DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to
Sunrise and co. I’m not making any profits out of this, so don’t sue. Oh, those
you think you’ve never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome,
people!☺
TIMELINE: The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize’s Revenge series.
By Arayelle Lynn.
They assembled in the conference
room an hour later. All of them were there, listening to Lady Une as she
briefed them. Heero had left Relena’s side and was standing with his Gundam
comrades while she was sitting with the President and McGarth at the front.
Neither was looking at each other, as if the peaceful moment an hour ago had
never happen.
The atmosphere of the room was
intense as Lady Une revealed the startling discovery.
“According to the information
that we managed to gather, the Telrhani are a mighty race, ruling and has
conquered over many races in many galaxies. In each world they reached, they
succeeded in conquering them easily.”
“That doesn’t sound good for our
side,” said one of McGarth’s officers.
“Many things we discovered in
the disc don’t sound good,” said Sally, her face grim.
The officer nodded. “Okay, so we
know that they never lose. And all survivors are turned into slaves but what I
want to know is where they come from?” he said, impatiently. “Don’t tell me
that this alien traitor of yours forgot to include that detail.”
“Oh, no, sir. She did include
that,” said Sally, as the screen flickered, showing a star map. They all turned
their attention on it. “That flicker of blue on the map is the location of our
solar system in our galaxy.” She pointed at the tiny, blinking light.
Duo blinked, realizing how tiny he was compare to
the big space in the chart, which covered the portion of the universe that the
astronomers had studied over the centuries. He almost let out a whistle, in
awe. But he held himself in check.
Sally looked at her audience. “The
galaxy where the Telrhani came from is nowhere nearby,” she said, circling her
finger at the nearest galaxies near theirs. She then looked at them, ignoring
the star map completely. “In fact, their galaxy isn’t even on our map,” she
declared.
“How could that be?” McGarth
demanded, feeling as if she was playing him for a fool. “How can they not be
anywhere?”
Sally shrugged. “Simple, sir.
That means, the Telrhani came from a part of the universe that we ourselves
haven’t discovered yet. The uncharted territory. Their galaxy is over millions
of light years away.” She glanced at the star map. “Which explains why they’re
not in the map.”
“That’s impossible!” McGarth
exclaimed. “It would take an eternity to reach our galaxy if that’s true. And
by then, all of them would’ve aged and die. But from your reports, these aliens
are aging at the same rate as they have been before leaving their galaxy.”
“You didn’t let her finish,”
Heero interrupted, tonelessly. He threw McGarth a look to keep him quiet.
Sally nodded Heero her thanks.
She turned to McGarth. “There is one possible way,” she said. “And the Telrhani
used that way to get her.” She took a deep breath. “They used a wormhole
technology to get here.”
The room buzzed with surprise
gasps. Even the Gundam pilots were looking at each other, startled. Lady Une
signaled Sally to continue when the buzzing stopped. “From the disc, we’ve
found out that the Telrhani has developed a technology to create a wormhole.
They used it to conquer many worlds far away.” She paused. “Which was how they
appeared in the orbit of Pluto without us detecting their approach.”
“So that’s how,” said Zechs,
cursing himself. He knew that he should’ve thought about that when the
mysterious appearances started. Now, he could only mentally kicked himself.
“Right,” said Sally, continuing.
“From the reports, we also believed that the aliens are transferring the
prisoners to their home world at this moment so they could prepare for the
final invasion. So we need to rescue the prisoners before they were taken
through the wormhole.”
McGarth frowned. “Have you
determine where the Telrhani are keeping the prisoners?”
Sally nodded. “Yes. It’s sensible
enough to assume that the large ships heading towards the wormhole are carrying
the prisoners,” she answered, purposely challenging McGarth’s intelligence. She
then looked at Lady Une. “But if we’re talking about one particular prisoner,
the Telrhani traitor didn’t even bother to hide that fact. Mariemaia is on the
mothership, with the Warleader.”
Lady Une didn’t know if she
should feel relieved or worried. So, she just nodded. “That means she isn’t
going to be shipped through the wormhole.” Then her eyes narrowed. “And it
could also mean that they are planning to kill her after all.”
Sally looked at her,
apologetically. A glance at Kylie showed that the girl was betraying no
emotion. She just stood between Quatre and Wu Fei stoically, arms folded. But
she was watching Lady Une, intensely.
“Is there a way to destroy the
wormhole and stop them from transferring the prisoners?” asked Quatre, his eyes
betrayed his concern.
“The only way to destroy the
wormhole is to destroy the device that is creating the wormhole,” answered one
of the Preventer agents. She was an expert in technology and had studied the
files on the wormhole technology thoroughly.
