War
And Peace
Chapter 16
Zechs shifted in the Tallgeese's cockpit, anticipation coursing through his veins. The carrier's pilot's voice rose above the buzz of the controls, informing him that there was turbulence in the area. Zechs closed his eyes and wrapped his hands around the controls, “Everything is ready. Gauges are in order. I'm prepared for drop.” He listened as the pilot counted down his launch and took a deep breath as he felt the Tallgeese descend. He allowed the suit to freefall before flipping the huge suit upright. Zechs grit his teeth as the pressure inside the cockpit increased and his entire body shook from the force of the engine. The Tallgeese turned and Zechs watched as the ground grew closer. Zechs closed his eyes, part of him wanted to end it all but a young soldier's worried voice slammed him back to reality. He gripped the suit's controls and turned it upright once more. “Yes I can hear you,” he panted as the pressure inside the Tallgeese increased, “I'm going to start the test.” Zechs shook his head clear and tried to focus on the task at hand; he was going to learn the power behind this suit or die trying. He listened as the tower informed him that the missiles were locked and ready to fire. He smiled, “All right, fire.” He grit his teeth as the tower attempted to reconfirm his decision and snapped back at them; “That is what this suit is demanding.” Zechs took deep breaths as he pressed the acceleration pedal down to the floor and listened as they confirmed his acceleration. He watched as the base fired the missiles at him and raised his beam cannon. He fired once and watched as the air around him burst into flames. Zechs looked down at his radar and confirmed the accuracy of his shot; the Tallgeese had wiped them all out. He felt free as he flew through the flames and shot towards the ground. He halted to a stop moments before colliding with the base's runway and dropped the beam cannon onto the ground. Zechs gripped the controls and drew out his beam saber. He chuckled softly to himself as he flew towards the tower and raised his saber to strike. He could see the horrified faces of the soldiers inside as he thrust the deadly beam down at them. Zechs halted his controls and allowed the saber to hang there in the air, only a few feet away from destroying the tower. Pride swept through him as he straightened the huge suit and stood proudly against the blue sky. With his moment of glory gone, Zechs walked the suit back to the warehouse it was stored in and stumbled from the confines of its cockpit. His body felt like it was on fire and the words of his doctor re-entered his mind. Zechs leaned against the side of the suit and struggled to catch his breath. He slowly made his way back to Noin's old quarters and fell, exhausted, onto the bed. The glow from the moon woke him and Zechs turned in his bed to stare at the ceiling. He wished that Noin had been here to see it, she would have been so proud. Zechs rolled over in the small bed and inhaled her scent; it was one of the reasons he had chosen to stay in her quarters. Unable to fall back asleep, Zechs rose from the bed and made his way towards the Tallgeese's hanger. He stood in the moonlight staring up at the machine wondering when his next battle would be. The sound of footsteps coming towards him stilled his thoughts and he listed with amusement as one of the soldiers congratulated him. Zechs turned his head and looked thoughtfully at the one that seemed to show no fear of him. It was one of the soldiers that had recently graduated from Noin's class; one that Zechs had noted early on was a fine technician as well as a battle strategist. He turned toward the young man, “The super burner engines seem to be different than what's outlined on the blueprint.” The technician furrowed his eyebrows, “If we went by the output on the blueprint it's operations would be seriously affected.” Zechs tilted his head at the technician, surprised that the young man had chosen to argue with him. “It doesn't matter it's up to the pilot to overcome operating difficulties such as those,” Zechs replied quietly. He almost smiled in the darkness as his mind provided a picture of the courageous young boy who had fought against him. “You are dismissed,” he grunted in the darkness and turned to find that the young man had already left. Zechs turned his eyes toward another shadow in the warehouse; it was the partially repaired gundam. He leaned against the side of the building and sighed, “I hope I'm doing the right thing Noin.”
