A week later SunTzu was back on Coruscant and was scheduled for a meeting with Ada. His head was throbbing from the hangover from last night, why did she had to schedule this goddamn meeting before noon?

The last days he had spent fighting on what felt like every frontline of this War.

Hell, he even had pulled two hit jobs for GAIS and it didn't even bother him anymore to surreptitiously kill people.

Ever since he left the Taskforce nothing didn't really matter anymore, except winning this War. The War that had costed him everything.

The few moments he hadn't been in battle or traveling from battle to battle, he had been drinking to keep the heartache away.

SunTzu had assassinated the member of the staff of the Senator of Brentaal the night before. The man had been sleeping and never saw it coming, but betraying your planet and government in wartimes with selling secret information to the enemy was high treason. And high treason's punishment was death, although only the Intelligence Service had served as judge here. And SunTzu had been their executioner.

After he shot the sleeping man in the side of his head, SunTzu casually had left the dead man's apartment again and headed for the nearest bar.

There was no honor in this, but War was not about honor. It was about how gets to live and who gets to die. SunTzu had lost his soul when he had lost Rei, so it wasn't a problem for him anymore to go to hell, or whatever there was in the afterlife, for his sins anyway. At least that was what he was thinking at that time.

The Taskforce had been on day three of it's convoy escort mission and Rei still had locked herself in, opening her door only for Usagi and even then only occasionally.

Rei knew Usagi was the only one that kind of understood her pain as loss had been endured by the young queen more than enough in her life already.

Finally Usagi persuaded Rei to take the Royal Yacht back to Earth when they were at their next waypoint where allied ships waited greedily for replenishment.

Usagi, Chibiusa and the other Inners joined Rei on her way home but Rei still was a shadow of herself, all the way to Sol System she only spoke a handful of words.

Setsuna followed the departure of the Royal Yacht from the Observation Deck.

Seeing Rei like that hurt her but when it came to SunTzu instead of mourning she rather felt anger and disappointment.

Hotaru was heartbroken and almost grieving as much as Rei did and as her mother Setsuna was enraged at the man who caused her daughter so much pain. And her sister. And although she hated to admit it, herself as well.

Setsuna had been there when Hotaru, already crying after trying to not to do so for hours, read the letter SunTzu had given her and that was the final straw which lead to a full blown breakdown.

"How could my SunTzu-Papa leave me like that?" The teenage girl had cried out in between sobbing while Chibiusa began to cry as well after seeing her best friend heartbroken like that.

Setsuna had tried to overcome her own grief with anger and with the need to be there for her daughter. But she still wondered how she had managed not to cry as well, even if it would have been just in anger and disappointment. The man that was supposed to always protect them, the man that had been the father figure Hotaru had needed ever since Haruka had left the household together with Michiru, to prepare herself for what was coming, the man of the Prophecy, designated Savior of the Galaxy, the man that in weak moments had made her feel things and longings she thought she would never feel again, that man was gone. He had just left like it hadn't been his home on the Far Side.

Haruka was sitting on the left wing of the Voyager and was working on a cable harness that lead from the cockpit onto the wing.

Michiru was sitting in the open top hatch and observing her girlfriend doing maintenance on the TIE Aggressor.

The Voyager had been ordered to now reinforce Terra Squadron, yet alone out of the absence of a wingman.

The couple had been elliptical in these last few days, loosing their wingman and best friend had hurted the two women, especially Haruka, a lot. But hardheaded and cagily as she was, Haruka of course didn't talk about it, instead letting it out with a fit of rage every once in a while.

Suddenly the blonde angrily dropped the tool she was using on the cables.

"Bloody shit!" She yelled out and jumped down from the wing.

Within seconds Michiru had climbed down the Starfighter as well.

Haruka was behind the Voyager now, facing the wall and just staring at it.

From behind Michiru pulled her arms around her and nestled onto her girlfriend.

"You know it's okay to hurt. I miss him too."

"Why could he just leave like that? I thought we were friends."

Michiru understood Haruka very well, but she understood SunTzu as well.

"If we would be in a such a crisis like him and Rei wouldn't you leave also? Just to not hurt me anymore?"

After a moment Haruka nodded.

"I couldn't stand it if my presence would hurt you."

Haruka took Michiru's hand from around her waist and kissed it.

