Gundam 00 Season 2 Anthology: Updated 7/15/09 (Alternatives)

[ShadowCell]

Ali is a lady-killer.

In more than one sense. =P

[Dean_the_Young]

Ali is a lady-killer.

In more than one sense. =P

I am going to hope and pray desperately that you meant the two senses as entirely separate, and not in the least intertwined.

[Strike Zero]

I am going to hope and pray desperately that you meant the two senses as entirely separate, and not in the least intertwined.

Why? I'd always pictured the Ali-stabs-Kinue scene as fodder for some great doujinshi, but I guess she wasn't a popular enough character for them artists over in Japan.

...Yeah.

[Dean_the_Young]

I’m really proud of this one; this is one of those fics that make me wish I posted all these pieces at FFN by themselves, so they could get their proper attention rather than be buried deep in the Anthology.

Certainly not an episode-specific drabble, but well worth the read. This actually is part of a concept-verse I’ve toyed with starting after I finish my current projects, but also stands alone. It also opens another idea I’ve considered toying with: how might S2 Saji enter in a relationship with anyone BUT Louise? But those are thoughts for another drabble. This is now.

---

00 S2 Drabble 16

Fortune

---

They call you Lady Luck.
But there is room for doubt
At times you have a very unladylike way of running out
You're this a date with me
The pickings have been lush
And yet before this evening is over you might give me the brush
You might forget your manners
You might refuse to stay and So the best that I can to is pray.

Luck be a lady tonight
Luck be a lady tonight
Luck if you've ever been a lady to begin with
Luck be a lady tonight.

-Guys and Dolls

---

“Step right up! Step right up! Step right up and try your luck! Who’s going to be the grand prize winner? Even if it’s not you, everyone is a winner in our give away!”

More suited for a carnie than a store manager, the contest was having its desired effect as a small crowd gathered outside the open-air restaurant. True, most of the prizes were little more than baubles; costume jewelry, coupons for a free meal, and so on. But free was free, and there was always that one-in-a-million chance that you, too, could win a trip to a hot spring resort or whatever the first prize might be…

“Saji, let’s go try!” demanded a blond girl, pulling a meek young man beside her.

“Louise,” he begged, rolling his strained shoulder, “you know you aren’t going to win anything good from these.” Already tired from a long afternoon’s shopping, he prayed to the gods of logic and reason that she would be reasonable.

“You don’t know that!” retorted the modern European girl, and she soon pushed him up to the front for the event.

“Ready to test your luck, young man?” greeted the manager, grinning at the sight of the young couple.

Saji laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. “I guess…” he conceded, much to his girlfriend’s disdain.

“Of course we are!” she said, stepping up to the lotto machine without fear. “Come on, Saji!” she commanded, and together they both spun the handle.

When the machine stopped, a gasp went up from those who could see. Not one of the common blue or green beads, nothing less than a white pearl rolled out of the machine. Bells and whistles rang, and applause soon followed.

“Congratulations!” cried the manager. “You’ve both won the Grand Prize, a shopping extravaganza of your choice!” Citing of the hundreds of Union dollars it was worth, the exact details went over Saji Crossroad’s head as he tried to reconcile with reality.

“Louise! We did it! We won!” he exclaimed, ecstatic. Even split between them, that sort of money… for a pair of college students, it could cover so much.

“Of course we did,” Louise retorted, but she grabbed his arm and was grinning too.

“You can thank me for all this, you know. I’m your luck.”

---

“Saji! Louise!”

Kinue’s voice was clear even over the din of reporters trying to get interviews with the returning survivors. Despite their harrowing story, or maybe because they recognized her and made way, Kinue quickly came up to them.

“Saji, I’m so glad you’re safe!” she said, embracing her last family member with relief. Behind them, a fellow JNN camera man filmed the reunion for the world to see. Looking over Saji’s shoulder, Kinue looked at Louise. “You too, Louise,” she added. “When I say both of your names on list…”

Saji awkwardly freed himself, uncomfortable at having worried his normally composed sister. “We were fine the whole time,” he reassured. “No one was hurt, there were more than enough space suits, and everyone came back alive. That’s all that matters, right?”

“Saji was very brave,” Louise chimed in loyally. “He was always calm, even when we heard about our drifting. When others were panicking, he was calm and making sure everyone was safely getting into their space suits and into the safe gravity blocks. It would have been very scary without his presence,” she admitted.

Kinue took a step back to look at her normally meek brother. “Is that true, Saji?” she asked, slightly skeptical at a tale of his bravery at a time she had been terrified on his behalf.

But Saji was blushing slightly, modest as always. “Yeah,” he admitted. “But I really have to thank the League soldiers who saved us: they were calm and didn’t show any fear when they talked to us, and we owe them our lives.”

“And that Celestial Being pilot,” added Louise. “They were the ones to save us, right? That’s what we heard.”

Kinue nodded. “They did. It was a welcome surprise to everyone.”

“Who would have thought they would do that, though?” asked Saji. “What were the odds of that?”

“Nothing I would bet on,” said Kinue, before stopping. “I take that back: if it’s your life on the line, Saji, I would gladly bet on Celestial Being. I really am glad you’re back safe, Saji,” she said, before adding “and you too, Louise.”

---

“Geeze Saji, I can’t believe you’re being so miserly with you winnings!” Louise complained, though her tone made it clear that she was only teasing him. “You had to wait until we got back from the Orbital Elevator to go shopping, and you bought yourself, what, a new pair of shoes?”

Instead of standing up for himself and challenging her, Saji only laughed at himself. “I’m not like you, Louise,” he said. “I only need one pair of shoes outside of work and nice occasions, right?” Unsaid were what they both knew were the real reasons: that the money had been quickly tucked away into his savings, to carry him that much farther should disaster strike his sister and he was left to support them both. It was an uncomfortable truth between them: his continued well being depended on him keeping his scholarship, and on his sister supporting them both. She never had to worry about such things, and likely never would.

“No!” Louise answered, running slightly ahead and turning to face him. “You need nice things for a change of pace, and to make good impressions. Saji, I am going to teach you that.”

“And how do you intend to do that, sensei?” he asked, jokingly giving her the honorific of teacher.

“Isn’t it obvious? First we’ll shop, and then we’ll shop some, and then we’ll shop some more! And to show you how to get the best sales, I’ll prove it by paying myself!” she declared, though he would certainly try to sidestep her thoughtfulness when the time came.

Saji mimed an aching shoulder. “I don’t know if I could carry that many bags,” he moaned, and Louise laughed.

“You better,” she warned, putting on an arrogant pose. “You should count your lucky stars that I’m here to teach you the error of your ways. What would happen to you if I weren’t around?”

Saji opened his mouth to speak, but that was the moment the bus exploded.

---

“Well Mama? What do you think?” Being the last evening of her mother’s visit, Louise was anxious to see her mother off with a good impression.

“It was delicious, Louise,” said the matron of the Halevy family. “Saji, you are truly an exceptional cook,” she said, addressing the young man at the table without a hint of her initial hostility. Only favor was in her tone.

