FicWad

Mission 12: Diplomacy

"Right this way," the young guardsman led Trunks and the others out of the shuttle port and straight into the middle of Dhedar, one of the largest cities any of them had ever seen. The skies were filled with ships of all sorts, and the streets were packed with people and vehicles. Skyscrapers surrounded them, stretching up into the sky as high as anyone had ever witnessed. The sky itself was void of any clouds, and a mix of pink, blue, and purple, as they had arrived at sunrise. Trunks took in his surroundings in awe as the group was led through the city by their escort, and briefly thought of how they'd managed to find themselves in Ceva within days of their exile from Bmyhad.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"A recorded message?" Marice asked aloud once the mercenaries had assembled in the Verdandi's bridge.
"Play it back, then," Laiserta said flatly. Marice complied and the crew found themselves staring at the profile of a young woman with dark-blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing oddly decorative clothing.
"I request your assistance," the woman spoke rather regally. "Please, come to these coordinates as soon as you possibly can. The Empire of Ceva wishes it."
As the mysterious transmission ended as quickly as it began, Naya gasped. "That was the empress of Ceva," she said in her astonishment.
"What would Ceva want with us?" Trunks voiced the question that all of them had on their minds.
"Maybe," Armada started, "maybe it's not a bad idea to go and see what they want."
"Time to pay a visit to her highness then?" Laiserta smirked.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"The Empress is ready to see you now," the knight remarked as the elevator doors opened and the five mercenaries stepped out to see a large door before them. The guardsman moved over to the door and opened it deftly, holding one of the two doors aside as VDD headed inside.
Trunks watched as the doors behind them were closed again, and turned to see the woman that had contacted them standing in full ceremonial garb before them. "Welcome," she said with sincerity. "As you may already know, I am Relena Peacecraft, the Empress of Ceva. And this," she said, motioning with her left hand towards the dark-haired young man at her side, "is my trusted advisor and general of the Cevan military, Heero Yuy." The general nodded at the mention of his name. "I care deeply for the people of Ceva, and work only to serve them."
"That's nice to hear Empress," Armada interrupted her before she could continue, "but why don't you get down to business. Why are we here?"
"So direct," the empress commented with a smile. "I should have known as much." She paused, speaking audibly once more. "Taydr is preparing to attack. We have suspected as much for some time, but recent intelligence has shed light on when they plan to do so, and the time is much sooner than we had anticipated. We, the people of Ceva, wish to have you on our side during the impending war."
A war? Trunks thought anxiously. They want us to fight in a war?
"Of course, you may have time to consider this proposal," the empress continued. "Until you make your decision, feel free to stay here in the palace. There have been rooms prepared for you. Whenever you are ready to retire, simply ask one of the guardsmen in the area. Until then, I suggest you stay in the palace, where your presence is kept secret. Outside of the palace walls, I can make no guarantees."
"We'll consider your proposal," Armada responded.
"Thank you. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to," Empress Relena added, and with that, turned and left the room through another door.
"Ah, the formidable general of Ceva," Naya commented as Yuy turned to head out as well.
"You've made quite a name for yourself as well, Chiro," he replied before continuing on his way out, leaving the mercenaries alone in the room with a few guards at each door.
"Before any of you say anything," Armada spoke, "seriously consider what they're asking. And, after everyone has made their own decision, we'll talk about it as a group."
"I don't know about you guys," Laiserta started with a grin, "but I'm gonna go find my room. It's not everyday we get to stay in a palace!" She turned and headed out.
"I'm with her!" Marice added with a laugh and chased after her comrade.
"I, too, wish to explore the palace more. I find the architecture quite engaging," Naya commented absentmindedly. She turned to see the surprised visages of her captain and singular male comrade centered on her. Naya smirked. "Everyone has their hobbies." With that, she headed in the opposite direction Laiserta and Marice had taken, and soon disappeared from sight.
"Why...would they want us to fight in a war?" Trunks asked aloud.
"Remember what I said?" Armada questioned in irritation. "We're not talking about this until everyone else has made up their minds individually."
"'Everyone else?'" Trunks echoed her words in curiosity towards their meaning.
"I've already made up my mind," Armada replied before heading out of the room as well, leaving Trunks to himself.

***

"Ah...I could get used to this," Trunks commented to himself with his eyes closed as he lie on the bed in his room in Ceva's imperial palace. He took another deep breath as a smile started to make its way across his face. In contrast, his normal bunk on the Verdandi felt like a plank of steel when compared to the royal treatment he and his comrades were receiving in Ceva. Of course, he'd only been there one night, but if this was the worst Ceva had to offer, then he was certainly looking forward to being indecisive.
The war. He sat up, the sudden thought bringing him out of his joy for the moment. His room suddenly seemed to feel very stuffy, so he rose and headed for the door at the end of the room which he'd been shown last night that led to a balcony. He opened the door and headed out, leaning on the stone barrister and looking down to the city below. It wasn't especially cold in Dhedar, and even less so on such a windless day. There was a sudden knocking noise, and Trunks's head snapped toward the door leading into his room. Before he could ask who was knocking, a voice spoke.
"The morning meal is ready sir, whenever you come to the dining hall you shall be served," a male servant spoke.
"Okay; thanks," he responded from where he stood, and heard the man's footsteps continue down the hall. After a moment, Trunks then proceeded back into his room to dress and start working his way towards the 'dining hall,' wherever it was located.

