DISCLAIMERS: Well, a we all know, Sette Devion and Kumi Yuy are mine, but the others aren't...With the exception of a lot of others, but you know the original from the actual series if you watch it. Please don't sue me! I have NO money to give you!
Again, this goes in dedication to all of you readers out there! Let me know what you think of this! Enjoy!
Lots of Love, SkyLark
Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter
Episode 16: All the King's Men
by SkyLark
with help from: Traci 14, Snodin, Stormy and Sam
In the waiting room of the medical branch of Peace Million, several bodies sat, stood and or paced in the waiting room. Noin had gone into labor just an hour prior, and her situation was still uncertain since neither Sally nor Milliardo got a chance to leave the delivery room. Relena sat, biting her nails nervously. Derek was there as support for his comrades as he and Catherine stood in waiting by their friends. Dorothy was beside Relena, making sure that her best friend was holding up all right.
Finally, Lady Une entered the room and smiled, "So far, everything's going smoothly. Sally just informed me that it should only be another hour before the baby comes." Relena smiled from ear-to-ear at this news as she gasped softly. The others present shared her happiness as they, too were anxiously awaiting any word on the conditions of Noin and the baby. Lady Une looked to them all and stated, "I'll be back as soon as I hear more." "Thank you, Lady Une," Relena smiled warmly. The head of the Preventers smiled back with a nod. She quickly left the room.
Dorothy smiled brightly to her friend, "So are you ready to be an aunt, Miss Relena?" The queen sighed deeply, still smiling, herself, "I just can't believe that Milliardo and Noin are about to be parents. It's a relief to know that this war hasn't kept miracles like this from happening." Relena lowered her head and said quietly, "I wish Brian was hear to be a part of this." Novem sighed deeply and wrapped a supportive arm around the other pilot's shoulders. "He'll be back soon, Miss Relena. I know he's fine." The young queen smiled and nodded to her friend, "You right, Dorothy. Thank you for the support." Novem nodded, "Of course."
* * * * * *
Back on Earth, the Senate of the world met as Brian Weatherall stood before his council and spoke of the situation of the war. He had made his presence known just a few days before this time and nearly the entire council embraced his return warmly. Others were skeptical that this was a weak attempt for the young king to take back the power he had nearly lost.
Whatever their stand, the young man was still king of the world and right now, he knew more about this terrible war than anyone on the planet. Everyone was wondering exactly where the war looked to be heading. Before the hundred-body assembly, Brian spoke and answered questions as the first meeting since his return to the Earth.
Brian explained, "I understand all of your concerns, since you and everyone in the colonies have been tricked by OZ into believing that the Gundam pilots have let everyone down." One Representative stood from his seat near the top of the large gathering room. He asked, "What do you mean to say that we were trick by OZ into believing that? We all saw with our own eyes that the Gundam pilots could not save the people of D26 from the Holocaust that OZ sent there to destroy them all."
Brian shook his head and calmly replied, "No. That was a trick of OZ. The real D26 was spared thanks to the Gundams. The Colony destroyed was F32, but Quinze Khushrenada made it appear that it was D26 that was hit. Only OZ and the Earth have the ability to communicate to everyone on the planet and in Space when it is wished."
Another Representative asked immediately, "How can we believe that you are telling the truth?" Brian remained calm and answered, "You know that I would never do or say anything that would endanger any of you, or anyone on the Earth. As king, I will lead all of you to the best of my ability... Have I ever let you down before that you would have any true reason to doubt me?" There was a long silence.
Not a soul spoke up or challenged the words of the king. The young redhead sighed and smiled, "Thank you. I know that you are looking out for the people of Earth's best interest, just as I always have and will as long as I live." A young, female Senator asked, "And where is Queen Relena at this time? Why did she not take the time to speak to all of us?" Brian looked to the council and paused before answering.
They couldn't know that his wife was a Gundam pilot...Not yet, since they all hated the pilots even now. He finally answered, "Relena is tending to the needs of the people in Space. She knows that if OZ was to win this war, not a soul here nor in the Colonies would be safe from their wicked plans of ruling over all of us. We may be the King and Queen of the World, but out interests are the same as those of the people who live in the Colonies when it comes to peace. Rest assured that if Relena could be here, she would be."
Brian smiled warmly and continued, "If you could see what she has accomplished in this war, I know that you would all be so proud of Relena...Though it would not be nearly the same pride that I feel for her. Relena's thoughts and prayers are with everyone, here and in space. She is with us in spirit, though she wishes she could be here in person. Please do not be angered that she could not be here with me physically."
Most of the people present took this speech with open minds and hearts, accepting it. Brian nodded after another pause, "Just before this meeting, I had received word that the second of seven missions sent to the Gundam pilots has been successful. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Gundam pilots have never let us down, and they never will. They are not fighting this war for themselves.
"They are selfless pilots who want nothing more than peace and safety for every living soul. While I cannot go into the details of what their missions are, believe me when I say that they are doing more than what is required of them...They are risking their very lives for all of you. It would be a terrible thing to actually believe that any of them could let us down."
"I still feel that they are the reason this war began in the first place," Senator Reynolds stated. Brian looked to the man with a stern glance and said, "Senator, whatever you hold against the pilots is not justified. I will not tolerate any hard feelings towards them. So I would suggest that you hold your tongue around me when it comes to speaking of the Gundam pilots."
Everyone in the room took a sharp breath at the unyielding tone in their king's voice. Reynolds's eyes widened as he took the direct effect of those words. Brian simply looked to him and asked, "May I proceed?" The older man gritted his teeth, but nodded all the same. Brain nodded and addressed the whole council, "As far as our responsibilities and concerned..." Brian's speech continued and the Senator's sudden look of shock turned to anger as he glared to the king. The Senator growled deeply to himself, "That wasn't very bright, your majesty."
* * * * * *
An hour later, the pilots were still sitting in waiting for news of Noin and the baby. Finally, Sally walked into the waiting room along with Lady Une. Both looked exhausted and almost sad as they entered. Relena jumped up from her seat and was the first to run before them. The looks on her friends frightened her. Before the queen could ask anything, Sally sighed deeply, "There was a complication in the delivery." Relena and the others gasped as their shocked faces gazed to the young women.
Relena brought a hand to her mouth and shook her head as tears began to build. "What? Are they..." she couldn't find the strength to ask how Noin and the baby were. Water replied, "The baby had to be born through a c-section to keep him alive. "Him? It's a son?" Dorothy asked softly. Sally nodded with a small smile, "He's beautiful." "What about Noin? How is she?" Relena asked quietly. Sally began to try and say something, but she couldn't.
Lady Une answered for her, "Noin is in a coma. She was going into shock during the procedure." The faces of the others fell as they each had to step back a moment to take all of this in. Catherine was the first to ask after a long pause, "What are her chances of waking up?" Sally answered, "There's no way of knowing right now. All we can do is wait." Relena lowered her head with her eyes squeezed shut as her teeth gritted. "Waiting is all we ever do anymore. I'm so sick of it," she hissed.
Lady Une rested a hand on her shoulder and said quietly, "I know it's hard to be strong right now, Relena. But, you have to be for your brother." Relena gasped, "Milliardo. She turned to Sally and Une as she pleaded, "May I see him." Sally nodded, "He's with Noin, two doors to the left." The queen nodded and thanked Sally and Lady Une for their help. The others watched with heavy hearts as she left.
In the hospital room, Wind sat beside his wife's bed. Noin was hooked up to several machines that monitored her heart rate and blood pressure. She no longer had the bulge where the baby was growing. Her husband was holding her right hand and stroking her cheek. Relena watched sadly as she peeked through the door.
"You can come in, Relena," her brother said gently. The queen gasped, shocked that her brother knew that she was there since the door was hardly cracked. She walked in slowly and looked to Milliardo. He said quietly, with a tired and forced smile, "Thanks for coming." Calvary's pilot walked to him and hugged him tightly. Milliardo returned the hug and sighed when it was broken. He went right back to looking over his wife.
Pulling a chair beside him, Relena assured him, "I know Noin will be fine." Her brother smiled and nodded, but never turned his glance from the young woman in the bed. "I know she will, too. She's too stubborn not to wake up from something like this." Relena smiled warmly, feeling more relieved now that she saw her brother staying strong. Hearing his words made her certain that Noin really would recover soon. She would never leave him or their son behind, knowing how much they lover each other.
