Wow, I really turned this one out fast. Oh well, on to the story.

AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part X)

Power Conquest

Relena stood on the steps of her father's tomb next to her brother, head bowed. Milliardo squeezed her shoulders gently. "I know it's hard coming back here after what happened. If I'd only been twenty minutes sooner . . ."

Relena shook her head. "No, don't blame yourself. We all had a little to do with that bomb going off. Three good officers lost their lives trying to disarm it. What little remained from after the Sanc Kingdom originally fell was lost, but it was only a few photos and Father's portrait."

Heero came up sharply behind them and grabbed his wife around the middle, causing Milliardo to tense and almost hit the Japanese man before realizing who it was. "What are you doing sniffling around a depressing place like this on such a beautiful day?" Heero demanded, not deterred by his brother-in-law's overreaction.

Relena felt herself loosen up, not able to free herself. She squeezed Heero's bare arm playfully. His heart rate was up and his breathing was faster than normal. His cheeks seemed a lot rosier and he was smiling slightly. "There are a lot of memories here for me, you know."

The folds of Heero's tank played unevenly across her back, through her thin blouse. His mussed, soft hair brushed against her forehead as he forced her to turn 180 degrees. "Nature's found plenty of bounty from these ruins. Look at the kids, Relena. Look how much fun they're having. Akiko doesn't care it was once something else. She's made her own playground out of it."

"You've been playing with her?" No wonder he was so carefree. Of all the times to be concerned the most, Heero seemed very unburdened. He rarely displayed his affection so plainly. The breeze must have been getting to him.

"Yes." Heero rubbed his cheek against hers and rocked her with his hips. "This is a vacation, Saiai. Please try to relax."

"'Kids?' I resent that," Noin said, panting with exertion as the inexhaustible Akiko dragged her up the hill where her parents and uncle were. "Although I admit it would be nice to be that young again."

Milliardo chuckled and swept his niece into his arms and up onto his shoulder. She squealed in delight and clutched his head as if afraid she'd fall. It was much higher than she was used to.

"You know," Relena observed privately to Heero, "it seems like Akiko and Raina have become much less our kids than he children of all the gundam pilots."

"Do you have a problem with that?" he muttered back. "It gives us more alone-time."

"I wonder if Akiko feels any less close to us."

"No, she doesn't. Do you love Akiko any less now that Raina's come along? Exactly."

Heero did have a point, after all. Relena looked out over the ruins of the Sanc Kingdom. "I suppose we should start rebuilding soon."

"Leave the world for later. This is our time now." Heero, arm around his wife's waist, led her down to a nice shady spot he'd found earlier in his explorations. Vine-draped and surrounded by half-broken stained glass windows, it was a perfect place to share some afternoon romance.

"Where's the baby?" Heero glanced around. "I hear her crying."

"I let Phailin and Wufei watch her for the day. Let them be. She's a woman, she'll be fine." True to Relena's word, the infant's wails faded after a few seconds.

"How's she been doing?"

"Oh, she's fine. Everyone recovers Heero. We did." Relena studied a vine-flower with interests. It was a deep purple, with six petals.

". . . I guess." Heero traced the lines on the old stained-glass window with a finger, scraping dust off the lead.

Relena smiled and took his hand gently. "But we have two beautiful daughters now, and we can't undo what's been done. We have to make sacrifices."

"You sound like Shukumei."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Are we going to settle down here?" Noin asked Milliardo once Akiko ran off again.

The question came abruptly, and Milliardo looked at her, a little shocked. Relena was his one concern, although she would not be in one spot all the time. He knew Noin would follow him over mountains and under oceans if that where he was going, and her blatant wish to settle down recently had caught him by surprise.

Noin had given up on calling him Zechs long ago, after he made it clear he no longer felt like the boy she'd known. Zechs was in the past, a boy who'd made so many mistakes he must have had nine lives. Milliardo had reclaimed his name as heir to the Peacecraft thrown, a righteous name for a man with good intentions, but he'd gladly passed the responsibility off to his little sister; he'd rather be a knight than a king. For one thing, it left him free to defy his father's doctrines, which he had never agreed with. Zechs had been an excuse to commit sins against those teachings without spoiling his heritage, but once Treize betrayed his confidence he could no longer hide what he was, to others and to himself. His stature as a reclaimed Peacecraft stood permanent to both himself and Noin— as a reminder of the horrors they had both been through. Everything Noin had done in the past for Zechs had to be reformed for Milliardo.

