A few days later the Taskforce had combined again. Because of Ami's swift action to secure the space station, which controlled most of the combat droids in the sector, the fighting in the Ado Sector pretty much had ceased. Reserve Forces had taken over the few last remaining battles and defensive positions.
The Taskforce had relocated from the Eiattu System to the Indupar System. The Induparan Government had invited the Royals of Crystal Tokyo for an official planet visit. Apart from that, Ami and Royal Intelligence were also hoping to find some more Intel about the battle droids which had fought in the sector on the former CIS-Member World.
All the Senshi were accompanying the visit, mostly for security reasons. The Induparan were proud people and bringing an own security detail would have been an affront to their security forces, bringing the Senshi, the Inner Circle of the Kingdom, was another story though.
In between eight Senshi the Royals would be safe but this also meant that the other troops were bound to their mother ships, including a certain German starfighter pilot.
SunTzu was straight up bored, apart from a few trainings with the local forces he had been sitting around most of the days since they had arrived here.
Rei was still friendly towards him but he had only seen her rarely, and never alone since ever they had come back. Understandably, although it was something which felt they had to do to finish everything, she probably still had a bad conscience after their last kiss.
Setsuna had been busy in the medbay and when Minako hadn't been getting taught the correct ways of being an officer by either Artemis with fatherly strictness, or by Helios, which was less authoritarian but also less productive because the lacking the force behind, she also had been busy in the infirmary, working on her practice experience, getting taught by the older Senshi.
Except from meetings, where she always was one of the first to arrive at, Ami was almost exclusively in her office, working on the Intel she had procured in the space station near Eiattu.
Makoto had been giving workshops with some of the other veterans on board to the new troops that now augmented the Taskforce.
The rest of the Outers had been either on patrol with SunTzu first or otherwise killing time somehow. And this had been way more entertaining than the trainings and the sitting around on his own the whole day. Too bad that Terra Squadron was stationed on the Starstruck and that the Corvette Carrier now was the ship wich was patrolling the most since ever they got here.
It was evening cycle on the Eternal and SunTzu had finally enough of reading and holoflix watching to kill time. He had checked his schedule and wasn't planned for any flights tomorrow.
While this would make tomorrow an even more boring day it at least for the pleasure to get a beer in tonight.
SunTzu, dressed in casual clothing, had decided to hit up the officer's casino near the bridge. If someone would have had an problem with his outfit he was totally there for it. Except from the captains of the capital ships and Artemis, which all knew the high decorated veteran had done his deed to be allowed to violate grooming standards, he gladly would take the distraction from his boredom to have a prim officer trying to chew him out for clothing regulations and tell him where to shove his regulations.
He had come after most of the crew members already had had their dinners and after having dinner himself he sat down at the bar, enjoying a cold beer. Artemis, after having tried one by accident in London, always kept a few Bavarian Wheat Beers around the officer's mess and SunTzu's mood was immediately lifted by the beverage from his home state.
So while he was sitting there, just letting the Galaxy be itself and minding his own, someone sat down at the barstool two places beside him.
SunTzu didn't glance over until the person let out a groan.
"Company's been better in this place."
Yuichiro was sitting there, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing with a grey pant skirt and a navy colored kimono jacket.
SunTzu didn't even grant him a whole second of looking at him, before he cleared his throat and looked back at his beer. Stay nice for Rei's sake, he told himself.
"The usual." Yuichiro told the barkeeper and the Volpai behind the bar nodded and turned around to fetch a bottle.
SunTzu emptied his glass in the moment Yuichiro got his glass.
The Japanese Shinto Priest raised his glass towards SunTzu.
"To the right decision of a certain woman."
SunTzu wheezed but didn't look at Yuichiro, while the later drank a sip of his Japanese Whisky.
"You're talking a lot of shit which could bring you into trouble, Monk." SunTzu replied a moment later.
Yuichiro shot him a smile and moved his jacket to show off the two katanas he was wearing on his belt.
"In my country, monks can defend themselves."
SunTzu took the challenge and pulled his lightsaber from his belt and laid it on the table. After last mission he wouldn't leave his quarter, or AICA, without it anymore.
"Good luck with a bit of wielded steel against a lightsaber."
Yuichiro shot him a grin and patted the sheaths of his swords.
"Cortosis-reinforced blades. The one that short-outs lightsabers. You want to try it out?"
