Author's Notes

I said the beginning of July, so it's about time to deliver. Here it is!

It's a more reasonable size than most chapters have been, lately. Downside is that we're still doing build-up instead of getting to the action. I'll try to keep the next chapter a good size, too, but we'll see, because the action starts then, and there will be a lot to cover.

I enjoyed writing this chapter, though. Especially the first parts. :) I love writing villains~

Warning

The aftermath of abuse is shown in this chapter.

Copyright Info

SD Gundam Force is produced by Bandai and Sunrise. My OCs mentioned in this chapter are Aleda, Miku, Mary, James, Dominic, Abigail (Abby), Titan, and Myles. (Did I get everyone?!)

Chapter 26: Taking Care of Business

Aleda, seated on her cot, stared intently at the space between her hands, where a ball of fire swirled. She opened her palms and rolled it between them, back and forth, like a rippling slinky.

"Well, well."

She squeaked and jolted, a terrified shudder rippling through her spine, and the flame snuffed.

"Oh, I'm sorry~" cooed a nasally voice. A ghostly, crackling being with white dots for eyes circled in front of her. "I didn't mean to startle you out of your little game, Spirit Girl. It was looking quite interesting."

"Who are you?" Aleda demanded, recoiling.

"You can call me Deathscythe," the intruder sneered. "I'm an important person in these parts."

"You work for Tallgeese."

"'Lord' Tallgeese, you mean?"

Aleda flinched, pressing her back into the princess's stone bed.

The ethereal creature laughed. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to punish you for that. I'm just here to learn something..." His voice lowered as his sentence trailed off, and Aleda sucked in her breath as he leaned close to her face.

No pupils showed in those beady eyes. She stayed still as the petrified world around her while he stared. Was he looking at her eyes? Her wings? Her chest? Those empty dots gave no clue. She almost jumped when he finally hummed, "Hmm... Interesting..."

He slowly withdrew. Though expressionless, Aleda heard a smirk in his voice, "I wanted to know whether you were truly the Sacred Beast Phoenix or not. I hunted her for a long time, you see."

Deathscythe paused, as if awaiting a response. But Aleda, too afraid to move, waited rigidly, her audio receptors tuned to every sound of his.

Finally, Deathscythe huffed. "Hmph. You're not."

The Gundamess blinked. "What?"

"You're not the Spirit Phoenix," he restated, drifting back from her. "You are quite similar, yes, especially in your aura, but you are not the Sacred Beast." He rose and slowly circled above her, as if to observe her from all sides. "It is too much to be a coincidence. But, still, not quite the genuine thing. A shame, really. I searched for two years, but Phoenix has proved elusive for me. She is quite good at concealing her aura, after all."

"Then... what does that mean? Tallgeese thinks I'm the Phoenix."

Deathscythe chuckled. "It may be problematic for you if he learns the truth. He would have less of a reason to keep you alive. But, I don't intend to tell him."

"You won't?"

"Oh, no~" Surely, he was grinning behind that non-existent face. "I am perfectly fine with Lord Tallgeese focusing his attention on you for a while. Let him waste his time persuading a fake Phoenix to give him her non-existent powers. It gives me more freedom to move as I please." His white eyes flattened into what seemed a gleeful expression. "And I know you wouldn't dare tell Lord Tallgeese that you are a decoy, because you know that would greatly increase your chances of being sent to the Dark Axis. I hear they don't treat Gundams very nicely there—actually, I know they don't~"

Her cooling fans accelerated as she tried to fight the fear and maintain a straight face against the faceless monster.

Deathscythe scoffed. "I'm a little disappointed. I'd heard that the Winged Knight Zero had found another lady. I do find you less interesting than the previous ones."

"You knew Zero? Before the invasion?"

"Yes, I did."

Aleda squinted. "He never said he knew you."

"Oh, he doesn't know anyone by the name 'Deathscythe,'" he drawled. "But, I know him. I know him all too well~" His cloudlike body shifted so his eyes faced the door. "Farewell, young lady of the Winged Knight. Good luck in your efforts," he said as he floated away. But, he paused one last time, just on the inside of the door. "Oh, but please do find the Feather Dragon. I want that one, too, and I know it trusts you. I may kill you myself if you fail to bring it."

