Ami came over immediately, together with a full detachment of Intelligence Agents, an EOD Specialist and a NBC-Recon Team.

The whole Palace Wing was evacuated, the Royals brought into the nuclear-bomb-proof shelter underneath the Palace, security measures greatly strengthened and the whole Taskforce put on alert.

At least for five minutes, until the NBC-Team and EOD-Specialist Sergeant Davies declared all clear for any bigger threats.

Nonetheless the military specialists tried to open the bottle with the help of a robot that usually was used to defuse bombs and unexploded ordnance. That was until the Senator of Sol had enough. Rei was waiting next to Ami, behind the fully armored soldiers, the EOD-Specialist in his bomb suit and one of the NBC-Specialists in a HazMat-Suit, watching the surreal show before she angrily shook her head and huffed, grabbed a knife from one of the guardists also next to them and with firm steps, her high heels clicking loudly over the marble ground, walked back to the reception.

When she stood in front of the now opened box, the robot behind her, she took the bottle into her free hand and looked back to Ami, who was staring at her wide eyed, while the soldiers were seemingly nervous and tried to persuade her to get back. With a fast strike of the blade she decapitated the cork with the knife, a short stream of rare vintage champagne streaming out. The raven haired's mouth curled up for a moment because the bottle didn't explode, before Rei turned around and took the bottle to toast at Ami. Then she walked into the tea kitchen of the office and fetched two champagne flutes.

On the way to her office she yelled to the personnel closest to her.

"Can someone get my department back to work, please? And finish this circus here?"

Then she motioned at Ami to follow her.

Two minutes later the two friends were sitting in Rei's office, with Rei behind her desk, still looking annoyed from the turmoil in her department, while Ami looked as she wasn't sure what would happen now. The blue haired genius had a suspicion that she wasn't alone in here with Rei just because this gift she had received.

Rei sighed and filled the two slender glasses and then put one in front of Ami.

"I don't know if it's such a good idea to drink this, when the sender is unknown."

"Oh, this is just part of the thrill. C'mon Ames, bottoms up."

Ami just glanced over to the Senator, which had her glass raised but didn't move otherwise.

Rei nonchalantly shrugged, toasted to an imaginary someone and then took a big sip.

Two seconds later the Senshi of Fire, who had taken her time to taste and savor the exquisite sparkling beverage, shrugged her shoulders again.

"If it's poisoned I'm willing to get sick and die because this stuff sure as yomi is good." She looked at Ami again.

"Still don't want to toast with your old pal Rei?"

Hesitantly Ami took the glass but as soon as she had picked it up Rei clinged her champagne flute on Ami's.

"Kanpai!" Rei said while the glasses met.

"K-Kanpai." Ami replied, still not so sure if she should drink it but when she saw Rei downing the glass she gave it a try.

Rei hadn't lied, the Champagne was really exquisite and even Ami had to nod in approval.

"See, i told you. Too bad I had to open it now but otherwise this charade wouldn't have stopped." Rei explained her action and then took the bottle again to fill her glass up.

"Guess who's leaving the Porsche at the Palace tonight." After her own glass was full again she refilled the still half full glass of Ami who had been drinking in small but numerous sips, tryomg to silence her tenseness and anxiety as she knew something deep down in the volcano Rei Hino could be, was brewing.

Rei clinged her glass with Ami's again and then drank another sip.

"So, Ami." The raven haired said and produced the card that had been on the box of the champagne and took a look at it before she handed it to Ami, who read the note as well. So much for trying to secure DNA and fingerprints Ami thought for a moment.

"It pretty much looks like SunTzu's handwriting but I know it's not the same. Just like that letter Usagi and Mamoru received a few months ago. You know anything about it?"

Ami finished reading the gift's card and looked up to Rei.

"No. I'm sorry, unfortunately we never found out any more details about that letter. But yes, it's the same handwriting as back then. Almost identical to SunTzu's."

"You do know that as Galactic Senator of this System I have the highest secrecy level?"

Ami fought the urge to sigh, she had been right, under Rei's demeanor something was about to burst out.

"I do know that Rei and I can assure you on a professional level that neither I, nor Agent Wong, nor the Royals, know more about it."

Rei nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on Ami.

"Okay." She stated scarcely. And then she briefly looked at the champagne flute in her hand.

"If you don't know about that, you might have information about something else."

Ami knew what would come next.

"He was here at the Palace, wasn't he?"

Ami took a deep breather before she began to speak.

"Yes. He joined a briefing about the newest changes in the enemy's tactics. Telling us firsthand about it."

"Oh. So you admit, that TopGun was here, on Earth, on Crystal Tokyo, in the Palace. And nobody bothered to tell me? How nice of my friends."

