Title: At Freedom's Expense
Series: Guilty Gear
Rating: 13+
Canon notes:  Take place some time after the events in GGXX.

Chapter 6: A Pack of Lies

The island of Crete was known for being a wasteland. It was one of the
first areas that were completely leveled by Justice during the wars
and became a heavy Gear outpost. With nothing but the ocean to stand
in their way, they had clear access to Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.

When the war ended, all attempts to rebuild on the island were
thwarted time and time again by a 'nest' of Gears that had yet to
succumb to the present day powers. The large aerial Gears known as
'Roc's, named after the gargantuan bird of legend, could not be
brought down by normal means. They were simply too large and often
existed too numerously in their packs for any hope of obliterating
them. However, to those in the surrounding areas, they hardly ever
went far enough from their island to do any damage to the populace in
the surrounding countries. Primarily, it was simply too far for them
to bother. Secondly, only those ships, air or sea, that traveled close
enough to the island were the only targets the Rocs aimed for.
Eventually, the routes went around the island and the UN and IPF would
hope the beasts would inevitably die out since they couldn't live
forever, unlike Justice and Testament.

The greater irony was, it was the best spot for an underwater or
underground base or factory. There would be no one to disturb whoever
wished to build in those areas since the Rocs only lived above ground
and it left no mark to be seen by the visible eye.

It was also the place where the infamous 'Robo-Ky' soldiers of the
Post War Administration Bureau were being built in the region... or so
said the information that Potemkin had supplied Ky with.

On a pier of the still rebuilding Grecian city, of Athens, Ky stood
with his arms folded. It was something to do keep his arms from
dangling and keeping his concentration, the other to keep warm. Though
it was still spring, the mornings next to oceans were always cold. It
would be some hours before the sun would rise and warm the beach.

Beside him, Dizzy, the hybrid Gear and his protectorate slept, curled
up against a pole. Though they were more than prepared to meet the
Prime Minister of Greece and the men Gepetto had mentioned a few weeks
prior, they both figured they had to get as much sleep as they could.

Even if the factory was as secret as the Bureau wished to believe, Ky
had no reason to believe that it was defenseless. There was a list of
other former Holy Order soldiers he would have also enlisted for this
raid.

Of the list of men, only three names stood out more than the others.
Jaygus, a confidant of his during the Parisian base attack and
subsequent missions during the last part of the Crusades, but the name
carried an interesting weight to it that he tried not to think of.
Rivarez; a soldier that had distinguished himself during the battle
for Lyon. He was about to name the last one, but he had to forcibly
remind himself that Darton was gone. He wanted to see the man live.
Wanted to see him get out of the Order and on with the life he wanted
to live. Most of all, he wanted to apologize and ask for forgiveness.

Taking another turn from his charge, he slowly went to his knees,
clasped his hands together, and whispered words that only he knew of
to the God he felt had preserved his life for this long.

He wanted to believe that he was doing the right thing. He was without
options in the legal side of his work and no matter what; there were
forces that were determined to undermine his efforts to bring peace.
Now, here he was. Conducting a secret raid. Moving through the
shadows, just like those who wished him ill. Then, a frightening
thought came to mind. Was he becoming no better than the Bureau?

"So, even the greatest of paladins seek the comfort of Allah before
going into battle, eh?"

Turning around, he saw a squad of men, covered in black jump suits and
equipped to accomplish their goal. Some held unusual scopes on their
foreheads and loaded packs on their belts and or waists.

The leader of the squad stepped forward and pulled off his headgear. A
plat of disshelved dusty blond hair fell around his shoulders, and it
did little to cover the scar running upwards of his cheek. What
worried Ky most was the seemingly permanent scowl that seemed etched
into his face and his eyes were either the result of a lack of sleep
or simply a mean attitude. Despite this, the man reached forward and
extended his hand.

"Haan Hazrat. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kiske."

Though surprised, Ky extended his hand and shook Haan's, noticing the
firm and slightly tight grip he had.

"Thank you for coming. Though I can't say I'm just a bit nervous
considering all that's happening."

Another voice answered from the shadows. "You needn't worry. When it
comes to saboteurs, this man and his group are the best."

Both turned to see a new visitor step into the light as Dizzy began to stir.

