"A Pair of Angels"

During the trip from the rendezvous point to the pirates' hideout, Citan seemed unusually quiet to Fei, more so than when he was just in deep thought. Once, he asked the first mate, who was on the bridge, if anything was wrong.

"Nothing really wrong," Sigurd had replied, "He's just a bit...worried."

"Where did Aireel go?"

"We sent her ahead to the hideout, but don't tell him, not yet."

"Why not?" Fei asked.

"I want it to be a surprise."

The young man nodded, understanding right away.

"Is she okay, really?"

"She's fine, the doctors got all the sand out of her lungs."

"That's a relief."

Maison and Sigurd sat in the Gun Room a short time later, talking about the three new arrivals.

"This is not like you, Master Sigurd," the older man was remarking, "Making Master Fei and the good doctor worry like this."

"I told Fei where she is...but I don't want H--Citan knowing until the last minute."

"But why?"

"Well, when we were...up there, our senior and the 'good doctor' as you call him were involved in some matchmaking schemes with me as the target," the first mate explained.

"Then you making him worry about where she is--"

Sigurd nodded, "A little payback. Besides, that's one girl he needs to worry about the most."

"Do you know something you're not telling them?"

"Yeah...but don't tell anything about this to the others, that includes Fei, Citan, the young master or anyone."

After a long minute, Maison said, "I won't say a word unless you say to."

Aireel sighed as she laid back in one of the cots, mentally grumbling. All around her, people were moving about, either reading books, playing cards or chatting.

When she arrived at the hideout to carry out the mission Sigurd had given her, she was partly surprised to be as well welcomed as she was...especially when she learned that one of the messages she delivered was about her.

Father, she thought, What would you say if you knew I had joined the same pirates that I spared? I have to wonder if this is fate, too...

The nurse that was in the room had insisted that she lie down and rest until the Yggdrasil had arrived and would not take "no" for an answer.

Reminds me of a certain mischievous doctor...

A couple of hours before, she had received the message that the sand cruiser was on its way, which had now made her anxious.

A minute later, a little girl that Aireel had seen in the mess hall came running in.

"Miss Aireel," the child said when she could catch her breath, "You're needed at the dock."

When Bart, Fei, Citan and Maison climbed out of the hatch that led to the outside of Yggdrasil, all but the young pirate were a bit surprised to see many people gathered outside on the dock, most of them being in two lines.

"Welcome back, young master," one of the people said with a grin.

"Welcome back," the others echoed as a couple of children walked forward.

"What did you get us?" one of them asked.

"Well," Bart replied with a grin, "I got a new Gear...and two other people we helped out."

The other child said with a pout, "Aww...is that all? How boring!"

"I knew you'd say that," he said and pulled out something from a pocket before giving it, "Look at this! This is some amber I found in a stalactite cave. It's rare to find one with a bug in it."

Both children's eyes went wide and they grinned.

"Wow! Cool, some amber!"

"What's that?" the first child asked.

"We've got to show this to everyone!"

Both grinned and ran off, giggling.

One of the men walked to the left, revealing a certain young woman who smiled a little when she saw them.

"I believe you know her," he said with a smile.

Fei looked at Citan, wondering how he would react.

Aireel shook her head in a half-bemused way.

"You look a lot better," Fei said, "Glad you're okay."

"Thanks," she replied as most of the people assembled took off, "At least you're okay. I heard from Citan about you and that pirate disappearing into the sand."

The doctor kept quiet, even when she turned to him.

"I'm going to fix up my Gear a little," Bart said to them, "Why don't you three have some tea with Old Maison."

"That sounds good," Aireel replied, "It's been a while since I've had tea."

Citan simply nodded.

She turned back to Fei and asked, "Has he been this moody since I took off?"

"Yeah."

"Hmph," she said and turned to Maison, "Grouch."

"Thanks, Old Maison," Bart said and took off quickly as if trying to not get in the middle of an impending argument.

