Episode 22: Family Ties

Ventrali Gorrs, the mastermind behind Project Eternal, and the man responsible for the recent acts of violence, has finally decided to emerge from hiding, and confront his enemies head on.

However, the North Am Elite Unit has learned that Ventrali always has a trick or two up his sleeve, and now they prepare for any contingency…

Offices of the Advisor, New Richmond

"Phantom and Deathscythe have sensory cloaking devices. At Magnetic North they would be virtually invisible, even to Ventrali's enhanced sensory units." Miliardo mentioned, "With a little work, they'd be perfect just in case Ventrali has an ace in the hole. Get on it right away."

Hilde and Duo didn't move, merely staring blankly at the man once known as the "Lightning Count". There was an eerie silence in the side offices, and it didn't help Miliardo's already jumbled nerves.

Aelan then looked up, and with an amused look on his face, he noted, "You do realize that you are in no position of authority. You would do well to note that the North Am Elite Unit already has a leader…"

"I meant no disrepect." Miliardo replied to Aelan, trying to salvage the situation.

"…Admiral Noin." Aelan finished, the smile still firmly plastered on his face, "Any orders go through her. I merely supervise this unit."

Looking at Noin, she didn't even seem to notice him, however, she did somewhat acknowledge his existence. "That is a good plan. We should be prepared for anything. Hilde, Duo, have your suits prepped."

Two hours later…

"Have the details of the meeting been made?" Kiron asked.

Aelan looked up from his terminal, and stated, "Yes… Ventrali just sent them. We are to meet at Magnetic North at 23:00 hours. Obviously, he wants to use the cover of darkness for something."

"I see…" Kiron said sheepishly, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"I suppose."

"Can I borrow Commadore Eternal?" Kiron asked, "I want to confront my brother myself. Can you understand that this is something I must do?"

Aelan's eyes narrowed, and replied, "Now, explain to me why I would do such a thing? You want me to give you, a man with a history of brutality, access to one of the most devastating units ever to grace this galaxy?"

"I don't deny that I've done some incredibly evil deeds. But I need a chance to atone somewhat for what I've done. I am sure that Ventrali can see reason, but he needs to hear it from me. Don't you think that if there is a way to solve this dilemma WITHOUT it going to the death, that you should pursue it?"

"And you need Commadore Eternal to do that… how?"

"Just in case."

"You do realize the danger with using Commadore? I haven't gotten to removing the Eternal System from it. I could probably convince Noin to let you borrow Cygnus."

Kiron declined, "Ventrali will be expecting you, in Commadore Eternal. If he sees a different suit, he'll probably freak out, and we'll have lost our chance. Aelan, I know that you have a hard time trusting me…"

"A hard time is an understatement." Aelan replied, although he had to admit that his distrust of Kiron had quelled somewhat as of late.

"I'm begging you. Please… let me do this."

Aelan's eyes narrowed again. Kiron had never been one to plead. In the past, he would never have begged, even if it would have gotten him his way. He had been too proud, which is why his sudden request took Aelan so off guard.

"You do appear to be a different person, Kiron." Aelan finally relented, "And you do make some good points. Very well, I'll have Commadore Eternal prepped for your departure."

"What is that?" Noin asked as Aelan poured a small vial into the air filtration unit of Commadore Eternal.

"Trius Yadorphine." Aelan replied calmly as he emptied the entire vial.

Miliardo had sworn that he had heard of that chemical somewhere before. Then he remembered his slavery on Eden. "That's the shit that Kiron used on me and the people of Hell!"

"Exactly." Aelan answered sternly, "I may have let Kiron borrow this suit, but I'll be damned if I'm not prepared for every contingency."

After replacing the filtration unit, Aelan turned to Duo, and handed him an all too familiar black box. "If Kiron does anything even remotely suspicious, I want you to activate that device. What you do afterward is your decision, but the primary goal is to eliminate Ventrali."

Aelan then glanced at Noin, and said, "Any problems with that?"

When Noin shook her head, Aelan then turned back to Duo, and added, "Whatever you do, do NOT have Kiron activate the Eternal System, especially if you have to use the black box. I have no idea what effect all of those chemicals will do."

"Understood." Duo confirmed grimly.

"If things do go haywire, I will have all the other suits on standby. It will then be your duty to simply stay alive until your allies can arrive. I'll have Amore ready to generate a fold to your position for quickest response. There are five hours until meeting time. You and Hilde should depart now."

Hilde and Duo nodded in agreement, then left for their suits. As the pair launched out of the hangar, Noin looked at Aelan, and asked, "Are you really willing to use that mind-control drug?"

"If I have to." Aelan retorted, "I was fooled by Kiron once. I will NOT be fooled again."

Magnetic North, 23:00 hours…

Ventrali waited patiently for Aelan to arrive. In mere moments, he would be able to be at peace. Regardless of whether he died, or Aelan and this whole disgusting planet was destroyed was irrelevant. Ventrali would finally be at peace.

His sensors were severely limited due to magnetic north, but so would Aelan's. He'd never detect Ventrali's little surprise until it was too late. By studying what Aelan had done with his suit Commadore, he had been able to discern how Aelan created the Eternal System.

