Disclaimer: I do not own or have any title, interest or right in either
Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. This fanfiction is not being used for
commercial purposes. I own all other rights (to the extent legally
permissible) in connection with this writing.
CHAPTER 6: PRECURSOR OF WAR
* * * * *
"The soft and gentle overcome the hard and strong." - Lao Tze (Tao-Te- Ching, date unknown)
* * * * *
Colony: X18999 (Residential Block C-2); March 23; 7:50 pm
Hotaru poured two small cups of Sencha green tea. The warm aroma wafted through the small living room. The room was tastefully decorated with various crystals and some antique lamps. Hotaru glanced at the other occupant in the room.
Wufei sat stiffly on the couch, his arms folded across his chest. He seemed to be staring intently at a very blank space on the wall. His leather jacket was lying neatly next to him on the couch.
"Here," Hotaru said, offering a cup of tea to her guest.
Wufei glanced at her, and politely took the cup. He spoke quietly, "Thank you."
The young man took a small sip and put the cup back down onto the glass table in front of him.
"It's probably still not safe to walk the streets during curfew," she told him. "It's probably best if you stayed the night."
"This doesn't seem appropriate," he proclaimed with a frown. "You shouldn't extend such an invitation to a complete stranger."
Hotaru raised her eyebrows and look as if she was about to be offended. After a moment, she laughed lightly. "I normally would never let a strange man into my house. But you did rescue me, and I can tell you're an honorable man."
"First impressions can be deceiving," he muttered, turning back to stare at the wall.
"Does that mean you're a bad man?" Hotaru asked with a wry smile.
Wufei glared at her. "You should not take your safety so lightly. You have no idea what kind of man I am."
"I know enough," Hotaru replied simply. "You will stay tonight. I can sleep on the couch, and you can take my room..."
"What?! That would be improper!" Wufei interrupted automatically. "No self-respecting man would let a woman sleep on the couch while he sleeps on a bed. I'll take the couch."
His voice trailed off, after he realized what he had just said.
Hotaru gave him an amused look. "Well, I'm glad you agreed to stay."
Wufei looked down for a moment, and then muttered something under his breath. One of the words he muttered sounded suspiciously like "onna".
"Have you eaten?" Hotaru inquired suddenly. "I can cook something if you'd like. I have to warn you, I'm not very good."
Wufei glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.
"Yes, I am hungry," he admitted.
"I'll make some stir fry," she suggested.
Hotaru smiled and wandered off to the kitchen. She was surprised that she didn't feel uncomfortable with this stranger. He kept quiet as she pulled out various ingredients from the fridge. She studied the various meats and vegetables in front of her. Hotaru rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do with all of it.
Wufei watched her from the living room. He stood up and casually wandered over to the kitchen. Hotaru had pulled on a cooking apron and was now staring at a slab of meat on the kitchen table.
"You should probably start by cutting the beef," he suggested in a gruff voice. "And you should make the cuts crosswise in quarter of an inch increments."
Hotaru looked at him. "So are you a cooking expert?" she queried, her violet eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Most of the great chefs are men," he stated matter-of-factly, as if that explained everything.
Hotaru pulled the cooking apron off her neck and handed it to a surprised- looking Wufei.
"Good, then you can cook, and I'll watch television," she smiled cheerfully as she walked off to the living room.
Wufei stared at Hotaru for a moment, and then back at the apron in his hands. His gaze once again returned to the diminutive girl. Wufei wasn't sure whether he wanted to admire this girl or strangle her.
His stomach grumbled.
But first things first, he was hungry and he needed to make dinner.
* * * * *
Space Carrier: 1LSS Amuro Rey; 3rd Fleet of the L1 Colony; March 23; 9:00 pm
Minako smoothed out the front of her crisp, dress uniform. Since she was aboard a military ship, she wasn't permitted to wear civilian clothes. She ultimately settled on her dress uniform, which seemed to be the most appropriate for a "date". The dress uniform was composed of a white buttoned blouse, with a matching jacket and skirt.
Minako glanced anxiously at her watch. Although Heero had agreed to a date, Minako realized that they never did sort out any of the important logistics. For instance, she wasn't sure whether he was coming to meet her at her room...or was she supposed to go over to meet him at his place? She quickly dismissed the thought. He should definitely come to her place. It was a time honored tradition for a man to pick up the woman. Wasn't it?
So Minako waited...
...and waited...
...until she became very, very irritated.
The beautiful blond snatched up the receiver to the vidphone and dialed a number. After a few rings, the vidphone picked up and she was staring at Heero's calm, emotionless face.
"Where are you?" she asked in a dangerous voice.
"In my quarters," came the reply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. After all, she had dialed the number to his room.
"That's not what I meant," Minako told him. "Are you forgetting our date?"
Heero continued to look at her calmly. "You didn't specify where to meet. So I was waiting for your phone call to designate a location, or your arrival."
Minako calmed herself down. She wasn't entirely sure whether Heero was simply playing dumb, or whether he was really as clueless about women as he seemed to be.
"Haven't you ever been on a date before?" she cried out in an exasperated voice.
"No."
Minako blinked a few times. She slowly let the information work its way through her mind. It seemed quite unbelievable that such an attractive young man had never dated before. But, he was somewhat introverted. In fact, after Minako thought about it for a moment, Heero was pretty damn anti-social.
