(Sorry about the format. I'll convert this back to .htm as soon as I get away from this really crappy version of Word.)
Hey you guys, how is everyone (heh heh . . . )? God, this chair is uncomfortable - it's too tall and I don't exactly have long legs. They keyboard is a different design that I'm used to so I'm making lots of typos, the computer is slow and its version of Word is outdated . . .
Anyway, here's the Chapter 15 for AC 207 that I promised, like, months ago. I just haven't had time to go through and look at all my chapters in sequence without having to look for a piece of information or strictly for editing (I'm never going to get AC 206 reedited at this rate . . .). Now I have to go hunt down all the little subtle nuances that I stuck in there . . .
Enjoy.
**************************************************
CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE; THE HANDS OF FATE
Right off the bat, the snow is an allusion to peace: it looks so serene when he world is in turmoil. Next, Mariemaia taking the responsibility to call the others with the news says that she's ready to take on her own position with the military (or whatever), but she begs she's not ready. What I tried to show there was that she was nervous about fighting a war that claimed the memory of her father. It became evident later that she wasn't anywhere at ease with him. Duo, Sophie, Heero and Relena have gone into the city in the middle of the night . . . makes things a bit suspicious, right? Milliardo choosing to cuddle Akiko instead of Noin betrays a little bit of a gentile nature and a disposition towards children.
The scene with Beliv and his officers if pretty straightforward. His evilness is a little more evident in his thoughts, and his new mobile suits seemed too advanced . . . as if they were their own match for a gundam. Later, it seems that the new Earth Sphere mobile suits have advanced too, and it makes one wonder if the gundams are oudated.
CHAPTER 2: "New Arrivals, New Ideas"
When Quatre arrives in the colony, he and Rashid had an argument. Quatrre was no longer trying to promote peace. Instead, he was urging others to fight. Then back on Earth, Heero and Duo were acting like Heero and Duo predictably would act under given circumstances, except Relena was getting a little upset with her husband because he wasn't excited. Heero's mood's been a little off almost the entire fic, as if he's worried about something. However, when the baby's born and Milliardo names her Raina, meaning "Peace," Heero begins to revert back to his old self as if the children will help bring an end to the war. Also, I named Vincent what I did because 1. I like that name and 2. It means "great warrior." Vince will need all the strength he can when it comes time to escape Beliv and live through the traumatizing ordeal.
It was raining in London, but Trowa's wet clothes represented the downcast expression of everyone on Earth. It was a bit ominous to our first meeting with he notorious Dennis. Mariemaia's failure to rescue him was due in part to her reluctance to speak about her father, if you read between the lines.
CHAPTER 3: "Delirium and Grievances"
Once again, Heero's uncertainty shows itself in the form of tears . . . tears even his own wife had never seen him shed. Heero is frightened for his family, about how the war will tear it apart. As it turns out, he's absolutely right despite his attempts to control the future as Shukumei.
Even Phailin and Wufei are scared - with no particular reason - which says a lot about what the war really means. In one sentence I reveal that Phailin is pregnant, but because Wufei doesn't give a straight answer when she asks if he wants a son, you might begin to think that tradition has even less to do with Wufei than he's willing to admit.
The big private conference is again held at Heero's house. It's a large house, so it makes sense because there are so many people, but there is also something else. Heero has always been the one they all looked up to, and Heero has to continue to provide that strength even if he doesn't want to, or the whole system might shatter. Heero's fit is only for show, to draw attention to his little corner and spur curiosity in his idea. He has to have everyone unconditionally on his side for the plan to work. Marie's sharp and notices, but soon has her own ideas about applying her father's name.
Lastly, we get our first glimpse of the ghost. Notice he appears soon after Beliv took his name in vain? My intention was originally for him to be Marie's watchdog, though apparently she's allergic to dogs . . .
