Disclaimer: I'm sick and tired of putting this up here, but if I don't, somebody is going to want to sue me, so here it is. Oh, and you know what it is.

Author's Note: This is an add-in chapter, meant to fill in some spaces and answer a few questions.

Vandread: The Unknown Soldier (Revised)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Interlude, Part Two

Location: Meia's Temporary Quarters, S.D.S Whirlwind.

Fitting herself into the uniform that was provided her, Meia made sure that everything fit and was comfortable as could possibly be. It was a standard field uniform, which was dark blue in color with black trim. It was devoid of any rank insignia or pins, due to the fact that she was not part of this military. The only reason she was wearing the uniform is so she wouldn't draw too much attention to herself. The last thing she wanted was to the center of attention on this warship.

As per procedure on this ship, she was limited to exactly where she could go. She probably not allowed to step foot on the bridge, or any other place where non-military personnel were not allowed. The places she could go were the rec room, the gymnasium, and the mess hall. Otherwise, she'd have to stay in her quarters. She really had no desire to be confined in one room for any lengthy period of time, so she'd go out for a little walk.

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"Hey, Mr. Alien!" Dita shouted as she ran down the corridor to catch up with perhaps her favorite person in the universe.

"What do you want now?" Hibiki responded as he turned to face her.

"Well," Dita said, blushing, glancing down then back up. "I was wondering when you'd have time to keep your promise."

Hibiki felt his cheeks start to burn with embarrassment. "I don't think now's really the time to be thinking about that."

"Why not?" Dita replied.

"Because…" he trailed off, not sure how to respond.

"Yes?" she replied, leaning in slightly to better hear his answer.

"Because, of the situation we're in," he replied. "We could be attacked at any time."

"Awww… you're no fun," Dita said, disappointment in her voice.

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Maria stood there, listening, as well as watching the exchange between Dita and Hibiki. Was it really this bad between the two planets they come from? Had they gotten so far from each other that the people of Tarak and Mejale considered each other enemies? This was completely different from the society she had grown up in. Still, their little conversation amused her. As soon as Dita was out of sight, she walked over to Hibiki.

"You know, you two make a cute couple," she said, trying to get a response out of him. It apparently worked.

"That's none of your damn business!" he fairly shouted, blushing once again.

Laughing lightly, she teased him once more. "None of my business? I suppose you're right. But I didn't hear you deny it, so it must be true."

"Just shut up!" he replied, obviously getting angry.

"Okay, but you should keep your promise to her," she said as way of parting shot, before walking away from him.

"That's none of your business either!" he replied, then said something to himself. "Sheesh, what's with women, can't keep their damn noses out of other people's business."

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Ducking under a round kick that was aimed for his head, Aidan narrowly avoided taking the headache inducing blow. Even though he was wearing a padded sparring helmet, the blow still would've hurt. He wasn't going to let his opponent get the better of him, even though she already had the advantage, in terms of skill. After all, Ria DeMarco was his team's best close-combat specialist, and chances are, he'd need all he could to beat her.

When she sparred, she loved to use a series of kicks to throw off her opponent, allowing her to get in close and finish off her target. He refused to fall for her ruse, instead keeping a fair distance away and playing it defensively. This was beginning to slightly aggravate her, and her attack came in a little more fiercely. He had to block more and more attacks, this time becoming varied enough that he realized she changed her attack strategy. He's need to make his move now, while he still could.

He moved forward, intent on subduing her. He grabbed her outstretched arm and moved to pull it behind her back, intending to trip her from behind, to drive her to her knees and pin her to the mat. She didn't want to go along with his plan. Almost before he knew it, he felt himself fly into the air and hit the mat hard. She had somehow managed to get out of his grip and used her momentum to flip him onto his back. It was then she pinned him to the mat.

"Not as good as you thought you were," Ria said, sweat dripping from her face.

"Apparently so," he replied as he tapped the mat in a signal of defeat. She got up off him and allowed him to get to his feet.

He took his helmet off and shook the sweat from his head. He stepped off the mat and walked over to where a small group of soldiers were standing, watching the little sparring match. Once he got closer, he noticed two of them were teammates of his. Once he was nearby, the one named Hawkins spoke up.

"It looks like you owe me, Mike."

Michael Deveroux, the man he was talking to, grumbled and handed over some money to Hawkins.

