I do not own Gundam Wing, and make NO MONEY from this story. GW belongs to Bandai and Sunrise, not me. Now, this is AU, so please don't write me to tell me that there are no barbarian knights in chain mail in the series. This, you see, is not the series.. it's my wickedly warped imagination! Have fun!
~Leeko

The Capture - Chapter 7
By Caliko

Captain Richards walked into the war room, wondering if he was being realistic. Was it even possible for the natives to work with his soldiers? He planned on sending as many men as possible, but he had no choice but to send his original scouts with them. How would the natives react to female warriors with superior weapons? Especially when they realized that they were at the head of the Outworlder forces?

He could only trust that Chang Wufei would be able to convince the earls to work with them.

His read over the suggested plan, finding no fault that could be avoided. It was a brazen strategy, requiring them to toss off their disguise in order to take advantage of surprise. Swords would not win this day, not when the defending army was equipped with Outworld Lasers. He could only wish that he had King Milliardo's agreement before he joined the struggle.

Yet, what other choice did he have? According to Chang, Maxwell was the only one in power who might listen to them. He already saw his serfs as people, and wanted only the best for them. At the moment, he was the only choice for liaison to the king!

But, first, they had to find him. The same strangely dense hills that prevented them from locking onto Hilde's tracking device was wreaking havoc with their satellite signal. It bounced strangely, giving them only a general idea of WHERE they were looking, with a ten mile margin of error.

Ten miles in all directions had to be added to the search area once they finally spotted Lord Maxwell. Because of this, he had no choice but to send the girls down with a shuttle. If they searched on foot, Maxwell would be dead and burned by the time he was found.

He strode over to where Cathy and Hilde were suiting up, then checked their equipment. Finding their weapons in good order, he nodded, then went to do the same with Sally and Wufei.

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"You ready to go?" Cathy asked Hilde, activating the shuttle.

They were both dressed in the standard 'war uniform' of the ship - tight black pants and black jacket over white t-shirt. Hiking boots were laced on their feet, and their weapons were at the ready on their hip. Hilde checked her supplies, then zipped up her backpack before she answered.

"Yeah. I just can't wait to see 'my dear husband' again." She smirked, knowing that she was really going to piss Maxwell off. After all, wasn't she supposed to be staying safe?

"Now you have me nervous. How is he going to react to all this?" Cathy slowly eased out of the bay, then maneuvered the shuttle into position to fire the thrusters.

"Hmmph!" Hilde chuckled, "He'll probably start acting like a neanderthal, all that, 'I'm big man, you itsy woman' b.s. He'll scream for me to get my helpless ass back into hiding so he can sacrifice his almighty important manhood on revenge. Oh, and god forbid if I ignore him! He'll haul me off to bed, try to make me soft and submissive with sex!"

Hilde flopped into the chair, laying the back of her wrist over her forehead. She sighed, pretending to be a weak miss as she came to the end of her description. Cathy just couldn't help it. She started to laugh, choking as the girls antics got louder and more rowdy.

"OH DUO! How BIG you are! I don't think I can THINK after you give me that! You might puncture my brain!"

Strangled laughter came out of the radio, along with outraged shouts. Cathy and Hilde looked at each other in horror, not realizing that the communications port was on an open channel.

"Ladies.. you are really upsetting my new partner, here." Sally snickered, throwing her hand over his mouth. Wufei's face was red in shock that a woman would speak of such things.. the fact that it was his Lord's wife just made it worse.

"Did she just say what I think she just said?" He asked Sally, outraged.

"No, Chang. It's a figment of your imagination. Hilde, Cathy, do you have your landing coordinates?"

"Yes, Sally. We're all set. How about you? Do you think that you can handle Captain Chang on his home turf?"

Rich laughter spurted out over the lines, as she leaned forward a bit. "Anytime, anywhere. He won't be a problem. Alright, We'll contact you when we have news."

"We'll be waiting."

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Sally turned away from the com and prepared for lift-off, too occupied to notice the challenged look in Wufei's eyes. The little show that Lady Hilde gave was meant to break the tension before battle, he understood that. He was still surprised, but he had seen his comrades acting similarly often enough to recognize it for what it was. It was that last remark, made by Sally, that pricked his pride...