"How old are you, Heero?" queried a skeptical Minako.
"Twenty-three."
"And you've never been on a date before?" she asked incredulously.
"Correct."
"Why is that?" Minako demanded.
Heero's eyes widened ever so slightly. This was certainly a question he was expecting. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, and he shrugged.
"It would have interfered with my goal to become an ace pilot," Heero replied in a cool voice.
"Are you telling me that you were so committed to becoming a pilot that you wouldn't even date?"
Heero nodded.
Minako paused reflectively for a moment. She had always noticed that Heero had always been remarkably focused on being a good pilot, but she had never realized how much it consumed his life. Even though this explained Heero's somewhat clueless nature when it came to women, something still bothered her.
"So why did you agree to go on a date with me now?" she inquired cautiously.
"You seemed upset," Heero explained simply.
"So what? That never seemed to bother you before."
"We're preparing for an upcoming mission, Minako. It would be bad if you were upset, because."
"Don't finish that sentence, Heero Yui," Minako stated sharply. "I see where this is going. You were afraid that my emotions would have gotten in the way of our mission. Well, don't worry, yourself. Regardless of how I feel about you on a personal level, I would never let it interfere with our mission. In fact, I'm not interested in dating someone who thinks so little of me. I'm calling this date off!"
Minako angrily slammed down the receiver of the vidphone. After a moment, the young blond slumped down onto her bed, emotionally exhausted. Minako was feeling so deflated and hurt by the conversation, she didn't even notice the small tear forming in the corner of her eye.
* * * * *
Space Carrier: 1LSS Amuro Rey; 3rd Fleet of the L1 Colony; March 23; 9:35 pm
Heero Yui blinked in surprise as Minako angrily hung up on him. He stared at the vidphone for a moment, before putting down the receiver. He had to admit that Minako Aino had thoroughly confused him.
However, after this conversation, he had gained considerable respect for her. She had more spirit, dedication and pride than Heero had anticipated, and he found that he was pleasantly surprised by this. He didn't even notice the small smile forming at the corners of his lips.
* * * * *
Colony: X18999 (Industrial Block M-1); March 23; 9:50 pm
The artificial lights hummed quietly into the night and barely illuminated the abandoned and twisted heaps of metal lying in the scrap yard. The tall, steel fence surrounding the yard was broken and on the verge of collapse. The floor was scattered with litter and other debris. A thick layer of dust seemed to cover most of the yard.
A tall, solitary figure stood quietly in the shadows of a large pile of debris. He was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a light brown shirt.
"I'll take over, Lieutenant," a voice called out from behind.
Trowa Barton glanced over his shoulder to see Ensign Toshio Wakagi standing behind him. Toshio, like all the SEAS team members, had changed into civilian clothing for the mission. Trowa quietly nodded and slipped into what appeared to be a large pile of debris. The large steel heap concealed the small base of operations that the SEAS team had discreetly set up in the scrap yard. Trowa headed into the base, while Toshio stepped out for his turn on watch.
He entered their operations room, which was simply a small desk with a laptop and several other communications equipment hooked up to a generator. Lieutenant Hilde Schbeiker was rapidly tapping away on her laptop.
In the corner of the screen was a real-time display of the external cameras on the ST-31X, which was still docked against the outer hull of Colony X18999. The rest of the screen was filled with complex computer code as Hilde worked away on a polymorphic computer virus that she affectionately dubbed "Charlie".
"How's Charlie coming along?" Lieutenant Natsuna Sakurada inquired. She was a dark-haired woman with a serious expression on her face. She was the third in command, after Trowa.
"Not too bad, I'm putting the finishing touches on Charlie right now," Hilde stated in an absent voice, clearly preoccupied with finishing up the program.
Trowa noticed some movement in the far corner of the screen. His eyes widened in alarm.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the display from the ST-31X's external camera.
Hilde paused for a moment and looked hard at the image. She clicked a button and the image was maximized to fill the whole screen. There appeared to be some object moving towards the ST-31X.
"What do you think that is?" Natsuna asked anxiously.
Hilde clicked a few buttons. The remote camera shifted and zoomed in on the movement. It appeared to be a robotic maintenance vehicle.
"Is the active cloaking device still on?" Trowa queried in a soft voice.
Hilde glanced at the lower screen and nodded. "Yes, it's still on. But that thing's still heading straight towards our ship."
True to her words, the maintenance vehicle silently continued towards the ST-31X. There was a strained silence as the SEAS team members huddled over the laptop. It was only a matter of minutes...
"Damn!" Hilde swore, as the maintenance vehicle ran directly into the ST- 31X. Although the active cloaking device rendered the ship invisible to radar and to the unaided eye, it could not make the ST-31X magically disappear. The maintenance vehicle wheeled backwards a bit. If the maintenance vehicle had been alive, Hilde could have sworn that it look confused. The vehicle moved forward and once again bumped into the ST-31X. After a moment, the maintenance vehicle extended a probe towards the ST- 31X.
Natsuna turned to Trowa. "What should we do now?"
Trowa's emerald eyes hardened. "Activate the self-destruct mechanism."
Hilde nodded and pressed a few quick codes into the laptop. She glanced over her shoulder at Trowa for confirmation. The tall young man nodded.
