumo's catapult in a Stike-II Gundam. Several Astray units are launched behind her.

Three JINNs rush at the Minerva clustered together; Shinn destroys all three with a quick missile barrage. Luna congratulates him as she blasts the head off of a CGUE. Rey tells his fellow pilots not to get distracted. Cagalli's Strike II flies past the ZAFT suits toward Junius Seven, ignoring the renegade Zala warships. As she passes, Cagalli shouts at Shinn, Rey and Luna asking them what they're doing. Luna marvels at the Strike II's speed. Yzak tells Shinn, Luna and Rey that the objective of the mission is to stop Junius Seven's descent. The Joule-team's GuAIZ mobile suits will take care of the attacking warships. The three ZAFT Gundams, along with Yzak and Dearka then follow the ORB suits toward the colony. Talia broadcasts from the Minerva that the objective of the ZAFT and ORB forces is to prevent the renegade ZAFT mobile suits from activating any more nuclear thrusters on Junius-7. If they can prevent the colony's nuclear thrusters from firing it might be possible to keep the Junon Asteroid from colliding with Earth.

As he nears the battered surface of Junius-7, Shinn spots Sato's custom-colored unit and attacks. Rey tells Shinn not to lose his head. As Shin and Sato fight, it is evident that Sato is the superior pilot, although Shinn does fare better than he did in their previous fights. Yzak and Dearka annihilate a squad of JINNs around a nuclear thruster, and proceed to destroy the device. Rey and Luna continue to combat the renegade mobile suits; their Gundams are strong enough that the only real danger they face is from the quantity of enemy machines.

Sato fights Shinn with his back to a nuclear thruster, and Shinn is too distracted by the mobile-suit melee to consider Sato's objective. Sato pauses and looks to the leviathan thruster as it ignites and the colony's decent increases proportionately. Shinn screams triumphantly, thinking Sato had lowered his guard, and jumps to attack at close-range with his beam saber Sato reacts poorly, and the Impulse's beam saber cuts through the custom CGUE's right arm, severing it completely. Sato leaps backward and withdraws from the battle. Shinn exclaims his victory and starts to follow Sato deeper across the landmass, but Cagalli's Strike II slams to the ground in front of the Impulse. Cagalli asks Shinn what he's doing; Shinn starts to respond angrily but is silenced as Cagalli cuts through the nuclear thruster with a high-output beam saber, returning the weapon to it's recharge mount on the suit's back as the giant propellant mechanism explodes. Cagalli shouts at Shinn that nothing else matters except to stop the colony's descent. Shinn freezes in shame as Cagalli flies toward another nuclear thruster towering in the distant horizon.

Yzak reports to the Minerva that they've destroyed a half-dozen of the colony's nuclear thrusters, but at their present pace the ZAFT and ORB forces will not be able to prevent the colony from pushing Junon down to Earth. Talia tells them to hurry up as a shot from the Minerva's Tannhäuser pierces the stern of one of the last remaining renegade Laurasias, igniting the vessel in a bright sphere of flame.

As Cagalli destroys a second nuclear thruster, Kazuki Sato attacks. Recognizing the custom suit as emblematic of a leader, Cagalli asks Sato what he hopes to accomplish. Sato slams his CGUE into the Strike II and says that a world of laughter and happiness cannot exist after the Bloody Valentine massacre. Cagalli tells him that dropping an asteroid on Earth won't change anything.

Sato declares that the only way mankind can ever advance is for every last natural to die. Sato says that the words of Patrick Zala represent the true thoughts of all loyal coordinators. He says that if George Glen were alive, he would agree. Cagalli has a flashback of Athrun Zala. We see Cagalli and Athrun speaking inside the port of a Colony, though we cannot hear the words. Cagalli and Athrun embrace, and then Athrun walks onto a shuttle. Cagalli stares sorrowfully out a window as Athrun's shuttle flies out into the darkness of space.

Cagalli grimaces as she dodges a blast from Sato's single remaining energy cannon and goes into Seed-mode. She slices the CGUE DEEP Arms' other arm off, and then cuts through both of it's legs. Cagalli turns and destroys the nearby nuclear thruster. A renegade JINN finishes off a GuAIZ high above the surface, and flies in the direction of Cagalli's suit as it sees the thruster explode. Sato boosts his suit's torso at the Strike II. Cagalli notices the movement and turns rapidly, cutting through the CGUE's chest armor with her beam saber, exposing the cockpit.

Cagalli asks Sato if he wants to die that badly. Sato tears the faded photograph of himself, a woman and two children off of a screen in the cockpit and replies that they are fighting over the graves of his wife and children. He died when they did. Cagalli is momentarily shocked. Sato escapes from the CGUE's cockpit and into the open hand of an allied JINN. The renegade JINN flies away with Sato in it's grasp. Sato smiles grimly as his CGUE explodes against the Strike II, knocking the Gundam back and slamming it against the ground of the colony, tearing up chunks of dirt and rock as it slid.

On the bridge of the Minerva, Meyrin announce that the Junon Asteroid has fallen too far into the Earth's gravity well to be stopped; it has passed the point of no return. The bridge is silent as everyone watches Junon slowly descend. Cagalli slams her fists on the Strike II's cockpit in frustration. Rey and Luna watch in Silence. Yzak curses. Shinn stares as tiny fragments of the colony are torn off by the pressure of the nuclear thrusters and fall into the upper atmosphere, burning up. Junius Seven splits down the middle and the shards of rock and metal break apart, seeming to float upward as the hulking mass of Junon continues its slow descent. Shinn stares in horror and wonders what will happen next.

Talia asks if there is anything they can do. Durandel tells her that all they can do is pray. Meyrin asks if they could try to destroy the asteroid and break it into fragments with the Tannhäuser. Arthur tells her that they could never hope to destroy all of the falling asteroid, and breaking it into smaller pieces would only increase the damage to Earth. If the asteroid were to break as it fell, it would cause severe damage across the entire surface of the Earth rather than just a single point.

A solid-black JINN rushes at Cagalli. Sato is the pilot. Sato swings the Jinn's sword at the Strike II's head, and shouts triumphantly as the iconic faceplate is shattered and the bare machinery laid open. The Strike II's phase-shift armor deactivates and Cagalli punches at the JINN as the surface of the colony shudders beneath them.

Scenes of Earth flash by. Children play outside, students laugh and everyone goes about their normal lives. Short scenes flash by showing Djibril speaking to a man in an Earth Alliance uniform, Sai tinkering with the electronic innards of a prosthetic arm, and Kira and Lacus walk through a park in, presumably, ORB.

The crew of the Minerva, and the pilots fighting outside watch in stunned horror as dozens of shaped nuclear explosives detonate nearly simultaneously across the surface of Junon, cutting deep into the surfaces of the asteroid. The ground shudders and splits apart beneath the feet of Cagalli and Sato's mobile suits as they duel on Junon's surface. Sato laughs triumphantly, declaring that finally the naturals will be wiped clean from the pages of history.

Next Episode: Across The Burning Heavens
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Antares wrote:Very interesting concept, it seems that you are doing what I started to do (write a short alternative for GSD) before it got out of hand. :wink: I can't help but feel that there is so much more we would like to see than just a summary. Then again this could work as a basis for later, larger installments.
I've written (fully) fifty pages at the moment, so I doubt I'll have the energy to transform the WHOLE thing into a more traditional fanfic, but if someone else were to do so I'd be fine with it. The pacing in my "episodes" get pretty weird sometimes, so there's plenty of room for stories to tell "in-betwee" so to speak. I have an idea for a story focusing on Shinn while he's (SPOILERS!!!!) MIA (END SPOILERS) that could be really interesting.

With what I've already posted the "rewrite" part of the story is over with. Everything that folllows is new and will rapidly become very, very different than the destiny we all know and... yeah.
Ravager wrote:Still,can't help playing devil's advocate here,how did 105 Daggers appear so early in the Battle of Orb and i'm kinda hazy concerning when your alternate-GSD takes place.Is it still CE73?
I decided to move the time back... so it starts at CE 78... among other things it lets the returning characters from Seed be... significantly more mature. As for the Daggers... I'm writing this from a "story" standpoint not a technical one, so I'm bound to make some mistakes. My knowledge of the universe of CE comes solely from the anime... I have been unable to muster the will to read any of the other stuff.
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Episode 05: Across The Burning Heavens

On the surface of Junon Kazuki Sato's black JINN lunges at Cagalli Yula Atha's Strike II Gundam, plunging its giant sword into the Gundam's head just as the phase-shift armor deactivates, cleaving half of the "skull" from the Strike II's shoulders. Sato laughs triumphantly as large chunks of the asteroid continue to separate and descend towards the Earth. Sato declares that all of the naturals will die and Cagalli asks him how he can be so evil. The giant chunk of rock and dirt that the Strike II and JINN are standing on accelerates toward the upper atmosphere; smaller particles of rock separate and fall at a faster velocity, rapidly burning up in the planet's atmosphere. Sato says that no morality can apply to beasts that have no morality of their own. Cagalli rams her Gundam into the JINN, crushing the ruined "head" against Sato's mobile suit.