She analyzed the expression on his face and continued. "We're getting too old for this, Milliardo. Relena has Heero for her safety, and it's not like she can't take care of herself. You've always said you might one day like to rebuild your old home. Why not now?" Noin slipped her arm around him possessively. "You know I'd do anything to be with you, but I do get tired of chasing around. You must know that."

Milliardo chewed his tongue and returned the embrace. He looked down at her and studied her features, hardened with years of battlefields and slipstreaming. He startled himself with the realization that she was right. They were not getting any younger, no matter how young he felt ducking bullets and gunning computer signals. "Is that what you really want?"

She nodded. "What we had on the colony— before you decided it was time to get back to Une about the colony situation— we were so close. I want that back."

Milliardo sighed. "It's true I miss those peaceful times, but there is a lot on the line that we have so much influence over that it seems unfair to shy away."

"And there lies the problem," Noin said resentfully.

"This isn't going to be a long war," Milliardo assured her. "The problem is, I'm not confident we're going to win."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Two officers dispatched to take one, Dennis Ender into custody got a nasty surprise: Dennis had been signed out. Hospital records didn't indicate who it was, but Une had a suspicion. Mariemaia cared fatally for that boy, but no matter of her feelings he needed to be dealt justice. A jury could still find him Not Guilty in a trial, and there was a good chance they would have had he not run.

In fact, Mariemaia had hacked into the system and worked the records. In the middle of the night, they'd fled the town, the country, and the planet.

Trowa sat down hard in his chair when he heard. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to burst into tears of confusion. He would probably never see his niece again— unless she turned up dead.

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"I'm glad you decided to make the break for it, Marie," Ben told her as they stood looking out the window at the Stardust Hotel. It was the very hotel Heero and Relena had stayed that night of that epiphany they'd suffered (and celebrated). Mariemaia looked out across the starry fields, watching the cautious points in the distance that were her new fleet. She'd had no idea exactly what all those pilots were willing to aid her with. The power she'd struggled to attain on Earth— even when Une had been boosting her up with all the woman's strength— was so easily acquired in just a few short minutes of conversation with her adoptive-brother. Dennis was off on the main ship, the Gradate, resting and working on the training simulators, alternately. He seemed so much more cheerful now, even without the drugs the hospital had prescribed to him. His scarred, frail body seemed endlessly less likely to break under the strain that was permanently planted on it.

She smiled for what felt like the first time in months. Although they were now fugitives from the Earth Sphere New Alliance, her followers made a formidable fleet, plus Une had lost a good number of her Specials and Preventers. Already they numbered thousands, and more were requesting entrance by the hour.

Suddenly the image of Trowa's face floated across her mind. He was, as he did so often, scowling. The old giant lock of brown hair (instead of his new blonde) shadowed his face, and she found herself feeling regrets. She loved her uncle— she'd never once denied their relation— and knew she probably wouldn't see him again for years, if ever again. Once the war was over, she might still be processed for disloyalty.

She leaned against Ben, who held her protectively like he'd been her sibling for all her life. "Everything's changing so fast," she said quietly.

"I know," he replied. "But something you learn, little sister, is that everything does. You can't stop change, but sometimes you can control where it's going. I think, under the circumstances, this was the right one. Maybe it wasn't the most logical, but it was definitely the best."

"The simplest explanation is usually the correct one," Mariemaia replied. "Why is it that this one seems so complicated that I'm not sure I would do it again, given the choice?"

"We all doubt ourselves from time to time. Think of all the people who just put their fates in your hands. We respect your ability to lead better than we respect our own. That is something surrendered from few people. The army forces it out of people, but every single man and woman here is a volunteer. I promised them not a dime, but here they are, putting every ounce of faith into your words of judgement."

"No money?" Mariemaia looked up at him. "They don't expect to earn any money for this?"

"None," Ben confirmed. "That's how we know they're loyal, honey."