SunTzu sighed and shook his head. He could go further, tell Yuichiro how he could gravely hurt him without even touching him by using the Force but he wasn't in the mood. He made his decision to court for Setsuna and Rei had made her decision for Yuichiro, and although he understood Yuichiro's anger, he wanted Rei to be happy and this meant that he had to somehow get along with, or at least don't fight, with Yuichiro.
"Listen, Man. I'm not in the mood for this bullshit about who got the bigger balls of the two of us. Thank Rei for me not whooping your ass again. I'm gonna leave."
"No, you're not gonna leave, German."
SunTzu rolled his eyes.
"Dude… I could use the For…"
"Sit down. Let's have a drink. I'm paying. The Commandos told me that you can hold a drink. And since there's no better company I guess I have to stick with you."
SunTzu stared at him, one eyebrow cocked up.
"Rei made herself clear that I have to get along with you. You know how she can be if she wants to have it her way."
SunTzu sat down again, although hesitant, after hearing this from Rei's boyfriend.
"Yeah, way to well." His lip twitched up, Rei and her special ways.
Yuichiro nodded and looked at the barkeeper that was polishing glasses, wordlessly but aware, observing the two man at the bar.
"Tibbs, give him one as well." Yuichiro told the barkeeper and the Volpai nodded again and went to work.
A moment later SunTzu had a glass tumbler of an amber-colored liquid in front of him.
"Yamazaki 12 Single Malt." Yuichiro stated and put his glass into his hand.
SunTzu shot the other man a glance. "Thanks for the drink."
None of them raised his glass to toast to the other but both took a sip at the same time.
The Whisky was great SunTzu thought as he put down his glass, he had to give Yuichiro that. But he wouldn't stay in debt to a priest.
"Barkeeper, another one for me. And him." After wordlessly finishing their glasses SunTzu ordered another round. Of course after that glass Yuichiro had to order one in retaliation. As had SunTzu after that.
"The guys weren't lying. And also it seems that you seem to be a guy that always pays his debts back."
"I just don't like owing something to someone." SunTzu replied to Yuichiro halfway into glass number four, the alcohol had loosened up their tongues.
Suddenly an officer, the same young lieutenant that had lead SunTzu to the bridge after the mission on Haurgab, appeared and both men turned to him.
"Captains, the Admiral wants to see you immediately in the TCC. I will escort you there."
SunTzu raised an eyebrow, when did the Monk become a Captain? Yuichiro, having seen SunTzu's reaction shot him a smug grin as both got up.
Somehow, even though in their beginning to be drunk state, the two Knights of Crystal Tokyo managed to follow the young lieutenant to the control center without further arguing.
Not that both weren't thinking about to trip the other up or push him into a wall.
Both were standing in front of Artemis, and although they stood straight, the look on their faces was off.
"Gentlemen, glad you could make it so fas… are you drunk?" Artemis asked them and both looked eather and then shook their head.
"No."
"No, Sir."
Both men assured their commander.
With furrowed brows, he clearly wasn't believing them, Artemis glanced at the two Knights again.
"What's the matter, why you wanted to see us?" Yuichiro asked, talking slowly, concentrated to not slur.
Another glance followed before Artemis finally gave up, unfortunately these two drunkards still were his best option.
"As both of you know, the Royal Family and the Senshi are on Indupar. For political reasons we trust in the security measures of the local security services."
Both men nodded.
"Yeah. We know that."
Artemis looked at them for a moment.
"This is the official version. Of course Royal Intelligence works in the background. And regrettably we have information about a splinter cell of an Anti-Alliance-Movement which wants to attack the quarters of the Royals. As we cannot sent in an official force, nor can the Senshi unseen leave their quarters to investigate further, we need someone on the ground taking care of it."
"Don't worry, I got this Admiral. I'll leave immediately."
"Let me go. I'm a better choice, more subtle."
"Subtle? Your haircut alone makes you look like a criminal. Or a bum."
"At least I don't blow things up because I use a sword and not a starfighter!"
"Captains!" Artemis yelled out and both Knights immediately stood at guard again.
"You will both go. This is important, we're talking about the safety of the Royal Family and the Senshi! Are you two able to cooperate for them? Or do I need to court martial you for not being able to cooperate?"
SunTzu and Yuichiro glanced at each other.
