Jedi And Ultimate X Zoids
Legal Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, or Star Wars, or else I'd be stinkin' rich. I do, however, own Terrace Manosk , Kathalee Duet, Ami Flugal, Adam Taurus, Alicia Gordon, B-3PO & the Stellar Windchaser. If you want to use them in your fanfics, e-mail me first for permission.
"word"=dialoge
word=thoughts
~word~=Comm chatter
word=Zoid talking/thinking
[word]=Judge Robot talking
(A/N:...)=Author's Notes
Bios of my own Characters:
Terrace Manosk--An ex-Jedi Padawan apprentice, this red-haired, green-eyed human from the world of Corellia was apprenticed to his Jedi parents, Renn Manosk and Sera Manosk, when he reached the age of 13. Long credited as one of the two greatest lightsaber duelists seen by the Jedi in 10,000 years(the other being Kathalee Duet), he built quite a reputation among other Padawans. When he was 19, Darth Vader came and slaughtered Terrace's parents. Putting his skills with a lightsaber to good use, he escaped Vader with just a vertical scar over his left eye. He later joined up with Kathalee Duet, whose parents were also killed by Vader, and the two became adventurers. They stole a ship, naming it the Stellar Windchaser, and started a campaign of adventure through the galaxy, occasionally battling Darth Vader along the way. As the pilot of their ship, Terrace has been known to duck into astroid fields to shake off pursuit by the Imperial Fleet. He has two lightsabers, one with a silver blade, the other with a gold blade.
Kathalee Duet--This dark brown-haired, brown-eyed former Jedi apprentice, Kathalee hails from the world of Sluis Van. At 13, her parents, both Jedi, accepted her as their Padawan learner. This human is one of the two greatest Jedi swordsman seen in 10,000 years(Terrace Manosk was the other one). At 19, she saw her parents, who had guided her all of her life, become ruthlessly killed at the hands of Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. Kathalee managed to escape the same fate and joined with fellow ex- Padawan, Terrace Manosk. Sharing a survivors' bond, the two quickly became friends, sharing many adventures. They also fought Vader sometimes, but they always escaped and laughed about it later. As co-pilot of their ship, the Stellar Windchaser, Kathalee developed a skill for determining where to set shields over the ship to protect against Imperial laser fire, making them nearly invulnerable. She has two lightsabers, a white-bladed one, and one with a purple blade.
Ami Flugal--A girl with light brown hair, blue eyes, and an eye for trouble, Ami traveled the world as a rogue Zoid warrior. Refusing to be tied down to any team, she temporarily had a one-person team, the Fireball Team. All this changed when she met the Blitz Team and, seeing this as her best chance to get into Class S, joined them. She is the older sister of Naomi Flugal, and an expert at close quarters combat. She pilots the prototype Zoid War Panther, which can tear apart three Command Wolves in ten seconds, no matter how good the other pilots are.
And now, Jedi And Ultimate X Zoids:
With the pull of a lever, a ship dropped out of the infinite energies of hyperspace above a blue marble of a planet. At this current moment, the pilot was bragging to the co-pilot beside him. "Man, Kathalee, did you see how close we were to being captured by those idiotic Imps? Either they got lucky, or they got smarter. We're just lucky the shields held out, thanks to you." The brown-haired co-pilot, Kathalee Duet, looked over at her red- haired friend, Terrace Manosk, and voiced something that had been troubling her ever since midway through the jump, "Where did you take us, anyway, Terrace? I see a planet, but it's not on any of the charts. Why did you bring us here? You mentioned a childhood friend that now was a good time to find, but is he on that planet?" she said in her melodious tone, waving a hand at the globe before them. Terrace nodded. "What species is he?" "Just so you know, his name is Bit Cloud, and he's human, just like us. He was born and raised on this planet, planet Zi," he added in a deep, resonant voice with a wave of his hand. "Besides, he and I knew each other since we were eight, I left this planet when I was ten, but not before promising him that I'd come back someday."
Kathalee digested this information, and said, "Are you sure you can find him? He could be anywhere on that planet."
"Don't worry, I gave him a trackin' signal before I left. The thing can show you where a person is to within three meters. It lasts for at least twenty-five years. I hope," Terrace said, voicing something that had been bothering him lately, "that he hasn't forgotten me." He shook himself, and then said, "Well, nothin' is gonna stop me from seeing him." A light on the consule lit up, causing Terrace to throw several switches. "C'mon, we gotta go visit an old friend."
In her room in the Taurus Base, Leena Taurus was sitting in her room, brushing her shoulder-length, magenta hair, having conflicting thoughts. Lately, she had found herself attracted to a certain golden-haired, aqua- eyed Zoid pilot by name of Bit Cloud. This wasn't the first time this had happened. The first time was when the Blitz Team had made it into class-S five years ago. At the time, Leena had a brief attraction to Bit, but her anger at how he constantly annoyed her had quashed that liking rather quickly. But she always felt safer and happier when she was near Bit. It was happening more and more often, and got harder and harder to shake off. Finally she admitted the truth to herself two weeks ago: she was in love with Bit. She had never told anyone yet for one reason: her fear of being rejected. Leena was sure that Bit hated her completely, and that admitting it to him wouldn't change a thing. And yet...
