Rei had to fight against herself to stand up again, the pain in her chest hurted so bad that she would have preferred to just lay down and cry.
But she pushed herself up and ran over to the Voyager, where Haruka had just disappeared into the round cockpit of the TIE, through the top hatch.
Rei followed her quickly and when the raven haired entered the cockpit Haruka was already on the comms with the bridge, trying to figure out where SunTzu jumped to, while she did the preflight checks along the way.
In the meantime AICA and SunTzu had arrived at a battle scene a few light minutes away, just in time to see the last frigate of the Galactic Alliance explode after concentrated fire of three enemy cruisers. The space was already filled with debris.
SunTzu wished he wouldn't have been too late but in the end, it was alright. He would revenge his comrades. And he would make the enemy feel the pain he was feeling.
AICA's shields began to glow yellow once again and she rocketed towards the enemy.
"They're still trying to figure out where he jumped too. But I guess it's better you fetch a flight suit." Haruka said, halfway turned to Rei.
"No time. Bring us out, we have to catch up with him."
"Fine, but I'm immediately retreating when things begin to get hairy."
Within one minute the TIE-Aggressor was in space but without any indication where to jump to all Haruka could do was to wait in the zero gravity of space.
"Don't worry, we'll get him back." The blonde had turned around to Rei who was staring into space with a lost look on her face.
Rei just nodded while she tried to not start sobbing again.
It took precious minutes until the flight control of the Far Side finally found out where SunTzu had jumped too and as soon as Haruka got the nav data she made the Voyager ready to jump, while Rei still just stared out into the nothing.
A few minutes later the two Senshi fell out of hyperspace again, right into the midst of a field of battle debris.
Destroyed starfighters, broken frigates and corvettes, parts of capital ships and the wrecks of at least two cruisers were floating in space.
Nothing and nobody was seemingly alive anymore, from any of the two opposing sides.
"Bloody Hell!" Haruka pressed out after she had activated the shields.
"What the hell happened here?"
"Him. SunTzu happened here." Rei said with an emotionless voice, which caused Haruka to turn around to her and look at Rei for a moment.
"Let's see if he's still here." Haruka finally said and grabbed the flight controls tighter.
Under a huge part of debris, a part of the frame of an Assault Cruiser, AICA was hiding and SunTzu waited for any more enemies to arrive.
Destroying all the enemies after they had completely obliterated the Galactic Alliance Forces had been quick and deadly.
He rammed AICA with her Force-empowered shields into the enemy Capital ships and shot down the remaining enemy snubs.
The fit of rage, the musical background ironically done by a song called "When did your heart go missing" to bring some more madness into the massacre he held under the enemy, a well armed group of mercenaries and pirates, only lasted for a few moments but didn't leave any enemy survivors left.
They killed all of us, I killed all of them. Eye for an eye.
"Something jumped into the system. A single fighter." AICA informed SunTzu.
"What kind of fighter?"
"It's the Voyager."
"Go to stealth mode."
"But…"
"AICA, go to stealth mode. That's an order."
"Roger, going to stealth mode. Although I don't think it's right."
"Don't make this harder for me than it already is." SunTzu said and then fell silent for a moment. "Please. It's better that way."
At least I hope it is…
"Strange. There was something on the scanners and now it's gone." Haruka stated as she checked the sensors.
I bet that was him!
Haruka carefully piloted the rather large TIE through the field of debris, dodging ripped apart starfighters and blown off parts of larger war ships.
After a few moments and some tight maneuvering the Voyager was above the piece of debris that SunTzu was hiding under.
SunTzu saw the Voyager coming in and shook his head.
Haruka, you hard headed bitch, why you just can't let me go?
His Force-Sensitivity was still numbed from the earlier outburst and so he had to rely on his eyes to keep track of Haruka.
Which meant as soon as the Voyager was above him he lost track of it.
Suddenly the exclusive radio channel between both starfighters came to life and Haruka began to speak, her voice friendly and warm.
"SunTzu, please come out. Let's talk. You don't have to go."
SunTzu sighed.
"AICA, find us an allied fleet nearby and get ready to jump."
With that said he activated the engines, as soon as he had a free route he would jump and Haruka probably wouldn't be able to follow him anymore.
SunTzu rushed out of his hideout and rocketed away, he needed clear space for the jump.
"Go home, Haruka." He told his best friend, not knowing about who came with Haruka to bring him back to the Voyager.
Haruka shot after him and the Voyager chased after AICA over, under and between the wrecks of the larger cruisers and frigates.
"Come on mate, cut it out. Let us go home and talk about it."
