Disclaimer: I don’t own any gundam stuff in any way, shape or form. Vah is mine however:)      The Gilded Cage “There’s no way that she can be the heir to the throne, look at her coloring, it’s impossible she can even be our daughter!”  running his fingers through his thick violet hair, the monarch of the Delierion kingdom stared at his wife as though their new daughter’s looks were due to some fault of hers. “The way she looks doesn’t matter, you asked for an heir, and that is what you have received. You should consider yourself lucky that her coloring makes her a perfect replacement for Marish.” Queen Variel stated with a calm look at the tank that held the fully-grown figure of their offspring. Blindingly white hair floated around a colorless body as the swirls of the nutrient-liquid gently moved long, six-fingered hands. “It is common knowledge that those born with no color are of the caste of the Isshen no matter what house they are born to. All we must do is perform the rite of Gifting, and we shouldn’t have to have anything to do with her again.”  With a sharp look that dared him to argue, Variel nodded at the midwives to start the machines that would pump the liquid out of the chamber and monitor the woman’s vital signs as she adjusted to breathing air. “I really don’t see how recording my entire life’s story would help our situation any.” Vah shuddered and turned towards the window. “We may be fighting my people along with yours, but I have told you what they are capable of.. why do you need more information than that?” Grabbing her guitar from the floor, she curled up in a chair nearby, and finally met the eyes of the two men who meant everything to her. “Darling, we may know what they are capable of, but we have absolutely No idea of how they think. We can’t plan any strategies without knowing what to expect from them. You can’t be everywhere, and the information we get from you might make all the difference.” Heero calmly asserted, with a nod of agreement from Duo. Licking her thin lips, Vah finally nodded. “I will. I will tell my story to the recorders, and all the current Gundam pilots. However, I ask one thing. That no one interrupt, I don’t think I could go through this twice.” At their relieved nods, Vah set the guitar back down and went to don her armor. She didn’t like going to any battle without it, even if the person she was battling was herself. As two sets of lavender fingers were placed upon her forehead, the woman on the soft pallet moved weakly, trying to avoid the contact. Her eyes were wide and fearful as sudden images fought their way through her mind. Language, mathematics, history about society, and many other things she didn’t have an understanding of suddenly were fighting for control of her, each bit of knowledge screaming for attention. Finally the flood of information slowed, then stopped. “We have fulfilled our obligation, please see to it that she is delivered to Marish as soon as she has recovered” Dismissing the sweaty, shaking form, the Queen turned and walked from the room, not bothering to wait for her husband. “Sire” A voice came from nearby as the King also turned to leave. “Would you give her a name, Sire?” With a snort of contempt, the King looked over his shoulder at the still panic-stricken form “Call her Vah.” As he walked from the room he heard one of the women whisper behind him. “Why would you call your child  Ice?” Gathering her courage together, Vah slowly walked into the conference room where many people waited, the only sounds in the room were the hiss of a low-tech recorder, and her soft steps as she took her place at the head of the first table. With a quick glance around, she firmly settled her gaze at the somewhat battered wood in front of her, and slowly began to speak. “I know you all are here to learn about my people… how they think… what their culture was like.. but the only way I can tell you of these things is to tell you of myself, and what I experienced with them.” With a slight lift of her shoulders, she finally looked up and met the gazes of the people around her. “My story is neither short nor pleasant. Anyone who doesn’t want to be in here for several hours listening can always listen to the recording later.” Looking hopefully around the room to see if anyone was going to leave, she winced as she saw a multitude of eyes calmly staring at her, silent, waiting to listen. Duo scooted his chair closer to hers, while both he and Heero sent feelings of support and love towards her. “I was born several centuries ago……. “So, this is to be my replacement… “ Circling her slowly, the pale woman reached out and grabbed one of the captive’s listless hands. “Are you sure she has no coloration at all? Has anyone tested her for the Gift?”  Banging his crimson fist against the small shield he wore, the guard assured the woman that the prisoner had no coloration, but she had not been tested. “She was gifted by her parents and sent directly to you, honored Marish.”  