Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Victoria Base Affair ❯ Fallen Hero ( Chapter 12 )

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Chapter 12: Fallen Hero

The Specials were in disarray.  The unexpected death of General Catalonia had left them looking for someone to lead them, someone in whom to put their faith and trust.  Someone like Treize.  But Treize was as lost and as devastated as anyone.  Though he had been privy to much of the general's thoughts and plans, Treize still felt like a child trying to step into a man's shoes.  The aftermath of the Battle of Pancevo was grim.  Alliance losses had been heavy, in both personnel and equipment, and there was no telling how much damage had been inflicted on the insurgents.  No one was certain how many forces and how well equipped the rebels had been to begin with.  That infuriated Treize.  What use was an Intelligence organization if they didn't know that?  Treize would not fall prey to that mistake again.  He was already making plans to create his own Intelligence unit as part of Oz.  He'd discussed it once with General Catalonia, and had received tacit permission to proceed.  Now he forged ahead with single-minded purpose.  He would never again be caught without adequate knowledge of what the rebels, insurgents and guerillas, both on and off Earth, were doing.  The Alliance, and particularly Oz, had already paid too high a price for that failure.

And Treize was certain, as certain as he was the sun would rise in the morning, that Pancevo had nearly been lost because of treason.  That the general had died because of treason.  Someone in the Pancevo command had betrayed them. 

"Colonel Kushranada?"

Treize broke out of his reverie and looked up to find a young Lieutenant standing before him at stark attention.  Treize was sitting in General Catalonia's office, slumped in the comfortable, high-backed chair that the general had taken with him to every command he'd held for the past fifteen years.  Treize sat up and folded his hands neatly on the desk.

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"The officers are waiting for you in the conference room, Sir."

"Thank you.  Please tell them I'll be there shortly."

"Sir!"  The young officer saluted smartly and left, closing the door behind him.

Treize tapped his fingers on the desk as he thought about what he would say.  All the remaining officers at Pancevo, as well as his own staff, would be in attendance.  Treize planned to tell them there was a traitor and see how they reacted.  He had gone through everything in the general's desk, files and computer, but had found nothing incriminating.  The only thing that had struck him as odd was what he did not find.  He found almost no intelligence reports on rebel activity in the Pancevo region.  There should have been something, unless those reports were being purposely withheld to give the general the false impression that there was little unrest in the region.  Very few people would have been in a position to do that, and it was on these people that Treize's suspicions now fell.  And all of them were now waiting for him in the conference room.  He intended to get satisfaction and avenge the general's death.

The six surviving Pancevo officers were silent when Treize entered.  His own people, Cole, Une and Zechs, had been talking quietly among themselves, but they stopped and nodded to him as he sat down at the head of the table.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Treize began, "the one thing I want to know is why General Catalonia was unaware that a large, well-armed rebel force was operating in this area?  Who was responsible for providing him with intelligence reports on rebel activity?"

"I was, Colonel," said a dark-haired woman.  Treize remembered her from his brief sojourn at Pancevo months before; Colonel Lindsey Wayne.  She looked worried, almost frightened. That spoke well for her intelligence; she must realize that she was under suspicion.   "I reviewed every report before passing it to the general.  We received only a few reports on rebels in this area, mostly about small, poorly armed groups operating in the southeast."

"I see.  Were you also handling intelligence reports for Commander Brigham before he was relieved of command at Pancevo?"

"No sir.  Colonel Curzon held that post.  He was reassigned when Commander Brigham left."

"Curzon?" Treize exclaimed.  "Dalken Curzon?"

"Yes."

Treize's eyes narrowed.  "How long was he here?"

"He came straight from the Victoria Base Academy, so about three years.  He became Intelligence Officer about a year before the trouble started."

"Do you know where he was reassigned?"

"I believe he went to European Command."