"Rei. First of all, you still were on Coruscant."

"I saw AICA flying over Tokyo, that means he still was here when I arrived."

"For a military briefing. Which only Michiru, Makoto and I attended besides him. And since you don't want to fight anymore I guess it wouldn't have been relevant for you anyways."

Rei pouted while she looked away and nodded.

"Fine. If you think it's not relevant for me anymore, when SunTzu is on Earth."

"Rei, is this scene really necessary? Yes he was here. And he wasn't too fond about it, he was just following orders and left as soon as he could again."

Rei nodded, looking past Ami and zoning out.

"He asked how you are, Rei. He still cares." Ami said after a few seconds, bringing Rei's gaze back to her. After another second Rei downed her glass.

"Not so sure about that." She said quietly and then cleared her throat, before she grabbed the bottle and offered Ami a third glass but the blue haired declined with a motion of her hand.

"No, thank you."

Rei shrugged and poured herself another glass while Ami stood up.

"Care if I take that note to investigate it?"

"Help yourself." Rei answered and Ami grabbed the card, although she was pretty sure they wouldn't find anything. Just like the last time.

"I'm going back to the Intelligence Service then. Will you be okay here?"

Rei, now stretched out on her chair, which was turned sideways to the desk and the glass of champagne in her hand, looked at her champagne flute.

"I am good. How could I not with this fine stuff." Rei looked briefly at Ami before she turned back to look at her glass, her face set in stone and Ami nodded and then turned around for the door.

Typical Rei.

As soon as Ami was out the door, Rei's shoulders slumped down and she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Baka."

She let out after a while and took another big sip of champagne.

Then she turned her chair back to her desk and activated the telephone on her desk.

"Yui. Get in here. And bring a champagne glass with you."

Inside AICA, SunTzu was already on his way back to Coruscant. It was nice to see some of his friends but the mere possibility to maybe see Rei again, especially now, knowing that he had caused her more pain, hurted too much to stay on Earth.

At least AICA had news from Hotaru, which cheered him up. The young pilot was doing pretty well and had been very happy about her Saint Nicholas present.

One hour later he arrived back on Coruscant and informed Ada about his return. Ada just nodded it off, on the holo she seemed to be in thoughts.

As she didn't had any immediate orders for him, he left Coruscant again, the search for the next battle leading him into the New Frontier again.

Five days later SunTzu was sitting on a barstool in a saloon, somewhere on one of those dusty and gritty desert planets in the New Frontier. Things were archaic on theses planets and generally reminded one of the allotment of the West of the United States in the 17th Century. And it sure was a Wild West around here.

Those enemies SunTzu came by last time were called Outriders and had terrorized the New Frontier even before Yuma and the neighboring planets and systems had became a part of the GFFA. They had been defeated years ago but they seemed to be back now. SunTzu couldn't find out that much but apparently these Outriders didn't die when one shot them. They dematerialized and teleported back to their own dimension, called the Phantom Zone. It was hard to believe but that was what AICA found out when she hacked herself into a base of the Cavalry Command.

Unfortunately she couldn't find any more info where this Phantom Zone was or how those Outriders teleported themselves back.

The last three days had been full of battle, destruction and carnage as he had helped the local garrison withstand an Outrider Attack on this planet. A planet that was a backwater planet even for local standards, the planet's name Tombstone had been fitting for what had happened on it.

The Outriders had attacked two villages and a few farms before SunTzu and the Cavalry had arrived. Dozen of civilians, men, women, children alike, had been killed and when SunTzu had found the charred and collapsed remnants of what had been a school in one of the villages he had gone full berserk.

Now the enemy seemed to have been completely wiped off the planet and friendly reinforcements had arrived as well as had aid for the population.

But the dead would stay dead, those civilians didn't went to a Phantom Zone. Something AICA, and SunTzu could have sworn he had heard sarcasm in the AI's voice when she had said it, had compared with respawning in a video game.

SunTzu was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, as well as a baseball cap while he was sitting directly at the bar this afternoon. He had gone with a light and civilian-looking loadout the last few days, mostly to blend in as the Outriders often hid in midst of civilians as well. Two times the last few days he already had a shootout in the middle of a settlement.

AICA was at a nearby field base of the local security forces, said base now reinforced by a platoon of young and inexperienced Galactic Alliance Troopers, fresh out of boot camp.

SunTzu had told her to stay there and keep a sensor open for any problems.

The pilot was sipping away on his third glass of horrible tasting, but potent, local whisky.

The whisky was warm as he hadn't wanted it on the rocks, no way he would trust ice cubes on this dusty rock of planet.

But he had needed a drink.

