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Basim sighed as he leaned back in the over-stuffed chair in the lounge, his blonde hair feathering out slightly as his gray-green eyes closed.

"Hey there." Max said as he entered the room, glancing around. "Scarlet's still with Duo?"

Basim shrugged…

"I can't help but feel sorry for her," he said softly, leaning forward, resting his wrists on his legs… "I mean, she was raised by Maxwell, and that's pretty much all the family's she's known."

"She's also supposed to be Ms. Kushrenada's daughter, Treize Kushrenada's granddaughter." Max said, with a shrug "She has plenty of people who would be her family."

"I think you're right, Barton." Lian said, putting his two cents in as he leaned against the wall, popping open a can of soft drink. He took a sip, and examined the other two with his near black eyes. "She does have so many that would be her family. I can't see why she ever wanted to come back to piloting."

"Well, maybe she felt that SOMEONE had to protect them," Basim said in her defense "… that's the only reason I'm here… otherwise I'd stay at home. Maybe then… maybe then Grandmother Dorothy would be home and not on that colony." He bowed his head, feeling shame for dragging his grandmother into it.

"Hey, cut that out." Max comforted Basim, standing and putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Lian just watched

"Maybe it couldn't have been avoided, Basim." The Mustard-Brown haired pilot continued "And maybe fate meant us to be pilots… all of us." He said, glancing up as Scarlet came into the room, her head bowed and Kiyoshi's arm over her shoulder.

Lian raised his eyebrows, and cleared his throat. Kiyoshi glared at the room and Scarlet looked up… a blush gracing her cheeks, where the freckles of youth were beginning to fade.

"I have a plan…" she whispered… "But it may mean saying goodbye for a long, long time."

*~*

The Chinese pilot cursed under his breath as he slipped almost silently along the corridors of the Pod-Hopper II, thinking about what the crimson haired pilot had spoken of, she wanted them all to die! She was crazy… but right now… it seemed like a good idea… to just go away from it and stop the Scorpion now. He was joined by a second shadow, in a brief glimpse a lock of blonde hair shone in the dim light of the stars.

The next shadow to join them was Max Barton's his silhouette punctuated with the lock of hair that always hung in his face. The three shadows traveled past Scarlet's door, they knew she wasn't there.

The next to join them was Kiyoshi, whose intense stare seemed to glare in the darkness, lighting the way they all knew well to the hangar.

The four men knew what waited for them. They were unafraid.

*~*

In the dimmed light of the hospital wing, two young hands stroked the elder Maxwell's forehead, beneath the bags. She had not made the decision to let him die… it wasn't up to her. She gently reached down, and removed an ill-fated firearm from his side, he always carried it. She clipped it with her own two firearms, and then took something from her bag.

The two hands slid a gray-and white bunny onto the barely moving chest of the former pilot Duo Maxwell, and Scarlet wiped away a tear…

"This… this may be the last time I'll ever see ya again, Mr. Maxwell… I'm gonna go make you proud of me. I… I just wanna say… if you are on the other side… wait for me, OK?"

And deep in the darkness of the unconscious mind, something stirred…

As the doors to the medical bay closed, a single whisper echoed in the silent room…

"Scarlet…"

*~*

She walked into the control room of the Gundam Hold, knowing the others were there…

Chen Lian, or Lian Chen now since he was used to having to introduce himself in the Western style, stood to the side a bit, his eyes closed. He wore the black suit that all the pilots wore now; it was a new suit Lyla had designed. All the suits were black, and thin, and would protect them from the effects of space, but in combat one would have to be careful, since a bullet could pierce it. His was an emblem of his name; a white Willow tree was the emblem on his shoulder.

Then there was Basim, who was standing next to Max. Both had their helmets behind them, and both were ready, Scarlet could tell. Basim looked kinda little in the black, especially next to Max who was rather tall. Basim had the symbol of a blue shield etched into his shoulder, Max a flame.

