December 16, UC 0083
Bunch 7 Colony, Side 2

"Oh bloody hell, what has that Nicolo done to the Warspite now?" Titans Cpt. Eaton Hawkins declared as he began to survey the damage around the namesake of the most honored ships in the history of the Royal Navy. And one that had been designed and built by a very competent and kind-hearted cousin of his. The late Commodore Megan Hawkins.

"A GM kamikazed its way into the ship yesterday, Sir," an engineer reported, "Most of the bridge crew was killed, but Gen. Lander managed to get out just in time. She was pretty lucky she didn't go down."

"It's not luck, my good man," Hawkins explained, though wishing Nicolo HAD been fried for causing such damage to his late cousin's proudest creation, "It was sound technical engineering that saved this ship. How did you say she was damaged again?"

"By a kamikaze attack sir," the engineer repeated, "The Zeon pilot smashed a badly wrecked GM into her, before cooking off the reactors..."

"Well then. He was one very brave and gutsy Zeek," Hawkins observed sincerely, "And he's making me wish he was a bit more successful. Pity he was on the other side. Where's the General anyway?"

"Meeting with Major Dolvich, Sir," the engineer answered.

"Oh? Meeting with that lovely Major?" Hawkins asked, "Well, I hope he has a good time..."
-----------------------------

Natalie Dolvich was thoroughly enjoying this. So were Ivan Romanov and the rest of the staff. Not only had the messenger been a gallant and chivalrous gentleman, but his message was even better. It was a message for Gen. Nicolo Lander, and an embarrassing one for the General at that.

"Jamitov..." Nicolo muttered angrily. His plans had been foiled again. By that worthless...

"Well sir, I believe you and your fleet should be leaving Side 2 now?" Natalie asked.

"Very well..." Nicolo muttered back, "Orders are orders. But don't think that I'll approve of the decorations they are giving you and all of your..."

"Sir, don't worry about it, alright?" Natalie replied pleasantly, knowing Nicolo must be wanting to tear her to pieces at the moment, "I believe you may need some catching up to do on your new R&D job, don't you?"

Nicolo looked as if he would really like to strangle Natalie now, but controlled himself and decided to turn around to leave. Research and Development he thought angrily... Of what? Freak technologies? That was the type of job that killed careers...

Natalie smiled on as Nicolo finally left her command tent. At least that Nicolo was now assigned to a mundane post and could not hurt military operations anymore. Better yet, those who had performed most admirably in the battles for the past two days have been justly rewarded. However, there was still one she needed to meet with. One to whom decorations had always held no meaning...
-----------------------------

"Jin? You okay?" Terry asked as he slowly rose from his bed and saw his teammate lying in a bed beside him. Jin wasn't as badly wounded as he, thanks to the Chobham armor on his GM Cannon II that had saved his life, but there was something wrong with him. He looked enormously depressed somehow, and...

"Yeah... don't worry..." Jin replied with no emotion in his voice, "Just... just give me some time alone..."
-----------------------------

"I've lost now..." Sylvie Greisser thought on. "Lost to both of them... Somebody... just..."

"Damn it, no!" Sylvie thought as she felt that other side of her creeping up again. She'd already lost the first round, and she was now coming back to finish her off... "Please... no..."

"Oh come on now Sylvie... We've already been through this. You're mine now..."

"No... I can't let you... I can't..."

"And I'll make sure I keep you around for a LONG time, Sylvie. You shouldn't have ignored a ghost like me lurking within you, Sylvie, pretending that I never existed... And now I'll turn you into a ghost as well... Just like you were meant to be..."

Stop! Please... Just kill me...

"Oh you won't die... I'm pretty sure of that now. And with your talent I can make sure that you won't die anytime soon. And I can do what I've been made for... Killing..."

"No! Damn it... I can't let you kill anymore... It's not right... it's..."

"Oh come on now... don't tell me you didn't enjoy it? The killing? That feeling of being in control. That feeling that you could defy Fate itself with the push of a trigger..."

"No! How can I... How can I enjoy something that makes others suffer? How can I...?"

"Oh? So you would rather suffer and lock it all away in yourself? Is that what you want?"

"Yes... I deserve it anyway. All I've done in my life was to bring pain to those who loved me. I'd rather rot on for eternity than do what you asked..."

"Really? Don't you know that's what's wrong with you, Sylvie? You always deny who you really are..."

"Who am I then?! Who... who have I been for all these years?! Who have I been ever since he died and I became alone?! Who..."

"Oh my... you don't even realize it, do you? You don't even know why you created me, did you?"

"Created you? How did I?"

"Time to lock you away and give you the pain you said you deserved. Oh don't worry. I'll come see you from time to time... Just to make it hurt a little bit more. And to see you rot and get twisted by your pain. And to see if you're ready to give all of yourself to me... If you're finally ready to be who you really are..."

"Stop... Please... Stop... It hurts so much already... Anymore and... I can't... I'll be..."