Nodding slowly, Marish walked over and tilted Vah’s face until she stared directly into her eyes. “You, my dear child, are to be the instrument of my escape. I’ve lived in this cage for too long… longer than I ever dreamed I would have to. I apologize for trading your freedom for my own, but I will not let this chance pass by.”  Firmly placing her hands against Vah’s cool forehead, she ignored the child’s screams as thousands of years of scientific knowledge transferred through thin fingers. “Take her to my room and put her to bed. I will be staying in the guest wing until the ceremony.” Watching the guards lift the unconscious body, Marish painfully flexed her fingers. So long as the girl could pass the test, she could be free… she had waited so long for death. “Their society is made up of many castes. When a person is born, their body coloring decides what caste they are a part of. People who have a red body tone are of the Zetis caste, which only contains fighters. Weather they join the military, become mercenaries, fighting is in their blood, and that is their place in society.” Vah took a slow breath and a drink from the warm mug in front of her. Playing nervously with Duo’s braid, she continued. “There is one caste which is respected above all others, and only four people have ever been born to that caste. The Isshen caste is the caste of creators. They are born with no color. They are the inventors, the ones that advance technology. They are given many helpers to build what they dream up. I was of that caste, the only surviving one. When I was delivered to my predecessor, she killed herself, tired of being trapped in the compound where she made all of her inventions. After she died, I invented many things, though at first I specialized in communications equipment. Every waking thought I had was taken up with thoughts of science or escape. I easily began to hate my prison as much as my predecessor had.” “My parents tried many plans to get spies into the building, fearing that I would use my power and influence to bring them down for their rejection of me. The methods they used were many and extremely subtle. They placed listening devices on every servant they could get their hands on. They used priestesses to take over the minds of some of the builders. They replaced some of my guards with guards of their own. Luckily, none of them managed to penetrate the defenses of my laboratory, the only place where I was safe from everyone, though I was just as trapped in there as I was in the rest of the compound.” Repressing a shudder, Vah looked up at Heero, forcing herself to meet his eyes as she continued. “After about two hundred years of monitoring all the radio waves I could reach with my equipment, I finally found some transmissions that were obviously from intelligent life… it took me awhile to learn the language they were using. None of the transmissions were very interesting. From what I could tell, where they were was not a place to escape to. Though I hadn’t yet found a destination, I worked on the transportation problem. If I did find somewhere to go to, I needed a way to get there.” “Would you please explain to me again about the propulsion system?” Jaseen looked at Vah with pleading eyes. “I know you have all the schematics drawn up, and I know it will work, you created it, but I just don’t understand How it will work.” Sighing, Vah bent over and explained exactly how and why it would work. At the look of total incomprehension that lowered over the builder’s face,  she sighed again in disgust and retreated to her lab to think. “Has it really been this long and I’m still here?” She muttered to herself as she drew up more sketches of the mobile suit she was building. The gudanium she had incorporated into the design had truly made her dream of escape come much closer to reality. The suits she had her builders working on did not even come close to the one she was working on by herself. The first models would work very well to bring in all the resources she needed to build the suit that would be her own… her dream of escape captured in metal. Suddenly the panel to the right of her demographics program blinked on, and she was confronted with the face of one of her earliest guards. “Vellas, what do you need?” “A gift is here… from the King. I believe you should come see it… and you need to sign some paperwork that comes along with it.” Looking nervously over his shoulder he suddenly cut off communication. “Why don’t they just get the idea that I won’t be manipulated and bribed with gifts “appropriate to my station?” Vah slowly walked down the hall to find out what monstrosity was being forced onto her this time. The wardrobe they had sent her was luxurious, and completely impractical to someone who could never leave a scientific compound. Never mind that the colors they had sent that would have looked perfect on the Queen merely washed her out and made her look even more unworldly than she usually did. The exotic pets they had sent to her had nearly driven her mad, getting underfoot, and oh gods, the trainers and handlers they had been swamped in until she had ordered them all donated to an exhibition.  