Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Outlaw Star, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

Readers Note: This contains some spoilers for Outlaw Star, so if you haven't seen the whole series I wouldn't recommend reading this.

Gundam Wing

&

Outlaw Star

Gundam Outlaw

Chapter 3: The Lost Soldier

Q

In sick bay, Johan sat next to Haruka's bed. The doctor had reported to him that Haruka's condition was fine but she was in a coma. It would have to be up to Haruka herself to come out of it. To Johan, it felt like history had truly repeated itself. He felt as helpless as a quadriplegic wanting to move but unable to.

From behind Johan, his best friend Duo Maxwell walked in. Duo, being unsure as to what to say to Johan, because all of this was all too familiar. Ultimately, Duo decided to just call.

"Hey, Johan." He called

Johan slowly stood up, turned and looked at Duo. His face already had some signs of tears. The redness in the corneas of his eyes, the wetness down his cheeks and the sniffling he made.

Johan cleared his throat and dried his tears, "What is it, Duo?" He asked

Duo felt tongue tied, he couldn't think of anything appropriate to say. He simply decided to report the plan of action.

"We're on our way to Colony L-9 to re-supply." He stated. Duo thought that he should invite Johan to the fun that Colony L-9 has to offer, but it seemed inappropriate to do that. To take Johan away from his injured wife only to have fun.

"I know, Duo." Johan said.

He sat back in the seat next to his wife's bed.

There were more visitors for Johan and his wife. It was Asia and Melphina from the Outlaw Star. Asia came to offer her own kind of Ctarl-Ctarl pep talk. Melphina came to offer Johan and his wife help.

Asia came in and walked up to Duo who was looking at Johan sitting in a metal fold-up chair and Haruka in her hospital bed.

Duo looked to his left and asked Asia quietly, "What are you doing here?"

Asia smiled with a curled-up fist at her chest, "I'm going to aid a fellow warrior with help of a Ctarl-Ctarl, like Asia."

Duo shook his head; "The only way to get him back up is for his wife to wake up."

Asia didn't listen she went over to Johan and lay her hand on his head. She rubbed her hand in Johan's hair as if he was a seven-year-old kid.

"Don't worry," She said, "It'll work out." Her tone then changed from nurturing to a tone less than a drill Sargent when Johan didn't say anything to her, "What are you going to do? Someone tried to kill your wife and you're going to sit there and cry? To a Ctarl-Ctarl this attitude of yours is all wrong. A Ctarl-Ctarl never gives up. To a Ctarl-Ctarl its all about justice, courage and tenacity!"

As Asia was droning on and on like a politician, Duo grew more and more annoyed with this. Then, the dam broke, Duo walked in front of Asia with his face so annoyed and angered that one could say that the devil himself had manifested himself.

"Would the real Slim Shaddy," He shouted, "Please shut up! Please, shut up! Please, shut up!"

This interruption annoyed Asia even more, "Don't tell me to shut up!" She shouted

Johan quickly stood up and drew out his guns and held them out far enough for both Duo and Asia to see.

"Duo," Johan said calmly, "Could you please leave. I need to be alone with Haruka."

"What about her?" Duo pointed to Asia

"I'll deal with it."

Duo left the room quietly leaving Johan to deal with a Ctarl-Ctarl. If Jim Hawking were in that room he'd say that Johan would be crazy to pick a fight with a Ctarl-Ctarl.

"As for you." Johan snarled with the silver gun (Star Dragon) at the side of Asia's head and the black gun (The Angel Arm) in Asia's gut, "Have you no respect? I appreciate your help but, get out!"

For some odd reason Asia felt a certain amount of fear. It was a feeling that she wasn't very familiar with, but she knew it. It wasn't the fear of a human being it was the fear of what he might do. She saw how these kids fought in those robots called Gundams, but she didn't have a clue of how they fight outside of the Gundam. It was that unknown factor that scared her.

So she left muttering, "When people can accept kindness gracefully, it'll be all over for humanity."

