Episode 30: Wrath of the Xerobim
The cast of characters in the developing galactic stage gets a little larger. An itinerant race known only as the Xerobim have started to play their hand once again, but it appears that they have much more permanent solutions in mind.
Can one group cast the influence to avert the end of two races, or will the mysterious desires of the Xerobim win out in the end?
Heero put his hand to Hilde's throat, and nodded. "She's dead."
Aelan turned back in Talor's direction, and asked, "Where is the real Hilde?"
Talor looked at the entire scene in disbelief. "Answer me this first. How did you know?"
Heero seemed to do something to Hilde's face, then approached with a pair of thin contacts. "That the Hilde I just shot was a Xerobim?" Heero commented, "Actually, it was Duo who first began to suspect something."
Aelan then interceded, "You may be able to fully mimic another being or species all the way down to its genetic code, but there are some things you just can't copy. The subtle actions of a person, their mannerisms, their little nuances."
Aelan took a deep breath, then answered, "Duo had commented to me that something seemed wrong the moment she had started working under me. He couldn't quite figure out exactly what was wrong, though. Just that he had a feeling something was up."
"After I had met with you, it wasn't hard to figure out. I was able to judge that it was YOU who had fired that mysterious beam that vaporized Ventrali. However, it brought up an interesting scenario. If you were on Earth, how could you control the people of Eden? The range of your influence is formidable, but not THAT long."
Talor then raised an eyebrow, and asked, "But what if I DIDN'T fire the weapon? What if I was on Eden the entire time?"
"Then who was controlling the Edenites here around Earth? It didn't seem like they'd do something like that willingly. Not the way it happened, anyway. Regardless, there was only one logical conclusion I could have reached with all the evidence: that there was another Xerobim involved in this mission. That Xerobim must have arrived when you took control of Eden, didn't it?"
Talor dipped his head, and answered, "Yes… he did."
Heero smirked, and quipped, "He? Duo sure isn't going to like THAT tidbit of information…"
Aelan ignored the comment, and asked again, "Where is the REAL Hilde?"
Talor sighed, and answered, "She is at the Executor's Mansion. I'll have her sent for right away. While we are waiting, why don't you come in?" Talor turned, and started to walk back into the facility. However, Aelan and Heero didn't follow.
"Well?" Talor asked.
Aelan smiled, but it wasn't a friendly one, "You are still the enemy, Talor. We will frankly wait for the rest of our units to arrive. Besides, you have already showed that you are more than willing to pull a trick out from under your sleeve, isn't that right, Heero?"
Heero kicked the dead Xerobim, who in death was beginning to revert to his normal form, and replied, "Indeed."
Duo charged the escort carrier as it arrived at the Quadrant Four Fold Generator. As Hilde emerged from the carrier, Duo knocked her back into the carrier with a flying tackle. Talor leaned over to Aelan, and asked, "He sure didn't waste any time, did he?"
Aelan replied blandly, "Well… don't be surprised if he goes after you next."
The pair then exited the carrier, again, all the while Duo peppering Hilde with question after question, if a bit repetitive at times.
"Are you SURE you're all right?"
"Yes, Duo."
"Did they hurt you?"
"No, Duo."
"They didn't threaten you, did they?"
"NO! Talor was actually quite the gentleman through the whole thing."
"So you didn't try to escape?"
"OF COURSE I DID! That copycat was waiting for the right time to kill Aelan! Talor just kept catching me in the act."
"Are you SURE you're all right?"
"YES, DUO! I AM FINE! THEY DIDN'T HURT ME! I… AM… FINE!"
Aelan then cut into their banter, saying, "Why don't you two go off somewhere and get… re-aquatinted? That way, the rest of us can discuss the next move in peace."
Hilde reluctantly nodded, but said as Duo started to pull her away, "All right… but I really want to talk to you later, Aelan."
Even though most of the North Am Elite Unit was also present in the main chamber of the Quadrant, Aelan didn't even seem to recognize their existence, his attention focused completely on the man who was his father.
"The thing that I wanted to make you all aware of is that now that the Xerobim's attempts at a quiet resolution to this problem have been thwarted, they will most definitely take a more… dare I say, active role in the destruction of their enemies."
"You think that the Xerobim, after eons of seclusion, will just suddenly jump out of the shadows?" Noin snorted, "Sounds a little out of character to me…"
Talor looked over at the Admiral's direction, and corrected, "You don't know the Xerobim at all, young woman. I suggest that you refrain from judging their actions. You must understand what the Xerobim are thinking at this moment."
Talor looked over at his son, who continued to glare at the elder Marcus with a stare just barely short of hatred, "The Xerobim see in the developing events a bloodbath unrivaled in over 300,000 years. They are willing to do anything and everything to stop it."
"I find it interesting that a race from another galaxy has decided that it is any of their business what we do to ours." Wufei hissed, "They should just leave us alone, and stop worrying about saving us from ourselves."
"Maybe I should have followed that same advice, Wufei." Aelan commented, but didn't look at the Altron pilot; his gaze still focused on his father. "All I want to know is how to stop them."
Talor sighed, and answered, "How to stop a Xerobim worldship? That is a question that I don't think anyone can answer. The massive vessels that the Xerobim use are as large as Earth's moon. Added to the defensive energy grids that the worldships employ, and there just isn't a fleet between Earth and Eden COMBINED that could destroy it."
Aelan shook his head ever so slightly, and replied, "I never said anything about destroying one. I just said I wanted to stop it."
"Well… short of destroying one, I don't see how you could stop it." Talor said sheepishly, knowing instantly that it wouldn't be an acceptable answer.
