Gundam SEED Fan Fiction / Vandread Fan Fiction ❯ GunDread SEED- The Second Stage ❯ Part 2 - Trials ( Chapter 27 )

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I have no ownership of either Gundam SEED or VanDread…if I did own both…then why bother making a story out of them?

Chapter 12

Part 2

Trials

< >: Thoughts

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

In the Megele Naval Academy…

“All right ladies…let's have a review of last week's practice sessions.”

The Dread pilots groaned as they handed their PDAs to the Gundam pilot who fed them into the computer data archives. Kyo then studied the records and had to admit that it was certainly a bit of an improvement than the last batch of scores he got from the Dread pilots.

The Gundam pilot was busy running through the records and also observed his `students' as they sat down on their chairs and awaited his verdict…compared to the Dread pilots of the Nirvana and the Paradise…these ladies were going to need a ton of work…the strategies that they used in combating the Harvesters were not too bad…but with the ability of the Harvesters to rapidly modify their tactics to suit the situation, he knew that standard Megele tactics were not going to work against them.

He wondered how they would be able to handle operating with the men of Talark when the time came to incorporate them with the men and their Vanguards, and that was something that he knew was ready going to be heck of a lot of work for him to do in getting them to work together. So far this bunch had promise…but getting them to think outside of the box was becoming a bit of a chore for the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, and it was getting to really be a chore to do at times.

He had spent a week in the Nirvana and afterwards left the pirate ship to work in the Megele Naval Academy to train and prepare the next band of Megele pilots for their battle with the Harvesters. It had been quite a number of days since he got there and he had gotten quite a number of odd messages from the women…no doubt disliking the fact that he was a man and their new commanding officer…some of the messages were amusing…while others were not too amusing and at one point were rather insulting. Kyo however didn't lose his temper too much on these matters. He understood that the women who sent the messages were still uncomfortable with the idea of working with men and since he was the only man in the whole Megele Navy…he was going to be the main target board until the formal merging of Talark and Megele's military forces…

However…he was not just going to turn the other cheek all the time and made it clear to the women then he was not someone to intimidate and he proved his words right as some of them were given an idea of how serious he was in training exercises as he beat them in the open field exercises with his Gundam and even when he made sure not to use his Gundam's full power...such as using his I-Freedom's Super DRAGOONs, or his Anti-ship swords in either form, and his fused plasma and rail-gun cannons…he was able to beat them when they came at him, relying on his experience and his skills…and he never relied on his inborn SEED ability to do those either.

He also had to show his skills in other matters as it seemed that some of the women had heard of his non-combat talents and tested them…such as cooking, music, song, and also dance. It was a distraction that he played out when there was not much to work on and it made him a bit amused to see the nerves of the women tested…however, he made it clear that this was a direct order from Grand Ma herself to the women and if they had an issue with that matter, then it was better that they took it up with her as well. The women got the message and decided to listen and follow his orders…but that certainly didn't mean that his challenges were over…but at least it gave him something to pass the time while on duty in the Academy.

And like the women of the Crusader Squadron all those months before…the women of the Dread Squadrons found Kyo to be a hard but fair taskmaster as he set them through their paces and their training. He played no favorites and wanted them all to prove themselves to him and to what awaited them and he was not above using his authority as Grand Admiral to give insubordinate women in the squadrons object lessons…but he was fair and made the tasks manageable but not something to take lightly either way.

He also made sure to physically train them in the same manner as he did the Crusaders…not like he was going to force them to pilot either Vanguards or the created Crusader units…but to make sure that they were physically and mentally fit for combat duty as a team. They were going to have to make do in four months what the Crusader Squadron had done in a matter of nearly a year and a half. That was no mean feat and the women before him were going to have to work even harder to be up to standard.

As he reviewed the data Kyo faced the women and called them to attention as he replayed the images from the missions they had undertaken and before them was their individual performances and their squadron performances. The Gundam pilot looked over the details and spoke.

“All right…there's been improvement in you're overall performances and that is a good sign…however, there are some of you who still need to work on your team and individual tactics in order to handle the Harvesters in combat. For today, your performance is satisfactory.”

The women were relieved at that and Kyo waited for them to calm down as they gossiped with one another for a few minutes. He let them do so and then when things had calmed down he called their attention and spoke.

“However…there will be a session of training after lunch so I suggest you get some rest along the way…you are dismissed.”

As the women left the room, the Gundam pilot turned as Commander Heidi came in and saluted him, he saluted back as she handed him a data-pad with a report on it. The Gundam pilot took it and read the data and spoke to the female liaison officer under his command.

“How are the rest of the Dread pilots doing with the simulations I have cooked up Commander Heidi?”

“They are doing well enough Admiral…however some of them are complaining about the level of difficulty of the training programs, namely on the battles with the new Harvester units.”

Kyo shook his head at that.

“Can't be helped…the Harvesters caught us totally by surprise too when they sent those units after us of all things. I can't blame the others for being unable to be prepared for them…but that's what they have to deal with when the Harvesters are involved. Have them redo the sessions once they are done with their break…and tell them that I want them to send me their PDAs and their records…and NO tampering with the records…I don't need flowery descriptions of their performances in the missions, I want the serious results.”

“Yes sir…anything else?”

“Yes…I want to have a report on the modifications to the Dreads that I ordered by the end of the day so we can see if any other corrections have to be done…after that…I want the latest manifest on any and all new recruits from Megele. And if any of the pilots have complaints that they don't want to put a report or a data-pad…tell them to air them to me and not to anyone else. The last thing I need is to be swamped with too many unneeded complaints from the higher ups. The same also for the other officers under my command at this point and time.”

Heidi nodded and she could see the tired look on Kyo's face…she had to give the man credit for being this dedicated to the job and working as hard as he did…if all men were as driven and focused on the tasks in hand as Kyo Yamato was…then it's a shame that not all the women on Megele were like them. Heidi had been efficient and hard-working herself, along with other officers in the Megele Navy as well…but Kyo was the more hands on approach kind of person and was open minded to say the least.

“I'll have those orders drawn up…sir…”

Kyo looked at Heidi and placed down the data-pad.

“Yes?”

“With all due respect sir…shouldn't it be better that you…ah, get some rest yourself? I mean no disrespect and all…you're an efficient person and it's quite admirable…but you've been working very hard for the past few days and you look like you need to sleep.”

Kyo looked at Heidi and smiled a bit and chuckled as well.

“You're right there Commander…I'm bushed and I feel like I've run a marathon for three days straight. I doubt I'll be of much use in the battle field if I mentally break down. All right…tell the pilots and the rest of the officers to have an extended break while I'm gone for some rest time myself. But make sure to keep me informed of any and ALL happenings from both Megele High Command and here in the Academy.”

“I'll do that sir…take a good rest.”

“Thank you…I guess we both have to go grab a bite to eat then…if there are any more details that have to be straightened out we can discuss it there in the galley…”

“Of course sir…the officers will be there as well.”

Kyo nodded as he used his encrypted pass-word on his console and put away all his paper work and reports as he got up and stretched himself and then walked with Commander Heidi to the galley to grab a bite to eat. They were then flanked by several MPs as they made their way there.

Kyo moved his head a bit and groaned mentally at the sound of the kinks in his bones loosen themselves were heard…he wondered just how things were back at the Nirvana.

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

Back on the Nirvana…

Things were getting rather hectic and as the new arrivals to the pirate ship were now getting used to working with one another…that is…the men were getting used to being in the presence of women and vice versa, the pirates…who were now reinstated Megele citizens were busy doing their assigned tasks while they also interacted with the men…the most important players in the integration of men and women were naturally the ones selected by Magno and the other seniors.

Duero, his brother Max, and the other men who had been on the Nirvana the longest were the ones who were the liaisons of the men to women and thankfully the arrivals were not too many and it seemed that things would be easier in the respect of numbers. Though the men of the Nirvana were not having it easy as they had to explain many of the intricate mysteries of female culture and customs to their male comrades in ways that would make sense to them and not cause an incident that could be misunderstood…they recalled how the incident with Dita's planned secret celebration of her friendship with Paiway and how things turned out at that point.

On the other side of the spectrum were the women chosen by the officers of the Nirvana to be the liaisons to the women batch…thankfully the numbers were manageable…but the questions were far from easy as Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, Mai, Parfait, and Barnette were having a lot of work apart from their normal duties as member of the Nirvana's forces. The women were able to hold on and handle as much of the questions that were asked of them by their female comrades from Megele…but with so much work to do it was tiring stuff.

At the moment…both liaison groups were on their own respective breaks and discussed their matters.

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

In a section of the Nirvana…

Jura sighed as she and the other women who were the liaisons lounged in the Nirvana Communal Bath, the FEMALE Communal Bath that is, after another long day with working on their Gundams and respective machines…and teaching their fellow women about the intricate cultures and customs of men…plus other matters on the topics of men.

“By the Goddesses…what a day…it's amazing we got to have some time for ourselves this day…”

The others agreed with the blonde Megele Gundam pilot as they soaked up the warmth of the bath water and the calming and soothing smells of bath salts. They were currently in the bath tubs and were happy to have some time off.

“I know Jura…it's tiring trying to answer all the questions they have about men…who would have thought we'd be talking about men to our fellow women from home?”

Jura smiled at Barnette as her best friend was in another bath-tub with a hot towel on her head, taking in the time to relax.

“It can't be helped Barnette…we all know more about men than they do…especially about how much FUN it is to be with men, right?”

The others blushed bright red at that as they knew just what Jura was implying, and then they all laughed at that heartily as they agreed with Jura…it was fun to be with men…especially in THAT fashion.

Dita was washing her chest with a bar of soap and she chirped out an idea.

“Do you think we should tell them about it? I mean…we've learned a lot about that and maybe we should…”

“Dita!!! You know we're not supposed to tell them that until the Captain gives permission!”

Meia said as she blushed bright red at the thought of telling the other women from Megele about how it was to have sex with men…not only were they all ordered not to talk about it until the time was right, but the idea of talking about how men like Kyo…especially Kyo were like in the intimate sense made her very uneasy…she was comfortable with the idea of talking about it with Sara, Mai, Jura, and Dita…and even chatting with Barnette and Parfait was okay since they all knew about it…but the idea of revealing it to the women on Megele was somewhat…unwise.

“I have to agree with Meia there…are you REALLY sure you want to talk about how Kyo is in private with others Dita?”

Mai asked her comrade as Dita thought about it and the redhead had to agree that it didn't sound too wise…though it would have been funny.

“No…I guess not…but what would have been the reaction if they did know about it?'

Sara thought about that as well and gave her own thoughts about it.

“That would be one hard thing to digest you know…not to mention it flies in the face everything our people learned since childhood…I mean…when we heard about how it was done…it was really hard to believe for us too.”

The others remained silent until Parfait spoke.

“I agree with Sara…I mean…it was hard for me too when I…well did it with Duero…but it was worth it.”

“On that we can all agree Parfait.”

The women decided to put that train of thought aside for the moment as they relaxed in the bath and then as soon as they were done soaking themselves in the bath-tubs…they decided to wash themselves with cool water and as they began to dry themselves with towels that Dita spoke.

“We've all come a long way you know…I mean, we've been through so much and it was a real challenge…but you know…I would never want it any other way.”

The others looked at Dita and were amazed by her show of wisdom and agreed with her as they recalled what they all had gone through ever since the day they had raided the Ikazuchi and all that they had gone through since that day…the lessons they learned, and what they had understood…but there were more important things there too.

For Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai…it was about learning more about themselves…and being with the one who they loved the most…Kyo.

For Barnette, it was about learning the good in men and finally meeting a man she not only respected and admired…but loved with all her heart and she would never forget that.

And for Parfait…it was about meeting a man she treated as a good friend…and now was a lover and potential mate in the near future.

The women then went their own way and decided to grab a meal and relax a bit more before heading back to their respective duties.

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

Duero and his brother Max, along with Aleck were busy getting some work done on their computers in the Medical Bay with Aleck doing some work on his own data-pad…the three men were tired beyond belief after such a long week of helping their fellow Talark men adjust to the presence of the women onboard the ship that had been their home for the past many months…and it had been a very tiring form of work.

The eldest brother sighed as he leaned back a bit and worked the kinks out of his back…his youngest brother did the very same thing and moved his shoulders and heard the kinks loosen up. Aleck looked at his two former students and smirked as they finally relaxed somewhat and Max sighed.

“I am so tired…who would have thought talking about women to our fellow men would be this hard?”

“I agree…at least now I know why Kyo had some reservations about talking on the subject of women.”

