CHAPTER SEVEN: ALLIES AND ENEMIES

The small military jeep wound its way around yet another hill. Sige, lying in the back seat, scanned the crumpled map they'd brought along. "Good Lord, we've been driving for three hours and we're still not there yet? The city was supposed to be just fifty miles from where we'd landed. Any reason why it's taking so fucking long, Wolf?"

Wolf, who'd been driving, turned around and said, "It's either one of two reasons. One, we're lost. Two, we're avoiding any sort of military position. Pick which ever one you like."

Sige replied, "Why do I get the distinct feeling that the one about military positions is pure bullshit and that you've gotten us lost in ZAFT territory?" As he said this, he stood up in the back of the jeep and looked around, "There's nothing but plains for miles. We're screwed."

Wolf violently swerved the jeep around a curve in the road, almost throwing Sige out of the jeep. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that you never stand up in a fast moving vehicle? Besides, the map says there's a small village a mile or two to the east. We'll head there and see if we can get some directions."

Sige sat back down and replied, "So, you're going to drive us into the middle of a village we now nothing about and ask for directions to a city crawling with ZAFT forces. Brilliant idea."

Wolf, tired of this bickering, said, "Alright. Let's let Sven decide whether we ask for directions, or we keep driving."

Wolf and Sige looked at Sven, who'd been silent for the entire ride. After about a minute of waiting, he quietly said, "Wolf's idea is the best one. We'll stop at this village. Besides, we're low on gas."

Wolf nodded and took a left at the next fork in the road. "We should be there in about thirty minutes."

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Onboard the Nazca-class ship Kirov, Yzak Joule angrily drummed his fingers on the arm of his captain's chair. Turning to his second-in-command, Dearka Elsman, he said, "What the hell is taking them so long? That transport should've been here an hour ago! Graymount won't be happy about this."

Dearka leaned against the wall. "Calm down Yzak. The transport's probably got a bunch of rookies on it. You know how long it takes them to do anything. Besides, Graymount's just a bag of hot air. He gets worked up over everything. He should be grateful. We're bringing those BABIs and GOUFs that he's been bitching about for a month."

Yzak sighed. Dearka, how can you be so laid back all the time? Yzak popped his neck, a habit he'd gained during the last war, and said, "Dearka, even if he is a pain in the ass, Graymount is still our superior officer. We have to-''

Yzak was cut off by one of the communications officers. "Sir, the transport ship Constantine has opened hailing frequencies. Shall I put them on the main view screen?"

Nodding, Yzak prepped himself to deliver a tongue lashing to the captain of the Constantine…

…said captain was a certain brown haired violet eyed girl Yzak knew all too well. "Oh fuck," he said under his breath. Out loud he said, "Shiho, nice to see you. I hope you have a reasonable explanation for being late. You always seem to."

Shiho gritted her teeth and said, "We had to re-supply Taskforce Jaeger. They'd encountered a group of rebels. You see Yzak, that's what real soldiers do, fight battles. You just sit in your captain's chair and talk with your life partner over there."

"You wanna say that to my face?" Yzak growled. Shiho always pressed his buttons, even when they'd been dating.

"I did say that to your face," came Shiho's curt reply, "Can we please get this whole thing over with? I hate having to look at you."

"Fine by me," Yzak said. Turning to the helmsman, he said, "Begin the descent into Eurasia. Use the Kirov to provide a shield for the Constantine."

The two ships adjusted their courses and began to descend into the atmosphere.

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Sige let out a sigh of relief when they spotted the small village of Kasselheim. They slowed down and stopped next to two kids on bicycles. Sige motioned them over and asked, "Can you two give us directions to Lusitania?"

One of the kids nodded and said, "We could, but there's a big storm brewing. You'd never make it to the city before it hit. You're best option would be to find some shelter for the night."

Wolf said, "You know where we could find a place to stay then?"

The kid shrugged and said, "You could come back to our place. It's just up the road a bit. I'm sure mom wouldn't mind a few guests."

Wolf started up the jeep and said, "Lead the way." The kid and his brother got onto their bikes and started riding towards a house down the street. Wolf followed and soon they were at the boys' house.

As they got out of the car, rain startled to pelt the three. Sven, throwing up his arm to shield himself, said, "I just love the Eurasian climate. No, really, I absolutely love it."

Wolf was the first to reach the small porch of the house. Motioning at Sven and Sige, he yelled over the heavy patter of rain, "Get over here now. This is like a freaking hurricane or something."

Sige and Sven hurried inside along with Wolf. Taking off their soaked jackets, they stood in the foyer, waiting for someone to come and show them to where they'd be staying for the night.

Wolf was the first to speak, as always. "It was really generous of them to let us stay here. I wonder what we'll be having for dinner."

Sige replied, "Probably nothing. We're imposing on these people. We should leave and find someplace else to stay." As Sige said that, a tremendous roar of thunder sounded out.

"Yeah, like I'm going back out in that," Wolf said scornfully. Then, he noticed what Sige had been wearing under his jacket. "What the hell? Why are you wearing an OMNI Enforcer belt? Are you trying to give us away?"

