2010-11-04 - Sword v. Ruler

Dukedom of Riksent Despite having had its position drastically elevated over the past few years, the actual Dukedom of Riksent is a small nation; situated at the Mediterranean, Riksent is a nation of beautiful and scenic cities and seamless blends of sophisticated and rustic architecture. The capital of Riksent lies at the coast of the Mediterranean, and is where the magnificent palatial estate of Riksent's royal line can be found.

Though small, the Dukedom of Riksent has become will known for its simplistic beauty and its well-fortified defenses, having been able to stand up to the tides of more than one aggressor despite its size. The cities -- the capital especially -- have become a tourist attraction of late, and Riksent has seen a considerable boost in activity throughout its nation now that it has become something of the "seat of the world" for the mighty Federation government.

Huang Qin Shi is in the middle of an area somewhat to the south of the capital of Riksent, an area that has seen its share of battles; burn scars criss-cross the rocky terrain, and sections of stone have been melted by energy weaponry. The chest of the royal machine of Riksent, the XAM-007G Fairlion, is standing open so that he can take in the early evening breeze as he leans against the side of the cockpit, trying his best to clear his mind. He is understandably nervous - this is the second time in his life that he has challenged Sanger Zonvolt to single combat, and on the first such occasion he was barely a bug on the swordsman's windshield.

Last time, he was trying to make a point. This time he needs to win.

"Remember," he says via communicator to the friend off to one side, "No interference unless he cheats. Not that he will, of course." Huang takes a sip from a water bottle and reflects on his life. His duel with Sanger was the first step he took on a path away from blind obedience to the Divine Crusade, a path that took him to leadership. And then to command. Then to the tragedy at Zeon, the fury of Haman Karn, and the treachery that followed in the land of his father. And despite being only human, he's somehow managed to survive the Devil Gundam, the Zentraedi and the Third Impact. And now he needs to survive just one more fight.

The Sword That Cleaves Evil is coming. And The Ruler of All Known Space awaits him.

"What if he is excessively smarmy?" Novas asks. Now, this might sound like a sassy comment and indeed it is, but Novas can't put her heart into it. Rocbell and Lenara have both been taken by the EVIL ALIEN SPACE JEWS and the only tone she is able to create at this present time is an inflection south of Eeyore.

She siiiighs deeply. Sbe just remembered that Joshua lost like a bazillion of his people. Again. Oh and two young teenage girls got killed too. That was wonderful. And no Huang is the boss again and in her experience, when Huang is the boss, he tends to do things. Things that get people trying to kill him. She recalls how Sanger and Ratsel went off to make gay love (from her understanding of things) instead of looking out for their soldiers and friends within the DC. She can't really blame them though. That's sort of what she *SNIFF* feels like she's been *SOB* doing with Lenara *WAHH*.

"I'm sure it'll go wonderfully." She says, eeyoretastically.

Sanger Zonvolt always keeps his promises. He is a man of his word, a man of honor; these are things that anyone can see by spending merely five minutes with him. Though his actions may be confusing, though his methods may be strange, he never hides his identity - indeed, he shouts it at the top of his lungs, as loud as he possibly can, at every chance, as if to say to the whole of the world that nothing will ever move the mountain that is his identity.

And today, he has promised to duel the Ruler of All Known Space.

The Sword That Cleaves Evil currently sits in the Guarlion Strike, a boxy and bulky machine; his arms are crossed, his eyes shut, his face a mask of the deepest concentration. He was focused now, playing out the duel he was about to fight with all that he knew of Huang Qin Shi and his personality. He respected Huang; he liked Huang. He had said as much to the man himself - that he would've been honored to fight under him. And Sanger Zonvolt does not lie.

The Kurogane's damage is not so intense that it cannot ferry Sanger to his destination. The massive red ship parks itself above the battlefield, and Sanger opens his eyes as he feels the ship stop - or perhaps more poetically, as he senses Huang's warrior spirit. Not that either of them were Newtypes, of course.

But some things were stronger than such labels.

The Guarlion Strike steps off the side of Kurogane, falling like a brick towards the battlefield below. Huang has chosen this location; Sanger has arrived.

Ten minutes late. Classic Sanger. Taking a page from ancient times.

Sanger opens his eyes as the Guarlion Strike rises. The Shishioh Blade shines on its hip, gleaming in the sunlight.

"Huang Qin Shi," Sanger says slowly, "I have been looking forward to our duel."

The Guarlion Strike spreads its legs in an iai stance; its hand hovers above the Shishioh Blade as Sanger focuses all of his warrior's spirit on his foe, all of his considerable presence, on Huang Qin Shi.

How would he react? Sanger had not fought this man for so long. He would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to this.

