Quatre turned to the image of Lady Une and bowed. "Thank you, Miss Une. We won't let you down." Trowa nodded his head in agreement.

Lady Une smiled. "I know you won't."

The pilots said their farewells as Trowa and Quatre stepped out of the room. When the door closed behind them, Wufei whipped around. "What's going on? I don't like secrets."

"I understand, but this information needs to remain classified for now," Lady Une replied evenly. "Aside from the three of us, no one will be receiving the details. Not even Sally." Wufei narrowed his eyes.

"So what is it?" Duo cut in. "What's with this whole cloak and dagger routine?"

"Do you remember how this all started?" Lady Une asked.

"Yeah," Duo replied. "Relena was giving some fancy speech when she was shot at. She was taken to the hospital, attacked again, and that's when me and Heero stepped in. Honestly, I'm surprised he called me up and asked for help in the first place."

"Well, we can't find any connection between the shooter and Charles Disset. They appear to be separate attacks."

"Damn… that's some crappy luck."

"I doubt it's just a case of luck," Wufei remarked. "A coward like Disset, he was probably just waiting for Relena to be alone before he struck."

"I agree." Lady Une shifted through some papers on her desk. "However, the other two are looking into Mr. Disset. I want you to look into the shooter."

Duo cocked his head. "Wasn't the guy arrested?"

"Yes… and then he broke out of prison."

"Oh…"

"The name he gave turned out to be fake. We lost track of him until he appeared on this colony. He was flying a private shuttle that landed yesterday. When inspectors were examining it, they found a hidden cache in the belly of the transport. It was filled with assault rifles."

Both men's eyes widened. "So we have a security problem on Earth," Wufei said.

"I'm thinking that a prison guard helped him escape. As for the guns, his flight plan showed which airport he flew out of. It's a small airfield and unfortunately, security tends to be lighter there than in larger airports."

"What do you need from us?" Wufei asked.

"Before he could be apprehended again the pilot committed suicide. He said something… here, just before he shot himself, 'For the power of all humanity.' The local police have already started investigating what happened; you can start by meeting with them. I want to know everything there is about the man, the guns, the shuttle, everything."

Wufei nodded. "Preventer Earth out."

"You got it!" Duo stuck his thumb out. Lady Une smiled before she cut the transmission.

Wufei sighed. "Your thoughts?"

"It doesn't sound good," Duo replied, frowning.

"We rarely have a 'good' case. Let's get going."

oOoOo

"Hey, Wufei, guess what."

"What."

"Guess what I got!"

"No."

"I got a sweet deal in a trade recently: a pair of kamas! Isn't that so cool?"

"Sure."

"But Wufei, you know about this stuff, right?"

"About what?"

"Swords, and katanas, and slashy stuff!"

"For the last time, it's a dao."

"Right, but I need your advice! How do I protect these kamas? How do keep them clean and sharp?"

"Give them away to someone who will respect them."

"Wufei!"

"Maxwell, we are almost there. Can't this wait? Are you so unable to contain yourself?"

"But Wufei, I want to know. I need to know!"

Wufei sighed. Duo would keep pestering him until getting an answer. "Store them inside so they'll be away from the rain. The colony doesn't get a lot of humidity, so rust should not be an issue."

"Mm-hmm… mm-hmm… what about sharpening?"

"You realize I'm a Preventer. If you plan on using them, I'll detain you here and now."

"No! I just want them to be… sharp."

Wufei grunted. "Start with a sharpening stone. They make special oil and paper to finish the job."

"Like what kind of stone?"

"Look it up online. Find a picture. If it's a stone, then you're on the right path." Wufei pulled into a parking space and turned off the ignition. "Now let's drop the subject and pretend you're a professional. We have work to do."

Both men stepped out of the car in front of the headquarters to the colony's police department. While the Preventers worked to ensure law and order between Earth and the colonies, each colony itself had its own separate police force. They worked to investigate local crime and corruption and sometimes butted heads with the Preventers in terms of which cases were handled locally and which were handed off.

Wufei and Duo walked inside to find officers milling about the area. Some were pushing their way through, rushing from one hallway to the next, while most were talking with other officers. A few were bringing people in handcuffs inside, many of whom were pleading their innocence, then disappearing around a corner. The two Preventers walked up to an older woman in uniform behind a desk. She looked up at their approach. "What do you – ah, the Prevs. What can I do for you today, boys?"

