Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed.
The heart has reasons which reason does not know.
-Blaise Pascal
---
"Beginning descent. First layer traversed. Trigger deceleration protocol. Trajectory good."
The air howled like a wraith outside, but in the suit there was only a dim rattling. He thumbed the controls idly, eyes scanning the panel. Even after a dozen battles, anxiety plagued him. He wondered if it would go away, if he did this long enough.
"Deceleration to Mach 3. Aerodynamic control re-established."
The first three seconds. It's always the first three seconds.
Though it was eighty degrees in the cockpit he felt terribly cold. Sweat formed a frozen sheen against his chest. His heartbeat thundered like war drums in his ears.
The computer guidance system clicked off. He gripped the joystick, palm moist in the coarse fabric glove, and felt his body lurch forward and leave his stomach behind.
It seemed unreal, almost, the speed at which they fell, shivering human bodies in coffins of steel. The main camera showed clouds whirling past, an infinite expanse of blue. He marked them in his mind: an unconscious habit from his meteorology days.
Cirrocumulus...Cirrostratus…Nimbostratus…Stratocumulus…
His heart threatened to pound out of his throat. When had his uniform gotten so tight? He took another deep breath, nose wrinkling at the stale filtered air, and his hand stopped shaking.
It was shaking?
His throat was so dry. Hadn't he taken a sip before they fell? It didn't matter now. He breathed a silent prayer, then cleared his throat.
He stole a last gaze at the picture he had clipped to the top of his cockpit. Marianne…
"Alpha 1 reporting. Weapons loaded, ready to fire."
"Bravo 2."
"Charlie 3."
"Delta 4."
"Activating pre-programmed descent coordinates. Decelerating to Mach 1."
She pressed her hands against his. Again, he was amazed at how small they were. Her eyes were wet, even more beautiful than normally.
He needed some water. "Mari…I'll avenge your father." He was shocked at the steel in his own tone.
Tearing, she shook her head, obsidian locks flying. "No. You just…do your duty. Father wouldn't want us to be poisoned by revenge."
He swallowed his fear.
My duty is to protect you.
"For King and Country."
"King and Country."
"King and Country."
Below: green and blue, a continent, then a city. The pod snapped open and they spiraled downwards, in freefall. His eyes flicked constantly over the instrument banks, so they did not see the picture shake loose from the juddering and fall to the floor.
---
It is too beautiful of a day to die.
Kira peered upwards, into the sun, and saw the reinforcements falling towards them, wings corkscrewing, dipping and plunging downwards in a seemingly random formation.
They had a pretty good evasion alogrithim. A pity.
He murmured to himself as he brought the rifle up, scope searching the blue: "Pull the trigger, switch."
He felt a twinge of sorrow as his thumb depressed the firing button. The massive gun shuddered backwards, spent shell clinking on the ground, and far, far, above, one of the mobile suits blossomed into flame.
He activated his commlink while aiming for the second. They gazed at him for a moment, startled. Did they believe that the action was over, that easily?
Finally, it was Athrun who spoke up first. "What is it, Commander?"
There was a pause before he answered – the enemy pilots were veterans, swerving like frenzied birds, and his reticule felt clumsy, targeting them at this distance – but then he pushed the trigger again and a second burning flower rippled across the sky.
"Enemy reinforcements. Did you think we would get off that easily? Their landing site will be x347, y651. Athrun, move to the location and prepare to engage in close combat. Cagalli, alert the ground troops and Narbareck, then move to assist. Lacus, pick off any unopened pods, then provide fire support."
Pull the trigger, switch.
Well this is my new story, composed mainly of vignettes and shorts. It'll be updated pretty frequently, so check back a lot.
Thanks for reading. Please review!