Sally shook her head “Unfortunately, we have not yet discover the exact location of the wormhole device since that information is highly encrypted but if we have to guess, it would most probably be in the mothership since that is the most highly-secured space ship in their fleet.” At that she glanced at Heero and Kylie and saw them exchanging glances. She knew that they were thinking that it was their fault that the security on the mothership was doubled.
For a moment there was silence as they digested the new information. Then, Lady Une stood up, taking over the discussion. “After some discussion and certain arguments.” She purposely glanced at McGarth. “We’ve all agreed with this plan.”
“The Preventers and the ESUN’s defense group have agreed to work together to fight the alien fighters and the Mican troopers.” She nodded at Dorothy. “We will also use the mobile dolls in this fashion.” She turned to regard the Gundam pilots. “You will be handling the infiltration of the enemy’s fleet. It’s going to be a tough job with the Mican warriors breathing down your neck.”
Heero nodded. “Don’t worry about that. We can handle the job,” he said, his voice sounded very confident. He knew exactly what Lady Une was saying but said it aloud to make sure his friends understood what the real plan was. “We will infiltrate the enemy’s fleet and once we’ve secured the prisoners, we will leave them to your care.”
The other Gundam pilots looked at him, startled. Heero looked at them, particularly at Kylie. “Our main task is to find the wormhole device and destroy it before they call for reinforcements. And before more prisoners are being transferred over.” He paused. “It’s tough enough that we’ll have to handle the Micans, the rescue and the sabotage, so not all of us will be involve in all of these.” He looked at Quatre. “We might need to split our team.”
Finally understood what he was saying, Quatre nodded. “That might be the best course of action,” he replied, knowing that it was up to him to decide who’s going to do what. But that would require some thinking in his part.
Seeing no objections, Lady Une nodded. “So, it’s settle then,” she said. “Since we’re all agreed that the best course to take is a surprise attack, we would be launching our attack some time before dawn.”
They dispersed. Kylie was about to follow her team when she heard a voice calling her. She froze at the doorway, looking back at the head of Preventers. She raised her eyebrow, questioningly but said nothing.
Lady Une’s mouth opened and closed. And reopened as she tried to decide what to say to her. She knew that once the girl walked out of the room, they would never find the time and chance to speak again since both were likely to be busy with the preparations. And she had so many things to say to the ex assassin.
But she found that she couldn’t. And so, she settled with, “Good luck, Little Fire.”
There was no response from the girl. Instead, Kylie just stared at her before turning away. But before she disappeared into the hallway, Kylie said something that surprised the older woman.
“Take care of Mariemaia.”
>>>@@<<<
It’s time.
Warleader Varishk from the House of Tharia knew it deep in his heart. He purposely glanced at his lover, Sira. Somehow, she must’ve felt the same way because her eyes met his from the moment he set them on her. Then, he looked at his Mican Warriors. Like Sira, they too, sensed his thoughts. Their eyes clearly showed their calm excitement.
Yes, he knew it was the perfect time. They had studied as much as needed on Earth’s defense as well as its strengths and weaknesses. Plus, they’d also taken the initiative to study the Gundam pilots, be it their strengths and weaknesses. If anything, Varishk considered that they probably knew a lot more about the Gundam pilots than they even knew about themselves.
Yes, they’re definitely ready.
He turned his gaze ahead to his captain, Stharhkis, who would be assisting him. He gave him a nod. “Let’s make history, captain.”
Captain Stharhkis acknowledged his order and turned to his man. “Signal the other ships. Let’s move in. Our target, Earth.”
Varishk leaned into his seat, comfortably. In his thoughts, he could see nothing but absolute victory.
>>>@@<<<
Mylin sensed rather than felt the ship began to move. But she let none of that disturb her final moment of peace. She continued her prayers to the gods, particularly to Baeline, the god of vengeance as part of the preparations for her Vengeance Quest.
There, she felt completely at peace. She had her forgiveness and permission to proceed from her beloved emperor. She had done her duty as the Warleader’s spy by doing his every bidding. And she even managed to show the humans her good faith by giving them something as sacred as the Telrhani holy texts. The disc.
And now, she was content. Let Emperor Gylendar does as he wished to the information she had provide him with. Let Warleader Varishk worried about the final war. And let the Gundam pilots endangered themselves for the life of one little girl on the ship. All of that was left behind. Her only concern was her quest and a certain Telrhani warrior with green hair. Sira.
After the final prayers, Mylin rose to her feet. She walked over to the place where she hid her weapons and began to strap them onto her body. These weapons were her symbol of honor and the very thing that helped her became one of the deadliest Emperor’s Eyes among her people.
