Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.
Warning: Overindulgence of alcohol.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 29: Some Things Never Change
It would be two weeks before Harry woke up; the first week spent in a magically induced coma due to his severely drained (and stressed) magical core and the physical stress of channeling a flood of magic through his body for nearly two hours straight thanks to the connection he'd formed with the Zero Interface. The second week was spent merely sleeping off his exhaustion while his core recovered and recharged. Once he did wake up he felt kind of listless and emotionally detached for a couple of days and didn't really put much effort into responding to his numerous visitors; some of which he intentionally ignored.
When he finally felt normal enough that he was released from the Infirmary, Harry wandered through the Resistance's satellite base numbly as he took in the half fearful stares, heated glares, and low mutters that seemed to follow him every where he went. The animosity sharply reminded Harry of both his second and fourth year at Hogwarts when the entire school population had hated or shunned him for something he had no control over.
After a couple of hours, when he couldn't take the stares any longer and hadn't been able to find a single friendly face, he retreated to his assigned room and he slipped down into his food trunk to gather up a case of butterbeer, several bottles of Rosmerta's mulled mead (Sirius had often sworn by it in the memories he'd left Harry), a bottle of water, several dozen pounds of individually wrapped servings of almond fudge (in white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate flavors), a large bag of pretzels, and a couple of shot glasses. He next entered his supply trunk to fetch Seth (the cobra having been locked in the trunk since Harry finished drawing the blood to ward Wing Zero), a couple decks of normal cards, and the poker chips.
Harry then set up everything on the table, pouring out two shots of mead for himself and Seth before cracking open both decks of cards and shuffling them while Seth used his tail to divvy up the poker chips (the cobra had begun developing un-snake-like habits and attitudes the longer he stayed with Harry; this was especially true after venturing out into space with the wizard). His brothers and a few tag-a-longs invaded his room two hours later to find both Harry and Seth piss drunk arguing in parseltongue over who was cheating who at blackjack.
It was a sight none of Harry's brothers had ever seen before (since Harry had never before drank anything stronger than butterbeer which was more along the lines of soda pop than an alcoholic beverage and no one knew the snake could drink alcohol) and one that alarmed Zayeed, Hilde, and Zechs (the tag-a-longs). Zechs attempted to confiscate a half-full bottle of mead (the fourth or fifth one that Harry had opened) only to quickly dance back when both Harry and Seth were quick to defend said bottle. Harry glared at the man but ignored him after a moment as he and the snake went back to their argument.
"Those aren't the same cards he used to kill those soldiers are they?" Hilde asked in a quavering tone as she stared at the cards in Harry's hands as if mesmerized.
"Nah… Sefth's not un fur cuffroat card games," Harry slurred as he squinted at the teen.
"That was a horrible pun, Taliesin. What are you doing anyway?"
"Tryin' ta get Sefth ta admit he'sh been cheatin' again, Hero… Hiiro… Heero."
"Why are you drunk? And is the snake drunk!?" Trowa demanded with more than a little concern as Seth swayed dangerously from side to side as he hissed angrily at Harry while jabbing his tail at the cards held up in his coils.
"Why da hell shouldna be shmashded? Shure da hell beatsh lettin' da lot of dem glare holesh in da back a mah head! Buncha unigrat… ungratified... ungrateful bashtards. Hadda nuff dat dam shnit in mah time at Hogwash's schuel of inbred whiztards."
"Where did he get the alcohol from?" Zayeed asked in confusion as he took in all of the empty butterbeer bottles with the four empty mead bottles mixed in alongside the sticky fudge wrappers. "I didn't think there was any alcohol on the satellite and I know I didn't purchase any."
"Itsh all mine too… ain't sharin' wif no un 'cept maybee Sefth, ifsh he shtopsh cheatin'. Shared mah dam shockolot and watd dat get mah? Nuffin' but dirty looksh; fuk dat shnit."
"I don't think we're going to get any sense out of him until he sobers up," Zayeed observed.
"Not gonna. Can't make mah."
"He's hurting," Quatre quietly stated from where he stood towards the back of the group with one hand pressed against his heart. "Something happened after he left the infirmary several hours ago and he's trying to drown out the pain."
"Can't drown 'em out… dam bashtards keep shtaring. Tirdt of dem all shtaring wif dem dam cold eyesh."
"So do we sober him up or let him come out of it on his own?" Duo asked as he nudged an empty bottle with his toe.
"As much as I'd love to leave him to suffer the joys of having a hangover," Heero drawled with half hearted amusement. "We're supposed to be attending a meeting right now and his presence was requested now that he's finally been released from the Infirmary. Taliesin, do you have anything in that trunk of yours that will clear the alcohol from your system and clear your head?"
"Yesh… but ah don wan it."
"Go get it and bring it up here where I can watch you drink it."
"Jerk… ah don wanna be shober."
"Now, please."
"Fine."
The group watched Harry stagger to one of the two trunks pushed up against his wall and then trip over the lip of the trunk when he tried to step in. The yelps that echoed out of the trunk before the lid swung shut indicated that he'd tumbled down the stairs as well. He tumbled back out of the trunk sporting more than a few bumps and bruises holding three bottles of potion some fifteen minutes later. When he couldn't seem to get back up on his feet, he crawled over to the table and pulled himself up so he could set two of the bottles on the table while he downed the third.
