Author's note: Hi, everyone! Finally got my power back on! Yay! At least it was only for one day this time. Thanks for all the reviews! I'm giving Ryou a break, Schala, since he's been so good to do my disclaimers for me. ^^ Hope you all enjoy this third installment!
Starsword by Shelly
CHAPTER THREE
Thomas forgave her as she knew he would, marveling at Night Striker's technology and at the fact that she was able to design it all on her own. She let that one slide as she felt he had been tortured enough for one day, and followed Karl and his brother as they took a quick look around at the destruction around them.
It was a sobering sight, one that was not lost on her as it reminded her of something that had happened to her long ago, and even it had been at the whim of Prozen. Some buildings were lucky enough to still be standing, and they were being checked for structural integrity as the debris was being cleaned up that clogged the streets. Others were a bare memory of what they once were, a shadowy husk surrounded by the constant cloud of dust kicked up by the breeze.
"How could anyone be this insane as to try and wipe out everything at one time?" she asked, more to herself than anyone in particular.
"I think that you of all people shouldn't have to ask that question," Karl replied, fixing his green gaze on her which was filled with sadness. He had spent his entire life in the military so far, defending the Empire which he loved, and for it to be destroyed from within was ironic. He had been trained to believe that the Republic was their enemy, that that was where the threat would come from, but in the end it came from Prozen and his demented ambitions, ending in the total destruction of lives and property.
"No, I guess I don't, do I?" she mused sadly. "That memory has begun to fade now, but the pain of my parent's deaths still remain. This is worse by far than anything, simply because so many more lives were lost, and all in the pursuit of power. So many brave officers gone, as well as those who would've made it far in the military..." She couldn't go any further for the tears that choked off her breathing and ran down her cheeks.
Strong arms around her offered her their support, and she gladly accepted it as she cried out her grief on Karl's shoulder. He stroked her blue-platinum hair gently, his chin resting on top of her head. It had been a long time since he had seen her, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that she had grown into a fine soldier as well as a very attractive woman. And where had that thought come from? It had been so long since he had even bothered to entertain the notion of being interested in someone, he had almost forgotten what it was like.
In school, he had been approached by many girls seeking his attention, but he turned them down as he wished to concentrate solely on his academics and physical training. And when he had come into the military, he had devoted all his energy into becoming the best that he could be, and still he strove towards that goal. But now that he was standing here holding her in his arms, he began to realize that maybe he should think about letting someone into his life. Life was too short to focus on only one goal, and he had done that, in the process letting some things slip through his fingers that would've been worthwhile.
She finally pulled away from him, knowing she must look a mess to him as she wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "I'm sorry, Karl," she said as she looked back up at him. "I didn't mean to go all teary on you."
He smiled to help ease her discomfort. "It's okay. There have been harder hearts than yours that have broken down at the sight of all this." Then he looked off into the distance for a moment. "How about we go and grab something to eat? I imagine you're famished from your long journey."
She brightened a bit at the mention of food. "Sounds good! I am hungry, now that you mention it."
"Great! Come on, Thomas, we're getting something to eat!" he called to his brother, who had walked away to give them some privacy. He started walking off with Lauren following behind.
"Wait for me!" he cried as he ran to catch up with them.
They ended up grabbing what they could from a nearby military command post, a sort of hub where all activity was planned and executed. Food was beginning to become a scarcity, even though some came from the Republic as well as the Empire. The war had taken its toll on the surrounding countryside, and then adding the destruction of the city on top of that there was barely enough to feed everyone. First consideration was given to the elderly then the women and children. All who were in the military could get their rations from a different location so that they didn't have to wait in the long lines that had formed thus far, something they were very thankful for.
What they weren't thankful for were the times when the military would have to be called in to calm down those who would start fights over the simple things such as food and water. People were starving out there, and Rudolph was doing his best to see that everyone was taken care of, but sometimes it wasn't enough and tempers tended to flare a bit.
They took a seat at one of the tables set underneath a large canopy, the shadows around them growing deeper as night claimed the day, and lanterns were lit to chase them away. "So, Lauren, what have you been doing all these years?" Thomas asked her. "The last we saw of you, you were Rudolph's bodyguard, then you seemed to drop off the face of the earth."
"After I left, I found the wreckages of my parent's zoids, and I spent some time working on Night Striker," she began.
"Night Striker?" Thomas echoed.
"My zoid, which you were so informally introduced to," she smirked.
