Once again, a massive delay (this time longer than usual; I have tried to get a chapter up once a month, but the lovely month of May went by without any such accomplishment), and not much to show for it. Below is simply more build-up. All I can do at this point is apologize.

As if to make up for it, though, I will point out that there are some cameos here that may or may not become more important as time goes on. I'm not sure just how much I want to involve these characters, as I don't know much about one of them while I've ranted already about the side-story in which we encounter the other, but I'll likely end up using them a lot more than I really intended to when I decided to put them in on a whim. Oh, well; my confusion is your gain, I certainly hope. On with the show.

Pointless Disclaimer: Hajime Yatate agreed to hand over Gundam if I beat him at Monopoly. Considering that he's the personification of a multi-million dollar company, you can imagine how well that's working out…

/**/

Captain Mark Hazen was far less pleased about the negotiations than Bright had been; Fraw shook her head upon hearing his answer to Bright's update. "He's very unhappy, sir," she said in what must have been the greatest understatement of her life, holding up the printed card with the decoded message.

Amuro watched as Bright took the card and read it, saying absently as he did so, "Being boarded by people you've been fighting for a year tends to bring out the worst in people." Reading on, he eventually concluded, "Char will have to talk to him personally. He won't listen to me." Glancing up at Lalah, who remained on the White Base for the moment, the commander added, "Will the captain have a problem with that?"

Lalah smiled. "I don't think so, sir," she answered.

Bright nodded, before turning back to Fraw to continue his discussion with Captain Hazen. Lalah used the opportunity to talk with Amuro. "I'm surprised that your commander is taking this as well as he is," she murmured. "I didn't realize that he trusted you enough to negotiate with Zeon forces, either. What is it about you that he trusts so much?"

Amuro's eyes widened. "Do you think I'm untrustworthy?" he asked defensively, but Lalah laughed, putting him at his ease.

"I didn't mean it in that way," she said with a smile. "But you must realize that a commander generally trusts his own judgment long before he'll trust an ensign's."

"Char's a captain, but he trusts you."

Amuro blinked in confusion when Lalah's expression became uncomfortable. "Yes, well… He has his reasons," she said evasively. Then she returned to her question. "So what reason does Commander Bright have?"

The boy thought for a bit. Then he shrugged. "I guess he just believes in Newtypes as much as Char does."

Even he knew this wasn't adequate, but found that he wasn't sure of the answer either. So he tried to puzzle it out for himself while Lalah gazed at him, pondering. "Perhaps," she said after a moment, but she grew a sly smile as she added, "but I think there's more to you than meets the eye, Amuro Ray."

Amuro only shrugged again, but before he could come up with a response, Bright interrupted the conversation once again. "Ensign Lalah Sune," he said, stepping up to the pair, "I would like to thank you for coming aboard. Please send my regards to your captain, as well." Holding out his hand, the commander said, "It was a pleasure to meet you."

Lalah took Bright's hand. "The pleasure was mine, Commander. Thank you for hearing us out."

Bright nodded. Releasing Lalah's hand, he said, "Also, if you could tell Captain Char to return our petty officer, I would very much appreciate it."

Lalah laughed. "Absolutely, sir," she said, saluting as she said so. To Amuro she said, "I'll talk with you soon, I suppose."

Amuro nodded. "Sooner than before," he promised. Lalah nodded in return, before turning toward the lift; the three security personnel and Amuro's gaze followed her until the lift door closed.

The pilot's attention was not allowed to linger any longer than that, as Bright grabbed it immediately. "Amuro, what in the world happened during those talks of yours?"

Amuro reluctantly turned away from the lift and answered, "A lot. More than I can really say." He didn't want to tell Bright what he had learned about 'Artesia' and 'Casval,' that was for certain; it wasn't his business to let that secret out. "But we talked a bit about strategy. And we put forward a few thoughts for the future."

Bright's brow rose. "Such as?"