The queen asked, "Have you seen the baby yet?" Milliardo turned to her and shook his head, "He had to be put on a monitor. He'll have to be watched closely by the doctors for the next twenty-four hours. After that, he'll be able to be brought out to the nursery." His sister chuckled, "I still can't get over that you're a father now." Wing laughed, "Neither can I. Now I know anything's possible in this life." They both laughed for a moment.
After a brief pause, Relena kissed Wind's cheek and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a gentle embrace. "That little boy of yours doesn't realize how lucky he is yet...Having you and Noin as his parents." Milliardo smiled and folded his arms over the ones belonging to his sister. He whispered, "Thank you Relena...I really appreciate that." His sister smiled as she felt small tears fill her eyes. They tightened their embrace a moment before it was broken.
Relena took her chair to the other side of the bed and held Noin's left hand. The siblings looked to each other and smiled warmly before their eyes fell back to the sleeping pilot. They spoke to her quietly, trying to get a response. Somehow, Noin had to get through this. It was unimaginable for anyone to think of going through life without he being there. But for now, the only sound answering their words was the beeping of the heart monitor.
* * * * * *
Trowa was flying well past R58, where he would have to accomplish his mission, when his monitors began to beep. The pilot left HeavyArms onboard a Preventer craft far behind him as he took one a small OZ ship that the Preventers there had managed to capture in another fight. The reason for this was that before he could go off to R58 and accomplish his mission, there was still an unidentified craft that needed to be examined. The tall pilot was best suited for this task since he managed to fool many enemies that he was working under them. With the latest OZ uniform in his ship, he would be prepared for anything that came up in attaining as much information on the UFO as possible.
The brunette sat up and tried to get a clear visual of what his ship was picking up. Typing away at the controls, he began to slowly get am image on his screen. Trowa's eyes widened slowly as he looked in disbelief. Before him was what appeared to be a small moon, larger than Peace Million. However, when the images were zoomed in, it was actually an large, metal star.
"That has to be the unidentified ship," he said quietly to himself, still impressed by the incredible size of the ship. The craft had a round foundation and surface. But on the outside of the craft, every square inch was a half-mile long, sharp point of Gundamimum. There was no clear view of the entrance and exit for the ship due to these obstacles. "Always liked a challenge," he sneered as he flew off towards the ship.
With a good few miles to go before reaching the OZ craft, he placed the small ship in auto pilot as he changed into the OZ uniform. Placing the badge with his made up name along with his true picture, he was finished and took to the controls again. As he did this, a voice came in over his transmitter. "Identify yourself," the male voice ordered coldly. At this, Trowa swiped the card of the dead OZ pilot's ID into the ship as it transmitted the code. "Welcome to Quasar, soldier. You may proceed," the voice returned after a pause for the information to go through. "Quasar," Trowa repeated quietly to himself.
Now just a few feet away, Trowa was able to see the incredible design of the ship, still taking down images into his disk. There wasn't anyway that he could get very close due to the endless metal needles. After a brief flight trying to find an opening, the Gundam pilot watched as some of the wide spikes before him bent back to create a small entrance. Trowa flew his ship though and large doors pulled open as he nearly reached the smooth surface below the quills. When he entered, Trowa pulled into the hanger and turned his ship off. Jumping out of the small plane, he looked up to see OZ soldiers working in the observation tower of the room.
The young pilot looked up and gave a small wave to them. They returned the wave and nodded for him to proceed. There were so many OZ soldiers out there that they would never know this one- in their uniform, flying one of their crafts and carrying an identification card of theirs- was actually a Gundam pilot. They simply returned to their work and didn't bother to pay close attention.
Trowa entered the main halls of Quasar and looked to his surroundings. After walking several twists and turns, he found what he was looking for. He walked into a private computer lab where a small handful of soldiers were typing away. One of the units was not occupied, so Trowa took it upon himself to utilize it. Sitting before the screen, he slipped his disk in unnoticed.
One OZ soldier in particular had been extremely curious about this young man that entered. While he knew he would never know all the faces of his comrades, this one's face seemed oddly familiar. The young man in question was feverishly typing at his keyboard, doing who knew what. Trowa felt the soldier's eyes on him, but continued his work as if unaffected. His fingers flew quickly over the keys as he wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible. The OZ soldier would occasionally turn his head from his own screen to look at the brunette for a moment before returning to his own work.
* * * * * *
There was a desolate patch of space where a good number of OZ soldiers were working on building a large satellite in their Space Leo and Space Virgo suits. As they patched up the unit, several of the soldiers talked among themselves.
"Those Gundam pilots have no idea what they got themselves into with this war," one young man chuckled as he placed a large, metal plate in place. Another soldier nodded, "With the Earth working against them now, they can't hide anywhere before long." The large satellite was nearing completion as another soldier asked, "Can we just finish this thing and get out of here?" One of his friends laughed, "Why? Are you getting nervous?"
The younger soldier replied, "It's just that I hate working on projects like this, so far from any carriers." "Look," his friend assured him, "There's nothing out here but stars. There isn't anything to be nervous about." The other sighed and nodded, "You're right." There were only a few finishing touches to place on the device as the army worked quickly to get the job over with.
"Just a few more adjustments here, and-" the soldier's words ended as half of the satellite was cut in half just before him. The large machine exploded as the soldiers shouted and just managed to get away in time. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?!" a young woman shrieked in her Leo. All of the soldiers froze as they watched a black, demon-winged suit appear from nowhere before them. Deathscythe took its full form as the soldiers looked in shock and terror.
"DAMN YOU GUNDAMS!" the first OZ soldier screamed as he and his comrades went to attack the suit. Duo growled and took to the fight with ease. Using his suit's scythe and small missiles, he took out a good handful of the first few soldiers approaching him. "The God of Death has returned," he sneered as he took out another suit with a slice that went from the top of the suit to the bottom.
The braided pilot shouted and knocked a fist into a Virgo that tried to come from behind. Every soldier gave him all that they had, right to the end and not one thought of retreating. Duo wasn't complaining. He made quick work of all of them, despite their efforts to stop him. Several minutes passed and none of the soldiers bothered calling for back up, since they were too far for any help.
After ten minutes, all forty soldiers had been wiped out, the last with a stab of the scythe through the head of the Leo. The last explosion was testimony to the American that his job was done. Looking to his lonely surroundings, Duo wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled, "Another one bites the dust."
Duo clicked into his controls to see the next location of where OZ soldiers would be working. These locations were known through the reports that Kumi had found in the first OZ base she destroyed. These reports were sent to both Duo and Heero, since they would be the closest pilots to the sites. The American found the next site that he would be visiting as he chuckled deeply, "Nice to be back in action again, ne, 'ol buddy?" Deathscythe shot through the stars to reach the next hit.
* * * * * *
It had been a good twenty minutes and Trowa had collected all of the information he could receive as slipped his disk out again. Once it was placed back in his uniform, he heard the soldier that had been watching him call, "Hey, you." Trowa turned to face him and nodded, "Yes." The older man stood and walked to him. "You look oddly familiar, kid. What's your name?" Trowa pointed to the name beside his picture on the ID card and replied, "Andrew Skates." The older man asked, "I get the feeling that we've met before." Trowa shook his head, "I don't recall ever meeting you."
"Well maybe you should think a little harder," the OZ soldier growled. "Come on, Frank," another OZ soldier called to him as he looked to his comrade from where he sat at the computers. "Leave the rookie alone and get back to your work." The one known as Frank nodded and walked back to his computer, but not before eying Trowa one good last time. Trowa finally walked from the room, still appearing unaffected.
When the young pilot was alone in the hall, his brow was coated in sweat that couldn't be seen in the dimly lit computer lab. He took a beep breath and threw his head back a moment. When he regained his composure, he wiped his brow dry again. "They're finally catching on," the HeavyArms pilot chuckled deeply to himself. He turned to the disk that he collected all the information on. Placing it in a protective holder, he smiled, "Guess I won't be making these kinds of visits anymore." He placed the holder back in his uniform.
On his way there, he heard two passing soldier laughing. The taller of the two sighed, "I don't know why those damned pilots don't just give up now." His friend nodded, "It'll happen soon enough." Trowa's ears picked up on this right away as he jumped in the doorway of an empty room nearby and he listened in on the conversation. The first soldier asked the other, "What about Demetris? He was due to come her by now wasn't he?" Trowa's eyes widened at the name as he stood close to the door's opening, back against the wall and looking to the hallway.