SUGGESTED BATTLE MUSIC: GUNDAM UNICORN OST TRACK 14: BRING ON A WAR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CVFSescu1I

Huang looks in Novas's direction, raising an eyebrow. That was a bit of an odd comment, given how cheerful she usually is...although the poor girl hasn't had much to be cheerful about lately. "Don't worry," he says, as reassuringly as he can manage. "We'll beat the Balmarians, and we'll get them back." If we can, he adds mentally, a little shiver running through him as the Kurogane approaches. "And the first step on /that/ million-mile journey starts right here," he says.

As the Guarlion drops downward, Huang Qin Shi scrambles back into the Fairlion's cockpit, its red and gold armour sealing him in. Thoughts, doubts and worries race around the edges of his mind as he straps himself into place, his hands shaking as Sanger Zonvolt takes the field. "I can do this," he whispers to himself, tightening the crash harness. "I can do this," he says again, then sucks in a deep breath, imagines pouring all his anxiety into the air trapped within, and then pushes it out of his body. He just needs to win today. Just once.

...just once...

The Ruler of All Known Space shakes his head at the echo, and squares his shoulders. "Sanger Zonvolt," Huang answers, tremors of anger, of irritation slipping past his concentration. "Let's just get this done." Energy flows through the Fairlion, its yellow braids shifting slightly, the arm-mounted blades snapping down and into their ready positions. Octavia Mamaris has been drilling him constantly in the use of the Fairlion since she came aboard the ship, and his initial hesitation, the unfamiliarity, is now gone. He doesn't know it as well as Sanger Zonvolt knows his blade, of course. He just hopes it's enough. Huang sucks in another breath...and suddenly breaks away from the Guarlion, Tesla Drive flaring as he keeps low to the ground. There are two distances at which he can safely engage Sanger Zonvolt, and the safest of these is from far away. THe Fairlion spins once, and energy balls flash across the gap toward the Guarlion Strike.

COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has attacked Sanger Zonvolt. Pyewpyewpyew added to their queue. COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has struck Sanger Zonvolt with a minor hit using Pyewpyewpyew. COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has counter attacked for a solid hit using Rising Knee!

Huang's strategic brilliance is noted by Sanger; it was, indeed, far safer to engage the Sword That Cleaves Evil at a distance that did not allow his sword to be used. The Fairlion's energy bolts sweep towards the Guarlion, spinning towards Sanger's machine with dangerous intent - and it is then that Huang would notice the key flaw in trying to keep distance with Sanger Zonvolt.

Sanger Zonvolt always makes sure that he can close the distance.

The energy balls are plowed straight into by the Guarlion Strike; they blast across the armor, leaving black marks on the machine's arms, as Sanger rises rapidly into the sky. The Guarlion Strike's engines leave burn marks across the grass; Sanger's kiai (not his infamous CHESTO!, of course) is audible over the radio as the heavy knee of the Guarlion rises to meet its fairer cousin.

And then, immediately, the Guarlion Strike pulls back. A single point opens on the Guarlion's chest as the targetting systems beep to life in Sanger's cockpit; the Sword That Cleaves Evil calmly flips the top of his joystick up and stabs his thumb down onto it sharply. Twin missiles spiral out, electricity crackling between them - weapons system jammers.

"Let's see how strong your will truly is without your ability to keep me at arm's length!" Sanger declares, "WEAAAAAPOOOONS BREAAAAAAAAKERRRRR!"

COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt's Weapon Breaker has been added to your queue. COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has attacked Huang Qin Shi. Weapon Breaker added to their queue.

COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has struck Huang Qin Shi with a minor hit using Weapon Breaker! COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has missed Sanger Zonvolt with his Rolling Cannon counter attack.

"Oh, sure," Novas seems to be smiling. "You'll totally make him sweat for it. You'll--" And then something occurs to her. "...Er, it does?"

There is a loooong pause.

"--I mean, I'm not... How does fighting Sanger Zonvolt win us the war against the Balmarians? I mean, wouldn't that be more a...a strategy thing?" A pause. "I mean, sure, he can cleave through battleships but uh--I guess you just lost me? How does this work, again?"

Well that got her to emote a bit more. But she sighs faintly as Sanger Zonvolt starts gibber gabbering about his will.

"Oh well..." She says, "You're doing an amazing job of making him get cocky, so you can take advantage of his overconfidence and take him down when his ego is at its height." eeyore eeyore eeyore. She looks off to the distance and sighs again.

"Oh Rocbell." She says, "I hope you two aren't eating kosher foods." She wipes a tear from her eye.

The Guarlion may not be quick and maneuverable, but that doesn't mean it's not fast, Huang reminds himself - though far too late - as the knee crashes into his Fairlion and sends the machine sprawling back down toward the ground. The Ruler of All Known Space turns the lithe little machine over as he drops, Tesla Drive pulsing back just before it hits the earth, scattering dust and small stones as it settles down gently. "I'll explain it later!" Huang shouts. "Sort of busy sucking over here." he sighs, then shakes his head. All right - plan B.

