1. Chapter One

Author's note- This is my first published fic, so any constructive criticism is welcome. The first chapter may be a little boring as it is basically an introductory chapter just to tell you a little about my character.

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, just my characters Tania and Colonel Tragar, but if I did then Colonel Shubaltz and Irvine would be mine and no one else's!

* -indicates a dream sequence

CHAPTER ONE

*She stood looking up at the seemingly endless expanse of the staircase, her small hand resting fearfully on the railing as she tried to summon the courage to take the first step into a different place. It was a step that she had been forbidden to take all her life as her mother often warned her that to ascend those stairs would surely put them both in danger, and she often wondered what it was that her mother feared so much. The few children that would talk to her told her of wondrous things that dazzled the eye, great tapestries that covered the giant hallways and the people that walked them dressed in fabrics far finer than the coarse clothing they were used to wearing. But if everything was so wondrous then why couldn't she at least take a peek just to see for herself the things she could only imagine in her dreams?

Her palms were slick with sweat from the tight grip she had on the smooth railing, and she finally found the strength within to set one foot on the bottom step, shutting her eyes tightly as she expected to hear her mother's voice at any moment. All she heard instead were the slight whispers of the light breeze that wafted down the staircase, and the scents that it brought to her nose gave her even more strength of will to take another step. This time she felt something grab her hand and she looked down at her hand, her eyes widening as she peered down a dark, bottomless chasm that threatened to swallow her if she slipped even one tiny bit.*

Tania awoke with a sudden jerk, her hair soaking wet from sweating and her heart pounding wildly within her chest. Throwing the covers aside, she ignored the feel of the cool night air on her skin and sat up on the side of her bed, her hands rubbing at her face in an attempt to shake off the grip of her nightmare. She rose to her feet and walked into the washroom to splash some cold water on her face then dry it with a towel.

She had been only ten years old when she had gone up that staircase, an action that had changed the rest of her life forever, and she couldn't help but wonder at what today would bring. The dream was fitting as today she planned to take another first step, a step that would surely mean that she would never be able to see her mother again and would have her hiding like a criminal for the rest of her life as a result of her actions. But she could always walk away, although it would mean throwing away the four years of preparation and hard work she had invested so far.

Then she looked into the mirror that hung above the water basin and saw the same thing she had seen every morning for the last twenty-three years, although for ten of them she had no idea that she had looked so much like her father. She shared his facial structure as he had been strikingly handsome himself, the only difference being he was akin to a snake as he was beautiful to look upon but beneath that beauty lie a lethal bite when provoked. Their hair color was even the same; some described it as the color of silvery starlight. But where her father's eyes burned a fierce scarlet and her mother's were as blue as the skies above, her eyes shone as sparkling amethysts.

Ever since his death four years ago, she had seen more of him within herself, leading her to join a faction of the Imperial Army that had been fiercely devoted to him, and because of that they stood behind her even though she knew nothing of how to organize a military assault. They looked to her as a reminder of the man they had served loyally and sought to grant the one wish she had held ever since that day: the destruction of the Blade Liger and the pilot that had destroyed the Deathsaur which in turn had killed her father.

Yes, Prozen was her father, and her mother a servant which he had used for one night. She had first seen her father the same night that she had disobeyed her mother and gone up into the upper levels of the Palace where she was forbidden. Prozen had been outraged that he had fathered a child and had not been told about it, not out of any fatherly instinct but because he had no desire to have a child of his running around. Add to the fact that she was a girl instead of a boy and it was like adding insult to injury, leading him to order his guards to kill her mother. But Tania had interfered and saved her life, leaving Prozen to reconsider his decision to kill her. Impressed with Tania's fighting skills, he told her that he would train her in combat so that she would serve him loyally for as long as he needed her, and if she decided to betray him or leave in anyway then he would kill her mother as a result of her actions.

Over the next ten years she did little else but eat, sleep, and train under close watch from her father, although the last few years his attitude changed towards her as she had proven her loyalty to him. But it had cost her a great deal emotionally to do so, and it had succeeded in touching something inside of him that allowed him to see her not as a child but as an adult that was capable of making her own decisions. After that he had involved her in his plans to crown himself Emperor so that he could better lead the Empire to victory over the Republic, and being that she had grown under his shadow she hated the Republic just as much as he did and vowed to help him in whatever way she could.

Now the war was over and the two opposing sides had made peace with one another, although there were still those that opposed the peace and sought to end it. Those that followed her believed that she meant to disrupt relations between them, but she had put herself above that. No longer did she concern herself with the affairs of nations, but there was only one thing she sought above all else and she would live to avenge her father's death or die trying.

Walking back into the bedroom, she pulled from her closet a black leather outfit that consisted of a vest that buttoned down just enough to cover her breasts before tapering down to the waistline of her matching leather pants. Some of the men had taken to calling her the Princess of the Night as she dressed in little else except black.

She buckled her belt around her hips, adjusting the dagger sheaths to fit comfortably and filling them with her two favorite daggers which had been gifts from Prozen for her birthday. Two more she slipped into the sheaths hidden within her boots which she carried around in case of emergency. Her silver hair she braided into one long rope resting down her back with a few strands hanging loose around her face to soften the usually severe style.

Feeling she was ready to face another monotonous day, she walked outside into the hallway and headed towards the hanger where their zoids were being kept, grabbing a bite to eat for breakfast as she went along. The hanger was nearly empty but after today she hoped that it would be on its way to building a substantial force that would ensure her victory over the pilot of the Blade Liger, and for that reason she always trained everyday with her zoid. Also a gift from her father, the Saber Tiger was equipped with various weapons: 20mm cannons, two 30mm cannons, and a triple impact cannon. Add to that hardened alloy strike claws, saber teeth, and a maximum speed of 240 kilometers per hour and she had one of the best zoids to have in a battle.

"Good morning, Tania."

She turned to see a middle-aged man approaching her, tall with dark hair and keen eyes. "Good morning to you also, Colonel Tragar," she replied.

He stopped and bowed slightly to her, an unnecessary gesture but he was always one to show his respect to the female gender. "I see you're off on your training exercise this morning."

Her face hinted at the beginnings of a smile. "Yes, Colonel, I am," she answered. "You seem to be in a good mood as early as it is."

"Yes, indeed," he smiled. "Today we launch the first of many attacks to come on the military bases we have chosen for the amount of weaponry they have at their disposal. Soon we shall have an army capable of putting an end to this ridiculous notion they call peace."

"I trust you will keep me informed of your progress then," she added.

"Of course," he said. "I hope your training goes well."

"Thank you," she replied, watching as he withdrew and hearing him hum to himself. Soon she was safely fastened within the cockpit and the Saber Tiger vaulted outside with a sudden burst of speed. She allowed the zoid free rein whenever they first began their training so it could warm up for the rigorous training she put it through, exhilarating in the view of the landscape passing by in a blur and the feel of the rhythmic rocking as it quickly put distance between them and the base.

When she deemed it far enough, she slowed the zoid down just in time to see various targets appear on the horizon which she shot down with fast accuracy. Others would pop up just as quickly and she destroyed them also; then came the missile targets which would test her maneuverability. She dodged each one easy enough and soon the exercise was over, leaving her pleased that they had done so well without suffering any damage. As long as they could keep it up then she knew she could face anything that came her way, although she would've liked to have had the time to increase the difficulty a bit so she could improve her skills as a zoid pilot.

By the time they reached the base, she could see the small force of zoids moving out to commence the first battle that signified the first step towards an uncertain future.

Not far away, dark eyes watched the scene unfold before him, causing a small smile to appear on his lips. "So, Colonel Tragar, you've decided to make your move after four years." Then he turned his gaze to the red Saber Tiger, the breeze ruffling his red hair. "And I wonder what it is that you have to offer me, daughter of Lord Prozen."

Author's note- So, how was it? Please review and let me know! Thanks!

	2. Chapter Two

* -indicates a dream sequence

CHAPTER TWO

Elsewhere at the Red River Base, someone else was training as well. It had been four long years for him also, and he had grown into a handsome young man as well as an accomplished pilot of the Blade Liger. Still he felt he needed to train, especially since he had become a member of the Guardian Force along with Fiona and lately they had been joined by Lieutenant Thomas Shubaltz, who in Van's eyes was a strange character but a good pilot and loyal friend as well. No doubt because of his infatuation with Fiona though.

He decimated the ranks of white Command Wolves easily enough and just turned to head back when he saw an Iron Kong slowly making its way towards the base, and a smile spread across his face as he directed the Blade Liger towards the approaching zoid. "Colonel Shubaltz, it's good to see you again," he greeted him as he fell in beside the Imperial soldier. "Are you here to see Thomas?"

"I'm afraid not, Van," he answered sadly. "Given the nature of the information I'm bringing, I'd rather wait and tell everyone at the same time."

"That bad, hunh?" Van sighed. "Well, I guess that I'd better inform Fiona and Thomas." As the Blade Liger raced off, Van couldn't help but wonder what was going on this time and for some reason he felt that this time the threat would be serious.

Soon the necessary officers were assembled and Colonel Shubaltz was given the floor. "A few days ago, this military base was attacked by a small zoid force consisting of what we believe to be Rev Raptors and a Red Horn." The screen showed a layout of the surrounding area and a red dot marked the base's location. "The base was destroyed and all zoids kept there were taken by the attacking force as well as weapons and ammunition."

"If you don't mind my asking, Colonel, why were you sent here? It was a Republican base that was hit, not an Imperial one," Van asked, curious when he saw the faint glimmer of sadness pass over the Colonel's face.

"We believe that the force that attacked was Imperial," he answered. "It is possible that the aggressors are attempting to build an army of their own in order to try and undermine the peace that was bought at so high a price."

A murmur passed through those assembled as they realized that if they didn't stop them now it could mean serious trouble in the future. "Where do you think they might strike next?" Fiona asked.

The Colonel glanced at the screen. "It is hard to tell at this point, but we believe that it may be here." Another dot appeared on the screen that was not all that far from the first dot. "Right now, the best thing I believe that can be done is to step up aerial surveillance and put the base on alert. Hopefully we can stop this before it goes too far. Both sides suffered greatly during the last war and our supplies are low which makes it all the more urgent that we stop them quickly."

The meeting was drawn to a close, and Van stepped up to the soldier. "Colonel, there's something else that you're not telling us," he said in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear. "You know who's behind these latest attacks, don't you?"

Shubaltz sighed. "I have an idea, but I am not sure, and I can only hope that I am wrong."

Seeing that that was all the answer he was getting, Van stepped away from him and followed Thomas and Fiona out of the room.

Karl Shubaltz stayed there for a moment after everyone had left, his hand lightly resting on his chest as he stared up at the screen. Tania, are you behind this? Are you even alive? Reaching underneath his collar, he pulled out the necklace that he had worn for many a year now, a gold charm fashioned in the shape of a heart.

*How I remember that day. We had lunch together that day, the day before you were to leave to return with your father. You had just finished telling me that you couldn't see me anymore, that you were a danger to me just by being here, and then you pressed this into my hand before you ran away. Only a few short days together and yet we became so close. Don't you know that I would've given anything for you to stay, even my life?*

It had been a gift from her mother, she had told him, and yet she had given it to him. He turned the heart over and rubbed his thumb over the inscription there, only three simple words yet it had changed his whole world. I love you.

He closed his eyes as he clenched his fist around the charm, willing the pain to go away that he had lived with since that day she had left him.

Van and Thomas walked outside to where their zoids waited for them, a thought-filled silence between them. "What were you talking to my brother about, Van?" Thomas asked.

Van heard Zeke step up beside him. "I think he knows who is behind these attacks, but he won't tell me as he isn't sure if it is who he thinks it is. Do you know?" he asked.

Thomas shook his head. "Haven't a clue."

The young pilot sighed. "I'm going out to do a little looking of my own then. Maybe the base is in this area. Come on, Zeke."

The organoid voiced his agreement and followed behind.

Tania had been pleased to hear that the first attack had went so well. The hanger was well on its way to becoming full with the zoids they had taken, and on top of that they had more than enough ammunition to last them a good while. But as pleased as she was, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of uncertainty as from now on the other bases would be on full alert, making it near impossible for them to take the other bases as easily as the first. And she also expected that soon enough the Republic would be sending out aerial zoids to try and spot any activity that seemed abnormal, meaning her little training sessions were at an end.

Colonel Tragar said as much to his men, adding that they must be on full alert themselves as there might be a chance that the Republican Army could discover their location, although he didn't foresee it happening. But he didn't become Colonel by ignoring the possibilities that could catch them unawares. Instead he thought of everything beforehand so that he could anticipate any surprises that might be thrown his way.

They laid low for awhile to let things cool down, as well as fool the military into thinking that the attack was a one time thing. Then they struck a second base, but things didn't go as well as before. Apparently the guard had been kept up as a fierce battle had ensued, forcing Tragar's men to retreat, which Tragar was voicing his anger about when she stepped into the debriefing room to see what had went so wrong.

"Idiots!" he hissed as he turned his head towards her then looked away from her gaze as she took her place beside him.

"Please, sir," one of the pilots pleaded. "It was no mere military force that we fought against. The Guardian Force have been enlisted as well, Colonel."

The name caught her interest. "Guardian Force?" she inquired.

"The most stupid, idiotic idea ever thought up if you ask me," Tragar scoffed. "Made up of a few kids that call themselves warriors."

"Sir, one of the fighters is none other than Van Flyheight himself, the pilot of the Blade Liger that destroyed the Deathsaur years ago," the same pilot added.

Tania turned her eyes to the pilot, half seeing him as she thought back on the fateful day when her father had died. She had fought against the Blade Liger outside the city limits along with Raven in his Genosaur and was defeated as her Saber Tiger was no match for his zoid, and apparently neither was Raven as he was defeated also. Knocked unconscious, she missed the actual battle between the Deathsaur and the Blade Liger, but all she knew was that her father was dead and it was all because of the person inside the zoid.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she shook herself back to the present to hear Tragar calling her name and asking if she was all right. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered, leveling her gaze back onto him. "I wouldn't dismiss Flyheight so easily, Colonel. I fought against him on that day so long ago and he defeated me. I think we should step up our forces on the next attack so we can prevent this from happening again."

Tragar bowed his head to her slightly. "If you wish, Tania."

"I will be going also," she added, and the silence became so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"Absolutely not," he argued. "You cannot risk your life like that."

She gritted her teeth in anger. "Colonel, he killed my father. And I will see to it that he gets what is due to him."

	3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

Van and Thomas waited just outside the next base that aerial recon had told them would be the next target as they had seen them coming towards the base, and the numbers had increased from the last time to include more Rev Raptors and a Saber Tiger. Joining the Guardian Force were Command Wolves from both the Red River Base and this one, making the numbers almost even. "Thomas, it looks like this is going to be as much of a speed battle as anything else," Van told him. "They have a Saber Tiger with them this time, and I think it would be best if you hang back just in case any of them break through our lines and try for the base."

"So what are you trying to say, that I'm too slow?" Thomas fired back.

"I said no such thing," Van laughed. "Besides, Fiona told me to make sure you stayed out of harm's way."

Thomas was so surprised he almost forgot to breathe. "She--she said that?" he asked, his heart in his voice as he was touched that she cared so much about him after all.

"No," the younger man answered, promptly deflating Thomas' hopes. "But I'm sure she would still like to see you come out of this unharmed."

"Trust me, this battle will be child's play. Right, Beek?" he asked, hearing the series of beeps that followed.

Soon they saw the dust cloud on the horizon that signaled the approach of the enemy, and the Blade Liger ran off to intercept them in order to keep them as far away from the base as possible. Once the Rev Raptors caught sight of him, they broke formation to form rank in front of the Saber Tiger, leading him to wonder who it was that was so important that they needed to protect them.

Inside the Saber Tiger, Tania let loose a string of curses upon those in front of her, her anger showing itself through her zoid as it roared its own frustrations. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?!" she all but screamed. "The plan was to let me draw the Blade Liger into combat while the rest of you dealt with the Command Wolves."

"Sorry, Tania, but we have strict orders from Colonel Tragar that we engage the Blade Liger and distract him long enough for you to take out the Command Wolves and head for the base."

"Bastards," she growled and increased her speed to leap over two of the Raptors and make for her primary target herself. "Come on, Van. Let's see what you've got." She fired the twin 30mm cannons then the triple impact cannon and was impressed when she saw him dodge every one of them, still keeping his current speed and heading. Then she saw the blades extend from either side of the Blade Liger when he drew closer to her, saw them coming towards her for a strike, but she deftly maneuvered out of the way, smiling when she heard a startled exclamation from her opponent. "You used that trick on me once before, Van Flyheight, did you think I would let you use it again?"

Van was shocked that the pilot was female, even more that she knew his name. "Who are you?" he asked, crying out when he felt the impact from the missile of a Rev Raptor.

"Later, Van. I think you have company right now." She would've liked more than anything to have continued their battle, but she saw a window of opportunity to achieve their more important purpose for being here and dodged through the battles going on between the Raptors and the Command Wolves to head for their target. With open space in front of her now, she increased her speed to put the fighting behind her, the base soon appearing before her. But when she saw what awaited her there, she slid to an abrupt stop, her mouth falling open in awe as she stared at the Dibison that stood there with every one of his numerous cannons preparing to fire.

"You may have been able to slip past Van, but this is as far as you get. You will not get past me."

"And just who are you?" she sneered.

"Lieutenant Thomas Richard Shubaltz of the Imperial Army as well as a member of the Guardian Force," came the reply.

"Shubaltz," she whispered, the name being the only thing she could utter as she wondered if he was any relation to another of the same name she had met years ago.

"Megalo Max fire!" Thomas shouted.

She was jerked back to the present as she realized that he had fired upon her, was unprepared for the attack that exploded all around her and reduced her zoid to a smoking mass of metal as well as knocking her unconscious.

Van was tired, almost exhausted, after today and had to blink his eyes repeatedly to keep the screen focused in front of him as he gave his report to Colonel Shubaltz on the outcome of the battle. "We sustained little damage from the enemy. In fact, the only one that really suffered any real damage was the leader who piloted a Saber Tiger which was pretty much reduced to scrap metal after Thomas got through with it. The pilot suffered only cuts and bruises so we took her to the infirmary to let the doctors look at her."

The Colonel was silent a moment. "The pilot was female?" he asked, his voice neutral but his eyes betrayed his emotions, concern mixed with a little anguish.

"Yes, sir," Van replied, his attention caught by this different side of the Colonel. Had there been something between them before they went their separate ways?

The image on the screen appeared indecisive for perhaps the first time in his life. "It is as I thought. Lieutenant Flyheight, as soon as the prisoner is able, bring her here so that I may commence an interrogation. I know that normally she would be dealt with there, but I fear that those she fought for may try and attack the base to help her escape. Plus I think that she might cooperate a little easier if the interrogation is done by an Imperial officer."

"I agree, sir," Van followed, unable to keep himself from wondering if the Colonel's decision had anything to do with his desire to see this strange pilot again.

"Contact me when you decide to leave, Lieutenant," he added before his image disappeared from the screen.

Van severed his end of the link and slumped back against the chair, an enormous yawn emerging as he saw Thomas lean against the console so that he faced him.

"So what did my big brother have to say?" he asked.

He related the Colonel's orders to Thomas. "Did your brother ever tell you if he was ever in love with anyone?"

Thomas shook his head, curious as to where this question had come from. "No, we were never close enough to speak of things like that to one another. Why do you ask?"

Van shrugged. "I dunno. It just seems that when I mentioned the prisoner he seemed a little concerned and torn as to what he should do about her. If there weren't feelings involved he would've just treated her like any other prisoner without having to think about it," he pointed out, looking up in dismay to see the same dreamy look in Thomas' eye that he got whenever he spoke of Fiona.

