Free Grey War Saga 1: Twilight of Innocence by Marcus Johnson Page A

understand,”
Mjolnir said. “I’ve learned the sentimentality of things over the years.”
    “Do you miss
having him as your pilot?” Meldi asked.
    “Not as much as
I used to,” Mjolnir said. “You’re a lot prettier anyway.”
    Both Daes and
Meldi laughed.
    “Well, I’d
better get going,” Daes said. “I have a thousand adjustments to make and only
two hands.”
    “If you need any
help I’m right here,” Meldi said.
    “Thanks for the
offer,” Daes said before leaving.
    Meldi sighed
before running her hand through her long dark blue hair. She stood up to
stretch before sitting in the seat to work some more.
    “Tell me, why
did you grow your hair long?” Mjolnir asked.
    “You’re a mobile
suit, so you don’t understand things like that, do you?” she asked.
    “No,” Mjolnir
said.
    Meldi looked at
her reflection in the metal of the arm rest. “I grew it because I felt I needed
a change in my life.” She looked at the monitor. “Sometimes, beings of my
nature like to move things around in their lives.”
    “Interesting,”
Mjolnir said.
    Someone tapped
on the leg of the mobile suit.
    “Meldi, you’ve
got a guest,” Myli said.
    Meldi looked out
and saw Commander Baeron. After using the elevator cord to get to the ground
she noticed his towering height.
    “I’ll leave the
two of you alone now,” Myli said before running back to her Phase Rakna.
    “It’s been
awhile,” Meldi said.
    “You’ve gotten a
lot taller,” the bearman said.
    She smiled. “I
was only ten when you saved me.”
    “No, you saved
me,” Baeron said. He took a wrapped object from his back and handed it to her. “It
sat in the evidence room for over twenty years.”
    She removed the
cloth around the object and found it was an old but still sharp zenti axe.
    “Is this?” she
asked.
    “Yes,” Baeron
said. “These times are the darkest of them all Meldi. That axe saved you once
before. I hope it saves you again.”
    She slung the
axe over her back using the shoulder strap. “I don’t know what to say at times
like this,” she said.
    “You should say
thanks,” Baeron said.
    She took his
hands. “Then thank you Baeron. Next time we’re free we should get together and
catch up on things.”
    “I look forward
to it,” the Minan said before leaving her.
    Meldi took the
axe and stared at it with tears in her blue eyes. Myli came back and saw her
friend looking the way she was.
    “Meldi,” Myli
said.
    “I’m alright,”
Meldi said. “For her sake I need to keep moving.”
    Myli hugged her
friend tightly. “Always remember you have friends.”
    “I know,” she
said.
    “Have you told
him?” Myli asked.
    “I will when the
time’s right,” Meldi said.
     
    * *
*
     
    Regen Alondes
stood in the command center of the Black Star, the flagship of the Naerendi
Empire. Around him and throughout the thousand ketre diameter planet
killer thousands of lesser Greys milled about at work. The general pulled out
his telepathic staff and swirled it around himself in a practice flurry before
the intelligence reports came in. He smiled in admiration at the defense the
Confederation forces, along with Heaven’s Light, were putting up. He stared
with his large black eyes at the Freedom as it fought, glowing with bright
green light. I waited for such a warrior for a very long time. I can see his
wings are ready to spread and fly across the battlefield. A glorious victory
awaits us. But even so, I want a fight. I thank you Brian Peterson for giving
us one. My lord has called for destruction. And so we shall deal it. As long as
the other five are occupied with three of our armies we only need to apply the
right amount of pressure and the Confederation will fall. The general
smiled to himself and chuckled. That old man is still mucking about. I
wonder what he’s doing these days.
    Across the
distance of space Myden meditated in his quarters alone. He concentrated his
mental energy to appear before the Black Star General in his