"Happy?" Harry petulantly demanded of Heero half a minute later before his eyes bugged out and he slapped a hand over his mouth as he dashed to the bathroom with far more grace than he'd exhibited in retrieving the potions.
A minute later, the sound of Harry puking his guts out echoed from the bathroom. Sirius never warned him exactly how the sobering potion worked (intentionally as Padfoot would have enjoyed watching his reaction the first time he used it and would have seen it as a joke). The potion didn't just neutralize or vanish the alcohol, it pulled it back out of the blood stream, drew it back to the stomach, and expelled it the fastest way possible; meaning it came out the same way it went in. When Harry walked back out, his was pale and shaking like a leaf but unquestionably sober.
"I'm gonna fucking kill Padfoot for that if I ever see him again. He purposefully left out a few damn details on how that damned potion works."
"That should have taught you something," Heero stated pointedly.
"Yeah… next time I feel the need to get drunk I do it where you can't order me to sober myself up before nature fully runs its damn course," Harry barked back as he stalked up to the table and downed the two remaining potions without even making a face at their bitter and rotten tastes. "Why the fuck couldn't you just leave to my misery?"
"Why were you drinking yourself stupid, Taliesin?" Trowa asked as he picked up one of the empty mead bottles and set it down on the table.
"Ask the fucking mindless muggles swarming the Merlin cursed hallways of this fucking floating factory. And why the hell are you two in my room?"
Heero walked up and slapped Harry in the back of the head, making Harry yelp in indignation. Heero then grabbed Harry by the back of the head and turned him so he could see the pained expression on Quatre's face and the fact that the empath was clutching his heart in pain. Harry sighed and sagged in place over the abrupt reminder that the blonde pilot suffered each time Harry began radiating negativity.
"Sorry, Quatre… they just blindsided me and it pissed me off because being treated as a pariah gets old after the first two or three times. I could have done without the reminder that people will be people no matter what world they live in. Why do they hate me?"
"They don't hate ya…" Duo attempted to refute, only for Harry to cut him off.
"They do damn it! I saw them! I could see it in their eyes! I could practically feel the hate rolling off of them as I walked through the hallways! People I laughed and played cards with wouldn't even meet my eyes as they gave me a wide berth; as if I was carrying some deadly and contagious disease."
"They don't hate you; they are afraid of what you can do," Wufei corrected as he walked up and placed his hand on Harry's head. "They saw you singlehandedly destroy close to four hundred mobile dolls and then casually wipe a military base off the face of the moon (a base that had been built over three hundred years ago) so thoroughly that it was as if it never existed in the first place."
"That doesn't make their cold glares and fearful stares any easier to take," Harry murmured in a pained whisper.
"We will continue this conversation later," Heero declared after a few minutes of silence. "We have a meeting we're supposed to be attending right now."
Harry didn't say anything as he gathered the wildly swaying (and still drunk – which was so not fair) Seth up from the table and draped the snake around his neck before he slunk out of the room with his hands in his pockets and his eyes glued to the floor. The others fell into step beside and behind him and each time they passed a group of people whispering about the things that Harry had done, Harry would flinch as if physically struck.
After about ten minutes, Harry began growing angry again and he snapped his eyes up and began glaring at those who whispered about him, went out of their way to avoid walking anywhere near him, or glared at him with distrust. By the time they reached the conference room, Harry was wearing a cold, stony mask over his face and his eyes were glowing softly as he unconsciously tapped into the connection he'd formed with the Zero System when it invaded his mind.
Over the first half of the meeting, the familiar monotony of listening to various updates and reports allowed Harry to relax and his eyes returned to their natural mismatched blue and green. The normalness of the meeting's agenda soothed Harry and he could almost pretend that the rest of the population living on the satellite wasn't acting as if he had the plague. He was therefore caught completely off guard during the second half of the meeting when things turned unpleasant in the blink of an eye.
"And that brings us to the real reason for this meeting," Field Marshal Noventa announced as he shuffled his notes and sat up straighter in his chair. "While we are exceedingly glad to see that our Star Pilots have returned, we are greatly concerned about what happened on the day the five of you escaped from the moon's Lunar Base; specifically the events leading up to the unleashing of the Demon of the Stars."
"There are six Star Pilots," Heero calmly corrected.
"There were six… now there are five and a demon," one of the other generals muttered and Harry glanced over at the man to find him glaring his way with undisguised loathing.
"There are six," Heero asserted as he glared sharply at the man before returning his eyes to Noventa. "Don't forget that the resistance formed around all six Star Pilots and that we have sacrificed almost everything in an effort to stand against tyranny and OZ."
"That was the past… we had our doubts about following a mere child but we allowed you to sway us and his skills blinded us to the monster inside. He callously destroyed an entire base and all of the men and women that lived and worked there. We do not need or want a demon leading us."
Harry laughed softly; his voice low and filled with bitterness and the adults in the room shifted nervously. After a moment he drifted off as he stared down at the palms of his hand and when he spoke his voice carried through the entire room even though he barely spoke above a whisper, "Freak, monster, demon… it's ironic that those who label me as such are always adults that have no understanding of who I am; adults that preach tolerance out of one side of their mouth while out of the other they urge the masses to shun what they can't or won't understand and beat down, suppress, or kill what they fear."
