Yet again, I thank all my reviewers! It wouldn't be the same without you all to back me up. I was always so worried when writing this story because I didn't know how people would feel with it. Most of the Zoids community has shunned this sort of thing because it's not considered the norm'…but you people…*shakes her head* How can I thank you enough?
Hey Maelgwyn…I remember reading that you didn't like Hiltz and Gunther…if that's the case, why are you reading this? *Does her confuzzled plink look* Oh well. Hi Biowolf! *waves* And Nao-nao, don't worry, plenty of good Thomas/Raven soon. *dances* I owe you for 'We are eternal' That story was…so damn…beautiful…!!!*cries*
Chapter 12: Bad day just get worse.
It had not been a good few days for President Robert Hermann as he stomped into his office, Charlotte at his side like some tiny tugboat ministering a steamer. He was panicking. He was so used to being in the military, it was so much easier with O'Connell around running errands for him all the time. You knew where you were with guns and men and Zoids.
His mother had disappeared. Well, not really, she was with the Shubaltz brothers, and he didn't know if he could trust the slimy bastards. Oh, they may have acted as friends when the chips were on the table, but he didn't trust the sly Imperial pigs. All Imperials sucked.
Except maybe that hot chica Viola. Yummy-scrummy baby.
To ease the tension of the situation, he pinched Charlotte's bottom and gave her a smile.
"Be a honey and find me Colonel Shubaltz's number. I need to talk to him urgently about this whole situation. I don't like people making things up behind my back."
"Yes sir." Charlotte muttered, embarrassed.
"And get me an update on our fugitive. I heard some people have seen some things."
"Yes sir." She walked outside, then hurriedly came in again. "Sir?"
Hermann glared at her over his coffee. "What?"
"Mister Janae is here."
"Excellent. Perhaps he can shed some light on the situation regarding that bastard Prozen." Hermann leant back and propped his boots on the desk, the picture of relaxation.
The other man was ushered in. Janae was a good guy, someone Hermann had instantly liked. He was a touch man, took no crap from anyone, least of all his troops. A group of freedom fighters, against the Imperials, especially Lord Prozen…
"Hermann. How are you doing?"
"Fine considering my mother was abducted by a pair of Imperials."
"Make that a quartet." Payne sat down on the other chair and tugged absently at a lock of orange hair. "I feel you should know that for everything he's done, it looks like the Empire is welcoming back our mutual friend Prozen with welcome arms. An eye-witness we have told us that Colonel Shubaltz smuggled him out of the hearing with your mother at gun-point."
"WHAT?!" Hermann fell off his chair.
"Oh, it doesn't stop there. Lieutenant Shubaltz met with them a little further down along with the renegade Raven Prozen, who, if I recollect, is the minister's legal foster child. I think you've been fucked up the ass, Hermann. The Imperials are riding you like a dog in heat."
"Those bastards!!"
"They have a child in parliament. How else do you think they can do this?"
"But Emperor Zeppelin's a good kid…"
"But he's still a kid. Even as we speak, renegades are popping up as secret supporters of the minister. He may be laying down, but I assure you, if you don't catch the son of a bitch, he's going to destroy everything you've worked for and leave you with nothing."
"My mother…"
"Family is a precious thing. At your command, I can have a personally picked team go in and retrieve both your mother and the little escapee."
Hermann stared at the honest face in front of him. Where the gang had been hiding he didn't know, they were fantastic Zoid pilots and great with weaponry as well. Not even hand-to-hand combat has been forgotten - It would have been great to have them in the war. They'd come into the picture in the last few days, but a lot of people knew them, so Hermann felt safe.
Besides, he was a great judge of character.
"Look, uh, let me put it this way, you can't go up against Prozen because there are imperial men there. But what if an unknown team brought them to justice? We wouldn't kill anyone. We're in it…for the people, understand. You and the emperor have already agreed to hand him over to the right authorities, and we are a third party in this little mess. Minister Prozen has done a lot of irreversible damage to the both of you, and it wouldn't be fair now would it, if one got to judge the punishment. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but really…"
"Yeah…you're right…"
"So…?"
"As a personal favour, I'm asking you…please bring them back. But I want them all alive. Do you understand?" Hermann muttered. "Alive."
~ to be continued.
Okies, now O'Connell is coming up!
Janae is such a poo-bum, isn't he? Great judge of character? Yeah, suuuuuure, Hermann. Pull the other one…
Hey, it's come to mind that in using the phrase 'Red Sun' I might be discriminating against the Japanese with their use of a red circle on their flag. The reason I use this term is not only because it sounds good and righteous for a group of freedom fighters, but also because of the marking on their foreheads. A reddish pink circle. The Hertz lived underground, and were unable to go out in the sun for long periods of time, or they would get sick from sunstroke and stuff (seeing as they have no colour pigment) and would only come up to the world above during the night, early morning and most often in late afternoon – when the setting sun was red. Red sun. The Reapers would come during these in between times when the Hertz were moving around and go into their cities to kill them. So there you have it – when the red sun went down, the Red Sun (Reapers) came out. I hope this cleared up any problems. I think I've already offended quite a few people with this fic so far, but you know what? I like writing this. If I offend you with the pairings then tell me – I don't care. There are plenty of the normal pairings on FF.net and other Zoids fansites with fiction on them. I'm trying to write a good story here with believable characters and trying to make sense of things. Oh yes, and get my favourite characters together, just as they were always meant to be. Come on – Gunther Prozen and Hiltz Sierra. Match from heaven. Don't deny it ;p
