"Triton Squadron, you're cleared hot. Get those tanks."

"Copy SunTzu. Triton Leader, Missiles away!"

A pair of missiles left the wings, bristling with weapons, of the teal-striped K-Wing that shot over the French VAB, a wheeled armored personal carrier, and the vehicles in a line in front of it. SunTzu was standing in an open hatch in while the vehicle moved swiftly towards the the wall of smoke, both from fire and smoke generators and from where heavy laser and blaster fire was incoming from.

Two loud explosions were heard as the missiles found their targets. All around them to be heard was a cacophony of machine gun and blaster fire with the occasional even louder shot of a tank canon, both lasers and regular propelled.

"SunTzu, Foudre Two-One is reporting two AATs, three point five clicks, eight o'clock."

Sailor Neptune reported. Although she was standing in the hatch next to him, she had to use her radio so he could hear her. Just as him she was dressed in camouflaged combat clothes and was wearing a helmet and plate carrier, her teal hair in a braid hanging over her shoulder.

Suddenly the impact of a shot fired by the laser canon of a droid-controlled AAT-repulsor tank just a few meters away rocked the whole vehicle violently, briefly making the two Earthlings even feel the heat of the shot.

SunTzu and Michiru had to hold on to something to not smash against the metal of the vehicle and the Guardian of Guardians immediately turned over to Michiru.

"You okay?" He yelled but in that moment the next laser cannon shot hit the VAB.

Emerald Green.

That was the color of the energy blade that lightened up the dark inside of the main corridor of the multi-family house.

Jacen Solo took another step deeper into the corridor and from behind another source of light appeared, this one being purple.

"You sense it too. There's nothing. That's the sixth place already, where did they bring all this people?" Jaina Solo, Jacen's twin sister asked as she followed her brother into the building.

Outside of the large, tall building located in a residential area, similar buildings in rows next to it, Jacen's Adjutant, Captain Jori Lekauf and four GA Trooper waited for the two Jedi while dozens more of the GA soldiers swarmed the area and checked other houses for their inhabitants or at least their remains.

Inside Jacen turned back to Jaina. "We both know where, or rather how all these people ended up. We came too late to safe them."

The primary offensive was directed at Taleucema, the capital of the planet, the planet's largest, richest and most important city.

Those Forces under command of the son of the Chief of State, centered around three divisions now, had taken over the brunt of the combat on Saleucami, having fought through hundreds of former CIS-Tanks and armored vehicles so far.

The technological superiority, soon after landfall supported by air supremacy, made the harsh difference in numbers for the droids almost completely useless but of course there were casualties on the GA side as well.

Nevertheless the offensive was going as planned and soon the first larger settlements had been freed from the machine occupants.

What was very unsettling but somehow had become not unusual for the Shadow War was that some of those freed villages and towns were completely empty of their inhabitants.

And although there were rumors running through both the Fleet and the Ground Forces, only the leadership of the Galactic Alliance's forces knew what had happened to those individuals.

A few thousand kilometers away from the primary front lines, directed at various supply points and civilian settlements, with the main target being a field headquarters, Taskforce Sol was having it's area of operations for the liberation of Saleucami.

From a landing zone in a secondary mountain area the combined forces of Sol Brigade and a mixed Cavalry and Infantry force of the French Foreign Legion had moved out and attacked the hastily set up positions of the enemy.

The French forces had flanked the defensive lines of the enemy and the breakthrough had caused enough confusion and diversion that the fast repulsor tank companies of the Taskforce had successfully started their main attack and together both units had beaten the enemy forces in their defensive positions, with a lot of help from the starfighters and artillery of the Taskforce.

But the risky attack had also caused a few casualties.

SunTzu was sitting on an AMX-10 RCR, on its turret right next to the 105mm-Canon of the Recce Tank and observed the horizon with his macro-binocular, his rifle slung around his back and his helmet tied on his Plate Carrier.

A lighted cigarette was in the corner of his mouth and behind him the tank commander was looking out of his hatch and also smoking, just like SunTzu checking the horizon with binoculars.

"Véhicule's fucked. Caporal Mansouri said they won't get it to move again without a complete exchange of the frontal undercarriage." Michiru appeared and swung herself up the tank, agile like a cat, where she sat down on the other side of the canon.

SunTzu just had answered with a "Mhm." Both their faces were still dirty from the fight and the dust that seemed to be everywhere on the mostly arid planet.

She turned around and nodded to the tank commander who greeted her with a polite "Mademoiselle."

Michiru took a big exhausted sigh and then took the cigarette out of SunTzu's mouth, putting it in her own and taking a big drag before she blew out the smoke.

Michiru looked around, the remains of a battle between armored vehicles were scattered around, some destroyed vehicles and droids still smoking.

Spread out across the surrounding areas where the French Legionnaires and their vehicles as well as some supply vehicles from the Taskforce.