"Amazing how when my brothers and I were saving your pathetic asses (twice, I might add) we were saviors and champions. And yet… because I destroyed a few empty suits (suits that were being deployed to destroy you) and permanently ended a threat I am suddenly a dangerous beast that must be shackled or cast away. Did you know that I drew my battle against the mobile dolls out for an extra forty minutes just to give those who wanted no part of that battle time to escape?"
"No… of course not… or if you did, you choose to ignore that bit because it would cast doubts upon the image of the demon you wished to promote. My brothers and I were held captive for over four months… and in all that time the only one who sought to do something about that was Zayeed and it nearly killed him and would have killed him if I had not begged for the chance to intervene so that his life could be saved; risking my life and the lives of my brothers in the process."
Harry paused as his eyes hardened and began glowing softly once more as he dared each man sitting around the table to look him in the eyes. Most of them averted their eyes after a few seconds and when even Noventa looked away, Harry continued on in a tone that could have cut diamonds, "What fucking right do you have to judge me when the lot of you were sitting here safe and sound as pretty as you please while my brothers and I were out there bleeding for your fucking cause?"
"We never asked you to fight for us or kill in our name," another man growled.
"You know what, you're absolutely right," Harry drawled as he rose to his feet. "Tell you what… I'll go. I don't need this shit; I have enough fucking issues without dealing with backstabbing cowards like you." Harry placed his hands on the table and leaned forward as he pinned the highest ranking men and women in the room with a raptor's gaze as his irises turned gold and red as the connection between Harry and Zero opened fully. "I helped saved your ungrateful asses twice; don't expect me to do so again because it will be a cold day in hell before I give a shit about what happens to waste encrusted canker sores like you."
Harry then straightened up and stormed out of the room without a backwards glance and you could have heard a pin drop in the tense silence that he left behind. The five Gundam pilots glanced at each other, holding a conversation with their eyes before they swung around to look at Zechs who'd just risen to his feet.
"You know," Zechs began slowly, weighing his words carefully. "That child showed more compassion over the course of the four hours it took for him to evacuate the base and rescue key individuals than any ten persons in this room showed over the course of their lifetimes (not counting the Star Pilots). I imprisoned him, beat him down, and tried to force him to bend to my will and yet when OZ turned on me because I refused to ship all seven of the Resistance pilots I had in my custody to Earth where they were to be executed; he not only looked passed what I did to him, he saved my life."
"He did the same for Colonel Une, however reluctantly, when she tried to help those he was trying to save and she had treated him ten times worse in the past. That child has sacrificed himself for you unselfishly and you just stabbed him in the back, spat on his sacrifices, and shunned him for doing what you were too cowardly to do yourselves. Your vaunted Alliance murdered millions upon millions of innocents in your quest to subjugate an entire world and all of the colonies; Taliesin kills only those that seek to harm him, his family, or the innocents."
"I am ashamed of certain actions I have taken in the past but even I never stooped as low as you have here today. You better pray that you never end up on the wrong side of his blade because he will show you the same amount of compassion and understanding you showed him here today; absolutely none. May god have mercy on your souls, gentlemen; because Taliesin Bard will not."
Zechs strode from the room next and this time there was restless shifting as the adults present glanced at one another in uncertainty over the way things were turning out. After a few minutes, the five Gundam pilots stood as one to face the advisory council. Heero stepped forward after sharing another glance with his fellow pilots to confirm that they were all in agreement before he addressed the room.
"If I had known what you wanted my little brother here for today I would have left him to his drunken stupor so he wouldn't have to know that the men he'd admired and risked his life for thought so little of him. You've turned almost everyone on this godforsaken rock against him without even thinking of what it might drive him to do after spending four months as a prisoner. Four months, where for all you knew, he was being tortured on a daily basis. You didn't even have the courtesy to ask him what he suffered through during that time before you labeled him as a monster and a demon. You didn't even pretend to care. I pity you because you just pissed all over the best thing that ever happened to this world and you don't even realize what you just lost."
"What Heero is tryin' ta say," Duo interjected when Heero paused to take a breath. "Is that we go where our little brother goes and when ya turn your back on him you're turnin' your back on us."
"Even a rabbit or a mouse will attack when it is cornered and fears for its life," Wufei stated solemnly.
"They say that the show must go on but when you chase away all of your performers you are left with nothing but an empty stage and an angry audience," Trowa added sagely.
"The pain you have inflicted today will haunt your lives for years to come and when you finally realize just how big of a mistake you have made it will be too late to make amends. It is already too late to atone for your cruelty," Quatre finished before all five of them turned and filed out of the room without saying another word.
"I was prepared to hate Taliesin Bard before I even met him face to face," Hilde softly admitted; her voice cutting through the soft muttering that had started the moment the last pilot left the room. "I saw him at his worst and even then he never lashed out at those who did not threaten him or his family. He could have left me behind or simply killed me when I accused him of being heartless and he didn't."
"I was in that suit with him as he destroyed those mobile dolls and the base; did you know he vomited up blood and cried in shame and regret when the base exploded? He spent over two weeks unconscious in a hospital bed while you turned the people of this station against him because he damn near killed himself using that damnable Zero system and yet he did not turn into a mindless killing machine like any other pilot would have in the same situation. I wish I could be half the pilot that boy is and I'm talking about his flying skills."