"The state of Zeon and the Federation," answered Amuro, "and what we can do to fit into that scheme. I don't know what you planned to do after coming to Side 6, sir, but I know that Captain Hazen wanted to fight, and Char wants to do the same thing. Most of what we talked about revolved around the idea of winning any war against Gihren Zabi and removing him."

"He's being rather ambitious, isn't he?" asked the commander. "We don't have enough ships to even dent Zeon's battle strength."

"But he thinks he can get them," Amuro said. He pointed out the bridge window to the Zanzibar. "Char took Admiral Dozle's wife and daughter with him when he fled Granada. Who knows how many people would rather support the memory of Dozle than what Gihren has to offer?"

Bright turned sharply to stare at the Zanzibar. "There's a Zabi on that thing?" he asked, astounded.

Amuro nodded. "She might be exactly what we need to get some support from Granada or even Side 3 itself."

The commander narrowed his eyes in thought. "Maybe," he said, and Amuro knew just how much he was hoping it was true.

/**/

"There is no longer an issue of contention between our forces and those associated with the former Federation," Char assured Cameron Bloom via the Hummel's viewscreen. As the skeptical official's expression didn't change, the captain added, "If you would like to corroborate that, the commander on board the Trojan Horse—excuse me, the White Base—would be happy to explain."

Mr. Bloom just gazed at Char intensely. "Does Colonel M'Quve share similar sentiments?"

Char shrugged. "Personally, he may not agree with the settlement that we have worked out, but professionally he will abide by it. He has given me the authority to negotiate on his behalf, and trusts my judgment." That last was a stretch, of course; M'Quve allowed Char to do as he wished during the discussions, but only because he was bored with the talks himself. He certainly didn't trust Char, but hardly cared what the captain said, so long as it did not bring Gihren Zabi down on them—and the colonel could be reasonably certain that Char would do no such thing.

Cameron Bloom still did not look convinced, but kept his peace regarding Char's assertion. "I will speak with Commander Bright on this matter to corroborate your statement," he said after a moment. "If what you said is true, then we should not have to worry about any unpleasantness from now on. I trust that will be the case."

Char nodded. "It will be," he assured the official, who nodded in return before the connection was terminated.

Turning from the viewscreen, Char smiled at his sister, who stood nearby. "Come along, Artesia. It has been so long, and we've barely been able to speak with the others around. I return to the Zanzibar; will you join me?"

Artesia nodded, and turned toward the door as Char exited the bridge, following him as he floated down the corridor. "Brother," she said after a moment, "you don't mean to follow Colonel M'Quve indefinitely, do you?"

Char chuckled. "You know me too well," he said. "Colonel M'Quve has been under Lady Kycilia's command far longer than I have, and he outranks me in the Zeon hierarchy regardless of our factions and divisions. As long as I fight as a member of Lady Kycilia's remnant forces, then, Colonel M'Quve will be my superior."

Artesia scoffed, and as they approached the main hatch she said, "I doubt you will fight in memory of a Zabi forever."

"Probably not," Char conceded, "and if that is the case, I will fight for my own reasons, with or without the colonel. Until that time comes, however, I will remain his subordinate. And I will abide by his decisions, in case you're wondering," he added, as he and his sister stepped out of the Hummel and into the colony dock once more.

Then Char turned toward Artesia again, a curious expression on what she could see of his face. "I have to wonder a few things about you, as well," he said as they floated toward the White Base buggy that was parked nearby. "I never managed to ask how you turned up on that Federation vessel."

Artesia glared at him. "You can only blame yourself for that," she told him. "If you hadn't attacked Side 7, we would have had no reason to evacuate. And we were forced to help run the ship because your men killed most of the crew."

Char's mouth twisted wryly. "I chose the wrong men for the job," he admitted. "I ordered them to infiltrate the colony for reconnaissance, but one of them was a glory-hunting rookie. There wasn't supposed to be an attack, at least until we knew what we were facing."