Then, he phased through the door and vanished. Aleda shuddered.

For a while, she listened to the silence—momentarily broken by the distant echoes of flight booster blips, grating rock, and clunking feet—and traced the patterns of the frozen carpet. Her CPU drafted plans of how she and Miku could escape, at night when their captors were asleep, by flying away. Surely she could destroy any Pawn Leos before they could sound the alarm? By the way, where was Miku? Last night, her screams had echoed through the castle. Aleda hugged herself.

A knock came, and her breath seized. Silently, breathlessly, she waited. And no one spoke. "... Yes?" she at last dared to say.

Another knock was the reply.

Tensing, she rose, floated to the door, and pulled it open.

A faceless blue robot was waiting outside, glancing about as much as he could without outright moving his feet. His blank facescreen locked onto her as she pried the door open.

"H-Hello?" Aleda began.

"I need you to come with me," Vayeate said.

"Why?" She inched back.

"Just come."

"Where's Tallgeese?"

"Sleeping." Vayeate pushed the door further. "Hurry, come. Quietly. Don't ask questions."

Hope zapped through the Gundamess's circuits. An escape, perhaps? She nodded and floated through.

Vayeate closed the door, cursing under his breath the gravelly noise that rumbled through the hall. Aleda hovered, waiting, and once he had the door shut, she followed him. They passed the nobles' halls, with tall windows, rosette-studded ceiling crown molding, gold doorknobs, and many intricate—but now grey—tapestries, soon weaving into smaller passages with low ceilings, plain walls, and wooden knobs. Servants' quarters? Aleda, too fearful to break the silence, kept the questions in her processor.

Finally, Vayeate paused at a side-door and knocked. A moan sounded, and a couple of clunks. Then a crash.

Vayeate yanked the door open, cracking its hinge. "Miku?!"

Aleda gasped: the Arkian lay collapsed on the floor with an unnatural dip in her helm and marked punctures in her armguards. Miku's frame rattled as she, unsuccessfully, tried to move. Aleda rushed to her side. "What did you do?!" she demanded the Knight of Storms. She gingerly touched the maid's cracked shoulder.

"I did nothing!" he snarled as he bent down and lifted the wounded Gundamess. Broken chest armor pieces crinkled as she rolled into his arm cradle. Vayeate's face escaped the shaft of light in the doorway as he carried her towards a low cot. "It wasn't me. I would never do this to her!" Aleda, GunSoul pounding, tagged Vayeate closely.

"Wh...y...?" Seconds passed before Aleda recognized the weak voice as Miku's. "Why did you... bring her...?" she croaked.

"I brought her to heal you," Vayeate said. He laid her gently on the cot "The Sacred Beast Phoenix is known for healing magic."

Aleda bit her lip.

"I heal... on my own," Miku rasped.

"She will heal you quicker." Vayeate locked gazes with the Lady Gundamess and gestured to their patient. "Please, heal her, or she won't be able to withstand Lord Tallgeese's demands today. He'll be angry with her if there's no food when he wakes up."

Aleda crouched beside the cot and touched Miku's helm. Brown eyes rolled and closed, while the blue glow of Aleda's magic ignited. The Arkian's frown relaxed, though she stubbornly held the vestiges of irritation.

"Leave some of the marks if you can," Vayeate implored. "It would be suspicious if they disappeared completely."

Aleda's eyescreens gleamed with the shine of her magic as she concentrated on the flow of energy and the inner workings of her fellow Gundamess. She was not the Sacred Beast Phoenix, but nonetheless she could see and mend the tears in her new friend, like a seamstress patching torn clothes, swiftly, precisely. It would be enough.

Once joints and wires were reconnected, leaks plugged, and pain numbed, Aleda cut the magic flow. "How do you feel?"

"Much better." Miku peeled her frame from the cot and rolled to her knees. "I can work, now. Thanks."

Her words had not assuaged the younger Gundamess's fears. "Don't push yourself too far. It's only a small fix. If you stress your body too much, you could hurt yourself."