CHAPTER 4: "Outbreak"
It becomes clear that Heero's plan involved sending his wife to be captured by Beliv. Relena had a chance to act our her hatred for the man, but as still raped and tortured. Heero knew full well the consequences and discouraged his wife, but once Relena decided she'd do it there was no turning back. Beliv keeps talking about Milliardo's ghost, since few people still know he's alive. Heero also butts into Lady Une's business, to manipulate military orders ever so slightly so Relena wouldn't get in trouble, and maybe to hide something else (I think you can come to your own conclusion on that. There's more than one).
You also meet Ben in this chapter. First impressions leave you feeling he's energetic and happy-go-lucky, but as time wears down that facade you find out he's very serious and perhaps a bit overprotective. It proves needed, since Marie goes a little crazy with her first battle. I wanted to do this to show that she really is fragile, and also that she wasn't the always in-control pilot that her father always commandeered himself to be or the brat-child she once was.
Last, Sandrock and Shenlong are acting very strange, foreboding to the artificially intelligent biological brains. At this point it seems that humans have done this.
CHAPTER 5: "Awakening"
As is revealed later (I think actually in AC208, oh well), Treize (the ghost) knows a lot more about the gundams than anyone else thought. Treize, then, would want to keep Quatre's discovery about [see above] relatively secret, as is clearly evident later. I also designed the ghost to have a few Terryisms (read Terry Pratchett books, you'll understand), to add a bit of humor. Marie meets him, but at this point you might not know who he is, but her father's ghost watching her was the last straw. What little affection she may have felt for him evaporated.
Her Kirin started talking to her like the gundams, but supposedly they're only mobile suits . . .
But when Phailin gets online with the other gundams, the gundam gives a machine's explanation of Marie's behavior. The kirin doesn't really understand (as neither Sandrock nor Shenlong did) , whereas Fortuna did later on. Something about their minds just isn't up to it. However, they do have enough brains to not cooperate with their pilots if they don't want to (except Tallgeese, to compensate for his natural disobedience and arrogance). Everything else in that chapter is pretty straightforward.
CHAPTER 6: "Floating Amongst"
This chapter's not hard to understand at all. People asked me for action, so I gave action. Fooled you for a while, didn't I. Oh yes I did, don't give me that look.
CHAPTER 7: "The Finer Points of Living"
I'm going to say one thing: the ghost (duh) has a motive to keep everybody alive. He knows the consequences should one of the good guys die. The ghost does have a lighter side, offering a little reprieve from this dark angst-y mood. You first get to see Cam, with a little crushy-wushy on Marie . . . (yeah I know that Kirin and Karakadann joke was lame. It was like 2 in the morning). Poor Phailin and Wu . . . they lost the baby. There's a reason for this, but it won't make much since until later in AC 208. As always, the only way to give a Chang bad news is to get him massively drunk.
CHAPTER 8: "Goodbye, Cruel World"
Poor Dennis . . . I kind of modeled him after someone I knew. She didn't survive, though. Fortunately, he had Marie on his side, and her father following at her heels. I had alternate endings, depending on how the vote that I took went, and "live" only won by one point.
CHAPTER 9: "Choices"
"Dad?" so begins this chapter. I named this chapter "Choices" for many different reasons, but partially because Sophie decided to accept her father - a bitter reminder of her regrettable past - back into the life that she's forged for herself and her husband and son. Another issue that comes up is the civil war thing - and how tightly stretched funds would be divided. Civil disturbances have been narrowly avoided, but only at the expense of a clean way to cool down the war. Had Dennis died, Mariemaia would have had difficulty keeping the war relatively clean and many of the colonies would have been damaged and destroyed. Nor would the highly idealistic Phantom Runners had been formed and the war would have been much more horrible. And why Dorothy? She always seems to turn up where the worst of the war is, doesn't she? She'll have a bit of a part later. Those photos were given to Beliv, with the intention for him to do exactly what he did. The secret revealed had a complex and ultimately positive effect on the public. Often voted the most inspirational celebrities of their age, the fruitful, happy union of Heero and Relena gave people hope.
