Author's Notes
Hey, all! So, my semester ended with all A's, yay! And, now, I have a bit more time to devote to writing, and chapters should be coming out more frequently, again. I know I made you all wait a long time, though, so because of that—and because someone voted on my poll (see my profile) for my chapters to be over 5,000 words—this chapter is super-long! 14-and-a-half pages single-spaced, bwahahahaha! I hope you're ready!
Disclaimer: Bandai and Sunrise made SD Gundam Force, its setting, and its characters. The only original characters I developed are Aleda and Titan.
I'll get out of the way now so that Titan can tell his story. :)
Chapter 10: Chosen One
"Fifteen years ago, I was a young knight-in-training in the land of Lacroa. My master was August the Wild," Titan began. "One day, while we were sparring…" Titan trembled slightly as his memories surfaced. "…a dark vortex appeared and sucked us both into a place of darkness…"
In the courtyard of a small castle, a red-armored Gundam wearing a cape and wielding an axe crossed blades with a young navy blue Knight Gundam a head shorter than him. The younger Gundam struggled to maintain a hold of his sword against the vigorous assault of his master. August's violet eyes glinted with the wildness he was named for; eagerness and passion flashed through the dancing sweeps of his blade.
With another swipe and a clang, the sword flew out of Titan's hand. The young one sagged, his shield clanking against his side. "I can't master the sword," he complained.
August shrugged. "Then don't. Use something else, like I do." He flipped his axe in the air and caught it again by the handle. "Use your shield. I'm quite impressed with the way you use it like a battering ram."
Titan blushed. "'Tis not meant to be my primary weapon, though. I did that out of desperation."
"Who cares about conventionality in a fight?" August raised his axe, and from his blue magic circle sprang a large blue, rectangular shield identical to Titan's. "Here, take this." He tossed it to his pupil. Another grew from the magic circle. "And this."
Titan clapped his two shield-laden hands together to try to catch it, but it clattered to the ground. "I think three is overdoing it," he said.
"Put it on your back. That way you'll be protected on all sides."
Titan awkwardly situated the shields; they nearly engulfed him. The two in his hands banged against each other when he moved. "Like this?" he asked, peering between the shields.
August smirked. "Just like that."
"I can't move very well…"
"When you grow up, I'm sure it'll work well. You'll be a walking fortress, my boy!" August slapped him on the back-shield, and he tumbled forward as his instructor laughed.
A purplish light reflected off the shiny shields. "Hm?" August turned around and saw a huge purple vortex spring in front of them. "What on Sola Diorama…?" Titan looked up.
The light swelled and enveloped them. "Sir August!" Titan cried in fear.
August pushed the young Knight Gundam down in his pile of shields. "Stay down!"
When the light faded, the two were in darkness. Groans echoed in the black. They blinked as their visual receptors adjusted to the dim lighting: the only light came from their own eyescreens—and those of other robots. In the low glow, they could see bunches of cables winding up and over the side of a wall. They stood—Titan almost tripping over his shields—and wheeled about to see that the walls enclosed them in all sides. And as their visibility increased, they could see their companions more clearly.
"Where are we?" Titan asked.
"No one knows." August and Titan met the gaze of a Gundamess armored in violet with tassels dangling from her helmet. "We've all just arrived, mere minutes between us."
August eyed the crowd: five Gundamesses and four Gundams, all of varying ages. One hunched form shook with age as he shuffled around. Another seemed to be in his late teens, and he wore a green cape.
"…We found other Gundams of Lacroa there. Including one female child." He gestured to Aleda. "You." She nodded and shifted closer to Zero.
A flash of purple light blinded them momentarily. The wails of a baby pierced their GunSouls. The violet Gundamess crawled in the dark to find her. "Hold on, sweetheart, I'm coming," she cooed as she felt her way around the other Gundams.
But, August reached her first, guided by the practiced audio receptors of a warrior. "Whoever kidnapped us are even monsters enough to take a child," he snarled as he lifted the child into his arms. As Titan's eyes adjusted, he could see that the little Lacroan Gundam was wrapped in a pink cloth and the little armor pieces on her shoulders where white with gold, feathered edges.
"Terrible robots—the Dark Axis, I believe you call them—came to chain us down for some ghastly science experiment."
Screams sounded just beyond the pit. Sparks flashed overhead. August passed the child Gundamess to the violet one. "You," he said to two able-bodied Knight Gundams, "let's investigate. Everyone else, stay here."
The three flew up over the lip of the pit, and they immediately shied away from some unseen entities. "What have you done?" August gasped at a horror past the rim.
"What is this?!" "They can fly, zako!" came foreign voices. "Knock them down!" Gunfire sounded, and the Knight Gundams scattered. Clangs of battle sounded beyond the window of the pit. Bright beams suddenly shot across the ceiling.