"I am not a grouch," the doctor retorted.

"Please, walk this way," Maison quickly, also trying to head off trouble, and walked towards the elevator platform.

The others followed close behind.

Fei and Citan looked around the large area while Aireel nodded to the people that turned and greeted them.

She heard Maison explain what room this was and chuckled at the added comment, "I'm sorry that it's so gauche."

"I've never seen a mess hall as big or fancy as this one," she added.

Fei looked about him as they walked up the stairs to the upper part of the room. He saw a rather small child turn from a table and heard her say, "Hey, Granny, it's Maison and Miss Aireel!"

"She certainly looks healthier than when she first arrived," the woman that the child called "Granny" replied, "And she has a couple of friends with her too."

Citan, Fei and Aireel sat at a long table while Maison got out a teapot and three cups before asking, "Would you like some of my famous tea? Master Fei? Good doctor? Miss Aireel?"

Citan and Aireel nodded and Maison poured tea into their cups.

"Mmm...this is good! As good as I remember!" she said with a grin after she drank some.

Citan nodded in agreement

"I'm glad you still like it. If things were normal, we wouldn't be here in the desert...but rather back at the royal palace," he replied.

Aireel simply nodded and Citan asked, "Are you saying that the young one is connected to the old Fatima Dynasty?"

Maison gulped and quickly said, "P-please don't mind me. I'm an old senile man who doesn't know what he's talking about."

"But he does have a certain bearing," the doctor commented at the same time Aireel was about to tell Maison that he could be trusted.

The old man quickly added with a look of relief, "Q...quite right, sir! How good of you to notice! If I may, the young one is the last living heir to the Fatima throne, that is before Shakkan's forces took over...Prince Bartholomew Fatima."

"Prince Bartholomew? Kind Edbart IV's successor? I had heard he died of an illness 12 years ago."

Aireel did her best to hide a smile at this and Maison replied, "That is true...rather that's what the public knows. In actuality, we rescued the young master from Shakkar's evil grasp at that time. We managed to escape using the Yggdrasil, which was originally for excavations."

Although Citan and Fei listened as Maison explained their political situation, Aireel simply looked about...especially since she had heard all of this before, but inwardly gasped when the doctor asked, outright, why the prince would be involved in piracy.

How rude! she thought.

Maison didn't seem offended by the bluntness of the question and explained that they had tried getting the Gears through proper channels, with little success, so they had to get the Gears through piracy.

"I know that piracy is unpardonable, but for Aveh...for Kislev...and for Ignas...to continue as they are..." he added.

"That is not for outsiders like ourselves to judge," Citan replied with a reassuring smile.

"I am relieved to hear that. Some more tea, good doctor? Miss Aireel?"

"Yes please. Thank you," the doctor replied with a nod.

"Of course, Maison."

After her old friend poured some more tea, she drank it and quietly listened.

The time that caught her attention was when he started talking about a girl named "Margie" being held hostage.

"You would not mean Nisan's...?" Citan started to ask.

"I do. The Great Mother of Nisan, Marguerite...and the young master's cousin."

She frowned and said, "Maison, you never told me that he has that kind of relatives."

He smiled and said, "You never asked, Miss Aireel."

Fei sighed as he listened to Maison.

"Why would they be holding her prisoner?" Citan asked.

"For the Fatima Jasper."

"You mean the one that is supposed to lead to a great treasure?"

Maison's eyes widened as he said, "My, you do know an awful lot! There are two halves of the Jasper. Both the young master and miss Marguerite each have half."

He then started to pour tea for Fei then stopped, seeing that his cup was still full.

"Do you not like the tea, Master Fei?"

He shook his head and replied, "No...I'm just not thirsty right now."

"Do you know what the Jasper looks like?" the doctor asked.

The old man shook his head and said, "It is said that only the heirs of Aveh and Nisan know its true form."