After Asia left, the only one's left in the room with Johan and Haruka was Melphina. She was scarred witless to see a boy that young draw out guns like that. She didn't know if she would be his next target, but she wasn't. Johan holstered his guns, pulled up his metal folding chair and sat back down.

Slowly, Melphina stepped around Haruka's bed. She tiptoed to a point where Johan was across the bed. Melphina looked at Johan and she didn't see a warrior like Asia saw, she only saw a boy who was alone, saddened and in pain.

"Johan." She called

"Yes." Johan answered

"I think I can help."

This suggestion lit up Johan's face as if it were the greatest news he could ever hear. He looked up at Melphina and he had to know.

"How?" He asked

"Follow me, and bring your wife with you."

This was truly an offer that Johan couldn't refuse. He had to comply for the sake of his wife. He reached down feeling under the warm body of his wife. His left arm inched under her legs and his right under her back. He lifted her feeling her sleeping weight in his arms and he followed this stranger named Melphina.

Q

Johan followed Melphina into the docked Outlaw Star. The way it was docked was not in the same manner as the mobile suits. It sat suspended by its anchor cables stretching and connecting to the ceilings and walls like a mobile hanging delicately from a ceiling.

Under normal circumstances, Johan would have taken the time to admire the uniqueness of the Outlaw Star, but it wasn't normal circumstances. Johan was too consumed by the mystery that lay within Melphina's suggestion. He followed her to the bridge, an oblong room with several seats and a hatch. The hatch looked like the opening for a submarine, a round dome on the floor with a door hinge.

Melphina looked toward the front of the bridge, "Gilliam." She called

"Yes," a male sounding voice called, "What is it, Melphina?"

"Open the navigation hatch."

The submarine door that lay on the floor opened only to show darkness. Johan looked into it as if looking into a bottomless well. He looked to Melphina wondering what he was supposed to do next. His eyes then locked with Melphina's.

"Get in." She said

Johan looked and saw something odd; it looked like a platform was coming up through the hole. At first Johan couldn't' think, all of this was too surreal for him, but if was for his wife. He stepped onto the circular platform; he prepped up his wife into a standing position so that they could fit. Then he felt it jerk downward into this well. The platform moved down more and more until Johan's were past eye level with the floor. His head had passed the lid of the well and when he looked around all he could see was darkness except for that hole of light above his head. Above him he saw the smiling face of Melphina.

"It'll be fine." She said

And the hatch closed.

Q

Johan was swallowed by the darkness, yet it wasn't cold. He felt warmth, all around he felt warm even with Haruka still propped up into a standing position in his arms. At the same time he didn't feel her weight, it was as if they were both in zero G.

Within an instant, Johan felt wet at his feet. He didn't know what to think of it, but it made him think of a magician's trick where he puts himself in a tank of water with a straight jacket. At first Johan wanted to curse though the hatch at that temptress Melphina for drowning him and his wife. The wetness was creeping quickly up to his ankles, then to his thighs, waist and chest.

His thoughts told him, "Get out! Get out you stupid bastard! You'll drown!"

Even with all these warnings, signs and thoughts to call for help, Johan did nothing. He simply stood where he was holding Haruka in his arms and waited.

The water felt even warmer, one would say that it was like being in the womb again. Yet when Johan breathed he felt the water flood into his lungs. He could breathe in this water, whatever it was.

When the water was all around him he started to feel as if his senses were awakening but at the same time he felt alone.

"Haruka." He called, "come back to me. I don't want to be alone. Death would be better than to live without you. Please, come back, Haruka!"

The darkness soon became light, and Johan was standing in the middle of a grassy plain. He looked in all directions and all he could see was rolling hills of green grass. Off in the far distance were the snow-capped mountain ranges. Flowing around Johan was the wind making the green grass around him into a sea of green. Above he could see endless blue skies and floating white clouds.

"Where am I?" He asked himself.

