A/N: Don't know why but it seems like it took me forever to get this one out. Now, Be a good reader and leave a review. :)
September 9th, 1779, Continental Army Headquarters, White Plains
General George Washington rode through the camp of the Continental Army, inspecting his soldiers. The Sullivan Expedition(1) had been highly successful. The Iroquois nations would never threaten American settlers or the Patriot cause again. However, the general still had several problems on his hands. The British still strongly occupied New York and there was no word on any assistance forthcoming from the supposed allied French. Then there was also the problem with the troops.
Many of the veteran soldiers that had joined at the onset of the war were leaving, citing lack of pay and problems at their homes. The economic downturn forced many of them to leave in order to feed their families. Training new recruits was very painstaking. The general came upon a familiar group of soldiers for once.
"Major, I heard you did well in the latest campaign."
"Sir." Heero answered stoically.
"Are you men alright?"
"We're fine sir."
George Washington was troubled. Even Major Yuy and his dragoons seemed to be in down spirits, even more veteran soldiers carrying the possibility of leaving the army. The General knew that the Major himself, while not in any economic trouble, was seriously courting Miss Relena Peacecraft of Virginia, and had been for a long time. He hoped that the valiant and reliable major would not leave along with other veterans in the pursuit of his love.
"Tell me if you need anything." Washington smiled and left after the two exchanged salutes.
"Major, what's going on?" Duo said as he passed by Heero's tent.
Heero said nothing as he withdrew into his tent and shut himself away. This was odd. Heero had never been this much of an introvert before. He saw Trowa approaching the tent.
"Captain Barton, what's with the Major?" Duo asked.
Trowa sighed. "Well…he wouldn't like me telling you this, but you've been here since the beginning."
"What is it?"
"You know that Relena girl he's been courting?"
Duo laughed. "I remember Hilde's stories, how could I forget her?"
"She was threatened a couple of months ago and she's also been harassed a few times."
"What?" Duo asked in disbelief.
"Some rich asshole neighbor of hers. Apparently he thinks she dishonored him. He's involved in a Tory militia down there, and continues to threaten her and generally make her life a hell."
Duo was instantly filled with anger. "Man, how's the Major been dealing with this?!"
"Not too good. He even thought about deserting, though I managed to talk him out of it…" Trowa trailed.
The thought was almost unthinkable to Duo. Major Heero Yuy…deserting? But then again, if Hilde was in such a situation, he'd be thinking the same thing.
"I think I've told you enough, return to your post." Trowa ordered.
The two exchanged salutes and Duo did as ordered. Trowa returned to the tent to find Heero pounding his fist on his desk after rereading the letters after what must have been the thousandth time.
"Heero, you need to calm down." Trowa declared as he plopped into a seat.
"How can I calm down?!" He growled.
"Heero, you still have responsibilities to this company."
Heero gave a death glare to Trowa, but quickly withdrew it, realizing that he was right.
"I'm sitting here idly waiting for a battle with the redcoats that is unlikely to come, and yet Relena is being harassed and is in probable danger from that bastard."
"Has she tried to go to Philadelphia?"
"As strange as it sounds, she'd be in more danger if she went there. Since her uncle Thomas is now the Governor of Virginia, she can at least be watched. If she went to Philadelphia he'd probably track her down there and do God knows what." He said the last three words through clenched teeth.
Trowa nodded in recognition. "I'm gonna go check on company supplies…" He trailed, knowing his friend needed to be alone.
September 19th, 1779, Virginia
James Greer had his musket at the ready, his two friends. Alexander Hawthorne and Theodore Woodrow were at his side.
"Everyone's ready." Alexander whispered. "All we're waiting for is Old Man Quinze."
James sneered. "They're right there! What are we waiting for?"
His friends both shrugged their shoulders. The convoy full of supplies for Virginia's new Continental Army recruits was passing through this narrow path. It would be a cake walk to stop it now.
"Fuck this." James muttered.
James lifted his musket and fired. When the round didn't hit anything he brought out his pistol and waited for the rest of the men around him to finish their own volley. They all then charged toward the convoy as one.
Quinze looked through his spectacles in disbelief. He ordered his own part of the line to fire through clenched teeth. The line of lights and smoke went off and then the men joined their comrades who charged earlier.
James fired his pistol at one of the sentries who was aiming at him. Alexander and Theodore similarly fired their own. James held back as the other members of the White Fang charged the defenders of the convoy. In a matter of thirty seconds, the defenders were overwhelmed. James pulled a small-sized pistol that he kept hidden in his boot out and shot a retreating soldier in the back.
