Me: Okay kiddies, in this chapter you get to learn a little big more about Deirdre's past and her family.

Mobius 1: I've been meaning to write more of this fic but so far I just haven't had the time or the inspiration. Actually I' m not sure if this will be a good chapter or not. I haven't watched Zoids in sooooo long. One of the main reasons though is that I've been waiting patiently for an encouraging review like yours. Thanks, it was much appreciated. Also, I know next to nothing about jets (only that they are planes and a person needs one hell of a brain to be able to pilot them) so would you mind if I was to ask you different things when I'm not sure? Thanks again for the review.

FraserMage: I'm glad to hear that you like this story. Encouragement helps me to write more. Thanks for the review.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Zoids or any of the characters from the anime.

Deirdre was sitting at the window watching the rain dripping down the glass when Karl walked into the room. She was still in the medical ward as the doctors wanted to keep a close eye on her, but he was glad to see that she was moving around the room.

"Hello Colonel Shubaltz" Deirdre said from her seat at the window.

"Hello Deirdre. Why are you so miserable?" he replied.

"It's the rain," she answered. "I'm always miserable when it rains. I don't know why."

"Well I've bought something that might cheer you up."

"Oh really. What?" she asked, turning slightly in her seat to face Karl for the first time that day.

"This" Karl answered simply and set the rosewood box he was carrying down on the bed. Deirdre immediately jumped to her feet and rushed over to the box, her miserable mood disappearing in seconds.

"We recovered this from you're plane. I'm sorry we couldn't return it sooner, but protocol said we had to search it…for security reasons" Karl said as Deirdre sat cross-legged on her bed and lifted the lid off the box.

Packed neatly inside the box were a book, a smaller velvet box, and a bundle of navy material. Deirdre picked the book up first. Karl watched as she gently traced the gold lettering on the front, her eyes glazed over and her face expressionless.

"My father was an educated man and he came from a very well-to-do family," Karl listened as the young woman spoke. Her voice was strangely distant, and the Imperial soldier could see the sadness seeping into her eyes. "This was his favourite book. 'The Many works of William Shakespeare'. Unfortunately, I never cared much for Shakespeare, so I could not understand what my father liked about him." Deirdre put the book down next to her and reached into the box again, this time bringing out the velvet covered box. Karl heard something rattle around inside it.

"Now not all of these belong to my father," Deirdre explained as she opened the box. Inside were over half a dozen different medals. Some had elaborate crosses, while others seemed rather plain when placed next to them. "On my father's side, it was somewhat of an unspoken tradition that every one of the family spent some time in one of the three defence forces."

"Three? You have three defence forces?" Karl asked, somewhat surprised.

"Well my home country did anyway. Some other countries might have more or less, but we had three. The Army, Navy and the Air Force. These medals go back over 100 years, and cover both of the World Wars." Deirdre laughed at the stunned look on the Colonel's face. "Oh yes, we've had two World Wars, and quite a few other smaller ones afterwards. These medals belong to members of my family who, at any time, displayed courage and bravery in the face of danger." She sighed and placed the velvet box next the book.

Deirdre's hands seemed to tremble slightly as she lifted the navy blue bundle of material out of its resting place. Not until she had unfolded the material, did he understand what he was looking at. The bundle was actually two pieces of material. One was a uniform jacket, while the other seemed to be a scroll with gold treaded writing. Karl watched silently as the young woman bought the jacket close to her and hugged it. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"This was my father's too. It's not his ceremonial uniform, his mother has that, but it's enough for me."

"What…What happened to him?" Karl asked hesitantly. He was curious, but he didn't want to appear as though he was poking his nose where it didn't belong. It took a while for Deirdre to answer, but he let her take her time. When she did answer, she opened her teary eyes to look at him.

"He was a recon pilot like me. About six years ago, something happened. No ones what, but his plane, him and another pilot who was with him, completely disappeared. He was considered missing in action. Search parties looked for months, but they found nothing. They didn't think they would anyway. The area that my father disappeared in was treacherous and even the most experienced pilots stayed well away, but not my dad….." a sob escaped Deirdre's lips and it wasn't long before she was crying into the jacket.

Karl watched Deirdre as she cried silent tears. Like most men, he felt uneasy when a woman started to cry. It had been years since he'd had to consol a woman, and he was sure that the years he'd spent in the military had caused his comforting skills to become rusty.

The Imperial soldier shifted closer to Deirdre and with one hand he took the jacket from her and the other he put around her shoulder in what he hoped she understood as a comforting arm around her shoulders. In his younger years he had used this gesture on girls he'd pursued and Karl hoped that Deirdre did not mistake his actions for advances.

Thankfully she could tell the difference. The young woman buried her head in Karl's shoulder, grateful for the comfort it provided. Karl rested his chin gently on her head and whispered comforting words while rubbing Deirdre's back. Karl faintly remembered his mother holding him thus when he was a child. He smiled as the vague memory played through his minds, snatching tips from it whenever he could.

Karl continued to remember things from a time before he'd joined the army, his eyes unfocused and glazed over as he seemingly gazed out of the window. Times when his whole family were together were few and far between. They were cherished times when Karl and Thomas actually got to see their father. His duty to the Imperial Army kept him away from home from home for months at a time, sometimes even years.

