Private Short Story

[SteamPanzer]

I am Maria Maximillion, this is my story

I was born sometime in what I think is July, it’s so hard to remember, it was probably around twentieth day of that month, but that was long before the renewed Zeon War. What a nightmare, I had a brother that was 9 years older than me, he protected and played with me as I grew up and he grew older. We both attended prestigious academies and met lifelong friends I even met the boy that little to my knowledge would be my future husband, and we both graduated at the top of our classes. After the academy I attended a university in Eurasia and took to riding, my mount was a black charger called Frosthoof because of white markings on his hooves, I spent many days in the stables, I got my degree in astro mechanics and mathematics. Even after my graduation I spent a lot of time on the farm my friend and love interest Tomak owned, he managed to buy me FrostHoof and he and I spent a lot of time riding around the 1500 acre ranch he bought tending to his herd of horses.

We talked over marriage many times but neither of us was yet willing to make that commitment, and we decided to stay together not as husband and wife, but as partners. We didn’t make much money, but with the money Tomak had from his exceedingly wealthy family we didn’t need it. when his family bought land on the moon and had an astro dome built over it and terraformed it to mimic their lands on Earth Tomak and myself jumped at the chance, his parents had us work the land to be suitable for a lunar estate, the work took several years but when it was finished the mansion became ours. And then the one year started, our home on the moon was suddenly a front row seat to an invasion of earth and my father’s commision was reactivated and he left my mother for the front lines. My brother joined the Zeon side out of a love of independence and his always supporting the underdog, as he knew the more glorious fight was fighting alongside Zeon against the Earth Federation.

I fear he and my father will reunite one day, not as father and son, but as mortal enemies, what I didn’t know at the time was that I too would reunite with them, and I would have to choose to support one or the other.
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Karl Maximilian, my big brother, he reminds me so much of father, the earth federation forces have no clue what they are facing now, they aren’t fighting zeons anymore, but actual gundams. I fear for his safety night and day but mother is not, she thinks about father, both my father and big brother cross blades, like they always did, when they would butt heads due to political ideals. My father, Zachariah Maximilian leads the earth federation ground forces but my brother, in his arrogance sided with the neo zeon, I fear one day one will kill the other I hope my brother realizes his mistake and comes home, not in a body bag, or in a zeon uniform.

I am Maria Maximilian Zalcorra, I am now 26 years old and I am the pilot of Banshee.

I recently did battle with my big brother’s battle suit,, and he was no longer the brother I knew, the man I faced was different than the boy that would always protect me, he was brother, my best friend, my protector. But now, my brother is dead, murdered by the man that walks in his stead, if I wasn’t a pilot i’m certain he would kill me without hesitation or a second thought. I wish mother were here to comfort me, but she’s happy now, and in a better place, only father and I were at her funeral, I’ve never seen him cry until that day, and it will haunt me the rest of my life. I just wish my brother had been there, my husband stayed by my mother’s bedside the night she died, of a broken heart. My husband is Tomak Zalcorra, Banshee’s former pilot, but when he recruited me from my home, when we married, Banshee chose who would be his pilot, and my husband stayed behind to care for my ailing mother.

At first father was bitter that I had married into Gundam, but when he saw how my husband was caring for his sick wife, my mother, he softened, my husband is very soft spoken and only speaks when it’s important. My father showed great mercy that day and has a dedicated guard unit to protect my mother’s grave site on the hill overlooking the sea shore, it was her favorite place. She used to take me there when me and my brother were both still children, ignorant to the war going on high above our heads, at night we’d watch the stars and listen to the sound of the crashing waves. I miss those times, but little did me or my brother know, most of the stars we’d see were not stars, but fights between the factions I now fight.

I find it sad I now hold the power of life and death, in the very palm of my hand, I hope when this war is done, to not ever draw my sword ever again, for I do not want to fight.
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With new and more powerful enemies the research and development team of RX-O created a new Gundam, Unicorn, and now, with two Gundams, RX-O has better chances of being the victors and driving the warring factions to the peace table. This war never seems to end, and it feels to me to be the only way it will end is with the destruction of the Zeon remnant and Neo Zeon, or of earth and the Earth Federation. It seems fated my family be torn asunder by the hounds of war as father said it would, ever since I was just a little girl my father said I would have to one day make a choice that would decide the difference in the life of one, or the life of the other.

I never realized his words meaning until today, that one day my father and brother will face off for the final time and I am sortied to stop them. It will come down to my choice, to side with my father, or to side with my brother, but I hope that day never comes, but that is just a hope of an ignorant child. I know all too well it will come, and I fear I will not be ready to decide who is right, and who is wrong, and aid to kill my own father, or my own brother.
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With the new Beast Protocol, Banshee Norn and Full Armored Unicorn are now more than a match for all but the strongest Neo Zeon and Earth Federation mobile suits. Peace on Earth is now no longer a dream of mine, but I still fear the day I am placed between my brother and father.
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With the war drawing to a close personal vendettas are becoming the rule of the day, and prisoner of war camps are filling up, each time I visit I hope to find my brother’s name among those taken prisoner by the Earth Federation Forces. But each time I leave disappointed, and the dark prophecy still on my mind, I don’t want my brother or father to die, it would leave me too shaken.
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It’s come, My father, and his Silver Bullet stands with all weapons ready, facing my brother and his Sinjanju I feared this day would come, and it has, I am terribly afraid, and I feel tears come to my eyes as I am ordered to my suit, I did not want this day to come. As Banshee enters the area I shut off my commlink to my base and remove my helmet and turn on the auto pilot so I could just cry. I feel everything that was held back come out and my Banshee looks on quietly as my father and brother come onto my screen, I will do my best to settle this matter peacefully, mother help me in my time of greatest need.
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It’s over, no longer the war is fought, but I have seen my family’s blood spilled in this war just recently was my brother buried next to my mother, at least they are together again, and someday I will join them. I remember the fight too well, the Sinjanju was a hard target to hit and it took all my strength to defeat the man that was only in body my brother, but I’m sure he made his peace moments before his death did he realize his error, if he had only seen it sooner. I will miss my brother deeply and the fight against him was very distressing, if not disturbing, and I hope I can prevent further families feeling such pain in the future. By my actions and my experiences, goodby Banshee, my sword will no longer be unsheathed, my rifle not loaded, and my weapon, not lifted.