"Betting against me, Hawkins?" he asked, letting a little humor into his voice.

"Come on, boss," Hawkins said, calling Aidan by what was Hawkins' nickname for him. "It was just common sense, I knew she'd whip your ass."

"Uh-huh," was Aidan's only reply. He had gotten used to Hawkins' brand of humor, and knew he meant no offense.

He removed his sparring gear and tossed it onto a locker. He then grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face. Briefly the thought about his former commander popped into his mind. He banished it as quickly as it came, forcing out of his mind for the moment. That was something that would only get him frustrated, that traitorous coward.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone in a uniform walk over to him. He quickly noticed that it was Meia. She looked different in that uniform, almost like a soldier. That thought brought a faint smile to his lips. That got a slight quizzical look on her face once she noticed it.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "You just look like a soldier when you where that."

"It's not like I had a choice," she countered.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, then sobered up slightly. "You want something?"

"Well, yes," she said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Sure," he replied. "But let me get cleaned up first."

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Meia stood there, leaning against the corridor wall, waiting for Aidan to get finished. It wasn't long before he walked over to her, dressed in a uniform similar to hers. The only differences were the fact that his uniform had rank pins on the collar and shoulders. Once he was right next to her, he spoke up.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" he asked.

"Well," she replied, not exactly sure how to continue. She mentally composed herself and continued. "It was about that conversation you had with that man when they captured us."

His face suddenly got a serious look to it, a look that she had seen only a few times. He didn't speak for a minute, leaving it at an uncomfortable silence. He then finally spoke up. "Well, after hearing all that, I guess you deserve an explanation. But not here, in my quarters."

"Okay," she replied.

"Follow me," he said as he started to walk down the corridor. While they walked down the corridor, and when they entered the lift, there were only the sounds of other crewman as they went about their duties. Aidan had remained quiet the entire time, and when they reached his quarters, he typed in a code, then stepped aside, allowing her to step into the room as soon as the door opened. He was seconds after her, letting the door slide shut behind him.

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Man, how am I going to explain this? That thought ran through Aidan's head as she asked him about that. Of the things he did not want to remember, this was among the top. He offered her a seat in the chair that belonged to the rather Spartan desk. She accepted, taking a seat. All the while, he was composing the events in his head, even though they brought back the pain he had felt that very day.

"Well," he said. "How do I put this?"

"If it's too painful for you, you don't have to," Meia said after a moment's silence.

"It's not that," he lied, but hiding it the best he could. "Besides, I think you deserve an explanation."

"I was inserted twenty-five meters into the forest where my intended target was located," he started off. "The professor that was to be my target was currently in his vacation house in the middle of the forest. He had supposedly been speaking out against the government and granting aid to the E.D.A. soldiers. I was inserted 'clean', and moved on and off for two and half days until I was in view of the house."

"Sorry to interrupt," she said. "But what did you mean by 'clean'."

"It's a military term that means that I was sent in with no identification, or anything that could identify me or my affiliation to the Solaris Defense Force, in case I was either killed or caught," he replied. "As this was a black op, the government did not want them to trace it back to the SDF. My objective was to eliminate the professor, and any and all witnesses, including noncombatants."

"As soon as I had reached the house, I located a few patrols outside of it," he continued. "After I eliminated that potential threat, I went to enter the house. Before I was able to, I was spotted by a soldier that I'd failed to notice. Seeing as how I only a had a short time to react, I killed the soldier and a few others as I made my way further into the house. I took a couple of guards on the way up, until I made it to the man's office."

"After forcing my way in, I immediately noticed something that distracted me for a few seconds. His wife and six-year old daughter were in the room as well. I was distracted long enough that he pulled out a gun, and as I attempted to fire, shot me in the arm. Using a different gun, I shot him several times until he fell over, dead. After that, I walked over to the woman and her child. I'll never forget the look in that little girl's eyes, before I… I…"

He buried his face in his hands and falling to his knees, not wanting to go any further. "I never wanted to… I never wanted to kill them, but I couldn't stop, I… pulled the trigger. I killed them."

Meia got up from where she sat, and leaned down and embraced him in a hug that was meant to comfort him. "It's going to be alright."

"Their blood is on my hands," he said after a moment, breaking the silence.

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That took longer than I thought it would, but I finally got it up