The Weapons Breaker missiles fire toward the Fairlion, and Huang Qin Shi rushes to meet them, energy gathering around the Fairlion's dangling braids. Another barrage of weapons fire rushes out in the Guarlion's direction, coming up short, sending earth spraying up in violent gouts. Huang gets another round off before the missiles slam into the Fairlion, but this second round is no more effective than the first, blacking out the area around the Guarlion but doing little else.

As he intended.

Huang roars a wordless challenge of his own as the Fairlion rips through the shower of soil, electricity crackling along the unit's red-gold armour, interfering with its energy discharge systems but doing nothing to halt its velocity. Huang raises both bladed arms in front of the Fairlion's chest, aiming to clip the Guarlion on the way past and get out of swordin' range post-haste.

COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has hit Sanger Zonvolt with a glancing hit with his High Speed Ram attack. COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has counter attacked for a solid hit using Roche Smasher!

"That's it!" Sanger roars as Huang continues his challenge and fires off his attacks; the Guarlion's heavy-set arm swings up to block the strikes, letting them fall off harmlessly. Huang was, indeed, as good as he'd hoped; he wasn't afraid to push the limits, to push the envelope, to make Sanger react. He wasn't afraid to fight hard, to throw himself to the winds - exactly what was needed in a man who had the whole world in his hand.

The Fairlion comes in, its blades slashing across the Guarlion's chest; they dig into the armor, leaving twin marks across the heavy metal armor. Sanger doesn't allow it to escape unpunished, however; the Guarlion's Roche Saber falls into its heavy hand, coming down on the back of the Fairlion as hard as the machine's arm allows it.

The Roche Saber slides back into the Guarlion's arm, and Sanger draws out the Vulcan Railgun. The weapon is steadied as Huang makes his retreat. "You've shown me your back, Huang Qin Shi." He says to himself as he reaches to pull the trigger. "VULCAAAAAAN RAAAAAILLLGUUUUUUUUUUUN!"

The Guarlion Strike's railgun rounds explode forth from their chambers rapidly, streaking towards the Fairlion's shoulders and head.

COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has missed Huang Qin Shi with his Vulcan Railgun attack.

"Ha!" Novas shouts, trying to get into it and all. "Huang only showed you his back to make you THINK he was being careless, thus proving you were the careless one all along!" She then opens up a communique, "How was that?"

But maybe the poor showing in the beginning means that Huang will come back like a shounen protaganist and defeat Sanger with his secret super mode that he has yet to learn. Oh right, Novas thinks, maybe she should give Huang advice? hmm.

"I've found that getting really pissed off at your opponent and activating your super mode with anger helps a lot." She adds, perking up a bit probably because of her love of violence.

Twice now Huang has made a move, and twice now Sanger Zonvolt has repaid him twice in kind; the Roche Sabre bites into the Fairlion's shoulder protrusions, spinning the machine around rapidly, the G forces pinning Huang against his cockpit chair, making him grateful that (as is his custom) he's gone into this fight on an empty stomach. The Fairlion hits the ground hard, legs and arms sprawling outward, digging deep furrows into the ground as it grinds to a halt. Huang shakes his head as if to clear it, his left eye a little unfocused from the impact. The artificial right onw, however, is still transmitting clearly.

What it is transmitting, however (i.e. Sanger Zonvolt aiming a huge gun at his ass), is less than pleasant.

Huang reacts instinctively, turning the Fairlion in a tight circle to throw up more dirt as he drops the Fairlion low to the ground. The first round rips through the partial screen, and Huang scuttles forward on all fours, scampering away from the second. "I don't /have/ a super mode!" he shouts back at Novas. "But I am..." he says, the Tesla Drive blazing as he rushes forward, closing inside the Guarlion's reach with blinding speed. "REALLY ANGRY!" he adds, lashing out with the left arm blade, then spinning to backhand with the right.

COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has missed Sanger Zonvolt with his Double Arm Dagger attack. COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has counter attacked for a solid critical hit using Rising Knee!

"I can feel your rage!" Sanger roars in kind as the Fairlion comes sweeping in; the machine was fast, so blindingly fast, that Sanger almost couldn't follow the movements. The Roche Saber ignites literally at the last instant as the left arm blade comes around; the two weapons meet, sparks flying everywhere from the brief contact. When Huang's backhand comes around, Sanger's foot slams down on the pedal, and the Guarlion's massive knee comes up into the Fairlion once more. The Roche Saber extinguishes, retreating into its hidden storage compartment; the Guarlion's eyes light up as its free hand goes to the hilt of the sheathed Shishioh Blade.

"CHESSSTOOOOOOOOO!" Sanger roars, the Guarlion's arm snapping forward; the Shishioh Blade is drawn with a whistling noise, elegantly-crafted steel glinting in the sunlight as it slices towards the Fairlion's arm.

COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has missed Huang Qin Shi with his Shishioh Blade attack.

The Fairlion's camera flickers as the Guarlion's knee connects with the machine's chest again, shrinking the Royal mech of Riksent into an A-cup in the process; Huang's left hand comes off the controls, shifting the order of priority to the backup cameras, restoring his sight in time to see the Guarlion's hand drop down to the hilt of the Shishio blade. A shiver runs through Huang's chest as the blade begins to slide out, Sanger's scream roaring outward as the Fairlion drops rapidly down.

Light flashes, and the strike cleaves naught but air.

"You think you've felt my rage?" Huang says through gritted teeth as the Fairlion surges ever inward. There are two ranges at which he can fight Sanger Zonvolt. The first is at a long distance. "You have felt NOTHING!" The second is inside the reach of his blade, and the Fairlion's left hand reaching out to contact the Guarlion's wrist, seeking to apply pressure as the right hand snaps outward in a rapid, slashing blow. "Feel Aidoneus Island!" he snarls, the Fairlion whirling down and around, lashing out with a pair of kicks as the right hand plays interference with the sword arm this time. "Where thousands bled and died for you! FOR A LIE!" he screams, continuing the circling, always striking with some circular motion, always pressing something against the Guarlion's sword arm.

Huang Qin Shi's kung fu is weak. But his tai chi has never been better.

COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has missed Sanger Zonvolt with your Dance Dance Revolution attack. COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has missed Huang Qin Shi with his Roche Smasher counter attack.

[OOC] Huang Qin Shi says, "Shit, we've enetered DBZ mode" [OOC] Sanger Zonvolt says, "Then I guess it's time" [OOC] Sanger Zonvolt says, "To go Super Sanger" [OOC] Sanger Zonvolt suddenly blonde for no reason

"He just SAID he was angry!" Novas protests, "You didn't have to feel it, you could've just listened but nooo you never listen you're just having your reindeer games with Elzam OOPS was that a spoiler GOD."

She flops back in her seat. Well, she thinks. He's still not hitting Sanger Zonvolt but at least he's not getting splattered across the pavement anymore. Er. As much? An improvement! But really, it grinds her gears. This isn't really fair, is it? She still has no idea why Huang is even doing this. She bites at her lip in frustration but he's the leader of the free world right now so if he wants to run into Sanger's fist repeatedly, that's his right, right? Shine trusted him to run into Sanger's fist repeatedly.

"To dodge my Shishioh Blade..." Sanger observes as the Fairlion performs some kind of awesome Shitype Flash; Huang *had* improved, and Sanger would acknowledge that with the katana he had now drawn. The Shishioh Blade wasn't for everyday battle; the Sword That Cleaves Evil only drew that blade for those who deserved it, those who he acknowledged as worthy to face his full strength.

And Huang's challenges - Huang's anger, his strikes against the Guarlion's armor, his shouted accusations and infuriated declarations - they were important. They were the words of a man Sanger had wronged - even if he had wronged him in the pursuit of a dream higher and more important than Huang could understand at this point in time, he had still done him a great disservice.

But that anger would consume him. Sanger had seen it before; good men, lost to confusion and anger, seeking a path and pawing blindly at the thorns before them. And, Sanger feared, if he allowed that rage to smolder in Huang's heart...no matter how long he was the leader of the Federation, it would do nothing but tear apart Zoldark's dearest dream.

The Guarlion's beam saber meets the first strike; its Shishioh Blade the right, and its legs snap out to counter the blows from the legs. Huang may have pinned the Shishioh Blade, but he had not pinned Sanger; the Sword That Cleaves Evil flows with each attack, Jigen-Ryu brought to bear against a master of Tai Chi. This is a duel between true warriors, a communication of fists and blades and honor.

"Huang Qin Shi...you have improved greatly. You suffered, so much, for the Divine Crusade. Perhaps I was wrong to tell you that secret." Sanger closes his eyes for a brief instant as the Guarlion's thrusters flare to life, pulling him backwards, to give him a mere second of breathing space between Huang's strikes and the Guarlion's blades. "But I felt that you deserved to know Bian's will. Had I known what it would do to you..."

"Forgive me."

"BUT I CANNOT ALLOW YOUR RAGE TO DESTROY YOU!" The Shishioh Blade is grabbed in both hands, rising above the Guarlion in Sanger's most iconic stance. "I CANNOT ALLOW ANOTHER GOOD MAN TO BE DESTROYED BY HIS FURY! I WILL NOT LET YOU FUMBLE UPON THIS PATH SO BLINDLY - NOT WHEN THIS BLADE CAN QUIET YOUR FURY!"

"BEFORE YOU BECOME LOST IN THE GRIP OF FURY...I WILL CLEAVE THE EVIL FROM YOUR SOUL!"

