I do not own Full Metal Panic. This publication is for entertainment purposes only; not payment or profit.

Chapter 1

With an echoing bang, the lift settled to the deck of the Tuatha De Danaan's hangar bay. As the safety rails retracted, the battle scared Arm Slave stepped forward, heading towards one of the alcoves surrounding the bay, leaving a trail of hydraulic fluid and mud in its wake.

Leaning on the railing of the cat-walk running along the bay's bulkhead, an attractive, athletic looking woman with collar length blonde hair covering half of her slim face, followed the machine with her one exposed sea-foam green eye; wincing as she watched her beloved Arbalest limping into its alcove and the waiting maintenance cradle. Heaving a sigh, second lieutenant, Nora Lemming, pushed herself off the railing and headed towards the lift to join the maintenance crews, pausing to watch as another Arm Slave descended into the bay. Only, this sniper rifle toting Arm Slave was undamaged. Covered in mud, bits of foliage, and with its paint job scratched, yes; but still, undamaged.

"Why the hell can't he ever bring Arbalest back without looking like he fought a war single handedly?" Nora muttered angrily to herself as she crossed the hangar bay, avoiding the path of yet a third Arm Slave that had just arrived in much the same condition as the last; dirty, yet undamaged.

The loud hiss of atmosphere equalizing and the mechanical whirl of the cockpit opening was Nora's only greeting as she arrived at the foot of Arbalest, the maintenance crew to busy swarming over the damaged mech to notice her quiet arrival. Though with the noise of multi-ton mechs marching on steel deck plates and yelling maintenance crews, it was no surprise to Nora that her presence went unnoticed.

Hands resting on her hips, foot tapping with metronomic precision, and an evil, angry glare in her eye, Nora waited as the pilot slowly climbed down the mech. Her foot missed a beat as the pilot paused at the base of Arbalest, one hand resting on the mech's leg as the other reached around his torso, holding ribs, obviously in pain. Nora sensed more than heard the hiss of pain from the pilot's bowed head.

"Sergeant Major, Sagara?" Nora asked in a voice slightly tinged with concern, her anger of a moment before having evaporated at the sight of Sagara's pain.

"Yes, ma'am?" A deep baritone voice replied slowly.

"I'm not going to bother to ask if you are alright," Nora said as she started to walk towards the Sergeant Major. "Just tell me how badly, and do I need to summon a medical team or can you make it to sickbay on your own two feet?"

"I'm fine, ma'am, just some bruised ribs and soft tissue damage, nothing I have not dealt with before." The Sergeant Major's voice was firm yet emotionless, as if his pain was inconsequential; however he was still supporting himself on his mech's leg.

"And of course, I believe that," was the sarcastic reply.

Sagara did not have a response to that, other than a grunt.

"Ok, enough of this macho solider crap, I'm calling a medical…" Nora did not finish what she was saying as the Sergeant Major turned to face her. The Lieutenant was a military officer, and while she had not been in combat herself, she had seen its aftermath more than once, so the Sergeant Major's injuries did not overwhelm her, but they were still a shock. The once intense grey eyes were now dull and lifeless, one surrounded by a large, nasty looking bruise that was only partially hidden by the brown, lanky, sweat soaked hair plastering his face. His lower lip was split in the middle, blood trickling from the right corner of his mouth. The Lieutenant's eyes, traveling down, rested on Sagara's hand, still clutching his side. She saw a red stain slowly spreading on his torn and tattered combat suit. Jerking her head back up, Nora stared at Sagara's face, and opened her mouth to call for, no, shout for a medical team.

"Hey, Sousuke, my man!" A loud, jovial voice interrupted Nora's shout. "Looks like you really got clobbered this time, and I don't mean by the enemy."

Sergeant Major Kurz Weber, SRT member and team mate of Sagara, smiled, walking up to the injured man. Weber would be the perfect Arian specimen; German, blonde hair and blue eyed, and acting like he was God's greatest gift, if it were not for his overly exuberant nature and long mane of hair.