Summoning the face long gone but not forgotten, Mylin took a deep, long breath. “Wait for me, my little Tsylar. I’m coming.” She left the room, her footsteps echoed nothing but vengeance. And death.
>>>@@<<<
The hangar was bursting with activities. Most of the Gundam pilots were there, suiting up and preparing themselves. Catherine Bloom was there too, watching her little brother, Trowa, slipped into his dark customized flight suit. Though she had every confidence in Trowa’s ability, she still couldn’t shake away the thought of not being able to see him again.
Trowa held out his hand for his helmet, which she had it clutched tightly in her hands. When she didn’t let it go, he looked at her and saw the anxiety on her face and fear in her eyes. Without any words, he pulled her towards him and embraced her, reassuringly.
“Don’t worry about me, sis,” he said, gently. “I will be back. I will bring our family back, that’s a promise.” He titled her chin up and stared in her eyes. His eyes were surprisingly gentle and kind. “I’ll be fine. I’ve promised to always be by your side, remember?”
Tear glistening in her eyes, Catherine nodded. Biting her lips, she slipped his helmet on his head and pulled up the visor. She gave him a forced smile. “Just be back before dinner, okay?” she said, trying to sound as lightly as possible. “I’m making your favorite dish tonight.”
Trowa squeezed her hand. “Sure thing, sis,” he replied. Then, he leapt onto his Gundam. He gave her one last look before entering the cockpit. There, he waited patiently for the others to say their good byes.
Quatre looked around the hangar, searching for one face that he hadn’t seen for the last few hours. He was startled when someone came up from behind him. “Looking for me?” said that someone. He turned.
“Dorothy!” he exclaimed. Then looked at her, guiltily. “Uh, no. I was actually looking for…”
“Kylie, I know,” said the blond girl, feigning disappointment. “I was hoping that at least there’s one person here who might actually care enough to look for me.” She sighed. “I guess you’re not it.”
That only made Quatre felt even guiltier. “Sorry, I should’ve considered your feelings.”
“Stop it, Winner,” said Dorothy, a little too quickly. “Don’t even think about blaming yourself for my pain. I can handle it myself,” she said, realizing it wasn’t too far from the truth. “I was just teasing you,” she added, smiling mischievously. She decided to change the subject. “I’m here to wish you luck.”
Relaxing, he smiled. “Good luck to you too, Dorothy,” he said.
“Thanks.” She looked at the empty Gundam Nova. “Kylie’s not here yet?”
He shrugged. “Haven’t seen her since the briefing,” he replied as Dorothy eyed Nova carefully.
“She made quite a number of modifications, I notice,” she commented.
He sighed, unhappily. “She installed the self-detonation device and increased Nova’s speed, among other things.”
“But why didn’t she do something about the armory. Or increase the shield’s power?” she observed, speaking more to herself.
Quatre looked at Nova again, noticing it for the first time. “I don’t know,” he replied, puzzled. It would be sensible for any pilot to modify the armor of their mobile suits to ensure the best protection for the pilot. But Kylie seemed to put that aside.
Dorothy waved off his concerns away. “Maybe she has some sort of plan. Who can tell?” she said, trying to make him feel better. Reluctantly, Quatre had to agree with her but something inside him told him to pay close attention.
Suddenly, Dorothy surprised him by giving him a quick peck on his cheek. She stared at him in the eye. “You better come back safe and sound, Quatre. Or I’ll make you pay,” she said. Before he could figure out the hidden message in the tone of her voice, she left the hangar and him, standing there in deep confusion.
While Quatre was having his conversation with Dorothy, Duo was already in Deathscythe, powering up the main power. He was about to close the cockpit door when something caught his attention. “Hilde!” he exclaimed, his tone was one of disbelief.
Hilde stopped in her midstep. She was fully suited in her purple flight suit and was making her way towards the Tauruses at the far end of the hangar, where the ESUN’s defense troops were waiting. She looked up at him as he leapt down.
“What are you doing fully suited?” he demanded. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Hilde didn’t meet his eyes when she answered, “I was called back into service. The ESUN need every available and able hands to help out in the battle.” She opened her arms. “So, here I am.”
“You volunteered, didn’t you?” said Duo, accusingly. “Why are you pulling this stupid stunt? Do you want to get yourself killed?”
Seeing Duo already seen through her guise, she answered, “Better killed out there than worry myself to death in here.”
“I want you to stay,” said Duo, his voice was quiet. For the first time, it was surprisingly serious.
But Hilde surprised him again when she wrapped her arms around him. Her body shook as she started to cry. “Please, Duo. Don’t ask me to do that,” she pleaded. “I can’t bear standing around, wondering if you’ll come back to me. It’s a torture.” She looked up at him, pleadingly. “Please, Duo. Let me fight with you. Please.”