***

"This is really delicious!" Marice exclaimed while eating her breakfast.
"Quite astonishing, I must say," Naya added, smiling while she ate as well.
"Really spider-head," Laiserta directed her comment towards the woman seated to her left, "this stuff blows the crap you cook out of the water!"
Armada twitched. "I don't cook for taste, I cook for necessity," she growled.
"Then maybe you need to take some lessons from these guys!" Laiserta shouted excitedly as another tray of food was set upon the table. "Hey, Trunks," she spoke through a mouthful of food after seeing her comrade enter the room, "you gotta try this stuff! It's incredible! It doesn't taste like plastic!"
"Really?!" Trunks's eyes widened in excitement until he saw Armada's angered gaze. "Oh, well, it can't be that much better than Armada's cooking, because hers is already great!" he laughed nervously.
"Don't patronize me, boy wonder," Armada added dryly.
"Aw, don't get mad, Armada," Marice said, standing behind her seated captain, giving her a pat on the back. "I've had worse cooking than yours."
Trunks, Laiserta, and Naya stared at Marice in silence until the girl cracked. "Okay," she sighed, "I've never had anything worse than your cooking. But I'm sure that somebody must like it!" she tried to mend the wound while laughing anxiously.
"I'll see you all later," Armada announced while standing from her seat.
"Where are you going?" Trunks asked, surprised that she'd even bother to tell the group that she was going, let alone speak at all.
"To go take cooking lessons. Where else?" She turned and started on her way.
"Was that... a joke?" Trunks pondered aloud along with his comrades.
"By Risu, I think it was," Laiserta laughed.
"C'mon Trunks!" Marice had worked her over to him and pulled him towards the table. "The food's great!"
"Guess you can't expect any less from a palace, right?" he jested in return.

***

"Hey Lai," Marice greeted her friend while approaching the Taydran from behind.
"Hey kid," Laiserta responded, once again flipping the coin in her hand into the air only to catch it seconds later. She sat on the barrister of a balconly overlooking the city of Dhedar, watching the sunset and basically killing time.
Marice stood next to the railing of the terrace, leaning against it and taking in the view. "What are you up to?"
"Not much, really," Laiserta responded, flipping the coin once more. She sighed. "It's nice here in the palace and all, but...it's boring."
Marice laughed. "Constantly looking for action?"
Laiserta turned her gaze to her right to face the Euphorian. "Just don't like sitting still is all." She paused. "I guess...I'm not used to it."
"But it is kind of nice to have a moment of peace, don't you think?" Marice commented, looking at the horizon.
"Yeah, sure," Laiserta grumbled, tossing her coin up once more. A small gust happened by, and caught Laiserta's coin mid-air, pushing it just far enough away from her that her arm couldn't reach it to rescue it, resulting in its fall seven stories to its death.
"Mph," Laiserta scowled. "Just my luck," she shook her head and cursed under her breath. She looked down, using her altered eyes to magnify the images she saw and search for her fallen comrade, her Cevan five-cent piece. It was then that she noticed something. "Hm?" A figure strode by her line of sight, wearing a long black trench coat not unlike her own. She followed the figure with her eyes, focusing on its form as it stopped on the side of the road for a moment. "Vers kah-n!"
"What?" Marice turned towards her friend just in time to see her jump from the balcony back into the room and sprint towards the door. "Wonder what's with her?" she blinked in curiosity as to why her friend took off so suddenly.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Empress's palace, Trunks descended the stairs to the third floor of the compound. He headed for the room in which they'd first met the Empress, hoping to find some space to sit and think. He was in his room only moments earlier, until the Empress's servants came to clean his room for the evening. So, he left in search of a better place to contemplate the idea of war.
Once he turned into the room, he immediately stopped upon seeing the profile of another sitting at one of the sofas with eyes closed and feet propped up on the table set before the sofa.
"You going to stand there and just stare?" Armada demanded without flinching from where she sat.
"I thought you were asleep," Trunks replied from where he stood in the doorway.
Armada opened her eyes and turned to face him. "You know I don't sleep that much."
Trunks headed for another of the couches in the room, seating himself at the sofa to his comrade's left, perpendicular to her position. "I just needed somewhere to think," he found himself telling her. Why he felt compelled to do so remained a mystery.
"I'm thinking of what we should do next, once we leave Ceva," Armada surmised her thoughts aloud. "Of course we're not leaving until a decision is made, but it never fails to be prepared," she finished while quoting a friend from long ago.
"Why us?" Trunks found himself thinking aloud. "There's a handful of us, and we have one ship-why would Ceva care if we joined in on their war?"
"I thought I said that we're not talking about this," Armada said through her once again closed eyes.
"You don't have to tell me which way you're leaning," Trunks replied rather sternly. "I only want to know what you think about why they're even asking us this."
Armada opened her eyes once more, this time only to stare at the ceiling while responding. "If they know anything about us-which they do, I'm sure-they probably realize that Naya's a famous war general from the strongest nation militaristically speaking in the Federation Alliance; Lai's a fairly well-known assassin; you're a ki-fighter; and I'm a former soldier myself. We're all worth more than we seem to realize."
"You were a soldier?" Trunks queried, catching her significant albeit small personal statement.
"In an army that's long since been obliterated," she answered deftly. After hearing no more words from her comrade, Armada stood and headed towards one of the exits.
"Wait," Trunks said, standing as well and taking a few steps towards her. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, awaiting the reason he'd called her to a halt. "Why'd you do it?" he questioned. "For Naya..." he added for clarification.
She stared at him a moment before responding. "Because I'm a stoic." With that, she headed on her way.
Stoic? Trunks then began to wonder what had made her become so somber and cryptic the past few days...and if it all really had to do with her execution.

