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"Halfway to Sublimity"Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, male/male pairings, language Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: When Duo moves to a new town on the river,
he meets a young man running the river and a rich boy who seems nice.
Maybe he'll settle down for awhile, or maybe not. "Halfway to Sublimity" Chapter Thirty
(We start with Duo's POV and then visit everyone briefly) Stalking up the river came white wraiths. With imagination sufficient one could think them lost souls wandering in the dusk. Wufei wiped moisture clinging from his nose. "The central Rogue River basin in winter is notorious for its fogs." Duo blinked away droplets collecting on his long lashes, looking at his friend as if he'd grown a third head. Well, duh. "We don't need this. This fog is beastly," Quatre said, ending with a pronounced shiver. "Fog sucks like... royally." Duo thought his statement summed up the situation with pithy accuracy. "Fuckpit-c'est craint," muttered the taciturn Cajun. And from his closed-lipped boyfriend he heard even less. "Hn." So much for precision. So much for succinctness. "Too bad we hadn't gone out yesterday," Duo said. (o) The day before had been clear and fine. A rare day. They'd hoped for more of that to follow. All the other ships had set out the day before, spreading out along the Rogue and taking up positions both to attack and defend. It had been a grand parade. The team watched aboard the Deathscythe as the fleet exited the Winner shipyards. To their left and right were amassed the small Oliphants, belonging to the Maguanac Corps, used primarily for homeland defense, their powerful motors good for skimming over the river short distances with incredible speed and their multiple cannons and Gatling guns ready to bombard enemy attackers. "Most of those will stay here, but others will accompany the Mag-units which will guard all the coastline of Sublimity," Quatre told them. "Near Zechs' outposts?" Heero asked. "And your home, and the Watergardens." Quatre smiled. "Not to mention the town's dockyards." "And Merquise's bridge," Wufei put in, "I imagine you have sentries on it too." "Yes. Here's comes Rashid on Mag-unit 01." "Howard's been busy churning out steam engines and outfitting every ship around," Heero pointed out. "I haven't seen these in action." A low "hoot" signaled Mag-unit 01's arrival. As it drew closer Duo could make out its pilot, the overall commander of the Corps, Rashid Kurama, saluting from the ship's bridge. "Has he grown?" Duo asked. "No, he's just wearing stylized shoulder armor," Quatre said. "See the crest on the side? It inspired the design on the Sandrock." "Very smart," Trowa purred, but he wasn't being serious, Duo could tell, although he actually did like the winged cobra Maguanac Corps' symbol on the crest. Dozens of the gunboats streamed from the channel, spreading over the river. There was Mag-unit 10, the ship of unit commander Ahmad, recognizable by his long dark cloak, currently hanging limp in the wet, heavy air. Mag-unit 22 was a high mobility ship carrying unit commander Abdul wearing a turban and a massive gun he called a "bazooka" over his shoulder. Quatre waved as another ship sped past, sporting a huge, armored claw extending from the bow. "What's that thing?" Duo asked. "That claw looks like it could rip a hole through a ship." "It can, even if the ship is armored. That's unit commander Auda's craft. You can tell by the large, red 'ponytail' trailing from his helmet." "Like I'd notice that." "There's mine! Sandrock!" Duo could hear the excitement in Quatre's voice. Sandrock bore the strongest armor of the five lead attack ships. It also had a powerful claw weapon to crush the thickest armor in a single attack and a heavy load of armaments. While they all oohed and awed the sleek armor, Trowa's fighting ship, Heavyarms, steamed past. Heavyarms' primary focus was ranged combat, and carried an incredible amount of firepower for a single ship. Cannons and twin-mounted rapid-fire guns sprouted from it like spines on a porcupine. Duo pointed out the white-painted armor marking Heero's ship, Wing, considered the premier ship in overall utility. Though most of its weapons were relatively standard, relying on its side-mounted guns for close-range combat, it boasted incredible speed and was highly maneuverable; with its primary weapon a buster rifle and an immensely powerful combination cannon-flame thrower weapon, capable of taking out a battleship in a single shot, but which could be fired only three times before requiring recharging. The name came from the four angelic wings which could open and act as shields in combat. "And we're not on our fighting ships now... because?" Heero asked. "Aw, you are no fun, 'Ro. Quatre wanted a little good luck send off and Howard suggested we have it on Deathscythe 'cause it was the first built." More ships chugged past; many manned by Howard's trusted men or trained riverboat pilots under either Noin or Zechs. No one had heard news of any wedding bells in Zechs future, but it seemed he'd managed to coerce his lieutenant to side with his leadership and betray the governor. "No drinking," Heero warned him. "We must be in top condition tomorrow. We may meet the enemy at any time." "We might, but then we've been training for days now. I can pilot this boat in the dark and blow up the enemy with both arms tied behind my back." "Don't put any ideas in Yuy's head," Trowa warned. "Oh, I can't envision that's a new situation for him," Quatre said, laughing. "I've seen Heero tie rope with great imagination," adding, "and I know you have some wonderful rope tricks yourself." Duo had never seen his Cajun friend blush so bright and so fast. Kinky rope trick then, it made him wonder. (o) But that had been the day before. Today, the weather had gone afoul. In winter the southern end of the Rogue River basin was at its best; few insects as the swamps receded and the swamps dried up. Fish streaming to escape the ice flows were drawn to the warmer water, and "de eatin' o' dem was good." From Trowa's descriptions of the food alone, Duo wished they were headed there. "Why aren't we going there? I wanna eat 'crawfish'!" "The war's in the other direction," was Wufei's ready retort. "All the more reason-" said with a smile. Less attractive was the direction the three men were headed. The northern end became dangerous with floating ice, sharp enough to damage hulls, and hazardous with boatmen failing to traverse it with numb hands. By mid winter, flatboats outfitted with iron "noses" acted as icebreakers, the few that dared to move freight there. Heero had