Dodging chunks of falling rock and metal, Shinn and Luna continue fighting the Zala remnants. Shinn fires his twin beam cannons at a duo of CGUEs, cutting through both suits and a large chunk of falling wreckage. Luna twists her Saviour into mobile-armor mode and weaves through the falling debris, firing her beam rifle through the chest of a defending JINN and spinning back into mobile-suit form just in time to gut the bridge of an enemy Nazca-class with her beam saber

Rey, Yzak and Dearka pull back from the falling remains of Junon to the Minerva. On the bridge of the Minerva, Talia orders the ship to ascend. Durandel frowns as he watches the Junon asteroid fall. Arthur alerts Talia that a rebel-CGUE is incoming from above. Talia orders the Gaia Gundam and prototype-ZAKUs to defend the bridge, but is told that they are too far away. The CGUE lands directly in front of the Minerva's bridge and prepares to decapitate the ZAFT vessel with its assault-machine-cannon. And M1b Astray from the Izumo flies at the CGUE and rams it; both mobile suits topple off the Minerva's "spine" and onto it's port wing, disappearing in a ball of flame. Rey's Gaia and the prototype-ZAKUs arrive at the scene, and Rey informs Talia that the Zala-loyalists have been routed. Durandel tells Talia that unless the rebels are completely annihilated they will never be forgiven for failing to stop the asteroid. All eyes on the bridge watch as the first large masses of Junon plunge through the atmosphere and strike the planet's surface.

On earth, a group of children run around a playground. A small boy teases a girl while his mother urges him to stop while she holds an infant. The baby looks up at the sky and smiles; the infant brings it's tiny arms up above it's head and makes grabbing motions and giggles with glee. The little girl kicks the boy, sticks her tongue out and runs away. The boy follows after her and the mother sighs.

A small lights can be seen reflecting in the infant's eyes as he reaches upward. The reflected light gets larger and brighter. A huge chunk of rock slams into the city behind the playground demolishing the buildings and displaying an enormous light. The little boy and girl stop their teasing and look at the explosion. A powerful shockwave rocks the playground violently and the metal poles supporting the swingset snap. Before anyone can react, a vast wall of fire sweeps across the playground incinerating everyone and reducing the land to rubble.

Similar chunks of metal, rock and dirt impact Paris, Prague, Venice, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Capetown, New York, New Deli, Moscow, San Francisco, and Istanbul. Huge fields of wheat in North America and North Africa are also hit. Smaller chunks of Junon crash through skyscrapers, one after another, before impacting on the ground, leaving large craters and rapidly-spreading fires in their wake.

Meyrin Hawke gasps on the bridge of the Minerva as huge portions of the Earth's surface glow red from the numerous impacts and then slowly fade to dark brown as massive quantities of dust and smoke are thrown into the planet's sky. Talia tears her eyes away from the scene on the planet orders Shinn and Luna to return to the Minerva. Three ORB vessels and a handful of ZAFT warships approach the debris belt, too late, to support the Minerva. Arthur tells Talia that the Izumo is descending into the falling debris.

Frantically dodging the falling debris as everything continues to descend toward Earth, Luna acknowledges the Minerva's order to pull back, and relays the orders to Shinn. Shinn is frozen in shock as he watches the smaller pieces of Junon crash to Earth. The Impulse Gundam is buffeted by falling debris. Luna shouts at Shinn to wake up. Shinn apologizes and Luna boosts up and away. As Shinn prepares to do the same, he notices several flashes of light on a rapidly-descending landmass below him. He magnifies the image and is shocked to see Cagalli's Strike II fighting a black JINN.

Shinn tells Luna that he will be right back and accelerates toward Cagalli as fast as he can, struggling to avoid the chunks of colony that are falling all around him. Luna is surprised, and stops. She wonders what the hell Shinn is thinking and turns the Saviour around to follow him. On the bridge of the Minerva Talia wonders what Shinn and Luna are thinking to ignore their orders at a time like this.

Cagalli and Sato continue to fight. Without it's phase-shift armor, the mobile suits appear to be on equal terms. As he approaches the site of the battle, Shinn tells Cagalli that if she stays around much longer, she won't be able to escape the Earth's gravity. Cagalli says that the Earth has seen too much sorrow already. Shinn has a flashback of teasing his sister. The images of his younger sister laughing happily slowly transform into a look of shock as the refugee ship explodes underneath her. Shinn growls flies toward Cagalli, slicing the black JINN's head off. The JINN boosts backwards and lands on the edge of the landmass, causing the edge to break away from the main mass and begin to burn up in the atmosphere. Sato leaps his JINN into the air and, as the atmosphere shears off the JINN's extremities, declares that justice has finally been served. Shinn flies toward the black JINN, but before he can reach it Sato takes his heavy-sword and plunges it through is own cockpit, impaling himself. Cagalli and Shinn watch in shock as the wounded JINN drifts outward, glows red from the heat, and explodes.

Shinn tells Cagalli that they have to leave immediately or it will be too late. The Strike II and the Impulse boost upward, the Strike II assuming the lead position. The bare metal of Cagalli's Gundam starts to glow red and she sweats visibly as the internal temperature rises. The two mobile suits fly above the largest concentrations of rubble and stop. Cagalli turns to look at Earth which is rapidly turning red. Shinn's eyes widen as he watches the fires of destruction spread across the planet and begins sobbing. He apologizes to Cagalli repeatedly, saying he misjudged her before and that he should have realized what kind of person she was. Cagalli tells him not to mind it, Shinn then says that it's all his fault. If he had been concentrating better he could have destroyed more of the nuclear thrusters and Junon would never have fallen. As he speaks, tears stream down his face and Cagalli remembers the Impulse standing motionless on the surface of Junon as a nearby nuclear-thruster ignited. Cagalli frowns and looks away, unsure of what to say.

A chunk of rock about twice the size of a mobile suit hurdles toward Shinn and Cagalli. It slams into the Strike II and knocks Cagalli's Gundam back down toward Earth. Shinn is startled and flies after her. Shinn reaches out the Impulse' hand and grabs on to the Strike II's hand. Shinn smiles, but as he prepares to carry the Strike back out of the Earth's gravity well the ambient heat melts through the Strike II's arm, separating the Gundams The Strike II falls down toward earth. Shinn prepares to follow after her again, but Luna grapples Shinn's Impulse from behind and drags him upward. Shinn watches as the Strike II gets smaller and smaller on his monitor. A computerized voice softly resounds through the Impulse' cockpit informing Shinn that the Strike II has passed the point of no-return.

Next Episode: Stardust Battlefield
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Episode 06: Stardust Battlefield

In Earth's orbit giant chunk's of the Junon mega-asteroid split into a myriad of smaller pieces, gaining speed as they fall. From the cracks in the continent tiny chunks or metal and rock fall out like sand, streaking across the blue skies below. Dozens of lights flash as a battle occurs within the fragments of the falling colony. Massive pieces of colony slam down on the Earth's surface. Paris is leveled to the ground, Istanbul is burning. New York and Hong Kong are completely submerged by the sea and fiery fragments of Junius Seven continue to rain down on the hapless denizens of the planet.

Violent waves thrash against the metal facade of a bunker located on one of ORB's many beaches. Inside, Kira Yamoto and Lacus Clyne embrace as the ground shudders. A nearby cliff collapses and crashes down against the shelter. Thunder roars above as the forests burn. In an isolated airfield located in ORB's elevated inland, Kuzzey Buzzkirk takes off into the air in a modified Skygrasper, painted red and yellow. The city of Onogoro burns. Kuzzey flies his skygrasper in a lazy arc over the city, grimaces, and fires a trio of "missiles" at a flaming residential area. The "missiles" detonate several meters above the flame, erupting in a sticky white foam that suffocates the flames. Black clouds blot out the sun as a handful of ashen civilians crawl out of the foam and stare bleakly at the sky as burning-red chunks of rubble rain down from the heavens. Inside the battered shell of an old European Castle along the Rhein River, Lord Djibril crawls out from the door of a bomb shelter under a large mahogany desk, pushing aside a large chunk of debris obstructing his exit. He asks himself if it's over and tries to keep his hands from shaking. A huge portion of the castle's wall has collapsed into a pile of bricks; the television monitors that once adorned the walls of Djibril's office lay shatter in the rubble at his feet. The tallest remaining part of the castle is an arched frame with jagged pieces of red, yellow and blue stained-glass framing the red skies in the distance. Djibril kicks a piece of stone away from him only to see his large black cat dead beneath it.

High above the chaos on Earth, Shinn and Luna approach the Minerva. On the ship's bridge dozens of monitors record the destruction of Earth as-seen from orbit. Arthur states that Eurasia and South-east Asia were hit the hardest, and that large portions of South America and Central Africa were spared from the inferno. Meyrin asks if everyone on Earth is dead; Arthur responds that the damage probably looks worse than it really is--a majority of Earth's population likely survived the bombardment. Durandel interrupts to state that the biggest problem is the destruction of farmland and all the dust thrown into the air. Most people live in crowded cities and rely on foods imported from agricultural areas to survive; with Earth's current level of destruction many of these people will starve to death. Not to mention that the dust in the air will be like poison for those breathing it, and will keep new crops from growing. The silence following Durandel's comments breaks as Luna requests permission to land. The crew resumes their professional attitude and the Impulse and Saviour are quickly welcomed aboard.