***

Laiserta dashed through the streets below the palace in a frenzy. Where the hell'd he go?! She skidded around yet another corner, forcing her way through the crowd. Thinking she'd caught another glimpse of the man in black, she forced her way through the crowd in the street, racing toward the end of the block. I'd better not be chasing another phantom again, she thought bitterly while in pursuit of the man she thought she'd seen.

"Hey," a young face in an alley leaned closer to the communication device he held in his hand. The youth in the unbuttoned blue jacket watched as a raven clad Taydran dashed through his view of the street perpendicular to his position. "You won't believe what I've just seen."

***

Empress Relena stared at the bit of the Cevan night sky she could see from her windows on the ninth floor of the palace. Her eyes darted to her side upon hearing a slight noise in the dark, and she sighed. "Qu'est-ce que vous voulez?" she asked in tired tones of her native language, Cevan.
"Je suis venu te voir, madame," a voice replied from the darkness in the rear of the room. The Empress's room was dark at night, with very few lights on within it-it was the way she liked it.
"Quittez," she responded sharply, narrowing her eyes as they focused along the horizon of the city set out before her.
"Ne sois pas trop s/é/vère," the voice replied once more, this time with obvious hurt masked behind his words.
"Vous ne permettez pas être ici," the Empress continued, determined not to be dissuaded.
The figure rose from his seated position in the shadows and walked toward the Empress. He approached her from behind, and although she heard him, she made no attempt to move. When he arrived at where she stood, he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned over her left shoulder, his mouth about level with her ear.
"/Heero/," she sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor.
"Relena," he responded, pulling her closer in his embrace.
"Arrêtez," she commanded, her annoyance slowly turning to anger.
"Pourquoi?" he teased, whispering to her alone.
"Parce qu'il n'a pas raison," she replied quickly, wishing with all her might that he would leave soon and their ritual end.
Heero was silent a moment before responding. "Je t'adore," he whispered almost inaudibly in her ear.
"Je sais," Relena replied softly while a sudden burning sensation began to build behind her eyes. "Mais," she continued, slowly clenching her fists, "il ne peut pas être."
"D'accord," he began, "mais, alors j'ai dit tous les soirs, je vais continuer le dire tous les soirs, pour éternité." He then released her and turned to leave. Before he took one step away from her, however, he spoke. "Au revior et bonne nuit, Impératrice." With that, he began on his way and was gone with only moments. After he had left, the empress lowered her head.
"Et toi, Général."

***

Trunks yawned and stretched while sitting upright in his newly acquired Cevan bedroom. Just as he was about to stand from his bed and dress, the door to his room was thrown open and a half-dozen people pushed their way inside. Before he could register what was happening, three maids had already made their way over to him and pulled him from where he sat, forcing him to stand upright.
"What the hell are you people doing?!" he near-shouted as the three women held out pieces of tape with writing scrawled over it to different parts of his anatomy.
"They're taking your measurements," an older man spoke from near the doorway where he and two other maids stood.
"You're the guy from the other day," Trunks realized aloud after recognizing the man's distinct voice.
"Indeed," he nodded, "and my name is Jean-Paul."
Trunks glanced back at the three maids busy pushing him this way and that before turning towards Jean-Paul once more. "Why are they taking my measurements?"
"The Empress has requested that you all are fashioned traditional Cevan garb for today's ceremony," Jean-Paul replied in even tones.
"What ceremony?" Trunks continued.
"The fifth anniversary of Empress Relena's coronation," Jean-Paul answered. Noticing that the girls taking Trunks's measurements were busy laughing rather than working, Jean-Paul cleared his throat. "Venez," he clapped his hands twice. "Allons-y," he commanded, and the maids immediately ran to his side as the group left the room as quickly as they had come.
Moments after they'd left, another thought suddenly stuck Trunks. "Wait," he began, "we're going to be in a ceremony?"

***

"Check it out!" Marice exclaimed, her arms outstretched as she modeled her new outfit. The outfit was, of course, entirely white with some spots of color. It consisted of a fancy jacket and pants with high boots. "They're making something for everyone!"
"And I'm so looking forward to it," Armada responded with her usual sarcasm. "Why are they doing this for us anyway?" she asked the Euphorian, hoping the girl might have overheard something.
"There's some sort of ceremony tonight," Marice answered calmly. "I don't know anything about it except that's it's the fifth year for something."
"So it's an anniversary for something," Armada deduced, becoming silent.
Marice let out a deep breath. "I don't know what's been bothering you, but you need to quit moping around like this."
"Bothering me?" Armada questioned, taken aback by her eight-year-junior's statement.
Marice leaned in closer to her. "I don't care what everyone else says, about how this is how you always are-something's bothering you, and you won't admit it." She paused a moment before adding, "And I'm not talking about Bmyhad."
Armada let out an annoyed breath. "Marice-"
"Don't give me any excuses," the teenager interrupted her by holding up a hand. "But if you're supposed to be our leader," she lowered her hand and smiled, "then you need to chin up." Before Armada could respond, Marice had bounced away and was soon out of earshot.
Armada watched her disappearing form with puzzlement. How does she know?

