Episode 4

Suddenly another Taurus flew past him and sliced into the mobile doll with a beam saber. "Solo?" No it wasn’t Solo; he was still fighting on the ground. One of the junior officers must have grown some balls and decided to join the fight. "Well, thank you whoever you are." He called in to the com. No reply. He drew his own suit’s beam saber. I hope this will last longer than the rifle. He turned his suit towards Solo’s position.

The other suit made it there before him and began slashing vehemently into the wall of mobile dolls that surrounded Solo’s now battered Taurus. Lu followed suit. This guy’s good, really good. Mobile dolls were falling like leaves in front of the new pilot’s beam saber. Between the two of them they quickly made it to Solo.

"Hey buddy you still alive in there?"

"Yeah, Lu I’m here. Who’s your friend?"

"Dunno. This guy’s not very talkative."

"Well, antisocial or not I’m buyin him a drink when we get out of this mess."

"Will you two just shut up and fight. I can’t do this all by my self." A new voice came over the com. A female voice.

"It’s a chick?" Solo sputtered, almost in shock.

"If you have a problem with that I can leave your crippled ass right here for the mobile dolls." She had guts all right.

"No Mam. No problems here."

"I think we better listen to the lady Solo." Lu said smiling to himself. The only women Solo called Mam were their mothers. And it sounded like this woman deserved the same respect that they received.

It took a while but they finally managed to fight off all of the remaining mobile dolls. Her voice came over the com again. "Wait here with him. I’ll go see if the Gundam is still around."

"Is she crazy? She can’t take on a Gundam with a Taurus." Solo yelped.

"He’s right it’s not a good idea."

"I wasn’t asking your permission." And with that she flew off.

Solo opened the hatch of his Taurus and slowly crawled out.

"That woman is completely insane."

"Yeah, wonder what she looks like." Lu said exiting his own suit.

"What? We almost get killed and you’re thinkin about some crazy broad. You’re insane. I’m surrounded by insane people."

"Calm down Solo."

"Calm down he says. There could be a Gundam coming right for us and he says calm down." The fight had clearly taken a toll on Solo’s nerves. Lu decided to let him be, that was the best thing to do when Solo got in to one of these moods.

He scanned the sky for any signs of the Gundam or the other Taurus. Soon the Preventer in him kicked in and questions began to pour through his mind like rain. How had the enemy discovered their plans? Why had only one Gundam showed up? And why had it brought mobile dolls? They had never appeared with these Gundams before. The warehouse…were the other suits still intact?

"Solo. Do you think you can get that suit moving?"

"I don’t think so man. The engines are shot to all hell. Even if they did work I don’t know if my body could take it."

"You good to stay here while I check the warehouse?"

"Yeah man, get goin."

Lu climbed back in to the cockpit of his Taurus. How could I have let them draw us away from the warehouse? Stupid mistake, I hope I won’t have to pay for it.

When he saw the smoking pile of rubble where the warehouse had once stood Lu realized just how much he was going to have to pay. There was nothing left. He climbed out of his suit and surveyed the scene. The three Tauruses that had been left in the warehouse were destroyed. Solo’s suit won’t be of much use in its present condition either. Damn… Commander Mariemaia would not be pleased.

Lu was so lost in thought that he hardly noticed the other Taurus landing behind his.

"The Gundam’s long gone. Must have figured we’d be back once the mobile dolls ran out, probably didn’t want to waste the ammo on us." A female voice said bitterly.

He didn’t even look at her. "Yeah, well I would rather have faced the Gundam than have to report to my Commander tomorrow. She’s gonna kill us for loosing the Tauruses."

"What do you mean loosing the Tauruses? You saved the colony. Screw the Tauruses."

She has a point Lu. He thought to himself. Snap out of it you selfish idiot you haven’t even thanked her for saving your life. "Thanks for helping my friend back there. And for saving my life."

She was still standing behind him. "It was nothing. I just don’t like to see people die needlessly. That’s all."

Modest too. This woman’s getting better all the time. He turned towards her meaning to tell her that it was something indeed, but the words caught in his throat when he saw her.

She wasn’t wearing the grease stained coveralls, and her hair was tied back. But he instantly recognized her face. The pilot who had saved them was…Rowan.

Author’s note: Well that’s all I have so far. What do ya think? Should I keep going or drop it like a stone?

Oh, and on a legal note I don’t own Gundam Wing. Don’t sue me.