The Minerva pulls out of orbit as the last pieces of Junon crash to Earth. Talia asks what happened to ORB's Izumo, and is told that the ship disappeared along with the fragments of Junon as it descended. Arthur tells her that the Izumo is capable of withstanding the trauma of atmospheric re-entry, but with all of the debris in the area it's impossible to know whether or not they made it safely to Earth. Durandel says that perhaps the crew of the Izumo would be better of dying than living on to face the hell that Earth had become. Talia wonders if there is anything PLANT can do to help, and Arthur informs her that communication between the various nations of Earth--not to mention space--will be impossible until the debris settles. Durandel tells Talia that there is nothing anyone can do here, and orders her to set course for Aprillius Colonies.

In the Minerva's hangar Luna helps Shinn out of the Impulse as a team of mechanics swarm over the immobile Gundam As they float towards the locker area, Shinn shrugs off Luna's help and leaves the hangar deck. Shinn enters his cabin and falls onto his bunk. He closes his eyes and slams his fist against the wall, the force of which causes his body to float off the bed and float gently upward. Shinn clenches his fist and screams in the solitude.

At Bruges, a former mining asteroid parked in a high geo-stationary orbit over the planet's axis, now a military fortification of the Earth Federation, a slightly overweight Federation officer stares down at the flames consuming Earth. The man, Admiral Andrei Duskin, stares blankly at the scene before him while his left eye twitches uncontrollably. Dozens of officers rush from control-station to control-station desperately trying to figure out what happened and to re-establish contact with the Federation's headquarters in Washington. A nervous ensign raises his voice above the dim cacophony of the command center informing Admiral Duskin that the apparent cause of the destruction was Junius Seven falling out of orbit and fragmenting. Duskin asks what could have made the colony fall, and an ensign replies that any number of factors could have contributed, but given the level of destruction and the lack of any fore-warning the most likely reason for the colony's fall is human intervention. Another ensign asks who could have done such a thing. Dusken growls a single word: coordinators.

Staring out across the barren landscape of the moon, the command center of the Earth Federation's mobile suit factory outside of Armstrong City was quiet. The base commander sat in his chair leisurely sipping a glass of coffee. An aide steps up to the commanders side and mentions that it will be dawn any time now. The commander yawns and comments that he cannot wait to go off-duty. A blue sliver appears at the horizon and slowly widens into an arc as the Earth rises. As the commander prepares to sign-off on the duty-log an ensign gasps audibly. The commander looks up to see the Earth rise above the horizon mottled red-and-brown instead of the usual white-and-blue. His eyes dilate in horror.

The two remaining Joule-team Nazca's depart from the Minerva and head towards a nearby resource-satellite. On board the bridge of the "Chasseur de Têtes" Dearka complains to Yzak that it's troublesome to be assigned the same mission twice. Yzak scowls and Dearka and asks if the ship's sensors have detected the fleeing Zala remnant yet. They have not. Dearka comments that they won't get very far and it's only a matter of time before the Chasseur de Têtes catches them.

As the Chasseur de Têtes approaches the site of the resourcing-satellite, an officer on the bridge informs Yzak that the outpost is no longer present. Yzak asks the officer what he meant and is told that the PLANT resourcing satellite that had once been at their location was now gone. Yzak curses and Dearka leans against a bulkhead wondering what happened. Before the Joule-team can investigate any further, another bridge-officer informs Yzak that they are receiving an SOS from a PLANT shuttle nearby. Yzak orders the Chasseur de Têtes to answer the distress call.

As the Chasseur de Têtes approaches the PLANT shuttle, alarm claxons sound as a trio of Earth-Federation warships are spotted by long-range optical sensors. All three ships are identified as Marseilles-III class military transports. As the Joule-team approaches Yzak orders the remaining mobile-suits to launch. Because the team had suffered losses in the previous battle, Yzak and Dearka also launch in the two prototype-ZAKUs loaned out to them by Durandel. The ZAFT mobile suits blast towards the attack EA ships. Yzak demands their surrender, but receives no reply. Of the 7 enemy mobile suits, six break away from the PLANT shuttle to attack the Joule-team. Two of the enemy suits are destroyed as the try to strafe the ZAFT mobile-suit formation. The seventh EA mobile suit turns it's head to face the attacking ZAFT suits and raises it's beam rifle, blasting through the hull of the civilian shuttle. Yzak curses and breaks away from the rest of his team. A ZAFT pilot starts to follow but Dearka tells him to let the commander be and orders the team to engage the EA suits. After a pitched battle, the Joule-team emerges victorious.

Yzak blasts past the seventh EA mobile suit and fires the ZAKU's beam cannon directly at the bridge of the first Marseilles-class vessel. He then flies toward the second but his it by a shot from the seventh EA mobile suit. A trio of Joule-team suits attack the EA suit from different angles, but the Federation pilot manages to avoid the attack. Off-balance, Yzak's ZAKU crashes into the hull of the second Marseilles-class vessel, causing it to list uncontrollably. Unfazed, Yzak raises his beam rifle and snipes the bridge of the third Federation ship. A pair of energy-beams lance out from the rifles of two Joule-team GuAIZ' and pierce the hull of the third federation warship. Yzak tells the lone EA pilot that he has nowhere to retreat and again demands a surrender. The EA responds by shouting that he would rather die than be a prisoner of the damned coordinators that destroyed Earth, and rushes at Yzak's ZAKU. Yzak sighs, and fires a single shot of energy at the Federation suit, watching as the last Federation pilot dies in ball of lame.

Yzak rejoins the remainder of his team and the mobile suits return to the Chasseur de Têtes. Dearka asks Yzak if their battle meant that another war has started. Yzak tells Dearka that he doesn't know.

Next Episode: The Corinthian Assault
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Episode 07: The Corinthian Assault

The Minerva approaches the central docking port of Aprillius; the ship's main hangar bay doors open and a small shuttle carrying Gilbert Durandel, Supreme Chairman of ZAFT, disembarks for the PLANT. On the Bridge everyone salutes the shuttle as it enters the colony. Talia orders the Minerva to assume a stationary anchor outside Aprillius and wait for further orders. Arthur asks her how long she thinks that might take, and Talia responds that given the situation the ship could receive orders at any time.

In the pilots mess hall aboard the Minerva Shinn, Rey and Luna eat in silence. Rey speaks up, commenting that he had no idea the renegade ZAFT soldiers were so well-organized. Shinn says nothing and Luna asks if this means they are at war again. Rey closes his eyes and asks Luna who she thinks they would go to war against. Rey says that it's unlikely the Earth Alliance will survive the disaster, and even if they did manage to survive as a political entity they wouldn't have the resources to mount any sort of realistic operation in space. All three Gundam pilots remember the battle over Junius 7 and the mottled red flames that enveloped the globe thereafter. Shinn clenches his fist as he remembers watching Cagalli plummet into the atmosphere amid the final hulks of Junius Seven. Shinn stands up, and on his way out asks Rey what he thinks the Earth Alliances military that's already in space will do. The door shuts behind him and Ray softly says a single word: attack. Lunamaria Hawke frowns and reaches for her drink.

Inside the capital building located in the geographic center of Aprillius II's lower continent, Gilbert Durandel brushes his entourage of advisers aside and enters the large roundtable meeting room of PLANT's supreme council. As he takes his seat at the table Durandel asks the others present if they are all well-appraised of the situation. Ezalia Joule comments that they know all about what happened at debris belt and the result, but no one knows anything about what's happening on Earth. Orbital satellites confirmed at least 300 separate major impacts on the planets surface, and the ensuing dust and atmospheric distortion prevent any communication to the planet from orbit. Ezalia states that the only way to contact anyone living on Earth, or to accurately survey the planet's condition, PLANT would have to send a vessel to Earth and await its return.

All communication will need to be done by messenger, Ezalia continues, and at this point it is difficult to discern whether or not any location on the planet has the capacity to send a vessel into space. Another chairperson interrupts Ezalia and states that the United Emirates of ORB has already managed to launch a small shuttle in orbit containing a short message for Durandel. The chairperson continues that ORB's chief representative Cagalli Yula Atha was successfully recovered during the descent and sustained only moderate injuries and that she requests and urgent meeting the Durandel as soon as possible. Durandel smiles mildly at the news but does not look surprised, and asks himself just how long "as soon as possible" will be.

After the meeting concludes Durandel is seen alone in his office looking at various images of Earth's destruction--taken from orbit--as well as reports on the estimated level of damage. Durandel wonders whether or not it will be possible to turn this tragedy into an opportunity. Durandel recalls meeting with Rau le Creuset, though none of the conversation is audible. Durandel turns off his computer displays, closes his eyes and leans back: softly asking himself if a different fate--or destiny--is possible.