"Nah. He's busy right now elsewhere...He has an old friend to visit on M29, so I've heard." the second soldier answered. The Gundam pilot's heart stopped as he breathed, "Kumi." The soldiers passed the door where he was hiding as they continued talking. "That guy could take on five armies and still come on top. I've never seen him lose a fight," the second OZ soldier continued. His friend nodded, "That's why he's Quinze Khushrenadah's right-hand man." The conversation continued as they walked on down the hall.
Trowa took this as his time to make a quick exit. He walked from the room and went back to returning to the hanger, walking much more quickly this time. When he entered the hanger again, the soldiers in the tower had changed shifts with another crew. They looked to Trowa as he walked to the shall OZ ship he used to enter Quasar. Their eyes focused on him, as they swore they had seen him somewhere. Before they could say anything, he was back in the craft. One of them went to the microphone and ordered, "Identify yourself."
Placing the ID card in the panel again, Trowa's code was accepted. The soldiers looked to each other. They shrugged and allowed the young man to exit through the doors again. When he flew past the sharp quills of the ship, the points bent back into place, hiding the entrance and exit path again.
Trowa waited until he was well beyond the reach of the ship before he put the ship on auto pilot and removed the OZ uniform. As he slipped back into his t-shirt, his last piece of clothing, he took to the controls and with concern in his voice, said, "I have to finish my mission as soon as possible and warn Kumi about Demetris." Before he could do that, he had to return to the Preventer craft he just came from to gave them the disk he used to obtain the information of Quasar. All he could do right now was hope that he would be able to reach R58, complete his mission, and reach M29 before Kumi got there.
* * * * * *
The next morning, Milliardo and Relena were still in Noin's hospital room. The young queen had fallen asleep, her head lying against the mattress of the bed. Her brother was on the opposite side, too concerned for his wife to fall asleep. The exhaustion from the whole experience hadn't even affected him. He continued to stroke Noin's cheek with one hand as the other held that of his wife. He had been speaking to her, quietly, trying to get through.
Wind had fallen silent now, as not to disturb his sister. They and their friends had a very long day...A very long four months since the war started. Resting his forehead against Noin's, he heard a small sigh come from her. His eyes shot wide open as he sat up and looked to her. "Noin?" he asked gently. Fire took a deep breath and stirred a bit. this managed to wake Relena.
The queen gave a shocked look and turned to Noin as she held onto her hand. "Noin?" she called quietly. The young woman's eyes opened with a few blinks. Now fully awake, she looked to the relieved and elated faces of her husband and sister-in-law. "W-What happened?" Noin asked quietly. She brought a hand up to rub her head and instantly sat up with a start. "The baby!?!" she asked with concern as she rubbed her flattened stomach.
Milliardo smiled and sat on the mattress beside her. "The baby's fine," he assured her. Noin gave a small gasp and smiled as they hugged tightly. Milliardo kissed his wife's cheek before they pulled back a moment. Relena hugged Noin as she smiled, "It's good to have you back." "Thank you, Relena," Fire smiled back as they embraced. Looking to her family, the new mother sighed, "Thanks for staying with me." Milliardo kissed her lips gently.
The door slowly opened as Lady Une and Sally peeked inside. The two ladies smiled brightly as they quickly entered and hugged Noin. When their happy reunion was over, Noin asked them, "Where is the baby?" "Right here," Sally answered as she turned to the door. It opened again as Catherine and Derek entered followed by Dorothy, who was cradling Noin and Milliardo's son.
Seeing the baby in Novem's arms brought tears to Noin's eyes as she gasped. The Gundam pilot smiled warmly to the new mother as she walked her son to her. Noin opened her arms as the baby was gently lowered into a cradling position again. Neither Milliardo nor Noin could breath as they looked to the sleeping child. "He's perfectly healthy," Sally assured the couple. Relena and Noin were drying their eyes as they looked to the child.
Derek wrapped an arm around Catherine's shoulder as they watched their friends. The red-haired pilot wiped a tear from her own eyes as well as Dorothy. Never before had any of them been able to be a part of a new life coming into the world. Milliardo and Noin had been through so much to get to this point. Perhaps this was also a sign that there really was hope for them and the future. Milliardo brushed a small stray tear from his face and kissed his son's soft head.
Lady Une dimmed the lights to help the baby keep from sheltering his eyes from the bright lights. The baby yawned and slowly opened his light blue eyes. Looking up to his parents, a small coo left him. Everyone's hearts melted. The girls all sighed, "Ooooooh!" at the same time, causing Milliardo and Derek to laugh at the sound. "Girls," Derek laughed as he shook his head. Catherine gave a quick, but not hard, elbow to his side, causing more laughter among their comrades. Relena smiled and waved to the baby as she chuckled.
Dorothy asked, "What is his name?" Noin smiled, "Mirando...Mirando Peacecraft." Gently, she lowered Mirando into her husband's arms. Milliardo was a little nervous with the child, handling him as if he would break him. His wife helped him find a comfortable position with the child lying against his chest. Wind smiled lovingly to his son and kissed his wife. Noin wrapped her arms around his waist as they sat like that for a moment.
Relena rose from the mattress and smiled, "We'll be back to visit soon." Lady Une nodded, "You deserve some time alone together." The visitors all smiled and gave their friends hugs and kisses before leaving. The new parents thanked everyone for all of their help and support. Sally was the last to leave as she hugged Milliardo and Noin. "If you need anything-" Noin chuckled and nodded, "I promise I'll let you know right away." Sally laughed, "Good." She gently rubbed the back of Mirando's head and stepped out of the room, still smiling.
When they were alone, Fire and Wind looked to their baby. "I can't believe we did this," Milliardo whispered in awe. Noin chuckled deeply as she rubbed their son's back, "I know." She kissed the child's head. Her husband wrapped his free arm tightly around her and the other held Mirando closely to his chest. He vowed to both of them, "I won't let anything happen to either of you...I swear it." Noin nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. When she did this, her husband kissed her forehead. They stayed like that in silence for a good amount of time. And for just a brief moment, they had forgotten that there was a war still being fought.
* * * * * *
It had been well over a week since Wufei gained C91 in the successful completion of his mission now, and a full week since Mirando was born. On General Churchill's ship, Quatre was walking one of the long hallways alone, trying to clear his mind from the concerns that he had about this war and his friends. Sette walked from her room and paused when she saw the Arabian walking away. she sighed deeply to herself, "This waiting has to be killing him." She ran after Quatre and jumped in front of him when she caught up. "Hello, beloved!" she cheered. The blonde pilot smiled warmly to her and replied, "Hey, Sette."
Wrapping an arm around the shoulders of her object of affection, the ex-princess smiled, "Nice night. The stars are...everywhere." she gave a shrug, knowing that there wasn't much she could say that would help her distressed proclaimed boyfriend. The Arabian gave a small nod. Sette sighed and stopped walking, grabbing Quatre's hand and causing him to stop as well. When he turned to her and their eyes met, Sette told him with a frown, "I know that this is hard for you. You're already not looking forward to returning to L4 enough as it is."
There was a pause between the pilots. Still trying to cheer her partner, Sette smiled, "Well, the good thing is that we have two missions down. I have to hand it to Wolf man, I didn't think he's did a pretty good job getting C91." Quatre gave a small smile and nodded, "It is nice to know that we only have five more Colonies to go before we'll be finished connecting with every Colony in space." The tomboy smiled, "See. There's a bright side to everything."
No sooner had she said this than General Churchill walked to the pair. Sette smiled and waved to the young soldier as he nodded back to her. Quatre sighed to him, "I know that there still isn't anyway that we can leave for L4-" "You both leave in the morning," the General interrupted. The Arabian looked to him in shock and disbelief. "What did you say?" he asked breathlessly. Churchill smiled and answered, "You and Sette leave first thing in the morning for Colony L4."
Sette shouted and jumped several times. "WE FIGHT AGAIN!" she cheered loudly. Quatre's shocked face soon turned into a look of elation mixed with relief. Churchill chuckled but warned them, "Now there will still be a lot of resistance from OZ when you get there, but the entrance to the Colony's heart has been found and secured again. OZ still doesn't seem to understand our purpose of in-and-out visits to the Colonies."
Quatre nodded, "I understand. Thank you for your help, General." Sette nodded, "You all have been awesome towards us." the General smiled and shrugged, "You Gundam pilots are a pleasure to work with. The honor is all mine." He turned and waved back to them, "Do whatever you have to before the morning to be ready for the mission. I'll be in the hanger before you leave."