said he didn't think the cold had set in yet and refused to add the heavy armor. He hoped to move quickly with less weight and break at any floating ice with their poles. "Haven't we had enough of the cold and that nasty Devine place to last into the eternal wasteland of the future?" Duo asked. "I have." Heero said. He hadn't quite used the placating tone Quatre had perfected and that he knew Duo hated. He attempted to sound supportive, and in return, Duo presented him with a warm smile. It was too public for a kiss, he thought. "I should hope to avoid a trip north and a battle here as well. It's my wish that Zech's troops take out the Devine shipyard before Treize launches his assault," Wufei said. "And soon." "Treize will order his fleet out from Vulkanus before the channels to the Rogue became ice-locked." Quatre repeated his prediction with one key word of change, catching Duo's attention. "Vulkanus. Whatta lame name." Duo had been amused by the name given to the ship production plant he and his friends had risked life and limb to confirm. "Vulcan," Wufei had informed them, "was identified with the ancient Greek god of fire and smithery. Apt name for a steam engine manufacturing plant, I'd say." Apt, yeah. "And Scorpio? Another screwball name." While skirting around the shipyard, Trowa had recorded ship names, like the heavily armored "Scorpio." "Scorpio is an astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Scorpius." Wufei told them. "It is considered a water sign." "Well, if they stick a gun on the tail, I'll call that name further 'apt', too." Duo noticed Trowa's mouth twitch into a near-smile. He'd made a joke of the term "abaft", meaning toward or at the stern of a ship; further aft, which sounded close to "apt" for the purposes of his joke. "Wish I'd stuck a gun to dat Tsubarov's ass," Trowa said, nodding. While spying around the enemy's shipyard, he'd uncovered telltale signs of their old nemesis, Chief Engineer Tsubarov. Apparently, the man had moved from his old laboratory to there. "Too bad, I hadn't taken out dat man when I'd had de chance at de governor's mansion." "Hn," Heero grunted automatically. He seemed inattentive, so Duo followed Heero's gaze and spotted a small courier boat heading their way. Quatre sighed hugely. "By now, Zechs and the rest of his men must have engaged the units guarding Vulcanus. The attack has already begun." "No can tell from here." Wufei sniffed the air. He claimed he could smell the difference between a cold front coming from the north from a wet southern one. "We must guess. Getting information is going to get spottier, what with the poor weather hitting us." Duo looked again at Wufei, who'd said that and had nearly vanished from sight in the growing mist. This time did say aloud, "Well, duh." "I can't wait to board my ship. Nataku is the fighting dragon of the Long clan." "You mean Shenlong," Heero corrected him. "By the way, Quatre, one of your men is signaling you from their boat." "I see him." Shenlong had extendable "dragon fang" high-power flamethrowers designed to melt the armor of enemy ships with ease, making its close combat abilities unparalleled. Wufei made no secret that he admired the design exceedingly. "It will always be Nataku!" Chang insisted. "Well, Wu-baby," Duo said clipping the slicked back top of Chang's head with the edge of his hand, "You all get to be guests on my boat until the view improves. And it's cool." Howard had tuned Deathscythe to specialize in high-speed combat, installing dual rotors to give it the highest mobility of the five gunships. Its covert weapon was a high-output drill, which Duo called "the scythe," for damaging armored hulls. Other armaments, machine cannons and guns, could be fired at enemies as well. "Master Winner!" One of the younger Maguanacs climbed aboard and dashed across the deck waving an arm. "A messenger runner has brought word from Colonel Zechs." "Tell us!" Wufei ordered at once. Quatre added, "Please--" "His troops did not destroy the ship production plant; they never reached it! Khushrenada's engaged them inland of Tumult." Heero growled. "Grrr, the idiots! I told them to go the river route not over land." "I knew we shoulda blasted the hell outta that place when we found it!" Duo shouted. "If I'd killed dat inventor-" Trowa groaned then stopped, giving his lover a hard look. "Now, don't you get started-" Duo knew why, too. When it came to the "blame game", no one could beat Quatre's insistent "I'm sorry!" lines. "You were right, all right," Quatre said. "We must stop blaming ourselves and take the lead. From now on we're going with our own plans." "I want Dekim Barton's gang, if they show up," Heero said. "You and Duo watch out for him," Quatre agreed. Duo could almost see new and devious strategies formulating behind that delicate-looking, blond-covered skull. "But you must do that while you and Wufei establish a blockade north of Sublimity. The enemy must not get past the bridge! Wufei?" "The bridge." Wufei was staring in the direction of Sublimity, completely blinded by the blanket of white mist. "Yes, you remain near the bridge and Sublimity." "Protect Hilde and the city? Of course. But what about you and Trowa?" Wufei asked. "All by itself, Trowa's ship has enough weapons to single-handedly destroy an enemy base, which is why he and I shall break though the battle line, head north, and take out Vulkanus." "Dat's good." Trowa nodded in agreement. "In that case, I have a message to get to our native friend in de circus. De chief can fire up some trouble on de far side o'de river." The friends continued to fine-tune their plans, including Howard and his Sweepers and the Maguanac Corps, but when they were ready to set out, each to his own ship, it was too late. Deathscythe was embodied in a thick clammy cloud and couldn't navigate the river if the pilots couldn't see. They sought the bank, the anchor was let loose, and there it stayed. On board, its little bundle of humanity hid on the river, "in the far mysterious direction that lies directly to the left of somebody facing the rising sun," Wufei said, explaining what an ancient Chinese poet called the north direction. They remained hunkered down till morning broke and the sun swallowed the mist. Wufei was the first to jump ship, take a ride to his Nataku on a passing Mag-boat. Quatre and Trowa said their goodbyes next, leaving together, but then parting upstream moving on to their individual ships. "There's Wing." Heero's eyes sparkled and his smile set. "Take care. Promise?" Duo nudged his best friend in the entire universe. The smile dropped and Duo felt strong arms sweep him off his feet as Heero hugged him one last time. "Only if