Fifteen Years Ago

Lieutenant Colonel Kentaro Washio held his thumb over the firing button, targeting the enemy aircraft in his sights. The other pilot attempted to evade him, but the Colonel was having none of it. He harried the other plane, never letting the pilot rest, and when the enemy's guard was down, Kentaro's thumb came to rest on that button.

A silvery missile streaked forth, moving toward the hapless fighter jet and destroying it in less than a second. Fire and smoke filled the air, and Kentaro grimaced wryly. Today, destroying one of Sosai's men felt good. It was as if, in some small way, he was getting his own back at the callous, selfish alien entity.

Kentaro Washio had been denied.

For all of these years, he had devoted himself to Sosai, heart and soul. He had spent his life pursuing information that the alien would find useful. He had proven himself loyal and irreplaceable, many times over. And what reward had he received for his lifetime of service and dedication?

Berg Katse was to be appointed the Leader of Galactor.

Sosai had completely ignored Kentaro's numerous contributions over the past decade, instead choosing to favor his own mutant prodigy, who had done nothing but snivel and whine at Sosai's feet… if the alien could even be said to have feet. Kentaro had never met Sosai in person, but he knew the alien entity to be somewhat… disembodied.

It wasn't fair.

Today's mission was supposed to be simple. In order to maintain his presence within UN Forces, Kentaro had to appear to be accomplishing the tasks set before him. To that end, from time to time, Sosai would send out a few squadrons of 'useless goons' (or so the alien liked to call them) for Kentaro and his team to eliminate. The Colonel's men thought they were routinely eliminating Galactor's best and brightest.

If only they knew.

The troops Sosai sent out to meet him were the most imbecilic and idiotic soldiers Kentaro had ever seen. Sometimes, the Colonel wondered just how much inbreeding there was going on within the Galactor organization. Certainly there appeared to be no shortage of 'below average' fodder for these encounters, which were designed purely to make Kentaro look good to his superiors. It had worked so well that the UN even called the grouping of these battles a 'war'. A war the UN was 'winning', thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Kentaro Washio.

Normally, Kentaro and his men dispatched the watered-down Galactor troops, and the Colonel found himself slightly bored by the entire exercise. But today, it was different. Each plane he shot down bore Berg Katse's face. Kentaro had never actually met the boy, but he imagined the sniveling, weak face of his rival, and fired his guns directly into its center.

In the back of his mind, Kentaro recognized that Berg Katse was a man now. He had to be eighteen or nineteen years of age, and as the declared Leader of Galactor…

Kentaro's hands tightened their grip on the flight stick that controlled his fighter plane. He pressed the firing button again and again, easily destroying two more Galactor jets. The remaining enemy aircraft were quickly wiped up by the rest of his force.

Yet again, Kentaro hadn't lost one man, while the Galactors had lost every one of theirs.

It was all so meaningless.

He had sacrificed everything, and for what? So pansy-ass Berg Katse could take the position that rightfully belonged to him!

Kentaro groaned as he thought about the mess he had made of his life. On General Fixman's recommendation, he had married Sayuri. While it had gotten him the leadership posting on the UN Air Force Special Fighter Squad that he had desired, the price he had had to pay, and was continuing to pay at home, was too great.

Sayuri was the perfect society wife… which was exactly what Kentaro didn't want. Every moment he was at home, Sayuri clung to him; smothering him with attempts to make him more comfortable, to cook for him, to fulfill his every basic need.

It was driving Kentaro insane.

He didn't need this milk and water girl. Kentaro needed a woman with fire and passion; someone to challenge him and make his flesh burn when he touched her. Truth be told, Kentaro needed many women, as even when he found one to his liking, she quickly lost appeal once she had succumbed to his charms and fallen into his bed. At first, Kentaro had tried to keep his numerous affairs a secret from his eager-to-please wife, but eventually Sayuri had figured it out. For all of her flaws, she was intelligent, and the evidence was there for her to see, if only she chose to look.

To Kentaro's surprise, when she had learned of his promiscuity, Sayuri hadn't lectured him, nor had she shed the tears he had been expecting. Instead, she had found some kind of inner strength, and had simply and coldly informed Kentaro of the fact that he was going to be a father.

A father… that was the last thing Kentaro had wanted from Sayuri. He wanted any child of his to grow up as part of Galactor, under Sosai's watchful eye, looking up to Kentaro as a true leader.