Just last week, Bit had helped her repair her heavily modified GunSniper Zoid, which had suffered considerable damage during a battle with the Blade Team. Leena had feared that her Zoid was irrepairable, for she didn't know how to fix damage of this caliber, but Bit had offered a hand at fixing it, and together they had repaired it 100%. Bit had made no snide comments, no disrespectful remarks. Instead, he had guided her, helped her, taught her. And when they were finished, he had asked her to wash up and go to bed while he gathered up the tools and cleaned up the work area. She had gone to bed that night with renewed hope that he loved her.
Leena, you have to tell him sometime. If you don't, you might lose him, she thought to herself. She thought about Bit going out with Mary Champ, or one of the two girls on the Lightning Team, and shuddered. Suddenly she decided: she would tell him today, before lunch. She asked Jamie in the Rec-room where Bit was, found that he was working on the Liger Zero, Big suprise, there, and headed towards the hangar.
At the same time Leena was thinking about Bit, Bit was working on his Zoid, the Liger Zero, and trying to keep Leena out of his thoughts. In the past month, he found himself thinking about Leena quite alot. Unlike most Zoid warriors, Bit could understand the Liger. Right now, Liger was ranting about a snobby rich girl. If she shows her {Censored} face around here again, I think I'll stomp on her {Censored} head when I see her, if you don't stop me. Suddenly Liger noticed his pilot's thoughts through the mental link he shared with Bit, and growled a question, You're thinking about Leena again, aren't you Master? "Yeah, I just can't get her out of my head. I really don't know what's wrong with me." If you ask me, I think you're in love with her. "What makes you think that?" C'mon, I know these things. I had a conversation similar to this with your father about his feelings for your mother before they got married. "Listen, partner, Leena hates me. She constantly beats me up because I steal her cookies, I forget the bath schedule and end up walking in on her showering once a month, causing her to try and kill me. How could she like me at all?" Master, her violent acts may just be her desperate cry for you to notice her. She's also afraid. "Afraid? Of what?" She might be afraid that you don't love her. If she is sure of that, she might date other people, like that jerk, Harry Champ. "How could I forget the way he tries to win her over with candy, jewerly, and expensive tickets to stuck-up, nose-in-the-air shows? If he shows up here one more time, blathering about how he supposedly has undying love for her, I think I'll punch him so hard, he'll be out cold for a week." Then you do love Leena, and don't want to lose her. Admit it, Master. "Alright, alright, I love her. But how will telling her have any effect on how she treats me? I already told you she hates me." Just tell her, and see where it goes from there. Oh, and according to my scanners, Leena's coming to the hangar, probably to tell you lunch is about to get started. Now's a good time to tell her. Don't be afraid, just tell her.
As if on cue, the door in the hangar to the main part of the Taurus Base opened, and Leena walked in. "Jamie said you were here, Bit, so I came here." "I didn't do it!" "Bit, it's not about missing cookies. In fact, I need to tell you something." "Yeah, and that is?" Leena took a deep breath to calm her fears, and just got straight to the point. "I love you, Bit."
Bit dropped his power calibrator in shock. She loves me? Oh well, this just makes my confession much easier. "Uh, Leena, are you sure?" "Yes, Bit." "Well, I have a confession to make also." Leena's eyes widened, scarcely daring to believe it. "W-w-what is it, Bit?" "I love you too, Leena. Will you be my girlfriend?" Leena said "Yes," and ran towards Bit as he lowered the platform that he had been working from. Bit jumped down, and embraced her in a loving hug. Behind them, Bit could hear Liger roaring happily;
Bit and Leena, sittin' in a tree,
K--I--S--S--I--N--G.
First comes love, then comes marriage,
then comes Bit with the baby carriage.
Bit looked at Liger with an angry look on his face. "Shut up, Liger!" Leena shook herself out of her feeling of bliss long enough to tell Bit that lunch was probably ready. They walked together to the dining room, where the rest of the Blitz Team was enjoying a delicious meal made by Jamie, their teenage stratigist. Brad was drinking coffee. Of all the things in the world, only three things could make Brad happy: money, dates with Naomi Flugal, and coffee. Brad looked up, noticed Bit and Leena, and clinked his cup on the table, saying, "Bit and Leena are here." Jamie looked up and started stuttering, "Sorry, guys. You two'll have to sit together. Please don't fight." "And why would we do that?" Bit asked, feigning confusion. "You do hate each other's guts, right?" Brad asked, truly confused. Leena looked up at Bit, "Should we tell them?" "Let me. Guys, Leena and I have admitted our true feelings toward each other. She and I are now boyfriend and girlfriend," Bit said proudly, kissing Leena briefly on the mouth.