Aleck nodded as he sat next to his former students as he thought back on how it was when he and Max would deal with women and their fellow men…the past months on that desert world were very hard…at least in the first few months…more than once the men on their side would try to hurt the women, and the same could be said for the women. It was frantic…but after they realized that they would have to rely on one another to survive in the desert…both their sides managed to start a very fragile alliance…in fact…both he and Max were among the very few who were keeping the alliance from collapsing due to in-fighting.

Ever since then…and discovering the truth about the Harvesters and looking past the propaganda….he had to admit that the women were really different in his eyes now…and he had no doubt that the same could be said for Duero, his brother, their Alpha…and Bart as well…the other men were getting used to it…but the new arrivals from Talark were proving to be really the ones who needed a great deal of coaxing out of their shells, so to speak. The men were still very wary around the women…and while the former pirate crew of the Nirvana were more than willing to work with them…the women from Megele were not that willing to work with them and that was a problem to say the least.

The three men turned to see Hiryu walk in with a slight smile on his face…and this smile grew as he looked at his two sons…this made the two brothers a bit anxious while Aleck was rather curious as well….whatever it was that made Hiryu smile like that must have been very much worth his interest.

“You know something boys…I've been hearing some rather interesting rumors around the ship lately.”

“Oh?”

Hiryu smiled even more as he sat down with the three men and Aleck was rather curious, and since Hiryu was not asking him to leave the room, it was all right for him to sit down and hear this as well. Whatever it was it sounded interesting and sure enough…it was indeed.

Hiryu had heard rumors about the relationships between his two sons and the two women he had met before…and he had already approved of the relationships…but he was surprised to hear that it had been taken to the next level…and he wanted to find out from his two sons if the rumors were indeed true. Duero and Max's blushing faces were enough to tell him that what he heard was right on the money and that made him even more interested…and after some prodding…his sons told him what happened…but naturally kept the rest of it private…that also got Aleck's attention and Hiryu couldn't help but laugh a bit at the looks his sons had at remembering what had happened between his sons.

He relaxed afterwards and spoke to them.

“I won't say anything about that…it's your lives after all. So…how are you dealing with your task as advisors?”

Max sighed and replied.

“To be honest father…I would give anything for a decent day of quiet so I can calm my mind and think of other details.”

“I'll bet…but it has to be done…after all…not only is it an order from Grand Pa…but it is vital for the welfare and growth of the new alliance…we all have to do it…regardless of how we fell about it…however, at least it is for the good of not just ourselves…but of the entire human race after all…so no need to worry about it too much.”

The men were talking a bit more and then Bart showed up…the bald navigator still had his usual goofy smile, and while it looked weird due to his being bald, the men didn't mind that. The young man had been able to meet up with his Alpha and Omega a few days before and while they were happy that he was alive…they were somewhat surprised with his looks. They were not all that happy that he shaved off his hair, and for a young girl…but they respected the maturity, determination, courage, and honor their son had now…in truth they were thinking that their decision of forcing their son to join was a mistake…but now they thought otherwise. The family had been in deep discussion and while they were not pleased too much of his relationship with the women, they were not going to question his siding with them as it was now mandatory following the formation of the alliance between Talark and Megele. However they were surprised with a suggestion that their son had placed forward.

Bart reached into a package and revealed another set of food pills…in their usual colors and quickly munched on them and then sat down with the others. He then offered a few of the purple colored ones to Aleck who looked at the young cadet with a look of surprise.

“What's this for?”

“These are among the new pills that I had my family company begin to make…with the modifications I mentioned…try it out Gunny, I need an honest opinion here.”

“Shouldn't you try it with the other men first before me Bart?”

“Normally yes…but since you guys have eaten food cooked by the women here on the Nirvana… your taste buds are more attuned to the taste of cooked food so you guys are a much better choice for this kind of thing…give me honest opinions by the way…I really need the input to make it better just in case I got something wrong.”

Aleck thought about it and nodded a bit as he took a few of the pills and ate them, the taste was…different, there was a sweet, fruity taste and it seemed to be a bit sharp than most…but worked rather well. The elder Vanguard pilot took a few more of the pills and munched on it thoughtfully and then swallowed. The Vanguard pilot smiled a bit and replied.

“Not too shabby, the taste is a little too strong but it fills well, what flavor is this supposed to be?”

“Grape flavor if I remember right…I took a gander at the galley supplies and found a good number of fruit juice powder and decided to add some of the fruit powder to the pills and see how they would do…tried some myself and they were not too bad. I was hoping to introduce some of the fruits the women eat in pill form, and I had the grape flavor mask the taste of the pills' contents.”

“Well you might want to cut down a fraction on the fruit flavor…but you've got it right Bart…nice step forward…come guys, try a bite.”

Hiryu, Duero, and Max shrugged and tried some of the pills as well and found them to be a lot better than the pills that were supposed to have grape flavor but tasted really bad…there was some trace taste of the vitamin and mineral mix, but the fruit flavor made it more bearable by a higher degree and they munched on the pills more carefully and noted that the fruit taste remained with the pills all the way to the bottom.

Bart looked at them and waited for the verdict from the others and when he saw their nods and smiled, he was elated…it seemed that his plan was finally paying off in dividends. The others then swallowed the pills and gave their opinions on the new brand of pills that Bart made and they liked it. Bart sighed and felt even happier as they told him to try handing a few more pills to the rest of the men and see how it fared with the rest of them all. Bart hoped to get some input from Kyo when the Gundam pilot had the free time from all his duties.

He then took out a few more fruit flavored pills, including apple, orange, banana, cherry, and pineapple…and the other men had to admit that his hard work and meticulous research had finally paid off well for him. Bart nodded as the brothers, their father, and the elder Vanguard pilot gave their opinions and when they offered some needed ideas on how to change some of the pills he was eager to get as much data as he could.

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

Back on Megele…

The women were busy with quite a number of military matters as they were getting all of their factories to focus on production of new material for the soon to come conflict with the Harvesters and with Grand Ma ordering full war-time production for all of their weapon plants and ship-yards the women had to work 24/7 to make ready for the battles ahead…some of the women were not very happy with the current workloads that they were given as every available hand was called into service.

A drafting order was given out as all young women with aptitude for flight was called in to serve in the Megele Navy…many of them were fresh out of school and some were those who had a hard time finding jobs and groups to hire them out. The gap between the rich and well to do Megele women and those who were struggling to get by were forgotten as women with any flight experience was picked up from wherever they could be found. Even the women who had criminal records were given the option to enlist in the Megele Navy…and while this was considered highly unorthodox to say the least to the eyes of the more conventional Megele military members, they had no choice but to fill in the ranks with many of the women pilots lost in the battle with the Harvesters and their leader who butchered their sisters and daughters without mercy or regret.

The women who were recruited were also former shuttle pilots and those who were washed out from the Academy for many legitimate…and not so legitimate reasons. The women who were found were quite the mix as many of the newly recruited women were all wondering why they had been recruited. The Megele officers and high ranking leaders then showed them the videos of the battle that had happened between their forces, the Talark forces, the pirates, and the Harvesters and seeing that one lone Gundam rip apart the cruisers before them and slaughter their fellow women was enough for them all…and when they were told that the Harvesters planned to slaughter not just the men…but all of them as well without mercy, the women were all angered and were ready for a fight…those with criminal records were given amnesty and allowed to fight but had to be screened by the officers and recruiters to see if they had what it took to be in the military forces. The leaders of Megele knew the risks, but the situation demanded that they do what they could to ensure the survival of their people.

The women were stunned to find out that they were going to be under the command of a male who was by Grand Ma's own decree and seal to be the Grand Admiral of their whole fleet…and they were even more stunned to learn about the alliance. The reason was that since many of them were not from well to do groups on Megele…they didn't have all the news about what had happened to their world. They were not happy to hear about the newly formed alliance with Talark, but they had no choice… however, while a few agreed with the new order of the situation, not all were going to go along quietly while some of them wanted to challenge this new male leader and see just what he was capable of.

Yet another bunch of problems for the Gundam pilot to tackle on his new duties as the Grand Admiral, and this was just the first few weeks, and things were going to get even harder for the young man as the number of recruits began to grow and his duties were now being given extra importance by the rest of the officers.

Thankfully, he had support from the officers who respected him.

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

In the Megele Naval Academy Galley…

Kyo sighed as he finished his meal and relaxed a bit while grabbing his glass of melon juice and took the time to think about his duties and what this meant. He looked at each woman in the galley and he knew that after the first month of his duty as Grand Admiral, the officers here would have to learn how to work with the men of Talark and that was going to be another challenge…while he was a man, he was not from Talark and he knew fully well that the men of the desert world were not very happy with the idea of working with the women and there would be those who were really going to cause him and the alliance headaches.

But for now he put those thoughts aside as he knew that he had to focus of thinking of other things apart from his duties. And he wondered once more on how the others on the Nirvana were doing with their own duties at the very moment. He had to admit that he missed them all already and hoped that they could visit…after all, their citizenships had been reinstated and that was a good thing on his mind.

As he finished his drink, he left the galley…but not before returning his tray, glass, utensils and dishes to the cleaning crew and bide them farewell and thanks for the meal…much to their surprise as he moved out.

As soon as he was out of the galley he made his way to the section of the Academy where his office was located, then there was Commander Heidi and his escort…and to his surprise…there were a number of Megele women in civilian clothes heading towards him and they had cameras as well…and there was only one kind of profession he knew that involved cameras and lots of people.

“Reporters…just what I do not need at the moment.”

Commander Heidi walked over to him and gave a salute and spoke…her tone telling the Gundam pilot that she had tried her best to deal with the reporters…but it seemed that her best efforts were not enough to deal with all of them.

“I'm sorry Admiral…but they insisted to see you and they wanted to interview you as the only male commanding officer of the Megele Navy…I tried to tell them that you were indisposed at the moment…but they wouldn't take no for an answer. Normally these things are part of your duties as a leader, but I had hoped to re-schedule this until the end of the week.”

Kyo shook his head and sighed, he had a feeling that the fact that a man had been given full approval by Grand Ma to in overall command of the Megele Navy in the Allied Fleet was going to attract a lot of attention…in truth…he had wondered just when this was going to happen. Public Relations work was never his thing during his time as a Guardian back on Earth as he had no idea how to talk in front of crowds when he was younger. But now that he was older and had more experience under his belt…he knew that it was part of the job.

“Don't worry about that Commander Heidi, I had a feeling that this was going to happen at some point…let's get this over with.”

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

Days later…

As the days passed, the crew of the Nirvana had to work long and hard as they were now part of the alliance, Kyo was juggling his time training the Dread pilots who were recruited into the Megele Academy, teach them the various weapons of the Harvester Forces, the Gundam units, their battle tactics, and more…along with Dread simulators and live field tests with them facing the converted Harvester units he had requested from the still present Harvester Battleship that they had under their control. He also took the time to get to know his officers better, both his main command staff and the ones who were leading the Dread Squadrons.

Some of the officers in the Dread Squadrons were very talented but they were also arrogant as well…and they were the ones that deserved his attention more than most as he needed them to learn how to work with the men of Talark and not get their pride too high just because of their skills and the Dreads. And he succeeded at the most part though the women were not going to give up and give him headaches.

The crew of the Nirvana…that is the male crew members and the new male arrivals were getting settled in and it seemed that while things were far from calm, they were at least tolerable and there were things that made it easier…Bart's new food pills being one of them. The men tried the new pills and had to admit that the new tastes were quite different from the ones that they were more used to and added a certain punch to their meals as well. Now, not only did the pills come in different colors…but in different tastes as well. Though some of the men did not like the changes….the women of the Nirvana were a lot different from the women from Megele who they met, and for good reason, having grown used to having men on the ship…the former pirates they were more welcoming of the men from Talark than the women who lived their lives on Megele. Dita, Meia, Sara, Mai, Parfet, Jura, and Barnette were busy as can be to help their fellow women adjust to being with men and it was hard work for them all at this point and time as not only were there questions, but also other matters on dealing with men working alongside the women..

The men of Talark were also busy in their own ends as the men worked non-stop to get as much of their material and resources to bear for the soon to come conflict…this was where the women were going to be outpaced by the men. The men, being from a barren desert world were the hard working, practical, self-reliant, and efficient kind so they were able to use all their resources and material to their best levels, this meant that while their weapons, ships, and Vanguards were not as advanced as the Megele military, they were easy to mass produce, were easy to repair and maintain, and were efficient in all manner of design. The ship designers had run through their ship designs to counter the flaws that were shown to them with their battles and decided to come up with a better shielding system and with the trade in technology with Megele…they decided to come up with a new solution to the vulnerability of their ships to beam based weapons.