Hilde pushed the button and the display went to static.
* * * * *
Space Cargo/Transport Vehicle: SDF SCT-130D L4 SDF Special Support Group (7th Cavalry / 2nd MASH Unit); March 24; 11:15 am
The young blond Captain of the 7th Cavalry worked his way down to the back of the SCT-130D transport vessel. Most of the people chatting in the aisle parted respectfully when they noticed the commanding officer make his way through. Quatre was heading to speak to Lieutenant Rashid Malik, who was sitting at the rear of the SCT-130D.
As Quatre neared the rear, he noticed that Sergeant Ahmed al-Attiyah was talking with a short, red-headed nurse from the 2nd MASH Unit. Quatre glanced at her rank insignia and noted that she was a Second Lieutenant. The pair were talking animatedly, but hushed up when they noticed Quatre approach. The young girl quickly started heading back to the front.
"I'll talk to you later, Naru!" Ahmed called out to the departing girl. She waved back at him. The young girl managed to cast a smug look at Quatre as she slipped by.
Quatre was slightly confused by her departing glance, but shrugged it off. He discreetly pulled Ahmed off to the side.
"Ahmed! You're a married man! You shouldn't be so friendly with her," Quatre chided him gently in a quiet voice.
Ahmed grinned like a maniac. "Oh, don't worry, sir! There's nothing going on between me and her. We just had an interesting topic to discuss. Very interesting."
Ahmed's grin, if possible, seemed to grow slightly wider. The sergeant's eyes betrayed the mirth bubbling inside. Quatre almost felt that Ahmed was secretly laughing at him.
The young Captain quickly dismissed the irrational thought.
"All right, well, don't get carried away," Quatre advised, as he continued down the aisle towards Rashid.
When the young Captain finally reached the rear of the vessel, he greeted his long-time friend and confidant. "How are you doing, Rashid?"
Rashid nodded. "I'm doing fine, Captain. But our troops are starting to get restless on this long flight. You know that bored soldiers tend to cause trouble."
"Well, I'm sure they can't get themselves into too much trouble. After all, we're stuck in a transport vehicle," Quatre smiled, speaking more to reassure himself than Rashid.
"If you say so, Captain," Rashid said with a frown.
Chief Warrant Officer Abdul Rahman, who was sitting across the aisle from Rashid, stood up.
"You can sit here, Captain," Abdul offered. "Ahmed is waving at me, so I'll go talk to him."
"Thank you, Abdul," Quatre told the other man. Abdul scooted past Quatre and went to chat with Ahmed, who was waving animatedly at Abdul with both arms. The large grin was still plastered across Ahmed's face.
Quatre shrugged and took the vacant seat.
"We'll be joining the L1 Third Fleet in two days," the blond Captain spoke in a serious voice. "I've been informed that we'll be temporarily stationed on the 1LSS Char Aznable, the home of the L1 Marine's 12th Division. The Char Aznable is supposed to be one of L1's largest amphibious/space assault ships."
"The 12th Marine Division?" Rashid raised his eyebrows, looking somewhat impressed and concerned. "I've heard about them. I'm surprised that we're being stationed with them."
"Why is that?" Quatre asked. He had never paid much attention to the military units of other colonies. He preferred to spend most of his free time studying non-military related matters. Rashid, however, was a rich source of information on all things military.
"The 12th Marine Division is an elite group used to spearhead attacks against hardened targets. They live by the code: 'The first to try and the first to die'. I've heard that they have the highest casualty rate of any unit," Rashid explained.
Quatre's face wrinkled in obvious concern. "That doesn't seem right. I thought we were supposed to be a token support unit. I can't imagine why they would want us so close to the battlefield. We aren't equipped for large scale combat."
"Well, it's certainly convenient for the 12th Marine Division. After all, for a unit that gets so many casualties, they won't have to go far to find a doctor," Rashid grunted, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"I don't like this," Quatre murmured, his suspicion having been aroused.
Abdul and Ahmed, who were involved in their own discussion just several feet away, suddenly burst out into uncontrollable laughter. When Quatre glanced up at them, he noticed that both of his subordinates were smiling at him like a pair of Cheshire cats. In fact, Abdul's strained face looked as if it was barely able to contain the laughter within.
This is strange, Quatre thought worriedly. It seemed like everyone was giving him lots of funny looks today. There must be something in the food...
* * * * *
Colony: X18999 (Presidential Palace); March 24; 3:50 pm
Dekim Barton's cold eyes were carefully scanning the report in front of him. Although he delegated a considerable amount of responsibility to his aides, he still wanted to be as involved as much as possible in the war planning. Part of the reason was pride, the rest of the reason was paranoia. Dekim came to power through a political coup, and he knew very well that there was a possibility that he could be usurped by similar means.
So Dekim built an elaborate network among his own supporters. He always had one of his loyal supporters watching another one. It was a complex scheme, and it required him to constantly be on alert. Thus, he spent most of his time reading reports and monitoring his own people as well as those of the L1 military.
The vidphone beeped out loudly.
Dekim glared at the phone, but stabbed the speaker function.
"What is it?" he demanded, irritation clearly in his voice.
"Excuse me, President Barton!" spluttered a nervous looking lieutenant from the other side. "We just discovered an unusual development, and we thought you would want to know."