"I must admit she is quite beautiful," he breathed. "I've never seen hair quite the color of hers."

"Thomas," he scolded playfully. "I can't believe that you would forsake Fiona that quickly. Perhaps your love is not as true as you say it is."

"How dare you question my feelings for Fiona!" Thomas exploded. "I merely commented on her looks. Besides, she's not even my type considering the kind of crowd she hangs with."

"What kind of crowd would that be?" Fiona asked as she stepped into the room.

Thomas leapt to attention, looking for all the world as if he had been caught stealing. "Nothing, Fiona. We were just discussing the prisoner, that's all."

Van was trying his hardest not to laugh. "While we're on the subject, who's watching her?"

"Zeke is," she replied with a smile that had Thomas almost melting onto the floor. "I came here to remind you both to get something to eat. Honestly, if it wasn't for me you'd both starve." Then she walked out just as quietly as she had come.

"It's amazing to think that with each day I come to love her even more," Thomas sighed.

"Whatever," Van replied dryly.

	4. Chapter Four

Thanx to Ma Junior for reviewing! I'm sorry to say that Moonbay won't be making an appearance, but Irvine will later.

* -indicates a dream sequence

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids, only my original characters, blah, blah...

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER FOUR

*She lay back on the soft grass, enjoying the feel of the warm breeze playing across her face and the whispering of the leaves in her ears. She had been listening to them for some time now, hoping that they could give her some advice on how to get through what was going to be the hardest day of her life. But no advice was forthcoming, and she was sure that if there was it would only be to tell her that she must do it alone, must do it period if she was to keep someone she cared about more than anything from being hurt.

Feeling a light touch that tickled the palm of her hand, she glanced over her left shoulder into a pair of bright green eyes, eyes that in turn belonged to a very handsome man that she had developed strong feelings for in so short a time. What was worse, she knew that he felt the same about her, felt it within the depths of her soul that they were meant for each other, and that was the reason why she couldn't allow things to go any further between them. If she became too close to him, her father would only use him the same way he had used her mother and that she didn't wish on him with all her heart and soul.

The touch continued up her arm to caress her face as he moved closer to her, the breeze ruffling his hair just as it did hers. She closed her eyes as she surrendered to the feelings his touch had awakened in her, amazed that he could do so with just a touch of his hand on her skin. When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking directly into his, her heart racing as she realized that he was going to kiss her. She brought her hand up to stop him before he could, and her resolve nearly crumbled as she felt his own heartbeat thundering against her hand, his breath teasing her cheek.

Finally she summoned the strength to gently push him away as she sat up. "Karl, please don't do this," she whispered.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice betraying his confusion.

She had gotten to her feet and started to walk away, but he quickly jumped up and stopped her. "Tania, please, talk to me," he insisted. "Is it something I did?"

"No, no," she quickly assured him. "You have done nothing but be wonderful to me ever since I arrived here. And it is because I do not wish to hurt you that I cannot allow things to progress any further between us."

He gazed at her for a moment. "What are you afraid of?" he whispered. "Tell me what it is. I'll do anything I can to keep this from coming between us."

"No, Karl. You can do nothing about this. I cannot accept what you would give, although I would give you something of myself to remember me by as I must leave." She reached behind her neck and unhooked a necklace, reaching out with her hand to take his own and place it in his palm, curling his fingers closed with her own as she leaned up to kiss his cheek lightly before walking away. She never looked back although she wanted to more than anything, feeling the tears that dampened her cheeks as her heart split in two.*

Tania stirred slowly into wakefulness, feeling the tears that covered her face and hating herself for still loving him after all this time. He was the one person who could have changed her whole life around, but she had known that if she left her father Karl would've been the one to pay as well as herself. The life they would've shared together would've been no life at all, always having to hide from Prozen and those he would've sent after her. So she had sacrificed her happiness for his safety, spending all the years that followed wondering if Karl still remembered her and, more importantly, if he still loved her.

Seeing a shadow fall over her, she opened her eyes to see a strange creature staring at her, his nose mere inches from hers. She screamed almost at the top of her lungs, causing the creature to do the same, and she tried inching back away from him only to fall off the side of the bed and onto the cold floor.

The door opened and she saw three pairs of feet on the other side of the bed, hearing one of them ask where she was and the creature must've replied as the sound was more like a mechanical rumbling than a voice. Then one of them stepped around the side of the bed, a young man that appeared to be a member of the Republican Army. He extended his hand to her and helped her to her feet, keeping near her as she walked around to the end of the bed.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "I'm sorry if Zeke scared you."

"Zeke?" she breathed, her heartbeat slowly returning to normal. The creature slowly approached her, reaching out with his front claws and touched her face with a gentleness that she never expected from a creature like him.

The young man smiled. "He's never seen tears before," he explained then became concerned himself. "Are you sure you're okay? You look a little pale."

She groped her way over to sit back on the bed, her mind having a little trouble processing everything at once, having figured out that Zeke was actually an organoid. The last organoid she had seen was the one that belonged to Raven named Shadow, who had never been very nice to her. Zeke, however, seemed almost like a child in his behavior, although she knew that he harbored tremendous power within him.

She didn't know who the female was, but one look at the taller man told her that he was the one who piloted the Dibison that had defeated her, Thomas Shubaltz. The same green eyes that belonged to Karl looked at her now, making her feel a little uneasy as if Karl himself were here.

The young man she was almost afraid to ask as she suspected he was Van Flyheight, but he looked nothing like she thought he would. If he appeared young now, she could only guess at how old he had been when he had destroyed the Deathsaur, and there was something about him that spoke of the purity of his soul. He had held no enmity towards her father; his only purpose was to destroy the Deathsaur before it destroyed everything, a command that had been given by her father in order to insure his ascension to the throne. Van had simply been protecting the innocent lives that would have been killed, lives which he believed were all worth saving whether they were Imperial or Republican.

She took a deep breath to calm her racing thoughts, turning her gaze to the young warrior. "You're Van, right?" she asked, receiving a smile and a nod from him. "And you're Thomas?" she questioned as she turned her gaze towards him.

Thomas could only stand there and stare at the beauty of her eyes, leading Van to confirm she was correct. The female stepped forward and took her hand. "I'm Fiona, pleased to meet you."

Tania smiled in return at Fiona's open and honest personality. "I'm Tania," she supplied, hearing Zeke rumble, and she looked to Van for a translation.

"She already knows who you are, Zeke," he commented instead.

Suddenly Thomas snapped to his senses. "What are you all doing here introducing yourselves like she's our guest? She happens to be our prisoner, and we took her prisoner because she attacked this base!"

"She's made no hostile move since she's been conscious, Thomas, and I don't like to just throw them in handcuffs as soon as they wake up," Van answered.

"Oh, so you'll introduce yourself and hold a friendly conversation before handcuffing her?" he retorted.

"She doesn't appear to have any hostile intentions towards us personally, Thomas," Fiona added. "I don't sense that about her. She was only following somebody else's orders, and she didn't kill anybody."

Thomas immediately calmed down. "You're right, Fiona. How silly of me!"

Van leaned towards Tania. "Pay no mind to Thomas. He talks big but is really harmless."

"I heard that!" he exploded. "I'll show you harmless!" he shouted, chasing Van out into the hallway with Zeke in hot pursuit. "Come back here!"

Fiona enjoyed a good laugh while Tania merely smiled, troubled at the sudden change in herself. By all rights, she should be attempting an escape out of this place but for some reason she found herself not wanting to go back to Colonel Tragar and the others. Thomas had been right in his assessment of the situation, but Van and Fiona had chosen to give her the benefit of the doubt first which led her to wonder how they would treat her once they found out she had wanted to kill Van for what he had done years ago.

Fiona soon heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall and stepped to the door, her eyes widening when she saw Colonel Richert come into the room with three other officers trailing him. He took one look around the room before settling his gaze on Tania, the coldness of it sending a shiver through her. "I see you're awake," he observed. "And I understand that your interrogation will be held at the Red River Base instead of this one."

She decided immediately that she didn't like him one little bit. "What makes you think I'd tell you anything?"

A smug smile twisted his lips. "So you're one of those prisoners that likes to play tough? Well, we'll see how tough you are after a night in a prison cell. Put the handcuffs on her," he instructed his men, who moved quickly to do his bidding.

Van entered the room to see Tania being handcuffed and hauled roughly off the bed, and he saw her grit her teeth against their painful grips on her arms which immediately roused his anger as they had to have seen that she was bandaged. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"What does it look like? We're moving the prisoner to a more secure location until the time comes for her to be transferred to Red River for interrogation," Richert retorted.

"Colonel, in view of her injuries I don't see why she couldn't just stay in the infirmary until then," Van argued.

"Injuries which were a direct result of her own actions, and because of them she deserves to be treated like a normal prisoner would," the Colonel replied. "She is too much of a danger to be allowed to stay in such a lightly guarded area and I do not have the men to spare to watch her."

Van would've said more, but Tania shook her head at him, telling him without words that it was all right, that she would've expected nothing less. Colonel Richert smiled and led her escort down to the prison block where she was shoved inside a cell, the metal hinges creaking as the door slammed shut with a loud clang.

She slowly lowered herself onto the floor beside the cot that would serve as her bed for the night. Minutes passed by like hours before she finally heard someone approach her cell, surprised when she saw Van sit down on the floor on the other side of the iron bars and slide a plate of food to her. She moved so that she sat near him and nibbled on her food lightly.

"I'm sorry that you're being treated this way," he finally said. "I've had a taste of it myself so I know how you feel."

She looked at him, unable to turn her eyes away when he met her gaze evenly. "Why are you being so nice to me? The base came close to being destroyed today if we had succeeded. Unless you're just being nice to get on my good side so maybe I'll be a little more cooperative on the way to Red River."

He smiled, a bright smile that immediately put her at ease. "Call me crazy, but I get the feeling that you don't really wish to share in your superior's plans. You don't appear to be as single-minded as some of the others we have come across."

Tania couldn't help but wonder how he would feel if he knew that she had come here to kill him.

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What's this with Van and Tania striking up a friendship? Didn't she just want to kill him earlier? Don't worry, all will be revealed in time. ; )

Thanx for reading! Shelly

	5. Chapter Five

Author's note- Okay, I know I'm breaking all sorts of rules here having two people be able to fit inside the Dibison, but I had to do it for the story. After all, the Geno Breaker is originally supposed to only accomodate one person, yet Raven and Riese are both able to fit inside, much to her delight, I'm sure. ^.~

Disclaimer: You all know the deal by now.

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER FIVE

Tania had finally managed to get some sleep, although it had been on the floor rather than the cot, and when she awoke she noticed that Van had stayed with her the whole night with his hand holding hers through the bars. He was still fast asleep and she hated to wake him but her arm had become numb and she needed to move it to get some feeling back into it.

He was facing her, and she reached up with her other hand and lightly tickled his nose, snickering when he reached up to swat at it to make it stop. She did it once again, and this time he woke up, looking around him in the confusion that comes with the transition between sleep and waking. "Good morning, sleepy," she greeted him with a smile.

He replied the same, stretching and yawning before he realized that he still held one of her hands in his, which he quickly let go of. "Sorry about that," he grinned.

She pulled her arms to her, wincing as the blood began flowing back into them when she sat up. "I wonder how long until the Colonel and his men come for me."

Van rose stiffly to his feet, stretching to ease the kinks that came with sleeping on the floor. "I suppose any time now. People like him just can't wait to make others miserable."

She laughed as she struggled to her own feet, her body still aching from yesterday's battle. "I want to thank you for staying with me, Van. You could've chosen a more comfortable place to sleep, but you didn't."

"It was no problem at all," he replied. "Besides, I was just doing it as a favor for a friend."

"Oh, so you were just being nice to me because someone asked it of you," she teased. "And here I thought that we were on our way to becoming friends."

"I didn't mean it like that," he quickly amended, not wanting to admit to her or himself that he was drawn to her mysterious beauty and inner strength which he sensed within her. Soon he heard footsteps approaching and stepped aside to allow Colonel Richert's men to open the cell door and escort her to the hanger where the Blade Liger and Dibison were kept. Colonel Richert was there with Fiona and Thomas, who Tania learned she would be traveling with since he seemed to see the situation in the correct light where Van supposedly did not.

They departed shortly after with a regiment of Command Wolves to escort them to Red River which Colonel Richert thought was best in case there was an ambush. Time seemed to pass slowly as the rocky landscape crawled by with the burning sun beating down on them. Tania sat in the cockpit behind Thomas, resting her head against the seat with her eyes closed as she hoped time would pass more quickly if she didn't see how slow they were going. She was surprised that the Red River Base didn't send a faster mode of transportation after her since they were very open to an ambush traveling at this speed.

"You're pretty calm considering you're on your way to what could very well be your trial and sentencing," Thomas pointed out.

"What good would it do me to argue? I was captured while attacking the base so it's plain and simple that I'm guilty. Although I suppose I could say that I was merely testing the base's security measures, but I don't think that would go very well," she added.

"Or you're expecting some kind of rescue from your men," he guessed.

"First of all, they're not my men as I was merely an extra body taking up space. Whoever is conducting my interrogation is going to be sorely disappointed."

"Still, you know enough for them to want you back. You know where they are, who they are, what kind of weaponry, things like that. Believe me, they'll come after you."

After that they both kept their eyes open for any sign of an ambush, even more so when they passed near a few high cliffs that would serve as the perfect cover for one. Apparently someone else had the same idea as they were suddenly hit on all sides by cannon fire, warning shots obviously as none came close enough to harm them.

"You're outnumbered, Guardian Force. Surrender your prisoner and no one will get hurt," a voice communicated to them.

They looked everywhere for the source of the fire, but saw nothing. "If you're so sure we're outnumbered, why don't you show yourself and this force you're obviously hiding," Van replied.

The voice chuckled. "Who says I'm hiding them?"

Tania gasped. "Thomas, look at the Command Wolves!"

"I see them," he replied, the Command Wolves having surrounded them and aimed their cannons at them.

On one of the nearby cliffs, a Saber Tiger appeared, looking a bit worn but still operational. "That's my Saber Tiger!" Tania cried.

"Then there's a traitor serving under Colonel Richert," Thomas pointed out. "Unless it's the Colonel himself."

She leaped from her seat and leaned over Thomas' so she could get a better look at her zoid. "But I thought that it was unrepairable. Van told me so."

"I guess they must've done some quick repairs then," he said. "And what do you think you're doing getting out of your seat? What if they fire another shot--ah!" he began, cut off when another warning shot was fired, this time coming close enough to the Dibison to give it a jolt that sent Tania flying over the seat and into Thomas' lap. To his credit, he kept his cool even though he had managed to have a very beautiful young woman thrown into his arms. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She shook her head and looked up into his eyes. "I'm fine," she answered.

"Last warning," the pilot advised. "Hand over the prisoner or we'll be forced to destroy you."

"I'd like to see them try," came Van's voice. "Ready, Zeke?"

"Van, wait!" Thomas cried, causing Tania to cringe and wonder if her hearing would ever be the same.

"What is it, Thomas?" Van asked.

"We could just turn her over to them," he suggested.

"Thomas Shubaltz, I can't believe that you would suggest such a thing," Fiona scolded him.

He didn't get the chance to reply as he was receiving a thorough lashing from Tania as well. "I can't believe that you would just give me up like that! You'd do anything to keep your precious Dibison from being damaged, wouldn't you?" she ranted as she hit him with her still bound hands, forcing him to remove his helmet to better restrain her.

"Tania, calm down!" he cried. "I'm not going to turn you over to them, okay?"

She ceased her attack on him as she became still, his hands easing their firm grip on her wrists. "Thomas, thank you so much!" she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him.

This time he did blush. "I wonder why this doesn't work on Fiona?" he asked. She pulled away from him, surprised at the sudden question.

"Time's up! Prepare for attack!"

The Dibison was suddenly hit from all sides, Thomas holding Tania to him tightly to keep her from being harmed. Soon the barrage stopped but they still heard explosions from all around them, and Tania took advantage of the break to scramble back into her seat. Thomas set his helmet back onto his head and cursed. "My weapons are useless! Beek, what's going on?"

Tania soon learned what had stopped the assault. "Thomas, look! Pterasaurs! They're attacking the Command Wolves!" A shadow fell over them, and she gasped when she looked upon an Iron Kong that was defending them from the rest of the attackers while Van was engaging the Saber Tiger on the cliff.

"Lieutenant Shubaltz, are you all right?" came a voice that Tania hadn't heard in years, making her heart begin to race furiously.

"I'm all right, Colonel," Thomas answered, trying to get the system back to working properly.

"Is the prisoner unharmed?"

"She's fine, also. Thanks for the assist, by the way," Thomas added. "You got here at just the right time."

"Is the Dibison operational?" the Colonel asked.

Beek gave out a series of triumphant beeps. "Thanks, Beek. Yes, we're good to go, big brother," Thomas replied.

The Blade Liger appeared next to the Iron Kong. "Colonel Shubaltz, are we glad to see you," Van greeted him.

"After I spoke with you yesterday, I thought that I had better be out here just in case there was an ambush," he answered. "Only I never thought that it would come from an unexpected corner. I think it's best we get going if we're to avoid any more ambushes."

"Roger that," both Thomas and Van replied. "Man, that was close," Thomas commented as they got under way, and he suddenly remembered the conversation he and Van had shared. "Tania, can I ask you a question?"

"Depends on what you're asking," she answered, a little miffed that Karl had known she was here and didn't so much as offer to speak with her himself. But she supposed that after the way she had left him he probably didn't even want to see her again; in fact he had probably gotten married and had forgotten all about her.

"Yesterday Van asked me if my brother had ever been in love. I told him that I didn't know as he never told me about things like that. Had there been something between you two?" he asked.

In her eyes, that pretty much answered her questions about how he felt about her. "In that case, if he told you nothing then I'll do the same."

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In the last chapter, it was pretty much established that the Colonel and Tania had been strongly interested in each other, but why had he never told anyone?
Please read and review! Thanx! Shelly

	6. Chapter Six

Author's note- I'm going to have to change the rating because of the next chapter. You'll find out why at the end of this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, so don't sue me!

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER SIX

The group arrived at Red River just as the sun was sinking below the horizon, a military escort awaiting to take Tania into custody as soon as her feet touched the ground. She stood by with them as they awaited Colonel Shubaltz' orders on where to take her since she was, at his insistence, his prisoner. Van, Fiona, and Thomas waited nearby, curious to see how things would be handled from here.

Tania was unbelievably nervous as she waited, knowing that soon she would have to face Karl and confront her tangled emotions. She was well aware that he was only interrogating her for any information she could give him in regards to those behind the recent attacks, but just having him there would be difficult as she knew that he must have a thousand more personal questions that he wanted answered as well.

The soldiers standing near her told her without words he was coming as they straightened to attention, saluting smartly as he stopped before them. "As you were," he commanded. "Escort the prisoner to the interrogation room. I will follow shortly."

"Yes, sir," they replied, turning to take her inside the base. She caught Karl's eye for just a moment, but even that was enough to weaken her knees and force those directly beside her to almost drag her inside. Cursing herself for her weakness, she brought her emotions under control, knowing that if she was going to be inside a room with him for the next few hours she had to be able to keep her cool.

They reached a medium sized room that held nothing inside except a table and four chairs, the soldiers motioning for her to sit while they waited for Karl to arrive. When he did, she was surprised to see him escorted only by Fiona; she had expected him to bring some of the base's ranking officers with him.

He dismissed the soldiers, leaving them alone as he sat in the chair across from her. She gazed at him silently, thinking that he hadn't changed since the last time she had seen him. He was still the honorable soldier, willing to do what he must to see things done the way they're supposed to be, and she knew that the present situation must be presenting a unique problem to him. Unless he no longer cared for her in which case he would treat her just like any other prisoner.