There weren't many things that could shock Brad, but this was too much. He stared at the two, and then fainted dead away, spilling his cup of coffee in the proccess. Jamie's mouth was hanging open, staring at the two long-time enemies in shock. There was some eggs on a fork, halfway to his mouth, but forgotten about. Doc being Doc, he just shouted with joy. "Yippee! I can become a grandfather!" "Dad! We haven't gone that far!" Leena stammered, her face glowing pink, with Bit's face blushing crimson. Muttering about Doc, the two Zoid pilots sat down to eat lunch, barely noticing the shocked expression on Brad's face when he revived enough to continue eating.
"Okay, I've found where Bit is, and we're heading for his signal. Bee- three, have you gotten those repulsors working yet?" Terrace said to his grey protocol droid, B-3PO.
"Yes, Master Terrace, I have, but it is far from guaranteed to work. The chances of it working are..." "Shut up, Bee-three. Never tell me the odds. Corellians have no use for odds, never have, never will. Understand?"
"Yes, sir, but..."
"Good, now shut up and shut down." Bee-three somehow understood the orders, and turned himself off.
"Alright, we're on final aproach, and the signal from Bit's beacon hasn't moved at all," Kathalee reported.
"Engage repulsors." At this the hum of antigravity came alive.
"Turn off engines." The vibration of the engines cut off, which was normal, followed by a loud clunk, which was not.
"That was probably nothin', this crate comes up with new noises all the time," Terrace said, patting the consule nervously.
Kathalee was reading the altimeter, noting the decrease in distance from the ground.
500 meters...
350 meters...
When they hit 200 meters from the ground, the repulsors suddenly sputtered and died.
Terrace looked helplessly at Kathalee, as the ship plummeted to the ground.
As the Blitz Team walked outside to enjoy the fresh air after lunch was over, Bit noticed that Brad and Doc were engaged in a confrontation. "I'll give you 10 seconds to give me the 500 bucks you owe me," Doc was saying in a threatening tone. Brad scowled, and gave Doc the money.
"And that money is for...?"
"Winning the pool," Doc said, slipping the money into his pocket, "I said you and Leena would become a couple today before you came to lunch. That's part of the reason Brad fainted when you announced it, because he lost the bet." Ten seconds later, Bit's sharp eyes spotted something like a meteorite coming down slowly, then dropping like a rock.
"Hey, there wasn't supposed to be any battles near here, were there?" "Uh, no." Then what is a Judge Capsule doing, falling near our Base? Bit realized the answer a split second before the thing crashed barely fifty meters from their postition.
Bit lead the charge to the big streak in the ground, the object (A/N: Bit knew now that it was a ship) down near the far end. They hadn't reached it yet when the ship opened its hatch, out of which staggered a person from Bit's past. "I c-c-can't b-believe it! It's you!"
At least the ship didn't explode on impact, was Terrace's first counscious thought as he came to. He lifted his head off the control panel, and looked around. Kathalee was unconscious, with a nasty bump on her forehead. He focused his Jedi powers through the Force, and detected five people running toward the ship. One of them seemed familiar somehow...
Bit. Only Bit would project such a strong pull on the Force. Not the kind of pull exerted by a Jedi candidate, but that of a Chosen One, who could pilot an Ultimate X Zoid. Even when they were eight, Terrace had recognized that Bit had such an aura around him. The other four with him could only be friends Bit had made ever since Terrace had left.
Sighing, Terrace got up, staggered over to the hatch, opened it, and walked out shakily. When he saw Bit, he grinned, while Bit just stood there, dumbstruck. "I c-c-can't b-believe it! It's you!" Suddenly Bit got a mean look on his face, stalked up to Terrace, and said, "You lousy, no-good scumbag. You've got alotta nerve, comin' back after so long, Terrace Roa Manosk." Terrace just smiled. "It's good to see you, too, Bit."
At this, Bit smiled, too, and seized Terrace in the kind of hug shared by friends who haven't seen each other in years. "Terrace! It's been so long! How ARE you, ya old sonofagun?"
"I've been fine, and who are these people with you?" A magenta-haired woman with violet eyes stepped forward and introduced herself, "I am Leena Starla Taurus, Bit Cloud's girlfriend," she said without a trace of hestation or embarrassment, extending her hand in a gesture of acceptance. Terrace shook Leena's hand, and said, "I am pleased to meet you. May I call you Leena?" "Sure."
"And who are these other people, Bit? Oh, and by the way, nice catch, Leena's perfect for you," Terrace said, indicating Leena, causing her to blush at the compliment.
A man with brown, long hair came up and introduced himself, too. "I am Brad Aaron Hunter, but you can call me Brad, everyone else does. I used to be a mercenary Zoid pilot, but I joined the Blitz Team here, and I've been with them ever since."
