Gundam SEED Fan Fiction / Vandread Fan Fiction ❯ GunDread SEED- The Second Stage ❯ Part 4 - Trials ( Chapter 29 )

GunDread SEED The Second Stage

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to VanDread and Gundam SEED….

Chapter 12

Part 4

Trials

< >: Thoughts

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

In Megele…

“All right ladies…we need those ship parts ready for the next batch of cruisers and Dreads ASAP!!!”

“Roger!!!!”

The activity of the Megele factory was growing as more and more women workers were busy assembling the various components that made the fighters that were their trademarks and the workers knew that this was going to be a very long day yet again. Ever since the planet had undergone full military production and the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet was given sole authority to help prepare Megele for the soon to come war, he had been working non-stop to get the production of Megele up to speed.

There were those who voiced their complaints about the schedules and plans that he had drawn up for Megele, but he was there to talk things over and to the amazement of the women, when Kyo Yamato was on the scene he was not arrogant and smug about his authority but was patient and pointed out the need for them to work on the projects that he deemed needed to ensure that their forces would be more than ready for the soon to come conflict with the Harvesters.

The Gundam pilot was also gathering all the nuclear weapons that was under the use of the Megele military and the women were stunned at the order of the Grand Admiral to start issuing nuclear ordnance to the Fleet. However, Kyo make sure to screen all ship commanders to make sure that none of them would get the bright idea of using those nuclear weapons on the men of Talark and warned them that the weapons were meant to be used on the soon to come Harvester Fleet and to make double sure that they got the message, he had all the key firing and arming codes on his person and locked in his Gundam's computer at all times. It was not that he didn't trust the women, it was the fact that some of them would be still against the Alliance between Talark and Megele that worried him and if they had their hands on nuclear weapons….well….things would have gone from bad to worse….he knew enough history from his parents and his adopted aunt Murrue about how Muruta Azrael used revived nuclear weapons to try and wipe out the PLANTS and he was not in the mood for that to happen.

As more work was being done, the Gundam pilot found out his plans would take time to properly execute and dealing with the usual barrage of detractors was wearing down on his nerves and patience at times but periodic visits from the Nirvana's crew livened up his spirits and seeing that there were women who agreed with his policies and worked with him instead of against him was certainly a good thing in his mind in order to deal with his leadership position. The Gundam pilot and Grand Admiral was also busy on other matters that were still connected with the military….

The new Dreads with his recommended modifications had to be put through their paces and the Dreads proved to be better armored and armed than the previous models and were soon finding favor with the rest of the newly trained Dread pilots at the time being, and to see how well the women had handled the training simulations that he had devised with the combat data his Gundam had, he could routinely challenge the Dread pilots to fight not just the Cube Fighters but him as well. The Dread pilots were quick to learn that while Kyo had a powerful Gundam, the real strength lay with the pilot and not the Gundam itself as despite being in an administrative and leadership position….Kyo had not lost his piloting skills and combat abilities at all and kept himself ready for anything. He was the one who personally maintained the I-Freedom Gundam when it was in dry dock and needed to be repaired or maintained.

Many engineers on Megele wished to see the inside of the Gundam and study it but he didn't allow them since he knew the Mobile Suit better than they did and he was more experienced with the repairs and maintenance of the Mobile Suit. He would routinely be found by Commander Heidi and anyone else with his Gundam and running tests on it when he was not in the office at the moment. Kyo did this in order to clear his head and plan out new tactics as he would review all the tactical data he had in the I-Freedom's archives and make new changes to the programs he had already developed over the time he was there.

Kyo knew better than to burn out the people under his command so he would not hesitate to let them relax and have fun while they were able to get some free time. This action of showing that he was a very amicable guy and also a person with a kind nature eased him into the minds of the women officers and leaders he had to work with everyday as he was now reaching the end of his time on Megele and soon had to take his leadership position in Talark.

The plans he had created were being implemented and soon enough, his core plan of evacuating the people of Megele when the worst case scenario happened was being practiced as key ships were being called in to act as evacuation units. He had all non essential military ships, supply freighters, and even luxury ships modified to act as emergency transports to evacuate the people quickly and he planned several key routes that would ensure that the ships would not be caught in the fighting areas. He made plans to have the ships fully stocked with food, water, and materials to ensure the survival of the people of Megele. He also instituted the law that the women were to bring only the core essentials and were to throw away anything deemed useless and unnecessary for their survival. He knew that he was going to get a ton of flak about that from the women but the way he saw it….survival took precedence over vanity anyway and he was not troubled by this.

As the nuclear weapons were being prepared and his plans being placed into action, the Gundam pilot began to plan out the time he would spend on Talark….he knew that the men were going to give him problems and he hoped that they would not be too much of a headache for him as he was not in the mood for such things at the moment as the last months of the temporary peace would soon come to an end.

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

In his office….

Kyo was busy reading the latest reports on the field as more of the Megele officers handed their reports to his desk. He was tired but thankfully was not burned out as he drank some cool water in a glass and then finished his study of the incoming report. The Gundam pilot then decided to see how things were doing as he got up….tidied his office and made his way out with his glass refilled by the water dispenser and made his way to the main officer's quarters.

As soon as he stepped in, the female officers saluted him and he saluted them back and spoke.

“At ease….what's the latest report on the Fleets?”

“We have a new number of cruisers and Dread Squadrons ready to be assigned though they are still waiting for the parts, munitions, fuel and more Admiral.”

“Tell the engineers to take as much time as needed for the Dread Squadrons, I want all the Dreads to be at top notch form….and hand me a resource supply report on the amount of materials used for the Dread construction.”

“Yes sir!”

As he placed aside the glass he took the time to think over some other plans and then decided to begin the next step and he knew that now was the time for him to call on his Talark liaison officer, Commander Jason Marduke and speak to him about the current status of the Talark military, he had read Jason's provided profile and he was impressed with his record….though more on the fact that Jason was a former Third Class Citizen and he wondered that just maybe he had met the man before…but he rather doubted that at the moment and decided to call Commander Heidi on the communications system….as she was currently overseeing the shipment of all resource materials to Talark.

It didn't take long for the Megele liaison officer of Kyo to get the call.

“What can I do for you Admiral Yamato?”

“I need you to contact Talark and locate one Jason Marduke….he's the liaison officer assigned to me by Grand Pa….tell him I need to have a meeting with him here on the Academy of Megele to discuss the plans we have created….for the plans to work we need the cooperation of the men as soon as possible.”

“Understood Admiral….I will try and raise him now.”

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

In the area of Talark Space…

“Sir….we're getting an incoming communiqué from Megele space….it seems the women want to look for Commander Jason Marduke.”

The Talark officer looked over the incoming communiqué and sighed at that as he read the information. The Talark Military Intelligence network were already familiar with the Megele language and more due to Tenmei's gleaming of information during his time with the pirates and that was put to good use by the Talark Navy to intercept incoming Megele transmissions from any of their ships or their station….originally it was used to spy on the women, now it was needed to maintain contact with their new and still unanticipated allies.

“All right, get me Fleet High Command and send them the message….who's looking for him at the moment?”

“The Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet.”

In his ship, Jason was busy running his battle cruiser through the routine maintenance checks. The young Commander had high faith in his crew and all those who served under his command so when his communications officer, Private Davis Reilly called him on the inter-com, he quickly responded to it while he was still in his office.

“Go ahead Private Reilly.”

“Sir….we've got a call from the Grand Admiral that he wants a word with you via communications link.”

“All right….patch it through.”

The young Talark officer and Kyo Talark liaison was greeted by the Grand Admiral as his second in command, Lieutenant Kell Reynolds looked on. The two officers looked at Kyo and they saluted him promptly in accordance with the fact that he was now the Grand Admiral of the Allied Fleet and under Grand Pa was their superior officer. Kyo returned the salute and spoke.

“At ease Commander.”

Jason did so and spoke to Kyo.

“Sir, while this is an honor I am rather curious as to why you are calling me….I was under the impression that you were not to go to Talark until a few weeks from now.”

“Correct, but this call cannot wait. There are new plans that I need to discuss with you and Grand Pa….but since my duties forbid me from leaving Megele until the allotted time, I need you to have the copies of these plans sent to Grand Pa directly, under no official channels that may result in these orders being sabotaged.”

“You don't trust the Talark Military chain of Command Admiral Yamato?”

Kyo shook his head and replied.