They had come up with a previous solution but it was impractical due to the strains placed on the ship's core engines, namely in creating a shield system that relied on energy…and they decided to create a special energy deflecting coat solution, but with no beam weapons to test the solution on, they were not having much luck…but with the alliance, they now had a chance to do just that, originally the solution would have been used to counter the weapons of the women, but now that they were allies of theirs…that idea was out the window.

The Vanguards were to be outfitted with the same solution and so were their energy shields so they would have a far better chance in combat with the Harvesters and their arsenals…they however needed time to test the solution carefully and to make sure to remove as many of the flaws there as much as possible with the solution. This also meant that in order to match up with the Harvesters…they would have to remodel the Vanguards from the top up to match the weapons their foes had and get things ready for the soon to come battle. With the alliance in place…the time would come for them get whatever data they could in order to improve the combat performance of their machines.

Grand Ma and Grand Pa were also busy on their own side as they each worked in helping the diplomatic situations and helped ease the tensions between their two worlds…it was a tough challenge and both of them were tired, and so were their fellow First generation…but with what awaited them and what was at stake…they could ill afford to relax and let things slide anymore, and they had to finally work together after nearly a century apart. The two had a private comm. channel to one another and there they talked about the work they had to do in order to make the alliance flourish.

The Nirvana was currently on it's recon voyage and while it was escorted by it's sister pirate cruiser, the Paradise, there were several Talark Destroyers nearby, along with some Megele Cruisers and naturally their Dread squadrons were out in force…along with the Vanguards. The Nirvana's own Dreads were out along with the Gundams as they were all out on patrol, and so were the Crusader Squadron and their machines as well.

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

In the bridge…

Pyoro was currently giving Lacus a piggyback ride on his back while the baby was cheerfully smiling and cooing all the way as Ezra smiled at the sight of her daughter being happy while she was working. Pyoro had stopped calling Lacus Pyoro-2 since Kyo had begun to make him a companion like him and acted more like a nanny to her daughter.

The rest of the bridge crew were on their duties as well while Buzam/Tenmei was working on getting the latest data from the Talark forces, as the commander was a man and had knowledge of Talark language…he would be able to translate for the rest of the crew.

“How are things looking Buzam?”

Buzam turned to Magno and spoke with his/her modified voice.

“The scanners on the Vanguards have picked up nothing so far…but with the random energy emissions coming from the energy storm, there's little that can be said…and from what I can get from the Dreads…the same can be said for the scanners on the Megele side as well.”

Magno sighed as she looked at the screen and saw the massive energy storm that surrounded the area that made up the original debris belt that surrounded their worlds. He wondered how her uncle was doing with his current duties and decided that when the time came…they would pay him a visit and see how he was doing.

<Hold on…why don't we do that now?>

Magno smiled and then spoke to Buzam.

“Buzam…get the coordinates for the Megele Space Academy…I think it's high time we paid a friendly visit on our young Grand Admiral.”

Buzam looked on with some surprise but also smiled as that was a good idea…and he/she was concerned on how Kyo was currently handling the situation that he was currently in.

“All right Captain….Bart…set course for Megele space…we're going to pay Kyo a friendly visit.”

“Aye Commander…Megele space it is!”

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

In the Hanger…

Jura was back in her Gundam's cockpit…running through the data feed and was busy with repairs and basic maintenance…normally she let the Register do most of the work…but ever since her Dread had been transformed by the Paeksis into it's current Gundam state…he had to do the work herself…not that she minded…it was somewhat interesting and also helped her a great deal in improving her Gundam's battle performance…however, her thoughts were divided as well.

She wondered on how Kyo was doing…working with the other Megele women in the Academy and that was what worried her. Normally she was not too worried when Kyo was here with them since he had been part of the crew for a very long time now…but she did feel anxious on how he was doing when in the company of other women who were not from the Nirvana and that worried her for some reason. She kept that out of her mind for the moment as she finished the last touches on her Gundam…and it was then that an incoming message came to her as one of the Dread pilots came over.

“Jura…your fahma and ohma are here to see you.”

“All right, I'll be right there.”

The blonde left her Gundam and made her way to the changing room and was now in her usual dress to meet her parents. She had hoped to have more time and to get Kyo when he was not too busy with his duties as the Grand Admiral of the Allied Navy. She hoped as well that he was not being given too hard a time by the women he had to be working with for the past few days.

Of course…she was not the only one who had her fahma and ohma over…

In Dita's room, the redhead was busy chatting with her fahma and ohma who were smiling at her as they sat down and talked about what had happened since she had disappeared…however, the main focus of the discussion was with her relationship with Kyo Yamato of all people. Dita's ohma and fahma were very interested to meet the man who seemed to be a very important person to their daughter.

The same could be said for the other women who were close to Kyo as Sara and Mai were also talking to their respective parents on the happenings since they left the system all those months ago. The two women had a hard time explaining how they each had met Kyo and what had happened between them and him respectively.

As the Nirvana made it's way to the area of Megele space, the crew wondered how Kyo was holding up to being on the Academy and meeting their fellow women face to face. Magno thought about how her uncle was doing as well and hoped that he was going to be fine working with the women of Megele as being the only man in Megele space would no doubt take a toll on his body and mind…not to mention his patience.

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

In the Megele Academy meeting hall…

Kyo sat down with a cup of coffee and looked over at the design plans for the Dreads which he had requested modifications to be tested out and he read the reports on the construction process. He shook his head as he read the amounts of resources that were used up and it was a bit annoying to have that much material wasted just for the parts alone…he decided to have the materials placed in storage for later use…despite the comments of the designers that those were waste products. He had a feeling that these would still be of much better use in the long run.

He placed down the reports and drank his coffee and then rubbed his head with his free hand to ease some of the tension he had that created the slight headache he was having at the moment and that was what annoyed him more. He was busy working out all the details and yet he had to deal with more pests. Recently he had done a routine security check on his room and had found a few bugs in it….he took them all out and traced them to some of the cleaning staff.

He questioned them all and found that the one who had placed the bugs was from the Megele military intelligence forces and she was trying to gather more intel about him when he was alone…for what reason, he had little to no idea at the moment, but he was not about to let his personal life become something a spectacle for others to look at when he didn't want them to. This however was not the first time it happened…a day before…he had done a security sweep and found a recorder that was designed by civilians….and like before he tracked it's origins down and found out that someone had let a reporter into the Academy to plant the bug.

He tracked the reporter down and sent her a formal note of notice that he was on to her plans of trying to take a peek at his personal life and told her to try and get a real interview with him instead of all the cloak and dagger stunts she tried to pull on him, reminding her that they were at war and now was not the time to be digging through the trash of other people…he had yet to get a reply from said reporter.

He was thankful that his Megele liaison officer Heidi dealt with most of the more mundane concerns and he respected her tenacity and skill, not to mention that since she was among the few women who didn't see her as an enemy, she was a good help to explaining some key details on Megele culture and customs as he was not in the mood to stepping on the wrong situation. She also helped him with the many other messes of the office of Grand Admiral.

He drank his coffee and finished it and moved his neck to remove the stiffness in his body for a bit and checked the next batch of reports…namely on the combat performance of the latest Dread pilots who were currently using the simulators with his own constructed training program and nodded that while some had improved their performances, the rest were still trying to catch up and make due with their own talents and skills…he knew that he was asking a lot for them all to be ready in a few months…but that couldn't be helped. There were the usual barrage of complaints that he was getting very tired with, but tolerated as this was to be expected.

He turned as the door opened and in came his security detail, and sure enough, Commander Heidi came into the room and saluted him.

“Admiral, are you not too busy?”

Kyo sighed and looked at his liaison officer.

“Are there reporters out there again? I was under the impression that the last interviews were enough for them for this week.”

“No Admiral…the Nirvana is on it's way here…we've gotten a communiqué from the Captain…one Magno Vivian Yamato who claims to be your niece.”

Kyo smiled at that and nodded.

“I'll take the call in my officer, thanks for the information Commander Heidi.”

“You're welcome sir…”

Kyo then took his leave…bringing along the data reports and more as he headed to his office…as soon as he was in the office…he took the communiqué and there was Magno and the rest of the Nirvana…faces he had missed ever since working in the Megele Academy.

“Hey there Uncle Kyo…how are you?”

“If you really want to know Maggie…Terrible…hate to say it…but this is tiring work…”

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

In the Nirvana's command bridge…

Magno smiled as she couldn't help but see the plight of her uncle…he looked tired and stressed out a bit, she was not the only one as the bridge crew commented on how tired Kyo looked at the moment before them…even Buzam/Tenmei had to admit that he had never seen the Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral this exhausted at the moment.

Ezra also was dismayed somewhat at the sight of Lacus' Godfather this tired.

“You really should get more rest and energy Kyo…are they treating you all right?”

Kyo smiled at Ezra and spoke.

“Commander Heidi said the same things to me too…but I can't relax all the time…there's so much to do and those reporters certainly don't make things any easier for me either…this is the reason why I would have preferred to say no to this position…but what can you do? How is Lacus?”

“She's all right Kyo…sleeping at the moment…but she no doubt misses you.”

Kyo laughed gently and replied.

“Well I miss her too…I miss you all right now…thanks for taking the time to come and drop by.”

Magno smiled again and in a very mischievous way however and replied.

“We're here to have a bit of a break today Kyo…so we're going to the Academy to greet you in a small party for today…you need to relax for real uncle…no sense getting a rest every so often when you really look like you need it. We'll be on the way right now.”

Kyo sighed and nodded.

“Thanks…I really need a break…I'll send orders for the women here to take the week off…they need to rest too and get some time off.”

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

Later…

Kyo watched as the Nirvana docked within the station of the Megele Naval Academy and he was told by Commander Heidi that Captain Magno and several of the pirates and the officers were now on their way to greet him in the Hanger Bay. With that in mind…Kyo decided to leave for the Hanger and was escorted by his female body guards.

Kyo was wearing his normal clothes but still carried his pistol and a small dagger nearby…along with wearing a special combat vest that he had with him. He had requested this from Parfait a few days before he was here in the Megele Naval Academy for protection…it was well made with hardened light weight alloy plates with hardened ablative liquid coating to withstand hits from energy weapons…not that he distrusted the women who were there in the Academy grounds and the security in the place…but you'll never know.

As he arrived to the hanger Bay…several of the Dread pilots and engineers in the Hanger Bay saluted him while some did so more reluctantly…showing that while he was slowly being recognized as the leader of the installation in the soon to come war with the Harvesters…not everyone was all that cooperative on the matter itself. He put that aside and walked over to the Nirvana as the crew inside had stepped out into the hanger Bay…everyone was there at the moment and Magno was in the lead with Buzam next to her and Gascogne as well.

Kyo couldn't help himself but grin at the sight of his elderly niece and the rest of the familiar faces of the Nirvana crew who were there at the moment. Meia, Jura, and Dita were there as well and were happy to see Kyo…so much so that they quickly rushed up to Kyo and hugged him…much to the shock of just about everyone in the Megele Naval Academy and they were quickly joined by Sara and Mai.

The other women who were not from the pirate crew gasped in shock as the five women who held Kyo's affections hugged the man right before them. The women who were still untrusting of men were shocked at the sight and wondered how could the five women let themselves touch the man and they were going to make sure to find out just what was going on at the moment. Kyo put that aside as he and the crew of the Nirvana got to settle in for the time being.

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

Later…

Kyo was sitting down and amazingly enough was relaxing a bit as he was being massaged by Meia at the moment…Dita and the others were currently chatting to their parents via communications link and that allowed Meia to have some alone time with the Gundam pilot and Kyo appreciated the gesture and Meia smiled at him in response as she could tell that Kyo loved that…and in her mind he deserved it a lot…since he was swamped with such duties and responsibilities being the head of both the Talark and Megele fleets.

“Mmm…thanks a load Meia…”

“You're welcome…you really should take some time to unwind Kyo, you're muscles are really tensed up at the moment.”

“Yeah…so how is it having a larger male crew on the Nirvana for the co-gender relationship experiment made by order of Grand Pa and Grand Ma?”

Meia sighed at that and told Kyo just how it was doing.