Standing on the bridge of the Agamemnon-class Earth Federation warship "Hippolyta" rear-admiral Andrei Duskin and his crew salute the Bruges orbital station. A crew member presses a small button and the asteroid base shudders as numerous explosives detonate across its surface, destroying all of the military facilities. Duskin states that there will be no retreat. An officer asks the admiral if he intends to attack PLANT. Admiral Duskin says that if they were to attack PLANT itself they would be annihilated before they could achieve their revenge.

Duskin orders the Hippolyta to set course for Luna and informs them that they will merge forces with the Alliance military stationed on the moon and proceed to attack the new coordinator facilities that lie beyond the dark side of the moon. The crew simultaneously answers the admiral with an affirmative and the Hippolyta and it's fleet--a small battle group consisting of two other Agamemnon-class battleships and six Nelson-class destroyers engage their engines and proceed toward Luna.

On the bridge of the Chasseur de Têtes, Yzak grumbles about having lost sight of the fleeing Zala-loyalists. Dearka says he doubts they'll be able to do anything for a while, and suggests they head toward the new colony cluster for repairs and resupply. Yzak grudgingly agrees with Dearka, saying that it would be better for them to rest and resupply before finishing their mission. Dearka comments that maybe they'll be able to get a hold of a pair of WIZARD units as well. Yzak sits down in the command chair and closes his eyes as the two-remaining Joule-team Nazcas set sail for LaGrange-point two. Scars from the battle at Junon are still visible on the warships' hulls.

A brief narration describes the establishment of the colony-cluster at LaGrange-point 2, located beyond the dark side of the moon. Following the destruction of the Bloody Valentine War, millions of citizen on Earth felt they could no longer live on the planet. Both coordinators living in ORB and elsewhere who feared for their lives if they remained and naturals who were tired of the endless warfare on Earth wanted to leave the planet to begin new lives in space. PLANT, too, suffered a population boom as tens of thousands of soldiers from their former territories on Earth flooded back to space and the birth-rate increased. Because of this, PLANT, the United Emirates of ORB, the Pacific Islands Federation and several smaller nations joined together to construct a cluster of twenty new space-colonies. The colonies would exist as a single sovereign city-state governed by citizens of the colonies that had been elected by their peers. The new colony cluster was hoped to be a political state that would help bridge the divide between the Coordinators living in the PLANTs and the Naturals living on Earth.

The coalition opted to construct smaller O'Neil-style cylindrical colonies rather than the hourglass-shaped PLANTs because although they were weaker, they were also much cheaper and faster to build. The first 5 colonies constructed at L2--Geranea, Athens, Thermon, Hestiaea and Delphi--had been completed by CE 74, and the remaining fifteen were completed the following year and colonized to 30% of their maximum capacity. In CE 76 PLANT supported a proposition by ORB to quadruple the amount of colonies at L2, constructing sixty new O'Neil-type colonies simultaneously in anticipation of the coming population-boom and increased space-migration. The first of this new-wave of colonies to be competed, Corinth Colony, is the nearly 100% finished and migration to it is already under way. The majority of the financial burden had been shouldered by PLANT and ORB, though a great deal of the raw material for the endeavor was provided by the mining organizations of the asteroid belt--many anonymous contributions are rumored to have come from the newly-reformed Jupiter Corporation, which has strong ties to PLANT's Chairman Durandel.

A large fleet of Earth-Federation warships approach the Corinth-colony. Only one of the giant mirrored panels is completed and the interior of the colony is sparsely populated. In the darkness of space, tiny lights can be seen inside the cylinder marking the habitation within. On the bridge of the Hippolyta, rear-admiral Andrei Duskin glares at the image of the colony in front of him while frantic transmissions from the colony request his fleet identify itself and refrain from hostile action. Duskin orders his crew to begin jamming all communication and for the fleet to approach the colony at combat-velocity.

The Minerva receives a direct communique for Chairman Durandel. Talia asks him if the council has new orders for her, and Durandel tells her that remaining Earth Alliance space forces have begun attacking vessels belonging to PLANT, as well as ships of ORB and the New Scandinavian Kingdom in space. The majority of the EA fleet has gathered at Luna and appears to be preparing for an all-out attack against the new colonies being constructed an L2. The Minerva is thereby ordered to make best-possible speed for Corinth-colony to assist the Joule-team with repelling the attack. Talia salutes the Chairman and accepts his orders; Durandel formally thanks her, and then smiles gently and asks her to be careful

Yzak shouts in surprise on the bridge of the Chasseur de Têtes as a crewman announces that a large EA fleet has been visually confirmed approaching the nearly-completed Corinth-colony at combat speed. Nearly 40 enemy warships are confirmed. Yzak asks how long it will take the Joule-team Nazcas to intercept the EA fleet and is told they will be in-range in sixteen minutes. Another crewman informs Yzak that all of their communications are being jammed; Yzak orders a message buoy to be released from the Chasseur de Têtes broadcasting a constant SOS on all frequencies. Yzak then orders all pilots to their mobile suits and tells his crew that they must fight off the EA fleet long enough to the local garrisons to reinforce. Yzak and Dearka head toward the hangar and Dearka comments that it's just their luck to be forced into such a one-sided battle. Yzak smiles and says that's what makes in interesting.

On the bridge of the Hippolyta Andrei Duskin is informed of the two Nazca-class vessels approaching the fleet. An officer remarks that ZAFT must really be desperate to send such a paltry force against them, and Duskin replies that coordinators are cunning beasts and should not be underestimated. Duskin order three squadrons of mobile-suits to break-away from the main fleet and intercept the Joule-team.

Yzak and Dearka launch from the Chasseur de Têtes in their ZAKUs and are followed by the remaining Joule-team GuAIZ units. A trio a emerald energy beams slice through the darkness of space at the ZAFT mobile suits. Yzak orders the squad to break up as a half dozen Earth-Federation mobile suits--Long Daggers--fly past at full speed.

The Joule team breaks off and engages the EA suits in a crude facsimile of ancient dogfighting; spinning and looping around each other as the giant humanoid contraptions gun each other down. After a few minutes of fighting the attacking Long Daggers are all-but destroyed and the handful of remaining suits flee back toward their main fleet. Yzak asks for a damage report and is told that three GuAIZs were destroyed, but all three of the pilots survived. Yzak breathes a sigh of relief and then orders the Joule-team onward to attack the overwhelmingly superior EA fleet.

Admiral Duskin is informed of the Joule-teams success and the complete annihilation of the EA squadrons sent to destroy them. Duskin states that they fulfilled their objective in distracting the ZAFT forces and orders all ships in the fleet to commence their attack. The Hippolyta and it's fleet begin firing barrage after barrage of their cannons at the Corinth colony. Over one-hundred beams pierce out at the cylinder, cutting through the transparent steel facade and obliterating the docking facilities. Dozens of small civilian and construction craft loitering outside the colony are also destroyed in the barrage. A few beams manage to pierce through the "skin" of the colony and breach the interior. Civilians scream in horror as beams of energy melt through the "ground" and fly skyward. Watching the assault from a distance, Yzak curses. Yzak drives the thrusters of the ZAKU to their maximum limit, crashing into one of the retreating Long-Dagger he throws his heat-hawk at another, destroying it, while Dearka snipes the Long-Dagger Yzak rammed from a distance.

From the bridge of the Hippolyta, small tears well up in the eyes of Admiral Duskin as he watches the fierce artillery-fire directed at Corinth intensify.

Next Episode: Land Of Chaos
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Another Day, Another Mishap.

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Episode 08: Land Of Chaos

Yzak's ZAKU fires off a trio of beam-shots in rapid succession at an EA Long Dagger; each shot misses. The muzzle of the beam rifle sputters and ejects trace amounts of ignited gas as it exhausts its energy supply. Yzak curses and removes the disc-shaped energy pack and flings it off into space, replacing it with a spare held under the ZAKUs shield. Taking advantage over the brief respite, the Long Daggers pull back toward the main Earth Federation fleet. A pair of Nelson-class Destroyers break off from the attack on the Corinth Colony and approach the two battered Joule-team Nazcas weapons-firing. A battleship-class beam cannon grazes the side of the Chasseur de Têtes port engine, melting the armor into a lump of charred steel. Yzak curses again and glances at the colony: large plates of Corinth are being forced outward by the pressure of the escaping gasses and the port facilities are an unrecognizable mess--but Corinth retains it's basic form. The Long-Dagger squadrons turn around as they approach the two Nelson-class warships and slowly advance on the Joule-team. Yzak flies his ZAKU back to the Chasseur de Têtes and orders the rest of the Joule-team to follow his lead. Surveying the situation, Yzak decides to move his forces inside the colony cylinder now that most of the air inside is emptied. He tells his subordinates that they need to keep the EA fleet distracted here long enough to keep them from attacking the other colonies.