"I wonder what kind of treasure the Jasper would show?" Aireel asked out loud.

"So do I," Citan replied in agreement.

They were a bit surprised to hear Bart shout, "The Gear! It's the Gear, isn't it?"

Aireel turned, startled.

Bart quickly walked over to them while Maison got out another cup and started pouring tea in it.

"How's the Gears?" Fei asked.

"They've got sand in them, so it's harder to fix...besides, it's my job to pilot them, not repair them," the young prince replied.

"Why am I not surprised?" Aireel asked.

Bart ignored the comment and asked, "So...what were we talking about?"

"We were wondering if the 'great treasure' could be a Gear or not." the doctor replied.

"It might be...I mean according to the picture scrolls..."

"Picture scrolls?" Citan and Aireel said at almost the same time.

The pirate shook his head and said, "If you're interested, come up to the meeting room. I'll show you more there."

"I am quite interested in seeing this," the doctor replied, getting up.

"Yeah, me too! I haven't seen an Aveh scroll before...I wonder if they're like the ones back home," she agreed and stood.

Fei sighed and got up as well, although not admitting to some curiosity himself.

As Bart, Citan, Aireel and Fei entered a room that was close to the room she called a "mess hall", they were greeted by the beeps, clicks and grinding sounds that accompanied papers being printed...and machinery running.

"This is incredible! I do not think they even have such equipment at the capital," the doctor exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," the young lady agreed, "How'd you get all this stuff?"

"All this equipment is here thanks to Sig," the pirate replied with a proud grin and walked down the steps towards a large black spot on the floor.

Bart stood on one side and Fei on one of the black squares while Citan and Aireel stood at one end.

"So what exactly are we going to see?" she mused out loud.

"Hey, Fei...stand back. We won't be able to see what's on the screen," the young prince said to him.

"Sorry," the young man replied and walked close to the stairs while Aireel managed to hide a grin at the thought of the black squares being a screen.

"Better," the young pirate added, then shouted, "Men! Let's show them my special file!"

The small group watched silently as a piece of machinery with monitors that was suspended from the ceiling lowered half-way before activating, emitting a beam of light.

On the screen at their feet, a picture of a large red creature, people and fire appeared.

"Nicely drawn!" she said in a low voice.

The doctor nodded and added, "It is rare to see a scroll like this...and in such good condition! I had thought that Ethos controlled all such things."

"This is a keepsake of my father's. From what I remember, it was his prized possession. The picture is of the first king of Aveh, Fatima I, making a blood oath to the giants. You see he's surrounded by fire," Bart explained, "Next!"

The image changed to one that showed the red giant being put inside a strange, silver object.

"After Aveh was made, Fatima I forced to giants into slumber and buried them deep beneath the ground. Where they're at exactly, nobody knows."

Fei, at this point, only partly listened to what was being said. What the old man Bal had said in the cave about the "slayer of God" really worried him, as well as a new technique that had surfaced during a battle when he and Bart were almost to the exit.

I don't want any of this...the Gear, anything to do with these pirates, not even with Grahf! Why is it everyone's trying to get me in Weltall? All I want to do is go back to Lahan and help rebuild!

Citan was summarizing about the Fatima Jasper as well as what had to be done...as usual, with Aireel looking at the second scroll image closely, as if trying to get a hint of location.

"Say, you sure know a lot...maybe you're one of Shakkan's spies!" the pirate remarked.

Aireel's head snapped up and glared at him with an expression of fury as she said, "How dare you!"

"That is ridiculous. It is merely an intellectual curiosity of mine," Citan quickly replied.

"Just kidding, you two."

She gave the young prince a poisonous glare and said, "Don't you dare make jokes about serious accusations!"

Citan quietly watched her, feeling as if he had gotten off lightly, in comparison, for the Gear-sick prank in the desert.

She is right, though....that joke is in poor taste.