As he did he heard a song in the distance; he looked to his left and hear the same lyrics that were in his heart ever since he was married to Haruka.

Hey Jude.

Don't make it bad.

Take a sad song and make it better

Remember to let her into your heart

Then you can start

To make it better.

Johan ran to where the music was coming from. He ran over one of the rolling hills and there was Haruka, sitting in one of the small valleys between the hills. He saw Haruka picking flowers in this little valley.

"Haruka." He called

Haruka looked up at Johan, she had flowers in her hands but she dropped them softly into the green grass when she held her arms wide open.

"Come to me, my love!" She called up to Johan.

Johan came rushing down the hillside and into Haruka's arms. The two embraced each other in the middle of all this nothingness.

"Johan." Haruka whispered, "I wanted you to come to me."

This statement confused Johan; it was as if Haruka had planned this out the whole time.

"What do you mean?" He asked

"After the explosion," Haruka explained, "the only thought that was going through my mind was you. I thought about everything that's happened to me. Do you know how close I was to becoming a cold woman? Then you came to me, a young Gundam pilot who had lost more than he would ever have imagined. I saw the vulnerability in you after you showed me how you could fight. I fell in love with that, now that I'm a pilot again I wanted to see if it would change anything between us. Now that you've come for me, I know that it hasn't and it never will. You're a miracle to me, Johan."

She squeezed her arms around his waist even tighter.

"I would say the same things to you, Haruka." Johan smiled, "Please come back with me and let us spend the last of our days together."

Q

On the bridge of the Outlaw Star, the crew of this ship as well as the officers of Preventer sat around waiting for Johan and Haruka to come back out from under that submarine hatch. While they had waited they were talking amongst each other.

The one who started things off the most inappropriately was Wufei who noticed something that irritated him, "You're crew is mostly women?" He asked Gene.

"Yeah." Gene answered truthfully

"Is there something wrong with that?" Jim asked

Wufei shook his head with his eyes close; "I always felt that women never had a very good sense of fighting."

In Wufei's arrogance he didn't see Sazuka quickly bring up her wooden sword and swing it at Wufei's head. In that instant Wufei opened his eyes and with all the speed in his hands he slapped them onto the blade of Sazuka's sword.

Sazuka stood in amazement.

"See what I mean?" Wufei asked

As Wufei held Sazuka's sword, he heard the footsteps of Asia Clan-Clan. It was like listening to Elephants trying to step quietly on eggshells. HE heard her coming and jumped up and quickly looked to where Asia was coming from. He brought his legs up against her side, which sent her flying onto her opposite side against the floor.

Wufei came back down onto his feet and let go of Sazuka's sword.

"Cut it out, you three!" Quatre shouted as he stepped in between Wufei, Sazuka and Asia.

"Tell that to you're sexist little friend!" Asia snarled

"Don't tempt him." Heero called out from the other end of the bridge; "Wufei's a very highly trained fighter, just like the rest of us."

Quatre didn't want anyone to fight with each other, he had to call all of this to peace.

"Please." He pleaded, "Don't fight with each other. We're on the same side!"

Jim stood up agreeing with Quatre, "He's right you know. We can't be bent up over our own differences. We have bigger things to worry about, such as getting Hotana. He's already beaten up one of this team. There's no telling what he'll do in this place."

Suddenly there was a large hiss from the back of the room, Duo watched at the submarine hatch opened and up came Johan with his now conscious Haruka. They smiled at all who were looking in their direction.

"We're back." Johan stated

Q

In the mess hall of the Preventer Ship Tabris, a banquet was held to welcome these strangers that Gene had called the crew of the Outlaw Star. Though the general consensus was that a much simpler name was needed. A name for this group was needed as well as a nickname for the leader of this group, Gene Starwind. It was this that was discussed over the first course of the banquet. To give an idea of what kind of nickname to give Gene and his group, stories were told of their adventures. There were laughs around one particular adventure of theirs.

