Gundam SEED Fan Fiction / Vandread Fan Fiction ❯ GunDread SEED (Redition) ❯ Merry Christmas ( Chapter 11 )

GunDread SEED

 

Disclaimer: I don't own VanDread or Gundam SEED, but I own this story.

 

< >: Thoughts

 

Chapter 10

 

Merry Christmas…

 

**************

 

Back at the home-world of the Harvester forces…

 

Deep within the massive gears and framework of a once lush and verdant planet, the leaders of the Harvest Armada were getting very agitated at what they were witnessing. Inside a vast complex filled in shadow, several figures garbed in dark and sinister looking robes watched a series of images being displayed in a holographic screen in front of them. The screen depicted the images of the exploits of a certain vessel, it's exceptional Dread fighters, and along with its Vanguard forces and a certain Gundam in particular. In fact the images of Freedom were the most viewed by the beings, as they saw Kyo and Freedom in battle against their forces in every encounter with the ship known as the Nirvana and Megele crew and their male Talark allies.

 

“This has gone on for too long." One figure stated.

 

“Indeed." Another spoke. “This cannot be allowed to progress. The Harvest Plan is already behind schedule for weeks, due to the interference of this…Gundam."

 

“Yes, that is true, we all have seen the reports." A third joined in the conversation. “However, this Mobile Suit unit and it's pilot have proven themselves to be powerful obstacles. We have already lost considerable resources and those individuals they are allied with have proven themselves to rather…adaptable."

 

“Perhaps, we can focus our Harvest operation and our forces to other planets?" Another leader suggested. “After all, we are only up against one ship."

 

“One ship with powerful weapons and a Gundam!" The first leader replied. “You do recall that those brands of Mobile Suits nearly brought this world to death? And it took another Gundam to save this world from that unstable crystal, as you recall."

 

“Yes, we all have recalled it." The third spoke. “It was from it that we discovered and made the Paeksis centuries later. Its powers were formidable."

 

“Then you should know this. The comet from where we all designed the Paeksis, both ours and that one on the Nirvana also has the power to make advanced machines as well. We used that power to make both the Paeksis reactors. And it has proven itself capable of enhancing both machine and pilot."

“I see."

 

The third individual added his own observation. “From all the preliminary scans our drones had done on this Gundam, we have to assume that it wields the power of the Paeksis, though how that was accomplished we have no information of. Our scans also indicated that both the machine and pilot have the same power level as they both have made contact with the Paeksis on the Nirvana as well. Those strange fighters that the Gundam can merge with also exhibited the effects of being exposed to the Paeksis. That may be the key to their powers."

 

“Very well then… We shall, what was that term long ago? Oh yes. Fight fire with fire."

 

**************

 

Back out in space…

 

It had nearly been four months since the fused pirate vessel now known as the Nirvana had began the journey back home to Megele and Talark's home-system. Since that incident and the combining of the males into their crew, the women have been trying to keep up their morale during the long voyage and the constant attacks from their alien enemies. Today, they gained a blessed reprieve from all of their battles as a special time of the year arrived to greet them. Inside the ship, all the women were in a flurry of activity as they placed lavish decorations all over the ship. Currently their ship was traveling on a course, which brought it near the flight path of a huge comet.

 

**************

 

In the bridge…

 

BC looked around as she saw many of the crewmembers busy decorating the whole ship; she however was more concerned with other matters.

 

“Commander, do you think that we can put up the view of the comet on the monitors?"

 

BC nodded to her subordinate. “Go ahead." She let off a sigh as she watched the crew place wreaths, tinsel, and other holiday decorations all over the bridge. She led off another sigh as she watched all that was happening around her. The serious sub-commander of the pirates thought of Christmas as a frivolous and meaningless waste of precious time.

 

“Ezra, can you give me a full analysis of the comet and the surrounding areas?"

 

She turned to the gentle bridge officer… and found herself staring at two Christmas decorations, one being a star and the other being a bell.

 

“Commander, which decoration do you think is the best?" The pregnant woman asked.

 

BC placed her hand on her forehead, with the expression on her face announcing ' I give up'. “Why don't you pick the one you like the most?"

 

Ezra smiled and shook a bit, making the bell sound. “I'm so sorry, but I happen to like them both!"

 

Buzam sighed once more as a sweatdrop came down her head. It got even bigger as she turned and gazed at her captain, dress in a Santa Claus outfit.

 

“Hello BC, like they say, how can you have Christmas without Santa Claus, right?" Magno said with a cheerful smile as she greeted her crew.

 

The whole bunch crowded around Magno and said that the costume was so cute. But to BC, she just sighed shook her head, once more wearing the expression ' I give up. '

 

**************

 

Kyo was busy looking at all that was happening with a smile on his face as he watched all the activity around him.

 

It was then that Bart, and Duero arrived.

