Disclaimer: Well, well, well. Here we are again, and the same applies to me that applies to nearly every other fanfic writer here. Gundam Wing, its characters, and its original concept are not mine to lay claim to. However, a very special thank you to all of those who were involved in the masterpiece of a show that is Gundam Wing. Because without them, I wouldn’t be having this much fun!!!

Author’s Note: If you made it this far, I am sure you know by now that the colonies are headed for another war. One that will most certainly call on the services of our favorite five young men. The road will be riddled with danger, and you are all just innocent bystanders…so sit down and enjoy the ride, ‘cuz the battle is about to begin!

Legacies of Victory and Defeat by Luvspook

Episode 4: Heero’s Decision

Heero returned alone, and the other Gundam pilots fell silent at his approach. Trowa could read the pain in Heero’s masked features, and knew instinctively that their conversation had taken a turn for the worse.

Quatre eyed Heero cautiously, before taking off to check on Relena, his concern, once again, getting the better of him.

Heero had just set to the task of unloading supplies from the truck, when his eyes unintentionally crossed the path of his Gundam, which was still lying across the flatbed, bound and covered with a huge tarp.

He was still staring at it vacantly, when he felt an intrusive stare, bearing into his back.

"You know it’s only a matter of time before you’re unable to protect her." Trowa stated, regretfully, moving up behind him.

Heero knew Trowa was right, and despite his best efforts, could not convince himself otherwise. He had always prided himself on remaining detached; refusing to let himself get too involved, should the price for that involvement cost someone his or her life. Compromising the will to remain so would make those who got too close a target. And he had always tried to convince himself that he would rather die, than be forced to accept the unnecessary shedding of any more innocent blood.

Now, he was beginning to wonder if he wasn’t just trying to spare himself the pain of what that detachment had cost him in the process...

Trowa didn’t bother waiting for a reply. He knew that Heero had heard him. Now, it was simply a matter of whether he really wanted to listen. "Don’t you think you owe it to her to tell her how you really feel?"

"It won’t change anything." Heero stated, sadly. "We all knew it would come to this eventually. No amount of words can change that now."

"But she thinks you hold the answers to a better future for mankind. She’d even sacrifice her life…her ideals to give you that future. And still you choose to fight."

"In Relena’s ideal world, there was never any place for people like me. I look at myself and all I am ever able to see is her death. It’s that inevitability that keeps me fighting. Staying away from Relena is the only way to ensure her survival. I’ll have to accept that."

"Even if it means never having the chance to tell her?…" Trowa asked.

There was a momentary pause, before Heero turned to face him, his conviction stronger than ever.

"When the time comes, I’ll fight, as I’ve always done. I’ll kill Dasenya. Even if it kills me. Hearing the words won’t make that reality any easier for Relena to accept."

He watched Heero walk away, their quiet exchange still hanging in the air between them. He could sympathize with Heero. But still…

"…At least she’d know." He whispered, out of earshot.

Heero slipped inside the small two-story loft, which looked like little more than a glorified office building. Sparsely decorated, and just as impersonal as Heero had imagined it would be, it certainly did personify the typical pick up and go style of a Gundam pilot.

Duo was standing in the middle of what would pass as the living room, flipping through the design specs for the new Gundam, when Heero entered the room, Trowa lagging a few short steps behind.

"So this is the mobile suit that’s been causing so much trouble for the colonies." He said aloud, his usual incriminating smirk, displayed proudly on his face. "It doesn’t look so tough to me…"

"The design is good." Trowa interrupted. "Its characteristics and weaponry would suggest that we’re in for quite a battle."

Duo shrugged off Trowa’s remark, noticing the uncharacteristic and strangely distant expression on Heero’s face. It was an expression he’d seen once before; one that he had thought to question then, but had decided it better for his health, not to.

"Hey! What’s up, Heero?" He asked, finally, the words sounding like much more of a taunt than he originally intended. "You’re not afraid of a little competition, now are you?"

"It’s not the Gundam that I’m worried about." Heero replied, instantly, shocking both Duo and Trowa alike.

"Huh? Then what are you?…" Duo started to question, before Heero’s response silenced the thought.

"It’s the person who’s going to be piloting that suit."

"Then you better know who it is you’ll be facing." A familiar female voice interrupted from the doorway, just as Quatre Winner descended the stairwell to their left.

