AN: Me again! Not much to say about this installment other than we're finally getting to meet some characters. I've been avidly re-watching both series and making character sketches of the Meisters (specifically in S2) as some of them really only get background development (like how Allelujah disappears from the storyline almost totally after the first half of each season...or how Lyle gets attention only when he's about to get smashed in the face with the angst board...poor Lyle.). Either way, it's interesting to actually examine them.

On another note I'm realizing how tricky it can be to incorporate people's thoughts into dialogue. The image that I have of Karen/Reverie's thought-hearing is that she's constantly hearing at least the hum of those around her, but she focuses on the thoughts that people feel most strongly about. For that reason I'll be including less thoughts than she's actually hearing (and let's be honest, written dialogue can be hard enough to follow without adding thoughts in there).

Thank-you to StormyMonday for being my first review! I have to say I'm not so surprised that I'm not receiving reviews...there are quite a few stories which have none, so I'm going to take what I can get for now and be happy that a bunch of people continued reading through the second chapter.

I didn't listen to anything specific to write this chapter, let me know what you think!

Naishu.

Gundam Song

"...and I heard the voice of many angels roundabout the throne..."

Excerpt: Revelation 5:11

After a long talk with the on-duty medic Reverie was finally released and allowed to travel the ship. The checkup had gone into vivid detail about her medical history before and after her encounter with the Pseudo-GN Drives, and had focused especially on one aspect: sleep. She wasn't able to fall asleep on her own anymore and would have to be sedated nightly until a solution was found. Of course this posed the problem that she would be unconscious with no chance of being woken for a total of eight hours each night, but she was told it was a temporary solution until "something else" could be arranged. What that was? Neither of them was sure. The one thing that was sure though was that she couldn't be left alone with her insomnia or she'd end up crazy and desperate again. When she was tired she couldn't force the voices out of her head, and the more tired she was the louder they got. That wasn't good for anyone.

She moved aimlessly through the halls of the ship, not really sure what she was looking for other than familiarity with her surroundings. She was still amazed and a little bit shocked at how easily she'd accepted her change of fate. Days ago she'd been destitute, crazy, almost homeless, and she never thought she'd get her rational brain back. Now she was rested, secure, and although she wasn't quite sure how she could help on-board the ship she was determined to help in some way. Life was funny, wasn't it?

She stopped walking as she heard the faintest hints of what sounded like…

"Music." She said. It seemed absurd, but as she stood and listened, looking up and down the hall, it grew louder. The sound was beautiful and clean but it followed no set melody…it had no rhythm. She turned in the direction that she'd been walking and started down the hall again, this time much faster. She wanted to find out what was making the sound.

She passed door after door, stopping only once she stepped into what seemed to be an observation room in one of the ship's hangars. Long floor-to-ceiling windows created the far wall and she crossed the room quickly, leaving the door open. The sound was surrounding her entirely now, flitting into her ears and almost massaging her mind.

She never would have expected its source.

Beyond the glass stood a gigantic humanoid machine, easily standing 18m tall at least. It was blue and red and white, and her eyes widened as she recognized the familiar shape of not one but two GN Drives, both emitting vibrant green GN Particles.

"Gundam…"

She said to no one. Of course she knew that she would see Gundams if she worked with Celestial Being but she'd never anticipated the sense of awe that filled her. The output of the drives increased and the music grew louder as she listened, making her place her hands on the glass in front of her and close her eyes to revel in the sound.

Then it ended.

But why?

She let go of the barriers that she'd put up in her mind and listened for the thoughts of someone-anyone-who knew what had happened.

-Dammit! We were so close…-

-Just shy of eighty percent…what options do we have?-

-Even with Exia's GN Drive…-

She opened her eyes and realized that the drive had shut down, confirming her suspicions; the Gundam had created the song that she'd heard. More specifically, the GN Drives had.

She'd never heard anything like that before. The Pseudo-GN Drives that the AEU had been working with emitted a droning noise that only she could hear, but it was nothing like the pure, unaltered sound that she'd heard moments before. Was there really that great of a difference between the drives?

-What? An enemy force?-

-How did they find us…they have our exact location! Dammit! But 'Double Oh' isn't ready! We only have Seravee…-

An enemy force?