When they were alone again, Quatre wrapped his arms around Sette's waist as he lifted her and spun her. They cheered and laughed loudly. When the embrace broke, Quatre smiled warmly to the tomboy, "I'm glad you'll be going with me. I could use all the help I could get." Sette shrugged and smiled back, "I'm just happy to help anyway I can." Before he allowed himself time to be nervous, the Arabian kissed her cheek gently.
The ex-princess blushed fiercely as a hand went up to the cheek he kissed. Quatre was now blushing, too, but he turned his head quickly before she could see. Nervously, he blurted out quickly in one breath, "Well, I better get to the hanger and check out Sandrock." At this, he ran down the hall again.
Sette called to him, "Wait! Let's try the lips this time!" The blonde pilot called back just before he was out of sight, "We have work to do, Sette!" "Don't tell me you didn't feel anything just then!" Sette yelled as she smiled brightly. Her blush disappeared as she sighed deeply. She collapsed to her knees and she chuckled to herself, "I can't feel my legs."
After a brief pause, she pulled herself up to stand again. Looking out the window, she could make out a bright star in the distance, which was actually Colony L4. "And then there were four," the ex-princess sneered before breaking off into a run to her room. It wouldn't be long before she and Quatre would be taking off. And there were a lot of things they needed to do before then.
* * * * * *
That same day, an OZ base stationed on a Colony just before Saturn was being used as a training center for a large number of new recruitment. Countless soldiers were in the different prep rooms as they works on their shooting, hand-to-hand and piloting skills. There was a large diversity in ages, and race in the men and women who agreed to fight for OZ.
Everyone of them wanted the chance to come face-to-face with a Gundam pilot so that they could have their chance eliminate them. Being trained killers, there was little they felt they couldn't do. For all of them, they were right in believing so, thanks to the brutal training they had been facing.
Two highly ranked soldiers was discussing the plans of where the next unit of recruits would be moving to in the next few days. They walked a long hallway alone to their meeting room. As they entered the dark room, the younger of the officers informed the other, "The soldiers are getting restless. They want to see the battlefield and take on those Gundam pilots head-on." His comrade nodded, "Soon enough."
The older soldier flipped the light switch on as he closed the door. To their shock, there was a young man in there with them, sitting at the table in the middle of the room with a threatening sneer on his face just for them. The two soldier's eyes widened and they instantly grabbed their guns.
Unfortunately for them, the other man before them pulled his pistol first and shot them both without blinking. Since the gun had a silencer, there was no sound that would cause alarm to the other soldiers in the base. Heero walked over to the dead bodies and took the keys from their pockets. Once he possessed these, he didn't even bother moving the bodies. He rose and placed his hands in his jean pockets, stalking down the hall slowly as if nothing happened.
Using his 'borrowed' keys to enter the surveillance room, Heero looked to see that that the soldiers were still busy training, even though it was well past midnight now. He quickly typed some controls into the database there. "So they want to take on a Gundam, ne?" he said deeply to himself. Once his work was finished, he chuckled deeply, "Let's see what they have to offer."
* * * * * *
Senator Reynolds walked into his office as he and sat at his desk. Ever since Brian Weatherall's return to the Earth, he had lost his place of power over the people of Earth. The screen of his laptop blinked on as another council member appeared on the monitor. "You looked as distressed as I feel." Reynolds nodded and sighed deeply, "It's not like we didn't see this coming, Stevens. Brian's power was being threatened when we made that announcement to the Colonies and every craft in space. Of course he was going to come back and claim what he never should have had in the first place."
Representative John Stevens nodded, "I knew that this would happen as well. Still, he's far too young to be in charge of the Earth. The power never should have been his nor Relena's to begin with." Reynolds leaned back in his leather chair and replied with a stressed tone, "Yes, but the people seem to love him and Relena. Their youth is refreshing to them. They're the youngest couple to rule the Earth in centuries. The people believe it's the best thing to rely on them."
Stevens growled, "We should have killed them before they had a chance to leave the Earth in the beginning of the war. We all knew that OZ had been planning this fight for years now. Their plans started almost immediately after the Marimaya incident." The Senator lowered his head into his hands and said gravely, "It's all falling apart. We had our one chance at ruling this planet the way we wanted. Then, those children won the hearts of millions."
"This isn't over just yet," the Representative stated. "In case you forgot, the people of Earth are still not certain that they are willing to place their faith in the king or queen just yet because of their trust in the Gundam pilots. As far as the people are concerned, those pilots are the source of the war." Reynolds answered, "Even so, Brian is a very good speaker. It won't be long before he convinces them that they should trust the pilots again. If we attempted to killed him, whether or not we accomplished, everyone would point the blame at us. They know that we can't stand Brian or Relena."
Reynolds continued, "Unless we were able to tie something to Brian that would cause the people to despise him and Relena as much as we do, they would never stand to see anything happen to them...It would take a miracle to find anything like that." Looking back to the monitor, he said, "I'll see you at the meeting in the morning." Stevens nodded, "Alright." The screen went out again. Knowing that there was nothing he could do tonight that would make him feel any better, Reynolds stood and prepared to leave for the day. Collecting his coat and suitcase, he headed for the door.
The Senator did not get far when he heard the computer turn on. He didn't both to turn back as he took hold of the doorknob. Reynolds called back, "Not tonight, Stevens. Unless you have something that will taint Brian and Relena's reputations, I'll see you tomorrow." He began to turn the door knob when an deep, unfamiliar voice came from the computer. "I don't now who Stevens is, but I do believe that I have what you're looking for." The man froze before he could open the door completely.
"I know that you're there, Senator Reynolds," the deep voice came again. Reynolds lowered his things back on the chair by the door before slowly walking behind the desk. Looking to the laptop, he saw Quinze Khushrenadah smiling to him. "You," was all he managed to whisper hoarsely. Quinze chuckled and nodded, "Me." As the Senator slowly sat in his seat, the leader of OZ informed him, "I understand that the Earth could be siding with the Weatheralls again. Before that happens, I thought that I would make an offer that might change your mind."
The Senator's eyes narrowed at the young man. "First off, there is no guarantee that the Weatheralls will regain their full power just yet. Whether that changes or not, we have no interest in joining forces with you. If you paid attention to my address weeks ago, you would know that the Earth is standing alone in this war. We'll fend for ourselves." Quinze shrugged, "I understand that stubbornness is difficult to get past...I know that since I am very stubborn myself...But I would not be here speaking to you is I did not believe that I have something to say that you would want to hear."
The council member took a moment before replying in monotone, "Talk quick." The dark-haired leader nodded, "You're looking for something that will taint the reputations of the King and Queen of the World." The Senator showed an anxious look that he quickly erased as he cleared his throat. "Perhaps," was all that he said. "Then I have just what you're looking for," Quenze sneered. Reynolds looked to him in disbelief as he huffed, "And what could you possibly have that will make the people hate Brian and Relena Weatherall?"
Quinze asked, "Do you know what her majesty is doing at this time?" Reynolds nodded, "Brian told everyone in the assembly and on the planet that Relena is taking care of matters in space. She'll return as soon as she can." Quinze laughed, "I almost forgot, Brian Weatherall would never tell any of you exactly how Relena is taking care of those matters in space." The Senator raised an eye brow and asked, "What could she be doing that he would have to hide from any of us here on Earth?"
"I am sending you some information that I think you will find quite interesting. You it as you wish. I just didn't want your king and queen keeping any secrets from you or the people that they say they love so much. Farewell," the OZ leader explained. At this, the image of Quinze disappeared. There was a brief pause as Reynolds looked to the blank screen with uncertainty.
Before he had to wait a moment, Reynolds saw the screen blink again as several reports were accepted. There were images and descriptions of each of the Gundam pilots along with their suits. The first image was of Heero Yuy, followed by his cousin, Kumi. The images of Wing Zero and Excalibur were beside their mug shots. Next was HeavyArms and Trowa. After that, Quatre with Sandrock.
As he looked to the scans of Wufei and Nataku, then Sette Devion and Mason, he asked aloud, "What is the purpose of sending these images of the Gundam pilots?" He continued to look through the report. Just then, his eyes shot wide when they looked to the screen.
Clear as day was the picture of Relena Weatherall and Unit 06, Calvary. There were incident reports of when the Gundam was seen fighting alongside the other pilots. There were also stolen records that proved the queen was a Gundam pilot. "Well, well, well," the Senator sneered as he licked his lips. "It looks like miracles happen after all."