"Are you able to cooperate?" Artemis asked again, voice sharp and crisp.
"Yes, Sir!" Both said as one, although their voices weren't really convincing.
"I do hope so. SunTzu, we'll have sent the data to your ship. Dismissed."
As soon as the two men were out of the bridge, the Admiral facepalmed for a second before he turned to the young lieutenant that brought SunTzu and Yuichiro to him, the young man had stayed on the bridge, next to Artemis.
"Lieutenant Tremblay, I'll be at my quarters. Captain Santos has the command."
Artemis announced and walked away.
He needed to call up his wife and child in Crystal Tokyo, on days like this he really needed reminding why he was doing all this.
Yuichiro and SunTzu made a detour on their way to the hangar over one of the mess halls. Their way had been walked in silence again, although both men's faces reflected their displeasure having to spend more time with the other, yet alone working together. This was way beyond having to get along in public because of Rei.
"Why the fuck do we have to make a stop at the mess hall?" SunTzu had asked, irritated by Yuichiro saying he needed to make a stop there.
"I need something to endure working with you." The priest replied as he casually strolled over to the mess hall's counter and left SunTzu standing in the entrance to the place.
A minute later Yuichiro came back with a six pack of beer.
"Are you fucking kidding me? I swear to god if you vomit into my cockpit..."
"I told you, I need something to endure spending my time with you. Now you want to stay here arguing or get going to do our job?"
SunTzu shook his head and swallowed down some obscene insults, to his dislike that fucking hippie was right, they had to get going.
They arrived at the hangar and SunTzu boarded AICA immediately to check on the data from the Intelligence Service. But before he could close the canopy Yuichiro, although a bit heavy-handed because the six pack in his hand and being tipsy, dropped on the backseat.
"Yo, take care of my ship, will ya?" SunTzu yelled with a look back and mumbled something before he turned back to his monitors, while AICA was busy with the preparations to start.
"You two are both aware that you're drunk?" AICA came in over the ship's cockpit speaker.
"Even better if you already know that. Yuichiro hand me a beer. AICA, you'll fly."
"Fuck you mean? You're not getting one of my beers."
"Hey, I'm the pilot AND OWNER of this beautiful ship. Nothing in life is for free." A hand appeared at the back of SunTzu's seat, in front of Yuichiro.
"No way Man. I'm not sharing."
"You want to walk to the surface of the planet?"
Silence came from the backseat for a moment.
"Fuck you." Yuichiro mumbled but then pulled out one of the bottles from the packaging and put it into SunTzu's waiting hand.
"See, that wasn't so hard. Now, let me check the Intel."
Both men opened their bottles with lighters they had on them, pretty much at the same time.
SunTzu took a sip while reading the Intel.
"This will be a piece of cake. They even pinpointed the area where that cell seems to be."
"I recommend you to observe the area first." The ship's AI chimed in and tried to dissuade her pilot from doing something stupid. Although her learning algorithm already had calculated a very high probability that her pilot would do something stupid. And the equally drunk second man on her backseat didn't seem to be any better in this regard.
"Yeah, yeah. Just bring us there unseen and leave the rest to me."
"You mean to me, you damn wastrel."
"Whatever, Hippie. AICA, let's go."
Two beer each, three altercations, one started with SunTzu wanting another beer and Yuichiro not wanting to hand him another and the lastly only ending because AICA intervened, threatening them to activate the ejection system if they wouldn't stop arguing, later they finally arrived the surface. It was nighttime in the capital of the planet and AICA had brought them in in stealth mode. She had dropped them in an empty looking industrial quarter, on a huge parking lot, near the target area and immediately had vanished into the nightly sky again.
Drinking the last two beers, of course to blend in and make the appearance of just two men having a drink while walking to the next alcoholic waterhole somewhere, the two guardians, with another stop in a corner store, to keep the appearance up, arrived at the target area. Intelligence and AICA had achieved to further narrow the area down to a block of small workman's houses in the meantime.
It was way after midnight now and most of the windows were dark as the houses' inhabitants were sleeping.
Sharing a bottle of local produced hard liquor, the two men were sitting on the hood of a repulsor car and observed the area, looking for anything suspicious.
"And what we do now?" The Japanese asked the German.
"Dude, have you never been on an observation mission? We sit and wait and look for something suspicious."
"Sounds boring. At least we got something to drink. Man, I wish I brought some weed."
