Lady Starfarer
By KatLady86
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing (not that I'd mind...). All I own is Minami Kamikaze Yoshiro and this story. Don't flame me; out of marshmallows. Other comments are appreciated.
"General, we…we're picking up seven inbound mobile suits! They look like Gundams!"
"Hm…with two-thirds of our forces away, it's like they planned this…No matter…send out all available mobile suits. I want a warm welcome for our seven guests."
"Yes, General Tajari!"
"Heads up, everybody! First wave of mobile suits incoming!", Mina screamed over the comm. Starfarer landed just on the other side of the fence and removed a beam cannon from her back. It powered up rapidly and she swung it in an arc that took out a large portion of the Kuro Senshi forces. Soon, the other Gundams were beside her and they fought their way to the lab. Several times, Starfarer was struck by incredible waves of enemy fire, as though they knew what it did to the pilot inside. More than once, the others heard the faint sound of whimpering over the comm.
After a time, Starfarer returned the beam cannon to her back and drew a beam sword. However, sometimes the blue beam would go slack, to be used as a whip. Then, it would solidify into a blade again for use in tighter combat. Starfarer spun rapidly with the sword-whip in hand, slicing a neat path in the enemy lines straight to the lab.
As the Gundams regrouped in front of the lab, their comms flickered on. "All right, here's how I want it," Mina ordered. "I stand closest to the building. In a half circle in front of me, I want Trowa, Quatre, and Zechs. In another half-circle in front of them, I want Heero, Duo, and Wufei. You three closest to the front have to provide cover for the rest of us. The three closest to me, when I give the signal, you guys head into the lab and destroy everything that even looks like it has to do with mobile suits. Understood? Okay, then. Get ready."
Everyone moved their suits into position; two minds thinking some suspicions were about to come true.
"No, I need you further out than that…," Mina corrected. "There! That's it; don't move an inch unless it's out. I need a lot of room back here. I know this is a lot of area to cover, but you have to make sure no enemy suits get in here. Think you can handle it?"
"We can handle it fine," Heero said. "You just do what you have to do and let's get the hell out of here."
Mina nodded. "Okay, you guys…Stand back." Biting her lower lip until it bled, Mina flipped the cover back on the self-detonation switch and pushed the button. Warning sirens began to blare in the cockpit and the door opened to the battle outside the safety of Starfarer. Taking a last look around, she leapt from the entry platform. Falling through the air, she spread her arms wide to slow her fall. Mina had executed three mid-air somersaults and two back handsprings on the ground before Starfarer exploded.
The shock wave pushed forward, rocking the Gundams to their cores. Minami tumbled along the ground like a dead leaf in an autumn wind; an ever-moving blur of arms and legs, with smears of red marring the symmetry.
The explosions continued, tearing through the fortified exterior of the lab building. The Gundams trembled with their force, but, despite scorching and minor damage, they remained intact. Minami, now no longer being tossed along the ground, lay still, oblivious to the screams across the comms. Vaguely, though, she thought of how they must be yelling at her. *Don't you know?*, she thought. *I don't have a comm anymore, you guys. I can't hear you…but I wish I could….Will I die, I wonder?*
Her eyes were vacant and still; she was only remotely aware of the damp places all over her body where, she assumed, she was bleeding from. The waves of pain from Starfarer's death washed over her like breaking waves. She was only just able to breathe between one wave and the next. Her tears, however, never came. *You have to take it and live with it,* she reminded herself. *Regrets are normal, but they don't change a damn thing. Keep strong, Mina-chan…for Daisuke…for dear, dear brother…*
Far away, like a dream, she could hear voices screaming her name. There was the distant pounding of feet and three drawn faces looked down at her.
"Mina-chan…" Zechs's voice was unusually tight. *Has he been crying?*, Minami wondered. "Mina-chan, stay with me…Don't you dare give up on me, Mina-chan. I just found you and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you."