He immediately noticed the slender outline of Lucrezia Noin, her dark, compassionate eyes peeking through a cascade of midnight blue locks.

"Miss Noin?!" Quatre said, with a mixture of pure happiness and complete surprise. "What are you doing here? How did you?…"

"It’s good to see you too, Quatre. I wish I could say it was under better circumstances." She replied, softly, before turning to face Heero. "How’s Relena?"

"She’s fine." Quatre answered, not giving the perfect soldier even the slightest opportunity to speak. "This whole thing has her exhausted, so I thought she should get some rest."

"It’s probably better that she’s not here, anyway. With the colonies turning to war, Relena is beginning to question her own ideals. And that’s the one thing we can’t allow to happen if we’re going to stop them."

"You said you knew who we’d be facing…" Heero interrupted, quickly changing the subject.

"Fallon Dasenya." Noin replied, quietly. "We trained together at the Lake Victoria Base years ago. Her father was one of the Alliance’s strongest representatives…and also one of the most bloodthirsty. He was one of the men responsible for destroying peace in the colonies, and paid the price for it, with his life. After his death, she became obsessed with fighting…and became even more bloodthirsty than her father. Treize Khushrenada saw her passion for victory, and took her under his wing; training her to develop her skills in battle by becoming a test pilot for the Romefeller Foundation. In time, she surpassed the skills of nearly all the other pilots and became one of the OZ specials, granting her the freedom to kill and destroy, without consequence."

"So that’s why she going around attacking the colonies." Duo piped in. "She blames them for killing her father."

"There’s more to it than that, Duo. She hasn’t been attacking just any colonies…" Trowa argued, Heero quick to finish his thoughts.

"She’s been attacking us."

"But why?" Quatre asked, confusion etched all over his face. "We aren’t the ones who killed her father. It doesn’t make sense."

As the room fell into a pattern of hushed questions that no one had the answers to, Hilde and Catherine slipped in, unnoticed.

"You said her piloting skills exceeded nearly all of the other pilots Treize had." Heero stated, repeating one of Noin’s earlier comments.

"Yes." She replied, her eyes, downcast. "All but one…"

Heero didn’t bother to wait for her to finish. He could tell from her expression, exactly who that other pilot had been.

"…Zechs." He whispered, icily.

"So you mean this is gonna be like fighting him all over again?!" Duo practically yelled, his exaggerated stance causing Hilde to chuckle slightly, revealing her and Catherine’s presence.

"Oh, Duo…" Hilde chided, with a smile. "She said that Zechs was the better pilot…and you beat him before, right? This should be no problem for you guys to handle. Besides, if you’re really that worried about it, I could always…"

"You could always stay here where you won’t be in any danger of getting yourself killed." Duo retorted. "I know you can fight, Hilde, but up against a Gundam, you’re just out of your league."

"Besides that, who knows how many more mobile suits she’ll have with her…" Quatre added. "Duo’s right, it’s just too dangerous."

"And what about you, Quatre?…" Duo said, delivering a subtle nudge to the Arabian pilot’s still injured ribcage. "You’re in no better shape to be fighting than Hilde would be."

"I’ll…be fine." Quatre replied, flinching from the sharp tug of pain in his side.

"Quatre, you should stay here and get your strength back. You’d be nothing more than an easy target for them." Heero argued. "They’ll pick up on any weakness you show, and then exploit it. That’s the way they operate. Dasenya is counting on you to fight back."

"They’ll have enough on their hands with the three of us…" Trowa cut in, softly, his eyes meeting Catherine’s, from across the room.

"Look, I appreciate your concern…all of you…" Quatre stated, genuinely. "But the colonies are my home too, and I’ll defend them…no matter what."

There was a brief pause as Quatre’s words began to sink in, the other pilots coming to the same conclusion.

"Well…" Duo sighed, suddenly. "Then, I guess we better come up with a plan."

* * * * *

"Commander, the troops are ready as soon as you give the word." The first assault team leader called out, watching as she descended on the lift, to where her Gundam, Avenger, was on stand-by.

"Good." Dasenya replied, sharply. "See that they are prepared to depart in ten minutes. We’ll be taking the fight to them, this time, so be ready. These are Gundam pilots we will be fighting, so expect heavy casualties."

"Yes, Commander." He replied, obediently.