Karl wondered what was going through her mind at this moment, was even more curious to know if she still held any feelings for him as it was hard to tell from the careful control she exerted over her expression. He had thought he saw a glimpse of something outside the base when she had looked at him, but he didn't want to read any more into it that would only hurt him later if things turned out not to be the same between them. But he hoped to have everything settled by tonight if everything went as planned.

"Tania, I'm going to lay this out for you quickly," he began. "In light of this afternoon's events, I have been granted leave to have full responsibility for you. Only I will judge what is to be done with you after the interrogation, and only that will be decided on how much you choose to tell me. However, I wish to take care of any needs you might have right now, namely the basics. Van tells me that you haven't eaten since last night, and I am sure that you wish to have use of our bathing facilities."

A smile lurked at the corners of her mouth. "I smell that bad, do I?" she asked.

He fought from answering that he didn't care what she smelled like, just so he was able to look upon her and hear her voice. "Not so bad as to warrant an extra bar of soap," he replied, unconsciously lapsing into their teasing of each other. "I have asked Fiona to accompany you as a reassurance to others that I mean to take my responsibility seriously. Thomas told me that you do not wish to return to them, but that does not mean that you do not plan to try and escape. Afterwards she will take you to get something to eat."

She looked into his eyes again, seeing him hiding something behind their green depths and wondering what it was. "My thanks, Colonel," she replied.

He allowed a small smile to show through. "You're welcome," he replied, standing to his feet and nodding to Fiona before he left the room to set his plans in motion.

Fiona smiled and led Tania to the showers where her handcuffs were removed long enough for her to make use of the facilities. She had never thought she would see the day when she would be glad to have the luxury of a shower to wash away all the dirt that had piled on her since yesterday, and she stood underneath it for a long time just letting the warm water run over her body and ease all her aching muscles.

When she emerged, the room was steamy from her shower and she only had a towel wrapped around her as she searched for Fiona, only to find her quickly doing what she could to clean Tania's clothing. Tania slipped into her clothing once she was done, and Fiona offered to brush the other woman's hair for her to ease the tangles from towel drying it.

"Tania, I get the impression that you and the Colonel were in love with one another some time ago," Fiona commented. "And still are from the way he looks at you."

She sighed as the brush ran through her hair. "I'm not too sure about that after the way we parted," she answered.

"Would you mind telling me about it?" she asked, in truth only to stall for more time but she also wanted to learn more about this mysterious woman.

Tania was curious as to why she asked, but related the story to her anyway. She had met Karl when she had accompanied her father on a surprise inspection of one of the military bases that Karl happened to be stationed at. From the very first time she had looked into his eyes, she had been hopelessly lost. Her father had entrusted Karl with her safety while he conducted his inspection, but she knew that it was only a way for her father to keep her from running away as he still did not trust her enough to leave her alone. They had gotten to know each other well and had become close very fast, but she had wished not to let things go any further as he would only be turned into someone her father could use against her to insure her continued loyalty to him.

"How sad," Fiona murmured. "Did you ever think that maybe he loved you enough to be with you even with the way your father felt?"

"Yes, I know he would've risked everything to be with me, but I could not ask for him to do something like that. If we had decided to leave together, we would've had to spend the rest of our lives on the run as criminals. My father held great power and I knew that he would hunt us until both of us were dead, and I loved Karl too much to endanger him like that."

"You both loved each other so much yet you were never able to show each other how you truly felt. And to think that those feelings held true after so many years." Deep down, Fiona felt sorry for Tania after getting to know her a little. From what little Tania had told her, she guessed that she had never been given the chance to really live her life the way she should've been allowed to as she had never been able to enjoy the freedom that the rest of them did. "I think that's enough," she said, admiring the way her silver hair shone. "But I'm afraid that I'll have to put the handcuffs back on."

"That's okay," Tania sighed. "I think I'm getting used to them."

Fiona led her into the hallway but in a different direction than before. Tania assumed that she would be taken back to the interrogation room, but instead she was being taken to a different area. "Fiona, where are you taking me?" she asked.

"You'll see," she answered then stopped before a door, knocking on it and politely waiting for a reply. Hearing a muffled voice, she opened the door and ushered Tania inside only to close the door behind her just as quickly.

Tania stood there in shock as she gazed at the feast laid out on a table in the middle of the room, the aromas of roast chicken and potatoes filling her nose and setting her stomach to growling. Both ends of the table were set with plates and silverware, the centerpiece fashioned of red roses and baby's breath which was flanked by white candles whose flames flickered happily.

Feeling another presence in the room, she looked away from the table to see a sight which made her jaw drop open in surprise. Karl stood at the opposite end of the table, but gone was the Colonel she was used to seeing. He wore a white broadcloth shirt, leaving the first few buttons undone, and black pants and shoes, the result being an incredibly handsome man which she would be hard-pressed to keep from ignoring tonight.

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Wait a minute? What's he doing? She's his prisoner, so what's he doing planning such an elaborate evening together? Warning! There will a lemon in the next chapter, so if you don't like lemons, consider yourself warned!

	7. Chapter Seven

Author's note- Well, here it is! The chapter you've all been waiting for! ^.~ Thanks to Aries of Attitude, Biowolf, and Rinon Toros for reviewing. I'm happy that you like it as it only gets better from here!

Disclaimer: Blah, Blah, Blah

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER SEVEN

"I see you managed to get here," he said as he slowly approached her.

She could do nothing else but stand there rooted to the floor. "Colonel, I must admit I am confused," she said, knowing that she looked like a fool for the way she was staring at him.

"Please, none of that tonight," he replied. "And the manner in which I wish to treat my prisoners is my own business as I mean to ease things between us. Starting with these," he said as he stopped before her, taking out a key to unlock the handcuffs.

She watched them fall to the floor, her eyes closing when she felt his breath tease her cheek only to open when she raised her gaze up the white expanse of his shirt to the slight gap that offered her a teasing glance of his skin underneath. When their eyes met, she saw for the first time how he really felt about her, feelings which she returned freely and knew he saw in her own eyes.

After seeing for himself the love she still felt for him, he ached to hold her in his arms and end the torture they had suffered, but he restrained himself with a great amount of control and motioned for her to sit at the table. He pulled the chair out for her and made sure she was comfortable before he retrieved his own dinnerware and brought it so that he could be seated next to her. "My brother means well, but sometimes I wonder if he's trying to tell me something," he explained then saw her raised eyebrow. "I had him and Van help me get things ready while you were showering."

She smiled at the image his words brought up, flattered when he picked up her plate and began filling it with the food in front of them. Soon they were both enjoying a most delicious meal, Tania even more so as she had not eaten since last night. They spoke of his brother who he was proud of for having been appointed to the Guardian Force and of his own promotion to the rank of Colonel, mainly trying to keep from asking questions about her own life.

But she soon opened up to him, telling him of her childhood and the threat to her mother's life. "That's why you wouldn't stay with me," he pointed out.

"That's why I couldn't," she corrected. "After meeting you and becoming so close to you, I knew that if there was ever one person that could change my life it would be you. But if I chose to risk everything and stay with you, my father would only hunt us down until we were both dead. And I feared of becoming too close to you as I knew he would only exploit that against me as well.

"He saw the sacrifice I had made and after that he gave me a little more freedom, although I still believed that he could destroy those I loved if I so much as thought about leaving. He tricked me into believing that the plans he had made were for the good of the Empire, I see that now, but at the time I believed him and stood beside him, even mourning for him when he was killed. Up until now I was obsessed with my revenge on Van, but after seeing him and getting to know him I came to see the error in my father's designs. He cared nothing for those he destroyed only so that he could get what he wanted, and that's what Van was protecting. For so long I thought he had killed him for a reason, but he only meant to destroy the Deathsaur. It was only my father's greed that got him killed."

Karl was sorrowed as he had had no idea of the pressure she had been under for most of her life, and it was a wonder that she turned out as well as she had. "So was that why you joined this group that has been attacking military bases?"

She smiled. "I wondered when you would get around to asking me about that," she said. "After the peace was established, there were those that remained loyal to Prozen and his views who approached me and asked me to join them. Like I said, I was itching for the day when I would have my revenge on Van so I agreed to join them but I told them that I was going to have nothing to do with their objectives as I only wanted one thing from them. They agreed as they only wanted me to be there as a way to remind the men of who it was they once served.

"I was allowed to pretty much go my own way. I trained to better my piloting skills most of the time and would occasionally inquire as to how things were going. But most of the time I was oblivious to their plans except until recently when things began to speed up. When the Guardian Force began repelling the attacks, I became involved when I learned Van was involved and the rest you know about. So any information I could give you is limited at best."

"Limited, yes," he agreed. "But you could tell us some things that would help us in a big way."

"Yes, Thomas pointed that out to me already," she smiled then turned a teasing glance on him. "But what makes you think that I'll tell you anything?"

"Oh, I don't know," he replied, easing out of his chair to stand behind her. "I suppose I could think of a few ways to try to persuade you," he breathed in her ear, reaching up with his hands and lightly massaging the back of her neck and shoulders.
"Keep doing that and you'll get anything you want out of me," she groaned, her head tilting forward as she reveled in the feel of his fingers on her skin, wondering how they would feel elsewhere.

"Maybe, but would you tell me what I would most want to hear?" he asked, ceasing his ministrations when she turned towards him and he crouched down so that they were eye level with one another, resting his arms on the back of the chair and his chin on his arms.

"And what would that be?" she questioned, unable to resist the temptation to reach up and brush her fingertips across his forehead, his hair running across her knuckles. She saw his eyes close and knew then that she had the same effect on him that he had on her, an observation that made her want him all the more.

"Did you miss me half as much as I missed you?" he whispered, opening his eyes.

Her breath caught in the back of her throat as she fought for the right answer that would describe her heartache adequately. "That I did and more, every day of my life," she answered. "You have no idea how many times I've wanted to be here with you, or anywhere for that matter. It didn't matter to me as long as we were together."

He took a lock of her hair in his fingers, admiring the way that it shimmered in the candlelight and wondering how someone so beautiful and brave could have had Prozen for a father. "I suppose it helped that I had something to keep me company," he said.

She had an idea of what it might be but was afraid to ask. "What was that?"

He smiled. "You gave me your heart, remember? But you never allowed me to give you mine." He reached underneath his shirt and pulled out the necklace for her to see.

Her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes moistened. "You kept my necklace?" she whispered, reaching out to touch it with nervous fingers.

"I never took it off," he answered, taking her hand in his own and kissing the back of it.

"Karl," she moaned, taking his head in her hands and brushing her lips across his lightly at first then more passionately when she tasted the sweetness of the wine on his mouth which only served to enhance his own flavor. Her tongue slowly eased its way into his mouth, stroking his with a fiery passion that had him clinging to the back of the chair to keep from falling to the floor, as well as drawing a tortured groan from deep within his chest.

She finally broke the kiss when her lungs threatened to burst and rested her forehead against his, their breathing labored from the strength of their emotions for one another. "Karl, I love you so much," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "I need to feel your arms around me, but I fear I cannot stand up," she breathed softly into his ear.

He rose to his feet and helped her to hers, immediately pulling her into his arms and hearing her soft moan when he held her tightly against him. "I love you, too, Tania," he said, rubbing his hands up and down her back, her hair caressing the back of them as well. "There were times when I thought that maybe things would be different once we saw each other again. I feared that you had outgrown your feelings and had moved on, but here you are in my arms and I swear to you I will not do anything that will endanger our love for one another. And I will not let you walk away so easily again," he added with a smile when she drew back to look at him.

She returned the smile. "I also had my doubts. Most of all about the fact that you did let me leave so easily, but I am glad that you did for if not then I would've been sorely tempted to stay. And I was afraid that once you found out what I had become you would turn me away and I would never see you again."

He brought his hands up to brush his fingers across her cheeks and mouth. "That I could never do," he answered. "During the short time we spent together, I had gotten a glimpse of the person that was hiding underneath the exterior that had been forced on you by others. That person was the one I fell in love with and I know that little by little that person will emerge again."

She eyed him silently for a moment. "So you're saying that you don't love me now?" she teased.

"No! I didn't mean it that way," he quickly amended, making a grab for her when she pulled away from him.

"I heard what you said, Karl," she continued as she dodged away from his reach. "Don't try to deny it."

"I know you're just teasing me," he replied, making one last attempt that sent her running this time. "Come back here!" he cried as he took chase after her. She ran into the nearest room and there he caught up with her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her onto the nearby bed. She still struggled against him, laughing at the top of her lungs, and he quickly pinned her beneath him, his legs on either side of her hips as he held her arms against the bed. "You know you can't win in a wrestling match against me."

"I know," she said with a tired chuckle. "But it was at least worth a try. And where did this bed come from?"

"I don't know, but I plan to make good use of it." Leaning down, he placed light kisses on the side of her neck, hearing her sharp intake of breath as well as feeling her fingers slide up the back of his neck and into his hair. "That is, if you want to," he added in a hoarse whisper.

His assault on her neck was driving her insane, making her lower stomach throb with an intensity she had never felt before. "More than anything," she answered, moving her hands around to slowly begin unbuttoning his shirt and sliding her hands across his warm skin, hearing his own moan when her fingertips brushed across his chest and teased his nipples.

He sat up and quickly discarded his shirt onto the floor, lowering himself back down to capture her lips in a deep kiss as he worked at removing her vest, filling his hands with her breasts and teasing the nipples with his thumbs. His mouth moved from her lips to her neck, his tongue brushing across her taut nipples, drawing a surprised gasp from her, and he had to remind himself that she was but a novice in the ways of love and unfamiliar with how to please him as well.

Raising himself up once again, he removed the rest of her clothing, leaving her lying on the bed naked looking even more beautiful than he thought possible. He took the opportunity to shed his own clothing, watching as her eyes roamed over his body and stopped at his eyes, a smile appearing as he saw the light of fear and uncertainty in their depths. "Tania, do not worry," he comforted her as he eased back down beside her. "You have nothing to fear from me."

Her cheeks blushed a rosy hue. "It's not that. I have heard plenty from other women about what happens, but I am unsure of how to please you and do not want you to think me a bad lover." Her heart was racing wildly within her chest from the thought that she loved someone so perfect and well blessed at that, causing her cheeks to become even redder.

To save her any further embarrassment, he kissed her softly as his hand traveled lower down her sleek stomach and into the patch of curls between her thighs only to find her hot and very wet. His fingers found the center of her pleasure and he began stroking it slowly; she pulled away from him with a moan of pure pleasure, her need increasing when his mouth found her breasts once again. Soon she felt an enormous pressure build where his fingers were, and she cried out as her first orgasm washed over her, her body flushing as delicious tremors washed over her.

Their lips joined together once more as he moved so that his body rested on top of hers. "What did you do to me?" she asked when she found her voice.

He kissed the side of her mouth. "Just an orgasm to make sure you're wet enough so I don't hurt you as much." He reached back to lift her legs up and slowly pushed his hardness inside her, not wanting her first time to be painful but it couldn't be helped as she was very tight from her orgasm. He kissed her again, pushing inside her and hearing her cry of pain, his own heart aching when he tasted the sudden salt of tears on her lips. "I'm sorry, my love," he whispered. "Are you all right?"

"I think so," she replied, touching his face with her hands as she became used to having him inside her. He began moving slowly, increasing the speed when he saw her tilt her head back, her hands moving around to clutch his back, and he had to fight against his own orgasm as she was incredibly tight and it felt so wonderful being with her. But he soon gave free rein to his emotions as her fingernails dug into his back, Tania muffling her own cries of pleasure against his shoulder as she unknowingly sunk her teeth in slightly when a second orgasm claimed her, only to be joined by his own. She felt the warm rush deep inside her before he withdrew and collapsed next to her, his own body trembling.

She raised up on an elbow, bringing her hand up to brush strands of her hair back from his face that had been glued to his forehead by the sweat from their lovemaking. He turned his green eyes to her own, and she was consumed with love for this man who had loved her for so long. "I love you so much," she whispered, leaning over to kiss him.

"I love you, too," he replied as she laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped her in his arms, both of them drifting off as sleep overtook them.

*******************
Author's note- Aww! *sniff* They're finally together. But I can tell you now that it won't be smooth sailing for them in the future. I hope you all liked this chapter as it is my first published lemon. :p Thanks for reading!

	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids only my own characters, although I wish I owned Colonel Shubaltz. *sigh*

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER EIGHT

Tania awoke early the next morning, feeling Karl's presence beside her which brought a smile full of love to her lips. She eased out of the bed, being careful not to wake him although judging from his deep slumber she had nothing to worry about, and walked into the dining room where she removed a rose from the centerpiece and returned to the bedroom to lay it beside him. After softly kissing him on his cheek, she dressed herself in her leather pants and decided to put on his white shirt from the night before, inhaling deeply of his scent which still lingered on the fabric.

Wanting some time alone, she walked outside the base's gates, noticing that there were few guards around at this time of morning after the sun had just risen. She found a small hill near enough to the base for her to be seen but far enough to feel she had some space to herself and looked around as she listened to the quiet of the dawn. She felt happy for the first time in her life, free of the fear that had plagued her for most of it, and she had Karl to thank for that. Now she was free to live her own life as she wanted, helping her suddenly see things as they should be. Every person deserved the same freedom though there were those that sought to take that away, and she had almost become one of them.

A flash of sunlight nearby caught her attention, and she saw the Blade Liger out for a morning run, wondering why Van was up so early this morning. The zoid seemed to look her way and she heard its roar from this distance, making her realize how much she missed her own Saber Tiger. Hearing the approach of something, she turned to see Zeke heading her way. "Good morning, Zeke," she greeted him as he lowered his head for her to rest her hand on. "How are you this morning?" she asked, knowing that she wouldn't understand him but asking anyway, smiling when he rumbled a reply.

She saw the Blade Liger approaching and waited for it to stop, Van leaping out and joining her on the hill. "Good morning, Van," she said. "You're up early."

"So are you," he pointed out. "What are you doing out here? I would've thought that they would've kept you in handcuffs all night."

"I have been placed under Colonel Shubaltz' care. I suppose you could say that he will be the only one to decide what is to be done with me," she answered.

"Speaking of the Colonel, did you both work things out with each other?" he asked, noticing the shirt she wore and suspecting that something did indeed happen between them as he saw the happiness in her eyes that reflected throughout her whole body.

"We did," she replied. "Van, please don't say anything to anyone about us. I plan to answer any questions I can, and I imagine that rumors will start that he came about them as a result of some pillow talk. And although I think that his honor would never be questioned, there are those that might believe that he might be a spy for those I was with before my capture."

"Your secret is safe with me, although it will be hard for you two to continue to see each other from now on."

"I know," she said. "But I have had to live without him for so long, and I will not be separated from him again just because of what others may think."

Van laid his hand on her shoulder. "Then I wish you both luck as well as the best of happiness. Come on, Zeke. Let's grab a bite to eat." Then he disappeared back into the Blade Liger to return to base with Zeke following on foot.

Tania wondered why he had left so suddenly and soon had her answer when she heard someone coming up behind her, turning her head to see Karl stopping and catching his breath. "Are you all right?" she asked, trying her hardest not to smile.

"I'm fine," he finally replied. "When I woke I couldn't find you and looked all over, asking anybody I saw if they had seen you."

This time she did smile as she saw him wearing a pair of black jogging pants with a dark blue cotton shirt. "You were afraid that I had regretted what happened last night and had left you after all," she said as she stepped nearer to him.

"Something like that," he smiled, pulling her into his embrace. "I see that you've got my shirt on," he whispered into her ear.