"Anyway, I know what Aireel's gonna do, but..."

"You want us to help you rescue Margie?"

"Bright boy! That's exactly it."

Citan thought for a minute then said, "Well, if it will pay for my room and board, I will do whatever I can."

Bart nodded and turned to Fei and said, "As for you...how about you join us, too? You were great in that cave. You're as strong as 10 or 20 of Shakkan's men. I'd love to have your power on my side!"

Right then, Fei shouted, "What is with you people? Why do all of you want me to fight? How do you expect me to help you with my problems when I have plenty of my own! 'Love to have my power'? I don't have any power! Why can't you all just leave me alone!"

Before any of them could stop him, the young man ran out of the room.

"Does he has a short fuse or something?" the young pirate asked.

Citan shook his head and replied, "No...that is not it. So many thing have happened to him and he has not been able to fully understand it all. Please understand."

A short time later, Aireel grumbled as she worked on a tall blueish-black Gear in the Hangar. She had heard Citan explain to Bart about what exactly had happened at Lahan after Fei had stormed out, but kept quiet.

Well, at least I'll be on the outdoor lookout tonight, so I better get some sleep in a few minutes, she thought, But I have to make sure Bart didn't manhandle Striker beforehand.

She then thought about what had happened since she left Yggdrasil to come here and wondered how the sudden departure had affected her friends, new and old.

"Aireel?"

The suddenness of the voice startled her, causing her to hit her head on the cockpit door.

"Ow! Who's there?"

"Are you all right?"

Citan.

She turned and climbed out of the cockpit, sitting on one of Striker's hands before replying.

"I'm fine...really. How's Fei?"

"Sigurd and I found him beside Weltall...he still will not get involved."

"Well, give it time. I'm sure he'll come around sooner or later," she replied in a steely tone, "Now...what brings you here?"

Inwardly, he winced at the voice and said, "I was worried about you."

Her expression and tone softened as she replied, "I'm fine, really. I'll be getting some sleep in a few minutes, as soon as I run final checks on Striker. I'll need it for later."

"What will be going on later?"

"Oh, I'm one of the outdoor lookouts tonight. Don't give me that look, I'll be fine."

"What look?"

She smiled and said, "That 'You're not well enough to be out in the desert much less fight' look. Besides, I'll be in my Gear and just about nobody knows where this base is. What can go wrong?"

"Please do not ask that..."

"Why not?"

"Whenever I have heard someone...close to me ask that, shortly afterwards...something terrible would happen. Almost each time," he replied softly but sadly, "he or she dies..."

"Hey...it's okay. I'm not going anywhere, not for a while, anyway."

He nodded and asked, "Just...be careful, all right?"

She grinned, leapt down to the platform after closing the cockpit and hugged him, saying, "You're the one I have to worry about...someone has to make sure you don't wind up as a Gear's shish-ka-bob."

Again, she added mentally.

He looked at her with a puzzled expression, seeing the thought word on her face.

"When was I that badly hurt?"

"Never mind."

Sigurd watched Aireel and Citan from a corner, and raised an eyebrow as the doctor wrapped his arms around her...an inner instinct, the first mate guessed.

"He doesn't remember the accident," he said in a low voice, "That's a mixed blessing, I guess. It'll be interesting to see what he's like when...or if he remembers."

Maison walked up behind him and whispered, "Master Sigurd, are you spying on them now?"

"Not really...maybe a little," was the reply, "Just hoping that a certain memory doesn't resurface."

"You mean that one you told me about? The accident?"

"Yes, that one. He blamed her for it years before...for everyone's sake he had better not remember it...and if he does, maybe he won't blame her for it now."

Citan gazed at her, curious by the unspoken again and by her not specifying why...and found that he was either unable to move...or he simply didn't want to, he didn't know which.

"You seem tired," she said in a low voice, "Having trouble sleeping?"

"A little," he replied in a whisper, rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, thinking, The last thing she needs to know is of the nightmares lately...

