Author note: I don't own any of the TSW characters. A shock, isn't it? I know, I know, I was amazed when my lawyers told me, but there it is. I don't own them!
This is another interesting little plot that sprung from a club dedicated to everyone's favourite obsessive General (For a change, I don't mean Kefka!) You all know me; I don't do romance that often (or at all if I can help it!) This is pretty much my first attempt at a proper romance. So be kind to me! Please!!
The first chapter is basic "Phi being serious" fare - Angst! It will get better, I promise! I do! Don't you believe me? Well, it's true. So there.
Well, enjoy! Cookies to reviewers, incurable Phantom infestations to those who don't.



Dr Aki Ross sat, as if in a trance, staring out of the small window before her. All around her was the beauty of space, but she did not see the stars shining down at her. Her eyes were transfixed on the planet before her. The earth. It looked so small and helpless from where she was; alone in the depth of space. From here, it wasn't that hard to believe that the earth was under attack; defenceless against an invisible enemy. No-one could stop the enemy, and the earth? The earth was slowly losing.

But, Aki reasoned, there was still hope. Not all had been lost yet. The earth lived on, surviving wave after wave of attack. People still lived, though now they were confined to the huge barrier cities. And people... They still loved...

She couldn't help but let her thoughts drift; as the earth drifted in the emptiness of space. The past few days had been difficult, and there had been nothing that she could do about it. The sudden infection by the Phantoms, and the horrible feeling that she was going to die; that she would just be another statistic in the list of losses. But then, a means of escape from death had been handed to her, and she had only grasped it just in time. The trip up to this station and the subsequent operation had passed, leaving Aki feeling as if she were trapped in a dream; the treatment shield and drugs keeping her in a near-comatose state. She had felt so useless and helpless; only able to think as others fought to save her life. And she had thought; thought about what she had left behind.

She pressed a finger to the thick glass and allowed a slight smile to cross her lips as she gazed down at the earth. He was down there somewhere, probably wondering what had happened. She could only imagine how he felt about her sudden departure; so sudden that she hadn't even said goodbye. Her smile faded. He would probably be angry; blaming it on himself.

'Gray...' she whispered softly, not noticing as the door behind her opened. 'I'm sorry...'

'How are you feeling, Aki?' A smile crept across Aki's face, but she didn't turn around to greet her visitor. Instead, she moved her gaze slightly and looked down at her hands.

'Different, to say the least... A little homesick maybe, but I guess I'm fine,' Dr Sid nodded contently and moved to sit down on the seat next to Aki's. Ever since she had awoken, she had spent most of her time here. He could see why; it did offer the most breathtaking view of the scenery around them. Plus, it meant that she stayed out of the way of the military and the construction crews.

'I'm glad it seems to have worked,' he said evenly, turning to her. 'I was worried for a moment that we might not have caught you in time,' Aki nodded ever so slightly and put a hand to her chest.

'I feel fine... I know it's still there; it's still inside me... But, it doesn't feel like it's choking me anymore. I don't feel like I'm dying,' Sid nodded again.

'Well, we shall see. The membrane should hold for a while; long enough for us to figure out some kind of cure,' He paused, before smirking slightly.

'As for your homesickness,' he started, casting a glance at the earth. 'You'll just have to deal with it, I'm afraid. I'm going to have to keep you up here for a while, to check that the membrane is functioning perfectly. I don't particularly want to be left alone up here with the military around,' Aki almost allowed a chuckle to escape her lips at that, but supressed it before letting out a small sigh.

'I understand. I mean, I don't want the operation to fail. But...' Sid placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before she could finish the sentence. He knew what she was worried about, but there was nothing that either of them could do about it.

'Don't worry about him, Aki,' he started quietly. 'I think he'll be able to survive a few months without you. He is a soldier after all; surviving is his job,' Aki opened her mouth, ready to argue against him, but Sid cut her off by shaking his head.

'Not that you'll have much time to be moping around like this; not if I have anything to do with it. As soon as you're well, I have a little project that I think you'll be willing to help with,' Aki turned to him fully now, a bemused frown on her face. It wasn't often that Sid used that suspiciously childish tone.

'What do you mean?' she asked, tilting her head to one side. Sid smiled and shook his head.

'Oh no. You won't find out until you're well, which gives you yet another reason to stop worrying and get some rest,' The smile turned into a grin as he stood up and waggled an accusing finger at her.

'Now please, Aki. Rest,' Aki nodded silently, still frowning playfully. But as soon as sid had taken the few steps to her door, she turned back to the window; a small sigh escaping her lips. Sid's hearing was obviously better than she had thought.

'Aki...' he said warningly, before the playful tone reappeared. 'I swear, if you continue to worry about Captain Edwards, then I'll have to resort to drastic measures to make you stop,' Aki chuckled, nodding.

'You're right, Sid. He'll be fine, won't he?' Sid shrugged.

'Of course he will. Now please, stop acting like some schoolgirl and get some rest. I'll be back later to check on you,' Aki nodded again, waving to him as he left.