She shivered and not from the breeze that fanned over them both. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all. In fact I think you look better in it than I do," he pointed out, drawing a laugh from both of them before she drew back from him enough to look into his eyes. "What is it?"

"Karl, I hope you realize that we must keep our relationship a secret," she began. "The last thing I want is for people to start talking about us and raising questions about your loyalties. Which is why I understand if you wish to keep things the way they should be. I am your prisoner and will be expected to be treated as such."

He gazed into her eyes for a while before nodding. "Although it will pain me to treat you so, I realize that you are right. It will seem a little strange if we are seen together too much in a way that will have others talking. So we'll try it this way. Whenever we're away from the suite I've been using, we'll pretend like there's nothing going on. But once we're behind closed doors, now that's different," he said, kissing her softly on her cheek.

"Mmm, how I will live for those moments," she murmured as he drew away and she touched her hand to his face. "Although I'm not sure if I can just pretend that nothing's wrong when I love you so much and need you so badly. It's going to be tough keeping those feelings hidden."

"I know, but you won't be the only one," he replied, taking her hand and turning it with her palm up to plant a loving kiss both there and on her wrist. Just two small kisses but it was enough to have her wanting him even more, and she must've made some sound as he looked up at her with desire shining in his own eyes, pulling her back into his arms and devouring her lips with his own. Her hands clutched at his back, her fingernails digging in, and he pulled away with a pained gasp.

"What did I do?" she quickly asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"I'm not sure, but I think I might have an idea," he said with a smile as he pulled the back of his shirt up and turned to let her look. She gasped in surprise, touching the red scratches on his back that she had given him. "Is it what I think it is?"

"I'm so sorry," she said, her surprise quickly turning to amusement as she chuckled. "I guess I got a little carried away."

He let his shirt fall back down and faced her, a smile on his own face. "I suppose I'll take that as a compliment. I must've been doing something right." Then his smile faded a bit. "I guess we'd better get back to base before too many see you out here without your handcuffs on."

"True," she agreed. "I just don't want to let this moment end. Once we return, it's back to being official." Squaring her shoulders, she started off at a walk. "Let's go, Colonel, my shower awaits. You're more than welcome to smell all you want to though," she added, squealing at the top of her lungs and running when he took chase after her.

Author's note- Sap alert! But they look so cute together! Next chapter: A new mission for the Guardian Force!

	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer- You all know it by now.

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER NINE

They reached the safety of the suite with no problem, enjoying an unexpected bout of lovemaking while they showered together. While she dressed, Karl contacted various officers to tell them that he was calling a meeting, choosing to inform Van, Fiona, and Thomas as well, although he requested their presence in his quarters as soon as possible.

The dining table had been cleared while they were outside and Karl decided to use it to spread out his various maps on while he awaited their arrival. Soon there was a knock on the door and the three stepped into the room, Van and Fiona wide awake while Thomas looked as if he had just crawled out of bed. Tania walked into the room carrying a coffee pot and a tray of cups with cream and sugar. "Would anybody like some?" she asked as she set first the pot and then the tray on the table.

Thomas immediately jumped on the offer while Fiona appeared to be looking for something. "What is it you need, Fiona?" Tania questioned, curious as to what it was.

"Where's the salt?"

Van and Thomas smiled at Tania and Karl's stunned faces, Tania going to fetch the salt as she muttered about why someone would put salt in their coffee, the very thought making her cringe. When she returned, she tried not to look as Fiona promptly emptied about a fourth of the salt shaker in her cup. A cup appeared in front of her, and she looked up to see Karl offering it to her. "Thank you," she replied, accepting his loving kiss as she guessed that he had told Thomas about them last night, although from the look that Thomas gave her it was apparent that he still didn't trust her.

"So what is this all about?" Van asked.

"I called you all here to help determine a method of shutting down those that have been attacking military bases. Tania has agreed to help us and I hope that we can use her information. Now all we need to know is the location."

Tania stepped up and gazed at the map for a moment as she found her bearings, eventually pointing at a mountain range about a day's travel from Red River. "It's there hidden underneath the mountain, a base that only Colonel Tragar knew about. It's fairly big with enough space to hold the base's zoids along with those taken from the first attack, barracks for the personnel, an armory where the weapons were stored, and a command center. Out here in front of the base are hidden missile launchers that are triggered unless the correct passcode is given. If not then you can pretty much say goodbye."

"Colonel Tragar," Karl said as he shook his head. "I would've never thought he would be capable of something like this."

Tania turned her attention towards him. "He loves the Empire very much and was very loyal to Prozen. After all this time he still holds enmity towards the Republic, although I am unsure as to how and why an Imperial base was established deep in Republican territory."

Van looked over the map himself. "What better way to attack the Republic than from within? What I want to know is what was he protecting that was so important that he set up a passcode and hidden defense measures?"

"You don't have any idea of what that might be, do you Tania?" Thomas asked.

She shook her head. "No, I don't. I was never interested in exploring the base and Tragar apparently thought it was something I didn't need to know about."

"Or you do know and just choose not to tell us so you can find out for yourself later after we give you your freedom in exchange for this information," he scoffed.

She rounded on Thomas, her anger flaring. "If you have something to say, say it, Thomas. I already know you don't trust me, and I don't even have to be helping you like this. But I'm doing this because I love your brother very much and because I have found fault in Tragar's views. He seeks to find a way to destroy the Republic so the Empire will have control over everything, and there's a chance that there may be someone out there that has the same ambitions that Prozen had and seeks to overthrow everything and claim himself the ruler. If we are to unravel this mystery then you will have to trust me."

"As do I," Van said as he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"And you know that I do," Karl added. "But I must warn you that Thomas' views may very well be shared by the other officers here, which will make my plan difficult to propose."

"Which is?" Van asked.

"Tania, you mentioned a passcode earlier. Is there any way you can give it to Van or Thomas so that they can use it?" Karl asked.

"The first one, yes, as it is numerical. But to get through the second, you will need to bring me along or cut off my hand as it requires my fingerprints which allow entry into the base. But I must warn you that you may not find anything there. Since their ambush didn't work, they might have abandoned it out of fear that I will give away its location."

A smile appeared on his face. "Since I do not wish to cut off your hand, I suppose you will have to go along with Van and Thomas, who will travel to the base and survey it for a day to determine if there is still any activity. If there is, you will radio back to Red River and we will send you backup to assist you. If not then you will proceed onto the base, obtain entry, and commence a thorough search for any evidence that might give us any clues as to what their plans are."

"Sounds good enough to me," Van agreed.

"I just hope that the others agree when we meet this afternoon. I thank you all for your time as well as your input," he added as a way of dismissing them. After they were gone, Tania dropped down into one of the chairs and laid her head on her arms that she crossed onto the table. "What is it, Tania?" he asked as he came close to her and massaged her neck.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered.

"Doing what?"

"This," she answered. "Betraying them when they gave me so much without me asking for it."

"And this requires you to still feel loyalty towards them when you know they are conceiving plans to destroy innocent lives that only want peace for the world?"

"I am well aware of what is going on, Karl," she shot back. "Still, Colonel Tragar is old enough to be my father, and he did treat me with kindness. Although when I think back, there were times when his behavior seemed strange whenever there were visitors and no one could seem to find him anywhere."

"What kind of visitors?" he asked.

"I don't know," she answered. "I never saw them, but I can tell you that they were important as he would be full of nerves for the first few days before their arrival. Apparently there might be someone who seeks to destroy not just the Republic but maybe the Empire as well."

"I hope not," he said then leaned down to lightly kiss the back of her neck, hearing her gasp as her head tilted further forward. "You know, I do have some spare time before the meeting," he breathed into her ear.

"Is that so?" she asked, all of her troubling thoughts being chased away on a wave of desire that swept through her, leaving her amazed that he could do this to her. "And what do you propose to do to pass the time?"

"Why don't I show you?" he asked, pulling her up out of the chair and lifting her off of her feet to carry her into the bedroom here he showed her just what he had in mind.

Soon it was time for the meeting, and Karl left her there in his suite as he thought it best if she didn't come. She was feeling languid after a particularly satisfying session of lovemaking, amazed once more at his strength and stamina that had exhausted her completely, leading her to take a nap to recover some of her energy. When she awoke, she saw Karl had returned and was sitting on the edge of the bed next to her, his head in his hands.

"Karl," she mumbled, her voice still thick from sleep. "What's wrong?"

He turned and laid down on the bed next to her, facing the ceiling. "That had to be the most exhausting meeting I've ever been to," he replied, and even his voice sounded tired.

She reached up with her hand and began massaging his forehead with her fingers as she knew that he must have a headache. "Did they approve your plan?"

"Tania, don't ever stop," he groaned. "That feels wonderful. Yes, they approved it but not without a fight. They had the same objections that Thomas had, and you can't just tell some of these people to be satisfied with just your word."

"When do we leave?" she asked.

"Tomorrow morning," he replied. "The first night will be spent just observing the base. If nothing happens then the next morning will have you moving in to investigate." He sighed deeply. "I wish you didn't have to go, but as you said there are passcodes to think about. I just want you to be careful as Van and Thomas have been given the authority to do whatever is in their means to see you remain a prisoner in my custody."

She leaned over to kiss him. "Karl, you know that I could never leave you, at least not willingly. Here is where I want to be, by your side and with you always."

He turned so that he could hold her more closely to him, although the nagging feeling within him that something would go wrong refused to go away.

Author's note- Uh-oh! Is there something going to happen on this mission? And will it end up breaking them apart? Please, don't say it's so, Shelly!

	10. Chapter Ten

Author's note- Thanks, Biowolf for reviewing! Riese and Hiltz will make a minor appearance soon, but I'm afraid Raven won't be as he is still wandering around in the desert. I'm happy that you're enjoying this! ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, only my own characters, so don't sue me, please!

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER TEN

They both woke early the next morning, both of them lying in bed for awhile as neither of them wished to face the world just yet. Tania eventually slipped out of bed and began dressing, watching silently as Karl rose and began dressing himself but in a different uniform that consisted of snug-fitting clothing in various shades of black and grey. She couldn't take her eyes off of him as he looked incredibly sexy in the outfit, leading him to inquire as to why she was staring and causing her cheeks to flush as he was smiling at her as well.

"No reason," she answered nonchalantly. "But why are you dressed like that instead of your usual uniform? Not that I'm complaining or anything," she added with a chuckle when he stepped close to her to kiss her softly.

"No? I suppose that you wouldn't mind if I wore this more often," he replied.

"Maybe, maybe not," she said. "But do you know how much trouble you could get into?"

His laughter was soft in her ear. "It's too bad that we've got a mission to complete."

"We?" she asked, confused. "Are you telling me that you're coming along with us? Why?" she asked when she saw him nod.

"I know that if I don't go then I will be worrying about you until you came back, so I decided that the only way to ease my mind was to come with you. Besides, someone will need to be there to keep you and my brother from each other's throats," he teased, crying out in surprise when she jumped into his arms, her weight pulling them back onto the bed.

Soon they arrived at the hanger where Van and Thomas were waiting for them, Tania once again in handcuffs although Karl managed to slip Van the keys so as soon as she was seated within the Blade Liger he could remove them. Thomas seemed a bit surprised that his older brother was joining them, but Van merely smiled and shook his head.

They departed from the base shortly after, Karl borrowing a Command Wolf as it was faster then his Iron Kong. Tania sat silently as they crossed the distance between the two bases, neither she nor Van really feeling the need to talk as they were comfortable in each other's presence. The Command Wolf kept within sight of the Blade Liger, and if she looked hard enough she could almost see her beloved sitting in the cockpit.

"You really love him, don't you?" Van asked her.

"Is it that obvious?" she replied.

"Just to me and maybe Fiona. I believe that everybody else is pretty much oblivious to it. But it's pretty obvious to me how much he loves you after coming out here with us." Then he was silent a moment. "Just how did you both meet each other?"

Tania sighed and told him of how she had met Karl, although she chose to leave out the part about her father being the reason for their separation. Instead she told him that it was their duties that had kept them apart, and perhaps there was some small truth in that, but either way he was satisfied with the explanation and said no more during the rest of the journey.

However, the reason for his quiet behavior was one he chose to keep to himself. Every moment he spent around her reminded him of how rare a person she was, leading him to want to get to know her better as he wondered at why she had chosen to help them so soon. He knew it was only because she and Colonel Shubaltz had found one another again, but he wanted to know more about her than just who she was now. She intrigued him as no other and that would be fine if he only wished to be friends with her, but he feared that he was quickly becoming to think of her as more than just a friend, a thought that he had no right to encourage.

He was jolted from his daydreams by her voice saying that they were drawing near to the base. Karl located a decent hiding place for them to leave their zoids, everyone removing what provisions they would need for their overnight camp which they established behind a small hill that also afforded a vantage point from which to keep watch on the base. Van offered to take first watch and Thomas second, leaving Karl to man the last watch and make the call on whether to advance or not come morning.

They grabbed a quick bite to eat before settling into their stations, those getting some sleep that weren't watching and Van positioning himself on the hilltop with a pair of binoculars. The time passed slowly and uneventfully, and sometimes he would step down from the hill to see how the others fared, smiling sadly when he saw Tania curled close next to Karl with her back against him and their fingers entwined.

Before long it was Thomas' turn and Van settled down to try and get some rest, although he was slow to surrender to it as he watched her sleep. Then it was Karl's turn to relieve Thomas and he managed to get up without disturbing her, although she awoke a short time later to join him on the hill for the remainder of his time. No one had seen any activity during the night and now that dawn was approaching it appeared that the base was indeed deserted.

Tania prepared some coffee for Karl and herself, waking Van first to let Thomas get in a few more minutes of sleep. "Would you like some coffee?" she offered as he sat up stiffly.

"Sure," he answered.

She fixed him a cup then handed it to him before she woke Thomas, who she had to stay by and keep waking as he tended to fall back asleep, although she felt sympathy for him as he only managed to get about three hours of sleep before and after his watch. He also took a cup of coffee, figuring it might help him wake up.

Karl appeared saying that they would move on towards the base as soon as they gathered their things. "Tania, it might be helpful if you give us an idea of how the base is set up. We don't want to have to walk in there blind," he said as he sat beside her and accepted his own cup.

"The base's layout is pretty simple. After we pass this hill, we will encounter the hidden missiles I told you about which I have the code to disarm. Once we reach the entrance to the hangar, the door opens after my identity is confirmed, and there is where the zoids are held as well as the weapons. Above the hangar are the barracks and above that is the command center."

"A fairly straightforward design," Karl commented. "All right, now our main objective is to search the base to see if any of the enemy remain inside. No movement was detected during the night, and if there was that would've been the best time to do so. Now what we're going to do is split up and each of us take an area. Thomas you search the hangar; Van, you and Zeke will search the barracks which leaves the command center to Tania and I. Now let's move out."

Tania and Van gathered up the supplies and began storing them inside the Blade Liger, Thomas and Karl doing the same with their own. While Tania was busy, Thomas took the opportunity to speak with his brother. "Karl, may I talk to you about something for a moment?"

"I think I already know what it is, Thomas, and you know what my answer is," he replied.

"Oh, you do? Must I remind you that you're compromising the safety of those at Red River?" Thomas shot back.

"No, you do not. And furthermore, watch your tone when speaking to a superior officer," he reprimanded him. "I trust her not to do anything that would betray us, and if you do not trust her then you do not trust me as well."

"Of course I trust you."

"Good. Then it's settled." And with that the conversation was ended between them, Thomas walking off muttering to himself as Karl watched him leave and wondered why it was so hard for Thomas to accept Tania.

Soon they were advancing on the base, the Blade Liger in the lead, and they didn't get far before a message came to them in the cockpit, warning that unless the correct passcode was entered the trespassers would be dealt with. Tania leaned forward from behind Van and entered her passcode to gain them entry, smiling when it verified her name to her and bid her proceed. They moved on to the face of the mountain that towered above them, so tall that it disappeared into the clouds above, and they left their zoids to follow Tania as she got them through the second security measure. A small panel opened in the rocky side and prompted her to present her identification, where she laid her fingertips onto it so they would be scanned. Once approved and verified, almost the entire side of the mountain seemed to move as it opened to reveal a huge hangar that was echoingly empty.

Everyone else seemed in awe at the size of it, but the sight of it only brought back memories for her. "They left all right," she commented. "They took everything, even the zoids and their weapons."

"How could they have moved so much in so short a time?" Van asked, coming up to stand beside her.

"There weren't that many," she answered. "Only enough to fill not quite half of this."

"Still, it staggers the mind to think of what kind of army could've been gathered here," he said. "But what bugs me even more is where they could've gone with all of this."

"I have no idea, Van. But maybe the computers in the command center will tell me something."

"Right," Karl said. "Tania will deal with that. Let's commence our search and meet in the command center."

Thomas began searching the hangar, although he wouldn't be taking long since there was nothing there but empty space. Tania showed Van and Karl where the staircases were since she didn't trust using the elevators, and they walked their way up to the other levels, Van and Zeke departing on the second floor and Tania and Karl continuing onto the top. They emerged into a darkened area, stepping quietly while Tania tried locating the switch to turn on the lights and when she did they were temporarily blinded as their eyes had adjusted to the dark.

After thoroughly searching the area first, Tania began going through the computer's files to try and find any information that could be helpful, finally sitting back in disgust.

"What is it?" Karl asked from behind her where he had watched her.

"There's nothing," she replied. "All the data has been erased."

"Damn," he cursed, bringing a smile to her face as she had never heard him say anything that strong before and she pointed that fact out to him. "As an officer I like to keep my cool around my men, but once I'm alone I sometimes have to let it all out."

Soon Van and Thomas arrived but Zeke was nowhere to be found. "Where's Zeke?" Tania asked.

"He's still down in the barracks," Van answered. "I tried to get him to move but he keeps staring at this statue at the end of the hallway although I can't imagine why. It's just a statue of Prozen," he added with a slight shiver.

"Let's go have a look then," Karl advised and they left the command center together to find Zeke still at the statue. He looked over it himself, finally spotting a small opening where he could barely make out a switch, and he managed to stick his hand in far enough to trigger it. The statue slid back with a loud grating sound to expose a tunnel that led further into the mountain.

"Wow," Tania breathed as she stepped inside to look around just as the others did. "I never knew this was here."

"I wonder where it goes," Thomas mused, touching the walls and inadvertently triggering the switch to close the statue behind them. "So much for that," he stated a bit sheepishly.

Zeke stepped forward and motioned for them to follow him, his interest caught by whatever he sensed down in the tunnel. However they only went a short ways before they heard an explosion outside that rocked the ground beneath their feet. Tania fell against the wall as Zeke growled and quickly condensed his form into a glowing bolt of energy that shot back down the way they had come.

"We'd better get a move on," Karl shouted. "Whatever's down here can wait." He took off at a run with Thomas following not far behind, and looking back he noticed that Tania was having trouble moving as Van stayed behind to try and help her. He started back but another sudden explosion shook the mountain, bringing down a good portion of the tunnel crashing down on them. He would've been buried himself if not for Thomas' quick reflexes as he had grabbed his shirt and yanked him backwards out of harm's way.

They lie on the ground for a bit until the dust cleared enough for them to see, Karl leaping to his feet and running over to the pile of rock that blocked them from Van and Tania. And for perhaps the first time in his life he felt the cold grip of fear touch his heart as he hoped that somehow they had also escaped the falling debris, hoped with all his heart that she was still alive. For if she wasn't, if he was forced to live the rest of his life without her smile or her touch.... Tears moistened his eyes as the fear became too much for him to bear. "Tania!" he cried, trying with what strength he had to move the rocks that were in his way but unable to so much as budge them. "Tania!"