Minami reached to her throat, despite Mil's protests for her to lie still. "Here," she whispered, holding out her necklace. "Trowa…take this…"
He shook his head frantically. "But…that's yours…your brother…"
"I know…but you take it now…Don't worry…I'll get it back…but…You need it now…Take it…It'll be like…I'm with you…Go…Finish the mission…Give those bastards hell…ya hear me?"
Trowa nodded shakily and took the necklace, slipping it over his head. "You…you promise you'll take it back, right? I don't want to…have to give it to…a…a…"
Minami smiled, winced, but the smile surfaced again. "Don't worry, Trowa. I promise to live long enough to take it back. Now go…all three of you…you have to go…If you don't…then this was all a waste…"
"I understand," Quatre said, swiping a hand roughly across his eyes. "Come…come on, Trowa…We…we have a job to do…"
Trowa nodded, then ran over to Heavyarms. Opening a panel in its leg, he removed three large rifles. Tossing one to Quatre, he slung one on his shoulder and offered the last to Zechs. He accepted it, but didn't turn from Mina. Trowa waited half a minute longer, counting the seconds in his head. After that, he shrugged and he and Quatre ran into the wreckage of the lab.
Minami turned stern. "Mil…go with them…That's…that's an order…you hear?" She coughed and red flecked her lips.
Zechs shook his head. "No way, Mina-chan. You need help…I have to stay with you…"
She shook her head as much as the throbbing in it would allow. "You have to go with them…I planned this…remember?…It'll take three people…to get rid…of all the stuff in there…You gotta go…or it's still a waste…Just…put me somewhere safe…for a little while…"
Zechs nodded. Scooping her up, he carried her over to Tallgeese and helped her on to the lift cable. It rose steadily, carrying her to the cockpit. Carefully, Minami crawled into the seat and lay there, panting softly. The door closed, sealing her inside the mobile suit. Satisfied, Zechs removed the safety on the rifle and charged after the Gundam pilots.
Inside Tallgeese , Minami slumped sideways as she drifted into unconsciousness. Eyes fluttering closed, she began to dream…
It was bright light all around her…White…everything was white…She sat up and found herself on a cloud, softer than anything she'd ever felt. Looking down, she saw she wore a white toga-esque top, and a white skirt that came to just below her knees. With a peek over her shoulder, she realized she had angel's wings coming out of her shoulder blades; their tops coming just higher than her shoulders. Minami stood on shaking legs and spread her wings. Their span was her height and easily more. With a small cry, she jumped from the edge of the cloud. Flapping hard, she flew, dipping above and below the clouds with ease. Flying high above the clouds, she saw huge cities with millions of people living in them. Off in the distance, Minami could see great war machines that hadn't been used in centuries, judging by the level of their decay. Everything was peaceful, but Mina couldn't help becoming restless. Tired of the unchanging cloud-scape, she spilled the air from her wings and dove.
The land far below the clouds was in stark contrast to the world above. Everything seemed to be permeated by a blood red glow, giving the place a demonic atmosphere. Battle upon battle upon battle raged on the combat-scarred ground. Mobile suits more advanced than anything Mina had seen fought alongside cannons centuries old. Commanders screamed orders through radios and troops charged blindly forward, war cries on their tongues. Trying to get a better look, Minami flew lower, then noticed something with a start. The further down she flew, the more white feathers fell from her wings. Afraid of falling, she flew higher, hoping to reach the clouds before the feathers were gone completely. Looking over her shoulder, Mina saw that as she flew higher, more feathers began to grow magically back in. The refuge of the clouds seemed so close now…but she knew she wouldn't be content with the peace there. With a powerful flap, she plunged downward, leaving white feathers in her wake like a blizzard.
Minami plummeted to the battlefield below, skimming the surface of a thousand individual battles. All of a sudden, something possessed her to look back at her wings. Instead of the pure white angel wings, they were now black and leathery, like a dragon's or demon's. Also, her clothes had changed from the white toga-style outfit to a black tank-top and black pants. Raising her head, she could see a red glow at the horizon, and faintly heard familiar voices calling her name. Certain that was where she had to be, Minami flapped harder and flew towards the glow.
