It seems fitting that this should be my fate... drifting alone in space, away from the sounds of battle, away from the violence that has plagued me for all of my life. Away from... everything. Into the dark reaches, where the only sound that can be heard is the beating of your own heart, the rasping of your breath, and your own voice as you try and speak to whatever spirits might be here, listening to you.

If there are any here that are waiting for me, I do not speak to them, and they in turn do not reply. That is also as it should be... for is this not the death that I believed that I would always have? Once that battles has ended, there are no places for warriors in the new world of peace. In effect, I have committed suicide, and destroyed the only life that I have ever known.

You knew that this was what I wanted, Treize. A chance to show the world the true horror of war. A chance to show them that peace, the total pacifism that my younger sister so readily embraces, is the only answer to a world that has been gripped by so many different battles that you often can not distinguish one from another. And in the end, you gave your life for that belief. With your death, there will be no military leaders left on Earth or in space who are capable of raising another army such as we have just seen.

After your death... and mine.

Why does that thought cause so much conflict with me? Why can I not accept death, now that it is here to claim me at long last? Is it not a soldier’s dream to die in battle, or soon afterwards, no matter what the outcome may have been? Have I not become victorious, even though history will remember Milliardo Peacecraft as the loser of the battle of Libra? Did I not bring my ideals to acceptance among the people of earth and space? I have done all that I originally set out to do... and yet I still am not satisfied.

In my hand is the one of the sources of my irritation. The device that will trigger the self destruction system onboard Epyon... useless. Just a piece of plastic and metal, as cold and lifeless as most of the other systems on the Gundam. The system was probably damaged in my last battle, but how this error came about is of no real importance. All that matters is that I can no longer vanish in the shroud of flame that I so expected o depart this life in... instead I must be content to wait for the end.

Fuel at 23%. Oxygen at 15%. Estimated one hour until total system shutdown.

One hour of life... can I manage to come to terms with myself in that time? No, I doubt it... I feel as if there is something missing, something that I need to do, to correct, before I can join Treize in his eternal rest. But what else is there for me to do? I can not go back to Earth now, after I’ve become a monster in their eyes. I can not return to space... Epyon is too badly damaged, too low on fuel, to effect such a return.

And beyond all of that, I find that there is one last piece of evidence that I find hard to refute... Epyon, the Zero System, tells me that I have no future. Everything that I was shown in this cockpit, all of the possibilities of futures to come that I would be involved in, vanished the moment that I ended my battle with Wing Zero. Now, there is only darkness... an empty void that I am staring into that matches the depths of space for its blackness. Is it the lack of any data, any vision of the future, that is causing me to feel this way? Or do I despair for something else?

"Treize, what is left for me to do? After all of this time, I thought that I would be able to rest... and soon it seems that I will be able to. So why do I feel as if I have left my work unfinished?" My voice echoes inside of Epyon’s cockpit, my question returned to me a dozen times over. And each time that it brushes past my ear like a feather, it taunts my inability to determine what must be done.

"That depends, my friend. Perhaps it is not that work that you feel has been left unfinished, but that you are somehow unsatisfied with the manner in which you accomplished that work?" My spine stiffens like a sword blade at the sound of his voice, as if he is sitting right next to me. But that is impossible... I heard the announcement that was made by Lady Une shortly before the end of the battle... he can’t be alive. And even if he was, how could he be here?

There is nothing else for me to do, other than answer. Perhaps I am just imagining things. Or I am going insane, the lack of oxygen altering my perceptions, making me hear voices. Or maybe one of the spirits here has decided to answer me after all. In a strange way, it seems appropriate that he would be here in my final hours, waiting for me. Ready to escort me to my final destination when the time finally comes, not ready to leave me alone... as any good friend would. "What do you mean by that, Treize? Of course I am satisfied with how everything has turned out. We have achieved everything that we could have dreamed of accomplishing with the destruction of Libra, the White Fang, and the Earth Military. What else could I want from this existence, now that I am certain that my father’s legacy will live on and bring peace to the world?"

I can almost smell the polish that he uses on his boots, as well as the faint aroma from his cologne. I can hear him as he runs a hand through his hair and turns to look towards the front of the cockpit, and I know that his expression is the same smug smirk that he always wears on his face when he believes he knows something more than you do. And when he speaks, it is in the same slow, soft over that he uses to address any of his subordinates.

"But in order for you to accomplish that task, you were forced to become the villain of this play, Zechs. You joined with the White Fang, and vowed to destroy the Earth in order to preserve peace in space. Even though your goal was to achieve peace in both areas, you were forced to forsake your vows as a knight, and you believe that you have compromised your honor."

The thought had occurred to me, before I left on Epyon for the final battle with Heero. But I had never seriously entertained the possibility until now. But I had done nothing wrong, nothing no other warlord attempting to conquer the world would have done... I had my group of fanatic followers, and a legion of faceless minions in the form of the Virgo mobile dolls. I had forced the World Nation to follow Treize into battle, and lose almost all of their military strength...