On board a small shuttle approaching Earth, an aide informs Durandel that an Alliance fleet has been confirmed at the Corinth colony and has initiated combat operations. Durandel looks worried and asks how long it will be before the Minerva and any reinforcements will take to arrive and is told it will be at least thirty minutes. Outside the shuttle two full squadrons of new-model BABI mobile suits prepare large sleds in preparation for atmospheric entry. The BABIs gather in a circular formation around Durandel's shuttle as it begins its descent to Earth.

As the Minerva approaches the EA fleet shelling Corinth, Arthur complains that they would have made it there faster if the ship didn't slow down to keep pace with the ships from Jachin Due on the bridge. Talia ignores him and asks for a damage analysis of the colony. An officer responds that Corinth's rotation speed has halved and the colony interior has ruptured. Talia stares at the flickering lights of beam fire in the distance and wonders why the EA fleet is still firing at the ruined colony. Arthur comments that at least the colony was only partially-settled while Talia orders the crew to battlestations

Inside the colony Yzak's Joule-team exchanges fire with Alliance daggers on the "floor" of the colony while the two Nazcas exchange fire with the numerically superior EA fleet through the various holes in the colony, using the remaining plates of Corinth's cylinder to shield themselves from the enemy barrage. The ground underneath Dearka's ZAKU shakes violently and Dearka leaps his mobile suit backwards just as a beam of superheated gas bursts through the "ground" and streams upward. Hitting the ground hard Dearka curses and wonders how much longer they will be able to hold out. One Joule-team GuAIZ riddles an attacking Long-Dagger with bullet holes while another sacrifices itself to keep a beam-cannon blast from destroying the Chasseur de Têtes.

The Impulse, Saviour and Gaia Gundams launch from the Minerva and join the rest of the ZAFT mobile-suit squadrons as they launch from the collected Nazca-class high-speed carriers. Meyrin exclaims that there's a battle going on inside the ruined colony. Talia surmises that the Joule-team is still fighting and quietly thanks Yzak for keeping the EA fleet anchored at Corinth. Talia then give the order for all ZAFT ships to attack the enemy at maximum-possible speed.

Shinn and Lunamaria break away from the main body of ZAFT's forces and rush toward the Alliance fleet. Lunamaria takes out a trio of attacking EA Daggers while Shinn focuses his targeting sights on one of the Agamemnon-class Battleships A pair of Long Daggers approach the Impulse Gundam and Lunamaria destroys one of them with her beam saber, but fails to destroy the other. Shinn shouts triumphantly and the twin beam-cannons mounted on the Impulse Gundam's backpack swivel down and forward under the mobile suit's arms and unleash a brilliant flash on energy. Twin beams lance outward from the Impulse and pierce through the attacking Long Dagger and continue to penetrate the bridge of the Agamemnon-class destroying it in a magnificent display of pink flame.

As the EA fleet retreats from the ZAFT reinforcements a pair of ORB's Izumo-class attack carriers painted the neutral gold color-scheme of the new autonomous colony cluster close from their intended escape-trajectory. Admiral Duskin sighs and wishes he had been able to cause more damage; but at this point it is better to die than live on. Sandwiched between the ORB and ZAFT forces, Duskin orders his fleet to stand its ground and fight to the last man. The Izumos each launch a pair of golden Strike II Gundams and two full squadrons of M1b Astray units, which quickly join the ZAFT forces in battle.

Shinn, Rey and Luna continue to attack the Earth Alliance vessels, supported by a large quantity of other ZAFT mobile suits. Andrei Duskin's flagship, the Hippolyta, turns upward to direct the full force of it's cannons at the attacking ZAFT forces. Lunamaria declares that she will take out the enemy's head and flies off at the Hippolyta after transforming the Saviour-Gundam into its mobile-armor configuration.

Shinn fires his last missile salvo at a group of Long-Daggers engaged in combat with an ace's custom-colored orange GuAIZ. The Long-Daggers break off from the GuAIZ and advance on Shinn. The pilot of the orange GuAIZ, Heine Westenfluss, wipes the sweat from his forehead and retreats from the battlefield. Shinn destroys one of the Long-Daggers with a shot from his beam rifle, but is unable to avoid the second Dagger as it cleaves the Impulse Gundam's right forearm in half with a beam saber Shinn pulls out a beam javelin from the barrel of the Gundam's right-side beam cannon and thrusts it straight through the cockpit of the attacking Dagger killing the pilot.

On the bridge of the Hippolyta Admiral Andrei Duskin watches stoically as Lunamaria's Saviour mobile-armor approaches the ship at high-speed and transforms into a mobile suit just in time to land on the Hippolyta's hull. Duskin closes his eyes and says he has no regrets as the Saviour's twin beam cannons swing over the mobile-suits armored shoulders and decapitate the Hippolyta's bridge. Lunamaria jumps off the EA flagship as it disappears in a cloud of flame. Meanwhile Shinn has attached his two beam javelins together to create a double-beam javelin which he spins furiously in his left hand as he cuts through three strike-daggers one after another. Watching Shinn's skill from a short distance behind the Impulse, Rey is impressed at how much Shinn has improved as a pilot since they all graduated.

Shinn flies at the last Agamemnon-class battleship and cleaves through the center of the vessel's hull with his double-beam javelin before rapidly thrusting the javelin at the ships bridge. The last Agamemnon shudders as it is blasted back from the fury of Shinn's attack and Rey finished it off with a rapid volley of energy-fire from his beam rifle. As the last Agamemnon-class warship explodes, the remaining EA Nelson-class vessels stop firing their weapons and do nothing. Lunamaria cuts through the torso of a 105 Dagger and, looking at the passive EA fleet wonders if the Alliance is going to surrender. Gasping for breath, Shinn asks Rey if the battle is over. The remaining Alliance warships simultaneously self-destruct stunning the defending ZAFT and ORB fleets.

Next Episode: The Oracle At Delphi
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Another Day, Another Mishap.

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Episode 09: The Oracle At Delphi

Outside the charred shell of the Corinth Colony, Shinn, Rey and Luna are stunned as the remaining EA warships suddenly halt their attack. Unsure of how to react, the ZAFT pilots pause, expecting the Earth Alliance fleet to surrender. In a rapid, nearly simultaneous, succession the remaining Alliance warships self-destruct, scattering debris across the battlefield. Shinn watches the remaining Nelson-class EA warships destroy themselves and is shocked; he wonders why they chose to end their lives so abruptly. The remaining EA mobile suits, mostly 105-type and Long-type Dagger units, however, continue to fight. A pair of 105 Daggers approach the motionless impulse at full-speed; Rey positions his Gaia-Gundam in front of the Impulse and cleaves one of the attacking suits in half with his twin beam sabers and then rapidly turns his suit around to blast the second suit with the Gaia's head-vulcans. Rey shouts at Shinn that the battle isn't over yet. Shinn shakes himself back into action and punches the attacking Dagger with the Gundam's clenched fist: the metal "fingers" are smashed together and the Impulse Gundam's hand is left a deformed lump. As the force of the impact knocks the 105 Dagger back, Rey shoots his beam-rifle at the enemy's back, frowning slightly as the armor surrounding the cockpit melts and the suit explodes.

At the other end of the battlefield Lunamaria Hawke, along with a pair of GuAIZ units belonging to the Joule-team, engages a half-dozen EA Long-Daggers in close-range combat. The GuAIZ' quickly demolish two of the Long-Daggers and Lunamaria smirks, saying she can't afford to be outdone yet, and fires her Saviour Gundam's twin-heavy beam cannons and beam rifle at the same time, simultaneously striking down three enemy mobile suits. Luna smiles, flush with the feeling of victory and rushes at the last remaining Dagger with her beam-saber As she swings the beam saber at the Dagger's central torso the Dagger's pilot drives the mobile suit into a steep downward dive, retaliating by blasting off the Saviour's left leg with its beam rifle. As the Saviour is incapacitated the Joule-team GuAIZs rush in and destroy the Long Dagger. Lunamaria sighs and says that the enemy was just a little bit more skilled than she thought, and retreats back to the Minerva.

The Strike II Gundams and Astray units aid the ZAFT forces in mopping up the remaining EA mobile suits and fighters. An ORB squadron-leader piloting a Strike II, comments on how terrible it was that the EA space-forces destroyed a civilian colony; he sighs as a pair of Astrays help Dearka's ZAKU destroy one of the last Alliance mobile suits.

Lunamaria lands her one-legged Gundam on the catapult deck of the Minerva clumsily, barely able to maintain balance. On the bridge, Talia surveys the battlefield: debris from the demolished colony and destroyed warships is strewn about the area recklessly. Arthur informs her that all of the enemy forces have been annihilated and Talia orders the Minerva to launch signal-flares to alert its mobile-suits to return to the ship.

