* -indicates a dream sequence
CHAPTER TWO
Elsewhere at the Red River Base, someone else was training as well. It had been four long years for him also, and he had grown into a handsome young man as well as an accomplished pilot of the Blade Liger. Still he felt he needed to train, especially since he had become a member of the Guardian Force along with Fiona and lately they had been joined by Lieutenant Thomas Shubaltz, who in Van's eyes was a strange character but a good pilot and loyal friend as well. No doubt because of his infatuation with Fiona though.
He decimated the ranks of white Command Wolves easily enough and just turned to head back when he saw an Iron Kong slowly making its way towards the base, and a smile spread across his face as he directed the Blade Liger towards the approaching zoid. "Colonel Shubaltz, it's good to see you again," he greeted him as he fell in beside the Imperial soldier. "Are you here to see Thomas?"
"I'm afraid not, Van," he answered sadly. "Given the nature of the information I'm bringing, I'd rather wait and tell everyone at the same time."
"That bad, hunh?" Van sighed. "Well, I guess that I'd better inform Fiona and Thomas." As the Blade Liger raced off, Van couldn't help but wonder what was going on this time and for some reason he felt that this time the threat would be serious.
Soon the necessary officers were assembled and Colonel Shubaltz was given the floor. "A few days ago, this military base was attacked by a small zoid force consisting of what we believe to be Rev Raptors and a Red Horn." The screen showed a layout of the surrounding area and a red dot marked the base's location. "The base was destroyed and all zoids kept there were taken by the attacking force as well as weapons and ammunition."
"If you don't mind my asking, Colonel, why were you sent here? It was a Republican base that was hit, not an Imperial one," Van asked, curious when he saw the faint glimmer of sadness pass over the Colonel's face.
"We believe that the force that attacked was Imperial," he answered. "It is possible that the aggressors are attempting to build an army of their own in order to try and undermine the peace that was bought at so high a price."
A murmur passed through those assembled as they realized that if they didn't stop them now it could mean serious trouble in the future. "Where do you think they might strike next?" Fiona asked.
The Colonel glanced at the screen. "It is hard to tell at this point, but we believe that it may be here." Another dot appeared on the screen that was not all that far from the first dot. "Right now, the best thing I believe that can be done is to step up aerial surveillance and put the base on alert. Hopefully we can stop this before it goes too far. Both sides suffered greatly during the last war and our supplies are low which makes it all the more urgent that we stop them quickly."
The meeting was drawn to a close, and Van stepped up to the soldier. "Colonel, there's something else that you're not telling us," he said in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear. "You know who's behind these latest attacks, don't you?"
Shubaltz sighed. "I have an idea, but I am not sure, and I can only hope that I am wrong."
Seeing that that was all the answer he was getting, Van stepped away from him and followed Thomas and Fiona out of the room.
Karl Shubaltz stayed there for a moment after everyone had left, his hand lightly resting on his chest as he stared up at the screen. Tania, are you behind this? Are you even alive? Reaching underneath his collar, he pulled out the necklace that he had worn for many a year now, a gold charm fashioned in the shape of a heart.
*How I remember that day. We had lunch together that day, the day before you were to leave to return with your father. You had just finished telling me that you couldn't see me anymore, that you were a danger to me just by being here, and then you pressed this into my hand before you ran away. Only a few short days together and yet we became so close. Don't you know that I would've given anything for you to stay, even my life?*
It had been a gift from her mother, she had told him, and yet she had given it to him. He turned the heart over and rubbed his thumb over the inscription there, only three simple words yet it had changed his whole world. I love you.
He closed his eyes as he clenched his fist around the charm, willing the pain to go away that he had lived with since that day she had left him.
Van and Thomas walked outside to where their zoids waited for them, a thought-filled silence between them. "What were you talking to my brother about, Van?" Thomas asked.
Van heard Zeke step up beside him. "I think he knows who is behind these attacks, but he won't tell me as he isn't sure if it is who he thinks it is. Do you know?" he asked.
Thomas shook his head. "Haven't a clue."
The young pilot sighed. "I'm going out to do a little looking of my own then. Maybe the base is in this area. Come on, Zeke."
The organoid voiced his agreement and followed behind.
Tania had been pleased to hear that the first attack had went so well. The hanger was well on its way to becoming full with the zoids they had taken, and on top of that they had more than enough ammunition to last them a good while. But as pleased as she was, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of uncertainty as from now on the other bases would be on full alert, making it near impossible for them to take the other bases as easily as the first. And she also expected that soon enough the Republic would be sending out aerial zoids to try and spot any activity that seemed abnormal, meaning her little training sessions were at an end.