Reverie looked down to see the mechanics that had been testing the drive bolt in opposite directions, all headed for what she assumed to be battle stations. The cockpit of what she assumed to be the '00' Gundam opened and she watched as a purple-suited pilot left and also bolted.

She wasn't really sure where she was supposed to be during battle situations…she hadn't been on the ship long enough to know their operating procedure, and after scanning for thoughts not a single person seemed to be offering up the answer at the moment.

She wanted to see what was happening and she left the observation room immediately, weaving through the halls and trying to find the room she'd stumbled upon earlier that looked out into space. Of course, there was no guarantee that she'd be able to see anything, but it was better than sitting around bored…especially as she hadn't been given a job yet. Until she had an accurate assessment of the ship's capabilities and those of the mobile suits she wouldn't be able to make anything close to a decent tactical forecast, so that was out of the picture. Outside of that her battle usefulness was questionable at best.

She found the room she'd been looking for and stopped at the expansive window. She was right, she couldn't see anything except the vast blackness that was space. She could however barely hear the familiar droning of Pseudo GN Drives. Five of them.

-We need to get Seravee out there! What the hell is he waiting for?-

-One against five? I hope Tieria doesn't get hurt…-

The second voice was young and female and full of worry. A crush? Most likely. She tried to find the thoughts of the pilot but came up blank. Of course, she wasn't sure what voice to look for and she wasn't familiar with the launch procedure of a Gundam so she could only guess at what he would be thinking. Regardless, she managed to pick up enough information from those on the bridge. Apparently a shuttle with three of Celestial Being's more prominent members was approaching the ship and it was likely they would be caught up in the battle, if they weren't already. A pilot named Setsuna, their forecaster Sumeragi, and someone whom she couldn't find a name for. The ship turned a few degrees as it prepared to follow the tactical plan they'd just received and Reverie was able to finally see the small outline of the shuttle as well as the castoff from the orange GN Drives. A second later she heard a variant of the beautiful song that the 00 Gundam had made and she saw a flash of green.

-Seravee has launched and is initiating plan.-

They were far enough away that trying to watch what was going on was difficult, all she could follow were trails of green and orange where the machines had been. The shuttle was drawing steadily closer and was doing a surprising job of out-maneuvering the blasts from the enemy team. She tried to hear the thoughts of those inside but the distance was still too great. Her curse unfortunately had limits.

Two orange streaks were headed for the ship! The droning sound rose in her ears as they approached and she grasped her head, her fingers involuntarily weaving into her hair and she stumbled back. It was sending shooting pain through her ears, across her scalp, and down her spine! She couldn't pinpoint either of them exactly until she opened her eyes carefully, groaning against the pain.

There on the other side of the glass was a rust-red mobile suit, orange particles spreading out on either side like an ominous fiery halo. The droning of its drive was so loud that she thought her mind would explode if it continued. It dodged a set of shots that were set off by the small shuttle and raised its rifle. It was so close that Reverie could see straight down the gigantic barrel…and she could see the particles charging as she heard the pilot's thoughts. Her eyes snapped shut as she tried to block out the monotonous droning.

-You'd better be scared, gorgeous.-

She was. She was terrified. She didn't want this new life taken from her before she'd had a chance to live it. That idea made her livid. Anger flashed through her body in that split second and she snarled through her teeth against the pain the noise caused. She heard the high whine of the rifle's charge through the glass. She had been so close to living with a purpose. Her eyes snapped shut as she realized that she was about to be obliterated.

The shot never came.

-What the hell? My rifle, it lost power! That's impossible!-

She opened her eyes slowly and looked curiously at the suit that hung idly in the air.

-My suit is dying! What the hell!?-

One very long second later the suit lowered its useless rifle and shot away from the ship.

"Did….did I do that?" She asked the air, her hands sliding out of her hair as she stared wide-eyed at where the enemy machine had been. Had she somehow shut it down?

Only after the droning noise had died away did she realize that she could hear the song of the 00 again. This time it was accompanied by a stunning river of vibrant green. It was like watching the Aurora Borealis, but so close you could almost touch it. The 00 must have killed the suit.

A few beautiful seconds later the enemy mobile suits retreated and all that was left in Reverie's mind was the song of the Gundam once again, strong and ethereal and promising.