“I trust the military of Talark Commander Marduke….I just don't trust the people who could profit from messing around with my orders who are in it. You are my liaison and I happen to tell that you are the trust worthy and practical sort. These plans are very vital to the Alliance and I will not have any hardliners or extremists getting their hands on it and corrupting them for their own benefit. These orders have to be delivered to Grand Pa and to Grand Pa alone, your crew and you are the only ones I trust at the moment with them, these high light a number of plans for the fleets….as well as contingency plans for the coming battle that have to be placed into action if worse comes to worse….understand?”

Jason thought it over and had to agree with Kyo, there were people in the Talark military who cared more for themselves and nursing their dislike for the Alliance, and if they got their hands on the plans being outlined by the Grand Admiral could use the plans to their advance. He knew this for a fact though his crew had their own reservations at the moment. However….he was the Grand Admiral's liaison officer and had a duty to help him in these matters.

“All right sir….we are on our way.”

“Good, I'll have my Megele Liaison officer Heidi make arrangements for you and your ship to have proper facilities and supplies once you enter Megele Space….and I'll do one better….I'll be the one to escort you myself.”

“Uh…yes sir!”

As the communication link ended Jason looked at his second in command who was wearing a rather surprised expression and he stated his surprise at what they had just been ordered to do and what they were told by the Grand Admiral….

“Sir….this is….unexpected…”

“I know…we're actually making history here….our ship is going to be the only Talark naval vessel to enter Megele controlled space….and not as an attacker either.”

Kell nodded as this was something that was unheard of on Talark….for years now they had been told of various plans and strategies High Command had come up with to invade Megele space for the soon to come war with the women, and after the disappearance and supposed destruction of the Ikazuchi a year ago…those plans were being re-evaluated and retested….now their ship and crew were going to the very first Talark men to enter Megele space….and not as invaders….but as guests….it was….unreal.

The same thoughts were on Jason's mind….he knew that as Kyo's liaison officer to the Talark military, he would have to work closely with the Grand Admiral and Gundam pilot….but to do so in Megele controlled space was not something he was all that prepared for….however he had his orders and he was under oath to Grand Pa to carry them out and now was the time.

“We can't do anything about that at the moment….set a course for Megele.”

“Aye sir!”

With that, Jason and he crew made their way to Megele space….becoming the only Talark ship to be allowed into Megele controlled territory.

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

On Megele…

Kyo got out of the office and was busy powering up the I-Freedom and was now dressed in his flight-suit and helmet, he still carried his normal weapons and was now on the move as he was able to reboot and check the systems and as he was given the green light by the Megele Academy's flight crews…the Gundam pilot guided his Mobile Suit out of the Academy and activated the Prominence Phase Shift Armor of his Gundam and was off in a heart beat and he contacted Heidi to give him an update on the location of Jason Marduke' ship and as soon as he got the coordinates as it entered Megele space, he arrived there and was now being hailed by the ship itself.

Many of the Talark men onboard Jason's ship were not very comfortable with the idea of being in the territory of the women and the young but talented leader of the ship could not blame his men for being very wary at the moment of their current location. It was somewhat difficult for the men to digest the fact that they were in the territory of the women that they had been taught at birth to be their enemies.

The arrival of the I-Freedom seemed to lessen the tension somewhat as many of the men were familiar with Kyo's personal Gundam and the fact that they were being escorted by the Grand Admiral made them realize that they were in good hands…they spotted several wings of Dreads coming their way and for a moment the tension came back until the Dreads were flying around their ship and not taking potshots at them. It seemed that the trip was not going to be too much of a mistake after all at the moment.

Later, as the ship was brought into dock in the Megele Academy, Kyo came out of his Gundam and decided to meet with Jason as he and his officers were escorted out of their ship by a contingent of their own security crew….and the men couldn't help but look in surprise at the whole facility as it was something that none of them had ever seen before in their entire lives at the moment. Kyo saw that and spoke to the women who were on security detail and armed with laser rifles.

“Keep your cool ladies….they're guests and allies…not enemies.”

The women nodded at that and kept their weapons on safety as Heidi appeared with her own Megele security escort. The Gundam pilot couldn't blame the Megele women who were with him at the moment, they had gotten used to his presence and many had accepted the fact that he was not from the planet of Talark and was not like the men that they all had considered as their world's enemy for some time. However, the men who were now there before them were the ones that they had been conditioned to see as their foes for as long as they could remember. He knew that he would have to make sure that there would be a chance for the women and men of both Talark and Megele to work side by side against the many dangers that were soon to come.

The Grand Admiral allowed several living quarters to be set up for the crew of Jason's ship and the crew were allowed to see the lives led by the women and women were allowed to interact with men, and while there were still some who were not keen on the idea, they were unable to refuse as Kyo was of a higher authority.

The men had to admit that the women were quite different and most of Jason's crew were amazed at what they had seen concerning the technology level of the women, though they also disliked the overspending of all those valuable resources. This Kyo knew and kept as consideration, they needed to improve and streamline production and

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

The last days of the month Kyo spent on Megele had been tiring but rewarding at the moment, the plans that he had made in preparation for the soon to come months were now in effect and despite the fact that it would be another two months before the soon to come conflict would be coming, he knew that things were under way. As many ships were conscripted and stocked to carry all needed food, water, equipment, and more to be ready for a possible attack on the planet of Megele itself, which the fleet would be hard pressed to stop.

As predicted, many of the women who were against the idea were protesting the move as cowardice typical of men, but the ones who understood the plan knew that they had to make these plans to be ready for anything that might happen soon enough and after seeing the scenario that they had to be ready for, they were willing to do what they could to prepare for the worst of the coming storm.

As soon as his Megele liaison officer was done with the key aspects of the situation and the planning, he took his leave and left Heidi in charge and gave her his comm.. frequency to call him back on Talark. He then made sure to always keep tabs on other matters as he made his way to Talark. The Gundam pilot had been told by Jason that Grand Pa had approved of the plans despite resistance by some of the people there in command on Talark and he expected that to happen as there would still be those against the whole thing.

As he arrived on Talark for his stint as their new commander, he knew things were going be hectic here.

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

On Talark, two weeks later…

Kyo was busy as any normal person who was given a very serious task at the moment. He looked at all the incoming reports from his officers and support staff in his office on the surface of Talark at the moment. The planet did have the advantage of being able to mass produce the weapons, supplies and more needed to fit and equip the Allied Fleet at this point and time, and the Fleet ships were not the only ones as both Vanguards and Dreads were being refitted with new weapons, munitions, armor, and technology as both planets were busy trading their information, supplies and equipment with one another and that was what he had hoped for ever since the start of the Alliance between Talark and Megele. At the moment, he was able to see that the new Vanguard designs were being put into production as materials from Megele were being brought in to supplement the supplies and materials already present on Talark itself.

The female inspectors were not very happy with their current living conditions on Talark, considering the world to be vastly different than what they were commonly used to back on Megele and he couldn't find fault in that for the time being as they had a very different life-style than the men did, however, he had reminded them not to underestimate the survival instincts and abilities of men when it came to their home turf. And gradually they were getting used to it though they had to seriously adapt to the Spartan conditions that the men had to live with for the duration of their lives.

Despite showing his own discomfort with living on Talark once again….Kyo was the sort to adapt quickly and he had lived on this world before and was familiar with the customs and more of this planet. Not to mention his experience with Mobile Suits and the time he spent in the assembly yards of the Vanguards meant that he was more than qualified to see the construction of the new Vanguards himself. Ever since the Alliance became finalized….he had allowed the Crusader Squadrons to unlock the CPUs of their Crusaders and download all the pertinent combat data and information that could serve as a test bed for the new generation Vanguards.

“Excuse me Admiral Yamato….Chief Engineer Mekel Anders is here to see you.”

“What does he want?”

“Sir….he wants to discuss some matter concerning the combat data on the Vanguard designs.”

“Any problems with them?”

“Not really sir…he needs to discuss some of the programs that have to be installed into the Vanguards' system s.”

“All right…send him in.”

Kyo placed aside the data pad and in came the man in question. Chief Engineer Mekel Anders was a tall imposing man, with silver streaks in his black hair and a pair of scars on the sides of his face….the result of an accident in his youth long ago. The man was tough and burly and had the muscles to show he years of working in hard labor in the engineering plants all over Talark. He was a bit gruff but was one of the men Kyo knew to be trust worthy and he had requested him to be head of the Vanguard design teams. Kyo stood up as the Chief Engineer saluted him.