“Thank you, Mrs. Halevy,” he said, grateful for the change in tone. Beside him, Louise puffed in pride at the hard-won acceptance, but also wanted to confirm beyond any doubt.

“Then Saji…?” she prompted her mother.

“Is an admirable young man, and I’m glad you’ve found someone like him,” the matron of the Halevy family ruled, hiding a smile at her daughter’s excitement. “I have no problems with you staying in Japan with him, even in times like these. One day he might even make a fine addition to our family.”

Saji was unsettled by the thought of future relations, but Louise was too caught up in her mother’s approval to care.

“See Saji?” she exclaimed, nearly squealing in glee and hugging him. “I told you that you just needed to make a good impression. Wasn’t shopping for new clothes worth it?”

While Saji tried to fend off Louise’s arms, the older Halevy raised a bemused eyebrow. “Oh, so you felt you had to go out of your way to make a good impression?” she teased her daughter. “Is there something about Saji you don’t want me to know?”

Louise was entirely unrepentant. “Just a new pair of clothes,” she claimed. “I had to drag him to go shopping for something nice to wear. But it worked, didn’t it?” she asked.

Louise’s mother gave Saji a critical eye, hard enough that he had to fight the urge to flinch. “Indeed you did,” Mrs. Halevy said. “It is wonderful attire. Did you pick it out with the wedding in mind?”

“Wedding?!” yelped Saji and Louise together, but with different amounts of shock and fear.

“Louise, don’t tell me you forgot that your cousin is getting married?” asked Madame Halevy. “Didn’t you already tell me you had picked out a dress for her wedding?”

“Oh, that,” Louise remembered, and Saji breathed out a sigh of relaxation. “I had thought I would go alone, and didn’t think it would be appreciated if I brought Saji…” she admitted. “I mean, you didn’t even know about him a week ago.”

“Nonsense,” said Madame Halevy. “Saji is more than welcome to attend, and would be warmly welcomed, I promise. It’s during your school break, so you both should be able to make it, right?”

“Yes!” exclaimed Louise, both to answer the question and accept the invitation. “Isn’t that right, Saji?” Louise asked without any chance of refusal. “Mama really does like you! Do you know how lucky you were to be invited to the wedding?”

---

“Are you not having a good time, Saji? Are you getting along with everyone? ” Louise asked him a few months later, after finding him away from the wedding crowds. She sounded concerned: introducing the boyfriend meant opinions on both sides, and though many had taken to the Japanese male it was unclear what he thought.

“No one has said anything but good things about you,” she promised him. Teasing things, true, but Madame Halevy had spread the good word about him in advance.

“It’s not that,” Saji denied, putting a rest to her unspoken fears. “I just wanted a breath of fresh air. You’re family is so big and vibrant, and everyone is so energetic, but it’s a bit overwhelming to me,” said the young man who’s family was limited to a single sister for most of his life.

“You should get used to it,” ordered Louise with a mock-frown. “You may be seeing them again in the future, right?” she asked, leaving open the question of just what would happen in the future. Normally he ran away from such questions.

“I might,” he admitted, taking Louise by surprise. “I’ve been thinking about it, and…” he trailed, and it was clear he had been out here to organize his thoughts as well. “When I think about you, I-” he trailed again, and then sighed. “I thought I could come out and say it. Let me just show you instead,” he said, fumbling with his hands in his coat pocket. Much of the fumbling must have been from nerves: a small box jumped from his grip and fell on ground as he removed his hand from the pocket, and he knelt down to pick it up.

“When I think of you, I think of us,” Saji admitted, eyes on the ground and blushing up a storm, and from his position he opened up the box. Inside were two gold rings, the same golden rings she had once demanded he buy and the same ones he had denied he could afford. Wordlessly she took one, twisting it over in her fingers.

“I saved up a long time for it,” Saji admitted, looking at her now. “I didn’t think I would be able to get it in time, but then I remembered the contest, and how it was your luck that won it, and I knew I had to. I guess you could say it’s because of your luck I can do this. Louise, I-” Yet he still couldn’t say it, but Louise placed a finger on his lips before meaningfully put the ring on her left hand.

“I know, Saji,” she said with a beautiful smile, even as though he hadn’t finished. Taking the moment, she softly slid the other ring onto his left hand.

Seing her put the ring on gave him the courage to say it, to really say it. “Louise, I l-”

But he was too late as she was already pulling him up by his wrist, with the ring pressing softly into his arm. “Saji, we have to show my Mom and Dad!” she declared. “I might not be the luckiest woman today, but I am the second luckiest! Come on!” she said, beginning to drag him to show the ring to her parents.

But Saji didn’t follow, resisting her pull, and she turned around. “Saji?” she asked questioningly, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was staring into the sky, his attention taken from her by what he saw there.

“Gundam…” he whispered, and Louise forgot her momentary pang of jealousy when she saw them to. They were impressive, the three of them that were silently approaching. One, a dark red, particularly grabbed their attention.

“What are they doing here?” she heard someone ask. “Isn’t that one of the new ones?” No one knew, and no one answered. Silence smothered as the three machines approached ever closer in silence.

“Saji…” Louise said, unnerved by the approach. Stepping closer to him, she took his hand just before she saw movement from the machine. A flash of red was all the warning she had before the world behind them exploded. The force of the explosion sent them tumbling over each other, ripping her skirt and tearing a gash in his sleeve. But that was nothing compared to what had happened to the people at the epicenter of the blast.

“Louise? Are you alright?” Saji asked, but he sounded so far away. If the Gundam had seduced his attention away from her, the carnage took hers by force; scraps of clothes and pieces of people were all that remained of the crowd that had held her family.

“Mama… Papa…” she stammered, unable to look away from the crater that stood where a crowd of living people had been moments before. “Mama! Papa!” she cried again, ignoring Saji’s questions and beginning to run towards where they had been. She didn’t look anywhere else, didn’t see Saji’s alarm or a second flash of red.

“Louise!”

There was a push, a fall, and the world roared and went black.

---

What stood out to her when she awoke was the smell of antiseptics. Her first clear view was of the sterilized room and inhumanly clean window. Her first coherent thought was the one she had left off on, of needing to run forward and reach her parents.

Her second impressions were no less clear. The texture of the hospital gown, the sight of the gold ring still on her left hand, and of wondering when her mother would stroll inside her room, telling her that she had had a hard slip during the party and that it was alright, everyone was safe and Saji was worrying himself sick about her…

And that was what made Saji the third focus of her attention when she woke up. “Saji!” she exclaimed, partially to herself and partially in hope someone would tell her what had become of him. But no one did: she was alone in the room, and no doctor or nurse hurried in to answer her questions. Left to herself, she set out to find her own answers.

Standing on her own two legs was the first challenge. Walking to the door was the next. But so long as she was careful she wouldn’t fall, and so she made her way down the quiet hallways, looking into the rooms and listening for any other soul. And that was how she found him, sitting in bed and looking out the window.

“Saji?” she called, leaning against the door.

He turned at his name, a small smile on his lips, and she stumbled into the room with relief. “You’re safe! Saji, I’m so glad you’re safe. When I woke up after the attack…” she couldn’t go on, choking up, and so she said instead, “I’m just glad you’re still here.”