As the ORB mobile suits withdraw to their respective Izumo-class carriers, Yzak slumps back into his ZAKU's cockpit panting heavily. After taking the time to catch his breath, Yzak returns to the Chasseur de Têtes. Dearka and three GuAIZ mobile suits return to ship as well, though all four suits are heavily damaged. Dearka's ZAKU bears the worst injury, having lost it's head, entire left arm and most of it's skirt-armor What armor was still left on the ZAKU was charred black from countless beam-rifle hits. On the bridge of the Chasseur de Têtes, Yzak is informed that the Minerva and all other ZAFT vessels are to immediately proceed to the nearest completed colony--Delphi--for repair and resupply. Yzak sits down in the captain's chair and sighs, too tired to curse, and says he doubts they'll be having any new missions for a while. Dearka approaches and says that it's to be expected, considering the casualties the Joule-team suffered, but at least they'll get some leave out of it. Yzak orders to Chasseur de Têtes to enter formation with the Minerva and follow it to Delphi.

In the briefing room of the Minerva, Talia Gladys addresses the three Gundam pilots. Talia praises Shinn, Rey and Luna for their exemplary performance in battle and singles out Luna for her particular achievements in the last battle. Rey asks if she thinks they'll be fighting against the Alliance space forces any time soon, and Talia honestly states that she does not know: most of the EA's space forces were present at the battle of Corinth, and those are all gone, but there are other Alliance military units still in space. Talia continues to say that with no stable communication with Earth, all of the Alliance space-forces are in a state of disarray--it's impossible to determine what course of action they might choose to follow on their own. Lunamaria asks Talia if that means PLANT and the Earth Alliance are really at war with one another again, and Talia responds that it does not. She tells the pilots that the actions of the Earth's forces at Corinth can be judged as nothing other than renegade activity. Just as the actions of the Zala-loyalists at Junon were contrary to the feelings of PLANT, they must assume that the actions of the EA fleet at Corinth, too, ran contrary to the Alliance's wishes. Upset of the reminder of their failure at Junon, Shinn, Rey and Luna are silent for a moment.

Lunamaria is the first to speak up, asking the captain what the Minerva will do next. Talia responds that once the Minerva reaches Delphi they will most likely be there for some time in order to be fully repaired and resupplied. She reminds the pilots that even though two of the Minerva's ZAKUs were given to the Joule-team, the Minerva still has three other units without pilots. Talia laughs slightly and says that she never expected the Minerva's maiden voyage to be quite the eventful. Through the darkness of space, the Minerva approaches the central docking bay of the Delphi colony. The massive ship folds it's "wings" close to its hull and lowers itself onto a giant landing-pad that slowly descends as the ship lands. The platform comes to a halt and four large clamps latch onto the ships hull, holding it into place.

On the Chasseur de Têtes, now docked inside of Delphi alongside the Minerva, Yzak complains that the O'Neil-type colonies are too damned cramped. Dearka laughs and says that he had better get used to it. Outside the Minerva, a ZAFT pilot wearing the red uniform enters the ship. Upon entering, the pilot is stopped by security personell and asked to identify himself; the pilot removes his helmet; Heine Westenfluss snaps a curt salute and smiles, saying that he heard the Minerva was short on pilots.

Shinn, Rey, Lunamaria and Meyrin all disembark from the Minerva wearing civilian clothes. Luna sighs and says she's stuck taking her little sister shopping. Meyrin pouts and pinches Lunamaria's side making her yelp in surprise Rey and Shinn laugh. Luna ignores her sister and asks Shinn what he's going to do with his time off; Shinn says he doesn't know. Shinn, in turn, asks Rey if he has any plans and Rey responds that there is a place he wants to visit. Shinn asks if he can tag along and Rey states that it wouldn't be a problem.

As they leave the tram that carried them down to the colony from the spaceport at the center of the colony, Luna and Meyrin leave to board a public E-Car. Shinn asks Rey if it's a long walk to the place he wants to visit; Rey says it should be very near to where they are. After a following Rey in silence for a while, Shinn groans and asks Rey if it's much further. Rey says they will be there soon. After walking even further through the colony without respite Shinn gets more and more irritated. As they leave the commercial area of the colony and enter a more rural area Shinn asks Rey where it is that they are going anyway. Rey points at a narrow gray structure pointing up over the treetops in front of them like a stone needle and labels it as his destination.

Shinn and Rey approach the structure and Shinn notes that it is a giant marble obelisk, set into a wide foundation. Shinn asks Rey if it's some kind of memorial and Rey replies that it is, of a sort. As the two pilots approach the structure a tall woman with long-brown hair approaches them and bows respectfully. She looks at Rey and stifles a gasp, but quickly removes any hint of recognition from her face as Rey shakes his head slightly. The Woman welcomes Shinn and Rey to the Kreuze memorial, and introduces herself as Meere Campbell. Shinn asks her if the obelisk is some kind of memorial, and Meere nods and says that it is called the Kreuze Memorial. Shinn walks up to the obelisk and slowly walks in a circle around it, examining the marble structure from ever angle. Shinn then proceeds to walk around the granite foundation examining the floor; not seeing any writing to identify the monument he turns to Meere and asks her what it's for.

Meere smiles and says that the obelisk was one of the first structures built on the colony to commemorate the work of Kreuze da Flaga. Before Shinn can ask who he his, Meere informs him that Kreuze da Flaga was a professor at Janus-1 in the third decade of the Cosmic Era. Kreuze worked as a teacher, but his true calling was philosophy and he is credited with several major theories regarding the purpose of coordinators and the true meanings behind the words of the first Coordinator, George Glen. Shinn shrugs and says that he's never heard of the guy; Meere smiles and says that when PLANT was formed as a sovereign state, governed and populated solely by coordinators, Kreuze da Flaga's writings were forbidden. Meanwhile, Rey leans against a rail at the edge of the foundation and stares at the marble obelisk silently.

Shinn asks why PLANT disliked Kreuze's writings and Meere tells him that the core of Kreuze's ideology was that coordinators were destined to facilitate an "awakening" of mankind--they were meant to coordinate the transition of mankind from one state of being to the next. From Homo-Sapiens to something new. Such an ideology meant that coordinators were a temporary-existence. PLANT feared this as it had been founded under the idea that coordinators themselves were the new breed of humanity. Shinn asks why it matters so much what coordinators think they are; people are people, he says, regardless of the circumstances of birth. Meere smiles and says that Shinn is correct. Meere continues to say that according to Kreuze da Flaga's ideas, the new humanity would be an enlightened race, free from violence and war.

At these words Shinn recalls seeing the Freedom Gundam fighting in the skies above Onogoro Port, the Freedom hunches down in mid-air and cuts through the knees of an EA Dagger. The lower-legs of the mobile suit explode and the upper part of the Dagger falls down, crashing onto the refugee ship with Shinn's family. In the cold choppy waters below, Shinn sees his sister cry out for him as pieces of shrapnel fly up from the deck and into her flesh. Mayu's eyes widen for an instant in pain, and then disappear as she is consumed in a burst of flame. Shinn screams in his memory and through his teary eyes he sees the Freedom and Calamity continuing to battle above, oblivious to the carnage below. Shinn opens his eyes and clenches his fists, his former jocularity vanishing. Shinn snaps at Meere, telling her that such a thing is impossible. Humans are humans, he says. They fight, they kill, and they die. If some marvelous new breed of human being were to exist, all of the sacrifices, all of the death that had preceded it would be meaningless. Kreuze was nothing but an ineffectual, foolish idealist.

Shinn shouts at Meere angrily, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Shinn tells Meere it's impossible The world she's describing is no more than a deranged fantasy. Meere smiles softly, looking at Shinn with a faint pity. Wouldn't it be nice, she asks him, if humans could one day live in a world without war? A world where mobile suits were unnecessary? Meere asks Shinn if he pilots a mobile suit because he truly enjoys fighting and killing, or if he does it because he wants to protect something. Wouldn't he be much happier, Meere asks Shinn, if he didn't have to fight at all? Do not, she continues to ask, all soldiers think such thoughts? It may be foolish idealism, she says, but it has a certain charm to it.

Shinn clenches his teeth but says nothing. No one wants war, Meere says. No one wants to die; no one wants to kill. It's possible, she says--it's probable--that one day human beings will outgrow their violent tendencies. It's also possible that humanity will destroy itself entirely. Meere asks Shinn which of the two options he would prefer to believe.

Shinn says nothing and looks up at the obelisk. Meere apologizes to Shinn for upsetting him and bows, and then states that perhaps he would prefer to be alone at the moment, excusing herself. Meere steals one last, quick glance at Rey before descending from the stone platform.

Shinn backs away from the obelisk towards Rey, wiping the moisture from his eyes. He sees his sister, Mayu, once more. Her body being torn apart violently. Shinn vividly recalls the agony expressed in her eyes the moment she died. Haltingly, he asks Rey if it could have been avoided. Was there any way that all the senseless death could have been circumvented?

After a brief pause Rey shakes his head "no" to comfort Shinn and states that all humans, no matter how miserable their lives may be, always want to live--even if they must take the lives of others to do so. If mobile suits did not exist, humans would fight with guns. If guns did not exist, humans would fight with knives and clubs. Rey reasons that if no tools existed, and each human owned nothing more than that with which he or she was born, we would then kill each other with our bare hands, tearing the flesh from our enemies intimately. Shinn frowns at Rey's words and tries to reply, but he cannot deny the logic behind Rey's statement.