Within moments, August and the other two fell into the pit again, groaning and smoking. Shadows loomed over the lip, with purple glowing eyes staring at their prey. One rose taller than the rest, and jet booster attachments fanned behind him like wings. In the dim lighting, the trapped Gundams could barely detect an orangish hue to his armor." Chain them down," came a deep voice from the mysterious robot. "We need to keep them here so we can see what makes them tick." Clinking and clanging sounded, and then some of the little round shadows, holding chains, jumped into the pit.
Condensation collected on Titan's helm as he struggled to push through the traumatizing images. "We fought back. We especially wanted to protect you, milady, who were a mere infant."
Bullets flew, blades sliced, magic blasts flashed and flared, and arrows whizzed. Magic circles illuminated the air. In the pale glow, a crowd of Zakos piled on the green-caped Knight Gundam on the periphery and strung him by the chains. He thrashed desperately to free his bound arms. "Help!'
"Protect the women, children, and elderly!" August ordered. He and the rest of the Knight Gundams circled the Gundamesses and the elderly Knight Gundam. Titan pushed with his shields against the crowd of Zakos.
"We must attack the leader!" August shouted. He sliced a chain in a Zako's hand and then swathed a path to the captured Knight Gundam, dropping enemies in his wake. Zakos parted in terror. "Cut through them, quickly!" August cut the chains binding the green-caped Knight Gundam.
From the other side came a cry, followed by a crash. A Knight Gundam fell, dragged down by the horde, and Zakos stomped over him to the easy pickings within the protective circle. "No!" Titan shouted.
August leapt over the crowd and smacked away the Zakos. The violet Gundamess clutched the baby tightly against her. The Knight Gundam beneath the Zako pile pushed the foes off and started to stand.
"This is a most inefficient operation," the deep voice of the enemy leader said from above. Shattering sounds rang as green-glowing beams pierced the GunSouls of the elderly Knight Gundam and two Gundamesses. The rest gaped in horror as the victims croaked their last. "Now you see you are outclassed. Surrender, and I may grant you your life. It would be a shame if I had to kill any more specimens."
"Let's go!" the green-caped knight said to August, who nodded.
"Everyone, fly, now!" August shouted, pushing off. Titan and the rest immediately followed in the desperate rush.
The one with the green cape fell in seconds, blasted by a laser in the face. Another with arrows died with a Zako's axe in his chest. Lab tables with deceased Lacroan Gundams surrounded the rim of the pit; scorches marked their bodies in various places, and holes were melted into the joints and GunSouls. August, Titan, and one last Knight Gundam fought valorously, but another Lady Gundamess dropped.
With six remaining of their original number, August glimpsed a ray of hope in the shadowy room. "A machine!" he called to the others. "It looks like a transport device!" A large ring of metal emanated a purple glow within its circle.
The violet Gundamess holding the little baby gave a startled cry as the large leader of the horde landed in front of her. She curled herself around the baby. "No!"
With a sickening shing, the Dark Axis robot slashed an arm-mounted saw across her back, and she split. "No!" August cried. The Gundamess's eyes darkened, and she fell forward. Underneath her broken body, the baby shrieked.
Chinks sounded as the saw retracted into her murderer's armor. He stepped closer. "I'll take the infant one. She'll be far less trouble." His black hand reached down.
An axe lopped off the tips of his fingers. The single purple eye glared at August, who brought the axe up for another blow. The jet boosters on his back jerked him out of the swing, but the next blow scratched his helmet and knocked his head. The one-eyed robot recoiled, and August took the chance to turn over the violet Gundamess's body and uncover the little bundle of pink and white. He scooped the crying infant into his arm. "I'll protect you, little one," he vowed.
"We seized momentary control of a transport device. As other Gundams from Lacroa were slaughtered close by, my master placed you in my arms and sent me through a portal..." He shook his head to rid himself of the lingering gory details of that day.
"Here, Titan! Take the child and go!"
August shoved the crying baby Gundamess into Titan's small hands and faced a horde of Zakos while expertly twirling his axe. An agonizing scream echoed from the darkness ahead, and one of the Knight Gundams collapsed just in the light of the portal machine behind them. He writhed painfully on the floor for a split second, and then his eyes went dark. August tensed and moved ahead with axe raised. In the shadows, they could see the hulking, winged shape approaching. The armor on one arm had branched into an intimidating tree of myriad tools, whirring, whirling, and clicking to express the morbid eagerness that the robot's own face could not.
"Master August!" Titan cried fearfully. "What about you?"
August spared him a smirk over his shoulder. "I'll be right behind you. Go on!"
Titan's shields clunked and folded around the infant as he held her tightly, turned, and leapt into the wheel of purple. When he next could see, clear skies and lush forest surrounded him, and twin spires rose in the distance. Over the wails of his little charge, he heard a snap behind him and wheeled. The portal was gone. "Master! Master August!" The young Gundam's eyescreens brimmed. "Master August!"