"You don't understand that, there is nothing to talk about anymore."
SunTzu tried to shake her while AICA finished the hyperspace routes.
"Haruka, it's better for everyone if I go."
SunTzu threw AICA into a sharp Immelmann.
"If I go now I won't hurt her anymore."
SunTzu ended the Immelmann a few dozen meters in front of the Voyager, AICA was already counting down to the jump to hyperspace. SunTzu would shot a few meters over the TIE-Aggressor, getting a good glimpse at it, a last look at Haruka he thought.
Rei had been quietly sitting on the backseat of the Voyager and had followed AICA with her gaze while Haruka tried to keep up but as she heard SunTzu say the last sentence she unfastened her seatbelt and jumped up, within a second she was next to Haruka.
In that moment SunTzu catched sight of Rei.
She came. She is here! Rei is here!
Seeing her he tried to cancel the jump, but it was too late the stars already began to flash and then he was in hyperspace, the last thing he saw was Rei's face next to Haruka in the cockpit of the Voyager.
"If I can analyze his exact jump vector I might at least get an idea where he jumped to." Haruka said strained, while her hands flew over monitors on the console.
The Voyager was now floating motionless in space and Rei had sat down again.
The black haired Senator was staring out into the void, in the direction SunTzu had jumped too.
"Let us go home Haruka. He doesn't want to stay and we cannot force him." Although she just had cried again her voice was strong and determined now.
SunTzu made his decision. No matter if both our hearts break or not.
Haruka stared at Rei for a few long seconds and the slammed her fist onto her seat.
"Dammit."
SunTzu was violently pulled out of hyperspace faster than AICA had calculated and while his mind and heart were still silently screaming as he was busy trying to immediately plot a course back the sudden fall ripped him back into the here and now.
In front of him a Nebula-Class Star Destroyer, flanked by two Corellian Cruisers and lying in front of a modified Loronar-Strike-Cruiser, outfitted with what appeared to be gravity well generators, and some smaller ships around was drifting in space.
The modified Loronar probably was what had pulled him out of Hyperspace.
"AICA we need to jump back, get ready to jump immediately!" He commandeered AICA in an agitated voice.
"I can't. The gravity well is not letting us through."
In that moment a radio call from the Nebula-Class came in.
"Black A-Wing, immediately report personally to the Taskforce's Commander."
SunTzu sighed, he wasn't in any mood to talk to a fleet officer about some bullshit.
"Nebula Cruiser, this is Captain SunTzu. I need to immediately jump back to where I came from. Disengage the Gravity Well Generator."
The officer from the Nebula responded after a moment of silence.
"Negative Captain. The Commodore expects you on board of the Shaak Ti in five."
"Shaak Ti listen, I'm under direct command of the Galactic Intelligence Service. It is from upmost importance that I go back to where I come from. Disengage the Gravity Well Generators."
"Denied. The generators are working for security reasons. You have four minutes to land in our hangar."
For a moment SunTzu contemplated the use of AICA's weapons against the Gravity Well Generators but he probably would injure his own comrades in doing so, also AICA's ammunition was almost spent after the bloodbath he just had wreaked before.
He had to swallow real hard to not start screaming out loud in anger but then he put his hands back on the joystick and steered AICA towards the Star Destroyer.
SunTzu landed and as soon as AICA touched down jumped out of the cockpit, almost hitting his head on the still opening canopy.
The Commander of the Taskforce, a male Quarren, flanked by two GA troopers and accompanied by the captain of the Nebula Star Destroyer was already waiting for him nearby.
SunTzu headed straight for the commander.
"Ah, Captain SunTzu. What a pleasure to meet such a high decorated starfigher pilot. I'm Commodore Fuez Wem of the Fourth Fleet."
SunTzu quickly saluted in front of the officer, who, despite his words, looked pretty arrogant at the human In front of him.
"Commodore, i need to get back from where I came immediately."
"I believe this is not possible. We are holding a strategic point here and I need all the help I can get. You can't get back now, Captain."
"Sir, with due respect, I'm under direct command of Intelligence and not the fleet. I have to go back."
"Captain, branch or service doesn't matter to me. As higher ranking officer I give you the order to stay here and defend this point along us."
And then the Quarren smiled broadly at SunTzu.
"Try to leave and I have you executed because of desertion. And now standby for further orders until I can throw you into battle."
SunTzu took off his helmet while Wem and his entourage walked away again.
His cold glare followed the fleet officer out of the hangar before the Bavarian took a stroke through his sweaty hair.
The Voyager landed back on the Far Side and after the TIE-Aggressor sat down, both its passengers stayed put for a moment.