"Oh, right," he groaned, remembering what happened.
"Once I finished it, I became a free-lance mercenary, doing odd jobs for villages that needed help from bandits and such. Then I happened to find some survivors from my home and learned that they were trying to rebuild the village, but didn't have the money. So I used my earnings to help them. Once that was done, I decided to join the military once I heard about the war breaking out between the Republic and the Empire, and here I am."
"You've been pretty busy then," Karl pointed out.
"I have," she agreed. "And what have you two been up to?"
"Well, you know us," Thomas stated. "We both joined the military right out of school just as our father wanted. And I developed this really cool Artificial Intelligence system to install on my Dibison! It's supposed to be even better than an organoid, although I still have some work to do on it. But I should be done with it soon."
She smiled at seeing Thomas' excited expression. He had always been fond of electronics, and some of that had rubbed off on her as a result. "I'd like to see it sometime, Thomas. And what about you, Karl?" she asked.
"Oh, he's been busy going up the military ladder so to speak," Thomas rattled on. "He recently was promoted to Colonel, isn't that great?"
She fixed her gaze on him, intending to say something, but a voice interrupted, calling him away as his Dibison was needed. He left, expressing his apologies to Lauren, and she breathed a sigh of relief that he was gone. "He's a little hyper, isn't he?"
Karl smiled. "He's just excited to see you, that's all," he replied. "While you were staying with us, you kept him company and encouraged his love for machinery. He's never forgotten that."
She returned his smile. "It's nice not to be forgotten," she said. "I'm really proud that you made Colonel. Congratulations."
"Thank you," he said, looking into her eyes for a moment and holding it. They were such a beautiful shade it was hard not to look at them, but he remembered something that Thomas had told him about her long ago and he was searching their depths to see if it was still there. His brother had told him that Lauren had had a crush on him before she left, and he was curious to see if she still felt that way as he wondered if maybe he wasn't developing an interest in her himself.
She wondered what was going on in his mind behind those incredibly green eyes, and thought it best that she didn't know. Looking away, she broke the contact and rose to her feet. "I guess we'd better get going. I've still got to report to my superior officer, once I find out who it is."
Karl rose as well, looking down at her with an amused smile. "You're looking at him," he said.
Her eyes grew wide as saucers. "Oh," was all she had to say.
********************
Didn't expect that, did she? Thanks for reading! C-ya!
Starsword by Shelly
CHAPTER THREE
Thomas forgave her as she knew he would, marveling at Night Striker's technology and at the fact that she was able to design it all on her own. She let that one slide as she felt he had been tortured enough for one day, and followed Karl and his brother as they took a quick look around at the destruction around them.
It was a sobering sight, one that was not lost on her as it reminded her of something that had happened to her long ago, and even it had been at the whim of Prozen. Some buildings were lucky enough to still be standing, and they were being checked for structural integrity as the debris was being cleaned up that clogged the streets. Others were a bare memory of what they once were, a shadowy husk surrounded by the constant cloud of dust kicked up by the breeze.
"How could anyone be this insane as to try and wipe out everything at one time?" she asked, more to herself than anyone in particular.
"I think that you of all people shouldn't have to ask that question," Karl replied, fixing his green gaze on her which was filled with sadness. He had spent his entire life in the military so far, defending the Empire which he loved, and for it to be destroyed from within was ironic. He had been trained to believe that the Republic was their enemy, that that was where the threat would come from, but in the end it came from Prozen and his demented ambitions, ending in the total destruction of lives and property.
"No, I guess I don't, do I?" she mused sadly. "That memory has begun to fade now, but the pain of my parent's deaths still remain. This is worse by far than anything, simply because so many more lives were lost, and all in the pursuit of power. So many brave officers gone, as well as those who would've made it far in the military..." She couldn't go any further for the tears that choked off her breathing and ran down her cheeks.
Strong arms around her offered her their support, and she gladly accepted it as she cried out her grief on Karl's shoulder. He stroked her blue-platinum hair gently, his chin resting on top of her head. It had been a long time since he had seen her, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that she had grown into a fine soldier as well as a very attractive woman. And where had that thought come from? It had been so long since he had even bothered to entertain the notion of being interested in someone, he had almost forgotten what it was like.
In school, he had been approached by many girls seeking his attention, but he turned them down as he wished to concentrate solely on his academics and physical training. And when he had come into the military, he had devoted all his energy into becoming the best that he could be, and still he strove towards that goal. But now that he was standing here holding her in his arms, he began to realize that maybe he should think about letting someone into his life. Life was too short to focus on only one goal, and he had done that, in the process letting some things slip through his fingers that would've been worthwhile.
