Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Magicians of Gundam Wing ❯ Mars Colony ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: Mars Colony

“There it is,” Wu-Fei announced. “The Red Planet.”

“Wow!” Roku exclaimed. “It really is red! That's neat!”

“It doesn't have a breathable atmosphere yet, so the people are still living in domes. You can see the colony just on the horizon there.”

“I see it.” Roku peered eagerly through the port hole. “There are a lot of domes.”

“Yes. They've built several in the past year as more engineers and workers come out to help with the terra-forming. It's a pretty big project.”

“What's terra-forming?”

“It's a process where a planet is converted to produce an Earth-like environment. They start by introducing bacteria and microbes into the soil to break down rocks and produce nutrients that will support fungus and lichen. The fungus and lichen produce gases that can be manipulated to form an atmosphere. Over time, they can add more plants as the soil becomes richer and this also helps the atmosphere. The atmosphere will cause the surface of the planet to heat, allowing liquid water to form. It will take a long time to make the surface of Mars habitable for Earth creatures; probably a couple of generations.”

“Why are they doing this?”

“To give people an alternative to living in the Colonies.”

“But wouldn't they just want to live on the Earth?”

“Some do, but many don't. There is still a lot of animosity between the colonists and Earth from the last two wars.”

“Oh.” Roku peered out the port hole again. “We're getting closer.”

“Yeah, it's about time to strap in.” Wu-Fei sat down in the pilot seat and put on his seat belt. He flipped on the intercom. “We're on approach to the Mars Colony. Please strap in for landing.”

Sally floated into the cockpit. “Need a co-pilot, or is Roku helping?”

Roku looked over his shoulder. “You can be co-pilot, Miss Sally. I want to look out the window.”

“All right.” Sally strapped into the co-pilot's seat and Roku settled in one of the passenger seats.

“The domes are very big,” Roku said.

Sally nodded. “The bigger domes house public areas, labs and workshops. The smaller domes are residential. That really big dome closest to us is the first one they built. That's where the space port is. We'll enter the complex through there.”

Wu-Fei executed a neat landing near the big dome and everyone crowded into the main bay of the shuttle to wait for the pressurized walkway to be extended.

Wu-Fei grinned at Duo. “Note that I did not hit the giant planet.”

“That's why we were letting you fly,” Heero remarked.

“Oh, shut up!” Duo grumbled.

“Wouldn't Duo have run into one of the moons?” Trowa asked with a straight face.

“Nah,” said Quatre. “Too small.”

“Hah-hah!” Duo pointedly turned his back on everyone.

“Here comes the walkway,” Roku said, peeking out through the access port.

The moving walkway vacuum-sealed itself against the shuttle's side and Wu-Fei opened the hatch. Lucretzia Noin stood inside the walkway's pressure door next to the controls with a big smile on her face.

“It's so good to see all of you!” she cried. “I've been so excited ever since I received word you were coming.”

“Noin!” Sally greeted the other woman with a warm hug.

“I'm amazed that Une agreed to spare all of you,” Noin said. “The Earth Sphere must be a lot more peaceful than I remember.”

Sally grinned. “Oh, there's a bit of a story behind it, Noin.”

“We can go into that later,” Quatre said quickly. “Why don't we get our things off the shuttle?”

“No problem,” Noin said. “Just pile it all in the walkway and I'll have someone bring it to your quarters for you. You don't need to lug it there yourselves.”

There was another pressure door at the far end of the walkway. Noin opened it and they entered a reception area inside the main dome.

“This dome is a little utilitarian,” Noin explained as they walked through. “Since it was the first one, they were more interested in getting it operational quickly. The other domes have nicer amenities. I've arranged for you to stay in the same dome where Zechs and I live.” At Sally's raised eyebrow, she added, a little wistfully, “in separate quarters. It's this way.”

The domes were connected by clear tubes, which had separate paths for pedestrians, motorized vehicles and trains. Noin took them to a connecting tube and they boarded a train for Residential Dome Six. The train had windows so the passengers could look out at the planet as they traveled between domes.

“This is cool!” Roku exclaimed. “Do you suppose sprites can live where there is no air, Papa Heero?”

“I think sprites can live wherever they damn well please,” Heero grumbled. “I told you how they kept bugging me in the Colonies.”

“That was kind of funny,” Trowa chuckled. “Especially when they ratted you out to Relena. Do you think they marked her?”

“It would serve her right if they did,” Heero said, rather uncharitably. “She can be almost as much of a pest.”

“What are sprites?” Noin asked curiously.

“Minor spirits,” Trowa replied. “They're rather fond of Heero and they keep turning up wherever he goes. Hopefully, they won't cause too much trouble in the domes.”

“Spirits? You mean like ghosts?”

“No, they're natural spirits.” He grinned at Heero. “I'm sure you'll see some before we leave.”