Naya was on her way to the palace's dining hall when she spotted the Cevan general headed her direction. Mm? She was startled once she realized what he was wearing. "Isn't it a bit odd to be clad in black," Naya began, stopping in the hall, "when the Cevan army wears white?"
General Yuy didn't bother to glance at her or even stop. "Today is a day of mourning."
"'Mourning?'" Naya echoed as the general passed her and she turned toward him.
"Today is the anniversary of the Emperor's death," he shot over his shoulders as he continued on his way, leaving Naya to stand and watch.

***

"Just... a little... more..." Laiserta was intensely focused on turning the small screw of the contraption she currently worked on. However, her metal tool ever-so-slightly brushed an exposed wire nearby, and she was given quite a shock. She immediately dropped her tool and jumped back, swearing in anger. "Verkkanna stchein-doct..."
"What're you working on there Lai?" Trunks inquired from behind the Taydran.
"Oh, it's, nothing really," Laiserta reeled, startled by her comrade's presence, "just a pet project." She turned around to face him and block the small cube from his sight. "Uh, what do you need?" she asked with a laugh, hoping that he'd leave soon and she could get back to...whatever it was that she was working on.
"Nothing, but now that you mention it, I've got a question for you," Trunks responded, a sudden thought hitting him as he spoke with Laiserta.
"Go on," Laiserta encouraged, praying it would be quick.
After taking a moment to mull over it, Trunks spoke. "Have you ever heard of a stoic?"
"Sure," Laiserta replied in her usual tones, "it's a person that doesn't believe in suicide."
"What?!" Trunks questioned in disbelief.
"Well, it's not really that they don't believe in suicide," Laiserta continued, folding her arms across her chest, "they just won't do it. I'm kinda surprised you asked," she continued, her face showing her curiosity about the matter, "seeing as how there aren't many stoics around here. It's a Republican philosophy, mostly. Hell," she laughed, "there's even an ongoing joke about the whole thing."
"What's that?" Trunks continued, wanting to know more about this newfound mystery.
"Some call them 'deathseekers,' 'cause they say that when a stoic wants to die, they search for someone or something that'll do it for them, since they can't bring themselves to commit suicide." Laiserta paused for a moment before another thought came to the front of her mind. "Why are you asking, anyway?"
"It was just something I heard," Trunks answered, omitting the person he'd heard the term from.
"Monsieur," a maid that had entered the room addressed the two, "your attire is ready for fitting now."
Trunks turned to Laiserta once more. "Well, see ya later Lai." He then headed for the door and the servant waiting for him.
"Heheh, yeah, see ya," Laiserta responded, making sure she moved her chair to block his view of the contraption on the table behind her while he left. After the two had gone, Laiserta breathed a sigh of relief. "I need to talk to Naya."

***

"Naya!" Laiserta called out, running down one of the darkened hallways of the imperial palace in full battle-gear.
Naya stopped and turned to face her friend. "What is it Lai?"
"Shh!" Laiserta held a finger up to her mouth, indicating that her friend be quiet. "I needed to talk to you," she whispered.
"Lai, what are you-"
"Sshhh!" Laiserta repeated herself, this time widening her eyes to emphasize her point.
"Why are we whispering?" Naya asked annoyed and in a whisper.
"Because we don't want anyone to hear us," Laiserta whispered back.
"Okay," Naya began, her patience thinning, "what is it that you want?"
"I've got something to show you," Laiserta answered, reaching into an inside pocket of her trench coat and pulling out an all-too-familiar cubic object.
"Lai!" Naya exclaimed-albeit in a whisper. "What did you get that thing?!"
"I bought it from this guy in the city for eight hundred thousand betas," she started.
"Eight hundred thousand betas!" Naya almost broke her whisper. "Where did you get that kind of money?!"
"Heheh," Laiserta laughed, "I sorta borrowed it from Armada...without her knowing."
"You WHAT?!"
"Keep it down, would ya?" Laiserta reminded her of their need to be discrete.
"Do you realize what will happen once Armada notices nearly a million betas are missing?!" Naya shot angrily at her.
"Don't worry; she's not gonna notice. Besides," Laiserta continued, "I figured we could just put our portions of earnings from the next few missions into the safe and repay the loan she didn't know we took."
"Wait a minute-/we/?" Naya queried.
"Well, yeah," Laiserta started with a deadpan tone, "I thought we'd split the cost down the middle; fifty-fifty."
A few veins seemed to appear on Naya's forehead. "What prompted you to do something so... so /idiotic/?!"
"I just thought that if we had one... of these things," Laiserta answered, "we could figure out what exactly happened on the shuttle to Taydr."
"And what happens if there's another explosion like the one on the shuttle?" Naya questioned hurriedly.
"That won't happen," Laiserta jumped in. "This one's broken."
"You bought a broken select area time modulator!" Naya was ready to burst an artery at the thought.
"I'm fixing it," Laiserta retorted with hurt. "Besides, I didn't want to buy a working one in case something happened."
"And now's the time you decide to be responsible," Naya commented with exhausted sarcasm. "What happens the next time we're attacked by Rieve, and there's an explosion? We finally get the chance to explain to everyone else exactly what happened while we were gone?" Naya stated sardonically.
"Did you hear me?" Laiserta questioned in irritation. "I said that's not going to happen."
"You'd better hope it doesn't," Naya added, "considering that if it does happen again, I don't have enough power to shield everyone. The others will go missing, just like the other forty-some passengers from our shuttle that are missing. And did you ever think," Naya continued on her tirade, " that somebody out there is wondering how we're the only two who managed to miraculously escape an explosion in the middle of space that no one else did?" She paused a moment before adjusting the subject slightly. "You realize that if Armada finds out about this, she's going to kill you. Then she'll kill me once she finds out just how we got away from that explosion."
"As long as no one tells her or anyone else," Laiserta replied, "then she won't find out."
"If they do find out," Naya began, her tone far more serious than it had been thus far.
"I know, I know," Laiserta interrupted. "You don't want anyone to know. But I don't get why; I mean, it could be a big help-"
Naya placed a hand over Laiserta's mouth. "Stop talking. And keep that...thing," she motioned towards the eight-inch cube, "out of sight."
Laiserta nodded and placed the cube back into an inside pocket of her trench coat. "Guess I'll...see you later, then," she somberly spoke to her friend before leaving.
Naya put a hand to the side of her head, along her temple. You're going to give me a heart attack, Lai.