“It's been tiring as is expected…the men are still trying to get used to being around women a lot more than they like, and the same thing for the women…and explaining things between genders was quite tiring and time consuming. But it's working so far…me, Dita, Jura, Barnette, Parfait, Mai, and Sara are the liaison officers for the women, and Duero, Max, Aleck, Bart and the other men on the Nirvana work as the liaison officers of the men. There have been some real odd and confusing times as well…I hope that by the time it's over we can make sure that the men and women from both worlds will be more understanding and open minded.”

“You and me both Meia…but I've got my hands full working with the women here in the Academy already. It's not easy being a male commander in an all female Academy…”

“I can see that.”

Kyo nodded as she finished up and when he stood up slowly and moved slowly…he was relieved to feel the kinks in his body loosen up and he turned to thank Meia…she beat him to it as she kissed him on the lips and he smiled back as he kissed her back.

The two were getting into the mood when the door suddenly chimed open and in walked Magno and Buzam, along with Gascogne…the two moved back and tried to look as if nothing happened…but Magno laughed at the blushes they had while Buzam was confused and so was Gascogne. The elderly captain smiled and spoke.

“No need for that you two…it's all right.”

Kyo and Meia blushed even more as Kyo reached for the nearby coffee maker and prepared a few mugs of coffee to his guests as they sat down and chatted for a bit and they were then joined by Jura, Sara, Mai, and Dita. The four other women each hugged Kyo in greeting…showing how much they missed being with him when they could…much to Kyo embarrassment and affection, and Magno's liking of the whole thing.

Commander Heidi arrived and she could see the obvious affection being showered on the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet by the five women and while she was surprised by this, she didn't comment on it and she sat down after asking permission. The Commander could sense the bonds of friendship, family, and trust in the group and marveled at the fact that it really was possible for men and women to work both on and off the field of battle.

Kyo was happy for the break in his weeks of work and dealing with the public and private sector and seeing very important people in his life paying him a visit was certainly a welcome thing for him at the moment and while they were chatting, he talked with Commander Heidi as well and she was understandably surprised to learn that Magno…despite being already an old woman was in fact Kyo's niece…and that he had been asleep for over four hundred years and was far older than any of them.

As time wore on, Kyo also toured the Nirvana crew around and some of the women who were living in the Academy were still unaccustomed to seeing women being comfortable to a man's presence as they gazed at Dita, Jura, Sara, Meia, and Mai being close to Kyo and showing him great affection, he knew for a fact that the rumor mills were going to go all out when they got wind of this but he was actually looking forward to that as it will certainly give him something to laugh about at the moment. As time passed, the crew of the Nirvana decided to return to the ship and to take some time off…

However, it was then that Commander Heidi got an incoming call from the command center of the Academy and as soon as she got her information, the Megele liaison officer spoke to the gathered crew.

“Excuse me…but who among you is Jura Basil Elden?”

The others looked at Jura who was also confused and decided to speak.

“I am, why do you ask?”

“Well…we have some visitors coming to the Academy…I believe it's your parents.”

Jura's eyes widened as she heard that and everyone looked at Kyo who groaned a bit to himself…it seemed that Jura's fahma and ohma have just decided to meet with him sooner than he expected.

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

Later…

Kyo drummed his hands on the table as he worked on what he should say to Jura's parents. He knew that sooner or later, he was going to get a visit from the parents of the girls he was intimate with at this time…but he was not expecting it to be today of all things. And much to his discomfort in admitting it…he was rather nervous.

As far as he knew…Jura had not mentioned her family much and it seemed that Jura's family were something of a slightly sore subject for her to discuss and he hoped that they didn't have a family issue…as he knew that things like that were quick to get out of hand the very second something was misinterpreted. This was rather taxing to him as he found himself fixing up his uniform in order to look more formal before the parents of Jura. It was then that he heard the door chime and there before him were Jura's parents.

He already knew that due to the birthing methods on Megele…the term ugly didn't exist in their vocabulary, and even the most plain of their civilization had a very attractive quality there if one took notice…namely Duero's utter love and devotion to Parfait. But seeing Jura's parents was certainly something else entirely.

Jura's ohma was a tall and statuesque woman with dark brown hair in an elegant coif and deep green eyes which were well emphasized by her makeup and eye liner. The same features were there and Jura's ohma was certainly the rather attractive type, though she was bit less curvy and well formed as her daughter. That didn't mean however that she was not as attractive as her daughter. Jura's ohma carried herself with a strong air of focus, intellect and dedication…a little off place in his mind in a way… considering how Jura used to act back then when he knew her, but he could see that Jura had some of her ohma's traits when she displayed her own inner strength when it counted. The eyes of Jura's ohma were an exact same match to Jura's own emerald green eyes, certainly the kind that would grab a guy hard and make him stay right in place just to look..

<So that's where Jura got her eyes from.>

Jura's fahma was near the same lines as her daughter and she had deep blonde hair and it was in a lush ponytail on her back, her eyes were deep brown and were certainly the kind most men would drown in, deep brown chocolate pools was the best way to describe it all. The same attractive features were there and Jura's fahma was certainly an attractive one as well, she had a fuller and more curvaceous form that her mate and was a bit shorter by at least an inch or two than her mate, showing just where Jura got her own form. She had an air of a high paid model, having a confidence in her own beauty, sharp and certainly packing with attractive appeal, and seemed a bit flighty in a way…but there was an aura of will there.

<Wow…Jura's certainly got the best of both worlds…that much I can see.>

The women were dressed different…while Jura's ohma was dressed in a business like ensemble with long skirt, long sleeved shirt and vest, complete with lapels and a jacket, making her look like a strong but very attractive business-woman, Jura's fahma was dressed in the same way as her daughter's…with a very eye catching deep purple dress with similar features to Jura's own wardrobe, slits on the sides of the lower dress and no sleeves, along with a rather eye catching slit in the front.

Kyo had to admit that Jura's parents were certainly the pair grab a guy's fantasies all night long…but his eyes were always going to be on Jura no matter how attractive her parents were. He walked away from the table and bowed to the two women surprising them a bit as they had not expected that from the man their daughter was very much attracted to. Jura merely smiled as she looked at her beloved as he rose and spoke.

“Good day to you, my name is Kyo Clyne Yamato…may I ask your names?”

Jura's ohma nodded a bit and replied as she introduced herself to Kyo.

“My name is Alexia Basil Elden.”

And Jura's fahma also spoke as well as she introduced herself.

“My name is Selima Basil Elden.”

The couple then sized Kyo over as he guided them to him room's living room and to the couches. They had to admit that he was not what they expected of a man that they had long since been accustomed to seeing in the propaganda films in their own youth. He was tall and certainly a strong looking young man, and seemed to be rather intelligent and confident in the way he carried himself as he walked, they noted that Jura walked with her intended ohma and she seemed completely at ease with him. As they sat down, Kyo turned and smiled at both Alexia and Selene.

“I believe you've had a long trip from your home in Megele to get here…would you like something to eat and drink?”

“Of course…”

Kyo nodded and decided to head to the nearby kitchen to whip up some snacks and drinks to his guests. But he decided to ask even further.

“If it's all right, I would like to know what is it you happen to enjoy eating and drinking, so I can prepare it.”

The two women nodded and told Kyo just what they liked and Kyo nodded as he went into the kitchen and got to working on the menu at the moment. Jura smiled at that as it didn't take long for Kyo to whip up what he could in terms of snacks and drinks for his guests. A few minutes later...he came back with a small vegetable salad with olive and sesame seed oil, fruit rolls and some cool green herbal tea for Alexia, and for Selima, he prepared some ancient Japanese sashimi and egg rolls, with sauce and some cool apple tea as well. This impressed the two women as they had not totally believed their daughter when she said that Kyo was a talented cook and had made wonderful meals in more than one occasion. As the two parents noted the food prepared by Kyo, they began to ask questions to both him and their daughter to see for sure if their daughter's praise to Kyo was worth it.

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

Later…

Kyo cleaned the dishes and sighed a bit as he was currently alone in his room in the Megele Academy. It had been only an hour and a half since he had chatted with Jura's fahma and ohma…but in that time frame he felt as if he had been interrogated by some very skilled operatives. As he washed the glasses and the plates he thought back on the time he had been seriously grilled by both Jura's parents. They had asked him a lot of questions…some were general questions…while others were a lot more personal…namely how did they meet, how long had they worked together and more…

He wasn't the only one as they also questioned their daughter on the matter concerning her relationship with him and he could tell that it was somewhat uncomfortable to Jura to talk about it…even if they were her parents after all. The blonde Gundam pilot also answered other questions about things that he knew were important…Alexia and Selima were shocked to hear how close Jura came do being unable to have children…all because she wanted to save him from death. it made things rather uncomfortable for him as the two women glared at him at that…but Jura assured them that she was fine and was more than able to have children.

The discussions were not thankfully interrupted frequently by visitors but he had to occasionally leave the room in order to handle some important calls that couldn't wait…it was then that Jura's parents and their daughter left the room to chat…in private and now here he was…

As soon as he was done washing dishes…both Alexia and Selima came in and he greeted them and the three decided to chat for a bit as Jura was talking to some old friends from her days back in school.

“I must admit that you are not what I expected Kyo Yamato.”

“Oh?”

“Yes...for one thing…for a four hundred and twenty year old man, you certainly appear quite young.”

“Trust me, it's not something I like to brag about…in fact it makes me rather uncomfortable to say the least.”

“True…but tell me…how exactly did you and our daughter Jura meet?”

Kyo was a bit confused by that and decided to ask why they asked that of him, since he thought that since Jura was their daughter…she would have told them about they had met and hit it off during the trip back to Talark and Megele.

“I thought your daughter told you how we met.”

Selima nodded and spoke.

“True…but we want to know from your perspective…”

“I see…but it's going to be a LONG story.”

The women however told him to go on and he decided to tell them how he had met Jura from the very beginning. He told them how he met Jura and how they had worked together ever since they had met, he told them everything…including the time he had kissed her in order to get her attention, and the times they had been close…including the times she had tried to get his seed. The two women gave him very confused looks and he knew that if he told them about HOW men and women had children back in the old days…Gods only knew how much flak he was going to bring to himself, thankfully they didn't press him into giving out details on the said subject, either because they thought that the way Jura wanted his seed was the same methods used on Megele, or they were going to ask Jura about that herself.

As soon as he was done talking about the past…Alexia and Selima looked at him with a pair of sly but respectful looks, and that made him rather nervous to say the least.

Alexia was the first to speak.

“I see…no wonder Jura is insistent on having you as the ohma of her children…I guess there is nothing more I can say but Jura is lucky to have you, despite being a man….however…”

“Yes?”

“I am also aware of the fact that Jura is NOT the only woman who is close to you…there are others who you are affectionate with apart from our daughter. So I must ask…do you love our daughter?”

Kyo nodded with conviction and replied.

“Yes I do love Jura…and I can say that it was somewhat hard to hear that Jura loved me enough to not mind sharing me…it was not simple and I was completely against the idea at first…because I didn't want her to think I was denying her and favoring others. I admit that your daughter and I didn't EXACTLY start out as the best of friends…there were times that she was flighty and could be a pain at times and more…but I also saw her inner strength, her courage, will, and ability and those are what made me love her. I love Jura not just for her outer beauty and that is utterly the truth of the matter and I know that she loves me as well since she told me that time and time again ever since we knew each other. I know that this might be rather unorthodox…me marrying other women and not just your daughter, and even in my time, such a thing is frowned upon…but Jura and I have made that choice…and no matter how things turn out…I will not change my stance because I love Jura enough to make that choice. And she loves me enough to standby with the choice as well.”

Selima and Alexia could see that Kyo was utterly serious on the matter and they saw the same seriousness in Jura as well. When they heard that Jura was willing to marry Kyo and have a child with him…even though her fellow women Dita, Sara, Meia, and Mai had the same plans as she did, they were shocked and they had tried to dissuade her…but Jura was utterly adamant in her decision and there had been some heated words between them…it had taken a bit of time to heal and they decided to give her a chance on the matter…

And now they were assured that Jura was making the right decision…and that made them feel relief as well…though it was going to be a challenge for them to deal with the results of their daughter's decisions.

The two smiled and they turned to the side and spoke to Jura who was smiling with utter joy, love, and pride at her beloved and intended husband.

“You made the right choice after all dear.”

“I am proud of you Jura…you have truly grown.”

“Thank you…”

As Alexia and Selima left the room, Jura turned and leaped into Kyo's arms, catching him off guard for a moment and she hugged him tightly at that moment. Kyo hugged her back and Jura whispered in his ear.