 

**************

 

In the kitchen…

 

Barnette gave a happy look as she went on in preparing a special Christmas cake for the feast that will be coming soon. Dita and Jura were there in the kitchen as well, helping their comrade out.

 

Jura looked at the cake critically. “You should put more chocolate cream." Jura advised her friend. “Oh, and don't forget the powdered sugar."

 

It was then that Jura turned and saw someone who should have been responsible to a certain, and important part of the feast tonight.

 

Dita was hiding near a table, and smiled as she took a sample of some of the chocolate icing and tasted it. She smacked her lips and smiled cutely as she enjoyed the taste.

 

“Yummy!"

 

However, she received a rap on the head, as she saw Jura glaring down at her.

 

“Dita! Didn't I tell you to watch over the turkey?"

 

The younger Dread pilot sighed while nodding, but as she turned to view the oven where the turkey was, all she could see was thick, black smoke bellowing out. She immediately eeped and ran straight out of the kitchen.

 

“DITA! Get back here!" was all the redhead could hear from Jura as she rocketed out of the room.

 

**************

 

Kyo, along with the other two men watched the flurry of activity below them. The Gundam pilot smiled, while the two other men were in a state of confusion at what they were looking at, as they had no idea what was going on, and why the women were so excited.

 

“What's going on?” Bart asked, no longer able to hold back his curiosity.

 

Pyoro arrived as he replied to the inquiry. “It's Christmas. Every year on December 25th, women celebrate this time of year."

 

Kyo cocked his head and smiled. “That's pretty much it. This is practiced a lot on some planets we've been on.” <Did I ever celebrate Christmas when I was still young? > The brown-haired man smiled half-sad as he tried to recall the times he may have celebrated this special day of the year in his past life with his family, and he wondered if the world where he really descended from celebrated this wonderful time of the year. (1)

 

“What is this… Christmas, exactly?" Duero asked.

 

“It's a festival!" Pyoro replied, surprised at the oddly puzzled expression on the normally intelligent doctor. “Didn't you have festivals back home on Talark?"

 

Bart reluctantly replied. “Well, to be honest… we did have something like that…" He shuddered a bit as he recalled the 'festivals' back on his home, which were nothing more than parades and shows of strength. “But they weren't exactly one would call enjoyable."

 

The doctor nodded too, as he also found the parties on Talark to be boring. Duero then addressed his Coordinator comrade. “What about you Kyo? Since you definitely aren't from my home-planet, do you know some things about Christmas?"

 

“Yeah, I do, though somewhat vaguely. One good occasion is to go out and find a suitable tree to be used and trim it down to fit the place where you'd want to place your presents." Kyo replied.

 

“Presents? What are those?" Duero asked with curiosity.

 

“Presents are gifts, it's a Christmas tradition that gifts are the things you give to your friends and family and also to those you feel for." Kyo answered.

 

“I see… where'd you all learn this?" Duero asked.

 

“Like I said, I've done a lot of traveling to other worlds, and they all have customs for this time of the year. Though I have no idea whether the women of Megele do the same thing."

 

It was then that a door near them opened, revealing a very perky Dread pilot.

 

“Ah hah! There you are!"

 

Kyo sighed as he saw Dita. “Here we go again!"

 

**************

 

Down a hallway…

 

“Honest? You don't celebrate Christmas Mr. Alien?" Dita asked as she and the men, along with the Navi-robot walked through the corridor.

 

“Yeah, it's not like I don't love those times of the year. But since I'm always on the move, then I don't often find the time." Kyo said shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Men lead such depressing lives." The robot remarked. “They have to miss out on things like a great feast and yummy deserts."

 

Dita smiled in agreement. “That's right, and it's one of the best parts. Barnette's making a really special Christmas cake."

 

This got the attention of the Gundam pilot. He looked to eat and the sound of a good meal was enough to get his attention, along with other things.

 

“Well, I suppose I can help out a bit… “

 

**************

 

The group arrived at a supply room, hoping to find more decorations. The area had not been opened since the two ships had merged into the Nirvana. There was a considerable accumulation of dust everywhere. It was then that Kyo spotted a hidden door behind some boxes.

 

“Hey guys, take a peek at this." He said as he removed some of the boxes from the door. He then gave the door a measured push as it then gave way. Inside was another room, bigger than the supply room and was in more dust and filled with items that haven't light the light of day for over a century.

 

Kyo whistled at what he was seeing.

 

“WOW! What is all this stuff?" Dita asked with wide eyes as she gazed inside.

 

Duero rubbed his finger over an item and checked the amount of dust on the surface. “It seems that we've stumbled on a section of the Ikazuchi, during the Colonization Era."

 

“Colonization Era?" Bart asked.

 

“Yes, you should recall that the captain said that the Ikazuchi was once part of a colony fleet from Earth. From the looks of this place and all the dust here, I'd say that this part of the ship was sealed off, since the time of the first generation."

 

“Yeah, but they should have at least been a little more orderly when they sealed the place." Kyo said as he moved around.

