She was obviously familiar with those who had talents. But what about those who were designed for warfare with no other memories in life other than of being a soldier? What would she think about him if she knew that his arms and legs grow back after being severed, that he could be riddled with small-arms fire, collapse, and in less than 30 seconds, continue fighting? If he told her these things, would she be honest with him?

....He was not sure. It would wait until morning.

"Thank you for the company, but it is getting late, and I had a long day." He stood up and smiled at Amane. "I would like to get some sleep before the question-and-answer session."

Estelle nodded. "I think so. Come on I'll show you to the hangar." With that she took Amaya's hand and led her to the massive Hangar complex. She seemed to know intuitively where to go for Kongou and Saito's machines. They were being analyzed and their arms were suspended in the hangars and being prepared to be reattached. The Null Viper was by far more damaged, but that was to be expected from the brutal city fighting it endured. "This is Mr. Kongou's mecha the Null Viper. The machine next to it is the Meteor Gundam-class Circinus federation machine Saito Murazaki was piloting."

--------

"Of course I'll page for her and she can come here." Kiriko tapped the stud on her collar. "Lieutenant Kaunac, do you have a moment? I have some one who really needs to speak to you.""

--------

Rin nodded and led the way. As they passed the cafeteria She spied kiriko and her charge, Lily. "Kiri! Hey!"

Kiriko looked to the Rin and smiled. "Hello Miss Rin." She took in Valerie's attire. "I see you're on your way to the athletic complex. Don't you remember that Team eleven is in there right now? It wouldn't be wise to bring our guest near them, given their tendencies."

Rin blushes a bit and bow's her head/ "I'm sorry Valerie, but we're going to have to wait on the complex. Perhaps we could join Kiriko and Lily to have a meal."

She leans over to Kiriko. "I heard the page for the Lieutenant, there a problem little sister?" "Just wait big sis, that way Miss Lily only needs to explain once."

------

Kaname seems to materialize a small palm computer from nowhere and accesses the computers system. She easily finds the offical records for Murazaki Ryo and grows pale as she reads the blinking red status indicator. She covers it up before she spins around. "Come on Saito, now that you're cleaned up let's go back to the hangar, I'm sure Pops will have some questions about your machine." With that she led him back to the bay.

-------

Amane nodded and allowed Georgi his privacy. "Rest well Georgi, tomorrow may prove to be interesting."

Kiriko's voice came over her com and she nodded. "Roger that Kiriko I'm on my way." She made her way to the Cafeteria and smiled as she enetered and saw The small gathering. "Alright I'm here Kiriko, what is it?"

Kiriko looked to Lily. "Go ahead, Lieutenant Amane is one of the ones who wants to end the war.' At that Amane looked at Kily intently, as if assessing her in every way.

Suddenly the center of a lot of attention, Lily falters for a second, especially on seeing Valerie there. She was surprised to feel some guilt over having lied to the friends she'd made, though she understood why it had been necessary. Coming clean was a little awkward.

"I...uh..." She clears her throat and addresses Valerie first.

"Valerie, you've probably guessed by now that there's things about me I haven't told anyone. I just want you to know going in that just because not everything you know about me is true doesn't mean I've been acting this term, or pretending to be someone I'm not. Personalitywise, I mean. I consider all the friends I've made here as real as any friends I have back home, and nothing I'm about to say changes that."

She looks back at the waiting Lieutenant.

"Several months ago, a Dalaraan cruiser was shot down as it entered low Earth orbit. I was on the ship, and I managed to escape and soft land here. My mission was to make formal first contact, and try to establish diplomatic relations with Earth. It was our hope I'd be able to get to the UN rather than address any individual nation specially. Uh...that didn't work out too well. I've pretty much been cut off since then, so I've tried to fit in and make sure that...well, make sure that Earth's biggest strategic asset isn't compromised by Circinus...while waiting for orders, or an opportunity. I'm hoping this is that opportunity."

She takes a deep breath and goes on.

"I've talked a bit with my guide here, and I think there's been some pretty major misunderstandings...probably based on misinformation by Circinus agents...about the Dalaraan Empire and why it's here, and what we want. I'd like a chance to clear that up. Once we've done that, and you all feel ready, if you let me contact the fleet, we can hammer out some kind of ceasefire agreement between us."