"Which wouldn't have made a difference for our evacuation," Artesia retorted; Char decided not to argue the point.

"So who is that boy, Amuro? I met him once during our last leave here at Side 6, but I don't know anything about him other than that he knows Lalah, somehow. Why do I get this sense of danger every time I see him?"

Artesia glanced at her brother sidelong as they got into the buggy, with Char on the driver's side. "Amuro is someone else from Side 7 that got dragged into combat," she answered. She hesitated, before finally saying, "He's the Gundam's pilot. That's why you think he's dangerous."

Char, who had just begun to pull forward, nearly wrecked the buggy; the magnetic coating applied to the tires was only just enough to keep it from floating off of the floor of the zero-gravity dock. Getting himself and the buggy under control, Char shook his head vigorously. "That's impossible. Perhaps he piloted it originally, when it was nothing but dead weight in space. But there's no way that that boy is still piloting it now. I fought the Gundam at Texas; only the best could have survived what I threw at it there."

Artesia only shrugged. "Amuro's had a lot of practice since Side 7," she said. "If you'd been using something more powerful than a Zaku back then, we'd all be dead. But by the time Zeon developed something more useful, he'd improved."

"It didn't hurt him that Vice Admiral Dozle had discharged me by that time," Char said, trying to dismiss his rival's abilities. "If they'd given me a Gouf or a Dom while your Trojan Horse was still dragging itself through Earth's gravity, I would have gotten him, to be sure."

"Perhaps," Artesia said, although her expression indicated that she found the idea distasteful; Char made a mental note for future reference to refrain from boasting about his skills in the context of killing his sister's crewmates. Then her eyes saddened. "Instead they gave a Gouf to Ramba Ral."

Char turned his gaze back to his Zanzibar, which was growing larger in the buggy's windshield by the moment. "I heard," he said heavily. "I was sorry to learn of his death. He was a fine warrior."

"He died like one," Artesia said. "I don't know if he even planned to win when he came aboard, but he came very close… I think he would have, if he hadn't seen me and gotten distracted."

Char turned toward his sister sharply. "He recognized you?"

Artesia nodded. "It's why he died." She fell silent, then, and Char let her relive her memories in silence as he pulled up to the Zanzibar and parked the buggy.

The moment that the captain stepped out of the buggy, however, Lalah Sune exited the Zanzibar with a smile. "Captain, you certainly took your time. Lady Zenna has demanded to speak with either you or Colonel M'Quve, I'm afraid, but I didn't want to disturb you."

Char smiled at his ensign. "Thank you, Lalah," he said. "Please tell Lady Zenna that I will be with her directly." The girl saluted and quickly turned back into the ship, but before she completely disappeared, she put her head out of the hatch once again.

"Also, Commander Bright requested that Petty Officer Sayla Mass be returned to the White Base."

Artesia's eyes widened. "What was I thinking?" she gasped. "I forgot to report in!" To Char she said, "Casval… I hope to see you again soon."

"If we work together, your commander and I, there is no doubt of that," Char answered with a smile. "Take care, Artesia."

"Good-bye," replied the woman, sliding into the driver's seat. Within moments, she had disappeared from Char's sight, and the captain's smile faltered.

"For her sake, if no one else's, please let this agreement stand," he muttered. Then, gritting his teeth, he turned back to the hatchway of the Zanzibar and followed Lalah inside. "Now, Lady Zenna… what seems to be the problem?"

/**/

Minutes ago, there had been a great deal of panic; now, though, there was silence outside her cell. Jenna sighed as she floated, wondering where the rushing crewmembers had gone, what they had been so worried for… hell, she wondered where the ship even was, considering that she hadn't been privy to that knowledge. Had Zeon found them? Would the ship be boarded, or simply obliterated? If they captured the ship, would they see her as a victim of their enemy and give her clemency, or would they see her as just another Federation pilot and not bother to differentiate? Or would they not even bother to check the brig and leave her to starve in her cell?