And then Haruka sighed sadly and turned around.
"I'm sorry Rei."
"He was right Haruka. There is nothing more to talk about. He made his decision."
For another moment Haruka kept looking at Rei, which had her back turned to her and looked out the rear window of the Voyager and out of the hangar gate into space.
Haruka pressed her lips together and then got up.
The blonde haired opened the top hatch of the Voyager and than turned back to Rei.
"Rei?" She said before she swung herself up through the hatch.
Without any emotion Rei got up, took Haruka's helping hand and got out.
While Haruka was still sitting on top of the TIE, Rei climbed down.
Haruka looked in front of her ship, a group of people was standing there, with King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity in front, behind them were Hotaru, Chibiusa, Minako, Ami, Artemis, Michiru and Makoto.
Chibiusa had her arm around the sad looking Hotaru as all of them looked at Rei.
Rei passed the group, and Minako tried to lay her arms around Rei but Rei just shook them off and held a hand up while she walked on.
The sad looks of the other Senshis and their Queen followed her.
Haruka was now standing on top of the Voyager and her gaze followed Rei out of the hangar as well.
As soon as she was gone Haruka climbed down the Voyager as well and then she pulled down her helmet and stroked through her hair.
She was visibly fighting with herself to keep her composure and then she finally snapped.
"Foooock!" She screamed and threw her helmet onto the ground with force.
Michiru was at her side in a matter of seconds and took her into her arms.
Hotaru and Chibiusa followed close.
SunTzu spent twelve hours on Board the Shaak Ti, time filled with doing nothing other than to sit around and wait and thinking about if he his decision was the right one.
He had tried to talk with the Commodore again but was brushed off by the officer, asked if he was a coward that didn't want to fight. It would be good to stay here so SunTzu could learn how a real warrior handled a battle.
SunTzu contemplated to the kill the Quarren for a moment but the ever present troopers guarding the officer would probably be his demise.
It also showed SunTzu that Wem was not only a condescending asshole but also a coward.
Brooding and hoping that Taskforce Sol still would be were they were before SunTzu went back to the Hangar.
Maybe I should overthink my departure again. Maybe I should talk with Rei again. Showing up with Haruka does mean something!
Back in the hangar SunTzu boarded his ship again.
AICA hadn't received ammunition and long range communication had been cut short as well as the fleet jammed most frequencies.
The enemy never came and after the twelve hours the third officer of the ship came to the hangar and told SunTzu that their Taskforce was ordered back to Empress Teta and that they checked his command. As asset of the Intelligence Service he was free to leave again.
Within one minute he was out of the hangar.
He immediately jumped back to the battlefield where he had left Rei and Haruka behind.
"We can't wait any further. We have our orders." King Endymion stated unemotional. Although it didn't show, he wished they had more time but they do had their orders and their responsibilities.
He and Admiral Artemis exchanged a look before Artemis nodded slowly.
"Get ready to jump to our meeting point with the convoy." He ordered the bridge crew and the ship's personnel immediately began to implement the order.
A few moments later the leutenant who oversaw the ship's navigation turned around to Artemis.
"Ready to jump in five minutes, Sir!"
Artemis and Endymion exchanged another look and then Endymion pulled out a pocket watch and took a look at it.
"C'mon SunTzu." He hushed, only audible for Artemis.
Rei had locked herself in her room again, but instead of smoking weed to numb herself down she had spent the last twelve hours on her bed, a good amount of it with just staring at the ceiling or at the wall.
Right now Usagi was with her, the blonde with the odango hair had to use a central key to unlock the door as Rei in no case had opened the door. Not for Usagi, not for Ami and not even for Minako.
Usagi was worried with her friend. Rei hadn't left her room ever since she had been back, not even for food.
She had brought a light snack and some water for Rei.
Rei hadn't even reacted when the door suddenly opened.
Usagi walked up to the bed and put the food down at the nightstand, then she sat down on the bed next to Rei.
Rei still hadn't reacted, but when Usagi leaned down and began to stroke Rei's silky black hair and head she finally reacted and looked up with red, puffy eyes at her Queen and friend.
Usagi shifted her body so that she embraced Rei and as soon as Rei was in her friend's arms she broke down again.
"It's okay, Rei. I know that it hurts." Usagi consoled her.
A few hours after Haruka and Rei had returned, Ami had contacted Ada to find out where SunTzu was right now but not even Ada knew it. Nobody knew if he was somewhere mourning or if he was projecting his anger and pain onto the enemy. The blue-haired genius genuinely worried about her skittered away friend.