“What attack?”

“What?” she asked, unable to believe her ears.

“Was I hurt in an attack?” Saji asked again. “The Doctors wouldn’t tell me what had happened. Were you there? Was anyone else hurt?” He was perfectly polite and concerned.

“Saji, you don’t remember?” she asked, terrified at the prospect.

“I’m afraid so,” he admitted, apologetic.

Remembering stories she half-remembered from long ago, she looked around for something, anything, to jar his memory. The only glint in the room was from her own left hand, and she desperately took off her ring to show him.

“Saji, look at this,” she ordered while holding her open palm for him to see, trying to fight back the fear hiding underneath her tone. “Can you remember this?”

He looked hard at it, but a sparkle or recognition sent her hope soaring. “I…” he murmured, thinking intently. “Wait!” he said, and turned to pick something on the other table. “Got it!” he said, holding the ring’s mate.

“That’s it,” she said, relieved and hope soaring. But then she felt him softly place the ring on her palm.

“I knew the Doctor couldn’t have been right when he said it was mine,” Saji said. “It looked well beyond my means, and I’ve never worn jewelry in my life. It’s yours, right? You can have it back,” he said, leaving the valuable piece of gold in her hand with all the reluctance of one disposing of a lump of scrap metal.

“Besides,” he continued, “it’s not like I could wear it now anyway,” he said, pulling out his other arm from the hospital jacket and showing her the stump where his hand had been, looking uncomfortable when she gasped in horror.

Then he paused, and asked the final damning question.

“I’m sorry to ask this, but… who are you?”

---

“Go away and leave him alone! Haven’t you done enough?”

“Wh-what?”

Kinue Crossroad was rarely one to yell. Louise Halevy was rarely one to stutter and be so vulnerable. Exceptions were made: high emotions and exhaustion made the confrontation worse than it might have been.

“You’re always dragging him into danger, always! He never would have been in danger if it weren’t for you!”

“That’s not true! I never intended-” Louise tried to defend, but Kinue didn’t let up, her experience as a reporter letting her to control the flow of the conversation.

“I don’t care what you intended!” she blocked, the closest she would ever come to admitting that she was beyond reason at the moment. “Saji never would have been hurt if you hadn’t shown up and started dragging him into danger!”

“I-!” Louise tried to defend, but the accusation shook her. Eyes wide, she could only look back into the past as Kinue continued her vicious assault.

“Do you know how lucky you were to be invited to the wedding?”

“The bus bomb, the gravity block. This. Saji never would have been in those places if you hadn’t shown up and dragged him away to places he didn’t have to go! Why couldn’t you have let him live a quiet life, safe and out of the trouble you love so much?” she demanded. Kinue had always wanted Saji to have a quiet and boring life, having learned from her Father’s death just why interesting times was a Chinese curse.

“You should count your lucky stars that I’m here to teach you the error of your ways. What would happen to you if I weren’t around?”

“You’re a danger to him. Don’t try to deny it. It’s pushing and demanding today, but what will it be in five years? One misunderstanding, one jumped conclusion, and you’d probably try and kill him for some imagined sin. At least Celestial Being has had the courtesy to save his life and punish those responsible. Did you know that? The original Gundams fought the new three over America yesterday when they were butchering more innocents. They have the decency to help Saji. What have you ever done for him?” she demanded, unaware of her own role in that change of events. A hurried explanation to the next-door neighbor as she rushed out to the airport, not having thought twice of dropping her investigation after hearing of her brother’s state.

“Nothing I would bet on,” said Kinue, before stopping. “I take that back: if it’s your life on the line, Saji, I would gladly bet on Celestial Being.”

“Please,” Kinue said, dropping her hostility and looking as tired as she was, “just go. Saji doesn’t remember you, and it would be better for everyone if you don’t distract him trying to force him to remember things he’d rather not. You saw how he reacted to the image of the UN suits; he doesn’t need any mental shocks. Let him graduate and go into space in peace. I’m grateful for your generosity in covering his prosthetic, but… go, and don’t come back. Maybe if you prove you can protect him and not just put him in danger, I might reconsider. Until then..."

“You can thank me for all this, you know. I’m your luck.”

Louise didn’t say anything. She didn’t deny, she didn’t fight back, she only took in both Kinue’s words and memories of the past. Stifling a horrified sob, the blonde girl turned and ran, barely looking as to where she was running to. Kinue watched her run away, and quietly closed the apartment door, as if there hadn’t been yelling only a minute ago.

“Sis? Who was that? Was it that blond girl again?” asked Saji when she walked back into their living room.

“Saji! What are you doing out of your room?” she asked, chiding him for breaking his doctor-ordered bed rest. “You should be studying for your make-up exams. The University went out of its way to give you a chance to get credit for your classes and gradutate.”

“I needed to get a drink,” he said, gesturing to the glass he held in his mechanical hand. It was shaking, a sign that the attachment still hadn’t taken to the arm. “I heard you talking to someone, and then yelling…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kinue lied. “I don’t think they’ll be coming back. Just forget about it; it would be bad luck to dwell on it.”

---

“Gundam!” Louise roared, shooting her lance at the damaged relic of Celestial Being. It evaded, but the constant assault of the three machines was clearly leaving the pilot no way to counterattack.

“Very good, Halevy!” Captain Zinin exclaimed, taking another swipe at the Gundam. “Circle around and flank it!” he commanded, pleased at the chance to wipe out a stain of the last five years once and for all.

Another barrage of beams were fired, but again missed their intended target. Instead they overshot, flying into the side of Proud Colony. The explosion sent air and debris flying into space.

That should have been the end of it; nothing more, nothing less. But the Gundam promptly broke contact with Zinin, leaving itself open to a slice as it raced towards the colony side. Only Zinin’s surprise kept him from taking the opening.

“Warrant Officer, intercept it!” he ordered, and Louise flew into the debris cloud to wait and surprise the Gundam. And that was when she saw it: a single space suit mixed with the debris, thrown into space by the explosion.

“Is that what it’s trying to get to?” she wondered, zooming in on the figure just as it rotated to face her. The GN-X III’s cameras were more than good enough to catch a glimpse of brown hair and narrow Japanese eyes.

“Saji…?” Louise questioned, not believing her eyes. “Saji!”

“Warrant!” Zinin shouted. “What is it?”

“It’s Saji!” Louise responded, not caring that Zinin wouldn’t understand. “I know him! The Gundam is going after him! Buy me some time!”

“What?” Zinin asked even as he put another barrage of beams between the Gundam and its target, but Louise paid him no mind. Instead she pushed her machine into relative velocity with the slowly spinning body, moving in closer with hand extended. From the camera, she could see her own reflection in the man’s suit: another dark red machine, blood red particles spewing from its back as it reached out to grab him. Despite the distance, she could see the effects of the mental shock on him; frantic convulsions, twists, anything to put more distance between him and the monster in front of him. Even when the machine’s claws gripped him firmly he didn’t stop, trying to wiggle and push his way out of its grip. Louise could see the insulation of the suit tear, threatening to compromise its integrity.