Well, to be honest, she doubted that last part. How would any Zeon inspector even know where the brig was without finding it first? They wouldn't stop going over the ship until they'd catalogued every square millimeter; she wouldn't have to worry about not being found, if Zeon were to capture the ship. Of course, that in itself was dependent on their patience and willingness to lose men in a boarding operation. More likely, she would simply be immolated or exposed to the vacuum when they decided instead to take the ship out with a well-placed mega-particle beam.

It was during her attempts to reject such a pessimistic thought that she heard noise from outside her cell door, which soon translated into the door opening to reveal two security personnel, accompanied by a brown-haired young woman holding a bundle of what looked like clothes. "Jenna Heidfeld?" the woman—girl, really—asked; they had taken her name and rank upon her capture.

"Who else were you expecting?" Jenna replied wryly, crossing her arms. "What is it?"

The girl blinked at the rebuttal, but quickly returned to her reason for coming. "Commander Bright says there's no reason for you to be here. He's releasing you."

Jenna's brow quirked. "He's not worried that I'll tell Zeon or someone where we are to save myself from getting taken in with the rest of you?"

The girl's eyes narrowed as the security personnel clutched their weapons more tightly. "If you did, I'd wonder what you were doing in the Federation military in the first place. You have no reason to worry about being… how did you put it? 'Taken with the rest of us'? You don't get what I'm saying. You're being released. From the ship."

Jenna's eyes widened in panic. "Wait just a minute! I don't even know where we are! You're not just going to put me into a normal suit and throw me out of an airlock, are you?"

"If we were, would we have wasted our food on you?" the girl answered, irritated. "We're docked at Baldur Bay, in Side 6. From here, you can pretty much start over, if you want. Or, if not, you can probably charter a shuttle to Luna II or Earth, or to anywhere else. Of course, if you go back to the Federation, they'll ask you where we went; that can't be helped, but we'd appreciate it"—and here the girl's gaze hardened—"if you waited until they asked, rather than blabbering about it the first chance you get. So…" The girl tossed the bundle into the cell, which Jenna caught easily in the zero-gravity environment. "You'd best dress as a civilian as long as you're here. Commander Bright made a private agreement with one of the government officials here to provide you with some local currency; you'll find it in a packet in that bundle."

Jenna stared at the girl. "Why would he do that?" she blurted.

"I don't know, considering how ungrateful you're being," retorted the girl. When Jenna looked appropriately sheepish, the girl said, "We'll wait down the hall while you change. Then we'll take you to the hatch and set you on your way."

The girl began to turn away, but Jenna stopped her. "Wait! What are you going to do?"

"The crew?" asked the girl. When Jenna nodded, she shrugged. "We'll fight," she said simply. "I'm not going to tell you anything specific."

"I don't expect you to," replied the pilot, shaking her head. "But how can you fight at all? You're one ship—"

"Don't ask," one of the guards said in distaste. "You don't want to know."

Jenna stared at the man for a moment, before turning her gaze back to the girl. "You're fighting Zeon, right? Even in such dire circumstances…"

The girl looked at the pilot in concern as the older woman's expression became confused and conflicted. "Who else would we be fighting?" she began slowly. "The Federation's not going to help us, but they won't be a target, either. The enemy will always be Zeon… the Zabis, anyway."

Jenna didn't notice the girl's addendum, being too busy wondering about her own position in this situation. Could she really run to the safety of anonymity in Side 6, or to a Federation that had already surrendered to Zeon? Certainly, she had followed their orders to attempt to intercept the White Base, but now… there was no Federation officer in sight that could keep her from making her own decision. As far as Luna II and Jaburo—or what was left of it; rather, Dakar—were concerned, she was either captured or missing-in-action, and there was no reason for them to suspect anything different… unless she alerted them otherwise. Should she?