Fur and machines just don’t mix. “Alright Vellas, what’s the new gift.” Looking rather irritated, Vah barely glanced at the papers he handed her. “You need to sign these, lady, then they will bring it in.” Still looking nervous, Vellas ran a hand over his smooth red scalp and handed the signed papers carefully to someone on the other side of the carefully guarded loading bay. Slowly a man entered, leading another man on a tiny chain and leash. “Your personal body slave, your highness.” The man stated with a haughty air and handed her the delicate chain. “Oh no you don’t.” Vah said in a steely voice. “I have no need for a body slave, much less a Personal one. You can tell me what papers are required to set him free and we’ll take care of this here and now.” With an insulted huff the slaver turned to face the angry woman. “You can not set him free. If you tried he would be someone else’s slave within a few minutes. So unless you want him to go to a less considerate mistress, you should accept your parent’s gift.” Swearing, Vah turned to look at her newest acquisition. “I apologize for this. No one should own someone else. I will give you employment as a builder if you have the skills, and you will be treated fairly.” The handsome man with blue skin patterned in gold looked up at her and smiled warmly. “There is no need to give me any employment other than pleasing you, Mistress. I am quite content to be owned by someone as beautiful and renowned as you.” Putting her delicate hands over her face, Vah gritted her teeth. “I do not need a slave. I will see that you are provided with whatever you require. You may live your life here in this gilded cage, the same as I do.” Shaking his head he held his hands out to her imploringly. “Only allow me to be near you and serve you, Mistress. That is all that I require.” Vah ignored him and removed the collar and chain. “Go find him a room Vallas. See that he gets standard wages, and that he works at something for the standard time.” Vah escaped off to her lab, to try to think things through. Is he a spy? Is he a mind switched priestess? What do my parents gain by sending him? ran through her head as she scanned the radio frequencies.. and waited. “When my parents finally realized that the council was not going to allow them to produce another heir, they grew frantic. I already had too much wealth and power in their eyes. My technologies were being used extensively, and most of the proceeds from them came directly back to me. They could not make an alliance to gain more power, for all political alliances are made through bonding , and offspring. All other alliances are not to be trusted, since without a death-tie holding people together, there is little reason for the other party to honor an agreement where only words stand in the way. No one is to be trusted. “   Looking out at the spellbound audience Vah sighed. “This is entertainment for them” she thought at Heero and Duo, swallowing the lump in her throat. Heero looked over at her and smiled “But important entertainment. You are very skilled in oration my dear one, and at least this way they will remember it well.” Shaking her head silently, she continued “In order to keep me from inheriting the kingdom, my parents went to great lengths to try and keep me under control…” “So, your world is called Earth? And there is only your kind there?” Bouncing up from her seat, Vah paced the room as she listened to the beautiful voice that came from another world. “Yes, and speaking with you is the first contact anyone has ever recorded having with an alien species!” Smiling suddenly, Vah remembered something. “I do not believe I have introduced myself. My name is Vah Delierion, heir to the Delierion kingdom, and the only Issah.” After a pause “I am Duo Maxwell, a scientist with NASA.” Vah laughed brightly. “I assume you know that your title means about as much to me as mine does to you.” She could almost imagine him smiling as he laughed. “Why I do believe you are right!” a sigh came through with a little static. “I wish there was some way I could meet you.. talking like this is wonderful, but being able to see you… to see what you’re really like..would just be amazing.” Vah’s hearts beat faster. “Do you really mean that? I am looking for a new home.. and some freedom to go with it.” A sudden seriousness filled Duo’s voice. “I will give you a home. You can live with me… that is if you have a way to get here.”  Vah tapped her fingers on a console thoughtfully. “I would have to find out where you are exactly.. and figure out logistics.. but I believe I can get there…. I believe it will take me less than a month to prepare. Will you be able to have a place ready for me by then?” Longing drenched her voice as she imagined the world he had described to her. “Of course I will.” A few hours later Vah finally broke the connection and headed to the workout area. She had promised Drail a practice session. It was truly amazing how well he had adjusted to being “free” He had learned a new profession, and truly earned his place like any of the other people working in the compound.  