Ok here is my Gundam Wing fanfic. If you're readign this, then thank you for taking the time. Hopefully here I will find some actual constructive reviews. FanFiction.net is a curse, I swear. Anyway I just want to give a little background on the story before you get 2 paragraphs into the story and decided to stop reading. Yes, this story follows the "traditional" there's a new war, the G Pilots must stop it" plot. I'm hoping my writing can overcome that particular cliche. My reasoning personally is, can you honestly expect that the Mariemaia rebellion would be the only one after the end of the Eve Wars? Romefeller was in charge of the whole damn world and the colonies too for a little while. There wouldn't be some aristocrats that would be kinda pissed at having to give up their dictatorship for total peace democratic crap? The point being, with Eve Wars supposedly being a war to end all wars, they should still be feeling aftershocks years afterward. We're still feeling the affects of stuff that happened in WWII today and that was sixty years ago.
Also there will be an OC in this story that is a Gundam pilot and I have taken pains that he isn't a Gary Stu and that his Gundam isn't any more badass than the others. I hope he goes over well with the readers.
Lastly, I wrote this fic, or rather, began writing it in 2001 and it's been kicking around since. I have two chapters done and the rest is already planned out, I just have to write them. I think I got distracted by something... Star Wars? Soccer? DBZ? Girls? I don't know but I got distracted by something and it never got completed fully. I intend to rectify that right now. All right enough of my pontificating, you came here to read a story not a rant, right? Then ON WITH THE SHOW!!!
Gundam Wing: Shattered Peace
Episode One: The Dire Threat
With high expectations, human beings left Earth to begin a new life in Space Colonies. But the United Earth Sphere Alliance gained great military power and began to seize control of one colony after another in the name of justice… and peace. The year was After Colony 195. Operation Meteor. In a move to counter the Alliance’s tyranny, rebel citizens of certain colonies schemed to bring new armaments to Earth disguised as shooting stars. After an intricate and bloody war, the six young men, and their Gundams, were victorious with the help of their allies. In the year A.C. 196 the Earth Sphere Unified Nation was formed and all battle weapons were either destroyed or discarded. Thinking that they no longer needed their weapons of war, the Gundam Pilots, with the exception of Alex and Wufei, sent their Gundams into the sun. But Christmas A.C. 196 was to be a troubled time with the rebellion of the Barton Foundation led by, ironically, Mariemaia Kushrenada. But the rebellion was quickly snuffed out thanks to the timely intervention of the Gundam Pilots and the actions of Relena Darlian, the Vice Foreign Minister for the colonies. Instead of trying to destroy them, the Gundams were hidden away in the ESUN capital just in case their awesome abilities were ever needed again…
After Colony 200, April 1st.
Location: Brazil, South America, Earth
The jungle was alive with millions of insects and creatures that created the background hum of the forest. Sally Po leaned on an earthen mound and stared through a pair of electro-binoculars at a small valley. The valley couldn’t be easily spotted by satellites and that made it very convient for an illegal Mobile Suit base. Sally didn’t know what kind of terrorists they were but she did know they were about to get a rude awakening. She spoke into the tiny radio clipped onto her lapel.
“Confirm 10 Leos and three Tragos. Permission to send in the secret weapons.â€
“Roger,†came a voice from the other end.
The Leos that were guarding the base were not top of the line. Their green paint was flaking off in great patches and their gears strained and whined. Their titanium hulls were dented in a thousand places as well. Two of them patrolled the perimeter, their feet pounding the fertile Brazilian soil. One of the pilots saw a flash of light in the hills. He opened his mouth to tell his partner when a blast of hot, yellow energy blew the tops of their mobile suits off and then struck the building behind them, annihilating it in a huge fireball. The other Leo suits on patrol turned towards the source of the blast, some even firing their 105-mm. machine cannons. Another blast incinerated a cluster of buildings and a dark, winged form leapt from the hills and descended, blasting its huge beam cannon again blowing the legs out from under three Leos. The mobile suit shot its machine cannons, punching holes in two more Leos. The blazing light from the fires and explosions revealed the form of the Gundam Phoenix. Inside the cockpit, pilot Alex Munroe grinned.
“This battle will be over in time flat.â€
As the remaining MS raised their weapons to fire at the red, gold, and white Phoenix, their sensors alerted them to the presence of another mobile suit leaping through the darkness. The arms of the MS shot forward and impaled two Leos. The suit landed, retracted its arms and whipped out a double-ended Beam Trident. With one smooth stroke, the remaining Leos’ head and legs were cut off. The glow of the flames illuminated the form of the Gundam Altron. Inside its cockpit, pilot Wufei Chang smirked.
“You let the enemy penetrate too easily. You can only blame yourselves. Poor security.â€
The three Tragos MS tried to fire their large cannons at Altron but it thrusted into the air and dashed towards the suits, slicing off their cannons. Some expert Vulcan fire disabled the three suits.