Nora, puzzling over Weber's statement, took a closer look at Sagara. Noticing that the bruise around his eye appeared to extend under the side of his helmet, as if it were made before the head gear was donned, and that his split lip was not bleeding, but instead looking scabbed over. The angry glare returned to her eyes, more intense than before. Hearing a loud gulp from Sagara, she watched as he started sweating. Surmising that her expression was causing his nervousness, Nora forced herself to relax.

"Whoa, Sousuke," Weber said, stepping between his team mate and the Lieutenant, stopping in front of Sagara. His face lost its playful mien and turned serious in the blink of an eye, taking stock of Sagara's injuries. "We need to get you to sick bay, now, before Mao sees you're still here in the bay."

As if summoned, a tall, slim, black haired beauty with impressive endowments and flashing violet eyes, marched over to her two subordinates. Getting closer, Lieutenant Melissa Mao pulled off her helmet, tucking it under one arm while raising the other, running her hand through her sweaty hair.

"Ok you two, Lieutenant Commander Kalinin wants us in the ready room in thirty minutes to debrief us. Let's hit the showers and get ready," Melissa ordered when she was close enough to not have to shout.

"Hey, babe, why don't you debrief me before we hit the showers?" Weber suggested, leering at this commanding officer while waggling his eyebrows. He was not fast enough to duck Mao's helmet which was hurtling towards him even before the last word left his mouth. Landing on his backside several feet back from where he was standing, with one hand covering his bleeding nose and the other holding him up, he still managed to wink at Mao.

"So, that's a no?"

Nora looked on as Mao took a threatening step towards the prostrate blonde sniper before her mind obviously caught up with what her eyes were seeing.

Sagara had reacted instinctively to his commanding officer's order, snapping to attention, raising his right hand to his brow in a sharp salute, barking out his acknowledgement.

What had caught Mao's eye and Nora's too, was the now exposed wound on Sagara's flank, bleeding freely with the pressure removed, the hand that had been covering it at his brow, dripping blood. Those discoveries had saved Weber from Mao's wrath. Unfortunately, those same discoveries focused her attention upon Sagara.

"Sousuke, why the fuck are you still standing here? Get your ass down to sick bay," Mao's shout could be heard from one end of the noisy hangar bay to the other. Before Sagara could answer, Mao turned her wrath on Nora, clearly assuming that the officer was taking Sousuke to task for the condition of Arbalest. Most of the crew, apparently including Mao, seemed to think that was part of Lieutenant Lemming's job, as she had spent the better part of two years doing just that.

"Lieutenant Lemming, what gives you the right to keep an injured man from reporting to sick bay," Mao demanded, balling her hands into fists. "Especially one of my men."

Momentarily shocked by the accusation, Nora could only stare at Mao.

'What the hell is Melissa thinking? Does she really think I'd do that to someone? To Sousuke? I may not be as close to him as she is, but we've spent a lot of time together, working on Arbalest and the Lambda driver. Bunny Morauta may have invented and built both of them, but he's dead, and I'm the one who has to continue on his work, maintaining and improving both. I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am now if it weren't for Sousuke. I respect him, I admire him, hell, I…consider him a friend.' Nora thought to herself, her cheeks flushing slightly, startled at what she had almost admitted, even if only to herself. But, being a graduate of M.I.T. did have its advantages, the ability to focus her attention on a single important task while blocking everything thing else out, being one of them. Turning off her 'feminine' side and quickly turning on her engineer/officer personality, Lieutenant Nora Lemming, chief engineer of the Arbalest and Lambda driver programs, felt the fury from a moment ago return. The difference now was her anger was focusing on a different woman. Her mouth opened to deliver her retort, but it was not her voice directed at Mao.

"Lieutenant Mao, I believe it was Lieutenant Lemming's intention to summon a medical team to escort me to sick bay just before your arrival," Sagara stated as he placed himself between the two officers, facing his commanding officer, his hand once again covering his wound. "And now, if this is settled, I would like to take everyone's good advice, and report to sick bay."