"We had no idea where the portal would lead us, but you and I appeared in Neotopia.
"I set the little lady down under a tree while I went to investigate a nearby settlement." Titan sighed. "I was merely twelve years old—still very foolish. When I returned, you had been taken, milady. I tracked the footprints to a human household, and upon peering inside, I saw that the parents were caring for you. Since you were safe, I thought it best to leave you with that family while I searched this world for answers."
"You made the footprints that Dad saw," Aleda said in amazement.
"Footprints? Ah, yes, I did walk; I feared that someone would spot us if I flew." Titan then continued, "I wandered, survived, and observed this world. Eventually, I found Kao Lyn, who I heard was an expert in robotics, to see if he would know what those hostile robots were." With a nod to Kao Lyn and Chief Haro, he finished, "And the rest, I'll leave to you."
Kao Lyn sighed. "Titan's body contained advanced technology that I had never seen before. I was very excited to observe him. And, I was very sympathetic to his situation. I thought I—and Chief Haro—could help," he said with a glance to the masked man. "I took scans, and Chief Haro dug up information on dimensional travel." Kao Lyn shook his head regretfully. "We learned a lot, but in the end, we didn't know how to get Titan home."
"We also observed Aleda when her family contacted us," Chief Haro said. "Thorough scans were conducted, but we couldn't tell them anything about where Aleda came from. That would have required us to leak information about Titan, and we didn't want to violate his privacy or his trust."
Aleda nodded slowly.
"On the other hand," Chief Haro continued, "we knew that, in spite of our technological limitations, someone else could send individuals to our dimension, and that someone else was not very friendly. So, we started planning countermeasures."
"You mean the SDG?" Baku asked.
"Exactly," Kao Lyn chimed in. "And Titan and Aleda were made of tougher compounds and constructed with a more effective design than I had ever seen. So, I replicated their features."
Aleda's eyes widened, and she breathed, "Then I..."
"Yes, you and Titan were the basis for Captain Gundam, Guneagle, and the Gundivers—all of our Gundams," Kao Lyn confirmed.
"Wait," Zero said, "If they are all based on both Aleda and Titan, then why are all of the Neotopian Gundams male?"
Kao Lyn sweat nervously. "Well, you see..."
Chief Haro coughed. "There were certain complications."
"Your design, Aleda, was far more complex," Kao Lyn explained to Aleda. "It contained parts that I didn't understand at the time, such as an extra cavity in your torso that contained specialized nanites." He grinned. "But within the context of all of the Sola Diorama Gundams I have observed, I believe that I now understand the reason for your complexity."
Zero shifted uncomfortably.
"What is your theory, Kao Lyn?" Captain asked obliviously.
Baku tinted even redder than normal and clapped his hands to his audio sensors. "We don't need to hear it!"
"I'll let your friends explain it later," Kao Lyn laughed as the two male Gundams in question glared.
"Um..." Aleda began uncertainly, "what did you copy from me?"
Kao Lyn smirked. "Why, the SoulDrive, of course!"
"What?" Zero and Baku gasped, as Aleda blinked in surprise.
"Aleda's power source there—" Kao Lyn pointed at her green GunSoul. "—contains more efficient power output than Titan's, so we tried to emulate it, flame and all."
"Flame, sir?" Zero repeated.
"Yes, flame. There's a little flame inside of her GunSoul. That's why Captain's SoulDrive has one in its core." Kao Lyn frowned. "Is that uncommon?"
Zero looked at Titan, who returned the glance quizzically. "Um, well..." He looked at Aleda by his side, who watched him anxiously. "It's not part of our physiology, male or female, that I know of."
Aleda dipped her head to ponder this.
"Well, it was very useful," Kao Lyn said quickly. "We also compared your features and Titan's features in order to derive commonalities, such as joint alignment and wire layout. Your specifications were critical to the construction of the SDG's Gundams."
"Now, may I learn about the Dimensional Transport Device?" Titan interjected.
"Yes," Chief Haro spoke, stepping forward. "Allow me to explain. We started research into dimensional transport technology at the same time that Chief Kao Lyn was planning to incorporate Gundam designs into his creations. But, it proved so difficult that it took us ten years to create a working prototype. We borrowed publicly released research from your foster father, Aleda, and when we found Bell Wood, the pieces started coming together.
"But," Haro said, "the development of the Dimensional Transport Device, in spite of its importance to Neotopia and to Aleda and Titan, had to be kept secret for two reasons. We could not reveal the SDG to the public, because, as you know, its existence violates the pacifist ideals of the city. Also, there were so many unknowns when we began research that we could not raise your hopes again until we had it working. We planned to contact both of you after successful and reliable results had been demonstrated."