Terrace thought about this, turned to Bit, and asked, "Are you a Zoid pilot, yet? And if so, is this your team?" Bit nodded in a proud way. Terrace pasted a lopsided grin on his face that radiated cockiness, and said, "I always knew you had it in you, Bit. Never doubted that you would become a Zoid warrior." Bit just smiled.
Then a teenager with short, black hair came and said, "I am James Walter Masagi, but everyone calls me Jamie. My dad was a great Zoid pilot, and so am I. My specialty is flying Zoids," he said with a hint of pride in his voice.
Then up came an older man, who stated, "I am Steve Kirtan Taurus, Leena's father. You can call me Doc," Terrace shook hands with him, introduced himself, and explained who was in the ship currently, and asked them to help get Kathalee to a medical facility. They agreed, and all worked together to bring Kathalee to the medical wing of the Taurus Base, as well as bringing B-3PO to a repair section. They also got Terrace a guestroom prepared. As Terrace went into his new room, he laid down on the bed and fell asleep.
Leon Samuel Taurus pulled up to his father's base, noting that something was up. One glance at Bit and Leena standing close together, hugging in the hanger showed that they were a couple now. Bit and Leena? Whoa, I guess opposites do attract. Leon knew this wasn't all that was going on at the Taurus Base. Still...
Snickering, Leon pulled out a camera from the glove compartment, snuck up to the two lovebirds, and snapped pictures. They seemed not to notice.
Leon decided that now was a good time to break up this little lovefest. He shouted, "BIT! LEENA! HAVEN'T SEEN YOU TWO IN A MONTH!" The lovers broke apart in suprise, then saw Leon.
"Leon? You're here already? Were you spying on us?" Leena asked in a most threatening tone. Leon decided that his little sister wanted private time, and backed away slowly. Bit noticed a camera in Leon's hands, wispered what he saw to Leena, and the two proceeded to chase, and eventually catch Leon, hoping to beat him up.
The next day...
Kathalee Duet woke up suddenly, sitting up and wincing in pain as she did so. Her whole body felt like one big bruise, though that wasn't much of a suprise, considering how hard the ship had crashed. She welcomed the pain, however. To her it was a friend, alerting her to the fact that her body had been injured. Sighing, she focused her talents with the Force to heal her wounds. Most of them had been treated when Terrace came into the room with a collection of people she didn't recognize. Terrace introduced them all, and then set to work trying to heal her. "Wow, Kathalee, you did a pretty good job on your injuries." "Thanks, Terrace. I told you I excelled at Jedi healing."
Then the blond-haired man that Terrace had introduced as Bit got a weird look on his face, turning to a woman with magenta hair who was introduced as Leena. "Uh-oh, I just remembered, Leena. Harry's coming over today. Knowing him, he wouldn't leave until he finds you, Leena. But I'm gonna punch him hard so that he'll leave quickly. Why don't you hide in the shower?" Leena agreed, and ran out of the room. Bit then turned to Brad and Jamie, offering to give them each a third of the money Bit got from the next battle if they agreed to hold Harry still so Bit could punch him. Brad agreed at once. Jamie thought about it, realized that he could modify the blast cannons on the Raynos with money like that, and agreed as well. "I don't get it. Who's Harry Champ?" Terrace asked with pure curosity. "Harry is a rich jerk who claims he loves Leena, but I think he just wants her for her looks. He's the leader of the Champ Team, made up of himself and two 'droids as you would call them."
"Why two 'droids?" Kathalee asked. Bit continued, "I don't think there is a person on the planet, other than his own family, who can stand to be around him.
"Harry's bad enough, but he has an obnoxious older sister called Mary. I think when Harry was born, his parents wanted a name that rhymed with Mary. Anyway, she's come over to the Taurus Base three times in the past month, asking if she could buy my Zoid, the Liger Zero. She wants to use Liger as a garden statue. The first time Liger heard about what she wanted him for, he started cussing her out in his own language. Only I can understand what he says, but I ended up learning a whole new vocabulary of Zoid curse words when that happened. Mary never understands that Liger is a Zoid built for battle, not a decoration. Yet she persists. I also notice that she tries to flirt with me each time she visits. She creeps me out, so I respond by running into my room and locking the door behind me." Bit stopped to take a breath, when a voice called out, "LEENA! WHERE ARE YOU, MY LEENA?" "And that would be Harry now," Jamie said with a disgusted look on his face. Bit reminded Brad and Jamie of the deal, and they ran off.
Bit ran towards the hangar, hearing Liger give a report in his head on where Harry was. Okay, he's just standing at the entrance to the hangar, calling out at the top of his lungs for your girlfriend. He really disgusts me. Liger thought at Bit when he, Brad, and Jamie sprinted towards the hangar. When they got there, Bit suddenly halted so quickly that Brad and Jamie ran into him. No, it can't be her. Not now...