"What is it?" Dekim asked, eyeing the other man carefully. It was obvious that the young lieutenant was nervous.
"One of our ESC maintenance vehicles ran into a foreign object on the outer hull of the colony..." the lieutenant began.
"Yes. And...?"
"From what we can gather...it appeared to have been a cloaked space vessel. Not one of ours!" the lieutenant choked.
"WHAT?!" roared Dekim. "Are you sure?!"
"The vessel self-destructed, and we managed to get some debris. But we suspect that it was an L1 military vessel. We may have infiltrators on our colony. It was located over an abandoned area..."
"Increase internal and external security around that area!" Barton snapped heatedly.
"We have, sir!" the lieutenant gulped. "We also suspect that this area was intended to be used as a staging ground to insert more troops. So we've built up a large defensive perimeter around that area."
"Good," Dekim acknowledged. "Keep me posted."
He jabbed another button and the vidphone blinked off.
"So they're already here..." Dekim murmured to himself.
* * * * *
Space Carrier: 1LSS Amuro Rey; 3rd Fleet of the L1 Colony; March 25; 9:00 am
Captain Seiya Kou continued rifling through the files scattered randomly on his desk. Piles of official looking documents seemed to be stacked randomly on top of each other.
There was a quick rap on his door.
"Come in!" he called out, as he searched through the files near his feet. The pile fell over, sending papers underneath his desk. Seiya dove under to retrieve them.
The door to his office slid open and a young girl with short, dark brown hair stepped in. An amused look graced her face as her hazel eyes scanned the room.
"Your office hasn't improved one bit," the young girl commented lightly. "Need help cleaning it up?"
Seiya banged his head against the desk and peered over the paperwork at his guest.
"What do you want, Lieutenant Commander Jast?" he asked suspiciously.
The slender, young girl straightened up to attention and offered him a sharp salute. "Lieutenant Commander Kiki Jast reporting for duty!"[1]
"What do you mean...reporting for duty...?" he asked warily. "I thought you worked directly for Admiral Noventa? You don't report to me."
"I do now!" she grinned, handing him an envelope. "Admiral Noventa has transferred me temporarily under your command. I'm going to be responsible for helping you with those embedded reporters."
Seiya frowned. He took the envelope and opened it up.
"I've already assigned two of my best pilots to escort one of the reporters," he told her, as his dark blue eyes scanned the letter.
Kiki shrugged. "I understand. But my job entails a little more than that."
Seiya paused to look at the dark haired girl before him. She was one of Admiral Noventa's most trusted aides. Seiya couldn't figure out why the Admiral would want to send her away, unless...
"You're here to spy on me!" he accused.
"I think spying is the wrong word," Kiki stated in a mild voice. "Admiral Noventa prefers the term 'monitoring the situation'. He considers the current political climate rather delicate. So the Admiral just wants to make sure that you and your pilots will furnish the reporters with... the right story."
"So I'm going to have Admiral Noventa's eyes watching over me this whole time? Great."
Kiki gave him a lopsided smile. "I'm happy to see you too, Seiya. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
* * * * *
Author's Notes: Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been working like a maniac for the past month (I won't bore the readers with the boring details of my life). Please excuse me if my writing is a little rusty.
Footnote:
[1] Kiki Jast is an original character not from Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon or any other anime. If you like her and want to use her in your stories, please ask for permission from both me and Jade Stellar. Thanks.
Comments/Responses/Notes to Reviewers:
Sadie-Joyce Myst Lady - Glad you liked the little Setsuna/Treize. I'm not sure whether there will be a triangle, but I'm sure Une will oppose Treize developing a relationship with Setsuna. I also have to agree that Minako can be brash and somewhat impulsive, but that's part of the fun with her character. And Hotaru is quite smart (after all, in Sailor Stars, she was running a simulation of the Big Bang as a child). As for the answer to your last question.yes, I am a guy (and there is no offense taken). I realize it must be odd, since there aren't too many guys writing GW/SM fanfictions (most guys won't even admit that they watch Sailor Moon.but you'd be surprised how many guys actually do).
Blue-Eyed Canadian Authoress - Sorry, but I won't reveal the inspirational idea (at least not until later). I know Heero was a little OOC, but I hope this chapter kind of explained the reason behind his behavior (Heero doesn't do anything what a good reason). Yes, it will be Setsuna/Treize, with a possibility of Une getting thrown into the mix. As far as Rei's music player.if I could only design, develop and patent all the neat gadgets I think of in my story. Oh well.
Venus of Love - I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I know Heero was a little OOC, but I agree that its hard to keep in character when it comes to romantic relationships. But I still try to make an effort to keep him in character. Hope you liked this chapter too.
Summer Firefly - Thank you for your compliment. Though I have to agree, I need to simplify the story lines somewhat (I'm the author and I'm still trying to sort out all the plot/time lines and making them work together). Thanks for your input, it is greatly appreciated!
Jade Stellar - All the Starlights are here. It will be a few more chapters before Trowa and Minako will meet. I'm glad you like the Setsuna/Treize pairing. I'm still dwelling on the Wufei and Hotaru relationship.but I have some important plot events I need to work through. I hope you liked the Kiki/Seiya interaction. : )
Jamie - I'm glad you enjoyed this fanfiction. As far as my knowledge about military history and affairs, it was a hobby of mine several years ago. The Heero/Minako/Trowa thing will take a while to develop, but it will happen.