“Mission complete. Tell those chumps that they can surrender at any time…†Alex was cut off in mid-sentence as his Gundam was shoved violently to the ground. Standing behind it was a Serpent Mobile Suit. The Serpent was developed near the end of the A.C. 195 Eve Wars and was used by the Barton Foundation in its unsuccessful coup de’tat. A very powerful mobile suit, it carried a double gattling gun, 16 missiles, a beam rifle powerful enough to stop a gundam, and a bazooka with enough power to punch through gundanium armor. But they did have the same weakness as all other MS have. Just one isn’t enough to stop a Gundam, let alone two. Quick as a flash the Altron dashed toward the Serpent and raised its Beam Trident over its head. The Serpent raised its gattling gun and sprayed the Gundam with bullets but to no avail. The beam weapon sliced through the head and shoulders of the Serpent, detonating its missiles and sending it crashing to the ground.
“Thanks for saving me Wufei,†said Alex sarcastically. Wufei smirked.
“You should watch your back more often.â€
The rounding up of the enemy soldiers didn’t take long at all and it gave Alex and Wufei a chance to talk to the commander of the Preventers, Lady Une, who was overseeing the operation.
“I’m great! I’m incredible!†sang Alex as he walked towards Lady Une. He was wearing long jeans and a white T-shirt. He was also wearing a brown leather jacket that looked like it had seen many battles, both mobile suit and hand to hand. Wufei frowned at his companion. Wufei was wearing the standard tan, black, and grey Preventer uniform, which didn’t look to bad either. Lady Une gave them both a wan smile.
“Although we probably could have done it without them, your “borrowing†of the Gundams is greatly appreciated Alex,†she said.
“Aaah think nothing of it. I had business in Brussels anyway. I know you guys could have done it,†said Alex as Wufei smirked.
“Of course we could have Munroe.â€
“I’d still like to thank you. You’ve helped to resolve this quickly.â€
Suddenly Sally jogged up to them with an electronic clipboard in her hand.
“What do you want woman?†frowned Wufei.
“Hello to you too Wufei.†She handed the board to Lady Une
“All prisoners and mobile suit wreckage accounted for. That Serpent wasn’t expected though, or spotted.â€
“What does it matter? We toasted that piece of scrap!†grinned Alex.
“Thanks for all your help Alex,†said Une as she straightened,†You have permission to leave with the Gundams if you need to.â€
“Are you sure? You don’t need them for anything else?†asked Alex.
“No,†grimaced Wufei, “we need to use them to pick up mobile suit wreckage.†Sally poked Wufei in the ribs and he started violently.
“What did you do that for woman?!†he yelled
“Sally,†she said.
“What?â€
“Sally.â€
“Sally,†said Wufei through clenched teeth.
“There, was that so hard?†she said in a mock soothing tone. Everyone, except Wufei, laughed out loud. Strange that such a sound could reverberate in a battlefield.
It was 5:00 in the morning when Alex arrived with the Gundams in the ESUN capital Brussels, Belgium. The secret bunker where Alex stored Altron and Phoenix was also the same one where the Wing ZERO, Deathscythe, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Tallgeese III, and Noin’s Taurus were kept. After that he traveled to the hotel he was staying at. When he opened the door the first thing he saw was his girlfriend Ami Chan. He wasn’t surprised that all the Gundam Pilots had girlfriends. Stuff like that seemed to come with the status of hero. Heero had Relena (sort of), Duo had Hilde, and Trowa had his sister Catherine since he was family-less, Quatre had Dorothy, and he, Alex, had Ami. Her red hair was cut to shoulder length, which framed her face nicely. She also had light blue eyes that complimented the rest of her. Alex couldn’t think of anyone he would rather have as a girlfriend.
“Did you have fun?†she asked him as he hung up his jacket.
“Of course I did,†he said, pecking her on the cheek, “you should have come. It was a blast.â€
“I’m sure but somebody has to stay here and make sure our business doesn’t go down the tubes while your messing around with mobile suits,†she said, somewhat sarcastically.
“Right.â€
In July of AC 197, Alex, with Ami’s help, had formed a shuttle service that ran between European countries, and a few American ones, and the space colonies. He had a habit of personally flying many of the shuttle rides, and because he was a hotshot Gundam Pilot, he had a reputation for giving his passengers a fun ride. Alex kissed Ami.
“Well then, let’s get you back to your room and get some sleep so we can knock the socks of some government pen-pushers tomorrow.â€
The morning found a green and white space shuttle leaping from its launch ramp and shooting into the sky. It then made several corkscrews, causing the launch G-Forces to intensify. Today Alex and Ami were carrying several businessmen and ministers. Thanks to a little help from Quatre and Relena, Alex’s shuttle service had managed to get several important fares over the years.
“Don’t overdo it too much Alex, the hired help is still complaining about people missing the vomit bags,†said Ami who was acting as co-pilot.
“We named this shuttle the Vomit Comet for a reason honey,†said Alex grinning back, “ besides I just want to give ‘em a little shake-and-bake that’s all…’
A few hours later the shuttle docked at the spaceport on colony L2D2115. As Alex and Ami left the shuttle they were greeted by none other than Duo Maxwell and Hilde.
“DUO!†yelled Alex and slapped him high-five and then hugged him (briefly, I mean they are guys).
“Oh man, I totally forgot that this was your home colony,’ said Alex apologetically.
“You forgot where I live?†said Duo in mock astonishment, “the universe unravels around me. Now Quatre won’t come to see me, Trowa’s circus will skip town, and Heero and Wufei will stop trying to…â€
“SHUT UP DUO!†yelled everyone.