“Chief Engineer Mekel Anders here sir!”

Kyo returned the salute and spoke.

“At ease….take your seat.”

As the two sat down, Kyo turned and got out a pair of glasses and poured out some distilled water and handed one glass to Mekel and as soon as the two were relaxed….the Grand Admiral spoke.

“I heard that you same matters to discuss with me Chief Engineer Mekel.”

“You heard right sir….I've been able to see the new blue prints and I have to admit that they are certainly very advanced and would certainly help in the construction of the new Vanguard models, but we are not very familiar with the data that is present at the moment…we might need to take more time in making the proper changes to the programs and data so they could be translated to Talark language and alphabet as many of the men are having a hard time with the current language.”

“I see…all right, take whatever time you need….and I will be there to help out if you need some help on hand.”

“Thank you Admiral!”

As Mekel left the room the Gundam pilot decided to take some time to visit some old faces who he knew of back on Talark. Of course in order to go incognito and not have mobs of people chasing him, he had to place aside the Talark officer's uniform that he had on hand and dressed up normally as a Third Class citizen and before he left, he made sure to have all calls to his office on hold for the time being.

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

In one of the many apartment complexes…

Kyo couldn't help but sigh a bit as he entered his room in Talark's Third Class apartment complexes, it had been nearly two years since he had stepped foot into this old room of his and he was wondering if anyone had taken his place and to his surprise….the codes he used to secure his room had not been changed at all and his room was still the same as before, all the things he had left behind were still in the same pristine order as he had left them….it was as if he had never left the place at all…

“Hey!!! Who are you?!”

Kyo recognized the voice as Dominic or just Dom, one of the apartment residents, Dom was also his work buddy back when he was helping in assembling Vanguards in the factories before he stowed onboard the Ikazuchi and it seemed that since he had disappeared for some time, the room was off limits since he hard that Dom didn't allow anyone to ransack the place.

He turned and looked right at his former work mate and Dom gasped as he recognized Kyo…

“Kyo…is that….you?!”

“Been a while Dom, how's life been treating you?”

Later…

Dom couldn't believe that Kyo was here in this old apartment of all things, like all men on Talark he had seen the broadcasts of Kyo being the newly appointed Grand Admiral of the Allied Navy and like the rest of Kyo's work buddies, he had not expected the one they had been working with for months and had not seen for nearly two years was actually a legendary historical figure and more besides….it was very strange to know those facts as Dom managed to get some clean water in a glass for his old friend and a plate of food pills.

“Sorry about this Admiral…I wish I had more to give you for coming here…”

“Dom, calm down, and don't call me Admiral…”

“But sir…”

“Hey, I'm not in the office and I'm not wearing a uniform…besides….I was never very comfortable with the whole Admiral thing so just call me Kyo while I'm here.”

Dom nodded and there was a sigh of relief as he sat down and then Kyo ate the pills, he still gave a slight look of distaste but forced it aside as he ate the pills and had some of the water and gave the rest to his old friend and Dom took it though Kyo had to convince him to take it. As soon as it was out of the way , Kyo decided to see how things had been for the many Third Class citizens that he had been part of two years before.

“So….how are things here when I was gone.”

Dom gave a thoughtful look and replied.

“Pretty much the same, though there were some times that some nut tried to rob you're place and I had to chase them off….the top brass has been working us pretty hard for the past few months ever since the Ikazuchi had disappeared…and they have stepped up production a lot, some of the guys had to be allowed to go home after working nonstop for weeks…it's been pretty hectic…”

Kyo nodded as he gathered intel on the situation….he knew for a fact that while many of the men on Talark treated the Third Class as manual labor and merely slave workers, they were the backbone of all manufacturing processes on Talark and had to be well taken care of….but no, they had limited medical care, inadequate shelter at times and poor living conditions….and while many of them were resigned to those things….Kyo was not going to let it stay that way for long….back in Earth in his time….workers were treated well enough as they were the backbone of the whole war effort and losing too many workers was a mistake.

“How many injuries so far?”

“Plenty…a good number of the old guys in our old shifts were hit pretty hard by accidents and stuff….but we barely have enough money to get treated in the clinics nowadays since all the resources had gone to the war effort. Terry had to be taken out of the work shift after his broke his right arm for weeks, and Gai had to be placed aside after losing three of his fingers in an accident with the press…”

“Ouch….how about you Dom?”

“Still got all my appendages Kyo and I'm still all right…though I wish I had some way to get some medicine for the pain I'm feeling in my joints.”

As Kyo listened to Dom highlight the events that had happened, Kyo was making plans of his own at the moment…he needed to make sure that the men of the Third Class citizenry would be given a good chance to improve their own lives and get the needed resources and care….in the coming war….they needed every person they could get their hands on and the Third Class had the potential…and he needed to have a small band of people to tell him the lowdown on how the men were doing.

As soon as Dom was finished telling Kyo all he needed to know about the status of the Third Class citizenry, he made his choice on the matter.

“Dom, I have a special proposal for you.”

“Me?”

“I need someone inside the Third Class citizenry to tell me every detail of how things are going for them all, how they are being treated, are they properly treated for injuries, are they in good health, good spirits…everything….I'll be honest with you, this war that is about to come on us and the women of Megele is going to be very destructive and brutal. And we are going to need to make sure that everyone is ready for it when the time comes.”

Dom nodded, he knew Kyo for some time when the Grand Admiral was still unable to recover his memories and his identity, Kyo would be unhappy with the way the Third Class were treated at times and made his discontent known to the other men on occasion, while many of the men merely ignored that and focused on what they had, Dom and a few others sympathized with Kyo's words and knew that they were true.

“Why are you telling me these things?”

“I want you to help me.”

“Me? But that would mean I would have to report to you directly right?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“For one thing, the officers who I ask might merely tell me to ignore them and focus on the planning of the war effort, but that will mean nothing if the men who work the factories are not giving the real information I need to make the proper decisions. Now is not the time for anyone to be thinking about themselves, this soon to come war will be the greatest and the most bloody is this worlds' history and that of Megele as well. I need all the valuable information I can get, and that is the reason why I want you to help me Dom. Out of the many men who I could have picked, you are the one I trust, and I have known you for a long time”

Dom thought it over and knew that this was something that normally would be unheard of in Talark, a Third Class Citizen being an aide and advisor to a high ranking officer in the Talark Navy. It would have been a chance for career advancement as the Grand Admiral could have promoted him easily into First Class Citizenship, but the young friend of Kyo knew better than to see it that way. Dom had one thing that many men of his station lacked at times, integrity.

Kyo had the very same thing in his eyes and Dom knew it, Kyo trusted his integrity and was placing him in a valued position that could benefit everyone on Talark and he knew that Kyo was serious about his request. And with that in mind, Dom gave the only answer that he could give his friend.

“You trust me with such a position Kyo, I will accept it. When do I sign in?”

Kyo smiled and took out a data-pad and replied.

“Right now.”

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

The days passed and Kyo's decision to have Dom as his advisor from the Third Class Citizenry was met with great speculation and distrust. This showed the discrimination and more the other citizens of Talark gave to the Third Class and was something that Kyo had long since disliked. Dom however proved to be a very able and skilled advisor to his long time friend and boss as he was not someone that the other officer who were still distrustful of Kyo could bully or threaten and bribe.

Dom had to keep track of the reports from the Third Class citizens constantly and pointed out the problems being faced and his recommendations to Kyo on how to deal with the situations. Jason himself approved of Dom being promoted as the young Commander was a Third Class citizen himself and had worked hard to reach his position. Both Dom and Jason were Kyo's chosen staff and they began to prove to be his best officers.

Dom's recommendations not only improved the production of all the needed weapons of war, but the Third Class citizens were now more efficient and stronger, the proper health care, treatment, improved wages, and education proved to be highly beneficial to the factories as the Third Class men were arriving with greater health, strength and more. The workers were even more motivated and did their best to make top quality work when they were in the factories, both in the manufacturing of the weapons that their work created and owned, and the weapons that were found by the women of Megele.

Kyo also pardoned a number of the people who were like the ones who were not true believers of the old ways of seeing women, this got him a lot of flak, but he made his reasons, clear, the men had choices, they could either continue with their lives the way they had in the past and then the Harvesters would come and decimate the whole world of Talark and wipe them out, or they could fight for their lives, redeem their names and make fresh starts.