Ky couldn't tell if there was derision or admiration in Haan's tone as
he said, "You like doing that too much, Calcos." He was a medium sized
man in an official suit shrugged with a casual smile. He ran his hand
over his hairless head and sighed, evidently not used to working in
hours as late as this. Despite being nearly a decade older than Ky, he
seemed no less dangerous than Haan or his compatriots. In fact, Ky
felt slightly uncomfortable whenever he smiled, because of the almost
reptilian nature of his face.

"It's not every day the leader of a rebuilding country get to engage
in warfare... indirectly of course. After all, in a twisted sort of
way, I miss the Crusades and this is a rare opportunity."

Noticing Ky's cocked eyebrow, Haan answered Ky's unasked question,
"This is the Prime Minister of Greece, Aeon Calcos. He was just the
first to take the position after being the head of the Olympus Militia
for most of his life."

Taking note of Dizzy standing up behind him, he replied, "It's not
surprising. Most of the heads of state are volunteers. Everyone else
is too busy trying to survive."

Nodding, Aeon smiled that reptilian smile, "I can agree. Though I
can't deny the benefits. So, I think I can stand being the Prime
Minister for a little while longer."

Haan snorted, "Liar, you'd stay there for the rest of your life if you
didn't have to step down in another two years."

Aeon turned to Haan and smirked, "You are right, lying is what we
politicians do best," he turned his predatory gaze to Ky, "And I
assume our prestigious Mr. Kiske knows that all too well, dealing with
the heads of the U.N."

Ky knew he was being baited, but kept his opinion to himself as he
tried to change the subject, "I assume we're going to be going to the
island by water, right?"

Placing his hands in his pockets, Aeon's smirk grew, "Give the man a
cigar. However, you're going in a slightly different manner than you
expected."

Ky was about to ask when one of Haan's subordinates tossed Ky and
Dizzy a pair of black body suits. Made to cover the whole body, he
noticed a pair of goggles and a mouthpiece with a glowing blue stick
on one side and a white one on the other.

Aeon was on the verge of laughing at his disbelief when he asked,
"Tell me, Mr. Kiske. How good are you at swimming?"

"What? You intend for us to swim all the way to Crete? It's got to be
over several hundred kilometers from here."

Aeon frowned. "Of course not. You all will be stowing on a cargo ship
heading to Thira. From there, you'll be using some equipment we
'acquired' from some pre-Crusades storage rooms to make it to the
island undetected. Once there, you wreck the place, your information
officer will get some files from their database and you'll leave the
eastern part of the island to Karpathos, where you'll join another one
of our squads. From there, it's to Turkey and once you get back into
the E.U. nations, you're done!"

"What about the Rocs?"

"They can't go far from Crete. Once you get to Karpathos, you'll be
out of their control zone. And that's not the only thing. You're not
in U.N. territory when you get to Rhodes and Turkey. They've been
rather hostile to U.N. folk nowadays. Civil unrest and all that. So,
you'd best be on your toes until you get back to Greece."

Haan grumbled as his men started to march onto the cargo ship, "Even
then, the Bureau won't be too happy to have their little toys busted,
so they'll be even more alert than ever."

Aeon stepped forward and handed Ky a set of folded papers. "These are
the most up to date plans we got of the factory. You'll need to find a
way in without letting yourselves known, shutting down their alarms so
they can't call for help, and getting out of there as soon as
possible."

Placing the plans in his pocket, he cocked his eyebrow. "That goes
without saying."

All humor gone from Aeon's face, he nodded. "Glad to see we are in
agreement, Mr. Kiske."

Not feeling very tactful at the moment, he spoke quietly, "If I may
ask, Prime Minister, why exactly are you doing this?"

Aeon's almost bloodthirsty smile appeared. "What makes you think I'll
tell you the truth?"

In response, Ky frowned. "Because we both are fighting the same enemy."

A small chuckle emanated from Aeon as he stepped up and stood face to
face with Ky. "Just because your enemy and my enemy are one in the
same, does not make us friends. You want your facade of a world peace.
I want my position as long as I can keep it. And that is a truth I do
not shame myself in admitting. If you want to live in your little
fantasy world where everything comes as you think it should, then so
be it, but I assure you, Kiske. Keep looking up and you will fall hard
from the things you don't wanna see."