When Hilde left the room, she found Duo waiting for her just outside and she blushed prettily when he thanked her for standing up for Taliesin when she didn't have to. The two of them then followed in the wake of the others as they made their way back to Harry's room where the angry and hurting wizard was currently packing up his things as he prepared for his rather sudden departure. By the time Duo and Hilde reached the room, Wufei and Harry were sparring with his practice swords in order to bleed off some of Harry's frustration. When Zechs traded places with a slightly winded Wufei, the fight turned slightly brutal as the older man stirred up much frustration and anger in Harry.
By the time Heero stepped in to give Zechs a reprieve, Harry was sweating and panting and in far more control of his emotions. When he could no longer hold his sword steady, Harry collapsed into a chair and dropped his head on the table with a groan. The sound of glass clinking against glass had him turning his head to half glare at Zechs who was in the process of pouring out a shot of mead for everyone present, the man having picked up extra glasses from somewhere. He even placed a shot in front of Harry despite the fact that he believed Harry to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old.
"Alcohol should be consumed in moderation if you are to truly appreciate it," Zechs declared as he sipped at his glass before glancing at the shot glass in shock. "That is quite good. Where'd a wet behind the ears kid like you get a hold of something like this?"
"I'm not much younger than you, ya know," Harry groused which earned him a puzzled look from both Zechs and Hilde. "And my godfather is the one who stocked my larder. I've got a bunch of stronger stuff but I'd never drunk anything other than butterbeer before so I thought I'd try the mead; Sirius had claimed it was the best in all of Scotland. Of course, I think that's just because it was made and served by a woman who was… um… quite well endowed."
Heero and Duo snorted over that revelation as they stepped forward along with Wufei to snag a glass each to try. Hilde hesitantly joined them while Trowa and Quatre had to be talked into just trying a small bit. After a while, Zechs sat down across from Harry, gathered up both the cards and the poker chips on the table and after splitting the chips into four even stacks, he shuffled the deck (which was actually two decks) as he gave a pointed look to both Trowa and Heero before he began dealing. He then gave another pointed look to the other three pilots before glancing sideways at Hilde, which saw Wufei, Quatre, and Duo escorting the young teen out of the room after mumbling something about packing which drew Harry's attention from the shot of mead he was slowly sipping and savoring.
"What'd Duo mean about packing?" Harry inquired as he furrowed his brow and stared at his closed door as if it would hold the answers even as he picked up the cards that had been dealt to him.
"You didn't think we'd let you take off on your own did you?" Heero shot back as he placed his opening bid and dropped three of his seven cards into the discard pile before plucking three more from the stock pile.
"I don't know what to think right now," Harry sighed as he scowled at his cards and fiddled with them for several minutes before discarding four and taking four more after adding his opening bet. He then frowned up at Zechs before asking, "Why are you here?"
"How should I know? You're the one who knocked me out and hauled me out of the base."
"Let me rephrase, why are you in my room playing… what game are we playing anyway?"
"You bet and discarded without even knowing what we're playing?" Trowa asked with a snort. "And I'll raise you twenty."
"My mind was elsewhere. I'll match your twenty."
"Don't worry about your mind… it's probably safer wherever it is; I'll match and raise another forty," Heero quipped with a grin.
"Ha, ha very funny, Hee-man; hope you didn't hurt yourself coming up with that one. I'll match you again and raise another fifteen."
"If he keeps cracking jokes like that I may have to give him my clown costume, I'll see both of your raises and raise another fifty," Trowa interjected.
"Nah… pink would suit Heero better. Are you ever going to answer the question?"
"I'll raise you another twenty five," Zechs murmured as he shuffled his cards and tossed in his chips. "And my answer hasn't changed since the first time you asked me what I wanted with you and why I wouldn't leave you alone. I could ask you the same question you know. Why did you save me and my men from the base? Why did you knock me out and drag me away when you could have allowed me to take my suit out? If I had died then you'd never have to worry about me 'stalking' you again."
"Merlin's pimply ass cheek; I told you I don't need a damned guardian. I've been taking care of myself for years just fine," Harry growled as he slammed the proper number of poker chips into the center before tossing in several more. "I'll match and raise you another two hundred. Heero, could you answer him… you can probably explain it better since he tends to ignore me."
"I'll fold," Heero sighed as he dropped his cards and leaned back in his chair. "And to answer your questions Zechs; Taliesin doesn't believe anyone has earned the right to protect him. You were attempting to do so without his express permission and that makes him right cranky."
"Raise you another hundred; and Taliesin also has an aversion to allowing people to die what he sees as senseless and stupid deaths," Trowa added as he discarded and drew another two cards.
"I'll see your hundred and raise you another fifty and it's not my fault I have an aversion to stupidity in all of its many forms."
"I'll see both of your raises and call with two pair," Zechs stated as he set his cards face up to show a pair of kings, a pair of aces, an eight, a seven, and a three.
"I've got a trio of ladies and a partial straight," Trowa revealed as he laid down three queens plus a seven, an eight, a nine, and a ten.
"I've got nothing but my family and a pair of fools," Harry quietly replied as he dropped down a straight flush of hearts from ace to five and a pair of jokers.