Many of the men agreed and Kyo was happy for that and also tapped into the people of the Third Class as Dom had begun to single out good men who could prove to be very helpful pilots in the near future

Kyo looked at the young man for a long time and then he smiled.

“I like you young man, what's your name?”

“Vaan, Vaan Hyuuga.”

“Well then Vaan you are proving to be a good candidate for command of a Vanguard Squadron, keep on proving that you have what it takes and you will earn your command.”

The young man was smiling and was happy that he was given a chance to make a life for himself and prove that there was indeed more to life beyond what the others said. Many of the Third Class aid no, but like Vaan, there were others who were eager to prove themselves and since they had the aptitude to be pilots, and personnel on ships, Kyo brought them in for training…

All in all, things were moving along well enough, but there was still a lot more to do, and Kyo had no doubt not everyone on Talark was liking his actions, and it would not be long before they started making a racket about his policies.

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

And sure enough…

“That man is causing all sorts of trouble Grand Pa!”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“He's allowed….women to be on Talark!!! That is…”

“Unacceptable? Keep in mind that they are weapon inspectors he recommended to oversee the production of the weapons, parts, machines, ammunition and more needed for the coming battle with the Harvesters.”

The elderly leader of Talark had dealt with this band before and knew that they were the most vocal about Kyo's actions and while he understood their words, he was still seeing the good results of Kyo's policies, his plans of tapping into the Third Class Citizenry had revealed men with exceptional talents and skills, while the convicts' own unique skills and talents were proving to be a good asset. Those also no doubt didn't sit well with the men before him.

“They doubt our efficiency Grand Pa, and they want us to look inept in our own world! And the man is even letting Third Class trash and convicts into our military's ranks!!!”

The Prime Minister was really going at it and wanted Kyo removed from his position and wanted to convince Grand Pa that the Gundam pilot was not needed, despite his powerful lineage and skills.

Grand Pa sighed and then spoke seriously.

“I have said it before Prime Minister, we are at war, and while his methods seem reprehensible, they work, this is a desperate time for us all and he could help turn the tide soon in the favor of all involved. But you are so determined to say what he is doing is undermining the fabric of Talark society, then why not call him here to speak in his behalf and defense so we can get back to better things?”

“Gladly!”

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

In Kyo's office…

The very second Kyo got the message, he growled and tossed the data pad on his desk and glared at the two men who to be his escorts. The men had never seen a man that angry before as Kyo's eyes glowed a bit as he was not in the mood for this nonsense. The Gundam pilot looked at them like he wanted to dissect them with his bare hands but he kept his cool and spoke.

“When is the meeting?”

“Tomorrow at the Council Chamber, Sir!”

Kyo growled and spoke out his ire.

“We're in the middle of full scale planning and preparation for war and that arrogant ass wants to put me on trial?! Fine! Tell Grand Pa and the Prime Minister and his lackeys that I'll be there. Dismissed! ”

“Yes Sir!”

As the men left, Kyo slammed his fist on the desk just as Dom arrived with the latest reports, the friend of Kyo Yamato looked at the Grand Admiral and spoke.

“Bad day?”

“Oh yes…and tomorrow is about to get worse, the Prime Minister wants to put me on trial.”

“For what?!”

“ I have no idea.”

The Gundam pilot walked over to the window of his office and looked at the city of Talark and wondered just what sort of nonsense was the Prime Minister yapping about this time, they had only weeks left to work on and then in two months they would have to work in unison with Megele's own forces in order to be ready for the oncoming Harvester assault force and the last thing any of them needed was this trial and a waste of precious time.

Dom could tell Kyo was fuming and couldn't help but wonder just how this farce of a trial was going to end up. He couldn't believe the Prime Minister was causing this racket and now Kyo would have to get ready for this mess that he was going to be walking in the very second he was in the Council Chamber.

Kyo however was able to focus on other matters a few minutes later and was told by Dom that the new Vanguard models were well underway and were to be tested soon enough and several Vanguard test pilots were going to put the new Vanguards through their paces. He also got to meet the Megele weapon inspectors who had given him good reports on the making of the weapons, munitions an fuel they needed for the coming war. So far the production of nuclear ordnance was top on his lists as he made sure that weapon grade fuel shipments were to be kept in the clear and he had requested the Nirvana to be in charge of escorting the ships from Megele that carried the ordnance, he was not in the mood for anyone in either Megele or Talark to get frisky with the materials. As he read all the reports, he had to deal with the women's own words about how hard and different it was for them, and he could understand the reaction due to the lack of the basic creature comforts that the women take for granted, he couldn't help but try to hide the amusement he had when the complaints also involved toilet paper and that was one of the few things in the whole situation he was facing got the day that made him laugh, of course he kept that a secret.

Dom then guided the women into meeting up with some men he knew in the supply lines who hoarded their supplies whenever they could, and while some women took the thought of the men getting more than them, Kyo and Dom explained that the men were very resource conscious and therefore hoarded what they could whenever they got extra supplies and if they needed the extra supplies, then all they had to do was go to these men and ask, but do it politely.

It was touch and go for the women as they were exposed to the harsh and utterly demanding world of the men and while some of them or rather all of them were unused to the harsh world of the men, they had to admit that the men were highly efficient and very capable in using all the resources they had to maximum efficiency which was very hard to dismiss or discount. Of course they couldn't help but wonder how drab and dull men's lives were as there was no sight of any fun and games they had on their world, it was as if they were working all their lives.

Kyo and Dom however knew otherwise, the men of Talark had fun as well, though not in the same fashion as the women were used to seeing. He had seen the shooting games and challenges the men had on their free time for the sake of fun, and they were certainly interesting and he knew that the men were also not as dull as some of the women thought as well.

There was another part of the situation that got his interest at the moment. It was the fact that the women were getting attracted to men, not in a literal sense at the moment but they were coming close to that. The women were unused to being surrounded by men most of the time and there were discussions about how they were acting around men, and it confused them a great deal. And since he was the only man who was comfortable around women, they began to ask him questions on how to deal with men. It amused him as he was now acting a councilor to the women on how to deal with men in this kind of situation and that made things for him rather entertaining.

He took the time to explain as much as he could to the women when they had to time to visit and he had attached men who he trusted to be their guards and he had a feeling that things were going to get all the more interesting for him.

As he sat back in his office, he then got a call from his comm..link and he activated it.

“Yes?”

“Sorry to disturb you Grand Admiral Yamato, but we have an incoming message from the Nirvana.”

The Gundam pilot smiled and he replied.

“Have the call routed to my personal comm.. system here in my office, and make sure that there is no tapping into my communication lines.”

“Yes sir!”

As he looked at the screen located in his office that came back online, he was greeted by both Buzam and Magno who were smiling at his acceptance of the call, and his niece finally spoke to him with a very happy and curious tone.

“Hello there Uncle Kyo, how are things back there on Talark?”

“Tolerable, interesting and tolerable, but now I have got to go on trial if you can believe it.”

Buzam and Magno's faces went from smiles to looks of shock and outrage, and the reactions of the rest of the bridge crew was not going to be the least bit pretty and there was no doubts in his mind that the very second this got out with the rest of the Nirvana crew, they were not going to be the least bit happy with it all…namely Jura, meia, Dita, Sara and Mai….the trial he was about to be placed into was something he knew was not going to be well received by the five women.

“You're being placed on trials?! By who?!”

“The most vocal one of the whole bunch on Talark.”

Buzam already had an idea on just how he was referring to.

“The Prime Minister?”

“You got that right.”

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

The next day…

Kyo was dressed in his custom made uniform to set himself apart from the Talark military personnel and it had the seal of both Grand Pa and Grand Ma as well as the rank of Admiral to show his place in the military hierarchy. As he made his way to the Council room, he was feeling very annoyed by the delay of his time in his plans to get Talark ready to work in unison with Megele, the sooner that he dealt with these complaints the better off he would be in getting all his plans into action.

He had no idea what the Prime Minister was up to but he knew the bald mustached man was the one who was the most vocal against the whole alliance between the men and the women despite the facts that he had presented to them in the station all those months before and that grated his nerves even more. However he took the time to calm himself as he knew that losing one's cool in a situation like this was going to make his position weak. And he was not in the mood to have all the already proven information he had placed into the data archives and what he was going to present to the rest of the council, he knew that as long as they were not fully convinced of the gravity of the situation.