Not backing down from Aeon's transparent challenge, Ky answered in
kind. "I am not ignorant of the things around me, Prime Minister. Not
to mention the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But that does not, nor
will it, deter me from doing what I believe to be right."

Aeon's toothy grin grew as he started to laugh more audibly. "You
really are as naive as they say. And just as arrogant."

"My arrogance, sir, extends just as far as my conscience demands."

Aeon stepped back and placed his hand on his chest. "Oh, forgive me,
Lord Kiske. I wasn't aware you were elected Viceroy during the
intervening years of the Crusades. That's what they do to heroes,
don't they?"

"Aeon, that's enough!" Haan said from the freighter. "We're going to
miss the current!"

Ky and Aeon's standoff continued before the Prime Minister retreated.
With a malicious smirk, he said, "better get going, hero. Destiny
calls."

Their gazes didn't detach as Dizzy's footsteps brought Ky back to
reality. He gave one last glare to Aeon before stepping onto the plank
and onto the freighter.

Within minutes, the boat's whistle bellowed for the early morning
cargo shipment to depart. Slowly and powered by magic generators used
by most transportation, the boat left the harbor and departed from the
docks.

Returning to the shadows, Aeon considered the words Ky had uttered
before their parting and snorting. "He just doesn't get it..."

A new voice accompanied his footsteps. "I wouldn't count on his
ignorance. Though he is naive about some things, he's far from as
foolish as you think him to be."

Frowning, Aeon yanked a gladius hidden in his suit and pointed the tip
at the newcomer, knowing full well whom it was. "What would you know,
nightwalker!"

Blowing a ring of smoke from his pipe, Slayer smiled pleasantly as he
stepped beside the Prime Minister. "When you have lived as long as I
have, young man, you notice things."

Aeon wanted to retort that he was hardly young, but had to remind
himself with whom he was dealing with. Slayer then surprised him again
by casually moving the tip of his sword downward and saying in an
almost fatherly voice, "Come now, you may hurt someone with that."

Reluctantly, Aeon complied and sheathed it within his suit.

"You've been rather tense lately." Slayer observed.

"What do you expect? I'm just as scared as Hildegard. For all we know,
the Bureau may have placed an agent in the men Gepetto hired."

Slayer cocked an eyebrow at his statement. "Would you rather have gone
with him yourself?"

"I would have. I could never trust a mercenary. However, my duty as
the Minister has to come first... though I'd rather just be done with
it."

Again, Slayer was surprised at Aeon's confession. "Ah, so you belie
what the stereotypical politician is, hm?"

Aeon's shoulder's actually slumped for once. "To an extent...
nowadays, it's just all secrecy and no rest... I'm sick of it."

Slayer muttered in an almost fatherly fashion, "be patient. The
turning point will come and once that happens, you'll get a short
respite."

Knowing precisely what the vampire was referring to, Aeon nodded and
replied in complete seriousness. "And after that, we'll see..."

---

With a scowl etched into his face, Ky sat on a chair with his arms
folded, almost looking like a scolded child throwing a fit. The Prime
Minister had reminded him too much of Sol and it angered him to have
treated the things he held so dear so lightly. Across the aisle,
Dizzy, still in her civilian uniform watched him and the slowly
brightening horizon with evident worry.

The boat they had gotten on was a normal cargo one, crates stacked all
in the bottom of the hull, but a nice section built in the center for
transportation of a few people, but it was a hidden compartment,
probably used for smuggling illegal objects. Funny how it now smuggled
the head of the IPF, sitting on an old cushioned seat, two rows of
seats on each side of the box room, the seats facing each other. Kiske
sat on one side, Dizzy a few seats down, and Haan across from him.
They had been in relative silence for the most of the trip thus far,
but Haan had noticed the glint of Ky's shifty eyes, a tell-tale sign
of the inner working going on behind the azure spheres.

"Don't let him get to you," Haan said casually, taking a seat beside him.

"Hm?" Ky said, looking to the Pakistani operative.

"Aeon does that all the time. His bridge isn't entirely stable, if you
know what I mean..." Haan said twirling his index finer around his
ear. "It's what a schizo like him does. He burns them as quick as he
makes them to save his own ass as quick as he can."