you do." Duo nodded and then felt the chill again as Heero released him. "Leave some for me!" Duo shouted at the receding back. Then the Deathscythe moved on heading northwards, leaving each man set to pilot his own crew in battle. (o) Heero, Duo, and Wufei led the fleet with Trowa, Quatre, and Howard right behind. The Maguanacs had scouts ahead, while others scattered up and down the river for miles. They had passed the bridge through the only opening large enough for ships their size to fit through. Heero noted Noin hadn't left, that she must have resolved her loyalty differences, and he hadn't heard of any wedding announcement. What had happened between her and Zechs, he wondered? Whatever it was, she was here now and in charge of the bridge, her people lining the supported spans and the bulk clustered on land on either side. Sweepers closed the gap with an old, gnarled-wood barge armored iron like the ships and loaded with explosives. The battle plan called for a pincer movement to trap the enemy, so Heero steered to the left side of the river, Duo to the right, Wufei kept to the center with the Sweepers filling in-between. Trowa and Quatre were to shoot up the sides with the Maguanacs closing off any retreat and then take off upstream to destroy Vulcanus and rescue Zechs' troops. At least-- God, Heero hoped Zechs would eventually make it to the enemy shipyard. Trowa and Quatre were prepared for a naval assault and could not suddenly become overland troops. "Ahoy! Leos to the port side just around the curve." "Around the curve" was a mile north of Sublimity where men of the town had in the days prior to the battle pulled together with the owner of the saw mill and downed many trees, dragged them to the shore, chained them together, and pitched them into the river. Boat men from Tumbletown had hooked onto the timber and pulled the "chain" taut across the river, fastening it to the far shoreline with pegs, pounded into the rocks. This would be the first barricade the enemy would encounter. The Maguanacs' warning was all they got. Weeks of training, hours of waiting, and now it was to begin in the bright, morning, midwinter sun. Eight sturdy-looking ships, painted a drab olive-green churned into view. This fleet consisted of side-wheelers remodeled, like Howard's stern-wheelers, and covered with iron about two inches thick. The redesign appeared just as complete, with wheel house, rudder, an installed steam engine, and all outfitted as gunboats. These slowed, then spread apart when they reached the log jam, and, to everyone's dismay, more of the enemy fleet arrived-- three more boats and as many transports, four big flatboats about fifty feet long and twenty wide. Each flatboat had an upright portable steam boiler which furnished power to run two saws, one on each forward corner of the boat. "Now that's something I hadn't thought of," Howard said. "Portable saws." Steamboat engines required wood and lots of it to run and so did some of the fancy weaponry. The Winner ships all stored wood on board and had to stop, cut more, then haul it onboard. Howard planned to capture one of those transports for his own use, maybe all of them, if he could keep Maxwell from blowing them all up. They were already breaking the law by having cut the government-protected Sanc Red Oak. The hard, high-energy producing wood was the preferred fuel, but had been declared a "property of the kingdom" by Duke Dermail. Well, Howard would spit in the eye of that law if it meant winning the battles. His warships loaded on the timbers to burn when requiring extra speed or for powering the weaponry. But the oak was heavy, more payload to weigh down the ships. He really wanted those transports. He drew the Peacecraft alongside Deathscythe to convey his plans to his past employee. Duo grasped the concept quickly and the race was on to seize the portable saw transports. The enemy had been at work for some time, it appeared, breaking the log jam. The saws were about eight feet long and on rotating necks so that large trees could be sawed off eight or ten feet below the surface of the water, or, as in this case, the barricade could be cut clean through then the trunks of the trees were sawed up and dragged out of the way by steam tugs. It was about two and a half miles across the point and those human beavers were about to cut through. Duo pointed out a long hose connecting the saws with the boilers. "That'll take some fancy shooting to cut the hose and miss the boiler," Howard warned. Duo knew just who to entrust that to and ran to the pilot's seat to signal Wing to come closer. Duo leaped from his ship to Heero's, barely clearing the distance. "What are you doing?" Heero asked. "Howie wants the boats with saws and he wants them in working order for our use. Can you clip just the hose?" Duo pointed out the boiler/saw system and the danger of hitting the wrong part. "I'm just not that accurate, but I know you are." "You put a lot of faith in me, Duo. I hope to live up to it." So did Howard as he watched the dark-haired gunman take aim. He could see the crest on the Leo ships, a lion, then heard the crack of a rifle. Then another. And another. Heero took out the hoses, silencing the saws, but the log jam had been breached and now the enemy was on the move and firing back from their own rifles. Howard could see one enemy Leo turning to line up its cannon. Flaming lances shot out from the Deathscythe, setting the mostly wooden, unshielded deck on fire. Enemy troops made an all-out effort to extinguish the flames, leaving the cannon unmanned and their other offensive weapons ignored. Howard ordered his ship to move in and called one of the Mag-units to help him retrieve the transports. Over the roar of artillery, he heard Wufei's war cry and then the screech of metal tearing as the "dragon fang" melted the armor of an enemy ship and ripped a hole in the side. And for a moment it seemed all hell broke loose. The Sweepers, experienced at fighting brigands and pirates, forced the enemy to fall back, retreating into the waiting arms of the Mag-units , Heavyarms, and Sandrock. Howard was extremely pleased with his ships and how his boys worked as a team. Their superiority had taken its toll, the enemy had been slowed, and victory was in sight, if more Northern reinforcements never came. He signaled the Winner lad, "Go now!" and received back "Good luck!" Yes, they'd all need a bit of luck, but Howard felt it would be those fighters heading toward the Vulkanus base who would need it the most. (o) Heero felt good, blood pumping, the smell of smoke, and he had an old enemy in his sights. Years ago, Dekim Barton had wanted to eliminate the man standing in