Miku just smiled as she rose to her feet.

The flap of a cape drew Aleda's attention to Vayeate, who had turned for the door. "I'll take you back, now," he said.

Aleda stood. "'Bye, Miku."

"See you later, kid." Miku absentmindedly rubbed the broken edges of her chest armor.

The two Lacroans flitted out.

After a turn, Vayeate whispered, "You won't tell Lord Tallgeese anything about this."

She nodded. "I promise, I won't."

"Or Mercurius."

She blinked. So the other twin had not been in on it. "Okay…"

For a while, they traveled in silence. Then Aleda mustered up the courage to ask, "Why did you help Miku, if you could get in trouble with Ta—Lord Tallgeese?"

His blue face burned violet. "We need her for housework."

"But, he'll... he'll hurt her again, won't he?" Aleda whispered.

"It can't be helped," Vayeate said quickly. "It's all he knows. He was raised under…less than desirable circumstances. Now, quiet. We don't want anyone to hear us."

Aleda watched the floor as they resumed their low flight. They continued in silence all the way to the princess's room.

Vayeate shoved the door open. "Farewell, Lady."

She slipped through the gap, but before Vayeate could close the door, Aleda asked, "What do you mean by Tallgeese not being raised the best?"

Vayeate looked down the corridor, then turning back to her, said, "Pirates captured him and his parents when he was small. They killed his parents and enslaved him. He learned how to fight dirty to survive."

"How did he become a knight, then?"

The blue knight weaseled himself inside the room and closed the door as he continued, "He was resourceful. He escaped the pirates when he was twelve, and then he found someone who trained him to become a knight. Lord Tallgeese was successfully knighted, and this encouraged him to aspire to the rank of Royal Knight. But, then…"

"They said no."

Vayeate nodded. "The leader of the Royal Knights, Sir Rock, rejected him for his lack of Gundam heritage."

Her wingtips perked in surprise. "Really? Rock said that?"

"No, but isn't it obvious? All of the five Royal Knights were Gundams," he said. Aleda dropped her gaze, her mind churning over this new information as Vayeate continued, "After that refusal, Lord Tallgeese threw aside chivalry and honor as defined by the kingdom. He had followed civil ways, and they had betrayed him, so he in turn betrayed them."

"But why did you join him?" Aleda asked, raising her eyes.

"My brother and I were also trampled upon by the class system, so we joined with Lord Tallgeese to fight for our due rights and to rebuild Lacroa into a kingdom where all robots have opportunities."

"But, a lot of people died. They were wrong, but—"

"They denied us honor," Vayeate interrupted with a glare. "We deserved more. We deserved all the privileges of Gundams. We did not deserve to be oppressed and downtrodden or to be born into lives of poverty!"

Aleda winced at his shout but said, "Maybe when Lacroa is de-petrified, we can change that… If you help Miku, me, and the Gundam Force, then... then I'm sure when Zero saves Lacroa, the king will listen to him and help you, right?"

Vayeate laughed. "If you do win and Lacroa is de-petrified, and the human monarchy revived, then all of us traitors will be executed. Make no mistake of that." Aleda gaped at the knight as he retreated through the ajar door. "I don't know how war is in your dimension, but in ours, it's unforgiving. One side or the other must be punished. And, sorry, young lady, but I don't want to die, so I won't help you or your friends against Lord Tallgeese."

Slam! The grey door shut in her face.

"But... how could you do this to Miku?" Aleda whispered aloud. "How?"

...

A young brunette woman swung her legs out of the car. Her flats planted on the driveway and, after the car door slammed, carried her through the open garage. With a raised eyebrow, she noted two readied suitcases against the wall. "Is someone going on a trip?" she muttered to herself. Her flats began to ascend the short stairs to the inner door, but something at eye level caught her gaze: a round mirror framed a stained face. Darker, shinier skin stretched over the left cheek and upper lip.

Abigail Vaughn scowled for a moment, then opened the door and stepped in.

The kitchen was spotless—not even a single pot or pan lay in the sink—but the living room was unkempt: a book on the floor, a shirt draped over the couch, and a stain on the carpet spoke of careless haste. Abby frowned.