Amane listens intently and nods. "Just to be clear here Lily, who are you really? I heard about the battle, and you accounted for yourself very well. Phasewolves are powerful foes, and you survived going toe to toe with one. You aren't just some normal diplomat."

Ahe smiles. "I need to know who I'm going to risk bringing this to my Captain for, and to the attentions of the other Captains. What you're saying can redefine this war. I want to know exactly who I'm dealing with and by that extent who My Captain will be dealing with."

"Well, I had help," Lily hedges...stalls for time really. She had to think.

On one hand, her identity was pretty important. Used properly, it could be a significant diplomatic leverage point. But used improperly, it could be used as a weapon against the Empire. If the humans decided they'd rather capture her and use her to extort the Emperor, she didn't know what she'd do...

On the other hand, trust had to start somewhere. If she lied again, or refused to divulge, how would they ever believe anything else she had to say?

Slowly, Lily nods.

"All right," she says, a little nervously. "I'll tell you."

Her posture changed slightly, straightening up and squaring her shoulders. Her chin lifted a bit as well. In a moment, she went from the attitude and bearing of a high school student to the regal posture of a queen.

Rather formally, she clasped her hands before her heart, almost as if praying, and bowed a little at the waist towards the Lieutenant.

"I am High Princess Aksaniolilly, oldest daughter of the Emperor of Dalaraan and leader of its peoples and satrapies. I'm here with a message of peace and amity directly from the Emperor."

I hope I'm doing the right thing...

Kongou sighs, and says, "Please keep your eyes closed, then." He slips into the jogging suit, and shrugs. "You can open your eyes now. How about you take me to the hangar bay, so I can watch your people try to reverse-engineer the Null-Viper?" Kongou smirks and shakes his head. "Do the others have to put up with this treatment as well, or am I just that special?" He lets Excellen lead him to the hangar deck, keeping careful track of all the turns to lead him back to his room.

Amane nodded. "The first princess of the Dalaraan Empire.." She waled over and looked straight at Lily. Their eyes met and Amane seemed to hold her gaze as if looking int her soul searching for the real truth. Finally she drew back and nodded.

"I believe you. Allow me to do the same." She stiffened and came to a nearp totally formal posture. "I am Lieutenant Amane Kaunac, Seoncd in Command of Satoshi Heavy Industries Crisis Response Team Eight. As this is a matter of diplomacy I will guarantee your rights as a diplomat under the standard rules."

She relaxed. "Now that formalities are out of the way I will get you an audience with Captain Nagare. He's not the calmest man on Earth, but he has pull with the council and several of the other Captains. Of course if it's true about who was brought here with you, you all might have easily enough backing to sway them already." She chuckles.

"I mean CRT-3's Captain Hayami... I know his father will be happy to see him, it's been two years since anyone's heard from him, ever since the fourth battle on the moon. With Atsushi if he backs you and with his father Captain Hizashi Hayami of CRT-1, you all have a nice little powerbloc."

-------

Excellen nods. "No Kongou, you aren't particularly special. You just pilot an enemy machine, used it to fight in a major city against a pair of mecha-sized demons, and be a teacher at the school that was the focal point of a class nine dimensional quake. Not special at all." She gave him an impish smile.

"Each of your companions has been assigned a caretaker like me for your stay here at Shamballa. We're here to ensure your safety and that no incidents are started. Basically we're your hostess/bodyguards for your stay." With that she leads him back to the bay where Kaname and Saito are looking at the two damaged machines.

Kaname regards Excellen and Kongou and points to the Viper. "One heck of an old design, but it certainly can take some punishment. Look at all the radiation damage. You're lucky to be alive Kongou, if it wasn't so shielded, you'd have cooked in your cockpit."

Excellen nodded to Saito and the Meteor. "A Circinus Gundam-class machine. Nice kid, real nice. In the hands of a skilled pilot those machines can go toe to toe with even our Captains and Lieutenants. You're gonna be one to watch."

Amaya didn't see Kongou, so she wandered deeper into the dock, Estelle a silent shadow behind her. She found herself walking closer to the Null Viper, her hand trailing over the leg. So this is what you gave up the Kage for, she mused, feeling the old sorrow come back.