Looking at a certain Musha Gundam, Haro continued, "We had one successful instance of transport, when the Dimensional Transport Device accidentally brought Bakunetsumaru to Neotopia. But, we need more tests to prove it is safe and reliable, and for that, we are waiting for Bell Wood to finish some repairs on the machine."
Baku looked away and scratched the back of his helmet guiltily.
Chief Haro said to Titan, "As soon as the Dimensional Transport Device is proven to be safe and reliable, we will let you know. Though," he added, "there is a complication to your trip home that you may not be aware of." He nodded at the other Knight Gundam. "From the eyewitness reports of Zero the Winged Knight, as well as Captain Gundam, Bakunetsumaru, and honorary member Shute—who is not currently present—Lacroa has been conquered by the Dark Axis and is currently uninhabitable."
Titan stumbled in shock. "What?" He scanned the faces of the other Gundams. "When did this happen?"
"Two years ago," Zero answered sullenly.
"It is likely that your abduction fifteen years ago was a strategy to prepare for the invasion of Lacroa," Chief Haro said. "They were testing for Lacroan Gundams' weaknesses."
Titan scowled. "Those fiends..."
Haro went on, "We are committed to fighting the Dark Axis, in Neotopia and in all other worlds. To thank our allies who have made defense of Neotopia possible, it is, of course, the least we can do to help regain Lacroa and to defend Ark. It is for this purpose that Zero and Bakunetsumaru have joined the SDG." Chief Haro extended a hand. "We could use your help, too, Titan. Your defensive capabilities would be a powerful asset, and we could take back Lacroa even sooner. Would you join the Super Dimensional Guard?"
"I..." Titan eyed the offered hand for a moment before looking away. "I don't know, yet. Please let me think it over."
Chief Haro nodded. "That is fine."
Aleda processed and reprocessed the new information, and her energy processor burned more and more in unease. "Are you alright, milady?" Zero whispered.
She lowered her gaze and touched her GunSoul. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered softly. Zero restrained himself from squeezing her hand, a sentimental show that would expose his affections and could anyways still fail to keep her.
"Since you are not a member, Titan," Chief Haro said, "I must ask you to leave for this next debrief."
Titan nodded. "Understood." The bulky Knight Gundam walked out, followed by a woman human staff member.
"First off, are there any more questions concerning Titan?" Chief Haro asked.
Captain raised his hand. "Sir."
"Yes, Captain?"
"What was Titan planning to do to Aleda?"
"He was very obvious about his intentions. Between his words and actions and our knowledge of him, we concluded quickly that he intended to take Aleda to a safe place where he could dissuade her from continuing with the SDG. That is why I ordered everyone to return to base without Aleda. I wanted to properly brief you on the situation and monitor developments. Titan may have released Aleda on his own if she had insisted on returning to the SDG."
"Thank you, sir." Captain nodded.
"Any further questions?"
Silence.
"Alright, then." Chief Haro took a deep breath. "So, the Dark Axis attacked a factory run by Chief Kao Lyn. While it is widely known that this factory is for mobile citizen assembly, most do not know that it also serves as a research location for advanced robotics technology for the SDG. The Gundivers and Guneagle were assembled there. Good work defending it. The factory's loss would have crippled production of new weaponry and frames for our Neotopian Gundam units." Chief Haro's voice lowered ominously. "But, this attack demonstrates an important point. Gundam Force, keep your guard up: the Dark Axis is catching on."
...
Zero stroked Fenn absentmindedly. He and the fluffball rested on a couch in the lounge. The Winged Knight's CPU continued to churn and whirr over the day's events. Aleda had had such a faraway look in her emerald eyes while she worked in the kitchen. "You have had a trying day, milady. We can find our own food," he had tried to say to her, but she had insistently continued cooking. Then after serving beef stroganoff to the Gundam Force and the rest of the SDG crew, she had immediately left. "I'm feeling a little sick, so I'm going to rest," she had said with a forced smile.
"Milady, is there anything I can do for you?" Zero had asked, standing.
But, Aleda had shaken her head and replied, "No, that's okay."
Since then, she had not left her room. "Do you think she's angry, Fenn?" Zero asked his little fluffball. Fenn blinked at him questioningly. "I worry that Lady Aleda will leave White Base."
"Frenn~" Fenn nuzzled his papa under the chin to console him.
"Thank you, Fenn."
The door hissed open, and Zero looked up. A Gundam in navy blue walked in. Zero stood and nodded politely. "Titan."
Titan bowed back. "Sir Zero."
"What brings you here?"
"Boredom. Without supervision, I'm only allowed access to this hallway."
"Ah."
"I also wanted to find you and to ask a few questions."
"Oh?"
Titan walked past to the semi-circle of couches and seated himself on one adjacent to Zero, who also returned to his seat. "I wanted to know about the state of Lacroa," Titan said. "It's under Dark Axis occupation?"