TBC
Again, this goes in dedication to all of you readers out there! Let me know what you think of this! Enjoy!
Lots of Love, SkyLark
Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter
Episode 16: All the King's Men
by SkyLark
with help from: Traci 14, Snodin, Stormy and Sam
In the waiting room of the medical branch of Peace Million, several bodies sat, stood and or paced in the waiting room. Noin had gone into labor just an hour prior, and her situation was still uncertain since neither Sally nor Milliardo got a chance to leave the delivery room. Relena sat, biting her nails nervously. Derek was there as support for his comrades as he and Catherine stood in waiting by their friends. Dorothy was beside Relena, making sure that her best friend was holding up all right.
Finally, Lady Une entered the room and smiled, "So far, everything's going smoothly. Sally just informed me that it should only be another hour before the baby comes." Relena smiled from ear-to-ear at this news as she gasped softly. The others present shared her happiness as they, too were anxiously awaiting any word on the conditions of Noin and the baby. Lady Une looked to them all and stated, "I'll be back as soon as I hear more." "Thank you, Lady Une," Relena smiled warmly. The head of the Preventers smiled back with a nod. She quickly left the room.
Dorothy smiled brightly to her friend, "So are you ready to be an aunt, Miss Relena?" The queen sighed deeply, still smiling, herself, "I just can't believe that Milliardo and Noin are about to be parents. It's a relief to know that this war hasn't kept miracles like this from happening." Relena lowered her head and said quietly, "I wish Brian was hear to be a part of this." Novem sighed deeply and wrapped a supportive arm around the other pilot's shoulders. "He'll be back soon, Miss Relena. I know he's fine." The young queen smiled and nodded to her friend, "You right, Dorothy. Thank you for the support." Novem nodded, "Of course."
* * * * * *
Back on Earth, the Senate of the world met as Brian Weatherall stood before his council and spoke of the situation of the war. He had made his presence known just a few days before this time and nearly the entire council embraced his return warmly. Others were skeptical that this was a weak attempt for the young king to take back the power he had nearly lost.
Whatever their stand, the young man was still king of the world and right now, he knew more about this terrible war than anyone on the planet. Everyone was wondering exactly where the war looked to be heading. Before the hundred-body assembly, Brian spoke and answered questions as the first meeting since his return to the Earth.
Brian explained, "I understand all of your concerns, since you and everyone in the colonies have been tricked by OZ into believing that the Gundam pilots have let everyone down." One Representative stood from his seat near the top of the large gathering room. He asked, "What do you mean to say that we were trick by OZ into believing that? We all saw with our own eyes that the Gundam pilots could not save the people of D26 from the Holocaust that OZ sent there to destroy them all."
Brian shook his head and calmly replied, "No. That was a trick of OZ. The real D26 was spared thanks to the Gundams. The Colony destroyed was F32, but Quinze Khushrenada made it appear that it was D26 that was hit. Only OZ and the Earth have the ability to communicate to everyone on the planet and in Space when it is wished."
Another Representative asked immediately, "How can we believe that you are telling the truth?" Brian remained calm and answered, "You know that I would never do or say anything that would endanger any of you, or anyone on the Earth. As king, I will lead all of you to the best of my ability... Have I ever let you down before that you would have any true reason to doubt me?" There was a long silence.
Not a soul spoke up or challenged the words of the king. The young redhead sighed and smiled, "Thank you. I know that you are looking out for the people of Earth's best interest, just as I always have and will as long as I live." A young, female Senator asked, "And where is Queen Relena at this time? Why did she not take the time to speak to all of us?" Brian looked to the council and paused before answering.
They couldn't know that his wife was a Gundam pilot...Not yet, since they all hated the pilots even now. He finally answered, "Relena is tending to the needs of the people in Space. She knows that if OZ was to win this war, not a soul here nor in the Colonies would be safe from their wicked plans of ruling over all of us. We may be the King and Queen of the World, but out interests are the same as those of the people who live in the Colonies when it comes to peace. Rest assured that if Relena could be here, she would be."
Brian smiled warmly and continued, "If you could see what she has accomplished in this war, I know that you would all be so proud of Relena...Though it would not be nearly the same pride that I feel for her. Relena's thoughts and prayers are with everyone, here and in space. She is with us in spirit, though she wishes she could be here in person. Please do not be angered that she could not be here with me physically."
Most of the people present took this speech with open minds and hearts, accepting it. Brian nodded after another pause, "Just before this meeting, I had received word that the second of seven missions sent to the Gundam pilots has been successful. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Gundam pilots have never let us down, and they never will. They are not fighting this war for themselves.
"They are selfless pilots who want nothing more than peace and safety for every living soul. While I cannot go into the details of what their missions are, believe me when I say that they are doing more than what is required of them...They are risking their very lives for all of you. It would be a terrible thing to actually believe that any of them could let us down."
"I still feel that they are the reason this war began in the first place," Senator Reynolds stated. Brian looked to the man with a stern glance and said, "Senator, whatever you hold against the pilots is not justified. I will not tolerate any hard feelings towards them. So I would suggest that you hold your tongue around me when it comes to speaking of the Gundam pilots."
Everyone in the room took a sharp breath at the unyielding tone in their king's voice. Reynolds's eyes widened as he took the direct effect of those words. Brian simply looked to him and asked, "May I proceed?" The older man gritted his teeth, but nodded all the same. Brain nodded and addressed the whole council, "As far as our responsibilities and concerned..." Brian's speech continued and the Senator's sudden look of shock turned to anger as he glared to the king. The Senator growled deeply to himself, "That wasn't very bright, your majesty."
* * * * * *
An hour later, the pilots were still sitting in waiting for news of Noin and the baby. Finally, Sally walked into the waiting room along with Lady Une. Both looked exhausted and almost sad as they entered. Relena jumped up from her seat and was the first to run before them. The looks on her friends frightened her. Before the queen could ask anything, Sally sighed deeply, "There was a complication in the delivery." Relena and the others gasped as their shocked faces gazed to the young women.
Relena brought a hand to her mouth and shook her head as tears began to build. "What? Are they..." she couldn't find the strength to ask how Noin and the baby were. Water replied, "The baby had to be born through a c-section to keep him alive. "Him? It's a son?" Dorothy asked softly. Sally nodded with a small smile, "He's beautiful." "What about Noin? How is she?" Relena asked quietly. Sally began to try and say something, but she couldn't.
Lady Une answered for her, "Noin is in a coma. She was going into shock during the procedure." The faces of the others fell as they each had to step back a moment to take all of this in. Catherine was the first to ask after a long pause, "What are her chances of waking up?" Sally answered, "There's no way of knowing right now. All we can do is wait." Relena lowered her head with her eyes squeezed shut as her teeth gritted. "Waiting is all we ever do anymore. I'm so sick of it," she hissed.
Lady Une rested a hand on her shoulder and said quietly, "I know it's hard to be strong right now, Relena. But, you have to be for your brother." Relena gasped, "Milliardo. She turned to Sally and Une as she pleaded, "May I see him." Sally nodded, "He's with Noin, two doors to the left." The queen nodded and thanked Sally and Lady Une for their help. The others watched with heavy hearts as she left.
In the hospital room, Wind sat beside his wife's bed. Noin was hooked up to several machines that monitored her heart rate and blood pressure. She no longer had the bulge where the baby was growing. Her husband was holding her right hand and stroking her cheek. Relena watched sadly as she peeked through the door.
"You can come in, Relena," her brother said gently. The queen gasped, shocked that her brother knew that she was there since the door was hardly cracked. She walked in slowly and looked to Milliardo. He said quietly, with a tired and forced smile, "Thanks for coming." Calvary's pilot walked to him and hugged him tightly. Milliardo returned the hug and sighed when it was broken. He went right back to looking over his wife.
Pulling a chair beside him, Relena assured him, "I know Noin will be fine." Her brother smiled and nodded, but never turned his glance from the young woman in the bed. "I know she will, too. She's too stubborn not to wake up from something like this." Relena smiled warmly, feeling more relieved now that she saw her brother staying strong. Hearing his words made her certain that Noin really would recover soon. She would never leave him or their son behind, knowing how much they lover each other.