CHAPTER 6: PRECURSOR OF WAR
* * * * *
"The soft and gentle overcome the hard and strong." - Lao Tze (Tao-Te- Ching, date unknown)
* * * * *
Colony: X18999 (Residential Block C-2); March 23; 7:50 pm
Hotaru poured two small cups of Sencha green tea. The warm aroma wafted through the small living room. The room was tastefully decorated with various crystals and some antique lamps. Hotaru glanced at the other occupant in the room.
Wufei sat stiffly on the couch, his arms folded across his chest. He seemed to be staring intently at a very blank space on the wall. His leather jacket was lying neatly next to him on the couch.
"Here," Hotaru said, offering a cup of tea to her guest.
Wufei glanced at her, and politely took the cup. He spoke quietly, "Thank you."
The young man took a small sip and put the cup back down onto the glass table in front of him.
"It's probably still not safe to walk the streets during curfew," she told him. "It's probably best if you stayed the night."
"This doesn't seem appropriate," he proclaimed with a frown. "You shouldn't extend such an invitation to a complete stranger."
Hotaru raised her eyebrows and look as if she was about to be offended. After a moment, she laughed lightly. "I normally would never let a strange man into my house. But you did rescue me, and I can tell you're an honorable man."
"First impressions can be deceiving," he muttered, turning back to stare at the wall.
"Does that mean you're a bad man?" Hotaru asked with a wry smile.
Wufei glared at her. "You should not take your safety so lightly. You have no idea what kind of man I am."
"I know enough," Hotaru replied simply. "You will stay tonight. I can sleep on the couch, and you can take my room..."
"What?! That would be improper!" Wufei interrupted automatically. "No self-respecting man would let a woman sleep on the couch while he sleeps on a bed. I'll take the couch."
His voice trailed off, after he realized what he had just said.
Hotaru gave him an amused look. "Well, I'm glad you agreed to stay."
Wufei looked down for a moment, and then muttered something under his breath. One of the words he muttered sounded suspiciously like "onna".
"Have you eaten?" Hotaru inquired suddenly. "I can cook something if you'd like. I have to warn you, I'm not very good."
Wufei glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.
"Yes, I am hungry," he admitted.
"I'll make some stir fry," she suggested.
Hotaru smiled and wandered off to the kitchen. She was surprised that she didn't feel uncomfortable with this stranger. He kept quiet as she pulled out various ingredients from the fridge. She studied the various meats and vegetables in front of her. Hotaru rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do with all of it.
Wufei watched her from the living room. He stood up and casually wandered over to the kitchen. Hotaru had pulled on a cooking apron and was now staring at a slab of meat on the kitchen table.
"You should probably start by cutting the beef," he suggested in a gruff voice. "And you should make the cuts crosswise in quarter of an inch increments."
Hotaru looked at him. "So are you a cooking expert?" she queried, her violet eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Most of the great chefs are men," he stated matter-of-factly, as if that explained everything.
Hotaru pulled the cooking apron off her neck and handed it to a surprised- looking Wufei.
"Good, then you can cook, and I'll watch television," she smiled cheerfully as she walked off to the living room.
Wufei stared at Hotaru for a moment, and then back at the apron in his hands. His gaze once again returned to the diminutive girl. Wufei wasn't sure whether he wanted to admire this girl or strangle her.
His stomach grumbled.
But first things first, he was hungry and he needed to make dinner.
* * * * *
Space Carrier: 1LSS Amuro Rey; 3rd Fleet of the L1 Colony; March 23; 9:00 pm
Minako smoothed out the front of her crisp, dress uniform. Since she was aboard a military ship, she wasn't permitted to wear civilian clothes. She ultimately settled on her dress uniform, which seemed to be the most appropriate for a "date". The dress uniform was composed of a white buttoned blouse, with a matching jacket and skirt.
Minako glanced anxiously at her watch. Although Heero had agreed to a date, Minako realized that they never did sort out any of the important logistics. For instance, she wasn't sure whether he was coming to meet her at her room...or was she supposed to go over to meet him at his place? She quickly dismissed the thought. He should definitely come to her place. It was a time honored tradition for a man to pick up the woman. Wasn't it?
So Minako waited...
...and waited...
...until she became very, very irritated.
The beautiful blond snatched up the receiver to the vidphone and dialed a number. After a few rings, the vidphone picked up and she was staring at Heero's calm, emotionless face.
"Where are you?" she asked in a dangerous voice.
"In my quarters," came the reply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. After all, she had dialed the number to his room.
"That's not what I meant," Minako told him. "Are you forgetting our date?"
Heero continued to look at her calmly. "You didn't specify where to meet. So I was waiting for your phone call to designate a location, or your arrival."
Minako calmed herself down. She wasn't entirely sure whether Heero was simply playing dumb, or whether he was really as clueless about women as he seemed to be.
"Haven't you ever been on a date before?" she cried out in an exasperated voice.
"No."
Minako blinked a few times. She slowly let the information work its way through her mind. It seemed quite unbelievable that such an attractive young man had never dated before. But, he was somewhat introverted. In fact, after Minako thought about it for a moment, Heero was pretty damn anti-social.
"How old are you, Heero?" queried a skeptical Minako.