With easy practice, Amaya shook off the old pain; she'd gotten used to repressing bitterness. She was just wondering where he could be when she heard his voice. She spun and hurried past Estelle, ignoring her gaoler, looking for him.

He was near the door to the hanger, looking resplendent despite being in a jogging suit instead of his usual suit. She broke into a run, a smile breaking out over her features as she saw him. He's fine. He's ok! rang out in her mind; then she grabbed him for a hug, her blue-green hair snapping and sliding over her shoulders at her sudden stop. She pressed her face to his chest and thanked whatever diety had watched over him in the battle. "Kong-chan! I'm glad I found you!"

Then she heard what she said, and her cheeks flushed an incredible scarlet hue. Way to not blow your cover, girl. Well played. Well played.

Children were laughing in the distance. Visions of a small snow covered house, nestled against large fir trees, flashed briefly into view and just as quickly disappeared. ....Sounds of marching replaced the laughter with the shouting of someone in the background. ....Loud explosions and shouting replaced the marching as bright flashes and blood covered a barren and dead landscape. Georgi saw himself standing there, looking at the house again, but this time the children were screaming. ....A young man of about 15 pointed at him and started laughing. Georgi, looking at where the boy pointed, could feel pain as his arms were missing. An instant later he was supine, on the ground, lying in a pool of blood, legs and arms missing. ....He screamed.

He woke screaming, as he thrashed around in bed. A large pool of sweat soaked the bed.

Kongou looks down at Amaya, then looks around at the assembled group, a confused look on his face. He looks back down at Amaya, "Amaya? Are you okay? I'm glad to see you too." Kongou smiles, "We need to talk soon, but not right now."

For a moment, Lily is taken aback by the Lieutenant's words. Despite everything, a part of her had half-expected either immediate enmity, or immediate overjoyment. With only a heartbeat of thought, she could see that was silly. Even the Empire had its internal divisions...divisions she was partly here to try to repair. Why should Satoshi be any different? Probably lucky for her, in the short term at least.

She too relaxes a bit, losing the formal air she'd put on for the introduction to scratch the back of her head sheepishly.

"I think Hayami must have known something was up with me...with all of us, really. That must be why he picked us to stay. Only, we never did really find out what was up with people disappearing."

Lily chuckles. "Funny how that still feels important. Here we are, talking interplanetary politics, battling interdimensional monsters, and I'm still worried about that."

She sits heavily down at the table again and waves Valerie over.

"Can I see Captain Hayami before this other Captain?"

Amane smiles. "Unfortunately Captain Hayami is still in the ICU along with Kai Morisato. Both are still unconscious. As you are a diplomat I can at least make sure you're updated on their condition as it improves."

She shakes her head. "Astsushi never does anything without a reason. He saw potential in each of you, potential I believe we got a glimpse of in your ordeal. Only he can really tell you for sure. As to the disappearances, I'll look into it and get some people on it. As to it still being important that really tells me alot about you. Despite your station in life you care about all those around you. It's a highly desirable quality in a leader and a ruler."

Just then her collar stud went red and started beeping. "Dammit." She turned to Lily. It will take at least until the morning to get Captain Nagare onboard. He's at Mikura Base with the other half of our Team. I'll get word to him to come here and I'll contact you when he arrives. Until then..." She looks at everyone and gives them a stern look. "Do not breathe a word of this to anyone else. At least not until we speak to Captain Nagare. If you'll excuse me, my charge seems to have urgent need of me."

She nods and vanishes in the blink of an eye.

Amane appears outside Georgi's room and slides her id in the slot opening the door. It closes behind her and she sees Georgi sitting in bed, soaked in sweat. She's at his side in an instant and speaking in a calm, soothing voice. "Georgi it's ok, I'm here for you."

Saito notices that a number of his companions have made it to the hanger bay. He then looks up from his work on the Meteor and begins to walk toward Kongou and Amaya.

Saito comes to immediate attention and salutes Kongou and Amaya before coming to a parade rest.

"Mr. Kongou, Miss Amaya. I am pleased to see that you are unharmed."

Saito turns his head away from the two of them.

