AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the second attempt I shall make at a rewrite addressing what I feel were flaws with Gundam Seed Destiny.

I decided to start over because some of the flaws in my previous attempt were becoming a hindrance, especially with regards to one of the same issues Destiny had, which was balancing its overlarge cast. The first couple of chapters will not really change all that much, but Chapter 4 and onwards will attempt to address this issue here as well as increase the focus on Shinn in the first few chapters. Hopefully this second version will have more success.

As before, this particular version of Gundam Seed Destiny omits the initial Gundamjack, and takes place in the same continuity as An Alternate Fate.

PHASE 01: Scars That Won't Heal

February 14th, Cosmic Era 75; Lagrange Point 4 ZAFT Arsenal colony Armory One

Located far from the 119 colonies that make up the PLANT homeland, the steel-and-glass hourglass-shaped colony Armory One had first been constructed in CE 72 as a military arsenal. Since then, it had served as the primary testing ground and development facility for all new technologies created by Martius Arsenals and Maius Military Industries, the primary weapons manufacturers of the PLANTs, who developed the vehicles, weapons and mobile suits that equipped ZAFT, the nation's militia.

The upper half of the colony was the civilian district, which held housing and facilities for its residents, primarily the employees who worked in the colony and their families as a large portion of its military population. The heavily-guarded lower half held the arsenal itself and the colony's substantial military facilities and defense forces. It was here that, in CE 74, a complete restructuring and overhaul of ZAFT's mobile weapons forces had been undertaken, under the project name "New Millennium". And in the most heavily-armed section of the base, one could see the crown jewel of the New Millennium Project, soon to be the flagship of ZAFT's entire military force: a sleek, dark-gray warship with sharp, angular lines and broad, swept-back wings, although these were currently folded along its side: The assault carrier LHM-BB01 Minerva, the first new battleship to be launched, two days hence, since the end of the Bloody Valentine War three and a half years earlier. Cannons bristled along its entire upper side, facing both to the bow and stern. Conceptually a descendant of the Alliance battleship Archangel as well as the previous war's famous Eternal, it combined the best aspects of both into a fast, heavily-armed and armored battleship, the finest such craft ZAFT had ever created.

Throughout Armory One, preparations continued at a frantic pace. the upcoming launch of the new vessel. On the base, a military jeep was moving rather swiftly through the compound. In the passenger's seat, Lunamaria Hawke was looking around as suddenly, a GINN stepped out in front of them. Vino Dupré, her crewmate, was driving, and he swerved out of the mobile suit's way. "What the hell? This is a mess!" She complained, somewhat angrily. She looked back at the mobile suit, an aging relic of the Bloody Valentine War. Four years later, nearly every GINN and CGUE had long-since been retired, only a scant few serving in the armed forces - primarily among the defense forces of the PLANTs themselves. Since 72 they had been almost entirely replaced by the marginally newer GuAIZ and its mass-produced equivalent, the GuAIZ-R, both significantly superior machines. And within another year or two, even the GuAIZ would soon follow as the New Millennium Project reached completion.

-"It can't be helped. It's been a while since we've done anything like this." Vino replied. "Almost everybody here's a rookie, just like us. But all it means is the Minerva's nearly ready to launch."

-"I guess." Luna replied. Whereas Vino was part of the ship's maintenance crew Luna was a pilot. Moreover her wine-red uniform, customized with a pink miniskirt rather than the usual knee-length skirt, indicated that she was a graduate of the PLANTs' military academy, and had graduated within the top ten percent of her class. "I wonder if it's true about us getting assigned to lunar orbit...and where's Shinn anyway?"

Vino opened his mouth to reply, when the two teens heard the dull, throaty roar of a jet engine, as a small, blue-and-white fighter soared past above them. Behind it were two peculiar-looking craft, dull-grey in color, which almost looked like the upper and lower bodies of a mobile suit - which is exactly what they were.

"There he is." Vino said, pointing above at the three craft. "He was scheduled for some final flight and combat tests on the Impulse before it was loaded on the Minerva." As he spoke, the three craft began to line up, with the fighter in the middle and the other two in front and behind. As Vino and Luna watched, the fighter - the Core Splendor - folded in on itself, and the two other modules enclosed it and deployed, forming a single mobile suit, which then landed not far from them.

The ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam was, like the Minerva, the pinnacle of the New Millennium Project. Its experimental Core Block System theoretically allowed it to if need be modify its equipment and replace damaged parts on the fly, during a battle, making it possibly the most versatile mobile suit ever created.
The GINN with which Lunamaria had nearly collided earlier turned as the Impulse's Variable Phase Shift Armor shimmered, turning from grey to gleaming blue and white, and opened fire with its machine gun. In the Impulse's cockpit, Shinn saw the GINN - an unmanned aggressor unit, controlled remotely by technicians on the ground - and counterattacked. Though the GINN's machine gun was harmless against the Impulse's armor, he blocked with its shield, then drew one of a pair of beam sabers stored on the Impulse's hips and drove it deep into the GINN's belly, where the cockpit is located in most mobile suits. The GINN shut down.

As the Impulse continued through its combat tests, Vino and Luna turned away and headed back towards the ship. After close-combat, Shinn continued with anti-aircraft training, against inexpensive drones simulating enemy fighters and helicopters, which he shot down with the beam rifle. Once the exercises were complete, the Impulse turned and began walking back towards the Minerva.

Like Lunamaria as well as their mutual friend Rey Za Burrel, Shinn was a Red Coat academy graduate and mobile suit pilot. Shinn and Lunamaria were classmates at the academy, and had graduated second and third in their class respectively. They were friends, and had known each other for quite a long time. Once he reached the ship's hangar he maneuvered the Impulse into its berth and shut the mobile suit down. As Shinn left the cockpit, the tall, taciturn Rey was waiting for him.

"Good work out there, Shinn." Rey said.

"Thanks, Rey." The slightly younger Shinn replied. They were a curious pair, these two. Rey had been the top student in their academy class. Quiet, thoughtful, and intelligent, the blue-eyed and blond Rey was level-headed and even-tempered. By contrast, the black-haired Shinn was brash, impulsive, hot-headed and impatient, constantly questioning his instructors. And yet, they were inseparable.

Beyond his curious friendship with Rey, Shinn was unusual in a number of ways. Whereas Rey and Luna had been born in the PLANTs, Shinn had emigrated from Orb during the war, shortly after that country's invasion by the Alliance. He didn't talk much about his life on Earth, and people had quickly learned not to ask. Volatile-tempered, he was also a ferocious critic of Orb and the Athhas.
But the most unusual thing about Shinn Asuka was a pink mobile phone he carried around everywhere, though he never called anyone with it and nobody knew its number. As he stepped away from the Impulse, Shinn withdrew the phone from a pocket and opened it, his expression thoughtful.

-"You know, there's no point carrying that thing around if you never use it." a voice said from behind. Yolant Kent, a good friend of his and like Vino a member of the ship's maintenance crew, walked past Shinn. The latter shot him an ugly look then, flipping the phone shut and slipping it into his pocket, left the hangar.

United Orb Emirates, Kaguya Mass Driver/Spaceport

The Kaguya Mass Driver - destroyed in C.E. 71 - had been painstakingly rebuilt in the years since the war's end. Today, for the first time, the spaceport was operational again, and a shuttle stood poised on the launch ramp, waiting to take off. Although a sizable crowd stood at the boarding ramp, only a few people were boarding.

The first was Johan Lindemann of the Kingdom of Scandinavia, followed by Setiawan Patel of the Equatorial Union. The elderly Lindemann had achieved renown as one of the architects of the Treaty of Junius Seven, which had ended the Bloody Valentine War two and a half years earlier. The third was Vice-President Brennan Marshall of the Eurasian Federation, a handsome man in his late-thirties. President Baum himself would normally attend, but discussions with President Copeland, his opposite number in the Atlantic Federation, had required his attention. The Eurasian Federation under the Baum administration had progressed significantly in recent years, both in terms of addressing the damage caused by the war - in particular the massive power crisis that had gripped the nation in the wake of ZAFT's Operation Uroboros, which had dropped the Neutron Jammers, eliminating the use of nuclear powerplants that were the primary source of power at the time - and with regards to freeing itself from the political and ideological grip of Blue Cosmos.