Heero and Trowa exchanged a look of concern over Harry's head while Zechs just frowned down at the cards Harry had placed on the table. Harry ignored all three of them as he continuously flipped the seven cards forwards and backwards so it showed the faces and hid them in turns as he stared off at nothing. After a moment he stopped and ended up with the five hearts face up and the two jokers face down.
"Can we go home, Heero? I miss Cathy and the Maganacs. I miss Beauty and the others too. And I want to taste the rain as it falls, feel the wind on my face, and bask in the warmth of the sun. We've been out here for what; five or six months now? Or is it eight? What day is it anyway?"
"It's April twenty-seventh, one hundred ninety-six years After Colony," Zechs answered softly.
"April…?" Harry repeated with a gob smacked expression that was half pained. "Huh… hard to believe it's been a full year since you washed up on my beach, Heero. Hard to believe it's almost been three years since I last saw my godfather or my friends. Merlin… at times it seems like it's been even longer."
"Any regrets?" Trowa asked casually.
"Hundreds but I don't think I'd change anything even if I had a time turner and could go back. I'd be too afraid of losing my family; mismatched and messed up as it is. The only thing I really wish I could do was see Sirius, Remus, and Hermione one last time and let them know I never forgot them and still miss them all the time. I'd even be willing to set foot in Hogwarts one last time if it gave me the chance to spend just five minutes with them."
"Why did you leave them if you did not want to?" Zechs inquired as he gathered up all of the cards but those in front of Harry and began shuffling the deck again.
"I didn't leave; my godfather sent me away to save me from being unknowingly sacrificed in a war. How ironic is it that I ended up fighting in a war anyway? At least here I've got a fighting chance of living through the war instead of ending up as a martyr for a backwards society that hated or ignored me in turns. Then again, it's not much different here; now is it?"
"As you said earlier; people will be people no matter where you go," Heero agreed as he snuck a piece of the leftover fudge that was still on the table. "Regardless of what others think of you; we'll never abandon you and we'll never judge you for doing what you have to do to survive. You are our little brother after all."
"Wish you'd quit picking on my lack of height… I am still two years older than you," Harry groused as he pouted at Heero.
Zechs choked on the piece of fudge he'd just sampled before he rasped out, "How is that possible… you can't be more than twelve or thirteen and he's almost sixteen."
"Ah shit," Harry cursed as he finally registered exactly who was still in the room. "Well I suppose it's no use crying over a cracked caldron now. And no… I'll be eighteen in three and a half months; another one of the reasons I have resented you trying to insert yourself into my life as a father-figure."
"Eighteen…? But you don't… how can you possibly be just two years younger than I am?"
"Quite frankly it's none of your business," Harry bluntly replied as he gathered up the hand of cards sitting in front of him and stuffed them into his pocket. "I'm going to go check on the suits and make sure those old dried up grindylow droppings aren't trying to sabotage Wolfstar."
Without waiting for a reply, Harry disillusioned himself and slipped away to the docking bay where all of the mobile suits were kept. He kept to the side passages so there would be fewer people to dodge and tried not to think about the looks that would be sent his way if he wasn't invisible. When he finally reached the bay, he stopped just inside as he noted that the four Star Suits that were sitting in their customary parking places and Wolfstar (which was sitting a short ways away) were being guarded by several squads of pilots and Harry frowned as he studied the scene.
After a few minutes, he felt a thread of warmth worm its way through his heart when he realized that they weren't there to stop him or his brothers from getting to their suits; they were there to keep anyone from messing with the suits. It let him know that there were those who did not hate him aside from his brothers. Threading his way through the crowds of irate mechanics, pilots, and other military personnel that were being kept away from the suits, Harry allowed his disillusionment spell to fade when he'd crossed nearly half the distance to the suits.
A rather feral smirk crossed his face as people suddenly yelped and scrambled back out of his way the moment they caught sight of Harry suddenly appearing right in the middle of the crowd. Those protecting the suits laughed and jeered at the panicking crowd and Harry allowed all of his earlier bitterness to fade as he stepped up beside the trio of pilots guarding his suit. He easily recognized them as the first three pilots he'd ever been teamed up with during the earliest missions before his failed mission to free his brothers.
"Haddock, Brian, and Takoda," Harry greeted with a genuine smile. "The three of you are a welcome sight after walking through all the rubble rabble and sheep."
"Glad to see you up and about again, boss," Haddock declared with a welcoming grin as he gave Harry a cursory inspection to make certain he was fine.
"We tried to come get you after we'd heard what happened," Takoda added with a slightly pained look. "Things were pretty bad around here without you and your brothers running the show and nothing's been done."
"The old buzzards kept muttering about the six of you being compromised because you were in enemy hands and started spouting crap about you being too weak to withstand true torture. A few of them even dared suggest that you'd turned traitor," Brian practically growled. "They obviously don't know you or the other Star Pilots that well because we know you're made of sterner stuff than that and there was never any doubt in our mind that you, of all people, would remain true."
"Yeah, and we don't buy that whole demon crap," Haddock stated firmly as he glared over Harry's shoulder at those that were still brave enough to mill around. "You've saved far too many of our lives and we know who it is that fights for us both out there on a mission and in the council. Personally, I thought you'd never flown better than when we watched the vid-feed of your Battle for the Moon."
"Thank you," Harry replied as he swallowed around the lump in his throat. "You guys have no idea just how much that means to me. I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you guys though."