The Sol Brigade was still on the move some kilometers further towards the next enemy lines. Enemy lines which right now were hammered from above from aimed turbo laser fire from the Eternal and a Hapan Cruiser.

"Anything to see?" The Half-French asked and then took another drag.

"Nope. I guess Sol got everything between here and that farm those eleven klicks away."

Michiru blew out the smoke again before she replied.

"Bien. Then I'll see that I can organize some food for us." She put the half-smoked cigarette back in SunTzu's mouth who was back at observing the horizon with his binoculars. Without hands he took a drag as Michiru climbed down the tank again.

When she had arrived at the ground again and was already a few meters away, SunTzu glanced at her.

As it seemed to be normal in war, the last battle, their first as attachment to the Foreign Legion, had been a nexus of lucky and unlucky coincidences.

They only had gotten hit by an enemy tank after the VAB had lost velocity because of getting almost hit before. On the other side Michiru, SunTzu and the VAB's machine gunner were more or less ready for the impact and didn't hurt themselves because of the almost hit before.

The laser cannon had hit the VAB directly in its left wheel and although the wheel immediately fell off it took a few rough meters until the vehicle came to a stand.

SunTzu who had reacted immediately, drawing in on the Force, had used one hand to make sure Michiru wouldn't get thrown around or worse, out of the vehicle, while holding onto the vehicle with the second hand. As soon as the vehicle stopped all of the crew and passengers immediately left the APC, except the gunner who sent a long burst into the direction where the shot came from while he cursed in his native language.

SunTzu literally had jumped out of his hatch, had grabbed Michiru and had pulled her out as well before they had jumped off the vehicle and dropped flat on their stomachs a few meters away and behind a small heap that had been thrown up from a canon shot.

The first thing both had done next was to aim their rifles in the area the shot came from.

For the blink of an eye SunTzu had looked over to his wingwomen, she sure didn't make for the worst soldier.

The vehicle's driver then had dropped down next to them.

"Tout va bien?"

"Oui."

Hearing Michiru answer with yes he had immediately gotten up again and had ran to the next soldier, one of the French fire support specialists, who had been already on his radio, letting his higher ups now, that they had lost their vehicle.

After a last check to make sure that there were no enemies nearby, battle around them growing more intense, SunTzu had changed his radio channel and then pushed the button of the PTT-device.

"SunTzu to Mistress Nine, how copy?"

"Copy loud and clear, SunTzu. What's the sitch?"

"My vehicle has been immobilized, I need some eyes in the sky to further guide Triton in. What's your position?"

"We are fifty… fifty-three clicks to your southwest on SCOCAP. Do you need RESCAP?"

"Negative Mistress Nine, we are fine down here but we need to bring in more ordnance."

"Copy SunTzu, ETA two minutes. Let Triton know to get ready to stack up behind AICA for a missile-and-gun-run."

"Affirmative."

"You wait here." SunTzu had then ordered Michiru and had gotten up again.

"I'm older in rank than you." She had replied, having taken overwatch with her rifle, while he had done so.

"Don't even start that." Had been his reply before he had begun to sprint towards the next natural cover, a small ditch.

While doing so, he and Michiru had assessed the situation over radio and SunTzu had accordingly instructed the close air support.

The tanks at the front had been still on the move and had neutralized several enemy vehicles.

Right behind them had been some more APCs and some of them had stopped and hastily spewn out infantry teams with anti-tank-teams, who had used the range advantage of their missiles to engage more enemy vehicles.

SunTzu had moved further forward, trying to get closer to the enemy positions to more effectively guide in the planes.

After some sprints, and a lot of arrow prayers, he had found a ditch he could entrench himself in while using his laser designator, running in infrared mode and showing the thermic schemes of the enemy, and overwatch a good portion of the battlefield.

The French Fire Support Specialists had been really busy as well he had noticed, as a barrage of artillery had came down on an especially heavily entrenched enemy positions just a few moments later.

The explosions had whirled up earth and debris high in the sky and SunTzu had even seen two B1-Droids which had been lifted up in the air at least thirty meters high.

And then came the angel-like sound of AICA's engines in and SunTzu had immediately felt how he had become more calm again.

"I got some presents for them, got a mark for me?" Hotaru had come in in his headset and SunTzu immediately had looked for a fitting target, which he had found fast. A Heavy Artillery Gun, the artillery version of the AAT, behind a fortification of tree stumps, which had hindered the French tanks to hit it direct.

But the HAG had not been protected from attacks from up above and so SunTzu had activated the target designation laser on the device and had focused it onto the vehicle's turret.

"Sent it." Was the only thing he had then told Hotaru and a few moments later the tank including the funkhole had exploded when a SDB from inside AICA's belly had found its target.

"Good effect on target you two."