“Dammit,” Noin growled as she looked at the mess in the room. Their rush to leave Moscow hadn't put her in the best of moods. She was tired and had yet to agree on an outfit suitable for escorting the young “princess” around. She didn't want to escort her around in her Oz uniform but seeing that she could find no other suitable substitute in her meager wardrobe it would have to do. Sighing, Noin sat on the bed and looked at the adjoining door. She had opted for separate rooms. She remembered how much she had valued her privacy at that age. A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and Noin heard a soft voice ask if she could come in. Noin smiled and went to open the door. Relena stood there in the same dress she had been wearing at the party, her eyes red with tears. Noin bit her lip and invited the young girl into her room. As she walked by, Noin noticed that she held a photograph in her hand; it was of her foster father, Mr. Dorlian. She knew what it was like to lose a parent and Noin could sympathize with the young girl. “Please sit Miss Relena,” Noin said softly pointing to the bed. She watched as the young girl sat on the bed and looked at the floor, “Please call me Relena.” Noin smiled and sat down beside the girl. She studied her, looking for any sign of Zechs in her. They looked nothing alike. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink,” Noin asked and made a move to stand up. She froze as the young girl held up a hand, “Who are you and why did you rescue me?” Noin sat back down on the bed, contemplating on how much she should tell her. She knew that she couldn't tell her too much, nor could she tell her the truth about Zechs. Noin sighed, “I'm a,” she paused; what exactly was she to him, a lover, a subordinate, a friend, deciding that friend was the safest answer she continued, “friend of someone who requested that I take over guardianship of you.” She stopped and waited for this news to sink in. She watched the girl raise her head and met Relena's gaze squarely. “Who,” Relena asked softly and Noin smiled, “I can't tell you that.” She saw the frustration set in Relena's eyes and almost laughed when the young girl sarcastically asked what she could tell her. “All I can tell you is that my friend is a loyal soldier from the Sank Kingdom and wishes to help you. He also is the only person who witnessed 01's self-destruction,” Noin explained carefully, hoping that she wasn't divulging too much information. She watched the young girl's eye's widen, “That means Heero might be alive.” Noin watched as Relena stood up and walked to the window. Noin followed her, “Who is Heero?” She saw the gentle smile on the young girl's face as she explained that Heero was the pilot of 01. Noin could see that the Relena was enthralled with the young pilot and asked where she had met him. “He attended my school for a short time and I'm the one who found him when he was washed up onto the beach,” Relena smiled wistfully as she looked down at the city below. Noin leaned against the wall, allowing the young girl to reminisce. After several minutes she stood upright and placed a hand on Relena's shoulder, “Miss Relena, it's time to go to bed. We've got quite a long trip to make tomorrow and you'll need your rest.” Surprisingly Relena showed little resistance to the suggestion and with a mumbled “good night” she made her way back to her room. Noin sighed as she turned her light off and lay on her bed, staring silently up at the ceiling of her room. She could remember being that young and she knew what it was like to be captivated by someone who barely noticed her. She knew Relena's time would come just as hers had, Noin just hoped that when it did Relena wasn't forced to hide it from the world. Noin closed her eyes and turned to her side. “Zechs,” she sighed as she gripped her pillow and drifted off to sleep.