"You're leaving, aren't you?" Takoda surmised as he deflated a bit.
"I… yeah, I'm leaving. I didn't want to go but I can't stay because the fear and hate will only get worse as the old fossils stir up more and more trouble. I spent more than enough time as a hated prisoner in enemy hands; I don't need a repeat at the hands of those who were once my allies. My brothers have already declared their intention to follow me."
"You got room for a few more pilots to tag along?" Brian asked softly. "There's no point staying if you aren't here because they'll just get us killed on some stupid suicide mission without you here to argue against those kinds of missions."
"I'm not staying in space to fight, guys; I'm going home to Earth."
"We don't care if you're planning on colonizing the sun," Haddock quipped as he crossed his arms and flashed Harry another grin. "We'd follow you anywhere, boss."
"I've always wanted to visit Earth," Takoda stated simply as he gave a small grin.
"I don't know what to say guys."
"How about just acceptin' them and tellin' them they're welcome ta come with?" Duo asked as he walked up behind the group and draped an arm over both Harry and Haddock. "They seem like a trustworthy lot and there's bound ta be trouble enough brewin' on Earth for us ta need a few good friends watchin' our back."
"Who am I to argue with that ringing endorsement?" Harry snorted as he elbowed his brother in the side and allowed a small lopsided grin to form.
The five of them shared a bit of a laugh before Harry walked up to Wolfstar and placed his hand on the suit's foot as he stared up at the Gundam. Like the other Gundams back on Earth, Wolfstar now radiated warmth but unlike the other five suits, Wolfstar felt alive beneath Harry's hand. He could almost feel a heartbeat as he stood with one hand on the suit and stared up at the cockpit while at the same time, the Zero System stirred within his consciousness. Harry gasped softly in shock a few seconds later and paled slightly when he realized that his magic had done to Wolfstar what the wards of Hogwarts had once done for an enchanted Ford Anglia; he'd given the suit a semblance of life helped in no small part by the Zero System.
"Something wrong, Taliesin?"
"Huh? No, not exactly. Just a little caught off guard by something I'd not expected to happen."
"Oh, and what was it that caught ya off guard, kiddo?"
"The Law of Unintended Consequences," Harry absently replied as he climbed up onto the foot and patted the suit on the leg much like one would pat a dog.
"Can ya explain that a little better?
"I will… after we leave. There's too many unwanted ears and wagging tongues present."
Harry ignored his now scowling brother and scrambled the rest of the way up to the cockpit using the invisible footholds he'd placed on the suit to make getting in and out of the suit easier. The door to the cockpit opened the instant Harry reached the torso, confirming his suspicions that the suit had gained a form of sentience. He briefly wondered what kind of repercussions would come of this unexpected turn of events but he shoved the concern to the back of his mind as he crawled into the heart of the suit as the monitors inside of the cockpit lit up and welcomed him with an almost overwhelming wave of images.
"Hey, Wolfstar, I missed you too, boy," Harry murmured as he patted the pilot's chair and tried to ignore the uneasiness he felt over his magic having brought the suit to life. "We'll need to be a bit more careful the next time we fight together so I don't end up quite so exhausted. What about you, boy? Did you come out of that alright?"
The moment Harry had asked his questions, a complete diagnostic scan report appeared on the monitors covering four of the six walls in the hexagonal cockpit. Harry gave a murmur of thanks as he noted that any systems that needed to be checked were highlighted with yellow, low ammunition stores were highlighted in orange, and any damage was marked in red. There was currently only one red highlighted line; one of the exterior optic lenses had been damaged by flying debris during the battle. Most of the weapons needed more ammunition and in the case of the custom buster rifles, they needed replacement E-pacs (the power behind the blasts the twin guns fired). Overall, the suit was in excellent condition despite the rather heated battle it had been involved in. The report printed itself out once Harry had finished reading through it.
"Glad to see you only took a bit of minor damage, I'll see if Duo can't help me get that optic sensor repaired or replaced before we go and the rest should be fairly easy to take care of. And while that is being done, I can finish adding some of the magical upgrades that I didn't have time to get done before we escaped," Harry stated as he glanced around the cockpit and mentally ticked off the list of things he hadn't done.
Wolfstar's screens went blank in response to Harry's statements and Harry got the impression that the suit was feeling uncertain about having changes made to it. He could even feel 'Zero' shifting uncomfortably in the back of his mind and that made him wonder just how much self-awareness the suit had gained when compared to the Ford Anglia. That the two of them still shared a connection (even when he was not piloting the suit) was also more than a little troubling; as was the fact that he'd not even realized that the connection was still there until he'd touched the suit just a few minutes earlier. The idea that he'd unintentionally given a semblance of life to what amounted to a war machine also disturbed him because of how much damage the suit could do if it went wild like the car had in the Forbidden Forest.
He supposed he could try draining the magic from the suit so that it could be destroyed, if only to prevent it from going on the rampage any but just thinking about doing such a thing made him feel dirty. It was his magic that brought the suit to life and in a way that made the suit part of himself and contemplating killing off a part of himself (even one as obscure as the now sentient Wolfstar) brought to mind the day that Heero had accused him of spitting on his godfather's sacrifices. The fact that he could sense what the suit thought and felt through the strange connection that had bee forged between them only reinforced the idea that the suit was more than just an animated piece of machinery.