Walking next to him was a young woman wearing a maroon jacket and suit pants over a white blouse. The dark-gold trim around the jacket's collar identified her as the Chief Representative of the United Orb Emirates, and her blonde hair and golden eyes made Cagalli Yula Athha fairly easy to recognize. Cagalli was speaking with Marshall, a man she got along well with, but she remained preoccupied. The reason for the gathering of so many disparate officials was a simple, if grim one: They were a Memorial Delegation whose intent was to visit the ruins, in orbit around the Debris Belt, of Junius Seven, and pay their respects to the 243,721 innocent civilians who had died there; the Bloody Valentine Tragedy, a massacre that had sparked a bloody, world-wide war when an Atlantic Federation carrier had fired a one-megaton nuclear warhead at the colony, obliterating it and killing its entire population.

Since then, the PLANTs had sent a memorial delegation to the site every year until CE 73, when newly-elected President Baum, in an unprecedented gesture, had offered to host a joint memorial delegation composed of representatives from all nations of Earth. Unsurprisingly the Atlantic Federation had declined, as well as the Republic of East Asia. Both governments remained strongly anti-Coordinator in stance, having not mirrored Eurasia's more tolerant stance and move towards moderation and cooperation with their neighbors in space. This year, Orb was hosting the memorial delegation - it had been Cagalli's idea that the PLANTs, Eurasia, and Orb take it in turn year after year to host the delegation. The shuttle would launch and make a short stop at Orb's geosynchronous battle station Ame-no-Mihashira, where it would pick up a small escort of mobile suits led by Alex Dino, Cagalli's bodyguard and a Major in Orb's Defense Forces. Originally designed as part of an orbital elevator, construction had halted at the outbreak of the Bloody Valentine War, and the incomplete station had been converted into a military fortress, which housed Orb's small but efficient space force.

Cagalli thought of Alex, and almost smiled when she thought of what he'd say about her attire. 'Probably he would say that I should've worn a dress.' she mused.
It occurred to her, as it usually did, that Alex had insisted on accompanying her every year that the memorial delegation went to the site. He never gave a real reason beyond it being his job as a bodyguard, but Cagalli she thought she knew better; beyond concern for her own safety, he had deeply personal reasons for wanting to go, having himself lost family in the Bloody Valentine.
But this was not what preoccupied her at the moment. She was much more concerned about Orb's own fragile political situation; In the wake of the nation's invasion by the Earth Alliance, many of its residents had fled to the PLANTs. Of those immigrants, large numbers had since returned, but many had not and instead had found work in their new home, some of them in technological and military fields.

As a result, the Atlantic Federation was accusing Orb of illegally providing military aid to the PLANTs. As she thought of this, she glanced back at the final member of the delegation: PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Gilbert Durendal. A tall, darkly handsome man of thirty-five with a background in genetic engineering, Gilbert Durendal belonged to the same party as the late Siegel Clyne, and had publicly promised to uphold the late Chairman Clyne's ideals. Nonetheless, he had also spearheaded a recent restructuring of ZAFT, the PLANTs' militia, under the New Millennium Project. She wondered what he would say if she were to raise her concerns. 'Perhaps I'll see about speaking to him after the memorial ceremony' Cagalli thought as she walked up the gangway into her personal shuttle.

She seated herself near the front, and glanced out the window at the people gathered below. She soon spotted Unato Ema Seiran, who had replaced her uncle Homura as Prime Minister, and his son Yuna Roma, like his father one of the senior members of the Council of Emirs. The Seirans were one of Orb's noble families, and strongly supportive of the Atlantic Federation. Privately, Cagalli suspected they had ties to Blue Cosmos, but these suspicions were her own and she had no evidence. The two of them, she was pleased to see, looked uncomfortable next to the taller figure of Rondo Mina Sahaku, who was the leader of Orb's small but efficient military and had significant influence in the nation's government. Once an enemy of her father's, Mina had, to Cagalli's surprise, proven to be an invaluable ally whose loyalty was without question. The group left, and soon afterwards the shuttle began its takeoff.

Earth Orbit
Observation satellite Gagarin-II

One of the only facilities maintained by the PLANTs in Earth Orbit was an enormous satellite that had once served as a staging point for ZAFT's invasion fleets during Operation Uroboros. Now, its purpose was primarily as a long-range space observation satellite.

"What?" said one of the satellite's operation managers. "That can't be right!" The operator to whom he was speaking nodded.

-"I thought so too, but I checked it several times; look, this is the latest scan; this is from two hours ago. And this is every scan of the orbit since 73. It's definitely decayed, and it's continuing to do so."

-"But that's impossible; Junius Seven is supposed to be fixed in a stable orbit. If it's decayed...We have to contact the PLANTs, right away."