And, as always, it comes - his most iconic speech, as the Guarlion Strike's thrusters fire up, as the heavy machine comes spiralling towards Huang, both of its powerful arms raising the blade high into the sky.

"FOR I AM SANGER! SANGER ZONVOLT!"

"THE SWORD THAT CLEAVES EVIL!"

"AND I WILL NOT LET ANOTHER GOOD MAN DESTROY HIMSELF FOR THE PAST!"

"LIVE ON AND BECOME A GREAT LEADER, HUANG QIN SHI! AS WAS ALWAYS YOUR DESTINY!"

"CHESSSSSSSSSSSSTOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The Shishioh Blade falls, little more than a gleam against the blue sky...it was the razor's edge between life and death, the tightrope above destruction. Would Huang's will to live surpass his anger? Would he pass Sanger Zonvolt's test? Or would the unthinkable occur?

It was all up to Huang, now...

COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has struck Huang Qin Shi with a glancing hit from their Shishioh Mastery attack!

Half the people Huang Qin Shi knows seem to be able to shout and scream and carry on basically froth at the mouth while engaging in mortal combat and, more importantly, experience increased success in doing so. In his case - as Sanger has noted, as Zechs Merquise did before him and as Novas certainly knows - it distracts him, dulling his already limited skills even further. It is normally not an issue, given his relatively even temper; even when the hot-blooded idiots are screaming, he can keep his emotions under control.

But not against Sanger Zonvolt.

"Don't tell me what I've felt, what I've suffered!" he snaps, cords standing out on his neck. "What the hell would you know about it, wrapped up in your honour, your power? WHEN HAVE YOU EVER /FAILED/?" he screams, the words ripping out of his core, taking with it the heart of his fury; Huang sucks in a breath and leans over his console, his body shaking. "When have you...I..." He grits his teeth, knuckles standing out against his controls. "I failed," he says, voice thick. "I couldn't protect the Divine Crusade; Haman Karn took it from me. I couldn't protect the man who saved my life; Vindel Mauser blew him out of the sky. It should have been you," he says as the Guarlion drops toward him.

You may use the Fairlion under two conditions, Huang, she whispered to him in the silence. Win...and be merciful.

The earth itself splits beneath the power of the Shishioh Blade, shattering rock and pinning two of the Fairlion's braids to the earth beneath; the Fairlion slides to a halt a dozen metres away, left shoulder plating bent, sparks flying from the rolling cannons dangling behind its head. "But it was me," Huang says, his right palm burning as the Fairlion gathers itself. "I'm not the Sword that Cleaves Evil. I'm not Elzam von Branstein. I'm not Bian Zoldark. I'm not even Shine Hausen. I'm just a man - not even a good one. I'm not a great leader, nor a skilled pilot. I have failed and will again." Energy forms around the Fairlion, encircling it like a shield as it races forward, the field sharpening like a blade as he drives himself toward Sanger Zonvolt.

"And if you wanted to complain about the man you got for the job," he says evenly, "You're a bit late to the game."

COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has struck Sanger Zonvolt with a major critical hit using Sonic Cutter. COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has missed Huang Qin Shi with his Luger Claw Assault counter attack.

"Hey." Novas says.

"Hey wait a second." She says, "Let's go back to Bian for a second."

"Hey Sanger. Sanger Zonvolt. The Blade that doesn't shut up--"

Sanger shouts about Huang's rage threatening to destroy him. And Novas, generally so mildmannered, finally says 'you know what?' to stressful life, 'fuck youuuuuuuuu'. In fact, this too has its own theme music.

(INSERT SONG: Fuck You - Lily Allen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK4fJhbRL1g)

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARAGGHH!! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP YOU LITTLE OVERCOMPENSATING FOR A SMALL PENIS WITH A LARGE SWORD MORE LIKE MAJOR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION CHRIST WE ARE HUMANS WE CAN FUCKING HAVE RAGE TOO!!"

She slams two clawed Samsara fingers to point at Sanger Zonvolt. "You abandoned us! You left us to DIE so you could, fuck I don't even know, party around with Elzam in your partycruiser! You never sent cards, you left Aoba--your APPRENTICE--and you continue to lecture, lecture, lecture OH MY GOD it's like I'm still in ACADEMY and not a soldier and holy shit, Huang Qin Shi is the ruler of the world right now? Maybe it's because SHINE HAUSEN thought she could trust him instead of some guy who couldn't tell him he was setting up an army to die so Earth could beat some aliens up CHRIST I HATE EVERYBODY. You did such a good fucking job protecting us from aliens?"

She shakes her head quickly, "No way. Who stopped the Zentradi Invasion? Rocbell and Ilvata did the REAL damage. And they didn't do it with your help. Other folks helped, yeah, but your intense training course of setting people up to DIE wasn't really the prime fucking motivator here."