 

“I wonder what sort of items we'll find in here for Christmas?" Duero asked as he rummaged through the piles.

 

As the group moved around the room, looking through the hodgepodge of ancient texts, books, furniture and other items, Dita spied a small box that seemed to be covered under a blanket, she knelt down, removed the blanket and opened the box and began to rummage around it. She then pulled out a rectangular object and held it out for the others to see. It appeared to be an ancient VHS tape with the label entitled ' X-Mas with the family.'

 

“What do you suppose this is?"

 

Kyo gazed at it for a moment and nodded. They began rummaging around and found an ancient video cassette player. Hooking the old device in a nearby power outlet and hooking up the player into the monitor systems, Kyo then popped in the cassette. However, he made the mistake of actually connecting the player to all the Comm systems. And naturally as a result, everyone in the whole ship got to see the show.

 

**************

 

In the ship's galley, the women stopped in their preparations for Christmas Eve when the monitors lit up and showed a test pattern. The images were grainy and had static from long years of degradation. But it was still clear for all to see and getting clearer.

 

The scene focused in on a quaint and clear, Christmas setting. It showed a mother and her daughter sitting on couch near a fireplace. Beside the family, was a lavishly decorated Christmas tree and in the background stockings were hanging. In the arms of the mother was her small baby, sleeping soundly.

 

The women all gave of 'oohs', 'ahhs', and ' how cute' comments as they continued to watch what appeared to be a perfect family Christmas back home on Megele. However, that little perception was thrown out the window as their expressions changed to shock and disbelief as a new individual entered the scene and sat down beside the mother and daughter. The little girl giggled a bit as she reached out to greet… her father.

 

IT WAS A MAN!

 

“N-No way!" Paiway gasped as her jaw dropped with open.

 

“It… can't be!" Barnette shook her head in deep denial.

 

“A man and… a woman?!" Jura didn't know why she suddenly saw an image of herself and Kyo in her mind, sitting together on the same couch in that very video scene.

 

Jura wasn't the only one though, as Meia also gazed at the video, and she began to wonder why part of her mind began conjuring up and image of her and Kyo in that same scene.

 

What was the most shocking thing about this whole scene, (at least to the females anyway.) was that everyone in the video seemed so…happy.

 

**************

 

“Amazing!" Dita squealed with delight as she and the men continued to stare at the video.

 

Floating nearby was Pyoro who's gaze went to the small infant in the mother's arms. “A small human… is just my size. A…baby…"

 

**************

 

At the Medical Bay…

 

The reactions on the video weren't just limited to the women… as a certain someone was ranting like a madman.

 

“A MAN AND A WOMAN LIVING TOGETHER UNDER THE SAME ROOF?!" Bart was completely hysterical at what he had witnessed. It was sacrilege!

 

“Here's some Valium." Duero said as he handed some of the relaxant pills to his hysterical companion, which Bart immediately snatched up and gulped down in one run with a glass of water.

 

Kyo was in the Medical Bay as well, he was trying not to laugh at the look of horror on Bart's face.

 

“IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! IT'S ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE!"

 

It was then that the former Earthling and Coordinator dropped the bomb. “No it's not."

 

The two men turned and looked at him in disbelief.

 

Kyo sighed at their looks. “Aren't we all doing the same thing now? Living under one roof with the women?"

 

Bart swallowed hard, as he tried to get his mouth to work and deny everything. Duero thought on this for a moment and replied. “Well, yes that's true, technically speaking of course… but…"

 

“But what Duero?" Kyo interrupted. “There's absolutely nothing wrong about it, and it's nothing to be so totally excited about. I've seen these things happen hundreds of times, and I can agree on one thing. That it's natural."

 

“NO! It can't be natural!" Bart adamantly denied.

 

“Oh, and why is that not natural?" Kyo asked with a full idea on what Bart was going to say.

 

“Because it could never happen on Talark or Megele!"

 

The Gundam pilot snorted a bit. “Well Bart, in case you've forgotten, we're not on Megele or Talark, are we now? Besides that, what makes you so sure that Talark and Megele are the only worlds where humans live anyway? I have been to dozens of worlds, in which colonists from Earth settled on, and they're still practicing the old customs between men and women."

 

This caught the doctor's attention and interest. “Interesting. If you don't mind I'd like to hear about all your travels."

 

Kyo was about to oblige Duero, but stopped from elaborating, considering the state of agitation Bart was in. “Maybe later Duero." Kyo said as he left the Medical Bay.

 

**************

 

In Dita's bedroom…

 

“It's SO cool!" Dita sighed as she lay back on her bed with a blissful expression. In her lap was a small box that was wrapped in green and blue paper with a cartoon style drawing of herself. On top was a message that said, ' Do not open until midnight.'