"Oh, that was just the beginning, we brought a few friends. You just have to tell them where to shoot, Boss." It had been AICA who had answered and the next thing after instructing the assault fighters that SunTzu had the morbid pleasure to watch, had been how half a Squadron of K-Wings had torn into the enemy positions with missiles, unguided rockets, bombs and their short-range quad laser turrets on their fore.

The deadly light and fire show had been mesmerizing to watch. But not only that, with the massive bombardment the enemy defense had finally broken completely and although they had lost at least four tanks and several other vehicles the French finally could break through which also had meant for the beginning of the attack of the Sol Brigade.

From that point on it hadn't even take half an hour until the battle was over.

SunTzu finished his cigarette, having put down his macro-binoculars, observing two of the French Senior NCOs drinking coffee from tin cups while sitting on the wreck of an AAT like they were in a cafe in Paris.

He shook his head one more time. War sure was random.

Shortly before the battle had begun the designated, female ruler of the planet had been seen using a holo projector for a private call to Earth.

Usagi had called her mother Ikuko to ask what was going on with her father and why in all the light on the moon, he was on Saleucami.

"Usagi, Darling, how nice from you to call, I can imagine you are busy. You're away so often lately."

"Mom, thank the gods you are home, we have to talk!"

"What's so urgent Love? And where are you?"

"I… Mom, I think I'm not really allowed to talk about my whereabouts, when it comes to our military and Ami they were even strictly against calling you."

"But you're the Neo Queen my dear. Can't you just order them to let you call?"

Usagi swallowed a sigh, that wasn't why she had called, they were getting distracted.

"Mom, why is dad here?"

"Your dad is there? With you? Oh. Is he safe?"

"He's with us and yes, we are safe so far. He's walking around making pictures and told me they are for his work."

In contrary to her daughter, Ikuko didn't try to swallow the following sigh down.

Within the years, she had learned to keep her cool, even if her daughter was a superhero, the next apocalypse was incoming or, and that was one of the hardest things to get used to, her granddaughter more or less being replaced by an older herself from the future.

"Usagi, your father has a bit of a rough time lately. He feels like he hasn't achieved enough in his life, especially lately, and he needed to break out. Can you imagine, with two such wonderful children and a granddaughter he absolutely adores? Anyways I guess with you becoming Neo Queen Serenity and this horrible war going on, he slipped into a midlife crisis. One day he decided to give up his position as editor-in-chief, packed his camera and told me in a long conversation that he wanted to go back to his humble beginnings. I didn't know that he wanted to head to the war or to you guys."

"Mom, why didn't he talk with us before that?"

"You know your father, he has strong believes. And he said with the right picture taken he can change the Galaxy more than he could ever do as editor. I know your father, it's probably just a phase where he needs to realize how many great things he already has achieved."

"Mom, we are in an active war zone."

"Which means, that I have my granddaughter, daughter, son-in-law and husband in one, Usagi."

"Mom…"

"Usagi just make sure you're all alright and get home unharmed. Let him take some pictures where he's safe, I can imagine he will come to his senses soon and things will get back to normal."

Usagi sighed, it wasn't as she already had enough on her hands already and now she couldn't find the urge to sigh.

"Fine, but as soon as I can, I'll put him on a flight back to Earth."

"Talk with him, let him know that no matter if Queen or not, you're still his daughter and we both know he doesn't have to proof a single thing as man to anyone of us."

"Ugh, okay."

"I know these times are daring and you're busy, but whenever you find the time, come home. I'll bake a cheesecake for you. I'll tell Shingo to come over as well."

"Okay mom. But I want cherries in there as well then." She giggled, having her father here meant extra stress but at least she had found the time to have a few minutes of conversation with her mother, something she had neglected too long.

"The one you like so much. All of you stay safe, Usagi, and kiss my dear Chibiusa from me."

"Will do, mom. I hope to see you guys soon."

"I love you Usagi."

"Love you too Mom."

Usagi ended the connection and looked around in the tent she had retreated for for the call. Her father had a real bad timing for a midlife crisis.

While the land forces moved on, engaging the enemy on the move and the vast machinery of war of both sides was further on the move to destroy each side, Jacen and Jaina had finished their inspection of the deserted city.

Along with Captain Lekauf, whose grandfather had served Jacen's grandfather just like he now did with Jacen before him, they waited for Jacen's shuttle back to the Black Annie, with Jaina's X-Wing a few meters apart.

"A part of me still hopes that these people just fled their homes."

"Search your feelings, you know that, unfortunately, this isn't true."

"Why our enemies always have to enslave the innocent? Yuuzahn Vong, Ssi-ruuk and now Chaos." Jaina let out a sigh, Jacen had been right, they had been too late.

"We should confer with Master Cilghal and the council about this." The commander of the Fifth Fleet said to his twin sister.

"Let me know when you'll meet. I will join in then."

"You're not coming along now?"

Jaina turned around and walked to her starfighter.