In that moment, all thoughts of destroying the suit were discarded; the wizard unable to continue contemplating 'killing' something he'd brought to life without growing ill over the mere idea, even though the suit wasn't truly alive. On the heels of the decision, Harry realized that he was going to have to install a few fail-safes in order to keep the suit from going on the warpath against his wishes at some point down the line. Harry let out a soft groan at that point as he realized his brothers were going to yell at him or worse, ground him (as in take away his flight privileges), because of what he'd done to the suit.
Feeling a headache coming on, Harry ran his hand over the back of his head as he stared at the still blank screens and felt Zero stirring in his mind once more. Realizing that the suit could feel his emotions as easily as he could feel the suit's emotions, Harry stomped down on his discomfort before he addressed the sentient suit once more.
"I won't do anything drastic; I need to apply the spells to allow you to enter stealth mode, cast a defensive ward to protect you from vandals and thieves (and key my brothers into the wards), reinforce all of your optic sensors so there is less of a chance of another one being damaged the next time we have to fight, and make a few minor adjustments to the shield so it is a little easier to wield. We'll worry about adding new weapons, installing the bathroom, creating additional storage compartments, installing a magical amplifier so I can use magic while flying with you, and giving you a more appropriate paint job once we get home."
Consent was tentatively given and Harry promised to be careful as he moved to extract the shrunken suits that were still sitting up in the rack he'd created to hold them. The door to the storage cupboard where he'd stored the rucksack opened by itself as Harry reached for it and he thanked Wolfstar as he pulled the pack out and tucked the suits into it for easy transport. Harry then spent a moment preparing a place on the interface for the stealth mode and fail-safe controls to be installed once he'd finished applying the spells and created the rune activation switches for them.
He then made to leave and got the impression that the suit was pouting as the door reluctantly opened to allow him to leave. Harry gave the side of the interface a few consoling pats and promised he wasn't going far before he stepped outside and dropped down out of the suit to find his brother still hanging around.
"Good, you did stick around," Harry stated passed Duo the bag containing the five additional suits he'd taken from the Lunar Base (including Zechs' Tallgeese) and the two damaged Star Suits. He waited as Duo took a quick glance into the rucksack and slung it over his shoulder before he passed the long haired teen the printed copy of the diagnostic report Wolfstar had printed for him next. "I need to restock Wolfstar's ammunition stores, the life support system could use a little tweaking, and I'm going to need help replacing or repairing one of the optic sensors. If you can get me the stuff on that list I can start working on getting the stealth mode installed since I didn't have time to take care of that before we left. I also have to add some defensive wards for protection; which means that I will need to key the five of you into the wards once I get them up and running so that you don't get zapped accidentally."
"Will do… but ya know them old guys aren't gonna want ta let ya resupply," Duo replied as he skimmed through the list of munitions needed.
"They have no say in the matter," Zayeed declared as he joined them. "The resources of this satellite belong to the Winner Corporation and I will see to it you have anything and everything you need." The man then turned to Harry, looking a little nervous. "I owe you both an apology and my gratitude for saving me yet again."
"You don't owe me anything," Harry countered firmly as he studied the older man to ascertain his current health. "I'm just glad you're alright; I had feared I might have killed you when I shut the suit down and Zechs would not allow me to check on you."
"The Zero system was driving me mad, Taliesin; you saved me from myself."
"As I said, I'm just glad that you're okay and I appreciate you allowing me to resupply Wolfstar."
"Truthfully, I'd prefer to see Wing Zero destroyed. I never should have built that suit but I was desperate to save my son and the rest of you. I was angry when I learned that Quatre and the others were allowing you to pilot that suit. Not because I didn't think you couldn't fly it but because the Zero System is dangerous."
"So is a puppy," Harry pointed out softly. "Wolfstar is… he is completely unlike any other suit in existence. I knew the risks going in and nearly lost myself to Zero at one point. Seven months ago, I doubt I would have been able to pilot Wolfstar without suffering a complete and total mental meltdown. I'd like to think I've grown since I first came into space though… mentally at least cause Merlin knows I'm still too damn short."
"Glad ya were da one ta say it, kiddo," Duo quipped with a laugh.
And just like that the serious moment passed as Harry set about adding the silencing spells, invisibility spells, additional temperature regulating and masking charms, a few other spells designed to hide Wolfstar from being seen or heard by any means, and the defensive wards that would prevent him from being stolen or dismantled. He also dug through a few books to find appropriate locking spells that would shut down all of the weapons on the suit so that they couldn't be fired unless he manually unlocked them with the 'safety' switch that he intended to install alongside of the stealth activation switch.
As he worked, Harry constantly murmured softly to the suit as he felt Zero shifting restlessly in his mind; keeping one hand on the suit at all times in order to keep the suit calm and still (it wouldn't do to have the suit suddenly start moving on its own in full view of those that considered Harry a demon now after all). When each of his brothers eventually gravitated to the docking bay, Harry paused in his work to key them into Wolfstar's newly raised defense wards so he wouldn't have to worry about doing it later.