From upstairs, she heard the residents calling to each other. "—I'm sorry, there's no time to go out to eat! You'll have to find something in the pantry!" "It's fine! We can cook while you're gone!" "Myles is almost here!" "Someone just parked in the driveway!"

Blond James Vaughn jogged down the stairs. Upon spotting the young woman, he started, then grinned. "Abby, good to see you!" he greeted, giving her a hug.

"Hey, Dad," she said, hugging him back.

"You decided to come, huh?"

They pulled apart, and Abby frowned. "What's going on? Are you leaving?"

"For a bit. We were wondering if you could watch your younger siblings while we're gone."

"How long will you be out?"

His grin faded. "We don't know, yet. It's..." He hesitated, sighed, then said, "It's about Aleda."

"What did she do, now?" Abby grumbled.

"We don't know if she did anything wrong. But, we've noticed she met those people who studied her years ago. They say they have something important to tell us."

"You're seriously going? What if they just want to get something out of you?" Abby demanded.

Loud patters interrupted his reply. Father and daughter rushed across the living room to the window to see a large, boxy aircraft lower itself in the back lawn. "That's probably our ride," James noted.

"Oh my gosh! Dom, let's go!" came a voice upstairs. Mary Vaughn jogged downstairs, her brown light curls bobbing. A young man wearing thin glasses descended after her. "Oh, Abby! Good to see you!" Mary cried. Her son's mouth curled in disgust, and he looked away, hiding his instinctive glare.

Slinging her purse over her shoulder, Mary smiled at her eldest daughter and rushed into a quick hug. "I'm so sorry, I wish I could stay and visit with you, but we have to go, they're waiting!" she babbled.

"But, Mom—"

"Dominic, let's take the suitcases out," James said.

"Alright." Dominic swept past without sparing another glance at his sister.

"What if they don't let you go?" Abby questioned as she followed her family out the garage and around back. James pulled a suitcase across the grass, and Dominic carried two. "What if they hold you hostage until they figure out where she came from, or—?!"

James slowed his stride to speak, "That won't happen. I promise."

Ahead of them, Mary stretched out her hand, and Dom passed the handle of the burgundy luggage case to her. The Gunperry's side folded out into a ramp.

"Dad—"

A woman with dark hair in a pixie cut and a visor over her face poked her head out the open door of the aircraft. She pushed the visor up to reveal kind blue eyes. "Mrs. Vaughn, I presume?" she greeted Mary politely.

Mary forced a smile. "Yes."

"My name is Juli. Good to meet you, ma'am. Step on in. And this is...?"

"My son, Dominic. He wanted to come, too."

"That should be fine." Juli waved them aboard. "Find a seat… Mr. Vaughn!" she called. "Please come aboard! We need to leave on schedule!"

"Why is she in a hurry?" Abby asked.

"Because they're coordinating with Air Traffic Control," James answered. He pecked Abby on the cheek. "Take care, hun. We'll be back in just a few days."

His daughter sucked in her protest as he dragged his suitcase to the Gunperry.

"What's going on?!" called a male voice. Thunk-thunk-thunk! Abby turned as a racing mobile citizen braked next to her. "Where are they going?" he asked.

"I don't know. It's something about Aleda." Abby crossed her arms.

The robot ran to the chopper, and James, spotting him, stopped midway up the plank. "Myles?"

"What happened?" Myles demanded. "Where is Ally?"

James's jaw tightened. "We don't know. That's what we're going to find out."

"Then please, take me with you."

"I don't think it's a good idea. It seems to be complicated, so we'll probably be gone for a while. You'd miss a lot of work."

"I'll tell my appointments that I have an emergency."

"I don't know if mobile citizens can have sick leave for—"

"It's already done. I just e-mailed my clients for this week."

James dragged a hand down his face. "Good Tesla..."

"Please, Mr. Vaughn."

The man turned to Juli. "Is it alright?"

The operator smiled. "He already knows about Aleda's background, so it should be no problem."

"Thank you," Myles said. "It means a lot to me."

