Episode 1
The Star Born

        The year is After Colony 216. In the twenty years since the wars ended, peace has finally been achieved between not only the Earth and outer space, but also the newly terraformed Mars and Venus. However, the World Nation has grown and become rather ill-equipped to handle the rapid growth, and discontent is spreading...

        Milliardo Peacecraft and Lucrezia Noin have co-governed Mars and its space colonies since the two came to Mars to terraform it in early A.C. 197. Preparing for future emergencies, some mobile suit production has taken place, providing for a small defense force should discontent turn to war.

        "TURN IT DOWN! SIDURI!" Noin shouted over the 'music' blaring loudly from her son's room.
    "What!?" Came the somewhat muffled reply.
    "I SAID TURN IT DOWN!!!!!! I CAN FEEL THE WALLS SHAKING DOWN HERE!"
    "THE BALLS WHAT, MOM?"
    "THE WALLS!!!!!" She stormed upstairs and opened the door, only to be nearly knocked over by a wall of sheer noise. Siduri quickly turned off his music.
    "What were you yelling about?" He blinked innocently. Noin sighed.
    "I was yelling at you to turn your music down. We don't ALL need to hear it." She smiled slightly. There was the sounds of an argument down below.
    "But Dad! I want to join the defense force!"
    "I won't hear of it! You don't need to fight, Sidra."
    Siduri rolled his eyes and Noin shook her head.
    "It sounds like your sister and father are still at it." She sighed again.
    "That's why I had the music up so loud. I didn't wanna hear it! I'm sick of hearing it as a matter of fact."
    All was NOT peaceful in the Peacecraft household. Not since Siduri's younger (by a few minutes) twin sister, Sidra, had first laid eyes  upon a mobile suit anyways. She'd become hell-bent on joining Mars' mobile suit defense force. Zechs, or rather, Milliardo, was dead set against letting his daughter go learn how to fight. It was a recipe for trouble.

        "Oh come on Dad! Can't I at least LEARN how to pilot!?  Just in case I need to pilot? Pleeeeeeease??" The platinum haired girl used her last and most dishonorable trick. Puppy eyes. Her father almost buckled under the intensely cute and sad aqua eyes.
    "No."
    "But Daaaaaad! YOU PILOTED! SO DID MOM!" Milliardo, who was in the process of walking away spun around, an angry look on his face.
    "That was during the war!" Milliardo's tone clearly indicated she had entered forbidden territory and she'd better back off quick. She fell silent, giving her father an intense glare.
    "Fine!" Sidra spat and stormed off to her room, slamming the door behind her. Milliardo sighed.
    I only want to protect you from the horrors of war, Sidra...

    Noin came downstairs, "So who won?"
    "I think I did." Milliardo cracked a slight smile. Siduri came thumping down the stairs.
    "I doubt it, Dad. She won't give up that easily. You should hear what she says to me when she's mad at ya!" Siduri smirked.
    "I don't think I want to."
    "Good, because she'd probably strangle me if I told!"
    Noin smiled, "Aren't you supposed to be her OLDER brother? She shouldn't scare you if that's the case."
    ".... Women are scary. Right, Dad?"
    "I'm staying out of this one." Milliardo left for the kitchen.
    "Oh are we?" Noin grinned at her son, "Are you sure you're actually a male teenager? Most of them are nuts about women."
    "Moooooooooooooommmmmmm!" Siduri sweatdropped slightly, "I prefer music over women!"
    "So I noticed."