While Duo looked around as people came and went, Wufei ignored the distractions. "We're here about the incident at Bemri Airfield."

"Then you'll want to speak to Officer Bennett. Give me a moment while I call him down." She picked up the phone and dialed a few numbers. "Hey Craig. Got a couple Preventers here about the shuttle." She chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I'm here for… okay, I'll let them know." She hung up and turned her attention back to Duo and Wufei. "He's on his way down."

"Thanks," Wufei replied.

The next few minutes passed with both Preventers in silence. Wufei crossed his arms and leaned against a wall while Duo glanced around the area. If Duo tried to take more than a few steps away, Wufei took his sheathed dao and tapped it on the ground next to his feet. The police officer raised an eyebrow after the first time it happened and just shook her head after the third.

Finally, another officer walked in to greet them. While the man was a little older than the pair, he was still much younger than the woman behind the desk. His hairline was thinning and he had shaved his face, which already had several small wrinkles throughout. "Gentlemen," he began. "It's good to meet you. My name is Craig Bennett. I'm the lead investigator on the Bemri case." He held out his hand.

Wufei shook it. "Preventers Chang and Maxwell. We're here to… offer our support any way we can."

Bennett nodded. "I've only just started the investigation, so I don't have much in the way of information to share. But let's speak upstairs."

The officer led them upstairs and opened a door to a room lined with desks. Each desk had a mountain of papers stacked on top of it. At least a dozen other officers were moving around the room. Some were drinking coffee and chatting with one another, but most were sitting at their desk looking through papers or on the phone.

"Remind you of home?" Duo whispered, teasing Wufei. The other man smirked.

Bennett led them through the room to a desk near the back. He reached into the stack of folders on his desk and pulled one out, setting it on top of the others. "One single-pilot shuttle coming from a private strip in Northern Europe and landing here on the colony at Bemri Airfield. Said he was transporting construction tools. Inspectors opened one of the crates, found the guns, called us." Among the photos he pulled out a picture of a blonde man in his mid-twenties. His back was against the shuttle and he was speaking to someone in a uniform. "Pilot killed himself before we could apprehend him and most of our leads died with him. The name's fake, the shadow company that the shuttle is registered to doesn't exist, and there aren't any serial numbers on the guns. This is a picture of the guy before it happened; you don't want to see the ones after."

"I recognize him," Wufei said. "He was a soldier in Mariemaia's army. Very… passionate. Most of them avoided me but he came right up, thrilled that a Gundam pilot was willing to join in the fight to 'free humankind from oppression.'"

"Sounds like he didn't know who he was working for," Duo remarked.

"Where was the cargo supposed to be delivered?" Wufei asked Bennett. "We can start by looking there."

The officer nodded. "There's a warehouse on 103rd Street. You guys can follow me."

oOoOo

"It doesn't look like anyone's home," Bennett noted. As they approached the door, he pulled out his gun. He looked at the two Preventers and scoffed. "Tranquilizer guns? I thought Johnson was pulling my leg when he said you guys use toy guns."

Wufei didn't bother looking back at him as he set himself up against the wall. "We live in an era of peace. Lady Une does not wish to disrupt that peace by using lethal weapons."

"Your Lady is too much of an idealist." Bennett reached down to his shin, producing a second handgun. He offered it up and Duo reached for it with joy until Wufei put a hand on his partner's arm, shaking his head. Duo hung his head and Bennett shrugged.

The three men took positions around the door. Wufei put himself against one side of it with Duo behind him, while Bennett stood on the other side. Wufei stepped back, kicked open the doors, and he and Duo jumped inside.

"Huh?" Duo lowered his weapon as Bennett walked in to an empty warehouse. There were no boxes, desks, or, most importantly, people inside. What little machinery there was appeared to be broken down. "This place is completely deserted," Duo commented.

"Whoever this is, they work fast," Wufei knelt down and dragged his finger along the ground. "The pilot's been dead less than twenty-four hours and it's already been emptied out."

Bennett blinked, still looking around. "I'll have my men come and comb the entire thing. Whatever they missed, we'll find it."