his way, blocking the next step in his rise to power, General Septum. He'd hired Odin Lowe to assassinate the man. Heero remembered being handed his gun and instructed to enter the room "no one will be expecting a child to pull the trigger." It had been his first "job" and he'd "botched it," as Duo would say. Guards had spotted the gun barrel and deflected the shot. Heero had gotten away, but he had failed his father. "It's all right. You'll have many more chances," Odin had said, consoling him. But you didn't, Heero thought to himself, remembering how a very few years later Dekim took his revenge and sent his gang to kill Odin and kill or conscript his men. All but two-Heero and the man who'd helped them at the governor's mansion, Michael Planter. He was sure Planter had been executed for his kindness and felt bad all over again. How many times had the errors of their past come back to bite them in the ass? At least one more time, Heero answered his own question, because there was General Septum's gun boat. (o) Heavyarms and Sandrock led the small entourage of Maguanac steamers north, travelling from the first battle near Sublimity to just south of Tumult. Early on, the beautiful sun fell behind a curtain of rain which tuned to sleet, lowering visibility. Heavyarms struck a rock and knocked a hole back of her bow. They ran her to shore and put their pumps to work. While they kept her up, Trowa and Abdul completed their repairs. In the meantime, Quatre and Ahmad stopped to chop wood. While wooding, one of Mag-unit 22's paddles on the wheel broke. Worried about piling on more delay, Quatre asked. "Will it still work if it's left that way?" "One broken paddle?" Abdul mused. "I must check." After consulting with the other crew members he came back with an answer. "Left that way will reduce the ship's speed to about 3 miles an hour and the pilot, he says he can steer only 'by keeping the helm hard a-starboard,' by which he means he must compensate for the broken paddle wheel by keeping the rudder to starboard. Don't worry, master, we can shoot at a distance and won't need the maneuverability." What they all missed, crowded along one shore of the river repairing their boats or chopping wood, was Barton's fleet, whisking by under low power on the downstream current and shrouded by the capricious weather. Missed the boats passing entirely. After that inauspicious start to their trip, the team managed to get under way and drove upstream the remainder of the morning and into the late afternoon. (o) Originally designed as a successor to the Leo, by order of Treize Khushrenada, the Serpent was mothballed following Tsubarov's escape from the governor's house. He sold off the rights to the plans to the Barton gang, where they were modified and put into use by his new Mariemaia Army. Barton's dreams were growing. Why support a dead weight like Khushrenada when he could go for the Duke himself and rule the kingdom? While the details remain vague, it has been said that the original Serpent was intended as a more general purpose machine, carrying small arms. In Barton's hands, the machine was refined into a heavy assault unit, partly inspired by the Heavyarms, whose designs spies had stolen shortly before begin discovered and put to death. Like Heavyarms, the Serpent carried heavy weapons including Gatling guns, bazookas, and cannons. The Serpents used by the Mariemaia Army are armored with Neo-iron, a new alloy said to be much stronger and lighter than standard iron. Dekim Barton had wanted to place cannon ashore to fire upon Sublimity and move his ships further downstream and shell the hell out of the bridge preventing the steamboats' progress further south. And while he was at it, he would indulge himself and destroy all of Tumbletown. Wipe out all memory of Heero Yuy and Odin Lowe. (o) To Wufei's surprise, he enjoyed shooting. Shooting birds for dinner out of necessity and now shooting at enemy ships, poking holes into them, finding the weak links, the chink in the armor. Right now, he hammered at the back of one boat, where he saw boxes of ammunition. "One more inch-" The explosion started at the top, setting off the stack in a chain reaction. The air filled with the roar of strikes and fire. Wood stores crackled and smoldered as sparks flew. The raw recruits unprepared for the noise, the danger, and hell on board ran in panic. Fires on board required more than buckets to put out. Hand pumps required manpower and took away gunmen from the fight. What Wufei saw was terrible. Boys like ones he'd taught in school. And they were about to die. And he was responsible! Out of the corner of his eye he spotted one of the Maguanacs boats. He ran to the edge of the boat and shouted. "Mag-unit 05! Turn about and close in on that ship. Close! Within a few meters then turn hard and-" "Put out the fire? Yes, very good." And Wufei maneuvered his ship into a new position, drawing a bead on his target, the engine, and blasted away. The steam engine blew apart, sending parts flying and he hoped no children were burned by the boiling water. "Surrender!" he shouted to the ship's captain all the while bearing down on him with cannons directed at his ship. C'mon, give up and save yourself. The captain raised a white flag and Wufei drew a deep breath. Balance. He had to find his balance in this insanity. He heard the battle cries from Wing nearby. Septum's boat groaned. It was in trouble. Then and only then did he recognize a face aboard the ship. The man coming from the cabin was Treize Khushrenada. He had to get word to Noin on the bridge, and frantically called out for another Maguanac messenger boat. (o) Duo unleashed a ferocious attack, the roar from the depths as cannon balls missed and pummeled the river, and the hits wreaking havoc seemed to fill him with excitement. Wufei'd had Chinese explosives delivered, including flares for signals and which could create blinding lights to distract the enemy, and Duo had figured out how to take them apart and make many, many more of them. He'd worked with Howard, fixing up a catapult with a hydraulic fluid plunger and levers and pulleys to rocket off his freshly-made explosives in a sweep of merciless fire. With artillery under his thumbs, Duo never let up. His personal arms, his revolvers, always in trim, ready to take the fighting up close and personal. God! How he loved this chaos under his control! (o) Heero hammered relentlessly upon General Septum's gun boat. A deadly stream of lead tore through the armor. All around him, a squadron of fighters on smaller boats joined up and sped at him in a frantic clash. They were man-powered, armed with repeat-firing rifles, and loaded down with