Zechs yawned and wiped the sweat from his brow. He had been working on the gundam since three that morning. He had tried to sleep but images and memories of Noin bombarded his thoughts and dreams; and unable to take anymore he had decided to help with the gundam repairs. Zechs stood up and stretched; he was in desperate need of some rest. He decided to go to the officer's club; he knew that being somewhere that he and Noin had been alone together would help to sooth his nerves. The walk to the club was short and much to his dismay it was occupied by a few of the students. Zechs sighed, backed out of the room and ducked into a small conference room. He sat, exhausted, in a chair and within moments he was asleep. He awoke to the sound of static and various voices. Zechs shook his head and turned his head frantically trying to locate the annoying sound. His gaze fell on a small COM unit on the wall that had been left on. He made a move to disconnect it when he heard Noin's name. He sat back in the chair, deciding that this was one conversation he probably needed to hear. A young man's voice filled the room as Zechs increased the volume. From their conversation, they had once been students of Noin. He smiled when they mentioned Noin fondly and agreed with them when they mentioned that she would still treat them as children. His smile soon turned into a frown when they asked where she was. One of the other soldiers reported that she was on personal business in Moscow. Zechs grit his teeth as her former students loudly determined that her trip was for him. He knew that they couldn't know anything but he hated that her reputation was being put to the test. Zechs clenched his fist when the cocky young men demanded to know why the soldiers at the base were defending him, especially when he had the reputation for getting his men killed. He stood up and slammed his fist against the COM unit; it shattered upon contact. Silently, he stood and made his way towards the warehouse where Tallgeese was being kept; the machine had a way of calming him and he was in dire need of that now. As he made his way towards the hanger a pale light of a computer screen caught his attention. Curious as to who would be still be working, Zechs peered into the small room built adjacent to the large hanger that housed his mobile suit. It was the young soldier who had approached him after his testing of the Tallgeese. Zechs glanced at the screen and was surprised to see that it was a video of gundam 01's self-destruction. He chuckled softly, startling the young man. “Sir,” he started to stand and salute but Zechs waved him off, instead he inquired as to what the young man was doing. “I was just experimenting with the new technology that Oz recently loaded into the computer systems.” Zechs watched as the young man demonstrated, amazed by the numbers that rapidly flashed across the screen. “What is it supposed to show you,” he asked as he watched the screen, mentally tallying up the numbers in his mind. “The new system is supposed to show you the skill of the pilot inside the mobile suit. If you check this system with the data we uncovered from the wreck you can determine the skill of the gundam's pilot.” Zechs cocked a lone eyebrow beneath his mask as he looked at the screen; “Show me.” He watched as a detailed report filled the screen. “This can't be correct,” the technician beside him murmured as he looked over the data. “What's wrong,” Zechs inquired, amazed by the statistics before him. “The data that we are seeing right now is unnatural and almost impossible for anyone to achieve. The report shows increased reaction time, stamina, and muscle capacity, these numbers can't be right.” Zechs played the scene with the young pilot over in his mind. “Those numbers are possible for him. He probably had special training in space. What worries me is that any advantages I thought I might have over him are gone.” Zechs sighed and turned away, chuckling when the young man reassured him that his skills were superb. “Nonsense,” he answered softly looking back at the young man, “this just shows me how much more I need to accomplish.” With that said Zechs walked out of the room and went to stand in front of the Tallgeese. “We have a lot to do old friend,” he whispered in the darkness of the hanger before leaving for his quarters.
Noin took a deep breath of the sea air as their boat neared the huge palace. Even from their position she could here the rich sounds of the orchestra playing inside and the joyous sounds of people without a thing on their minds. She hated attending functions like this, surrounded by the rich people who funded the wars that she and her men had fought to survive in, but she endured it for appearances sake. She was still unsure if it had been a wise idea to bring Relena with her. After all the entire purpose of her leaving Zechs was to keep Relena away from Oz and the Romafeller foundation. Noin sighed and leaned back against the cabin beside Relena. She was startled by the tension on the young girls face and asked what was wrong. Relena said nothing and Noin followed her gaze where it rested on the stagnant Leos that adorned the walkways of the palace. “The Leos compose the main force behind Oz's power,” she voiced, answering the unspoken question that lay in