CHAPTER 10: "Power Conquest"
The reasons why the Peacecraft Kingdom returned are complex and I don't think I can name them all. Mainly, Relena and Milliardo thought that the public would find inspiration in the Sanc Kingdom. Also, they hoped to influence politics and add funds to the depleted resources of the world's government. Milliardo, also known as the spy (Shinobi), wanted a secure place to keep his information, and keep his own sorry ass safe. It was really Heero's idea, though he knew the country wouldn't last. Marie forms her own group of fighters - a freelance community with a strong faith in their leader. Slowly, Marie realizes that no one really remembers who she used to be - forgiven as mistakes that every child makes. The warriors intrude on a battle that would have surely been lost without their help. The new gundam Fortuna was the real victor, faster, better and completely at advantage to any mobile suit. Heero had sent the gundam to her through Milliardo, but at this point no one knows why or where the thing had come from. She seemed alive at first impression, and you'll have to read further to find an explanation for that. She was the creature that rescued Relena from deep space (at Zero's summoning) but who was piloing? Quatre called it a demon before he knew what it was, and Duo said "Only kids believe in that stuff." A bit of irony, coming from Shinigami. In the aftermath, Marie gets a lecture from Cam about her father when she's trying to relax!
Back in Bangkok, headhunters are out for Phailin. With strict security lifted in times of crisis, the bounty hunters are free to search for her. Because of her name, she is no longer quite so hard to find.
And what is Milliardo doing running around in the middle of the night? Sounds a bit of suspicious to me, Shinobi . . .
CHAPTER 11: "The Mask of Flames"
Hmm . . . Trowa's plotting something involving Wufei, methinks. The bar scene was kind of random, but it has some meaning. I never intended for Quatre and Trowa to stay together long, because despite everything Trowa still wants another little Mariemaia of his own running around. (Why else would he have adopted her in the first place?) But Trowa's hunch to send Wu out into space may prove very successful and needed. As is seen in AC 208, he's needed.
Heero recued his computer from the fire in the castle because it contained all he knew about the conspiracy surrounding the gundams. Naturally, Zechs would have thought Heero would have given him that information to pass around, and that was something best kept a complete secret. It was Milliardo trying to hack into his computer. You'll get to read about it in AC 208. Milliardo was unaware of the fact, else he would have warned the man.
Duo needed something to occupy his time anyway, so why not set him to help
decode the lists. They didn't really turn out to be much at first, but they will prove invaluable near the end of my third book.
CHAPTER 12: "The Message"
Yeah, aliens. Sorry (well not really). This message was a little premature, but I had to establish the mood then. Une lets on a bit more than she intended, but she was very close to Treize, and Treize had a bit to do with them (which will be explained in the last book in more detail). Duo's first impression is correct in that Fortuna (the untraceable energy signature) isn't human-built. I won't tell you exactly what it was, because that would spoil things.
This is an understatement, but Relena was a little hurt by the betrayal of those she loved so much. It was necessary to keep her in the dark, though, because she would have spoiled things. It's a good thing her faith isn't easily shaken, huh?
CHAPTER 13: "The Consequences of Repetition"
Milliardo takes over the kingdom. There are many reasons for this, mostly because he didn't want his sister to bear the strain and the danger any more. Relena had her own things to attend to, especially after the kidnapping in the following chapter. Milliardo also believed that his strong manly figure might have more influence in times when military power were important. A reborn Peacecraft, like with the constant name-switching going on, would give people hope.
Duo meets Death, as I promised several of my friends. This is Death from Discworld (Terry Pratchett), and he gets a little overprotective of his job and how people misinterpret it. The opportunity was too good to pass up. (The Death of Rats is also a real character, too) Treize has a bit of a soft spot for the pilots, one would guess.
Also, note that Fortuna is healing herself, another illusion of a living gundam. She speaks more philosophically than any of the others, too.