Mary Champ was standing in the doorway
Legal Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, or Star Wars, or else I'd be stinkin' rich. I do, however, own Terrace Manosk , Kathalee Duet, Ami Flugal, Adam Taurus, Alicia Gordon, B-3PO & the Stellar Windchaser. If you want to use them in your fanfics, e-mail me first for permission.
"word"=dialoge
word=thoughts
~word~=Comm chatter
word=Zoid talking/thinking
[word]=Judge Robot talking
(A/N:...)=Author's Notes
Bios of my own Characters:
Terrace Manosk--An ex-Jedi Padawan apprentice, this red-haired, green-eyed human from the world of Corellia was apprenticed to his Jedi parents, Renn Manosk and Sera Manosk, when he reached the age of 13. Long credited as one of the two greatest lightsaber duelists seen by the Jedi in 10,000 years(the other being Kathalee Duet), he built quite a reputation among other Padawans. When he was 19, Darth Vader came and slaughtered Terrace's parents. Putting his skills with a lightsaber to good use, he escaped Vader with just a vertical scar over his left eye. He later joined up with Kathalee Duet, whose parents were also killed by Vader, and the two became adventurers. They stole a ship, naming it the Stellar Windchaser, and started a campaign of adventure through the galaxy, occasionally battling Darth Vader along the way. As the pilot of their ship, Terrace has been known to duck into astroid fields to shake off pursuit by the Imperial Fleet. He has two lightsabers, one with a silver blade, the other with a gold blade.
Kathalee Duet--This dark brown-haired, brown-eyed former Jedi apprentice, Kathalee hails from the world of Sluis Van. At 13, her parents, both Jedi, accepted her as their Padawan learner. This human is one of the two greatest Jedi swordsman seen in 10,000 years(Terrace Manosk was the other one). At 19, she saw her parents, who had guided her all of her life, become ruthlessly killed at the hands of Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. Kathalee managed to escape the same fate and joined with fellow ex- Padawan, Terrace Manosk. Sharing a survivors' bond, the two quickly became friends, sharing many adventures. They also fought Vader sometimes, but they always escaped and laughed about it later. As co-pilot of their ship, the Stellar Windchaser, Kathalee developed a skill for determining where to set shields over the ship to protect against Imperial laser fire, making them nearly invulnerable. She has two lightsabers, a white-bladed one, and one with a purple blade.
Ami Flugal--A girl with light brown hair, blue eyes, and an eye for trouble, Ami traveled the world as a rogue Zoid warrior. Refusing to be tied down to any team, she temporarily had a one-person team, the Fireball Team. All this changed when she met the Blitz Team and, seeing this as her best chance to get into Class S, joined them. She is the older sister of Naomi Flugal, and an expert at close quarters combat. She pilots the prototype Zoid War Panther, which can tear apart three Command Wolves in ten seconds, no matter how good the other pilots are.
And now, Jedi And Ultimate X Zoids:
With the pull of a lever, a ship dropped out of the infinite energies of hyperspace above a blue marble of a planet. At this current moment, the pilot was bragging to the co-pilot beside him. "Man, Kathalee, did you see how close we were to being captured by those idiotic Imps? Either they got lucky, or they got smarter. We're just lucky the shields held out, thanks to you." The brown-haired co-pilot, Kathalee Duet, looked over at her red- haired friend, Terrace Manosk, and voiced something that had been troubling her ever since midway through the jump, "Where did you take us, anyway, Terrace? I see a planet, but it's not on any of the charts. Why did you bring us here? You mentioned a childhood friend that now was a good time to find, but is he on that planet?" she said in her melodious tone, waving a hand at the globe before them. Terrace nodded. "What species is he?" "Just so you know, his name is Bit Cloud, and he's human, just like us. He was born and raised on this planet, planet Zi," he added in a deep, resonant voice with a wave of his hand. "Besides, he and I knew each other since we were eight, I left this planet when I was ten, but not before promising him that I'd come back someday."
Kathalee digested this information, and said, "Are you sure you can find him? He could be anywhere on that planet."
"Don't worry, I gave him a trackin' signal before I left. The thing can show you where a person is to within three meters. It lasts for at least twenty-five years. I hope," Terrace said, voicing something that had been bothering him lately, "that he hasn't forgotten me." He shook himself, and then said, "Well, nothin' is gonna stop me from seeing him." A light on the consule lit up, causing Terrace to throw several switches. "C'mon, we gotta go visit an old friend."
In her room in the Taurus Base, Leena Taurus was sitting in her room, brushing her shoulder-length, magenta hair, having conflicting thoughts. Lately, she had found herself attracted to a certain golden-haired, aqua- eyed Zoid pilot by name of Bit Cloud. This wasn't the first time this had happened. The first time was when the Blitz Team had made it into class-S five years ago. At the time, Leena had a brief attraction to Bit, but her anger at how he constantly annoyed her had quashed that liking rather quickly. But she always felt safer and happier when she was near Bit. It was happening more and more often, and got harder and harder to shake off. Finally she admitted the truth to herself two weeks ago: she was in love with Bit. She had never told anyone yet for one reason: her fear of being rejected. Leena was sure that Bit hated her completely, and that admitting it to him wouldn't change a thing. And yet...