"Sure. Everyone aboard!" Juli ushered them.

James and Myles stepped on. "I'm sorry that I didn't tutor Via, today," the mobile citizen apologized as the ramp lifted behind them. "I'll give a free makeup session when we return."

But James pat him on his padded shoulder. "It's alright, Myles. Thanks for coming. It'll mean a lot to her to see you."

Myles nodded. "I hope so." His CPU cycled through soured memories. "I hope so..."

...

Zero entered the kitchen. "Good morning, Bakunetsumaru," he said.

"Gum morn'n, Sero," Baku mumbled around his riceball. He happily continued munching until his friend had disappeared behind the refrigerator door. Suddenly, he spat, "Zero! What are you doing out of bed?!"

Rice pelleted the refrigerator door. With a raised eyebrow, Zero peered over his shield. "What are you complaining about, now, samurai?"

Baku jabbed a finger. "You were barely able to stand, yesterday! How are you prancing around now like Entengo?!"

Zero ducked to grab a chilled leftover casserole: an instant meal stored for emergencies, which had been dipped into the night before. "Aleda healed me."

"I don't get it. She's not here!"

The door slammed shut. "We synchronized, and we were able to communicate in our sleep." Zero floated to the table with the plastic-wrapped tray in hand.

Another Gundam blipped into the kitchen in his navy-blue frame. Titan's hazel eyes stared, astounded, at the other Knight Gundam, just as Baku snorted, "So, wait, you're saying that you two are so in love you found each other in your dreams?"

The Winged Knight blushed and raised his chin. "Is it so hard to believe? I am charming enough that drawing her GunSoul across dimensions should be possible."

"You spoke with her?" Titan interrupted, yanking their eyes to him. He floated nearer. "Do you know where she is?"

Zero's eyes dodged. "Not precisely," he answered. "She is still Tallgeese's captive, but she is unharmed. I believe he's trying to persuade her to become his Summon Spirit. She knows, though, that I'm coming for her." Grinning, he spun around to show the easy twist of his torso—and his cape slapped the riceball right out of Baku's hand. "Gah!" "—As you can see, I'm fully healed. I believe her fire magic cured me."

"The rejuvenating flames of the Phoenix. It makes sense," Titan hummed.

Baku sniveled as he collected the splattered onigiri from the floor. "Zero, watch where your cape is going! You knocked over my riceball!" he yelled.

The accused turned his head, sending said cape flapping behind him. "I did no such thing! An elegant knight such as myself is never so clumsy by accident!" he gloated.

Baku sprang up, fury overtaking his faceplate. "Then it was on purpose!"

Zero lifted his nose. "Hmph. I—"

The sliding hiss of the kitchen door preceded a frantic cry, "Guys! Zero's not...!" They all looked to Shute, who stopped beside Captain to gawk at their knightly comrade. "...not...there..."

Captain waved with a smile. "Good morning, Zero. You seem to be feeling better."

"Good morning, Captain."

"Wait, Captain, how is he fixed, already?!"

"The probability that magic was involved is 99.78 percent," the Neotopian Gundam answered.

Before Shute could finish pondering this miracle, a klaxon sounded, jolting the whole gathering. "Alert! The Dark Axis has been detected in sector J234! All personnel at their stations! Again, Dark Axis attack imminent in sector J234!"

"There is our chance," Titan said, turning.

"Let us not waste it." Dropping the cold casserole on the table, Zero zipped passed Captain and Shute as the Gundam Force began to rush out.

"Yeah, it's magic do-hickey," Baku said to their bewildered human. "That's all you need to know."

"Okay." Shute jogged to keep pace with his robotic friends, whooping, "Let's go get 'em!"

...

Small knuckles rapped on the door. Gentle, considerate raps. Aleda flew to answer. Sure enough, it was Miku. In spite of her quiet movements, the Arkian's eyes glittered with excitement. She wordlessly entered, and as soon as she and Aleda moved into the center of the room, she hissed, "I got a letter!"

Aleda blinked. "A letter?"

"Yes! We could be out of here by midnight!"