Treize sat back.  Suddenly, things made sense in a way he hadn't expected.  Out of all the thefts, losses and battles they'd been through, the one thing that had never fit had been the attack on Zechs and Sheldon.  Too many guerillas had been lost attempting to kill two men.  Treize looked at Zechs.  Or maybe just one man.  Maybe Zechs didn't remember Dalken Curzon.  Why should he?  But Treize remembered him.  And he didn't doubt for one moment that Curzon remembered Zechs.

"Thank you, Colonel Wayne," he said abruptly.  "That will be all.  I've arranged for General Catalonia's remains to be returned to his family.  There will be a service for him tonight in the Base chapel for anyone who cares to attend."  Treize stood up, ending the meeting, and the others all rose.  He glanced at his people so they would know he wanted them to stay and waited for the Pancevo officers to file out.  When the door closed behind the last of them, Treize leaned forward and spoke quietly.

"European Command has not issued a definitive report about the Pancevo region for months.  Now we find that Dalken Curzon, one of Brigham's staff officers, has been assigned there.  Although none of Brigham's officers was found to be complicit in the problems here that got him demoted, I always believed that someone was feeding the insurgents inside information.  And who better than his own Intelligence Officer?"

"But why would he do such a thing?" Une asked.  "He was one of the top graduates of the Academy.  He's been rising rapidly through the ranks.  He could hold any post he wants."

"Could he?" Treize nodded at Zechs.  "Zechs cost him the posting at Luxembourg.  That's why he was at Pancevo in the first place.  What if he's been carrying a grudge all this time?  What other reason could there have been for the attack that killed Sheldon, except that Dalken saw an opportunity to kill the man who humiliated him three years ago?"

Une's eyes narrowed as she considered this. 

Cole rubbed a hand across his chin and nodded in agreement.  "You may be right, Treize, but what are we going to do about it?" 

"Recommend that all the officers at Pancevo be reassigned."

"Why?" Une asked.  "Do you think others are involved?"

"No, I don't.  But that will make Curzon think he's gotten away with it."  Treize's face darkened with anger.  "And I don't want him to see me coming."

- - - - - - -

Treize took command of Pancevo Base because there was really no one else to do it.  He was promoted to Commander and subsequently promoted Une and Cole to Colonel.  Zechs was glad he did not get promoted.  It allowed him to spend most of his time on patrol in his Aries mobile suit, hunting for rebels.  He would have liked to spend time with Treize also, but Treize was too busy now.  The Base had to be rebuilt and new forces assigned.  They'd swept up most of the recent graduates from Victoria Base Academy; eager young men and women ready to fight in the name of the Alliance.  Or, as was true for most of them, in the name of Oz and Treize Kushranada.  Many of the new graduates displayed a personal loyalty to Treize, which Zechs found perfectly understandable.  His loyalty to Treize was independent of his love for him.

But it left Zechs with the feeling that he was losing Treize to forces beyond his control.  Aching sadness welled up in him whenever he thought about it.  From the very beginning, he had known that he would not be able to keep Treize forever, but the end was coming much sooner than he'd expected.  Too soon, he would be left to the lonely existence he'd known before he met Treize; pretending to enjoy life, when it held little joy for him at all.  A man could not live without roots.  It left him subject to the winds of fate, and Zechs could feel it blowing on him again.

He flew into a landing on the Pancevo tarmac, tired after the long patrol.  He hadn't found anything this time, for the first time since the battle.  He lumbered into the partially rebuilt mobile suit hanger and backed into his parking spot.

"Lieutenant Merquise!" one of the mechanics shouted up at him, "Commander Kushranada wants to see you right away."

Zechs waved acknowledgment as he climbed down the side of the mobile suit, too tired to wait for the elevator.  It was hot again and Zechs was sweating by the time he reached the Administrative building.  The air conditioning still wasn't working and he wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, wishing he could take a shower.

Treize was in his office.  He didn't look happy, but he usually didn't these days.  Zechs knocked on the frame of the open door.

"You wanted to see me, Commander?"

Treize looked up and his sudden smile dropped years from his face.  "I always want to see you, Zechs," he answered.  He waved to the chair in front of his desk.  "I need to go up to Luxembourg for a few days and I want you to go with me."