She finally pulled away from him, knowing she must look a mess to him as she wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "I'm sorry, Karl," she said as she looked back up at him. "I didn't mean to go all teary on you."
He smiled to help ease her discomfort. "It's okay. There have been harder hearts than yours that have broken down at the sight of all this." Then he looked off into the distance for a moment. "How about we go and grab something to eat? I imagine you're famished from your long journey."
She brightened a bit at the mention of food. "Sounds good! I am hungry, now that you mention it."
"Great! Come on, Thomas, we're getting something to eat!" he called to his brother, who had walked away to give them some privacy. He started walking off with Lauren following behind.
"Wait for me!" he cried as he ran to catch up with them.
They ended up grabbing what they could from a nearby military command post, a sort of hub where all activity was planned and executed. Food was beginning to become a scarcity, even though some came from the Republic as well as the Empire. The war had taken its toll on the surrounding countryside, and then adding the destruction of the city on top of that there was barely enough to feed everyone. First consideration was given to the elderly then the women and children. All who were in the military could get their rations from a different location so that they didn't have to wait in the long lines that had formed thus far, something they were very thankful for.
What they weren't thankful for were the times when the military would have to be called in to calm down those who would start fights over the simple things such as food and water. People were starving out there, and Rudolph was doing his best to see that everyone was taken care of, but sometimes it wasn't enough and tempers tended to flare a bit.
They took a seat at one of the tables set underneath a large canopy, the shadows around them growing deeper as night claimed the day, and lanterns were lit to chase them away. "So, Lauren, what have you been doing all these years?" Thomas asked her. "The last we saw of you, you were Rudolph's bodyguard, then you seemed to drop off the face of the earth."
"After I left, I found the wreckages of my parent's zoids, and I spent some time working on Night Striker," she began.
"Night Striker?" Thomas echoed.
"My zoid, which you were so informally introduced to," she smirked.
"Oh, right," he groaned, remembering what happened.
"Once I finished it, I became a free-lance mercenary, doing odd jobs for villages that needed help from bandits and such. Then I happened to find some survivors from my home and learned that they were trying to rebuild the village, but didn't have the money. So I used my earnings to help them. Once that was done, I decided to join the military once I heard about the war breaking out between the Republic and the Empire, and here I am."
"You've been pretty busy then," Karl pointed out.
"I have," she agreed. "And what have you two been up to?"
"Well, you know us," Thomas stated. "We both joined the military right out of school just as our father wanted. And I developed this really cool Artificial Intelligence system to install on my Dibison! It's supposed to be even better than an organoid, although I still have some work to do on it. But I should be done with it soon."
She smiled at seeing Thomas' excited expression. He had always been fond of electronics, and some of that had rubbed off on her as a result. "I'd like to see it sometime, Thomas. And what about you, Karl?" she asked.
"Oh, he's been busy going up the military ladder so to speak," Thomas rattled on. "He recently was promoted to Colonel, isn't that great?"
She fixed her gaze on him, intending to say something, but a voice interrupted, calling him away as his Dibison was needed. He left, expressing his apologies to Lauren, and she breathed a sigh of relief that he was gone. "He's a little hyper, isn't he?"
Karl smiled. "He's just excited to see you, that's all," he replied. "While you were staying with us, you kept him company and encouraged his love for machinery. He's never forgotten that."
She returned his smile. "It's nice not to be forgotten," she said. "I'm really proud that you made Colonel. Congratulations."
"Thank you," he said, looking into her eyes for a moment and holding it. They were such a beautiful shade it was hard not to look at them, but he remembered something that Thomas had told him about her long ago and he was searching their depths to see if it was still there. His brother had told him that Lauren had had a crush on him before she left, and he was curious to see if she still felt that way as he wondered if maybe he wasn't developing an interest in her himself.
She wondered what was going on in his mind behind those incredibly green eyes, and thought it best that she didn't know. Looking away, she broke the contact and rose to her feet. "I guess we'd better get going. I've still got to report to my superior officer, once I find out who it is."
Karl rose as well, looking down at her with an amused smile. "You're looking at him," he said.
Her eyes grew wide as saucers. "Oh," was all she had to say.
********************
Didn't expect that, did she? Thanks for reading! C-ya!