Colonel Tragar said as much to his men, adding that they must be on full alert themselves as there might be a chance that the Republican Army could discover their location, although he didn't foresee it happening. But he didn't become Colonel by ignoring the possibilities that could catch them unawares. Instead he thought of everything beforehand so that he could anticipate any surprises that might be thrown his way.
They laid low for awhile to let things cool down, as well as fool the military into thinking that the attack was a one time thing. Then they struck a second base, but things didn't go as well as before. Apparently the guard had been kept up as a fierce battle had ensued, forcing Tragar's men to retreat, which Tragar was voicing his anger about when she stepped into the debriefing room to see what had went so wrong.
"Idiots!" he hissed as he turned his head towards her then looked away from her gaze as she took her place beside him.
"Please, sir," one of the pilots pleaded. "It was no mere military force that we fought against. The Guardian Force have been enlisted as well, Colonel."
The name caught her interest. "Guardian Force?" she inquired.
"The most stupid, idiotic idea ever thought up if you ask me," Tragar scoffed. "Made up of a few kids that call themselves warriors."
"Sir, one of the fighters is none other than Van Flyheight himself, the pilot of the Blade Liger that destroyed the Deathsaur years ago," the same pilot added.
Tania turned her eyes to the pilot, half seeing him as she thought back on the fateful day when her father had died. She had fought against the Blade Liger outside the city limits along with Raven in his Genosaur and was defeated as her Saber Tiger was no match for his zoid, and apparently neither was Raven as he was defeated also. Knocked unconscious, she missed the actual battle between the Deathsaur and the Blade Liger, but all she knew was that her father was dead and it was all because of the person inside the zoid.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she shook herself back to the present to hear Tragar calling her name and asking if she was all right. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered, leveling her gaze back onto him. "I wouldn't dismiss Flyheight so easily, Colonel. I fought against him on that day so long ago and he defeated me. I think we should step up our forces on the next attack so we can prevent this from happening again."
Tragar bowed his head to her slightly. "If you wish, Tania."
"I will be going also," she added, and the silence became so thick it could be cut with a knife.
"Absolutely not," he argued. "You cannot risk your life like that."
She gritted her teeth in anger. "Colonel, he killed my father. And I will see to it that he gets what is due to him."
CHAPTER TWO
Elsewhere at the Red River Base, someone else was training as well. It had been four long years for him also, and he had grown into a handsome young man as well as an accomplished pilot of the Blade Liger. Still he felt he needed to train, especially since he had become a member of the Guardian Force along with Fiona and lately they had been joined by Lieutenant Thomas Shubaltz, who in Van's eyes was a strange character but a good pilot and loyal friend as well. No doubt because of his infatuation with Fiona though.
He decimated the ranks of white Command Wolves easily enough and just turned to head back when he saw an Iron Kong slowly making its way towards the base, and a smile spread across his face as he directed the Blade Liger towards the approaching zoid. "Colonel Shubaltz, it's good to see you again," he greeted him as he fell in beside the Imperial soldier. "Are you here to see Thomas?"
"I'm afraid not, Van," he answered sadly. "Given the nature of the information I'm bringing, I'd rather wait and tell everyone at the same time."
"That bad, hunh?" Van sighed. "Well, I guess that I'd better inform Fiona and Thomas." As the Blade Liger raced off, Van couldn't help but wonder what was going on this time and for some reason he felt that this time the threat would be serious.
Soon the necessary officers were assembled and Colonel Shubaltz was given the floor. "A few days ago, this military base was attacked by a small zoid force consisting of what we believe to be Rev Raptors and a Red Horn." The screen showed a layout of the surrounding area and a red dot marked the base's location. "The base was destroyed and all zoids kept there were taken by the attacking force as well as weapons and ammunition."
"If you don't mind my asking, Colonel, why were you sent here? It was a Republican base that was hit, not an Imperial one," Van asked, curious when he saw the faint glimmer of sadness pass over the Colonel's face.
"We believe that the force that attacked was Imperial," he answered. "It is possible that the aggressors are attempting to build an army of their own in order to try and undermine the peace that was bought at so high a price."
A murmur passed through those assembled as they realized that if they didn't stop them now it could mean serious trouble in the future. "Where do you think they might strike next?" Fiona asked.
The Colonel glanced at the screen. "It is hard to tell at this point, but we believe that it may be here." Another dot appeared on the screen that was not all that far from the first dot. "Right now, the best thing I believe that can be done is to step up aerial surveillance and put the base on alert. Hopefully we can stop this before it goes too far. Both sides suffered greatly during the last war and our supplies are low which makes it all the more urgent that we stop them quickly."
