Chapter 22 Face to Face, Heart to Heart

"It appears that Lady Une is now the President." stated the commanding officer of one of the five military space station that the Preventers controlled. Four out of the five stations where basically updated version of the old Space Fortress Barge which was destroyed by White Fang and Zechs all those years ago while the fifth was MO2. The Space Stations had been set up away from Earth in case of any threat arose from the new colonies being established, the belief was that MO2 in orbit of Earth would be able to handle any issues nearby. They were now paying for that error since none of the stations had a firing solution on the moon based beam weapons controlled by the coordinators. Nor could they move into a firing position without being noticed and opening themselves up to being fired upon.

"Then we are likely to make peace with these inhuman creatures." Grumbled his second officer

"Likely from what I have heard before high command was totally destroyed by the strikes she was among the few who called for a peace." stated the Commanding officer "And any peace would likely mean we would have to give in and forgive the fact that they murdered our president and high command."

"Is there anything we can do?" inquired the second officer

"Not without going against our standing orders and putting a lot of lives at risk." stated the Commander

"Sir, we already have a lot of lives at risk if we don't stop this." Stated the second officer

"And what about our orders?" inquired the Commander

"To hell with our orders." snapped the second officer as the commander nodded her head and smiled.

"Good." said the Commander as she looked down at a large map, which showed all the colonies. "We need to remove the moon based beam cannons; once we remove them from play we can just blast them from space."

"But how do we get in range without getting shot at?" inquired the second officer

"There is only one way but it will mean putting a lot of lives at risk and counting on our enemy not to take the shot." stated the Commander as she moved her finger along the path the station would have to take to get into position.

Dawn had just broken over the eastern sky as Quatre Winner sat on a large balcony of the vineyard's main house and looked out over the hills of southern Italy. It was a rather beautiful house which was one of the reasons why Dorothy was considering it for their wedding and he enjoyed it as well. The only thing he didn't approve of was the wine but Dorothy's family had a long history of that dating back over three hundred years so there was no escaping it. Resting on the ground of the nearest hill was Sandrock and Heavy arms both gundams where under camo nets not that would make much difference.

"Morning Quatre." said Trowa as he sat down across the table from his friend with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"You know I almost did it last night." stated Quatre as Trowa took a drink from his coffee. "I almost took Sandrock into the hills and set the self-destruct."

"I thought I heard you playing your violin last night." Confirmed Trowa to his best friend "You always play when you are thinking about something but you know what the government would do to you if you did destroy your gundam."

"They would try to destroy me and my family business but my sisters run all of them and we are too important in key industries to be destroyed." Stated Quatre

"If you truly believed that then you would have taken Sandrock out into the wilderness and gave it peace last night." countered Trowa "They will destroy your family and you love your family too much for that. Maybe if it was just you, then you would do it but you couldn't harm your love ones."

"I just don't think I can do it." admitted Quatre "Heero is our friend, I can't fight against him for doing what I think is right."

"So you agree with coordinators then?" inquired Trowa as Quatre shock his head.

"No, but people should have the right to choice that if they want and just because a person is born a coordinator doesn't make then a crime against God." stated Quatre "Trowa how can you stand going up against Heero."

"I admit I care for it almost as much as you do but I know it is our duty to follow the orders of our commanders as long as they are lawful and not crimes against humanity." Stated Trowa "And I know Heero knows that as well. I would assume that he doesn't want to fight us either but he has no choice in the matter."

"I just pray that by sunset we have a peace agreement," stated Quatre as he looked at the beautiful sunrise.

Miles away from Quatre and Trowa, Duo Maxwell was looking at something even more beautiful then the sunrise, Hilde sound asleep in his arms. The mother of his unborn child had her back to him as she slept on her side of the bed; however his arms wrapped around her body pulling her close to him. One of his hands rested on top of her stomach as if he was protecting his son or daughter against some unknown threat. He lifted his head up and checked the nightstand clock, in a couple of hours Relena would be meeting with the Coordinators more than likely with Heero and either everything would be resolved or he would have to fight again.

"I am not going to let my little Victor grow up without a father." whispered Duo more to himself.

"We haven't settled on that name if it is a boy." countered Hilde as she rolled over and put her hand on his chest. "Besides we have time to decide that, now go back to sleep."