Instead, he had sired a whiny, big-eyed brat of a son who clung to his mother and screamed whenever his father came near him. Worst of all, the boy had Sayuri's effeminate features, and was a direct affront to Kentaro's masculinity. The wide, expressive blue eyes that were Sayuri's only attractive feature were cute and soft on his son, lending the boy an air of weakness. Kentaro Jr. was smaller than other children as well, and even at the age of three, his father could already see him becoming the target of bigger boys' bullying.

Kentaro had tried. He had done his best to toughen the boy up. This was his son, bearing his name, damn it! And yet, no matter what Kentaro did, the boy resembled his mother, in both appearance and character, every day.

Only last month, Kentaro had tested the boy's mettle. The small family had gone to Hontwal for a short vacation. They had spent most of their time at the lakeside, and Kentaro had decided to teach his son to swim. After showing Kentaro Jr. the basic strokes, he had encouraged the boy to walk with him out along the rocks. Kentaro had gotten into the water, which was far too deep for the young toddler to stand. He had waved to the boy, coaxing him, and then once Kentaro Jr. had jumped in, his father had watched the three year old boy's useless attempts to stay afloat.

Rather than suck it up and do his best to get back to shore, his son had screamed in a high, girlish voice, flailing and forgetting everything he had just been taught. Kentaro's anger had surged, and he had railed at his fate to have this useless, pathetic worm of a son. He had practically slammed the boy's head underwater with the heel of his hand, laughing at Kentaro Jr.'s pitiful attempts to resurface.

His son had struggled briefly in his weak way, then had seemed to give up. He had simply stayed underwater, not even fighting back when the stakes involved were his own life. For a brief moment, Kentaro had thought about just keeping the boy there for a few minutes, until the air leaked out of his lungs and his life ebbed from his body.

It certainly would have solved a lot of Kentaro's problems.

But the caw of a seagull had distracted Kentaro, and his hand had slipped. The next thing he had known, his son had been coming up to the surface, bobbing and sputtering as he had attempted a weak cry with what little air was left in his lungs. It had been enough to summon Sayuri, who had raced over, scooping up the child in her arms and glaring at Kentaro accusingly. It was then that Kentaro had realized that the problem was not only his son, but also his wife.

Ever since then, he had thought of nothing but ridding himself of these two lodestones around his neck, but he had been unable to come up with a way to accomplish his goal. Divorce was frowned upon by the Military Forces, and was essentially unheard of in the higher ranks of the UN Air Force. Kentaro didn't want to jeopardize his chances of further promotion. Then he would lose all usefulness to Sosai, and nothing else would matter.

Still, Sosai owed him.

It was inconceivable that this upstart Berg Katse had usurped his place, especially when the mutant's track record was as yet unproven. But it had happened, all the same.

Yet perhaps… perhaps his past service to Sosai had earned Kentaro some sort of boon. Perhaps he could convince the alien entity to do him a favor…

That night, Kentaro crept out of the loveless marriage bed he shared with Sayuri, and walked on stealthy feet from the room. He moved through the kitchen, exiting the tiny shack and stepping outside. He breathed deeply in the night air, letting it fill him as he contemplated the grass airstrip behind the home.

"Sosai…" he called silently, his mind reaching out across the miles, seeking out that familiar contact with the alien presence that seemed to consume his entire being.

After only a moment, an answer came. It was as if Sosai had been waiting for this contact.

"You want to speak with me?" the alien entity asked in a smug, superior tone.

"Yes, Sosai." Kentaro replied, carefully schooling his words and manner to be respectful and non-demanding. "I have dedicated my life to you since I was a child, and in order to do so, I have gladly made certain sacrifices."

"Everyone must sacrifice for the greater good of Galactor." Sosai replied in an amused tone.

"Yes, but one sacrifice has caused me more problems than I had anticipated." Kentaro explained. "In fact, I am under so much stress and scrutiny that I wonder if I am capable of continuing to perform my proper duty for Galactor."

"What problem is this?" Sosai asked. The alien entity actually sounded somewhat anxious.

"It is my 'family'." Kentaro uttered the word with obvious distaste. "My wife only causes me difficulties, and my son is a weak brat who can be of no use to Galactor. I would like to have them both eliminated."

"Eliminated?" Sosai's anxiousness was gone, and it almost sounded as if he was yawning in boredom. "Isn't that something you could take care of yourself?"

