Author's note: Never fear, Tania will stay with Karl. It's just that right now she believes that Karl no longer loves her and feels very much alone, and Irvine happened to be there for her. So here's the chapter you've all been waiting for: Karl vs. Irvine! No holds barred!
Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Irvine sped through the countryside as fast as his Command Wolf could go, knowing that soon Tania would be reaching the base and would either be welcomed as one of their own or as a traitor. Either way he had to get to Red River fast so that he could give them the location of the base before the Imperials attacked, and the sooner he did that the sooner he could return to get her out of there.
He heard the sound of an airborne zoid and looked up to see a Pteras passing overhead, wondering if it was someone from Red River searching for her.
Van peered down from the cockpit of the Pteras, veering closer to the lone traveler to get a better look. A smile appeared as he saw it was a close friend that he hadn't seen in years. "Irvine?" he cried.
The mercenary looked up at the Pteras again. "What happened, Van? Trade your Liger in for that piece of junk?"
Van laughed. "You wish. What are you doing out here?"
"Bringing some information that might be of some interest to you, as well as a gift for you since I missed you so much," he laughed.
"Oh, Irvine, you shouldn't have," Van replied. "What kind of information?"
"I've been told it's pretty important, so I'll obviously want some monetary compensation for doing such a favor for the Republic."
"Still haven't changed, have you? What kind of gift do you have?"
"I'm not so sure I want to part with this just yet," he smirked. "Ever since we first met, I've wanted to get my hands on this and now that I have it, I'll have to think about it."
Zeke roared from within the Command Wolf, giving himself away. "Zeke!" Van exclaimed. "How did you get hold of him, Irvine?"
"That I'd rather not say out here," he replied, his tone becoming serious. "I get the feeling that I'm in the middle of a sensitive situation, so I'd rather wait until we're back at the base."
Van said nothing as he figured it had something to do with Tania. "I guess I'll meet you there, then," he said then contacted Karl and Thomas to advise them to return to base.
Soon they were all gathered in the hangar, Fiona greeting Irvine with a warm embrace as Van was happy to see Zeke. Colonel Kruegar arrived, nodding to Irvine in greeting before leading them to the room where he had spoken to the Guardian Force the evening before. "So what is this information that you've got that is so important?" Kruegar asked.
Irvine glanced at Karl for a moment before speaking, wondering if he was the one that Tania was so much in love with. He outlined his meeting with Tania, telling them that Zeke had left with her inside her Saber Tiger as well as giving out the base's location, and he knew by Karl's worried expression that he indeed was her beloved. Seeing for himself the love the Colonel felt for her, he saw how wrong he had been to belittle his emotions like he had without meeting him first as he appeared to be a man of honor as well as being very much in love with her.
Colonel Kruegar excused himself to convene a meeting of the base's ranking officers to discuss the best plan of action, saying that he would meet with them again once a decision was made. Van and Thomas spoke amongst themselves while Karl stood apart from them, a worried expression on his face. Irvine approached him and stood at a distance.
"She talked about you a lot, Colonel," he said as for some insane reason he was trying to ease the Colonel's mind.
"I can imagine the things she might say," Karl replied, his thoughts a thousand miles away. He had been relieved to hear that she was all right, but he was still fearful of her going back to Tragar on her own without any backup. And he also wondered how this man knew Tania as he sensed he was once interested in her in a more personal aspect, but he did risk his life to bring this information to them and for that he would forgive him anything especially if it meant bringing his love back to him alive.
"She told me of what happened between you both," he said. "She understands why you did what you did."
Karl eyed him out of the corner of his eye. "And I suppose you're going to say you do not? I've had plenty of time to think about what happened, and now I don't even know why I treated her like I did. I was angry and hurt, yes, but that doesn't excuse my hurting her so bad that she had to leave."
Irvine had hoped that Karl would've been the type that he could've disliked the moment he saw him, but with his admission he began to respect him a little more. "Did this revelation come before or after you discovered she was on your side after all?"
Karl fixed his green eyes on Irvine, who found it hard to meet his intense gaze as it was surely the most striking thing about him. "How did you know about that?" he asked, not liking the fact that he knew something about her that they had only found out about last night.
"I did a few odd jobs for Colonel Tragar in the past, and Tania needed someone to talk to so I was there for her," Irvine supplied, enjoying the fact that he had the Colonel guessing at this point. He hated to see anyone be so calm about anything, especially when it came to someone they supposedly loved more than anything else, and he needed to know if he was willing to fight for that love.
Karl knew that Irvine was only baiting him, but he couldn't help the anger that stirred in him at the thought that he had once been interested in Tania. "And you're saying that I wasn't?" he demanded. "Tell me, did she ever feel the same way about you that you felt about her?"