She looks over to Huang for a moment, "Huang Qin Shi has beaten your ass every single time in something you've forgotten Sanger Zonvolt! He's done what you have never yet managed to do in the time that I've known you! He sucks ass at fighting and tends to get blown up while he's leader, FINE. He's not the best scientist either, FINE."

"But he's always been a better friend than you ever have, Sanger Zonvolt! And sometimes that and a little bit of fucking rage is all it takes! So how about you stop bullying him with your JUDGEMENT CALLS and trust him for once instead of letting him throw himself into your first every few months!"

Sanger smiles. Huang's speech is from the heart - it's wrong, on so many fundamental points, but it's from the heart. But it's not that it's objectively wrong - it's wrong in the way that no great man in the making can ever see his own greatness. Wrong in the way that a humble man - a good man - does not tout his own goodness, in a way that a man who has carried and will continue to bear the burden of destiny upon his shoulders cannot see the weight he holds.

"You are wrong, Huang Qin Shi," Sanger replies as the Luger Claw slides into place, charging up. "You say that you failed, that you are weak, that you are just a man - that you are not a skilled pilot, that you are not a great leader, that you are just a man."

"But where are you now?!" Sanger roars as the Fairlion comes plowing forward at sonic speeds, "WHERE ARE YOU NOW?! DO YOU MATCH BLADES AGAINST AN AMATEUR? DO YOU FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS RIGHT, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD? DO YOU BATTLE WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND SOUL TO BRING JUSTICE TO THIS WEARY WORLD?!"

"ONE MAN CAN MOVE THIS WORLD, HUANG QIN SHI! ONE LIFE CAN CHANGE THE UNIVERSE!"

The Fairlion comes in, and it tears a huge, massive chunk out of the Guarlion; Sanger's Luger Claw is too slow, miscalculated, sweeping past where Huang had been an instant ago as the Fairlion carries on past the Sword That Cleaves Evil. The Guarlion falls to the ground, thumping once; alarms blaze in the cockpit. Sanger ignores them, pulling the Guarlion back to its feet.

"You ask me when I have failed." Sanger closes his eyes. "I failed you, Huang Qin Shi. I failed the Divine Crusaders - the men and women who died for us, for Bian Zoldark, the men and women who put their faith in that dream and were rewarded with death and destruction."

"I failed them for a promise I made, a promise I considered higher than any other cause, for the good of this world."

"But it was a failure!" Sanger continues, roaring at his opponent, "AND WHAT I SEE BEFORE ME IS A MAN WHO HAS RISEN FROM THE ASHES OF THAT CRUSADE AND BECOMEA HERO!"

"/WHAT I SEE IS THE MAN I SAW IN YOU SO LONG AGO, WHEN WE HAD OUR FIRST DUEL!/"

"WHAT I SEE IS A SKILLED PILOT! WHAT I SEE IS A GOOD LEADER! WHAT I SEE IS A /GOOD MAN/!"

Sanger's Guarlion's eyes flash once more, and he slides his blade back into its sheathe. "You are a humble man, Huang Qin Shi. You are a man I have high hopes in - the kind of man that Bian would be proud of."

Huang's screen flashes once - a scrolling set of meaningless numbers and letters. It would probably take him a moment to realize that Sanger had just sent him the codes he was fighting so hard for.

"Now..." Sanger's Guarlion takes its stance once more as the Luger Claw falls forward. "Now that I have gotten that out of the way...LET ME HONOR YOUR HEROISM, LET ME HONOR YOUR DEDICATION, IN THE ONLY WAY THAT I KNOW HOW!"

The Guarlion Strike explodes forward, its claw rising into the sky. It stabs forward towards the Fairlion; its free hand whirls around to smash the Fairlion's stomach inwards, its chest opening up to unleash a hellstorm of missiles. And in the aftermath, the Shishioh Blade is drawn once more, moved to rake across Huang's back and slide the Fairlion in two.

Huang was a great warrior. Huang was a good man. Sanger agreed with a great deal of what Novas had said; he was a great friend.

Now he just had to have the blinders ripped from their eyes, the rage and self-doubt beaten away, as only a man who can communicate with his fists could do.

COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has missed Huang Qin Shi with his Full Assault attack.

Enough shouting can eventually break through even the strongest mental blocks, and between Novas and Sanger, Huang never had a chance. "I..." he sputters, but the logic of what they're saying is slowly working its way into his mind. From the moment he'd seen Shine's will, Huang had assumed he was a backup, a safety valve, a second choice in case Latooni wasn't around...because who else could she trust? But trust him she had. As Novas said, she'd chosen /him./ And even though he'd thought of himself as desperately clinging on for survival, scrambling from fight to fight to fight...here he was, fighting Sanger Zonvolt, the Sword that Cleaves Evil. He'd phrased the nature of his challenge as a matter-of-fact statement, and shrugged off the awe of his colleagues that /he/ had challenged /Sanger/ and not the other way around.