The meeting was drawn to a close, and Van stepped up to the soldier. "Colonel, there's something else that you're not telling us," he said in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear. "You know who's behind these latest attacks, don't you?"
Shubaltz sighed. "I have an idea, but I am not sure, and I can only hope that I am wrong."
Seeing that that was all the answer he was getting, Van stepped away from him and followed Thomas and Fiona out of the room.
Karl Shubaltz stayed there for a moment after everyone had left, his hand lightly resting on his chest as he stared up at the screen. Tania, are you behind this? Are you even alive? Reaching underneath his collar, he pulled out the necklace that he had worn for many a year now, a gold charm fashioned in the shape of a heart.
*How I remember that day. We had lunch together that day, the day before you were to leave to return with your father. You had just finished telling me that you couldn't see me anymore, that you were a danger to me just by being here, and then you pressed this into my hand before you ran away. Only a few short days together and yet we became so close. Don't you know that I would've given anything for you to stay, even my life?*
It had been a gift from her mother, she had told him, and yet she had given it to him. He turned the heart over and rubbed his thumb over the inscription there, only three simple words yet it had changed his whole world. I love you.
He closed his eyes as he clenched his fist around the charm, willing the pain to go away that he had lived with since that day she had left him.
Van and Thomas walked outside to where their zoids waited for them, a thought-filled silence between them. "What were you talking to my brother about, Van?" Thomas asked.
Van heard Zeke step up beside him. "I think he knows who is behind these attacks, but he won't tell me as he isn't sure if it is who he thinks it is. Do you know?" he asked.
Thomas shook his head. "Haven't a clue."
The young pilot sighed. "I'm going out to do a little looking of my own then. Maybe the base is in this area. Come on, Zeke."
The organoid voiced his agreement and followed behind.
Tania had been pleased to hear that the first attack had went so well. The hanger was well on its way to becoming full with the zoids they had taken, and on top of that they had more than enough ammunition to last them a good while. But as pleased as she was, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of uncertainty as from now on the other bases would be on full alert, making it near impossible for them to take the other bases as easily as the first. And she also expected that soon enough the Republic would be sending out aerial zoids to try and spot any activity that seemed abnormal, meaning her little training sessions were at an end.
Colonel Tragar said as much to his men, adding that they must be on full alert themselves as there might be a chance that the Republican Army could discover their location, although he didn't foresee it happening. But he didn't become Colonel by ignoring the possibilities that could catch them unawares. Instead he thought of everything beforehand so that he could anticipate any surprises that might be thrown his way.
They laid low for awhile to let things cool down, as well as fool the military into thinking that the attack was a one time thing. Then they struck a second base, but things didn't go as well as before. Apparently the guard had been kept up as a fierce battle had ensued, forcing Tragar's men to retreat, which Tragar was voicing his anger about when she stepped into the debriefing room to see what had went so wrong.
"Idiots!" he hissed as he turned his head towards her then looked away from her gaze as she took her place beside him.
"Please, sir," one of the pilots pleaded. "It was no mere military force that we fought against. The Guardian Force have been enlisted as well, Colonel."
The name caught her interest. "Guardian Force?" she inquired.
"The most stupid, idiotic idea ever thought up if you ask me," Tragar scoffed. "Made up of a few kids that call themselves warriors."
"Sir, one of the fighters is none other than Van Flyheight himself, the pilot of the Blade Liger that destroyed the Deathsaur years ago," the same pilot added.
Tania turned her eyes to the pilot, half seeing him as she thought back on the fateful day when her father had died. She had fought against the Blade Liger outside the city limits along with Raven in his Genosaur and was defeated as her Saber Tiger was no match for his zoid, and apparently neither was Raven as he was defeated also. Knocked unconscious, she missed the actual battle between the Deathsaur and the Blade Liger, but all she knew was that her father was dead and it was all because of the person inside the zoid.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she shook herself back to the present to hear Tragar calling her name and asking if she was all right. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered, leveling her gaze back onto him. "I wouldn't dismiss Flyheight so easily, Colonel. I fought against him on that day so long ago and he defeated me. I think we should step up our forces on the next attack so we can prevent this from happening again."
Tragar bowed his head to her slightly. "If you wish, Tania."
"I will be going also," she added, and the silence became so thick it could be cut with a knife.
"Absolutely not," he argued. "You cannot risk your life like that."
She gritted her teeth in anger. "Colonel, he killed my father. And I will see to it that he gets what is due to him."