Chapter Seven: Fallen Blood-Red Stars

"I knew this would happen! I knew it! Schwartz Bruder, you had better be alive when I get there, you idiot!" Ravyn ran on through the forest, desperate to get to Domon and the rest of the Shuffle Alliance.

"This is Falcon's fault, you know!" Epona cried angrily, glaring at the older man.

"How is it my fault?"

"If you hadn't been such a pig- ow, my foot!- then we wouldn't have had to high tail it to the store to get more food, you uneducated wart hog from Mars!"

"Hey, children, more running, less talking- oh, my God!" Ravyn skidded to a halt when she caught sight of Master Asia. An explosion clouded the skies for a long moment, and then the Shining Gundam was plummeting to earth. "Damn you, Asia! Come on, you guys!" Sprinting forward, she saw Cardian Gundam fly off towards the Undefeated of the East. "Falcon, you bastard! Get back here before you get yourself killed!"

"I'm rather busy, Rave!"

"Come back! Ooh, stubborn male… Astral Gundam!" Ravyn opened her eyes only once she knew she was in the cockpit. Looking down at herself, she murmured, "I'm smokin'! Okay, enough clichés." Her outfit was solid black, save for the large red heart and the gold-dusted black A on her chest. "The Wild Ace can do no other than defeat a threat to her King… Master Asia! I challenge you to a Gundam fight!"

"You? Pitiful little Ravyn, the pitiful little Gundam fighter who can't even hold her ground in hand to hand combat?"

"Less talking, more butt-kicking, Rave, come on! This guy's a push-over!" Epona shouted over the communications. Ravyn ignored the little girl, her entire being focused on her former master. Even someone has intelligent as herself could barely comprehend that her once-king was now her enemy, but if Domon could get over it, then so could she.

"I refuse to fight a worthless little girl like you, Ravyn Elliot. However, for my master's amusement, and the amusement of the Shadow Gundam, I'll slaughter you anyway."

"Yeah, yeah. Aaahh!" Blinding agony ripped through her, driving her to her knees. A rope of energy snaked its way around her body, bruising her skin and cracking her bones. Something jerked her arm, and pain lanced through it when she dislocated her shoulder. Ravyn felt four of her ribs snap. A tickling sensation in the back of her throat made her cough, and then she choked as the blood started dripping from her mouth. Damn it! The curse echoed in her mind as pain drove everything else out. In the distance, she could hear Epona, Shikon, and Alia screaming. Icy needles lanced across her eyes, and a red haze descended over her vision, before fading into an oblivious shadow.

Panic nearly stopped Schwartz Bruder's heart when the Astral Gundam and the Blood Gundam fell to the earth, and a scream of pain and fear welled up and tore from Ravyn's throat. However, despite his own fear, he had a rescue to perform. When Asia began approaching the fallen woman, Bolt Gundam and Gundam Rose stepped between.

"Stand aside!"

"From this moment on not one of your troops will get past the two of us." George murmured. "I swear on my honor as a knight."

"And I on my honor as a pirate."

"Oh, very gallant, Argo Gulskil." Master Asia muttered condescendingly. "Very gallant indeed."

"Go… to Hell, Asia!" Ravyn's extremely welcome, if very weak, voice whistled through the air like music. But the girl felt no joy, only a mind-shattering panic as breathing became more and more difficult through the blood filling her lungs. "Schwartz…" she murmured, coughing, "Schwartz!" His face, filled with concern, appeared in a small visual above her.

"Ravyn? Ravyn, are you alright?"

"I can't… I can't breathe, Schwartz! I can't…." her eyes began to flutter closed, her breath labored and wet sounding. Maybe if she went to sleep… maybe… to sleep…

"Ravyn! Ravyn, wake up! Damn it, Ravyn!" He had to get them all out of there now, before it was too late to help her. The two protectors were joined by Dragon Gundam and Cardian Gundam, and Jewel Gundam wasn't far behind. Schwartz saw Domon and Chibodee not too far away. Perfect timing.

A blinding light filled the dark sky, and by the time the Undefeated of the East was able to see clearly, the enemy was gone.