"Twenty-three."
"And you've never been on a date before?" she asked incredulously.
"Correct."
"Why is that?" Minako demanded.
Heero's eyes widened ever so slightly. This was certainly a question he was expecting. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, and he shrugged.
"It would have interfered with my goal to become an ace pilot," Heero replied in a cool voice.
"Are you telling me that you were so committed to becoming a pilot that you wouldn't even date?"
Heero nodded.
Minako paused reflectively for a moment. She had always noticed that Heero had always been remarkably focused on being a good pilot, but she had never realized how much it consumed his life. Even though this explained Heero's somewhat clueless nature when it came to women, something still bothered her.
"So why did you agree to go on a date with me now?" she inquired cautiously.
"You seemed upset," Heero explained simply.
"So what? That never seemed to bother you before."
"We're preparing for an upcoming mission, Minako. It would be bad if you were upset, because."
"Don't finish that sentence, Heero Yui," Minako stated sharply. "I see where this is going. You were afraid that my emotions would have gotten in the way of our mission. Well, don't worry, yourself. Regardless of how I feel about you on a personal level, I would never let it interfere with our mission. In fact, I'm not interested in dating someone who thinks so little of me. I'm calling this date off!"
Minako angrily slammed down the receiver of the vidphone. After a moment, the young blond slumped down onto her bed, emotionally exhausted. Minako was feeling so deflated and hurt by the conversation, she didn't even notice the small tear forming in the corner of her eye.
* * * * *
Space Carrier: 1LSS Amuro Rey; 3rd Fleet of the L1 Colony; March 23; 9:35 pm
Heero Yui blinked in surprise as Minako angrily hung up on him. He stared at the vidphone for a moment, before putting down the receiver. He had to admit that Minako Aino had thoroughly confused him.
However, after this conversation, he had gained considerable respect for her. She had more spirit, dedication and pride than Heero had anticipated, and he found that he was pleasantly surprised by this. He didn't even notice the small smile forming at the corners of his lips.
* * * * *
Colony: X18999 (Industrial Block M-1); March 23; 9:50 pm
The artificial lights hummed quietly into the night and barely illuminated the abandoned and twisted heaps of metal lying in the scrap yard. The tall, steel fence surrounding the yard was broken and on the verge of collapse. The floor was scattered with litter and other debris. A thick layer of dust seemed to cover most of the yard.
A tall, solitary figure stood quietly in the shadows of a large pile of debris. He was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a light brown shirt.
"I'll take over, Lieutenant," a voice called out from behind.
Trowa Barton glanced over his shoulder to see Ensign Toshio Wakagi standing behind him. Toshio, like all the SEAS team members, had changed into civilian clothing for the mission. Trowa quietly nodded and slipped into what appeared to be a large pile of debris. The large steel heap concealed the small base of operations that the SEAS team had discreetly set up in the scrap yard. Trowa headed into the base, while Toshio stepped out for his turn on watch.
He entered their operations room, which was simply a small desk with a laptop and several other communications equipment hooked up to a generator. Lieutenant Hilde Schbeiker was rapidly tapping away on her laptop.
In the corner of the screen was a real-time display of the external cameras on the ST-31X, which was still docked against the outer hull of Colony X18999. The rest of the screen was filled with complex computer code as Hilde worked away on a polymorphic computer virus that she affectionately dubbed "Charlie".
"How's Charlie coming along?" Lieutenant Natsuna Sakurada inquired. She was a dark-haired woman with a serious expression on her face. She was the third in command, after Trowa.
"Not too bad, I'm putting the finishing touches on Charlie right now," Hilde stated in an absent voice, clearly preoccupied with finishing up the program.
Trowa noticed some movement in the far corner of the screen. His eyes widened in alarm.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the display from the ST-31X's external camera.
Hilde paused for a moment and looked hard at the image. She clicked a button and the image was maximized to fill the whole screen. There appeared to be some object moving towards the ST-31X.
"What do you think that is?" Natsuna asked anxiously.
Hilde clicked a few buttons. The remote camera shifted and zoomed in on the movement. It appeared to be a robotic maintenance vehicle.
"Is the active cloaking device still on?" Trowa queried in a soft voice.
Hilde glanced at the lower screen and nodded. "Yes, it's still on. But that thing's still heading straight towards our ship."
True to her words, the maintenance vehicle silently continued towards the ST-31X. There was a strained silence as the SEAS team members huddled over the laptop. It was only a matter of minutes...
"Damn!" Hilde swore, as the maintenance vehicle ran directly into the ST- 31X. Although the active cloaking device rendered the ship invisible to radar and to the unaided eye, it could not make the ST-31X magically disappear. The maintenance vehicle wheeled backwards a bit. If the maintenance vehicle had been alive, Hilde could have sworn that it look confused. The vehicle moved forward and once again bumped into the ST-31X. After a moment, the maintenance vehicle extended a probe towards the ST- 31X.
Natsuna turned to Trowa. "What should we do now?"
Trowa's emerald eyes hardened. "Activate the self-destruct mechanism."
Hilde nodded and pressed a few quick codes into the laptop. She glanced over her shoulder at Trowa for confirmation. The tall young man nodded.
Hilde pushed the button and the display went to static.