Duo was struck by the emotions in her eyes. He hadn’t really known that he meant so much to her. And now he realized that if Hilde was to be included in his life forever, she had to be more than his lover. She had to be his goddess of death.
Smiling, he wiped her tears. He looked at her, savoring her beautiful eyes. “I guess we have now a goddess of death.” At that, Hilde jumped into his arms. They both held each other, not hoping but determined to see each other again once the war was over.
>>>@@<<<
Dorothy hurried towards the Zero system control room. The conversation she had with Quatre a few moments ago was still playing in her mind. Sure, she still had regrets that he would never be hers but she was really glad that there’s someone strong cared about him as deeply as she did. And Kylie was the only person that could keep Quatre alive and safe.
But still she wondered. Why hadn’t Kylie maximize her shields and armory? What was she planning? A thought came to her that said Kylie was just making her Gundam faster and more agile but there was a little voice inside Dorothy that told her something was amiss.
Speaking of the devil. There she was.
Dorothy saw Kylie stopped in midstep. And she also found herself frozen too. For a moment, the two stared at each other. Then, the Nova pilot tore her gaze away from Dorothy and started to walk past her. Dorothy was about to resume her journey when suddenly she heard Kylie stopped, just behind her.
Then, they were back-to-back. Two young women, which fate thrown together. Two young women, who had once been the enemy of the Gundam pilots in different times. Two young women, who were now sharing the same fate. And the silence was almost deafening.
It was then, she asked the magic question.
“Are you in love with Quatre?” Kylie asked, her voice as cool as running water.
Dorothy was startled. ‘She knew! I should’ve known nothing escapes this girl,’ she thought, panicking. She didn’t know exactly how to answer it. To lie would be painful but to tell the truth would be even more painful.
“The truth,” Kylie demanded, as Dorothy was about to open her mouth to lie.
Dorothy sighed. “Yes.” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. Quatre is always safer with you. You can give him things that I can’t.”
“I see,” said Kylie, after a moment. “Take care of him for me, Dorothy.”
At that Dorothy was surprised. She had dreaded what the ex assassin might respond to her confession. That she would tell her to stay away from Quatre. Or even kill her on the spot. But this… what does she meant by that? Dorothy turned around to ask what she meant but found the hallway behind her empty. Kylie was already gone.
>>>@@<<<
Quatre leapt into the cockpit. He was surprised when he found a red rose and a panflute on his seat. Feeling someone was watching him, he turned and saw Kylie, standing at the mouth of her cockpit. She nodded.
“Happy Birthday,” she mouthed. Then, she settled in her seat, her eyes were only on the surprised blond pilot.
Quatre smelled the rose and tucked it and the panflute inside his suit, close to his heart. He had just learned from his secretary that he had lost Project Jupiter to Kylie’s former employer, Duke Winteridge. He had been deeply disappointed at that but then, Kylie made him feel better. He just stared at the beautiful face in the suit before him and smiled. “Thank you, Kylie. For everything.”
Kylie’s heart warmed at the smile on his face. As the cockpit door slid shut, cutting her of the sight of Quatre, she found herself determine to come back alive. The thought of death was far away from her mind. She must return alive so she could see that angelic smile again.
That, or her revenge.
Wu Fei watched the whole exchange closely. Something stirred inside him, something he had never felt before. He found himself wishing that it was he that Kylie was smiling at. And he found himself wishing that there were someone here whom he could say good-bye to. But that someone was gone, a long time ago. And Wu Fei didn’t need anybody. Just Nataku.
As always.
Then, he punched a switch and the cockpit door slammed shut. But before he lost sight of the world outside, his eyes strayed back at a certain bright gold Gundam and its pilot inside.
Seeing everyone ready, Heero powered up. He was about to close the cockpit door when he suddenly saw Relena, staring at him forlornly. Vincent was beside her. Deciding to end the matter, Heero stepped out and looked at Vincent closely.
Vincent, who was never comfortable with Heero’s sharp gaze, felt himself shrunk a few inches.
“Take care of her,” said the Gundam pilot, startling the aristocrat.
Heero then looked at Relena. “Good bye, Relena.”
A gasp caught in her throat. It wasn’t what Heero said. It was the way he said it. In a flash, Relena realized that Heero was really saying good-bye for good. It was as if he was never coming back for her. Realizing that, Relena started to lunge forward, to stop Heero from going. But it was too late. A second later, Wing Zero was powered up and left the hangar followed by the other six Gundams.