Scarlet set her bag down, and looked at them all… she slipped the last few lock-pick hairpins into her braid, holding it back and down as she glanced at them all. Her uniform was differing, while Kiyoshi and the others had black suits and emblems (except Kiyoshi, who declined the offer), she had a red suit and helmet, with a black raven crossed with a double-ended scythe over her heart. And then there was Kiyoshi, who was totally un-afraid. If there was any fear in the stout heart of that warrior, he didn't show it.

She took a deep breath, and glanced at them all…

"I disconnected the EROS system to all our Gundams, they can't pull us out of battle. I also disconnected all their outgoing comms. We're on our own… if you want to turn back…" she whispered "Do it now."

There were glances, but no one spoke.

"Good, let's get going." She walked over to the console, and punched a few buttons in. She glanced at the others, and clicked set

"Ten minutes." She said. They all turned to the doors to the lock, and she was the last… she took a hold of the Japanese pilot's elbow…

"Kiyoshi… I have to tell you something…" she said softly… and pulled him aside, letting the others go on ahead.

"Scarlet, there's no time." He commented, looking into the green eyes…

She shook her head, and from her pocket took out a little silver cross on a chain.

"It's my good luck charm… Mr. Maxwell gave it to me when I was really little… I… I want you to have it, Kiyo. I wore it under my shirt whenever I went out to battle, or practiced, or had a celebration… and I want you to keep it. This is the last time we may ever see each other…" she glanced up at him, tears behind her glasses showing. "And if it is… I want you to take a part of me with you."

"Scarlet…" Kiyoshi said, and looked at the silver chain and token, then back at the pilot, his eyes still emotionless, then suddenly… a spark. A tear was shining in those eyes of his, those wonderful, damnable eyes.

He turned and walked down the walkway, leaving Scarlet to either stay or follow. He didn't want to be emotional before a battle… he knew it'd kill her… and him… if one of them were to die.

*~*

Kiyoshi slid into his seat inside Raidon, snapping shut the safety harness and closing the hatch of his Gundam. The main screen flipped forward and buzzed to life, showing the walkway beyond the golden Gundam. Beside him was Bran, the black Gundam, and inside the girl who might be crying.

No, she wasn't a girl. She was a woman.

*~*

Scarlet smiled slightly, hoping it would make her less scared, she settled back, and set the picture of herself and Mr. Maxwell in place.

"Well… here I am… I'm gonna make you proud. Mr. Maxwell!" she whispered to the picture. She leaned back in her seat, fastening her harness into place. Her eyes were calm, and she knew that at any moment it would be time to leave…

*~*

Max had many thoughts running through his head as he made the final preparations in Blaze, his mind dwelling on things quite other than the war. His mother, and grandmother Catherine. How they both died in a fire. In all honesty, he was afraid of fire, and he was half-afraid of the Gundam that took its name from fire. He closed his eyes, remaining calm. You had to keep your cool when you worked in the circus, because there were a lot of people who depended on you at one time or another. He couldn't loose his cool, not now. There were billions of people who depended on him, and four people whose lives were put on the line with his.

He was resolved to his fate.

*~*

Basim hummed to himself, trying to calm his jangled nerves. There were so many thoughts going through his head right then, thoughts of his friends, the secret love he had among them, his kindly grandfather; everything was just too much for him. He longed to just go back and live the simple life of learning how to manage a business, but those days were over the day he had been chosen by Quatre to train. It was OK to long for the past, but was it all right to long enough for it to hurt? Or was this longing something else?

A thought of Max flashed his mind.

Alone in his cockpit, Basim flushed red.

*~*

He didn't like it.

He was going to do it, but he didn't like it.

Lian heaved a sigh, forcing it out of his lungs spitefully, like a gun forcing the bullet through. He leaned back, waiting for the countdown. Scarlet hadn't denied hacking into the system in order to release the catches on the Gundams, and open the doors to space beyond.

He closed his eyes, meditating for a few moments on what he might face.

"I must be ready for everything, and anything." He said to himself as the nearly black eyes glanced over the cockpit of the white Gundam that represented Spiritual Truth, and he felt odd for once in his life. All this talk of freeing the colonies… under the Scorpion rule they were peaceful, save the five upstarts and their pilots.

Did they have the right to destroy the fragile peace?