December 13, UC 0083
EFSF Warspite*, Somewhere between the Moon and Side 2

"You seem agitated, Sir..." the Warspite's XO observed as Nicolo Lander paced around the bridge. He had been pacing since they had left Lunar orbit for Side 2 yesterday, and what he was doing was nothing short of distracting to the bridge crew.

"It's NOTHING, XO," Nicolo growled as he continued to pace. "Damn it!" He thought. What was that Colonel Bosque Ohm thinking by countermanding HIS orders?! HE would be the one to lead the Titans soon, Gene Corini would make sure of that, and he would show Dolvich's arrogant daughter who's the boss...
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"Your Major Dolvich seems to have done quite well..." Corini remarked as he finished reading the report, "Looks like you ARE the better man for the job, just as Jamitov has said."

"Yes, Sir! Thank you Sir!" Ohm replied quickly as a smile formed in the back of his head. Does this mean I will now be getting the job?

"However, I WOULD like to see some results first," Corini reminded, "If they do well, then you'd most certainly get my recommendations to become the Titan's Field Commander."

"I will do my best, Sir," Ohm replied with a nod, "If you want, I'll personally..."

"No, I need you here," Corini countermanded, "I've already sent Brigadier General Dolvich on the Yamashiro** to reinforce our positions at Side 2, and I believe it will be enough for the moment to handle those suspected resistance cells."

"Sir, with all due respect, he's not a Titans," Ohm reminded, "He might even be sympathetic to spacenoids."

"Yes, but his wayward daughter is one of us, and she could most certainly handle him," Corini finished with an evil smile.
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"Buy you a drink, Captain?" Major Natalie Dolvich offered as both she and Sylvie Greisser passed by the base's O-club. Both had enjoyed seeing that arrogant Captain Romanov deflate after the disastrous results of his first training exercise, and the Major felt that Sylvie deserved a reward for her performance.

"Thank you, but I don't think it's really proper..." Sylvie started wearily.

"Forget about it Captain, you deserve it," Natalie objected as she began to drag Sylvie towards the Officer's Club. As they entered, a couple of officers, all of them male, quickly raised their glasses and cheered at the new arrivals. Clearly, everybody felt that Romanov had it coming.

"Nice welcome eh, 'mam?" Jin observed as he raised his glass in salute.

"Yeah... Thanks..." Sylvie replied uneasily, her eyes downcast. Damn, she thought, I should be celebrating, why couldn't I? The Major quickly noticed Sylvie's sudden bout of depression and dragged her to a secluded corner of the bar and forced her to sit down. She quickly called for two glasses before asking, "Any problems, Captain?"

"No, 'mam, really..." Sylvie started as she continued to stare into the floor, not wanting the Major to see her eyes...

"Is it because of some dumb ******* who broke your heart?" the Major inquired almost playfully.

"Mam..." Sylvie started, but the look on her face made it obvious.

"Look, it's not your fault if some idiot would walk away from you. Hell, men always only think about themselves..." the Major encouraged, drawing the last statement from her deep-seated hatred for her father.

"Actually... I think it was the other way around," Sylvie replied, forcing a grin, "I walked away from him when I shouldn't have... And now all I have left is regret..."

"There are other fish in the ocean, Captain," the Major reminded, "Heck, I even think that even your Lieutenant Jin Lee has slight crush on you..."

"He's barely 20. Far too young..." Sylvie muttered in reply, dismissing THAT unpleasant thought. And I've already closed my heart out to those things, she didn't add, and I don't think anybody could ever find anybody like him... "What about you, Major?"

"Haven't found a guy who could handle me yet," the Major replied proudly. Even though she was a woman, she was the strongest, and definitely one of the smartest, people on the base.

"Not even your father?" Sylvie asked as she remembered her old CO, "He seemed like one..."

"Please don't talk about that... man," Natalie suddenly interrupted coldly, just barely able to keep herself from swearing out loud.

"Sorry, 'mam," Sylvie apologized, "Father and daughter problem?"

"He's not my father. Not anymore," Natalie replied with a touch of anger in her voice.

Sylvie sighed before saying, "I know the feeling. My dad and I weren't that close either..." And he just had to die when we were finally getting along, she didn't add. Another thing to regret.

"Well, it looks like we do have a number of things in common, Captain," Natalie replied as she managed a smile.

"Sure looks like it, Major," Sylvie agreed.

"Cut out that Major crap for the moment Sylvie, we're off duty anyway," Natalie ordered with a smile.

"But 'mam..." Sylvie started.

"Look, call me Natalie, alright?" Natalie told her with a smile, "My friends call me that."

"Majo... I mean Natalie, we've only just met, and you're a Titans. I'm just regular EF officer," Sylvie reminded.

"I know..." Natalie agreed as she looked directly at Sylvie's eyes, "But somehow, when we first met, I knew that we'd get along. I don't know why... but I like you..."