Relena opened her mouth, to plead Heero to come back, only to feel a slight pressure on her shoulder. She looked back and saw Vincent, staring intensely at the vanishing Gundams. His face was serious and determined. But Relena was too distressed to think of the reason for his determination.
>>>@@<<<
Something blinked on Duo’s screen. He punched a few buttons to determine it. A series of numbers and words scrolled down the screen, confirming his suspicions. “I guess the Telrhani have the same idea as ours, ‘cause here they come,” he reported.
“Got that,” said Trowa, glancing at his own screen. He was busy doing some calculations. “It seems that they’ve split their forces and is targeting the L1 colony clusters.”
“Leave the colony to us,” said Noin over the channel. “You people go and handle the Mican Warriors. They’re your only concern at this moment. My troops can handle the fighters and the flagships.”
Quatre nodded. “Roger. But we still need to locate the Mican Warriors.”
“There!” said Duo as soon as his screen blinked red. “They’re among the second forces near Saturn. Maybe we should…” Before he could even finish his sentence, Wing Zero broke formation, heading straight towards the second alien forces. He was then followed by Epyon, Heavyarms, Altron and Nova. “I guess this is it then,” said Duo, not wanting to miss the fun.
Quatre glanced back at Noin. “We leave the first forces to you. Good luck.”
“Good luck to you too, Quatre,” he heard Noin said. “All of you.”
>>>@@<<<
They met the Mican Warriors halfway their descent towards L1. The fight was fierce as the Gundams were quickly overwhelmed by the Mican Warriors as well as their Troopers. Their attacks seemed to be well strategized and it was only a short time later when Quatre suddenly felt as if the battle was taking its toll on him.
He grunted painfully as another shot hit Sandrock. He then barely missed an assault from Keil’n, thanks to Trowa’s quick reaction. Then, Quatre was forced to duck under S’Irai and a Mican trooper’s blows, which would have finished him for good if it weren’t for his quick reaction. And the Zero system.
Kylie gritted her teeth, swiping away the annoying Mican troopers who was in her way to help Quatre. But every time she or any of the Gundams managed to break away, they would be overwhelmed by the troopers and the rest of the Mican Warriors.
“What is going on here?” she growled, feeling her patience growing thin. “Why are they converging their attack on Quatre?” she asked, seeing all the Mican Warriors attacking the outnumbered Sandrock furiously.
“It’s possible that they’ve developed a plan to destroy us one by one,” Quatre answered, his voice sounded strained. “And they start by trying to destroy the weakest pilot. And since I am the weakest, it’s natural that I’m the first target.” He grunted as Cont’rai’s blow hit him. A second later, a trooper fired at Sandrock and he yelled in pain.
“Quatre!” Duo exclaimed, trying to break away from the troopers that were attacking him. But failed.
“You catch on fast, Protector of Peace,” they heard Keil’n said, over the comm. “We can’t allow you to get anywhere near the Warleader and the slaves. If anything, we’re determined not to let you pilots come out from this battle alive!” With that he took a swipe at Quatre with his beam whip as Sandrock leapt away to safety, only to be attacked by Trec’na.
Suddenly from the corner of his eyes, Quatre saw Wing Zero broke free from the troopers that were attacking him and headed towards the battle. “Hold on, Quatre. I’m coming,” said Heero, his voice calm but deadly.
“Sister!” said a familiar voice as K’Vai’s Mican suit broke away from their formation. K’Rin, who was about to fire on Quatre nodded and followed her twin in pursuit. “We leave him to you,” she said to the rest of the Mican Warriors. They acknowledged her order by continuing their attack on Gundam Sandrock.
“Heero, watch out!” Quatre warned, seeing the twins heading straight for Wing Zero, with a few Mican troopers following them. Then hell broke loose around Wing Zero as Heero tried to fight for his life as well as his friends’.
“Heero!” Kylie exclaimed, starting to make her way towards the second battle to help him fight the deadly Mican twin. But before she could even move an inch, she was attacked by the Mican troopers.
“As you can see, Protector of Peace,” said Keil’n to Quatre. “You are slightly wrong. Our plan does not only include to put you away first.”
Zechs was startled at hearing that. He then looked at the battle between Sandrock and the four Mican Warriors and then at the battle between Wing Zero and the twin Mican. “They’ve converged their main attack on both of them!” he breathed, finally figuring out their strategy. “Dang it! Gundam pilots, they’re planning to destroy the weakest and strongest pilots first!”
“What!” Wu Fei growled as he was hit.
“Look at Heero!” said Zechs, pointing out.
Trowa looked and tensed. By looking at the battle carefully, he noticed that Heero was clearly outnumbered and outmatched by the combination of the twin warriors as well as the other Mican troopers. He clenched his gloved hand. “At this rate, we will never reach the prisoners in time.”