“Relax man I assure you my amnesia is only temporary,†joked Alex as they all walked to Duo’s car. It was a black AC197 SUV, and one of Duo’s pride and joys. The others being Deathscythe and Hilde.
As more and more scientists were needed for the Colony Construction Project, many other areas of science quietly faded into the background, among them the automobile research, so many vehicles looked like the ones that were in use during the early 21st century. As the women traded girl-talk in the back, Duo and Alex sat up front and drove off to Duo’s house. Suddenly Ami leaned forward.
“Turn off here please, Duo.â€
“Why?’
“Well my grandfather retired to this colony after the war and he’s been sick…with cancer.†Although most forms of cancer were as treatable as the common cold, there were still pretty malignant little buggers out there.
“You never told me your grandpa has cancer!†exclaimed Alex.
“Yes well… he doesn’t have much longer to live… and I wanted to visit him… and he really admires the Gundam Pilots, and I kinda promised him that I’d try to get some to meet him before…†she then gave Alex a grin that was both mischievous and infuriating, “he would like to than you especially for saving his life.â€
“What! When? Where? How?!†She gave him another superior grin.
“You saved him during the Libra battle, from attacking Mobile Dolls.â€
“Did I really?†Another smile.
“Whoa!†Another sm…
“Stop that!â€
A few minutes later they arrived at Ami’s grandparent’s house. Ami’s grandmother met them at the doorway and showed them into her husband’s room. Anne explained that her grandfather had lost both of his legs in the war and had refused prosthetics.
“Hi grandpa!†said Anne as she rushed into the room and gave the frail old man a big hug. He had crinkly good-natured eyes and very grey hair and trimmed beard.
“What’s this? What’s this?†he boomed, a loud voice that belied his age, “ have you brought one of your girl friends to help me decide which of these two handsome young men is to be your boyfriend?†Hilde giggled, Duo looked scandalized, Alex cracked a crooked grin, and two spots of pink glowed on Ami’s cheeks.
“Grandpa these are the two Gundam Pilots, Duo Maxwell and Alex Munroe.†The smile melted off the old man’s face to be replaced with an expression of gratitude. He stretched out his old hands.
“Mr. Munroe. Mr. Maxwell. May I shake your hands?†They did so.
“Mr. Munroe, I can’t thank you enough. You saved my life during the Libra battle.â€
“So I have been told. Could you give me the exact details please? It was absolute chaos out there and I barely remember most of it.â€
“Of course, of course…â€
<Flashback>
Space was absolute chaos. The Peacemillion had crashed into the Libra but the relentless Mobile Dolls were still attacking. Black Virgoes and olive green Virgo II’s battled with hordes of Space Leo’s and manned Taurus’. Deep in the middle of the biggest battle humanity ever fought, a group of black commando Leos tried to make their way towards the Libra, fighting MD’s every step of the way. One by one they were all destroyed until only the leader was left. Thomas Chan slumped in his seat, surrounded and defeated. Perhaps the younger pilots had been right when they said that he was too old to be in combat.
“Perhaps today is a good day to die,†he whispered. The Virgo II’s leveled their beam rifles at his suit but a line of bullets whizzed past them and splashed on their shields. They looked up as a bright beam of yellow energy blew several out of the cosmos. A winged mobile suit flew down from above and sliced two Virgo’s in half with a beam saber. It then used the giant beam cannon on its right arm to blow away all the remaining MD’s. The Gundam Phoenix turned to look at Chan, briefly, and then flew off…
“… And that’s all I have to say about that,†finished Thomas Chan.
“Amazing. Truly amazing. You know I actually don’t remember that at all. Sorry,†said Alex.
“Quite all right. Quite all right,†said Mr. Chan, “ It actually happened in just a couple of seconds, I’m not surprised you don’t remember. Still I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now what kind of embarrassing stories should I tell about my little Ami?â€
While everyone was laughing Alex suddenly noticed a tiny red dot moving along the floor. It landed on the foot of Thomas’ bed and then moved onto Duo’s foot. It then made a beeline for Duo’s head.
“Everyone shut up,†said Alex in a voice of deadly calm. They all looked at him but he put a big smile on his face and turned to look out the window, just barley seeing the line of the laser beam. Duo was about to ask Alex what the crap he was playing at when Alex drew the small gun he kept in the back of his jacket with great speed, but he saw a flash in the window.
“DOWN!!†he bellowed and no sooner had his head cleared the sill than a hail of gunfire filled the room with flying splinters and screams. The rapid-fire stream lasted a full 10 seconds but it seemed like an eternity to Alex. When the spray had stopped, Alex centered his sights on the window and fired all four bullets into it.
“Go, go, go!!†he yelled at the others.
He heard a scream from Ami. He turned and saw that Thomas Chan had been killed by the machine gun.
“There’s nothing more we can do Ami. Go! Go!†Dragging the distraught grandmother behind them, they piled behind the front door. Duo and Alex had pulled out their proper 16-shot firearms.
“You think he’s got that gun on the door?†asked Duo.