When the news of Junius Seven's orbit decay reached the PLANTs, the reaction was panic. In Durendal's absence, Louise Leitner and Ali Kasim, the Legislative and Judicial leaders of the PLANT government, took charge. "Something has to be done; This is a serious situation." Said the former.

-"How can we be sure of this information?" asked the more cautious Kasim.

-"The Gagarin-II observatory has reverified this information." Said a third voice. "I have asked our own observation facilities at Aprilius, and they have confirmed Gagarin-II's report." The speaker was Ezalia Joule, once a member of the National Defense Committee and the strongest supporter of the late Patrick Zala. A specialist in aeronautical engineering, she and her son Yzak had both been arrested following the end of the Bloody Valentine War and prosecuted. In a controversial decision, both were pardoned by Gilbert Durendal following his election along with a few others, and Ezalia was subsequently reelected to the Supreme Council as chairwoman of the National Defense Committee. "We can therefore confirm they are correct. Which begs the question of how this happened?"

-"Ultimately, we must contact Chairman Durendal. The memorial delegation must be warned." answered Kasim. "I also think that the people need to be advised." Kasim said.

-"The nations of Earth have to be warned as well." Eileen Canaver, the chairwoman of the Diplomatic Committee, interrupted, with a sidelong glance at Ezalia. The two women, it was well-known, did not like each other. "We need to send messages to their governments advising them of the situation. Inform them that the PLANTs will take every measure possible to avert the worst-case scenario. Of course, we also need to decide what steps should be taken to prevent the fall of Junius Seven to Earth."

-"Destroy it." Ezalia said flatly, causing general consternation. "Unfortunately there is no other option. We can't stop its motion or reverse it, it's far too large."
There were a few moments' silence, then a dull murmur of assent. Ezalia continued. "Very well. I will dispatch the Voltaire and Rousseau with the proper equipment, along with a couple of additional vessels for support."

-"Aren't those your son's ships, Chairwoman Joule?" Leitner asked pointedly.

-"They are, Chairwoman Leitner." Ezalia acknowledged. "Or rather, the Voltaire and Rousseau were commanded by Yzak. More to the point, they are widely considered to be the best we have. In the meantime, I will take steps to contact Chairman Durendal."

- "Good." Canaver replied. "For my part, I will draft and send messages to the governments of the Atlantic and Eurasian Federations, as well as the other nations."

Soon afterwards, the Council adjourned. Returning to her offices, Ezalia immediately set about attempting to contact Durendal in Orb, hoping to catch them before the shuttle took off. It took time, and when she finally reached someone she learned it was too late. The shuttle had already taken off. She immediately had Armory One contacted and spoke to the base's military commander.
"Commander, I am ordering an immediate emergency launch of the Minerva."

-"Wha..." The officer stammered. "But...the ship isn't ready! We still have two days, its mobile suits and pilots are not all yet on board, and..."

-"An emergency situation has emerged, and the memorial delegation shuttle could be in serious jeopardy. I need not remind you that it is carrying, among others, Supreme Council Chairman Durendal." The officer did not reply, too stunned by the enormity of that pronouncement. "Additional information will be relayed to you, and we are dispatching ships from the homeland. However, the Minerva is the fastest ship we have ever built, possibly the fastest anyone has ever built. From L4, it can reach the site sooner than ships we could send from here at L5."

-"I understand ma'am, but as I said, to launch now, the ship would have to leave at less than its full MS capacity."

-"There is no other option, Commander. And in any case, that was a direct order."

-"Yes ma'am. I understand."

Ezalia Joule's orders were relayed quickly throughout the base, and preparations intensified to prep ZAFT's newest carrier for launch ASAP. Meanwhile onboard the Minerva, the bridge door opened, and the entire bridge crew stood at attention as an officer in a white coat, the black collar of his uniform trimmed with gold, entered. Tight-lipped and frowning, he had medium-length silver-white hair, hard blue eyes, and a long, thin scar across his face that did not detract from his appearance.

"Sit the hell down." Yzak Joule ordered irritably as he took his place in the Captain's chair of the Minerva. Arthur Trine, the Minerva's executive officer, looked taken aback at the abruptness of the order, but obeyed. "What's our status?"