That, and what had happened to the rust-red suit.

She saw the small shuttle shoot past the window in front of her and she left the room and made her way to where it was docking. She could finally hear the thoughts of those who were aboard it…although there were only two of them now, the woman Sumeragi and the one she couldn't name. She turned the corner and saw light coming through an open door followed by an assault of thoughts. This was where everyone was gathered.

-Setsuna really did it…I don't know how he brought her back.-

"Welcome back miss Sumeragi!" Feldt said. She was there along with a smaller brown-haired girl, a tall and muscular dark haired man, and an older man with glasses. Her disbelief at the woman being brought back was mirrored in the opinions of the other three, it seemed. A young man in a blue flight suit stood motionless, watching the scene disinterestedly. As she locked eyes with him an image of the blue and white Gundam flashed in her mind. He was apparently very attached to it.

"Long-time no see, !" the yellow-clad girl said next.

"Same reckless tactics as always."

So this was the tactical forecaster…someone Reverie was very interested in speaking with. She was shorter than Reverie had expected and bright reddish-brown hair fell loosely around her face. Her thoughts were filled with regret and the shame of dousing them with alcohol. Reverie shivered and pushed the stream of thoughts from her mind. She took a place behind the others out of respect, yet off to the side so she could still see what was happening.

"I'm not quite sure about…" The red-headed woman was interrupted as a figure stepped forward and a unified gasp was heard from the small gathered crowd. Had Reverie not been so interested in the dynamics of the group she might have noticed that she'd sucked in a breath as well.

Simply put, he was gorgeous.

"Lockon…?" the dark-haired young man said in disbelief. He was echoed seconds later by an orange robot.

"Lockon, you're alive! Lockon, you're alive!"

Lockon…was this the man that Feldt had inadvertently shown her? He certainly looked like the image she'd seen; unruly hair in various shades of brown, the same…the exact same handsome face, and dancing blue green eyes. These eyes were different though. She stared at them as he looked at the gathered crowd…she wanted to hear what he was thinking.

"Well, that's one hell of a welcome." He said. –And so it begins…-

And so what begins? His thought had a snarky edge that his voice didn't carry.

"What's the deal?" The dark-haired man, whom she now knew as Lasse, said. –He was dead…Setsuna saw him die with his own eyes…-

-Was he really alive somewhere all these years? Why didn't he come back to us? Why didn't he let us know he was alright?- Feldt's thoughts came in frantic waves, almost crashing against Reverie's consciousness. She was extremely upset.

The tactical advisor sighed. "This is his younger brother."

-Always the younger one…younger by seconds. I wonder how long it will take before I can get out of here…this is awkward.- The man thought. He looked around the crowd slowly. There was an accent in his thoughts that wasn't present in his voice. She wasn't sure what it was.

"Lockon…Stratos…" Feldt said, wide-eyed. –Younger brother. Not Neil. This means that Neil really is…for a moment I thought that he was…Dammit!- Feldt thought before tearing out of the room. The others looked at her then back at the man. So this was the younger twin brother of the man that Feldt cared about. That was harsh.

Reverie tore out of the room after the girl. She saw her turn to see who had come after her and she stopped, her eyes obviously holding back tears. "Are you alright?" Reverie called, feeling like the girl could bolt if she took a step closer.

-Just let me go.-

Reverie nodded. "If you say so." The girl nodded and resumed her run through the halls.

Reverie turned back to the room and slipped in again, this time leaning against the wall next to the door to make room as the others exited. They left one at a time, each seeming to know where to go with the exception of the tall new addition to the crew. The mood among the crowd had changed when Feldt had left and Reverie couldn't shake the feeling that the man's older brother had been someone of extreme importance to many on the ship.

"Why are you here?"

The young man in the blue pilot suit stood in front of her, his gaze unwavering. It caught her off guard, she'd been lost in her thoughts. "I'm not sure yet." She said, trying to pick his brain as he stood there. All she received were pictures though...pictures with very strong feelings attached to them. A yellow flower, a rifle, the gundam. It didn't make any sense. "Who are you?" she asked him. He seemed to have accepted her answer.