As he made it through the halls and entered the Council Chamber, he was escorted to a nearby podium and then the lights came on and there on the front was Grand Pa and the rest of the First Generation, and then on the lower area were naturally the men who were here to place him on trial. Kyo gave a look of disapproval at this mess but decided to get all this over with and get back to work, he had a lot to do and this was naturally getting in his way. He also knew that a select number of people were also there to watch the whole thing and this grated on his nerves as well. However, he kept his cool and focused on doing what he could to convince the men who were against the alliance once and for all on how important this was for the survival of the rest of the human race.

Grand Pa wished this was not the case, but until the radicals were personally convinced of the gravity of the situation before them, they would continue to disrupt Kyo's plans and also cause unrest on Talark and that was something that that no one here could afford, the sooner this trials was finished and all the issues placed aside, then things could get back on proper track. The elderly leader of Talark then spoke out to the people assembled for the trial

“To all gathered people in this chamber, this is a trial to determine the justification of the current policies of Grand Admiral Kyo Yamato in preparation for the oncoming Harvester invasion. In this trial, the goal is to determine if the actions and policies of the Grand Admiral are within the best interests of the people of Talark. Does Grand Admiral have any words before this trial begins?”

Kyo replied.

“Only that I will do my best to end this trial is quickly and as effectively as possible in order to deal with the soon to come battle with the Harvesters Grand Pa.”

“Very well….now then, let the trial begin.”

The Prime Minister smiled to himself, now he was going to get rid of the man who caused him his first and most profound humiliating experience and he would take control of what he deemed his, command of the Talark forces and the chance to prove to all that there was no need to align with the women of Megele and that they could win without the women's help.

Kyo could see the thoughts in the eyes of his accuser and vowed to get this guy to see the big picture soon enough.

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

In the Nirvana…

“KYO IS BEING PLACED ON TRIAL?!?!”

The crew of the Nirvana was understandably shocked by all this and they were also not the least bit happy with the situation their long time comrade was in a the moment. And the most vocal were naturally a trio of women who were Gundam pilots like Kyo as well as two others who were both members of Kyo's founded Squadron. The five women were livid with shock and anger at the thought of their loved one being placed on trial by the very same people he was supposed to be helping….the injustice of it all.

The men on the Nirvana were also surprised and shocked by the news, Bart, Max, and Duero were among the most shocked as they had known Kyo the longest as well as Aleck who was not very happy with the news as well as his younger cohorts.

Magno was not the least bit amused by the happenings and decided to get involved, as there was no doubt in her mind that her husband would soon hear of this trial and she had no doubt in her mind that Jin would be furious.

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

And sure enough…

“HE IS ON TRIAL?!”

Jin was utterly shocked by all this and was very angry, he had been working on the fields to make new crops for the people of Talark to nurture and grow when he was approached by Dom who had learned of Kyo's association with Jin and decided to speak to the man in order to get Kyo some help that he might need just in case.

“Yes sir, the trial is being started as we speak.”

“Who accused Kyo Yamato?”

“The Prime Minister and his allies sir.”

Jin clenched his fists at the news and he was in a foul mood, it was already proven that the alliance with Megele was their best bet to beat the Harvester invasion force that was soon to come and now this was happening. It galled him and that was enough for him to place aside his plow and he spoke,

“I am going to have a few words with that Prime Minister.”

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

In the Council Chamber…

The Prime Minister had gone and done his work and was now more than ready to do his best and grill Kyo for all the policies that the young man had begun ever since he had landed on Talark. This was his chance to get the position and deal with the harvesters the way he wanted and also the women.

“Is it true that you have allowed the release of some of the most dangerous convicts from our prisons to fill in the ranks of the Talark military? As well as having Third Class citizens participate in military matters and undergo military training?”

“Yes I did.”

“Why did you resort to that? Aren't the men we already have in the military good enough or do you doubt them so much?”

“I don't doubt them, but we are short handed and the skills of the men who are in prison are wasted in their cells, I gave them amnesty under strict conditions for a reason.”

“What sort of reason justifies the release of criminals and also the hiring of Third Class trash?”

“That should be fairly easy to understand, and that is survival, ours, their own survival, and everyone else. They may be criminals but they are also targets of the Harvesters and there is little time to rely only on cadets. I have read their records and saw that their talents can be useful in the field so why not use those talents? As for the Third Class citizens, I have been among them in my time and they had their own potential and according to the data, they far outnumber the Second and First Class here on Talark, so why not tap into this pool of people for talent? The men of the Third Class are indeed factory workers, but they had more hand son experience with the creation and operation of Vanguards since they are the ones who build them and that allows them the chance to be easier to train in the art of Vanguard control and manipulation.”

“The other reason for my allowing of criminals into the military ranks is that they are unconventional thinkers and adept in using new strategies that can be very helpful in the battle coming. The Harvesters do not rely on the same tactics as they evolve and adapt in combat and therefore, we need flexible soldiers in our ranks.”

“We have enough soldiers for that…”

“No you don't Prime Minister, I read the reports on what happened to the fleet that engaged the E. Vendetta, and also the reports from Megele High Command on the fleet they also lost fighting the E. Vendetta. You lost nearly a hundred thousand of your best officers, crew-men, engineers, soldiers, and pilots to ONE Gundam and that particular machine is still out there. And to make things worse, he command a battle group of at least forty battle ships, who knows how many Cube Fighters as well as Mobile Suits, along with several detachments of Gundam Copies and more. Do you honestly expect me to believe that the current strength of the Talark Navy is enough to defeat a fleet that size?”

“Are you doubting the courage of the men of Talark Admiral Yamato?”

“It's not a question of courage or skill Prime Minister, it's about the numbers game and also the situation that we have before you, your factories can make weapons, ships, ammunition, fuel, parts, and Vanguards I don't contest that because I worked in those same factories myself. But you cannot replace people. The Harvesters command an automated army and they can download new battle tactics into their new forces, allowing them to shave off months or even years of training had they been able to use normal human pilots. Their forces are AI controlled Prime Minister, they do not feel pain, fear, hunger, regret, compassion, they do not feel anything. They only care about their objective and they have the numbers to spare.”

The man conceded that point but was not about to give up on his attempts to discredit Kyo and tried another approach.

“Back to the prisoners, convicts, Third Class Citizens, and rebels you have called in, apart from their….dubious talents, what else is there that those dregs can offer that our forces now cannot?”

Kyo gave a slight smile and replied.

“An open mind.”

“Excuse me?”

“The men I have given amnesty to are able to rely not on the same level and place of thinking that already exists in the military of Talark, like I have said to the women in the Crusader Squadron a squadron I personally command, they have to understand that their enemy will not play by their rules, the Harvesters will not be foolish to use the same tricks twice, and I have personally seen that happen in the many months I have spent personally fighting them. They are tenacious and very flexible, when their saw that their Cube Fighters were not enough, they created urchin Ships, when those were not enough, they created their interceptors, when those proved to be inadequate, they created the Dominion Gundams and the GunDread Copes….I could go on and on about the Harvester Armada and their abilities to adapt, however I will not do so. I want to make this very clear to all, and that is that the bottom line is, our foes are not going to be easy prey a second time around.”

“There is an old proverb that fits the situation. `There are two kinds of people who underestimate their foes, the foolish, and the dead.' That means that the Harvesters are not going to fall for what you have done before in battle, they know now what you can do and what you cannot do and they will exploit that. The Harvesters know that when both worlds are united, men and women can be a dangerous threat to their plans, and therefore, they will hit where it can do the most damage. If you think that you can beat the Harvesters a second time, then you are wrong, the crew of the Nirvana and I know that for a solid fact.”

“That is why the men I have given Amnesty to are important in this war, their talents, skills and their open minds can help deal with situations where using normal tactics is a suicidal gesture and will result in nothing more than a Pyrrhic Victory and that kind of victory is something no one here can endure….not when winning means the eventual decline and extinction of their civilizations. And since they are willing to open up to new ideas and embrace new concepts, they will be very valuable in making sure that the truth about men and women is properly released and that will be very helpful for the alliance between Talark and Megele.”

Grand Pa watched this all and he was getting all the more interested, the Prime Minister was gritting his teeth as Kyo was lowly and methodically wearing down his arguments. The leader of Talark then gave the order for a recess and that was good enough for all involved as they needed time to take a deep breath, relax and rebuild their arguments.