“I’m securing him!” she reported, opening her cockpit even as Zinin demanded an explanation. Stepping out from her seat, she could see Saji, only a (mobile suit’s) arm’s length away from her. “Saji, stop struggling! It’s me!”

For a moment, he did. For a moment they stood there, looking at each other over an arm’s distance. She looked at the man she had promised she would protect, for whom she had joined and funded the A-LAWS in order to make the world safer for. For a moment, she had succeeded; he was safe in her custody. Regardless of why he was at Proud in the first place, it wouldn’t matter. For all the money she had invested in A-LAWS, she had never asked anything of Ribbons Almark except for the chance to fight Celestial Being as a regular soldier, a fact which surely confused and worried him. Well, he would worry no more. All she had to do was ask, and he would nod and consent and smile that he had finally figured out why she was just a normal human after all. Whatever Saji had done would be forgiven and quietly forgotten, and he would be protected from falling into the wrong crowd again. He would realize that there were people fighting for him and against those who had hurt him. She would show him herself.

But only for a moment. Then he resumed trying to escape the claws that grasped him, threatening himself again.

“Halevy!” yelled Zinin over the comlink, warning replacing anger and making her glance up. The Gundam, glowing an otherworldly red, raced at them, dancing between the beams that her squad mates were futilely throwing up between it and her. Louise threw herself back into the cockpit, intending to move Saji to safety, but it was too late even before she hit the seat. The Gundam slashed its blade down on her suit’s arm, taking it clean off and freeing her captive in the process. Following through, it thrust what remained of the GN blade into the Jinx III, missing the cockpit but tearing out the GN-drive in an effort that shattered the aged blade. Immobile without that engine, Louise could only watch the Gundam before her, powerless to stop it.

“Warrant Officer!” he other squad mate yelled, but they remained too far to save her from the tender mercies of the Gundam.

But it didn’t attack, tearing into her suit with the lethality it had torn into armies years ago. Instead it flew backwards, protectively putting its arms around Saji, one hand gently guiding the man towards itself. Louise could only watch as the cockpit opened, could only yell in impotent emotion as the enemy pilot, visor dark, stepped out and offered a hand to the male Crossroad. She could only cry as she saw Saji accept that hand, struggling with his fear but letting himself be drawn into another suit that glowed red.

It hurt to see that. She barely registered the arrival of the new Gundam, barely cared as it fought off her two comrades and forced them to retreat. All she could focus on was the Gundam that had stolen away Saji from her once again. She only came to when her squad mates, both of them damaged but still alive, grabbed her ruined suit and made their retreat.

“We can’t run!” she protested. “We have to stop them! We can’t let them get away!”

“Not today, Warrant,” Captain Zinin said. “You’re lucky enough to still be alive after that stunt. Don’t push it. Learn to be happy with what you do have, not with the one that got away.”

[Attomoku]

I never thought I'd hear myself say this but: Poor Saji.

That was well done Dean. I think some expansion later from Nena's side would be nice, detailing the battle over North America (hopefully with some tag team by my main man Graham), what I would assume to be their eventual escape, and what they've been doing since. A bit with Ribbons would work too.
The only thing Im really curious about though, is why Saji flipped out at the Jinx's and not the Gundams?

As always, keep up the good work

[Dean_the_Young]

I never thought I'd hear myself say this but: Poor Saji.

Poor Louise, I'd say. Saji lost an arm, a love, and will tremble at the sight of red GN particles, but he doesn't remember it. The phobia is the worst part, but even that would hardly be debilitating for a colony engineer. His is a "you can't miss what you don't remember," and really the only ones alive to remember are his sister (who didn't like Louise in the first place), and Louise.

Louise, on the other hand, lost more. She kept her hand and her mental health, but irrevocably lost Saji at the highest moment in their relationship; he never even got a chance to say he loved her. Saji forgot Louise and everything about her, and then over-protective sister Kinue drove her off by making her out to be the culprit: unreasonable, of course, but effective. So Louise goes off, tries to help remake the world, and what happens? Saji is terrified of her, and lets himself get taken by the Gundam instead. At least in cannon she always had the hope/assumption that she could one day return and have a spot with Saji.

That was well done Dean. I think some expansion later from Nena's side would be nice, detailing the battle over North America (hopefully with some tag team by my main man Graham), what I would assume to be their eventual escape, and what they've been doing since. A bit with Ribbons would work too.

The North America reference is not just a minor plot point here (it really just assumes that Setsuna, having heard about Saji's near-death-experience, launches against the Thrones and finds them earlier), it's actually a reference to point nine in the "Most Useless Plot Twists/Holes" in the Anthology, about how I would have handled Johan's battle with Graham, mixed with points twenty three and twenty four (Graham should have barfed a lung and been stuck in a hospital after that battle). I've convinced myself that that is how that episode should have gone, and I'm sticking with that.

That said, it would be less 'tagteam' and more 'three-way battle that leaves the United States pissing blood for weeks'.


Anyways, this piece sort of serves as an alternate look into a drabble series I'm considering, tentatively called 'Friends' because it the theme is, unsurprisingly, Saji and Setsuna actually becoming good friends in S1, rather than friendly neighbors. Hanging out, talking about the world, eating dinner together rather than alone in their own rooms, that sort of stuff. Initially only doing it to keep a low profile at the new apartment, Setsuna would slowly come to enjoy the peace with Saji, even spending time at the Japanese safe house as opposed to some Pacific Island station on stand by. It would mainly run parallel to Season One, before diverging at the wedding (as seen here) and the two meeting at Proud, with Setsuna being one of the few things Saji clearly remembers from five years ago.

The only thing Im really curious about though, is why Saji flipped out at the Jinx's and not the Gundams?

I fixed that mistake: definitely not what I intended to convey. The Gundam still flips him out, but not as bad as the dark red A-LAW machines that resemble the Trinity Gundams. The green particles of Exia are different enough, and during Trans-am it's more that he recognizes Setsuna and trusts him, as opposed to not recognizing Louise.

As always, keep up the good work

Thanks a lot. I'll try.

[Attomoku]

The North America reference is not just a minor plot point here (it really just assumes that Setsuna, having heard about Saji's near-death-experience, launches against the Thrones and finds them earlier), it's actually a reference to point nine in the "Most Useless Plot Twists/Holes" in the Anthology, about how I would have handled Johan's battle with Graham, mixed with points twenty three and twenty four (Graham should have barfed a lung and been stuck in a hospital after that battle). I've convinced myself that that is how that episode should have gone, and I'm sticking with that.

I kinda knew that's what you were getting at but I think it'd still be nice to have some more detail, now that you've retconed a reason for CB classic to be there. I know you don't necessarily like covering battles in these things but one can ask and hope.