        Sidra paced around her cluttered room, fuming silently over her father's protectiveness. Is it so wrong that I want to be able to take care of myself?! Dad would probably let Siduri pilot if he wanted to...  Her eyes fell upon one of her father's old face masks, from way back when he went by the name Zechs Merquise during the war, and an idea began to form. She had found the old mask in the basement when she was little, and could still clearly see the boggled look on her father's face when she had brought it up and attempted to put it on to show Daddy the "neat costume she found". Looking back on it, she realized the expression had been bordering of fear. Fear of what? Of her growing up to want to be able to fight, to pilot, like her father had some twenty years ago?
    If he could hide himself for 13 or so years, then I can hide myself long enough to take part in the defense force school. The one far off from here so it won't be Dad or Mom teaching it. They can just think I ran away for awhile...
    Sidra was, to say the least, stubborn as hell. While her brother Siduri was more laid back, she had inherited an ironclad determination from both sides of the family, and was, to understate it, a handful for her parents. If she wanted something bad enough, she figured out a way to get it. This would be no different. Quickly, she packed some stuff from the clutter in her room- some clothes, her father's beat up Preventers jacket, the old mask, and so on.
    When she finished packing, she headed over to her brother's room and knocked on the door. "Siduri, y'in there?" The faint pulse of loud music could be heard from inside, so Sidra assumed her brother was in and barged into the room.
    "What are you doing in here?! Yer trespassing up the sacred grounds of my shrine of music!" Siduri grinned like the idiot he most definitely was taken for.
    "I gotta talk to you for a sec." Sidra explained, shutting the door behind her and turning down the music so she didn't have to shout.
    "So talk." Siduri cleaned off a spot on the bed for Sidra to sit on.
    "Swear not to tell? ESPECIALLY Mom or Dad?" Sidra brushed a strand of her pale hair from her face and gave her brother an intense look.
    "Uh..... O-kaaaay.... What are you planning?"
    "I'm gonna go join the defense corps training school!" Sidra beamed.
    Siduri almost fell over in surprise, "You're WHAT?!"
    "I said-" Sidra spoke slowly so her brother could understand her without any question. "I am going to go join the defense corps training school! Y'know, for mobile suit pilots?"
    Siduri was, to say the least, speechless for a moment.
    "But I thought Dad said no..."
    "So? That's never stopped me before." Sidra grinned.
    "I'll say." Siduri rolled his eyes, "Fine. Whatever. I won't tell. Just don't do anything stupider."
    Sidra raised an eyebrow. "'Stupider'? Are you saying my goal is stupid?!"
    "Not yer goal. Yer way of getting it." Siduri shrugged.
    "Whatever. I'm outta here." Sidra turned to leave.
    "Hey, take this for good luck." Siduri tossed one of his silver loop earrings to Sidra.
    "Uh, yeah. Thanks Sid. See ya when I graduate at the top of my class!" Sidra waved once and bounded out the door.
    "Don't forget to write!" Siduri made a face.
    Sidra returned to her room, pulled her hair back and slipped the old mask on, examining her reflection in the mirror. "Daaaaamn. Except that I've got boobs, I could almost pass fer Dad when he was younger!" It was true, Sidra had gotten her looks almost entirely from her father, unlike her twin, who had the same aqua eyes, and his mother's purple hair.

        Relena picked up the phone, "Hello?"
    "Relena? Hello, it's me, Milliardo..."
    "Oh! Hello, how are you doing?" She almost never heard from her brother, so this was a surprise.
    "Have you seen Sidra? She's been gone for a couple of days... She ran off after we had an argument about her joining the defense corps." Milliardo sighed.
    "She ran away?"
    "Yes... Noin and I are both worried sick about her, though her brother seems quite fine with the whole thing." He sounded slightly annoyed.
    "Well, no, she hasn't been here. Not to my knowledge anyways... She might have talked to Ariana or Shino... I'll talk to them and call you back, all right?" Relena glanced around for her kids.
    "Okay. Thank you, Relena" Milliardo hung up the phone. Relena put the phone back on the receiver as Heero walked in.
    "What was that about?" He asked, mildly curious.
    "It was my brother. Sidra seems to have run away. He was wondering if she'd come by here. Have you seen her?"
    "No." Heero shook his head.

        "Ariana?" Relena knocked on the door to her daughter's room.
    "Come on in, Mom." Ariana's room was an interesting mix of war memorabilia and various models and spare parts..
    "Have you heard from or seen your cousin Sidra? It's important." Relena stepped in. Ariana looked up from her sketch book.
    "Sidra? Haven't seen her. Why?"
    "She ran away from home after fighting with your uncle about learning to pilot."
    "Let me guess, Uncle Zechs told her no?"
    Relena sighed. It was slightly annoying that her daughter referred to her brother Milliardo by his more infamous name.
    "I believe so, or else she wouldn't have run away, now would she?"
    Ariana shrugged, "Suppose so. Anyways... I haven't seen her, and I'm kinda working on something..."
    "All right." Relena left, closing the door behind her. Ariana looked down at her sketch book and re-read some of what she scrawled down.
    FalconWing... It'll be a sight when it's done...