Haruka had withdrawn herself with Michiru. Her pride prohibited it that she openly showed how much it hurt her that her best friend just had ran away.
Michiru, although being sad as well, tried her best to consort her love but in the end they both ended crying in each other's arms.
Hotaru was lying on her bed, in complete darkness, she just had cried herself to sleep and in the half open door to her room a worried looking Chibiusa and an equally worried but also angered looking Setsuna were watching her.
Hotaru was trying to at least take SunTzu's departure with composure but then she had read the letter Ami had forwarded to her and ever since the dark haired teenager had been a sobbing mess.
Both her mother and her best friend had tried their best to cheer her up but Hotaru obviously needed time and place to let her sorrow out.
Chibiusa had also noticed, was that when she wasn't tenderly caring for her daughter, Setsuna seemed to be really angry about something. Chibiusa suspected that it had something to do with SunTzu's departure as well and guessed it was because SunTzu's running away had hurt Hotaru so much and that Setsuna was angered so much because of this. She couldn't think of an instance she had ever seen her close friend Puu so angry before.
The former battlefield was completely silent and void again of any life. Nobody had come to look for any survivors or to recover the corpses.
All that lay before SunTzu was a silent graveyard where debris and wrecks drifted through the silence of space.
SunTzu didn't have eyes for the scene, as he tried to tell himself that this had been expected. Of course they wouldn't have had waited for him here.
This place of death would be too horrible for Rei to bear.
But there was still another chance to maybe find a place to talk to her, to go through everything with her and maybe come back.
He still wasn't sure if it had been the right choice, maybe he really had acted to impulsive.
Maybe if he would calmly and objectively state his points she would understand while he needed to fight.
What if not? What had she called me? War itself?
"AICA, jump to the point where we left the Taskforce."
Let's see if they're still there…
Taskforce Sol was ready to jump to their next mission and while the navigational control counted down from ten, King Endymion pressed his lips together, SunTzu wasn't coming back.
When the countdown reached five he clenched his gloved fists together. Things would be very different from now on.
Just a few moments after the Far Side and the three Corvettes had jumped to hyperspace, AICA fell out of hyperspace and SunTzu realized there was nobody here anymore.
Just blank space, an empty vacuum. No Far Side, no Voyager, no Taskforce Sol.
As far as one could look there only were SunTzu and AICA.
AICA came on over the intercom.
"I'm trying to find traces where they went, so we can follow them. Give me a sec."
SunTzu briefly looked down and then extended his hand and began to stroke AICA's frame.
"Abort. We're too late. It is too late."
SunTzu understood now. The Force flowed through everything and if the Galaxy wanted him to rejoin the Taskforce again he would have gotten here in time.
It wasn't meant to be anymore.
His path was a different one than Rei's. At least he wouldn't hurt her anymore.
AICA came in again.
"Not to I disagree but I have an urge that I have to do this. Although I don't know why, as there is no logic behind why i calculate like this."
"AICA?" SunTzu asked, supposing something and his gut wrenched even more, the sting in the black hole where his heart used to be becoming even worse.
After a second AICA continued.
"I feel like there is a system failure or like my sensors telling me a part of me is missing, like a wing ripped apart. And also like my reactor is broken. But everything is in order and all my systems are green. But I jsut cannot shake this sensation."
"AICA. You have a broken heart." SunTzu stated with a sad voice, feeling horrible that even AICA had to suffer because of him.
For SunTzu it became even more clear. It was meant to be over and it was better he left. People would hurt now for a shorter time as if he and Rei would prolong everything.
I wish It would be different. I wish we would have been able to work it out. I wish this War and the Galaxy wouldn't have gotten between us. I'll always love you Rei Hino.
SunTzu activated a button on his helmet, which made the pilot helmet close and helmet and flight suit sealed him off completely.
Then he opened one of the small compartments in the cockpit.
With his gloved hand he took out the platin ring with the red diamond he bought for his proposal to Rei.
Holding it between two gloved fingers on his right hand he stared at the ring, feelings slowly overwhelming him.
With his left hand the pulled a switch and AICA's canopy slowly opened.
This is it then…
After a last glance he let the ring go from his fingers and through the motion the ring began to glide into the void of space.
With the Force, his sensitivity and powers had come back after some time at the Shaak Ti, SunTzu gently pushed the ring away from AICA and then, a few meters afar, stopped the piece of jewelry and let it sat where it was.
It would forever sit at the place where he had lost his soulmate's heart.
"AICA, I guess it's just us two against the Galaxy now." He silently said and then, after a last look at the ring, he finally broke down in tears.