Granted, Ventrali knew the consequences of his actions. He would most likely lose total control of himself, just like everyone who had ever initially used the system. However, Ventrali wasn't worried. He didn't have anything beyond this point to concern himself with. All that mattered was victory here and now.

His sensor array finally picked up on an approaching suit, its Durium armoring coupled with its size was a dead giveaway. Aelan had shown up after all. Commadore Eternal's Durium panels gleamed in the light of the full moon as it jerked to a sudden stop approximately 100 meters from Ventrali's position.

"You came, Aelan." Ventrali hissed.

A different voice greeted him, "Not exactly, Vent."

Duo listened intently on the developing conversation, his finger never straying too far from the small red button attached to that little black box. Aelan had told him that he might need to use it at a moment's notice. Under NO circumstance would Kiron be allowed to play turncoat.

At the same time, Hilde was streaming the conversation via beacon to North Am. That way they could hear what was going on just in case things got weird, even though there was a few minutes delay.

"I was expecting Aelan, but you'll do just as well." Ventrali seethed.

"I don't doubt it, and I am not going to stop you. I just want to know why you're doing this." Kiron answered.

Ventrali started to laugh, "You of all people want to know why?" Ventrali soon was spitting venom, "Have you SEEN Eden recently? Do you realize what you and Aelan have done to the place?"

"No, I haven't." Kiron admitted, "But, why are you distancing yourself, Ventrali? You were just as involved in the plans we had as I was. When it became apparent that Aelan would try to retaliate, you yourself designed that giant neutron cannon! How can you say that it was Aelan and I?"

"I was just being the good little brother, as I always have!" Ventrali snapped, "Do you think that I wanted Eden to turn into a smoldering rubble?"

"Do you think that I did, or Aelan did? Not even I wanted to destroy Eden, but that is what happened. And regardless, why drag the people of Earth into this?"

"Because they willingly followed Aelan into the destruction of our home!" Ventrali shouted, "They mercilessly butchered our kind, and left Eden a mess!"

"We didn't leave them with much choice, Ventrali. If you recall, we were going to do the same to them in time."

"NO! YOU WERE GOING TO DO THAT TO THEM! NOT I! I WAS A PAWN IN YOUR LITTLE GAME! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE!"

Finally, it appeared that Kiron had just about enough, "Where are you getting this rubbish? Of course you were responsible. It's just like you, Ventrali. Just like when we were younger, we'd get into trouble, and then you'd always say that I led you into it. It's time to grow up, Ventrali!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Ventrali screamed, "You made sure that I didn't. It was either your way, or…"

"Maybe that was true… I don't deny that I made it hard for anyone to do anything but what I wanted. However, the final choice was YOURS!"

"Then what? If I had challenged you ideals, then I would have been killed!"

"If you were so scared of death that you were willing to compromise your ideals, then you deserved to be used." Kiron shot back, "Now I see, Ventrali. You are nothing but a weak-willed coward."

Kiron snarled, "Even I was willing to die for what I had desired. As I recall, it was YOU who gave me these cybernetic legs, and told me not to give up! How can the man who was willing to support me, even when things seemed lost, supposedly be railing against everything I stood for?"

Ventrali was silent. Something about his entire argument seemed wrong, even to him. He had never bothered to question his motives, until now. Why was he doing this?

Don't let your brother confuse you, Ventrali…

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" Ventrali snapped.

Your mission is to destroy Aelan, Kiron, and the whole Earth. You must not let Kiron confuse you. It is up to you. Make us proud, Ventrali. Make all of Eden proud. Kill the monsters that would kill us!

"Very well. I will trust in you." Ventrali sighed, gathering his wits. Finally, he addressed his brother once again. "I'm not sure if this is what I should do, Kiron, but for all of Eden, I will kill you!"

Ventrali then said, "You see, I realize the potential in that suit you are flying, Kiron. I also have discovered how to utilize the Eternal System. With this, I can destroy all that destroyed my home!"

New Richmond…

The assembly from North Am grew grimly silent as the latest transmissions from Hilde's data feed came through via the beacon.

"…You see, I realize the potential in that suit you are flying, Kiron. I also have discovered how to utilize the Eternal System. With this, I can destroy all that destroyed my home!…"

"SHIT!" Wufei snarled. "We need to get over there… If Kiron has indeed figured out how to use the Eternal System…"

"I totally agree, Wufei." Aelan answered, but it was Noin who gave the order.

"Pilots, let's scramble!" Noin shouted, and the Gundam Pilots quickly rushed to the hangars. As Noin was about to follow them, Aelan said, "Noin, I would like to borrow Cygnus."

"Why?" Noin asked.

Aelan then pulled out small set of system disks from out behind his desk. It didn't take Noin very long to figure out what they were.

"If we are fighting an enemy with the Eternal System, it's only more than fair to use the same."

Miliardo followed Noin and Aelan down to the hangars, just in time to see the four remaining Gundams launch, then follow the heading to where Amore was most likely forming a quantum fold to Magnetic North.