The door closed, and she was left with nothing but the stars and her own thoughts again. Though now they were less despairing than before. She was allowed to be upset over hee enforced departure from Gray, but she would see him again. It was not in his nature to just die. Right now, she had to take care of herself. She had to get better and help Sid with whatever experiment he had come up with now.

'You'll be fine, Gray,' she whispered as she sank her head back into the comfortable headrest of the seat; closing her weary eyes. 'I just know it...'



Not far from Aki, another person was sat; just staring at the earth from behind a pane of thick glass. But instead of hope, all this person felt was despair; deep, black despair. There were too many thoughts rushing through his mind; thoughts that caused him so much pain.

The Phantoms. They had attacked the planet every single day of his life. He didn't know anything other than the suffering they caused. He had fought long and hard to get rid of them, and every attempt he made failed. Even when they had taken what was dearest to him, his best efforts had been unable to stop them. His efforts had been in vain; every single one. It was as if he was living his life for no other purpose than to watch the Phantoms as they slowly tore apart the world he called home; vainly struggling to try and stop them, but failing miserably each time. It wasn't often that he allowed his thoughts to pound through his mind, but up here, in space... There was nothing else he could do. There were no Phantoms to fight, no armies to command. All he had were his own thoughts, and they were slowly ripping him apart.

It was almost enough to force him to the brink of madness, and it almost had; more than once. But he had always resisted. He had to be strong, for those who had already lost their struggle against the invaders. He could not give up. The Phantoms had destroyed everything he held dear, but he would never allow them to humilate and defeat him. Even though his very existence seemed so bleak at times, he lived in the hope that he would one day see them defeated. He would finally be able to avenge them.

'I'll keep on fighting,' he mouthed silently, flicking his steel gray eyes from the earth before him to the faded photograph grasped in his hand. This was all he had left; all that remained of those he had loved so dearly and who had been so cruelly ripped away.

'I have to...'

A sudden buzz from behind him awoke him from his thoughts, almost making him scowl irritably. They wouldn't leave him alone for two minutes. Sighing slightly, he took a moment to compose himself, and hide the photograph, before turning to face the door properly.

'What is it?' The door opened slowly, almost cautiously, to reveal Major Elliot. The Major's eyes moved quickly around the darkened room, taking in as much as they could. He and the General had been in the Zeus station for at least a month now, and Elliot had noticed something of a drop in the General's control of himself. Seeing him alone like this only helped to further cement the idea that something was wrong with the General. The room was dark, only relying on the dim starlight to provide any illumination. Even so, Elliot could make out various objects that he would not usually expect the General to leave in plain sight. The empty bottles, the torn up sheets of paper and general clutter. Most disturbing was the handgun just lying a few feet from the General's right hand.

Even the General himself looked wrong; hunched over with his eyes on the desk before him. His hair; usually well kept, was almost scruffy. If Elliot had seen him elsewhere, he would not have expected this to be General Hein; supposed military leader. Elliot swallowed ever so slightly, and remained where he was; halfway inside the room and halfway outside.

'Major...' the General said slowly, moving his eyes up from the desk before him to look upon the officer before him. His gaze pierced through Elliot, making him even more uncomfortable.

'You'd better have something far more important to do than just prop up my door,' Elliot nodded, finally taking a few more steps in and saluting.

'Sir. The scientists who arrived here a few days ago are requesting a meeting with you. Something about new research,' Hein blew out a low sigh, before rolling his eyes. Members of the bioetherial division annoyed him more than a million Phantoms ever could. All they did was talk, and theorise. When had they ever come up with a decent weapon that worked against the Phantoms? It seemed that even up here, away from the earth, he could not escape from the scientists.

'That's all I need,' he muttered, before shaking his head slightly.

'Fine,' he said. 'Tell them I'll see them in an hour,' Elliot nodded, trying not to look around. The longer he spent in the company of the General, the more... unsettling he seemed.

'Yes, sir. Is there anything else?' Hein waved a hand, and turned back to the window, no longer seeming to care about what Elliot did.

'No, Major... Thank you,' Elliot nodded to Hein's turned back, pausing momentarily to cast another glance around the room. Something was not right, but he didn't exactly feel like the right person to ask the General what was wrong. Besides, Hein was not the kind of person who voluntarily talked about anything other than military matters. If he tried showing concern, Elliot would probably be putting himself in the middle of a nasty situation.

'That will be all, Major,' Hein said quietly, his tone much more threatening than Elliot was used to. Now was definitely not the time to hang around.

'Yes, sir,' he said, quickly moving towards the door and backing out of the room.

Hein heard the door close and immediately moved his gaze down to the photo in his left hand. This was all he had left; all that remained. Unless the Phantoms were destroyed, this would be all he ever had. This station; this new weapon. This was his only chance to end the suffering caused by the invaders. This was his purpose now; this station.

If he had a purpose now, why did he feel so empty and alone?

He turned the photo over, and ran a gloved finger over the words written there; those words that would forever be etched upon his heart.

'Lost without you...' he whispered.

How true those words were.