A messenger named Steph approached them casually, so that there would be no suspicion of their true identities. "'Morning! I just got a message from Cam. We got some photos of aunt Annie's kids back home. You should look at them, they're really cute!"

Marie raised her eyebrows. The new code they'd discussed had apparently gotten around. An unaffiliated, unidentified informant had passed some important information to them. She grinned. "I'll have to look at them right now! Come on, Ben."

They exited the populated area and boarded the unmarked shuttle that had once been a personal pleasure cruiser, given to the rebels as a goodwill gift from a retired once-White Fang member. Cam immediately greeted them, face flushed.

"What's gone up?" Marie asked him.

He glanced around excitedly. "We're going to have to postpone applicants to our little organization for a while, Commander."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Back in Bangkok after Wufei had made sure the others were settling into their camp while the Peacecraft castle was being built, Phailin and Wufei walked down the sidewalk to the martial arts center where they both taught. Relena had planned to make the announcement about a reborn Sanc Kingdom later that month, but dates were so flimsy now that Heero— or Shukumei— was running things behind the curtain. Phailin couldn't tell whose idea was who's.

Wufei drifted over to the sidewalk market, and Phailin left him alone to browse. He inspected the farm-grown produce and herbs interestingly, remembering those that had been taught to him as a boy on L5. Wufei turned suddenly when he heard a sharp gasp and a cut-off yell, knocking over a vender's cart. A woman screamed and backed away.

Wufei leapt over a stand to get a clearer view, and saw his wife facedown on the ground as though she had been paralyzed. A man inspected her critically. His face was very familiar.

He was a Chang. He had lived in the same community as Wufei until Merian had died. "Chou Yun," Wufei gasped, distracting the ninja.

Chou Yun took one look at Wufei and forgot about his quarry. "If it isn't Wu Fei! Come for the same prize, old friend?"

Prize? Wufei looked down to Phailin.

Chouyun dusted off his hands and chuckled. "I saw that poster on the Yensu grounds and couldn't resist. I've been hearing things about Chang-hunters, but she's the first that lets her victims live."

Thinking fast, Wufei asked, "What's she up to these days?"

Chouyun's eyes sparkled and he leaned in close. "Five hundred thousand. Can you believe it, for this slip of a woman! I expected more of a fight!"

Wufei knelt down and pretended to inspect Phailin. He'd had no idea of the bounty on her head. "Who's paying? I never did find that out."

"Yensu. They want her for breaking the law though, not hurting Changs. They said she disguised herself as a man and dishonored many fighters."

Before Chouyun could figure out what Wufei had done, he jabbed at Phailin's abdomen to unfreeze her and she leapt up.

With a cry, Chouyun looked wildly to Wufei. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Thank you, Wu," Phailin said. "Someone wants my head on a platter, eh Chang?"

Chouyun drew a sword from his belt. "Traitor! How could you side with a woman who insults your own brothers?"

Wufei rolled his eyes and put his hand on the small of Phailin's back. "Let's get something straight, shall we? Anyone that touches my wife is as good as dead."

Chouyun's lip curled. "Always one to fall for a pretty face, you. Tell you what. Let's split the money seventy-thirty, huh? Sixty-forty?

Wufei retched. "Come on," he told Phailin, leading her away. The crowded Bangkok street engulfed the bounty hunter.

Phailin shook her head and rubbed her stomach. "Stupid of me, dropping my guard like that. I should know better."

"At least we know you've still got a price on your head," Wufei said grimly. "Looks like they aren't giving up easily."

Phailin laughed. "Men don't know when they've been beaten. Especially Changs!"

For once, Wufei didn't challenge her. After a moment of thought, he blurted, "Five hundred thousand! It was one offense!"

"Punishable by death. I've seen the posters. They only need forty percent of the corpse, face required."

Wufei shivered. "Doesn't it frighten you?"

"Nothing frightens me anymore except when you're in danger. Don't you know that?"

"You haven't been yourself lately," Wufei said.

"At least you were there to save my sorry ass," she replied easily, never embarrassed.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I might have a touch of a cold or something. I'll be okay. Just go easy on me today."

"That's the first time you've ever said that."

Phailin stopped him, stepped in front of him and put her finger to his lips. "Something's changing inside me, Wufei. I— I've been soft, and I have yet to recover fully."