***

"Ah," Trunks flinched as he was yet again pinched under the arm by the seamstress trying to make his newfound Cevan jacket fit correctly.
"Hold still please," the girl said sternly through the pins that she held between her teeth.
/Kinda hard to do that when I keep getting stabbed/, he thought in annoyance, the expression upon his face reflecting his irritation. It was then that he heard someone knock at the door to his room, even though it was wide open. He turned to see who had come for him now.
"Hey," Laiserta called out before Trunks could say anything. She stood donned in her new white Cevan clothing as well, hers covering her body almost completely-and for obvious reasons, as Trunks understood. "We're supposed to be down there in a few minutes," she continued, "so I thought I'd come see if you were ready yet." She raised an eyebrow at the seamstress struggling to make Trunks's ensemble work.
"Go on ahead without me," Trunks hastily replied. "You guys are only downstairs, right? I'll meet you there."
"Well, if you say so," Laiserta turned to leave. "See ya."
"Ow!" Trunks exclaimed after being 'pinned' once more. "Watch it, would you?"
"This is the last time I send the apprentices to do a man's measurements," the seamstress growled through her clenched teeth.

After finally having been sown into his jacket for the evening, Trunks was cleared to leave for the ceremony. He walked down the hall slowly, gingerly placing a hand across his ribs, as his jacket was so tight he found it hard to breathe. "Why are we even going to this?" he found himself asking aloud. "As far as anyone knows, we aren't even /here/."
Trunks stopped in the hall as he heard muffled voices coming from somewhere nearby. He stopped to listen, and it sounded as if someone was.../crying./ Curious, he turned to a door to his left and approached. He raised a hand to knock but before he could do so, he was interrupted by a voice from within.

"I can't do it! I can't!" Empress Relena cried out, arms flailing as she slid down from her chair to the floor, trying to evade the grasp of the only other being in the room.
"Empress, please!" General Yuy pleaded sternly, taking hold of both of her arms in both hands.
"I /can't/!" she jerked her arms away from him, tears flowing freely from her now as she sobbed, falling onto the black dress he currently wore.
"Empress," the General continued, "now is not the time for this!"
"When is the time /Heero/?" she spat back. "You never gave me a chance to mourn the death of my father! None of you did!"
"Relena," the General started in harsh tones but was interrupted by his sovereign.
"The day my father was murdered, you all planned a celebration!" she continued, her voice waning as her sobs became more evident. "The day he died, I was expected to step up and be the Empress without a second thought! I," she sobbed, "I've worn that mask since that day, except each year during this... /ceremony/," she voiced the last word with venom.
Heero snatched both her arms once more in his calm hands. "And you must continue to do so for the people of Ceva!"
"I'm sick of sacrificing myself for the sake of keeping up appearances!" she shouted in a whisper, tears rolling down her face as she hinted at the one thing that only the two of them knew of.
General Yuy struggled to keep his composure, and his eyes narrowed as they began to slowly fill with unshed tears. "We all need you, Empress. The people need you. And I," he trailed off, biting his lip as the words unsaid pained him. After a moment, he let out a heavy breath. "We all have our duties. As do you."
"Duty," Relena said softly, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself.
Heero reached out to her and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "It pains me to see the woman I love crying so," he spoke genuinely, drawing her eyes up to look directly at him. "Unfortunately, you must be the one to stop her from doing so, Empress," he continued, taking her hands in his. "Because I am not permitted to."