Upon reaching it, she could just make out five figures standing on the ground below. Spilling the air from her wings again, she landed in front of them. It was, as she had suspected, the five Gundam pilots. Their wings, however, were different from hers. Their left wings were the same black demon style, but their right were the white angel wings. She stood before them, head up and shoulders back, refusing to cower. Their eyes filled with pity for her, a creature of war. Slowly, hesitantly, Quatre plucked a white feather from his right wing. He reached out and offered it to her. Smiling, she accepted it and laid it on her own right wing. To her amazement, its tip burrowed into the black webbing and suddenly a whole patch of the wing was covered in white feathers. Following Quatre's lead, the other pilots offered one of their own feathers. After the last feather had taken root, her entire right wing was an angel's wing again. The Gundam pilots smiled; she was one of them.
"Where will we go?", Minami asked. "We don't belong up there or down here. Is there no place for us…?"
Simultaneously, all the pilots turned and pointed upward, with Trowa's whispered cry of, "There" hanging in the soft breeze. Raising her head, Mina could see a great hole in the clouds, a patch of nothing but inky blackness and stars…billions upon billions of glittering stars.
"Yes," Mina whispered back. "There."
With huge bursts of flapping, the six took off, flying for their gap in the clouds. However, some other force was conspiring against them. The higher they flew, the darker and more threatening the clouds became. Suddenly, lightning bolts shot forward, targeting the small group. They managed to avoid them for a time, but they were losing strength and couldn't last forever. Despite brave efforts, one by one, the pilots were struck and fell to the ground far below; their wings now too far gone to serve any purpose. Wufei…Duo…Heero…Quatre…Trowa…all fell, reaching up to Mina and screaming her name, begging her to save them. She, however, continued to fly higher, attempting to block out the desperate cries. *It's not that I don't want to save them,* she thought, *it's that I can't. If I try to lift them up, they'll drag me down and I wont' be able to maneuver…and then I'll get struck, too…and it'll all be for nothing…Forgive me…Forgive me, my friends, forgive me…I pray that I may someday atone for letting you die…* And Minami flew on, her tears streaming behind her like a comet's tail.
The lightning was getting closer now…once so close, she felt it singe her wing-tip. Frantically, she tried to dodge…but to no avail. Inevitably, she was struck and plummeted to the ground, screaming for help that was not there. Her wings were of no use; the left had a rip along almost it's entire width, the right was hopelessly broken. As she fell, Minami could hear faint voices, whispering all around her.
"It's true, Mina-chan…I'd been wondering if you'd heard…"
"I don't know, Mina…I really don't know."
"Who the hell are you…Oh God! Who the hell are you!?!"
"Stay away from me…"
"What made you think I wanted to be alone?"
"Wha…What did you call me?"
"Hey! How's my Lady Starfarer? You doing okay?"
"No…Stop," she murmured, but the memory continued.
"Now…I gotta go away for a little while…but I'll be back soon, I promise."
"And then do you get your Gundam?", a young voice asked, one she knew all too well.
"Yup, and then I get my Gundam. Now…until I get back…I got ya something to remember me by…Take it, Mina-chan…Wear it…It'll be like I'm there with you…See? A star for my Lady Starfarer…"
"It's so pretty…Thank you, Daisuke!"
"No need to thank me, Mina-chan. What are big brothers for? See you soon!" And then he walked away, singing that song…that he always sang…used to sing… "Starfarer Lady, oh Starfarer fair; with the stars in your eyes and sunspots in your hair. Lady, don't leave me, for I've grown to love you but can't put to words what I feel…"
"No, Daisuke…," she whispered. "No…come back…you won't see me soon…Oh, God! Daisuke! Amaterasu-sama, save him! Don't let him die! Don't let him die!"
As the hard earth rose up to meet her with all its stones, her cheeks were wet with tears and she continued to beg, "Don't let him die!"
****
Aha! My evil dreamscape flashbacks! You'll see that I like doing these in Gundam stories...By the way, how is Mina doing? You'll just have to wait and see!