Yuichiro grabbed the bottle from SunTzu's hands and took a swig.
He used his hand to wipe his mouth afterwards and handed the bottle back to SunTzu, looking at something on the other side of the street.
"Hey, see that black truck in front of that building."
SunTzu looked up from taking a sip from the bottle.
A middle-sized, black repulsor truck stood in front of one of the soiled and slowly forfeiting buildings. Two dark dressed men were visible packing crates into the truck and a third was lingering around, looking around suspiciously.
"I'm not a trained spy but these guys sure are fishy." Yuichiro gave his opinion and SunTzu nodded.
"Drunk guys asking for way to the next bar?" SunTzu asked Yuichiro for their further approach and the priest nodded. SunTzu took another sip and then gave the bottle to Yuichiro who emptied it.
"Let's go." He said and throw the bottle away. With a loud clangor the bottle burst and the two earthlings immediately had the attention of the suspicious men over at the house.
"Ey." Yuichiro yelled and both, Pilot and Samurai, fastened their steps until they almost had arrived at the men.
"You guys know where the next bar is?" Yuichiro asked the three man who weren't looking amused at all.
"Kriff off you drunk son of a bantha bitch." The guy standing watch said and Yuichiro held his hands up.
"Easy man, I just was asking for the way to the next bar. No need to be so hostile my friend."
The man got even more angry.
"I said fuck off!" He yelled out and his hand shot down to his belt. Behind him the other two men grabbed into their jackets as well.
SunTzu and Yuichiro both might have been drunk but their reflexes were still mostly working and before the man had drawn his blaster, Yuichiro's sword had already cut off his hand. Blood shot out of the wound and the shocked man held the stump up with his other hand and began to scream.
Behind him the two other guys had just put their hands on their guns before SunTzu shot them down with half of a magazine shared between the two men.
The man who had lost an arm was still screaming so Yuichiro forcefully pushed the hilt of his sword into his forehead, knocking him out, while SunTzu already moved up, into the building the men had come out.
SunTzu stormed inside and was greeted by a huge man, who was built like a bear, and who immediately grabbed him by his collar and violently pushed him against the wall, making him loose his pistol.
But before the man could give SunTzu a head-butt he buckled down, something had cut his leg off below his knee and in the second SunTzu needed to come clear again Yuichiro, drunk but still moving with with exceptional speed, had already moved further into the room and was cutting down two men that had came running in.
Both died by the Japanese's blade before they could take aim.
SunTzu didn't have time to actually admire Rei's new boyfriend's fighting skills as, while Yuichiro pulled his sword out of the stomach of the second man, two more thugs came running in, guns raised at Yuichiro.
Both were greeted by SunTzu who had dropped down, grabbed his pistol and immediately had taken aim.
Because of his slowered reflexes only one got hit, the bullet struck him in the eye, but the other could get into cover.
The bullets had passed just a meter away from Yuichiro.
"Hey… what the fuck?!" Yuichiro yelled at SunTzu after he had dropped into cover. SunTzu had jumped into cover as well as the enemy now opened fire.
"I just fucking saved your life."
"Oh yeah? I guess we're even then."
SunTzu had a curse on his lips but he swallowed it down and instead looked for a way to advance and take down the guy shooting at them.
Yuichiro, hiding behind a jutty of the wall looked at SunTzu, who was hiding behind a metal closet. In Japanese he let SunTzu know about his plan.
"I'll distract him and you gun him down."
"Hai!" SunTzu replied quickly and the next moment Yuichiro jumped out of his cover while SunTzu in the same moment peeked out and aimed.
A blaster shot almost hit Yuichiro. Unfortunately for the shooter, SunTzu's shot hit, although not where he had aimed at. Instead of the man's chest, SunTzu's bullet hit his throat, breaking the man's neck with the impact on top of the horrible damage done to his trachea. The man feel to the floor limp while Yuichiro and SunTzu got up, SunTzu hitting his toe on a piece of furniture because his intoxication in the process, making him curse loudly.
The two knights moved up and Yuichiro lead them further, waiting for them in the shadows of the darkened next room with a knife.
The man would have killed Yuichiro in an ambush if it hadn't been for the samurai having stumbled over the doorstep. SunTzu shot the man and then more or less involuntary bursted into laughter as Yuichiro struggled to get up and SunTzu turned on the light.