"First I'll have to let the enemy know what awaits them if they assault the innocent."

Jacen nodded and from up above the sound of a shuttle could be heard coming closer.

The Jedi Extraordinaire let his gaze wander around, in the distance a column of heavy armored vehicles moved towards the front line and behind them were columns of repulsorcraft full with soldiers. They would retake this planet, that was the least they could do for the people of Saleucami.

At Landing Zone Yuigahama, which had become the field base on Saleucami for Taskforce Sol, there was a lot of activity going on after the battle.

The wounded had been brought from the frontline and collection point to the landing zone and those were now flown out, with the most serious of course being the first.

Supplies were flown in and distributed and repair crews and their vehicles headed out or back in, with damaged vehicles in tow.

In the midst of what could easily had been mistaken as chaotic jumble but indeed was a carefully orchestrated operation, with Royal Guards and specialist troops conducting the traffic, was Kenji Tsukino, taking pictures, with his granddaughter and a Guardist in tow.

Hotaru had left right before the battle in AICA and then had returned to the Eternal to get AICA rearmed.

Having Sailor Mars as protection with her, the Neo Queen marched towards her father who was more or less standing in the middle of the base, lost in taking pictures.

"Papa, can we talk?"

"Sure thing Usagi-Chan, just one moment." He took another picture of a damaged repulsor apc being towed away with the help of repulsors from a special vehicle. "Isn't it awesome what technology can do these days? These things are floating over the ground."

"Dad, really. It's urgent."

Kenji put down the camera and turned to Usagi.

"Can we take a walk?"

"Of course, sorry."

Usagi looked at Rei, who nodded and extended an arm and waved Chibiusa over.

"Come on Chibs, let's see if we can get a cup of coffee and maybe some sweets around here."

Chibiusa walked over to Rei with a grin and then smiled at her grandfather again.

"See you later Grandpa."

Kenji waved friendly at her and then both Kenji and Usagi took a moment to follow the two Senshi's walking away.

"She' really knows her ways around here, she could tell me the designation of every vehicle." Kenji commented about Chibiusa as he followed Usagi away from close to the main road of the base.

For a long moment none of them said a word and then it was Usagi who rose to speak.

"I talked with Mom."

"Is she alright? I'm sure she'll doesn't mind to have some time for herself."

"Dad, why do you feel like that you have to achieve more in life?"

"That's… it's not usual for children to ask her parents things like that."

"I'm not a child anymore and Crystal Tokyo is not straight Japan's culture as you know. I'm worrying with you."

"It's… Usagi-Chan you are the Queen of Neo Tokyo, an Utopia. And Sailor Moon. And the editor of a newspaper is not exactly what you think a Queen would let people know what her father does for a living."

"Ohhh Dad, really? You know that nobody, especially me, would ever judge you for what you are. You're great in what you do, your wit when you write, the way you support your editorial staff. And that's just your job. I am Sailor Moon and Neo Queen Serenity but I would not be here without you and Mama and not only because you're my parents but because of the merits you teached me. Shingo is a hero in his own right and it's also because of what you two teached us. And you're the best grandfather one can wish for, Chibiusa loves you so much."

She stopped and turned to him.

"Oh, Usagi…"

A big hug between father and daughter followed, as she closed the distance between them.

"You are a father more than worthy of a princess, never forget that."

"Thank you so much, Usagi-Chan."

They ended their hug and Usagi let out a big breather. "Okay Dad, since I respect your journalistic integrity I'm not putting you into the next transport up the Eternal. But I won't let you come close to ongoing combat and you have to promise me this will be your last trip into a war zone."

"Big promise." He shrugged before he continued. "You know, it's not just because I have to proof something to myself. I also want to show the world what my daughter is doing. For Planet Earth, for the Galaxy. Thank you for granting me this chance."

Usagi teared up a bit, suddenly close to her younger teenage self.

"Papa!" Another hug followed.

And then both smiled at each other and Usagi wiped the tears out of her face.

"C'mon, let's find Chibiusa, if she's with you she doesn't get any ideas to participate in combat."

More than hundred kilometers away by now the French Foreign Légion and their two attached officers from Taskforce Sol were on the move again.

After the loss of the defensive lines, most of the heavy weaponry of the droid army in this region gone with it, the droid army was more or less in retreat.

Their older anti-tank weapons artillery didn't even have the range of modern missiles from Earth and their tactics were well known by the commanders of the Taskforce.

Together with the full air supremacy and her Neo Majesty's Wolves causing havoc behind the enemy lines the offensive on this part was gaining ground in rapid velocity.

The AO of Sol's First and Third Battalions, a rather uninhabited mountainous area in the vicinity of volcanoes had more or less already been pacified as the enemy presence was rather scarce and now the soldiers were searching for more enemies with the help of their gunships and transports as well as in platoon-sized elements on foot.