the air. “Why do they still make them,” Relena asked still looking at the huge suits. Noin smiled, she had thought the same thing after Oz had taken over and had asked Zechs the very same question. She gave Relena the answer he had given her. Relena scowled at the answer and crossed her arms over her chest, “That's a stupid reason.” Noin knew that Relena wouldn't see the merit of such an idea and remained silent as they neared the dock, refusing to carry the discussion any further. She stepped down steadying herself against a huge pillar while her body adjusted to the feeling of being on level ground again. Noin held out a hand to help Relena down and was surprised when the young girl stepped steadily off of the boat and onto the shore without her assistance. Noin dropped her hand to her side and started towards the huge entrance, looking back to make sure that Relena was following her. She felt a gentle tug at her sleeve and looked over at Relena, “What is it?” Relena looked away at the open sea and whispered, “Tell me about them.” Noin was surprised by the question but took it as a sign that Relena wished to learn more about the people who had killed her father. Noin continued walking as she told Relena the origins of Oz, knowledge that few besides the top ranking officials involved in Oz knew about. Noin felt a pang of guilt at betraying her vows of secrecy but she felt that Relena had a right to know. She watched as Relena took all of it in with the same quiet acceptance that she'd had all along. A thought crossed Noin's mind as they neared the entrance way and she stopped, dropping to one knee. Relena glance down at her and gasped as Noin began to pat her sides down. “What are you doing Miss Noin,” she asked aloud and Noin looked up at her, a small smile twitching at the corner of her lips as she asked for the young girl's forgiveness. Confusion filled Relena's face seconds before she quietly whispered that she understood. Noin, satisfied that the young girl wasn't carrying any weapons, rose to her feet and motioned for Relena to follow her. They entered the ballroom together and Noin smiled warmly at those who acknowledged her presence. She caught Trieze's eyes and watched as he nodded his approval before turning back to his guests. Noin led Relena over to one of the walls and leaned back against it as Duke Dermail; the head of the Romafeller foundation began to make his speech. Noin listened with disgust as he rambled on about how important Oz was to the future of the Earth. She turned away when Relena asked if they would keep fighting. “They must,” she answered softly turning her head to look back at Dermail, “if not their system will collapse and the world will be thrown into chaos.” She stopped and looked down at Relena, “That is the reason that Oz requires the best mobile suits in the world.” She smiled when Relena smugly replied that the gundams were capable of defeating Oz. “Oz considers the gundam's power to be awesome and because of this, they will target the colonies in order to stop them,” Noin explained gently. She listened as Duke Dermail finished his speech and watched as Trieze walked up to the stage. Immediately the room fell silent as everyone waited to hear what the striking young officer had to say. Noin listened with amazement as Treize explained the beauty of war and announced himself to be beyond God and closed her eyes. It only took her a moment to realize just how bad Oz had become and Noin was ashamed to be a part of it. She closed her eyes and sighed, “Let's leave now. This meeting is not for us. We have nothing to say to people who consider war to be beautiful.” When she was met with silence Noin opened her eyes and was shocked to find Relena gone. Her eyes scanned the room and she grit her teeth when she saw Relena on the stage, a mike in her hand. Noin bolted towards the stage and jumped in front of Relena before the girl said too much. “Stop it Miss Relena,” she ordered under her breath, fully aware that everyone was looking at her. Relena tried to grab the mike back but Noin held it away, “No Miss Relena, there is nothing we can do here.” Noin replaced the mike and led Relena down of the stage. She was stopped by Treize, who gave her a warm smile and congratulated her on a job well done. Noin merely relayed her regret for the incident and walked away. As she made her way towards the door she overheard Treize defending Zechs' decision to rebuild the gundam and Dermail's order to destroy it. Noin made a note to herself to tell Zechs the next time she spoke to him. With one last look she left the huge ballroom in search of the quarters Treize had so generously offered to her. She was surprised to find that their luggage had already been brought up. Noin sighed as she unbuttoned the heavy over jacket and threw it over a chair. She did the same with her sash and vest. Noin sat down on the couch, leaned back and closed her eyes. She knew she needed to contact him as soon as possible and warn him about the Foundation's interest in the gundam he was restoring but first she needed to rest. The information wasn't so important that he couldn't wait a few hours, she thought to herself as she yawned and leaned her head back against the couch. He could wait, she thought once again before drifting off to sleep.