He still insisted on being near Vah whenever she would let him, and he continued to call her “mistress” although she had told him repeatedly that he was as free as she was. Sighing, Vah changed into the armor her weaponsmaster had given her, and tried to figure out why he bothered her. He seemed to adore her.. maybe that was the problem. It seemed like he thought she was perfect, the solution to all problems. Grabbing her sword from the armory wall, she turned to face a sleek, toned, and nearly nude former slave. “Drail, how many times do I have to tell you that you won’t gain any psychological advantage in battle by fighting almost naked? You’re only making a bigger target of yourself!” He stared at her with a strange fire in his eyes. “It is the way I prefer to be around you, Mistress. If I had my choice I would be only your slave, without any pretense.” Rage filled Vah’s thoughts as she launched a swift series of attacks at the unprotected figure before her. “I know you lie.” She pinned her blade to his throat as he panted on the ground before her. “I know that you always lie. You do not have to pretend with me. I have given you all the freedom I have, and yet you are not content. Well let me say this one last time. I do NOT need a slave, a lover, or a mate. I only need my freedom.” Throwing the sword to one side, she turned and stormed out of the room. Rubbing his bruises, Drail slowly rose from the floor. How beautiful she was! He would not rest until he had her for himself.. and her kingdom of course. Reaching into the pocket of his discarded tunic, he pulled out a communicator. “Your Highness, I have some interesting news.. I believe it is time to set our secondary plan in motion. “I worked for almost two weeks solid before I was sure all my calculations were correct. I barely ate, didn’t sleep. I avoided everyone like the plague, since I didn’t want anyone figuring out what I was about to do. When I was finally completely prepared there was another setback. Dr. Maxwell was not answering any of the messages I sent. I was afraid something had happened to him, and I did not want to leave, since I would be unable to receive his signals from my gundam. It could only pick up short-range signals. My indecision gave my enemies the perfect chance to strike. Walking down the halls towards her room, Vah bit her lip to keep from swearing. What could be keeping Duo from responding? How long should I wait? kept circling around in her mind. Ignoring the stares of the people she came across, she threw open the door of her room and stepped inside. She was suddenly aware of the pricking of a knife pressed against her back, and hot breath in her ear. “Well my Mistress, you’re not surprised, are you?” Drail’s voice rumbled. “I know this is rather sudden, but I’ve decided I absolutely must have you. Your parents agree with me, as does your sister. We really just couldn’t have the heir to the throne wasting her life on only science.” Prodding her further into the room with the blade barely beneath her skin, he pointed with his free hand to the mottled figure standing in the shadows. “Meet Vareena, she is your elder sister by blood, and Second Priestess of the Sha-din.  As such, she cannot be the heir, but that’s alright, I much prefer you anyway.” Ignoring the murderous glare Vareena shot him, he buried his fingers into Vah’s long, snowy hair and quickly brought the long knife up from her back to hold it carefully against her throat. “You see, the priestesses can bond a person to another weather they are willing or not.” Running a hand over her body, he motioned for Vareena to come closer. “You will love me. You will be unable to help yourself. And together we will use your science to build machines to make this kingdom ruler of all the other kingdoms. And you will be so happy with me you will not resist, you will do anything to please me, isn’t that right, Vareena?” “That is correct.” She stated with a smugly superior tone of voice. “If it wasn’t for your gift with the sciences, I would simply take over your mind and have this all for myself. However the King has decided your precious technology is too important to do without, so this is the most expedient way to accomplish all of our goals.” Vah watched her sister’s fingers slowly reach for her forehead, then sprang into action, not trying to remove the knife, but throwing herself back into Drail’s chest, knocking them both to the floor. As the knife skittered across the tiles, she rolled to the side and came up with a strange black device in her hands. Breathing a silent thanks to Marish, she pulled the trigger and sent her sister’s mind out of her body, rendering her instantly unconscious. Whirling to face her would-be mate, she threw the weapon at him, and dove across the room towards the display her sword was hung on. As she snatched the sword and turned, she felt the knife slide into her back Falling to the floor, she looked up in rage as Drail plucked the sword out of her hand and threw it against the wall. “I told you, you are mine. Do not fight me, I wouldn’t want to have you in my bed with scars.” In his arrogance, he didn’t