"You! What the hell was that?!" Quinze walked over to him, shouting. "I never gave you the order to fire and advance!"
"I saw an opportunity and I took it." James answered back.
"I still never gave an order!" Quinze continued to argue.
"I don't think you get it, Quinze. I run the White Fang. I'm providing the bankroll, I'm risking my property. I'm the one in charge here. Understand?"
Quinze seethed in anger. "You are not the only one providing treasure."
"But I am the biggest provider. Now, you go and do your job." James said as his two friends rejoined him to put on a bigger show of force.
Quinze scoffed and walked away. James was an arrogant man and way out of line, but he was too valuable an ally to risk alienating. He walked along to oversee the seizure of the supplies.
"Well said, James." Theodore complimented.
"C'mon, let's get this done so we can get out of this fucking backcountry."
They walked to the convoy to rejoin the militiamen.
October 1st, 1779, Sanc Manor, Virginia
Relena Peacecraft sat in her parlor, reading the latest edition of her local newspaper. Stories about the White Fang loyalist militia once again took the majority of the paper's content.
She sighed; this was becoming a serious problem. Her uncle had told her of how the White Fang's members ran rampant, striking from the backwoods of Virginia and seizing or destroying anything that might help the war effort against the British. What worried her uncle the most was that the British would sense weakness and commit a full-fledged invasion force against Virginia. He was very much stressed out with the situations he had to deal with, and it showed when she saw him.
Her own life was not so peachy either.
James Greer, now confirmed as a prominent White Fang member, had come and harassed her numerous times. When she sought recourse he would disappear. She felt helpless. Her uncle's hands were more than tied with all of his responsibilities as governor, and both her brother and Heero were up north with the Continental Army. She was alone…
Relena slowly got up and walked outside to check the mail, as it came later in the day than the newspaper did. She walked outside with caution, knowing that she had to watch her back. She felt like a fugitive in her own home and on her own property. Relena walked to the mail box and examined the contents inside.
"What's in the mail, Relena?" A cocky voice asked.
Relena's eyes constricted and her skin paled.
"What are you doing here?!" She turned around and tried to sound brave.
"Oh, just staking claim to what is mine." He said casually.
"I am not yours!" She hissed.
"Relena…stop being so immature. You take it like I'm equating you with one of your niggers."
Relena continued to glare at him.
"Relena, you need to stop treating me like I'm your enemy. All I want is for you to accept me."
"Go away!" She shouted.
"You will accept me Relena. Or I will unleash even greater calamities on this state!" James said through clenched teeth.
Relena backed away a couple of steps, but bumped into something solid. She turned around. It was James' friend, Theodore Woodrow. She gasped as he held her captive. She could see James' friend Alexander Hawthorne also appear from behind, standing there as a sort of enforcer.
James walked up to her and ran a hand through her honey hair and then on her face. Relena whimpered and her eyes squinted.
"You're so beautiful Relena." James said admiringly. "But you've got to keep that sass of yours in check."
Relena's eyes narrowed in anger as she mumbled something, her mouth was covered up by Theodore. She tried to struggle but her arms were pinned behind her.
"It's a shame, really." James sighed. "I'm not a bad guy. You haven't seen all of me, Relena. The only reason I'm doing this is because you need to be taught a lesson for the dishonor that you have shown me."
James slowly ran his hand up her thigh. Relena struggled and squealed under her restraint.
"Miss Peacecraft!" One of the Sanc Manor's slaves saw her plight. He ran up to James and pushed him to the ground. He tried to get a dominant position on top of James' fallen form to beat him to the ground.
Relena recognized the slave. It was Kenneth; the same slave she remembered had gotten a brutal whipping a couple of years earlier. Relena watched as he wrestled with James, trying to get a hold of his pistol that he kept in a sash on his belt, before he was pulled off of James and thrown to the ground by Alexander. Alexander brutally picked him up and restrained him.
James got up and wiped a small amount of blood from under his lip, looking at it in his hand before taking his pistol out and whipping Kenneth in the temple with the butt of it. The slave left a muffled cry of pain.
"So nigger, you like to spill whit men's blood do you?" He asked in a tone of suppressed rage. "You know, that's a crime punishable by death." He grinned, then pulled out his pistol with a laugh. He brought the flint to full cock and pointed it at Kenneth. "Alexander, why don't you go get some rope from my horse and we'll hang this worthless nigger, then shoot him."
Relena cried out in terror, but Theodore's hand did not let anyone get a chance to hear her.
Just as Alexander let go of Kenneth, with James holding the slave hostage with his pointed pistol, a sound of hope reached Relena's ears.