CHAPTER 14: "Snow Drifts Slowly Down upon Decimated Souls"
Ahh, a Christmas Party. Classic Gundam Wing material, man. Heero, internally
sensitive as I believe Relena made him when they first met proposes a toast to everyone, to up morale and to express thanks to all his friends who kept him and each other going. It's unclear throughout most of the fic how much Heero really depends on their support, but subtle or not, I wrote it that way on purpose. No one can be strong without the occasional support.
That goes for Mariemaia, too. Cam's open and friendly personality allowed her to let go for a while and become the person she was without fear, because publicity makes her very anxious. It was probably evident to everyone except Marie that he had a huuuuuge crush on her for most of the book, and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her when she was so alone and closed in on herself. Although she regretted it at the end of the chapter, he support slowly becomes her main source of support. You might ask why he felt so close to her so quickly, but remember they've been together with the fleet for a good six months or so, and it kind of goes back to what Mercedes Lackey calls a lifebond: an instant attraction to a person that can't be shaken - and is completely devastating upon one partner's death. This will meet further explanation later, in AC 208. Marie shares a different kind of lifebond with Fortuna, also, which proves another great comfort when she runs from the guilt and confusions of a night of retreat from solace.
Vincent the elder turns out to have a background similar to Heero's and the other gundam pilot's. This will come into play later, as well.
Beliv has rather obvious motives for kidnapping the kids: blackmail and just plain being evil. Operation Santa Claus is an unfortunate success, and I leave the entire book with a cliffhanger about what's happened to the kids. Read on . . . .
*************************************************
I'd like to thank every one of my fans out there. I know you don't get a lot of acknowledgement, but your support has really kept my spirits up. I hope you continue to follow this story, as I've dedicated a good portion of my life to it. As always, suggestions are always welcome, and I would love to make friends with people out there. I'm also looking for some fanfiction for my website, so if you'd like me to put it on send me a note at ItsumademoRelena@aol.com.
It's strange, the people you meet. I've met people in six different countries (the U.S., Brazil, the Netherlands, Italy, Singapore and Japan) over the internet, and it's just simply amazing to me. Keep writing and reading, guys. There's a whole world out there to explore, and it'd be a shame to waste it!
Arigatou
-Itsumo
Hey you guys, how is everyone (heh heh . . . )? God, this chair is uncomfortable - it's too tall and I don't exactly have long legs. They keyboard is a different design that I'm used to so I'm making lots of typos, the computer is slow and its version of Word is outdated . . .
Anyway, here's the Chapter 15 for AC 207 that I promised, like, months ago. I just haven't had time to go through and look at all my chapters in sequence without having to look for a piece of information or strictly for editing (I'm never going to get AC 206 reedited at this rate . . .). Now I have to go hunt down all the little subtle nuances that I stuck in there . . .
Enjoy.
**************************************************
CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE; THE HANDS OF FATE
Right off the bat, the snow is an allusion to peace: it looks so serene when he world is in turmoil. Next, Mariemaia taking the responsibility to call the others with the news says that she's ready to take on her own position with the military (or whatever), but she begs she's not ready. What I tried to show there was that she was nervous about fighting a war that claimed the memory of her father. It became evident later that she wasn't anywhere at ease with him. Duo, Sophie, Heero and Relena have gone into the city in the middle of the night . . . makes things a bit suspicious, right? Milliardo choosing to cuddle Akiko instead of Noin betrays a little bit of a gentile nature and a disposition towards children.
The scene with Beliv and his officers if pretty straightforward. His evilness is a little more evident in his thoughts, and his new mobile suits seemed too advanced . . . as if they were their own match for a gundam. Later, it seems that the new Earth Sphere mobile suits have advanced too, and it makes one wonder if the gundams are oudated.
CHAPTER 2: "New Arrivals, New Ideas"
When Quatre arrives in the colony, he and Rashid had an argument. Quatrre was no longer trying to promote peace. Instead, he was urging others to fight. Then back on Earth, Heero and Duo were acting like Heero and Duo predictably would act under given circumstances, except Relena was getting a little upset with her husband because he wasn't excited. Heero's mood's been a little off almost the entire fic, as if he's worried about something. However, when the baby's born and Milliardo names her Raina, meaning "Peace," Heero begins to revert back to his old self as if the children will help bring an end to the war. Also, I named Vincent what I did because 1. I like that name and 2. It means "great warrior." Vince will need all the strength he can when it comes time to escape Beliv and live through the traumatizing ordeal.