“Unless I nailed the scum, which is doubtful, yah, probably… well no sense in waiting around now.†Alex aimed his gun out the side window and fired four rounds in the direction of the machine gun fire.
“Go! Go!†yelled Alex and they all shot out of the door like rockets, with Duo and Alex setting down covering fire.
“Let’s see ya try and take a potshot at the God of Death,†yelled Duo defiantly with his trademark grin. Suddenly a burst of automatic fire forced them all to duck for cover.
“Noooo!†screamed Ami. The bullets had killed her grandmother too. Just when it couldn’t possibly have gotten any worse, a black van roared around the corner and headed straight for the Chan’s house. While Duo fired at the unseen attacker, Alex emptied all but one bullet on the windshield of the car, but to no avail. The van pulled to stop and machine gun fire stitched a line of slugs across the passenger side. But the van was obviously bulletproof. The driver’s side door opened and Duo and Alex both fired their guns at the driver. The weapons clicked emptily.
“Damn,†cursed Alex under his breath, but that changed to open mouthed astonishment when he, Duo, and the others saw who was driving. Heero Yuy had come to their rescue.
They stood there staring at Heero, until a burst of gunfire prompted them all to move more quickly.
“Get in now,†commanded Heero in his emotionless monotone. He whipped out a sub-machine gun and fired a few bursts at the unseen attacker, as Duo, Hilde, and Anne climbed in through the side door. Alex slid across the hood and jumped into the passenger seat.
“Step on it!†he bellowed at Heero. There was a scream of tires and the van was gone around the corner, gunfire following all the way.
Safely out of the line of fire, and with Heero driving hap-hazardley through the streets, Alex and Duo had chance to dampen down the adrenaline rush. Alex now wished he’d gone in the back because Ami was crying her eyes out. An almost equally distraught Hilde and a very frazzled Duo were comforting her. Even Duo’s meter long braid was coming undone at the seams. Alex turned to Heero.
“Why was that guy trying to kill us?†asked Alex. Heero grunted.
“Heero,†said Alex. Grunt.
“Heero?†said Alex, beginning to sound very annoyed now.
“It’s better if you not now for now,†said the Perfect Soldier. But Alex’s patience had been whittled down to a thin line by now and he wasn’t gonna take any crap from Heero. This was the first time he had seen the guy in three years. Alex reached over and slammed Heero’s foot with his own foot on the brakes, which brought the van to a violent halt. Heero seemed not to notice, so Alex grabbed the front of Heero’s green jersey and hauled him towards his face.
“Answers now!!!†bellowed Alex into Heero’s face. Heero’s gaze turned into a patented Heero Yuy Death Glare.
“Let go of my shirt,†said Heero in a soft tone that nonetheless carried a hint of the pain that was in store for Alex. Alex quickly let go. Heero knew more than a dozen ways to kill a man with his bare hands and it wasn’t a good idea to test the Perfect Soldier.
“The people who are after you are part of a secret organization that has built itself up over these last few years into something truly formidable. I can’t tell you much about it just now, but I can tell you that they’ve positioned themselves in every colony and country on Earth.†Heero had started driving again by this point, and everyone was listening to Heero intently. Heero pulled up behind a black SUV and told everyone to get in it. Alex took the opportunity to talk to Ami.
“How are you doing Ami?â€
“I… it was… it was just a big shock,†she said, the tears still rolling down her cheeks. He gave Ami a big hug and turned to Duo as they got into the car.
“Do you think Heero’s on the level?†he whispered.
“I don’t know. We haven’t seen him for three years… but I don’t think that Heero would lie to us or betray us.â€
“Your right, I wouldn’t,†said Heero as he began to drive. Everyone face-faulted.
“I hate it when he does that,†groaned Duo. The shadow of a smile flickered across Heero’s face.
“As I was saying, this organization wants the Gundam pilots and their allies out of the way,†said Heero in his usual monotone, “I’ve informed Lady Une about this because I think it’s probable that they are going to invade the ESUN.â€
“WHAT?!†yelled everyone at once.
“How in the heck could they pull that off,†yelled Duo.
“What… are you talkin’ about?†asked Alex, shocked.
“An invasion?,†breathed Anne, her face very white.
“ Oh no not again,†moaned Hilde.
“I’ve been trying to find out as much as I can for the last year,†continued Heero, “but this group is extremely careful. Not even the Preventers know anything about it. I don’t even know its leader.â€
“Wait a minute! Hold the phone!†said Alex to Heero, “How could they launch an invasion of the entire ESUN?â€
“I told you. They have bases where they’ve stored mobile suits in every colony and every country on Earth. It took me six months just to find that out and confirm it. I would guess that they have been preparing for this since the end of the war, possibly even before the Mariemaia incident.â€
“But what do they want? Why do they want us out of the way?†Duo would have asked more questions but Heero silenced him with another Death Glare.
“I think they do know about the Gundams. But then again they probably want to kill us just to get us out of the way. Remember that mobile suit base you destroyed in Brazil, Alex?â€
“How ‘d you know about that?†Another shadow smile crossed Heero’s features,
“I am taking you to my ship that’s docked here. From there we’ll go get the others,†Heero’s face turned into a grim mask, “I just hope we’re not to late. After that there wasn’t much talk. They finally arrived at the colony spaceport and Heero led them threw rows of boxes, crates, and ship docks before they arrived at Heero’s ship. It was a huge, boxy, bulky-looking scow that had definitely seen better days. Rusting letters on its side proclaimed it to be the Armadillo.