"No." Kentaro admitted, ensuring that his voice carried a note of deep regret. "Such a thing would jeopardize my position in the UN Military Forces, which would make it much more difficult for me to obtain the information you require, Sosai."

"This is true." Sosai begrudgingly admitted. "But it would be difficult for Galactor agents to target your family without causing the same kind of suspicion, as by themselves, your wife and son are no threat to us."

"I was thinking about poison, or perhaps infecting them with some kind of fatal disease." Kentaro suggested hopefully.

"No…" Sosai murmured thoughtfully, clearly enjoying working out this situation in his mind. "Such a thing would also throw suspicion on you, when you did not succumb as well."

"You're right, of course, Sosai." Kentaro replied quietly, his tone slightly defeated.

He paused, holding his breath. He had to make these next few words count. Kentaro gasped suddenly, as if just now thinking of a solution to his predicament.

"Sosai!" he said excitedly. "What if I wasn't there? If I were legitimately somewhere else when this occurred? Then there would be no suspicion cast my way!"

"Yes…" the alien entity agreed. "Can you think of a way to convince your superiors to send you on an assignment?"

"I'm sure I could." Kentaro smiled. "I will speak with General Hiratu first thing tomorrow morning."

"I'm glad that's settled." Sosai replied, but then his tone suddenly changed. "Was that all you wished to discuss, Kentaro Washio?"

"Yes." Kentaro said slowly. "There is nothing else, Sosai. This is ample repayment for the service I have given you."

"I am glad that you feel this way." the alien entity murmured, before its presence left the Colonel's mind.

Kentaro let out a long, slow sigh of relief. He had managed to turn this sad situation to his best advantage. Kentaro had known that Sosai had made up his mind to make Berg Katse the leader of Galactor. Once such a decision had been made, there was no way of convincing the alien entity to reverse it.

However, Sosai had expected Kentaro to protest the choice of Berg Katse, and therein had been the military officer's advantage. He had been able to get Sosai to easily agree to his request by catching the alien off guard.

And now that he had Sosai's blessing, Kentaro Washio could put the remainder of his plan into action.

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"It's the opportunity I've been waiting for!" Kentaro told Sayuri excitedly. It was their wedding anniversary, and Kentaro had brought home wine and flowers for his wife, not to mention an exquisite piece of jewelry. Sayuri had been overwhelmed, and she had fussed over a romantic dinner after Kentaro Jr. had gone to bed. Now, lingering over dessert, Kentaro had taken Sayuri's hands in his, whispering sweet words until he had felt that she would be most receptive to what he really had to say.

"General Hiratu says that I can have complete control of this new elite squad. I would have the effective rank of a full Colonel, and have a chance to wipe out these Galactor terrorists completely." Kentaro smiled winningly, exerting more charm in his wife's direction than he had in the past four years. "Kozaburo needs me to go on assignment for him, with this new team. It would also allow me to do that test pilot work he's been asking me about. You know I can't turn him down, not after he has been such a good friend, to both of us."

"I can see that this is something that you truly want." Sayuri couldn't help returning her handsome husband's infectious grin. "And I fully support you Kentaro, I really do. But why do you have to go away? And for so long? Kentaro Jr. only just turned four last week. And I need you too…" Sayuri lowered her eyes shyly and blushed in a becoming fashion.

Kentaro forced down the natural revulsion he felt at the thought of intimacy with his wife. He had to convince Sayuri to go along with this, or General Hiruta would never green light the project. Nambu would likely get cold feet as well, if he knew Sayuri was unhappy about it.

"A year isn't so long." Kentaro murmured softly, pulling his wife out of her chair and into his lap. "Before you know it, the time will be over."

"But Kentaro Jr. is so young…" Sayuri protested. "He needs a father."

"It's better this way." Kentaro insisted, his fingers stroking Sayuri's arm as his lips pressed gentle kisses along her neck. "When he is older, he will never remember that I was ever gone. And he'll grow up in a world without war."

"I suppose you're right." Sayuri sighed. "But I'll miss you so much…"

"Show me how much." Kentaro whispered, carrying his wife into their bedroom. He steeled himself for what was to come, covering his distaste for Sayuri with honeyed words and tender caresses.

It was all worth it. When his plan succeeded, he would be rid of both his meek wife and his namby-pamby son, and he would be in an even better position to make himself invaluable to Sosai.

Kentaro Washio would be useful again.