It was raining in London, but Trowa's wet clothes represented the downcast expression of everyone on Earth. It was a bit ominous to our first meeting with he notorious Dennis. Mariemaia's failure to rescue him was due in part to her reluctance to speak about her father, if you read between the lines.
CHAPTER 3: "Delirium and Grievances"
Once again, Heero's uncertainty shows itself in the form of tears . . . tears even his own wife had never seen him shed. Heero is frightened for his family, about how the war will tear it apart. As it turns out, he's absolutely right despite his attempts to control the future as Shukumei.
Even Phailin and Wufei are scared - with no particular reason - which says a lot about what the war really means. In one sentence I reveal that Phailin is pregnant, but because Wufei doesn't give a straight answer when she asks if he wants a son, you might begin to think that tradition has even less to do with Wufei than he's willing to admit.
The big private conference is again held at Heero's house. It's a large house, so it makes sense because there are so many people, but there is also something else. Heero has always been the one they all looked up to, and Heero has to continue to provide that strength even if he doesn't want to, or the whole system might shatter. Heero's fit is only for show, to draw attention to his little corner and spur curiosity in his idea. He has to have everyone unconditionally on his side for the plan to work. Marie's sharp and notices, but soon has her own ideas about applying her father's name.
Lastly, we get our first glimpse of the ghost. Notice he appears soon after Beliv took his name in vain? My intention was originally for him to be Marie's watchdog, though apparently she's allergic to dogs . . .
CHAPTER 4: "Outbreak"
It becomes clear that Heero's plan involved sending his wife to be captured by Beliv. Relena had a chance to act our her hatred for the man, but as still raped and tortured. Heero knew full well the consequences and discouraged his wife, but once Relena decided she'd do it there was no turning back. Beliv keeps talking about Milliardo's ghost, since few people still know he's alive. Heero also butts into Lady Une's business, to manipulate military orders ever so slightly so Relena wouldn't get in trouble, and maybe to hide something else (I think you can come to your own conclusion on that. There's more than one).
You also meet Ben in this chapter. First impressions leave you feeling he's energetic and happy-go-lucky, but as time wears down that facade you find out he's very serious and perhaps a bit overprotective. It proves needed, since Marie goes a little crazy with her first battle. I wanted to do this to show that she really is fragile, and also that she wasn't the always in-control pilot that her father always commandeered himself to be or the brat-child she once was.
Last, Sandrock and Shenlong are acting very strange, foreboding to the artificially intelligent biological brains. At this point it seems that humans have done this.
CHAPTER 5: "Awakening"
As is revealed later (I think actually in AC208, oh well), Treize (the ghost) knows a lot more about the gundams than anyone else thought. Treize, then, would want to keep Quatre's discovery about [see above] relatively secret, as is clearly evident later. I also designed the ghost to have a few Terryisms (read Terry Pratchett books, you'll understand), to add a bit of humor. Marie meets him, but at this point you might not know who he is, but her father's ghost watching her was the last straw. What little affection she may have felt for him evaporated.
Her Kirin started talking to her like the gundams, but supposedly they're only mobile suits . . .
But when Phailin gets online with the other gundams, the gundam gives a machine's explanation of Marie's behavior. The kirin doesn't really understand (as neither Sandrock nor Shenlong did) , whereas Fortuna did later on. Something about their minds just isn't up to it. However, they do have enough brains to not cooperate with their pilots if they don't want to (except Tallgeese, to compensate for his natural disobedience and arrogance). Everything else in that chapter is pretty straightforward.
CHAPTER 6: "Floating Amongst"
This chapter's not hard to understand at all. People asked me for action, so I gave action. Fooled you for a while, didn't I. Oh yes I did, don't give me that look.