Sagara stood, waiting for his commanding officers approval before leaving.

"Very well, Sergeant Major, report to sick bay on the double," Mao spoke in her command voice. "Dismissed."

Nora watched at the two SRT members exchanged salutes, and continued watching as Sagara did an about-face and took three steps in her direction before promptly falling into her arms, unconscious.

"Sousuke!" Nora's shout was almost as loud at Mao's had been. Failing to notice the surprised looks see received from Mao and the now recovered Weber, she held onto Sagara tightly, her knees starting to buckle under the weight but refusing to let go.

"Damn, Sousuke has all the luck," Kurz complained with a smile on his face, quickly moving to Lieutenant Lemming. As he started to take the semi-conscious man from her arms he looked up to see the Lieutenant, staring intently at the man she was holding up. "Gets one little scratch, and what happens? He ends up in the arms of yet another hot chick. Maybe next time I'll take point." Weber winked at the Lieutenant, settling Sagara's arm around his shoulder, turning towards the far end of the hangar bay and setting off for medical.

After all her time on the Tuatha De Danaan, working as closely as she had with Sagara, she had become accustomed to his two constant companions, and any other day, Sergeant Major Weber's comments would not have even registered on her. However, this was not just another day, and she was beginning to realize how different it was. When Weber's parting comment about how she obviously needed practice holding onto a man, and he would gladly volunteer his services, reached her ears, she snapped.

"Sergeant Major, Weber!" Nora wasn't shouting this time, she was screaming. "If you make one more disrespectful or sexist comment to me or anyone else on this ship, I will throw the book at you so hard you will think and AS landed on your head."

"Sure thing, babe," Weber replied nonchalantly, continuing his careful but rapid pace towards sick bay.

Nora turned an alarming shade of red, looking as if she were about to have a seizure.

"You will address me as Lieutenant Lemming or ma'am, do I make myself clear?"

Watching as Weber turned to face her, a smile on his face and one eyebrow raised, opening his mouth in what Nora knew would be another flippant remark, she was surprised when his face closed and he barked out his response.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Weber even sounded sincere, his eyes focused slightly to Nora's right.

Turning to look over her shoulder and finding Lieutenant Mao glaring pure death at the blonde Sergeant Major, Nora could not help but smile.

'Leave it to Melissa to be the one to scare Weber straight, though I'd be willing to bet my next paycheck on it not lasting beyond the hatch off the hangar bay.'

"Don't worry about Kurz, I'll take care of him. He's one of my men after all," Mao reassured Nora in a quiet but firm voice.

"Thanks, Melissa," Nora replied just as quietly, looking embarrassingly around the hangar bay at all the faces turned their way. "I'm sorry I blew up like that, it's just that today has been a bit stressful. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Nora." Mao had a questioning look on her face as she spoke. "You know, if you feel like talking about whatever it is you're thinking about, I'll be happy to listen." At this, Melissa turned her head to watch her two subordinates step though the hatch, exiting the bay.

Nora felt the faint flush return to her face as Melissa's head turned, eyes once more focusing on her.

"Uh, I appreciate it," Nora stuttered, feeling a bit uncomfortable beneath Melissa's stare. "Maybe I'll take you up on it later. But right now, I have to see what Sousuke broke this time, and get it patched up." Waving her hand, indicating the mech they were both standing in front of. This time, noticing the surprised look on Melissa's face, but being unable to fathom a reason for it.

"And I have a debriefing session to get to, so maybe later."

"Yes, later."

With a wave, Lieutenant Mao turned, heading off in the same direction as her subordinates.

Nora stepped forward to start taking care of Arbalest's many hurts when she noticed the front of her uniform and hands were covered with blood. Sousuke's blood.

'Please, Sousuke, be alright,' Nora prayed silently. 'Please.'