Aleda covered her faceplate to conceal a squeal of delight. "Show me," she breathed eagerly, dragging Miku further in, to the bathroom and the linen closet. Once they were safely inside, shut in with only a magic wisp for a light, Miku handed her the note.

"To the imprisoned within Lacroa Castle,

I beg forgiveness for my intrusion as you slept, but as I am sure you understand, we must retain secrecy. We have noticed your predicament and hope to aid you. Spread the word to any you find trustworthy that, at midnight, a black Gundam will appear in the kitchen. We request you to bring any food that you can."

"It's unsigned," Aleda noted when she angled the bottom edge toward the light.

"That's understandable," Miku said. "He doesn't want Tallgeese to know who he's up against if the note is found."

"Are you sure it's real? Where did you find it?"

"I found it this morning," Miku answered amiably. "It was hidden under my mattress with my gun-knife thing."

"'Gun-knife thing'?"

"I made it with bits of metal and such. Ground the gunpowder myself and put a mini-bayonet on the front. I'm pretty pleased with it."

"Ah..."

"It's as real as any letter I ever saw. This is definitely not the handwriting of any of our jailers. Our anonymous friend probably slipped it in last night while we were sleeping. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I couldn't talk about it with Vayeate in the room."

"So…"

"So now I'll go pack away some food in a bag while you burn the letter. And then after I pack the food, you can make it disappear with magic until we need it, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, then I'll get to work." Miku edged the closet door open and flashed Aleda a grin. "Meet me in the kitchen after Tallgeese and the twins are asleep."

"How will we know they're sleeping?"

The grin curled mischievously. "Oh, I'll make sure they'll drink enough to sleep through a dragon brawl~! See you tonight!" She pushed the door shut behind her.

Aleda, amazed, reread the note a last time before muttering, "Well, I guess I should get started." She snapped her fingers, igniting a flame.

...

Within the dark confines of the Dark Axis's central chamber, where a hovering dark magic circle served as a visual portal, Gerbera spoke again to a Lacroan. But this time, Tallgeese's crested mug faced him on the other side, and he was annoyingly nonchalant, waving that feather around like a fan.

"I'm surprised that you are calling, instead of that Commander Sazabi," Tallgeese hummed. "You are certainly less intimidating."

"He is occupied at the moment to prepare for more important things," Professor Gerbera quipped. "I assure you that I am of enough stature to stand in his place."

Tallgeese chuckled. "My apologies, Professor Gerbera of Great Stature. Please continue."

"I'm going to make this brief. You are supposed to be looking for a way to de-petrify the Spirit Tree. Instead, I hear that you are kidnapping and hiding female Gundams from us." His single eye flashed. "Is this true?"

"I have no intention of hiding anything, professor," Tallgeese cooed. "I took a hostage with the intention to draw out the Feather Dragon, which is key to de-petrifying the Spirit Tree. I intend to keep her imprisoned here until I have results."

"This Gundamess will draw out the Spirit?"

"Yes. It is familiar with her and trusts her. Once it knows she is threatened, I have no doubt it will come."

"And what after?"

"Why, I will of course turn her over to the Dark Axis, like all of other Gundams I have found in Lacroa."

"Good. Thank you for clarifying. Carry out your plan."

"I will keep the Dark Axis informed, professor."

With a nod from Tallgeese, the screen blanked. Then, it flashed to show a set of massive fuchsia thrusters. "Yes, the Horn of War will be planted right there, at the hub of the city," Sazabi was saying, gesturing to an obscured point on a viewscreen beyond his frame.

"Commander," Gerbera began.

The thrusters turned around to show Commander Sazabi's jagged faceplate. "Yes, Professor Gerbera?"

"Tallgeese's actions are suspicious."

"Affirmative. I`ll take care of it."

Author's Notes

Poor Miku :( She's been through a lot. Hopefully, she won't have to suffer for much longer.

The odd relationship between Miku and Vayeate will unfold in further chapters. Just wait until the whole thing's played out before making any conclusions.

And yes, I did make a reference there to the upcoming invasion of Neotopia :)

Next chapter should be out in the end of July/beginning of August.

-Penelopi