CHAPTER 7: "The Finer Points of Living"
I'm going to say one thing: the ghost (duh) has a motive to keep everybody alive. He knows the consequences should one of the good guys die. The ghost does have a lighter side, offering a little reprieve from this dark angst-y mood. You first get to see Cam, with a little crushy-wushy on Marie . . . (yeah I know that Kirin and Karakadann joke was lame. It was like 2 in the morning). Poor Phailin and Wu . . . they lost the baby. There's a reason for this, but it won't make much since until later in AC 208. As always, the only way to give a Chang bad news is to get him massively drunk.
CHAPTER 8: "Goodbye, Cruel World"
Poor Dennis . . . I kind of modeled him after someone I knew. She didn't survive, though. Fortunately, he had Marie on his side, and her father following at her heels. I had alternate endings, depending on how the vote that I took went, and "live" only won by one point.
CHAPTER 9: "Choices"
"Dad?" so begins this chapter. I named this chapter "Choices" for many different reasons, but partially because Sophie decided to accept her father - a bitter reminder of her regrettable past - back into the life that she's forged for herself and her husband and son. Another issue that comes up is the civil war thing - and how tightly stretched funds would be divided. Civil disturbances have been narrowly avoided, but only at the expense of a clean way to cool down the war. Had Dennis died, Mariemaia would have had difficulty keeping the war relatively clean and many of the colonies would have been damaged and destroyed. Nor would the highly idealistic Phantom Runners had been formed and the war would have been much more horrible. And why Dorothy? She always seems to turn up where the worst of the war is, doesn't she? She'll have a bit of a part later. Those photos were given to Beliv, with the intention for him to do exactly what he did. The secret revealed had a complex and ultimately positive effect on the public. Often voted the most inspirational celebrities of their age, the fruitful, happy union of Heero and Relena gave people hope.
CHAPTER 10: "Power Conquest"
The reasons why the Peacecraft Kingdom returned are complex and I don't think I can name them all. Mainly, Relena and Milliardo thought that the public would find inspiration in the Sanc Kingdom. Also, they hoped to influence politics and add funds to the depleted resources of the world's government. Milliardo, also known as the spy (Shinobi), wanted a secure place to keep his information, and keep his own sorry ass safe. It was really Heero's idea, though he knew the country wouldn't last. Marie forms her own group of fighters - a freelance community with a strong faith in their leader. Slowly, Marie realizes that no one really remembers who she used to be - forgiven as mistakes that every child makes. The warriors intrude on a battle that would have surely been lost without their help. The new gundam Fortuna was the real victor, faster, better and completely at advantage to any mobile suit. Heero had sent the gundam to her through Milliardo, but at this point no one knows why or where the thing had come from. She seemed alive at first impression, and you'll have to read further to find an explanation for that. She was the creature that rescued Relena from deep space (at Zero's summoning) but who was piloing? Quatre called it a demon before he knew what it was, and Duo said "Only kids believe in that stuff." A bit of irony, coming from Shinigami. In the aftermath, Marie gets a lecture from Cam about her father when she's trying to relax!
Back in Bangkok, headhunters are out for Phailin. With strict security lifted in times of crisis, the bounty hunters are free to search for her. Because of her name, she is no longer quite so hard to find.
And what is Milliardo doing running around in the middle of the night? Sounds a bit of suspicious to me, Shinobi . . .
CHAPTER 11: "The Mask of Flames"
Hmm . . . Trowa's plotting something involving Wufei, methinks. The bar scene was kind of random, but it has some meaning. I never intended for Quatre and Trowa to stay together long, because despite everything Trowa still wants another little Mariemaia of his own running around. (Why else would he have adopted her in the first place?) But Trowa's hunch to send Wu out into space may prove very successful and needed. As is seen in AC 208, he's needed.