Anyways, this piece sort of serves as an alternate look into a drabble series I'm considering, tentatively called 'Friends' because it the theme is, unsurprisingly, Saji and Setsuna actually becoming good friends in S1, rather than friendly neighbors. Hanging out, talking about the world, eating dinner together rather than alone in their own rooms, that sort of stuff. Initially only doing it to keep a low profile at the new apartment, Setsuna would slowly come to enjoy the peace with Saji, even spending time at the Japanese safe house as opposed to some Pacific Island station on stand by. It would mainly run parallel to Season One, before diverging at the wedding (as seen here) and the two meeting at Proud, with Setsuna being one of the few things Saji clearly remembers from five years ago.

Cool, I'd read that if only to see Setsuna unintentionally play the stoic 3rd wheel

I fixed that mistake: definitely not what I intended to convey. The Gundam still flips him out, but not as bad as the dark red A-LAW machines that resemble the Trinity Gundams. The green particles of Exia are different enough, and during Trans-am it's more that he recognizes Setsuna and trusts him, as opposed to not recognizing Louise.

Ah, ok that clears thing up. Thanks

[Dean_the_Young]

00 S2 Drabble 17

Catch-22

---

'Cause you are damned if you do,
damned if you don't;
damned if you will,
damned if you won't.

-‘Damned if I Do’, Alice Cooper

---

The slap was fast and brutal, nothing restraining the gloved hand.

“How dare you,” he wife snarled. “How dare you?! Both of you!”

“Holly!” exclaimed Hercules, moving to support his friend. “He only tried to save-“

“And a whole lot of good that did!” she yelled, turning on the family friend. “Hundreds of engineers and their families, dead! More men and women than were in my detachment! You left them to die, you let the elevator’s development by a decade at least, and for what? My life?”

“Holly,” tried to reason Hercules, but Sergei held up a hand, stopping him.

“I made my decision, Holly,” the Wild Bear of Russia said, meeting the eyes of the woman he had sworn to love and protect through sickness and health. “I was responsible. I know. But I stand by my decision to divert the men to rescue your detachment. It was my decision to make, and I did what I thought was best.”

“You thought wrong,” she spat, still furious. “What would you have done if they had destroyed the Pillar?” she demanded. “What would you be saying then, Sergei?”

“There was no danger to the Pillar,” Sergei reminded her, “we made sure of it. Yes, many died. But we did win.”

“That isn’t the point!” she yelled. “A soldier’s job is to protect the citizens and the country, and you did neither. You stood by and let the enemy wreck out nation’s hopes for a better world, stood by while those we were charged to protect were killed, just to relieve me! I don’t need coddling, Sergei!”

“You are my wife!” Sergei responded, his normal reserve beginning to fall even as Hercules looked desperately between the two. “You are a mother!”

“I am a soldier, sworn to protect my nation and my people” she reminded, “and that comes first.”

“You are my wife!” Sergei roared, sounding like his reputation.

“Not for much longer,” Holly informed him, ice water in her veins. “The papers will arrive shortly.”

The revelation shattered the atmosphere. Sergei stumbled backwards, desperately trying to find stability. Hercules was all he had to support him.

“Holly…” Sergei trailed, shell-shocked. “Why?”

“I did not marry a coward who put his personal attachments over those of his countrymen and the men and women he swore to protect,” she informed him. “I could never live with a man like that. I thought you understood that when we married. I’m leaving this household.”

“Holly, think this through!” Hercules begged, even as Sergei collapsed onto a chair. “What about Andrei?”

“Andrei will come with-” she began, but her head was already turning as the sound of the partially opened door slamming and footsteps racing away could be heard. A glimpse of brown hair and wide eyes was all that was caught, but that was all that was needed for recognition.

“Andrei!” Holly and Hercules gasped, though Sergei was still too shocked to follow suit. Holly’s cold fury was replaced with pale dread as the implications became obvious.

“Andrei, wait!” she called, desperately running to the door and fumbling with the nob in her haste to get it open. Even as she opened it, the sound of the front door being opened could be heard, the sounds of heavy traffic entering even this room.

Holly dashed after the boy without a second thought. Hercules paused, looking back to his still unresponsive friend briefly before following. Sergei remained where he was, and only came to at the sound of screeching rubber and Holly’s horrified scream.

---

[Thundermuffin]

Youch. HARSH!

[ZeonsSilverStar]

Poor Andrei.

[Dean_the_Young]

People wanted Andrei to die and Sergei to live. What's the phrase?

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it?

That's not just for Sergei fans who are angry, it's also for Andrei. Even if his father had put emotion over duty, even if his mother had survived, it wouldn't have necessarily been all happy. Cue Holly pretty much saying she was leaving both Sergei and Andrei.

Irony of ironies, Andrei didn't give her a chance to say she would be taking him, and ran off.

[ZeonsSilverStar]

Well that explanation clears it up but I still feel bad for Andrei to an extent.

[andyx181x]

so after seeing another amazing ability from the 00 Riser Trans-Am, is it safe to say this gundam now holds the record for the longest and powerful beam saber? seriously this MS keeps surprising me everytime it goes into battle.

[Dean_the_Young]

Wrong thread, perhaps? Or is that just out of the blue comment?

[andyx181x]

sorry i was just so overwhelmed watching ep.17 that i found the first 00 2nd season thread. not to mention of course the drama that keeps rising, sigh sad to see a father acting to late to say sorry to his son

[Dean_the_Young]

Sorta somewhat in the spirit of 2-14. Kinda. This was actually supposed to be both this and a long bit of Soma and Saji connecting (platonically) over the Colonel's memory, but that one fell through even though I liked the idea.

Anyway, Innovator-centered ahoy.

---

00 S2 Drabble 18

Lessons

---

Teach me, then. I would be a very… dedicated student.

---

“Is she useful?” was the most common question his fellow Innovators had asked. All of them had, actually, for their own reasons: Ribbons wanted to know whether he might need to step in and arrange a more competent commander, Bring Stability had been wondered of her general ability, and Regene had merely been himself and been curious.

But only Healing Care, in her general way, had made a tease out of it. “For a human?” she had repeated his answer, openly dubious. “Nothing more? Not as a woman?” she teased, running a suggestive finger up her own uniform and accenting her curves. “If you say yes, I might just get jealous.”

Revive had sharply turned his head, refusing to address such nonsense, but Healing had only laughed. Maybe it was because she was a female type, or maybe the other male Innovators had merely been ignorant in the relevant field of knowledge, but through their quantum brainwaves she knew she had hit close to the mark. Just not as she thought. Colonel Mannequin was indeed useful for a human, and as a woman. Revive had learned many things from Colonel Mannequin. Love… was not quite one of them.

---

It had started, as with most things, with modest beginnings. In his case, his first battle against Celestial Being. Even ending as it had, with Celestial Being’s escape into space, it had been a marvelous display of leadership on both sides. Celesital Being had easily outsmarted Colonel Lindt, as Revive had expected, but he had not expected Colonel Mannequin’s masterful predictions, to the extent of placing him precisely where he was needed to divert the Celestial Being ship into the waiting space force. Only their failure in the face of the two-drive had prevented a masterful clean sweep of Celestial Being.

And so he had taken the moment to repose himself in his cockpit, reflecting both on the general weakness of the A-LAW general troops and on Colonel Mannequin’s unexpected skill. Far above the Earth, and only slightly below the edge of space, for a moment he was above the humans and their petty concerns and conflicts, like a true Innovator should be.