"And so," Gene said, "This cactus plant was controlling everyone and forcing them to eat crappy ice cream to see how great his control was. I tried to shoot it but my gun kept firing in different directions. So it was Melphina who squashed it that saved most of us."

"That is one hell of a story." Duo laughed

"We've got a lot more of them." Gene smiled as he chugged down his glass of sake.

Quatre ate gingerly as he thought over the stories that were told by Gene Starwind and his band of Outlaws. He had heard the stories of how they got the Outlaw Star, the Galactic Leyline, fighting pirates, the Anten Seven, facing strange races and hilarious circumstances. Then it came to him, like a hot out of the blue it came to him, a name for Gene and his group.

"I have an idea." Quatre stated

Jim looked over to the 17-year-old Quatre and asked, "What's your idea?"

"It's a nickname for Gene Starwind."

This caught the attention of all those around the dinning table.

"I'm listening." Gene crossed his arms.

"How does the name Lucky Star Gene sound?"

Gene rubbed his chin in thought about this, "Luck Star Gene." He said, "Lucky Star Gene." He started to nod his head, he was agreeing with it, "I like it. Now if you have an idea for a name for our group, then I'd be more than happy to listen."

"How about the Outlaw Six?" Quatre suggested

This suggestion seemed to confuse the crew, each one of them looked up and down each end of the table to count the crew. However Sazuka was always the sharp one to find out these kinds of errors. She too, only counted five of the crew sitting at the table. She looked back at Quatre.

"I think your math skills need work." She said arrogantly, "There are only five of us."

"I was counting your ships computer as part of your crew."

Jim looked up to Gene to concur with Quatre; "He does have a point. Without Gilliam it would be an even bigger pain in the ass to pilot the Outlaw Star."

"Then it's settled." Gene smiled, "We are from now on called the Outlaw Six."

Johan raised his glass, "I'll drink to that." He said as he sipped down his alcohol as he swallowed he wanted to know more, "Tell us more of your adventures, Lucky Star Gene."

Gene shrugged, "There was this time when we were on our way to the Galactic Leyline that we had to stop at this planet called Tenrei. The reason is because I needed shells for my caster."

"You've mentioned the caster before." Trowa observed, "What is it?"

Gene went to his side and pulled out a very odd looking gun that looked as though it was crudely built many years ago. It's nuts and bolts uneven, paint cracking and parts of the metal chipped. It looked like a smaller version of a single-firing shotgun. Gene held it like a Gunslinger and handed it across the table to Trowa who took the caster very tenderly. He looked at the weapon meticulously.

"It truly is an odd weapon." Trowa critiqued looking all over the caster, "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"That's because there aren't very many in my world." Gene explained, "You see a caster and its shells have to be made by a special person, well a wizard actually."

"A wizard?" Duo asked shocked

"Yeah." Gene answered, "But he preferred to be called a priest. Anyway, a long time ago this gun used to be called a Spell Gun. The wizards on Tenrei had found a way to place magic spells into gun cartridges, making 20 types in all, each with different effects. Problem is they're expensive as hell, but I spared no expense in getting as many as I can."

"Why is that?" Quatre asked as he watched Trowa hand the caster back to Gene.

"The caster shells have a reputation of being effective against Tao Masters, which Hotana is, but I really would like to hear about you guys. I mean from the way I saw you fight out there, all of you seem to have the training of soldiers."

Johan nodded in agreement with Gene, "You've hit the nail on the head. Each of us has been trained expertly in the art of war. So everything ranging from battle tactics to strategic imagination are nearly perfect."

Gene turned a head when he hear the phrase nearly perfect.

"What do you mean?" he asked

"If all of us were entirely perfect in the art of war, then we'd simply be mindless machines taking orders from people tucked away in safe places. Thus taking away the whole purpose to fight a person face to face on the battlefield. As our founder once said, there was a time where humanity could fight wars with a push of a button. Taking all honor and glory out of battle and making war simply a game drawn out on a board for amusement."