Heero recued his computer from the fire in the castle because it contained all he knew about the conspiracy surrounding the gundams. Naturally, Zechs would have thought Heero would have given him that information to pass around, and that was something best kept a complete secret. It was Milliardo trying to hack into his computer. You'll get to read about it in AC 208. Milliardo was unaware of the fact, else he would have warned the man.
Duo needed something to occupy his time anyway, so why not set him to help
decode the lists. They didn't really turn out to be much at first, but they will prove invaluable near the end of my third book.
CHAPTER 12: "The Message"
Yeah, aliens. Sorry (well not really). This message was a little premature, but I had to establish the mood then. Une lets on a bit more than she intended, but she was very close to Treize, and Treize had a bit to do with them (which will be explained in the last book in more detail). Duo's first impression is correct in that Fortuna (the untraceable energy signature) isn't human-built. I won't tell you exactly what it was, because that would spoil things.
This is an understatement, but Relena was a little hurt by the betrayal of those she loved so much. It was necessary to keep her in the dark, though, because she would have spoiled things. It's a good thing her faith isn't easily shaken, huh?
CHAPTER 13: "The Consequences of Repetition"
Milliardo takes over the kingdom. There are many reasons for this, mostly because he didn't want his sister to bear the strain and the danger any more. Relena had her own things to attend to, especially after the kidnapping in the following chapter. Milliardo also believed that his strong manly figure might have more influence in times when military power were important. A reborn Peacecraft, like with the constant name-switching going on, would give people hope.
Duo meets Death, as I promised several of my friends. This is Death from Discworld (Terry Pratchett), and he gets a little overprotective of his job and how people misinterpret it. The opportunity was too good to pass up. (The Death of Rats is also a real character, too) Treize has a bit of a soft spot for the pilots, one would guess.
Also, note that Fortuna is healing herself, another illusion of a living gundam. She speaks more philosophically than any of the others, too.
CHAPTER 14: "Snow Drifts Slowly Down upon Decimated Souls"
Ahh, a Christmas Party. Classic Gundam Wing material, man. Heero, internally
sensitive as I believe Relena made him when they first met proposes a toast to everyone, to up morale and to express thanks to all his friends who kept him and each other going. It's unclear throughout most of the fic how much Heero really depends on their support, but subtle or not, I wrote it that way on purpose. No one can be strong without the occasional support.
That goes for Mariemaia, too. Cam's open and friendly personality allowed her to let go for a while and become the person she was without fear, because publicity makes her very anxious. It was probably evident to everyone except Marie that he had a huuuuuge crush on her for most of the book, and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her when she was so alone and closed in on herself. Although she regretted it at the end of the chapter, he support slowly becomes her main source of support. You might ask why he felt so close to her so quickly, but remember they've been together with the fleet for a good six months or so, and it kind of goes back to what Mercedes Lackey calls a lifebond: an instant attraction to a person that can't be shaken - and is completely devastating upon one partner's death. This will meet further explanation later, in AC 208. Marie shares a different kind of lifebond with Fortuna, also, which proves another great comfort when she runs from the guilt and confusions of a night of retreat from solace.
Vincent the elder turns out to have a background similar to Heero's and the other gundam pilot's. This will come into play later, as well.
Beliv has rather obvious motives for kidnapping the kids: blackmail and just plain being evil. Operation Santa Claus is an unfortunate success, and I leave the entire book with a cliffhanger about what's happened to the kids. Read on . . . .
*************************************************
I'd like to thank every one of my fans out there. I know you don't get a lot of acknowledgement, but your support has really kept my spirits up. I hope you continue to follow this story, as I've dedicated a good portion of my life to it. As always, suggestions are always welcome, and I would love to make friends with people out there. I'm also looking for some fanfiction for my website, so if you'd like me to put it on send me a note at ItsumademoRelena@aol.com.
It's strange, the people you meet. I've met people in six different countries (the U.S., Brazil, the Netherlands, Italy, Singapore and Japan) over the internet, and it's just simply amazing to me. Keep writing and reading, guys. There's a whole world out there to explore, and it'd be a shame to waste it!
Arigatou
-Itsumo