Irvine was tempted to tell him that she had just to see the look on his face, but it would only end up driving a wedge further in between them and he didn't wish to do that to her. "No, she didn't," he replied. "In fact, we were little more than friends. Last night we talked more than we ever did in the past. She still loves you very much, and even defended you when I tried to make her see that you weren't deserving of that love."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me that you did that," Karl replied, his anger slowly fading. "I know I have told myself that ever since she left. I promised to her the first night we were together that I would never let her leave again and that I would never hurt her. But I have and now I will never forgive myself for doing that to her."
The younger man sighed in dismay. Why did the Colonel have to be so likable? Stepping closer to him, he put his hand on his shoulder in a gesture of friendship. "Not everything in this life is so perfect," he pointed out. "Especially when it comes to love, and I can tell that you love her very much. You are a good man, Colonel. She will be very happy with you, much happier than, say, with me," he smiled to take the edge off of the comment.
Karl smiled in return. "I can see you still have feelings for her, and with someone as unique, lovely, and brave as she is, it is hard to let go of such feelings. But after this is over and she is returned to me, I intend to lock her up and never let her leave again."
Irvine chuckled. "Good luck," he replied, walking away towards Van. "Now that I gave you your present and the information you wanted, how about you pay me?"
Van and Thomas had seen the exchange between Karl and Irvine, both of them unconsciously ready in case they needed to separate them both. Van was surprised to see that Irvine had been in love with Tania and still was judging from the expression on his face. "Thank you, Irvine. Even though we thought she was with the enemy, she was still a good friend."
He smiled. "Now I'm leaving as I promised Tania I would return and try to get her out of there before any fighting broke out."
"You might be better off waiting until Colonel Kruegar returns with more information on a plan of attack," Karl pointed out.
"I don't do the military thing," he replied. "I can't work like I want to if I have to wait for a certain window of opening and all. Besides, I know that it eats you alive that you're held back by it as I am sure that you would be doing the same thing if you weren't." He was also sure that Karl was unhappy that it would be Irvine coming to her rescue rather than her beloved. "I'm pretty sure that Tragar will attack tomorrow at the earliest, and I want to get back there before he gets any ideas of what to do with her."
"You don't think that he might use her for ransom, do you?" Van asked in alarm.
"I wouldn't put it past him," he said. "There's something that he wants, but I don't know what it is. And I'm not about to wait around and find out. Good luck, Van," he said then ran out of the room to the hangar, his worry over Tania giving him speed he never thought he had.
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Author's note: What? You weren't expecting an all out fight, now were you? You know Karl better than that. *Dodges bits of food thrown her way by angry readers before being knocked down by a fish.* Next chapter: The battle begins!
Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Irvine sped through the countryside as fast as his Command Wolf could go, knowing that soon Tania would be reaching the base and would either be welcomed as one of their own or as a traitor. Either way he had to get to Red River fast so that he could give them the location of the base before the Imperials attacked, and the sooner he did that the sooner he could return to get her out of there.
He heard the sound of an airborne zoid and looked up to see a Pteras passing overhead, wondering if it was someone from Red River searching for her.
Van peered down from the cockpit of the Pteras, veering closer to the lone traveler to get a better look. A smile appeared as he saw it was a close friend that he hadn't seen in years. "Irvine?" he cried.
The mercenary looked up at the Pteras again. "What happened, Van? Trade your Liger in for that piece of junk?"
Van laughed. "You wish. What are you doing out here?"
"Bringing some information that might be of some interest to you, as well as a gift for you since I missed you so much," he laughed.
"Oh, Irvine, you shouldn't have," Van replied. "What kind of information?"
"I've been told it's pretty important, so I'll obviously want some monetary compensation for doing such a favor for the Republic."
"Still haven't changed, have you? What kind of gift do you have?"
"I'm not so sure I want to part with this just yet," he smirked. "Ever since we first met, I've wanted to get my hands on this and now that I have it, I'll have to think about it."
Zeke roared from within the Command Wolf, giving himself away. "Zeke!" Van exclaimed. "How did you get hold of him, Irvine?"
"That I'd rather not say out here," he replied, his tone becoming serious. "I get the feeling that I'm in the middle of a sensitive situation, so I'd rather wait until we're back at the base."
Van said nothing as he figured it had something to do with Tania. "I guess I'll meet you there, then," he said then contacted Karl and Thomas to advise them to return to base.
Soon they were all gathered in the hangar, Fiona greeting Irvine with a warm embrace as Van was happy to see Zeke. Colonel Kruegar arrived, nodding to Irvine in greeting before leading them to the room where he had spoken to the Guardian Force the evening before. "So what is this information that you've got that is so important?" Kruegar asked.
Irvine glanced at Karl for a moment before speaking, wondering if he was the one that Tania was so much in love with. He outlined his meeting with Tania, telling them that Zeke had left with her inside her Saber Tiger as well as giving out the base's location, and he knew by Karl's worried expression that he indeed was her beloved. Seeing for himself the love the Colonel felt for her, he saw how wrong he had been to belittle his emotions like he had without meeting him first as he appeared to be a man of honor as well as being very much in love with her.