On other parts of the planet the Galactic Alliance's forces played out their space and air superiority and hit the enemy hard from above, and some more rural enemy positions were hit by limited orbital bombardment before various units of the GA assaulted the smoking remains of the enemy emplacements.

The main offensive, towards Taleucema, was going on as well, although slower as on other parts of the planet as most of the former CIS-Forces had been concentrated near the planet's capital and heavy combat was reported almost nonstop from the units involved.

After a road march of the reinforced cavalry regiment the French soldiers stopped for the night just outside a small settlement, mostly made up of farms harvesting Bubse Trees, for their roots were harvested to be used as ingredients for medicinal substance. Most of the inhabitants, mostly Pantorans, was still there and troopers from Sol's Fourth Battalion distributed relief goods from trucks.

Michiru and SunTzu had found a ride in another VAB and both had used the drive to update themselves on the strategic situation on the planet.

Now SunTzu was standing next to their both's encampment for the night, two sleeping pads and sleeping bags, items on loan from the French army, located next to a shed. He was smoking a cigarette and watched the two French rations entrees they had acquired heat up on their folding stoves.

Michiru came back, SunTzu's chronograph in her hands. SunTzu had given it to her so she could call up Haruka over AICA as relay.

"Dinner's almost warm. How's Haruka?"

"She's a big girl, she'll survive a few days without me. Although barely." Michiru giggled, knowing very well that Haruka's feeling of being half was the same for her.

A few minutes later they had eaten, the French MREs sure lived up to their hype, and had bedded themselves in their sleeping bags, after SunTzu had made thoroughly sure there weren't insects or arachnoids around.

Now they laid under the stars, boots next to their sleeping bags, rifles and plate carriers next to them.

The first AMX-10s and units of Sol Brigade were already past the regular range of the enemy's artillery so sleeping should have been pretty safe.

Not that SunTzu had tried to convince Michiru to sleep in her plate carrier.

Michiru knew exactly how to shut him up. "If you keep going like that, I'll take off everything I wear. And I'll let Haruka know that you were laying next to me while doing so."

Yes, she definitely would miss messing with him, but stopping her teasing was nothing compared to Setsuna and SunTzu finding their happiness together.

SunTzu was lying on his back, arms crossed behind his head and looking up into the stars, shining in the night.

Michiru was laying on her stomach, quietly observing SunTzu, knowing very well about whom he was thinking about. At least she wasn't alone in missing the person she loved.

Suddenly SunTzu turned to her. "We should get some sleep in."

"Oui."

"Which tricks you usually use to fall asleep?"

"Haruka."

"Oh."SunTzu had almost blushed after her nonchalant answer. "That's far from the 4-7-8 breathing I'm using."

Michiru giggled before she replied again. "I could imagine that might be something for you and Setsuna as well."

SunTzu looked at her and seeing her disarming smile he couldn't help but to smile as well.

"Let's sleep Captain, we got a war to win."

"Alright , if I'll get cold I'll slip in your sleeping bag.

She got him again and couldn't help but to laugh after seeing his face. And then SunTzu began to laugh as well. After a moment they fell quiet again.

"Bonne nuit, SunTzu. Give my regards to Setsuna in your dreams." Michiru then said quietly.

"Good Night, Michiru. Tell your girlfriend I'm still the better pilot."

Both giggled again before they finally closed their eyes and fell asleep.

The two Guardians got five solid hours of sleep in before their company was on the move again, rolling out before the sun began to rise.

On their area of operations fighting had pretty much ceased over the night but the repulsor tanks of Hauptmann Schmitt were already heading for enemy positions again.

On another part of the planet it was late afternoon and three Jedi, accompanied by a Fleet Officer and a Squadron of troopers inspected a small village. Again, all of its inhabitants were missing and it looked very much like they hadn't fled. There were clearly signs of a battle in the village.

Master Cilghal and the two Solo Twins reached out with the Force, Jaina and Cilghal trying to enforce Jacen to sense what happened when they suddenly felt something else, a shadow of the Force, on the planet. And it wasn't SunTzu or another living Force User.

"Now we know what happened here, just as we feared but what was that other sensation?" Jaina asked, looking at her brother.

"I have felt this before. There might be a dead Jedi Master on this planet. I'll ask the Council if they have further information."

"Very well, Master. In the meantime, I'll inform the Supreme Commander and the Chief of State what happened here."

The early morning sky on the horizon looked like it was on fire and in the distance large columns of smoke were visible.

Right on time for the sunrise a relentless artillery bombardment on the enemy positions had started and was almost immediately followed by wave after wave of starfighters and bombers dropping ordnance on the enemy positions.

Every Squadron from Taskforce Sol as well as some from the Fifth Fleet was in the air over Saleucami.

As fast as they could the combined forces of the Earthlings on this part of Saleucami dashed forward, past burning and smoking, obliterated enemy positions.