Zechs lifted an eyebrow.  "As an escort?"

"You could call it that."  His smile became affectionate.  "The truth is, I'm desperate to take you to bed, but I don't want to do it here."

"Ah."

"We leave tomorrow morning.  We'll go in the carrier, so we can take our Aries suits.  We'll also be bringing back more forces when we return."

"Aye sir."  Zechs stood up.  "If you don't mind, I'm dying for a shower."

"Take one for me.  This place is an oven."  Treize favored him with another affectionate smile as he left.

- - - - - - -

It felt good to be back in Luxembourg.  It was cooler, for one thing.  It also felt more like home.  Zechs returned to his own quarters when they arrived, but he didn't stay there long.  He was in Treize's room by 2200, undressing him with eager hands.  Treize kept trying to talk, but Zechs wasn't listening.  He ached with desire and unfulfilled need.  He pushed Treize against the wall and pulled his shirt open, kissing his bare chest hungrily.  He worked his way across the firm, smooth skin to the left nipple and closed his lips around it, sucking hard.

"Have you heard a thing I've said, Zechs?"

"Hmmm?"  It was hard to talk and suck at the same time, so Zechs elected to suck.

"Apparently not," Treize murmured.  He caught Zechs' face in his hands and lifted it so he could look into Zechs' eyes.  "My love, I am going to have to do something terrible.  I may need you to lie for me."

Zechs blinked.  "I'll lie for you, Treize.  I'll also lie with you; I'll lie under you; I'll lie beside you.  Now, can we stop talking?"  He dropped to his knees and began undoing Treize's trousers.

"Zechs…" Treize began, but he stopped with a helpless moan as Zechs pulled his penis out.

Zechs grasped Treize's erect member in a firm grip and slid it into his mouth, taking in as much of it as he could without gagging.  He began to suck, sliding his mouth up and down.  Treize leaned back against the wall with a groan.  Zechs kept sucking until Treize came, spurting into his mouth with a cry of joy.  Zechs sucked and swallowed until Treize was finished and then sat back with a smile.

"And you call me wet."

Treize pulled Zechs to his feet and kissed him deeply.

Zechs pushed away, laughing.  "Do you still want to talk?"

"Shut up," Treize growled.  He dragged Zechs to the bed and shoved him down onto it.  "Get out of your clothes right now, lie down and spread your legs."

"Yes sir!" Zechs chuckled as he undressed.  Treize was tearing off his own clothes as if he had not just been satisfied.  In fact, to look at the upright, hardened state of his penis, one would think he hadn't been.  Zechs lay back and Treize mounted him immediately.  Zechs gasped.  As always, Treize felt utterly wonderful inside him.  He wrapped his arms around Treize and moved with him as Treize rode him.

Treize dropped his head next to Zechs' ear and whispered, "I wish I could spend the rest of my life doing this with you."

"Tonight is all that matters," Zechs whispered back.  "Don't think about tomorrow."  He kissed Treize's neck and shoulder, moaning softly as pleasure suffused him.  Treize rode him faster and faster, grunting with the effort of driving himself deep into Zechs.  Zechs arched up against him, gasping with joy, his penis throbbing with impending orgasm.  "Don't stop!" he groaned.  "Please don't stop!"  Treize didn't stop.  He kept thrusting into Zechs until Zechs exploded with orgasm, his ejaculation soaking their bellies and chests.  "Oh, god!" he gasped.

Treize uttered a deep groan as orgasm surged through him, triggered by the vice-like grip of Zechs' clenched muscles.  When he finished, he looked into Zechs' blue eyes.  "I love you," he whispered.

Zechs gazed back at him, letting the sight fix itself in his memory.  This was his favorite moment in time: lying beneath Treize in the first sweet moments of post-coital bliss.  Slowly, he lifted his mouth to Treize's and gave him a long, gentle kiss.  "I love you, too, Treize Kushranada."

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Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.  Steamy.  That's all fer nows! Just two chappies to go!