"Setsuna F. Seiei." He replied stoically. His presence was unnerving and funny at the same time, she didn't know why. He stepped past her, not bothering to formally end the conversation. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't care or didn't know how to, but she guessed that he didn't know either. She watched him leave and tilted her head. She'd never met anyone who only thought in pictures before.

The last person left in the room was the man with the unruly brown hair. She watched as he uncomfortably watched everyone leave, then as he met her eyes skeptically.

–Ten minutes into this whole thing and the crew already looks at me like a disappointment. What did you do to these people Neil?-

"It's not your fault that they look at you like that." She replied.

His eyebrow rose at that and his eyes flashed a curious and guarded glare that Reverie had become accustomed to over the last few years. "Look at me like what?" he asked inquisitively, his eyes flickering with calculated interest. It was the first time that she'd paid attention to his voice. It, like him, was attractive.

"Like a disappointment."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. It makes sense, doesn't it?" she asked. Occasionally she liked to toy with people, not letting them know if she really could hear them think or not. "You look identical to someone whom they all respected and loved, and whom they thought had died years ago. Is it wrong for them to feel disappointed that their wish didn't come true, that he wasn't alive?"

"I don't think you're in a place where you're allowed to comment." He said with a little more bite than she expected. –I am not my brother. Don't look at me like I am.- It wasn't a thought as much as it was a feeling that enveloped her. It was in the way he stood, the snarky tone of his thoughts, and behind the guarded glare she was still receiving.

"That's easy. I never knew your brother." She said. "All I know is you."

This drew a chuckle from him, then a full-out laugh. She watched as his face lit up with the joyful expression, then died down as he became serious again. "You know who I am, but you know nothing about me." He replied matter-of-factly as he passed her on his way out the door.

"Who are you?" She asked. "I don't think I ever actually found out."

The question made him stop on his way out the door. –Lyle Dylandy.-

"Lockon Stratos." Came his constructed reply. He looked like he was going to continue on his way but he stopped and sighed. –Stop. You don't need to be an ass.- he thought. She could almost feel him kicking himself. "Who are you?" he asked, his eyes dropping the skeptical glare and his voice taking on a conversational tone.

"Ka-" she stopped herself. "Reverie Traum." She'd have to get used to using the code name. In truth, she liked it better than her given one.

"Codename?" he asked, almost seeming friendly. She nodded. "Mine too." He replied.

She grinned at that. "Really? But Lockon Stratos is such a common name…" she quipped sarcastically. She could feel her inner flirt showing…something she hadn't felt in a while. She'd always been a flirty person, but she hadn't been herself in months. Even if she'd been well-rested she was always on her guard…not a situation which made flirting desirable.

"Hey now, no need to get snippy." He said. –Cute and sarcastic. This place might not be horrible afterall.-

"Just cute?" she questioned.

It was his turn to grin. "So you can hear me, then."

She felt her cheeks heat up as she realized that she'd unwittingly walked into his little test. "Yes, I can." His expression showed that he was quite pleased with himself and she couldn't blame him. "And on that note, I like your real name better." She replied.

"So you heard that too then, eh?" he said, running a hand through his hair.

She felt a pang of jealousy over how easily it fell back into place afterwards. Part of her wondered what shampoo he used. That would wait for another time though. "Lyle Dylandy. I like it. Would you be offended if I said it was a pretty name?"

"Not at all, as long as it's you saying it."

She was caught off-guard by his forwardness. His eyes shone with mischief and she felt her cheeks flush again. She watched as he unzipped the top of his flight suit and she realized he must be sweating to death in it. "It looks like you need to get out of that…and I still need to figure out what my job exactly is here. Until next time?"

He nodded, sending his bangs lightly across his eyes. "You could help me get out of it." He quipped shamelessly. Apparently she wasn't the only flirt on board.

"Thanks, but I'll save the self-destructive choices for another day."

"Too bad." He said. "Well then, until another day."

"Another day." She replied.

They left the room and turned their separate ways. –Where exactly was my room again? I know Sumeragi told me…-

He wasn't the only one who wasn't sure where he was going and Reverie found herself looking for the bridge. She wanted to find out if there was anything that she could do while aboard the ship. She wanted to help, but she wasn't entirely sure how. She knew that there must have been something she was capable of doing.