“What a piece of junk!†exclaimed Duo. Of course, thought Duo, it belonged to Heero so it probably had some hidden secrets. As they walked across the catwalk towards the ship, Heero suddenly whipped up his arm, gesturing for them to stop. He looked over his left shoulder and then shouted,
“GET DOWN!†He whipped out his gun and fired six shots in rapid succession as a burst of automatic fire punched dime-sized hole near his feet. When Duo and the others looked up, they saw that a body had fallen down from the observation balcony above. You didn’t mess with the Perfect Soldier. Heero gestured for them to follow him into the Armadillo through a side hatch.
“I would’ve gotten to you sooner, but I had to pick these up.†He said in his monotone. Heero threw a switch and the cargo bay lit up. Duo’s, Hilde’s, Alex’s, and Ami’s mouths fell open. The Gundams, all six of them, were sitting in the bay. The majestic angel-winged Wing ZERO. The Deathscythe Hell, it’s Beam scythe and bat-like wings folded against it. The heavily armed Heavyarms, its twin double gattling cannons mounted on its back. The Sandrock with its huge Heat Shotels also mounted on its back. The Altron, with its Dragon Fangs and double ended Beam Trident was a fearsome mobile suit. The Phoenix, its red, white, and gold paint gleaming in the lights sat with its wings folded and its Double Buster Rifle mounted on its right arm. And finally the Tallgeese III had a large shield planted on its left arm, a Mega Cannon on its right and two super rocket engine pods on its back.
“How did you…?†gaped Alex at Heero. Another shadow smile.
“C’mon, let’s get out of here,†said Heero.
The freighter, with its Gundam cargo, lifted off smoothly from the space dock.
“Let’s see,†said Duo as sat himself in front of a computer console, “We need to contact Trowa and Catharine, and I’m on it.†As Duo began to work Heero turned to Alex.
“I’ve sent a message to Wufei and Sally, they’re going to meet us half-way and we’ll go to Quatre’s home colony from there. Quatre and Relena are in even bigger danger than we are,†Alex noticed a small pause before Relena’s name and grinned. Heero shot him a Death Glare
“I haven’t sent a message to Noin and Zeches though. Would you send them a message on Mars?†asked Heero.
“Wow!†said Alex sarcastically, “Mr. Heero Yuy, the all-powerful Perfect Soldier finally learned some human manners. What a momentous occasion!†Heero gave Alex a stronger Death Glare and Alex gave him a mock salute.
“Let’s go to work!†yelled Alex. The Armadillo shot off into the depths of outer space.
NEXT EPISODE
Heero, Duo, Hilde, Alex and Ami rendezvous with Wufei and Sally and head to Quatre’s home colony. There, an enemy commando team attempts to capture Quatre and Relena. Thanks to Quatre’s sisters, Iria and Inyri, and some intimidation from the Gundams, they are saved. Relena is overjoyed to see Heero again but there is little time to celebrate, as they must go to Heero’s asteroid hideout. Trowa and Catherine rendezvous with the others there. The enemy begins to set in motion the plans leading up to the total invasion of the ESUN. As the Gundam pilots prepare to strike back, they witness the end of the current ESUN. On the next episode of Gundam Wing: Shattered Peace- Race Against Time!
Gundam Wing: Shattered Peace
Episode Two: Race Against Time!
With the arrival of peace in the Earthsphere the citizens of both earth and space thought that it would last forever. But relics left over from the old age have returned to threaten the new one. Their first targets: The former Gundam pilots.
Alex suddenly noticed a tiny red dot moving along the floor. It landed on the foot of Thomas’ bed and then landed on Duo’s foot. It than made a beeline for Duo’s head.
“Everyone shut up,†said Alex in a voice of deadly calm. They all looked at him but he put a big smile on his face and turned to look out the window, just barley seeing the line of the laser beam. Duo was about to ask Alex what the crap he was playing at when Alex drew the small gun with great speed, but he saw a flash in the window.
“DOWN!!†he bellowed and no sooner had his head cleared the sill than a hail of gunfire filled the room with flying splinters and screams.
A black van roared around the corner and headed straight for the Murphy’s. While Duo fired at the unseen attacker, Alex emptied all but one bullet on the windshield of the car, but to no avail. The van pulled to stop and machine gun fire stitched a line of slugs across the passenger side. But the van was obviously bulletproof. The driver’s side door opened and Duo and Alex both fired their guns at the driver. The weapons clicked emptily.
“Damn,†cursed Alex under hi breath, but that changed to open mouthed astonishment when he, Duo, and the others saw who was driving. Heero Yuy had come to their rescue.
“The people who are after you are part of a secret organization that has built itself up over these last few years into something truly formidable. I can’t tell you much about it just now, but I can tell you that they’ve positioned themselves in every colony and country on Earth,†said Heero.
“This organization wants the Gundam pilots and their allies out of the way,†said Heero in his usual monotone, “I’ve informed Lady Une about this because I think it’s probable that they are going to invade the ESUN.â€
If the pilots do not act quickly, peace may be lost forever.