see her body spring into motion, only felt impossibly strong hands close around his throat as she twisted sharply, and snapped his neck. Forcing herself to stay upright, Vah slammed her shoulder into a wall, revealing a compartment stuffed with several cases. Wincing in pain, she grabbed as many as she could and made her way down the hall to her laboratory, and her waiting gundam. “Though my people heal extremely quickly, my injury made my trip to earth very difficult. I made it finally, and that was all I knew of my people until the war. All of the information about the war is in the station’s databanks. You can find out everything else from there.” Reaching again for the mug in front of her, Vah nearly sighed aloud as she realized that her ordeal was over. Standing up slowly, she looked out at a multitude of blank stares. No one seemed to understand that she wasn’t going to tell them the rest. “Ok people, show’s over.” Trowa announced, grabbing Quarre’s hand and coming to stand between Vah and the crowd. “Get going you guys.” He ordered Duo and Heero, who belatedly rose and ushered Vah off towards their rooms. After some food and a long shower, Vah was feeling much more like herself. Wrapped in one of Duo’s robes, she softly padded into the main room and sank down onto the couch. As she played with the pudding that was left over in her bowl, she felt Duo and Heero enter the room. Looking up with a tried half-smile she held up a finger. “You want the rest of the story, don’t you.” At their shocked nods, she sighed.” I figured you would. I can’t deny you anything.” Putting her bowl to the aide, she stared off into space as her voice grew distant. “I had to put myself into stasis so my body could heal itself during the journey. I didn’t even know I had made it to earth until I woke up with Dr. Maxwell’s face above me…” Vah opened one eye, and quickly closed it again. It was obvious she had survived, the afterlife couldn’t possibly be this strange. As she made another attempt to look around her, she suddenly found herself looking into a pair of violet eyes. “Hello there, beautiful. How are you feeling?”  The voice was one she’d heard many times, and it brought an instant smile to her lips. “Duo.” She breathed, and was shocked as warm lips were brought down to touch her own. “Welcome home.” He said, lifting her off the bed and carrying her over to the wardrobe. “Ok, pick out what you’re going to wear. We need to get you out of here as soon as possible. You’re coming home with me, and the fewer people that see you, the better.” Reaching out, Vah picked out the outfit that was closest to what Duo was wearing. As he set her down gently, she deftly stripped out of the nightgown they had put her in, much to Duo’s embarrassment. The first thing he noticed that though her form was close to human, her build wasn’t the same. She was more angular than soft, most of her body looked to be muscle. The second thing he noticed was a small, wide line about a third of the way down her back. “What happened?” He asked in concern, running a finger carefully down the scar, his embarrassment forgotten in his concern. “I was attacked before I left. That is why I was in stasis when you found me… I knew I couldn’t pilot my gundam accurately while in that much pain.” Her matter of fact tone shocked him. “Our main transmitter broke down about two weeks ago. We’ve been trying to fix it ever since. I didn’t think you would make it.” Shrugging, she laughed as she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pulled up underneath a hat, and if her coloring hadn’t been so pale, she almost could look like one of these aliens. Not that that would be a bad thing, she mused as she openly stared at her keeper. Beautiful chestnut hair was bound up in an intricate braid, soft, silky peach-colored skin glistened in the strange lighting, but it was his beautiful smile and gentle eyes that captivated her, and made her think about what it might be like to fall in love. Getting Vah out of Area 51 was rather easy since the government wanted her to be comfortable enough in her new home that she might help them develop new technologies. If only things would be that easy once he got her home, Duo sighed. His lover had been less than thrilled about him bringing some alien to live with them… especially with as captivated so much of his time and attention. Wincing inwardly, Duo had to admit to himself that he was more than half-infatuated with the beautiful creature beside him. Stealing a quick glance, he had to amend that statement, he was half in love with her. Erick was going to kill him. “Let me go in first and see if everything is ready.” Duo asked, tension plainly showing on his face. Vah winked and leaned backwards in her seat, pretending to take a nap. Smiling slightly, he got out of the car and slowly made his way up to the door, fumbling with his keys. As the door opened, he poked his head in and looked around. The house seemed strangely… empty. Everything was in the correct place, but none of his lover’s things were scattered around. As a sudden suspicion formed, Duo ran into