When he got confused looks from both Dizzy and Ky, he continued, "The
Olympus Militia had a nightmare of a time keeping Testament away from
the refugee camps during the Crusades. In some cases, the Militia felt
they had to revive the traditions of the Spartans in order to make the
strongest soldiers to fend off the Gears. There have been rumors, but
some say that Calcos got so insane with adrenaline that he actually
tried to eat the remains of a few Gears after the fight was over. The
magic was still inside the meat and it changed him for the worse.
Though it was a miracle they survived, no one dared confront him about
it because of the look he got in his eye."

The statement got the expected reaction from them, and anyone else
that had heard it in the past.

"He... ate the flesh of Gears?" Dizzy asked in a fit of unbridled shock.

Haan shrugged casually as though it were common knowledge. "Again,
it's just a rumor, but I wouldn't discount it. You saw the look in his
eyes, Kiske. You'd know that better than anyone."

Ky blinked at the last part of Haan's reply. "Me?"

"Yeah. You fought in Brest, didn't you? Anyone who went through there
must have seen Mourometz the Berserker or at least heard of him."

"Illiya Moroumetz?"

"Yep. Poor guy was one of those that got one of those 'faulty Outrage"
weapons you hear about in the Black Market. Drove him crazy in battle
and put half of his squads in intensive care. That's the reason why
his men survived is because he did less harm to them than the Gears
did."

Before Ky could continue, Dizzy had lost her balance and nearly fell
off her chair at the name her father was referred by. More than that,
she looked to Haan with a look of visible displeasure. She got back up
onto her seat, blaming it on the rocking of the ocean before
continuing.

"How... how can you talk about my dad that way?"

Haan cocked an eyebrow at her. "Your dad?"

Taking over, Ky gestured to his charge. "Mr. Hazrat, this is Luveria
Moroumetz. Illiya's daughter."

Realizing he had spoken too much, he slapped his hand over his mouth,
but it was too late in a polite manner.

"Oh... I didn't know. I was just told that an information officer was
going to be coming with Kiske. I had no idea that it was Moroumetz's
daughter."

Ky stepped up and put his hand on Dizzy's shoulder in hopes of calming
her down. Though it did work, she did throw him a look that spoke
volumes of her grievances against Haan's words.

"But... you are right... I saw that thing he had... but what made the
Earth Seal faulty?"

Knowing he was getting in the clear, Haan cleared his throat. "Most
people think it's because the U.N. tried to replicate Fredrick's
designs. But without Fredrick, they weren't able to make them right.
So, they used test subjects in the Order to see if could do it. You,
Kiske, have one of the few actual working pieces... if the Black
Market gossip I hear is true."

This time, it was Ky's turn to frown at Haan. "How do you know so much
about the Implements?"

Haan smirked in a manner similar to Aeon's. "You can get anything you
like on the Black Market if you know how to haggle. Weapons, plans,
sex, information. It's all for sale to the right buyer. But if it
makes you feel any better, Kiske, most of the Order's dirty secrets
are common knowledge and most don't even care. Some even asked for
their money back, come to think of it."

Ky then took his seat beside Dizzy and looked at Haan directly in the
eyes. "And what makes you think that you know everything?"

Haan shrugged. "I don't. I just know a lot. And the method I know is
this." He rubbed his thumb and the side of his index finger together,
an old pre-Crusades gesture for money. "Everyone's got their price,
Kiske. What's yours?"

The frown on Ky's face deepened. "So... all this is just for lucre for
you and your men?"

"Of course. What do you expect? People can't get by on altruism and in
all honesty, we couldn't care less about the Shadow Hearts' war with
the Bureau."

"The Shadow Hearts?"

Leaning against the wall, Haan nodded. "Yeah. Some pre-Crusades group
that consists of leaders from the E.U. Been keeping the balances of
power since the pre-Crusades era, or so they say. All that matters to
us is how tangible their cash is. If it wasn't for the fact they hired
and conscript people to do their dirty work, they'd be completely
helpless."

This time, Dizzy spoke up quietly. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Why?"

"I remember speaking with the Prime Minister of France... and if he's
one of those... Shadow Hearts, as you put it, then there's something
more he's hiding. For all I know, we may just be a diversion for them
to keep the Bureau's eyes off them."

Again, Haan shrugged. "Maybe, but it doesn't matter to us much who's
in charge; the U.N., the Bureau, or the Shadow Hearts. We'll still
operate how we see fit."

Ky's face remained neutral as he retorted. "Not if some of the
proposals at the heads of the UN go through. You may be out of a job."