 

**************

 

On the bridge, Buzam was trying her very best to maintain a semblance of order on the crew, but was getting nowhere at all. The females were far too excited to concentrate on their duties and first officer knew that until the Christmas season ends, nothing here could be done completely. She gave out another tired sigh as she sat down on a console, and started scanning the surrounding areas, looking for any sign of the enemy forces.

 

**************

 

Kyo was walking down the hallways, until his nose picked up the faint scent of something that was burned up real bad. He looked to his left and found the odor coming from the galley's kitchen. With little else to do until the party starts, he decided to take the time to check it out.

 

**************

 

“It's no use! The turkey is completely ruined!" Barnette commented sadly as she stared at the black mass that would have been the main entrée of the feast. The appetizers, a few side dishes and dessert were all finished. But there was still a very big gap in the menu, especially so when it was to feed one hundred and fifty crewmembers.

 

“Ooh, it's Dita's fault, I told her to watch over the turkey!" Jura pouted sadly. “Now there's no more time to thaw out another one!"

 

“So what do we cook for the main course?"

 

“Why don't you try cooking some more varied dishes?" Kyo suggested. “A buffet style dinner is always the best way to feed large crowds, and a hundred fifty people is definitely a crowd."

 

Both women turned and spotted Kyo casually leaning near the door of the kitchen with his arms on his sides.

 

Barnette gave the three of them a deep scowl “Oh go away! We don't need anymore problems! "

 

The young Gundam pilot cocked his head in puzzlement. Even after all he had done for the Nirvana and its crew; Barnette still remained very hostile towards him.

 

“Problems? I just heard that you don't have anything to cook for the main course and I thought I can help you all out, make some suggestions, maybe even help out with the cooking." Kyo stated.

 

This caught the females' attention.

 

“You can cook? Yeah right." Barnette scoffed. “Since when can a man cook anything that isn't pill-shaped?"

 

Kyo sighed a bit, he began to walk towards the two women. “In case you haven't heard Barnette, I'm NOT from Talark. And why is it so hard to believe that a man can cook anyhow?" Kyo asked with a curious expression.

 

That statement caught Jura's attention and interest. It seemed that she was learning something totally new about Kyo everyday, which made him even more fascinating. This just might be the reason why Dita's always chasing Kyo with him more. “You can really cook?"

 

The young man shrugged his shoulders. Kyo, despite his memories being kept in a mental barrier still recalled all the training he had undergone in the cooking arts from his folks respectively, plus, he loved cooking so it wasn't a problem for him to cook. “Yes, I can cook, Jura, I had to learn since I've always been planet-hopping before landing on Talark, plus it was a good way to test my other talents. What, you think that I survived on nutrition pills all this time?"

 

“Hmpf!" Barnette snorted in distrust. “I don't believe it! There's just no way can a man cook anything good!"

 

Kyo shrugged his shoulders as he got a knife. "Well then, I guess that the only way to prove it to you, is to show you then." He reached out for the items in the lockers and gave a smile. “LET'S START COOKING!"

 

Kyo began by tossing out various items, including vegetables, meats of all types, herbs, and other cooking ingredients.

 

Kyo went at it, immediately catching several types of vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, celery, onions, radishes, cabbages and a lettuce and placing them into a bowl. Tossing out the contents he immediately went into action, taking out his knife, he caught the items and began to cut them up while moving in great speed. Once that was done he flipped them upward ad into the bowl and began giving them the true 'tossed salad' treatment and with pure accurate and flawless skill placed them all in the proper arrangements along with the pre-hard boiled eggs.

 

He repeated the same steps without pause until all the salads were finished, and he went on over to the next phase.

 

Sounds of sizzling meat came in as Kyo whipped up a storm of fire, placing different woks onto the burners. The young man went to work making different types of stir-fry with various vegetables and meats, with spices and sauces in the right proportions. Kyo worked with near-inhuman dexterity as he worked up the different dishes. Once he was done, they tossed the contents into the plates nearby, without spilling a single drop.

 

Kyo went even further to the side and began cooking six different types of fish to add to the menu. Once he was done, he also cooked up a storm with different servings of pork, beef, chicken and ham into several types of dishes, and without missing a beat. Once that was done, he went to work with an extra serving of food as he began cooking a good selection of other meat style foods. Once he was finished they also placed the meat dishes into several large platters. And along with the finished stir-fry he placed all the cooked products onto the dinner table, which would be wheeled into the area at the Bio-Park.

 

Both Barnette and Jura stood by, with wide-eyes and their mouths hanging open as they watched Kyo whip up a storm of culinary delights that would have been hard to accomplish considering the time given. Every now and then, he would make various flashy maneuvers making the process of food preparation into an art-form and entertaining to boot. He would twirl knives without cutting himself and juggle them to one hand and another without missing or hitting. He would hurl food high into the air and catch them in nearly impossible postures and positions. He balanced trays with various dishes on his head, fingers, arms, or knees.