Just last week, Bit had helped her repair her heavily modified GunSniper Zoid, which had suffered considerable damage during a battle with the Blade Team. Leena had feared that her Zoid was irrepairable, for she didn't know how to fix damage of this caliber, but Bit had offered a hand at fixing it, and together they had repaired it 100%. Bit had made no snide comments, no disrespectful remarks. Instead, he had guided her, helped her, taught her. And when they were finished, he had asked her to wash up and go to bed while he gathered up the tools and cleaned up the work area. She had gone to bed that night with renewed hope that he loved her.
Leena, you have to tell him sometime. If you don't, you might lose him, she thought to herself. She thought about Bit going out with Mary Champ, or one of the two girls on the Lightning Team, and shuddered. Suddenly she decided: she would tell him today, before lunch. She asked Jamie in the Rec-room where Bit was, found that he was working on the Liger Zero, Big suprise, there, and headed towards the hangar.
At the same time Leena was thinking about Bit, Bit was working on his Zoid, the Liger Zero, and trying to keep Leena out of his thoughts. In the past month, he found himself thinking about Leena quite alot. Unlike most Zoid warriors, Bit could understand the Liger. Right now, Liger was ranting about a snobby rich girl. If she shows her {Censored} face around here again, I think I'll stomp on her {Censored} head when I see her, if you don't stop me. Suddenly Liger noticed his pilot's thoughts through the mental link he shared with Bit, and growled a question, You're thinking about Leena again, aren't you Master? "Yeah, I just can't get her out of my head. I really don't know what's wrong with me." If you ask me, I think you're in love with her. "What makes you think that?" C'mon, I know these things. I had a conversation similar to this with your father about his feelings for your mother before they got married. "Listen, partner, Leena hates me. She constantly beats me up because I steal her cookies, I forget the bath schedule and end up walking in on her showering once a month, causing her to try and kill me. How could she like me at all?" Master, her violent acts may just be her desperate cry for you to notice her. She's also afraid. "Afraid? Of what?" She might be afraid that you don't love her. If she is sure of that, she might date other people, like that jerk, Harry Champ. "How could I forget the way he tries to win her over with candy, jewerly, and expensive tickets to stuck-up, nose-in-the-air shows? If he shows up here one more time, blathering about how he supposedly has undying love for her, I think I'll punch him so hard, he'll be out cold for a week." Then you do love Leena, and don't want to lose her. Admit it, Master. "Alright, alright, I love her. But how will telling her have any effect on how she treats me? I already told you she hates me." Just tell her, and see where it goes from there. Oh, and according to my scanners, Leena's coming to the hangar, probably to tell you lunch is about to get started. Now's a good time to tell her. Don't be afraid, just tell her.
As if on cue, the door in the hangar to the main part of the Taurus Base opened, and Leena walked in. "Jamie said you were here, Bit, so I came here." "I didn't do it!" "Bit, it's not about missing cookies. In fact, I need to tell you something." "Yeah, and that is?" Leena took a deep breath to calm her fears, and just got straight to the point. "I love you, Bit."
Bit dropped his power calibrator in shock. She loves me? Oh well, this just makes my confession much easier. "Uh, Leena, are you sure?" "Yes, Bit." "Well, I have a confession to make also." Leena's eyes widened, scarcely daring to believe it. "W-w-what is it, Bit?" "I love you too, Leena. Will you be my girlfriend?" Leena said "Yes," and ran towards Bit as he lowered the platform that he had been working from. Bit jumped down, and embraced her in a loving hug. Behind them, Bit could hear Liger roaring happily;
Bit and Leena, sittin' in a tree,
K--I--S--S--I--N--G.
First comes love, then comes marriage,
then comes Bit with the baby carriage.
Bit looked at Liger with an angry look on his face. "Shut up, Liger!" Leena shook herself out of her feeling of bliss long enough to tell Bit that lunch was probably ready. They walked together to the dining room, where the rest of the Blitz Team was enjoying a delicious meal made by Jamie, their teenage stratigist. Brad was drinking coffee. Of all the things in the world, only three things could make Brad happy: money, dates with Naomi Flugal, and coffee. Brad looked up, noticed Bit and Leena, and clinked his cup on the table, saying, "Bit and Leena are here." Jamie looked up and started stuttering, "Sorry, guys. You two'll have to sit together. Please don't fight." "And why would we do that?" Bit asked, feigning confusion. "You do hate each other's guts, right?" Brad asked, truly confused. Leena looked up at Bit, "Should we tell them?" "Let me. Guys, Leena and I have admitted our true feelings toward each other. She and I are now boyfriend and girlfriend," Bit said proudly, kissing Leena briefly on the mouth.