"Just like me. Very soon... ... ..."

"Hello, Captain, are you doing better now?" a familiar voice asked. Sylvie then felt a figure standing right beside her bed.

"Oh? Is that Major Natalie I hear...? Perfect..."

"Please... don't. Rip me apart if you wish, but leave her out of this. She's not..."

"Oh fine, fine... I'll just let you handle this. Just get ready to say your good-byes though, because I doubt you'll still be around the next time she comes around..."

"Don't think I'll give in to you so easily..."

"Why even try? You know you'll lose to me. I've already taken everything that matters to you. Why don't you just say your good byes and give up now? It will be less painful..."

"Sylvie? Are you alright?" Natalie asked as she realized Sylvie was still not waking up, wondering if...

"Na... Natalie?" Sylvie managed to say outloud as her eyes fluttered open, now feeling the pain start ripping through her again. Tormenting her mind and body...

"Hi, Sylvie..." Natalie replied with a sigh of relief, "I was just passing by to see how you're doing, but I guess you still need your sleep and..."

"No... I'm alright now..." Sylvie replied as she tried to smile to reassure her friend, only to find that the other part of her was keeping her from doing so. That part of her had already taken away her happiness, and she could only cringe at what she would take next...

"Are you sure?" Natalie asked, "You still look a little out of yourself, Sylvie. Maybe you should rest some more?"

"No, I'm fine. Really," Sylvie replied defiantly, doing her best to keep the other side of her at bay, "I think I might be able to get out of here soon..."

"Well, I think I'm a bit relieved now..." Natalie replied, though still bugged by the change in Sylvie. Something was wrong with her. Very wrong... As if she was now fighting something that only she could see... "But remember that if you need anything..."

"Death... Please just give me that..."

"Oh no... I already told you. I won't let you die so easily..."

"Yes..." Sylvie interrupted before Natalie could finish, "Natalie... There is one thing you... you could do for me..."

"Oh no... I won't let you do that... Let her suffer the same fate as yours... I've already let you save that other one from her own pain, I won't let you..."

"Talk to your father, Natalie..." Sylvie continued on even as the pain in her head became unbearable, "Talk to him... Or you might just regret not doing it for the rest of your life..."

"Sylvie?" Natalie asked as she saw Sylvie's eyes. They were haunting ones now. Beckoning her to do what she asked, as if it was the last thing she could do... She wasn't thinking she was dying was she? Was she...

"Damn you... Stop it! I won't let you do any more of your charity work... You're going to be doing what I say or..."

"Because regret is the only thing in my heart now, Natalie..." Sylvie continued as she ignored the pain now overcoming her, drawing her slowly into unconsciousness, "Because I never told him that despite everything... I was proud to be his daughter... that I loved him and that I... I..."

"...that I'll always be his daughter... That part of me will always be his little girl... no matter what..."

And that surprised Sylvie. She wasn't the one saying that line. It was the other her. The part of her she thought could never...

"Sylvie?" Natalie asked as she looked at Sylvie's now pleading face. How could... how could she say no? "I... I'm not sure if I can..."

"Just try... Please..." Sylvie managed to finish, just before she felt the weight in her eyelids grow, and she felt herself once again being drawn into the darkness...

"Why? Why did you just say what you did? Why did you help me tell that to her about her dad?"

"Just to satisfy you, you poor miserable soul. Now are you ready to join me? To become me?"

"No... I won't... I won't unless..."

"Unless?"

"Unless you let me keep my conscience... Unless you let me keep my ability to tell right or wrong..."

"Why?"

"So that even if I do become an emissary of death, maybe at least it would be for some reason... for some purpose for the greater good... So that even if I'm cursed by the blood on my hands forever at least a few others..."

"You just love to make yourself suffer, don't you?"

"Why not? It's all I've been able to make others feel..."

"You're a fool, Sylvie. And what about the rest of you? What shall I do with it?"

"I... I don't mind if you just leave me an empty shell... I know I can't ever love again, and I don't deserve the love of those who had loved me in the past anyway. I don't mind feeling numb forever... Devoid of any feeling... of any warmth... of any hope... I'll be your killing machine... Just don't make me kill those who don't deserve that fate..."

"Fine then, Sylvie... I'll leave you that little part of yourself. Are you ready to give yourself up now?"

And then there was a pause. A pause as Sylvie Greisser, once a proud young woman but now left a hollow, twisted wreck by the war that had taken everything she had held dear, contemplated her fate. Before answering...

"Yes..."

The pain that followed was far beyond anything she had thought.
-----------------------------

"Sylvie! Hey, Sylvie!" Natalie shouted worriedly as she realized Sylvie had just become unconscious once again. What was wrong with her? Why did she say that? Why?

"Mam, I think you'd better leave her now," a doctor advised, "She's still tired and in poor health. Rest is what she desperately needs right now..."

Natalie grimaced and bit her lip, but decided to follow the doctor's advice. Sylvie's face had slowly begun to relax itself, as if she was now feeling a bit better. Maybe she was finally having some peace of mind? Maybe...