On Malta Heero was in a similar state to Duo, Luna was sleeping on his chest while he looked up at the ceiling of the room they shared. He had sent a restless night in her arms knowing what he would have to do tomorrow, Luna had offered to take on the task herself just as Athrun and Kira had done but this was technically his home world so he had to take the lead.

"You're worried about today?" inquired Luna as Heero ran his hand down her back.

"Wishing we could be doing what we originally planned for today." admitted Heero

"The doctor will be there when we get home, we will just have to wait a little longer for our child." stated Luna as most dreaded sound either one of them could think of happened, the bedside alarm went off calling Heero to get ready for his date with destiny.

The sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in the sky as Admiral Heero Yuy stood on a soft sandy beach. He was standing in his dress white uniform with a ceremonial sabre hanging from one hip and his personal side arm on the other. Standing around him dressed in black combat gear including facemasks and helmets, in each of their hands was their personal assault rifles where members of the Phantom core. To his right a large tent had been set up with a simple wooden table and a handful of chairs, some of which did not match.

"They are coming," stated a Phantom member as Heero nodded his head, he had seen the dark shape earlier but only now could he hear the twin engines of the helicopter as it came toward the beach.

"Is everything in place?" inquired Heero as the Phantom member nodded his head "Good then let's go prepare for this little get together."

"Yes, sir." stated the Phantom as Heero looked up at the helicopter through one of the windows he could see Sectary of State Relena Peacecraft looking down at him.

"Heero." said Relena to herself as she looked down at the figure dressed in white only a few dozen yards away from her. He looked at her for a moment with those blue eyes, which she loves so much but he was in the wrong uniform.

"Remember he isn't the same Heero you lost all those years ago," whispered Relena as the chopper came in for a landing kicking up some sand before the engines came to a stop. Moments after that happened the door opened and Relena dressed in a white business suit walked onto the sand followed by Wufei who was dressed in his best uniform. Four armed guards followed suit but like the Phantoms they stayed away from the tent. Quickly Relena and Wufei moved toward the tent when they entered they found a small wooden table about the size of two folding card tables sitting side by side and three chairs.

Sitting in one side of the table with the flag of the Orb union hanging over his shoulder was Heero, his uniform saber was sitting on top of the table along with his pistol. For a moment, Relena was confused then slowly Wufei pulled his own sword and pistol and placed them on the table so that both gundam pilots were seemly unarmed.

"Thanks for coming." started Heero as he stood up and moved toward an even smaller table where some glasses and a clear container of ice water sat waiting. "Can I offer you some water?"

"No thank you." snared Wufei

"I'll take one," confirmed Relena as Heero poured the water Relena studied the room some more. Beside the two small tables and chairs there was an Orb flag behind Heero and her own flag hanging behind her.

"So why don't you start off," offered Heero as he placed the glass of ice water down beside Relena before moving to his own seat.

"Heero let's talk as if we are the friends we are and not as if we are enemies." offered up Relena as she tried to study Heero's face however, it was if he was cut in stone. "In that case then you need to explain to us why you're doing this, I know you are married to a coordinator and are friends with some but you have killed thousands of people with your actions. You owe us an answer for all this."

Heero did not say anything instead; he picked up a piece of paper from a small pile, which sat beside him.

"You want me to explain my actions and the actions of those under my command then maybe you should explain the actions of this group of Preventers under your command." said Heero as he handed over the piece of paper. "Turns out elements inside the Preventer core have been in league with a private group led by my sister in this universe."

"You have a sister here?" inquired Relena as Heero nodded his head "Who?"

"You have meet her, Stella." Confirmed Heero "However she my sister, I already love the one I have back home. Now look down at the paper work."

Relena looked down at the paper only to have her eyes widened; it was the outline of a plan to blow up a military transport carrying the Coordinators and their parents from the group that surrender. It included payment to the pilots who would have to disappear and how they would be picked up in open water by ocean going cargo ships.

"Groups murdered children only because they were born differently," stated Heero as his blood boiled a bit, murdering children was the one thing he could not stand ever sense that girl and her dog all those years ago. "Tell me Relena what makes them worthy of death? When Luna and I have our child would you kill him or her just because of how they were born?"

"You're going to have a coordinator child?" inquired Relena

"Yes, but that doesn't answer my question." Growled Heero

"Well…they are sinning against nature by being born." defended Relena however the tone in her voice told everyone that she was not so sure about that.

