Summary: This fan fiction obviously takes place in an alternative universe one where Galaxy Garison and Calvary Command both have sway over the worlds they protect. A lot of the changes will be obvious. It's my interpretation of how things could happen when you splice them together.
April Eagle watched in numb shock as Saber Rider, Colt, Fireball and General White Hawk carried the casket toward the dais. Her legs were shaking and she could barely hold herself up and wished desperately that her friends were at her side rather than carrying the first casket.
The casket. Her father's casket. She shook her head. No, this wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening. She was not burying her parents without her brother there to support her. It wasn't happening it wasn't happening… NO! Her lips parted and trembled but she was unable to utter a sound. When the second casket was pulled from the back of the hearse her legs gave way and tears began to spill from the corners of her eyes.
And the media circus began. Dozens of flashes went off and the cameras turned toward her as she collapsed, staring blankly ahead. Her aunt Genevieve slipped down to her right side and helped pull her upright again, supporting her meager weight and murmured comforting words into her ear after sliding an around her.
They were gone.
Her father's body had been burnt beyond recognition, but Jesse himself, despite the price on his head, brought her both their bodies. He'd gently laid her mother before her, his own eyes wet with tears before facing her and she'd screamed. He took her struggling form into his arms and whispered how sorry he was. He hadn't been in time. He tried to get them out before Nemesis himself sentenced them to death, but he hadn't been in time. He'd tried so hard but he'd failed her.
I'm sorry April. Forgive me April. I never meant any of this to happen April. I know I can't take the hurt away..
Her hands had balled into small fists and she pounded against his chest. I'm sorry April, but they're gone.
She started screaming, wailing, she didn't know what else to do and when Saber found them he too stared in shock at the carnage that was displayed before him. When his eyes raised to meet those of Jesse a silent understanding passed between them.
Gently Saber took April into his arms and lead her away and Jesse had disappeared as she began sobbing. It had only been three days. In three days her entire life had been changed and she had never felt so lost.
It had begun to rain, but she hadn't noticed. Instead she was pulled toward the freshly dug graves and her legs felt like led. "No…" the single word escaped her lips and she shook her head furiously as the first casket was slowly lowered into the ground. "No.. no…"
She suddenly surged forward as they began to lower her mother into the ground. "No! No! Maman!" Saber and Fireball were at her side, catching her about the shoulders. "Maman! Maman! No! Wake up! You have to wake up! Pa-PAH! Please, someone.. 'it's cold! Do not let them, they can't be apart, they can not be apart!"
Saber pulled her into his arms, but she struggled against him. "No.. not my Maman.."
He shushed her and cradled her head against his chest. "April, shhhh, let it out. You have to let it out."
"Maman.." She finally whimpered rubbing her face against his chest. "It'll be so cold for them Saber."
"It's time, April," he whispered into her ear and slowly the both turned to face the graves. Odette and Charles Eagle had been laid to rest and it was time to say good-bye.
One
Keith Alexander Eagle stared up at the sea of stars in the sky and let out a drawn out sigh. It had been months since he'd heard anything from anyone and the strain of the estrangement form his family was beginning to wear on him.
They'd never gone more then a dozen days or so without receiving a letter from his sister April or word from their father. This was all especially strange considering the fact his sister had built the Ramrod Equilizer and was a member of its crew. He never had to go far to hear about what her team of Star Sheriffs were doing on the New Frontier and now the waves were absent their familiar presence.
He'd even gone as far as send a message to Commander Hawkins but even Commander Hawkins had no word for him.
It was as though the Star Sheriffs had dropped of the face of the Verse and no one at Galaxy Garrison was talking and even worse for him his inquiries to Calvary Command were returned to him unopened.
He just couldn't understand why five years of steady communication would suddenly stop.
April, his little sister had been brilliant and despite the seven year age gap between them growing up she had been his only academic rival. She was always quick to learn and always remembered everything that was told to her or what she read verbatim. And more importantly, despite the age difference, next to Lance she'd been his best friend.
In the distance, a pale golden speck appeared and he let out a sigh.
"Still worried, Skipper?"
Keith blinked and turned his head toward Pidge and resisted the urge to snap at him. Over the five years they'd been on Arus he'd taken to making sure that the boy grew into a man. At first he hadn't liked Pidge, despite the fact he'd been in their training class simply because he'd taken the place of his sister on their team. He had to admit now, looking back, that having a young boy on their mission as apposed to a young girl had been a saving grace.
He didn't want to even imagine what Yurak would of done to his sister had she been captured with them. Despite that, he did know their dynamic would have been so different, that and the princess would have had another woman around.
He nodded.
"You really think something happened, don't you?"
He scowled, even though Pidge was observant much like April, it didn't mean that he had to state the obvious. It was clear he believed something happened because he'd even gone to the Princess herself and asked her to make an inquiry. They never did send her a response.
"Skipper, Galaxy Garrison would of contacted you by now if something had happened. You need to get your head back in the game, you've been too distracted. Even Koran is concerned and that is saying something."
Keith shifted uncomfortably and turned toward the youngest member of their team. "Pidge I know you're trying to help, but I feel it in my gut. Something happened and it's being kept from us. Even worse we're about to enter another meteor shower and that'll disrupt the Great Belt. We won't be able to get word to the Garrison or back and no ship will be traveling through it either."