Wufei nodded. Bennett grabbed his phone and stepped outside. Wufei crossed his arms. "They won't find anything. This warehouse is cleaner than a hospital room."

"Hey Wufei," Duo said as he clipped his gun to his belt. "Why didn't you want to use that guy's weapon?"

The other pilot followed suit. "I agree with him. Lady Une is an idealist and many of her policies are shortsighted. But she is a person who is willing to fight for what she believes in and do so with honor. That much, I respect." He sighed. "Let's report in. We're just wasting our time out here."

oOoOo

"Here's the report, Miss Une."

Lady Une took the folder from Quatre. She opened it and skimmed the contents. "Investigation, interview notes, pictures… I should hire you!" She laughed.

Quatre laughed with her. "I'm already busy enough as it is!"

The door opened and Wufei stepped into Lady Une's office. She cleared her throat. "Thank you very much, Quatre," she said. "You're dismissed."

Quatre smiled and bowed, then left the room. He also smiled at Wufei as he walked past, who offered a small grin of his own in return.

Wufei walked up to Lady Une and handed her a similar folder. "This is what we were able to find. We hit a lot of dead ends. Local police are still looking into it, but with so little to go on I don't expect them to make it a priority."

"Thank you." Lady Une took the folder and set it on her desk. This time, she did not look over it right away.

Wufei nodded and turned to leave the room. "Wait, Wufei." He looked back at her. "I was just about to sit and have a cup of tea. Please, join me." She gestured to a small coffee table. Two chairs sat across from each other and in front of each was a teacup.

Wufei rolled his eyes, not trying to hide his disdain. "You already had that prepared for my arrival? We don't have time for another little tea party."

Lady Une sat and started to pour the tea. "Humor me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your boss and I'm asking you to humor me."

Wufei paused. Without speaking he went and took the chair opposite of hers. She took the cup in front of him and filled it before reaching out to hand it back. "This is a new blend they made for me, so I would really like your feedback."

Wufei took the cup and sipped. He looked up at her, taken aback. "It's… good." He took another drink.

Lady Une added a spoonful of honey to her cup. "It's a little strong for my palette, but I'm happy you like it." She took a sip and nodded. "What else did you find in your investigation with Duo?"

"It's all in the report."

"What did you find that wasn't in the report? What are your thoughts, feelings? What conclusions have you come to?"

Wufei frowned. "I think this is not the time to worry about such things. The safety of a national diplomat such as Relena Darlian is a priority for the Preventers and we should focus on that."

"I'm afraid someone in my position doesn't get that luxury, Wufei," Lady Une said with a sigh. "You know all the cases, the appointments, the people that I have to juggle. You have more open investigations at your desk as well. We can't focus solely on one assignment." Wufei snorted.

Lady Une pursed her lips and changed the subject. "You must admit, our job is stressful. It's nice to take five minutes and relax with a cup of tea, don't you agree?" She took a sip to emphasize her point.

Wufei chose his words carefully. "Relaxing is one thing. Walking through an empty ritual like this serves no purpose. It only uses up time, valuable time that we can spend on those cases."

"So you don't wish to talk to me."

Wufei felt no insult or dishonor in her remark. She had stated it as a fact. He took a breath. "That isn't it. As I said, there is a time and a place for everything. This is not the time nor the place."

"How would you describe yourself, Sally, the Preventers?"

"What?" Another sudden change in topic caught Wufei off-guard.

"Are we just another police force? Intelligence agency? Warriors of peace?" Lady Une chuckled at the last description.

"We are an agency formed under the Earth Sphere United Nation that aims to identify and counteract potential conflict before it escalates, both within the Earth and the space colonies."

Lady Une listened to his response with amusement. "I'm glad to see you've read the handbook. Still, I suppose it's better than 'warriors of peace.' Besides, if we are living in peaceful times why even have warriors? Doesn't it sound hypocritical?"

"Absolutely not!" Wufei nearly dropped his teacup onto the floor. "Pacifism is far too fragile to be handled simply by bureaucrats. Warriors must be present to stop those who would disrupt the peace we have built!"

Lady Une stood, smiling. "I'm happy to see you are still impassioned by your duty." She began to walk over to a cabinet by her desk. "Still, everyone is different. Each bureaucrat, each warrior, even each terrorist has different ideals and different motivations. If someone thinks we Preventers need weapons to ensure that peace is upheld, handguns and rifles and Mobile Suits, are they wrong?"