Wufei enclosed her soft hand in his gently. "I know. I'm here for you."

"And I'm grateful for that," she said quietly, liquid eyes staring at him and making Wufei feel things he'd felt about very few women.

Wufei kissed her forehead and pushed open the door to the Martial Arts Center. "We'll make it out okay, in the end."

They were late because of the confrontation with Chou Yun and the entire teenage class made catcalls to them. Phailin tutted. "They'll never be masters at this rate."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Beliv crossed his hands behind his back and observed his officers. They stood in neat rows, backs parade-straight like good soldiers. Standing at his podium, he nodded. "You're dismissed to your machines!"

"Sir!" the collective acknowledgment echoed through the hangar even as the pilots scrambled to their mobile suits. An amphiter squad left first, followed by a drake squad and so on. Beliv watched behind the vacuum-sealed glass of the control room.

"Sir," Captain Ingriham's face appeared on the messaging monitor, "The bridge awaits you."

Beliv nodded. "I shall be right there."

The halls of the ship seemed eerily quiet because so many of the crewmembers were also pilots. Beliv, feeling a bit superstitious about the silent halls, felt a shiver run over his spine and hurried to a populated area of the battle cruiser. He stepped onto the bridge with a hurried pace, as if to escape the abandonment of the lower ship. Quickly, he regained his composure and assumed the Admiral's Chair. "Are we in formation, Captain?"

"Indeed, sir. The army of the Colony Alliance awaits your command."

Dorothy stalked up behind him and laid a hand on his decorated shoulder. She didn't say anything— wisely— but he could feel her trembling with excitement. Beliv settled back. "Begin the advancement."

Thousands of mobile suits rose out of the depths like giant demons of legend, scowling and growling and waving their weapons in amoral anticipation. Beliv loved the sight of excited soldiers. There was nothing more brutal and single-minded.

The colony came up swiftly to their bow, rising like an ill-formed moon in a sea of faint lights from its brothers. It was a smaller colony, a single factory where close-knit workers slaved away at incredible production rates. It was of minimal strategic importance, but it would be step in the intended direction. Beliv saw something in the viewscreen in the corner and pointed. "Captain, what was that streak?"

Ingraham made inquiries. "It was a supply shuttle heading for the colony, sir, carrying ores mined from the nearby asteroid."

"Did they see us?"

"Most likely. Would you like to give chase, sir?"

Dorothy clutched his shoulder in excitement, but Beliv shook his head. "Give the colonists time to feel panic. Send one squad ahead of them to jam communications."

"Yes, sir," Ingraham's tone implied he did not approve of letting the shuttle go.

Let him be uncomfortable, Beliv thought. This is my ship and my crew. I'm the politician, not him.

Ingraham bit his tongue and turned back to the officers. With all due respect, you should have stayed a senator, sir.

"Give the colonies time to feel fear," Beliv muttered. "Then, we'll have them."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Master Quatre!" Rashid waved urgently from the opposite end of the throng of people. They almost instinctively gave the man room to get through. He was dragging with him a young man, maybe eighteen at the oldest.

He was dressed in the uniform of a mine-shipper, and his sandy-blonde hair was ruffled and sweat-slick. Quatre seized his shoulders gently. "What's happened?"

Rashid opened his mouth to explain but the boy beat him to it. "A fleet of mobile suits is headed this way with two great big warships! I saw them with my own eyes! I flew past in my ship and barely escaped with my life, I swear."

People in the crowd started to mutter. Quatre quickly tried to calm them. So Une was right. "Good people of the colony, please try and keep order here. I will look into this directly. Please await my word."

"It's true," Rashid confirmed. "We're reading a very large invasion fleet from the direction of Cluster L-7. Beliv's on the move and it looks like he's aiming for this colony. We have to get out of here, Master Quatre."

Quatre held up a hand. "Let's not make hasty decisions. Do you know any details?"

"Just numbers. It's Beliv's fleet."

Quatre nodded. But then, he'd known that. He turned on his mic and stepped back into the crowd. "If I can have everyone— quickly and calmly— find shelter, a place that can be sealed air-tight. All intact buildings should have this function. The Colony Alliance fleet is headed this way. I'm heading out to initiate talks with the commander. My men have already contacted Earth and backup should arrive shortly. Thank you for listening."