"Huh?"

"The heads are starting to consider dissolving the bounty system and
disbanding all mercenary groups. Takes too large of the revenue from
the public coffers, they say."

Now it was Haan's turn to be appalled. "That's a load of bullshit!
What right do they have telling us how to operate?"

"I agree. I even opposed them, but they're seriously considering them
since there's been several large mishaps within the last year in the
system. Namely, that incident in Dresden-4 back in seventy-nine, but
more over that it helps out my organization, the IPF."

Though calmed down a bit, Haan was still visibly disgruntled. "Just
'cause some people are being paranoid about seeing some Gear that
supposed to be like Justice? You can't be serious!"

Dizzy turned away from the conversation when the subject of her bounty
was brought up. She didn't like being hunted for money. Though happy
to know when the Pirates took her in, the bounty was taken down; it
still mystified her how a hunter like Bridget came into a list that
still had her on it.

"So, Mr. Hazrat. It looks like we're in the same boat whether we like
it or not."

"Ohho, I agree... and if those pricks at the U.N. think they can send
a bunch of bucket heads to take my job, they're going to be in for a
nasty surprise."

---

"Humans are a violent lot, aren't they?" a figure that only Dizzy
could see said hovering over her. It was the same red haired woman she
had seen in her dreams, only this time she had emerged from her dreams
and had pestered her for the past several days. Being the only one
that could see her, Dizzy was beginning to wonder if she was going
mad.

The woman's golden eyes gleamed in delight. "Oh, not mad, child. Only
seeing the truth for what these humans are."

"You know nothing of them..." Dizzy replied mentally, not wishing to
speak out loud as Ky and Haan continued to speak of the plans they
were to make at sundown that day.

"Oh really? Deny it all you wish, but your very existence is a threat
to them. Remember?" She placed her hand on her chest and recited those
very words Ky had told her when he was hunting her in the grove, using
his voice.

"I don't want to hurt anyone..." Dizzy said looking away.

"If only that were possible... but it's not. Not for a monster."

Dizzy looked back to the woman and frowned. "I'm not a monster..."

The woman shrugged smugly, "If not, then what are you? A human?
Preposterous. A Gear? No. The fact that you live creates fear, panic,
and hate among humans. Therefore, you're a monster..."

Dizzy calmly covered her face with her palms and started to sob
slowly, trying to hold it within her lungs. She wasn't a monster. She
was Luveria Moroumetz.

"Just a pet name given by those with no children of their own. Dizzy
or Luveria. It doesn't matter what you're called. It changes NOTHING!"
the woman howled with a sadistic glee. Her laughter then reverberated
throughout Dizzy's head as she tried vainly to shut the noise out. It
was strange that not even Undine or Necro could see this incarnation
of her nightmares... worse; it meant she was alone in dealing with
this specter.

"Please... just leave me alone..." she whispered quietly.

Amid her laughing, the woman shook her head. "Not until you realize
the truth... the horrid and disgusting truth that you refuse to see!"

"You're lying... lying... lying..."

"Am I now?" she said before covering her mouth for a moment and then
resumed speaking, using Ky's voice. "Why? Why do I have to be stuck
watching over this thing? Gears were meant to be killed, not taken
care of."

She gasped and looked to the woman again as she changed voices. This
time to May. "Stupid Gear... trying to take my Johnny from me. Why'd
he have to bring that freak on board?"

"No..."

Again, it changed voices, this time, to her father's, "Could taking
her in have been a mistake? She's brought nothing but trouble to us."

"NO!"

Both Ky and Haan looked to her in confusion at her sudden outburst.
She looked to them in horror, wondering how to explain. Placing her
hands on her knees, she said timidly, "Sorry... I... just dozed off
and... I had a nightmare."

Though Haan nodded and accepted her story, the look Ky gave her said
he was suspecting something. How could she possibly confide in him?
How could she explain the dreams? The visions? How?

She couldn't. Nor would she.

End of Chapter 6

Note: Some of the men that Ky mentioned are characters from other
Guilty Gear stories you can find at FF.net.  They are written by the
authors Zeronova and Samuraiter.  Their stories come with my
recommendation.

All things Guilty Gear belongs to Sammy, Daisuke Ishiwatari/Sol
Badguy, and Arc Systems.

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