explosives, but not nearly as effective as Duo's Chinese-based ones. He imagined how much better this battle would have gone if Zechs had established anti-attack batteries shooting projectiles from land garrisons supported by a fleet of Howard's ships, like Wing, cruising the waterways keeping the enemy at bay. Another gunboat. Blam! A direct hit slams into the side. He watched as Duo lobbed another device onto a passing boat, which sailed on unaware that it was a ticking time bomb. Torn up boats slid into the water and disappeared. Wing reeled, hit by a wall of enemy fire. How dare they? He turned on the enemy ship and nailed it repeatedly until it was blown to pieces. Wave after wave, the killing seemed to go on for hours. Septum's ship regained power, bearing down on Wing, and Heero prepared for the sting of enemy hits. Then a miracle occurred. The enemy ship struck a submerged log and jammed the paddles. Another boat cut across his path, shielding Septum's ship. Heero took aim, smiling. "Gottcha," he said, and blew open a hole in the side of the ship, through the armor and wood wide enough to sail a boat through. "Sayanora." His joy was brief, because when the smoke cleared, he saw more ships in the distance, new ones, and they were flying the Mariemaria Army's flag. Not Barton, too! (o) Although it had started out fine and sunny, by afternoon the day had turned bitterly cold, made ominous by the smoke of countless Indian fires on the south western horizon. That should have raised some suspicion in Dekim Barton's mind. Unsuspicious of danger and crowded with human freight the two ships swept swiftly along downstream. An ambuscade was formed on the riverside opposite Sublimity and just north of Tumbletown, where the current of the river swept very near to the shore. A sudden flame leaped out from the bushes. Terror and confusion broke out; there were bleeding men and dead men on the crowded decks. For nearly an hour Barton's men fired blindly upon the bushes, because they could see no enemy. Every embankment and earthwork and every tree acted like an enemy's fortress, keeping the ships from landing. Barton's Scorpio fired and sought an opening. A giant of a man riding bareback on a horseback swung an ace twice at the nearest tree, making two sharp reports very much like gun fire. His face paint glowed white and black striped with bold dashes of red and yellow and turned his visage into a gaudy mask. Great Eagle and on a horse at his side rode the red-haired Midi, AKA Ivy Shruggs. At his signal, tribesmen on lathered ponies broke the bushes, halting at river's edge, rifles raised and blasting away at the nearest ship. (o) Heero watched Barton order his pilot away from shore and towards the bridge, and then it appeared the mercenary leader noticed the blockader barge loaded with Sweepers and, too late, the Sweeper's metal-clad boat steamboat, Peacemillion, heading in his direction in full attack mode. Yes, the ship was named Peacemillion and not Peacecraft, because , as Duo had put it, "that name was just too stupid and over-the-top ironic for a bruiser of a battleship to be christened Peace-craft." Howard's Peacemillion rammed a smaller Barton gunboat, the Libra, and succeeded in slicing off her bowsprit and most of her stern along with a kedge anchor and other incidentals, exposing the ship to a boarding party and foiling Barton's attempt to blow up the ship. He ended up taking the Barton-boat with a valuable cargo of rifles, salt, beef, paper and ammunition, plus dispatches invaluable to them. Advance scouts, who Heero had guessed hailed from Noin's troops, had planted artillery on the rise of Tumbletown, near where he had once carved out an existence, and an artillery duel began with Barton's defenders on the river. He later discovered the men were led by Michael Planter, who besides himself was the only other of Odin Lowe's followers who had escaped Barton's murderous takeover 15 years earlier. And Heero had just been ruminating back to those days and of that man. Heero thought back at how he'd run into Planter unexpectedly at the governor's mansion. Planning the diversion to help them all escape, getting Ivy's cooperation, that had been Trowa and Quatre's handiwork. Letting down the guard and allowing entry to the two horsemen had taken most of the risk out of the plan, and the man, Planter, had done it all to gain Heero's forgiveness. And here he was, alive still and opposing Treize Khushrenada, fighting Dekim Barton. A man with a conscience- what a rarity and what luck! Yes, if anything, luck had been with him all his life, and for that, Heero Yuy was very thankful. (o) "Dear Allah!" the murmur circled the Maguanacs boats. "Fortress Barge," Rashid announced, emphasizing the direction. "To starboard." It amused Quatre how his men, all born and raised for generations on the L4 deserts, embraced the water and the "seamen" terminology. His smile dropped when, there, materializing out of the mist was General Septum's base of operation. The monstrosity turned slowly with the grace of a floating garbage dump, and moved out in a southerly direction. "The battle station was developed for use by Khushrenada's forces," Rashid told him. "I've heard rumors of frightening capabilities, the chief armament being a cannon, powerful enough to destroy a settlement." "De vessel, she looks like a giant project no one bod'ered to complete." Quatre agreed. "It does not look like a boat." "It appears invincible, but nothing is invincible." Rashid looked over them with assurance. "I must return to my ship. We shall keep this one busy so you can take out the base." Trowa brushed his lips across his lover's brow, sure no one was watching who hadn't seen worse. "Good luck, mon cher." "Bye-" Quatre began, but Trowa was already gone, hopping down into his canoe, using it to ferry back and forth between Sandrock and Heavyarms. He watched as a small boat struck shore. Two brave men were to go inland to search for signs of the Merquise forces. If they were at the Vulkanus station, then Trowa wouldn't flatten it and a seize-and-rescue mission would be signaled. One flare for attack, two for rescue. But first, Quatre needed to buy the scout's time to run inland and conduct a search of the area. Mag-unit 01 returned fire with the Fortress Barge, while behind her, both gunboats, Heavyarms and Sandrock, their stacks belching black pine knot smoke, steamed up the channel to engage the blockade Scorpio ship. Heavyarms drew back, letting Sandrock challenge the enemy alone. The Scorpio ship Quatre encountered was an unusually large ship with strong armor designed for guarding the Vulkanus manufacturing facility. Unfortunately, General Septum had