The noise resumed, but it was much more quiet. Quatre could hear fear in their voices. They hurried away from the square as soon as he was out of sight.

Quatre took the messenger with him. "You'll be safest if you stay with me and the Maganacs," he said.

The shuttle ride was swift and smooth, until they were intercepted by the outer-ring of mobile suits.

Beliv then made visual contact. "If it isn't the famous Quatre Winner," he said sarcastically. "What brings such a person to my colony?

"The colony L2X-39572 is not owned by Erik Beliv. It is, however, owned by the Hoshikuzu Mining Corps," Quatre said, undaunted. "What business do you have in this sector? You are, of course, aware you are at war with this territory."

"I've come to conquer, Captain. I've come to seek revenge until the man who stole my ship's computer gives it back."

Quatre felt his blood run cold. Beliv had known all along that Vincent had taken the ship's files. Furthermore, he seemed to have a pretty good bet they hadn't decoded them yet. "And what man would that be?"

"Don't play stupid, Winner. You know very well who I'm talking about— I saw him sitting at that meeting."

"There were hundreds of people at that meeting," Quatre continued to give misleading answers. It frustrated the ill-tempered warlord.

"Enough chit-chat," Beliv snarled. "I'm starting this battle whether you like it or not!"

Quatre cut the connection and looked at Rashid. "Well?"

Rashid nodded.

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Mariemaia leaned forward against the rail of the bridge and clenched it, her fingernails biting into their respective palms, as if self-torture would spur the ship's engines to move faster.

"I'm still uneasy about this anonymous informer. He seemed very cozy with this whole business," Ben complained, as anxious as she was. Long-range sensors indicated that there was indeed a battle going on, not far from the colony itself. No doubt shock waves were hitting the defenseless factory and wreaking havoc. "I don't think we can trust the guy— what'd he call himself?"

"'Shinobi,'" Marie responded. "It means 'spy' in Japanese— Heero taught me some when I helped him fine-tune Zero." I think he might have some connection with him— it sounded like he had an accent from that voice recording.

"You're the only one that understands it, then."

"Which is why I suspect it's someone I know. Only they would know I spoke it." Mariemaia looked back out the front viewport. The battle was drawing ever closer. "It's time, Ben, better get to your station."

After a long and somewhat resentful argument, Mariemaia had decided not to title herself any higher than her comrades. She had established a system of almost-anarchy— everybody was to do as they pleased as long as they didn't threaten the organization's well being. Marie was still considered their leader, of course, but she refused to give herself a title. They were to call her what she pleased. She disliked ranks, despite being in the military. Besides, this was barely military. There were plenty of civilian pilots in their ranks, and there seemed to be little to no resentment about that. She still insisted to take active action in battles.

Marie left the bridge crew to their own and ran to the hangar herself. Dennis grabbed her before she could get to her kirin, though. The boy, dressed in a maintenance crew outfit, led her aside. "I want to talk to you," he whispered, pulling her into a private-repairs director's bubble.

"Make it quick," she told him. "We're almost within battle range and I have to go fight."

Dennis averted his eyes in the dark room. The singular light shone out and bounced faintly over the metal in the gigantic repair-chamber and its mobile suit occupant. She couldn't quite distinguish the build of the suit. "Things are serious out there. I know you are aware of the danger we're putting ourselves in, and I'm sure you believe in why we're doing this— or else you would have never agreed to this whole affair. If all that history taught me anything, I learned that not only do we enhance ourselves by being with others we love and respect and put our faith in, but we also leave ourselves open to be wounded by those same people if they betray us. It happens to everyone, and it's so difficult to forgive. You've got friends out there, Marie. More than any of us realized until we got some donations and messages those days ago."

Dennis leaned against the panel in the room— seemingly nonchalantly— and the inactive panel sprang to life. Mariemaia winced back as light flooded both the control room and the repair bay. A flash of green and black caught the corner of her eye and she turned to see where the strange colors had come from. She gaped.