Finally, she came to a decision. Raising her eyes to meet the girl's again, she said, "My first sortie was in the Battle of Solomon; my second was against you. I've never shot an enemy down outside of simulation. I was nearly killed at Solomon because I couldn't pay attention to my surroundings. But…" She took a breath. "If you plan to fight, I can't just turn away. Zeon killed my father, and my family would never forgive me if I didn't take this chance."

"What are you saying?" asked the girl, although Jenna was sure that she already knew the answer; she just wanted the pilot to clarify.

Jenna obliged her. "May I speak with your commander? I want to help you out."

/**/

Admiral Aiguille Delaz stared out at the rows of Salamis- and Magellan-class warships docked in Luna II with an irritated frown. Looking out over the vessels from the dock's control center, the Zeon commander turned to a nearby Federation major and demanded, "All of them are completely disarmed, correct?"

"Of course, sir," replied the major nervously; Delaz noted that he was sweating profusely, which only added to the admiral's distaste. "And their Minovsky reactors have been removed as well, as per Supreme Commander Gihren's orders."

Delaz nodded curtly before returning his attention to the ships. "Were those armaments included in the estimates that your people sent to us before this inspection?"

The major hesitated. "I… I can't say with any certainty, sir," he answered evasively. "If our men did their jobs, then they were included, but with the chaos of preparing for your arrival, they might have been over—"

"Are you telling me to trust men who would rather see Zeon burn than serve it?" the admiral snarled, glaring once again at the hapless Federation officer. "How can I be sure that your men did their jobs if you weren't there to make sure of it yourself? If these numbers aren't accurate according to the census we're taking right now, I can't be certain that your men didn't manage to smuggle some arms away from Luna II. If that is the case, Major, I need not warn you of the consequences." Delaz held up a slip of paper. "If these numbers are not accurate, I will have your head."

The major was visibly shuddering at the Zeon admiral's wrath, but he was spared further fright by the interruption of an alert from the control room's viewscreen. Delaz activated the screen immediately, and started at the visage that greeted him. "Your Excellency!"

Gihren Zabi nodded. "Aiguille, my friend, it has been some time. Forgive me for interrupting your work; it will only be for a moment. However, it regards a matter of extreme importance to me."

"Of course, Your Excellency," replied the admiral, straightening solemnly. "Whatever you require, I will do my utmost to see it done."

Gihren nodded again. "I require information regarding the Federation's Project V. Obviously I am interested in the technology that the Federation has managed to develop—and I assure you, so are our military contractors—but I am more interested in Federation records of the current crew of the project's warship, as well as any information those records might contain that will hint at where this 'Trojan Horse' is now. I am already aware that her commander refused to muster at Luna II," the supreme commander added for Delaz's benefit.

The admiral saluted. "Absolutely, Your Excellency. I will ensure that you receive both the information and our analysis of its contents, in the hopes that you will be able to act more quickly to apprehend the Trojan Horse."

Gihren smiled. "Thank you, Aiguille. I knew I could count on you."

Delaz simply replied with a smart "Sieg Zeon!" before the connection was cut.

As soon as the viewscreen went black, the admiral turned to the Federation major. "I want as much information as your access allows on Project V, and the current crew of the project's warship."

"Uh, yes, sir," replied the major, activating a nearby computer console. "However, I should warn you that the best records were kept at Jaburo. If the database is still functional, you might—"

"I am interested in the records you have here at Luna II," snapped Delaz impatiently. "If there are more at Jaburo, we shall find them later. Now quit stalling!"

/**/

Gihren smiled as Admiral Maharaja Karn's face appeared on his viewscreen, expressing equal surprise as that of Admiral Delaz only moments before. "Admiral Karn, it is a pleasure to see you well. I trust your recovery efforts at Jaburo are proceeding as planned."

"Of course, Your Excellency!" answered Admiral Karn, recovering quickly. "Although Operation British II failed to strike Jaburo directly, it is clear that the operation demolished most of the Federation's ability to wage war planet-side. We will soon have everything spared by the operation in our hands. The Earth Federation will never trouble our Earth-bound forces again."