Single battle droids were being engaged from the vehicles, Sol's Fourth Battalion with lighter vehicles was on it's way to mop up the puny rest of the enemy the armored formations and the fire support had left behind.

"I got one!" Michiru cheered, lowering her rifle after she made sure she had destroyed a B1. Both she and SunTzu were standing in the open hatch of a VAB again, engaging single enemies from it, while in the front the heavy machine gun of the apc engaged targets on the front.

Still scanning for targets SunTzu began to smile, who would have thought that a noble lady like Michiru had such talent for being mechanized infantry.

Jacen Solo and his staff just had left the field headquarters of the corps made up of the three divisions that were marching towards Saleucami's capital, which was located just behind the frontlines, when his sister, just having returned from an attack run on enemy positions further ahead, came in over his communicator.

Master Cilghal had found something about that dead Force-user they had felt. Perfect timing as their grandfather had just sent him a holo message as well and he was well on his way to see what Lord Vader had to tell them.

In the distance the rumble of fighting artillery was to be heard.

The VAB, no every vehicle of the company, if not even every vehicle of the whole force, came to a hold, swarming out into a defensive position.

"What the hell? Why are we stopping?"

"Maybe there's obstacles ahead?" SunTzu supposed, hoping that the recon units and flights hadn't been wrong and the enemy had still more units left than they had thought.

"I'm checking it out." Michiru replied and got on her radio.

A moment later the sound of engines came in from above and both officers of Taskforce Sol turned their gazes up into the sky.

There were no clouds in the sky so they could make out the whole dozen dropships of the Taskforce heading towards the front line.

And then the Tie Scimitars of Dione Squadron, lead by the Voyager, we're rocketing past them, also heading for where the city of Leucastea, the regional capital, was located at.

Just after the bombers, the Voyager and the transporters had passed, another dozen of transport ships came in, this time modern and new Light Atmospheric Assault Vehicle/ Infantry, LAAV/is, the most modern successor to the Larties. These ships were from the Fifth, probably the Anakin Solo, as only a few elite units were equipped with the heavily armored and armed flying infantry fighting vehicles.

Suddenly Michiru got an answer from the company commander, the whole French force had been ordered to halt.

The first platoon of Firehawk Repulsor Tanks of the Taskforce had reached the city limits of Leucastea when orders came in to hold and stage all units.

Since the First Batallion had not found anymore significant enemy resistance and thus had been relieved from their AO with the Third Batallion staying there and taking over completely, it had been then decided to immediately use them as shock force to assault Leucastea with an airborne insertion and additional transport craft had been requested from the Fifth Fleet.

While the Solo Twins were back on the ship named after their deceased little brother, the offensive towards Taleucema transitioned into its showdown.

Massed formations of armored vehicles on both sides clashed into each other just a few miles in front of the city.

Both sides had brought in reserves and two gigantic armies now pounced into each other, tank against tank, artillery canon against artillery canon and trooper against battle droid. The battle was truely massive and casualties on both sides rose up high while both armies slugged it out.

Kenji Tsukino was on his way towards Leucastea, his daughter wasn't too fond of it but she understood his wish to take pictures closer to the battle. Those pictures would be necessary to really tell Earth what was happening in the Galaxy.

Four guardists and Sailor Chibi Moon as well as Sailor Mars and her Knight of Crystal Tokyo were accompanying him as a Lartie brought them to the outskirts of the city where the Sol Brigade had taken positions, lead personally by Colonel Bernard. Apart from his staff the command of the French Forces was there as well.

A few hundred meters away, Michiru and SunTzu killed time with listening to the still ongoing Nightshift-Saleucami-Special.

After almost two days in the field they didn't smell like Teen Spirit anymore but that didn't hinder them to sing along to the Nirvana song.

Since hours they had been on standby now, word was that the air assault along with special forces and local resistance already operating in the city had already neutralized any noteworthy opposition in the city.

Fourth Battalion, along with some units of the mechanized units would sweep the city but it seemed that this AO had been re-conquered and liberated from the Forces of Chaos.

SunTzu looked briefly up to the gunship that apparently was on course to the field headquarters in the outskirts of the city.

Rei was on that flight, probably to establish contact with the local authorities.

"Looks like we're done here. Our Senator is in that Larty."

"Huh? Oh yeah, I can sense her aura as well. That was… anticlimactic."

SunTzu raised an eyebrow as he turned to the teal-haired. "You'd rather had some intense urban combat where we would fight from house to house and floor to floor, death all around us?"

"No… but it's just weird, you know. We travel hundreds of kilometers to battle it out with the enemy and then we're kind of too late and it's already done."

She began to laugh and SunTzu cocked his head, why was she laughing now?

"Ground combat is like being with Haruka. Often chaotic and always good for surprises."

SunTzu had to smile about that.

"Not much longer and you guys are reunited again."