***

When Trunks arrived on the fifth floor, directly below the sixth which housed himself and his shipmates for the time being, he quickly found the room in which the Empress was to give her televised speech to begin shortly. He found his comrades in the back, and saw an empty seat next to Laiserta.
"Get lost?" Laiserta joked as Trunks seated himself next to her.
"You're hilarious, aren't you?" he joked back in sarcastic tones.
"Well, at least you made it before it started," Laiserta continued. "The Empress still hasn't showed yet."
"She won't be down for a while longer," Trunks replied without thinking.
"How do you know that?" He saw Armada lean around Laiserta and question him.
"Oh, I overhead the servants talking," Trunks quickly covered his mistake, "somebody spilled something on her dress."
"Way to get in on the gossip, boy wonder," Laiserta joked, flinging her left hand backwards into his chest.
"Ohh," Trunks leaned forward after she'd hit him and reached for his chest.
"What'd you do?" Armada questioned the Taydran to her left.
"I didn't hit him that hard, I swear!" Laiserta reeled, shaking her head.
"I can't breathe in this thing," Trunks spoke before sitting upright once more, his right arm still covering his ribs. "They had to sew me in," he elaborated, leaning back in his chair with his still squinted eyes.
"Ah, sorry 'bout that," Laiserta apologized, gently patting him on the shoulder.
"Hey Lai," Marice leaned past into the aisle to see around Armada, who sat to her left, "I've got something for you." The Euphorian smiled.
"What is it?" Laiserta blinked, putting her hand out towards the teenager as she reached for her friend. Marice opened her hand above Laiserta's and dropped a small gold coin into it.
"It's not the same one you lost the other day, but I thought you might like one anyway," Marice elaborated as the crew gazed at the five cent Cevan piece of money in Laiserta's palm. "Hey," Marice started as another thought came to her, "where'd you go the other day? You ran off, and later I couldn't find you in the palace /anywhere/."
"Ah, heheh," Laiserta laughed nervously, wracking her brain to come up with an answer. "Well, you see," she started, stalling for precious time as her excuse was created.
Suddenly, the crowd hushed, and the Empress entered the room. Saved by the monarch, Laiserta sighed in relief.
The crowd, however, wasn't entirely silent as they noticed what she and her advisor were wearing. Traditional Cevan clothing was always white; it was the nation's color. It represented peace and new beginnings, something the people prided themselves on. What was strange was that the Empress wore an elegant dress that was entirely black, and her advisor, the General's overcoat was black, although his pants were white. And even though the Empress and the General had always worn black for the coronation anniversary, none seemed to fully understand why.
"Thank you, all, for being here," Empress Peacecraft began slowly, smiling as she spoke. "Today, I have been the Empress of Ceva for five years. Five years in that, the people have prospered and our country has remained peaceful. I," she stopped as her voice wavered slightly. "I only hope that it continues through my reign and long after I am gone. Thank you," she added softly, and turned and left the room quickly.
The crowd started at a low roar immediately, curious as to why the Empress would give a thirty-second speech on such an important day. It was then that the General took the podium. "The Empress would have liked to have stayed longer," he spoke, "but she must leave as she has been scheduled to meet with Deus Rema, the Prime Minister of Bmyhad shortly. Please," he continued, "she asks that you begin the celebrations and forgive her lack of time with the people." Several in the crowd stood and started to ask questions, but the General was long gone and out of earshot within moments.
"All that trouble getting into this damn outfit," Trunks cursed with irritation, "only to sit here for about two minutes?"
The guests rose and began to depart. "C'mon Trunks, it ain't so bad," Laiserta teased while standing. "You look like you're important in that getup," she joked as he stood and faced her.
"I feel important too," he mocked her statement with his bitter sarcasm.
"Get a move on, people," Armada addressed the two in front of her who kept their entire row from leaving. "We're in the way."
After filing out of the room with the others, Naya turned to see her four comrades heading downstairs with the rest of the guests to the dining hall. After she was sure that none had glanced her direction, she headed down the long hall to the stairs at the far end that led up and farther into the palace.

"General Yuy," she called out, taking on a jogging pace to catch up with him as he headed down the hall of the sixth floor.
He stopped walking and turned to face her. "What is it Chiro?" he queried, making sure he didn't call her 'general.'
Naya stopped before him, unsure of how to voice what she wished to say. "I wished to convey my condolences to the Empress," she said slowly, skirting around the subject.
"I will do as you request when the Empress has agreed to see anyone," Yuy answered, turning to leave again.
"Wait," Naya addressed him once more. He turned to face her once more, his patience wearing thin as indicated by the look upon his face. "I just... I wanted to say that I'm sorry that you cannot be with the Empress."
Yuy's eyes widened. "I never told anyone except the Empress-"
"Yes, I know," Naya interrupted him. "But I couldn't help but recognize the same look upon your face that I've seen in the mirror far too many times," she finished somberly.
"Chiro," the General shook his head, "why are you telling me this?"
"I'm telling you this," she answered, "in hopes that you may treasure what you have." She paused momentarily. "Although what you wish for may never be, you can still be near the person you care for most... whereas I... cannot."
General Yuy slowly nodded to her before continuing on his way down the hall. "Enjoy the party," he called over his shoulder.