A few moments later, he felt only slightly dizzy and began to see in the mind's eye again...

"Asleep again," Hyuga said with a little smile when he saw Aireel fast asleep in the sleeping tube, "Then again, she probably didn't get much sleep since I started taking her with me on these salvage runs..."

For a moment, he thought about going on this trip alone so that she could rest, then he thought about staying.

"Perhaps I should let her sleep," he thought out loud.

"Not on your life," he heard her reply and blinked in surprise, "You think I'll let you get stuck in the chute again without someone to help you out quietly?"

"I knew you'd say that, dear angel. Ready?"

She nodded as he helped her to the floor.

"What stuff are you after this time?"

"Whatever we happen to find, of course," Hyuga replied with a grin as they went out of the Hive quarters and onto the floor.

"We should have no trouble," Aireel said, "Old Jessie's on duty."

"Why do you have him help us, Aireel? You've heard the rumors, he's a drunk!"

"That's only rumors. Besides, did you wonder why that once incident didn't get reported to the higher-ups? If it had, everyone would have gotten re-arranged."

He winced at that word, replying, "I've never been re-arranged before...and from the sound of it, I don't want to be."

"Me neither...and Old Jessie made sure it didn't happen."

He nodded and his eyes widened when they turned a corner.

"Hyu, what is it?"

He pointed towards a space between blocks.

When she followed his gaze, she saw a Gear, slightly rusted.

"There's a Gear there. So what?"

"It's abandoned, in one piece...This is a big find! I'll bring it to the secret area...then I can really see what makes it tick," he explained and then handed a small, black, square device to her.

"What is this?"

"A communication device I put together a couple of days ago. I have a second one so you won't have to shout if something comes up."

"Hyuga, don't get greedy! What if the pilot comes back soon?"

"He won't. Now, you stay here and tell me if you see anyone coming," he replied and smiled at her before taking off for the Gear.

She sighed and sat back, looking around her for a few minutes, then sighed sadly. She picked up the small black item and pressed a button on the side.

"Hey, Hyu...mind if I talk to you while this is going on?"

There was a pause before he replied, "Go ahead."

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but...it's just a bit lonely out here. How come you were gone the other day? I tried to find you and your mom wouldn't tell me--"

"...I got called to the Emperor again."

"More tests? What do they think we are, guinea pigs? Pin cushions?"

"Not this time. I couldn't understand part of what he was saying, but he said that we are going to be promoted."

"To what, Hyu?"

"...Second Class."

She sighed sadly but said in as much of a cheery voice as she could muster, "That's great! I'm happy for you, Hyuga. I mean, you and your family won't have to worry about the guards and workers here and you can actually sleep on beds, not in tubes--"

"No, Aireel, he didn't mean me and my family were being promoted."

"Who then?"

"He meant you and me."

Aireel's end of the device was silent. Hyuga stopped what he was doing, which was examining the cockpit, and asked, "Aireel?"

"It's a shock...why are we being promoted? We're just kids."

"I do not understand why, either, not completely. Apparently, he doesn't see us as ordinary Solarian children. He also said that we might be the two angels he was looking for...and don't ask me what that means because I do not know."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. When do we move to the second level?"

"Next week. All right, the Identity verification program should be inactive...now I'm going to move this Gear to that secret area."

There was silence on the other end.

"...Are you all right, Aireel?"

"I'm a bit scared."

"How come?"

"He gets mad when I talk about you...what'll he do when he finds out about this?"

He nodded and replied softly, "Don't worry...I won't let him hurt you. Even the Emperor can see it that. Any unknown guards around?"

"Not that I see, other than Old Jessie."

Unseen to Hyuga, a warning light was going off during the conversation...and now, the light vanished, only to be replaced by lightning that filled the cockpit.

Aireel head the unusual screams and didn't know who, for a minute, they came from.