“I guess that means I can finally marry you for real when this is all over Kyo…”

Kyo smiled and they kissed each other deeply and Jura utterly moaned in pleasure and so did Kyo as they did a torrid lip lock with each other. The two parted as Jura knew that she needed to let Kyo do his work as Grand Admiral…but she had a plan in mind…she had planned for this for quite a while now and since her fahma and ohma approve Kyo now…this was going to work well. The blonde bid her loved one farewell as she left the room, and this allowed Kyo the chance to sit down and take a rest for the time being.

It did him good to know that the crew took the time to come and visit him and it was nice that they would be around for the next few days…though he had a feeling that sooner or later he would need to work herder on his duties both as a man and as a Grand Admiral.

Elsewhere, Jura met up with her parents and with a few minutes of discussion, the two women thought about the plan their daughter had in mind and agreed with it and allowed her to bring some friends along and she already knew just who she had in mind at the moment. Jura also knew that sooner or later…Sara, Mai, and Dita's own fahma and ohma were going to come and pay Kyo a visit soon enough. She was looking forward to that actually.

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

Kyo was not the only man who was about to meet the parents of his loved one though…

Duero was busy working on the latest medical reports when he heard the signal that told him that he had some company coming into the Medical Bay, he had expected that either a previous patient was coming in for a routine check-up, or some of the men asking questions about yet another thing about women that they had no idea about at the moment and he was the one they came to for some advice of explanations, he sighed once more and placed aside the report and gave the all clear.

Much to his surprise it turned out to be Parfait and the head engineer of the Nirvana was not alone as there were two other people with her, but the thing that surprised the doctor of the Nirvana was the fact that they were not familiar to him and he knew just about everyone in the Nirvana's crew roster.

“Hi Duero.”

Duero smiled at Parfait and stood up and greeted his friend and loved one and the two other women looked Duero over and the slightly taller one who wore glasses spoke.

“So he's the one you haven't stopped taking to us about Parfait?”

Parfait nodded as she smiled and hugged Duero.

“Yes, this is Duero McFile.”

Duero was curious, it seemed that not only did one of the stranger know Parfait, but it seemed that Parfait knew just who these people were as well.

“Parfait…may I ask who they are?”

“Oh, I forgot all about that, sorry, Duero I'd like you to meet my ohma and my fahma, my parents from Megele.”

Duero was a bit surprised at that, he had learned from Kyo to expect company in the shape of Parfait's parents but he had hoped to meet her parents in a much more acceptable situation and not in the middle of so much activity at the moment. However, it seemed that the parents of his loved one had other ideas as they were now before him, he quickly recalled his manners and bowed in greeting to the two women.

“Hello to you both, I'm honored to meet Parfait's ohma and fahma.”

“My…you're very polite.”

Later…

Duero busied himself as he served some cool tea to his guests as he had brought some tea previously to help him with his time in the Medical Bay, he needed the drink in order to keep his body hydrated for the time being as he had reports to fill in. The women didn't mind as they took in the tea and this allowed Duero the chance to study both of Parfait's parents.

Parfait's ohma had the same chocolate brown hair as her daughter, but unlike Parfait who kept her long hair in the braids that he recognized, her ohma appeared to keep her hair in a short style and without any hair accessory. She appeared to be around the same build as her daughter, though she was taller than Parfait at the moment. From the way she moved…she appeared to be a skilled operator of machines and the fact that her belt was that of an engineer like Parfait made him realize that she no doubt was the person who taught Parfait all about machines. And no doubt had some similar short sightedness as her daughter as she also wore glasses, but from the grade of the glasses he saw…her case was not as severe as her daughter's, he could see that she had deep olive green eyes as well.

Parfait's fahma was different from both her mate and her daughter as she had deep black hair and wore no glasses but had deep violet eyes, she was around Parfait's height and the same build as well…she appeared to be of a different occupation than either her daughter or her mate as she was dressed in what appeared to be that of a teacher….simple but crisp and functional clothes and she carried herself with the air of a teacher and intellectual. The fahma of Parfait looked at Duero and seemed rather curious on who he was and how her daughter knew him.

Parfait then smiled as he introduced her ohma and fahma to her loved one.

“Duero…this is my ohma, Rina Balblair.”

“Pleasure to meet you Duero.”

“…And my fahma, Cassandra Balblair.”

“Likewise, our daughter spoke very much about your talents as a doctor…”

“Did she?”

Parfait nodded and then gave Duero praise in front of her parents, honest and respectful praise and well earned at that. Rina and Cassandra smiled and Duero felt rather embarrassed at that and replied.

“I'm just a humble doctor from Talark…”

“That might be true Duero…but none of us would have gone far if not for you, so don't be so shy about it.”

Rina and Cassandra smiled a bit more…seeing the obvious affection their daughter had for Duero…it seemed that there was a lot of history between their off-spring and the young man before them at the moment. The group sat down and began to chat about themselves….and Parfait's parents decided to find out what were the things that drew their daughter to this young man.

Elsewhere…

Max was busy working on his Gundam when Barnette called his attention for a moment and when he got out of his Gundam, he found himself being introduced to Barnette's Alpha and Omega, or her Ohma and Fahma…he had not expected this at the moment and managed to tidy himself up as he met the two women.

Barnette's ohma had deep brown hair with was in a long tail that was all the way to her back and she was dressed in what appeared to a military outfit of the Megele Navy, namely that of an armory supply officer…which explained why she was not entirely in agreement with Barnette siding with the pirates, no doubt she was not liking the thought of her daughter being one of the pirates the military might have to face in battle someday, thankfully it never came to that and no one knew that her daughter Barnette was among the pirates and now that Barnette was given her citizenship, she was allowed to come home. She had deep violet eyes, the same ones that Barnette had and Barnette's ohma carried herself with a strong air of command though gently balanced by the smile she had when she gazed at her daughter which showed great love and affection. She was taller than Barnette by a few inches and apparently was as skilled with weapons as her daughter was and like her daughter, she carried a vintage projectile firing fire-arm as a weapon of her choice, namely a Colt. 45 Pistol. Like all women of Megele…she was attractive and her high cheekbones and very lithe figure matched her daughter's own rather well…showing where Barnette got her body structure. Max had to admit that she was attractive…his love for Barnette and his time with women a year before and now made him very much aware of the attractiveness of the female form…he put that aside as he shook hands with her and then directed his attention to Barnette's fahma…

Barnette's fahma looked like the typical housewife…dressed in the same manner as Ezra as well…but her deep emerald hair was in a style similar to Barnette and it was obvious where Barnette got her hairstyle. She wore an ensemble that spoke of a position of commerce and trade….though she carried herself with a fierce and gung ho attitude when it mattered…showing another influence to Barnette's overall personality, but there was affection as well as she seemed ecstatic on the fact that her daughter was alive and now allowed back home…she showed some dislike for Max but seeing that her daughter trusted and showed affection for Max…she relented.

Barnette had not expected her ohma and fahma to be truthful…but she had a lot to tell them…the former Dread pilot told her parents everything and how Max had saved her life a few months ago and how much she had changed over the year ever since being sling shot across the galaxy. She had hoped for her parents to meet Max and she hoped that they did not mind her seeing him. She then introduced her parents to her loved one.

“Max, I want to introduce my ohma, Kaela Orangello.”

Natalie smiled at Max politely.

“And also my fahma, Danae Orangello.”

Max bowed and respectfully spoke to the two women who were surprised that he was showing comfort in talking to them. And he seemed to be utterly respectful, confident, and intelligent. They had thought men were weak and more…but after all that had happened for the past few days and the things Barnette had told them…they were willing to try understanding men more.

“Our daughter told us that you saved her life…nearly giving up your own in the process…is that true?”

Max nodded and replied…

“Every word of it is true…there is even the scar on my left shoulder to prove it…”

Barnette thought back at the time on the desert world trap that they were in and where she met Max and where her whole world was forever changed…all because Max willingly shielded her from death. She hugged Max and Kaela and Danae could see the affection their daughter had for Max and decided to learn more about this man who apparently had become important to their daughter.

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

Days later..

The days moved on and the Nirvana was busy with the new duties of integrating men and women to work together, it still was touch and go at the moment, though progress was getting there…Bart's introduction of the new flavored food pills made with his recommendations and specifications proved to be a valuable addition to the process as the pills not only retained their old use in Talark, but also helped the men get adjusted to the array of food the women had on hand at the moment with them.

The men would often wonder what sort of food the women ate when they were able to visit the female section, namely the galley and while they admitted that the food of the women were certainly sweet smelling in many ways, they were still wary of the food, despite the assurances of the male members of the Nirvana crew that the food was worth it and safe. That was how the food pills made the difference…the men were impressed by the food pills that now had different tastes and retaining the same qualities from back home and as soon as they were assured that the food of the women were all right, they tried it out. Bart had also asked several of the female crew to try the pills out…some were not welcoming of the idea…but Jura and Dita tried it and were surprised that the pills no longer tasted horrible….but were actually rather good to the taste buds. The women then asked how did Bart manage to turn it all around and he replied that good old fashioned hard work turned it around. The women of the Nirvana were still not willing to try it out…but with prodding from Jura, and the others who tried the new and improved pills, they found them to be rather good and help them in working on their projects and reserve their food supplies.

The women were also curious why the men were only eating pills, and after hearing for utterly revolting the pills were from some of their fellow women who still were wary of men, they were against trying any of the pills, however they were surprised to see that on occasion when working, the women of the Nirvana would try out the pills as well and as soon as they learned of the new and improved pills they decided to try them out and see if they were worth the hassle and they had to admit that it was rather nice.

Though not everything was all peachy at the moment as there were the usual incidents in the Nirvana that happened between men and women who would rub each other the wrong way and therefore it was a struggle at times for the crew to deal with all the troubles that could result if the said disturbances, along with the usual arguments and disagreements…things were pretty normal to that point at the moment and time as the crew worked hard to get things done.

Back on the other worlds of Talark and Megele, the situation was still very much going on the way it had before…the women and men were working their butts off in order to rally their people into preparing for the soon to come war and things were not so easy either..there were still people on either world who were opposed to the alliance and while some were knowledgeable enough to not make too much noise…there were others who openly protested about it…on Megele, several of the more vocal opponents to the alliance were usually staging rallies to ask for the dissolution of the alliance…despite the fact that it was an order from Grand Ma herself…the same thing was on Talark as some groups would show their discontent and even the threat of being imprisoned did nothing to stop these situations from cropping up every now and then…

The Governments on both worlds did their best to deal with the opponents of the alliance…but they knew that until a more effective way for these matters to be resolved was found…they had no other alternative but to do what they could without trampling on their own people as they needed everyone in order to challenge the Harvesters and their soon to arrive invasion armada.

It was then that the annual Government Party in the Megele capital city of Radiant Citadel was about to be hosted in a week's time…it was a normal tradition for all key leaders and officials in Government, both civilian and military to attend, along with other prominent families and groups on Megele…and it was a tradition that all leaders of Megele had followed for it helped the leaders of their civilization unwind and enjoy the celebrations for a while….it was a three day affair and thus was well received by all the Megele leaders and officers. However…for the very first time…there was going to be a new guest..the first MAN to be a leader in Megele's military sector and the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet. It was an occasion with mixed thoughts on many groups and this was a cause for concern for Grand Ma…

Anya knew that by marriage relation…she was Kyo's great niece and she wanted to make sure that it was all going to go smoothly as she didn't want anyone to take advantage of this occasion to damage the alliance and with Kyo Yamato being the symbol of the Alliance and the leader of the Allied Fleet, there was a chance that elements who opposed the alliance with Talark might make a move on him, and while she knew her people were following her orders…there were those who opposed it still and that would do what they could to make things difficult.

That was why she had paid Kyo a visit recently and Kyo greeted her and she became his guest and as soon as she was assured by her Amazon guards that everything in the room was now safe she decided to inform Kyo of the exact situation and why he was soon to be asked to go to Megele as he was now a leader in the Megele military.

To say Kyo was not happy was an understatement as he was not very much agreeing with the whole thing as anything could happen in a moment with him being on Megele…which was something he knew for a fact would have been considered a historic first…he was about to be the only man to set foot on an all female planet…and while he knew most young men would have cheerfully agreed, he knew that this was something that most conventional women of Megele would view as an invasion and sacrilege to their world. He was not sure about the need for his attendance…

But he also understood the value of his presence and therefore the stability of the alliance and decided to agree with Anya's request to be there. At that regard he called Magno and informed his niece of the situation and after some discussion, Magno convinced him that he was taking the right course in the matter and that being there was good…besides…he was under Grand Ma's protection and orders…thus he was safe…to a degree at least. Grand Ma was pleased and bid Kyo farewell and hoped that he would be present in the party when it was to start and he bid her farewell.