"It's just not the same anymore without him."

"I know Haruka, I know." Michiru's hand cupped Haruka's cheek from behind. "But I'm sure that one day he will be back. And I know he will be there when we need him. Like always when we needed him. He just needs some healing."

Haruka pulled Michiru closer to her.

"I hope so. I miss that bloody kraut."

At least the meeting with Ada was short. She just gave him a quick rundown on the situation.

It was getting worse everyday, although somehow most of the Galaxy either didn't know or simply didn't care about it still. But whoever on the Core Worlds did care what happened on the Outer Rim or in Wild Space anyways?

She didn't compliment or congratulate him to the successful mission of last night, that would have been cynical even for the two of them, as it hadn't been nothing else than cold blooded murder. But this cold blooded murder probably would save millions of military and civilian lives as dead lips couldn't tell secret information to the enemy anymore. The duality of war, where the assassination of one could save worlds.

Ada had no Mission for him at the moment, so she just told him he was good to fill his days however he wanted too. Both knew what SunTzu would use the time for.

Combat. There were dozens of frontlines stretching from the Mid Rim to the Unknown Regions, plus the Galactic Core, although this region seemed to finally calm down.

Or the enemy was regrouping for another offensive, nobody knew.

The Intelligence Services did their best, but all of the different services, as well as the information brokers like Zed Zed Nel or Talon Karrde, were more or less operating in the dark. Still nobody knew where most the enemy forces came from or what their next targets were.

"I could say lay back a few days and get some rest but I know you well enough to know you won't anyways. So, do what you do the best. Might want to support the Seventh, they're under attack once more as you saw." Ada said as SunTzu was about to go.

"Haven't seen my friends up there for a long time anyway." He replied as he got up.

SunTzu was almost out of the door when Ada made him stop in his step.

"Try to not get killed out there, the Galaxy and myself still need you."

"Aye Ma'am." He said nonchalant with a two finger salute and strolled out of the door.

He would never tell her, but getting told to still be useful for someone made his shitty existence feel desirable for a moment.

And she would never tell, how bad she felt for him and Rei, those two had been one of these couples you only could love to see, head over heels and fitting like gloves for each other they had been.

And Ada was glad that he didn't opt to just drown his sorrow and paralyze himself when he had the chance right now.

Maybe with time she could get him back on track completely.

Funny, I wanted him to become personified War and now that he is, I want him to find peace in his existence again.

SunTzu did not just fly to the Wild Space, he took every chance he got to fight on his way there. Between Coruscant and the New Frontier he thwarted three pirate attacks, one of them completely on his own. And he always did it in the same scheme, arriving suddenly, causing as much havoc as he could and leaving again, before anyone could contact him.

There was already a story going round in the Deep Core, of a single black A-Wing that seemed to appear out of nowhere and attack the enemy like a rabid Krayt Dragon and then vanish again. Some said it was what some regions called a demon, some said it was a ghost that couldn't find peace because the enemy robbed him of all that he once had cherished, others said it was the manifestation of the rage of the fallen souls in the Shadow Wars, and now the tale was spreading through all the war zones as well as up and down the hyperspace routes.

Those were all rumors of course, ghost stories, but a certain high ranking GAIS Officer and her subordinates and partners, although nobody of them would ever testify it, among them a Gungan Information Broker and the most intelligent Blunette in the Galaxy, secretly helped to spread the rumors.

Everything that somehow helped to keep moral up was welcomed, fact was that if things stayed like they were the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances was in trouble, most worlds and systems, especially the ones far away from combat took the danger still to easily. They had made it through the Invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong, how bad could a few unorganized attacks, done mostly with antique war machinery, be? Little did they know that the enemy's final goal was to let the whole Galaxy burn and fall into chaos. If all of the Galaxy would have understood, they all might have acted and thought different than they actually did.

The Ghost of the Core, as it was one of the titles the ship crews and troops called the Black A-Wing, and it's pilot, didn't even know about his new infamous publicity.

SunTzu didn't care much for any news from the outside world right now anyways. The Galaxy was a terrible place and also at war now, what good news could there be at all?

After the third foiled attack, he and AICA had taken out an old, battered Action IV Transport on their own and saved a civilian bulk freighter with their aggressive attack, SunTzu had made a short stop on a nearby planet.