It was a gundam, but built much more in a modern mobile suit design except larger. The armor had an oily sheen to it, much like that of the newer mobile suits, which was considered even tougher than gundanium. It had a feminine shape to it, rather than the more masculine sculpt of Wing Zero and Heavyarms and the others, the main accountability for that falling in its much more slender design. In its hand was grasped a large circular boomerang, and great black feathered wings brushed across its back. It looked like a statue rather than a machine.

"Fortuna," Dennis said. We received it with a shipload of donated equipment, addressed for your use. We just finished building it, since it was in thousands of pieces. The engineers have been working feverishly to make it ready for the battle, and we just made it. We don't know who sent it, but we know it's superior to anything out there."

"Fortuna," Marie repeated, captivated. "She's beautiful."

"Hurry up and get aboard," Dennis advised. "I can hear the alert alarms."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

The force that Une had sent to back the colony up was skeleton, to be polite. Quatre reflected bitterly on how little Une had faith in her own hunches. He'd heard the news about the desertions, but that was no excuse for not backing up your own people. He could see the colonies demoralized already. He had to be careful with Sandrock, since his armor was as good as outmatched by the lighter suits. Luckily, his powerful sickles made up for his loss of protection.

Deathscythe stayed close by, since he knew they both were at a disadvantage. Duo had been grumbling for some time about how he'd been summoned away from his wife, son and newly-acquainted father-in-law until he was reminded that he wasn't the only one who felt alone. Duo had seemed least opposed to Quatre and Trowa's relationship, which made Quatre infuriated that he'd forget about how much it meant.

Quatre worked his frustrations out in battle, knowing it was the sad truth that it helped him. He clashed with a drake, dueling with two blades left him with a decided victory. The suit's midsection, through the cockpit, was the most vulnerable spot, and Quatre slashed across with his left sickle while the pilot tried to block the downward stroke from his right.

Absently, he wondered how the people of the colonies were doing.

"QUATRE!" Duo's high-pitched, excited voice came through his equipment rather strongly. "What the HELL is that?"

Quatre glanced at his instruments and just missed a flash. "I missed it! What was it Duo?"

"I don't know!" The braided pilot sounded very frustrated. "It went by so fast I didn't even have a chance! That's no damn gundam I've ever seen!"

Quatre swivelled to try and catch a glance of the thing— whatever it was— and realized they were in the middle of a ring of fire. The atmosphere from the exploding drakes in their immediate neighborhood was quickly consumed, leaving a patch eery silence in the midst of the battlefield. He got a feeling deep in his spine, like he'd felt when he'd discovered Relena floating amongst the rubble of Beliv's fleet.

In the distance, he saw a flash of strangely feather-like material. "It's that demon again," he muttered.

"A demon? No offense, buddy, but only kids believe in that stuff!" Duo started back towards the fighting, which was slowly spreading into a wider and wider globe.

"It was there when we found Relena, too," Quatre persisted. "This is some kind of sign, Duo. Trust me."

Quatre, too headed back into the fray, looking to catch a glimpse of the creature that was so obviously invulnerable.

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Mariemaia found herself breathing hard with exhilaration. The controls of the masterpiece gundam responded to her lightest touch, almost as if it knew what she intended. The last few minutes had gone by in a flash of fire, leaving her disoriented but very much alive with excitement.

She'd gotten into the gundam apprehensively, not quite trusting that it wasn't a trap. A hand panel she'd never seen the likes of before identified her palm print when she'd touched it accidently and a message had sprung up on the screen. It was the voice of Shinobi, who had given her the message of Beliv's fleet only days before. It was in Japanese, like the others, with the same distinct accenting (much like her own).

"Mariemaia Khushrenada, we are glad you've decided to accept the magnificent gift we've offered to you. As a token of our admiration for you, please use this gundam Fortuna to fight in the battles you will face in the future. She has donated her assistance willingly to your cause and will serve you loyally as long as you wish. Good day, and arigatou."

It had been frightening to try and comprehend everything Shinobi had said, and frustrating that she could not figure out who he was.

The walls of the cockpit seemed to pulsate in the deep space. They were warm to the touch, like flesh, not stressed metal. The motors in the suit made noises to which it seemed as if the machine was breathing and alive. Well, its brain was certainly alive, for sure. Messages appeared freely inside her mind from the gundam, like thoughts and speculations. She experienced these to an extreme of what she'd always felt with Heavyarms.