Until next time,
Ja ne! ^_^ \/
~KatLady86~
By KatLady86
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing (not that I'd mind...). All I own is Minami Kamikaze Yoshiro and this story. Don't flame me; out of marshmallows. Other comments are appreciated.
"General, we…we're picking up seven inbound mobile suits! They look like Gundams!"
"Hm…with two-thirds of our forces away, it's like they planned this…No matter…send out all available mobile suits. I want a warm welcome for our seven guests."
"Yes, General Tajari!"
"Heads up, everybody! First wave of mobile suits incoming!", Mina screamed over the comm. Starfarer landed just on the other side of the fence and removed a beam cannon from her back. It powered up rapidly and she swung it in an arc that took out a large portion of the Kuro Senshi forces. Soon, the other Gundams were beside her and they fought their way to the lab. Several times, Starfarer was struck by incredible waves of enemy fire, as though they knew what it did to the pilot inside. More than once, the others heard the faint sound of whimpering over the comm.
After a time, Starfarer returned the beam cannon to her back and drew a beam sword. However, sometimes the blue beam would go slack, to be used as a whip. Then, it would solidify into a blade again for use in tighter combat. Starfarer spun rapidly with the sword-whip in hand, slicing a neat path in the enemy lines straight to the lab.
As the Gundams regrouped in front of the lab, their comms flickered on. "All right, here's how I want it," Mina ordered. "I stand closest to the building. In a half circle in front of me, I want Trowa, Quatre, and Zechs. In another half-circle in front of them, I want Heero, Duo, and Wufei. You three closest to the front have to provide cover for the rest of us. The three closest to me, when I give the signal, you guys head into the lab and destroy everything that even looks like it has to do with mobile suits. Understood? Okay, then. Get ready."
Everyone moved their suits into position; two minds thinking some suspicions were about to come true.
"No, I need you further out than that…," Mina corrected. "There! That's it; don't move an inch unless it's out. I need a lot of room back here. I know this is a lot of area to cover, but you have to make sure no enemy suits get in here. Think you can handle it?"
"We can handle it fine," Heero said. "You just do what you have to do and let's get the hell out of here."
Mina nodded. "Okay, you guys…Stand back." Biting her lower lip until it bled, Mina flipped the cover back on the self-detonation switch and pushed the button. Warning sirens began to blare in the cockpit and the door opened to the battle outside the safety of Starfarer. Taking a last look around, she leapt from the entry platform. Falling through the air, she spread her arms wide to slow her fall. Mina had executed three mid-air somersaults and two back handsprings on the ground before Starfarer exploded.
The shock wave pushed forward, rocking the Gundams to their cores. Minami tumbled along the ground like a dead leaf in an autumn wind; an ever-moving blur of arms and legs, with smears of red marring the symmetry.
The explosions continued, tearing through the fortified exterior of the lab building. The Gundams trembled with their force, but, despite scorching and minor damage, they remained intact. Minami, now no longer being tossed along the ground, lay still, oblivious to the screams across the comms. Vaguely, though, she thought of how they must be yelling at her. *Don't you know?*, she thought. *I don't have a comm anymore, you guys. I can't hear you…but I wish I could….Will I die, I wonder?*
Her eyes were vacant and still; she was only remotely aware of the damp places all over her body where, she assumed, she was bleeding from. The waves of pain from Starfarer's death washed over her like breaking waves. She was only just able to breathe between one wave and the next. Her tears, however, never came. *You have to take it and live with it,* she reminded herself. *Regrets are normal, but they don't change a damn thing. Keep strong, Mina-chan…for Daisuke…for dear, dear brother…*
Far away, like a dream, she could hear voices screaming her name. There was the distant pounding of feet and three drawn faces looked down at her.
"Mina-chan…" Zechs's voice was unusually tight. *Has he been crying?*, Minami wondered. "Mina-chan, stay with me…Don't you dare give up on me, Mina-chan. I just found you and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you."