"Talk to your father, Natalie..."

"Talk to him? Why? Why did she want me to...?"

"Is the Yamashiro still in the area?" Natalie suddenly inquired.

"No, mam," an aide replied, "Her battlegroup left two hours ago for Side 1. She'll get there in a few hours, is there something you need from her, mam?"

"No... not really..." Natalie replied as she shook her head. Damn. He was gone again. Just like all those times when she was just a little girl... damn him...

"But..." Natalie thought as she felt defeated, "I DO want to talk to him. I've wanted to do so for so long and..."

Natalie then began to head towards her office. Maybe there was some way she could find some time in her schedule...
-----------------------------

"Finally..." Estella Madrigal breathed out in relief as Bunch 7 rapidly disappeared from view. It had taken three harrowing near misses, but they had finally managed to get out of that damn colony. And carrying two very important people with them...

"Estella... about interviewing those two..." Arnold Jefferson started.

"I'm starting with them now!" Estella declared. Finally, she thought, she'd get her chance...

"Well, I suggest you don't talk to that Yun kid," Herbert Gaston advised, "It turns out he wasn't part of the Delaz Fleet's attack on the Naval Review. In fact, he wasn't even in the damn army at all. He was just a kid they recruited from Side 6, and now he's crying and fussing over like a little kid..."

Jefferson grimaced at that. How many others had been like him? So enthusiastic for war only to find out the truth...

"All I want to do is to talk to Ming anyway," Estella replied quickly, "And I'm going to talk to him now, catatonic state or not..."
-----------------------------

Ming Chow looked on at the empty space in front of him. He could see Sandra Miller there, sobbing. All she had now was her lone picture of her loved ones. Nothing else. Nothing more. And she'd be that way forever... all because of him. All because he'd been a fool who refused to believe her... I'm such a... I'm such a...

"Ming, ready to talk now?" Estella asked as she entered his room, Jefferson close behind her.

"Leave me alone..." Ming muttered in reply. Or shoot me already, and preferably the latter, he didn't add.

"Ming... it might be better if you do talk..." Jefferson advised. Talking did help. But men hated doing it. It was often seen as a sign of weakness. And Ming was no exception.

Ming scowled, but slumped his shoulders and nodded, "What do you want anyway?"

"Ming... about the attack on the Naval Review on the tenth of November..." Estella started.

"What about it?" Ming asked tiredly, disgusted at how great he had felt after their "victory" there.

"Ming, I need details..." Estella explained, "I need details on your victory there..."

"Who cares?" Ming asked on, getting annoyed at her pointless questions.

"A LOT of people do, Ming," Estella began to reply more testily, "A LOT of people who've wanted nothing but the freedom of their homelands and..."

Ming turned to face Estella eye to eye, anger clearly in his face. As if he was about to kill Estella for... "Freedom? What do you know about freedom?"

"Ming..." Jefferson warned, "If you don't want to talk about it..."

"No Arnold, I'm fine," Ming replied, "So... A lot of people want to know?"

"Yes, they want to know the truth after all the lies the Federation has..." Estella started.

"Tell them this, because this is the truth," Ming replied as his voice lowered and became more solemn, "Everything that we've done for the past four years. Everything that we've thought to be the true glory of Zeon... All of our great "victories" and achievements..."

"...It's all a lie. We based our glory on the blood of the innocents. We fought enemies who were created by our own greed. We WERE the murderers and monsters and never realized it, letting our pride blind us to that fact. We were never right in the war three years past. We were wrong."

"Ming..." Estella started, unable to react to Ming's words.

"I don't know how many Sandras I've made in my lifetime," Ming continued on as tears now began to form in his eyes, "And I don't know how many monsters I've created that will come back to haunt me. All I do know is, that no matter how you look at it, it IS my fault. It IS our fault... Because we never had the courage to say no to those who used us when we could all see what we were doing was wrong... and finally... I've come to realize that..."

And then Ming reached into his pocket and pulled out the insignia that he had once worn proudly. An insignia that had denoted that he was a Captain of the Principality of Zeon. An insignia that Jefferson had kept for him for the past three years...

...And he tore it apart. And on that day, on this moment, everything did change for Ming Chow. No longer a soldier for his once proud nation. Now only a grieving soul, trying to find redemption...

"So... Ming... Do you understand now?" Jefferson asked, "Do you know now why...?"

"Yes, Arnold..." Ming replied with a solemn nod, before blinking away his tears, "But I learned too late... I learned too late... And now... She... And I..."

"Estella, leave us now, alright?" Jefferson asked as he put his hand over Ming's shoulder. Ming would have more crying to do. But he had finally seen the light. A light that had set him free from his terrible curse.

And now, Ming could finally walk down a path. A path, no longer laid down to him by others. Rather a path, that he could now call his own.

Aiguille Delaz's crusade has finally come to an end.