Zechs sat in the Tallgeese as the carrier flew towards the Mogadishu fortress. He was regretting his decision to go on this mission. He played the events from hours before over in his mind… After he had gone over the preliminary results that showed the true talent of the gundam pilot, he had made his way back towards the Tallgeese where he had been greeted by two of Noin's former students, the two who had been talking about him hours before. Zechs smiled evenly as they complemented and ridiculed his suit. He had struggled to keep his temper in check as they taunted him about Otto's death but agreed to accompany them on their trip to the base. He had jumped at the chance to see two of Noin's former students battle and hadn't thought anything about putting his self under their command. In fact it would better enable him to see just what Noin had taught them. Zechs sighed and gripped the Tallgeese's controls. Their plan was well thought out but something about the situation was bothering him. It too closely mirrored the attack on the old Alliance base east of Somalia, close to where Lt. Alex and Mueller had been stationed. Rumor had it that the attack on that particular base had been a complete massacre and had not followed any of the standard procedures. Zechs sighed as he rested his head on his hand. Perhaps he was just trying to find fault with the pair because they had been so close to Noin. His thoughts were interrupted as the pilot of his carrier informed him that they were at the drop point. “Roger, drop the Tallgeese,” he commanded as he gripped the mobile suit's controls. He steadied himself as he waited for the plunge downward and growled in frustration as the pilots voice sounded over his COM unit. “What is it,” he snapped and smiled grimly as the pilot informed him that Lt. Alex wished him luck. “Arrogant bastard,” Zechs mumbled beneath his breath, “so he thinks I need luck does he. He is sadly mistaken. I'll show him what this “antiquated suit is really capable of.” Zechs tightened his grip on the controls as the Tallgeese fell free of the carrier and quickly righted the massive suit. He smiled as he saw the base's prize artillery swing around and aim straight for him. He knew from the data he had confiscated from the Oz files that the cannon's attack was deceptive. From afar it appeared as a single shot and then, a few feet from its intended target, exploded and attacked its target from all sides. It was a fine weapon to fully test the Tallgeese's abilities. Zechs watched as the huge cannon released a single shot. In a matter of moments the sky around his suit exploded with light and Zechs raised his beam cannon to counter the missiles that surrounded him. The light blinded him as his shot slammed into the source of the missiles and grit his teeth as the suit shook. His vision cleared as the Tallgeese shot through the blast and he was immediately alerted by his radar of the troops that were stationed at the foundation of the base. Zechs fired and watched as the suits exploded. He swung the huge suit around and angled it back towards the base, anxious to try out the modified super vernier engine. He thrust the accelerator down just as the base began firing their beam cannons. Zechs dodged the enemy fire and aimed for the Noventa cannon. One shot from the Tallgeese's beam cannon was sufficient enough to wipe out their primary defense. He carefully landed his suit on the base and attempted to establish contact with the commander inside. He waited patiently as one of the Alliance soldiers patched his call through. He identified himself and informed them of the loss of their defensive advantage. He could see the disbelief on the men's faces and continued grimly. “Any further battle would be meaningless. I demand that you disarm your weapons at once,” he said dispassionately and reminded them that it was an action that their recently fallen commander would have approved of. He watched as the former Alliance troops confirmed his information and listened as the commander acknowledged the base's surrender. Zechs was stunned as a barrage of missiles flew by him and hit the base. He looked around enraged by the actions the two young men were taking. He immediately contacted Lt. Alex and Mueller and demanded to know what they were doing. He listened in amazement as the young man arrogantly reminded him that he wasn't in charge and was enraged when Lt. Alex dismissed him, saying that Mueller and he could take care of the rest. Zechs listened in silence as the young man informed him that their attack on the base was in fact a front for the execution of ex-alliance members. Zechs watched as Mueller's suit approached the base's main tower and fired on those inside. As his eyes witnessed the destruction of defenseless soldiers, he thought of the role Noin had played in this. If only she had impressed upon these young man that arrogance was foolish in battle the situation might have been prevented. Zechs seethed inside and ordered the soldier in the Aries suit not to attack. He wasn't prepared for the missiles that were fired from the base and watched in horror as the young soldier he had prevented from attacking the base burst into flames before his eyes. Zechs watched as Alex and Mueller surrounded him and accused him of killing a comrade. He anticipated their next actions and guided his suit away from their attack. He felt something inside him snap and attacked Mueller's Aries. He heard the other lieutenant's shout of disbelief as the suit containing his comrade was destroyed. Zechs dodged the barrage of missiles now being