"Fuck you, SunTzu." The samurai said and put his both hands on the floor to lift him up, when he looked up again, SunTzu had a hand extended to him.
Yuichiro took it and got up, as soon as he was standing SunTzu further secured their surroundings.
While Yuichiro wiped dust from his clothes, SunTzu walked over to a couple of crates.
He lifted the lid on one and let out a whistle when he saw what was inside.
"Explosive charges." He then turned to another crate. "And weapons."
"Guess we did find the right house."
Outside the sound of sirens coming in from afar came in.
"We should leave. Like fucking right now."
"You know, for a monk you curse quite a lot." SunTzu replied. "But yeah. Although I rather blow this place up, I think it's better to let the local cops find this."
The two of them left the room and ran out of the building. Outside the man who had lost his hands, now ashen from the blood loss, was awake again and tried his best to stop the bleeding on his arm.
SunTzu and Yuichiro took a glance at him, the man was no threat anymore, and then ran off into the night, the way they had come from.
A minute later the first local police forces showed up a the the place where a shootout had been reported from.
SunTzu contacted AICA and she told them that she would pick them up at the place she had dropped them.
Both man briefly cheered, that meant they could make another stop at the corner store.
In the end it was AICA who had to wait as both man took their sweet time coming back to the infiltration point.
Both were drunk and each of them had a local beer in the hand and SunTzu also a bottle of some other beverage. Morning was slowly dawning.
In front of his ship SunTzu suddenly stopped.
Yuichiro wasn't a bad guy. And he was a damn good fighter, even drunk in the middle of the night. SunTzu felt suddenly felt bad and needed to get something off his chest.
He turned around to the brown-haired sword fighter.
"Hey man, uhm... that was actually some real nice fighting there." SunTzu put a hand on the back of his head, while Yuichiro just looked at him with an eyebrow raised.
"Listen, I'm sorry for… you know. All that stuff I said. And that time I hit you."
"Eh, it's cool. No hard feelings, I wasn't exactly nice with you either."
"There's also another thing. Now, how do I put that? Uhm..."
"You kissed Rei." That wasn't a question, it was a statement, and Yuichiro said it in a way that let SunTzu knew that Yuichiro already knew. "I know that. She told me. She also told me why and although I'm not happy about it, I do get the point that you guys needed this kiss to end things properly and know that it's over. I mean fuck, you know how Rei is. Passionate."
He shot SunTzu a wry grin. "I know she told you that she decided for me."
"She did. I just wanted to get that off my chest." SunTzu extended a hand. "You're the better suited one for her, she let me know that. Peace?"
"Peace." Yuichiro took his hand and shook it.
"But if you ever gonna leave her again…"
"hey, don't worry, I learned that lesson."
"Good."
SunTzu offered the bottle to Yuichiro.
"To Rei."
"To Rei."
Yuichiro took a large sip out of the green colored bottle and after a moment of swallowing down the burning hard liquor, handed it back to SunTzu who took a large sip as well."
When they finally had boarded the A-Wing, loudly talking, AICA's sensor told her that both were beyond inebriated. To not make them accidentally throw up in her cockpit the whole flight back to the Eternal was done very gently by her.
The Royals and the Senshi came back from Indupar early in the morning. Reports of a terrorist cell, who had prepared an attack against the government, rumors even indicating against their state guests, had initiated that the delegation of Crystal Tokyo would leave early for their ship and the talks would continued onboard the Eternal.
Rei, along with the other Inners and Setsuna, had just left one of the two Lambda Shuttles of the Taskforce moments before and was now walking through the hangar when she saw AICA parking aside.
Around her traffic cones had been planted and Rei furrowed her eyebrows, asking herself for what for, hoping there wasn't something wrong.
While the other three Inners left the hangar, Setsuna followed Rei, a step behind her.
Rei stopped in front of AICA and could catch a glimpse of what was going on inside the cockpit.
"Shhh." AICA urged her quietly over her speaker.
Inside the cockpit SunTzu and Yuichiro were sitting or rather lying on the two Pilot seats and sleeping like logs. Around them empty bottles were visibly.
"What in Chrono's good name is this?" Setsuna asked as she stopped next to Rei, seeing the two men sleeping in the A-Wing.
"This, my dear Setsuna," Rei said with a smile, "Is the beginning of a great friendship between two men."