-"We have six mobile suits currently on board, and most of the crew is accounted for. Unfortunately, we're short a couple of pilots due to injuries, but replacements are scheduled to arrive tomorrow, along with additional mobile suits." Arthur read off.

-"Fuck that." Yzak said flatly. "I'm ordering you to launch the Minerva immediately." Arthur looked aghast.

-"But Sir..."

-"That order comes directly from the Supreme Council. We're headed to the Debris Belt, where we will intercept the memorial delegation shuttle, then rendezvous with the Voltaire, Rousseau, and two additional ships. Their objective: the destruction of Junius Seven, before the damn thing falls to Earth."

Several seconds' complete silence greeted that statement. Then Arthur started and turned back to his console.
-"Huh, right. Minerva, begin launch sequence. The ship is now entering combat status. Prepare for emergency launch." A hatch opened underneath the ship, and a transmission from Armory One's spaceport came in.

"As of this moment, classification code LHM-BB01 Minerva is validated. Confirming call sign, Sierra Antares One. Emergency launch sequence is under way; damage control, remain on standby. Minerva connected to descent lift. Begin descent." As the transmission ended, the ship began slowly sliding downwards on its lift, out towards the exterior of the colony.

"Start the engines." Yzak ordered as the ship reached the outside. "Go to Condition Red. The Minerva is taking off."

-"Minerva, taking off! Engines to maximum." Arthur ordered as the ship's wings spread open, and ZAFT's newest battleship began its maiden voyage. "Condition Red in effect. Pilots to briefing room at once. I repeat, the Minerva is taking off, Condition Red is in effect. Pilots to briefing room at once."

The announcement came as Lunamaria, Shinn, and Rey were wondering the reason for the ship's sudden, premature departure. All three of them immediately stood and headed to the ship's ready room, where they changed into their normal suits, then headed to the adjacent briefing room. They had been seated for only a few moments when Yzak strode into the room, still in full uniform.
There was some uneasiness among the pilots, other than the impassive Rey. Most eyes were focused on Yzak, their CO; though the name of Yzak Joule was legendary among the younger recruits, none of them knew him beyond his reputation, which was not the best. However, when he began to speak, everyone listened.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, this ship has launched earlier than anticipated, and her launching ceremony has not even been held yet. The reason is that we have been given an urgent and extremely important mission: The recovery of the memorial delegation shuttle, which was to visit the ruins of Junius Seven. And the destruction of Junius Seven itself."
Yzak waited for a few instants, as shocked whispers erupted between some of the Minerva's pilots. Then he continued.
"The reason is that our observation facilities at home and in Earth orbit have detected an oscillation in Junius Seven's orbit: It's falling, and unless we do something, it will fall on Earth. We will rendezvous with the Hawkins Team's Lemaître and Montesquieu, as well as the Voltaire and Rousseau; they are carrying Meteor Breakers, which will be used to break apart the debris before it enters the atmosphere. Our job is to support them. Ideally, we would also want to intercept the shuttle before its arrival at the site, but either way our primary objective is to find the damn thing. I want every pilot on five-minute standby at your machines. Dismissed!"

Debris Belt - Earth Orbit
Junius Seven

"Solar wind velocity is steady; flare level S3, estimated particle arrival 30 seconds." The broadcast came from one of a multitude of small, nimble mobile pods that swarmed over the remains of what had once been half of Junius Seven - the remaining debris of the colony. These pods were currently installing sizable electronic devices at numerous locations throughout the colony, many of which were already in place.

-"Hurry up," ordered their commander. A man named Kotomine Sato, he was the leader of several teams of GINN High-Maneuver Type-IIs that were currently at the colony. Once a soldier of ZAFT, he and his men had disappeared following the end of the Bloody Valentine War. "How's Unit 9 looking?"

-"Just about ready, sir." replied the one installing the final flare motor. "Particle arrival imminent. Beginning countdown to flare motor activation."

A few seconds later, the hundreds of newly-installed flare motors activated, aggravating still further the oscillation they had already caused and precipitating Junius Seven on its fatal course towards Earth. "Allen...Christine..." Sato muttered, glancing at the photographs taped in his cockpit. "We'll be reunited after this."
He turned towards the falling colony and saluted.
"Now, FALL!" He yelled as he saw the colony move, "Our great tombstone! On a world that has forgotten the voices of sorrow, that closes its eyes to reality and wallows in deceit! The hour of reckoning is at hand!"

Soon, he would have his revenge..