"Quite profound." Gene sneered, he wasn't very eloquent when it came to philosophical ideas such as those. He'd much rather just do what he enjoys doing and find a way to get rich after all of it.

"Oh, I nearly forgot to mention." Johan clasped his hands together, "Haruka."

Haruka turned to look at Johan, "Yes?"

"You know that the Gundam Vindicator is trashed, right?"

Haruka nodded.

"Well, Howard and I decided to just melt down whatever scrap parts we have and using the Gundam Fire to make the Nemesis."

"How long will that take?"

"Oh," Johan calculated, "About a couple of weeks or so."

"The real question," Jim sneered, "Is if Hotana is going to take advantage of this situation."

Q

Jim wasn't far from the truth. Far away from the Preventer Ship Tabris towards the planet of Venus, Hotana was taking advantage. Except he was taking advantage of the resources of this universe to create a truly powerful weapon.

It was there in the middle of space in the vicinity of Venus that an abandoned resource satellite was drifting in the endless sea of space. This satellite was originally on route to the sun, and by a remarkable coincidence it happened to be the same satellite that the Preventers used to repair their Gundams during the visit of the Evangelions. This is what Hotana was using to make his weapon.

Hotana stood upon a catwalk within the hollow remnants of the resource satellite. The catwalk that he stood upon stretched across a long oblong room. 20 feet below him was the construction of a mobile suit. Little machines that looked like ants from that height of the catwalk worked and ran their own tasks to build this machine. This weapon itself was starting to take shape of a mobile suit but it was lacking parts. Bits of its inner Gundanium skeleton were showing through the armor plating above it. All around it were miscellaneous parts that had some use but weren't needed at the moment as the machines welded, screwed and bolted parts onto Hotana's weapon.

The suit itself looked similar to the Virgo mobile doll, it's simply body design and enlarge shoulder parts that housed the shields and the powerhouse for the rifle as well as that one lens eye. Except this suit had features of it's own, it had a long heat rod similar to the Epyon as well as a shield.

The shields that this suit would use were to be Hotana's defense, but he has something special in mind.

"Master." Shin called who was controlling the worker robots that built the suit, "The shields are ready for the magic."

"Good." Hotana smiled evilly as he brought up his hands for the Tao spell.

"Pacoa Sumfa." He chanted, "Pacoa Sumfa. Pacoa Sumfa."

A blue glow began to emanate from Hotana's body. As he continued to chant, the light over flowed over the catwalk and down to the work place where the robots worked. Except the light began to move with snake-like intelligence to the red colored shields that lay collectively on the floor. The light swallowed the shields like a snake devouring eggs. Until all of the shields that used to be red were now glowing blue.

"Pacoa Sumfa." Hotana chanted, "Pacoa Sumfa!"

The shields had absorbed the light and became red again.

Hotana brought his hands slowly down to his side.

"The shields are now using the Tao." Shin reported.

Hotana began to laugh; he laughed so hard that it echoed over the sounds of the working robots around the mobile suit that he intended to call The Violator.

To be continued . . .

Author's Notes: I got the idea for Johan and Haruka to be in the navigation tube together was from this one episode of Outlaw Star where Melphina uses the same technique to save Gene from poison. Originally I had thought of putting just Haruka and Melphina in there, but I think that would be too suggestive, if you know what I mean: -D. Then I had the thought of putting all three of them in there, then it occurred to me that the navigation tube was too small for three people. Then I settled on the idea that Haruka and Johan should be in there so that they could communicate with one another. Then there's the issue of the Vindicator, I know that it's scrap metal now, and it doesn't exactly make sense to just rebuild the whole thing. Especially since Haruka wants to pilot her old Gundam Mobile suit again. So it would make more sense to just use the Vindicator parts to make the Nemesis. Last of all I had the idea for a mobile suit for Hotana, something like a combination of the Virgo mobile suit and the Epyon, and call it Violator.

Come back soon for more chapters of Gundam Outlaw