Shinn steps forward to touch the obelisk silently, running his hand up the marble structure. He turns to Rey and that Rey's words might be true, but it would be wonderful if there was hope for something better. Rey smiles and walks up to Shinn, nodding his head in agreement.

Next Episode: To Earth
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Episode 10: To Earth

Pulling back from an empty starfield, the silhouette of a helmeted man emerges; gazing silently at the dark expanse. Another silhouette approaches the man; this one a young woman with shoulder-length hair. She leans on the man's shoulder and whispers a few short words into his ear. The girl than leaves, and the helmeted man exits after pausing to stare into starfield a bit more.

Stars swirl by at abruptly-changing speeds and angles. Up, down, left, right--diagonal. Amidst the flowing maelstrom of darkness and tiny swirling pinpricks of light, a small spacecraft emerges; painted entirely black. It is similar in design to an atmospheric fighter plane: it has an elongated, pointed hull braced on either side with large triangular wings slanted downward. The rear of the craft slopes upward to house a large rocket-like propellant nozzle. Dotted around the rear of the craft in a haphazard pattern are five barbed gold antennae protruding at various degrees. The large blister at the top-front of the craft houses a distinctive mono-eye optical sensor shining green amidst the unforgiving blackness of space. The green eye swivels quickly from left to right before re-aligning itself as do a handful of smaller mono-eye sensors located all over the craft; the thrust-nozzle flares blue and the craft speeds ahead. Two more identical craft appear and the three of them fly toward a small comet, using a myriad of tiny thruster located throughout the respective fuselages to avoid the chunks of ice and dust particles flying out in twin streams from the comet's main body.

The three craft easily approach the comet and then fly in front of it, quickly manuevering themselves so that each one is pointed directly at the comet's main body. Bright flashes of green light blast out from the "nose" of each craft, similar to the discharge of a typical beam rifle but far less controlled. The beam-discharge melts the nose of one craft to slag, and it falls back into the comet's upper tail and is quickly destroyed. The second is destroyed by the explosion of the comet itself, but the third emerges unharmed, and flies away as the comet becomes nothing more than a very, very fast cloud of dust. The third craft sets itself on a straight course and heads toward a pair of blinking red-and-blue lights in the distance.

Inside the autonomous colony Delphi, Meere Campbell hums to herself as she sweeps the stone steps leading up to Kreuze monument. A man wearing a black suit and sunglasses approaches her quietly and whispers something into her ear before stepping aside. Meere turns and smiles and asks the man if it's "that time already?" and the two leave.

A trio of ZAFT Nazca-class warships lower themselves into a shallow orbit, holding position just above the Earth's gravity well. The captain of one of the Nazca's asks if there has been any word from Earth yet, but is told that there is still no communication. The captain sighs and says he doesn't like it. An officer standing behind the captain asks him if something might have happened to the Chairman. Before the captain can respond, an crewman at the front of the bridge announces that an ORB space shuttle is approaching the Nazcas from the Earth broadcasting a PLANT identification code.

Inside the hangar of a ZAFT Nazca-class high-speed carrier, Supreme Chairman Gilbert Durandel disembarks from the ORB Union's shuttle. The ZAFT captain and his crew snap salutes at Durandel as he walks toward the hangar-exit. The captain falls into step beside the chairman. Durandel orders the captain to establish a laser-link with Aprillius immediately; he is going to call an emergency meeting of the High Council.

Walking through a metropolitan area in Delphi, Shinn groans and asks Rey why he had to waste their leave going to such a boring place. Rey laughs and apologizes. A private black ele-car drives past the two ZAFT pilots with Meere sitting in the rear staring passively out the window. Rey and Meere make eye contact for a moment, and the car drives away. A stand of clothing and other assorted goods crashes to the ground nearby and Shinn turns to see Lunamaria Hawke helping her sister up from the wreckage. Meyrin Hawke bows deeply to the vendor and apologizes sincerely three times; lifting an impressive array of bags from the sidewalk.

Luna presses her hands against her head and complains that it's because Meyrin always buys way too much. Meyrin laughs her sister's complaints aside as she struggles to see through the colorful boxes and bags wrapped around her head. The two of them then notice Rey and Shinn watching them, amused. Lunamaria chastises Shinn and Rey for laughing at her instead of helping out, and Meyrin collapses under the weight of her many purchases a second time. Shinn bursts out laughing, much louder than before, but then rushes to help Meyrin after she doesn't get back up.

Meere Campbell escorts Talia and Arthur into a large windowed room of a large, modern building located high on Delphi's "mountain." Meere asks the two ZAFT officers to have a seat and a large flexible screen descends on one of the bare walls. A ZAFT admiral appears on the screen; dozens of officials, officers and adjutants rush to and fro behind the admiral with great haste. Talia, amazed at the flurry of activity asks the admiral why it's so hectic. The admiral explains that the PLANT supreme council just finished an emergency meeting and sighs. The admiral comments that it's going to be a lot of work, and before Talia can ask him what he is referring to the Admiral straightens up and states that the Minerva has new orders.

The admiral explains that the Minerva is to depart immediately for Earth, and upon entry into the planets atmosphere they are to proceed post-haste to the nation of ORB in preparation for the arrival of relief-supplies and aid workers from PLANT. The admiral tells Talia that in order to increase her influence on the planet she has been promoted to FAITH. Talia is stunned at the news and before she can react the admiral wishes her Godspeed and ends the communication. Meere smiles and greets Talia once more, this time escorting her out of the room. The two women shake hands and Talia tells Meere that it was an honor to meet her; Meere thanks Talia and informs her that the Minerva is already prepared for launch.

Shinn, Rey, Luna and Meyrin rush aboard the Minerva. Lunamaria asks why their leave was canceled so suddenly and Shinn complains that he didn't have time to do anything fun. Rey apologizes to Shinn again and helps Meyrin carry her things into the ship. As the Minerva departs from the Delphi colony, Meere observes. Meere says to herself that she's heard that the Earth is a very beautiful place and smiles; her smile then disappears and she wonders if the Minerva will be all right.

On the Minerva's bridge Talia orders the Minerva to set course for Earth at best-possible speed. Arthur grins and says that he's excited to see what the fastest ship in the fleet is capable of doing and Meyrin takes the time to congratulate Talia on her promotion before heading to her station. The Minerva clears Delphi's port and sets sail for the distant Earth.

Next Episode: Forest Of Doubt
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Another Day, Another Mishap.

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*sigh*

And ~that~ begins the start of a the third and final mini-arc (along with Junon and L2) that will focus almost exclusively on Shinn.

Also... despite the increasing number of views to this thread, very few people are actually commenting on what I've written. I can think of 4 explanations.

1. It's all so INSANELY good that everyone is awed into silence.
2. It's all so INSANELY bad that everyone is filled with pity and can't think of a single comment that wouldn't hurt me.
3. The sheer quantity of text frightens people away.
4. The sheer quantity of text means people aren't ~caught up~ reading the story.

If it's the 4th explanation, post your comments anyway! Simply comment on the episode individually--I can't really do this unless I know what you guys are doing! If it's the 1st explanation, then I'm asleep... and if it's the second, post anyway. Both positive and negative criticism are required!

:P


WARNING!
Subsequent episodes WILL contain graphic descriptions of violence. Gundam is traditionally anti-war, so I have done my best to portray the horrors of war in an honest fashion. You have been forewarned.
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You shouldn't feel bad about no comments. Check my thread for example how long it took for someone else to post. People just like to take their time. And I don't find your amount of text overbearing at all, but I haven't had anything to comment that much yet. Waiting to see where it goes. :)
-We will not be caught by surprise!
*Almost everyone I've killed uttered similar last words.
-Then I am glad once again that you are on my side.
*They've often said that too.
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:shock: That was a long while....

Still, though... if I don't get any comments 'till I'm done--or close to it--how will I be able to improve upon what I have? If I know what people like and don't like about it--while I'm writing it--I won't be able to make it better.

If you liked what you read--let me know what part you liked. Same if you hated it, same if you're ambivalent. ...gah, whatever.

ep.15 is a pain in the ass to write... it's basically one big battle, followed by a string of tiny battles, with a little bit of characterization... all-action is tiresome. :o

This next episode gets pretty... violent, so I'm just gonna post it by itself.
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Episode 11: Forest Of Doubt

The air surrounding the Minerva burns red as the ship descends into the Earth's atmosphere; Shinn, Rey, Luna, Heine and two other ZAFT pilots clutch the armrests of their chairs in the briefing room as the ship shudders violently. On the bridge, Arthur informs Talia that both pilots and mobile suits are prepped and read for launch as soon as the Minerva lands. The vessels suddenly stops shaking as it approaches the planet's surface--numerous powerful thrusters on the bottom of the Minerva fire, gradually decreasing the ships rate of acceleration

The Minerva lurches to the side as a missile streaks through the gray sky and slams into the prow of the ship. Two more missiles streak past the Minerva, detonating in the empty sky above the ship as it continues to descend. On the bridge, Talia demands to know who's attacking them; Meyrin states that the level of interference is far too high for them to pick up anything on sensors. Irritated, Talia barks that they will have to look for the enemy visually. Arthur lets out a startled gasp and points at a handful of tiny gray-and-blue dots rushing towards the Minerva from the sky below. Meyrin enlarges the image to reveal a half-dozen Earth-Alliance mobile suits--Windams to be precise--outfitted for atmospheric flight, along with several squadrons of Skygrasper aerospace fighters.