"I was a little worried when the demons appeared that someone may have been lost."

Saito looks around to see if he can see any of the other students and teachers.

"Have either of you seen our other companions?"

Valerie walks up to Lily, her friendship not shaken at all by her revelation. "I guess it's a trade for a trade, eh?" Val sits besides her and approaches her ear. "I'm not human either."

Val giggles as she feels safer with Lily by her side. "When do we get to meet up with more of our friends Rin?" Val sat properly, looking up with expecting eyes, brimmed with tears. "I really want to see Amaya-senpai and Kai-senpai."

They never stopped. Almost every night he had them and they had similar themes. Dismemberment and pain, on battlefields he had no memory of, which were mixed with a child's laughter and places he didn't recognize. Screams punctuated the darkness with each dream.

He heard someone run up to his door, followed by a click. The door opened an Amane came in with a look of genunine concern on her face. Georgi raised his sweat drenched head and gave her an exhausted smile.

"I will be fine. Thank you for your concern." He wondered if she knew that these were a common ocurrence for him. "It was just a bad dream."

He pulled the sheets off the drenched bed and wrapped himself in them. Without a word, he slid down the wall to the floor and sat against the wall. He lowered his head and in a clear voice, he spoke to Amane. "I am going to go back to sleep. You can stay if you wish."

Rin regarded Valerie calmly. "I believe Amaya and the Mecha pilots are in the hangar. As it's been said, Kai and Atsushi are in ICU, so we can't visit them at the moment. If you like I can take you to the hangar though."

-----

Alright Georgi, I'll let you get to sleep then. If it happens again i can get you something to help you sleep though. I have to go and Call my Captain and get him here. Your students may have just changed the entire face of this conflict, but They're going to need some serious support from the upper ranks to get there point across. One thing is for certain, they have certainly seen to it that tomorrow will be a most interesting day."

Lily gives Val a smile and shrugs.

"I'm starting to wonder if any of us are... Anyway, I'd love to hear more about you, but maybe we should get everyone together? I think we should get all this out in the open between us."

He'd brushed her off like a child. Even the reminder that she appeared to be a child to him wasn't enough to completely remove the pain she felt. "I was just looking for a teacher," Amaya lied, stepping back from him. "They won't let me see Kai, and I'm so worried about him!" And you should be, too. You should be very worried about what Satoshi is doing with him.

"But I can see you're busy," Amaya said, and was mortified to hear a bit of her hurt creep into her voice. Why was he always able to get under her skin? "I'll let you be."

"Amaya, there is one thing i'm sure of in this world... Nothing is what it appears to be." He grins a bit wickedly. "I'm worried about Kai too, but there's only so much we can do in our current... situation. Hopefully that situation will change soon." Kongou sighs and shakes his head roughly as if to clear it, then looks up at the Null-Viper. "Rest well, my friend. And thank you for saving me." He turns back to Amaya, "Never count me out of the fight."

Saito watches Amaya leave and then turns back to Mr. Kongou with a puzzled look on his face.

"Excuse me sir, but did I come at a bad time between you and Miss Amaya?"

"Later," Amaya said. It was both a parting remark and a promise; her blue eyes communicated that clearly with Kongou before turning and leaving.

She was still dressed in the dirty clothes from the fight, and Amaya went back to her room for a quick shower. After putting her wet hair in a ponytail, she pulled on the provided jumpsuit. She grimaced at the ugly way it hung on her, but she'd swallow her own tongue before asking for anything else.

Bleh, she sighed once into the mirror, then turned to Estelle. "Take me where everyone else is, or where the next large group of them is. I think you said something about the cafeteria."

Amane waited for Georgi to drift off again before she left and she immediately placed a call to her superior, Captain Ryoma Nagare. In his usual fashion he wasn't there to actually answer, so she used the code to indicate an emergency and that his presence was needed here at Shamballa. Captain Bordeaux gave her a qizzical look when she rushed by. "Lieutenant Kaunac, I hope nothing's wrong."

Amane was momentarily stunned by the attentions of another Captain. "Uhh No ma'am. I just have something I reall mys talk to Captain Nagare about."

"Does it involve these children we've brought into our midst?"

"Yes Captain."