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

In the meeting hall…

Kyo sat down and gave an explosive breath as he drank some water and despite his discomfort, ate some more the pills, but to his surprise, these were the pills that Bart had made before and they were actually very good to the taste, he felt like he was eating cooked fish and meat for once. He can bet that the pills were selling like mad in Talark and Bart was having a lot of fun getting the credit for the proceeds for his invention.

He then received a visitor and there before him was Jason who had a smile on his face.

“How are you doing Admiral Yamato?”

“Better than most at the moment, I finally got through to that thick headed character of a Prime Minister. I'm hoping that the rest of this trial would be wrapped up, I don't have time for all this nonsense. What's the word out on the Fleet?”

“The crews of many of the ships are supporting your actions sir, but some of the Talark fleet captains are on the Prime Ministers payroll so they are still causing a bit of a ruckus.”

“Where do you stand Commander Marduke?”

“me sir? I believe what you're doing is the right thing, I was the one who gave the reports to the High Commander after that battle so I know that while your methods are unusual, they are highly effective. And with only two months left before the Harvesters arrive, we need all the help we can get.”

“Good to see someone's not completely hung over the idea of continuing the war with women, since there's a much bigger threat out there to deal with. Any word from the Nirvana?”

“Yes Sir, and they are steamed at this, Tenmei and Magno had to work extra hard to keep your friends from going her and causing a scene.”

“The friends you happen to be talking about wouldn't happen to Be a blonde and green eyed haired woman, a copper haired woman, a redhead, an aqua haired lady, and a brunette?”

“Yes sir that would be them.”

“I thought as much, can't be helped though, so what about the word on the planet, I can bet a lot of people are looking at this trial and having quite a debate on their hands.”

Jason nodded and told Kyo just what was happening to the rest of Talark at the moment, the people were told of the trial where Kyo was being placed in and a number of people were looking at the information he had presented concerning his actions with allowing both criminals, rebels, and Third Class Citizens to be admitted into the military. Not everyone was happy with the decisions while other supported it and that made Kyo all the more aware on the situation before him. He knew that he had to get the people on his side and prove once and for all that this alliance is the key to defeating the Harvesters, it annoyed him to no end why he had to repeat the information that he had presented before, but he had little choice to it, he needed to silence all of his critics before they made the situation totally a mess that he could not afford to get stuck in.

With that in mind, he decided to move from the meeting hall and head to his Gundam which was in a high security paddock and he left Jason to manage some matter, as he had four more hours to go before the continuation of the session in court.

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

Later…

Kyo walked into the Council Chamber flanked by Commander Jason and he had a large number of data chips and pads in his hands. He had compiled all the information and had organized it. Normal people would have taken days to figure the data all out, but Kyo, being a Coordinator and being the son of the Ultimate Coordinator as well as being boosted by the energy of the Paeksis had more than enough brain power to organize and plan everything. The information had everything he needed in order to solidify his case and he had made sure that no one else could tamper with it….even the best hackers in Talark couldn't get in.

He had more than one instance of someone trying to jack into his Gundam's system, but apparently his OS had a way of fighting back and retained all it's information, he had no doubt the `spirit' or rather AI persona of his father Kira was keeping his Gundam safe and after all, without any knowledge on how to operate his Gundam, no one else could fly it, and he had customized it so much in line with the current abilities that no one could hack the data, even Parfait couldn't get in. he allowed the hackers who were no doubt trying to download I-Freedom's schematics and combat data for their employers, who no doubt with be the ones before him at the moment to keep trying, he gathered all their data and names in advance, showing his own hacking skills and abilities and planned to reveal all in due time.

As soon as he got on his position, Jason sat next to the podium as the next batch of questions were once more thrown at his direction by the Prime Minister.

“What have you been doing there on Megele?”

“I was fulfilling my part of the plan to train and prepare plans for the soon to come invasion with Megele High Command, that was after all my duty as a member of their military hierarchy.”

“I see….so what sort of information did you give the women?”

“Plans on the estimated Harvester Fleet, their weapons technology, their current battle tactics, the types of ships they had under their command, as well as their forces, such as the Cube Fighters, Seed Ships, overlord Mobile Suits, Urchin Ships, the GunDread Copies, and the Gundam Copies themselves, and more besides. All was part of the procedure and plan I had outlined before setting foot on Megele.”

“What information did you give them about Talark?'

“Information on Talark Prime Minister?”

“Yes.”

“Prime Minister, in case you are aware, as of right now, the military of your world is in alliance with the military of the women of Megele and as such, information that could prove vital to victory in this coming war has to be shared with each other, that is what being in an alliance is all about.”

“That is not the point Admiral….what information did you give them in particular?”

“I gave them reports on the efficiency of the factories here on Talark in terms of being able to mass produce weapons, ammunition, fuel, parts, and more as well as the ongoing production of all known weapon types on Talark as well as the production capacity of the ship yards here on Talark.”

“You gave them that information, even if there is a chance the women could very well use it when they turn on us?”

“The situation is an important factor to my decision prime Minister, I have already gathered all the needed information on the capabilities of Megele's own production capacities and determined that while they can produce sufficient numbers of machines, ships, weapons, ammunition, fuel and more, they are consuming too many resources in such production efforts, which led to me recommending the production of a good portion of Megele's military arsenals to Talark's factories in order to cut production time. This not just includes fuel, weaponry, spare parts, and more, but special weapons that can help us turn the tides of the Harvester's invasion Fleets.”

“What sort of weapons?”

“Nuclear ordnance for one as well as…”

“Aha! You are allowing them to use our factories to build nuclear weapons! What makes you so sure that when they their nukes, they wouldn't turn and use it on Talark and the people in it?!”

Kyo knew that was going to happen but already had his counter.

“Prime Minister, think for a second, if the women of Megele did use those weapons on Talark, what could they accomplish?”

“They can wipe us out and the fault is yours!”

“But if they wipe out your world, your people and your fleets at this time, what will they do when the harvesters come? There is now way for them to leave the energy storm barrier that surrounds the system and if they did make it through, their ships would be easy prey for the Harvesters. And without the support of your forces, their own depleted ranks would stand no chance against the Harvesters and they would be wiped out. So as I see it, they already know that doing what you say will end up in a complete suicidal lose for them all. They would have no support in the coming invasion, they would make the situation even worse than it already is, and then they would be wiped out.”

The Prime Minister gritted his teeth and tried another tactic.

“What about your plans with the women who are here now on Talark?”

“As you are aware, they are handpicked weapon inspectors selected by Grand Ma herself to oversee the production of all weapons being built here on Talark's factories to ensure that the weapons are up to standard and are compatible with their own forces.”

“And what makes you so sure they are not spies?”

Kyo shook his head mentally and countered.

“What is the point of spying on each other when there is a common enemy to fight Prime Minister? No amount of information is worth a damn if the people they are meant to be given too are already dead, am I right? Information without anyone to use it is useless, and if they were spies, they would have to be very good in order to blend in with the men. The women are weapon inspectors and I have read their reports for some time and they tell me that the production of the needed war material is on schedule and up to specs.”

“What about the situation on Megele? Are they even doing anything to help this alliance?'

“What do you mean by that Prime Minister?”

“What I mean Admiral is that are the women contributing to this alliance or are the men the only ones doing the work, like what they…”

“Like what the movies say about women that you and your aides in the Propaganda Ministry have made Prime Minister? I have seen those videos and I find them to be very distasteful and wrong. In my time on the Nirvana I can assure you that women are not hideous monsters, in fact B art Garsus, Duero, Max and Hiryu McFile can attest to that as well as….”

“They are not important here in this trial Admiral Yamato! Their opinions about women do not matter here!”

“They do Minister, the opinions of those men I have mentioned are of key importance here, you cannot expect your people to work well with women if they are not able to be told the truth about women. The old beliefs of your world about women are no longer valid as Grand Pa himself stated months before. As to the situation in Megele, they too have been in preparation for the coming war.”

“In what way?”

“They have already recalled all of their reserve pilots and soldiers from off duty as well as drafting all women who are able to fly ships to be trained as Dread pilots and members of their Fleets, they have already revamped their training programs and bolstered Dread production in their factories and instituted a full scale preparation for war, and like what I have done here, they have offered options and amnesty to their own criminals to sign up as members of the military in order to fill up the gaps in their ranks. I have also requested them to prepare contingency plans for the soon to come invasion and as you no doubt are aware of, they have been working to refurbish older ship models and bring them back to full service as well shipping what resources they have in their world in order for the factories here on Talark to help them build their forces and ready for this fight. I have also informed them to prepare for the worst case scenario should it happen.”