Zero sighed. "Yes, and they have turned it to stone. All humans and wildlife are petrified, and Gundams are gone from the land. I've seen it with my own eyes."
"You are a Royal Knight? If you are here, then the royal family must be—"
"All stone," Zero said somberly. "They sent me to find a way to reverse the petrification, because I am, according to a prophecy, the Chosen One destined to save Lacroa. I successfully found the Spirit Egg, the key to Lacroa's salvation, which hatched into this little Spirit." Zero pat Fenn, who chirruped happily. "Someday, with his power, I'll take back Lacroa from the Dark Axis."
Titan eyed the fluffy Spirit. "What do you mean by a prophecy?"
"Princess Relejimana Miya de Lacroa is a visionary. She foretold that a great darkness would fall upon Lacroa, and that I would rescue the kingdom."
Titan nodded. "And what part will the lady have in this?" he asked.
"Lady Aleda?"
"Yes."
"It is my hope that she will stay here in Neotopia until Lacroa is restored." Zero then shook his head, adding, "Knowing her stubbornness, though, it may be difficult to convince her."
"Whether she wills it or not, I won't let her go into the front line of battle."
Zero narrowed his eyes. "You seem... quite attached to Lady Aleda."
Titan returned his gaze unflinchingly. "I've watched her grow since she was an infant. Of course I've become attached."
"You've been spying on her?" Zero gasped.
"Protecting her. A few times each year, I've returned to observe the little lady's situation." Titan crossed his arms. "I promised to protect her, and that is what I've done."
"I don't suppose you plan to stay so that you can continue to…protect her?"
"I have not yet decided. If she stays with the SDG, then I worry about leaving her, again. But, if she decides to leave, then there is no need for me to choose."
Eyes alight with alarm, Zero interrogated, "Did she say she was leaving?"
Titan snorted through his vents. "No. I merely observed that she is having some difficulty reconciling all of these revelations." Seeing Zero scowl at the carpet, Titan said as he stood to leave, "Either way, you have no need to worry about me and the lady. I am not particularly tempted by a Gundamess a full generation behind me."
The Winged Knight flushed hot. "When did I ever say I cared about that?!" He faced away, and Fenn rumbled in discontent as Zero's lap wobbled with his sudden movement.
Titan floated towards the door, but as he passed Zero, he said in a low voice, "If you can't fool me, knight, then how can you hope to fool the enemy?" Clinks sounded as Zero balled his hands. Titan's hazel eyes drilled into his as he warned, "Chosen One, you must do better than that. Should you bring her to harm, I won't give you a second chance." Then he rounded and, with a flap of his cape, soared out the door.
Zero grit his teeth behind his mouthguard. I must be an imbecile. Everyone sees through me so easily, he scolded himself.
"Frenn?"
The little mew drew his attention to his beloved Spirit. "Yes, Fenn?" Fenn was watching him with sad blue eyes. "It's alright, Fenn. Everything will be fine," Zero reassured, rubbing him affectionately.
…
Aleda hid in the darkness where no one could see her agony, nor interrupt her troubled thoughts. She lay sprawled over her bed, staring at the ceiling, where her mind's eye viewed a parade of shocking thoughts over and over. Captain and the others are made after me and Titan, she thought. Kao Lyn and Chief Haro never asked, and they never told me. Her frown deepened. But, what should they have done?
Also, in her CPU's virtual simulator, she saw her mind's reckoning of the terrible fate that had befallen all those Lacroan Gundams who had protected a little infant Gundamess from the Dark Axis. Her eyes squeezed shut as she fought her unsettled energy processor, What should I do with all this?
The Lady Gundamess tilted her head and saw the vase of Princess roses, at which she rumbled in frustration, rolled the other way, and sighed. "That doesn't help."
Pings rang in her audio receptor. "Hm?" Aleda touched her wing decal. "Yeah?"
"Hey, Little Wing, it's Dad."
"Hey, Dad," Aleda said softly.
"What's wrong? You don't sound well."
"Well, today, I found out... a lot of surprising things."
"Hm. Did it have to do with your hunt?"
"Uhm, well..." Aleda fiddled with the end of her bedspread. "Yeah, kind of. Hey, Dad? You told me there were footprints around where you found me, right?"
"Yes."
"What do you think the person is like?"
"The person?"
"I...figure it has to be another robot like me."
"Well, I guess that's likely. I don't know what I'd think. He brought you to Neotopia safely, but then he left."
"Hm." Aleda nodded to herself.
"So, what was the big news that's got you so shaken up?"
Aleda stiffened. "Oh. I, uh...Well, I made a lot of friends here, Dad…"
"Really? That's great!"
"…But, today I found out that some of them were keeping secrets."