"So much for the Earth-born elite," Gihren commented with a satisfied smile. Then he sobered. "Admiral, I need you to do something for me."

"Of course, Your Excellency."

"You know of the Federation's Project V, I presume?" The admiral nodded curtly. "Perhaps you are not aware, but the warship built for that project, which our forces dubbed the 'Trojan Horse,' refused to muster at Luna II as per my orders to the Federation. I am interested in as much information as you can obtain regarding Project V, that warship, and its current crew. Your colleague Admiral Delaz is currently digging for leads at Luna II"—Gihren ignored Karn's snort of derision, having expected it; the competition between the men was something of a legend within the upper echelons of the Zeon space forces—"but I doubt I will learn anything of value without the records at Jaburo. Tell me, have you recovered the computer databases?"

Admiral Karn nodded. "Yes, Your Excellency; they were among our first priorities. Their records are no doubt badly damaged and incomplete, but nonetheless, I will set my best men to this task. All records of Project V that we can obtain will soon be in your hands, Your Excellency."

Gihren smiled warmly. "Thank you, Admiral. I know you will do your utmost. Please give my regards to your young daughter."

Karn's stern expression melted. "Oh, Your Excellency, Haman will be so honored! Of course, sir, I shall."

Gihren nodded then. "Sieg Zeon."

"Sieg Zeon!"

The connection closed, and Gihren's smile disappeared. In truth, he was disgusted with his current course of action; demanding such information regarding Project V reminded him far too much of his sister's unhealthy obsession with the Gundam. But it was precisely because of that obsession that Gihren found his decision to be a good one. Kycilia's determination might well have rubbed off on her subordinates, particularly Char Aznable, who had been the one to discover the truth about Project V in the first place. And if that was the case, there was a chance that Kycilia's renegade forces could seek out the Trojan Horse as an ally, should they be interested in resisting Gihren's rule—a scenario that was all the more likely with Char Aznable's identity no longer a secret. Thus, any clue as to the location of the Trojan Horse could lead to the capture or destruction of all of Gihren's enemies at once.

The supreme commander turned to Cecilia, who stood at his side as usual. "When and if either Admiral Delaz or Admiral Karn reports within the next hour, fetch me immediately."

The secretary saluted as Gihren stood and began to walk out of the room. "Absolutely, Your Excellency."

/**/

Yep, after all the whining I did about side-stories, I put in Admiral Delaz. Despite the plot holes, could-be-better writing, and other assorted problems of 0083, the fact remains that Delaz is too interesting of a character to pass up. It helps that, unlike the bevy of "Red Baron" lookalikes that side-stories produce (which are only problematic simply because their numbers stretch the limits of Suspension of Disbelief), it is logical that Zeon's space forces featured plenty of competent, if not brilliant, commanders that simply didn't make it into the spotlight because they didn't get killed by the White Base and its pilots. Really, it's an identical situation to the one regarding the innumerable soldiers who exist but don't get a spotlight in the original series; in this case, though, the side-story gives me a name to work with.

Yes, I'm a hypocrite. But Delaz is cool; I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Also, if I screw up Admiral Maharaja Karn, please bear with me. All I know about him is what I read off of Wikipedia, which is next to nothing, since it only says that he led the exiles on Axis, and then died after a few years (it gives the year, but I failed to memorize it). This basically means that I'll be building his character from scratch, so if I stray from the material in which he's already present, I apologize in advance.

Once again, I've uploaded a slow chapter, with little in the way of interesting stuff. However, there is hope on the horizon! For the last several months, I've been hung up on rewriting several scenes whose original development, I later discovered, depended on a massive plot hole. I am pleased to announce that the rewriting has finally been completed, meaning that I can focus on new material. To celebrate, as well as to make up for the lovely (and fruitless) month of May, I plan to upload another chapter this month.