"Alright Amane, I won't grill you any further, I trust you to use your best judgement and protect your peers."

"Yes ma'am, thank you Ma'am."

"I've told you a thousand times Amane, it's Jean-Marie if we're not in the field." Captain Bordeaux gently laid a hand on Amane's shoulder. Amane nodded and tried to relax.

"Ok Capt... Jean-Marie."

"Keep at it, you'll get used to it." She turned and continued walking. Amane made a quick side trip to the athletic complex, which was now finally vacant. She then made her way back to the Cafeteria.

"Ok, that's all squared away. With any luck Captain Nagare will be here in a couple of hours. In other good news, the athletic center's clear finally, so if any of you want to go we can."

----

Estelle nodded and led Amaya to the Cafeteria in silence, just as the door opened she caught the last part of Amane's report on the status of the Rec complex. Amane looked over to the door and smiled. "Estelle, Amaya, welcome. I think were were all about to head to the athletic complex, would you care to join us?"

-----

Back in the Mecha hangar Techs were gathering around the two new mecha and running all sorts of diagnostics. One of them found the cockpit hatch on the Meteor and used a hacker to get it open. No sooner than that, the bay was filled with an booming alarm. "WARNING, UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS! DETONATOR SYSTEM HAS BEEN ACTIVATED, COUNTDOWN FROM 30!! 29...28.27.."

Captain Shibaksuka looked to Saito. "Son get in that damn machine and switch that system off before the whole base goes up now!!! Everyone else, clear out I want level ten magnetic containment fields in blace, drop the plast partitions and be prepared to do an emergency eject!" Heavy blast doors came down, trapping them all within and the air hummed with the sound of the heavy magnetic fields. Everything rested on Saito's ability to shut down his machine's self defense mechanism.

"23...22..21...20..."

Saito nodded to Shibaksuka and without a word began to climb up the leg of the Meteor with an almost acrobatic grace.
He pulled his way up onto the exposed cockpit hatch door and scrambled into the cockpit.

14...13...12...11...10

Saito then pulled down closed the cockpit and began the shut down procedure.

9...8...7

The computer keyboard came out and Saito typed the beginnings of the self destruct shut-down command.

6...5...4

COMMAND INPUT SUCCESSFUL: INPUT VOICE RECOGNITION PASSWORD FOR FINAL SHUTDOWN.

Saito then calmly recited the shutdown password: "Defend the Innocent"

Saito sighed and then opened the cockpit hatch and used the pilot's hook to decend back to the floor or the Hanger Bay.

"Sir, the shutdown procedure has been halted"

Captain Shibaksuka sighs in relief. "Cancel emergency protocol. Nobody is to go near the cockpit of this one or the other one. With all it's ammo God only knows what sort of boobytrap it has set in it."

He looks over to Kongou. "Please tell me you at least know what sort of Self-defense system your machine has, and that you can disarm it without triggering it."

He frowns. "We just narrowly averted a hyperfusion reactor from vaporizing the surrounding fifteen kilometer sphere, I'd really like to avoid round two of that."

He looks over to Saito. "Kid didn't youn know about that system? I mean hell Only Llieutenants and Captains in the Federation rate Gundam Class machines, and all of them have some sort of collossal destruction self-defense mechanism. Your machine has a Goddamn Detonator system. That means its packing a Hyperfusion reactor capable of at least a fifve gigaton explosion. Did it just not occur to you to turn the damn thing off?"

He calms down a bit. "I swear, you're like an emotionless Captain Nagare.... He didn't know about his machine's defense system either..."

"Everyone together? That would be something wonderful." Val looks around at the people around her. "I'm starting to think we are not the only weird ones in here, you know?" Valerie sat besides Lily a bit quiet, fidgeting with her hands something didn't sat correctly with her.

Then Amaya appeared out of the blue, wearing a jump suit like Valerie was and Val just jumped out of her seat and rushed at her hugging her by the waist. "Amaya-Senpai!" Valerie hugged Amaya, cligning to her midriff and sniffling. "I tought you were gone, where is Kai-Senpai, did he woke up finally?"