He checked the date and decided to call his liaison officer Heidi to set up the remaining regimes for the students and Dread pilots when the time came for him to attend this special Party that the Megele Government was hosting at the soon to come date and he worked on all the other details…he was happy to get good news for a change as the scores of the Dread pilots he was training showed better improvement and the engineering reports were better sounding as well. Things were now looking up for a change…

The days went by and the time came for the party to start a week from now and therefore…Kyo had to bid farewell to Heidi and he arrived in Megele and quickly settled into a place to stay…the main residential building of all the Megele military officials. And as he worked there….the days passed by…until it was time. The only good news he had was that Magno had made some arrangements for him to be accompanied in the Party...though by who he had no diea yet.

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

In the changing room…

Kyo sighed as he fixed his tuxedo once more…he had forgotten how much of a hassle it was to get ready for social functions at times. He recalled him and his dad dressing up for such things when his mother Lacus had a social gathering to attend…granted they were her body guards but they were also her family and as such…they were guests as well, he did the same thing with his uncle Athrun when his aunt Cagalli had her own duties as Prime Minister of Orb though he knew that she didn't feel comfortable in them at all. Attending social functions was not bad in his eyes and he was okay with them…it was the fact that he was going to an all female ball that made him very nervous at the moment.

He sighed a bit and knew that his old friend Mwu would have had a field day laughing and congratulating him on his good fortune at being in such a function. He thought about his old friend and was unhappy for a moment at not being there to be the best man at Mira and Mwu's wedding when they had tied the knot…but as much as he missed so much for the past four hundred years he spent in stasis...he knew that he had another chance soon enough…

<Ah…enough gloom! This is a purely social function and it's been a life-time since I've been in one…I guess I might as well enjoy it.>

He was dressed in a classically made tuxedo and it was well made to suit him comfortably at the moment. And the clothes were certainly comfortable as he had been allowed to access some of the clothing materials that Megele had at the moment and he had programmed the automated tailor with his body specifications and he also placed in the data on how to make a tuxedo for the human male..it took some time as the machine was not used to taking male body measurements but it was done and the tuxedo was looking good as it was made from silk, mohair, and velvet…all in all, a very good fit.

He had taken a hot shower and took some time to clean himself up properly as he had to look presentable at the moment as this social meeting was being held by some of the influential members of Megele society, he had thought that being a man, he was being excluded from this party but apparently he was invited and he was not the kind to turn down an invitation if it was sincere and he could tell that it was at the moment. He looked himself over once more and decided that he was presentable already and grabbed his car keys and headed out of the changing room.

It had been a week since he had been allowed to visit Megele personally and he recalled the time he had spent in the Megele High Command Complex as a resident in the personnel sector of the massive complex that housed the high command of the Megele Military. His room was not bad to say the least…good accommodations and some more decent privacy and he made double sure of his privacy as he meticulously scanned the room and the equipment for any bugs and cameras…no doubt recalling the whole camera incident in the Nirvana and he was NOT in the mood for a replay of that while he was on an all female planet.

He drove his fully restored car and headed down the roads to the main function hall where the occasion was being held…according to what he had been told by Heidi, this was a natural occurrence on Megele as all members of Megele's Government would host annual balls and social gatherings from time to time. The place was a grand location and would have made most assembly halls look like a hovel…the walls were lavishly decorated and well made…there were also streamers made to welcome all the incoming attendants and celebrants. All of the regally and somewhat lavishly dressed women were no doubt key members in Megele's government There were a large number of Megele security personnel and more…there were also reporters and he knew just why the reporters were there…they were there for him.

After all…he was the very first man in the history of Megele to set foot on the world of the women and not be executed on the spot for such an act. He sighed as he parked his car and security locked it, as soon as he was out…the reporters came right at him and while the security personnel had held them back from swarming him, there were plenty of questions directed at him by the reporters.

Kyo merely replied to the reporters that he would speak at a much better time and he moved on and wondered just what he would do now...he was the only one who was without an escort or partner…as the women had their own partners and he knew that appearing alone in a party was usually a negative sign to others…he didn't have to wait long…

“Kyo!”

There were five voices there and Kyo couldn't help but smirk a bit as he recognized the voices and turned around to see the people and he gasped as he saw Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai…and there was a reason for his gasping…he was happy to see the five women he loved deeply and held close to his heart, he was just surprised at their choice of dress. The dresses were well suited for such an occasion..but the sheer effect was stunning…he knew the women that he loved to be utterly beautiful and their wardrobes further amplified that fact to him.

Dita was dressed in a deep ruby red party dress that hugged her figure without restraining her and was made from silk and had a necklace that had deep blue sapphires in the golden necklace…along with a modified version of her tiara…with a beautiful sapphire and an amelyst placed together…she also had a pair of beautiful bracelets on her made from silver and gold leaf that made Dita look like a beautiful nymph as she wore comfortable high heels to give her some height as well. The redhead walked elegantly towards Kyo and so did the other girls but Dita was a head as she no doubt had trained hard to walk elegantly and resist her usual routine on glomping on her loved one. She wore light makeup that didn't detract her already present attractiveness to Kyo…but somehow made her look radiant all the same.

Jura was wearing a beautiful emerald green dress with golden streaks done in such a way that they worked seamlessly with one another. The blonde had her hair in a simple but classy top-knot held in place by a pair of lacquered wooden hair clips while her hair flowed down in a simple but undeniably attractive tail behind her. The green and golden yellow dress hugged her voluptuous frame and held her breasts well and was following some similarity to her normal dress which she wore constantly. Jura also had an upper arm bracelet that had a beautiful flower pattern that was similar to a rose with the petals made from rubies as well. Jura also had a pair of comfortable shoes as well, she too wore makeup, but not in large amounts…but well balanced…relying on her natural beauty to flow out from her as she walked as she always had when in front of Kyo…sensual and bursting with fire.

Meia wore a deep white dress that were simple yet elegant with no straps on the shoulders but had a row of beautiful light blue diamonds on the dress that added a very nice picture to her overall appearance, the dress was well made and hugged her figure very well and that also included her bust, there was also a sash that was following her hair color and a lovely gold metal string belt with diamonds and emeralds as well on her waist. The aqua haired woman also wore a well placed amount of makeup which suited her well and allowed her natural beauty to show as well, she walked efficiently and yet had a nice sway to her stride and her hips as well. She wore simple high heels but the high heels were made to be both useful and comfortable for her to walk with and that was nice enough.

Sara wore a deep black dress that seemed to take in the night rather well and seemed to shimmer a bit as that showed that there was near weightless silver thread woven into the dress to add a shimmering style and there were small diamonds there as well that were placed into the fabric that gave the impression of her dress being like the sky at a cloudless night…making her look wonderful…she wore a simple necklace with a brilliant blue stone in the middle and she had on elegantly designed shoes as well and she was comfortable as she walked towards him. Sara also had a balanced amount of makeup on…just enough to give emphasis to her beauty and to also not block or distort that same beauty as well and her hair was allowed to flow freely as well.

And Mai wore a beautiful light brown dress and also had a sash on as well…her dress hugged her frame very well and showed her athletic build very easily and also showed her beauty as well. The Crusader pilot had only a simple chocker as a jewelry piece but it was apparently not too constricting and it had a deep red ruby there as well, she also had long gloves made from silk cloth on her arms and the gloves reached her elbows. She also had makeup which was well balanced and worked to show her beauty very well.

The people outside watched in utter amazement and so did the security detail as the five women walked over to Kyo who managed to close his mouth and get his brain back into order and he spoke to the five women.

“What are you all doing here?”

Jura answered for the others.

“We're your dates for this occasion, the Captain asked us to come with you and it worked with what my fahma and ohma wanted…I was supposed to come with you as well either way, and my fahma gave these dresses to us to use for this day…what do you think?”

Kyo looked at the five women before him and he replied honestly.

“You're all very beautiful.”

The women smiled warmly and knew that Kyo was telling the truth and they then took their positions with Kyo and Meia spoke.

“Let's go Kyo.”

Kyo felt like he was going to die of utter embarrassment and the girls were with him and were all smiles as they walked together to the entrance of the Party Hall…the crowds near them were silent at first until reporters began asking for interviews from Kyo and the former pirates who accompanied him. The women who were nearby also gave the five women incredulous looks as they had never thought these women would willingly accompany a man into the hall. The five former pirates however didn't pay attention to the stares and that helped Kyo relax a bit and he and the others moved on into the hall as the doors parted.

Inside the hall, the Gundam pilot had to admit that the place was certainly an attractive place and for good reason…there were gardens there around the main hall, and a massive fountain of water in the middle of the hall, there were lights and tall statues as well, along with large pillars of colored and none colored glass with soft lights installed to create beautiful light patterns that the crystals let out…no wonder this place was used as the main venue of the Party hosted by the Megele Government. The group looked at everything and there were others there as well, many of them Megele Government officials and also high ranking people in Megele society…many of them looked at the group as well and the Gundam pilot could hear their whispers and words...

“So that's the male we've heard so much about…”

“He certainly isn't what I thought a man would look like…I thought they looked like brutes…”

“Why are those women with him?”

“Isn't that girl with the white dress the daughter of that scientist all those years ago?”

“Yes…I heard she was pardoned and reinstated by order of Grand Ma herself.”

“Why is she with that man anyway? What is so special about him?”

“I wonder if all those rumors about him were true?”

“Of course they're not….”

“But still…he is the Grand Admiral…”

“Either way…it's still hard to believe a man is here of all places…in the very surface of Megele as well.”

“The others…you recognize them?”

“Yes…that blonde there….she's the daughter of Selima and Alexia…hard to believe that she's with a man…it's kind of scandalous.”

“Yeah…”

“But still…they seem to be quite comfortable with each other…”

The rumors went on and Kyo was getting rather annoyed by all of it but he knew better than to lose his temper as doing so would only provoke unneeded tension and he was representing the Alliance between Talark and Megele after all…acting badly could very well have dire complications and consequences for the alliance at the moment. He therefore kept his mind on the task at hand as he and the others moved on through the halls and the other adjourning rooms and soon enough, they all arrived in the main hall.

The hall was even grander than the one they had been in and there was a massive dancing hall there and on the sides were tables and a large podium in the back, along with statues and other attractive features such as trees, flower bushes and more…the Gundam pilot felt that this whole hall was spared no expense in order to be this elegant…but he had to admit that this further told him that there was a great waste of viable materials at the moment. However there would be time for that later…once he got back to his duties as Grand Admiral, he could make the needed changes with Grand Ma's permission in order to further improve the war machine of Megele…he knew the changes he had in mind was going to be met with hostility and disbelief…but he had to do it…they needed all available resources and material for full war production soon…time was of the essence.

He put that aside for the moment as he and the others had to register their names into the guest list and they were allowed to sit in their reserved location and soon enough…the other guests and celebrants were now also registered into the guest list and soon the host…a high ranking official began to speak in greeting of the current leaders and officials of the Megele Government. Kyo focused on relaxing as best he could for this day as this was a three day party celebration that he had to deal with at the moment. The caterers arrived and there was a massive buffet that came out in hover carts that brought the food and drink in and the speech was winding down…but Kyo was going to be in for a surprise when the speaker called his attention.

“I would like to have a special…guest come forward to address us tonight in this celebration…as you are all aware…Grand Ma has recently created an alliance between our world of Megele and that of the men of Talark…and placed a man in command of the Allied Fleet, and that man is present here in this hall tonight…I would like to call forward…Kyo Clyne Yamato for a few minutes of his time.”

The lime light was now directed at Kyo who gave a look of surprise on this matter, he knew that he should have expected this to happen at some point but he was not expecting to be merely twenty minutes after he had sat down on the chair of his table…he looked about and saw the sea of faces directed at him by every woman in the hall…many of them were showing different looks at the Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral…some were of disdain, others of veiled hostility, others of curiosity, some of indifference…and more…it was a veritable sea of expressions and emotions and it was not limited to the leaders and officials in the other tables and seats…even the caterers, security personnel and hall staff looked on at him and this made Kyo rather annoyed and uneasy…

The only non hostile looks he got from the women were unsurprisingly from the company near him and who knew him better than just about anyone in the whole of Megele. Meia, Jura, Dita, Sara, and Mai smiled at him with encouraging looks and trust…that alone made him feel more comfortable and despite his unease, he took pride in the fact that there were people here in the hall that were on his side, and who were very important to him at this point and time. He then stood up and moved towards the podium and then faced the large number of women before him and knew that he was in the one place he was very uncomfortable in but he swallowed his unease and focused on doing what must be done here and now. He cleared his throat silently and began to speak.