Kylie fought, furiously. She didn’t need to spare a glance at the battle Heero’s in. Being twins, she could easily sense his fatigue and desperation. Heero desperately needed her help. But a glance at Quatre also showed her that he was in need of her help too. Soon, confusion and desperation started to hit her as well. And she found herself being overwhelmed by the troopers.
“Good. The girl pilot is confused,” said K’Vai, seeing the bright gold Gundam desperately trying to break away.
“Our selections are indeed correct,” said K’Rin. “Target the weakest and strongest pilot would affect a third pilot’s performance. Her feelings for these two pilots would destroy her and eventually the other pilots as well. Human emotions are so weak.”
K’Vai smiled. “Let’s leave our ‘surprise’ destroy the other pilots. We must destroy this one for now.”
“I’m with you.”
“Incoming! At 3 o’clock,” Duo exclaimed over the speaker as Trowa winced. He turned his attention towards what Duo indicated and saw a large troop of Mican troopers coming at them. “Back up troops!” he said, taken by surprise.
“They don’t want either of us to get to their main fleet so they’re going to hold us here instead,” said Wu Fei, fighting hard.
Kylie glanced at the incoming troops as she sliced her twin lance through the remaining troopers that was attacking her. Now that nothing was in her way, she had to decide who she should help, Heero or Quatre. However, the sights of the incoming troopers made her rethink her priorities. And she found herself coming up with difficult choices.
“Help Winner,” said a voice, startling her. She looked at Epyon.
“Zechs?”
She saw Epyon destroyed the troopers surrounding him. “Go help Winner. I will help Heero.” With that, Epyon headed straight for Heero, K’Vai and K’Rin. Kylie glanced at Trowa, who had destroyed his troopers too.
“Zechs’s right. Go help Quatre,” she heard Duo said. “Both of you.”
It was Trowa’s turn to be surprised. “What about you?”
Deathscythe sliced a trooper and spun away from another trooper’s line of fire. “Don’t worry about us. Wu Fei and I will hold off the incoming troopers. We’ll watch your back.”
“Worry about yourself,” said Wu Fei. “You’re going to have a tougher time handling the Mican warriors and the remaining trooper.”
“Roger that,” said Kylie, her voice cold. She gripped her throttle tight, determined not to fail. With that, Nova and Heavyarms headed straight for the battle where Quatre was fighting for his survival.
>>>@@<<<
Lady Une stared at the screen, monitoring the battle. The Earth forces were barely holding on their own as the Preventers and ESUN defense force worked together to thwart the Telrhani’s attack on L1. Even so, she saw that the Earth forces were slowly overwhelmed by the sheer number of the Telrhani fighters and their flagships.
A glance at another screen showed her that the Gundams were not doing any better. They were completely surrounded by the Mican troopers and now were fighting for their lives. Realizing that they could not afford to let this continue, she opened the channel.
“Dorothy!” she said. “Gather up your MDs and help the Gundams. They’re in trouble.”
“What are you doing?” McGarth demanded. “Cancel the order,” he said through the comm. “Are you insane? Our forces and the colony need the Mobile Dolls.”
“And so does the Gundams,” Lady Une argued. “Can’t you see that they’re outnumbered?” She pointed at the screen that showed the second battle. “At this rate, we can lose the Gundams if we don’t help them. And we can’t afford to lose any of them because they’re our only hope if we’re to survive this war.”
“Ma’am!” said a Preventer agent. “The aliens have broken through our defense line.”
They turned to see the Telrhani fleet approaching L1. Another look at the screen showed them that the Earth forces were fighting hard to stop the fleet but it was useless. “Estimated time of arrival in 10 seconds,” said the agent.
Suddenly she frowned. “Ma’am. Something strange is happening. The alien fleet seemed to be accelerating.”
“What!” said McGarth, shocked. “That can’t be.”
“They’re not heading towards the L1 colony,” said the agent. “In fact, according to these readings, they’re going past the colony.”
McGarth leaned over the console. “It can’t be. What is there to target except for the colony?”
Lady Une stared at the screen. The truth dawned on her. “They have a new target. Earth.”
>>>@@<<<
Quatre didn’t know how long he could hold on. Everything was a blur to him as he tried to dodge away from the blows and swipes that he was receiving from those who were determined to kill him. Even with the Zero system, he found himself helpless against the four warriors’ concentrated attacks on him. And although the Zero system was the only thing that kept him alive this far, he still need to fight off the Zero’s persuasive urges of losing his sanity and shoot everything in his path.
“Become its master, Quatre,” he heard someone said, among the chaos around him. “Master it!”