Colonel Kruegar excused himself to convene a meeting of the base's ranking officers to discuss the best plan of action, saying that he would meet with them again once a decision was made. Van and Thomas spoke amongst themselves while Karl stood apart from them, a worried expression on his face. Irvine approached him and stood at a distance.
"She talked about you a lot, Colonel," he said as for some insane reason he was trying to ease the Colonel's mind.
"I can imagine the things she might say," Karl replied, his thoughts a thousand miles away. He had been relieved to hear that she was all right, but he was still fearful of her going back to Tragar on her own without any backup. And he also wondered how this man knew Tania as he sensed he was once interested in her in a more personal aspect, but he did risk his life to bring this information to them and for that he would forgive him anything especially if it meant bringing his love back to him alive.
"She told me of what happened between you both," he said. "She understands why you did what you did."
Karl eyed him out of the corner of his eye. "And I suppose you're going to say you do not? I've had plenty of time to think about what happened, and now I don't even know why I treated her like I did. I was angry and hurt, yes, but that doesn't excuse my hurting her so bad that she had to leave."
Irvine had hoped that Karl would've been the type that he could've disliked the moment he saw him, but with his admission he began to respect him a little more. "Did this revelation come before or after you discovered she was on your side after all?"
Karl fixed his green eyes on Irvine, who found it hard to meet his intense gaze as it was surely the most striking thing about him. "How did you know about that?" he asked, not liking the fact that he knew something about her that they had only found out about last night.
"I did a few odd jobs for Colonel Tragar in the past, and Tania needed someone to talk to so I was there for her," Irvine supplied, enjoying the fact that he had the Colonel guessing at this point. He hated to see anyone be so calm about anything, especially when it came to someone they supposedly loved more than anything else, and he needed to know if he was willing to fight for that love.
Karl knew that Irvine was only baiting him, but he couldn't help the anger that stirred in him at the thought that he had once been interested in Tania. "And you're saying that I wasn't?" he demanded. "Tell me, did she ever feel the same way about you that you felt about her?"
Irvine was tempted to tell him that she had just to see the look on his face, but it would only end up driving a wedge further in between them and he didn't wish to do that to her. "No, she didn't," he replied. "In fact, we were little more than friends. Last night we talked more than we ever did in the past. She still loves you very much, and even defended you when I tried to make her see that you weren't deserving of that love."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me that you did that," Karl replied, his anger slowly fading. "I know I have told myself that ever since she left. I promised to her the first night we were together that I would never let her leave again and that I would never hurt her. But I have and now I will never forgive myself for doing that to her."
The younger man sighed in dismay. Why did the Colonel have to be so likable? Stepping closer to him, he put his hand on his shoulder in a gesture of friendship. "Not everything in this life is so perfect," he pointed out. "Especially when it comes to love, and I can tell that you love her very much. You are a good man, Colonel. She will be very happy with you, much happier than, say, with me," he smiled to take the edge off of the comment.
Karl smiled in return. "I can see you still have feelings for her, and with someone as unique, lovely, and brave as she is, it is hard to let go of such feelings. But after this is over and she is returned to me, I intend to lock her up and never let her leave again."
Irvine chuckled. "Good luck," he replied, walking away towards Van. "Now that I gave you your present and the information you wanted, how about you pay me?"
Van and Thomas had seen the exchange between Karl and Irvine, both of them unconsciously ready in case they needed to separate them both. Van was surprised to see that Irvine had been in love with Tania and still was judging from the expression on his face. "Thank you, Irvine. Even though we thought she was with the enemy, she was still a good friend."
He smiled. "Now I'm leaving as I promised Tania I would return and try to get her out of there before any fighting broke out."
"You might be better off waiting until Colonel Kruegar returns with more information on a plan of attack," Karl pointed out.
"I don't do the military thing," he replied. "I can't work like I want to if I have to wait for a certain window of opening and all. Besides, I know that it eats you alive that you're held back by it as I am sure that you would be doing the same thing if you weren't." He was also sure that Karl was unhappy that it would be Irvine coming to her rescue rather than her beloved. "I'm pretty sure that Tragar will attack tomorrow at the earliest, and I want to get back there before he gets any ideas of what to do with her."
"You don't think that he might use her for ransom, do you?" Van asked in alarm.
"I wouldn't put it past him," he said. "There's something that he wants, but I don't know what it is. And I'm not about to wait around and find out. Good luck, Van," he said then ran out of the room to the hangar, his worry over Tania giving him speed he never thought he had.
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Author's note: What? You weren't expecting an all out fight, now were you? You know Karl better than that. *Dodges bits of food thrown her way by angry readers before being knocked down by a fish.* Next chapter: The battle begins!