It would take seventy-two hours to make all of the preparations for their return to Earth. Harry spent much of that time either working on Wolfstar or hanging out with Duo and Trowa in the docking bay as the two of them repaired the minor damage most of Star Suits received (barring Dogstar and Northstar as those two needed far more done than just a few minor repairs). During that time a total of thirty-one pilots (most of whom had flown with Harry, one of his brothers, or were friends with someone who had) decided to follow the six of them to Earth.
That wasn't counting Zechs, Hilde, or Une who would be going with them as well (Une being taken to Earth for medical treatment as she'd fallen into a coma due to her wounds, severe blood loss, and her fractured mind). Harry wasn't happy about Une being brought along but didn't offer a word of protest (much to the surprise of his brothers). Those men loyal to Zechs and Une (except for a small handful) would be remaining out in space, though they would not be joining the resistance. They would remain separate and look to Zechs to lead them from afar as they set up a base on Mars.
The rest of the Resistance began breaking apart the moment the word that all six Star Pilots were leaving spread through the base. One third of the people that had flocked to their cause would join what was now being called the Loyalist Faction (those soldiers that had followed Zechs and Une from the Lunar Base) under the leadership of Zechs. Another third would rally around Zayeed as the man had provided them with jobs and security for the past seven or eight months and they had no wish to follow Zechs or Field Marshal Noventa. The final third were the individuals that followed the former Alliance Officers and included the majority of the people that had had a problem with Harry after the Battle of the Moon.
Zayeed would promptly evict the last group due to the former Alliance Officers driving the Star Pilots out of the Resistance with the first two groups helping to enforce the eviction. The six of them probably could have stayed at that point but Harry truly missed Earth. He did promise to come back and visit someday as he'd come to love the freedom of flying through space. He'd also grown to consider Zayeed and Iria family (helped in no small part by the fact that they were part of Quatre's family) and he knew he'd miss them once he left. He missed those back on earth just as much though and no matter how much he enjoyed flying amongst the stars; Earth would always be home.
Translations: Drunken Ramblings
Nah… Sefth's not un fur cuffroat card games. ~ Nah, Seth's not one for cutthroat card games.
Tryin' ta get Sefth ta admit he'sh been cheatin' again, Hero… Hiiro… Heero.
Trying to get Seth to admit he's been cheating again, Heero.
Why da hell shouldna be shmashded? ~ Why the hell shouldn't I be smashed?
Shure da hell beatsh lettin' da lot of dem glare holesh in da back a mah head!
Sure the hell beats letting the lot of them glare holes in the back of my head!
Buncha unigrat… ungratified... ungrateful bashtards. ~ Bunch of ungrateful bastards.
Hadda nuff dat dam shnit in mah time at Hogwash's schuel of inbred whiztards.
Had enough of that damn shit in my time at Hogwash's School of Inbred Wiztards.
Itsh all mine too… ain't sharin' wif no un 'cept maybee Sefth ifsh he shtopsh cheatin'.
It's all mine too... ain't sharing with no one except maybe Seth if he stops cheating.
Shared mah dam shockolot and watd dat get mah? ~ Shared my damn chocolate and what did it get me?
Nuffin' but dirty looksh; fuk dat shnit. ~ Nothing but dirty looks; fuck that shit.
Not gonna. ~ Not going to.
Can't make mah. ~ Can't make me.
Can't drown 'em out… dam bashtards keep shtaring. ~ Can't drown them out... damn bastards keep staring.
Tirdt of dem all shtaring wif dem dam cold eyesh. ~ Tired of them all staring with them damn cold eyes.
Yesh… but ah don wan it. ~ Yes... but I don't want it.
Jerk… ah don wanna be shober. ~ Jerk... I don't want to be sober.
AN: Whew, I've been busy the last couple of days trying to finish up several things and didn't manage to make the time to get this posted until now. Part of it was the fact that I needed to shift several chapters of this story around to make the story flow smoother and eliminate a trio of extra short chapters. I also wanted to get the latest chapter of Haunted ready for posting before I posted another chapter on this story since I'd started posting that story long before I put this one up as well as finish a couple of omakes I had started for my Pokémon series.
The only thing I will address from the chapter here is Wolfstar's sentience. Now, I know there were a few people who'd asked about me whether or not any of the Gundams or the Star Suits Harry warded would be brought to life and at the time I'd told you no and yet here I am bringing one to life. Though, technically, I never said I wouldn't bring any suit to life; only that I would not have any of the warded Taurus Suits or the original five Gundams brought to life. Misleading, I know, but I hadn't wanted to give away what I was going to do to Wing Zero back then.
The only reason I brought Wolfstar to life was because of the Zero system… The interaction between pilot and Zero plus the addition of magic and a mental connection was just too convenient for me not to use. Details on what Wolfstar is now capable of and just how 'alive' he is will be in the next chapter as well as an in-story explanation for why he came to life. The only other thing I will say now is that Wolfstar is NOT a Transformer and this story will not include anything from the Transformer Universe. So, sorry, there will be no Autobots or Decepticons here folks.
The last thing I will address is the numerous reviews that have asked me about what is happening back with Dumbledore and the rest of the magicals. I'm going to ask those of you who are curious about the repercussions of Sirius sending Harry away to be patient for a little while longer; I have not forgotten about the wizards and their story will be told but there are other things that need to happen first. ~ Jenn
12-13-12: Fixed the first sentence in the last paragraph so that it makes a bit more sense... Thank you, mist shadow, for pointing out the problem. =)