“Greetings to everyone present…you already know me at this point and time so I rather doubt introductions are necessary. To be honest I was not expecting to be called up here to speak before you all and frankly, I'm not that talented when it comes to speeches, since I prefer to be in a battle-field fighting the enemy. I have been in the position of Grand Admiral for almost several weeks and it has been rather difficult to say the least as there are plenty of challenges that I have to overcome in order for this alliance to work. This is my first time being on a planet where the entire populace is female and frankly it has been rather interesting to say the least.”

Some of the women gave slightly curious looks, others were a bit bored, some were cooling down their hostility by a fraction. Jura and the others however looked on and were more supportive of their loved one as Kyo then spoke once more.

“I am well aware that there are many here that think that my presence here on Megele is unwelcome and I will not presume to say I know who the people in question are…but I am here because of the crisis that looms before all the people in the system of Talark and Megele. I have seen many things in the many months I have spent on my own before arriving in this system and many of the things I have seen have been helpful in many ways, prohibitive in others. And while there are those of you who may dislike the alliance between your world of Megele and that of the male planet of Talark, there is great reason for it's formation. I also would like to point out a bit of history…I am no resident of Talark and therefore have no allegiance with the men of Talark, so I do not think under the same perceptions of the men towards other people…namely women…if you are familiar with what transpired between the meeting between Grand Ma and Grand Pa…then you are well aware of my origins…but if you are not then I will tell you if you are willing to have the time.”

Seeing that he was not being stopped by anyone…he continued.

“Very well…I was born on Earth…not the same Earth that the Harvesters now reside in…but Earth from long ago…long before you're ancestors were ever born. In that time of Earth's history, at least four hundred years before the Colonization Era, I was born between two people in that period. My father was Kira Yamato, a former civilian resident of the Orb Space Colony of Heliopolis and former Alliance Mobile Suit Pilot, and my mother was Lacus Clyne, a famous singer, diplomat and leader on the ZAFT Space Colonies. I have both a male father and a female mother so I was born through the union between a man and a woman…”

Gasps were heard and the women were all looking at him as if they were trying to see if he was lying before them, Kyo let it be for the time being and when the gossip calmed down, he continued.

“As to how I am still before you despite being actually four hundred years of age now…that is a very long story that I believe should be told at another time. However I am telling the truth on this matter and I have no reason to lie about my parentage, because before I had been placed in suspended animation, I was there to attend the debut of my sister Mira before the event that `froze' me in time. Due to my actions nearly four hundred years ago, a potential disaster that could have wiped out the human race at the time was stopped…in exchange for saving the people of Earth so long ago… I lost my memories, and was thought dead for the centuries as time moved on without me, my family and friends eventually perished and the world I knew ever since I was a child vanished forever. In that time until my awakening from my long sleep, the Colonization Era had begun and when I finally awoke, the worlds you all know now exist and so do your civilizations. That meant that my actions had allowed humanity to grow and prosper until they explored beyond their solar system and found the worlds that are inhabited by human civilization today…including that of your world of Megele and that of the world of the men of Talark.”

The implications of that was not lost to the women and they were still shocked by the fact that before them was a man who was a figure of legend, what was more unbelievable was the fact that when further understood…they all owed their lives and their very existence to this man before them. There were those of them who were still disbelieving and voiced that out a bit more loudly than most and Kyo noted that for the time being and when he was sure that the time had come for him to speak…he continued.

“I however do not see myself as some legendary person, nor will I use that facet of my life to lord over others…that is not the reason I brought that part of my life up, it is merely stating the truth, and there is one thing that I have learned from my parents…and that is not to think that you are better than others, I might be able to do things others cannot, but they can also do things that I cannot, and I cannot be judged by my abilities and gifts….but on how I use those said gifts and abilities. The things I did long ago was for the sake of the people I cherished in my life, and while I was not aware of the long term consequences and results of my actions, I will not hesitate to do them all over again. I am just a person who cares for others enough to risk his life to do so…you might find that strange…a man who is willing to help others including women, but there is no lie in that.”

“As Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, I know that there will be hard times before all of us in this alliance and the soon to come war with the Harvesters, there will be misunderstandings, arguments, disagreements, and possibly fights…but we all must look to the truth that if we do not stand united in this time, then we all will not survive to see the future of those who will come after us. It is hard to place aside generations of prejudice and hatred…I should know because I went through the same things long ago, but we have to for the sake of the future, not just for ourselves…but for the future generations yet to come. Yes there will be hard choices, hard decisions to be made, sacrifices have to be made…and more, I will not deny that. I however am not asking you all here to discard all your ideals and your own hopes and dreams, but I am asking that for those same things, you have to put aside the past and stand united with others…including the men of Talark for this alliance can very well be the only thing that will prevent the end of all human life…that is all I have to say for now.”

With that, Kyo left the podium and walked back to his table and sat down and sighed, Jura and the others were smiling at that and Kyo felt a lot better, the women there were looking at him and the Gundam pilot knew that this was going to take some time to handle for the moment. For now however…it seemed that things were moving along well enough as the women were no longer showing veiled hostility and disdain towards him…until one woman stood up and clapped her hands towards him…surprising him for a moment…until others, though only a small number did the same thing. It was not much…but it seemed that there were those in the hall that were in agreement for the time being.

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

Later…

Kyo looked out at the city of Megele and had to admit that despite all the massive uses of resources and the wasting of it too…there was a certain beauty in the city that was undeniable…and despite his dislike for their wasting of precious resources and material…he could see the beauty of Megele itself…though he hoped that in this time of crisis, things would change. He was currently out in a balcony as the party was still going on at the moment…but he decided to get some fresh air into his lungs for the moment and looked at the lights. He then took a drought of the wine in his glass and looked out to the city once more…he and the others had their dinner and the buffet was pretty large…all manner of food was there and he was very much enjoying the food and drink as well…after the dinner, there were some other speeches and small gift giving sessions to lighten the mood…and at the moment…the people in the party were free to mingle and chat with one another for the time being.

He then heard footsteps and he turned and found himself staring at a brunette woman who wore a rather elaborate dress which was orange gold in color and she seemed to be rather tall and about Jura's height, her hair seemed to be in an elaborated number of smaller braids…similar to the dreadlock hair-style that Amarone favored back on the Nirvana.

“Excuse me…are you Kyo Yamato?”

Kyo wondered what this was about and he was wary…however he sensed that there was no malice or ill intent with this woman.

“That I am…who are you?”

“My name is Kylie Reese…my daughter Sheila Reese served in the Megele Navy during the battle with the Harvesters a few days before…she was among the survivors of the Megele cruiser the Verdant Plain, that you were able to save by fighting that leader of the Harvesters.”

“I see…why? Is something wrong?”

“No…I had heard you were here at the moment and I wanted to talk to you about what you've done…”

The woman gave Kyo a letter and she bowed to him and turned to leave but not before she spoke.

“I want to thank you for saving my daughter's life. And that of others as well.”

The woman left and that was when he was greeted by Jura and the others who had looked for him a few moments before until the three former Dread pilots used their SEED senses to track him down instead of wandering about all over the halls. Jura and the others had seen the whole thing and they were curious about what had transpired between the woman and their loved one.

“Who was that woman Kyo?”

Meia asked as Kyo felt the letter and finding nothing dangerous at the moment to be sure, he answered.

“Her name is Kylie Reese and she was the mother of one of the women that I supposedly saved during the battle before…I'm not really sure about all that at the moment but I can sense that there's no danger at the moment so I guess opening this letter would be all right.”

The women gathered about as Kyo opened the letter and true to his thoughts…there was nothing dangerous there as he read the letter.

`To Admiral Kyo Yamato…

If you have received this letter from my ohma…then I guess you know my name to be Sheila Reese…I severed on the last ship that was about to be utterly destroyed by the Harvester Leader all those days ago, the Verdant Plain…I was one of the Register Hands onboard and I had barely escaped with my life…I was thinking I was going to die that day until you and your Gundam showed up to save us…I know that you were not able to save my other friends who died that day in time…but you saved many more and I thank you. There might be those that think this alliance is wrong and that we can still win without the help of the men…

I'm not one of them…I thank you and hope that someday I can meet the man who saved my life…I would like it if I served with you as well.

Sheila Reese…'

The Gundam pilot couldn't help but smile a bit that and the women were also happy for him…to know that there are women on Megele itself who supported the alliance was a welcome thing in his mind and that of the others with him. The Gundam pilot placed the letter aside and was feeling in a more festive mood.

“Well…at least the alliance is working out here as well.”

Jura replied as she kissed Kyo on the cheek and the others also agreed as they were happy for the letter and it was then that the party was now in full swing and for the first time since the night began…Kyo began to loosen up and be more relaxed. The Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral was slowly approached by other women from the party and many of them were high ranking officials and Kyo knew that he had to watch his drink as he knew that any slip up might be asking for trouble at the moment…plus he was not in the mood to be dealing with a hang over the next day.

The women who chatted with him were curious about him to a degree and asked questions…some were mostly harmless…while others were not so harmless but he dealt with them carefully and did his best to handle the situation diplomatically at the moment until time was better on his side. When the time came for the people to dance, he watched as couples danced well with one another and the scene was certainly very moving in a way…he was then asked to show his other talents and to the amazement of the women in the hall…Kyo showed his skill in dancing as well…he started with the waltz and Dita was the first he would dance with, and the two danced very well together, he then danced with the others, Jura was next and the pair were doing very well indeed, and then Meia, then Sara, and lastly Mai. All the while as the dances changed…Kyo was able to match up well and show a great streak of skill in the dance floor…shocking many of the women who were there to witness the whole thing before them as they witnessed a man who could dance very well…almost mirroring the surprise the other pirates had when they saw Kyo dance with the five women back in the pirate base.

As the party died down…Kyo was able to drive back with the girls to their chosen home…Jura's family owned a summer house that was more of a mansion than anything else at the moment…showing how wealthy and influential Jura's family were on Megele. The girls begged him to stay with them in the house for as long as he was to stay on Megele before heading back to his duties in the Megele Academy…the ultimate temptation for most men…

And Kyo was VERY tempted to say the least…however, he thought better of the idea…doing so would surely invite a slew of questions from every media group on Megele if they got wind of it. The idea of a man being in the same house with a woman was certainly something he knew the women of Megele would really be angry about and also cause quite the commotion…and he didn't even want to guess the outcome if they caught him being…well…intimate with the girls…the effect of that being seen by the women of Megele in the news would be VERY much something he hoped to avoid.

Jura and the others were somewhat disappointed but had to agree with Kyo's reasoning on the matter as they knew that since they were on Megele at the moment that idea would be asking for way too much trouble. They had to wait until there was a better time for any nightly escapades. Kyo bid them farewell and drove back to the Megele High Command building and headed for his room…his Amazon body guard detail was already there and after making a proper security sweep of his room, he took of his clothes and then went to sleep.

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

The next day…

“Oh man…what a night…”

Kyo yawned as he got out of his bed was only dressed in his boxers and under-shirt…he tidied up his bed and checked his PDA for any new messages and finding none at the moment, he went and got dressed into a pair of pants and a simple shirt and got on his sandals. He then headed for the kitchen and took a look in the fridge and began to cook his food, which comprised of bacon, eggs, muffins, rice, and some hot chocolate as well.

He was able to wipe up a simple break-fast as he placed the food in the dining area and as he ate the food and drank his hot chocolate…he turned on the nearby TV with the remote and sure enough…he was on the top news segment today as a reporter showed images and videos of him…apparently the first section of the report was based on the interviews that he had done in the Megele Academy a few weeks before. As he finished his food, he took the mug of hot chocolate and listened to the news.

“In what appeared to be a previously recorded interview with the new Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet, this is the first time that in our history of Megele that a man was given a place among our people…the man in question going by the name of Kyo Clyne Yamato has been seen as a strict but apparently fair officer in the Megele Navy. He was recently seen in the company of several members of the former pirate crew of the Nirvana…who have recently been given amnesty by Grand Ma and had their citizenships returned.”