"Drop your gun." Her sister-in-law's voice ordered through clenched teeth.
Relena saw Lucrezia pointing a musket at James' back.
"Miss Peacecraft. Lovely day isn't it?" James asked in a cocky voice, beginning to turn around.
"I said drop your gun!" She ordered again in a louder voice, cocking the flint of the musket back for another sound of authority.
James rolled his eyes and threw the gun away. Kenneth took a few steps back.
Lucrezia looked toward Theodore. "Let her go or I will put a bullet in his back." She ordered, once again through clenched teeth.
James looked at Theodore and signaled with his eyes to release her. Relena immediately ran behind her sister-in-law.
"Now, get out of here!" She demanded.
"Yes, Miss Peacecraft." James acknowledged haughtily. He and his friends took to their horses and made their exit from the manor.
"I go outside for one second…" Relena trailed, finally being able to cry now that the element of fear was gone.
"Relena, are you hurt?"
"No…I'm ok. Thank you. And Kenneth, thank you for trying to help me."
"Yes miss. The slave nodded his head. I gots to get back to the fields now."
"No, wait." Lucrezia said. "Kenneth, as of now, I want you to stay with Miss Relena and keep a set of eyes on her safety. You are relieved of field work."
The slave's face conveyed happiness as well as confusion. How would he be able to do what was now asked of him?
"Come on, let's go inside." Lucrezia suggested as she picked up the musket from the ground and led the way back up to the manor.
October 17th, 1779, Continental Army Headquarters, White Plains
General George Washington sat in his quarters, looking over a letter from a distinguished correspondent.
Sir,
Virginia desperately needs help. The White Fang loyalist militia that I informed you of previously has grown and escalated their attacks. It is difficult to distinguish friend from foe in many instances. Their attacks on state property and interests come from shadows, and what troops I do have at my disposal have a terrible time of trying to keep up and catch them.
Please, I desperately beg you for assistance. Might you be able to spare me some troops? More specifically, those that would be capable of combating such a threat?
Remember, Virginia is your home as well. As the White Fang threatens it, it looks to you, its favorite son, for his benevolent assistance.
Sincerely,
Th: Jefferson, Governor of Virginia.
George Washington slumped in his chair. The situation with the White Fang by all reports was getting worse by the day, and the plea of Governor Jefferson seemed to make the whole thing official. If the White Fang did major damage to the already weakened economy in Virginia, it could spell disaster for the whole of the Patriot cause, as it was the most populous state. George Washington made a tough choice, and then uprooted himself from his seat to pay a visit to one of his best officers.
Major Heero Yuy sat in his tent going over drills with Trowa. Heero said everything with coldness, as the latest letter from Relena over what had happened to her had him seething. Increasingly, he was becoming detached from the idleness up in the north and itched to go to Virginia and help Relena…preferably by crushing James Greer's neck.
"Major!" The voice of the company first sergeant Wufei Chang snapped him out of his daydream.
"What?"
"You need to go outside; someone wishes to speak with you."
Heero proceeded outside. His eyes widened and he saluted General George Washington, who returned the gesture.
"General Washington, forgive me for my delay, sir."
"It's all right, major." He sighed. "I have a new assignment for you."
"New assignment sir?"
"Yes, something better suited to you and your company's talents. I am sure you are aware of the White Fang militia in Virginia?"
Heero's breath nearly hitched in his throat. It was almost as if General Washington had read his mind. "Yes, sir."
"I've been inundated with mail from people in Virginia requesting my help, including Governor Jefferson, whom I believe you are connected to."
"Well…yes, but I've never met him sir."
"You will soon. I've designated your company to go down there and help to combat the White Fang militia, as your company is perfectly suited for such a task. You are to head out immediately. Proceed to Williamsburg, where you will meet with Governor Jefferson for further instruction."
"Yes sir."
"I'll admit. I'm going to miss having you around. You guys have been here since the beginning. But I cannot waste your usefulness in this stalemate when there is much good you can do in Virginia."
"I couldn't agree more sir."
The two exchanged salutes.
"I'll expect routine correspondence with you as to the situation, Major. Now, get moving."
"Right away, sir."
Heero couldn't believe it as he walked to his tent. His seething rage had now been replaced with cold determination. This was the best thing that could have happened to his resolve.
"Trowa, get the men ready for long distance travel, we're going to Virginia."
Trowa's eyes widened as he went off to rally the troops.
1. The Sullivan Expedition occurred in the summer of 1779 against the Iroquois tribes in upstate New York. Over 40 villages were razed and the tribes were never a significant power again.