:::So, she thinks she can handle me.::: He grinned, watching her fingers dance over the console. :::After this is over, I might give her that opportunity...:::

Now that he knew where the planet's females had disappeared to, he had no doubts that they would return. And when they do, many of the restrictions would be removed from their society. That meant that he would be free to make his life with her if he chose to. If she agreed, he amended.

Would he ever get used to this? Women fighting beside him? Making their own choices about their lives? He couldn't deny that she excited him, but was it enough to base a lifetime with?

The biggest question was - did he really agree that their society was better than theirs? From what he had seen, their were not many conflicts. If a person was qualified, they got the responsibility. Sex didn't matter.

But what of their family life? Their children's values? Did not the woman belong guarding the life that she brought into this world? Guarding...

:::That is exactly what these female warriors are doing! Guarding the very society that they helped build, keeping their children safe in much the same way that we do!:::

Chang eased back in his seat, looking at the Outworld officer in a different light. She had just finished setting the auto-pilot, and leaned back to close her eyes and rest before landing on the planet. Feeling his gaze on her, she turned her head, returning his look.

"What?" Sally asked, a slight, embarrassed smile on her lips. The way he was looking at her sent shivers down her back. It was as if he knew something new about her, as if he had been studying her like one would an exotic creature.

"What made you choose the life of a soldier?" He asked, curious. "You're attractive, and smart. I'm sure that you could have done anything you wanted."

She let the 'attractive' part slide, knowing that he hadn't meant it in a negative way. Then, letting her feet rest on the edge of the console in front of her, she slowly shook her head.

"Do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

"Family tradition. Both of my parents were in the alliance navy. Mother was a ships doctor, father a tech. Settling down in one place right after school didn't seem right."

He looked down in his lap and picked at the dark material of his pants, pretending fascination with the strange garment. "No interest in a family of your own, then?" He continued fishing, hoping that he might have misunderstood her.

Sally bent her head to hide her smile, amused at his obvious track of thought. "I didn't say that. I said that settling down right after I graduated didn't feel right. Of course, a man who is also in the Alliance Navy COULD tempt me, since married couples are generally stationed together."

His lips quirked a bit, seeing room to negotiate. "But what if the man didn't want that? What if he had a good life of his own? A home, perhaps.. a close family?"

"Well then, I suppose he would have to prove to me that he's worth it." She threw the gauntlet, vowing to explore the possibilities once the rebels where put down.

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"Cathy.. look at that." Hilde looked out of the shuttle window as they flew low over the treetops. According to the radar, they were somewhere within range to Duo's army. "A large force of men about 4 miles ahead. What do you think?"

"Hmmm... look at the grid... It's shape."

Hilde looked closer at the monitor, then growled. It was a definite circle, surrounding a smaller mass. It was a case book example of an ambush.

"Will's forces?" Hilde's face hardened at the thought.

"Yeah, probably, which would mean that the mass in the center is Lord Maxwell."

"Well, let's go see if we can break up this little party, shall we?"

Hilde powered up the weapons as Cathy accelerated the little cruiser, gaining ground quickly. Then, passing over the mountains, the battle came within sight. The earls forces fought valiantly, but were outnumbered and losing ground. From the looks of it, they would not last much longer.

The petite Lieutenant started firing into the trees, drawing the rebels attention away from Duo's forces. Chaos ensued, with Maxwell's men going one way, and the rebel forces going the other. Hilde ignored her husbands band, instead concentrated on burning a circle around her brothers. She didn't see Will, and the last thing she wanted was for him to be warned.

The earls warriors stopped running, realizing that this strange flying ship was fighting their enemy for them. Duo, seeing his new advantage, quickly ordered his men to surround them, watching as the rebels were detained.

Then, reminding himself that a warrior could not show fear, he marched over to the landing shuttle, and waited for something to happen.

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A/N - ok.. I know I brushed over the 'battle', but really.. how much of a fight could it have been, with the enemy fighting lasers with swords?? HMMMM??? <G>

~ Leeko