“As far as civilian analysts have reported…the new Grand Admiral has been seen as a competent officer and is a talented pilot, though his record with our forces prior to his being promoted to Grand Admiral has been spotty…leaked reports stated that he had entered Megele sovereign space to help in the escape of the former pirates while they were still incarcerated on the asteroid prison colony, and had disabled the Megele Navy detachment that was sent to capture the pirates with whom he was apparently a key figure. There is still much speculation on how this action taken by Grand Ma will play out…however there have been those among the population who have shown considerable discontent with the addition of Kyo Yamato and there have been protests in some areas of Megele…while some have been peaceful…others have been vocal at the moment and a bit more physical.”

“The Grand Admiral was recently present in the annual Party hosted by the Government and there, he had delivered what some have called a very interesting speech about the need for the alliance, which others have called it as a joke. However, the facts remained that many have considered him a good speaker…and amazingly enough…a talented dancer…several analysts have studied the videos of him dancing with his companions and have seen that he was dancing in perfect fashion. There is much yet to be decided but as far as reports have gone…Grand Admiral Kyo Yamato is proving to be a solid individual…though his detractors may say otherwise…”

Kyo sighed and placed aside the remote and finished his drink…he then headed for the door of his residence and looked to see none other than Heidi at the door…he was rather curious about what his liaison officer for Megele was doing here on the planet and he opened the door. Heidi saluted the young Gundam pilot and he replied.

“Commander Heidi…I didn't expect to see you here today.”

Heidi nodded and replied.

“Grand Ma asked me to come here to help you with your stay here on Megele for the time being…I am your liaison officer after all. I also have to report to Grand Ma about the progress of the new trainees for the Dread forces and the Navy.”

“I see…come in…did you have break-fast already?”

“Uh…I'm afraid not Sir…”

Kyo nodded and finished his hot chocolate and allowed Heidi into the room and her escort as well. He then led them to the seats and allowed them to sit down as he spoke.

“Well then…wait here and I'll whip you some food to eat.”

Heidi looked at her superior with some surprise as she was not aware that Kyo was able to cook…she had been raised to think that men ate only those disgusting food pills, so while she had begun to lose some of the prejudice of her people…she was still convinced that men didn't know the first thing on how to cook.

“You can cook Sir?”

“Yes…I do this a lot and when I am with the Nirvana crew, I cook for them too, after all Commander…I am not from Talark so I grew up differently and I do things quite differently as well. Now what would you and the others like to have today?”

Heidi and her escorts, including Kyo's Amazon Guard detail looked at one another and wondered if they should…

Kyo wasted little time and began to cook the food for his guests, and has he did so, the smell of cooking food made it's way into the living room and to the amazement of Heidi and her fellow women…the smell was pretty good right of the bat. The Gundam pilot had a lot to do as this was the second day of the celebration and he had to be there soon…but for today, he had guests to feed as he finished with the dishes and then made a fresh batch of coffee and some fruit juice. As he took out the food and handed the food to his guests, the women looked on at the selection of sliced fruit, cooked bacon, scrambled eggs with cream cheese, warm rice and grains, hot bread with both butter and fruit jam, and they were surprised to taste the food as the food was well prepared and they couldn't help but sample more and more of the food…as Kyo watched in amusement as he poured some coffee into a mug and after adding non fat sugar and cream, he stirred the coffee and had a good drink as he waited for the women to finish the meals.

Heidi had to admit that she could see how the perceptions of her people towards men would not apply to Kyo Yamato as she could tell that the way he showed comfort around others of her gender and she couldn't help but wonder how he had grown up…he had no records she could study and since he was actually four hundred and twenty years of age, it would make sense that no one else would know about his past…only he could as he had been there before and therefore knew more about his own life. She wondered what life was like back in the past but being in the military had cut down her time in doing any work on it.

“Well…how's the food?”

Heidi smiled and replied.

“The food was great Admiral…you really know how to cook, may I ask who taught you?”

Kyo gave a slightly sad smile and replied.

“My mother and my aunt taught me how to cook when I was younger, and after I had awakened from my time being in suspended animation, I took the time to travel to other places in the universe when I had the chance and there I also learned how to cook.”

“I see…”

“Well Commander…what's the next batch of activities that are on the schedule for this Party?”

“Yes…there's supposed to be something of a beach party in one of the beach resorts on Megele's coast area…the newest is the Five Star beach resort The Sapphire Mine. There's a special transport that will be ready to arrive in an hour or so. The party there is to last at least a full day and it will end there the next day as well.”

Kyo gave a look of surprise at the information.

“A beach Party eh? All right…I guess I have to get ready for the transport then.”

“Yes sir…I'll be taking care of the details on the ground for you in order to make sure that everything will be as needed for you. I have to take my leave sir…but thank you for the break-fast you made.”

“Not a problem.”

As soon as Heidi and her escorts left the room, Kyo decided to get things ready for his little trip to the beach…however…as he was getting ready to pack things up..he was alerted to a person at his door…he was a bit cautious as he left the bed room and headed there to figure out just who was at his door. The moment he opened the door he was greeted by none other than Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara and Mai…the five Dread pilots apparently were carrying bags of some sort and seemed to be on the good mood.

“Hey there Kyo!”

The Gundam pilot was immediately glomped by the girls as they each kissed him on the lips in greeting and the Gundam pilot was relieved to see them here. He had not expected them to come to him here in Megele High Command as they were technically civilians and only government and military personnel were allowed in the area. However…after a few moments of patient explanation, it turned out that Grand Ma had given special passes to come go on the premises when they could be able to do so..and apparently they were there to accompany him to the location of the second day of party hosted by the all female world's government…and they apparently had their own sets of clothes for the occasion and that made Kyo shake his head as he had a fairly accurate idea of what was going to transpire the very second they were at the location of the party's second day.

After packing his gear and being told that the transport had arrived and was waiting for him, Kyo and the former pirates made their way down and boarded the transport and were on their way…The vehicle was similar to large bus but was very spacious and had several seats and sections that were large…Kyo took a seat while the five other women who were close to him were there next time and pointing out the sights as they passed through Megele's capital city. The Gundam pilot had to admit that seeing the city was interesting indeed.

They then got to see the hotel that would serve as the venue of the second day of the party and Kyo had to admit that the place was certainly a spectacle for the moment

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

In the beach…

Kyo sighed as he looked at the ocean and had to admit that the women of Megele at least were blessed with clean waters for swimming in and he was at least impressed with the area he was supposed to stay in for the duration of the party that he was to be in for a three day period…though he was uncomfortable being in a beach of all places for the second day. And he had some good reasons…the first was the fact that he was obviously the only male on the whole beach…the rest of the occupants were all female and they were wearing various types of swim-wear which fit the environment…but those were also very distracting for him in many ways.

It was then that he knew that he was getting stared at as well, and he knew that he was being tested once more as many of the female beach goers have him odd looks. He wished that the others were around, but the five former pirates were busy getting their registrations into the very much high ranking hotel. He was very much alone as he sat there on the sand and looked on at the beach…if the place wasn't this crowded and filled with buildings…it would have resembled his home back in Orb all those years ago…

<I miss home…>

Kyo thought about his past and wondered on what else he would do when the war was over…he knew that thinking this way was not considered to be a wise idea as many things could happen in time and he knew that in 3 months and a few more days from now…the war that will determine the very survival of the Human race would begin and it would be a very bloody and decisive battle. He knew that things will never be easy…and he accepted that….but if they won and peace would settle in the universe…then he would have to find a place to call home eventually…the Nirvana was home but he wanted to also have a place on the surface of a planet to call home as well.

“Kyo! We're here!”

Kyo turned and his eyes widened as he gazed at Dita and the others who apparently had finished their registration and had settled into their rooms for the night and were now there to join him in the beach and boy were they dressed for the part…

Dita wore a two piece swim suit and the cloth was made from blue silk and the parts had beautiful flower patterns there and the upper top was shaped to hold her chest well, while the two piece showed her full and very lush figure and the redhead looked very desirable as she had her long red hair in her usual fashion but had a different looking tiara with a beautiful blue sapphire on the top of the tiara…she was very stunning and her smile was worth it as it was pure and very honest and innocent…not jaded and practiced.

Jura's own swimsuit was deep green to match her eyes and there were beautiful light streaks of gold yellow there as well, the swim suit there was a slit in the middle that exposed her flat stomach and the one piece suit was holding Jura's ample breasts well while her lush blonde hair was behind her and acted like a golden silk cloak behind her and added to her overall beauty, which was very much stunning…but Kyo knew Jura's inner beauty and spirit and that further made her gorgeous in his eyes.

Meia was wearing a deep white one piece suit that showed her back well and hugged her frame very well and there was a beautiful lace work of green gemstones that mixed well with her own deep green eyes and added beauty to the former Dread pilot and current Gundam pilot despite the fact that she didn't wear her circlet for the time being…but to him…she was radiantly beautiful…even more so now that she smiled more often and enjoyed life and more open to being with others who cared about her.

Sara wore a deep red one piece swim suit that was in a two piece design and had straps that overlapped each other on the back and the swim suit hugged her frame very well and there were also small flower like designs on the swim suit which mixed nicely with her figure. She gave a warm smile at him and that made all the difference…he knew he could rely on Sara when the chips were down and her being attractive and a brave woman was a plus.

Mai wore a deep purple two piece suit and there was a triangle there on the top of her breasts that showed a portion of her breasts…and there was a pair of slits on the sides too… near the hips and made her appear even sexier than most and Kyo loved the way she carried herself with a warrior's grace and showing a kind heart as well.

The Gundam pilot looked at them as they walked over and hugged him and he hugged them back…the other women were stunned to see the five women hug a man and while there were those of them who were giving looks of disgust at the sight of the women hugging the man..there were those who were looking on with surprise as the five women showed no discomfort or were suffering any diseases that men were supposed to carry at all.

Kyo however smiled as he went with them and decided to enjoy the party and have fun with those who he trusted and loved with every fiber of his being and the girls loved him back and that was all that mattered to him and the thought of having the chance to start his own family someday made his spirits even stronger…

For the five women…to see Kyo smiling and being happy filled them with their own happiness and that was what mattered to them as well and the thought of someday being able to live in peace with him and have children with him was a dream come true for them…something they were willing to fight for.

The party was well under way as the various numbers of female officers were busy having contests and more and Kyo was able to participate and Jura, Meia, Dita, Sara, and Mai were his team in some of the contests as well and this was making Kyo feel more at home…and during the later parts of the day…Kyo was always accompanied by them as he socialized with the other members of the Megele government, both civilian and military and his patience helped him navigate through many possible traps that could be there and he was able to help improve the perception of the people in government of him being part of the Alliance and the current head of the Allied Fleet. Kyo was finally able to enjoy the party in the second day and he hoped that things would continue to improve for the Alliance…his one concern was how things were going to work out once he got to Talark…he had a feeling things were going to be hard once he got there on the all male world.

As the day moved on…Kyo wondered on how else things would play out while he was here on Megele. He had already met Jura's Fahma and Ohma and while there was little chance that Meia's own family would visit him…there was still the chance that he would meet Dita's own parents and those of Sara and Mai as well. He had a feeling that sooner or later…he would have to deal with meeting the parents at some point…but for now…he was content to be here.

He then wondered how Duero and Max were doing…he had no doubt in his mind that they would have already met their loved one's parents and he hoped that things would work out for them all.

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

To be continued

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

This is the finish of this chapter for the time being….as the last day of the party is nearing the end…how will the Megele officers view Kyo as Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet and the only male officer in the ranks of their military with the end of the party?

Apart from that matter with the Alliance…there is also the question on how the meeting between Duero and Parfait's ohma and fahma…along with Max's own meeting with Barnette's own fahma and ohma…how did it turn out and will the parents approve of the relationship that has blossomed between their respective daughters and the two Talark men. How will that turn out and will it be good for them all.

And naturally….Kyo has to meet the ohma and fahma of Dita, Sara, and Mai respectively at some point and how will the meetings play out.

The story took me a while to wrap up due to so many things that have been occupying my mind for some time and for the long delays…I apologize for that long delay as I had so many things to work on…but I will be easing myself back into this story and hopefully reach the completion of this work of mine…and I hope to end it with a loud bang. The other members of the Resistance will play a role in the coming conflict so don't think I have forgotten them all entirely.

The story arc chapter 12 will be reaching the end soon and soon the Chapter 13 story arc will begin and when that happens…things will be very long and fierce so enjoy the peace that is in the Chapter 12 arc as it lasts….and if you want to know if I have plans to have the couples in GunDread SEED have families soon…well…you'll have to wait and see.

But until that time comes…well…you can bet that things for Kyo will be far from peaceful or restful as well…but they will be far from boring.