 

As he continued to cook, the delicious aromas from the food that was finished and the foods being cooked wafted out of the galley and into the hall, attracting a lot of spectators, including Sara and Mai.

 

Mai and Sara had been carrying extra decorations when they both smelled the delicious foods being cooked in the kitchen. Naturally assuming that it was Barnette's handiwork, they, and several other girls they decided to stop by and watch, so naturally were surprised to see Kyo doing all the cooking.

 

“How is he doing all that?" Jura asked, as her eyes never left Kyo's lean-muscled body.

 

Mai and Sara, along with the other girls who stopped by to watch were rendered speechless. A man who was actually cooking?!

 

Kyo was now satisfied with his works, since before he placed the food on the dinner table, he had taken a small sample to measure the right tastes, and found them all to be right to the letter. He went back to work on the other meals, namely the deserts.

 

Kyo went to work as he got into making the pasta with easy assurance as he finished his work on the sauces. He easily balanced the tastes of the sauces and began to cook the assorted items. Once he finished he placed in the finished products on the table. And when that was over, he went to work with various types of lighter dishes, namely different noodles and soups making the new dishes light and filling. Once that was over, he went to the fruits.

 

As the women looked at the banquet table, it was filled with succulent dishes including: egg rolls, beef steak, barbecued ribs, fried chicken, roasted chicken, roasted beef, roasted pork, roasted fish, ham, various types of stir-fry, sea food, baked macaroni, lasagna, different types of noodles, soups, seven types of pizza, mashed potatoes, salads with different dressings, and a good selection of fresh fruits.

 

Kyo wiped his hands clean and gave a simple smile and gestured to all the assembled food. “Dinner is served." He said as he left the room.

 

All the girls applauded with awe as the young man finished his little show as Barnette stood there in disbelief. Jura looked on with new interest, all of it focused on Kyo. The girls tasted the food and found them all to be very tasty.

 

Mai and Sara were totally speechless.

 

**************

 

Like her commander BC, Meia found no time or reason to celebrate all that much. Her childhood, after her parent's scandal and deaths, had been very hard on her and she didn't have any happy memories of celebrating Christmas and her birthday for that matter after all that had happened. Since joining up with Magno's pirates, she had been dedicating all of her time to her duties.

 

Currently, she decided to go out on patrol and scan the area for possible hostile forces, so she made a beeline straight for the Hanger where her Dread was storage. She noticed Gascogne and one of her aides trying to work in a spare seat to Dita's cockpit but with little success. Apparently, the Dread was never intended to carry 'economy sized' passengers,

 

**************

 

Kyo wandering down the halls, deep in thought on what to do while singing an old song in his mind, and it had something to do with Christmas, when he heard a small explosion coming from the Bio-Park. Acting on battle instinct he pulled out his gun and ran to the area. He relaxed a bit as he saw Parfet standing near the control panel of a large smoking machine.

 

“Me thinks me goofed!"

 

“Parfet, what the heck are you doing?" Kyo asked as he placed back his weapon, and walked towards the engineer. Buzam and a few others came on the scene as well, when they all heard the device act up like a spoiled child.

 

The head engineer looked up and gave Kyo a sheepish smile. “I'm trying to make it snow for the Christmas parade."

 

“Oh."

 

One of the engineering staff came to her superior and shook her head while showing the blueprints for the snowmaking machine. “I'm afraid that we busted up a couple of the relays, ma'am."

 

Parfet kept her spirits high. “Don't you all worry about it! I'll make it snow for Christmas yet!"

 

“But at this rate, we'll never make it in time for the parade!"

 

“Oh yeah, you're right about that. Maybe… I should scrap it?"

 

That didn't suit well to the others.

 

Jura shook her head as she and Barnette came up to them. Jura's best friend gave Kyo a bit of a scowl. She didn't relish the idea of being showed up twice. (2)

 

“I won't have it! It won't be Christmas at all without any snow or snow sculptures!" Jura said with a pout.

 

Buzam sighed as she decided to suggest an alternative. “We'll be passing by that huge comet outside at exactly midnight. That should help satisfy everyone's desire for snow this year."

 

“But then it wouldn't be the same!" One more crewmember complained.

 

“Yes! We'll only be able to see it from inside the ship!" Another girl going by the name of Celtic Midori added. She was always wearing this big bear costume and Kyo often wondered why she would always be covering her entire body with a klutzy costume like that. As the former Yamato could ever recall since stepping onboard the Nirvana, he had never ever seen her face. It must be really hot inside that costume.

 

He decided not to interfere tonight, as he knew that making snow wasn't in his repertoire of skills, and they just might get in the way. He then decided to hit space and get some exercise in Freedom.

 

**************

 

Later…

 

<Man! It feels good to be in Freedom again.> Kyo thought to himself as he soared inside Freedom, leaving Liberty behind.

 

He then directed Freedom closer to the comet, and looked at the massive fragment of space ice in front of him. The comet was at least a full three and a half miles in diameter, and was leaving a vast trail of ice and vapor in its wake.