****
April 3rd, A.C. 200
Near Quatre’s Home Colony
“Here they come,†said Duo as he looked up from the console. Outside their freighter, a Preventer cruiser closed formation with them. A buzzer signaled an incoming transmission and Duo opened the line. The images of Wufei Chang and Sally Po, Preventers Dragon and Water respectively, appeared on the screen.
“Hey there you two. What’s…†but Duo was cut off as he was shoved aside by Heero.
“Wufei, Sally, match our course and speed and come to a heading of 188 mark six and follow us.â€
“What’s all this about Heero?†demanded Wufei.
“Oh nothing,†piped up Alex from behind Heero, “We’re just on the run from people who’re tryin’ to kill us, that’s all.â€
“What!?†yelled Sally and Wufei at the same time.
“Wufei, we don’t have the time. Please just trust us. I’m sending you a file. Read it on the way,†said Heero, a note of urgency in his monotonous voice. Wufei and Sally looked at each other and then turned back to the screen.
“All right Heero, we’ll go along with you… for now,†said Sally hesitantly.
“And this had better be good Heero,†growled Wufei.
“Oh it is. It is,†said Duo darkly. Wufei looked slightly taken aback by Duo’s manner just as the screen went dark.
****
Later, Wufei and Sally came over to the Armadillo to talk with the rest of the pilots and the girls. Wufei waved a CD under Heero’s nose.
“Is all this true Yuy? When exactly were you going to provide us with this information?! After we’d been taken over??! Huh??!!†he spat, his voice rising to a full shout. Wufei’s face was becoming flushed and Sally stepped in before it came to blows.
“Heero, the information on this disk is frankly… disturbing. Do you realize the magnitude of what’s about to happen? According to this in less than twelve hours the ESUN as we know it will end!†Heero fixed both of them with his Heero Yuy Death Glare.
“I know this. The fact of the matter is that I only discovered their activities six months ago. Their operation is well guarded. Very well guarded.â€
“Coming from the Perfect Soldier, that’s extremely high praise,†said Duo sarcastically. Hilde poked him in the ribs.
“I discovered their timetable only a week ago. That was only enough time to secure a secret base, find you pilots and the others, and secure the Gundams,†continued Heero.
“You could’ve just asked ya know. You are authorized,†said Alex, slightly annoyed.
“It was essential that I remove the Gundams in secret. These New Romefeller confederates have spies within the government and Preventers that would’ve tipped them off and they may have struck too soon,â€
“What, they would’ve launched their invasion sooner?†blurted out Ami.
“No,†said Heero, his voice turning frosty, “they would have killed you all.â€
****
Eventually they hammered out a rough plan of action. They would first head to Quatre’s colony, retrieve him and Relena, then head to Heero’s ‘secret base.’ It turned out that Heero’s secret base was an old asteroid listening post first used by the Earth Sphere Alliance and then by OZ. Later the White Fang colonial rebels had attacked it. It had been abandoned since then and not even the Preventers paid much attention to it.
“If Quatre can get us one of his large transports, preferably with boosters equipped, it will cut the travel time in half,†said Heero from the pilot’s seat.
“Man, you plan for every crappin’ thing don’t you Heero?†yawned Alex from the co-pilot’s seat. He hadn’t slept well ever since the attack at the colony hours earlier. Heero glanced over at him.
“You don’t survive with one plan, you use ten plans,†he said.
“This whole situation bugs the heck out of you, doesn’t it?’ he asked sympathetically. Heero turned and stared into the dark abyss of outer space.
“I promised to never kill again. I won’t be able to keep that promise now,†he said dully. Alex leaned back and stared at the stars as well.
But I wonder for whose benefit you made that promise. Yours… or Relena’s? Alex smiled to himself.
Relena’s. Definitely. Oh man he’s got it so bad and he doesn’t even know it. Pity really.
****
They contacted Trowa who was currently living on his home L3 colony and told him everything. As soon as they were done explaining, Trowa grabbed Catherine and began to look for transport off-colony. They would meet up with the others on the way to the base. Alex wanted to contact Zechs Merquise and their old friend Lucrezia Noin on Mars, but the Armadillo certainly didn’t have that kind of transmitting strength, and Heero was adamant that they not transmit along even Preventer channels. Quatre’s private company comm. array would be better for that purpose.
“Aren’t we all glad we have a rich boy for a friend? Say do you think he’ll let us swim in that money pool of his?†joked Duo, the eternal smart aleck. The Armadillo continued chugging across the vastness of space.
****
On his home colony of L4-172120, Quatre Rababa Winner sat in his private office and was drinking tea with his good friend Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian. The room was large and well appointed but only so much so as suited Quatre’s tastes. Contrary to popular belief Quatre didn’t live like a real life Bruce Wayne, with a girl in every casino.
Quatre poured a second cup of tea for Relena then sat back down and picked up his own cup.
“You wanted to know how the others were doing?†he asked.
“Yes I would. I don’t hear much from any of them…†she looked like she wanted to say more but stopped. Quatre smiled.