"Oh... well..." Sylvie replied, still a little shocked. But why not? she thought. Even if she was a Titans, Natalie was still one hell of a decent person... "I haven't really made a lot of friends after the war, but..." Sylvie then offered her hand.

Natalie laughed before taking the hand and shaking it firmly, "Friends! But let's keep it to ourselves when we're off duty, alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll remember that Natalie," Sylvie replied with a smile. It certainly seemed like the start of a long friendship...
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"Come on, Arnie! Tell me, have you seen him or not?" Estella asked impatiently. The argument between them concerning Ming had gone on for hours, only to be occasionally interrupted by talking about old times.

"And for the nth time, NO! I haven't," Jefferson replied in an annoyed tone, "And will you please stop calling me Arnie?!"

"Look, I KNOW he escaped the little fiasco over that colony drop, AND he was heading for the moon. Don't bull**** me," Estella shotback defiantly, "He was here."

"Why do you want to find him anyway?" Jefferson suddenly asked, realizing Estella had not even revealed the true purpose of her visit.

"Arnie, you know my business and I just can't..." Estella started.

"Estella, don't you trust me?" Jefferson asked. Has your job taken over you THAT much? he thought. So much so that you don't trust your old confidante?

Estella sighed as she saw Jefferson's accusing eyes. She smiled before she raised her hands up in surrender, "Alright, it's for an article about the events that happened on November 10."

"The colony drop was on November 13," Jefferson reminded.

"I HAVE information about the drop. I need info about the attack on Konpei Island," Estella explained, "A LOT of people saw the drop. Only a few saw what happened at Konpei, and most of them can't talk because they're in the military."

"What's so special about the attack anyway?" Jefferson asked. It was true that the details of the Konpei attack were sketchy, but most people in Von Braun had assumed it was just another one in a long string of battles that culminated to the drop. And it was also something that Ming nor any of his companions had NOT discussed to him.

"They used a nuke on the Naval Review," Estella explained further, "It was bad. Lots of ships went down, and that's just scratching the surface of it."

"What else could there be?" Jefferson asked, realizing the seriousness of the offense. Nuclear weapons had long been considered taboo after the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, and any violation of it was treated very harshly. Something that Colonel Killing would have found out if he hadn't blown his brains out three years ago...

"A brand new Gundam," Estella continued as she produced a sketch of the Gundam that had been called by her Anaheim Electronics source as the Physalis. Its head was similar to the "White Devil's," but this one had a HUGE shield and a small, but menacing looking bazooka.

"Holy ****, they built ANOTHER Gundam?" Jefferson remarked as he pored over the sketch, "I saw a new one a couple of days ago when a couple of Cima's ships attacked Von Braun, but I didn't think they'd build more without announcing anything..."

"They had good reason to. This Gundam was designed specifically for nuclear warfare, in violation of the Antarctic Treaty," Estella explained almost smugly, proud of her accurate sources, "And it was the Delaz Fleet who captured it and used it against the Feddies..."

"How does Ming fit in all of this?" Jefferson inquired, wanting now to get straight to the point.

"Ming was high-ranking and famous enough to know every last detail of the operation. If I could get information from him, I might be able to get enough evidence to show the Federation's duplicity," Estella explained, "This might be the key we need to achieve spacenoid independence."

"Or start another war," Jefferson replied, far less enthusiastic than Estella.

"My father DIED in the war fighting for our freedom. I say the risk is worth it," Estella replied coldly.

"And I fought in the war, too," Jefferson reminded, "And there is no right or wrong in war. Only dead people."

"Fine then!" Estella fumed, "I'll look for him myself!"

"Ummm... boss..." Herbert suddenly interrupted as he entered the room.

"Not now, Herbert!" the two of them ordered.

"It's important!" Herbert shotback angrily, "The Federation is sending battleships to Side 2 to hunt down rebels."

"So... he's in Side 2 eh?" Estella deduced.

"Herbert!!!" Jefferson reprimanded angrily.

"Look, one of your dock worker buddies just got the word that the battleships Nevada***, Warspite and Yamashiro are all heading for Side 2. The Federation is up to something, and Ming could be in VERY big trouble," Herbert explained.

"And why did you say that while SHE is around?" Jefferson asked, pointing to Estella.

"Because she has a fast shuttle to get us to Side 2, Sir," Herbert replied sarcastically.

"Estella..." Jefferson started.

"He's right. I do have a ride to Side 2, Arnie," she told him with a grin.

"Then we're going. Now."
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"Our sources have reported that several Federation battleships are heading for our colony," Major Gibbons declared as all members of his resistance group, including Jake, gathered around for the meeting, "We need to accelerate our plan. We attack the base tomorrow."

"Sir, I'd hate to say it, but attacking the base is suicidal," Jake remarked.

"And why don't you shut up, you coward!" countered Lieutenant Vikram Tagore, one of the younger, more idealistic members of the group.

"Care to explain?" the Major ordered coldly.