 

Kyo was about to steer away from the comet, but then focused his vision as he noticed something enter the comet's tail, and decided to fly Freedom get a little bit closer to identify the object. As soon as he passed the comet's thick barrage of ice fragments, he saw some flashes of light occurring, and rightly guessed that something out of the ordinary was going on. He immediately made Freedom fly a beeline to the area.

 

**************

 

A little bit earlier…

 

In her Dread, Meia had been on a routine patrol on the area near the Nirvana when her sensors picked up strange energy readings being emitted from the comet's tail. She decided to investigate and dove deep into the layers of vapor and ice to find…herself in an ambush. Her fighter immediately became entangled in a web network of energy cords and was prevented from moving an inch. She looked up her cockpit and found herself looking at her captor.

 

The machine resembled a grotesque-looking cross-breed between an eel and an armored spider with one huge, bulging eye in it's center. It was given programmed orders by it's masters to watch over the Nirvana and trap any unwary members of it's crew. The alien machine had set up a type of solid energy net and had been lying in wait for anyone of the Nirvana to come to it. Unfortunately for the Dread team leader, the alien machine considered her fighter to be it's new prey… and it intended to take all of it's time with her.

At that instant, another flash of light appeared on the scene. Meia's eyes widened as she saw Freedom pass by her stricken craft. At the same time the Gundam pilot caught sight of her. Both said the same phrase at the same time…

 

“What are you doing here?!"

 

**************

 

"Mr. Alien!" Dita called out as she went in search of Kyo to give him her present to him. It was nearing midnight, but she had been unable to find him.

 

**************

 

Kyo went to work smashing the energy web with his Gundam's beam sabers, and then his beam lance, along with the assault guns in the effort to free Meia's captive Dread. The Gundam was hitting with greater force under the command of it's pilot. The aqua-haired girl became rather impatient as time passed.

 

“Stop fooling around and get me out of this thing! Use the overcharge option on those beam weapons of yours!"

 

The Gundam pilot stopped in his work and cocked his head back in annoyance and disbelief as he spoke to Meia. “Let me get this right. You want me to use Freedom's plasma, and rail-gun cannons on overcharge to get you out of here?"

 

“Yes!"

 

Kyo replied with a very sarcastic remark. “Oh yeah, right. My Gundam's overcharge beam cannons can turn a few asteroids into particles; I can use it all to blast this energy net. Of course, in exchange you and your Dread will be atomized along with it! You've got to be nuts to suggest I do that!" He then went back to work in busting up the net with his Mobile Suit's beam sabers. At that moment the alien machine begun to advance on Freedom.

 

However, the former Yamato simply turned and threw out one of the beam sabers like a spear at the alien machine, piercing its eye dead center, causing it to stagger back.

 

“Don't even try it! I'm rather busy here!" He said as he went back to work, but not before jetting forward to retrieve his beam saber.

 

**************

 

Dita became even more worried as midnight was now only minutes away. She still hadn't located Mr. Alien as the crew counted down to midnight.

 

**************

 

With one final blow of Freedom's beam lance, Kyo freed Meia's Dread from its prison. As the Dread made it's way out of the area, Kyo placed back his beam sabers and prepared to hightail it out of the area.

 

The alien machine however had no intention to leave them alone, as it reared up and began to pursue them.

 

“You had better not follow us!" Kyo shouted back as he turned Freedom around and faced the alien machine, and powered up his beam cannons.

 

**************

 

Midnight…

 

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"

 

The crew began tossing confetti in the air as they celebrated the season of Christmas…. Then…

 

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!

 

**************

 

The head of the comet made a spectacular triple explosion, causing the ice particles to shower on all sides of the Nirvana. To all those inside, it seemed that…

 

“It's snowing in space!"

 

“It's so beautiful!"

 

“I wonder what made that happen?"

 

“Has anybody seen Meia and Kyo?"

 

At the bridge Buzam was wondering the same thing, and also as to what had happened to the comet. Her communications array picked up several voices, including the two people in question.

 

“Kyo! I think you overdid it!"

 

“Don't be so picky Meia! I got rid of it, didn't I? I also cooked the crew's dinner and at least gave the crew a chance to see snow for Christmas! What else do you want?!"

 

“Oh sure. Like you planned the last one!"

 

“Oh brother! Maybe it would have been better for me to leave you there? Merry Christmas anyway Meia!"

 

Buzam shook her head while smiling. Those two still might have some differences, but at least she knew that the two of them were all right, as they all headed back to the Nirvana.

 

**************

 

For the rest of the crew, Christmas came off without a single hitch, and even the men from Talark got involved with the gift-giving. Parfet had managed to get the snowmakers back online, and so it snowed both inside the ship and on the outside. Duero then arrived and presented the spunky engineer with a painting that in his words were the image of white blood cells flowing, but it reality was the view of a blizzard. Jura received a fabulous diamond ring from Barnette, while Barnette got a… kiss from Jura. (That was it?) BC was moderately surprised to receive a gift from Bart in the form of a container filled with the best Talark food pills in white, green and red. Hey the thought counts, right?