This planet's damn heat, the sand everywhere, the fact that the enemy just kept coming back after being shot, the fact he had come too late to save those civilians four days ago, the faces of those dead, mangled kids which were haunting him in his dreams, the fact the food in the base and everywhere else he had gone at this this planet was disgusting, the showers, which one wanted to use to at least get this mixture of sweat and sand from oneself, not running most of the time, and the fact that he still thought way too often about Rei, all had worked his mind into a foul, angry state.

At least the whisky hadn't turned him blind. Yet.

While he sat there drinking and hoping nobody would bother talking to him, he noticed that an old holo projector was running in the corner of the bar counter.

He wheezed as he saw that even out here the people cared enough for the antics of the upper class as that dubious channel that showed the Rich and Famous of Coruscant and the rest of the Galaxy was on.

Right now it was broadcasting live again from Coruscant, on where it was already evening, from a charity event to collect money for the refugees of the War.

SunTzu saw that they were interviewing the Vice-President-in-Exile of Rago.

This sparked SunTzu's attention enough to change places so he could hear the man speak.

Of course he just had sat down when the politician had ended his interview.

SunTzu sighed and downed his glass, the barkeeper already coming over with the bottle. SunTzu had been here yesterday and apart from being a good customer the quiet man in the flannel shirt had given the barkeeper, who also was the owner of the saloon, a very generous tip.

While the barkeeper filled his glass, something catched SunTzu's eye in the TV.

He knew the next person they interviewed very well.

She was as beautiful as ever, the white dress highlighting her black hair and those blue eyes. And she seemed genuinely happy while she said she hoped that tonight's fundraiser would bring in lots of money.

And then something happened which made SunTzu doubt reality for a moment.

Rei made a motion to someone who wasn't in the picture and a man appeared next to her.

Although he was wearing a fine sitting suit and had his hair in a man bun, SunTzu immediately recognized him. The man stepped next to Rei and laid his hands around her and she looked at him with a happy smile.

SunTzu's heart felt like it exploded, for a second he really thought he had a heart attack the way it hurted.

SunTzu still thought he was in a bad dream when the interviewer asked Rei who that man beside her was.

"This is Yuichiro Kumada. My boyfriend."

SunTzu's head began to spin and the barkeeper, who had finished filling the glass, looked back and forth at SunTzu and the projector wondering what had engaged the guy in the flannel shirt so much. For a moment he could have sworn flannel jacket's eyes began to glow yellow but then a bang made the barkeeper jolt around.

Somehow the projector had exploded all in a sudden.

"Darn!" The barkeeper yelled out and was about to put the whisky bottle back under the counter and see what had happened with the holo projector, when suddenly a hand appeared on the bottle's top.

"I'll take the whole bottle." The customer said and the expression in his eyes made it clear that he wouldn't take a no as answer.

The barkeeper just shrugged and ceded the bottle to SunTzu before he rushed over to the broken projector.

A few cycles later, the days were mostly shorter on the smaller planets in the New Frontier than on Earth and Coruscant, SunTzu was still at the Area of Responsibility of the Seventh Fleet. He had been all over the sector, trying to find every fight he could participate in.

And when he hadn't been fighting he mostly had been out drinking. It had been days since he had been halfway sober. He couldn't let her go and to numb that feeling he had to deaden his feelings.

Being officially a part of the Intelligence Service helped immensely to get along with this style of living or rather fighting. He stayed for a battle and while he was keeping up his intoxication afterwards AICA was getting rearmed and serviced.

And then he moved on.

Sometimes SunTzu had been so drunk it had been a wonder he had been able to climb into the cockpit but as soon as he was in combat he somehow had functioned again, like it had been all he ever did.

AICA didn't had to do a single move of her own to intervene and save him in combat.

Some moments the pilot had asked himself what he was doing here, as flying drunk into combat was as suicidal as it got. But those Outriders weren't very skilled. And the booze kept the heartache and nightmares away.

He had decided that it was up to the Force and God what would happen to him, if he would die, he would die.

Sure he had an oath to fulfill but the Taskforce hadn't been doing any frontline missions lately and who knew if they ever would do so again. And apart from the oath, there wasn't much else to live for than to fight.

Right now SunTzu was on his way out of the New Frontier and to where the rogue Domain of Vong was pushing forward.

Suddenly AICA came on and reported an incoming call. It was from Ami. SunTzu took it.

"Major Urawa, what gives me the pleasure?"

"Moshi Moshi, SunTzu. How are you? Are you good? Haven't heard from you since you left Earth."

"I'm doing well, thanks Ami. But listen, I'm on my way to fight a few Vong, is there something more?"

A pause followed.

"I'm worrying a bit with you. Giving all the news of the last days what's happening in the Northwest."