"What the--Hyu! Are you okay?" she asked.

There was no verbal reply.

"Hyuga!"

That's when she saw the Gear moving about by itself in such a way that anyone inside would be tossed about.

"Oh no!" she said then saw a strange man running towards the Gear, one that looked rather drunk and angry at the same time.

The next thing he knew a drunk man was grabbing him out of the cockpit and landing blows so fast that he had no time to defend himself.

He could barely see anything and he was starting to hurt all over, as well as become dizzy.

"Old Jessie, over here!" he barely heard someone shout.

The one assulting him suddenly stopped and he heard a thud as someone hit the floor.

"Oh, no...Hyuga, talk to me," he heard the one that shouted saying and felt someone holding his hand...somebody familiar.

"...Angel?" he managed to say before passing out.

"Are you okay?"

Citan blinked, puzzled and asked, "Aireel?"

"For a minute, you seemed to space out. Are you all right?"

"I think so...just a memory resurfacing," he replied and found themselves in an embrace.

"Which one?" she asked as she let go of him.

"An accident of some type....a Gear that went berserk on me."

Maison silently gasped as he heard those words.

Sigurd replied, "He's remembering it. This could be really bad."

"I need to know something...do you blame me for what happened?" she asked, her voice trembling a little.

"No, of course not. Why would I?"

She looked relieved and replied, "Nothing. We better both get some sleep."

Sigurd and Maison sighed in relief as the two other people walked from the Gear Dock.

"It's good to hear he doesn't blame her," the old knight said in a slightly louder voice.

"Don't be so sure so fast. He doesn't remember all of it, I could tell from the look in his eyes. With any kind of luck, he won't...at least not for a long time."

"And if he does, Master Sigurd?"

"I don't know."

Aireel looked about her in Striker from her position east of the hideout. It was already night and she cursed herself for missing the sunset...again.

"Why do you like sunsets and sunrises so much, Miss Belsanas?" one of the other lookouts asked her over the intercom.

"Up until I was five, I used to live in a place where you couldn't see either one...and even if you were outside, they could not be seen that well, Maitreya."

"So you try to see one every chance you get now...I kind of understand."

Suddenly, a new voice came over the speakers.

"East and North lookouts, how's it going out there?"

"All clear on this end, Sigurd," Maitreya replied.

"Same here in the East...wait a minute," Aireel said, "I see some suspicious movement on the western end. Looks like a small group."

"I'll contact the western lookout. Stand by."

There was a long pause and then Maitreya said, "Miss Belsanas...everyone's asking the same question...why?"

"Why I spared everyone's lives three years ago?"

"Yes."

She sighed and said, "I have my own reasons for doing things....partly lead by fate, partly not."

"You're not about to tell us, are you?"

"Not tonight, no. Someday, I will. Maitreya....why did you get involved with the pirates?"

"You really want to know? Well, Shakkar's rotten to the core as you might have heard...capturing Mother Marguerite made things worse...and I just don't like the way things are done today."

"There's a reason, I guess," she replied with a little smile.

"Cut the chatter, you two. Aireel, I can't contact the Western lookout."

She nodded and said, "All right, I'll check it out. Could be the South and West are playing cards or something."

She moved Striker towards the western side of the hideout quietly, hoping not to raise any alarm...especially if it were the enemy.

As she reached the area where the western lookout would be standing, she said, "I'm at the western end...the Gear's flat on its back and the pilot's unconscious. There's the group here..."

She turned on the magnification scope and infrared on her Gear and pointed both directly in front of her.

She saw a small group of Gears going through a hole in the walling and looked at the crests to see if they were from her home country or...

A minute later, Aireel swore in a low voice and hit the intercom.

"We got trouble. 10 to 20 Gears are in the west side, they're entering the Gear Docking bay now. And Sigurd...they're Gebler."

Citan's voice came over her speaker, "Do not do something rash, we are on our way out to stop them."