* * * * *
Space Cargo/Transport Vehicle: SDF SCT-130D L4 SDF Special Support Group (7th Cavalry / 2nd MASH Unit); March 24; 11:15 am
The young blond Captain of the 7th Cavalry worked his way down to the back of the SCT-130D transport vessel. Most of the people chatting in the aisle parted respectfully when they noticed the commanding officer make his way through. Quatre was heading to speak to Lieutenant Rashid Malik, who was sitting at the rear of the SCT-130D.
As Quatre neared the rear, he noticed that Sergeant Ahmed al-Attiyah was talking with a short, red-headed nurse from the 2nd MASH Unit. Quatre glanced at her rank insignia and noted that she was a Second Lieutenant. The pair were talking animatedly, but hushed up when they noticed Quatre approach. The young girl quickly started heading back to the front.
"I'll talk to you later, Naru!" Ahmed called out to the departing girl. She waved back at him. The young girl managed to cast a smug look at Quatre as she slipped by.
Quatre was slightly confused by her departing glance, but shrugged it off. He discreetly pulled Ahmed off to the side.
"Ahmed! You're a married man! You shouldn't be so friendly with her," Quatre chided him gently in a quiet voice.
Ahmed grinned like a maniac. "Oh, don't worry, sir! There's nothing going on between me and her. We just had an interesting topic to discuss. Very interesting."
Ahmed's grin, if possible, seemed to grow slightly wider. The sergeant's eyes betrayed the mirth bubbling inside. Quatre almost felt that Ahmed was secretly laughing at him.
The young Captain quickly dismissed the irrational thought.
"All right, well, don't get carried away," Quatre advised, as he continued down the aisle towards Rashid.
When the young Captain finally reached the rear of the vessel, he greeted his long-time friend and confidant. "How are you doing, Rashid?"
Rashid nodded. "I'm doing fine, Captain. But our troops are starting to get restless on this long flight. You know that bored soldiers tend to cause trouble."
"Well, I'm sure they can't get themselves into too much trouble. After all, we're stuck in a transport vehicle," Quatre smiled, speaking more to reassure himself than Rashid.
"If you say so, Captain," Rashid said with a frown.
Chief Warrant Officer Abdul Rahman, who was sitting across the aisle from Rashid, stood up.
"You can sit here, Captain," Abdul offered. "Ahmed is waving at me, so I'll go talk to him."
"Thank you, Abdul," Quatre told the other man. Abdul scooted past Quatre and went to chat with Ahmed, who was waving animatedly at Abdul with both arms. The large grin was still plastered across Ahmed's face.
Quatre shrugged and took the vacant seat.
"We'll be joining the L1 Third Fleet in two days," the blond Captain spoke in a serious voice. "I've been informed that we'll be temporarily stationed on the 1LSS Char Aznable, the home of the L1 Marine's 12th Division. The Char Aznable is supposed to be one of L1's largest amphibious/space assault ships."
"The 12th Marine Division?" Rashid raised his eyebrows, looking somewhat impressed and concerned. "I've heard about them. I'm surprised that we're being stationed with them."
"Why is that?" Quatre asked. He had never paid much attention to the military units of other colonies. He preferred to spend most of his free time studying non-military related matters. Rashid, however, was a rich source of information on all things military.
"The 12th Marine Division is an elite group used to spearhead attacks against hardened targets. They live by the code: 'The first to try and the first to die'. I've heard that they have the highest casualty rate of any unit," Rashid explained.
Quatre's face wrinkled in obvious concern. "That doesn't seem right. I thought we were supposed to be a token support unit. I can't imagine why they would want us so close to the battlefield. We aren't equipped for large scale combat."
"Well, it's certainly convenient for the 12th Marine Division. After all, for a unit that gets so many casualties, they won't have to go far to find a doctor," Rashid grunted, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"I don't like this," Quatre murmured, his suspicion having been aroused.
Abdul and Ahmed, who were involved in their own discussion just several feet away, suddenly burst out into uncontrollable laughter. When Quatre glanced up at them, he noticed that both of his subordinates were smiling at him like a pair of Cheshire cats. In fact, Abdul's strained face looked as if it was barely able to contain the laughter within.
This is strange, Quatre thought worriedly. It seemed like everyone was giving him lots of funny looks today. There must be something in the food...
* * * * *
Colony: X18999 (Presidential Palace); March 24; 3:50 pm
Dekim Barton's cold eyes were carefully scanning the report in front of him. Although he delegated a considerable amount of responsibility to his aides, he still wanted to be as involved as much as possible in the war planning. Part of the reason was pride, the rest of the reason was paranoia. Dekim came to power through a political coup, and he knew very well that there was a possibility that he could be usurped by similar means.
So Dekim built an elaborate network among his own supporters. He always had one of his loyal supporters watching another one. It was a complex scheme, and it required him to constantly be on alert. Thus, he spent most of his time reading reports and monitoring his own people as well as those of the L1 military.
The vidphone beeped out loudly.
Dekim glared at the phone, but stabbed the speaker function.
"What is it?" he demanded, irritation clearly in his voice.
"Excuse me, President Barton!" spluttered a nervous looking lieutenant from the other side. "We just discovered an unusual development, and we thought you would want to know."
"What is it?" Dekim asked, eyeing the other man carefully. It was obvious that the young lieutenant was nervous.