entrusted the blockade battleship to an arrogant and inefficient inebriant named Major O. M. Watkins, who remained intoxicated throughout the entire offshore battle. As the slow steamers came within range, the Scorpio's gun crew scored four direct hits on the leading Sandrock. Sandrock bore the strongest armor of the five lead attack ships Howard had built. To protect the gun crews, he had installed a double wall of oak beams on the vessels and filled the interior space with hay or fur bales. He then mounted two 12-pounder smoothbore field guns and a single 64-pounder rifled cannon. On Sandrock, the armor was doubled on the bow as a counter weight to the rear-mounted "claw" weapon, which was currently disguised by a drapery of fishing net. For artillerists, Quatre used members of Zechs' battalion unable to walk or ride due to injuries. Other units from volunteer brigand fighters and the recently expanded Sweeper's Regiment were assigned aboard all the vessels to serve as sharpshooters. Soon the enemy's sharpshooting musketeers forced the Sandrock's artillerists from the decks, and Quatre ordered his pilot to surrender. The Scorpio's gunners then doubled as sailors to bring the captured Sandrock into port. Only five men boarded the Sandrock, holding rifles on the pilot and the gunners, thanks to the poor judgment of Major Watkins. Only one took notice of Quatre as he slid into the claw control seat. Sandrock shook off the rope net and brought around its powerful claw weapon to crush the row of Scorpio cannons in a single blow. Quatre laughed. "Those offensive cannons should no longer work well in close combat situations." His cannons were still operational and the men operating them understood it was time to engage the enemy seriously. Simultaneously, a single flare burned through the clouds. Quatre could count the thirty second reaction time and the additional seconds' delay before the pounding explosions from Heavyarms' long distance artillerypummeled the Vulkanus buildings. (o) Two flares lit the sky. A few seconds later, Heavyarms was churning up the channel to support the Sandrock's attack on Scorpio. By the time he reached Quatre, the Scorpio had sunk and Merquise's ground troops were running over the shipyards. When he met up with General Zechs Merquise, he explained how he had met a battalion of Khushrenada's troops heading to fortify the Vulkanus shipyard, which had slowed their progress, but had been defeated and retreated. After that, he wasted no more time and marched directly to Devine, only to arrive, after all, too late to stop the ships from leaving Vulkanus. Instead, he had prepared to engage Khushrenada's troops again, this time from a strong defensive position on the west bank. When Zechs had seen the smoke plumes, he knew the navy had come. He had gathered his troops for one more attack, breaking through, trouncing the enemy thoroughly. After that he had met up with the two Maguanacs and commanded them to stop the bombing of the shipbuilding plant, thus the two flares. Quatre let Zechs' men take over the mop up activities but oversaw the handling of the dead and injured. With the help of the two Maguanacs, Zechs and Trowa located two undamaged ships, one clearly an older model, a prototype Leo class ship, with the name plate, Tallgeese. The ship was large, with little armor and lack of safety concerns in the boiler controls, but still combat-capable. The other was labeled Epyon, and marked as created by Treize Khushrenada. In keeping with Treize's philosophy, Epyon bore no "cowardly" long-range weapons in favor of "chivalrous" close combat ones. Since it had no projectile weapons, its main weapons were flame shooter and a powerful drill whose energy is supplied by a direct connection to the Epyon's steam engine. The engine was an inferior design, though. None of them could fathom how the ship could move and operate the drill at the same time. "It only has to get me as far as - what did you call the battleship?" Zechs asked. Quatre replied, "Fortress Barge." "It only has to get me that far." The men traded around crews so that Epyon and Tallgeese were staffed minimally and all the ground troops had space on a boat. Zechs' plan called for them to make the enemy believe that Heavyarms and Sandrock had been defeated and boarded by Khushrenada's forces and that now the ships Epyon and Tallgeese were leading the surrendered vessels to defeat the Mag-units attacking the barge. The plan sounded simple, it was, and it allowed Zechs to position Epyon up against the Fortress Barge and power-drill through the paddle wheel, where there was no armor, and directly up into the engine compartment. A single application of the flamethrower into the engine set off a series of explosions. Zechs barely had time to clear out before spitting fire blew from the barge. He and his crew transferred from the inoperative Epyon joining the troops aboard the Tallgeese, and with his newly formed fleet of friends hung about to admire their handiwork, their clear and definitive defeat of the enemy, but only for a few minutes. They'd left their other comrades-in-arms mid firefight when only a small part of the enemy fleet had attacked. Since Trowa had seen the shipyards full of craft earlier on his reconnaissance trip with Heero and Duo, and now the docks were empty, except for Epyon and Tallgeese, he surmised that they must have passed more enemy ships unseen in the storm. They had to hurry back and help the others. The steamers hastily tossed on more wood and raised steam. Sandrock with Quatre at the wheel, steamed down the Rogue under cover of fog and the waning light of the setting sun, closely followed by the Heavyarms, Tallgeese,and the Maguanacs ships. Heavyarms was taking on water slowly, Sandrock still had the damaged paddle wheel, two of the Mag-units showed damage, and Tallgeese was a ponderous ship to maneuver, so when they arrived at a "v" in the river, there was a decision to make. Trowa and Quatre entertained the other crews with one of their rare arguments. "We must move fast," the Cajun insisted. "I'm fixin' to go by there." "Over treacherous rapids?" "Mais qui, my little worrywart. Dis way's too slow." "Better safe than sorry." "If we are too late, is it important dat our ships be intact, n'est pas?" And Quatre's logic fell apart and he gave in. "You've gone this way before?" "Yeah, and in winter it's not so difficile. I wouldn't suggest we all go dat way if I knew we couldn't do it. Heavyarms is in d'worst shape of all." Quatre sighed, giving up. "You know I don't always go wid de flow, righ'? Like my mama say, 'Always drink upstream from de herd.'" "You were too young to remember your mother's advice," Quatre