Needs of the time.

by Man in the shadows.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Ranma ½ or Gundam wing. Sunrise owns the rights to Gundam Wing, as far as I know. Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. God Bless these people. I'm also low on cash. Please don't sue. God bless these people's lawyers.

I'll add other disclaimers at the end of the fic, if need be.

> < This is for thoughts. = = are for Transmissions.

WARNING: Spoilers, Foul language, Adult situations

CWG's homepage is at http://www.geocities.com/mitshadows/cgwhp.html

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Lieutenant David Fitz adjusted the tie to his suit for the umpteenth time. He was about the address a huge auditorium filled with the leaders of Humanity. He was nervous just informing his superiors of what he saw. This whole matter was serious, and the DEA wanted the leaders of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation to get the best briefing possible.

Also, out there was Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian. She had personal experiences with the Gundams and their Pilots. Too look foolish before her would probably get him yanked from his field post and into retraining. Summed up, he'd rather be back in the South American jungles.

David looked up as he was being introduced and pulled on his business like mask. >Why didn't that ask that guy, Wu Fei, to do this...< He walked up to the podium and turned on the microphone. "Good afternoon. The footage you're about to see is highly classified. As I'm sure that you all are aware that 'For your eyes only,' means just that. What you are about to see, can not leave this room, at this time, without authorization."

He let that bit of information settle for a few moments before he continued. "Me and my squad were recently on a stakeout of a suspected Rift Manufacturing plant. As I'm sure you are all aware, Rift is the new form of Cocaine that is starting to show up on the streets. What you are about to see isn't important because of this new drug." The podium slid to the far right of the stage and Dave went along for the ride. Then the surveillance footage began.

=Yeah.=

=We'll give you cover fire if you need it.=

=Incoming, at 5 o'clock," alerted another DEA officer. The view shifter to take in a huge black form, against the backdrop of the hot air. The lens shifted from infrared to normal, and it was only slightly better.

=Keep down,= ordered Dave. =It's a Mobile Suit.= The Mobile Suit flew over the Stakeout team and straight to the Rift Production Plant. Workers started to scatter or shoot at the Mobile Suit. The Suit withdrew a long pole from it's back and suddenly a Beam Halberd came to life. =What the hell...= The Suit preceded to take swipes at the place while firing what looked like large laser bolts at areas of the place.

=Sir, two more coming at 9 o'clock.=

The camera moved to pick up a red and yellow Mobile Suit with a shield and a rifle. Behind it walked a gray Mobile Suit that was hard to make out. The Yellow one started to fire at the place as well. It's gun let lose a hail of shells or beams. It was hard to tell in the light.

Slowly the gray one lumbered up to the building. It pulled back an arm while extending a finger. Then it stabbed the finger into the building. Its arm went in, up to the elbow and suddenly the ground underneath the production plant exploded. Flame and derbies shoot up into the air.

=What's that,= came Dave's voice. Then the camera pointed up to the sky. A red, orange, and yellow aircraft, which was shaped exactly like a bird, flew over head. The camera tilted down again, to get a good view of the other three Mobile Suits.

He noticed the look on Relena Darlian's face. She was just staring at the screen, in shock. Then Dave noticed Mr. Ricardo Dozini. He was staring at the screen with interest and no signs of surprise. "Mr. Dozini, do you have any information on these Mobile Suits." The whole place went dead quiet and all eyes were turned on Dozini. >I hope this pays off, or it's my ass.<

Ricardo Dozini was a representative from Japan. He was also a calm and collected man. He stood up and addressed the assembly. "Those are Chi' Gundams." There was a collective blink.

"Chi' Gundams? I don't think anyone else here has ever heard of Chi' Gundams." Inside, Dave was grinning. >If anything, this could make sure I don't get retraining duty.<

"This all started a few years back, a bit before the Eve wars. A lady known at Nodoka Saotome approached me. She offered me a chance to help protect the countries that were not aligned with OZ.

"A few years prior, her husband, Genma, had stolen a copy of a design for the Gundam Wing Zero. He had no idea what he had and stuffed it away for a long while. Nodoka's husband brought it to her, and she realized what it was.

"Nodoka is a very skilled engineer. She decided to, as a hobby, to improve a bit on the design using a system that allows a person to partially control the Gundam with their Chi'."

"What is a Chi'," asked Relena.

Ricardo smiled a bit. "A chi' is a person's life force. Believe it or not, a highly skilled master of the martial arts can control their chi' to an extent. Nodoka had made it so the Pilots would be able to make her Gundams do things that no other Gundam was able to. There was one unpredicted side effect, it allowed the Martial artists to use their chi' powered techniques in unison with their Gundams.

"I was the main backer in the project. Initially 4 Chi' Gundams were constructed. The first Gundam you saw on the screen was the NightRaider, piloted by Ukyou Kuonji. I know it sounds absurd, but her martial arts style is biased on cooking okonomiyaki.

"The red and yellow Gundam is the Hurricane, piloted by Akane Tendo. She uses a form of Martial arts from the Anything Goes Martial Arts School of Indiscriminate Grappling. It's a art practiced by only a few individuals.