There weren't many things that could shock Brad, but this was too much. He stared at the two, and then fainted dead away, spilling his cup of coffee in the proccess. Jamie's mouth was hanging open, staring at the two long-time enemies in shock. There was some eggs on a fork, halfway to his mouth, but forgotten about. Doc being Doc, he just shouted with joy. "Yippee! I can become a grandfather!" "Dad! We haven't gone that far!" Leena stammered, her face glowing pink, with Bit's face blushing crimson. Muttering about Doc, the two Zoid pilots sat down to eat lunch, barely noticing the shocked expression on Brad's face when he revived enough to continue eating.
"Okay, I've found where Bit is, and we're heading for his signal. Bee- three, have you gotten those repulsors working yet?" Terrace said to his grey protocol droid, B-3PO.
"Yes, Master Terrace, I have, but it is far from guaranteed to work. The chances of it working are..." "Shut up, Bee-three. Never tell me the odds. Corellians have no use for odds, never have, never will. Understand?"
"Yes, sir, but..."
"Good, now shut up and shut down." Bee-three somehow understood the orders, and turned himself off.
"Alright, we're on final aproach, and the signal from Bit's beacon hasn't moved at all," Kathalee reported.
"Engage repulsors." At this the hum of antigravity came alive.
"Turn off engines." The vibration of the engines cut off, which was normal, followed by a loud clunk, which was not.
"That was probably nothin', this crate comes up with new noises all the time," Terrace said, patting the consule nervously.
Kathalee was reading the altimeter, noting the decrease in distance from the ground.
500 meters...
350 meters...
When they hit 200 meters from the ground, the repulsors suddenly sputtered and died.
Terrace looked helplessly at Kathalee, as the ship plummeted to the ground.
As the Blitz Team walked outside to enjoy the fresh air after lunch was over, Bit noticed that Brad and Doc were engaged in a confrontation. "I'll give you 10 seconds to give me the 500 bucks you owe me," Doc was saying in a threatening tone. Brad scowled, and gave Doc the money.
"And that money is for...?"
"Winning the pool," Doc said, slipping the money into his pocket, "I said you and Leena would become a couple today before you came to lunch. That's part of the reason Brad fainted when you announced it, because he lost the bet." Ten seconds later, Bit's sharp eyes spotted something like a meteorite coming down slowly, then dropping like a rock.
"Hey, there wasn't supposed to be any battles near here, were there?" "Uh, no." Then what is a Judge Capsule doing, falling near our Base? Bit realized the answer a split second before the thing crashed barely fifty meters from their postition.
Bit lead the charge to the big streak in the ground, the object (A/N: Bit knew now that it was a ship) down near the far end. They hadn't reached it yet when the ship opened its hatch, out of which staggered a person from Bit's past. "I c-c-can't b-believe it! It's you!"
At least the ship didn't explode on impact, was Terrace's first counscious thought as he came to. He lifted his head off the control panel, and looked around. Kathalee was unconscious, with a nasty bump on her forehead. He focused his Jedi powers through the Force, and detected five people running toward the ship. One of them seemed familiar somehow...
Bit. Only Bit would project such a strong pull on the Force. Not the kind of pull exerted by a Jedi candidate, but that of a Chosen One, who could pilot an Ultimate X Zoid. Even when they were eight, Terrace had recognized that Bit had such an aura around him. The other four with him could only be friends Bit had made ever since Terrace had left.
Sighing, Terrace got up, staggered over to the hatch, opened it, and walked out shakily. When he saw Bit, he grinned, while Bit just stood there, dumbstruck. "I c-c-can't b-believe it! It's you!" Suddenly Bit got a mean look on his face, stalked up to Terrace, and said, "You lousy, no-good scumbag. You've got alotta nerve, comin' back after so long, Terrace Roa Manosk." Terrace just smiled. "It's good to see you, too, Bit."
At this, Bit smiled, too, and seized Terrace in the kind of hug shared by friends who haven't seen each other in years. "Terrace! It's been so long! How ARE you, ya old sonofagun?"
"I've been fine, and who are these people with you?" A magenta-haired woman with violet eyes stepped forward and introduced herself, "I am Leena Starla Taurus, Bit Cloud's girlfriend," she said without a trace of hestation or embarrassment, extending her hand in a gesture of acceptance. Terrace shook Leena's hand, and said, "I am pleased to meet you. May I call you Leena?" "Sure."
"And who are these other people, Bit? Oh, and by the way, nice catch, Leena's perfect for you," Terrace said, indicating Leena, causing her to blush at the compliment.
A man with brown, long hair came up and introduced himself, too. "I am Brad Aaron Hunter, but you can call me Brad, everyone else does. I used to be a mercenary Zoid pilot, but I joined the Blitz Team here, and I've been with them ever since."
