Arabic Prince
Chapter One: Abandoned and Scared

"Lt. Cassie?" Asked a soldier that stood in the doorway of the room.

The room was lavishly decorated with elegant 18th centuary furniture. The curtains were long and a dark red color. Sitting on a loveseat couch was a girl with short brown hair. Her deep blue eyes were busy analyzing a protfolio in her lap. Her deep red OZ jacket was heavily decorated with medals. Like Lady Une, she wore tight, long, white pants with a pair of ankle boots on her feet.

"Lt. Cassie, they are waiting for you." Answered the soldier.

"Are all my things ready?" Asked Lt. Cassie as she closed the portfolio and places it on the table next to her.

"Yes ma'am. All loaded and ready." The soldier replied with a bow.

"Thank you for all you have done." Lt. Cassie answered with a smile and bow.

"It's all part of my job, Lt." The soldier answered with a smile.

Cassie grabbed a hairpin that was sitting next to the portfolio and placed it in her hair. She slowly rises to her feet and faces the soldier. She picked up the portfolio and tucked it under her left arm. The soldier held the door open for Cassie as she walked out of the room.

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Several OZ soldiers stood around a tall, large aircraft. They all held fully loaded guns and carried radios with them. As several soldiers walked around, looking for any strange characters, someone came walking over the horizon. Lt. Cassie apprached the aircraft with her soldier escort next to her.

A soldier stepped out from the aircraft and looked around the airport. When he noticed Lt. Cassie approaching the aircraft, he quickly ran out to greet her. He wore a black OZ uniform with white pants, signifing he was a soldier. He had short deep blue hair and light blue eyes.

"Lt. Cassie." He answered as he stood in front of her and saluted. "My name is Ryo Li."

"Ah, yes." Cassie replied with a smile. "My father told me you'd be joining me on my mission. He said you were an Ace Pilot...almost as good as the 'Lightning Baron'."

"Yes, ma'am. That's true." Ryo answered, blushing a little.

"Well, Ryo Li," Cassie answered, holding a hand out to him. "I'll be hoping my father was right."

Ryo shook Cassie's hand.

"Speaking of my father," Cassie replied, looking back at her soldier escort. "Did he say anything to you?"

"He told me he wouldn't be able to make it today." Answered the soldier. "He said he was very sorry but something important had came up and he needed to go ASAP."

"Right." Cassie answered, looking a bit sad. "Something important..."

Cassie headed up the steps of the aircraft with Ryo watching her.

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"You are to just do a quick survey of the area." Answered a man that stood in front of the several OZ soldiers, including Cassie. "You will be using the Desert Type Leo suits. You have limited amount of ammo, so try not to use it up."

Cassie mixed her tea with a spoon as she listened to the instructor.

"Any information you find, report it back to us." Spoke the man as he folded his hands behind his back. "But be careful. There is a Guerilla Base hidden somewhere in the desert. They might attack us, so keep your guard up."

"Yes sir." Shouted all the soldiers with a nod.

"Lt. Cassie will be in charge of you while you're down there. So listen to her every command." Replied the man as he looked at Lt. Cassie in the back.

"Yes sir." The soldiers replied with a nod.

"We leave in one hour. Dismissed!" Shouted the instructor.

All the OZ soldiers rose from their seats and began to leave the room. Ryo, who was seated in the second row, faced Cassie. Cassie still sat in her seat, looking out the window she sat next to. She didn't seem to be paying any attention, as Ryo stood next to her.

"Lt. Cassie, the meeting's over." Ryo answered.

"Huh?" Cassie asked, shaking her head and looking up at Ryo.

"The meeting just ended." Ryo replied, looking down at Cassie.

"Sorry. I was thinking about something else." Cassie answered as she grabbed her cup of tea and stood up.

"Are you worried?" Ryo asked.

"About the mission?" Cassie asked with a little laugh. "No. I'm not worried. I was just taking in the scenery."

Ryo looked out the window at the desert floor.

"How about you? Are you worried about the mission?" Asked Cassie, looking out the window.

"Maybe a little. But I'm more excited then worried." Ryo answered, glancing at Cassie.

"Just remember to keep your head." Cassie answered, patting Ryo on the shoulder.

Cassie walked out of the room, leaving Ryo alone.

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"There's a heavy sandstorm down there." Answered the co-pilot as he looked back at the instructor. "Should we let them go down there?"

"This mission is important to OZ." Spoke the instructor. "We'll need to send them down there no matter what the cost."

"Yes sir." Answered the co-pilot as he faced the front of the aircraft.

The instructor grabbed a little microphone from the control pannel and held it up to his lips.

"All pilots, report to your designated posts."