"Haha, no wine for you," Laiserta taunted Marice by holding the bottle of champaign above the girl's head.
"Oh, she's close enough to being seventeen," Armada countered, "so let her have some."
"Actually," Marice spoke up on her behalf, "I am seventeen."
Her three comrades stared at her before any of them spoke. "Since when?" Laiserta demanded, still keeping the bottle out of reach.
"It was a few weeks ago," Marice explained. "I don't know the exact day, just that it's always around this time of year."
"Well happy birthday, Marice," Trunks smiled while wishing his comrade well.
"Here ya go kid," Laiserta poured her now seventeen-year-old comrade a drink and handed her the glass. "Hey," a sudden thought stuck her, "there's this thing we do back home when someone turns seventeen."
"What is it?" Armada inquired as the other three all wanted to know.
"Ahem," Laiserta cleared her throat and placed a hand around Marice's shoulders. "Ke'nata schtoc-ders banack'aht vertelli dun." She smiled broadly after speaking her native tongue.
"What's it mean?" Trunks followed up, wanting to know what his comrade just said.
"'Good luck staying a virgin,'" Laiserta continued to beam.
"Lai," Trunks commented in annoyance and somewhat in disgust at his comrade's blatant disregard for the more personal things in life.
"You're one sick bastard, Lai," Armada added in exasperation as well.
"Oh, come on," Laiserta rolled her red eyes shielded by her yellow sunglasses, "it's just a joke in Taydr, and I'm sure Marice realizes it too. Right kid?" she glanced to the teenager that she still held by the shoulders with her left arm.
"Uhm, well," Marice tapped on her wine glass as she found herself at a loss for words. Her three shipmates saw how red her face had turned and all came to the same conclusion.
Laiserta's jaw dropped. "And you didn't tell me about this?!" she shouted in pseudo-anger.
Trunks's face turned red as well and he turned from the pair, trying to hide his embarrassment and save Marice from some of her own. "What's the matter with you?" Armada questioned innocently as she saw Trunks turn away.
"N-nothing," Trunks replied, trying to hide his face from her yet to no avail.
Upon seeing how quickly the blood ran to his face, Armada smirked. "Why's your face red Trunks?" she teased, following him as he made his way through the crowd and away from the scene, not ready to let the idea of a little hazing go to waste.
"No reason," he replied as the two disappeared into the crowd from Laiserta and Marice's sight.
"Well, how is everything?" Naya questioned with a smile as she approached her two female comrades.
Laiserta turned, still holding tightly to Marice, to face Naya with a blank look on her face. "Ah, well... it's funny you asked..." she started slowly, getting ready to explain what had occurred. "Hey," she stopped, "where were you?"
"Just wanted to say 'hi' to someone," Naya replied nonchalantly. "So what were you two up to?"
"Well, it started when Marice here told us that she's seventeen..."

Trunks had finally broken down and explained to Armada why he'd blushed so when Laiserta said what she did to Marice. Surprising as it was, she didn't laugh at him. Instead, she started to look very contemplative, as strange as it sounded for Armada to contemplate anything.
"Janus," she said softly. "He was supposed to come with us, you know."
"He was?" Trunks questioned in astonishment.
"He'd taken me aside and asked me if he could join us. He was pretty good with a lance, too," she trailed off softly. "I should've gone back for him."
"If you'd have gone back for him, we would have lost you too," Trunks responded, not willing to let her start playing the blame game. "And we might not have ever made it out of there without you."
Armada scoffed. "What difference would it have made?"
"Armada," Trunks shifted the subject slightly, crossing his arms across his chest, "if you wanted to die, and that's why you turned yourself in for Naya, then," he paused, narrowing his eyes in thought, "why did you thank me when we rescued you?"
"Because I made the mistake of thinking that's what I wanted," she answered simply. "Before I met any of you," she elaborated, "it would have been different."
"Glad to hear you've changed your mind," Trunks let a small smile appear on his face. "We can't go on without our fearless leader," he joked.
"It's funny," she started thoughtfully, "that you of all people say that."
Before Trunks could respond to her statement, Laiserta had lassoed him around the neck with her right arm while she held a wine glass in the other. "There isn't much of a party over here," she observed, noticing that the two had fled from the middle of the room to a less crowded corner. "Guess what I found out? This coronation thing kicks off a week long party every year," she answered her own question before anyone else could even ask what it was that she'd learned.
"I'm up for partying for a week, how 'bout you guys?" Marice said kind of slowly for her normal way of speaking while holding a half-empty wine glass.
"You've had enough," Naya said plainly while confiscating the seventeen-year-old's wine glass from here.
"C'mon Naya," Marice pleaded, the redness in her face now from her intoxication rather than her embarrassment. "You said I could have three!"
Naya raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Was this your fourth?" she asked, trying futilely to mask the smirk that appeared across her face as she asked the youth a trick question.
"Yeah," Marice replied, and counted on her fingers. "Four," she reinforced, holding up five fingers from her left hand and two from her right.
"Exactly," Naya laughed, "you've had enough." The others laughed as well, and Marice only blinked as she recounted her fingers again and again.
"Have fun everyone," Armada half-smiled as she turned to leave.
"And where are you going?" Laiserta questioned while still holding tightly to Trunks's neck.
"As much as I like free drinks," she explained, "I can't stand parties like this." With that, she turned and headed out of the room and down the hall, towards the stairs that would lead her back up to her room on the sixth floor.
"At least you'll keep me company," Laiserta pulled closer to Trunks.
"Lai," Trunks sighed, annoyed by his comrade's actions, "you're not drunk, so you can stop acting like it now."
Naya and Marice broke into laughter at his comment, and Laiserta unglued herself from his side immediately, feigning hurt. "You don't know what you're missing, kid."
"Whatever you say, Lai," Trunks, as well as the other two women who found the situation funny, laughed. "Whatever you say."