“What worse case scenario?”

Kyo knew that now was the time as he took the information and requested a holo table to be brought before him and he began to relay all the information he had with him, as well as the information he had created with the help of Commander Heidi and he knew for a solid fact that as soon as he presented the situation before the men, there was going to be an uproar. And sure enough, as soon as he explained the situation, and the simulations ended, the Prime Minister exploded on him.

“YOU WOULD LET ALL THE WOMEN OF MEGELE SETTLE HERE IN TALARK?!”

Kyo replied without batting an eyelash.

“Yes I am.”

“That is unacceptable!!!”

“Why is that unacceptable Prime Minister?”

“Because this is OUR land, not theirs, we carved our world and our civilization with out own hands on this planet by ourselves! They have no place here on the soil of our ancestors!!!”

“So you would have them become exiles and refugees should their world fall?”

“All the better so they will know what it means to make their own way in the world, after all, the pirates you serve did well by raiding their home world's own ships and our own, so why should we care if they need help….”

The man barely had time to react when Kyo gave a very dark growl that silenced him. Kyo's temper was searing hot and the Gundam pilot nearly lashed out but he kept his cool and spoke once more and made his dislike very clear to the man before him.

“Let me make one thing very clear to you Prime Minister….you will NEVER degrade the crew of the Nirvana while I am here before you, because if you do, you will regret it. Besides, your actions are going against the very foundations of your beliefs.”

“What are you saying?!”

“Isn't it stated in the creed of all men that the strong protect the weak and those who cannot fight back? If you decide to abandon the women and deny them safety, then you are betraying that part of your world's cultural creed and that means that men of Talark are liras, am I right?”

“How….how dare….”

“Answer me now Prime Minister….are you willing to let those who have no home and need help perish without a chance because they are women?”

The Prime Minister was silent by this, if he said yes, then it would mean that he was betraying the very creed his people have always held close to their hearts and that would make him look even worse than he already was now, and if he said no, he would be showing what he perceived as weakness before the other men. He thought over the options and then he found no other loophole he can exploit. With that in mind, he turned and walked away.

“No more questions!”

Kyo could see that he had done his part and now he had to defend his stance once more. However it seemed that he didn't need to as Grand Pa spoke out.

“This trial was meant to bring forth the truth and I and my brethren of the First Generation believe that it has been found. Admiral Kyo Clyne Yamato, please step forward.”

Kyo did so and Grand Pa spoke.

“Admiral, you're methods may be controversial and very much disputed, but we as leaders of Talark cannot find any holes in your logic. As I have stated when this alliance between Talark and Megele had been formed, desperate times call for desperate measures. And in the face of the Harvesters, this is a desperate time. Therefore, you are cleared of any charges being leveled against you by those who oppose these policies. However…we advise you to remember that you are responsible for the consequences of your decisions and actions with the policies as well as the results. We can only hope that this alliance will hold firm.”

“Thank you Grand Pa.”

The elderly leader nodded and then spoke to Kyo.

“Kyo…that was impressive by the way, you are not only a master pilot, soldier, and more, but a cunning tactician off the battle field.”

“Thank you, by the way Grand Pa, there is a matter that I believe the Council should be aware of, though I must stress that such information must be kept out of the public.”

“Oh? What is this matter you speak of?”

“Grand Pa, in our travels back to Talark and Megele, our doctor in the Nirvana, Duero had done a special genetics research project that has revealed some very disturbing facts that that I believe will dictate the future of Talark, if you are willing to allow the Nirvana to be contacted, he will fill you in on the information.”

The men gathered their discussed this matter and Kyo knew he was getting right into some REALLY hot water once he told them of what he had learned, at some point in his time with the Nirvana, Duero had shown him the findings of his program and Kyo felt that now was the right time to reveal to Grand Pa what is the danger of their current path of reproduction. He knew that it would mean that Grand Ma would have to be told soon and there was no doubt there was going to be a hell of a riot when this was over.

Grand Pa nodded and gave the order as well has having the room sealed from outside intervention or peaking. It was not long before Buzam and Magno made their appearance to the group and Magno was not happy, and it was also when Jin arrived. As soon as they were all told that Kyo was deemed innocent of any charges and his plans were to go ahead as scheduled, they relaxed, but it was then that Kyo spoke to Magno.

“Maggie, there is something that I think we need to discuss for the people here”

“That being what Uncle Kyo?”

“That project that Duero started when it concerned about….the birthing methods.”

Magno's eyes widened and so did Buzam's own eyes as well, the elderly niece of the Gundam pilot then spoke.

“Are you sure that we should tell them this now?”

“We have to.”

Magno sighed and replied.

“All right, I'll get Duero and Max on the horn.”

As Magno did just that, Kyo knew that what the two medics were about to say was really going to hit the roof. As soon as the two brothers were called in and explained that now was the time for them to reveal their findings before the men of Talark, they were a bit uneasy until Grand Pa told them that this was important for the future of Talark and it's people. With that the two men revealed what they have learned.

As many of the men were familiar with the Talark birthing methods as they were mostly born from it, they were not having any problems or were troubled when Duero and Max told them of the basic procedures that actually mirrored the same process used on Megele. The Prime Minister grumbled at this and so did the officers under their command. Grand Pa however was very much interested to hear this and it was when both doctors said that this method would sent the men of Talark to their extinction, that got their attention.

Grand Pa's face was grave as he motioned for the two brothers to continue with their report.

Like before when they told Magno and Buzam about the dangers of the birthing methods on Megele, they revealed Ezra's DNA markers and that of her daughter Lacus and pointed out the indications that her DNA was damaged due to the manipulations done by the birthing methods of Megele, they then told the men that while Lacus could have children the DNA damage would pile up until her line could no longer have children….effectively destroying her family's future.

The Prime Minister snorted and replied.

“If that information is true, then why should we care? It seems to me that it's Megele's problem.”

Duero shook his head and replied.

“No Prime Minister, it is not just Megele's problem, Kyo was correct in saying that this report dictates the future of Talark as well, for we all on Talark are suffering the same genetic damage.”

The men blanched at that and the Prime Minister spoke.

“That's impossible!”

“No it is not, my brother and I have run full DNA scans on ourselves, our Alpha, and all the other men here on the Nirvana, we all have shown signs of Genetic Drift. In a number of generations, both men and women of Talark and Megele will face full genetic saturation and that will be the end of us for we can no longer be able to have succeeding generations because of the genetic damage that has accumulated.”

Grand Pa and the others were silent and Jin was also very silent as well as Jason, and even Dom himself who had arrived just prior to the sealing off of the room was silent.

Grand Pa then spoke to the two brothers.

“I know of your intellectual talents Duero and Max McFile so I know that you both are speaking the truth of this matter. This is a serious blow indeed to us, so I must ask….what must be done to save our race as well as the women?”

Max and Duero looked at one another and knew that as soon as the two of them told the rest of the men what was the only option to prevent this tragedy, then things on Talark were going to get very interesting indeed. But seeing as they had already gone this far and knowing that it was the only option that was available to them at the moment, they knew that it had to be told soon.

“We have been doing all the needed research and the only way for men of Talark and for women of Megele, is to begin having children….with one another.”

The very second that came out of Duero's mouth, the reactions of the men in the Council Room were very much easy to see and hear.

“WHAT?!?!”

The men were utterly shocked by this news, with the exception of Jin, Grand Pa, and Kyo, the Prime Minister was utterly shocked by this and his anger at the idea was fairly obvious as he glared at both Duero and Max. Kyo had to admit that he knew that this was going to be the natural reaction to the idea of men and women taking the path of procreation, he had no doubt that the Prime Minister was going to be very adamant in shooting down the idea of having children and he was not disappointed.

“THAT IS UNACCPTABLE!!!!!”

Duero however replied.

“It is the only viable solution we have Prime Minister.”

“No! We will not….”

“Prime Minister, be silent.”

Grand Pa spoke with authority and then he gazed at both Duero and Max, the elderly leader actually had a slight smile on his face and even Jin had one as well, while Kyo was enjoying this greatly, all the while Jason and Dom were stunned by the news before them at the moment and he couldn't blame either of them.