“Heero?” he voiced, surprised to find his voice shaky and strained. In fact his whole body was shaking. Darkness swirling around him as he fought not to lose consciousness. Then…
Blamm…!
He cried as he was thrown back, being hit by a blow that he missed. As pain and confusion swirling around him, he felt something caught him from behind. Closing his eyes, he waited for his inevitable death.
“Quatre, are you alright?” a voice asked, from behind.
He opened his eyes slowly. “Trowa?” he said, surprised. He realized that it was Trowa who had caught him from behind. Standing before him was Nova, its back on him, facing the four Mican warriors and the troopers. “Kylie?”
“You okay?” she asked, shifted her hold on her twin lance. But before he could answer her question, Nova suddenly blasted away towards the enemy, brandishing her lance menacingly. Then, she was in a furious battle against the Telrhani warriors.
“Kylie!” Quatre called out, trying to get his arms to move but found them shaky and weak. Then he felt the hold on him tightened.
Trowa’s face appeared on the screen. “Tell me, are you okay?” he repeated the question. There’s concern on his face.
“Yes,” he gasped. “We must help her.”
Trowa nodded. “Stay here. She’s buying you time to recuperate. I will do what I can to keep her alive.” With that, Heavyarms’ hold on Sandrock was released and it sped away to enter the battle. Quatre took that moment to monitor their progress.
>>>@@<<<
Lady Une stared at the monitor, troubled. Now that the real target of the Telrhani was finally revealed, everything changed. Especially their priorities. The battle that was taking place near the L1 colony was not doing very good even when most of the Mican troopers were stationed near Mars, battling the Gundams.
“So, these are the invincible Gundam pilots, huh?” McGarth sneered, watching her looking at the Gundams’ progress. “I don’t see what makes them so great. They can’t even get rid of a few Telrhani warriors let alone rescue the prisoners and help our forces. Their abilities, their ‘perfect soldiers’ story are just an exaggeration. Stories to make people like Treize and the scientists heroes.”
Lady Une’s head snapped at him, anger clearly written in her eyes. Suddenly, McGarth could see himself looking at the feared and heartless former Colonel Lady Une again. And something inside him feared what she might do next.
But nothing like that happen. Instead, Lady Une’s anger was replaced by a look of surprise and then fear. Quickly, she rushed to the communication console and contacted Wing Zero. But all she got was a busy signal. Heero had purposely disconnected his comm.
So, she decided to try another. Her heart thudded as she waited. “Yes?” said a voice as an image appeared on the screen.
“Quatre, the Telrhani are planning to trap you in the heart of the battlefield so you won’t be able to help Earth and rescue the prisoners!” she said, her voice was strained. “They’ve planned this all along.”
“We’ve established that conclusion a long time ago,” said the blond pilot. She saw him winced as if he was hit. “We’re now trying to break away from this clever trap but every strategy I came up all turned out to be unhelpful.” He cried as the cockpit shook. He wiped his dripping sweat as Lady Une could clearly see the frustration in his eyes. “I’ll contact you later when we’re making progress.”
Then the connection was broken and she found herself staring at a blank screen.
>>>@@<<<
As soon as the battle started, Mylin launched her plan. She made her way quietly towards the brig and the prisoners’ hall. With most of the guards involved in the battle, there were only a small number of guards guarding the prisoners. However, their numbers were big enough to ensure the prisoners’ perfect behavior as the war raged on. And to ensure no one tried to free the prisoners.
But Mylin was no one. She was Emperor’s Eye, a great warrior. Equally great as the Mican Warrior and perhaps most likely, even greater. And she was on her Vengeance Quest, which made her even deadlier. Plus, she was determined not to let anyone stop her.
So within seconds, the guards were all lying on the floor, dead. She looked at the only person left standing. The person’s green eyes stared back at her, fearlessly. “Come on, little girl. We still need to free the others,” she said to the green eyes.
The girl, Mariemaia, stepped out of her cell. “The battle has started, hasn’t it?”
“Yes and if we don’t get to the prisoners’ hall now, you won’t be able to leave this ship alive,” said Mylin, pulling the girl with her.
“Too late,” said Mariemaia, pointing at something behind her. Mylin turned and saw the other guards, pointing their blasters at them. Then, there were a series of fires as her world plunged into darkness.
>>>@@<<<
Frustration gnawed at Quatre like annoying rats. Every time he came up with a strategy, the Mican warriors quickly figured it out and held them fast in their trap. No one could escape from his or her trap, not even Heero who sometimes established his own strategy. ‘It was as if they have created their own Zero system to counter ours,’ he thought, trying to come up with new strategies.
“That’s very likely,” suddenly someone said, as if hearing his thoughts. Quatre glanced at the screen and saw Heero.