"Oh, my current company actually makes it worthwhile here. I like his rough, disheveled look, it's a bit like a stray animal, ready to pounce at me." At first she shot him a flirtatious smile but then she sighed dramatically. "Too bad that I have to stop teasing you. Ah, the things I do for my best friends."

A few hours later the command of the building operation announced an end to the offensive actions in their AO. It was just mopping up by now and the French Forces were ordered back to the Landing Zone to standby as reinforcements for other theaters on the planet.

Without having to worry about enemy emplacements or waiting for heavier units the way back was way faster than getting to Leucastea and by evening they were back at the field base at LZ Yuigahama.

The sun was slowly settling over the land when SunTzu was lounging on an AMX-10, the tank's crew out to have dinner with the rest of its platoon. Even here at Yuigahama the pace seemed to have gone slower.

Cigarette in a mouth the German was looking around.

The Neo Queen's father was taking pictures of tired but beaming soldiers, having the opportunity to snap a pic with their ruler, while the Princess, dressed in combat clothes, and her father were standing behind Kenji.

A few meters away Sailor Mars, Yuichiro and Michiru, later still in combat clothing and closely entangled with Haruka in her pilot suit, were talking with some of the French officers.

Next SunTzu spotted Minako beaming at some lightly wounded soldiers who all smiled at the warm words of the blonde doctor.

Near a tent, Hotaru was talking with Ami and another officer of the Intelligence Service. Since the teenager still was in her pilot suit and had her pilot helmet under her arms SunTzu assumed that Hotaru just had come back from a reconnaissance mission.

A smile appeared on SunTzu's face when he saw AICA landed one of the landing spots, a flown in member from the ground crew apparently talking to her.

Team One and Makoto were sitting near the field kitchen of the camp, having some chow, talking with each other, the dirt on their faces and their tired faces silent witnesses of their deeds in the last few days.

SunTzu leaned back and took a deep drag on his cigarette, only one Senshi was missing but he had heard that Setsuna was inexhaustibly working. From just behind the frontlines over the landing zones to the med bays of both the Eternal and the Far Side she had been and was treating the injured.

SunTzu closed his eyes before he let out the smoke and granted himself a moment of daydreaming.

When the next day came SunTzu had expected to be awoken with a marching order to Taleucema but instead it was Ami who woke him up from his place in the corner of one of the tents.

"You have to see this." She had told him and SunTzu knew she was back to the tent the command was located in.

A few minutes later he was in said tent, overfilled with officers and intelligence agents, who all wanted to confirm the news officially as well.

The battle was won, in a daring night operation the commanders of the newly formed 54th Corps, in which the three main divisions of the Fleet Group had been merged to. The units hadn't stopped after the huge tank battle earlier but rather pushed on and bested the remaining defenders of Taleucema.

The capital of Saleucami had been liberated.

Some hours later SunTzu was strapped into one of the troop seats of Phobos, one of the U-Wings of the Taskforce.

Sitting next to him was Kenji Tsukino, his camera around his neck but this time also wearing an armored vest and a combat helmet.

The U-Wing was on its way to a settlement a few kilometers north of Taleucema.

Kenji Usagi had somehow convinced his daughter, who was incredibly worried about his well-being, which was understandable of course, that he wanted to see the real face of war and not only the already cleaned up aftermath before he left the planet. He wanted to see what ral price the Alliance was paying for it.

Usagi had been against it initially but she understood the importance so she allowed her father a visit at the front, but not without an adequate protector.

The First Knight of Crystal Tokyo was ordered to accompany and protect the Neo Queen's father, as was a Senshi, who was already at the scene.

In that settlement, SunTzu didn't even bother to memorize its name, an infantry unit of the Fifth Corps had engaged one of the last holdouts of the droid army not even thirty minutes ago.

The battle was over but when SunTzu saw that another dropship, this one with the signs used for identifying it as medical flight, SunTzu knew that the aftermath of the battle was still going on.

Somewhere on a part of Saleucami far away from its capital a group of three Jedi left the repulsor vehicle they were sitting in.

Cilghal and the Solo-Twins had used the vehicle to travel to this part of Saleucami, a canyon in a desert.

The rusty and scattered remains of the BARC-Speeder could have easily been overlooked but the three Jedi didn't need their eyes to find what they were searching for.

The trio soon stood over a worn and torn piece of cloth, a piece of cloth that once had been the robe of a Jedi-Master.

The three Jedi exchanged a glance and then Cilghal bowed down, pulling out the light saber of the deceased Jedi-Master Stass Allie, killed by her own clone troops by Order 66 on this planet.

Her weapon would be brought to the Temple on Coruscant, becoming a silent remainder that even the most powerful beings in the Galaxy could fall into traps.

The other dropship landed first, a few meters away from a group of medics and soldiers, standing next to seven filled body bags.