said. He smiled. "All right, Trowa. You win. I trust you to lead us." "Merci, mon cher." Quatre announced the change of plans to the others. "We'll go with Trowa's dangerous but quicker course, however, if any of you aren't of equal mind, I won't blame you from taking the main river." After some discussion of the water way and its hazards, the fleet continued on, agreeing to stick together. The ships floated downstream, alone in a silent wilderness. Parts of the river branch were barely a hundred yards wide at its widest, full of islands, bends, and very rough whitewater in summer flood. They were all perfectly aware that no steamer had ever gone there before. The stream led past steep cliffs and barren badland. There was seldom a navigable stretch longer than 300 yards, and they were repeatedly forced to "grasshopper" over shallow sections. At first it was beautiful. In the distance the sky sagged with dark clouds. Heavy rains in the mountains fed the streams than emptied into the Rogue creating waterfalls not yet frozen over, splashing onto rugged rocks rimmed with ice. And then they hit white water, a cascade of crashing water. The main branch of the Rogue river took the drop in elevation slowly with tightly twisting "s" curves that took time to negotiate -time Trowa hadn't wanted to take again. Once with Duo and Heero on the flatboat had been adequate. But now Trowa questioned himself. This demanding steering operation at the end of a hard day might test them above and beyond. He wasn't so sure his decision had been the best; regret tore at his heart and his chest felt as if a lion were sitting on him. And then the white caps smoothed out. The rain runoff had kept up, flood waters pouring into the Rogue branch, raising the crest of the river sufficiently to enable the two steamers to navigate the treacherous shoals, pass over the reefs downstream and reunite with the main branch of the Rogue River unseen. Their relief was short lived. When the small fleet passed Tumult, the muffled exhaust of the engines and sparks from the smokestacks were detected by enemy scout boats, who opened fire on the steamers. Solid shot from cannons struck the boats, but the bales of furs saved the men. Heavyarms returned fire, blowing three ships out of the water, allowing the other ships to surge ahead and sink the remaining small boats. Their feat in steering through the dangerous rapids of the upper, northern Rogue river would doubtless stand as the most daring exploit ever attempted on any river in the Sanc Kingdom. But in the reality of the moment, the men were thankful to be alive and to limp back to Sublimity in the pitch dark. (o) If it were day, the armament along the bridge barbed with weapons would be visible, but she knew that with the darkness and the fog she and her troops were no longer visible. Lucrezia Noin walked the bridge speaking to the troops offering support and encouragement and letting them know she, their commander, was standing with them to the end. She noted the new rapid-fire chain-rifles had been modified as handheld weapons and appeared to be the popular weapon of choice. She noted the injured men still standing after an enemy ship's cannon took out a parapet. She noted how lucky they'd been so far and how close to being blown sky high they had been. But right now all was quiet on the river. The battle lines were being redrawn. A rest. A time out. Time to reflect. She had not regretted her decision to continue under Zechs' command, as rebellious as it was, even if it meant defying the governor's orders and attacking his forces. As proof of her loyalty, she elected to lead this bridge-demolition mission. Letting her heart make the choice and not her mind had been her most difficult decision. In the end, she had decided, if Zechs lost, she'd lose everything that meant anything to her anyway. What had been more interesting to her was his marriage proposal following her pledge to comply with his authority. Zechs had been breathless with excitement! She hadn't dared to imagine he cared for her so deeply; he had disguised his attraction admirably, she thought. And Noin so adored him! So she would give it her all and win this battle, for Zechs, for her, for them both, and then see what would happen next and what the future would bring, for him, for her, for them both. First, she had to bring this battle to a successful end. When it came to night attacks, the primary mission had to be: Protect the ships in the dark. To do that challenged the strategy: Intercept the nighttime intruders. This was impossible to do. It was hard to see and move those huge gunboats in the dark. The pilothouse was usually empty - it wasn't navigational gear that guided the vessel, it was the pilot's phenomenal memory, and an uncanny sixth sense that kept the boat out of trouble. The final battle was to be a test of the pilots and the engineers keeping the damaged vessels afloat, and those singular acts of bravery that separate the winners from the losers. Noin had a plan, Zechs' plan with a few modifications from the young Winner lad, and everyone had bought into it and had been working toward it all day. Rather than picking off the enemy ships in the dark, if that even could be done, she was to obliterate them all in one masterful act of destruction. All it took was for the enemy ships to attempt to break through the barricade and pass under the bridge. Having been foiled in this attempt all day until the entire enemy fleet was present, all Howard's ships had to do now was contrive a way to get them to move tonight. "No time like the present," she muttered to herself. Her view over the river disturbed her. Dark shapes loomed on the water, wading through the fog that lay like a canopy. The jackets and cloaks of the shipmen fluttered like graves-clothes. Glowing lamps bobbed and floated like the eyes of demons. The air was cold, damp and stank like a forest fire. There were dozens of fire-breathing steam engine-powered ships, each with sometimes one, but usually two lofty, flared, crowned chimneys ("Never called 'stacks'!" Howard declared) sending columns of wood smoke aloft. Swung between them was gingerbread, the indentifying initials or insignia of the boat, or the company that owned it. High on the chimneys were passing lights, big lanterns. Steamers could run at night in deep water, but didn't risk low or dangerous stretches in the dark, even with lamps. Illumination was scanty coming from fancy brass cabin lamps, or even the plebeian, square-sided deck and hold lanterns. Shallows became marked by torch baskets, iron cages stuffed with blazing pine knots on the end of sharp-pointed iron staffs thrust into the river's