"They have no honor, tell me Heero how is fair to naturals who have to go up against these coordinators in battle." added Wufei "It removes honor from warfare."

Heero simply glared at his former comrade.

"Tell me Wufei where is the honor in Warfare with the meteor plan that we were all willing to do before we modified it?" inquired Heero "Honor is all well and good but it can't be used to justify the murder of children and as for meeting them in battle there is nothing unfair about it. Yes they have more built in potential but a coordinator who has spent his or her life on a couch would die just as fast as anyone else like that if you shoved them into a mobile suit."

"Heero what are your demands?" inquired Relena

"Simple let us go, you can run this world the way you want and we will only interfere if you are oppressing Coordinators and only to get them off world and to ours." stated Heero "You will not create any form of universe jumping technology. Those are our own demands."

"Alright, we will let you leave along with any coordinator children but their parents will have to…" started Relena

"I don't think you understand Relena." interrupted Heero as he leaned forward "We are not here to negotiate, we are here to inform you what has to be done if you don't give in to those two simple demands we will take the kid's gloves off and you will learn what we are really capable of."

"Your bluffing." stated Wufei

"Wufei leave us." ordered Relena as Wufei blinked before following his orders leaving Relena and Heero alone, sitting across the table from each other. For the longest time the two of them just looked at each other.

"Heero how did we come to this?" inquired Relena as Heero leaned back in his chair and put his hands under his chin in a position that spoke that he was arranging his words. "We loved each other once, we are soul mates."

"Relena what is my favorite color?" inquired Heero as Relena blinked.

"I don't know?" admitted Relena "Black."

"Blue actually, how about something easier when is my birthday?" inquired Heero as Relena blinked again and looked like a deer in headlights. "I thought so, Relena you know nothing about me."

"I know a lot about you we were together during the war." Countered Relena

"And during most of that time I was at least a half a world away from you." countered Heero "We may be spent a month together and while I admit you where my first crush, that was all it was a crush."

"Heero don't say that." stated Relena "We mean more to each other than that, I love you."

"No, you love the image of me." snapped Heero as he showed true anger in his eyes for the first time that Relena could remember. The sight of those blue eyes caused a chill of fear to run up her spin. "I was the Knight in shinning armor and you where the Princess who it was my job to protect, just like a fairy tale. We are not living in a fairy tale Relena and your knight has taken someone else as his princess and that isn't going to change. That leaves only one question."

"What?" asked Relena

"How many people will I have to kill to make you understand that?" stated Heero as Relena blinked "Would burning this world to the ground be enough to convince you, do I have to bath my hand in more blood for you to wake up?"

"You wouldn't do anything so evil as that." stated Relena "You're a good man, you wouldn't resign your soul to hell."

"If there is a hell then due to the number of lives I have taken then likely I am already damned to it." countered Heero "So save your threats to someone who cares."

"So there is no negotiation you will not talk to us." Inquired Relena

"We will talk but no there is no room to negotiation on the basic issues and that is what you want to talk about." confirmed Heero as Relena stood up and headed toward the door.

"Relena." Stated Heero as she stopped at the tent flap and turned to see Heero sitting there with a look on his face that reminded her of a predator at rest but ready to strike nonetheless. "You know that the Zero system allowed me to for see events that the future are likely to happen in my personal future. It has helped me greatly in battle but it has been a great burden and in every outcome of events that happen if you walk out of this tent without agreeing to our demands one of two things happens."

Relena was transfixed by Heero's words.

"Either I kill you or I die." reported Heero as he took a long drink of the ice water "And I don't want to die, so you are going to have to."

Relena's heart rate picked up as she looked at the weapon sitting on the desk as she expected the weapons to be turned on her.

"No, not now." stated Heero as he seemed to read her mind "Unlike your former president I don't try to arrest or try to kill people at a diplomatic meeting."

"Goodbye Heero." said Relena as she walked out of the tent and into the sun.

"Damn it Relena, how many people have you just sentenced to death?" said Heero to himself as he heard the helicopter's engines start turning.

Sorry for the long wait, I had a little bit of writer blocks and then I went to a cousin's wedding. I would like to thank everyone and I hope you keep reading. Thanks Wilkins75.