"Hm. That always bites. Was it a bad secret?"
"I don't know, yet. It was a big one, though."
"Is it enough to make you stop being their friend?" Mr. Vaughn said gently.
Aleda pinched the edge of her blanket. "No."
"Then I guess you can forgive them."
"Yeah, I guess..."
"Chin up, Little Wing. You're going to be alright."
"I know."
"Can you tell me how this relates to your hunt?"
"Um…" Aleda peered at the vase of roses. "It's… well…"
Her father's breaths lightly crackled from the other end as he waited patiently.
"I don't think I can talk about it here," she fibbed. "Can I tell you later?"
"Sure. Are you busy? Do you need me to let you go?"
"Um, yeah, I think I need to go." The heaviness in her GunSoul squashed her energy level. In moments, her strength could nosedive.
"Promise to call soon?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, Aleda. Talk to you later."
"See you, Dad."
After they had ended their call, Aleda continued to gaze at the flowers.
A knock at the door jarred her. "Coming," she said, suppressing a groan as she floated to answer it. She took a deep breath and then pressed the switch by the doorframe.
Guneagle stood there. "Hey!"
Aleda blinked. "Hey." She had been half-expecting Zero.
"I heard you'd been in here for a while, so I thought I'd check in."
"Oh, uh, thanks. I'm fine."
Guneagle nodded. "Great! Wanna come play foosball or something, then?"
"Uh, um..." Aleda uncertainly shied from him. "Maybe in a while...Guneagle, did you know about how you, Captain, and the Gundivers were made?"
"Machines smelted down Gundamium, poured it in molds, and Kao Lyn fit the pieces together. Yeah, why?"
"Um, I…" Aleda sighed. "It's nothing."
"Really?" Guneagle said suspiciously.
"Yeah, really."
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
"Oh yeah? Come on." Guneagle poked her in the arm, triggering a flinch and a giggle. "Spit it out! Tell me."
"It's nothing serious," Aleda said.
"Come on, I'm curious now. It has to do with me, right?" Guneagle crossed his arms expectantly.
Aleda bit her lip behind her mouthguard. "It's really nothing. Nothing to do with you, or anything."
"Aw, come on! Please?" Guneagle begged.
"You don't need to know."
"Pleeeeeaaaaaase?" the flier begged.
Aleda frowned. "No."
"I'll keep askin' until you tell me."
What have I done? Aleda silently bemoaned.
Guneagle continued to pry, and with every plea, he drew Aleda's CPU further away from the pressing thoughts that had inspired the conversation in the first place. Soon, Aleda found herself walking with Guneagle to the lounge room.
...
Fenn was fast asleep against Zero's warm GunSoul. The Winged Knight himself sighed forlornly. "Perhaps I should say something to her," he muttered. "But what?"
A hiss of the doors, and the resident samurai stepped in, hands on his hips. "Aha. I finally find you here."
"What do you want, Bakunetsumaru?" Zero said, barely suspending his tone above a growl.
"I think we should go talk to Aleda."
"I don't think she wishes to be bothered."
"We won't know until we try." Baku bounced agitatedly. "After learning something shocking like that, you'd want your friends to be there for you, right?"
Zero still gazed into nothing. "I don't know."
"I think it's worth a shot."
"What if we drive her away?"
"If you're too chicken, I'll go by myself."
Zero sighed, his breath rolling into a growl at the end. "Fine." He stood. Fenn blinked awake in his hands.
The doors parted again to admit Guneagle and a certain Lacroan Gundamess. "Hey, guys," Guneagle said casually with a wave. "Look who I brought!" Aleda bowed her head in embarrassment.
"Aleda, hey!" Baku said, smiling brightly.
At the same time, Zero instinctively moved to greet the Lady, and in his haste he knocked against the table between the couches. "Ack!" he cried as he stumbled forward a few steps before catching himself. "Oh, er…" He blushed as he levitated towards the gathering at the door; everyone, including Aleda, had watched his clumsy mishap. "M-Milady, I am… glad to see you," Zero said. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Aleda said, putting on a small smile. "It's going to take some time to wrap my mind around everything. But, I guess it doesn't really change anything between all of us."
Baku nodded with an agreeing grunt. "Everyone's looking out for you, and that's what counts, right?"
"Right."
"So, you…" Zero began uncertainly, drawing in his lady's eyes, "…won't leave?"
Aleda blinked in surprise, and then a genuine smile spread across her face."No," she said. "I'm not that mad. Plus, I still need to be here if I'm going to Lacroa, right?"
The Winged Knight's face brightened like a Mmn. "Yes, milady, that is right! I'm very pleased that you're staying." Aleda beamed.
"Hey, guys, are we gonna play foosball, or what?" Guneagle interjected.
"Foosball?" Baku pounded his fist. "You're on!"