"Sir, attacking the base with just fifty guys is crazy enough, but even if we DO take the base, what then? We'll be attacked by a bigger force of Feddies and we'll just be wiped out," Jake explained coolly. Why don't you guys just stop playing soldier and get on with your lives? He didn't add.

"We'll have support from the colonists. They've probably suffered as much as we have," Tagore countered.

"Have you even bothered to ASK?" Jake asked angrily.

"No, but..." Vikram started.

"Then get out on the street and see for yourself! We aren't exactly the most popular people around here now, and don't think that they'd help us because we kicked those Feddie's ***es a couple of weeks ago," Jake continued on angrily. Don't waste your lives already, you overzealous idiots, he thought.

"Enough!" the Major ordered angrily, "We have a backup plan in any case."

"Care to mention it, sir?" Jake muttered sarcastically.

"I'll tell you when you need it, SOLDIER, now are you with us or not?" the Major shotback angrily. Though he was quite pissed at Jake's outbursts, they simply needed Jake's skills.

Jake took a quick glance at some of the stern looking members of the group carrying their guns before saying, "Yes, I am."
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"It wasn't as bad as I thought, you might be out of here by tomorrow," Sandra declared as she showed Ming an X-Ray of his broken bone.

"Well, you are a pretty good doctor..." Ming conceded. The pain from his leg was largely gone now, and he could even walk as long as Sandra helped him.

"How was dinner, did you like it?" Sandra inquired.

"Yeah, it was nice. Thanks," Ming replied, embarrassed that he wasn't able to repay her kindness.

"Need anything more?" Sandra asked, "Because if you do please don't hesitate."

"No. Besides, it's becoming embarrassing getting taken cared of all the time by a beautiful girl like you..." Ming replied, and meaning it.

"Well, you could always visit once you're well and help out with the chores," Sandra offered, "It's a lot nicer to have some company."

"Well... I don't really think I could visit you that much..." Ming replied, not wanting to involve her any further should trouble break out.

"Why? You're staying in this colony, right?" Sandra asked with a frown, tilting her head slightly as she did so.

"I'm not really sure..." Ming replied, now wondering why he cared about this young lady's safety.

"You're weird, you know that?" Sandra asked as her expression changed to one that was a mixture of doubt and amusement.

"And I thought you were supposed to be shy..." Ming countered.

"Not to my patients," Sandra replied with a grin.

"All of them?" Ming asked rather doubtfully.

"Yup! All of them!" Sandra replied with a grin even wider than her first, "Oh, and I forgot. I need to pick something up. Guard the place till I get back, alright?"

"Alright, no problem," Ming replied with a nod. He watched as Sandra quickly stood up and headed out the door, waving good bye to him and smiling at him warmly before she left.

Ming sighed as he heard the door shut close. He was feeling guilty. He was REALLY feeling guilty. Sandra had proven to be an... an absolute angel this past day, and his conscience was repeatedly bothering him for lying to her all the time. He had often wished he could just leave, but his leg still tied him to his bed at the moment. Somehow, he just needed to leave her. At first, he had felt that she was distracting him from his mission, but now...

Now, he felt differently. And he knew why. She was simply a better person than he ever was. She had remained untouched by the war, and had not been corrupted by it. He still believed fighting was the right thing. He still believed in fighting for justice, but she had fought for what she believed too, and she didn't have to destroy or kill anything to do it... She was, he realized, simply special, and, much to his surprise, he wasn't sure if he could ever call her an enemy anymore...

Then a sudden thought entered his mind. What if everybody he had fought was exactly like her? Somebody who he could eventually stop calling as an enemy? What if... what if Jefferson was right? Was he becoming a revenge obsessed monster?

Remarks:

- * Warspite is named after the arguably most famous British battleship of all time, the HMS Warspite or "The Old Lady" as she was affectionately called.

One of the famous (and old) Queen Elizabeth class battleships (which includes the Barham and the Valiant), these ships served in BOTH World Wars and did very well in both, a testament to their good (not to mention beautiful) design. Warspite would fight at Jutland (where she did a famous 720 degree turn in front of the whole German Navy!) in WWI and fought in a number of actions in WWII, including the triumphant British victory at the Second Battle of Narvik, eventually becoming the most decorated British ship in WWII. Unfortunately, she was scrapped right after the war ;_;.

"Old? Definitely. Obsolete? Arguably. Out-gunned? Slightly. Slow? Comparatively. Status? Legendary!"

- ** Yamashiro was one of two Fuso class Japanese battleships that fought in WWII. Both were sunk in the battle of Surigao Strait near the northern tip of Mindanao, the Philippines in October 1944, at the hands of American battleships and their supporting PT's and destroyers that were sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbor.

- *** Nevada was one of the American battleships at Pearl Harbor. The only ship to get underway, she was eventually forced to beach herself to keep from sinking. After which she was salvaged and fought in a number of important campaigns, particularly Normandy and Okinawa.

Notice: This story and all related material is copyrighted by Thomas E. "Zinegata" Ting, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.