“What do you mean?”
Heero spared a glance at him while fighting K’Vai. “They have spies, remember? It could be possible that they’ve got a hold of the Zero system program and studied it so they could counter our moves.” He nodded at him. “Look at Dorothy’s mobile dolls.”
He looked and did not like what he saw. The mobile dolls were doing very badly. Though their number was thrice the number of the Preventer agents and the ESUN defense troops put together, they were being destroyed by the aliens at an alarming speed. In fact, Noin’s Zero-free troops were doing much better than any of them!
“Should we abandon the Zero system now?” Quatre asked, fearing that the system would cause the end of them. He had often thought that the Zero system could make them more competent pilots but now… he himself was uncertain.
Heero’s answer surprised him. “No. The Zero system is the only thing that is keeping us alive against the Mican Warriors. Especially since they have us in this trap.” Quatre saw his eyes grew cold. “As it is, Quatre, we’re very weak against them. We might be superior pilots among our race but with the Telrhani, we’re just pathetic.”
“Coming from you, that’s not very encouraging, Heero,” said another voice, Duo. “And I’m determined to prove you wrong,” said Duo as Deathscythe swung his beam scythe through five Mican troopers with one swipe. The five exploded only to be replaced by ten. Quatre heard Duo muttered a curse.
“Accept it, Maxwell,” said Heero, his voice strangely cold. “That’s the truth.” With that, he closed the channel to give his full attention on K’Vai and the other Mican troopers. Quatre watched him and fought at the same time. He dreaded on Heero’s last words silently.
“Still, we must come up with a strategy to get out from this mess. Some of us has to go and rescue the prisoners,” he said to himself, recalling the plan that they had lay out before they left for the battle. They had all agreed that Duo, Kylie and himself would go and rescue the prisoners while Heero, Trowa, Wu Fei and Zechs would keep the Mican warriors and their troopers busy. So now, their priority was to get Duo, Kylie and himself away from the battle so they could attack the mothership near Pluto.
But how could they when all of them were trapped there?
“Maybe that’s our mistake,” said a husky voice, Zechs.
Quatre looked at him. “What? What do you mean?”
Zechs struggled against the ferocious K’Rin. The female Mican warrior had finally showed him her real skills and found himself more than handful. And the troopers were not helping him either. They had more than once cause him to nearly lose his life to K’Rin’s attacks.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have a strategy at all,” he answered.
Quatre blinked, surprised. Then he began to see the logic behind Zechs’ statement. ‘Yes, the Telrhani managed to keep us here because we depend too much on strategies. Strategies that the enemy clearly could counter because of their study on the Zero system. That means…’ he thought.
Quickly, he opened the channel to every Gundams. “Guys, break formation and attack the aliens as you see fit. We’re no longer fighting as a team. It’s time we fight individually as we have fought before two years ago.”
“What?” was Duo’s response.
“The Mican warriors have only seen us fight as a team,” Quatre explained, quickly. “But they’ve never seen us fight separately. It’s time that we show them how well we can fight without depending on each other.”
“Roger that,” said Heero.
Wu Fei grinned. “Now that’s a plan.”
Duo let out a whoop. “Alright, let’s go, buddy.” Then Deathscythe flew off, away from Altron, taking a few troopers, which followed him in pursuit, with him. Heavyarms fired at the troopers, who were about to take Sandrock from behind.
He glanced at Quatre. “Take care of yourself.” With that, he sped off as two Mican warriors chased after him.
Sandrock turned his attention on Nova, still fighting the remaining two Mican warriors and troopers. Its back on him. “Kylie, you don’t have to protect me,” he said, gently.
Kylie spared him a glance. “Who said I was protecting you?” she replied, destroying a trooper.
Quatre smiled at that and nodded. He then glanced over at the others, seeing that they’re making progress. Since they’re no longer fighting as a team, they needn’t to worry about each other. Their only goal was to destroy the enemy before them or be destroyed.
And it seemed like the Mican warriors and troopers were caught at a disadvantage this time.
‘Good,’ he thought, as he saw Keil’n broke away from his battle with Nova. Quatre then braced himself for the coming battle. “We must try our hardest to get to the enemy’s mothership,” he reminded his friends. “Now, it doesn’t matter who are supposed to get to the mothership. Our main objective is to escape from this trap and rescue the prisoners.”
“Acknowledged.” Was the only response he heard as Keil’n began to attack him. The goal was set before them. One of them had to get out even at the cost of his friends’ life. Much more were at risk then, the prisoners, the wormhole and the Earth. It was then that the Gundam pilots finally realized how great their burden were.
TO BE CONTINUED…