"Citan, wait! You don't have a--"

"He's already taken off, Aireel. Get the other lookout units to your position and hold them off until we get there."

"Damn!" she said, "Now we'll have the enemy and Hyu to worry about. All lookout Gears, converge on the western side and prepare for battle. No way the Gebler's gonna get far."

As she heard the confirmation replies, she immediately switched the weapons status from inactive to combat mode, then added, "When you get here, don't wait up and jump right in," before jumping into the hole.

As soon as she got her bearings, she went after the first Gebler Gear she could find, thinking, 20 against 1...I'm going to have a field day with this...and I'll be able to protect Hyu if I take them all out!

She faintly heard the others on the intercom say, "Maitreya, did she go in there alone?"

"Yeah, she did. I'll bet she's having the time of her life in there."

"Why do you say that?"

"Fei told me that she likes it when the odds are uneven. This is about as uneven as it can get."

"Oh boy...we better get in there and help her out anyway."

"Yeah, I heard that Bart, the doctor and the others are on their way in as well."

A new voice sounded over the intercom, "What do you mean, are on the way? I'm here!"

"Bart, I hope Citan's not with you!" she replied as she took out the first two Gears.

"Nope, he's gone to get Fei. Why are you so worried about him getting into a fight? He can defend himself."

"Yes, but he doesn't have a Gear! If he tries to take them on, he'll be in trouble."

"So let's take out the garbage before he gets here, then!" Bart replied.

Aireel grinned and said, "Now you're talking my language, pirate boy."

"This is Farrant, south lookout Gear. I was headed the way you said to when I saw a giant Gear-like creature coming this way!" she heard suddenly.

"Let's see it," she replied and turned on one of the monitors as Bart jumped in and started fighting.

An infrared image of a strange, metalic being appeared on the monitor.

"Hoo boy," she said to Bart, "That thing's big!"

Right then, Maitreya, in his Gear, entered through the hole and started into battle.

"We took out a couple on the way in...hope you aren't having too much fun," he said to them.

"Join the party," Bart replied, taking out another Gear.

"I think there's enough for everyone around here for a while," Aireel added while dodging a blow from one of her opponents.

For quite a few minutes, the group managed to take out most of the Gears before Farrant noticed Maison and one of the arrivals entering the Gear dock.

"How many are left? I know we took out most of the small fry, but..." Bart asked.

Maitreya replied, "I believe there are only four, five Gears left. Their ability and technique are beyond anything I've ever seen before."

"I've never seen any normal person go at it this long," the young woman agreed, "What are they, machines?"

"Here they come," one of the other lookouts called out, seeing one of them approach them.

"Maitreya, Farrant, we'll take this one. Aireel and the rest of you start looking for that big Gear," Bart said to them before the three started the fight.

Aireel nodded and jumped out of the hole, running a quick sweep of the area using Striker.

"Come on now," she muttered, "where is that thing..."

She looked up and her eyes widened as she saw the strange Gear that Farrant had mentioned.

"Giant Gear-like creature...what an understatement. Bart, I found it on the roof. It looks like some kind of drill and bomb combined," she reported.

"Forget about that for now. We make the first one retreat, but he's not out for the count. Plus, Citan's arrived. We need your help in here."

She scowled and said, "I'm on my way," punching controls and buttons to make Striker turn around and go back to the hole in the wall.

As soon as she entered the hangar, she saw a machine she had never seen before: A tall, green and white Gear that looked a bit like Brigandier left one of the maintenance platforms and faced one of the Gebler enemies.

"Oh, a wild stallion, eh?" she heard a familiar voice on the intercom, "Well, it is high time someone broke you in!"

"What Gear is that?" she asked over the intercom.

"That's Heimdal. It was dug up at the same time that Brigandier was, and is overpowered. That Gear has seriously injured three pilots and nobody's been able to control it. I would start worrying if I were you," Farrant replied to her.