Any other girl would have been knocked over by the cyborg throwing herself at them and catching them about the waist. But Amaya wasn't even rocked back on her heels; she covered this by taking a step back and grabbing for the smaller girl. She'd forgotten even, that she probably didn't need to cover anymore.

"Kai is..." Amaya felt the anger and frustration rise again, and again she channeled it into sorrow. "He's still unconscious. They won't let me see him."

"They won't let any of us see him," Lily notes from the table.

"I wouldn't worry too much. They won't hurt him."

He's way too valuable for that...

Amane nods. "Of course not. He's one of our guests just as each of you are. However, due to his condition he requires uninterrupted rest. That's why no one except his caretaker is allowed in with him. Not Even Captains Hayami and Satoshi are allowed in there. Atsushi is in much the same boat. I'm told by one of the nurses that he had a hole blasted through his chest, and he shows even greater signs of fatigue."

She smiled. "I'm actually kind of interested to hear about what actually went up there."

She makes for the door. "Ok let's go get a little workout and then we can all rest. Follow me, I'll lead the way."

With that Amane leads them through a series of corridors to an elvevator and through another set of corridors until finally they arive at the Athletic center. There's a full-size olympic pool, with a track ring around it. It boasts massive lanes and a multi tiered set of diving boards and starting blocks. On the other side they can see a sign pointing the way to the weight room, and another leading the way to what seems to be several basketball courts.

Something Amane said brought a flush to Amaya's face and a glint of anger to her eye, but she was silent until they were in the gym. And then her response to the lavishly adorned gym is one word: "No."

The others looked at her. Amaya looked ages older as she crossed her arms over the head of the clinging Valarie. "No, I'm not going to play in some gym while my friends and boyfriend and teachers are held here like criminals. And call it what you want, Amane. This is not a resort. This is prison. And I'm not going to make things easier on you guys by pretending otherwise."

Amaya's response stops Amane in her tracks. "Ok you obviously have some bias against us. Would you have rathered trying to explain to the police what happened? Might I remind you that the polic would likely not believe you and would probably have held you until your parents arrived? At least here in our facility you are safe, have nearly all the amenities and you are for the most part together. Georgi elected to get some rest. Kongou and Saito are in the hangar supervising repairs on their machines. The three of you are here together."

"If it were a prison, we'd not have allowed you out of your rooms. I understand that all of you want to see Kai. That's simply not going to happen tonight. He's at least an A-class Key and he was at the epicenter of a level nine dimensional quake. That generally denotes his involvement in the destruction of a major dimensional portal. If he had not been concerned for your safety, the blast could have matierialized in the real world and taken Tokyo off the map. Using so much power nearly killed him, draining him even of a portion of his own lifeforce. So Yes until he recovers only the medical Caretaker will see him."

"Our methods may seem unorthodox, but due to the last remnants of the Shadow Clans, it is necessarry. The smarter ones have joined with us, seeing us as the protectors of the modern age. We defend this world from all threats."

Amane's blood was up, but in an instant she calmed down. "After the debriefing tomorrow morning you'll all be free to stay or go, so what's one day going to hurt?"

"She's got a point, Amaya," Lily points out from her seat.

"They haven't done anything bad to us. I admit, I was worried too, but so far they've been really reasonable. Lets give 'em a chance."

She nods at Amane. "They're giving us one, after all."

"Yes, you stepped in, and made things easier. Easy is not necessarily best. Have you contaced parents to let them know we're safe? They hear that something happened at school, and their children are missing. But that would mean that they might know where we are. They might demand to have us now, and you can't have that.

"Yes, Kai's a Class-A Key, and it's very interesting that you swept in and snatched him up and now he conviniently can't be seen. I wonder how long he will be like that? Days? Weeks? Long enough for whatever you have planned, I'm sure," Amaya said, her voice level despite the growing anger in her eyes and face. "And I'll believe this whole building isn't a prison once you let us go. Until then, I'm not going to pretend I'm some kind of guest."

She looked at Lily. "If you want to be the frog on the frying pan, you are welcome to do so," she said softly. There was no anger at Lily or the others; she didn't blame them for making the best of a bad situation.

She looked at Amane again. "This is kidnapping, regardless of how you pretty it up. Dazzling us into compliance with amenities won't change that we were brought here at gun point."