The queen asked, "Have you seen the baby yet?" Milliardo turned to her and shook his head, "He had to be put on a monitor. He'll have to be watched closely by the doctors for the next twenty-four hours. After that, he'll be able to be brought out to the nursery." His sister chuckled, "I still can't get over that you're a father now." Wing laughed, "Neither can I. Now I know anything's possible in this life." They both laughed for a moment.
After a brief pause, Relena kissed Wind's cheek and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a gentle embrace. "That little boy of yours doesn't realize how lucky he is yet...Having you and Noin as his parents." Milliardo smiled and folded his arms over the ones belonging to his sister. He whispered, "Thank you Relena...I really appreciate that." His sister smiled as she felt small tears fill her eyes. They tightened their embrace a moment before it was broken.
Relena took her chair to the other side of the bed and held Noin's left hand. The siblings looked to each other and smiled warmly before their eyes fell back to the sleeping pilot. They spoke to her quietly, trying to get a response. Somehow, Noin had to get through this. It was unimaginable for anyone to think of going through life without he being there. But for now, the only sound answering their words was the beeping of the heart monitor.
* * * * * *
Trowa was flying well past R58, where he would have to accomplish his mission, when his monitors began to beep. The pilot left HeavyArms onboard a Preventer craft far behind him as he took one a small OZ ship that the Preventers there had managed to capture in another fight. The reason for this was that before he could go off to R58 and accomplish his mission, there was still an unidentified craft that needed to be examined. The tall pilot was best suited for this task since he managed to fool many enemies that he was working under them. With the latest OZ uniform in his ship, he would be prepared for anything that came up in attaining as much information on the UFO as possible.
The brunette sat up and tried to get a clear visual of what his ship was picking up. Typing away at the controls, he began to slowly get am image on his screen. Trowa's eyes widened slowly as he looked in disbelief. Before him was what appeared to be a small moon, larger than Peace Million. However, when the images were zoomed in, it was actually an large, metal star.
"That has to be the unidentified ship," he said quietly to himself, still impressed by the incredible size of the ship. The craft had a round foundation and surface. But on the outside of the craft, every square inch was a half-mile long, sharp point of Gundamimum. There was no clear view of the entrance and exit for the ship due to these obstacles. "Always liked a challenge," he sneered as he flew off towards the ship.
With a good few miles to go before reaching the OZ craft, he placed the small ship in auto pilot as he changed into the OZ uniform. Placing the badge with his made up name along with his true picture, he was finished and took to the controls again. As he did this, a voice came in over his transmitter. "Identify yourself," the male voice ordered coldly. At this, Trowa swiped the card of the dead OZ pilot's ID into the ship as it transmitted the code. "Welcome to Quasar, soldier. You may proceed," the voice returned after a pause for the information to go through. "Quasar," Trowa repeated quietly to himself.
Now just a few feet away, Trowa was able to see the incredible design of the ship, still taking down images into his disk. There wasn't anyway that he could get very close due to the endless metal needles. After a brief flight trying to find an opening, the Gundam pilot watched as some of the wide spikes before him bent back to create a small entrance. Trowa flew his ship though and large doors pulled open as he nearly reached the smooth surface below the quills. When he entered, Trowa pulled into the hanger and turned his ship off. Jumping out of the small plane, he looked up to see OZ soldiers working in the observation tower of the room.
The young pilot looked up and gave a small wave to them. They returned the wave and nodded for him to proceed. There were so many OZ soldiers out there that they would never know this one- in their uniform, flying one of their crafts and carrying an identification card of theirs- was actually a Gundam pilot. They simply returned to their work and didn't bother to pay close attention.
Trowa entered the main halls of Quasar and looked to his surroundings. After walking several twists and turns, he found what he was looking for. He walked into a private computer lab where a small handful of soldiers were typing away. One of the units was not occupied, so Trowa took it upon himself to utilize it. Sitting before the screen, he slipped his disk in unnoticed.
One OZ soldier in particular had been extremely curious about this young man that entered. While he knew he would never know all the faces of his comrades, this one's face seemed oddly familiar. The young man in question was feverishly typing at his keyboard, doing who knew what. Trowa felt the soldier's eyes on him, but continued his work as if unaffected. His fingers flew quickly over the keys as he wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible. The OZ soldier would occasionally turn his head from his own screen to look at the brunette for a moment before returning to his own work.
* * * * * *
There was a desolate patch of space where a good number of OZ soldiers were working on building a large satellite in their Space Leo and Space Virgo suits. As they patched up the unit, several of the soldiers talked among themselves.
"Those Gundam pilots have no idea what they got themselves into with this war," one young man chuckled as he placed a large, metal plate in place. Another soldier nodded, "With the Earth working against them now, they can't hide anywhere before long." The large satellite was nearing completion as another soldier asked, "Can we just finish this thing and get out of here?" One of his friends laughed, "Why? Are you getting nervous?"
The younger soldier replied, "It's just that I hate working on projects like this, so far from any carriers." "Look," his friend assured him, "There's nothing out here but stars. There isn't anything to be nervous about." The other sighed and nodded, "You're right." There were only a few finishing touches to place on the device as the army worked quickly to get the job over with.
"Just a few more adjustments here, and-" the soldier's words ended as half of the satellite was cut in half just before him. The large machine exploded as the soldiers shouted and just managed to get away in time. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?!" a young woman shrieked in her Leo. All of the soldiers froze as they watched a black, demon-winged suit appear from nowhere before them. Deathscythe took its full form as the soldiers looked in shock and terror.
"DAMN YOU GUNDAMS!" the first OZ soldier screamed as he and his comrades went to attack the suit. Duo growled and took to the fight with ease. Using his suit's scythe and small missiles, he took out a good handful of the first few soldiers approaching him. "The God of Death has returned," he sneered as he took out another suit with a slice that went from the top of the suit to the bottom.
The braided pilot shouted and knocked a fist into a Virgo that tried to come from behind. Every soldier gave him all that they had, right to the end and not one thought of retreating. Duo wasn't complaining. He made quick work of all of them, despite their efforts to stop him. Several minutes passed and none of the soldiers bothered calling for back up, since they were too far for any help.
After ten minutes, all forty soldiers had been wiped out, the last with a stab of the scythe through the head of the Leo. The last explosion was testimony to the American that his job was done. Looking to his lonely surroundings, Duo wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled, "Another one bites the dust."
Duo clicked into his controls to see the next location of where OZ soldiers would be working. These locations were known through the reports that Kumi had found in the first OZ base she destroyed. These reports were sent to both Duo and Heero, since they would be the closest pilots to the sites. The American found the next site that he would be visiting as he chuckled deeply, "Nice to be back in action again, ne, 'ol buddy?" Deathscythe shot through the stars to reach the next hit.
* * * * * *
It had been a good twenty minutes and Trowa had collected all of the information he could receive as slipped his disk out again. Once it was placed back in his uniform, he heard the soldier that had been watching him call, "Hey, you." Trowa turned to face him and nodded, "Yes." The older man stood and walked to him. "You look oddly familiar, kid. What's your name?" Trowa pointed to the name beside his picture on the ID card and replied, "Andrew Skates." The older man asked, "I get the feeling that we've met before." Trowa shook his head, "I don't recall ever meeting you."
"Well maybe you should think a little harder," the OZ soldier growled. "Come on, Frank," another OZ soldier called to him as he looked to his comrade from where he sat at the computers. "Leave the rookie alone and get back to your work." The one known as Frank nodded and walked back to his computer, but not before eying Trowa one good last time. Trowa finally walked from the room, still appearing unaffected.
When the young pilot was alone in the hall, his brow was coated in sweat that couldn't be seen in the dimly lit computer lab. He took a beep breath and threw his head back a moment. When he regained his composure, he wiped his brow dry again. "They're finally catching on," the HeavyArms pilot chuckled deeply to himself. He turned to the disk that he collected all the information on. Placing it in a protective holder, he smiled, "Guess I won't be making these kinds of visits anymore." He placed the holder back in his uniform.
On his way there, he heard two passing soldier laughing. The taller of the two sighed, "I don't know why those damned pilots don't just give up now." His friend nodded, "It'll happen soon enough." Trowa's ears picked up on this right away as he jumped in the doorway of an empty room nearby and he listened in on the conversation. The first soldier asked the other, "What about Demetris? He was due to come her by now wasn't he?" Trowa's eyes widened at the name as he stood close to the door's opening, back against the wall and looking to the hallway.