He's in that thing? Oooh, if only I didn't know the rules of engagement as well as I do, she thought.

Heimdal turned and saw a Gear with pointed "arm sleeves" starting to approach.

"Reinforcements?!"

Aireel saw one of the smaller Gebler units sneak up behind Citan, weapons aimed at him. Without a second thought, she moved Striker towards the enemy and tapped his shoulder area.

The enemy machine turned towards her and was immediately attacked by a quick chop and a kick.

"No backstabbing today," she said into the intercom, "You want a piece of him? You go through me."

"Piece of cake," a smug sounding young man replied, "No way I'll be beat by a woman Lamb."

Behind her, she heard the sound of Citan and the other Gear fighting, and then she heard a man exclaim, "Ouch...that actually hurt!"

"Compared to the pain my friends are going through, yours is nothing! I cannot allow people like you to terrorize those who cannot defend themselves," Citan replied in a rather furious voice, "I will take you on in their place. Come on!"

"What are you talking about?"

She tuned it out and continued fighting the Gear that was in front of her.

Bart watched in surprise as both Citan and Aireel in their Gears were back to back...in a way, it almost looked comical, although he didn't say that out loud.

A couple of minutes later, he heard an explosion and saw that Striker had taken out the Gear in front of her.

"Hmph. Women aren't as weak as you think," she remarked over the intercom.

Half a minute later, The Gear Citan was fighting started to break, but just as suddenly he took off.

"That's it?" Everyone heard him ask and Aireel couldn't hide a laugh.

Well, he does sound a bit smug saying that.

"I know I am a little rusty...there is a limit to what I can learn seeing that I started so late in life...I hit that guy hard and he seemed to shrug it off...they must be using 'that stuff'," he continued as if talking to himself.

She paled and said, "Gods, Citan, not the--"

"Exactly. Young one! They are using 'Drive'! It is a type of battle enhancing drug," he called out to Bart.

"So that's how they keep at it, huh? This'll never end!"

Aireel looked about her and saw two more approach the three of them. She said into the intercom, "Look out, here comes some more!"

"Fei!" Citan called out, frustrated.

"Never mind him, we'll handle them ourselves!"

Fei sighed angrily as he took the elevator down to the Gear dock, Citan's pleas still ringing in his ears.

Aireel, Bart and the others are already fighting. Do you still think this has nothing to do with you?!

"I don't want that kind of power," he said out loud, "The power to destroy everything..."

My strength....my home...what if this was the enemy's home?

Fei quickly ran to Weltall as soon as the elevator landed and got in, starting it up.

A short distance away, two children were running across another platform and were instantly stopped by one of the enemy Gears.

"Cute...I wonder what sound you'll make when I do this!" he heard a very smug young man crow over the intercom and saw him raise a "hand" to smash the children.

One of them screamed just as Fei fired the cannon at the Gear, causing him to turn and ask, "What the--?"

"What does fighting get you?" he asked, "What if this was your home?" and then attacked.

Aireel looked on her radar for the large drill-like Gear and providing shield repair when needed when she saw movement from the corner of her eye near one of the platforms.

She turned her head in that direction and grinned at the sight.

I told him Fei would come around, she thought, back to the others...

Right then, she saw Bart take out one of the two remaining Gears, although it retreated like the one Citan had fought.

"We've got backup," she reported into the intercom, "Fei's in the fight."

"Awright! Hey, let's kick these Gebler punks back to where they came from!"

"Not so fast. That Drill-like creature that I spotted earlier is right above us and ready to drop."

A few seconds later, the last two regular sized Gears started to break down, then took off.

Citan turned when he heard Fei taking down one of the Gebler Gears. He didn't let it visibly show, but he was relieved.

"Fei!" He called out to the young man.

"I knew you'd come around," Bart said with a grin that was in his voice.

"Save it for later! As Aireel said, we've got big trouble coming down now!"