Terrace thought about this, turned to Bit, and asked, "Are you a Zoid pilot, yet? And if so, is this your team?" Bit nodded in a proud way. Terrace pasted a lopsided grin on his face that radiated cockiness, and said, "I always knew you had it in you, Bit. Never doubted that you would become a Zoid warrior." Bit just smiled.
Then a teenager with short, black hair came and said, "I am James Walter Masagi, but everyone calls me Jamie. My dad was a great Zoid pilot, and so am I. My specialty is flying Zoids," he said with a hint of pride in his voice.
Then up came an older man, who stated, "I am Steve Kirtan Taurus, Leena's father. You can call me Doc," Terrace shook hands with him, introduced himself, and explained who was in the ship currently, and asked them to help get Kathalee to a medical facility. They agreed, and all worked together to bring Kathalee to the medical wing of the Taurus Base, as well as bringing B-3PO to a repair section. They also got Terrace a guestroom prepared. As Terrace went into his new room, he laid down on the bed and fell asleep.
Leon Samuel Taurus pulled up to his father's base, noting that something was up. One glance at Bit and Leena standing close together, hugging in the hanger showed that they were a couple now. Bit and Leena? Whoa, I guess opposites do attract. Leon knew this wasn't all that was going on at the Taurus Base. Still...
Snickering, Leon pulled out a camera from the glove compartment, snuck up to the two lovebirds, and snapped pictures. They seemed not to notice.
Leon decided that now was a good time to break up this little lovefest. He shouted, "BIT! LEENA! HAVEN'T SEEN YOU TWO IN A MONTH!" The lovers broke apart in suprise, then saw Leon.
"Leon? You're here already? Were you spying on us?" Leena asked in a most threatening tone. Leon decided that his little sister wanted private time, and backed away slowly. Bit noticed a camera in Leon's hands, wispered what he saw to Leena, and the two proceeded to chase, and eventually catch Leon, hoping to beat him up.
The next day...
Kathalee Duet woke up suddenly, sitting up and wincing in pain as she did so. Her whole body felt like one big bruise, though that wasn't much of a suprise, considering how hard the ship had crashed. She welcomed the pain, however. To her it was a friend, alerting her to the fact that her body had been injured. Sighing, she focused her talents with the Force to heal her wounds. Most of them had been treated when Terrace came into the room with a collection of people she didn't recognize. Terrace introduced them all, and then set to work trying to heal her. "Wow, Kathalee, you did a pretty good job on your injuries." "Thanks, Terrace. I told you I excelled at Jedi healing."
Then the blond-haired man that Terrace had introduced as Bit got a weird look on his face, turning to a woman with magenta hair who was introduced as Leena. "Uh-oh, I just remembered, Leena. Harry's coming over today. Knowing him, he wouldn't leave until he finds you, Leena. But I'm gonna punch him hard so that he'll leave quickly. Why don't you hide in the shower?" Leena agreed, and ran out of the room. Bit then turned to Brad and Jamie, offering to give them each a third of the money Bit got from the next battle if they agreed to hold Harry still so Bit could punch him. Brad agreed at once. Jamie thought about it, realized that he could modify the blast cannons on the Raynos with money like that, and agreed as well. "I don't get it. Who's Harry Champ?" Terrace asked with pure curosity. "Harry is a rich jerk who claims he loves Leena, but I think he just wants her for her looks. He's the leader of the Champ Team, made up of himself and two 'droids as you would call them."
"Why two 'droids?" Kathalee asked. Bit continued, "I don't think there is a person on the planet, other than his own family, who can stand to be around him.
"Harry's bad enough, but he has an obnoxious older sister called Mary. I think when Harry was born, his parents wanted a name that rhymed with Mary. Anyway, she's come over to the Taurus Base three times in the past month, asking if she could buy my Zoid, the Liger Zero. She wants to use Liger as a garden statue. The first time Liger heard about what she wanted him for, he started cussing her out in his own language. Only I can understand what he says, but I ended up learning a whole new vocabulary of Zoid curse words when that happened. Mary never understands that Liger is a Zoid built for battle, not a decoration. Yet she persists. I also notice that she tries to flirt with me each time she visits. She creeps me out, so I respond by running into my room and locking the door behind me." Bit stopped to take a breath, when a voice called out, "LEENA! WHERE ARE YOU, MY LEENA?" "And that would be Harry now," Jamie said with a disgusted look on his face. Bit reminded Brad and Jamie of the deal, and they ran off.
Bit ran towards the hangar, hearing Liger give a report in his head on where Harry was. Okay, he's just standing at the entrance to the hangar, calling out at the top of his lungs for your girlfriend. He really disgusts me. Liger thought at Bit when he, Brad, and Jamie sprinted towards the hangar. When they got there, Bit suddenly halted so quickly that Brad and Jamie ran into him. No, it can't be her. Not now...
Mary Champ was standing in the doorway