fired at him and plunged into the sea. Darkness surrounded him and Zechs felt his suit shake from the impact of the missiles. As the darkness around him gave way to light, he saw Alex's red cancer barreling towards him. Zechs moved away quickly as the suit delivered it's final attack. Taking advantage of the cover created by the blast, he moved behind the cancer suit and held it captive. “Your skills are impressive, but for one of Noin's students you lack intelligence,” he said, his voice dangerously soft. “You scum. Don't talk to me about her,” the young man yelled as he struggled to free himself. Zechs wondered if the era had made the young man insane and decided that the young men like these were undeserving of power. With that decided, Zechs drew the arms holding the claws of the cancer further apart, splitting the suit in two. He dropped the arms as the blast cleared and piloted the Tallgeese towards the base. Zechs set the suit's course and leaned back to try and relax. As he closed his eyes he saw the faces of Alex and Mueller. He wondered if it had been right to kill them so heartlessly. He told himself that their deaths were a just punishment for their arrogance but something inside him wondered if it had not been jealousy that had driven him to end their lives. Zechs opened his eyes, refusing to acknowledge that he had been jealousy of them but closed them again as the truth hit him. He hadn't just killed those young men to avenge those who they had so carelessly murdered but he had sought to make them pay for their realationship with Noin. Zechs felt sick and groaned. He opened his eyes to see the outline of the Lake Victoria Base on the horizon and sighed. He couldn't keep allowing himself to be influenced by his emotions. Zechs gripped the controls of the Tallgeese, immediately disarming the autopilot and sped towards the base. He ignored the awed looks of the soldiers as he stepped out of the mobile suit. Meiser greeted him as his feet touched the ground. “Colonel Zechs,” the young technician began and Zechs stopped him with a wave of his hand. “I do not wish to be disturbed for the next few hours. I am only to be disturbed in the case of an emergency. Until then begin repairs to the Tallgeese and continue with the repairs on 01.” With that said Zechs made his way to Noin's quarters. He sighed as the automatic door slid open and leaned up against the wall as he entered the room. His mind was exhausted and his body ached from his latest encounter with the Tallgeese but he had business to attend to. Zechs groaned as he lowered his aching body into the hard desk chair that sat in front of the room's computer. Sighing, he turned on the computer and began to make his report. He kept his emotions in check and remained detached as he informed her that two of her students had lost their life taking over an ex-Alliance base. He berated her for not correcting the two young men's arrogance during their training, adding that if she had she could have prevented the useless loss of hundreds of men' lives. He paused, part of him wanting to erase the hateful words, but his mind supplied the image of Lt. Alex and in his mind he heard the fondness behind his voice when he said her name. Zechs ended the report there and sighed as he waited for the document to print. He looked at the sheets of paper with detest and slowly placed them in a vanilla envelope. Shutting the computer off, he left the room and made his way to where the Tallgeese stood. He looked up at the huge suit wondering what his next step was. He looked away at the sound of footsteps approaching and turned to find Meiser walking towards him. Zechs almost smiled as the young man asked him how the suit had flown. “The vernier engines are working beautifully,” Zechs replied and presented the vanilla envelope containing his report. “What is this,” the young man asked as Zechs handed him the report. “It's a report regarding Alex and Mueller. I would like you to send it to Lieutenant Noin for me,” he said coldly, looking away from the young man so that he wouldn't see the expression on his face. “Lt. Noin,” the soldier questioned and Zechs nodded slightly. “Tell her to reflect on the error of teaching merely techniques, he added dispassionately as he walked toward the warehouse that held the gundam. “But sir,” he heard the young man stammer out as he tried to grasp the meaning behind his orders. “Wars are heartless,” Zechs called out as he entered the warehouse, leaving Meiser with his thoughts. He slowly climbed the stairs and leaned against one of the railings as he studied the gundam. “Wars truly are heartless,” he continued quietly in the darkness of the empty warehouse. He paused as he thought of Noin's and his relationship. They cared for each other but war was no place for such emotions. This latest incident had helped him see that it was foolish to think that he could continue to love her and accomplish the goals he had set for himself. Sighing he looked at the mobile suit. As a soldier he was no better than the two men he had killed. They displayed their arrogance on the battlefield, while he displayed his in the repairing of an enemy's mobile suit. Zechs leaned his head against his hand and wondered what his next step would be.
Authors Notes: I hope you enjoyed the chapter… it took a bit longer than expected but I couldn't decide how I wanted to approach this particular “chapter” in Zechs and Noin's relationship. The next chapter is currently in the process of being written and will be up sometime next week. Thanks for all the support and reviews!
Raven Mist