"But I'm still here," he says, hardly conscious of it, the burning in his hand seeming to spread across his skull, deja vu so strong he could choke on it. "Wouldn't it be nice...just once..." he says, hearing his own voice echoing him words he'd whispered in the caverns below the GeoFront. "To...to..."

Huang Qin Shi looks up, letting loose a breath he's been holding for a year or more. "I'M STILL HEEEEEEEEEEERE!" he screams, the Fairlion blazing ahead to meet its guardian cousin. The bladed arms come up and around to catch the incoming punch from the inside, and the little robot spins along the outstretched arm, moving with the Guarlion's rotation to keep from being caught in the central arc of fire. But Huang knows - /knows/ - that Sanger Zonvolt will finish this with the blade, and knows he'll have to swing the sword across his machine's body, crossing the big arms in front of its view for a fraction of a second. Which means that, for a fraction of a second, he won't be able to see the Fairlion until the arms come down in the slash.

And in that fraction of second, Huang moves in the opposite direction, into the cut, seeming to vanish from sight entirely, circling around to the Guarlion's back and leaping upward. The Fairlion's arms cross in front of its body and then lash outward in a pair of backhand cuts, trying to carve an X across the machine's neck, severing the head from its shoulders..

COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has struck Sanger Zonvolt with a devastating critical hit using Royal Waltz. COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has missed Huang Qin Shi with his Rising Knee counter attack.

Novas Stellas says, "YEAH THAT'S RIGHT YOU ASSWIPE, I AM GOING TO EAT OFF YOUR BALLS AND--" She pauses, "Wait, what?"

He's saying he failed his men for a promise? W, well, okay. BUT SHE IS STILL MAD but now he's saying Huang is a hero and Huang is being all inspirational and...

--and while whether Huang Qin Shi can move the world is left up in the air, one soul shifts away from mind numbing depression and hopelessness to something else.

Huang Qin Shi is actually giving Sanger a run for his money. Sanger Zonvolt, the guy who cleaves fucking battleships. She goes quiet at Huang's amazing recovery, his split HALF SECOND timing as he rips into Sanger's machine. Just making the enemy sweat, that's a victory.

She doesn't have to defeat the Balmarians, she thinks, she just has to make 'em sweat. Once they sweat, it's over for them. Maybe not from Earth but from somewhere. That's how empires start falling. By sweating. So what if Lenara and Rocbell were gone and taken? Haven't they gotten this far together? She's still here, she can still fight, that's what everybody was trying to tell her right?

Novas smiles faintly. "Thanks, Huang." She says quietly. "...I won't give up on them..." She looks up, "I won't give up on 'em, so kick his ass!!"

Sanger is *proud*, this moment. He is proud as hell of this man, this man that he and Elzam had once been forced to leave behind - this man in whom he had seen the fire of greatness, the fire that he had helped bring to the fore, that others had seen and acknowledged and understood as he had. He was proud to have contributed to this warrior's birth, to this rise of a hero that Zoldark would have smiled upon. But this is still a duel; so when the Fairlion streams in to hit the Guarlion in the face, Sanger meets his challenge head-on, bringing the Guarlion's knee up...just past the Fairlion. The cut slices in, Huang's clever feint enough to throw off Sanger's sense of the man's rhythm and abilities and timing; it digs deep into the Guarlion, and it is only because the man inside is Sanger Zonvolt that he survives, throwing himself backwards just before the cut cleaves through the neck. The Guarlion sparks; its alarms scream, and it slumps forward. But it is not defeated yet.

It is not defeated yet.

"You are still here, Huang Qin Shi," Sanger agrees, "You survive, you grow, you thrive. You are making a difference!"

"And if Bian was here, he would be proud of you now."

The Luger Claw sets on once more. The Guarlion's eyes spark, but they still manage to blaze to life, powered by...well, who knows. Sheer badassery? Good construction? Willpower? All of the above? The heavily-damaged experimental machine blazes to life, spiralling towards the Fairlion, its arm outstretching; to clamp Huang's Fairlion down, to stab through it with the claw, to rip it to shreds and end this fight once and for all.

Shine would probably not be happy about that, but, well, Huang could at least get the inner peace of knowing that he fought toe to toe with Sanger Zonvolt before Shine gutted him from head to toe?

COMBAT: Sanger Zonvolt has missed Huang Qin Shi with his Luger Claw Assault attack. COMBAT: Huang Qin Shi has counter attacked for a minor hit using Jab Punch. COMBAT: Knock Out! Sanger Zonvolt's Guarlion Strike unit has become disabled!