Sige shrugged. "So what? I'm sure you heard about all of the Earth Alliance personnel that wore the belts of dead ZAFT soldiers. Why should this be any different?"

"Maybe because we're in a hot bed of ZAFT military bases. Holy crap, Sige, do you ever think at all?" Wolf shot back, "You're gonna end up getting us all killed."

The sound of a cocked gun interrupted the conversation.

The three men turned to see the boy from earlier holding a rifle on them. Behind him, a middle-aged woman held a large revolver on them. "Why are you here? Why are you bringing talk of death and ZAFT into my house?" she demanded.

Sven, apparently unfazed, said, "Madam, please put down the weapons, and allow my comrades and I to explain ourselves. I promise you, we wish you no harm, and only request a place to stay for the night."

Sven's calm demeanor seemed to calm the woman down. Lowering her gun, she said, "Come into the kitchen. There is much to discuss."

The five people went into the house's small kitchen and sat down at the rectangular wooden table in the center of the room. The woman, sitting across from Wolf, said, "My name is Marin Decelia, and my son, Christophe, says that you three are mobile suit pilots."

Sige chuckled hesitantly. "Where would your son get that kind of idea?"

Marin replied, "He said you walk like his father, Miguel Decelia."

Wolf nudged Sven. "Isn't that the name of the Eurasian Resistance leader?" Sven thought for a moment before asking Marin, "Tell me, is your husband a member of the Resistance forces in this area"

Marin shook her head. "Miguel is not my husband. My husband died long ago, when ZAFT forces occupied our homeland."

"Why did you pull a gun on us?" Sven questioned, "All we want is a place to stay."

Marin cradled her head in her hands. "Miguel joined the rebels hiding in the mountains to the west. He and the other rebels have caused ZAFT nothing but trouble. There is a bounty on any mobile suit pilots that are not affiliated with ZAFT. My family needs the money. I have to work as a maid, and barely make ends-meat. We wanted to turn you in."

"Then why didn't you shoot us and bring our bodies to the ZAFT forces? Why are you talking with us?"

"There was something about you and your companions. A…feeling, an instinct, that I had about you. I feel, greatness, in you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sven questioned. This woman was strange, yet intriguing.

"I can't explain it, but I feel like I have to help you. I've never felt this way before, but I feel a compulsion to help you."

Sige coughed noticeably. "Listen," he said, "All this talk of feelings and greatness is really nice, but can we stay here for the night or not? I'd rather get an answer to that question before you go back to talking about your feelings."

Marin frowned. "Yes, you may stay here until the storm passes. But as for my talk of greatness, I feel that you will know what I'm talking about more than any of your comrades." She stood up and motioned towards a set of stairs off to the right. "There is a guest room up those stairs. You may stay there for the night. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go back to bed."

The three mobile suit pilots walked up the stairs and found three beds, all ready to be slept in. Wolf plopped down on one and said, "Weird. It's almost like she knew we were coming. Oh well, all the better for us."

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The Resistance jeep slowed down as it neared the entrance to the city of Lusitania and a ZAFT checkpoint. Wolf pulled up next to the checkpoint and smiled at the expressionless ZAFT guard who was running the checkpoint. "Officer, what can I do for you?"

The guard signaled to several other soldiers, who came over with three search dogs, and said to Wolf, "Sir, will you and your companions please step out of the jeep while my men search it? I'd also like to ask you several questions."

The three stepped out and the dogs began to sniff around the jeep. The guard pointed at Sige and said, "Why are coming to the city?"

Sige quickly and seamlessly replied, "We're here on business, sir. My colleagues and I have come here to purchase some building materials for our town. We've recently begun construction on a new church, and we need some supplies that can't be found anywhere but here."

The guard, not missing a beat, questioned, "What do you need?"

"We need about 1000 square feet of tile, paint, and insulator," Sige replied. He obviously knew what he was doing, and he was fairly convincing.

"And how where you going to transport these supplies in that small jeep?"

"Well, we're planning to rent a trailer to carry all of the supplies in." Sven and Wolf could barely contain their shock as Sige answered all of the guard's questions seamlessly and without missing a beat.

The guard paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, you can enter the city."

Sige, Sven, and Wolf got back into the jeep and drove into the city. Once they got far enough from the checkpoint, Sven said, "Sige, how'd you come up with that little story?"

Sige leaned back in his seat and said, "That little town we stayed at last night, it's called Kasselheim, and they're building a new church in it. I just used that as our reason for needing to visit the city."

Wolf chuckled. "Leave it to Sige to notice something like that. Anyway, Neo said that we're meeting the rebel contact in a bar called the 'Dirty Boy'. Sounds charming."

"Yeah, well we need allies, so we'd better be on time for this meeting," Sven said as they rounded a corner and had to swerve to avoid another car, "Jesus Christ, Wolf! What're you trying to do, kill us?"

"No, I'm trying to get us to the bar on time. They said to meet them there at 11:35, and its 11:20 now and the bar is on the other side of the city."

Sige leaned forward and said, "Drive man, drive!"

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Author's Note: Well, I finally got this chapter done. Hope everyone enjoys it. I have a feeling I left a few plot twists a little obvious, but maybe I didn't. Read and Review.