Thomas walked up to his brother. "Karl, we've got to go before we become trapped ourselves," he called out, bracing himself as another blast shook the ground.

"Dammit, Thomas! She may be in there still alive, and Van as well! We can't just leave them!" he cried.

"Karl, I know how you feel, but we need to get out there and stop whoever's attacking before they do any more damage." That finally got through his fear, and he ran back down the tunnel with his brother, sending Tania a silent word of love and a promise that he would return.

******************
Author's note- Cliffhanger! I'm so mean! Did she survive the collapse? Also, a little bit of a surprise next chapter as Van does something that is totally out of his character. Thanks for reading!

	11. Chapter Eleven

Author's note: Thanks Aries of Attitude for reviewing! You didn't think I would kill her, now did you? ^_~ I wouldn't do that to Karl...or maybe I would. O_O Keep reading and see!

Disclaimer: You all know it.

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Tania stirred under a heavy weight, fearing that debris had fallen on her, but when she felt it move she knew then that it was Van on top of her as he had shielded her body with his own. She breathed and promptly coughed as she inhaled dust. "Van? Are you all right?" she croaked.

"I'm fine," he replied, his own voice rough from the dust that hung in the air. Opening his eyes as he sat up, he noticed that there were still lights on in the tunnel, a fact that he voiced to her.

"The base was designed so that in case of a power failure resulting from a collapse, the remaining circuits would still function as the current would be shut off at the area of the collapse and rerouted elsewhere," she answered as she sat up herself, wincing in pain when she moved her ankle. Apparently she had sprained it when she had fallen earlier. Then her eyes widened as a sudden thought occurred to her. "Karl!" she gasped, wondering if he had escaped the falling debris or if he was possibly trapped underneath it. She jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain that shot through her foot as it was nothing compared to the fear in her soul. "Karl!" she shouted, hoping that he would hear her as well and know that she was alive, but she eventually sank to her knees as the pain became too much for her to bear. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over as she fought against the sob that threatened to cut off her breathing.

Van crawled over to her and took her in his arms, giving her what comfort she needed. "I'm sure he's fine, Tania," he whispered as she cried against his shoulder, just as much from her fear of losing Karl as from the fright of the tunnel collapse. Soon she quieted and he placed a finger underneath her chin to tilt her face up to him.

"No," she said as she turned her face away, not wanting him to see the evidence of her weakness. She had rarely cried at all in her life and she didn't like to admit that she was capable of such a thing.

"Tania, look at me," he commanded gently, and she brought her face up to him. He smiled and brushed her tears away with his thumbs, earning a smile from her as well.

"I must look a mess," she groaned.

"Never," he replied. "You're still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

She looked into his eyes, surprised at his sudden confession, and they looked away just as quickly. "I wonder if they made it out okay," she said to cover the awkwardness of the moment.

He rose to his feet, walking a short distance to dust his clothes off with his hands. "I'm sure they did. They were far enough away to easily escape it." Then he looked down the tunnel. "Our problem will be finding a way out of here." Out of the corner of his eye he saw her trying to stand and he rushed over to help.

"Thanks," she said as she leaned back against the wall. Removing her dagger from the boot on her injured foot, she cut off one leg of her pants at the middle of her thigh and cut it into two pieces. Removing her boot, she wrapped her ankle with the leather cloth until she was satisfied she could walk on it well enough without holding Van back. Looking up, she saw Van look away with a blush coloring his cheeks. "I'm sorry if this bothers you," she half-teased with a smile.

"It doesn't bother me at all," he quickly responded. "I mean, why would something like that bother me?"

"I don't know, but you are the one blushing over here."

"Oh," he said, bringing his hand to rub at the back of his neck nervously. "How about we try and look for a way out of here?"

"Sounds good," she agreed.

"I mean, we don't want to stay in here forever, do we?"

"Not really," she answered, looking at him like he had sprouted another head as she wondered what was going on with him.

"All right, we'll go this way then," he said as he started off down the tunnel.

"Van," she called, prompting him to stop as soon as he had begun and look back at her. She limped up to him and grabbed his shoulders firmly. "It's okay, Van. You'll be fine."

"Right," he said, taking a deep breath and turning to resume his course down the tunnel with Tania following behind shaking her head slowly.

By the time Karl and Thomas emerged outside from the hangar, they had to make a mad sprint for their zoids amongst the battle raging outside. Zeke had mobilized the Blade Liger on his own and was now fighting off the enemy by himself and doing a pretty good job of it judging from the number of Rev Raptors that lie useless on the ground. Once inside their zoids they joined in the battle to assist Zeke, making quick work of them as they fought for Van and Tania's lives.

When it was over, they stopped to regain their breath before Karl headed back towards the base, stopping when Thomas blocked his way. "Thomas, get out of my way," he warned.

"Karl, please," Thomas pleaded. "There's nothing you can do. You don't have the equipment available to clear the tunnel, and who's to say that once you clear it there won't be more coming down? It's best if we return to Red River and get help there. Besides they'll probably find another way out and we'll have wasted all that time looking for them."

"But at least we would've tried," Karl replied, obviously unhappy with the options given to him. He hated the idea of having to leave them there, but it was best that they go back to Red River and bring back the necessary equipment to rescue them. "All right, Thomas, we'll do it your way. But I can't promise I'll wait for you. Zeke, we're going back to the base to get help. You stay here and keep the enemy from attacking again." Hearing the Liger's roar, he spurred his Command Wolf into action and raced off back to the base with Thomas following behind.

It had seemed an eternity that they had trudged down the tunnel before they spotted a door at the end which opened up into a large room that held lockers and what appeared to be dressing rooms. Several other rooms branched out from those, laboratories they assumed, and they commenced an investigation of each room. During their inspection of one lab they found a smaller room that held a desk, chairs, and refrigerator. Tania opened it and promptly drew back with a grimace as if she was about to be sick then closed the door and stepped back.

"What is it?" Van asked, his curiosity piqued as he imagined what kind of gruesome things could be kept in there. He opened the door slowly and peered inside for a moment before looking back at her with a nonplussed expression on his face. "Very funny, Tania. There's nothing but regular food in there," he said as he closed the door.

She smiled, backing up slowly as he advanced on her. "Yes, but there was something else there as well," she replied, her hands behind her back hiding something from him, something he noticed with narrowed eyes.

"What are you hiding from me?" he questioned.
"Nothing," she answered, squealing at the top of her lungs when he made a grab behind her for whatever she had. She tried her best to keep it from him but in the end he won, his face lighting up when he saw what she had.

"A papaya! I can't believe someone here liked them," he exclaimed.

"Hey! I wanted that," she pouted playfully.

He laughed. "How about we share it then?" he asked. Even though there were chairs in the room, they lifted themselves onto the desk and Tania took out one of her daggers to cut the fruit in half. They both devoured their halves in record time, neither of them caring that they had papaya juice all over their mouths, although Van's was covered more than hers was.

She licked the last of the juice from her fingers, looking over to see Van staring at her with a strange expression on his face. "So I'm a pig," she commented, thinking it was her manners that had him perplexed.

"No, it wasn't that," he explained, not wanting to tell her just what he had been thinking about.

She saw a drop of juice on his chin and reached up to wipe it off with her finger, licking it off as well, but she was unaware of the effect it had on him when she smiled at him and said, "You're sweet, Van."

He reached up and lightly touched her face, his heart beating a mile a minute. "So are you," he whispered, lowering his head to catch her lips in a soft kiss that caught her off guard. It was the craziest thing he had ever done and he knew he had no right as she was in love with another, but he had to know what it felt like to feel her lips against his or else he would go crazy with wondering.

She was so surprised at the sudden turn of events that she didn't know what to do, but his kiss was so soft and his mouth so sweetly delicious that she moaned his name, bringing her hand up to touch the side of his neck. Hearing his own groan deep within his chest, she deepened the kiss as her tongue swept through his mouth, tasting his own flavor mixed with that of the fruit. She felt his hands on her waist lifting her up to set her on his lap to better gain access to her mouth, leaving her in surprise as he was stronger than he looked. His hands moved across her back and into her hair as she touched his chest with her hands, feeling his racing heart underneath her fingertips.

Then she came to her senses, pushing him away and almost coming undone again when she saw his desire-laden eyes gazing at her. She quickly slid off of him and onto the floor, walking away to put some distance between them. "I can't believe I did that," she groaned. "I can't believe you did that."

Van still sat on the table with his head in his hands. "Tania, I'm sorry. It's my fault; I should've known better with you and Colonel Shubaltz so much in love."

She turned towards him, gazing at him solemnly. "It's not just that, Van," she replied.

He looked up at her with questioning eyes. "What do you mean?"

She sat down opposite him in one of the chairs. "Do you know why I came along on that attack when I had never participated in one before? It wasn't only to attack the base; I had another reason for coming as well, a more personal reason." She was silent a moment as she looked into his eyes. "I was going to kill you."

Only his eyes betrayed his surprise. "Why?" he asked.

"Do you remember the day that you destroyed the Deathsaur?" she questioned.

"How could I forget?" he replied with a sad voice. "But what does that have to do with you?"

"You and I fought that day, Van. Outside the city."

His eyes widened a bit. "That's how you knew my name."

"Yes," she said, some of the bitterness she had nursed for the past four years coming back. "I made sure I found out your name for I was going to pay you back for the pain you caused me ever since that day. You killed my father, Van."

"Your father?" he echoed.

"Yes, Van, my father. You would know who he was immediately. His statue stands as a door to this tunnel we're in now."

"Prozen?!" he exclaimed. "He's your father?"

She nodded her reply. "I had every intention of making you pay for that day. Everyday for the past four years I have thought of nothing else. But when I looked into your eyes that day all my anger towards you just disappeared. Somehow you broke through my defenses and made me realize that it wasn't your fault at all, it was his. Just as I was supposed to help Colonel Tragar take you and Thomas hostage, although I hadn't planned on Karl coming."

Van eyed her in silence as he turned over this information in his mind. "Was he the only reason why you didn't go through with it?"

"No," she replied, standing up and crossing the distance between them to take his hand in hers. "When I'm around you, I can't keep my defenses up and I don't know why. You are a very special person, Van, and people see that in you just as I do, and they admire you for your strength and courage and your wonderful personality," she added with a smile which he returned. "So you can rest at ease as I no longer want to take your life over a distorted sense of pride. Instead I have grown to love you, Van Flyheight."

He raised his eyes to hers then just as quickly looked away but not before she saw the sadness in them. "Just not the way I want you to," he whispered.

She smiled as she realized that she had become more than a friend to him, or so he wished. "I'm sorry, Van. But I love Karl too much and always have," she said as she touched his face gently to turn it so he faced her. His arms soon came around her and she held him in a tight embrace.

"It's just that whenever I see you and Colonel Shubaltz together, I can see how much you both love each other. It's unreal, and I want to have that kind of love one day but I don't know if I'll ever be as lucky as you both are."

She smiled as she pulled away from him. "You never know, Van. It might not be very far away." He looked at her in confusion as she waited for it to sink in and when it did she laughed.

"Fiona?" he cried in surprise.

"Come on. Let's find a way out of here," she said, still laughing.

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Author's note: Well, Van certainly took a big chance there. And he took Tania's news pretty well, I think. Next chapter: Tania and Karl are reunited...or are they? What will happen once he figures out Tania's secret?

	12. Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah...

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER TWELVE

Finding nothing more out of the ordinary in the labs, they headed back the way they had come, Van looking around him to see anything that might help them get out. When his gaze turned towards the ceiling, he stopped so suddenly Tania almost ran into him.

"Van, warn me before you do that," she griped.

"I just can't believe that I didn't think of this before," he said. "There's a ventilation shaft that runs just above us. Maybe we can get up in there and find a way out."

"Don't you think that the collapse may have blocked it also?" she asked.

"We'll never know until we try," he replied. "Let's go back to where that desk was. We'll get in that way and crawl back here." They ran back in the opposite direction, Tania a little more slowly from her ankle injury. Finding the room, he crawled onto the desk and removed the vent cover directly above it, smiling as he saw that it wasn't very far up. "All we'll need is a chair to stand on and we're good to go."

Tania lifted a chair onto the table and crawled onto the table herself, watching as Van climbed onto the chair and lifted himself up into the vent shaft. She did the same with his help and they crawled through the shaft for awhile before coming up on the area of the collapse, both of them pleased to see that there was just enough room for them to squeeze over the top of the pile of rubble. Once on the other side, they continued onward until they saw they were back in the barracks, Van busting out the cover and dropping down onto the floor then helping Tania down, who suddenly embraced him tightly.

"Van, you're a genius," she said.

He laughed as he held her close. "I'm glad you think so. Now let's go. I'm sure that Colonel Shubaltz is waiting for you."

Colonel Shubaltz was normally had a very patient and calm nature, but it was times like these that pushed him to his very limits. By now everyone knew that Van and Tania were trapped inside the base, maybe even buried under all that rock, but they insisted he take the time to install a drill arm on the Command Wolf and the time it took to install it bordered on the ridiculous. Anxiety gnawed at his insides, yet he couldn't show it and the only support he received was from his brother who knew how he was feeling.

He was almost on the verge of going up there and finishing it himself when he heard someone calling his name, and he turned to see one of the base personnel running towards him. "What is it?" he asked, trying his best to keep the tone of his voice civil.

The man saluted as he stood to attention. "We have received a message, sir, sent by Lieutenant Flyheight himself. He managed to find a way out and is on his way back with the prisoner."

"Are they all right?" Karl asked, holding back his relief with a supreme effort.

"Lieutenant Flyheight is uninjured but he said that the prisoner suffers from an injury to the ankle."

"How long till they arrive?"

"A few hours, sir."

Karl nodded. "Thank you," he replied, remembering to salute as well before the man left. He turned back to Thomas, allowing some of the relief he felt to show through.

Thomas smiled, happy that his brother could finally find some peace, and he left to tell the installation crew that their help was no longer needed.

A few hours later found Tania and Van in the infirmary getting a thorough checkout done. Van was pronounced fine but when Tania's ankle was unwrapped it had turned all shades of blue and purple and had swelled. Van grimaced in sympathy and held her hand as the doctor poked and prodded at it, oblivious to her cries of pain before he diagnosed it as a severely sprained ankle and left to fetch her a foot brace.

The door opened and they were glad to see the Shubaltz brothers step into the room, looking sharp in their usual uniforms. Thomas greeted Van warmly and then took Tania by surprise when he took her hand in his. "It's good to see you back alive even though you are a little damaged," he said then looked at her ankle, and the sight of it paled his skin as he turned and walked to the doorway.

"Better damaged than dead," Karl added as he stepped to her bedside, both of them fighting to hold back their tears.

Soon the doctor returned with the brace and fitted it onto her foot as well as fastening the straps that would hold her ankle still. A wheelchair was brought for her to sit in until she was taken to Colonel Shubaltz' suite and would keep if she ever wanted to go anywhere else during her recovery. She was given medicine for the pain as well as the inflammation and sent on her way, Van pushing the wheelchair as they took her to the suite where Fiona waited with the door open. Once inside and the door shut, Fiona rushed to Van and embraced him, the sight of them bringing a smile to Tania's face.

Luckily somebody had brought food for them to eat, making them realize how hungry they all were after their ordeal. Tania learned that Karl was to attend a debriefing in the morning as all of them were to get some rest, her eyes on no one else but him just as his were on hers, each of them thankful that the other survived. Van and Thomas ate quickly as they wished to give the two lovers time to themselves, Van telling him how they had gotten out and about the labs they had found.

When Van rose to leave, Karl rose also to thank him for getting Tania out of there. Van smiled then followed Thomas, closing the door securely behind him. Karl and Tania gazed at each other for a few moments before he walked over to lift her in his arms and carry her over to the bed, laying her down gently and sitting on the edge beside her. He seemed at a loss for words at first but eventually spoke. "Tania, I'm sorry," he began but was silenced when she laid a finger on his lips.

"Karl, just hold me, please," she whispered.

He stood and removed his uniform, leaving him in nothing but a white undershirt and shorts as he lay on the bed beside her and took her in his arms, sighing as she snuggled up closer to him. "I was afraid I had lost you," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair to undo the braid that she had kept it in.

"I was afraid I had lost you, too," she replied.

He kissed her on her forehead. "I'm just glad that you came out of there with only a sprained ankle. It could've been much worse. Although I am curious as to how they knew we were there."

She said nothing as she was unsure of what to say. Should she tell him what she had told Van? "Perhaps they had lookouts posted around the base in case we did come to investigate."

"But why attack us if there was nothing in the base worth fighting to keep? It was completely empty," he said as he thought it through which made Tania nervous as she knew that he would eventually figure it out. "Unless they hoped they could take prisoners but what would they hope to accomplish?"

"Karl, remember what I told you Colonel Tragar's purpose was? He seeks to gather the most powerful weapons ever made and use them to destroy the Republic or else to let someone else use them."

"I remember, but what made them think that they could take one of us prisoner with such a weak force? The Blade Liger and the Dibison are more than able to take out an entire army." Then a sudden thought came to him that widened his eyes as he pulled away from her to look at her, his face unreadable. "Unless they had someone working on the inside for them," he stated flatly.

She was sure the guilt was plain for him to see. "Karl, I'm sorry--"

"Tania, please tell me you weren't working for them still," he pleaded, but her silent gaze told him all he needed to know, and he slid off the bed to pace around the room. "I can't believe that you willingly led us into a trap without telling anyone, me most of all."

She sat up on the bed, wondering how she was going to explain this to him. "Yes, when I was first captured I planned to help Colonel Tragar in his plan to take Van and your brother prisoner. With the Guardian Force out of the way, nothing stood in his way of his plans. But when I met Van and Thomas, everything became clear to me. For the first time in my life I was free to make my own decisions and take whatever path I wanted, and as soon as I heard your voice I realized what I truly wanted to do with it. I wanted to spend the rest of it with you."

He looked at her as if she had just sprouted horns on top of her head. "Oh, don't you even try and sugarcoat this with speeches of how you feel about me. My brother was right all along to not trust you, but I kept defending you as I truly thought you had changed because of our love for one another. What a lie that turned out to be," he scoffed.

"Karl, please listen to me!" she cried, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "The plan was that they would wait and listen for my signal that would tell them that I had succeeded. I thought that if I never sent that signal then they wouldn't attack."

"You should've at least warned us that we were heading into a trap. And how do I know that there isn't another trap waiting for you to lure us into?"

"Even if you waited another day or even a few the same thing still would've happened. They would wait for as long as it took to capture the Guardian Force. A few days are nothing compared to four years of waiting for the right time to make a move. And from now on I have no idea of what their plans are or even where they have moved their operations to. And I apologize for not warning you sooner but I had other things on my mind that were more important."

"More important than saving our lives? We could've been killed out there!" he raged at her.

"I will admit that there was something there that I wished to find before they had time to move it as well, but it appears that they have after all. Only I would've gladly given it over to the Republic if it meant setting the things right that I had done in the past."

He stood in silence for a moment. "I had heard stories of what you had done for him. But I was willing to forgive you for that as I knew that he was forcing you to do that." Then he took a deep breath before turning his back to her. "I don't know if I can forgive you for this."

The tears finally spilled over onto her cheeks. "Please, Karl, don't do this," she pleaded. "Don't throw away everything between us that we've built so far."

He turned back to her, his green eyes like ice. "You should've thought about that before you decided to betray us. A true loving relationship is built on a base of trust. With one mistake you shot down that base and just as a building cannot stand without a foundation, so our love cannot survive without trust." And with that hanging between them he walked out on her, leaving her on the bed clutching the pillows to her heart as she cried out her grief. She wanted so badly to tell him everything but to do so would be to jeopardize everything that she had worked towards so far. And little did he know that because of her love for him she had failed an Empire.