The enemy fighters break ahead of the Windams and dive-bomb the Minerva, each fighter launching four heavy missiles before breaking off. The ship rocks under the bombardment; Talia orders the Minerva to extend its wings to slow the ship's descent and provide a stable firing-platform; she then orders Lunamaria to launch in defense of the ship--Shinn and Rey are to provide backup, while Heine and the other ZAKU pilots are to remain on standby. Lunamaria Hawke launches in her red-colored Saviour Gundam, quickly transforming the craft into its mobile-armor configuration, and flies after the nearest attacking aerospace fighter. Shinn and Rey Jump from the hangar doors and land on the Minerva's two opposing wings, struggling to keep their Gundams balanced in the high wind.

Lunamaria quickly destroys a trio of Skygraspers with the Saviour's twin-heavy beam cannons, and Rey scores a quick kill as well. Shinn, however, has difficulty keeping the mobile suit steady enough in the high wind to aim accurately. After Lunamaria claims a fourth fighter, the Skygraspers withdraw--Luna exclaims that no one can outrun her, and flies after them. The Windams enter range of the Minerva and begin their attack. Shinn and Rey do their best to defend against the onslaught, but Shinn still cannot steady his Gundam enough to shoot accurately. Cursing in frustration, Shinn tosses his beam rifle aside in favor of a pair of small beam sabers, and jumps off of the Minerva at one of the attacking Windam. Caught off guard, the Windam pilot is unable to react as Shinn drives a beam saber through the enemy's cockpit up to the hilt. The Windam falls back, a molten hole running through its torso, and plummets downward before exploding in a stream of light.

Lunamaria destroys the last of the Skygraspers and flies further away from the Minerva to engage a pair of Windams. On the bridge, Talia orders Luna to get back to the ship; she is fighting too recklessly. Meyrin frowns at her sisters and Arthur states that the Minerva is unable to contact the Saviour. Meanwhile, Shinn fights desperately to keep the Impulse Gundam aloft; firing all of the mobile suit's thrusters to their maximum capacity, Shinn makes his way toward the Minerva.

The Last two Windams approach the undefended port Wing opposite of Rey's position and fire a concentrate barrage of Missiles, breaking through the Minerva's armor and blasting dozens of large holes in the wing. The high winds of the upper atmosphere then help to tear the Minerva's wing from the main hull, leaving a short-lived trail of metal fragments and smoke as the wing falls down from the ship and crashes onto the surface. The Minerva veers to the side violently and Talia orders all mobile suits to return to the ship in preparation for an emergency landing.

Shinn boosts toward the two Windams, ramming one from behind and grabbing onto it with the Impulse Gundam's arms. As the two mobile suits plummet down, Shinn slices the Windam in half with a beam saber and then tries to boost upwards to the Minerva, which is now veering wildly off-course due to the damage sustained. Lunamaria flies the Saviour into the Minerva's hangar at high speed, transforming the mobile-armor back into a mobile suit at the last possible moment. Rey's Gaia is being locked into place at one end of the hangar; Luna wonders if Shinn was shot down. Shinn tries to reach the Minerva, but the Impulse Gundam's thrusters are not strong enough. With one of its wings damaged in the fight, the last enemy Windam struggles to stay aloft. The pilot, clad in civilian clothes, spots the Impulse Gundam flailing below. Blood streaming down the side of his face and smoke filling up the cockpit, the civilian pilot boosts downward to the Impulse in a sharp spiral, ramming into the ZAFT Gundam just as his Windam explodes.

The explosion sends the Impulse Gundam reeling. Shinn's head slams against the front of the cockpit and Shinn momentarily loses consciousness. The distance between the Minerva and the Impulse Gundam continues to increase, and without Shinn to pilot it, the Impulse Gundam begins to free-fall. Shinn awakes to see a mountainous coastline on the monitor getting larger and larger. Cursing, Shinn unstraps himself from the Impulse Gundam's pilot seat and puts on the emergency parachute stored in the rear of the cockpit. Shinn opens the hatch and presses a half-dozen buttons on a control panel rapidly, and then leaps away from the Gundam. Shinn's parachute opens almost immediately, and he seems to stop in mid-air as the Impulse falls. Just before it hits the ground, all of the thrusters on the Impulse Gundam fire simultaneously, greatly reducing the unmanned mobile suit's speed. The Impulse crashes into a hillside; the force of impact twists one of the Gundam's giant legs at an impossible angle and part of the "backpack" is destroyed along with the suit's left arm, but the Gundam is still more-or-less intact.

On the Minerva, now resting off the Thai coast, Lunamaria approaches Rey and asks him what happened to Shinn. Rey replies that Shinn tried to engage the enemy mobile suits in the air and was unable to return to the Minerva; he is currently listed as missing-in-action. Lunamaria grumbles and walks away; as she leaves the room Rey tells her that if she had paid more attention to her surroundings Shinn would not have needed to leave. Luna ignores him. On the Minerva's bridge, Talia asks if they can locate the fallen Impulse Gundam--Meyrin responds that they're picking up the Gundams IFF from a location thirty kilometers away. Talia asks if they can make it to the Gundam's location, but Arthur responds that the Minerva has sustained too much damage to conduct a search on its own.

Heine Westenfluss, alongside two other ZAKU pilots leave the Minerva's hangar and jump off the ship to the coastline; wading through the water as they climb to dry ground. Talia's face appears in a communication screen in front of Heine; Talia tells Heine that the ZAKU team is to split up and follow the coast south to recover the Impulse Gundam and its pilot. Heine then signals the other two ZAKU pilots and the begin their trek southward along the coast; the ZAKUs only have limited power, so their operational time is limited. Heine tells them to be as quick and efficient as possible.

In the territorial waters of the United Emirates of ORB, Cagalli Yula Atha walks through a narrow corridor onboard the carrier Takemikazuchi followed by Yuuna Roma Seiran. Yuuna tells Cagalli it's too dangerous for her to leave ORB, and refers to her as "my honey". Cagalli's eyes twitch in irritation as she opens the door and enters the Takemikazuchi's bridge. Yuuna moves to follow her, but Cagalli pushes him back and tells him that civilians are not permitted on the bridge before closing the door in his face. Cagalli sighs, and then approaches the the captain of the vessel--Todaka. Cagalli wonders why the Minerva is so late, and Todaka replies that ORB surveillance recorded the Minerva engage in battle as it descended to Earth, and that the Minerva was forced off-course to make an emergency landing. Cagalli asks why she wasn't informed of the Minerva's situation earlier, and Todaka apologizes stating that he only became aware of it himself recently.

Cagalli asks Todaka where the Minerva landed, and he tells her it was last spotted descending near the former Republic of Burma. Cagalli curses, muttering under her breath that it just had to land in such a troublesome spot. Cagalli then orders Todaka to have the Takemikazuchi and its escort fleet set sail for the Andaman sea, saying that they cannot afford to have any delays; the Destiny Plan will be impossible to set into motion without the Minerva's assistance. Surprised, Todaka asks Cagalli what the Destiny Plan is. Cagalli looks at him, startled, and laughs nervously. She tells him that he didn't hear anything and then pointedly looks at a Strike II Gundam walking across the deck in front of a squadron of M1b Astray units, descending on one of the Takemikazuchi's deck-elevators. Cagalli asks Todaka how many of the new Strike-IIs are on the carrier. Todaka allows her to change the subject, informing Cagalli that as the Takemikazuchi is ORB's flagship, it has been assigned two full squadrons in addition to its normal complement of Astrays.

Lying face-down in mud, Shinn groans in pain as he tries to identify his surroundings. Realizing he is under his parachute, Shinn whips his arms about and tears it away. Leaving the chute on the ground, Shinn stands up and looks around. He is standing on an incline in a dense forest. Soft popping noises resonate in the distance. Shinn looks up; the sky is a dismal gray, tiny flickery patches of illumination flash once in a while inside the clouds as a result of the powerful electrical storms that now envelop the entire planet. Shinn removes his helmet and tosses it on the ground, walking uphill to try and find a better view of his surrounding.

The soft popping noises in the distance cease, and a dozen people clad in brown-and-tan militia gear run toward Shinn through the forest. Before he can react, one of the Men slams the butt of a rifle against Shinn's head, knocking him on the ground. Shinn groans and tries to lift himself up, but the man steps on Shinn's back, lowering the barrel of his rifle at Shinn's head. The others quickly arrange themselves in a circle around Shinn and aim their weapons at him. Shinn lifts his head to see what's happening around him and sighs. Going limp, Shinn reaches his arms around his head and surrenders himself.

Next Episode: The Broken World
Last edited by Mwulf on Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Another Day, Another Mishap.

Gundam Seed Fates
ASA (comic)
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