The ship turned out to be easier to navigate than she'd originally assumed. There were arrows pointing this way and that, letting her know which way to go. Apparently there was no need to be secretive while on-board the ship and as such she found the bridge with relative ease.

It was fairly empty. The young girl with the brown pigtails and yellow uniform sat in front of a screen to the left while the controls of the ship were being manned by Lasse. A beautiful purple-haired girl stood in front of a screen on the right, a set of glasses sitting halfway down her nose.

"Hello" Reverie said. It was an awkward word and she stood equally as awkwardly in the entrance of the bridge.

"Hi there!" The young pigtailed girl replied cheerily.

"What are you doing here?" A stern voice demanded. Reverie looked for the source of it but came up blank until she watched the purple haired woman speak again. "Reverie Traum, why are you on the bridge?"

She blushed. The purple-haired woman was in fact a man. A very very pretty man. "Um…I'm wondering if there's anything for me to do." She said, then realized that the statement made her sound like a bored schoolgirl. "I'd like to be of use." She clarified.

"We haven't as yet determined your job aboard the ship. Return to your room, once we find a use for you we'll let you know." He said matter-of-factly, turning back to his screen.

Lasse sighed and turned around. "Don't be like that Tieria. She can man the weapons controls until we find a permanent job for her." –Besides, it would be a shame to keep a cutie like that locked up.-

"So you're Tieria, then?" Reverie asked, looking at the purple-haired man. His eyes were focused and displayed what looked like annoyance as he turned to her. There was something strange about him besides his unmistakeable beauty, but she couldn't place it. "You're the one who gave me my name."

"I'm Tieria Erde. Yes, I created your codename." He replied a little shortly. She wanted to know why he was so cold towards her, but she couldn't hear anything at all. Perhaps he really wasn't thinking? No. That didn't happen. Everyone was thinking, and his eyes were too annoyed to not have a single thought behind them.

"Can I man the weapons controls?" she asked, leering at him a little more intensely than was likely necessary. The silence where his thoughts should have been was disturbing.

"If you wish. Your permanent job will be determined once we have our full team back on board."

She nodded and he turned back to the screen that he was avidly watching. There was still nothing. Not even about the information he was reading. She was shocked. Against her better judgement she stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. His head snapped towards her, eyes angry. "What do you think you're—"

"What are you thinking right now?" she asked. She was still hearing nothing. Touching him should have given her access to his thoughts immediately, but there was just the hum of Lasse and the girl's thoughts behind her.

"Excuse me?" He snapped his arm away from her, keeping the eye contact that she was demanding.

"I can't hear what you're thinking." She said. "I know you know about my abilities…why can't I hear your thoughts?" She was frustrated and she felt the calm buzz of adrenaline. Her body was reacting to her mental frustration.

He looked away and huffed. "I know less than you do about your abilities. Don't expect me to explain this phenomenon to you, I have no explanation. Now, either learn the weapons controls or return to your room, Reverie Traum."

She tilted her head curiously before stepping past him and towards Lasse. She wasn't finished with this new development…not by a long shot. As she passed him she wondered if his looks were a result of his princess nature or if it was the other way around. Regardless, she didn't appreciate his haughtiness.

"Don't mind him, he's a little sharp around the edges." Lasse said. "Here, take a seat." He motioned to the seat beside his that also looked out into space. –So you're the one who can hear thoughts.-

He watched her expectantly, almost like he was waiting for her to do a trick. She was used to it. "I am. Reverie." She held out her hand.

-Lasse Aeon.- he thought, his eyes smiling as he thought. He seemed to like her gimmicky brain, and somehow she was okay with that.

"Well , are you going to teach me how to shoot?"

He laughed. "How to shoot, no. How to aim and fire the different weapons systems on the ship? Yes. You can learn to shoot in the range on your free time." –Although as a former military member I'm surprised she doesn't know how…..-

"Hey, I know how to shoot. I could just be….better at it." She replied a little hotly.

He laughed again and this time pulled the targeting console towards her. "Haha well then, the lady's got fire. I like it. Mileina, load up the scenarios for the control system. Let's get her started."

"Yes !" The girl happily replied.

And so began Reverie's first job on board the Ptolemaios II.