“I hope not,” said Heero.

“Forgive me, Noin,” Quatre said. “I failed to introduce my son, Roku. Roku, this is Miss Noin.”

“How do you do, Miss Noin?”

“It's nice to meet you, Roku.” Noin studied Roku with open curiosity. “I didn't know you had a son, Quatre.”

“Well, I…” Quatre began, but Sally interrupted him.

“Oh, this is a really good story, Noin. Make sure you get the whole story and not the condensed version.” Sally smiled broadly at the five Gundam pilots. “I still chuckle when I think about it.”

Quatre frowned slightly. “It wasn't that funny.”

“Maybe to you.”

Quatre looked at Wu-Fei. “Just what did you tell her?”

Wu-Fei shook his head. “Don't look at me. It was Duo who spilled it.”

Duo tried to look innocent.

Quatre glared at him.

Duo smiled sheepishly. “Well, it is a little funny, if you think about it.”

“Then next time, you can have the baby.”

“Hey! I wasn't the one who turned into a woman.”

“I can fix that.”

“Trowa!” Duo pleaded. “I thought you told him not to turn people into stuff!”

“You would make a pretty woman, with all that hair,” Trowa said.

“And you probably wouldn't have any trouble getting laid,” Heero added.

“I thought you guys were my friends!”

“Maybe Roku would like to have a sibling,” Wu-Fei put in.

“You guys suck!” Duo sulked.

Noin listened to this exchange looking completely bewildered, but Sally started to laugh.

“I told you it was pretty funny,” Sally said.

“Umm… Oh look! We're here.” Noin said brightly.

The train slowed to a stop in a neighboring dome and Noin led the way once more. Outside the train station, the dome arched high over their heads, giving the dome an open, airy feel. The dome panels were transparent, but the bright interior lights caused a lot of reflection, giving the look of a bluish-white sky. Everyone stopped to look.

“It's pretty, isn't it?” Noin said proudly. “At night, the lights dim and you can see the stars. It's almost like living outdoors.” She pointed ahead of them, like a tour guide. “As you can see, we plant a lot of vegetation in the residential domes to make it more park-like. There are houses, cottages and apartment buildings, so people can live as family groups in accommodations appropriate for the number of people. I wasn't quite sure how you wanted to live, so for now I got you a house. It's the biggest home we build, with four bedrooms. Sally, you can bunk in with me. I have a cottage close by and Zechs lives next door.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Wu-Fei sniffed and rubbed his nose as they traversed the dome. The path led past verdant green lawns and brightly colored flower beds, with clusters of medium sized trees on either side.

“Is something wrong, Fei?” Duo asked. “Your nose is twitching.”

“It's nothing. Something smells a little odd to me, that's all.” He sniffed again. And then he sneezed.

Duo regarded him with some alarm. “Stay in front of me if you're going to start sneezing.”

Wu-Fei frowned at him. “I'm telling you it's nothing,” he repeated. Then he sneezed again. A thin jet of flame shot out of his mouth and set a small shrub with thin grassy fronds on fire. “Oh, crap!”

“Say, Noin,” Duo called. “You got a fire extinguisher handy?”

“A what?!” Noin exclaimed. She turned around and stared in surprise at the smoldering shrub. “How in the hell…?”

A small helicopter zipped over the trees and came to a halt over the bush, just above their heads. The little machine consisted of little more than an engine, a rotor and a rather large tank. The tank split open and dumped water on the bush, dousing Wu-Fei rather liberally in the process. The fire went out and the helicopter flew away.

Noin stared. “We… ah… the domes have… this… built in fire detection and suppression system.” She stared from Wu-Fei to the bush and back again. “The… ah… flying sprinklers use water in the parks and fire retardant elsewhere. Um… How did… the fire start?”

Duo pointed at Wu-Fei.

Sally had a hand over her mouth as she fought to suppress her laughter. She lost. “Hoo-ha!” she howled. “Wu-Fei's a dragon!”

“I am NOT a dragon!” Wu-Fei declared grumpily.

“A what?” Noin asked in confusion.

Sally doubled over and waved a hand helplessly at Wu-Fei. “Show her your scales!”

“I will not!”

“What scales?”

“You may as well get it over with Wu-Fei,” Heero said.

“I don't see…” Wu-Fei began and then he sneezed again. The only dry spot on his sleeve began to burn. A flying sprinkler appeared out of nowhere and doused him with water.

This time, Sally wasn't the only one laughing.

“You better do something about that allergy, Wu-Fei,” Quatre choked out, “or you'll have a cold on top of it.”

“This isn't funny,” said Wu-Fei pitifully. “The water's cold.”

“Like I said…” Quatre managed before dissolving into fresh gales of laughter.

Duo wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. “I'd be glad to help you dry off, Fei, but you gotta do something about that sneezing first.”