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Author's note: *Sobs and runs away* It's not fair! Faithful readers, please forgive me!

	13. Chapter Thirteen

Author's note: You tell him, Biowolf! That was mean of him. He'll soon see the error of his ways soon enough! This chapter is full of revelations!

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Karl Shubaltz wandered around the base for what seemed like hours before he came to the zoid hangar, standing behind the railing looking down at the Saber Tiger that had belonged to Tania when she had been captured. He had ordered it brought to Red River and repaired as he had planned to show it to her soon, knowing how happy she would've been to have seen it again. But now he doubted if he ever would as he feared that she would only use it against them the next time the opportunity presented itself.

It had busted his heart into a thousand pieces to treat her like he had, to see the raw pain in her eyes that had begged his forgiveness. He didn't know what to think anymore as his thoughts were jumbled inside his head as his mind warred with his heart. He still loved her with a passion that was almost frightening; even now he wanted to return to her and erase the past few hours that had proved to be a severe turning point in their relationship. But his mind urged him to steer clear of her from now on as he was unsure as to where her loyalties lie.

Footsteps approaching alerted him to the fact that someone was coming but he remained where he was, not even turning when he heard the voice of his younger brother.

"There you are," Thomas panted as he came to a stop. "I've been looking all over for you. I didn't see you in the suite and neither was Tania. What's going on?"

"Did you spend all this time finding me just to butt into my business where you don't belong?" Karl snapped as he turned to face Thomas.

Thomas' eyes widened as his brother looked as if he had been through hell and hadn't come back yet. "Actually I came here to tell you that Colonel Kruegar has arrived and wishes to have a meeting with the Guardian Force as well as you and Tania. I found you but I have no idea where she is. Her wheelchair is there though."

Karl sighed; he wasn't surprised that she had disappeared but he was surprised at what Kruegar wanted with her. "Neither do I, and I care little where she is at this point. You were right all along," he added when he saw Thomas' questioning gaze. "She wasn't to be trusted. It was no chance attack this afternoon but a planned trap to capture you and Van and hold you hostage until their demands were met."

To his further surprise, Thomas wasn't all that upset. "Why don't you come with me then and see what Colonel Kruegar has to say. He told Van and me that he had some information that could clear up some misunderstandings."

Karl's interest was caught now as he sensed something strange was going on, and he followed Thomas to a small private room where they knew no one could hear them. He saluted Kruegar then accepted the outstretched hand in a gesture of friendship. They had once been enemies but all that had been put behind them, and now they worked together towards a common goal, that of peace for all people whether they be Republican or Imperial.

"Colonel Shubaltz, it's good to see you," Kruegar greeted him as they took their seats at the table. "Where's Tania?"

"I was unable to find her, sir," Thomas answered.

Van looked to Karl and knew what had happened between them from the pain that showed in his eyes. He had wondered if she would tell Karl what she had confessed to him and it was apparent that she either had told him or he had guessed it and had not taken the news well. But if Van's hunch was right, Colonel Kruegar held the answers that could clear up everything where she was concerned.

"How unfortunate," he said. "I wonder what could have happened to make her leave like this?"

"I'm afraid that I'm to blame for that, sir," Karl answered. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you looking for her?"

Kruegar smiled as he saw the love that the Colonel held for her and was happy for her as she couldn't have chosen a better man to love than him except maybe Van. He had grown to care for her like a daughter just as he thought of Van like a son and had hoped that one day they both might meet and fall in love as well. "I see that I have a lot of explaining to do. Where to begin?

"Four years ago when Prozen was defeated, it was discovered that many of the generals that were loyal to him sought to pursue their own agendas, some remaining within the army and some even being so brave as to leave altogether. The Empire approached Tania about helping them root out these traitors so that they could be brought to justice, especially with her being Prozen's daughter." Thomas was the only one surprised here as Karl and Van had already known. "She made a big show of her hatred of Van for killing her father to attract the attention of Colonel Tragar who had been a little closer to Prozen than others. Over the next four years she would report to us any information on their movements which were few and far between at first.

"What we needed was to get our forces in order so that when the time was right we could catch Tragar in the act and arrest him. That way he could give us information on others that still remained loyal to Prozen. We allowed Tragar to attack the first base to give him a false feeling of overconfidence so that he would attack again. That's when we notified Colonel Shubaltz that he was in charge of finding out who was behind the attacks. I believe that you had a suspicion then that it might've been Tania who was involved as you had met before years ago." Karl nodded his agreement. "We counseled him to involve the Guardian Force so that she would meet you and get to know you somewhat.

"As far as what happened this afternoon involving the surprise attack, it was an idea that we had given to Tania to present to Tragar. We knew that if the Guardian Force could be captured and Tania returned to Tragar then at the right moment we would attack and Tania would help release you both so that he could be arrested in the act of taking the Guardian Force hostage. But as you can see it didn't work out that way and that's what I had hoped to speak with her about."

Van gazed at Karl silently as he suddenly saw how she had failed to execute a plan that had hoped to bring the arrest of an important player all because of her love for him, and if he didn't see that then he was a fool and didn't deserve the love she held for him. Then he saw Karl's head fall into his hands and knew that everything would be all right between them. "Colonel, you're saying that all that talk of making me pay for killing her father was just that?"

Kruegar smiled. "Absolutely. Prozen had practically held her prisoner for so long that she was glad to be free of him. But she had to keep up the facade in case there were other ears listening in that might take the information to the enemy."

"What do you mean he held her prisoner?" Van asked, his eyes widening as the Colonel explained the predicament she had faced since she was a child.

Karl couldn't think of anything else but what he had put her through. Even though he had been unaware of what was really going on, he still should've realized that she truly wouldn't have done such a thing out of revenge for her father's death, especially since she had told him of what she had gone through. Now she was nowhere to be found and he would never get the chance to tell her that he was sorry and beg her forgiveness.

But perhaps there was still a chance, and he rose to his feet to try and find her before she had gone too far.

"Karl, where are you going?" Thomas asked.

"I'm going to look for Tania. I'm hoping that she hasn't gotten too far if she has left the base. There's a chance she still might be here."

Van and Thomas both stood up. "We'll help you," Van offered then followed Karl as he returned to the hangar, cursing as he saw that the Saber Tiger was gone.

"She's definitely left the base," he observed. "But she can't have gone far as it hasn't been that long."

"Surely you're not suggesting that we go out after her?" Thomas asked. "It's getting dark outside and it will be dangerous."

"Which is why we must find her before anything happens to her," he insisted. "We'll each take a Pteras and patrol the surrounding area. Now let's move. The sooner we get going the sooner we can find her."

They searched all evening until the darkening horizon forced them to abandon their search and return to the base empty handed, amazed that they had searched in each direction for miles and had found nothing. However, despite their defeat, Karl was determined to continue their search when morning came as she couldn't have just disappeared like that so easily.

When he returned to his suite, the memories hit him like a blow to his heart of the first dinner they shared together and the first night they spent together in each other's arms. Sitting on the bed, he lifted the pillow she had slept on and inhaled her scent that still lingered in the fabric, something catching his attention out of the corner of his eye. He looked on the bedside table and found a letter addressed to him in her handwriting; curious, he opened it and read the contents slowly which caused his heart to beat faster within his chest as his fear increased. His hand holding the letter clinched into a fist when he finished reading it, crumpling the paper as his eyes shut tightly to hold back the tears that threatened to emerge.

"Tania, why did you have to return to them?" he whispered hoarsely. "Don't you know that they will discover that you had betrayed them, a crime that they will surely punish you for? Dammit, how I wish you knew their location!" Rising from the bed, he brought the letter with him to show to the others as he somehow knew that they would soon have a battle on their hands which they would have to prepare for.

On a hillside not far from the base, two pairs of eyes followed the Saber Tiger as it sped across the desert, one of them dark as night and filled with cruelty just as the other's were a blue pool of mystery.

"She has left," Riese pointed out. "Just as you said she would."

Hiltz chuckled. "I knew that after today they would find out she was a traitor."

Riese's eyes penetrated the distance and appraised the young woman for herself. "Yes, but to whom? Us or them? Where do your loyalties lie, Tania?"

"It matters not to me which side she betrays, although I had thought at one time that the Dark Kaiser would have welcomed her. Still, she will serve a purpose," he replied with an evil smile.

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Author's note: What could Hiltz possibly want with her? We'll probably never know, being he's so secretive and all. Next chapter: An old friend enters, and he would be more than willing to mend Tania's broken heart. Can anyone guess who it is?

	14. Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids...

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tania hated having to leave Karl like that, but she was determined to set things right after her failure that afternoon and the only way she knew how to do that was to return to Colonel Tragar even though she had no idea where their base was now. But she knew that they would have soldiers patrolling the surrounding area and she counted on them finding her soon.

It felt good to be inside her Saber Tiger again, and she wondered who had bothered to bring it back to Red River to have it repaired. The only person it could be was Karl and she supposed that he had meant to return it to her as a gift until he had found out she had planned to betray them, an accusation she had been unable to deny without giving everything away.

Leaving the base had been an easy thing to do since the hangar door had been left open, and all she needed to tell the personnel on duty was that Colonel Shubaltz had told her he had repaired her Saber Tiger and that he wished her to test it out. They had let her go without an argument and she had put the base behind her once she was safely away to allow the Tiger to stretch its legs as they sped across the ground at top speed. Apparently her zoid felt the same as it roared its happiness at having its pilot back, the sound echoing across the desert.

Soon an explosion shook her zoid a bit, a warning shot apparently, but it was enough to rouse her anger after the day she had. Looking around her, she quickly located her attacker and took off towards the hill that whoever it was was hiding behind, dodging the following shots with an agility that surprised her. Clearing the top of the hill, she prepared to attack her unknown assailant but when she saw a familiar Command Wolf crouching down preparing to fire she wrenched the direction of her zoid in a different direction to force it into a sliding stop. She jumped out of the cockpit to gaze at the zoid. "Irvine?" she whispered.

The cockpit of the Command Wolf opened and a figure leaped out to walk towards her, and as he drew closer she could make out his clothing and eye patch he always wore, and she could see the surprise in his gray eyes that mirrored her own. "Tania?" he questioned.

She could do nothing else except stand there in silence. It had been awhile since she had last seen him when he had been hired by Colonel Tragar to take care of some things that neither of them would tell her. They had struck up a fast friendship and at one time there may have been a little more between them, but she never encouraged anything more as her heart still longed for Karl and it would do neither of them any good for her to try and deceive herself as well as him.

When he drew closer, he embraced her warmly before pulling away to look her over, a frown appearing when he saw her injured ankle. "I guess I don't need to ask how you've been," he pointed out dryly.

"Believe me, you don't want to," she replied. "But it appears you're doing well. What are you doing out here, firing at those who call you their friend?"

He held his hands up. "Hey, I didn't know it was you after all I have heard that's going on. I knew it was your Saber Tiger but I wasn't sure if it was you piloting it, which is why I only fired a warning shot."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "And what were those other shots? Practice runs?"

He smiled. "You've improved since I last saw you," he said. "That's good."

She returned his smile. "I had a good teacher," she replied as he had helped her improve on her skills as a pilot.

He stood there a moment not saying anything but just gazing at her before he seemed to shake himself back to the present. "I was just about to fix something to eat. Care to join me?"

She shook her head. "No, but thanks anyway. I've already eaten tonight." But she figured she could still join him if only to give him some company and followed him back to his Command Wolf where he had started a small camp nearby, all the while silently staring at his back as her thoughts wandered. They had almost become closer than just friends, but she had discouraged his advances as she knew that if there was ever anyone who could take her away from Karl it would be him, which was strange since they were different in their natures.

Karl was very predictable about some things where Irvine pretty much flew by the seat of his pants which had attracted her to him instantly. Karl always had a plan for everything, but Irvine often either did not or had one but chose to ignore it, except in instances where one mistake could mean life or death. However, both were excellent warriors and were very loyal to their friends even though Irvine sometimes chose not to show his better side.

They reached the campsite and she sat down on a nearby rock while he searched for the small burner and grabbed a small bag of dried meat before returning to sit near her. "So, what have you been doing these days?" she asked to get her mind off of what his nearness was doing to her as well as telling herself she had no right to think of him in such a way.

"This and that," he answered. "Whatever comes my way, and if I decide it's worth my time then I take it."

"What are you doing now? You must have some reason for being out here in the middle of nowhere."

He was quiet a moment. "Looking for you," he answered softly.

She turned her head towards him and saw herself looking into his eyes as he had removed his eyepiece, her heart melting. Did he mean that he was looking for her on his own or had someone hired him to find her? "I see that Colonel Tragar sent you to find me," she observed as she looked away from him.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he asked, wondering why she always turned from him whenever they were close together. Even before when she first met him, she refused to let him get close to her, and he had asked around to see if anyone else knew anything about her, but when he discovered that they knew no more than he did he asked her himself. She had replied that she wasn't involved, but she still shied away from him although she was still friendly towards him, and that was the way things had stood between them when he had left.

"No," she answered, bringing him back from the past. "I knew that sooner or later he would send someone."

"He's offering a big sum of money, Tania. Why is he looking for you?" he questioned.

She was unable to stop the sudden flare of her temper. "Is that why you're out here?" she demanded. "For the money? That's so like you, Irvine," she scoffed as she rose to her feet and walked in the direction of her zoid, but only got so far before she felt his hand grip her arm and spin her around gently as he didn't wish to injure her ankle further.

"You know it's not," he answered. "Ever since I left, I've wondered why you never allowed me to get to know you."

"Look who's talking," she interrupted. "I don't know the first thing about you except your name and that you were friends with Van, so who are you to accuse me of not telling you anything about myself?"

"I would've told you everything if you had only asked," he replied. "But I sensed that you wished to keep your distance so I didn't pressure you, although I had hoped that one day you would confide in me and let me take care of you."

She felt herself warming towards him, and she cursed herself for being so weak around him. "Irvine," she whispered. "You don't know how much I wanted you to. But I was and still am in love with another, and I could not betray him like that. Although I am not sure how he feels about me now after what I did to him."

"Then the bigger fool is he for not seeing how much you love him and forgiving you," he answered.

"It's not that simple. I knowingly led them into a trap which could've cost him his life and that of those that came with us, although I had no choice but to do so. But I couldn't tell him the truth as it would endanger the lives of even more people."

He touched his hand to her cheek and gently brushed it down the side of her neck to rest on her shoulder. "Still, you left him so he must've hurt you pretty bad, and that you didn't deserve no matter what you did."

"He had no choice but to do what he did," she replied. "He is a Colonel in the Imperial Army and I am, or was, his prisoner."

"Then if he loves you as much as you love him then you would come first even before his duty to the Empire," he argued.

"Irvine, would you stop it?!" she finally cried as she broke free from his grasp, not wanting to have to explain herself to him any longer. "Why are you doing this to me?" she pleaded.

"For the past couple of years since I left, I have wondered what it was I had done wrong that you felt you couldn't come to see me as any more than just a friend. There have been few women such as you that I have met, and you were the only one that could turn me inside out just like you are now. I have always prided myself on being calm even in the midst of battle where my life is on the line, but when I'm around you I can't even keep a single thought straight in my head. And never have I been so happy to embarrass myself like this," he added with a laugh bordering on the edge of hysteria.

Touched by his confession, she stepped up to him and took one of his hands. "I would have, if I had allowed myself to. I felt much the same way around you, but as I said my heart belongs to another. The time that I had spent with him was cut short and like you I had always wondered what it would've been like if I had stayed with him. And when we were reunited, it was like those years between us had disappeared and we had never been separated. But no matter how much I thought about pursuing a relationship with you, I always kept wondering about him, and I knew then that it would be unfair of me to become so close to you and yet still long for another. And that's why I kept my distance from you, not because I didn't care but because I cared too much to hurt you."

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Author's note: Sounds like these two used to have quite a past together. Not to mention the fact that she might be falling for him all over again. Please read and review! I must have reviews! Can't...live...without...them! *gasp*

	15. Chapter Fifteen

Author's note: Wow! Four reviews in one day! *gets down on knees and bows down in homage to faithful reviewers* I'm not worthy! -.- Anyway, sorry for not posting yesterday. Darn cable kept going out. As to Van and Tania, Van loves Fiona it's just that he has to get past this crush on Tania first. But they still love each other deeply as friends. Now this thing between her and Irvine....

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Irvine stared at her for a few moments as he let his anger cool a bit. Here he had thought that it was his fault that things hadn't worked out between them but she had felt the same way about him all along, only she chose not to act on it because of her love for a man that didn't deserve her. "Why don't you just go ahead and say it, Tania? Just tell me you don't love me so we can end this here and now."

She was shocked into silence at his admission as she had known that he was attracted to her but she never thought that it was this serious. "I can't say that, Irvine," she whispered.

"Why not? If you love this guy as much as you say you do then you could say it easily," he pointed out.

"Then what would you have me say?" she shot back. "That I can't think when I'm around you, and that my heart beats out of control when you're close to me? That after you left I hated myself for never allowing myself to express my feelings for you, and every night I lie in bed I wondered what it would've been like to feel your kiss or your hands on my body? Every day and every night was torture and after awhile I shut myself off to the pain as I forced myself to forget about you and the time we spent together. And now that I have a chance at happiness you return and stir up all those emotions again," she said, not able to say anymore for the tears that welled in the back of her throat.

He gazed at her, seeing her amethyst eyes fill with tears as her composure crumbled, and he stepped closer to her to fold her within the strength of his arms. "Tania, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never meant to do this to you."

She tried pushing herself away from him but he refused to let her go. "Bullshit," she replied. "You got what you wanted, didn't you? Are you happy now?"

He sighed. "I should be, because now I know that I wasn't the only one that suffered. But I'm not, seeing as what it cost you to admit it." Then he tilted her head up to gaze into her eyes, eyes that he thought were more beautiful than anything on this planet. "I won't pressure you any longer. All I want is for you to be happy, and if it is without me then I can learn to live with that."

She looked deep into his eyes then reached up to touch his face with hesitant fingers before slipping the headband off his head and ruffling his hair with her fingers, a smile spreading across her face. "I don't think I could be truly happy without you, Irvine," she said softly. "But I don't want to tell you anything just yet that might end up hurting us both later. There's a chance I may not make it out of this alive."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he replied, his heart aching. "There's no way I'm going to let you go in there alone."

She hushed him with a finger to his lips. "Yes, you are. You know where their current location is, right?" He nodded. "Good. I'll need you to go to the Red River Base and tell Van or Colonel Kruegar where it is as soon as you can. Will you do this for me?"

He was clearly unhappy with what she was asking of him, but he saw the wisdom in her plan. "Sure," he answered. "But I'm coming back to help whether you like it or not."

She smiled. "I wouldn't expect you to miss out on all the action, although I am sorry that you won't be paid for bringing me in yourself."

He brushed his finger down her cheek. "If it means that in the end I'll walk away with someone more valuable than all the money in the world then who am I to complain?"

She gazed deeply into his eyes, struck speechless by the unexpected praise. "Irvine," she whispered, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulling him down to kiss him deeply, her arms eventually wrapping themselves around his neck as he pulled her up tight against him so that she felt every muscle in his body move. His lips were soft against hers, tearing a moan from deep within her when his tongue brushed against her own, making her dizzy with longing. She stepped back and gasped when her injured ankle took the full force of her weight, causing Irvine to pull away so that he could keep her from falling to the ground.

"Whoa, there," he cautioned. "Be careful." He was breathless from the intensity of their kiss, his heart racing furiously as he wished that they could've stayed together awhile longer. "Let's get you comfortable so you can get some rest or you'll never have enough energy to heal yourself. Although I must admit that I have only one sleeping bag."