the house. “Erick, are you here?” he called as his eyes were suddenly drawn to a folded sheet of paper on the bed. With trembling fingers he picked up the note, and brought it over to the window to read it. As tears filled his eyes, he crumpled the note and went outside to bring Vah in. “After I had lived with Dr. Maxwell several years, he was still as much of a mystery as he was in the beginning. Half of the time he seemed to be in love with me, treating me as though we were already married, and the other half of the time he acted like he’d never seen me before. When one of his colleges died, a Doctor Erick Braddock, the life seemed to go out of him. He still helped me to build the station, still worked hard in developing the bioengineering he was so good at, but he grew cold and distant. What was once almost love seemed to become something far lesser.” Tears slowly ran down Vah’s face. “He never told me why, never explained his sudden change of heart.  I wondered if he had in some way been bonded with Erick, but I thought if he had been, he would have died also. I hoped I could comfort him in some way.. show him that I loved him.. but my presence seemed to cause him nothing but pain.” Shuddering, she pulled the robe closer around herself. “When the station was finally complete, I moved up there. I had built a set of rooms for myself, and I wanted to give Dr. Maxwell whatever peace I could. I barely saw him for the next five years, and my life reverted to a parody of what it was on my home world. Every day working on science, except now my prison was of my own making.” Wiping the dirt from her face, Vah crawled from behind her gundam. Most of the modifications were complete, though she wouldn’t be sure how well they worked until she took Ne-Vah out and tested her new capabilities. Gods… how long had it been since she last left the station? Shrugging, she climbed into her gundam and commanded the docking bay to open. Blasting through the heavy doors, she stared off into the blackness surrounding her. Space was so empty, much like her life felt. But at least she had a home, and freedom to come and go as she pleased.. if anything ever pleased her again. As anger slowly filled her, she pulled out the new cannon she had added and blasted away at the asteroid field before her. As several explosions rocked the space around her, she slowly regained control of herself, and started testing high-velocity maneuvers.  Passing the new set of pilots who were practicing maneuvering in the asteroid field, Vah nodded in satisfaction at their progress. She knew that the war would start soon, but she was also fairly certain that her people wouldn’t survive the encounter. They had only plans for suits she had designed before she left, and no one able to create new ones. Besides, her people thrived on guile, not direct force of arms. Rubbing her forehead, Vah slowly turned and headed back towards the base. When she got to her room, she noticed the light on her recorder was blinking. Who could have called? She walked over and started playing the message. “Vah, this is Duo. I want to apologize for everything… all the things I said… and for not seeing you for so long. I’ve had a lot of things going on in my work.. and a lot of things screwed up in my head. I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me, but I cannot be with you. I do love you, but my religion forbids me to marry you, and religion is too important to me to disobey it.” Vah quickly hit the button and cut off the self-pitying words. “No Duo, don’t lie to me. You can lie to yourself, but I know better.” she whispered fiercely and went to go back out into space. “Dr. Maxwell tried several times to talk to me, to explain that I was unholy, and that otherwise he would be more than happy to marry me. I didn’t believe him, and after awhile the conversations were too painful for me to continue. I started avoiding him as much as I could, but his words just kept coming back to haunt me. I couldn’t seem to escape the feeling that I was somehow unclean. When my people finally attacked, I did the only thing I thought would finish it all. I self-destructed. But you knew that already.” Duo and Heero nodded and pulled her into their arms, as she sobbed. “I loved him so much. I couldn’t stand not being with him. I’m such a coward….” Duo pulled her hair back from her face and stared deeply into her eyes. “I know he loved you. And I’m glad he gave me the chance to be with you. He must have wanted to be with you without the past dragging him down.” Heero suddenly cleared his throat and put his lips against her ear. “Dr. Maxwell gave me the greatest gift I could have ever had. If he wouldn’t have saved you, I would never have learned how to feel. I would never have been able to love Duo, or you.” Smiling slightly, Vah stood up and brushed the tears from her eyes. “Well that’s enough of the past, it’s time to work on the future.” Grabbing Heero’s hand, Duo pulled him up and they all ran from the building, off to enjoy the warm light, the soft grass, and the fresh air, full of  the taste of freedom and love.