bank, which flickered and sputtered maniacally. She turned toward the sound of dashing footfalls and hushed whisperings. One of the swarthy Maguanacs pushed past her guard, calling out in a husky voice, "Urgent message for Colonel Noin!" "Yes, I'm here." "Habib, ma'am." He bowed slightly and she saluted in return. "The governor himself has been seen aboard the General Septum ship," the man began. "Treize Khushrenada's out there?" She was shocked that he would take such a chance with his life. "Who reported this?" The man grinned looking quite confident in his source. "The school master, Chang, Ma'am." He shifted his eyes to look over her shoulder. "Also, the enemy ships are moving, shifting into position." "To attack?" "To pass through, we presume." "Thank you. We'll evacuate the bridge. If you aren't expected back to your boat and you stay on, I'll put you to work clearing the far end of the bridge, mister--?" "Habib. My name is Habib. My father always warned me before I made a rash decision, 'A chameleon does not leave one tree until he is sure of another.'" "Wise advice, Habib. I'm afraid I haven't the time to prove myself to you, though." "Yes, ma'am, but Mr. Chang's faith in you is enough. I am at your service." "Good." Noin sent word down the line to leave the bridge and go to the prepared places for cover. Earlier, she had made preparations for firing the bridge by piling dry wood and loose cotton at intervals along the deck. Now, men raced across the floor beams, setting out small barrels of turpentine. The Sweepers barge was an old derelict, packed with Chinese explosives guaranteed to take out all the supporting abutments. All that would be left, she'd been promised, would be the Sanc Red Oak piers, supporting the spans. As she darted across to find cover, she could see the Barton flotilla approach her bridge. Her report to Zechs would read later, "At about 1 a.m., our ground troops on the left were fired upon. From my count most of the enemies' ships were in the vicinity of the bridge and we could delay no longer. The Sweepers had successfully moved their barge so as to be in contact with the bridge but no longer obstructing the passage; they in turn left the barge and came pell-mell to share our trenches. I had stationed an officer at each end of the bridge, one a new enlistee, Habib, from the Maguanacs, and after seeing all our men safe, I gave the signal to apply the torch. In a few moments the bridge was in flames and was quickly and thoroughly burned." (o) The bridge took form as a fiery arch, setting the thinning fog aglow, while a cold wind drove away the mist in gusts of rain. The sight mesmerized Wufei for a moment, his thoughts racing back to summertime. He'd been standing in a field shooting pheasants for dinner. White Queen Anne's lace blooming in the dry, grass had reminded Hilde of a star-studded night sky, except that the field was hot and it wasn't dark. She had the oddest, loveliest expressions. It wasn't the vision he'd expected to come to mind, but it was the sun on his face and the peacefulness that he craved. He wanted that now-- a warm, sunny day full of promises and mystery like the heavens and far distant from the horrors of this night. What am I doing? He shook off his temporary mental getaway, chastising himself. Daydreaming about flowers and my woman! He looked away, unable to watch the debacle, the lives lost as the burning bridge fell upon the enemy ships. That's when he saw a fleet of more ships arriving from the north and his heart sank. No! But, wait! What was that?! There was a flare from one. That had to be Quatre returning! Yes! There was Heavyarms, listing badly, and Sandrock, but what ship was that in the lead? Could that be Zechs, his troops aboard a commandeered ship? He watched Quatre, Trowa, and the bulk of the Maguanacs pass the shores of Sublimity as the bridge exploded. Noin's small force had destroyed the bridge as ordered, while Howard's ships were now engaging those of the enemy undamaged and attempting to flee the burning carnage. The lead ship was close enough that Wufei could read its name, Tallgeese. As he watched, Tallgeese, entered the fray with Heavyarms, Sandrock, and the Mag-units spreading out across the river intent on driving the remaining enemy ships back upon Wing, Deathscythe, andhis Nataku. Septum's ship had been the last to near the bridge and so had escaped undamaged. It was drawing near; Nataku was the closest ship. This would be the final act of glory. Oh, yes. Wufei hadn't forgotten the humiliation he'd felt from sharing the rose-scented bath with the man. His blood rose at the memory. "Treize," he yelled, "I avenge my honor!" Wufei launched into an attack brandishing his extendable "dragon fang" high-power flamethrowers, which could melt metal, and directed his hits toward the engine. "Chang Wufei? I meet your challenge!" the governor retorted, but Wufei felt Treize Khushrenada lacked drive, that he seemed apathetic toward the match. Wufei could tell the man had lost hope. Granted, his Nataku's close combat abilities were superior to those of Septum's ship, but he could see that Treize was hardly lifting an arm to do more that offer the weakest defense. "Fight, man!" Treize turned his way and said, "Humans need a higher system than god." Wufei struggled to follow his train of thought. "That's ridiculous! Of course not!" "You think so? Ah, too bad then. I forgive you, my little dragon. Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much." "You are insane," Wufei muttered, then louder told the leader, "Just surrender. Give up your disloyal and unrighteous beliefs. A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it." "You may be right," Treize said humbly, "but I doubt it." Then, he stepped aside, baring a path to the steam engine. Was he doing that on purpose, Wufei wondered? Treize, apparently of his own volition, was allowing the "dragon fang" to pierce the ship's power core, resulting in its destruction. The explosion lit the night, and then the last of the enemy ships sank-all just to avoid admitting defeat and laying down his arms. The battle ended just as the rain turned to snow. Snow was rare in Sublimity, but then so was war. The snow would cover the wounds to the ground, the woods, and would in effect, make the land finer and purer-more sublime, in fact. Wufei hoped the battle would lead to changes that would do the same kingdom- wide. End Chapter 30 "Humans need a higher system than god."-- Treize, Episode 14 "A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it."-- Oscar Wilde "Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much."--Oscar Wilde
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