On the other side of the body bags stood a tall women in combat clothing, her plate carrier splattered with blood and her long, emerald-colored braid was partly blowing in the wind when the dropship landed.

As soon as the ship had landed the soldiers began to carry the body bags onboard and not even thirty seconds later the transport lifted up again.

The U-Wing landed next, while the soldiers already were scattering again, beginning to pack their medical backpacks again.

SunTzu got up first and helped Kenji to open his seatbelt before the crew chief of the U-Wing opened its passenger's compartment's door and Kenji and SunTzu got out.

As soon as he had solid ground under his feet, Kenji began to take pictures, while SunTzu stopped in front of Setsuna.

She looked tired, exhausted, to her feet lay a pair of bloody medical gloves and she was barely able to keep her gaze up. Kenji hadn't even recognized her as he had shot past her, camera clicking. At least the blood on her plate carrier wasn't her own.

"Cigarette?" SunTzu asked her and pulled out his box, with her only answer being a nod.

He gave one to her and lighted it as she had put it in her mouth. Setsuna didn't even look up, even when she blew out smoke the first time.

SunTzu looked around, on some places there were signs of blood on the ground and a group of young soldiers of the GA forces were at the wall of what seemed to be a large building inside the compound, the building's tower meaning that it might have been a religious site even.

Some of the soldiers were sitting or leaning against the wall, eyes empty and staring at nothing, some had their hands over their faces, others tried to console their brothers in arms, one of the guys, a boy not older than nineteen openly crying.

Still smoking remains of battle droids, B1- and B2-Battledroids were laying around and a small column of smoke rose up from inside the compound.

"The last one died right under my hands. Haven't even declared him dead five minutes before they picked up the bodies."

SunTzu could hear Setsuna take a deep breather while her gaze was still fixed on the ground.

"I am sorry, Setsuna." He wanted to hug her but this wasn't a place for a hug, there was no love or affection at this place. And as senior medical officer she wasn't supposed to show any signs of being affected on what she saw and experienced. If anyone, then it was her who had to function.

It was perverse to be a role model in a war.

"It was hard. I haven't treated so many wounded in such a small time ever since the Second World War." Her voice was almost a fluster. "Fifth Fleet doesn't have enough medic personnel for a campaign this size, the enemy specifically had been attacking their hospital ships in the prior months."

Setsuna took another drag and then looked up to the man that she loved, being grateful that he was here, knowing that if she would break down he would catch her. No, she had to be strong, for these young soldiers.

SunTzu was looking at the walls of the compound.

"What happened here?"

"Assault on that compound, a droid unit had entrenched themselves in there."

While Kenji Tsukino made pictures of the destroyed droids, having decided to only take one single shot of the grieving soldiers, one was enough to show what war had done to them, Setsuna and SunTzu walked towards the site of battle, both of them smoking now.

"How many casualties did the Taskforce have?" SunTzu asked her.

"No KIA. We had two tankers in critical condition but Dr. Schneider brought them through. Looks that at least this time we were lucky. But the Fifth..."

Both took a look at the grieving young soldiers.

"Young individuals die because someone, or something, is obsessed with power. War never changes."

SunTzu didn't answer and a few moments later they arrived at the main gate of the compound.

"I don't know if you have heard it yet, but we're heading back to Earth. Replenishment and Vehicle refurbishment."

"And plenty of wounded. Not that my services wouldn't be of use for the Fifth as well."

Setsuna finished her cigarette while SunTzu took a drag as well.

"I haven't seen much signs of battle on the other places of the wall."

"The unit and its leader were rookies, he let his platoon attack frontal."

"Did he…"

"No, but MP already took him with them."

SunTzu touched the wall, it wasn't that solid, a single explosive satchel would have made a hole into it.

"Goddamit… they would have just needed a thermal detonator."

"Not everyone is as competent leading his platoon as you."

SunTzu froze by Setsuna's statement and her eyes widened as she realized what she let had slip in her state of exhaustion.

"I'm sorry, SunTzu."

"Me too, Setsuna, me too."

For a moment Setsuna looked at the ground again and SunTzu zoned out as well and they shared a moment of grief together before he dropped his cigarette and stepped on it.

"I didn't want to re-open any wounds." Setsuna apologized to SunTzu, her tired ruby-colored eyes falling on him again.

"You didn't kill them, it's not your fault." SunTzu cleared his throat before he spoke again. "Sometimes I wonder where I, we, all of us would be without this War." He wheezed and then turned around. "I'll be waiting at the U-Wing."

Setsuna watched him walk off, making a small stop to tell Tsukino-San that SunTzu would be waiting at the gunship, and as her gaze then followed him leave the guilt overwhelmed her.

Soichi had been a different story, although his time as being a loving father for Hotaru again and redeeming himself had been very limited she at least hadn't any negative influence in his demise.

But with SunTzu? Just like millennia ago, it was her fault.

Maybe it was time to tell him the truth.