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Flashing lights and sirens went off all throughout the aircraft. Several OZ soldiers jumped into the cockpit of the Leo MS as the hatch door to the aircraft began to open. A strip made of flashing lights switched on as all the Leo suits were released from there clamps. Crew members ran out of there as fast as they could as the exit doors began to close.

"Lt. Cassie, there's a sandstorm down there." Spoke the instructor as he appeared in Cassie's Leo suit's monitor.

"I understand." Cassie replied as she strapped herself in. "We'll try to be careful, but it'll be awfully hard to see anything down there with the sand blowing around."

"We can't call off the mission now." Answered the instructor. "Your father, as well as OZ, needs to know if there is a Gundam down there or not."

Cassie just remained silent as her Leo suit stepped onto the launch pad first.

"Are you sure we should go down there, Lt.?" Asked Ryo as he appeared in her monitor.

"If my father wants conformation on a Desert Gundam, he'll get it." Cassie replied as she pushed a button on her control panel.

"Well, at least let me go first." Ryo answered. "There's no telling what could be waiting for us down there."

"That's nice and all, Ryo. But I'll go first." Cassie answered with a smile. "As soon as I'm clear, you follow. Along with the rest of this unit."

"Yes Lt." Ryo replied with a nod and disappeared from the screen.

Clamps held down the feet of the Leo MS. A low picthed blarring noise was heard and the hatch door was completely open. Like a catapult, the Leo MS shot forward. It was shot out through the open hatchway and began to fall. As Cassie got closer and closer to the ground, she could see all the sand blowing around.

After falling for what seemed like forever, the Leo MS finally touched down on the ground. The Leo removed its gun and looked around. It was completely surrounded by endless swirls of sand. Cassie looked around, but couldn't see anything. But for some strange reason, Cassie could sense something out there...watching her.

"I can't see anything." Ryo replied, as his Leo MS landed next to Cassie.

"Keep your guard up. There's something out there." Cassie answered, as he Leo looked side to side.

More Leos landed around her, trying to see through the blowing sand. Soon the entire unit under Cassie's command was on the desert floor. All of them had there guns out, ready to blast any foreign object they spotted.

"It's so....abandoned." Spoke an OZ soldier as he looked around.

The warning system in Cassie's Leo suddenly began to go off. She turned around and noticed a red beacon on her digital map. Her Leo MS looked around, but couldn't see anything. Before she could react, a Leo MS behind her was blown into pieces.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Shouted a shocked OZ soldier.

"We're being attack!" Shouted another OZ soldier.

More red beacons appeared and three Leo MS were taken out. A few pieces of debris slammed into Cassie's MS. Cassie hit the side of her cockpit and gritted her teeth.

"We can't see the enemy because of this stupid storm." Hissed Cassie.

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"Instructor, our forces are being attacked." Replied a system's operator on the OZ aircraft.

The instructor just sat in his seat, silently.

"Sir, Lt. Cassie's down there! Shouldn't we do something?" Asked the system's operator, as he looked back at the instructor.

"We will not do anything as of now." The instructor replied, folding his hands neatly in his lap.

"But, sir--"

"That's an order." Answered the instructor as he glared at the system's operator.

"Y-yes sir."

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The remaining MS began to fire blindly into the storm. Cassie's Leo MS was clipped by a bullet fired by the enemy. The metal hung loosely, revealing all the wires underneath.

"Pull back! All of you!" Shouted Lt. Cassie.

"What about you?" Asked an OZ soldier that was in a Leo MS behind her.

"Just go!" Shouted Lt. Cassie.

The three Leo MS grabbed onto cords lowered by the OZ aircraft.

"Lt. Cassie! Come on!" Souted Ryo as his Leo MS grabbed onto one of the remaining cords.

"GO!!" Cassie shouted as bullets began to rain down on her. "I ORDER YOU TO GO!"

Ryo's Leo MS was beginning to be lifted towards the OZ aircraft with the others. The higher he got, he watched as Cassie's MS began to get smaller and smaller. Suddenly, to his horror, Cassie's Leo MS was hit by a missile and slammed into the ground. He could see sparks and watched as the MS was engulfed in flames.

"LT. CASSIE!!" Shouted Ryo.

The damaged cockpit door to the Leo MS was kicked open. Cassie crawled out of the cockpit slowly. Her clothes where ripped on the side and stained with a few spots of blood. She jumped off the side of her burning Leo MS, her gun held firmly in her hands. She ran a few steps into the chaotic storm of sand, before she was thrown to the ground by the explosion of her MS.

Cassie skidded a few feet in the sand before stopping. She lay there, completely unconscious. Her metal OZ badge had fallen off and was buried quickly by the sand. A few chunks of burning debris landed several inches away from her body. Cassie lay there motionlessly as the sand began to cover her up.

Gundam Wing © Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and ANB
Arabic Prince - CrystalKeeper 01-02