And then his video com-link pinged, and soon Colonel Mannequin’s face graced his screen. “A pity despite the flawless forecast, Colonel,” the License holder said in greeting.

“Thank you. Your performance was exceptional as well,” the European officer returned the compliment.

Revive shrugged his shoulders. “Lady Luck and her whims, I suppose,” he said. “How can I help you?” he asked, getting to the heart of her call.

“I was wondering what your recovery plans are now, now that your pick up has been destroyed?” she asked, referring to the Federation cruiser that Celestial Being had kindly destroyed before it could descend low enough into the atmosphere to recover Revive.

Revive check his suits status and said, “I have more than enough particles remaining to land anywhere I need to,” he said. “I could even make it to the Tower.”

“No need to go that far unless you want to,” Mannequin said. “If you descend, you can return to the carrier.”

“Are you sure you have the space?” Revive asked. “Won’t the damaged machines take more space?”

“We will make room if we need to,” Mannequin said. “Besides, with Mr. Bushido’s leave of absence we have that much more room onboard.” Her tone made it clear what she thought of the other License-holder’s actions, even if there hadn’t been that much he could have done in the battle.

Revive laughed at the tone. “If you insist,” he said. “Thank you for the courtesy, Colonel.”

She waved off his thanks as if they were pointless. “You did your part for me,” she said. “It is in my nature to return the favor to those under me. Call it my commitment, Captain.”

When Revive come down, there was indeed space on the carrier deck to land on. Stepping out of his suit, he took care to remember to salute the bridge. He fancied he saw the gesture returned, and that was the day he first learned respect on a personal level.

---

Moving to space had been a pleasure in itself. Unlike some of his fellow Innovators, Revive had no real preference between the effects of space or gravity, but even he enjoyed the experience of transition between the two.

If the Colonel had such whimsies, she hid it beyond the reach of his quantum brain waves. As the train decelerated in approach to the station and entered weightlessness, she merely grunted in annoyance as her data pad floated from her grasp. Though her red-haired companion had made a grab for it, he merely bumbled the attempt and sent it spinning even farther. With effortless ease, Revive grabbed it and leaned forward to hand it back to her.

“Thank you, Captain Revival,” she had said, ignoring the theatrical despair of the man beside her.

“Call me Revive, please,” Captain Revival said. “I don’t stand on ceremony.”

“Spoken like a true License holder,” Colonel Mannequin noted without hostility, declining the liberty to use his name. “You must be a natural at weightlessness.”

“It’s what I was made for,” Revive said easily, though the two humans certainly wouldn’t grasp the admission. “I’ve spent a good deal of time in space. I’m well suited for the environment.”

“Are you? That’s good to hear,” she said. “I’ll be sure to make you prove those words aren’t idle boasts,” she said. Revive knew she was doing what any commander would do, challenging a soldier’s pride to bring out their full potential.

It was charming to a human try and manipulate him so. “I will try to meet your expectations then,” he said, meeting her eyes, and he saw the she knew that he knew exactly what she was trying to do.

The third wheel was too stupid to catch the meaning of what was going on between them. “I’ll prove myself as well, Colonel! Just give me the chance!” he crowed, and Revive felt a small spike of annoyance when the Colonel turned her attention to smoothing the ruffled feathers of red hair.

Only later did he understand that that infantile surge of annoyance was his first taste of the emotion that humans called… jealously.

---

Returning to the ship in disgrace had been nearly unbearable, on many levels. There was disappointment that Celestial Being had gotten away, that his own Other remained with them. There was the knowledge that a mere human had defeated him. There was the shame in returning to the ship like any of the other damaged mobile suits, saved only by his escape pod. There were so many more, so no one should be surprised that his prideful words to the Colonel was one of the later reasons for being upset.

Even so, he had cause to remember them as he docked inside the A-LAWS cruiser. On the catwalks was Colonel Mannequin, watching him as he docked. Exiting his escape pod, he drifted towards where she watched over the entire hanger bay.

“Come to make me eat my words?” he asked a bit more bluntly than he intended, still bitter at his loss.

Kati Mannequin all but laughed in his face. “I have more important priorities than that,” she said, pitiless. “I’ve been waiting for you. Come,” she commanded, before remembering to add a “please” in respect to his License.

Revive fell in behind her, floating after her as she deftly pushed herself through the halls and towards her commander’s office.

“I’ve heard initial reports,” she was saying, “about how the two-drive turned the battle. What do you know about that?”

“Only that it stopped me from destroying Celestial Being’s mother ship,” Revive said. “I had it in my crosshairs, but then it attacked. Its speed, its power…”

Kati nodded. “You too?” she asked rhetorically. “Patrick was in much the same situation before it blindsided him,” she said, giving him a brief explanation.

“Patrick…?” Revive trialed, searching his memory for the name. “Oh, him,” he said with little enthusiasm when the red head’s face came to mind.

“I sympathize,” said Kati, knowing what he was thinking even without quantum brainwaves. “But believe it or not, he is skilled.”

“If you say so,” Revive responded, still dubious.

“Well, at least lucky,” she conceded, before twisting her head as her radio head set beeped. Listening intently, she bid the other person goodbye and turned to face Revive. “I’m sorry, something has come up requiring my attention,” she said. “Debriefing you will have to wait. Would you please send me a written report by 0600?” she asked, allowing him time to rest and recuperate first if he chose. Seeing him nod, she pushed herself off the wall and down another hallway.

“Oh, one more thing,” she said, catching Revive’s attention. “I’m glad you survived to return alive, Revive,” she said, for once using his first name as he had allowed. “We’ll have better luck next time.” Then she was gone, and Revive was left to go where he would.

When Revive did write that summation of the day’s battle shortly thereafter, he raised eyebrows when he sent it first not to Ribbons, but to Colonel Mannequin. Colonel Mannequin’s third lesson to him was not to act solely from duty or for the Plan, but in consideration of others.

---

When the battlefield was on earth, Mannequin was more in control of the situation. That was Revive’s take after careful observation. Perhaps it was because the battlefields had ranged from the Alps of Europe to the shores of Africa, all past stomping grounds for the European woman. Or perhaps he was just admiring her poise as they hunted down Celestial Being’s ship.

When he had broached the subject of their commander to Bring Stability as they approached the damaged ship, the other Innovator had merely grunted. Bring paid tolerated her like he did any other human: mostly by ignoring them, except in so much they affected the battlefield. The Innovator had no sense of camaraderie or personal loyalty like the human shared with her command, or of the usefulness those could have in furthering their goals.

“If you think she’s so valuable, ask Ribbons to make her an Innovator,” Bring had eventually snapped when Revive told him so. “Why don’t you put in a good word for her if you think so highly of her?”

Unfortunately, that had been one of the things Revive would ever hear from Bring Stability: inter-Innovator fratricide brought the red-haired one down shortly after. But they would come back to him when Revive later received a highly personal, highly secure call from the head of A-LAWS himself.