"Keith, we all have families. We all miss them and we all wonder what is happening in their lives but right now we need to accept the fact that no news is good news –"
The door slid open again, flooding the recreation room with light. "Pidge, if you'll excuse us please, I need to speak with Commander Eagle."
Keith turned toward the door and sighed. "Of course Princess, Pidge and I are through here for tonight."
Pidge scurried out of the room and the Princess slipped inside and sat down motioning for Keith to join her and he crossed the room and took his customary place beside her. "You wanted to speak with me Princess?"
She nodded, all too sweetly. She appeared agitated and he didn't like it, he'd gotten so good at reading her and she hadn't felt this upset or tense to him in a long time.
"It appears that Galaxy Garison is dispatching a mobile unit to Arus. Apparently they're replacing me. Did you request a replacement to fly my Blue Lion, Keith?"
He blinked again. "No, Princess, I wouldn't have done something like that without consulting you first."
She relaxed visibly and sighed. "Good. I thought I'd long since earned my place."
Keith nodded. There was more to this than a replacement. "Keith, Galaxy Garrison and Calvary Command have a spy within the Out Rider infrastructure. There's been an alliance of sorts formed between the Outriders and the Drule Empire. They're integrating their technology."
Keith blinked again. He'd been doing that a lot recently. "Robeasts with Phase Technology."
She nodded and let out a slow hiss of frustration. "More so. They're infusing Renegade Units that already have the Phase Technology with magic."
Keith groaned and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "Princess, wee don't have the capabilities to handle Phase Technology, even with the big guy."
"That's why I wanted to speak with you. Koran received this message only a few hours ago. We had to verify its validity before we I brought it to you. It's from General White Hawk."
Keith blinked several times as he read the message over detailing the extent of the alliance and growled. "They're sending us a new pilot and an additional team which has experience handling phase technology. Princess, if they're sending someone who has more experience than you, you have to accept that this is what is best –"
"I had hoped you would take my side –"
"Princess, I am taking your side. We have to keep you safe and none of us are prepared to even –"
She flushed and was on her feet. "If you cared about me you'd understand that I need to, I have to keep flying that Blue Lion!"
"Princess, yes we've needed you to fly the Blue Lion but right now we need whoever they're sending to us more. We're talking about someone who's experienced phase technology first hand and we need that experience in order to survive."
She turned toward him, her hand pulled back in shock and frustration as the klaxon began to sound.
April fought with Ramrod's controls as Saber brought them down. She really should have had Casey take her Saddle Unit, but when the fell into orbit and picked up the oncoming fleet she'd quickly pulled rank on her.
"There's at least a hundred of them coming in hard and fast –" "Has anyone been able to raise castle control –" "Have you ever seen a scorpion drone like that before –" "They don't look like typical Drool class Scorpions –" "Castle control this is Top Sword.. come in control.." "Just static, something must of taken out their communications array –"
"Well lookie here.. are you seeing that?" It was Colt's rather obnoxious exclamation that caught her attention and drew her away from the sensor array in front of her. "I mean are my eyes play'in tricks on me pards' cause if they aren't we're in to some mighty deep waters.."
April did a double take. It wasn't possible, was it? Her fingers ran over the controls and on the big screen flashed an image which repeatedly amplified and then adjusted itself for clarity. "Jesse…"
April's right hand balled into a fist as she slammed it down on the console. "They were right."
Colt's head turned toward her and she flinched under his accusatory stare. "Who was right," Fireball had asked, not bothering to take his hands off the controls before him.
"The intel," she said softly, staring strait ahead. It wasn't good for her to have kept anything from her team, but not even Saber
"April, you had intel that you didn't share with us?" Fireball's voice portrayed hurt but she brushed it off.
"It wasn't verified. Now it is. Apparently we have a reliable spy." Her mind was racing. Jesse who had brought her the bodies of her parents all those months ago had to be their spy. Their intel only started coming in just after the funeral.
"We'll talk about this later, but right now we have –"
"Top Sword! Did you just see that!" Colt gasped, drawing their attention back to the big screen. "Three Doom vessels, destroyer class just materialized out of no where."
April choked. They'd really done it. She never expected them to be able to do it successfully.
"You knew –"
"Colt! Now is not the time. We're running out of options. We have to put down and unload one of us or we can't initiate challenge phase and from the looks of it we're going to have to. Our heads need to be in the game."
"Casey, I need you to take my saddle unit." The brunette women, who had until just then been watching casually peered through her spectacles at April. "You sure 'bout this kiddo?"
April nodded. "You need one less Star Sheriff and being that I've been reassigned to the Space Explorer program you need to be riding my seat and you need to draw their fire away long enough for me to get to the castle."
"April, you can't seriously be considering this –"
She didn't hear the rest of the argument, the deck doors sealed behind her and she sprinted toward the holding bay and Nova. She listened as her battle suit let out a hiss as it compressed itself and began to run on it's own air reserves.
Saber's voice filtered into her ears over the head set and she swallowed hard. "We'll cover you as long as we can and then we're going strait to Challenge Phase."
She nodded, but didn't respond. Instead she approached Nova and rested her hand upon the cybernetic beasts muzzle and ignored the comment Fireball made about her deciding to be stubborn now. "We have to be stubborn together," she told her mount as the bulk head doors sealed behind her. Moments later she was in the saddle, blaster drawn and pressed low against Nova's back. "Downloading landing vectors.."
The alarm sounded and the holding bay decompressed. The reigns in hand she kicked Nova's flanks and the galloped down the lowered ramp and into the vacuum of space.