"And Lieutenant…"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Instruct your men that the pilot of 04 is not to be killed in our attack. I won’t be responsible for what happens to your men, should that pilot meet an unfortunate end. Understood?"

"Yes, Commander."

"Good." Dasenya smiled, cruelly. "Assemble your men, Lieutenant."

…Soon… She smiled to herself. …Very, very soon…

* * * * *

The pilots had somehow moved their conversation outside, finishing whatever last minute adjustments were necessary to make sure that their suits were ready for battle.

Trowa took the opportunity to approach Catherine, who was standing at the edge of the salvage yard, immersed in heavy thought.

"I’m glad that you’re okay, Cathy." He said, softly, as she turned to face him.

"Well, that wasn’t so hard to say, now was it? I thought, maybe, you were avoiding me…" Catherine teased, playfully, until she noticed the deep look of pain in his beautiful green eyes.

"I’m sorry, Catherine…"

"Oh, Trowa…" She whispered, fighting the flood of emotions that was threatening to tear her apart inside.

"I wasn’t there…"

"But I know why you had to leave." Catherine interrupted. "What happened out there wasn’t your fault, Trowa. You can’t blame yourself for that. What’s important now is that you remember that you’ll always have a home. As long as I’m around, I’ll always be there for you. I know I can’t stop you from fighting, but just promise me, Trowa. Promise me you’ll come back when this is all over…"

He pulled her into a tight hug, and she let the tears roll down her cheeks.

"I promise I’ll come back, Cathy."

Even from across the yard, Trowa could see Heero glaring out into the distance, and could read it in his expression that something was amiss.

"They’re here…" Heero stated, sensing the arrival of the enemy, still unseen to them.

Within seconds, he was closing the cockpit door of his Gundam, leaving Quatre, Trowa, and Duo behind, their eyes still searching the vastness of the sky for the source of Heero’s alarm.

Expertly manipulating the switches of Zero’s elaborate control system, the Gundam began its transformation, the arms and legs retracting against its massive body and the wings outstretching like that of a giant metallic bird. It hovered momentarily, catching the attention of the other three pilots, still frozen on the ground below, before firing up its engines and flashing across the horizon.

Quatre knew that his friend and comrade could not hear him, but it was against every screaming fiber in his worried soul not to try. "HEERO!!!"

"What is he talking about? I don't see anything..." Duo called out, still following the wink of light glaring off of Zero’s gundanium shielding as it was engulfed in a brilliant string of explosions.

His violet eyes grew wide with uncertainty and irrational fear placed a cold grip on his heart, making his chest ache. Without a word, he spun around and with a toss of his braided hair, took off for his own Gundam, followed closely by Trowa and Quatre.

As the Deathscythe spread it’s oppressive obsidian wings, Duo released an uneasy breath, whispering. "You better not die on us before we get there, Heero…"

* * * * *

"Commander, there’s something approaching us from the surface." A voice warned through her comm. link. "It looks like a small jet, Commander."

"Give me the coordinates." Dasenya ordered, switching it immediately to her viewscreen.

"What is it, Commander?" The young man asked, studying the severity of her expression.

"It’s the enemy." She replied, coldly, before a sadistic smile crossed her lips. "Leave him to me."

She severed all communication to the young man before he could put words to his bewildered expression. As she watched the enemy approach, her own Gundam seemed to ignite her enthusiasm, the smile spreading to her eyes, which flickered with an unnatural amber colored flame.

* * * * *

Relena woke with a start.

She didn’t know what had woken her. Couldn’t explain the hollow ache in her heart as she drifted from the peaceful confines of her sleep, abandoning the comfort of her dreams.

Her eyes quickly examined the empty room, feeling a strange and unwelcomed presence emanating from within its suffocating silence.

"What is the matter with me?" She questioned, harshly, carefully observing the steady tremble of her own hands. "How am I going to stand up for myself and the delegation if I’m afraid of my own shadow?"

She reluctantly lifted herself off the bed, the hour or so of much needed rest, leaving her weary, but refreshed.

…I might even be ready to try talking to Heero again… She thought to herself with a smile, before heading downstairs.

She was halfway down the stairwell when she heard it, and her heart began to flutter painfully inside her chest. The distinct rumble of the carriers caught her ears and she flew down the remaining steps, desperate to confirm what she already knew in her heart.

The strange feeling that had overcome her in her sleep returned, tugging at her soul until she could no longer breathe, her eyes transfixed on the giant orbs of light flashing in the bright sky overhead.