Wufei watched her as she walked. "Anyone who believes that we need Mobile Suits is a fool who has already forgotten the mistakes of the past."

"I agree." She opened the cabinet doors. "But Preventers have quit because of their… ideals. There are also many who are jealous of you because I let you keep your sword."

Wufei laughed. "I would keep it regardless of what you said. But if you're asking whether it's a weapon, you know the answer. I blunted it just as you asked. It's less useful than a stun baton now. It's no weapon, just a useless artifact. I couldn't use it if I needed to."

Une paused as she withdrew a box and closed the cabinet. "Wufei, I have to apologize to you."

Raising an eyebrow, Wufei asked, "For what? Your little tea parties?"

Lady Une returned to the table, chuckling. "No. I'm afraid our little tea parties are going to continue, especially now that I've got a tea you like." She stopped in front of his chair. "As a Gundam pilot your pure heart earned my admiration and love. While working as a Preventer you have more than earned my trust and respect. But I have failed you. I have not done my duty. I have given you dysfunctional equipment and that is inexcusable, especially at a time like this." She bowed, offering the box to him. "Please forgive me."

Wufei took it and opened it with hesitation. Inside were a rectangular stone, a piece of hard paper, and a small bottle of oil. This was a kit made to sharpen blades. He smiled. "Are you telling me to use lethal force?"

"Preventer Earth, with each assignment you have demonstrated wisdom and tenacity. I'm telling you I trust your judgment. I hope you will forgive me for not doing so sooner."

Wufei grinned. "Alright, I forgive you. On one condition." She looked at him. "Next time I'm bringing the tea."

Lady Une laughed. "That would be wonderful. You are dismissed. Go and prepare yourself. We have a lot of work to do." Wufei nodded.

As he exited the room, Lady Une began to clear the table. She sighed. "I can't help but wonder if this is the right way to approach him, Mister Treize. When I speak to him, does he see me or you?" Her thoughts drifted back to the past.

"It's ironic, isn't it?"

"Sir?"

Treize Khushrenada and Lady Une stood outside of his estate while snow was falling lightly. There were already a few inches on the ground. He reached out to catch a snowflake. "They say each snowflake is unique; no two are exactly alike. But when they hit the ground, they all look the same."

"…I'm not following you, Your Excellency." The colonel adjusted the glasses on her face. "It's just a pile of wet, heavy snow."

Treize turned to her. "Each of our soldiers is a unique person with their own history, their own ideals. Yet we put them in mass-produced Mobile Suits and when they die, write it off as just another casualty of war…" He stepped into the doorway, only stopping to put his hand on Une's shoulder. "Life is a gift, Lady Une. It's not something any man or woman should let go to waste. You'd do well to remember that."

A/N: Hello there! Wow, I'm guessing that anyone who saw this story a decade ago assumed it was dead in the water. As did I; life happens and priorities change. But I continue to get emails from people who have read this story, even as recently as this year, and I knew I couldn't give it up. With recent events I've found myself with a lot of free time. My muse returned to me with a vengeance, and this is one project I needed to finish.

Looking at what I originally wrote… it was a hot mess, haha. Things were getting bigger and more convoluted and I needed to keep things a bit more straightforward and better under my control. When I first wrote that teaser with the envelope, I had no idea where I would take it from there! But now that I know how to write (or pretend to), I hope I can meet your expectations. In any case, the story so far has not changed, aside from spelling and grammar fixes, but the conclusion will be very different than what I had originally envisioned… which often happens in writing.

As for the latest two chapters, I wanted to give the other pilots a moment in the spotlight (and give myself some filler) before wrapping things up. While our friend Mr. Charles works for himself now and not any larger organization, I still have ideas regarding that organization and I wanted to use this chapter's open-ended resolution as a connecting point between two potential stories. I can't sit here and promise you any kind of sequel when this is over, but I seem to keep coming back to Gundam Wing.

To sum it all up, I'm able to return to work on this story, to make it better than it's ever been, because of all the reviews and emails I've received over the years. I never imagined I would get so much support. I'm so grateful. And to those of you who are reading this for the first time, welcome. Thank you all.