Fortuna waited with eternal patience for Mariemaia to recover, as if she knew he pilot would not function well if she had to concentrate on getting her bearings. Mariemaia reclaimed her breath and grasped the controls again. Fortuna spread her wings and flapped them for show.

The speed, the precision was incredible. Mariemaia had no idea she'd been capable of this type of action, especially considering how inexperienced a pilot she was. She felt like she was the suit itself, and she suddenly understood exactly what Heero had meant by "being one with the gundams." The boomerang was on her arm. The boosters were on her back. She was flapping those feathered wings.

Other pilots looked around in confusion as their targets disappeared in explosions right under their noses. Fortuna was not one to waste time trying to fight. It was kill and kill again.

In the distance, Treize watched, feeling pride fill his luminescent form. Like her father, Mariemaia was seeing the beauty of the battlefield, freed from politics, if that was what it took. She was turning out to be a great woman indeed.

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Don't tell me you knew that those renegades would come to help us!" Quatre gaped at Rashid, amazed at the man.

Rashid crossed his thick arms and nodded, the attention now of the entire Manganac Corps. "I was passed a piece of information that she and her band of rebels were moving into the area. That's why I said go-ahead to the battle instead of letting Beliv take over, per your instructions, Master Quatre."

"Who told you?" Although Quatre was a much smaller man, he demanded respect from even Rashid. Distantly, his brain registered how he had changed in almost twelve years.

"A man who identified himself only as Shinobi. She helped us win the battle, didn't she?"

Quatre rubbed his forehead. "That wasn't the point. Trowa's grief-stricken over her and here she is putting herself in danger!"

"She is eighteen, Quatre," Duo said. "She has the right to decide her own destiny. Come on, you did the exact same thing when you were even younger than she is. All of us did, and we turned out all right. You tell Trowa she'll be okay, especially if that angel of warriors is still out with those guys. Man, I've never seen so many individual kills!"

"Did we ever figure out who was piloting and what it was?" Quatre asked, successfully driven off the original subject.

Duo shook his head. "Reportedly it's a mobile suit, but my sensors weren't registering it as machinery. It wasn't a living organism, technically, but it was damn well close. It's like letting our gundams' brains grow their own metal bodies, the closest I can judge. That thing was incredibly fast."

"I get a weird feeling about it," Quatre said. "No living being could handle the stresses of that suit. There must be a special kind of equalizer built in. That's intriguing. I wonder who could build a suit like that . . ."

Duo smiled and put his arm around the blonde's shoulders. "I think we should discuss this at further length later," he said pointedly. There were nearly a hundred people in the room, all hanging on Quatre's every word.

Quatre laughed, good-natured, and teased his colleagues. The tension of the battle was over, and Beliv's fleet had been demoralized. The people outside and all over the colonies were celebrating. He might as well do the same. He'd fought bravely.

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Late in the night, Relena lay in her husband's arms in the new, elaborate bedroom that had finally been completed. The living quarters had been the first part reconstructed, as per her request. The mattress was so much more comfortable than the cramped cots they'd used while the stones were being re-mortared. The night was surprisingly chilly for June, and she snuggled close to Heero in an attempt to keep warm. He welcomed the friendliness, still quite carefree.

They didn't talk, having wasted breath on everything that needed to be said. They'd gotten word a few hours ago of Mariemaia's appearance and the victorious battle. Heero had seemed quite pleased with himself, but what of she could only speculate. Well, she had obvious reasons now, but before was the objective of the previous idea. Everything was going well, to put it simply. There were, of course, the minor details, but those were trifles.

Heero's breathing soon indicated he'd fallen asleep (arm still around her comfortingly). She carefully disentangled herself and put her nightgown back on. She couldn't sleep for one reason or another.

She wandered the stone hallway, walking the wine-red carpet in bare feet as she had as a very small child. Reproductions of paintings and art had already begun to spring from the walls and pedestals like midsummer flowers.

"Hello?" The deep, husky voice morphed into that of a young sweet boy as Milliardo looked around curiously. "Oh, it's you Relena! I thought it was another bomb-planter!"