***

"Trunks," a distinctly accented voice called out to the demi-Saiyan as he walked down one of the palace's many halls.
"What is it Naya?" he asked upon turning to see who had garnered his attention for the moment.
"Empress Relena wishes to have an audience with all of us," Naya started. "She's on the third floor in the conference room, waiting."
"I'll be there in a minute," Trunks replied. Naya nodded and headed off towards the staircase at the end of the hall. Trunks sighed. After feeling so refreshed in Ceva, did it all have to end if they came to a decision about the Empress's proposal today? That, and he was just heading down to get some breakfast, too. Making big decisions on an empty stomach... it wasn't his idea of 'fun.'

"Ah, everyone is here now," Relena said upon the arrival of Trunks in the conference room. He quickly moved from the doorway and into the room, taking a seat on a nearby sofa.
"Now, to get down to business, as I realize you prefer," the Empress began once more, motioning toward Armada at the end of her statement. "I have come to ask if you all have made your decision."
"Have you all decided?" Armada asked her crew from where she stood, arms crossed and back leaned against the wall behind her. After receiving nods from all present, she spoke. "So what do you guys think?"
"I'm in," Laiserta started first, her voice optimistic and serious.
"I'm with Lai," Marice broke the silence following her comrade's welcome outburst. "If there's anything we can do...I want to do it."
Trunks dodged Armada's gaze. Great, everyone's already on board... he thought worriedly.
"Naya?" Armada addressed the crew's personal war general.
"I'll support whatever decision you make, captain," Naya replied as expected.
"Trunks?" she finally called out.
"I," he started, still averting her eyes, "I don't know."
Armada nodded, soaking the information in. Noticing an opportunity, the Empress decided to speak. "Your decision then-"
"Is no," Armada cut her off.
"What?!" Marice exclaimed as she and Laiserta jumped from their seats.
"Were you even listening to what we just said?!" Laiserta demanded of her.
"Of course I was listening," Armada snapped. "But you're both insane."
"We're insane?" Marice quipped.
"Do either of you have any idea of what war is actually /like/?!" she shouted in return. After hearing no retort, she continued. "Aside from Naya, I'd expect to hear nothing from the rest of you."
"Maybe we should take a vote," Laiserta spoke up, "considering that not only is Trunks undecided, you never told us your thoughts." She turned towards the captain.
"My choice is no," Armada responded, her cold demeanor resurfacing. "I refuse to send any of you off to die in a meaningless war." Armada turned towards Empress Peacecraft. "Your war may have meaning to you, as a Cevan, but it means nothing to us, outsiders who don't belong."
"If your allegiance is to money," the Empress countered, "then know that you will be well compensated."
"That's not my concern," Armada answered.
"There's a new one," Laiserta spat angrily. "Spider-head not caring about money? Since when?" she demanded.
Armada narrowed her eyes at the Taydran who did the same in return. "Let's not argue about this," Trunks spoke up, standing from his seat and glancing between both. "If we make the wrong decision, at least let us make the decision to not be involved."
"Why are you suddenly taking her side?" Laiserta shot back, pointing at the blonde woman while facing Trunks. "Have you and the captain been getting a little comfy lately?"
"Enough," Naya interrupted the two. "Arguing over this is pointless."
"Hmph," Laiserta jeered, "shoulda known you'd just follow orders blindly."
"I respect Armada as the captain," Naya replied with ice, "but I follow orders from no one."
"Why can't we help Ceva?" Marice shouted over all others. She lowered her head. "What noble cause are we following that's so great?"
"I don't understand why you're so angry," Armada spoke once more. "I'm only trying to keep you from getting killed!"
"We don't need babysat," Laiserta replied in even tones. "We're adults-just like you, remember?"
"This is pointless; arguing with you like this," Armada answered. "The Verdandi is my ship, and you're my crew, so ultimately, it's my decision. And if you want to fight in the war that badly," she narrowed her eyes at Laiserta, "then stay here and enlist.
"Everyone that's leaving on the /Verdandi/," Armada stood upright from where she leaned upon the wall, "gather your things. We're leaving as soon as we can."
"Burn in Hell, Armada," Laiserta shot at the group's official leader before leaving the room. Marice followed hurriedly in silence.
Armada glanced between the two remaining mercenaries in the room aside from herself. "You two aren't staying, are you?" she asked in worried tones.
"Of course not, captain," Naya replied, leaving as well to gather her things. Trunks shook his head and followed Naya.
Armada sighed and headed for the door leading to the hall. "You've made the exact same decision I would have in your case."
She turned to see that the Empress had spoken to her. "Then why'd you bother to contact us?" she queried.
The Empress paused before answering. "Because you are not me."

***

The crew walked through the metal tunnel leading to where the Verdandi had been stored in Dhedar, only a fifteen minute walk from the palace. The tension in the group was obvious. Laiserta and Marice walked in the front, followed by Naya several feet behind, and Trunks and Armada bringing up the rear. None had spoken since leaving the palace, not even regarding Armada's threat to leave any of them behind. Of course, none of them really believed it, but... with her, one was better off not taking any chances.
Walking down the hall, Trunks thought he heard a strange noise behind himself. He started to turn to see what it was and suddenly felt a huge shock in the center of his back that crept up his spine and into his head. It burned like nothing he'd ever felt before, and caused his muscles to contract uncontrollably, and the only thing he could hear was a high pitched sound. He vaguely remembered seeing Armada turn toward him as he fell to the ground, a black expanse replacing his vision.