Aelan pulled out the system module for Cygnus, and began switching disks at an inhuman rate. Miliardo merely gaped, even Noin, who said seen the speed and efficiency in which Aelan worked before, was astonished. The first time had been through the eyes of a sonic camera, to see it first hand was quite a different experience.

Not even thirty seconds had passed when Aelan finally pushed the system module back into place, and leaned back in Cygnus's cockpit. Noin and Miliardo rode the lift to floor level, then stood clear as Cygnus took off, following the Gundams to the fold site.

Noin smiled wryly, then said, "Sure, Aelan… go ahead…"

Duo looked at the rapidly disintegrating situation. As of yet, Ventrali had not seemed to notice Phantom and Deathscythe Hell, however, that could rapidly change. Duo was weighing the options very quickly. "Should I stay in cover, and let Kiron take the flak, or do I make a move now?"

Hilde obviously decided that she wasn't going to deliberate any more on the topic. Phantom quickly dropped its cloaking devices, and went on the attack. Ventrali seemed to respond to the sudden appearance of another mobile suit far too quickly, bringing his weapons to bear on Phantom.

The black suit continued its charge, and Duo was in a panic. Finally, Ventrali fired his beam cannons just as Hilde was at point-blank range. However, the laser blasts merely seemed to wrap around Phantom, and Hilde's suit continued its charge at full speed. The two suits collided, Phantom clenching hold of Ventrali's suit in a death grip.

Then Duo remembered Phantom's Mirror shield, and quickly figured out what she was planning to do, drain all the energy from Ventrali's suit, and render the unit inoperative.

Unfortunately, Ventrali seemed to catch on just as quickly. Generating as much energy as he could into one blast, he fired his beam cannons once again. It didn't effect Phantom at all, once again, the high energy beam merely wrapped around the polarized panels of the suit, but the recoil from the shot cleared Ventrali's suit from Hilde's grasp.

When Hilde didn't try to follow, Duo realized the horrible truth. She had used the mirror shield too long, and it was having a devastating effect on her suit, with barely the energy required to maintain its basic systems.

Ventrali was drained too, but obviously not to the same degree as Phantom. "You little bitch! Think you can trick me?" Ventrali once again raised his beam cannon, for one more shot.

Duo realized that he had waited too long, he'd never get to Hilde's position in time. Ventrali fired a rather weak blast, but it would have been more than enough to finish off Phantom, at least if it hadn't been for Commadore Eternal suddenly stepping into the path of the blast. The shot didn't even singe the golden panels.

Duo took the opportunity to sneak closer to Ventrali's suit. Duo charged in quickly, unsure of how sensitive the sensors were as Deathscythe Hell got closer. Suddenly dropping his cloaking units mere meters from his target so as to utilize the full offensive power of Deathscythe's weapons, Duo took a vicious slash with his twin scythe. The blow didn't do any serious structural damage, but it became incredibly evident that Hilde's attack had done some serious work on Ventrali's internal systems, as the stabilizers failed, sending Ventrali's suit into a wicked spin.

By the time Ventrali stabilized his suit, and took note of the dismally low energy supply he had available, he noticed his situation get even worse. Several more suits appeared from out of nowhere. He instantly recognized them as other suits from the North Am Elite Unit.

"Nice of you to show up now!" Kiron chuckled, "We've got it all under control. However, someone better come over here and take care of Phantom. She's a little low on juice."

Ventrali seethed. He hadn't even been able to take out ONE of North Am's units. After all that Calnus had done, he had let his cockiness underestimate the wiliness of these humans.

From there, he heard Aelan's voice over his comm. "You mean to tell me I switched the system cards on Cygnus here for nothing? I guess I need to have more confidence in your abilities."

Kiron then spoke to Ventrali directly, "I think that this little fight is over. To continue would be pointless. I just want to know one thing. You said earlier that you weren't sure that this is what you wanted to do. If so, why'd you do it?"

Ventrali gave up. Kiron was right, there was no point to continue this charade. It had been stupid to begin with. No longer was he going to let someone else decide his actions...

NO! I cannot let you expose me! Not yet…

"I hold all the cards here!" Ventrali snarled, "To stop me, you'll have to expose yourself anyway!"

Damn you, Ventrali! Why did you have to choose now to get a backbone?

There was a sudden sparkle in the night sky above, and the North Am Elite Unit looked up as a brilliant beam of energy cascaded down from above, totally engulfing Kiron's mobile suit. The Durium panels melted, then vaporized, and when all was said and done, there was nothing but an ashen wisp where Ventrali Gorrs once stood.

There was silence for several minutes before Kiron finally asked, "What in heaven's glory was that?"

He had really expected an answer, but Aelan finally did, "I have no idea, but I have a feeling that we will soon find out…"

The End (for now…)

Well, that does it for this round of episodes, although ending it this way pretty much insures that some more will be in the works. As always, I want to thank the guinea pigs that have so willingly put their sanity on the line trying to interpret what I initially write. It's gotten somewhat larger, but I AM going to list them all.

To: apol_pie, astronomygirl18, balora99, huntress_hawk, shin_okami, shingamizero, TheRendy, and TheThreeRealms, I say thank you for all of your gracious time.

With all God's speed,

Thomas Knapp

"Chemiclord"