Karl could understand how Deirdre felt. He too had lost his father to military service although the difference was that his father had been released from service so he could spend his final months in the company of his family. At first Karl had been angry at that the army was the reason he was about to loose his father and it didn't go unnoticed by his family. His father had called Karl to him one afternoon. He had told Karl that it was the most honourable thing in life to fight for what you believe in and even though he was going to die, the old man did not regret his actions because he had fought for what he believed in and to him, death was a small price to pay. It was years after his father's death that Karl actually found the meaning behind those words and learned to appreciate them.

When Karl managed to drag himself back to reality, he found that Deirdre had finished crying, but she had yet to leave the comfort of his shoulder…..and for some reason he was reluctant to let her. Some dormant feeling ignited within him…..a feeling he had not felt in many years and it took Karl several confusing minutes to realise what it was.

It was…..

Although he really couldn't be sure….it had been so long.

It couldn't be……

Deirdre heard Karl groan slightly. She lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him. No doubt her eyes were still puffy and she probably looked a mess, but she didn't care. The Colonel's eyes were closed and his face seemed to be set in a grimace, as though something was wrong. His eyelid twitched as his eye moved beneath. Deirdre continued to look at him, concern brewing with every passing second.

"Colonel Shubaltz?" she whispered his name. His eyelid twitched again and he frowned as though in thought, but his eyes remained closed and he gave no sign that he heard her. She tried again, but he still didn't respond. Deirdre bit and worried over her bottom lip, and made a decision. Over the past week or so, this man that she hardly knew had become the closest thing to a companion as she struggled to comprehend this strange new world. He came to talk to her when others didn't. And for that she was grateful.

"Karl?" she whispered and gently placed her hand on his warm cheek. Although they were barely friends, Deirdre felt compelled to do this.

Karl's eyes snapped open immediately at the mention of his name and his hand flew to his cheek to enclose around Deirdre's smaller one. Confusion was etched into his face, as well as his eyes. Karl's green eyes had darkened and Deirdre saw so many emotions swirling around. Surprise, confusion, sadness, pain and even a hint of loneliness.

"Are you okay?" her voice seemed faint but it called him back to the land of the living in a matter of seconds. Her thumb trailed gently over his cheekbone and he subconsciously leaned his head into it. He sighed and blinked a couple of times before looking back into Deirdre's concerned face.

"Sorry, I must have zoned out. I'm fine" he said quickly, reassuring her.

"Zoned out? I'll say. Are you sure you aren't the one who should be in here, not me?" she replied referring to the med ward. Karl grinned and gently rubbed her thumb with his own. The young woman blushed and averted his gazed for only a second, before returning her eye back to him. She wore a grin that he imagined mirrored his own and a slight twinkle in her eye made him grin more.

"Ahem"

Colonel Kruger was stunned when he came across the two. He'd been looking for Colonel Shubaltz and he'd been known to haunt the strange woman's medical quarters, so to the med ward he went. He didn't know what to expect when he entered the room, but seeing the Imperial Colonel and the young woman sitting on the bed together, grinning at each other like a couple of teenagers had come as a shock.

Both jumped as he cleared his throat. They tore their gazes away from the other's face and blushed crimson like a couple of teenagers too, although Karl hid it better. Shubaltz was on his feet in one fluid leap, saluting the Republican Colonel.

"Good morning, Colonel Kruger" Karl said, quickly recovering his composure. How long had he been standing there? How much had he seen?

"Its afternoon actually, Colonel Shubaltz" the Republican replied, returning the salute. He saw astonishment cross the younger man's face as he checked his wristwatch. His astonishment changed to panic.

"Darn it! I was supposed to relieve O'Connel half an hour ago!" Karl cursed. He picked up his hat from the end of Deirdre's bed and tucked it under his arm. He turned to Deirdre. "I'm sorry that I can't stay to introduce you two, but I'm sure Colonel Kruger with though". He turned back to the Republican soldier and saluted. Deirdre had to say something, but before she even had a chance to open her mouth, Karl was out the door and gone. She couldn't detain him any longer than she already had.

Kruger looked at the woman who was sitting demurely on the bed. She was surrounded by different items but now that Shubaltz had left, she looked bored. He couldn't blame her, being cooped up in a small, bare room could bore anyone, himself included. He chuckled and stepped forward to introduce himself.

"I am Colonel Kruger of the Republican Army" Deirdre looked at the old man. His face was hardened from years of service to the military, but his eyes were kind. His hair was dark brown, and Deirdre could faintly see grey hair starting to emerge. Something about this man reminded her of her father, but she couldn't place it. Regardless of who he reminded her of, she felt an instant liking for this man.

She got off the bed and walked calmly around the bed to stand in front of Kruger, her embarrassment forgotten for the moment.

"Well sir, I am Lieutenant Deirdre Hamilton of Royal Australian Air Force. It nice to meet you sir" she said formally and saluted. Kruger smiled good-naturedly and held his hand out, and Deirdre shook it.

"It's nice to meet you too, Lieutenant Hamilton and may I be the first to welcome you aboard the Ultrasaurus" Kruger replied.

"Thank you, sir"

Kruger looked out the window. The weather had slowly improved over the last few hours and sunlight was starting to creep through the grey-black clouds.

"By any chance, would you be interested in a tour of the Ultrasaurus? I have a free afternoon, and I wouldn't mind at all" Kruger asked. From the smiling and excited look on Deirdre's, he didn't need an answer.

Luineraugwen: Well there it is, another chapter. I can't promise when the next one will be up, sorry. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment. Cya.

BTW, does anyone have any ideas or theories why the characters have those markings on their faces?