Minami reached to her throat, despite Mil's protests for her to lie still. "Here," she whispered, holding out her necklace. "Trowa…take this…"
He shook his head frantically. "But…that's yours…your brother…"
"I know…but you take it now…Don't worry…I'll get it back…but…You need it now…Take it…It'll be like…I'm with you…Go…Finish the mission…Give those bastards hell…ya hear me?"
Trowa nodded shakily and took the necklace, slipping it over his head. "You…you promise you'll take it back, right? I don't want to…have to give it to…a…a…"
Minami smiled, winced, but the smile surfaced again. "Don't worry, Trowa. I promise to live long enough to take it back. Now go…all three of you…you have to go…If you don't…then this was all a waste…"
"I understand," Quatre said, swiping a hand roughly across his eyes. "Come…come on, Trowa…We…we have a job to do…"
Trowa nodded, then ran over to Heavyarms. Opening a panel in its leg, he removed three large rifles. Tossing one to Quatre, he slung one on his shoulder and offered the last to Zechs. He accepted it, but didn't turn from Mina. Trowa waited half a minute longer, counting the seconds in his head. After that, he shrugged and he and Quatre ran into the wreckage of the lab.
Minami turned stern. "Mil…go with them…That's…that's an order…you hear?" She coughed and red flecked her lips.
Zechs shook his head. "No way, Mina-chan. You need help…I have to stay with you…"
She shook her head as much as the throbbing in it would allow. "You have to go with them…I planned this…remember?…It'll take three people…to get rid…of all the stuff in there…You gotta go…or it's still a waste…Just…put me somewhere safe…for a little while…"
Zechs nodded. Scooping her up, he carried her over to Tallgeese and helped her on to the lift cable. It rose steadily, carrying her to the cockpit. Carefully, Minami crawled into the seat and lay there, panting softly. The door closed, sealing her inside the mobile suit. Satisfied, Zechs removed the safety on the rifle and charged after the Gundam pilots.
Inside Tallgeese , Minami slumped sideways as she drifted into unconsciousness. Eyes fluttering closed, she began to dream…
It was bright light all around her…White…everything was white…She sat up and found herself on a cloud, softer than anything she'd ever felt. Looking down, she saw she wore a white toga-esque top, and a white skirt that came to just below her knees. With a peek over her shoulder, she realized she had angel's wings coming out of her shoulder blades; their tops coming just higher than her shoulders. Minami stood on shaking legs and spread her wings. Their span was her height and easily more. With a small cry, she jumped from the edge of the cloud. Flapping hard, she flew, dipping above and below the clouds with ease. Flying high above the clouds, she saw huge cities with millions of people living in them. Off in the distance, Minami could see great war machines that hadn't been used in centuries, judging by the level of their decay. Everything was peaceful, but Mina couldn't help becoming restless. Tired of the unchanging cloud-scape, she spilled the air from her wings and dove.
The land far below the clouds was in stark contrast to the world above. Everything seemed to be permeated by a blood red glow, giving the place a demonic atmosphere. Battle upon battle upon battle raged on the combat-scarred ground. Mobile suits more advanced than anything Mina had seen fought alongside cannons centuries old. Commanders screamed orders through radios and troops charged blindly forward, war cries on their tongues. Trying to get a better look, Minami flew lower, then noticed something with a start. The further down she flew, the more white feathers fell from her wings. Afraid of falling, she flew higher, hoping to reach the clouds before the feathers were gone completely. Looking over her shoulder, Mina saw that as she flew higher, more feathers began to grow magically back in. The refuge of the clouds seemed so close now…but she knew she wouldn't be content with the peace there. With a powerful flap, she plunged downward, leaving white feathers in her wake like a blizzard.
Minami plummeted to the battlefield below, skimming the surface of a thousand individual battles. All of a sudden, something possessed her to look back at her wings. Instead of the pure white angel wings, they were now black and leathery, like a dragon's or demon's. Also, her clothes had changed from the white toga-style outfit to a black tank-top and black pants. Raising her head, she could see a red glow at the horizon, and faintly heard familiar voices calling her name. Certain that was where she had to be, Minami flapped harder and flew towards the glow.