“What do you think of Colonel Mannequin’s performance?” Homer Katagiri had asked, breaking to the heart of things immediately. “In light of the death of an Innovator and of her multiple failures, as well as a lack of enthusiasm for our cause, concerns have been raised about allowing her continued command.” He didn’t say who had raised those concerns, but Revive had a hunch. Even so, Bring’s words had come back to him.

“Colonel Mannequin’s performance has been nothing less than perfectly satisfactory,” Revive had answered. “All her failures have been due to events beyond her control, not any lacking on her part. I doubt another commander as suited against Celestial Being could be found quickly.”

Katagiri had said nothing and stared at Revive for some time, perhaps trying to glean any motivation for the Colonel’s defense, but Revive remained impassive and waited until the Human backed down.

“Very well,” the General had said. “I will defer to your judgment.” Then he had hung up.

Nothing more had been said on the matter. Colonel Mannequin never knew just how close she had been to being relieved for being seen as unreliable, and would never know just what role Revive had played in allowing her to keep fighting against Celestial Being.

She would never know, and would never give any sort of gratitude, but… it was pleasing, in some way. To help someone who trusted you with no expectations of reward or praise. And that was how Revive learned the meaning of generosity.

---

It was a force even an Innovator could be impressed by. Much of the A-LAWS entire force, gathered at one point for one mission: the extermination of Celestial Being. Battalions of mobile suits, a prototype of one of the most deadly mobile armors to date. Three combat innovators. All with a unified purpose. All in the hands of Colonel Mannequin. Revive had no doubts about the outcome of this operation.

There was only one thing missing, one person. The red haired idiot would not be fighting today, and nothing made Revive happier. That meant one fewer person to distract him from his target, one fewer person risk losing the prize to. Relegated to piloting a fix-winged aircraft? Revive would prove the difference between them beyond any doubt.

Apparently his eagerness was infectious, or at least apparent to those with the abilities to feel it. “Looking forward to avenging Bring?” asked Healing Care from the suit beside him.

“Something like that,” Revive replied. “I’m looking forward to putting Celestial Being behind us, so we can move on to better things.”

Better things indeed. Healing giggled in mirth. “Well then, I’ll allow you first blood,” she granted magnanimously. “Wouldn’t want to let you fail to fail to impress the lady now, would we?”

Revive only looked ahead and bared his teeth in a smile. “Thank you,” he said. “I look forward to it.”

When Revive had to withdraw the finishing blow at the retreat command, he learned the true meaning of frustration. Knowing that it was from the Colonel didn’t help the feeling one bit, even if learning of the coup did help him sympathize with the Colonel’s own frustration.

---

Revive had never seen Kati Mannequin distressed before, and quickly decided it was unbecoming of her. In her command office, the two of them looked over any and all of the latest data of the situation at the orbital tower, and it was apparent that she was uneasy. Small things, like a constant clenching and unclenching of her hands, or swallowing more often. She did that several times as she saw the publicly released images of soldiers mowing down innocent civilians with machinegun fire.

“Are you feeling alright, Colonel?” Revive asked when Kati visibly gagged at one particularly gruesome scene.

“Of course not!” she snapped at him. “How could anyone be fine after witnessing that?”

Revive looked at the scene again, and could only see humans being butchered like cattle. If he wouldn’t cry for cattle, why should he the other? But saying that would be tactless.

“Well, this is what A-LAWS was made to prevent, correct?” he asked, seeking to guide her to the light of reason.

“Much good that did, now that they seized the tower,” she swore.

“Then we will just have to redouble our efforts, both to solve this crisis and to prevent others,” he supplied.

“You’re saying that A-LAWS should take more power?” she asked. “A-LAWS actions are probably a good part of what was behind this, regardless of what the talking heads parrot,” she said, daring him to deny it.

“Even so, what of it?” Revive asked, trying to be reasonable. “A-LAWS was established in response to insurgent groups, not the other way around. We fight a battle that was started almost as soon as the Federation was formed. Backing down now would do nothing to stop those dedicated to breaking apart the Federation and humanity back into the squabbling power blocks. With that in mind, more power to track down and eliminate the last vestiges of resistance is what will stop the bloodshed the fastest. If we do that, events like these will be a thing of the past,” he concluded, indicating the video feed.

Kati looked at him, and he for once he wondered just how perceptive a human could be.

“You believe that,” she said, stating it as a fact. “You really think that spilling more blood will stop a river of it.”

“With every fiber of my being,” Revive amditted. “If you compare the number of deaths before the formation of A-LAWS with the number of deaths after, there is a clear correlation. Even if the Tower is destroyed, it will be but a blip on the statistical graph.”

“I hardly consider tens of thousands of lives a ‘blip’,” Kati said. “As a soldier, I have a duty to protect those citizens.”

Revive wondered what she would have thought of his near-assignment to destroy the kingdom of Azadistan in preparation for the Federation’s reorganization, and then decided not to. Instead he gestured to the screen once again. “Wouldn’t it be worth it to sacrifice the few for the more, for all time?” he asked, trying to make her grasp the Innovator’s code.

But she clearly didn’t, and he felt disappointment for her. If only she understood that one thing, she would understand why all of this, all of A-LAWS, was necessary. Everything would be so much better then. But, as he was coming to realize, some things simply couldn’t be. That was the sixth lesson she taught him.

---

“Colonel Mannequin.”

“Captain Revival.”

He knew. She knew he knew. He knew she knew he knew. She knew he knew she knew he knew.

“It really is lovely this time of night, isn’t it?” he asked, pretending for the entire world as if nothing were wrong.

“I couldn’t say,” she replied, also pretending. “I don’t have much experience for comparison. I’m not usually one for night time walks.”

“Oh, you should,” he assured her. “Especially out at see like this. You can see so much more than on land.”

“You’re a star gazer, Captain?” she asked, genuinely curious but also seeking to keep his attention diverted that much longer.

“I will likely spend much of my later life in space,” he confessed, “so it’s always had its own pull for me.”

“Then why are you still on Earth?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be helping with the colonization efforts then? I hear that they are always looking for good men. I would be more than happy to give you a recommendation should you ever wish to transfer out of A-LAWS.”

Revive shook his head. “Not while there are still things I have to do here on Earth,” he said, regretful. “Afterwards, thugh…”

“A pity,” said Kati, and he knew at some level she really meant it, even if she found his politics deplorable.

“Indeed,” he said. “I had hoped you would understand.” There, it was said. Before she could give a subtle nod to the man behind him, though, he continued.

“Ah, Lieutenant Colasour. You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that; they might get jumpy.” The idiot’s gasp betrayed his exact position, and it was child’s play to turn around and pluck the pistol from his surprised grasp. Even before he could get his finger in the trigger well, though, he heard the slide of steel on leather, and knew without looking that Mannequin had her own pistol trained on him.

“No need for that to watch the stars, now is there Colonel?” Revive asked, careful to show that the gun was pointed nowhere near the idiot who had somehow crawled his way into her affections. “I merely wanted to remove any cause for commotion.” Walking to the locked hanger doors, he took his unique key pass and slid it through the electronic lock. The doors opened quickly and quietly, and without the digital fingerprints that would have accompanied anyone other than a License holder opening the flight deck at such an hour.