"If you so insist," Zero said nonchalantly. His previous anxiety slipped off his shoulders as he floated with his friends, including his shy, sweet little Lady, to the foosball table.
Bakunetsumaru and Guneagle took the game first. As the Lacroans watched them slap the ball back and forth, the rods nearly drilling themselves out of place, Aleda slipped a sideways glance at Zero. She tapped the floor with her "toe" and played with her helmet's wing decal. Finally, rosy-cheeked, she said, "Um, Zero?"
Blue eyes snapped to her. "Yes, milady?"
"When Titan was trying to take me away, you helped me, and... um." She, with courageous effort, lifted her eyes to his. "Thank you. It made me happy, that you were there for me."
The warmth in his GunSoul rose dangerously. "O-Of course." He raised his chin. "I never run when a lady is in need."
Aleda shyly looked away, though grinning. Fenn flopped onto her helmet, just between her winged v-fin, and she giggled and reached to stroke him. "Hey, Fenn."
"Frenn!" he gurgled happily. Zero contentedly smiled at the two.
"Ooh, yeah! Guneagle 2, Bossa Nova 1!" Guneagle cheered.
"It's Bakunetsumaru!" Baku fumed. He gripped the bars. "And I'm just getting warmed up! Come on, I'll show you who's 'boss'!"
The doors opened for Captain. "Captain Gundam, sir!" Guneagle saluted.
"At ease, Guneagle. I see you're playing a game," Captain said to the competitors.
"You'll have to wait your turn, Captain!" Baku said. "I'm going to char this guy!"
"Big words, dude!" Guneagle shot back.
"Have fun." Walking over to the Lacroans on the other side of the table, Captain said, "Hello, Aleda. Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah," she said brightly.
Zero's GunSoul absorbed the lively atmosphere. All was right again in his new home.
...
"Those idiots failed to destroy the production facility."
"They failed again, Commander?" a smooth, deep voice said. "The odds leaned in their favor. I predicted an 84.239% chance of success."
A tall scarlet, mono-eyed robot with massive booster jets agitatedly shifted feet in front of the large electronic display screen. "They said that yet another Gundam joined the enemy."
"Another?" The purple single eye in the face of his conversant flashed.
"This one," Commander Sazabi said. A video clip of Titan bunkering down in his force field played in the bottom corner of the screen.
"A Knight Gundam." Gerbera's eye gleamed. "Ah, yes. Him. I remember that one from a long time ago. A test subject that got away." His voice lowered. "Commander Sazabi, I know an easy solution for that one."
Sazabi crossed his arms and cocked his crested head. "I'm listening."
...
Titan surveyed Neotopia from the curved roof of White Base, the one place he had found that was quiet and lonesome. The late afternoon sun shone brightly behind him. So, she is to stay, if the rumors are true, he contemplated. That left him to decide: should he stay to keep watch over the Gundamess—Aleda, that is—or shake off that militarized, stuffy environment associated with bitter feelings? He had to admit that the chiefs' reasons were sound, but the whole situation still made his energy processor churn. If he did leave, though, he'd leave Aleda to be involved in battles against those cruel Dark Axis foes.
His energy processor suddenly rumbled, though not with queasiness. Titan sighed. "I forgot to eat." The bulky Gundam turned and headed for the hatch.
...
Aleda stirred hissing beef around a circular pan. She smiled to herself and her cheeks turned rosy at the thought of how happy Zero had looked when she had reassured him she would stay. Maybe he likes me, too. Her gold-tipped wings lifted at the thought.
She heard the door slide open and glanced up, hoping that it would be her knight in shining armor. But, instead, the other Knight Gundam entered. She diverted her eyes to the stir-fry.
Titan walked further in, looking around uncertainly, and then stopped a few feet away from the kitchen stove. He stared at her for a second, then at the cabinets, then the refrigerator, then back to her. He turned aside and scratched his helm.
Aleda peered at him, and finally she began, "Um…"
The bulky Gundam's hazel eyes snapped to her.
"Did you need something?" Aleda politely asked.
A draconic growl from his midsection answered her. Titan covered his belly as if he hoped to shush it. "Pardon me, milady, but I'm quite famished, and I wondered if there were a spare meal?"
"Oh! Sure. I'll be done making this in about fifteen minutes, but if you're hungry now…" Aleda flew to the fridge. "Um, there's frozen chicken strips and vegetable soup."
Titan nodded. "That would be fine."
"You can stick them in the microwave. Follow the directions on the back of the chicken strips, and the vegetable soup can be heated for two minutes."
"Uh, yes…"
Aleda returned to stirring the meat and pondering recent events while Titan moved about the kitchen. The hum of the microwave vaguely entered her consciousness. She was about to dump carrots into the pan when a loud bang jolted her. "Ah!"