"Nah. He's busy right now elsewhere...He has an old friend to visit on M29, so I've heard." the second soldier answered. The Gundam pilot's heart stopped as he breathed, "Kumi." The soldiers passed the door where he was hiding as they continued talking. "That guy could take on five armies and still come on top. I've never seen him lose a fight," the second OZ soldier continued. His friend nodded, "That's why he's Quinze Khushrenadah's right-hand man." The conversation continued as they walked on down the hall.
Trowa took this as his time to make a quick exit. He walked from the room and went back to returning to the hanger, walking much more quickly this time. When he entered the hanger again, the soldiers in the tower had changed shifts with another crew. They looked to Trowa as he walked to the shall OZ ship he used to enter Quasar. Their eyes focused on him, as they swore they had seen him somewhere. Before they could say anything, he was back in the craft. One of them went to the microphone and ordered, "Identify yourself."
Placing the ID card in the panel again, Trowa's code was accepted. The soldiers looked to each other. They shrugged and allowed the young man to exit through the doors again. When he flew past the sharp quills of the ship, the points bent back into place, hiding the entrance and exit path again.
Trowa waited until he was well beyond the reach of the ship before he put the ship on auto pilot and removed the OZ uniform. As he slipped back into his t-shirt, his last piece of clothing, he took to the controls and with concern in his voice, said, "I have to finish my mission as soon as possible and warn Kumi about Demetris." Before he could do that, he had to return to the Preventer craft he just came from to gave them the disk he used to obtain the information of Quasar. All he could do right now was hope that he would be able to reach R58, complete his mission, and reach M29 before Kumi got there.
* * * * * *
The next morning, Milliardo and Relena were still in Noin's hospital room. The young queen had fallen asleep, her head lying against the mattress of the bed. Her brother was on the opposite side, too concerned for his wife to fall asleep. The exhaustion from the whole experience hadn't even affected him. He continued to stroke Noin's cheek with one hand as the other held that of his wife. He had been speaking to her, quietly, trying to get through.
Wind had fallen silent now, as not to disturb his sister. They and their friends had a very long day...A very long four months since the war started. Resting his forehead against Noin's, he heard a small sigh come from her. His eyes shot wide open as he sat up and looked to her. "Noin?" he asked gently. Fire took a deep breath and stirred a bit. this managed to wake Relena.
The queen gave a shocked look and turned to Noin as she held onto her hand. "Noin?" she called quietly. The young woman's eyes opened with a few blinks. Now fully awake, she looked to the relieved and elated faces of her husband and sister-in-law. "W-What happened?" Noin asked quietly. She brought a hand up to rub her head and instantly sat up with a start. "The baby!?!" she asked with concern as she rubbed her flattened stomach.
Milliardo smiled and sat on the mattress beside her. "The baby's fine," he assured her. Noin gave a small gasp and smiled as they hugged tightly. Milliardo kissed his wife's cheek before they pulled back a moment. Relena hugged Noin as she smiled, "It's good to have you back." "Thank you, Relena," Fire smiled back as they embraced. Looking to her family, the new mother sighed, "Thanks for staying with me." Milliardo kissed her lips gently.
The door slowly opened as Lady Une and Sally peeked inside. The two ladies smiled brightly as they quickly entered and hugged Noin. When their happy reunion was over, Noin asked them, "Where is the baby?" "Right here," Sally answered as she turned to the door. It opened again as Catherine and Derek entered followed by Dorothy, who was cradling Noin and Milliardo's son.
Seeing the baby in Novem's arms brought tears to Noin's eyes as she gasped. The Gundam pilot smiled warmly to the new mother as she walked her son to her. Noin opened her arms as the baby was gently lowered into a cradling position again. Neither Milliardo nor Noin could breath as they looked to the sleeping child. "He's perfectly healthy," Sally assured the couple. Relena and Noin were drying their eyes as they looked to the child.
Derek wrapped an arm around Catherine's shoulder as they watched their friends. The red-haired pilot wiped a tear from her own eyes as well as Dorothy. Never before had any of them been able to be a part of a new life coming into the world. Milliardo and Noin had been through so much to get to this point. Perhaps this was also a sign that there really was hope for them and the future. Milliardo brushed a small stray tear from his face and kissed his son's soft head.
Lady Une dimmed the lights to help the baby keep from sheltering his eyes from the bright lights. The baby yawned and slowly opened his light blue eyes. Looking up to his parents, a small coo left him. Everyone's hearts melted. The girls all sighed, "Ooooooh!" at the same time, causing Milliardo and Derek to laugh at the sound. "Girls," Derek laughed as he shook his head. Catherine gave a quick, but not hard, elbow to his side, causing more laughter among their comrades. Relena smiled and waved to the baby as she chuckled.
Dorothy asked, "What is his name?" Noin smiled, "Mirando...Mirando Peacecraft." Gently, she lowered Mirando into her husband's arms. Milliardo was a little nervous with the child, handling him as if he would break him. His wife helped him find a comfortable position with the child lying against his chest. Wind smiled lovingly to his son and kissed his wife. Noin wrapped her arms around his waist as they sat like that for a moment.
Relena rose from the mattress and smiled, "We'll be back to visit soon." Lady Une nodded, "You deserve some time alone together." The visitors all smiled and gave their friends hugs and kisses before leaving. The new parents thanked everyone for all of their help and support. Sally was the last to leave as she hugged Milliardo and Noin. "If you need anything-" Noin chuckled and nodded, "I promise I'll let you know right away." Sally laughed, "Good." She gently rubbed the back of Mirando's head and stepped out of the room, still smiling.
When they were alone, Fire and Wind looked to their baby. "I can't believe we did this," Milliardo whispered in awe. Noin chuckled deeply as she rubbed their son's back, "I know." She kissed the child's head. Her husband wrapped his free arm tightly around her and the other held Mirando closely to his chest. He vowed to both of them, "I won't let anything happen to either of you...I swear it." Noin nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. When she did this, her husband kissed her forehead. They stayed like that in silence for a good amount of time. And for just a brief moment, they had forgotten that there was a war still being fought.
* * * * * *
It had been well over a week since Wufei gained C91 in the successful completion of his mission now, and a full week since Mirando was born. On General Churchill's ship, Quatre was walking one of the long hallways alone, trying to clear his mind from the concerns that he had about this war and his friends. Sette walked from her room and paused when she saw the Arabian walking away. she sighed deeply to herself, "This waiting has to be killing him." She ran after Quatre and jumped in front of him when she caught up. "Hello, beloved!" she cheered. The blonde pilot smiled warmly to her and replied, "Hey, Sette."
Wrapping an arm around the shoulders of her object of affection, the ex-princess smiled, "Nice night. The stars are...everywhere." she gave a shrug, knowing that there wasn't much she could say that would help her distressed proclaimed boyfriend. The Arabian gave a small nod. Sette sighed and stopped walking, grabbing Quatre's hand and causing him to stop as well. When he turned to her and their eyes met, Sette told him with a frown, "I know that this is hard for you. You're already not looking forward to returning to L4 enough as it is."
There was a pause between the pilots. Still trying to cheer her partner, Sette smiled, "Well, the good thing is that we have two missions down. I have to hand it to Wolf man, I didn't think he's did a pretty good job getting C91." Quatre gave a small smile and nodded, "It is nice to know that we only have five more Colonies to go before we'll be finished connecting with every Colony in space." The tomboy smiled, "See. There's a bright side to everything."
No sooner had she said this than General Churchill walked to the pair. Sette smiled and waved to the young soldier as he nodded back to her. Quatre sighed to him, "I know that there still isn't anyway that we can leave for L4-" "You both leave in the morning," the General interrupted. The Arabian looked to him in shock and disbelief. "What did you say?" he asked breathlessly. Churchill smiled and answered, "You and Sette leave first thing in the morning for Colony L4."
Sette shouted and jumped several times. "WE FIGHT AGAIN!" she cheered loudly. Quatre's shocked face soon turned into a look of elation mixed with relief. Churchill chuckled but warned them, "Now there will still be a lot of resistance from OZ when you get there, but the entrance to the Colony's heart has been found and secured again. OZ still doesn't seem to understand our purpose of in-and-out visits to the Colonies."
Quatre nodded, "I understand. Thank you for your help, General." Sette nodded, "You all have been awesome towards us." the General smiled and shrugged, "You Gundam pilots are a pleasure to work with. The honor is all mine." He turned and waved back to them, "Do whatever you have to before the morning to be ready for the mission. I'll be in the hanger before you leave."