Almost as if he can hear my thoughts Treize continues with his lecture with the same tone that he always uses when he speaks to me. "But you wanted to accept my challenge, didn’t you Zechs? The decision to send all of your forces into a great battle, where many people would die, instead of going forth to settle the issue in a single duel, is not one that sat well with you. You knew that the only way we would be able to convince the people of Earth and those in space of the horrors of battle was to fight the war to end all wars." The lecture pauses as he chuckles for a moment, a low, melodious sound that echoes in my ears as he reflects on the situation. "You became what you despised the most... a warlord who is unwilling to risk himself, but wishes to press his ideas upon a great many people through threat of force. And worse... you became a merchant of death, using soulless mobile dolls instead of risking the lives of your soldiers.

"But you didn’t have a choice, did you? After all, if you were to impress the world with the horror of war, you had to pay for that impression with the only coin that mankind will accept... human blood. I provided you with that blood... you simply had to provide the opposing force that would drive fear into their hearts. But you were still able to ride out to the front lines and do battle alongside of the mobile dolls, and to confront your enemies directly. But this was not enough for you, was it Zechs? You are, after all, a knight and member of the Peacecraft royal family..."

"Zechs Merquise was a knight and a count, a respected member of the Organization of Zodiac and one of the greatest mobile suit pilots in the world. But you gave up that name and became Milliardo Peacecraft, pilot of the Gundam Epyon and leader of the White Fang." But did I give up my honor and ideals as well, when I gave up my identity as the Lightning Count? Milliardo Peacecraft should not have cared about honor or chivalry... but..." There is the sound of cloth sliding across skin and leather creaking slightly as he shrugs in that detached gesture he uses when he believes that a foregone conclusion has been reached.

"I don’t see how that should matter. I gave up any claim I had to the name of Zechs when I left Oz. At the risk of repeating your Treize, I don’t see why you are here telling me all of this. I have no future now... I’ve served my purpose, and now I am simply waiting for my end to arrive." My eyes drift closed as I make this final pronouncement, a feeling of lethargy already settling into my limbs. Remaining awake to have this conversation has obviously cost me precious oxygen, and it seems that my end will come faster than I had previously expected.

And he laughs again, mocking my words even as I am trying to convince him to leave me alone. A flash of irritation crosses my mind as he continues to speak... why can he not simply leave me alone? I am tired, Treize... I want to rest, and leave the world behind me. I want to be able to die and know that my job has been completed. But his words keep drawing me back, filling my mind with doubts as to if my purpose in life has truly been fulfilled... because if it has not, then I can hardly afford to die just yet...

But he continues to speak none the less, as if he does not notice my discomfort... although I know that Treize would not have missed such a detail. But... does he even care...? Or does it simply not matter to him at the moment? The only way to find out is to listen as he slowly begins to demolish all of my comforts and securities in the path I have chosen.

"You can hardly believe that the Zero system is capable of showing you the future, Zechs," he says quietly, and I can hear him running his fingers over the controls of the cockpit, as if testing them for some interior flaw. "It is a system that simply allows you to eliminate all of your distractions... any visions of the future that it imparts to you are simply an extension of your own consciousness, an altered form of perception given to you by the narrowing of your world to this one moment, and what might come from it. If the Zero system shows you that you have no future... then perhaps it is because you believe that you have none. But because you do not see one for yourself, it does not mean it is absent."

"What...?!?" The words are torn from my throat by shock, surprise... the fact that I might have errored badly in my actions of the last few weeks. No, not that I might be in error... that I allowed a simple machine to give me confidence in my actions, when I should have drawn such reassurance from my own heart. "What are you saying, Treize...?"

"I am not saying anything... I simply suggest that your time in this world may not yet be over. Of all the luxuries that you permitted yourself, Zechs... you treasured hope for your future the most. You will not be permitted to squander such a noble gift simply because you believe that your life is over." Another short laugh echoes through the cockpit as he mocks my very thoughts.

"But what room does this new world have left for warriors, Treize...?" That is the question... if I have so changed the world, have I not made myself completely redundant? Do I even have a purpose now that the Earth and her colonies are on their way to total pacifism? Beyond all of that... even if there is a place for me, will I be able to survive in order to try and find that place in this new world that I have helped to create? Epyon can barely support me, and soon it won’t matter, will it Treize...?

"Sleep then, Milliardo... this world has no place for you, now. Your task is complete... go to your well deserved rest..."

I only have a moment to reflect on his words, because in the next Epyon suddenly rocks violently as it is seized from the outside, its forward motion brought to a sudden and abrupt halt.

"And awaken, my old friend Zechs... it is time for you to discover what new surprises that this world has in store for you..."