Sally managed to get herself under control. “I'm sure I can find something to suppress your allergic reaction, Wu-Fei,” she said.

“I should have known that you five would be the cause of all this commotion,” said an urbane, silky voice, and they all turned to find Zechs Merquise standing just down the path watching them.

Noin seemed tremendously relieved to see him. “Zechs! Good timing.” She hurried over to him. “They just arrived.”

Sally walked forward more sedately. “It's a pleasure to see you again, Count Merquise.” They shook hands.

“Perhaps we should get indoors before you draw more attention to yourselves,” Zechs said calmly.

“Good idea,” Noin agreed. She still looked rather confused and sounded a little alarmed.

Wu-Fei managed not to sneeze again before they made it into their comfortable new home. Once inside, he heaved a sigh of relief. “Whatever it is, it's outside,” he reported.

“It's probably the fertilizer,” Zechs said. “We use a special fertilizer in the parks to supplement the Martian soil. I've known other people to react to it, although it usually causes hives, not sneezing.”

“That's good to know,” Sally said. “The same anti-histamine they use might work on Wu-Fei.”

“I'll order some from the pharmacy. The video-phone should be working.” Zechs walked over to the phone.

Noin put on a bright smile. “Like I said, the house has four bedrooms. I left instructions about your luggage, so it should be here any time.” She turned to Sally. “Shall we go over to my cottage?”

“Sure.”

The two women left.

Quatre looked around. “Where's Roku?”

“I think he's exploring the house,” Trowa said.

Zechs rejoined them. “Ok, the pharmacy will send some pills over shortly. Hopefully, that will help.” He smiled at Wu-Fei. “I'd prefer you didn't set the dome on fire. I look forward to learning how you developed this ability. But for now, I'll let you get settled. We'll meet later and go over your duty assignments.”

“Thanks, Zechs.”

As the door closed behind Zechs, Roku, in tiger form, came bounding into the room.

“Mama, may I have my own room?”

“Yes, you may, but what are you doing in tiger form, young man?”

“I waited until Count Zechs left. Besides, aren't you going to just tell them everything, like all the other places?”

Quatre sighed. “Probably.”

Duo appeared with a towel in each hand. “Hey, Fei, I found the bathroom. The shower's big enough for two. Why don't you let me clean you up?”

“I'm not dirty, just wet.”

“But you might have traces of that fertilizer on your skin.” Duo grinned. “I think you need to be thoroughly washed, for everyone's safety.”

“I hate to say it, but he's probably right, Wu-Fei,” said Heero.

Duo grabbed Wu-Fei's arm and dragged him into the hall leading to the back of the house. “Why don't you pick us out a bedroom, Heero? You can help me dry Fei off after his bath.” He chuckled gleefully as they disappeared down the hall.

Heero sighed. “I'm going to look for our stuff.”

“May I come with you, Papa Heero?”

“Sure.”

Heero and Roku left the house.

“Shouldn't you have made him change back?” Trowa asked.

“Why bother?” Quatre sighed in resignation. “Is a shape-changing tiger any worse than a fire-breathing man?”

“Good point.” Trowa smiled. “Want to pick out a bedroom?”

Quatre smiled back. “That sounds like a good idea to me.”

In the bathroom, Duo rather enthusiastically helped Wu-Fei shed his clothing.

“Oh, wow, your scales have spread!”

“What?!” Wu-Fei turned around so he could examine his bare back in the mirror.

“That's really cool!” Duo exclaimed. He slid his hand down Wu-Fei's back and over his butt. “They spread all the way to here. It's weird how they can feel so silky smooth and be firm at the same time. I wonder how far in they go?”

Wu-Fei grabbed Duo's hand before he could slide it any further into the fold of Wu-Fei's butt. “I'm pretty sure the scales don't go that far.”

Duo's eyes sparkled. “I can always check later.”

“Just keep your hands on the outside for now,” Wu-Fei said archly.

“You're so prim sometimes,” Duo laughed.

“We're supposed to be taking a shower.”

“Right, right!” Duo stripped out of his own clothes and turned on the water. “Oh, that's nice. Get in.” Wu-Fei joined him and Duo began soaping him with his bare hands. “How does that feel?”

Wu-Fei smiled with his eyes closed. “I have to admit, you give a good bath. Why don't you scratch a little while you're going over the scales?”

“You're not shedding again, are you?”

“No, it just feels good.”

“I still think I should check to see how far those scales spread. I won't use my hands.”

“You don't give up.”

“I'm only thinking of you, Fei.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I noticed some bath oil on the counter by the sink. I'll oil your scales for you. Even the ones I can't see.”

“I give up.”

“Oh, goody! I promise to give all your scales a nice, thorough rubbing.”

“You're so thoughtful.”

“That's me: Duo Thoughtful Maxwell!”