"In the gray Gundam known as the Golem. The pilot is Ryouga Habiki. He practices his own style of martial arts, but he is to be considered more deadly then the other two.

"Last, the bird you saw was the Phoenix Gundam. Ranma Saotome pilots it. Ranma is a Grand Master of Anything Goes. By far, he is the most dangerous of the Chi’ Gundam Pilots. Not only does his Gundam have the Chi' system, it has a Zero system." Everyone started shouting.

"Where are these Gundams kept, and how come you haven't revealed them before hand," asked Dave when the Assembly quieted.

"Well, that's a minor problem. We almost had them complete near the end of the Eve war when it was decided that there would be no need for the Chi' Gundams. It was decided to scrap them, but Nodoka had other ideas. She came before the other investors and me, in order to talk us out of scraping the Chi' Gundams. During the conversation we also told her that we couldn't let anyone use the Pheniox because of the dangers of a Zero system. She panicked because her son and the other pilots were stealing the Chi' Gundams.

"There is some good news. It was decided that before the plans for the Chi' Gundams were erased, that we would makes one more, and some Mobile suits to back it up. Thus we made the Katana and the Orians. The Orians are a set of regular Gundams that right now are dependent on orders from the Katana, making them Mobile Dolls."

"What of Nodoka," asked Relena.

"She's in a maximum security prison until she helps us find the Chi' Gundams."

A big argument broke out about the rights of the accused and the existence of another Chi' Gundam.

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A figure walked down the street in the rain. He knew of the important meeting that had happened the day before, and he was now on his way to meet with Howard. It had been a while since he had been in the Cockpit. He was eager to get that feel again. He would still be there if the price wasn't so high.

On the way he passed someone who looked familiar. The man stopped for a moment and turned to the guy who has passed him. "Heero?"

The other man turned around. "Well, it's good to see you, Wu Fei."

A light smile formed on Wu Fei's face. "Good to see you. What are you up to these days?"

"Nothing."

Wu fei was glad of this twist of fate. Heero would be a lot of help. "Heero, I'm glad I ran into you. I'm going to get straight to the point. A situation has come up and we can your help."

"What kind of a situation?"

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Herro followed Wu Fei into the high security hanger and looked up to see the Wing Zero. Howard was working with some mechanics and piecing the old warmachine back together.

Wu Fei led Heero over to a desk where he handed Heero a folder. "About two weeks ago four Mobile Suits called Chi' Gundams were sighted in Brazil by a DEA surveillance team. Apparently they were a mistake from the Eve war and the pilots stole them before they were turned to scrap metal.

"Ricardo Dozini was involved in this. He has a group of Gundam Mobile Dolls and a Chi' Gundam prepared for neutralizing the Chi' Gundams. The leaders of Earth Sphere Unified Nation wanted at least one of the original Gundam Pilots to go along. I hate to admit it but you are a better pilot then I am. Think you're up to it?"

Heero looked up from the folder, with that unemotional mask of his in place. "Mission accepted. Has anyone spoken with the designer of the Chi' System?"

"She wouldn't talk to the DEA or the Preventers."

"Maybe she'll talk with Gundam Pilots and a Designer."

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In Brazil, a man and a girl were skipping along the rocks that lined a road. Where the girl lands on the center of each rock, the man lands on the far edges of each rock, on the tiptoes of one foot. The girl wore a pink skirt, a white blouse, and black shoes. The man wore jeans, a white llama wool shirt, combat boots, and a Panama hat. He also sported a pigtail.

They passed the fence that lined the grounds where a Mobile Construction Suit Bodyshop and a house were. Before the bodyshop a woman with black hair was working on a Demolitions Charge Layer Mobile Suit.

Her hair was pulled back in a short ponytail and her face and coveralls were covered in grease. She looked up and smiled. "Hello."

"Hi Akane," replied the girl.

"Hey tomboy," called out the man with the Panama hat.

Before Akane could shoot back an insult, the owner of the Body Shop, Rain Ven, came out of the shop. "I found a spare hydraulic-"

"Daddy," called out the girl as she ran over to Rain and hugged him.

"Hi Lisa. How was school?"

The young man with the Panama hat pulled Akane aside. "I did the recon work and got a map of the area with the Rash Production Plant." Akane nodded in return and the two entered the bodyshop.

Inside the shop A man wearing a yellow and brown bandana was working on the breastplate for a Logger Mobile Suit. A young woman and Hal Quart were presently working on said Logger MS. Hal took one look at the man in the Panama hat and left the shop.

"Hey Ucchan, Pig boy, I got the stuff."

Ryouga looked at the man with the pigtail, with an annoyed look. "Quit calling me that."

"Hey Ranchan, how's it look," asked Ukyou.

Ranma pulled a rolled up map from his pack and rolled it out on the breastplate that Ryouga was working on. "We can use the usual pattern on this one. Ukyou, you bring in NightRaider and hit this spot here," said Ranma while pointing at a outlying spot. "This is where the most resistance will be. Of course I want you to take it out quickly."