“I haven’t heard from Heero in a while, but that’s not unusual for him is it?’ Relena seemed disappointed by this so Quatre pressed on, “Duo is still working in the junkyard on L2. He told me last week that he almost has enough money to buy Hilde a ring. I would have offered the money but you know Duo. He said he wanted to earn the money himself, which is probably what I would do…†Quatre realized that Relena’s mouth was hanging open.
“Duo is going to propose to Hilde?! But that’s wonderful! When and where will they…â€
“Whoa, whoa! Before you start asking any of that, you should know that Duo’s still wrestling with whether he wants to ask her or not.†Relena smiled thoughtfully.
“Let me guess, he’s still wrestling over whether he’s good enough to marry her. ‘How could a junk monger like me ever be good enough for a classy girl like her?’†said Relena, imitating Duo as best she could. Quatre laughed and was about to reply when his Gundam pilot’s version of a spider sense went off. You know the ‘I have a bad feeling about this, said Luke Skywalker’ Syndrome. Before Quatre could get up, a dozen black armored commandos burst through the double doors of the office. Before they had time to react, six of the commandos pinned them to the floor. The others set up a perimeter around the office. The speed of the attack rendered both Quatre and Relena speechless. Quatre soon found his voice.
“What’s the meaning of this?!†demanded Quatre. But the only answer he got was a rifle butt to the face. The six commandos who were not guarding the prisoners had finished making sure that security wasn’t about to intervene.
“We are secure sir. Do we dispose of them here, or take them?†asked one of the commandos, his voice muffled by his mask. The apparent commander of the commandos looked down at the two prisoners.
“We execute them in the name of the New Romefeller Foundation here. We can’t afford to get them off the colony.†Quatre and Relena looked at each other with alarm. NEW Romefeller Foundation?! What was this all about?
Outside the office, two of Quatre’s sisters, Iria and Inyri were coming to see their little brother. They were two of Quatre’s twenty-eight sisters who were spread out over the Winner family’s Natural Resource Satellites. Iria had treated Quatre for injuries when he had come floating into the colony in a damaged Leo. Inyri was in charge of security here at the main building. That was why when they approached Quatre’s door, Inyri threw out an arm to stop Iria from going inside.
“What are you…†Iria began but her sister stopped her.
“Listen,†said Inyri as she pressed her ear to the door. They could hear muffled voices on the other side.
At the moment Relena was shouting up at her captors.
“What is the meaning of this?! What do you intend to do with us?!†she yelled, but the leader moved in front of her, jerked her head up by the hair, and slapped her.
“Still your tongue girl! We don’t need security breathing down our necks. And don’t worry, your troubles will be over soon enough, you peace-mongering whore.â€
At that remark Quatre snarled and tried to throw off his captors, but they held him down, one of them hitting him in the face with the rifle again.
“Stop it! You’re hurting him!†cried Relena, trying to rise to the aid of her friend but held down by her captors as well.
“Gag them both. Then let’s kill them and get out of here,†ordered the commander.
On the other side of the doors, Iria and Inyri leaned back and looked at each other in horror.
“We can’t let them kill Ms. Relena and our little brother,†whispered Iria fiercely.
“I know. They’re trying to finish their objective and get out quick,†said Inyri, looking at the opposite wall in thought, “Our security teams will take to long to get up here and get in position… we’ll have to do it ourselves.â€
“What? Are you crazy?!†Iria whispered back.
“Look here’s what I want you to do,†whispered Inyri. Iria looked incredulous, but nodded. Inyri then began to pick the lock.
The leader of the commandos had pulled out his sidearm and had fitted a silencer on it. He then pointed it at Quatre.
“The condemned may have a final statement,†he said sarcastically. A commando removed Quatre’s gag.
“I don’t know what your people’s game is, but killing us will only serve to bring about your own destruction!†The commander laughed out loud.
“If you mean you’re friends, the vaunted Gundam pilots, then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. They are, as of this moment, probably dead.†Quatre’s and Relena’s eyes widened. Dead?! Impossible! Or was it?
“No…†muttered Quatre, staring at the floor.
“Oh yes,†continued the commander, “They’re all dead. Duo Maxwell and Alex Munroe on the same L2 colony, Trowa Barton on L3, they’re all gone and cannot interfere with the plans of the New…†just then the commander was interrupted as the doors opened and Iria Winner walked through the door.
“I thought you locked the door!’ yelled the commander at one of the other commandos. Iria looked like she was about to scream.
“I did, but…†started the soldier, but the commander cut him off.
“Never mind! Kill them all!†yelled the commander. The commandos raised their silenced sub-machine guns and were about to shoot, when Iria ducked revealing Inyri hiding behind her. Inyri was an excellent pistol shot, having received several awards, and she used that skill now. With six shots she killed six of the commandos, but they were also quick on the draw as well. The nearest one ducked under two shots and tackled Inyri to the ground. Two others grabbed Iria and pinned her as well. The commander stalked over and slapped Inyri in the face.
“Witch! Your foolish stunt did nothing but put yours and your sisters’ heads on the block as well!†He walked back over to Quatre’s desk and leveled his pistol again.
“Now let’s get this over with and get out of here. Those shots have probably alerted security.â€
“Uh, Commander. Look out the window!†said one of the soldiers shakily. The commander snarled and turned around. Under his mask, his jaw dropped and his eyebrows took up permanent residence on his forehead. It was them.