"One of our ESC maintenance vehicles ran into a foreign object on the outer hull of the colony..." the lieutenant began.
"Yes. And...?"
"From what we can gather...it appeared to have been a cloaked space vessel. Not one of ours!" the lieutenant choked.
"WHAT?!" roared Dekim. "Are you sure?!"
"The vessel self-destructed, and we managed to get some debris. But we suspect that it was an L1 military vessel. We may have infiltrators on our colony. It was located over an abandoned area..."
"Increase internal and external security around that area!" Barton snapped heatedly.
"We have, sir!" the lieutenant gulped. "We also suspect that this area was intended to be used as a staging ground to insert more troops. So we've built up a large defensive perimeter around that area."
"Good," Dekim acknowledged. "Keep me posted."
He jabbed another button and the vidphone blinked off.
"So they're already here..." Dekim murmured to himself.
* * * * *
Space Carrier: 1LSS Amuro Rey; 3rd Fleet of the L1 Colony; March 25; 9:00 am
Captain Seiya Kou continued rifling through the files scattered randomly on his desk. Piles of official looking documents seemed to be stacked randomly on top of each other.
There was a quick rap on his door.
"Come in!" he called out, as he searched through the files near his feet. The pile fell over, sending papers underneath his desk. Seiya dove under to retrieve them.
The door to his office slid open and a young girl with short, dark brown hair stepped in. An amused look graced her face as her hazel eyes scanned the room.
"Your office hasn't improved one bit," the young girl commented lightly. "Need help cleaning it up?"
Seiya banged his head against the desk and peered over the paperwork at his guest.
"What do you want, Lieutenant Commander Jast?" he asked suspiciously.
The slender, young girl straightened up to attention and offered him a sharp salute. "Lieutenant Commander Kiki Jast reporting for duty!"[1]
"What do you mean...reporting for duty...?" he asked warily. "I thought you worked directly for Admiral Noventa? You don't report to me."
"I do now!" she grinned, handing him an envelope. "Admiral Noventa has transferred me temporarily under your command. I'm going to be responsible for helping you with those embedded reporters."
Seiya frowned. He took the envelope and opened it up.
"I've already assigned two of my best pilots to escort one of the reporters," he told her, as his dark blue eyes scanned the letter.
Kiki shrugged. "I understand. But my job entails a little more than that."
Seiya paused to look at the dark haired girl before him. She was one of Admiral Noventa's most trusted aides. Seiya couldn't figure out why the Admiral would want to send her away, unless...
"You're here to spy on me!" he accused.
"I think spying is the wrong word," Kiki stated in a mild voice. "Admiral Noventa prefers the term 'monitoring the situation'. He considers the current political climate rather delicate. So the Admiral just wants to make sure that you and your pilots will furnish the reporters with... the right story."
"So I'm going to have Admiral Noventa's eyes watching over me this whole time? Great."
Kiki gave him a lopsided smile. "I'm happy to see you too, Seiya. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
* * * * *
Author's Notes: Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been working like a maniac for the past month (I won't bore the readers with the boring details of my life). Please excuse me if my writing is a little rusty.
Footnote:
[1] Kiki Jast is an original character not from Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon or any other anime. If you like her and want to use her in your stories, please ask for permission from both me and Jade Stellar. Thanks.
Comments/Responses/Notes to Reviewers:
Sadie-Joyce Myst Lady - Glad you liked the little Setsuna/Treize. I'm not sure whether there will be a triangle, but I'm sure Une will oppose Treize developing a relationship with Setsuna. I also have to agree that Minako can be brash and somewhat impulsive, but that's part of the fun with her character. And Hotaru is quite smart (after all, in Sailor Stars, she was running a simulation of the Big Bang as a child). As for the answer to your last question.yes, I am a guy (and there is no offense taken). I realize it must be odd, since there aren't too many guys writing GW/SM fanfictions (most guys won't even admit that they watch Sailor Moon.but you'd be surprised how many guys actually do).
Blue-Eyed Canadian Authoress - Sorry, but I won't reveal the inspirational idea (at least not until later). I know Heero was a little OOC, but I hope this chapter kind of explained the reason behind his behavior (Heero doesn't do anything what a good reason). Yes, it will be Setsuna/Treize, with a possibility of Une getting thrown into the mix. As far as Rei's music player.if I could only design, develop and patent all the neat gadgets I think of in my story. Oh well.
Venus of Love - I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I know Heero was a little OOC, but I agree that its hard to keep in character when it comes to romantic relationships. But I still try to make an effort to keep him in character. Hope you liked this chapter too.
Summer Firefly - Thank you for your compliment. Though I have to agree, I need to simplify the story lines somewhat (I'm the author and I'm still trying to sort out all the plot/time lines and making them work together). Thanks for your input, it is greatly appreciated!
Jade Stellar - All the Starlights are here. It will be a few more chapters before Trowa and Minako will meet. I'm glad you like the Setsuna/Treize pairing. I'm still dwelling on the Wufei and Hotaru relationship.but I have some important plot events I need to work through. I hope you liked the Kiki/Seiya interaction. : )
Jamie - I'm glad you enjoyed this fanfiction. As far as my knowledge about military history and affairs, it was a hobby of mine several years ago. The Heero/Minako/Trowa thing will take a while to develop, but it will happen.