When they were alone again, Quatre wrapped his arms around Sette's waist as he lifted her and spun her. They cheered and laughed loudly. When the embrace broke, Quatre smiled warmly to the tomboy, "I'm glad you'll be going with me. I could use all the help I could get." Sette shrugged and smiled back, "I'm just happy to help anyway I can." Before he allowed himself time to be nervous, the Arabian kissed her cheek gently.
The ex-princess blushed fiercely as a hand went up to the cheek he kissed. Quatre was now blushing, too, but he turned his head quickly before she could see. Nervously, he blurted out quickly in one breath, "Well, I better get to the hanger and check out Sandrock." At this, he ran down the hall again.
Sette called to him, "Wait! Let's try the lips this time!" The blonde pilot called back just before he was out of sight, "We have work to do, Sette!" "Don't tell me you didn't feel anything just then!" Sette yelled as she smiled brightly. Her blush disappeared as she sighed deeply. She collapsed to her knees and she chuckled to herself, "I can't feel my legs."
After a brief pause, she pulled herself up to stand again. Looking out the window, she could make out a bright star in the distance, which was actually Colony L4. "And then there were four," the ex-princess sneered before breaking off into a run to her room. It wouldn't be long before she and Quatre would be taking off. And there were a lot of things they needed to do before then.
* * * * * *
That same day, an OZ base stationed on a Colony just before Saturn was being used as a training center for a large number of new recruitment. Countless soldiers were in the different prep rooms as they works on their shooting, hand-to-hand and piloting skills. There was a large diversity in ages, and race in the men and women who agreed to fight for OZ.
Everyone of them wanted the chance to come face-to-face with a Gundam pilot so that they could have their chance eliminate them. Being trained killers, there was little they felt they couldn't do. For all of them, they were right in believing so, thanks to the brutal training they had been facing.
Two highly ranked soldiers was discussing the plans of where the next unit of recruits would be moving to in the next few days. They walked a long hallway alone to their meeting room. As they entered the dark room, the younger of the officers informed the other, "The soldiers are getting restless. They want to see the battlefield and take on those Gundam pilots head-on." His comrade nodded, "Soon enough."
The older soldier flipped the light switch on as he closed the door. To their shock, there was a young man in there with them, sitting at the table in the middle of the room with a threatening sneer on his face just for them. The two soldier's eyes widened and they instantly grabbed their guns.
Unfortunately for them, the other man before them pulled his pistol first and shot them both without blinking. Since the gun had a silencer, there was no sound that would cause alarm to the other soldiers in the base. Heero walked over to the dead bodies and took the keys from their pockets. Once he possessed these, he didn't even bother moving the bodies. He rose and placed his hands in his jean pockets, stalking down the hall slowly as if nothing happened.
Using his 'borrowed' keys to enter the surveillance room, Heero looked to see that that the soldiers were still busy training, even though it was well past midnight now. He quickly typed some controls into the database there. "So they want to take on a Gundam, ne?" he said deeply to himself. Once his work was finished, he chuckled deeply, "Let's see what they have to offer."
* * * * * *
Senator Reynolds walked into his office as he and sat at his desk. Ever since Brian Weatherall's return to the Earth, he had lost his place of power over the people of Earth. The screen of his laptop blinked on as another council member appeared on the monitor. "You looked as distressed as I feel." Reynolds nodded and sighed deeply, "It's not like we didn't see this coming, Stevens. Brian's power was being threatened when we made that announcement to the Colonies and every craft in space. Of course he was going to come back and claim what he never should have had in the first place."
Representative John Stevens nodded, "I knew that this would happen as well. Still, he's far too young to be in charge of the Earth. The power never should have been his nor Relena's to begin with." Reynolds leaned back in his leather chair and replied with a stressed tone, "Yes, but the people seem to love him and Relena. Their youth is refreshing to them. They're the youngest couple to rule the Earth in centuries. The people believe it's the best thing to rely on them."
Stevens growled, "We should have killed them before they had a chance to leave the Earth in the beginning of the war. We all knew that OZ had been planning this fight for years now. Their plans started almost immediately after the Marimaya incident." The Senator lowered his head into his hands and said gravely, "It's all falling apart. We had our one chance at ruling this planet the way we wanted. Then, those children won the hearts of millions."
"This isn't over just yet," the Representative stated. "In case you forgot, the people of Earth are still not certain that they are willing to place their faith in the king or queen just yet because of their trust in the Gundam pilots. As far as the people are concerned, those pilots are the source of the war." Reynolds answered, "Even so, Brian is a very good speaker. It won't be long before he convinces them that they should trust the pilots again. If we attempted to killed him, whether or not we accomplished, everyone would point the blame at us. They know that we can't stand Brian or Relena."
Reynolds continued, "Unless we were able to tie something to Brian that would cause the people to despise him and Relena as much as we do, they would never stand to see anything happen to them...It would take a miracle to find anything like that." Looking back to the monitor, he said, "I'll see you at the meeting in the morning." Stevens nodded, "Alright." The screen went out again. Knowing that there was nothing he could do tonight that would make him feel any better, Reynolds stood and prepared to leave for the day. Collecting his coat and suitcase, he headed for the door.
The Senator did not get far when he heard the computer turn on. He didn't both to turn back as he took hold of the doorknob. Reynolds called back, "Not tonight, Stevens. Unless you have something that will taint Brian and Relena's reputations, I'll see you tomorrow." He began to turn the door knob when an deep, unfamiliar voice came from the computer. "I don't now who Stevens is, but I do believe that I have what you're looking for." The man froze before he could open the door completely.
"I know that you're there, Senator Reynolds," the deep voice came again. Reynolds lowered his things back on the chair by the door before slowly walking behind the desk. Looking to the laptop, he saw Quinze Khushrenadah smiling to him. "You," was all he managed to whisper hoarsely. Quinze chuckled and nodded, "Me." As the Senator slowly sat in his seat, the leader of OZ informed him, "I understand that the Earth could be siding with the Weatheralls again. Before that happens, I thought that I would make an offer that might change your mind."
The Senator's eyes narrowed at the young man. "First off, there is no guarantee that the Weatheralls will regain their full power just yet. Whether that changes or not, we have no interest in joining forces with you. If you paid attention to my address weeks ago, you would know that the Earth is standing alone in this war. We'll fend for ourselves." Quinze shrugged, "I understand that stubbornness is difficult to get past...I know that since I am very stubborn myself...But I would not be here speaking to you is I did not believe that I have something to say that you would want to hear."
The council member took a moment before replying in monotone, "Talk quick." The dark-haired leader nodded, "You're looking for something that will taint the reputations of the King and Queen of the World." The Senator showed an anxious look that he quickly erased as he cleared his throat. "Perhaps," was all that he said. "Then I have just what you're looking for," Quenze sneered. Reynolds looked to him in disbelief as he huffed, "And what could you possibly have that will make the people hate Brian and Relena Weatherall?"
Quinze asked, "Do you know what her majesty is doing at this time?" Reynolds nodded, "Brian told everyone in the assembly and on the planet that Relena is taking care of matters in space. She'll return as soon as she can." Quinze laughed, "I almost forgot, Brian Weatherall would never tell any of you exactly how Relena is taking care of those matters in space." The Senator raised an eye brow and asked, "What could she be doing that he would have to hide from any of us here on Earth?"
"I am sending you some information that I think you will find quite interesting. You it as you wish. I just didn't want your king and queen keeping any secrets from you or the people that they say they love so much. Farewell," the OZ leader explained. At this, the image of Quinze disappeared. There was a brief pause as Reynolds looked to the blank screen with uncertainty.
Before he had to wait a moment, Reynolds saw the screen blink again as several reports were accepted. There were images and descriptions of each of the Gundam pilots along with their suits. The first image was of Heero Yuy, followed by his cousin, Kumi. The images of Wing Zero and Excalibur were beside their mug shots. Next was HeavyArms and Trowa. After that, Quatre with Sandrock.
As he looked to the scans of Wufei and Nataku, then Sette Devion and Mason, he asked aloud, "What is the purpose of sending these images of the Gundam pilots?" He continued to look through the report. Just then, his eyes shot wide when they looked to the screen.
Clear as day was the picture of Relena Weatherall and Unit 06, Calvary. There were incident reports of when the Gundam was seen fighting alongside the other pilots. There were also stolen records that proved the queen was a Gundam pilot. "Well, well, well," the Senator sneered as he licked his lips. "It looks like miracles happen after all."
TBC