He didn't even bother to memorize the planets name as he was just here to grab a bite and get some booze so that he could get some delirious sleep in, the alcohol hopefully keeping the dreams at bay.

He woke up fifteen minutes before his final stop and twenty minutes later he was already in battle again, helping a Patrol of a Rejuvenator-Class Star Destroyer and a Republic-Class Cruiser and their snubs against an overwhelming force of enemy ships, middle sized frigates but a dozen of them, ship-designs SunTzu had never seen before. They were partly reminding him of Corellian Designs but definitely none that he ever saw before.

It didn't matter though, they could be attacked and they exploded and broke apart and spilled their inside into space just like any other ship.

His hangover had his mercilessness with the enemy grown even more and as the last enemy frigate exploded he already was on his way back to the main Hyperspace Lane into the New Frontier.

There was no place for mercy with the enemy anymore SunTzu told himself. Not after Rago, not after all those dead comrades of him. And not after coming between him and his Moeru Shōjo. So even when the enemy wasn't using Droids or artificial vessels for enslaved souls in those ships he just had helped blowing up, SunTzu didn't care anymore. Being an asset of war, a killer, a force of destruction was all that was left.

Apparently the Star Sheriffs were on a secret mission he learned but maybe he would be able find someone else to give him a headsup what was going on and where he could help the most.

SunTzu actually was happy that he wouldn't meet the Star Sheriffs, as he was ashamed with himself and what had become out of him.

SunTzu stayed three days in the New Frontier and helped the Seventh Fleet and it's supporting Forces wherever and whenever he could.

He fought in space, he fought in the air and one time he even fought on the ground.

He helped with the recovery of a downed crew of a helicopter-jet-hybrid that had been shot down when giving air support to a company of wheeled tanks against an enemy armored column.

The planet the battle was raging on one of those arid planets that were so common in the New Frontier.

AICA flew Combat Air Patrol and kept any enemy aircraft from the downed chopper at bay while SunTzu and a squad of Scouts in a light recon vehicle tried to rescue the crew and defend the crash site from advancing enemy infantry.

The enemy was clothed mostly in brown armor with strange elongated helmets. But they fell trough blaster- and laser fire and the bullets in SunTzu's Sub-Carbine were enough to penetrate their armor as well.

SunTzu noticed that when the enemy fell they left a wisp of gas rising from their bodies.

He didn't care about it much in the heat of battle but this was definitely something he should check up on later, as they didn't seem to be dependent on closed suits like other aliens. Something was off with that and the Force Sensation when they died was off as well. It wasn't the flowing out of the Force like with other individuals but more like a sudden rush of the all-embracing energy beaming away from the body.

Dozens of missions later the latest enemy onslaught seemed to have ebbed down and SunTzu made his way back to Coruscant, it was time to report back to Ada.

Too bad he had to leave from a Ship from the Fleet of the Kingdom of Jar. They didn't had a single drop of Booze onboard and so SunTzu had to fly back sober.

On top, two weeks after leaving the Taskforce, the advanced Artificial Intelligence in his ship began to show her ability to feel emotions in her certain ways again and nagged him how much she was missing their friends.

At least she had the decency to not talk openly about Rei. SunTzu knew that AICA missed the woman dearly but AICA also knew how much It would hurt her Pilot to talk about her.

But the others of their friends all got their fair share of words in the two long days of traveling. And it wasn't that SunTzu wasn't missing all of them as well. But his leave had been necessary nonetheless, he knew that by now.

No matter if it was Ami, who had been there since his first day on Earth. Ami also was the only one that knew how to still contact him, after he discarded his old numbers and means of getting in touch with him. He missed the Commandos, Odegana and the other pilots and his other comrades, Luna and Diana, the two Koronians. Karlena, who treated him and AICA so motherly and the rest of the ground crew. Artemis and Mamoru as the best superiors one could have. Usagi with her big heart and Chibiusa for the unique way she was, especially as a princess.

He missed working out with Makoto, which often would end with a share of some kind of cake or pastry she had baked and need for someone to try.

"After this workout It's alright to get some Macros in", she always had said.

Hell, he even missed Minako's teasing, knowing very well that she must fell horrible as well, that it didn't worked out for him and Rei.

He missed Michiru' grace and her playing her Violin for him and Haruka in between missions.