“Duero, Max McFile, you both have come up with a very interesting idea on how to counter this dire problem, and you have shown to us the truth of things that we should have never hidden from our own people. But how do you propose we men of Talark have children with the women of Megele, I am already aware of it as I am of the First Generation and so is my brother in law. But for those of the younger generations, I believe you will need to explain the details.”

Both men blushed at that and they looked at Kyo who himself was blushing a bit and smiling, but the Gundam pilot knew that the time had come to allow the truth to come out. He knew he would have a lot of explaining to do when the time came but he was actually looking forward on the whole thing as he and the others got ready to reveal what they knew about the ancient art of co-gender procreation. It was going to be a very long story, but it was going to be worth every second of it all.

The addition of the videos that Jura had found proved to be the real eye opener for the men, even the guards in the chamber were utterly stunned at the sight of sex between men and women, only Jin and the First generation was not affected the way the other men were, but they had blushes on their faces as they recalled how much they had missed back then in the founding of Talark.

The Prime Minister was holding his mouth closed while the rest of his lackeys were trying their best not to be shocked by the sight before them, the other men were also looking on and the Gundam pilot had to admit that things were going to get very interesting once the videos were done and when the videos were indeed done, the Prime Minister was speechless for a minute or two and then he spoke seriously to the people in the room.

“You want US men to do THAT with the women?!”

Both men nodded and Kyo finally spoke.

“That is the ancient way on how men and women in the past had children and just so you all know, in other worlds beyond your system, what you all have seen is considered as the most normal way for new generations to be born, and while this is not as accurate and predictable as the birthing methods used here on Megele and Talark, but this is a lot more stable and ensures genetic variety in the gene pool and will help stabilize the gene pools of both worlds.

“There has to be….”

“Another way Prime Minister? I hate to tell you this fact, but there is none, men were never meant to have children of their own and while both women and can have children on their own through artificial means, the dangers of genetic drift mean that if both Talark and Megele continue down this path, then in the end, both worlds will be doomed.”

“And how do you propose to teach the men these…methods Admiral?”

Kyo sighed as he knew that now was the time to reveal what was his own inner secret when it came to this matter.

“I will teach them, not just with the videos, but with my own experiences.”

The men looked incredulously at him and he knew that now that his secret was out, he was going to be hit with a lot of requests, questions and more by all the men of Talark. But then again, he knew that it was going to happen the very second he had suggested that they learned about the soon to come dangers concerning their methods of having future generations.

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

The next few days…

“Oh man….not again.”

Kyo groaned as he looked at the next batch of letters coming from the men who were soon informed of the need for them to begin working with the women. This was supposed to be next month, but now it seemed that the letters were coming in already. The men were asking for his time to lecture them about women since apart from Duero, Max, Aleck, Bart and the others who were still on the Nirvana, he was the only man who lived with women on Talark. He had done all he could, but there were still many requests coming for him and it was amazing in his mind that he had not lost it as of yet.

But these lectures he had to give to the men were of great importance to the alliance between Talark and Megele, and the more the men knew about the truth concerning women and the past, then all the better for the alliance and for the survival of the human race in general. It was going to be a very long set of days, but he knew one thing, he was not going to be bored in the very least.

Dom and Jason came in and handed him a new data pad and the Grand Admiral and the Gundam pilot couldn't help but read that he was being requested to give a lecture to a brand new batch of students in the Talark Academy, along with the fact that the first returning band of Talark volunteers onboard the Nirvana were coming back and he hoped to meet the men and get ready for all the soon to come work he had waiting for him in the Academy.

“They are asking you to come as soon as possible Admiral.”

“No kidding…tell me guys, how do you feel about the discovery of men and women being very intimate together?”

Both men blushed at the memories that they had when they saw how men and women could be intimate together. After the film showing, the two had seen the Prime Minister go on the warpath, denying the whole thing as mere illusions, lies, and more besides, despite the fact that Kyo, Duero and Max had shown a great deal of supporting evidence towards the need for men and women to begin starting on the idea of having children with one another. They couldn't entirely blame the Prime Minister for losing his cool in the whole mess, as even they were quite shocked by what they had just been witness to.

But they had to admit to something that now seemed to be very significant ever since they were witness to that film….seeing that happen before them was something that made them really curious when it concerned women.

“It was….interesting.”

Kyo smiled at that and decided not to prod the two men any further and decided to get to work and get ready for the soon to come lecture he had to give for the men of the Academy that eh was going to in the coming day and he had every intention to do what he could in order to assure the men that what they had witnessed was the truth and not a pack of lies.

He knew that when his time on the male planet was done, he was needed to combine both their forces as one as they now had only two months in order to be ready and to be prepared for the soon to come battle with the Harvesters. He however made sure to keep an eye on all those who he had to work with in the world of the men, there was still much to do and he hoped that by the time all that was done, this alliance between the men of Talark and the women of Megele were ready for it.

Kyo wondered just how the rest of the universe was doing and also, what was going to happen to the rest of the people who he knew beyond Talark and Megele….he only hoped that they would be able to come to their aid when the time came for the battle to begin, they were going to need all the help they could get.

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

Beyond the Megele and Talark system…

“Are you sure that this is the current location of the Harvester Fleet?”

“Yes sir, it seems that the Nirvana and the people of both Megele and Talark are going to make their stand there to fight the Harvesters.”

The Council gathered there and all of them were wearing a symbol of Earth being blockaded by a fleet of ships. The symbol of the Resistance and these people were going to do their best to resist the Harvesters and bring back freedom and the future to the human race. One of them revealed herself….to be none other than Liz herself, along with Kouji and Maia Asuka who wore the old colors and insignia of their deceased home-world. The former head of the space station looked at everyone and then spoke.

“The time to be hiding in the shadows is over. We have a chance to end the Harvesters once and for all….we have to take it now.”

The others nodded and there was a full consensus between all members of the Resistance.

They were going to war….

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

In the Nirvana…

Magno was quite surprised as she looked at the five women before her and she was busy trying to digest just what she had been told by Meia, Jura, Dita, Sara and Mai as well. She knew that it was going to happen when she told them about the old way a man and a woman could unite themselves under the law of the land and in the eyes of everyone involved. She had also told them about the time when back in Earth's past history about a man having more than one partner in his life.

“You're all really serious about this?”

At the nods and looks of all the women, she could tell that they were dead serious about this and she couldn't help but feel a great deal of pride at this moment. She had no idea how to say it at first but as she managed to digest the fact that this was not a joke and all of them were dead serious, she felt very happy for them all.

Magno then spoke to the five women who held a place in Kyo's heart.

“I am happy for you all, and I think that as soon as I can inform Kyo of this, he will be happy as well, this is going to be a moment I doubt he will ever forget.”

Magno then turned to face Barnette and Parfait and she wondered just what was going on when the two of them showed up in her room and the others also looked at the two women.

“Barnette, Parfait, what are you two doing here?”

Barnette and Parfait blushed and Parfait strode forward and spoke slowly.

“C-C-Captain….we….we wanted to ask you something….”

“What is it Parfait?”

Parfait gulped and blushed and showed that she couldn't bring herself to utter the words and that was enough to prod Barnette into taking over.

“We….wanted to know just how you ask a man…if he wants… to marry you?”

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

To be continued…

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

Author's notes:

This part of the story is now officially over and done with and I have to say I will be happy to see GunDread SEED The Second Stage finally wrapped up, the next chapter will be the last of this arc and in the next one it will be pure battles from there and you can expect that things will get very fierce and deadly as the Harvesters, The Allied Fleet and the Resistance will now meet and face one another in combat.

It seems a very serious moment had come for Kyo and a very happy one. He is about to tie the knot, and things will get even more interesting for all involved. The weddings could symbolize the very close bonds men and women had so long ago, and no doubt the weddings of both Duero and Parfait, along with Barnette and Max will be the key to showing the full extent of how men and women from both Talark and Megele will be able to live as one.

Exciting times isn't it?

And that would mean that there will be a wedding night for all the couples involved and you can bet that some things might also happen with some other already existing male and female partnerships on the Nirvana, this will be a great situation.

However, there will be some action in the coming chapter arc as a certain member of the Talark nation will not take the news of the soon to come weddings lightly and might do something out of a sense of blind and arrogant pride to once more show his defiance to the idea of men and women living together, it seems that this person is willing to disobey even Grand Pa to stop change. And just what will he do in order to disrupt this momentous occasion and how far is he willing to go?

Find out on the next chapter!!!