The corner of her mouth twitched in a near smile, her lips still tingling from his kiss. She had admitted her wish to know what it was like to kiss him and now she knew, knew that without a doubt it was well worth the wait. "I suppose you don't mind sharing it with me, do you?"

"Not at all," he replied. "But it will test my control that's for sure."

This time she did smile. "You're a big boy, you can handle it," she teased as he helped her over to the rock for her to sit on, but before he could walk away she drew him closer for another kiss that had her sighing his name. When he stepped back, she saw desire swimming in the depths of his eyes. "Mmm, your kisses are wonderful," she murmured. "I should've done this sooner."

He laughed. "Keep talking like that and you're definitely going to be in trouble," he said then walked away to control his emotions as well as locate the sleeping bag. Soon they were situated near the Command Wolf, although not very comfortably as they were sleeping on the ground, and either way they tried it they were close to one another.

Both of them finally admitted to the other that it was inevitable that they were going to end up in each other's arms so she turned so that her back was to him and snuggled up next to him. His arm came around her waist and held her close as she felt his breath against her neck and never had she felt more at ease with someone other than him, although it was strange that it felt different from Karl holding her. Despite the wondrous feelings she was experiencing, she must've been more exhausted than she thought as she drifted off to sleep in his arms, wondering if she was hearing things or did she hear him tell her that he loved her?

She woke early the next morning before dawn crept over the horizon although there was still some light from the sky for her to see by, and she noticed that Irvine was sleeping deeply on his back. She started to rise but a hand around her waist drew her back down against him.

"Don't go just yet," he murmured in her ear as he settled in behind her. "I want to remember this morning just in case you don't return to me."

She moved so that she faced him, thinking how handsome he was with the dawn light softening his features. "So do I," she answered, unable to resist kissing him again as he was so delicious to taste. "But I have to go, and you do, too, if you're going to get to Red River in time."

"I know," he groaned. "Just be careful, all right? I don't want anything happening to you until I get back."

"I'll try," she laughed. He rose to his feet first to help her to hers as well as walk her to her Saber Tiger, their steps slowing as they saw something lying at the feet of her zoid. The closer they got they noticed what it was, a smile appearing on her face. "Zeke, what are you doing here?"

Zeke stood up and walked over to her, nudging her hand as his own way of greeting her.

"I guess he was worried about you so he decided to tag along," Irvine guessed.

"Well, you're going to have to return with Irvine, Zeke. Van must be worried about you by now." He rumbled plaintively in response. "No, Zeke, I mean this. You'll only get me in trouble if they find you with me."

He rumbled again and walked over to the Command Wolf to wait for Irvine.

She turned to Irvine. "Red River shouldn't be that far away from here, although being that Zeke was helping my Saber Tiger I was probably traveling faster than normal."

"Right. Tragar's base is about half a days travel from here going due north, which means that if a force is assembled at Red River then they better do it soon."

They gazed solemnly into each other's eyes for a moment, both of them knowing that it may be the last time they do so. "Be careful, Irvine. I wish you luck."

"You're the one that'll need it, not me," he replied then drew her close for another kiss before they embraced tightly.

"I love you," she whispered softly in his ear then pulled away to get inside the cockpit, leaving him there as she traveled north towards the base.

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Author's note: Is it just me, or did it get a few degrees warmer in here? *sigh* That Irvine. Such a sweet talker.

*The door bursts open and an enraged man looms in the doorway* Where is she? Where's Shelly? I won't let her do this to my brother!

Shelly, turning around from her computer: AHH! Thomas?! What are you doing here?

Thomas: There you are! *He starts chasing me around the room* How could you do this to Karl? He's suffering miserably, and here she is out in the desert in the arms of another man! How could you!

Shelly: Thomas, I can explain! She doesn't know that he has forgiven her! *Thomas makes a grab for me but I run into the spare bedroom and lock the door. He begins pounding on the door amidst his shouting curses on my head.*

Next chapter: Tania gets herself into a bit of trouble as she arrives at Tragar's secret base. Somebody please talk to Thomas and calm him down!

	16. Chapter Sixteen

Author's note: It's gotten pretty quiet out there. I guess I'd better take a peek. *Opens door and slowly emerges to see my husband and Thomas playing Looney Tunes Racing on the Playstation 2. It appears that Thomas is playing with Marvin the Martian and getting badly beaten by my husband with Taz.* So, guys, how's it going?

Thomas: Your husband persuaded me to go easy on you since you still have a few chapters to go before you're finished. So I suggest you get over there and start working before I change my mind.

Shelly: Or you'll what?

Thomas: *Pins me with a glare.* Or else I'll get Karl himself over here to deal with you.

Shelly: *Thinks about it a moment.* Hmm, that might not be a bad idea. I might could endure a little punishment from him. ^.~

Husband: Hey! I heard that!

Shelly: *Slinks over to her computer muttering.* It appears that now I have another mouth to feed.
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Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it?

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Tania had often wondered what all the fuss was about having an organoid to boost a zoid's natural abilities and now she knew after having to continue on without Zeke there to help. The Saber Tiger seemed slower and less responsive to her commands than before and part of her wished that she hadn't asked the organoid to leave, but she knew that whatever happened Van would need his assistance more than she would.

Her thoughts began to wander, and she wondered what Karl was doing now. Had he decided to forgive her for what she did or did he still hold remorse towards her for deceiving him? And what was she to do about Irvine? It had been good to see him again and for each of them to reveal hidden feelings towards the other was a definite surprise neither of them had expected, leaving them both in an interesting position. She knew that Irvine would be more than happy to have her choose to be with him, but she couldn't just put her love for Karl aside so easily. She still loved him deeply and would stay with him if he wanted her; if he chose not to, then she knew that there was someone out there that she could turn to.

Soon the monotonous landscape gave way to a little more in the way of vegetation and wooded areas, and she noticed she was coming upon a small valley that held a ruined village in its embrace. She was curious to know if this was where they had relocated to, but where was the base located unless it was all underground? She studied the village's surroundings silently, unaware when a Rev Raptor came up behind her until the pilot asked for her name and rank. She gave him her name, and he seemed surprised to see her here, but he escorted her down towards the village, leading her to a large empty expanse of grass where they stopped and leaped out of their zoids.

He took out a remote and depressed the red button which soon had the ground beneath them shaking as two panels moved up and opened to reveal a platform which he moved her Saber Tiger onto. Returning to her side he punched the button once more and the platform lowered as the panels closed; she was amazed as she wouldn't have known that this was here unless she saw it for herself. They continued on foot towards the village where he took her to what had once been a small building; lifting a hatch, he beckoned her to descend the staircase which she could barely make out after being out in the bright sunlight for so long.

Once they reached the bottom, she realized that she was in the command center as soldiers moved around the complex completing the finishing touches that would have them fully operational soon. This command center was smaller than the one at their last base, but it was sufficient for their needs for now until their ultimate goal was achieved.

"Tania," a familiar voice greeted her. "How good it is to see you."

She turned towards the voice, her face showing no emotions that would betray her even though she was shaking inside. "Colonel Tragar," she replied.

He gazed at her a moment, and she wondered what was going through his mind. Had he guessed that she had betrayed him and was thinking of a proper punishment for her? "If you would be so kind as to follow me to my office, we have many things to discuss."

She fell in behind him as he led her out from the command center and into a small room that she guessed was used for interrogations. Once seated, he offered her coffee but she declined. "Just go ahead and get it over with," she said. "I know you too well to be fooled by your hospitality."

Tragar smiled. "Same as ever, I see. I had feared that you had changed your loyalties, something that your failure spoke loudly about. You were supposed to capture the Guardian Force, although Colonel Shubaltz would have been a nice addition also as he is also a traitor to the Empire. Those that would willingly help the Republic deserve the same death that a traitor deserves."

She managed to keep her fear under control at the thought that if Karl had been captured they would've killed him. "You can blame your men for that," she replied. "I had found the perfect place to make my move but they attacked and collapsed the tunnel we were in, separating us so that Colonel Shubaltz and his brother were able to escape."

"Is that how your injury came about?"

She eyed him warily. "Yes, it was. I sprained it in the collapse of the tunnel."

He rose from his seat and moved around to kneel in front of her. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to her injured foot.

"You don't believe me?" she inquired.

"Let's just say that I want to make sure you're not bluffing," he replied as he removed the brace. "It looks pretty bad. And yet you're still able to walk on it."

"I can deal with pain better than some," she answered, sensing she was treading on thin ice.

"Hmm, let's see how well," he said, quickly drawing his gun and shooting her in the leg, his face expressionless.

She cried out as she fell to the floor, her hands clutching at her leg as waves of pain shot through it, tears streaming down her face. But when she looked up at him, her anger overtook her as she saw his smug smile of satisfaction and she slipped a dagger from her boot before lurching to her feet and slicing at him with the blade. "You bastard!"

He easily dodged the attack and knocked her to the floor with a blow to her stomach. She doubled over as the dagger fell to the floor, gasping for air. "I'm impressed," he said. "I guess you do have a high tolerance for pain and a fighting spirit as well. At one time I would've have given you the opportunity of a lifetime, but now I don't think you're worthy enough. But I'm not going to kill you yet as I still have some use for you alive."

His words penetrated her fog of pain, and she grasped the dagger in her trembling hand and drove it into his nearby foot, hearing his howl of pain as well as feeling his foot sink into her midsection, the kick sending her sliding across the room and crashing into the wall. Two soldiers ran into the room and quickly surveyed the situation, one of them running over to Tragar while the other bound Tania's hands behind her back.

Tragar motioned for the soldier to sit her up against the wall, and she felt herself hauled roughly to her feet and thrown back against the wall, collapsing to her knees with a cry of pain as her full weight came upon her injured leg and ankle. A rough hand seized her hair and yanked her head up so that she looked directly into Tragar's eyes. "As I said, those who are traitors to the Empire deserve to die a long, painful death, but I'll save that for later where you're concerned."

"You're the one who's the traitor, Colonel," she spat the title derisively. "The war's been over for four years. It's time for peace to have its try in the world. But as far as the Imperial Army is concerned, your rank was stripped when you left to pursue your own twisted ambitions just as my father did. And you'll end up dying just like him, mark my words."

His face twisted in a mask of rage, he grabbed his pistol by the barrel and slammed the butt end into her jaw, her head snapping violently to the side as she felt a trickle of blood run down the side of her mouth. "Take her to the doctor so he can patch her up," Tragar growled. "We may need to use her as ransom, and it wouldn't do for them to see her in such bad condition."

"Yes, sir," the soldier replied before hauling her to her feet and practically dragging her down the hallway to the infirmary where he dropped her onto the floor. "Hey, Doc! Got ya another patient here, but be careful with her. Colonel says she might be of some use to us later on."

The doctor appeared, a middle-aged man with graying brown hair. "Then why did you rough her up like you did? Hey!" he cried when the soldier turned to leave. "I need you to at least take these handcuffs off so I can insert an IV properly." After her handcuffs were removed and the soldier gone, he kneeled down next to her prone body and gently turned her head to look her over. "Come on," he urged in a softer tone of voice. "Think you can walk far enough till I can get you on a table?"

Her jaw felt like it was swelling to gigantic proportions as waves of pain washed over her in rhythm with her heartbeat. "I think so," she rasped, struggling slowly to her feet with his assistance. Thankfully she didn't have far to go before he helped her onto an examining table, advising her to lay back, and that was when the darkness of unconsciousness came to claim her, taking her into its blessed embrace that promised freedom from the pain of her injuries.

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Author's note: Good, Thomas is still busy getting his butt kicked. *Hears a knock on the door.* I wonder who that could be? *Opens door as mouth falls to the floor. Karl is standing there looking just as irresistible as always.* Can-can I help you?

Karl: Would Thomas happen to be here? *Sigh. Love that voice.*

Shelly: Yeah, as a matter of fact, he is.

Karl: *Looks a little perturbed.* Isn't this just like him? Bothering you like this when there's a battle coming up. I apologize for any trouble he has caused you.

Shelly: *Wipes drool off of her chin.* To tell you the truth-ow! *Someone pinched me! I look behind me to see Thomas shooting a warning glare at me. I give him one right back then turn back to Karl with a forced smile on my face.* We've been glad to have him over. He's been no trouble at all.

Karl: Glad to hear it. Thomas, let's go. We've got a battle to plan for.

Shelly: *Watches as they leave.* Phew! Now that he's gone I can finally get back to work.

Next chapter: Karl vs. Irvine. 'Nuff said!

	17. Chapter Seventeen

Author's note: Never fear, Tania will stay with Karl. It's just that right now she believes that Karl no longer loves her and feels very much alone, and Irvine happened to be there for her. So here's the chapter you've all been waiting for: Karl vs. Irvine! No holds barred!

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Irvine sped through the countryside as fast as his Command Wolf could go, knowing that soon Tania would be reaching the base and would either be welcomed as one of their own or as a traitor. Either way he had to get to Red River fast so that he could give them the location of the base before the Imperials attacked, and the sooner he did that the sooner he could return to get her out of there.

He heard the sound of an airborne zoid and looked up to see a Pteras passing overhead, wondering if it was someone from Red River searching for her.

Van peered down from the cockpit of the Pteras, veering closer to the lone traveler to get a better look. A smile appeared as he saw it was a close friend that he hadn't seen in years. "Irvine?" he cried.

The mercenary looked up at the Pteras again. "What happened, Van? Trade your Liger in for that piece of junk?"

Van laughed. "You wish. What are you doing out here?"

"Bringing some information that might be of some interest to you, as well as a gift for you since I missed you so much," he laughed.

"Oh, Irvine, you shouldn't have," Van replied. "What kind of information?"

"I've been told it's pretty important, so I'll obviously want some monetary compensation for doing such a favor for the Republic."

"Still haven't changed, have you? What kind of gift do you have?"

"I'm not so sure I want to part with this just yet," he smirked. "Ever since we first met, I've wanted to get my hands on this and now that I have it, I'll have to think about it."

Zeke roared from within the Command Wolf, giving himself away. "Zeke!" Van exclaimed. "How did you get hold of him, Irvine?"

"That I'd rather not say out here," he replied, his tone becoming serious. "I get the feeling that I'm in the middle of a sensitive situation, so I'd rather wait until we're back at the base."

Van said nothing as he figured it had something to do with Tania. "I guess I'll meet you there, then," he said then contacted Karl and Thomas to advise them to return to base.

Soon they were all gathered in the hangar, Fiona greeting Irvine with a warm embrace as Van was happy to see Zeke. Colonel Kruegar arrived, nodding to Irvine in greeting before leading them to the room where he had spoken to the Guardian Force the evening before. "So what is this information that you've got that is so important?" Kruegar asked.

Irvine glanced at Karl for a moment before speaking, wondering if he was the one that Tania was so much in love with. He outlined his meeting with Tania, telling them that Zeke had left with her inside her Saber Tiger as well as giving out the base's location, and he knew by Karl's worried expression that he indeed was her beloved. Seeing for himself the love the Colonel felt for her, he saw how wrong he had been to belittle his emotions like he had without meeting him first as he appeared to be a man of honor as well as being very much in love with her.

Colonel Kruegar excused himself to convene a meeting of the base's ranking officers to discuss the best plan of action, saying that he would meet with them again once a decision was made. Van and Thomas spoke amongst themselves while Karl stood apart from them, a worried expression on his face. Irvine approached him and stood at a distance.

"She talked about you a lot, Colonel," he said as for some insane reason he was trying to ease the Colonel's mind.

"I can imagine the things she might say," Karl replied, his thoughts a thousand miles away. He had been relieved to hear that she was all right, but he was still fearful of her going back to Tragar on her own without any backup. And he also wondered how this man knew Tania as he sensed he was once interested in her in a more personal aspect, but he did risk his life to bring this information to them and for that he would forgive him anything especially if it meant bringing his love back to him alive.

"She told me of what happened between you both," he said. "She understands why you did what you did."

Karl eyed him out of the corner of his eye. "And I suppose you're going to say you do not? I've had plenty of time to think about what happened, and now I don't even know why I treated her like I did. I was angry and hurt, yes, but that doesn't excuse my hurting her so bad that she had to leave."

Irvine had hoped that Karl would've been the type that he could've disliked the moment he saw him, but with his admission he began to respect him a little more. "Did this revelation come before or after you discovered she was on your side after all?"

Karl fixed his green eyes on Irvine, who found it hard to meet his intense gaze as it was surely the most striking thing about him. "How did you know about that?" he asked, not liking the fact that he knew something about her that they had only found out about last night.

"I did a few odd jobs for Colonel Tragar in the past, and Tania needed someone to talk to so I was there for her," Irvine supplied, enjoying the fact that he had the Colonel guessing at this point. He hated to see anyone be so calm about anything, especially when it came to someone they supposedly loved more than anything else, and he needed to know if he was willing to fight for that love.

Karl knew that Irvine was only baiting him, but he couldn't help the anger that stirred in him at the thought that he had once been interested in Tania. "And you're saying that I wasn't?" he demanded. "Tell me, did she ever feel the same way about you that you felt about her?"

Irvine was tempted to tell him that she had just to see the look on his face, but it would only end up driving a wedge further in between them and he didn't wish to do that to her. "No, she didn't," he replied. "In fact, we were little more than friends. Last night we talked more than we ever did in the past. She still loves you very much, and even defended you when I tried to make her see that you weren't deserving of that love."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me that you did that," Karl replied, his anger slowly fading. "I know I have told myself that ever since she left. I promised to her the first night we were together that I would never let her leave again and that I would never hurt her. But I have and now I will never forgive myself for doing that to her."

The younger man sighed in dismay. Why did the Colonel have to be so likable? Stepping closer to him, he put his hand on his shoulder in a gesture of friendship. "Not everything in this life is so perfect," he pointed out. "Especially when it comes to love, and I can tell that you love her very much. You are a good man, Colonel. She will be very happy with you, much happier than, say, with me," he smiled to take the edge off of the comment.

Karl smiled in return. "I can see you still have feelings for her, and with someone as unique, lovely, and brave as she is, it is hard to let go of such feelings. But after this is over and she is returned to me, I intend to lock her up and never let her leave again."

Irvine chuckled. "Good luck," he replied, walking away towards Van. "Now that I gave you your present and the information you wanted, how about you pay me?"

Van and Thomas had seen the exchange between Karl and Irvine, both of them unconsciously ready in case they needed to separate them both. Van was surprised to see that Irvine had been in love with Tania and still was judging from the expression on his face. "Thank you, Irvine. Even though we thought she was with the enemy, she was still a good friend."

He smiled. "Now I'm leaving as I promised Tania I would return and try to get her out of there before any fighting broke out."

"You might be better off waiting until Colonel Kruegar returns with more information on a plan of attack," Karl pointed out.

"I don't do the military thing," he replied. "I can't work like I want to if I have to wait for a certain window of opening and all. Besides, I know that it eats you alive that you're held back by it as I am sure that you would be doing the same thing if you weren't." He was also sure that Karl was unhappy that it would be Irvine coming to her rescue rather than her beloved. "I'm pretty sure that Tragar will attack tomorrow at the earliest, and I want to get back there before he gets any ideas of what to do with her."

"You don't think that he might use her for ransom, do you?" Van asked in alarm.

"I wouldn't put it past him," he said. "There's something that he wants, but I don't know what it is. And I'm not about to wait around and find out. Good luck, Van," he said then ran out of the room to the hangar, his worry over Tania giving him speed he never thought he had.

**********************

Author's note: What? You weren't expecting an all out fight, now were you? You know Karl better than that. *Dodges bits of food thrown her way by angry readers before being knocked down by a fish.* Next chapter: The battle begins!

	18. Chapter Eighteen

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids or their characters, just my own.