Damn, Haruka. He missed Haruka's mocking. And the way they were so similar in their thinking.

Talking about the Outers, AICA made sure to let him know how much she was missing Hotaru and SunTzu felt the same. But she deserved a better role model than him. Not a total failure that even felt annoyed when his last friend left, the most loyal of all, reminded him that she had to suffer under the consequences of his doing and implication of his failure as boyfriend and man.

For a brief moment he thought to let AICA go and let her return to Hotaru. But all he could do was fighting and without AICA he wouldn't even be able to to do that properly. It was selfish but he needed AICA.

And deep down he also knew he needed her as the last friend he still had around and he couldn't be alone. How selfish and egoistic I am he thought.

Good thing Hotaru wasn't seeing this side of him, no need to hurt the girl even more.

Not that he probably would see her from close ever again, her mother would probably kill him if he ever got close to her again.

Setsuna's gaze when he had left the Far Side and crossed them at the lounge had spoken volumes. He knew that she knew immediately what he was up to and from their short locking of eyes he knew how angry and disappointed Setsuna had been. She would held him accountable for any sorrow his leave would cause to Hotaru and SunTzu had to admit she even was right about doing so. Yet he even missed her and wished he somehow could make up for this one day.

Damn, I even miss Setsuna's Ice Queen Stare.

He had enough. He needed a break.

"AICA, next jump point we make a stop and head for the nearest halfway civilized planet. I really need a drink."

It had been two weeks and it was almost December.

The trees had lost their colorful leaves and the temperatures at night were in the low single digits now.

In the Meiou household Setsuna and Hotaru were getting ready to leave for the Crystal Palace. Setsuna for duty in the military hospital, Hotaru for training on one of the Taskforce's Y-Wings. With a missing capable fighter she was now earmarked for Recon Missions and not the exciting ones that was.

For Setsuna that actually wasn't the worst as it meant her adoptive daughter was pretty much out of combat missions. Not that it made her any less angry on SunTzu though.

Setsuna had just finished putting parts of her long hair into the bun that she usually wore and was knocking now on the door of Hotaru's room.

"Come in." Hotaru replied quickly and Setsuna opened the door.

"Hotaru, are you ready to go?"

The dark haired teenager was sitting on her bed and reading a piece of paper.

Setsuna sighed innerly, the letter SunTzu had left for her before his departure. At least Hotaru didn't begin to cry anymore every time she read it.

Hotaru looked up from the letter, but for the first time she didn't seem to be sad.

"Hey Mum, where do you think he is right now? Have you heard something?"

Setsuna took a deep breather and walked into the room, sitting down next to Hotaru and put an arm around her beloved adoptive child.

"Hotaru, I know he was important to you but I think it is time to let go. For your own sake."

Hotaru looked at her beloved adoptive mother.

"Oh. No, it's not that. I mean I'm still sad that he left but after the first shock I understand now that he had his reasons. And it's not that he won't be here if I need him."

"Hotaru…" Hotaru interrupted her mother, knowing very well what she was about to say, with holding the letter up for Setsuna to read.

Setsuna looked a moment at Hotaru and then took it. She began to read.

My dear Firefly,

when you will be reading these lines I will be gone. I know you will be sad about that but sometimes it is the best to leave before you hurt the people that you love even worse.

I wish for a future where you and everyone else can life in eternal peace and I left to make sure that will happen as soon as possible.

You're a very special person, one of the bravest and most amiable one can imagine, and I was, I am and I will forever be honored that I had the chance to be your teacher. You deserve a better role model than someone who just leaves you alone, you really do, but please never forget how proud I am of you and although you might not see me every day anymore, I'll be there when you need me.

Take care out there and keep the thrusters on max,

SunTzu

Setsuna set down the letter, she somehow expected less. Or did she? Maybe only to justify her anger.

No, he still had to proof the trueness of his words.

"Let's go, maybe Ami-Chan has some infos about him." She said after a moment and pressed Hotaru onto her when the Teenager began to smile happily.

SunTzu had arrived back on Coruscant a few hours ago, in the early noon, and had been pretty bugged out to have to get presentable because Ada wanted to see him in her office in the Imperial Palace.

She had a new mission for him, a hastily assembled fleet near Boonta needed help as a large attack of the enemy, probably in form of former CIS-Equipment, was apparently hitting up there the next days but most of the Fifth was busy between Jomark and Jabiim.