        Yoshino Yuy, or rather, Shino for short, burst into the room, his Preventers jacket slung over one shoulder.
    "I'm home!" He looked around. Relena looked up from her book.
    "Oh, welcome home. Your Uncle Milliardo called. Sidra ran away from home and he was wondering if she was here. You haven't seen her, have you?"
    "No. Been busy on deployment. Some of these terrorist groups are getting sneakier and sneakier." Shino sat down in a chair.
    "Surprised you and Dad are home and not off on some diplomatic mission."
    "Our trip to Venus was canceled." Heero leaned in the doorway, "They don't want to talk."
    "Oh yeah. I heard about that. A couple of our reports say they might be building an army..." Shino looked down at his Preventer's jacket, "Bad sign, huh?"
    "Yes it is... " Relena frowned.
    "Noin called the other day. They're making new suits like the Gundams in case it's true." Heero added to the conversation. His people skills had since improved over the 17 years he'd been married to Relena.
    "I know, I was offered a position to pilot one of them." Shino crossed his arms, "Dunno if I'll accept it. I'd like to think there's still a chance for talking to solve any problems."

        "Where are you going?" Wufei glared. Sally sighed and shook her head.
    "Out. Why, Daddy?" His daughter, Meiran, named after his late first wife, crossed her arms.
    "Not looking like that!" Wufei snapped, referring the leather pants and red midrift halter top his daughter was wearing.
    "There's nothing wrong with it. Besides, it's not your business what I wear."
    "As your father it is!"
    Sally rolled her eyes. Here we go again. Like father like daughter I suppose. Meiran was just as stubborn and opinionated as her father.
    "I'm old enough to take care of myself and what I wear, Daddy. We aren't living in the Dark Ages." Meiran opened the door. Wufei threw his jacket to her.
    "Cover up." He went back to his dinner. Meiran shrugged and slipped on her father's Preventers jacket and headed out.
    He's so old fashioned. Jerk. Always looking down on me and everything I do, say, or even wear. Feh. Like it's his business! He was fighting wars when he was my age. I think I can handle day to day life! I'm not that  puny. Just 'cause I'm a girl... not a son. Hmph. How'd Mom end up with a jackass like him anyways!?

        "Wufei... I've told you before. You should lighten up on her a little." Sally set down her papers, "She's not a little girl anymore."
    "... We've had this conversation before, woman." Wufei snapped, annoyed. Whenever these things came up, the women of the house seemed to always gang up on him, "Besides, I'm just worried about her."
    "I'm sure she can take care of herself. She is your daughter after all." Sally smiled.
    "You are downright evil, woman!" Wufei WAS trying to keep from grinning. Indeed, she was his daughter, and was similar to her namesake in many ways. Stubbornness being one of them, though Sally insisted she got that from Wufei. Wufei insisted she got it from Sally. In reality, she got it from both sides.
    "One of these days you'll chase her off and she'll never come back, Wufei." Sally sighed, "You're too hard on her."
    "It's for her own good." Wufei retorted.
    "You want her to be strong, but not as strong as you, right?"
    Wufei twitched.

        Meiran crept in about an hour after her 12 midnight curfew. Wufei was waiting.
    "You're late."
    "... Sorry." Meiran rolled her eyes and tossed him back his jacket, "I think wearing that scares the guys away from me. Is that why you always give me that jacket to wear?" Her blue eyes watched for a reaction.
    "Maybe."
    "Translation from Dadese: 'Yes'" Meiran let her hair out of its bun. It was black like her father's, but she wore it with 'more style'.
    "Don't assume what I mean."
    "Yeah yeah." Meiran narrowed her eyes. She knew what was coming.
    "Why were you late?" The Spanish Inquisition was about to begin.
    "I can't exactly check the time when I'm out racing." She shrugged.
    "I told you to stop with that street racing!" Wufei snapped.
    "So?" Meiran glared. She didn't really care. It was something she liked and was good at it. So to hell with what her dad thought.
    "... Did you win?" Wufei finally asked. Meiran blinked.
    "Yeah. I've never lost." What brought that on? She thought she saw him smile a bit, but couldn't be sure.
    "Good. I'm going to bed."
    "G'night, Daddy." The two went their separate ways to bed.

        Sidra looked around the campus in awe. It was as far from home as she could get and she had gotten fairly used to the stuffy mask and the odd looks she got from people. She had no idea how her father had been able to stand the thing for thirteen years. Now all she needed was a code name. She was fairly apt with computers and hacking. Forging papers was not a problem. Finding a computer terminal, she quickly hacked the network and forged up a set of papers.
    Armed with her new papers she walked up to the enrollment office.
    "Hello. I'd like to enroll in the defense corps academy..." Sidra told the receptionist.
    "All right then, what's your name?" The receptionist replied, taking Sidra's papers.
    "Roku Merquise."