"Okay."

"Akane, as usual you'll lead in Ryouga from the west, providing coverfire while Ryouga uses Golem to blow the hell out of the plant. As usual I'll be standing by to take on any mobile suits. God I hate that job."

"Too bad," said Ryouga with a smirk. "Phoenix was made for air support. You're stuck there."

"It's not being airsupport that I mind. It's just we haven't seen one Mobile Suit, yet. Any questions?" Ranma got a round of silence. The others didn’t usually argue with his plans, since he had the most experience with hit and run operations, dating back to before the Eve war. "Okay. We hit it in a few days."

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Nodoka sat in the interrogation room. Before her was a round table with three other chairs, a table cloth, and a complete tea set. It was an odd change in pace. But Nodoka decided to make the best of it. Once more her hair had been pulled back in a bun and she did her best to make herself look presentable in her prisoner's uniform.

She was clearly a refined lady with a strong sense of tradition. Wu Fei couldn't understand why Nodoka had been involved in this mess. Not that it surprised him. These days he was very hard to be taken by surprise.

He looked over to Heero who simply nodded. Then he, Heero, and Howard walked in.

She bowed in a formal greeting and the others replied in kind. The old man took off his shades in a gesture of good manners. From the look of his face, it seemed that he rarely took them off. Nodoka smiled as they took their seats. "Hello. I am Saotome Nodoka."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Heero Yuy." The boy didn't even break his expressionless mask.

"I'm Wu Fei," said the Chinese boy. His serious look stayed.

The old man seemed very relaxed and smiled. "You can call me Howard."

"It is a honor to meet you all," said Nodoka. "I suppose you're hear to speak with me about the Chi' Gundams." Nodoka smiled as she served them tea.

"It would help us," said Heero.

"Very well. I'll tell you part of why I made them. But I won't help you find the Chi' Gundams or build other Chi' Gundams, right now." The gracious lady took a moment to sip her tea while she gathered her thoughts. "I first came across the plans for Gundams when my late husband, Genma, came to me, asking what they were. Genma may have been a good martial artist, but sadly he turned out to be a thief and a glutton. Genma had stolen the blueprints a few years earlier, during the training trip he took my son on. He had no idea what he had.

"I had a degree in engineering, but I hadn't done anything with it until I saw those plans. I came up with a few improvements of my own and designed the Chi' System. I had no intentions of applying the designs. I just needed a hobby.

"During the time OZ was taking over the world, people in Nermia were protesting what was happening. My husband was in a bar when a large riot broke outside. OZ solders had to open fire and my husband was killed along with a few of my son's friends. That was what started my son on doing sabotage work against OZ.

"I knew my son's abilities would be useless against Mobile Suits. With a regular Mobile Suit, he would likely die. I couldn't let that happen.

"I took up finishing the designs and then I went to several business men whom were opposed to OZ. I told them this was for bringing an end to OZ. They interviewed several people for the position of pilots, but Ranma, two of his fiancées, and Ryouga Habiki proved to be the best for the job."

"Did you say your son had two fiancées," asked Wu Fei. This woman had proved to be able to take him by surprise.

"Yes. My late husband had set up several engagements to get a few free meals." Both Howard and Wu Fei looked shocked. Heero had a smirk, which was as close to laughing as he would normaly get.

Heero asked a serious question. "Having a powerful Suit isn't as good as skiled pilot. How did your son get the job?"

"Ranma and Ryouga were well trained in the use of their chi's. Akane and Ukyou proved to be good pilots. My son and Ryouga trained Akane and Ukyou to better use their chi's. In turn Akane and Ukyou tutored Ranma and Ryouga on how to pilot Mobile suits. Ranma was always a quick learner.

"I worked hard to make Ranma's Chi' Gundam the best. What I wasn't aware was that the investors had a Zero System installed into the Pheniox..." Nodoka trailed off for a few moments. A bit of guilt was in her eyes.

"When the Eve war ended, the investors decided to disassemble the chi' Gundams. Before they could, I had them meet with me so I could try and talk them out of it. I had reasons for keeping the Chi' Gundams operational. But I won't say what those reasons are, at this time.

"In my pocket, I had a device to signal Ranma and his friends. They stole the Chi' Gundam's while I was in the meeting. I wish I had known that Phoenix had a Zero System. I was told the Zero System set so that it won't start till Ranma begins his first battle where he uses the Phoenix..." Nodoka looked at the three others with a tear in her eye. "Please, at least give my son the benefit of a doubt."

"We'll see what we can do," said Heero with a calm voice. "Why would the Chi' Gundams be attacking the Cartels?"

"I can't reveal that at this time."

Wu Fei got up. "I got a plane to catch. You guys better have Nataku and Wing Zero back in running condition soon." Wu Fei left in a hurry.

Howard and Heero stayed to finish having tea with Nodoka.

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Author's notes:

Welcome to the start of a new fic.

This takes place two years after Endless Waltz. In the Ranma timeline, Ranma has already beaten Saffron.

I'm still working on the ages.

We need pics for the fic! Please send them in!

Send me your thoughts on this one!