And maybe SunTzu's presence, war hero he was, would also help morally.

After the briefing, he was scheduled to leave tomorrow, as AICA was in maintenance over or rather up at Crix Base above Coruscant, he left the Palace, looking for a place to kill time.

SunTzu hoped they would take good care of his girl, the next mission seemed to be another one of those without return-ticket, when even Ada had to bring in his moral effect on the troop.

He found a bar nearby, probably preferred by the people that worked in the Palace. It looked very stylish and noble but the fact that failure he was, still was enough to actually act as moral booster for others unsettled him enough to have a drink at the early afternoon already and bar was bar. And even if the beer costed the quadruple it did somewhere else, he needed one.

SunTzu sat down at the bar counter, the place looked nice he had to admit. The lunch break was done and the whole place was pretty empty, which appealed to the pilot even more. Not that the man in the uniform of the Starfighter Corps with the Medals for being wounded in Service and the large rings under his eyes would look inviting for casual small talk anyway.

He ordered a beer and after the first sip, the beer wasn't bad at all, he began to look around.

The barkeeper, a young man, a few years younger than him, was killing time with watching Holo-TV.

SunTzu recognized the channel, it was the equivalent to the tabloid like gossip channel on Earth and a good bunch of it was all about yada yada from the political and economical top of Coruscant. He remembered that he had been seeing Rei and himself sometimes on reports there. Back then he hadn't found the channel as disgusting and useless as he did now.

SunTzu drank another sip from his beer and almost spat it out, when the news, or rather the newest gossip changed to the next item, over to the camera at the Senate, with a Zygerrian commenting live. After a long time the first meeting of the whole Senate had ended and now paparazzi and media representatives were beleaguering the entrance.

And then she came out and was immediately in the focus of every camera. Of course. Always. She had that effect, everyone would always turn around to her.

Those angel-like blue eye, the pristine face, the silky, long raven hair, that favorite red lipstick of hers on her sensual lips. That lipstick which so often had left traces on his lips, cheeks and clothes. Blazer with a white blouse underneath, the first button open, highlighting the neck he always loved to kiss up and down. A black pencil skirt that showed just the right amount of her long, perfect legs. Legs ending in, how could it be otherwise, High Heels. Her favorite red Louboutins.

Rei Hino, forever a piece of art.

She looked normal, like nothing had happened, no signs of sorrow or sadness. No nervousness, nothing. And he didn't even know that she was on the planet, otherwise he probably wouldn't have put a foot on Coruscant.

What did i expect? Rei is such a strong woman. She probably understood very fast that it was better that way. Speaks for itself that I can't even sense her anymore.

"Excuse me, can you put that louder, please?" SunTzu said to the barkeeper, not understanding what kind of difference it would make to see her there. Except, that his heart was bleeding a great bit more than usual.

After not seeing her for weeks Coruscant's media was hungry for pictures of Sol's Senator Rei Hino and she was PR-Pro enough to know that, so she stood there and got pictures of her taken.

Media and Paparazzi asked her various things, like what she was wearing.

Dior, I was there when she bought it and I remember how she refused to let me pay for it.

Where she had been the last weeks?

"I was on a mission with our forces and then got a nasty cold, which unfortunately knocked me out."

Nice paraphrase that I made you sick of me and you needed time to get back on your feet.

And then someone asked a question that sent cold shivers down SunTzu's spine and even penetrated Rei's mental guard.

"Where's your boyfriend? He didn't come with you?"

SunTzu saw how she flinched for the blink of an eye. Or maybe he just wished that she did. And then she answered.

"I'm not going to answer any questions about my private life but I can let you know that I'm single again."

It was logical. It was clear that it was like that. He knew it would be like that, since ever he came back to find that he missed the Far Side and yet it hurted. It stung, it burned, it got his heart in a vise. For a moment SunTzu struggled to breath and hoped that the barkeeper didn't see his reaction.

And while SunTzu tried to hide the amount of pain he was feeling right now and to somehow keep his composure, the barkeeper put a double shot of an poisonous looking liquid in front of SunTzu.

"I knew that I knew you from somewhere. I'm sorry. You and the Senator always looked so great together, i really liked you as a couple." He shot SunTzu a sympathetic look. "This one's on the house but don't let my boss know."