From out of the ‘sky’ of the colony, soaring down like avenging angels, came the Gundams. Wing ZERO, Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Altron, and Phoenix. They hovered outside Quatre’s office, but their weight meant they that they still descended albeit very slowly. As the intruders looked on in horror, the Gundams pointed their massive weapons, each capable of reducing the entire building to a pile of debris, at the office window. A voice emanated from the Wing ZERO.
“I’ll say this once. Throw down your weapons and surrender yourselves. If you harm any of your hostages, you’re dead.†Relena’s heart leapt into her throat at the sound of the voice. She’d recognize it anywhere. Once again, Heero Yuy had come to her rescue.
None of the commandos moved. The appearance of the Gundams seemed to have rendered them speechless.
“You heard the man! Surrender!†came Duo’s voice from the Deathscythe, leveling his monstrous beam scythe at the office window. The commandos still didn’t move, but when Quatre tried to escape his guard’s clutches, the commander moved over and put the business end of his pistol against Quatre’s temple.
“You can do nothing to us Gundam pilots! All of us are prepared to die for our cause. Are you sure that your friends are ready to die? Do you think that you could possibly kill us and NOT harm your friends with those weapons?!â€
“You’re right,†said Heero, lowering ZERO’s buster rifle. This caught the commandos off guard, the commander lowering his silenced pistol away from Quatre and Relena. That was all the pilots needed. Without warning Altron’s right Dragon Fang activated and shot forward, burying itself under Quatre’s window. The impact shock knocked everyone off their feet inside the office. As soon as she was free, and the building stopped shaking, Inyri sprang into action. She took down three of the remaining six commandos, but the lieutenant threw out an arm and clotheslined her . Iria jumped up and grabbed the lieutenant from behind. The commander roared and picked up a machine gun and pointed it at the struggling Winner sisters. Quatre leapt forward, while Relena slapped her captor so hard he fell flat on his butt.
“Noooo!!†screamed Quatre, but he wasn’t close enough to knocked the gun away. There was a flash, a clang, and the machine gun dropped to the ground, followed by the commander. It was Wufei. During the ensuing chaos, Wufei had jumped up onto the arm of his Gundam and ran along it to the office window. Wufei didn’t waste anymore time and used his katana and his martial arts skills to disarm and disable each of the remaining commandos.
“Yeah! Go Wufei! You rock!†came Duo’s voice from Deathscythe’s speaker. As Quatre helped Inyri back to her feet, Relena suddenly ran to the edge of the window, and looked down at the Gundams below on the ground.
“Heero! You could come to see me when my life’s not in peril!â€
There wasn’t a mischeivieous grin on anybody.
Once the mess in the office had been cleaned up, Heero immediately put the rest of his plan into action. Wufei and Sally took Quatre and Relena aside to explain what was happening as Heero, Duo, and Alex attempted to contact Zechs and Noin on Mars. For several minutes there was nothing but static, then the face of former OZ and Sanc Kingdom officer Lucrezia Noin appeared on the screen.
“Heero! And Duo! AND Alex! This is certainly a surprise! To what do we owe the honor?†said Noin. Before Duo or Alex could say anything, Heero cut in.
“Noin is Zechs there?†Noin frowned.
“Milliardo is upstairs, I’ll signal him. What do you need to talk to him for?â€
“We’ll tell you when he gets here.â€
A long silence followed. Whatever Zechs/Milliardo was up to sure was taking a lot of time. Never one for uncomfortable silences, Duo spoke up.
“So have you and Zechs… uh Milliardo or whatever finally tied the knot?†Noin chuckled softly.
“You’ve thought we would’ve by now, but the truth is that even after nearly three and a half years they’ve been keeping us far too busy with this stupid terraforming project to ever have a moment to ourselves.â€
“You know that’s not true Noin. You’re just afraid of commitment,†said a voice from behind Noin. There was the sound of a chair being rolled over and then the face that had been jointly know as Zechs Marquise, Milliardo Peacecraft and Preventer Wind was next to Noin’s on the screen.
“Heero,†he said.
“Zechs,†said Heero, just as neutrally. The exchange wasn’t hostile, merely one old foe greeting another after a long time.
“What do you need? This doesn’t have to do with Relena does it?†asked Milliardo.
“Partly,†replied Heero, “I’m uploading a file to you. It’ll probably take a few minutes because of the distance. Read it and then catch the next interplanetary transport off of Mars and go to the coordinates provided. We already have the Tallgeese so don’t worry about that.â€
“The Tallgeese?!†said Noin and Milliardo together.
“What do you need the Tallgeese for Heero? What’s happened?†demanded Milliardo, now visibly worried.
“No time to explain guys,†broke in Alex, “Just read what we’ve sent you and then get here as fast as possible.â€
“Before you go,†said Noin, worry and sadness etched on every line of her face,†please tell us… Is it another rebellion? Is the ESUN under threat again?â€
The three Gundam pilots looked at each other and then Hero broke the bad news.
“Yes, it is.†And with that, he terminated the connection.
When the Gundams were all safely tucked away aboard the Armadillo, the pilots and company blasted off from the colony, towards Heero’s rendezvous point.