Sure enough, it wasn't. Aelan rose to his feet, and said, "Let us take our leave, people. This conversation isn't getting anywhere."
Aelan then walked right out the door, not even waiting for the rest of the Elite Unit to follow. Slowly, Aelan's allies followed suit, each of them glancing at the apparently hurt Talor on their way out.
Finally, the room was empty save Talor Marcus, who looked up into space, muttering, "I just can't…"
Aelan left the Fold facility with all due haste, and strode down the walkway to where Commadore Eternal sat at rest. With a deep breath, Aelan grabbed the zip cord, and started to lift off the ground to the mobile suit's cockpit.
Hilde suddenly appeared, and said, "Aelan, I need to talk to you."
With a startling jerk, the zip cord stopped, and quickly began to lower again. As Aelan's feet touched the ground, he released the cord, and stared at Hilde in a fashion that did not appear that he was much in the mood for talking.
"Yes, you mentioned something about that earlier. What is it that you wish to address with me?"
Hilde brushed her left foot across the ground, swinging it back and forth as she commented, "It's about your father. He seems like a very nice man."
Aelan looked away in disgust, and spat, "He is."
"He also really cares for you. I wish I had a father like him."
Aelan still didn't look at Hilde, and merely commented, "I'm sure you do. He was, and still is, a person that I wish I could be like." Finally, he turned his face back to Hilde again, "Is there a point that you are trying to make with this?"
"It just that I don't understand how two people, who care for each other so much, and believe in many of the same things, can be enemies."
With a deep sigh, Aelan motioned for Hilde to take a seat on the grass just off the paved path. He looked up at the Edenite sky, just slightly bluer than the one on Earth, and said, "It has nothing to do with how I feel about my father, or any disagreements I have with him. It has everything to do with the duty I promised to perform."
"The duty you promised?"
"After the first battle on Eden, Noin made a comment to me about going back home, to Earth. I agreed with her without even thinking about it. However, as these most recent events have unfolded, I have come to realize that I do indeed think of Earth as my home. At the same time, I remember the oath of office that I took as the Advisor of North Am."
He started twiddling his thumbs, and odd gesture for someone Hilde had regarded as so refined, and recited, "…I solemly swear to be true to the desire, the peace, and the prosperity of North Am and the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. I solemnly swear to follow the doctrines set forth by a united earth, and dedicate myself to the betterment of humankind."
Hilde didn't comment, waiting for him to continue.
He didn't disappoint, "It is because of this that I consider the man that gave me life, the man who taught me how to me what I am today, as an enemy, because both my father and I wouldn't have it any other way. I must be true to what I believe, and what I believe puts me at the other side of this war as my father."
"The same is true for the Xerobim. Normally, I would be ready to agree with their ideals, and probably would be one of their staunchest supporters. But, that same race that I have so much in common with is trying to destroy Earth, and because of the duty I promised to every human being, I must rail against them. That is what makes them my enemies, and why I will fight to the death against those I care about, and respect, the most. To defend those that I care about, and respect, just as much."
Hilde's head swooned. To her it had seemed so easy. You fought for those who cared about, and fought against those you hated. Aelan's dilemma cast a whole new light on what it meant to fight. He had those he cared about on both sides, and it was mere words that would not have held much weight for most other people, that caused him to choose one side over the other.
"Wow…" A shadow cast over her, and she looked up to see Talor standing above them. Aelan turned his head upward, but didn't say anything, or even react in any distinguishable fashion.
Talor frowned, and said, "Perhaps I should return to the Xerobim. There's nothing more I can do here, and besides, everything I did do all went straight to Hell… literally." He smirked as he said that last word, trying to make a pun to lighten the mood.
Aelan didn't react visibly to the joke, and merely replied, "You must do what you must. I suppose it is due time that I returned to Earth, anyway. I cannot be sure when the Xerobim will decide to play their trump card."
Talor sighed, and answered, "Aelan… listen to me. Earth and Eden don't stand a chance against the sort of firepower that the Xerobim possess. It will be a meaningless slaughter regardless of your interference. Come with me, and let us prove your worth."
Aelan stood up, his eyes narrowing as he did so, "You still don't get it, do you father? This has nothing to do with MY worth, EDEN'S WORTH, or EARTH'S worth. The Xerobim have decided to declare war on my new home, and I will not stand for it. Earth and I will either survive together, or we will perish together."
Aelan motioned for Hilde to stand up as well, and as they walked away, he said, "It is obvious that you will need training for you to use Phantom properly, but until then, you should at least be able to operate it adequately to return to Earth."
Hilde and Aelan then parted ways, with Hilde taking the zip cord up to the cockpit of Phantom. As Aelan prepared to do the same leading up to Commadore's cockpit, he was once again interrupted, this time by Talor. "Aelan… wait."
"What is it? I need to be leaving, and soon." Aelan retorted somewhat impatiently.
"Please, take care of yourself. I… love you, son."
For the first time since he had arrived on Eden, Aelan's features softened, and he replied, "And to you the same, father."
With that, Aelan took the zip cord up to the cockpit of the massive golden mobile suit, and stepped inside, the cockpit doors closing up automatically. The powerful thrusters then ignited, and Phantom and Commadore rushed upward to join their friends waiting in orbit.
Next time…
Whether it is by luck or destiny, the impending Xerobim attack of Earth is detected well before it reaches Earth. The battle ensues, and at first it seems that Talor's suspicions of doom were indeed correct, as the forces of Earth are completely incapacitated by the power of the Xerobim.
Finally, just as things become most dire, comes aid from beyond…
Coming in Episode 31: Promises of State and Family