Titan backed away nervously from the microwave, which held a flaming bag of chicken. Aleda rushed to the device, punched the Off button, yanked the door open, and extracted the bag. "Stop, stop," she muttered, squeezing the flames with her bare hands, and the fire snuffed.
"I'm sorry," Titan apologized. "I thought I'd learned enough by watching others."
"This bag has aluminum, which catches fire in microwaves. You have to put the chicken on a plate."
"Oh."
"I'll show you."
In a few minutes, the chicken circled peacefully in the microwave, without a hint of smoke. "Thank you, milady," Titan said.
"You're welcome." Aleda flashed a smile and returned to the simmering carrots and beef. Hm. It's almost done, she noted. Guess I'll just put in the broccoli and leave the other vegetables out this time so nothing burns.
Silence blanketed the room, again. In the quiet, a nagging question, one she'd been pondering all day, tickled her CPU. She struggled against it while she stirred sizzling broccoli and tried to smother it while she capped a bottle of yum-yum sauce. Titan, sitting nonchalantly at the kitchen table, bit into his chicken strips. Finally, the question muscled its way out of her. "Titan?"
His brown eyes looked up. "Yes?"
She almost retracted her question, but she swallowed and pushed the words out. "I've been wondering… why didn't you tell me about Lacroa or anything before?"
Titan sighed. "I don't know quite how to answer."
Aleda turned the knob of the stove, and the burner flicked out.
"I don't blame you for asking," Titan said. "If anyone should be at fault for your loneliness, it's me." He toyed with a drained mug, watching the last of the coffee slide back and forth. "In those first years, I didn't want to startle your human caretakers, so I kept my distance. As the years passed, though, and you grew, I would come, set on revealing myself, and then I would see you, smiling and happy with your Neotopian family and friends, and I would leave. I suppose I was afraid that I would rupture your peaceful life. You seemed acclimated to Neotopia, and I couldn't force my burdens on you."
"I didn't know you were there. I never saw you."
"I always came on the day when I'd left you, and then near the winter holidays."
Her lips curled in a bitter smile. Her birthday celebrations. So, that was what he had meant by "friends." "I think I understand," she said. "Sorry for asking. Um." She squeezed out a smile. "Thanks for looking out for me."
"I apologize that my cowardice prevented me from taking care of you," Titan said.
"No, it's fine. You saved my life when I was a baby. I owe you for that."
Titan set down his mug. After a moment, he said, "So, milady, I hear you're staying."
"Yeah. I really want to go to Lacroa."
"I see."
"Are you going to join the SDG, too?"
"I suppose I will. It seems as though your other protector could use help," he scoffed.
"Zero's good at protecting me," Aleda said, suddenly huffing indignantly. "He's saved my life twice."
"It is that he must save you at all that worries me." Titan stood and lifted his plate and mug.
"Well..."
The Gundam reached the sink and set his eating ware inside. "It can't hurt to have another body to guard you. It will help him to focus on the fight at hand. He is going to need it, as the Chosen One."
"The chosen... what?" Furrowed lines appeared at the top of her eyescreens.
Titan turned to her. "The Chosen One. He's no mere foot soldier in this war, milady, he's a Knight Gundam destined by legend to save Lacroa."
"I didn't know it was like that…"
"No need to be concerned. I'll help him where I can, as I am sure you have."
Aleda nodded, her emerald eyes distant in thought. "Yeah."
Author's Notes
Hm. Seems that Zero forgot to mention something to Aleda—at least, explicitly :)
Yeah, that was long. I hope it was all entertaining! I tried to cut flack while still allowing the characters time to grapple with changing situations. Let me know how you liked the chapter! And let me know if anything conflicted with established lore! I finished rewatching most of the SDGF series, so I think I have everything covered, but I could have missed something.
Do you like Titan as a character? Would you like him to stick around or head out? As mentioned before, I added him in for this second version of Little Wing because of changing character backgrounds, so I'm still a little unsure how he'll affect the rest of the plot. My main concern is not that he can't contribute to the plot but that he has the potential to cause major waves in my plans. XD I have a couple of possible ways for him to progress, but input would be much appreciated.
I have a special request: this chapter length made me realize even more that I really need a beta reader. I spend hours looking over the same little details day by day and try to guess what wording readers will find easiest to read while still giving the most vivid image. I need someone else to confirm how well I'm guessing before I put it out there. So, if you would like to beta read, or if you know someone who can beta read for SDGF fics, then send me a PM. Benefits: you'd get to start reading several days before I post the chapter online. Drawbacks: (some might consider this a drawback) you have to give specific feedback and may have to reread some portions. I'd like someone who is reliable (responds to PMs within a few days unless under extenuating circumstances), who is polite, who knows SDGF, and who can check for readability, plot/character consistency, and lore errors.
Please review! And please volunteer to beta if you're interested!
-Penelopi