 

Meia was a bit peeved as she now owed Kyo her life…twice, although she had to admit that he was a very good cook. Before she knew it she was on her fourth helping of his egg-rolls, and his own Italian pizza, and salmon strips.

 

As for the Gundam in question…?

 

**************

 

“Mr. Alien!" Dita cried out as she saw him exit his Gundam's cockpit in the hanger.

 

“Hmmm? Oh, hi." Kyo said as he greeted the redhead. He was rather hungry after using Freedom's Overcharge Attack on that alien ship, and he was ready to feast like hell. He hoped that there will still be some food left for him from the banquet they prepared

 

“Here's something for you Mr. Alien." Dita said as she handed him the box that she had been carrying. “I want you to open this at midnight!"

 

Kyo looked at the box. “Ah, thanks, but you really didn't have to…"

 

“I wanted to!" Dita said with a smile, and then gave him a look, as if expecting a present from him.

 

The young man found himself in a rather awkward situation, and felt like a louse, here she was, giving him a present, and he didn't have one for her in exchange. He then looked a bit and decided to just hand her something that he had with him

 

“Would you close your eyes for just a few minutes?"

 

Dita looked at the young warrior with a little puzzlement in her eyes. “Why?"

 

“Just trust me."

 

The redhead shrugged her shoulders and closed her eyes. Kyo then opened a small compartment and took out a box. He looked inside and nodded as he spotted some of the things that were very precious to him, once he spotted the one he had in mind, he told Dita to open her eyes again.

 

The girl gasped in delight and awe as she looked down and saw what was hanging on her neck. From a box, Kyo had taken out a beautiful diamond necklace with a pure blue-white stone.

 

“This necklace is one among the few things that is very important to me. I want to give this to you as my present. Merry Christmas Dita." He said as he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

 

Dita gasped once more as she felt his lips touch her skin, but then Kyo pointed to the plant above them, which was mistletoe. He gave her a simple smile and wink and left her as he made his way to the banquet at the Bio-Park before all the food was gone.

 

Dita felt a deep flow of warmth in her heart that she never felt before in her life as she watched Kyo leave.

 

“Thank you… Mr… Kyo."

 

**************

 

Later…

 

Kyo smiled as he made his way back to his quarters; he enjoyed the food and listened to the happy noises from the women. He then went off to get some sleep for tomorrow's latest events. It was then that he spotted Meia looking out through a viewing window.

 

“Don't plan on sleeping yet?"

 

Meia turned and looked at Jin. “No, don't feel like it yet."

 

“I see… well, I'll see you tomorrow." Kyo said as he walked on, but stopped. “Hey, Meia."

 

“What is it?"

 

“You don't seem to like celebrating Christmas a lot."

 

Meia sighed and gave a sad look. “Well, after my parents died, and I was left on my own, I didn't have a lot of good memories when this time of the year came."

 

“I see… so I hope you don't mind too much if I handed this to you?"

 

Meia turned to see Kyo pull out of a box a small golden ring with a deep violet stone in the band, around the band were flowing vine images engraved in gold and silver leaf. He then placed next to her hand.

 

“What…is this?"

 

“A gift that I had for a long time. It's something very important to who I was before I came here. It's not like any of those jewels that you've seen in Megele, but it's a precious part of my lost life. I think it would look nice with you."

 

“I…"

 

“It's okay; it's yours the moment I gave that to you. Keep it or not is your choice. Merry Christmas, Meia Gisborn." Kyo said as he walked on, whistling a simple yet melodic tone as he headed back to his quarters.

 

Meia looked at Kyo as he moved away, she gazed back at the ring in her hand, and she smiled a bit and took the ring into her grasp.

 

“Thank you…Merry Christmas… Kyo"

 

Later…

 

Kyo looked up to the view of space as he wandered the Bio-Park a bit before hitting the sack. He reached a nearby oak tree and smiled as he inhaled the smells of the flowers in bloom, and the smells of the woods.

 

“Are you trying to inhale the whole air supply of the Nirvana?"

 

Kyo turned in surprise and saw Jura, giving him a smile as she looked at him.

 

“Hey Jura, no I'm not inhaling the whole ship's air-supply for your information. I'm… just smelling the Bio-Park's scent… it's been a long time since I've taken in the smells of a forest."

 

“You men are so strange sometimes, you know that?" Jura said as she moved closer to Tanaki.

 

“Is that a bad thing?"

 

“No, for some reason, I seem to think that it makes you more intriguing than most." Jura said as she gazed at the lake nearby. “By the way, you don't happen to know how to give a gift do you?"