Upon reaching it, she could just make out five figures standing on the ground below. Spilling the air from her wings again, she landed in front of them. It was, as she had suspected, the five Gundam pilots. Their wings, however, were different from hers. Their left wings were the same black demon style, but their right were the white angel wings. She stood before them, head up and shoulders back, refusing to cower. Their eyes filled with pity for her, a creature of war. Slowly, hesitantly, Quatre plucked a white feather from his right wing. He reached out and offered it to her. Smiling, she accepted it and laid it on her own right wing. To her amazement, its tip burrowed into the black webbing and suddenly a whole patch of the wing was covered in white feathers. Following Quatre's lead, the other pilots offered one of their own feathers. After the last feather had taken root, her entire right wing was an angel's wing again. The Gundam pilots smiled; she was one of them.
"Where will we go?", Minami asked. "We don't belong up there or down here. Is there no place for us…?"
Simultaneously, all the pilots turned and pointed upward, with Trowa's whispered cry of, "There" hanging in the soft breeze. Raising her head, Mina could see a great hole in the clouds, a patch of nothing but inky blackness and stars…billions upon billions of glittering stars.
"Yes," Mina whispered back. "There."
With huge bursts of flapping, the six took off, flying for their gap in the clouds. However, some other force was conspiring against them. The higher they flew, the darker and more threatening the clouds became. Suddenly, lightning bolts shot forward, targeting the small group. They managed to avoid them for a time, but they were losing strength and couldn't last forever. Despite brave efforts, one by one, the pilots were struck and fell to the ground far below; their wings now too far gone to serve any purpose. Wufei…Duo…Heero…Quatre…Trowa…all fell, reaching up to Mina and screaming her name, begging her to save them. She, however, continued to fly higher, attempting to block out the desperate cries. *It's not that I don't want to save them,* she thought, *it's that I can't. If I try to lift them up, they'll drag me down and I wont' be able to maneuver…and then I'll get struck, too…and it'll all be for nothing…Forgive me…Forgive me, my friends, forgive me…I pray that I may someday atone for letting you die…* And Minami flew on, her tears streaming behind her like a comet's tail.
The lightning was getting closer now…once so close, she felt it singe her wing-tip. Frantically, she tried to dodge…but to no avail. Inevitably, she was struck and plummeted to the ground, screaming for help that was not there. Her wings were of no use; the left had a rip along almost it's entire width, the right was hopelessly broken. As she fell, Minami could hear faint voices, whispering all around her.
"It's true, Mina-chan…I'd been wondering if you'd heard…"
"I don't know, Mina…I really don't know."
"Who the hell are you…Oh God! Who the hell are you!?!"
"Stay away from me…"
"What made you think I wanted to be alone?"
"Wha…What did you call me?"
"Hey! How's my Lady Starfarer? You doing okay?"
"No…Stop," she murmured, but the memory continued.
"Now…I gotta go away for a little while…but I'll be back soon, I promise."
"And then do you get your Gundam?", a young voice asked, one she knew all too well.
"Yup, and then I get my Gundam. Now…until I get back…I got ya something to remember me by…Take it, Mina-chan…Wear it…It'll be like I'm there with you…See? A star for my Lady Starfarer…"
"It's so pretty…Thank you, Daisuke!"
"No need to thank me, Mina-chan. What are big brothers for? See you soon!" And then he walked away, singing that song…that he always sang…used to sing… "Starfarer Lady, oh Starfarer fair; with the stars in your eyes and sunspots in your hair. Lady, don't leave me, for I've grown to love you but can't put to words what I feel…"
"No, Daisuke…," she whispered. "No…come back…you won't see me soon…Oh, God! Daisuke! Amaterasu-sama, save him! Don't let him die! Don't let him die!"
As the hard earth rose up to meet her with all its stones, her cheeks were wet with tears and she continued to beg, "Don't let him die!"
****
Aha! My evil dreamscape flashbacks! You'll see that I like doing these in Gundam stories...By the way, how is Mina doing? You'll just have to wait and see!
Until next time,
Ja ne! ^_^ \/
~KatLady86~