"…Heero."

* * * * *

The front line assault team did everything in their power to destroy the small jet as it came in alarmingly fast, taking blow upon blow without hesitation. The smoke generated from their efforts only served as cover for Heero, as Wing Zero transformed again, the awestruck soldiers taking the brunt of the Gundam’s wrath.

Even Heero hated fighting inside the colony, but it was the only option left to them. Dasenya and her troops had been willing to claim thousands of lives for her mission. Heero, regretfully, would have to be willing to risk the same, if he was to defeat her.

A direct hit struck Zero’s left arm, followed in quick succession by a barrage of attacks from an approaching Aries, which Heero immediately cut down with his beam saber.

"Commander Dasenya!…" The young lieutenant from the first assault team screamed, near hysteria. "The jet has transformed into a Gundam! A GUNDAM!… AAGGGHHHHH!!!!"

He hadn’t had the chance to complete the transmission before the impassive face of Wing Zero flew directly in front of him, it’s lifeless green eyes burning eerily as it delivered a fatal blow to his much smaller mobile suit.

Heero continued to attack, wiping out another three mobile suits before an explosion erupted against Zero’s back, throwing the massive Gundam forward.

The violent jolt sent Heero crashing against the mech’s giant control panel, his eyes screwed shut in pain as a thin trickle of blood ran down his face.

The viewscreen in front of him sparked, images flashing in and out, broken by a mixture of white noise and static. Heero tightened his grip on the controls, spinning Wing Zero full circle to confront what he already suspected would be moving into position behind him. He turned just in time to catch the next attack, which struck Zero’s armored chest head on, as a clear view of the opposing Gundam appeared on the screen before him.

He struggled to remain upright as the blast sent Zero plummeting into a free fall toward the surface, showering the cockpit with debris. Shards of metal tore across the surface of his skin, sending a fresh river of blood surging down his arm. His vision doubled as a blinding pain shot through him, sending his world reeling into darkness. The warning alarm sounded mere seconds before Dasenya’s next attack struck just to the left of the cockpit, penetrating Zero’s defenses, and crippling all chances of escape.

"HEERO!!!"

The sound of Quatre’s voice broke through the static, shaking him free of the numbing waves reverberating inside his skull. He fought to regain control of his damaged mobile suit, succeeding in forcing it upright, once again poised for battle.

Sparing a hasty glance to his left, he noticed the approaching carrier and its escort, the God of Death himself, and renewed his determination.

"Heero! Are you all right?…" Quatre continued, his voice growing more and more frantic with Heero’s total lack of response. "HEERO!"

"Stay back!" Heero ordered, shocking the other Gundam pilots into silence. "Take my word for it…she’s a lot tougher than we thought."

"But, Heero…"

"You three take care of the remaining land troops and the Aries suits." Heero demanded, cutting Quatre’s argument short. "Leave her to me."

He ended the transmission abruptly, leaving the other Gundam pilots no choice but to follow through, according to plan.

"Well…" Duo snickered, a lopsided grin spreading eagerly across his face. "…Guess I’ll go introduce myself. Feel free to follow my lead!"

With a glint of anticipation in his violet eyes, he ignited Deathscythe’s main thrusters, spreading its enormous wings with intent. The beam scythe blazed with a vibrant thermal glow, casting a dark chasm of shadows to spread over the already monstrous mobile suit. The Great Destroyer was back…

* * * * *

"Relena, wait!…" Lucrezia Noin called after the stubborn young girl, desperate to prevent her from making a fatal err in judgment. "RELENA!!!"

"Miss Noin, I appreciate your concern…and whatever obligations you may have made to my brother in the past." Relena replied, sadly. "But my brother, Milliardo, is dead now, and there is no longer a reason for you to honor his memory any further. I have to stop Heero, now. I have to make him listen to me and put an end to this kind of fighting, once and for all."

"But, Relena, there is a war raging out there…" Noin argued, dropping her eyes to the ground. "…And I would never be able to live with myself if I didn’t do everything in my power to stop it from destroying any more lives."

"That is why I must go." Relena stated, looking to the battlefield in the distance. "Because how can I continue to promote peace for Earth and the colonies…if I can’t save even one life in this war…"

END

Well, the battle has begun. No turning back now! The next episode is coming up… HEAVY ANGST WARNING AHEAD!!!