Relena smiled at his half-asleep attempt at a joke. "You couldn't sleep either?"

Milliardo sighed. "There are so many memories here, in these rooms. How did you capture them so exactly when you were only a baby? It's like father's still alive in this place."

"I wanted it that way," was the reply. Relena hugged her brother. "If we feel as if he's still watching over us, I think we'll stay pointed towards our destination more often. You know how easily things get turned around."

A strand of long blonde hair fell across her face as it slipped off her brother's shoulder. "Father's with us wherever we go. We carry him inside us."

Relena squeezed his hand. "I know, but I forget unless I'm reminded now and again."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

I wish I could forget that he promised he'd be watching, thought Mariemaia as she lay on her bed onboard the Gradate. I wish he'd just go away.

She couldn't sleep; not so soon after the battle had sent blood rushing through her veins. Finally, she got up, got dressed and went down to the bar. Some of them were still celebrating their victory, with the express intention of fuzzing things, but she needed a drink to clear her head. She knew her father had been at the battlefield, watching anxiously. She had sensed his presence quite clearly, he conveying a sense of pride. What the hell does he want me to understand? she asked silently.

"Hey, little-miss commander." Cam shot her a panorama grin and sat down beside her. Come down to let loose a little?"

She sighed. "It's not really your business."

Cam whistled and slapped the counter. "Barkeep, how about something for the lady?" He already had a beer.

Mariemaia took a lemonade-and-rum, letting the sour taste override her sour thoughts. Little by little, Cam succeeded in prying her lips open for a conversation. The more they talked, the more she actually found herself wanting to talk. Cam seemed a little childish at first glance, but he seemed actually to be a pretty sensitive guy. Marie had never really bothered with many friends in school, though she'd had a few. She'd been one of the quiet, smart ones.

"I'd always been kind of a loner, and I liked it just fine," she admitted. "I could never kick the habit of being highly selective, I guess. What always bothered me was the prejudice people had. A lot of people avoided me because they were afraid I'd kill them or something. They didn't realize I wasn't out for my father's vengeance any more."

Cam took a swallow. "That's too bad, although I've got to say you do have a lot of similarities with him."

The comment stung. Mariemaia had already told him once to shut up about her father, but that had somehow only felt worse. She winced and let it go. She took a drink herself and decided that it wouldn't hurt to ask him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Well, you're both documented as extremely gifted pilots, and had major connections all your life. You both grew up surrounded by politics and function just as well as aristocrats. You're both leaders equally admired and despised. I admit that with you it's a little unfair to judge you by your father, but you do remind many people of him."

Mariemaia scowled, although she knew it was the truth.

Cam continued, "And from what I see, you have similar political views, too."

She blanched. "Excuse me? Similar political views? My father was a tyrant! He was an evil, heartless man with ambition to destroy human morality!"

"Really?" Cam gave her a somewhat disbelieving look. "Did you ever actually meet him?"

Relena's breath stuck in her chest. He did have a point, although she didn't necessarily agree. "No," she admitted. "But the material my grandfather glorifying him was false. I blame him for actions that caused the torture I went through as a child. He ruined my chance for a normal life."

Cam set down his empty bottle and looked into her eyes. His hazel ones startled her, and she started to have doubts. They spoke of something painful.

"I sympathize with you," he said quietly, "but although I don't particularly agree with all the things your father did to manipulate the system, I admire him. I would have never had the courage to do some of the things that I know were necessary in the situation. I would have taken the coward's way out— the route that almost everybody takes at some point in their lives. You're like your father because you stand by your decisions, no matter whom else sees them as wrong. Treize Khushrenada— yes, I'm going to say his name— was a brilliant and largely misunderstood man. I intend to make sure his own daughter knows who he really was."

***************************************************

As the tension between Beliv, The Earth Sphere New United Nations and Mariemaia's organization continues to heat up, another can of gasoline is thrown on the fire: the Sanc Kingdom is back! What does this mean for its old friends? What kind of new enemies will it bring? Wufei is put to call by Trowa, who has a very special assignment. With a price on Phailin's head uncomfortably rising with each passing day, Wufei has a difficult decision to make. Watch out for AC 207: The Hands of Fate: "The Mask of Flames."