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Tania surfaced slowly from the realm of her dreams, looking around her in confusion as she didn't know where she was or how she got here. But then she felt the bandages wrapped around her leg and the IV needle in her wrist and everything came back to her on a wave of fear, and the fact that she was surrounded by darkness except for a small overhead light didn't help things much either. The only thing that kept her from panicking was the fact that she had no restraints on of any type that she could see, a strange thing since after what she did to Colonel Tragar she would've expected to have been strapped securely to the hospital bed.

Her eyes soon became adjusted to the darkness, and she saw that a curtain was halfway pulled around her bed, the only opening being at the foot of her bed. Hearing a soft noise beyond the curtain, she stilled her motions and listened intently as she heard a dragging noise followed by the quiet shutting of the door. She heard the sound of footsteps near her bed before a figure appeared in the curtain opening, stifling the scream that rose in the back of her throat as it looked to be one of the many base soldiers.

Then she heard him whisper her name, and she sighed in relief as it was only Irvine dressed in a uniform he had gotten from somewhere or someone. He closed the curtain and moved to her bedside as she sat up to throw her arms around his neck. "Irvine, you came back," she whispered.

He held her tightly as he was glad that she was still alive, although he wondered what she was doing here in the infirmary. "What, you didn't believe me? I told you I was coming back," he replied quietly, his words silenced as her mouth found his eagerly, and though he felt rotten for doing this as he intended to end things between them, he couldn't help but enjoy one last kiss as he had worried about her after searching all over for her and not finding her. "What are you doing here anyway?" he breathed.

"Why else would I be here?" she asked. "I got shot in the leg, got kicked in the stomach, and got hit with the butt of a pistol."

"Did Tragar do this?" he hissed, his anger roused that he had done this to her, had knowingly done it to make it impossible for her to escape.

"Who else?" she replied, quieting when she saw Irvine hold his hand up then duck down beside the bed just in time for the curtain on the other side of the bed to slide open and the doctor to appear.

"Is anything wrong?" he asked, his own voice quiet. "I thought I heard voices."

"I was only talking to myself," she answered. "I think my IV may be a little loose, though. Would you mind checking it?"

"Of course not," he said as he bent over to check it. While she had spoken, Irvine had moved over to the other side so that he was behind the doctor, and he made his move to grab him, but the doctor was faster as he spun and caught Irvine's hand and forced him face down onto the bed. "Easy there, soldier," he said. "We're both on the same side here."

"What do you mean?" Irvine asked.

"I expected you would be here shortly to rescue Tania," he answered as he eased his grip on Irvine, allowing Irvine to stand up as he rubbed his wrist where the doctor had held him down.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked warily.

"Have you noticed that there are hardly any guards patrolling tonight?" Irvine nodded. "There's your answer. I laced their drinks with something to knock them out for awhile. Colonel Tragar is here as well, and I gave him something that will keep him out for a lot longer, at least until you can get him secured and turned over to the Imperial Army."

"Why are you helping us?" Tania questioned him.

"I have a lot I have to answer for," he replied sadly. "And I tire of having to clean up his messes." Then he picked up something she hadn't seen him lay on the bed. "Here, I brought you a uniform as well." He removed the IV from her arm but not before he produced a different syringe.

Irvine grabbed his arm to keep him from injecting it into the IV. "What's that?" he asked.

"A painkiller to help ease the pain of her leg injury. It may not hurt now, but once we start moving I expect it will flare up." Irvine released his arm and he administered the medicine before removing the IV and bandaging her wrist. Both men stepped outside the curtain to give her privacy to change into the uniform, which fit her surprisingly well. The only real problem she had was in hiding her long silver hair, but she managed to tuck it underneath the cap, and she had to ask for Irvine's help in putting on the boots as she couldn't move her leg.

True to the doctor's word, her leg began a painful throbbing which made it impossible for her to stand on. Irvine located a wheelchair and brought it around for her to sit in, and once she was seated comfortably they moved over to where Tragar lie. He was still blissfully unconscious, and they took advantage of this to tie him up and dump him into a wheelchair as well. Irvine took Tragar's which left Tania to the doctor, and they left the infirmary to head towards the hangar, Tania noticing how quiet it was since pretty much everyone was out cold.

They managed to get there without any incidents, which they were grateful for. "Irvine, where's your Command Wolf?" she asked him.

"I left it just outside the valley," he replied, taking them near her Saber Tiger. "We'll put him in here as I will be piloting the Tiger out of here. I want you to take this and ride like hell back towards Red River," he said as he gestured to a nearby zoid.

She looked and had never seen anything like it in her whole life. It was sleek and longer than the Tiger and a little bit shorter although it weighed less and was faster, capable of reaching speeds up to 325 kilometers per hour whereas her Tiger only reached 240. "What is it?" she breathed, amazed at the sheer power and beauty of it.

"It's a Lightning Saix," the doctor answered. Both Irvine and Tania gazed questioningly at him, wondering how he knew what it was. "You'd be surprised how much doctors will talk to each other, even if their jobs have nothing in common. This zoid was created to be the ultimate weapon to defeat the Blade Liger. It has four retractable Strike Laser Claws, a double-barreled Vulcan Gun, and a Pulse Laser Rifle along with a Boosterpack, two Wing Stabilizers, and two Vertical Stabilizers."

Tania and Irvine both had drool coming out of the corners of their mouths. "I think I'll take this one, Tania," he stated. "You can have the Saber Tiger."

"I don't think so, pal," she argued. "This one's mine, and I don't intend to give it up to anyone, not even you."

Irvine laughed. "I was just joking," he replied. "In this zoid, you'll all but fly back to Red River, and I want you to stay there as you're in no shape to be fighting any battles."

She was clearly reluctant to leave him here alone, but she had no other choice as he was right. "Just be careful, Irvine, please," she pleaded.

He smiled then assisted Tania into the cockpit of the Lightning Saix, making sure she was comfortable before leaving to haul Tragar into the cockpit of the Saber Tiger behind the seat where he knew that it would be uncomfortable for him but he didn't care. The doctor ordered them onto the platform so that he could open the hangar doors, cautioning them that once the doors opened an alarm would sound that would quite possibly alert everyone as to what was going on. They thanked him for his help then guided their zoids onto the platform, cringing as the alarm sounded and if everyone managed to sleep through it then they might as well be dead. The doors seemed to take forever to open, but Tania knew it was only because they were in such a hurry to leave that it seemed that way.

Finally they opened and they leaped out into a sky that was brightened by the early morning sun only to stop at what they saw waiting for them. A ring of Rev Raptors lined the sides of the valley, all of them prepared to fight if any move was made to escape.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted him!" Irvine cried, his voice filled with rage.

"I don't think he's to blame," she said, thinking that someone somehow knew what they had planned. "Irvine, I think it's time to find out what this zoid's made of."

"Tania, don't!" he shouted.

She ignored him and spurred the Lightning Saix into action. "I'm not going to be captured without a fight, Irvine," she replied, unable to say anymore as she was thrown back into her seat when the Saix took off with an amazing burst of speed. When she was halfway to the Rev Raptors, she noticed a button on the side of the cockpit and pushed it, wondering what it was for. "Holy shit!" she cried when the zoid flashed forward with lightning speed, leaving a wake of disruption that toppled the Raptors whenever it hit them, Irvine shooting them down with the Saber Tiger's triple impact cannon. But she wasn't able to take them all down and they were forced to battle the rest the best they could with what weapons they had.

They sustained some damage to their zoids, but eventually managed to defeat enough of them so that they could make an escape. But when they looked where the hangar was located, there were more powerful zoids being lifted to join the battle. "Tania, make a run for it!" Irvine cried as he raced past her, and she took off after him while keeping the Saix' speed so that it matched the Tiger's.

No sooner had they left than there were sudden explosions all around them. "Sinker zoids!" she shouted, looking at the sky around them. "This is unreal!"

"Maybe you should return the Saix to them," he suggested dryly. "Then they might leave us alone, you think?"

"Not on your life," she replied, shooting a few of the aerial zoids to the ground as she ran. Soon they both saw dust on the horizon, which only led them to wonder if there were more of the enemies' forces along the way.

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Author's note: As I have said before, I suck at describing battles. The next chapter will be the last as this piece of fiction is nearing its end. *sniff* Who are the new forces coming to join the battle? And an ending that is guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye.

	19. Chapter Nineteen

Author's note: *SOB* Last chapter! Anyway, Tania will be back on track in this chapter.

Thomas: Finally!

Shelly: What? Who was that? Oh well, enjoy the fic!

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Irvine, look ahead on the horizon," she said as she dodged the sinker zoids' missiles and fired back at them to send them crashing to the ground in balls of fire.

"I see it," he replied. "Let's not worry about that now. It may be help coming." At that point, the Saber Tiger was hit with a heavy barrage of fire and when the smoke cleared it was down on the ground unable to move as Irvine had been knocked unconscious.

"Irvine!" she cried, but received no answer and she positioned her Lightning Saix directly over him to try and protect him as long as she could, but she was growing weary herself and wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out. Her leg throbbed with every beat of her heart which pounded furiously within her from the adrenaline that flowed through her. Her vision began to waver and she had trouble focusing on the sinker zoids that headed her way, preparing to finish the job, and she braced herself for the inevitable.

When it didn't come, she looked up to see the Blade Liger standing near her with his shield protecting them both as the missiles exploded around them. "Van?" she whispered.

"Tania?" he called, seeing the Saber Tiger down and wondering if she was okay.

"Van?" she replied, her voice a little stronger this time.

"Are you all right?" he asked, relieved to hear her voice.

"I'll be fine," she answered. "It's a good thing you got here when you did."

"Wait a minute. Is that you inside that zoid?" he questioned, looking it over with a glance, but he received no answer as she had already fainted inside the cockpit. "Tania?" he called again, worried that something had happened to her. "Thomas, Colonel Shubaltz, I need your help over here. I think Tania's down and so is whoever's inside the Saber Tiger."

"Roger that, Van," Thomas replied. "I'll be there in a second."

Soon Thomas arrived along with Colonel Shubaltz, who asked his brother to cover him while he checked on the pilots of the zoids. He checked the Saber Tiger first as he hadn't heard Van say anything past Tania being hurt, frowning in confusion when he saw Irvine slumped over and another who was trussed up tightly. He pulled the stranger out where he could see him, smiling when he saw it was Colonel Tragar and it appeared he was out cold.

Then he checked the Lightning Saix, barely taking enough time to admire the new zoid before getting inside the cockpit to see Tania slumped over as well. "Tania?" He gently pulled her back against the seat, and her face came into view where he saw the dark bruise that covered her cheek. "Tania," he called again, as he gently shook her to try and rouse her, hoping that she hadn't left him for good. With that thought in mind, he lowered his head to listen to her breathing, happy to see her chest rise and fall as well as see her stir weakly.

Tania opened her eyes to see a vision she thought she would never see again. "Karl?" she whispered, a weak rush of joy giving her enough energy to hold him close as he embraced her, surprised to feel tears running down her face.

"I was so worried about you," he said as he looked into her eyes, alarmed at her weakness but glad she was alive. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head slowly. "My leg...hurts," she whispered as she gazed into the green pools of his eyes that she thought she would never look into again. Seeing him once more, she wondered how she could ever have left him and been able to live without him, and she reached up to take his face in her hands and kiss him softly as she didn't have enough energy to do anything more. "Karl," she breathed as her tears continued to fall. "I love you so much."

Tears of his own moistened his eyes. "I love you, too, Tania," he replied. "I'm sorry for everything I did to you. I was so stupid to think--" He was stopped by her finger on his lips.

"It's okay," she answered. "I would've done the same thing had the situations been reversed. Why is it so quiet?"

"I think the fighting has been drawn away from us, or else they retreated. Where does your leg hurt?"

"My right calf," she answered.

He leaned down to rip open the pant leg, gasping as he saw the bandage was soaked with fresh blood. "Tania," he breathed. "What happened?"

"Tragar...shot me shortly after I arrived. But don't worry...I paid him back with a knife in the foot."

He came back up to look at her cheek with worry in his eyes. "Did he do this as well?" She nodded and he fought against dragging Tragar out and dealing with him himself.

"Karl, is Tania all right?" Thomas' voice sounded in the cockpit.

"I'm fine, Thomas," she replied. "Just a little weak. I never thought I'd say this, but it's good to hear your voice."

Thomas smiled inside the Dibison. "Just so long as you're all right, that's all that matters."

They both laughed, Tania bringing Karl's lips back to hers for a kiss full of love that lingered long after they pulled away from each other. Her eyes widened suddenly. "Irvine!" she gasped. "How is he? Have you checked on him yet?"

"He's fine, just unconscious from that last assault. Tragar is still out, and I promise you he will pay once we return him to the Capital City."

"Good," she replied, happy that she could finally look forward to a life of her own free of deceptions, a life with the man she loved who she would never stray from again.

"Well, Hiltz? Did this one turn out like you expected?" Riese asked.

"I can say that at least one good thing came out of this," he replied. "Now I know that I never should've put my trust in Tragar. But it doesn't matter as in the end all will beg for mercy before the Dark Kaiser. Come, Riese," he said as he turned away from the sight before him. "It is time for us to find Raven."

The enemy forces were routed and drove from the base by Republican forces, who immediately sent in a ground team to search the base for any remaining personnel who promptly surrendered as they knew they were outnumbered. Irvine and Tania were taken back to Red River where they could receive medical attention and a team of Gustavs transported the Lightning Saix, Command Wolf, and Saber Tiger back there as well.

Tania's leg wound was rebandaged and told to remain abed until tomorrow as she also suffered from exhaustion. Irvine was checked as well and diagnosed in good condition so he didn't have to stay, and he found Tania's room where he stayed by her side until she woke again.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired and weak," she smiled. "But never have I been happier in my life."

He returned her smile, seeing the happiness that shone within her eyes and knowing that it wasn't him that had put it there. "You saw Colonel Shubaltz?"

"Yes," she replied.

He nodded. "You belong together, Tania, you and him. You both love each other so much."

She saw his sadness even though he was trying to hide it. "Irvine, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I encouraged things between us that I had no right to, and I know that you're hurting because of it."

"It's not your fault," he assured her. "I was as much to blame as anyone."

She smiled. "Where will you go now? You know Van and Fiona would want you to stay, and I would like you to as well."

"Who knows? Wherever the smell of money takes me," he replied, rising to his feet. "Get some rest. Maybe I'll see you soon."

"Okay," she answered, but as soon as Irvine left Van appeared a moment later. "Van!" she cried, accepting his enthusiastic embrace.

"Tania, I'm so glad you're okay," he said as he sat down on the bed beside her.

She heard a familiar rumbling and looked to see Zeke moving to her bedside as well. Then the door opened and Thomas and Fiona entered the room, each of them greeting her with hugs and well wishes. But then she noticed someone standing apart from the rest, and she craned her neck around to try and see who it was, and everyone stepped aside to allow her a better view. "Colonel Kruegar!" she exclaimed.

He moved to her bedside and embraced her warmly. "It's good to see you, Tania," he said. "Although now we can say that we will be happy to see one another in the future as your part has been done, and we are grateful for all you have done. Rest now. We will have plenty of time to speak to each other later."

She smiled as he left, enjoying the company of her friends until all of them left except for Van. "Where's Karl? Shouldn't he be back by now?"

"I believe that Tragar woke up finally and they're questioning him now, especially Colonel Shubaltz since Tragar used to be with the Imperial Army," Van answered.

"That's likely to take a while," she said then took Van's hand in her own and held it for a bit. "Van, I want to thank you for being my friend even when you thought I had betrayed you. That meant a lot to me."

He smiled. "You played a pretty convincing part. I think the only one who suspected anything was Thomas, but then he's pretty much suspicious about everybody except Fiona and those in the military."

Tania laughed. "I hated not being able to tell you everything, but I wasn't sure if there were others here working for Tragar or whoever else is behind all this." Then she yawned, trying her best to hide it but unable to do so.

"I'll leave you to your rest," Van said, leaning over to embrace her tightly. "I love you," he whispered softly.

She looked into his eyes and smiled. "I love you, too, Van," she replied. "I'll see you tomorrow." Then she watched him leave before she settled down into the covers and let sleep overtake her, and it was perhaps the most restful she had had in a long while.

The next day the doctor checked in on her at various times to look at the bandage and to ask about her general well-being, and he eventually told her she would be released this evening. She thought it an odd time but didn't think much on it as she had various visitors throughout the day who brought her gifts to help speed her recovery.

Soon the doctor approved her to leave, and Thomas happened to be there visiting so he helped take her back to his brother's suite in a wheelchair. Thankfully he had brought her a change of clothes, a uniform similar to the one that Van wore that would do until she could pick out something else, and it was a good thing he had done so. As soon as she entered the suite, she was greeted by a chorus of "Welcome Back!" from her friends and one happy, loud roar from Zeke. Everyone was there, including Colonel Kruegar, as they shared in a feast meant to celebrate her return. Karl, of course, was there, dressed in clothing similar to what he had wore the first time they were together, and he stayed by her side the whole night, never hesitating to kiss or touch her whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Then he stood from the table and called for everyone's attention, who seemed to know what was coming as Thomas and Van were trying to hide grins behind their hands and Fiona looked as if she was ready to cry. "I would like to propose a toast to someone who has brought so much into my life I cannot begin to thank her. For years I have been many things, have shared many ranks in the military. I have also been a brother, a very proud brother even though most of the time I don't show it," he added, sharing a smile with Thomas. "I have also been happy to call as friends some of the bravest fighters I have known," he said as his eyes fell on Van, Fiona, Kruegar, and Irvine. Zeke rumbled loudly, and Karl laughed. "And you, too, Zeke.

"But for the first time in my life I would like to try and become something which may at times be the hardest thing to try and become, but will no doubt fill my life with a happiness that I believe I do not deserve and am incredibly lucky to have." He moved over in front of Tania and lowered himself down onto one knee as he took his hand in hers. "Tania, I have been your friend as well as your lover," he began as he reached into his pocket and produced a small white box. "But if you would have me, I would ask to be your husband just as I wish you to spend the rest of your life with me as my wife." He opened the box and inside sparkled a brilliant diamond ring which he removed and slipped onto her finger.

Her eyes had already begun to fill with tears at his loving words, but when he placed the ring on her finger she looked into his own eyes with surprise at seeing them glistening with moisture. She was speechless as she was shocked beyond belief and incredibly happy at the same time, and unbelievably lucky that she had met someone like him. "Karl," she breathed. "I am the one who is lucky to have had someone like you to love. Never had I hoped that I would find a love like ours, one as strong and true that will last us for the rest of our lives. Yes, I will most happily be your wife as I very much want you to be my husband," she said as the tears fell down her cheeks. "I love you," she cried as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her off her feet when he stood to better hold her in his arms.

"I love you, too," he replied. "And never, never will I hurt you again for as long as I live," he said, sealing the promise with a passionate kiss that had everyone blushing.

Smiling hugely, Van looked at Thomas and Fiona, who he was surprised to see hugging one another with tears in their own eyes, and he was a little disappointed that he had no one to share in their happiness with. Then he heard Zeke behind him before the organoid placed his head on Van's shoulder, rumbling softly in his ear, and everything was all right once more.

The End

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*Wipes nose and eyes with a kleenex.* Aww! Happy endings always make me cry. Thanx to all those who reviewed as your input meant a lot. I am happy that you enjoyed it through the good times. (And the bad!-Thomas) *Levels glare at him.* I was going to say that. Anyway, tell me if any of you would like a sequel to this. I have an idea kind of floating around in my head and want to know if you think it a good idea to continue this story. Thanx again!

End file.

Loyalties of the Heart by Shelly3