"I kill the enemy and then get drunk. Day after day. I don't know about you Ami, but life could be worse."

Another pause before Ami replied.

"That doesn't sound that desirable if I'm being honest."

And now SunTzu fell silent for a moment.

"Listen Ami, I'm almost falling back into Real Space, I gotta takeover from AICA. We talk another time."

And then he hung up. He was at least half an hour away from the point where he would fall back into Real Space.

Ami sighed, of course he was not doing well. She could hear that in his voice.

She just hoped he was in a state to be able to fight because nothing would stop him from doing so anymore.

Fourty minutes later another call came in, AICA told SunTzu. The pilot expected it to be Ami again, probably wanting to appeal to his conscience to change things.

It was nice to know that someone cared but Ami didn't understand.

But it wasn't Ami, it was the blonde whirlwind with the red bow in her hair, Minako.

He sighed but he took the call, partly out of curiosity about why Rei's best friend would call him. Not that they were good friends as well but he thought that Minako would rather side with Rei and not be interested in hearing from him.

"Hello Minako."

"Hey SunTzu. How are you."

Horrible. I should stop drinking but the drinking is the only thing that keeps the heartache of loosing Rei away.

"I'm okay, busy with fighting war. How are you?"

"Angry I guess." She paused for a second. "I guess I'm angry with Rei."

"Angry with Rei? Why? You guys are best friends."

"The things she does and decisions she takes. I guess I could say welcome to the club, SunTzu. The club of people who got tossed aside for Yuichiro."

These words made SunTzu's defense crack.

"It didn't even take a month, Mina." He quietly replied.

"That's her with Yuichiro. I love her as best friend and as person but when it comes to Yuichiro she always casts everything aside. I don't know why she is like that, maybe because he was the first man that showed her genuine love except for her grandfather. But still it's just not right to do something like this, not in such a short time."

SunTzu didn't reply, but was surprised that Minako was that angry with Rei.

"I've been where you are now and yeah, you have heard her. We were a phase. Not a single word how much we loved each other romantically back then. No word how much passion there was between us. I really hope she doesn't do the same with you. And if, I promise you this, she's in trouble." Minako continued her rant, she was really angered by Rei's behavior and that she was back together with Yuichiro. SunTzu didn't know what to answer.

"I… I appreciate it Minako. But don't fight with Rei because of me. It's not worth it."

"Oh, trust me, it is. As I said I can relate to your heartbreak and I don't know about the others but I understand that you left for Rei's sake. It's just not fair with you, as it wasn't fair with me back then. Sorry for my rant, I guess I just hoped that she wouldn't treat you the same way she treated me back then."

"Hey Minako?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, for real. But don't waste your energy for a failure like me." SunTzu said with a warm voice.

"Shut up. You should know how great of a guy you are."

SunTzu stayed silent, no he didn't but it felt fucking good that Minako had said that.

"Thanks Minako. Listen, I gotta get back to kicking Vong Ass. Thanks for calling."

"Sure. Give them hell and revenge Rago for us."

"That's the plan."

"Take care out there then, Pilot. Oh and one more thing. Next time you're on Earth give your favorite blonde mess a call, so we can schedule something."

SunTzu had to smile under his helmet now.

"Will do. Take care. And don't forget to learn, Doctor Aino."

This comment sparked a laugh from Minako.

"Don't worry, I will. Goodbye SunTzu."

"Bye Mina!"

They hung up and SunTzu closed his eyes for a moment to ease this telephone call down.

At least he still had friends. But the possibility that he would just become a side note in the life of the woman he still loved so much, still stung hard.

Anyways, it was time to let some rogue Vong pay and then to find a place to get a drink to combat his beginning hangover.

He grabbed AICA's controls tighter and headed for the front of the Fleet around him.

"Lieutenant Colonel Wong, I was expecting your call already."

"Good Morning Madame Chief of State. We got the concluding report on that note."

"Let's cut it down to the main question. Was it him?"

"We can't say for sure, just like last time. But personally I'm sure it was him. The meaning of the note, the almost similar handwriting."

"Bold action to act so openly. Does Senator Hino know about him?"

"Negative. Only Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion know about the target subject."

"Good. Keep it like that for the present. With one exception, tell Major Urawa about him. But only personal and in private."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Where's our man?"

"He just left the New Frontier after several battles there and is, if he did not arrive yet, on his way to fight the rogue Yuuzhan Vong troops."

"I see. Is he able to do that after the last… events regarding Senator Hino?"

"Positive. He's as active in the War as he can be. Just like the Prophecy told."

"Good. Make sure that he stays fit for service."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Sent the whole report on the note to my office, I'll have the Jedi look over it as well. Goodbye Ada."

"I will. Goodbye Madame Chief of State.