One of the many questions that has dogged Huang Qin Shi down the years is whether Bian Zoldark would even have recognized him, or known him by name, or approved of the engineer who had chosen to follow in his footsteps, to try to pick up the cause. And as angry as he was at Sanger Zonvolt, hearing those words, having that issue put to rest, was worth the anguish of the preceding twenty minutes. But even if the Sword That Cleaves Evil was wrong...Novas trusts him. Shine and Latooni do. Joshua. Arad and Seolla. Gods damn me, he thinks, why the hell did I think I was alone? Huang sucks in a breath and lets it out slowly, refocusing.

He still has a job to do. Huang is too long a veteran of the robot wars to assume a fallen-down foe is a fallen one, and the Fairlion dances back defensively as the Guarlion's neck keeps shooting sparks and fire. Damn, that was close, he thinks as the Guarlion rushes inward. It seems he'll have to endure more yet if he can. The spiralling dive is a distraction; Huang keeps his concentration on the machine's centre of mass and its relation to his robot. If he avoids the mass itself he'll avoid the claw, and the Fairlion is already moving as he thinks it, left hand snaking out, turning the armblade outward to press against the middle finger. The Fairlion dances in a tight circle, swinging the right forearm against the wrist to prevent the backhand, walking the Fairlion down the Guarlion's body, left forearm stabbing out rapidly at the wounded head....

...the....

The Fairlion freezes as the Guarlion passes by, its arms held up defensively, its pilot waiting for his opponent to rise. They always do.

Huang's strike lands true; the Guarlion falls to the ground, a loud thump in the ground. It is the perfect strike, landed in one of the experimental joints - the Guarlion's eyes flicker off, and it crackles, sparks...and then is silent.

Silent, except for the laughter of Sanger Zonvolt echoing over the radio - not mocking, cold, heartless laughter, but the laughter of a man who has just had a damn good time and enjoyed himself immensely.

"Huang Qin Shi," Sanger radios as his laughter cools, "You have done well." A lesser man might say that it was a mistake, or a flip-up, or a failure, but Sanger Zonvolt is not that man. He acknowledges his own defeats.

"I have a secret to tell you, Former Supreme Commander." The title is used not with mockery, but with pride, the pride Sanger has felt since the instant Huang realized himself, realized that potential.

"Ratsel Feinschmecker and I have had the data of the Dynamic General Guardian project all along." The words are spoken with a measure of warmth - as much warmth as Sanger ever showed, enough to let Huang know that Sanger never stood anything to gain out of this, except Huang's own development as a warrior and a leader.

"You have won this day. It will not be our last duel - but it was a fine one. I am honored to have been your opponent."

Sanger looks up at the Kurogane, his beacon already signalling for them to come pick him up. Ratsel would probably give him hell for screwing up the last functioning machine Sanger had, but the sacrifice was worth it.

The wheel of fate was turning once more.

Novas has no idea what the crap Sanger is telling Huang. What's a Dynamic General Guardian project? Is it the almighty enemy of space jews, Space Pork? How Sanger was able to find space pork is beyond her, but (and perhaps this is an assumption) it seems that was what Huang was after.

"Well I ... I think that's a win? If so, drinks are on you, champion!"

She is already in the red due to all the pity presents she purchased herself.

It takes Huang rather a bit longer than a man of his intelligence should to realize what has just happened, and it's not until Sanger stops laughing and starts speaking that it starts to sink in. The news that Sanger Zonvolt had always had the information Huang had offered as bait comes as a complete surprise, and half an hour earlier Huang would have been infuriated at the discovery. He would have felt as though he was being coddled. Toyed with. Patronized.

Instead, he's numb. He looks over at Novas. It's over? He...won? Not in an ambush on a young girl, but a straight-up fight against...

Huang's body starts to shake, and he buries his head in his hands as he struggles to control himself. Eventually he looks up and swallows, his voice tight as he speaks. "The honour is mine," he manages to get out. "Once this is all over...your second can call on mine...for the deciding round..." Huang swallows again, then licks his lips. His throat is so dry for some reason. "Well fought...Major Zonvolt."

The Fairlion drops into a crouch and takes off then, blasting straight up into the air, the red-gold machine trailing a green streak as the Tesla Drive burns. He goes up a hundred feet, two hundred, five hundred, finally levelling off at a thousand and turning the Fairlion on its back, automated systems keeping it hovering there. There's a hiss as the machine jerks, metal grinding as the battered torso resiststhe separation, but eventually the cockpit hisses open, air rushing out. Huang clambers out of his restraints after a moment or two, standing on the back of his chair, sucking in the cool (and thin) night air, trying to control the surging tides rushing inside him.

And then he just lets it out, screaming at the clouds, the sky, the stars themselves. It's not a scream of anger, the bottled-up resentment that has just been lanced from their soul. Nor of frustration at his own weakness, nor a theatrical command gesture designed to impress the people under his command. It's a primal, wordless scream of joy, of victory, of an emotion so long absent from Huang Qin Shi's psyche that he almost forgot what it felt like.

Pride.