 

“A Christmas present? Let me see…" Kyo said as he reached into his box. He smiled a bit as he took out a cloth wrapping something underneath. He then gave it to Jura.

 

Jura looked at the item with a curious eye. “What is this?"

 

“Just a little something I kept close to me while wandering the universe with Freedom, long before landing on Talark. It's one among the few things that were part of myself long ago. I hope you like it. Merry Christmas Jura Basil Elden." Kyo then smiled as he gave Jura a light peck on her forehead and went on his way.

 

Jura watched him walk away, still feeling the shivers that his light kiss had sent through her. She then unwrapped the cloth and found herself in awe.

 

She was staring at a small yet well crafted silver bracelet, and there were several blue and violet stones, giving of a comfortable shade of blue-white light.

 

She looked at the corner of the hallway as Kyo turned a corner.

 

“Merry Christmas… Kyo." (3)

 

**************

 

Kyo yawned as he entered his quarters. The feast had been real good and he was now ready to hit the sack after a long day. He left and gave a few presents to some of the crew, he then recalled that he hadn't opened Dita's gift yet, which he still had in his hands. He decided to open it since this time was as good as any. With one pull the lid flew open and out came a flying toy, which was a flying saucer with a Santa Claus hat on it.

 

“What the…?" Kyo said with a surprised look.

 

He then heard an electronic voice that was like Dita's and it was wishing him a Merry Christmas, then exploded, releasing confetti and out of it was a cartoon version of himself with a Santa Claus outfit complete with reindeer and sleigh. However, she called it Santa Alien.

 

“Ha, ha, ha, ha…I should have known she'd do that." Kyo said with a smile. He caught the toy and prepared to hit the sack.

 

**************

 

On the bridge, BC and Magno were busy enjoying a glass of eggnog together, before they planned in turning in for the night.

 

“Well, we have made through another year." The old woman said with a smile, in which her first officer agreed with her. “We've seen so many battles and experienced a lot of things, but we all can still count our blessings and be thankful for them all."

 

“Yes." Buzam nodded. “And I must admit that Kyo was not quite what I've expected. That was a wonderful dinner he prepared for the crew."

 

The old woman chuckled at that and gave a warm smile. “Oh I've always felt that there was something unique about him, and it has nothing to do with just his skills. Though many of the crew don't know it yet, he has won our hearts and I sometimes wonder where we would be without him."

 

“Yes."

 

The captain then finished her eggnog and looked out into the void of space. “In any case, I'm glad for this time of the year, we can forget all about our worries for just one day."

 

**************

 

Enjoy it while it lasts Magno Vivian, for back on the Harvester Homeworld.

 

“Progress reports on our latest weapon."

 

“The project is well underway, and we expect it to be nearing completion within a week from now." The technician replied as he gestured to an assembly yard, which housed a humanoid mecha inside it as parts and systems were being implanted and installed.

 

“Excellent." One of the Harvest leaders replied. Behind him were the rest of his colleagues as they decided to check on the progress of the new projects. “We will be sending one of the main battle ships to the Melanos system to oversee the skin harvesting operations there. Our data projections state that the Nirvana will be entering that sector in a matter of days. I trust that the new countermeasures against those annoying GunDreads will be completed by then?"

 

“Yes my masters. Not only the GunDread countermeasures, but also our solution to the Freedom Gundam will be as well. I believe that with all the battle data which we have collected from all of it's previous battles with our fleets, we can create far superior weapons to it and it's pilot. Though we are losing some considerable resources in the process." He gestured to the command console as his fellow technicians fed combat data into a set of memory systems

 

The Harvest leaders nodded their heads. The leader who spoke walked up to the assembly yard. “This will be nothing but a small price to pay. Once we have removed the threat of the Gundam and it's pilot, we shall then be free to harvest once again. This will be the last battle for the Freedom Gundam, for this new Gundam of our own making shall be our weapon of revenge for all of the meddling it and it's pilot had done and for those who defy our will. Therefore we shall call it…"

 

“Gundam Dominion!"(4)

 

To be continued…

 

Author's notes:

 

Well, that caps up the section on the Christmas episode. The scene regarding the Harvesters will deal with a certain bit of information I placed back at the Prologue (that is…if you paid attention to it.) so it's going to be a rough ride. There will be more chapters soon, I promise you all. As for what's the abilities of the Earth's own Gundam, well, we'll have to wait and see what develops. On the next chapter we'll be dealing with the mutiny and the other humans that Kyo will encounter who are also being harvested by the Harvester enemy.

 

Kyo did celebrate Christmas, for he grew up on Earth for many years, long before being trapped in the Paeksis cocoon.

The first time Barnette had gotten showed up by Kyo was between ch. 9 and on the songfic, Realize.

The reason for the gift giving is pretty much to help cement the relationships Kyo has with Meia, Dita, and Jura. It IS a custom to give a gift to someone you like, you know…

As to what the Dominion Gundam will look like, that's a surprise.