“There, that’s much better for watching the stars, right?” he asked, even though little light of any sort broke through the dust clouds that had covered the skies since the elevator’s collapse.

“Revive, you…” Kati trailed off, for once as speechless as the idiot.

Revive tossed a careless wave. “I don’t feel much like watching the sky tonight. I’ll leave it to you to close the doors, Colonel,” he said, not looking at her as he did so. Passing by red-hair, he took care to step on his toes and whisper into his ear.

‘If she’s important to you, you’ll have to protect her from now on, even from me.’

Revive walked away from the two and didn’t look back, even when he heard what he assumed were salutes from both of them. He believed in his mission as much as she believed in her values. And that was the seventh and final thing Colonel Mannequin taught him: resolve.

---

[Attomoku]

He knew. She knew he knew. He knew she knew he knew. She knew he knew she knew he knew.

Gaahh! It hurts my brain!

Anyway, good read, it (as always) has nice overtones. I always thought that Revive and Healing were always the most human of the "true" innovators and its nice to see how that might have come to be. Resolve, sympathy, generosity, consideration, jealousy, and something fluctuating between respect and affection; all things that help make us human, but also missing a few of the big things that truly make us human. You did a good job of picking those "traits". Kudos, and as always keep up the great work Dean.

[Thundermuffin]

Neat. Makes you wonder where everyone except Ribbons and Tieria were hiding prior to Season 2...just not activated yet? In stasis?

[Dean_the_Young]

Neat. Makes you wonder where everyone except Ribbons and Tieria were hiding prior to Season 2...just not activated yet? In stasis?

My pet theory (by which I mean what I'm going to propose in my end-series "this is how I would have edited Gundam 00"; yes, I intend to do that) is that they were doing Ribbon's dirty work, just like Ribbons was doing Alejandro's. So that Realdo pilot who got shot in the alley? I like to think it was either Revive Revival or Bring Stability.

They also could have been scattered around in the beuracracy of the three powers: high-ranked officers with vague responsibilities, but with quick access to those higher up. So when anyone says "higher ups have decided -blank-," it's actually an Innovator behind it, to give a more conspiratorial feel to the series. Examples: Graham being so quickly assigned to hunt the Gundams, Sergei being assigned Soma, Patrick staying on the front lines, etc.. All things that could have a perfectly normal or reasonable explanation... but that also further Ribbon's agenda. (Putting the best against the Gundams quicker allows a quicker introduction of the Thrones: the sooner the Thrones arrive, the less independent progress the 3 powers will have made and the more indebted to Alejandro's Jinxes they will be: the more reliant the world is on a single source of tau drives, the firmer Ribbon's grasp.)

[Dean_the_Young]

Can I see Mr. Bushido doing this?

Yes, very much so.

---

00 S2 Drabble 19

Motivation

---

Before you set out for revenge, be sure to dig two graves.

—Chinese Proverb

---

“What a disgrace, Gundam.” Gone was the man’s usual frenzied yells, raging in battle lust. In its place was a scornful dismissal.

“You!” Setsuna turned, the 00 Raiser’s glowing frame briefly leaning towards the black machine. “Go away! I don’t have time for you!” His focus was clear, fixated on the third retreating machine and the blond haired woman inside. His machine continued to glow, ready to continue the chase and return to where the conversation left off.

“You wish to continue this farce?” asked his reoccurring enemy. “Have you truly fallen so far? I won’t allow it!” Initiating his own torrent of particles, trans-am fought trans-am.

“Don’t you feel it, Gundam?” raved his attacker as they exchanged blows. “Don’t you feel how this was meant to be, clashing blades like this once again? Don’t you just relish in your power?”

“No!” exclaimed Setsuna. “I’m not like that!” But try as he might to connect, the other machine parried every blow with ease, and striking back just as hard. Increasingly, he watched as the limit on trans-am slowly drew closer.

“Oh, I think you are,” taunted his adversary. “Overcoming all with that peerless force, shaping the world to your whims. You enjoys playing God, destroying anything and everything you see as unworthy of existing in your presence.”

“No!” Setsuna exclaimed again. “My Gundam and I, we aren’t just tools of destruction!”

“Oh? Then what did you do all those years ago? What were you doing when you humiliated me, killed my men and destroyed everything I knew, and made me into the man I am today?” the other demanded, a familiar anger filtering into his voice. “You are a magnificent destroyer, Gundam, and I will not be misled otherwise! Now fight!” he demanded, slaming blow after blow against the 00’s crumbling defense.

“You’re wrong!” protested Setsuna, the prelude to despair entering his voice even as the last seconds of trans-am passed away. “We aren’t like that anymore!”

But it was a futile explanation, as effective as his last feeble swipe before the 00’s rosy hue faded. Even as his particles depleted and the Gundam lost its power, his enemy’s torrent of particles showed no signs of abating anytime soon.

“So you have forgotten your true nature, Gundam,” the enemy mused in a disappointed tone as it hovered above the helpless titan before it. “You truly have grown soft despite your might, nothing like what captured my attention all those years ago.” He laughed, the twisted distortion behind it leaving a dark taste in Setsuna’s mouth.

A blink, the smallest gap of time, and the black machine vanished from Setsuna’s sight. Only his co-pilot’s gasp alerted Setsuna as to the black machine’s position, above and behind the 00, trapping the 00’s movements with a hand on the 0 Riser’s nose. The other raised the beam saber meaningfully.

“Then I will have to remind you,” the damned man said, and brought the saber down pummel-first into the 0-Riser’s cockpit.

The first blow did not crush it: the support craft was made to endure battle conditions, and was more than a mere fighter. The armor bent, the glass cracked as the Japanese man inside saw the giant metal hand slam down mere inches away from him, but it did not give... yet.

“Saji Crossroads!” Setsuna cried, fear and alarm coursing through his system. “Gundam, move!” he pleaded, pushing at the controls for the least bit of relief for his friend. But with the lack of particles, the other machine easily kept its grip as the pummel came down again. Again it did not crush completely, but as it raised its arm a third time it was clear that this would be enough.

“Please, stop!” Setsuna begged his tormenter. “I’ll fight, but stop!” If he were whimsical, he would say that he heard another voice, distant, feminine, plead for mercy as well. But the other listened to no pleas for clemency.

“Remember this feeling, this bitter taste of shame and helplessness,” he advised instead. “It will keep you fighting for years. I should know.” And then he brought the pummel down in a third, final blow that smashed in the 0 Riser’s cockpit, crushing the man inside into shreds of tissues and bones.

Setsuna yelled, he cursed, he tried to command the machine to move and kill the murderer. But Mr. Bushido only rewarded his efforts by taking his blade and cutting deep into the 00 Raiser’s twin engines, crippling its mobility even as GN particles returned.

“When you feel you have remembered who you are, Gundam, come find me. I will be happy to duel you then,” he said. Giving a final dismissive glance to the 00, Mr. Bushido left, content that he had motivated the boy to truly fight again.

And he was right.