Final Days

Scene from my first story and regular canon happen if they are not contradicted.

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Setsuna

As the two mechs entered in the elevators to the hanger, Setsuna couldn't help but be nervous. Marlene would probably be waiting for the two and he was expecting her to have words for him. And for once Feldt wouldn't back him up. 'Not that I don't understand why.' Taking a deep breath, he moved the Exia into its clamps as he let go of the 0 Gundam, seeing the Astraea in its clamps as well. Marlene was standing on the walkway near the Astraea, a satisfied look on her face.

Exiting the Gundam, Setsuna floated over as he saw Marlene give Feldt a quick hug, maternal warmth radiating off of her. A warm smile came to his face as he closed in on the pair, Marlene breaking the hug and looking up at him with a relieved smile. She pulled him into a quick hug, and patted his shoulder as she broke it, looking like a weight had left her shoulder.

"I'm so happy you two are safe. I was expecting the worst."

Feldt just grinned confidently at her mother, "You think an innovade would be able to beat us?"

Marlene laughed, "Of course not. But it always pays to be prepared. Did you give Setsuna a talking to?"

Feldt grinned and nodded, causing Setsuna to frown as he looked at the two women, "I learned my lesson. I sometimes forget how stubborn Feldt is."

Marlene smirked, "Vlady women can be very stubborn sometimes." She looked down at the remains of the 0 Gundam, whistling, "You guys did a number on Ribbons. Ian's going to be upset we lost a drive."

Feldt shrugged, "I think he's going to be ok with it with everything else happening. Tieria is in control of Veda, we have most of our drives, and the Federation can be guided to be a good government without the innovades controlling everything."

Setsuna rested against a railing, the weight or lack of weight as it was, finally getting to him. While he knew fighting wasn't ever going away, Celestial Being's mission had been fulfilled. They had united the world. They had created a way to create understanding. The last step was something humanity had to prepare for, but it couldn't be done by Celestial Being alone.

Setsuna felt a warm smile form on his face, finally realizing he could take a break from fighting, to find another purpose with Feldt at his side. Marlene looked at him quizzically, "What's with that smile?"

"Just thinking about the future."

Marlene shook her head, a smile on her face, "Even after all this, it's strange to see you smiling so warmly."

Setsuna let out a breath, "I can say the same about you." Marlene rolled her eyes good naturedly, a half-smirk on her face.

Feldt, tuning into what he was thinking about, looked at Setsuna for a second before turning to her mother, "Mom, Setsuna and I talked about this before the battle, but I had something I wanted to ask you."

"Yes?"

Feldt swallowed as she took a nervous breath, "If I wanted to leave to settle down on earth, leave Celestial Being if it were possible, what would you do?"

Marlene's eyes widened, but she quickly placed a hand on Feldt's face, "Feldt, of course I would follow you two. What mother would I be if stayed here while you two left?" She then looked between the couple, tears streaming down her eyes. Setsuna smiled at the sight, happy to see all the tension and stress he normally saw on the woman having disappeared, finally free from her slowly dying body.

A few tears streamed down Feldt's face as she hugged her mother again, "I don't know what we would do. But I wouldn't want to do it without you."

Setsuna smiled at the sight, speaking up, "I don't know if any of us would. But the three of us can figure this all out. Assuming we get the option."

Marlene nodded, "It's been two decades since I was a civilian and that did not end well. But I think we served our time. I can trust Sumeragi to run Celestial Being, assuming she would want to stay."

Just then, Mileina's voice echoed in the hanger over the PA system, "We have a Federation shuttle incoming. They have guests aboard, so be on your best behavior!"

Marlene looked at the pair, "I wonder who that is?"

Feldt shrugged, "Maybe it's that commander that Ms. Sumeragi talked to? I wonder why she would let her on if it's her."

Marlene had an even look on her face, "Well she's in charge now. I'll leave the negotiations up to her."

Setsuna looked at Feldt, "Want to see who is showing up?"

Feldt smiled and nodded, "Sure." In the back of his mind he could sense a strong sense of personal happiness coming from the ship. 'I wonder who is so happy?'

Marlene

Marlene stood in front of Sumeragi, who had pulled her into a private talk after talking with the crew about the offer she had gotten from Kati Mannequin. The terms were more generous than she expected, promising any Celestial Being member a quiet pardon that wanted one in exchange for the secrets of some of their technology. Some of the crew stayed on, like Sumeragi, Anew, Lasse and Lyle, but it had surprised her that most of the crew of the ship wanted to leave the organization. And she was one of them.

Sumeragi smiled at the blonde woman, not looking upset, but she definitely was a little sad, "I suppose both of us had a good run together."

Marlene smirked, "I had to make sure your softeness didn't get us killed."

The brunette laughed, "I'm going to miss you, you know? The ship won't be the same without that pole up your ass. You are certain you want to leave? I always have room for you as my second in command."

"I think I spent long enough as part of Celestial Being. My daughter and her husband want to start a life and family down on earth, and I refuse to not be there for them and my future grandkids. Also being cure of GN particles has given me a new lease on life."

After the battle had been won and the ship had room to breathe, Lasse and Marlene were scanned; it had been found there was no remaining GN particles in their body. Anew was unsure if there was any long-term damage, as that would show up as time passed, but Marlene didn't care. All she knew was she wasn't going to die in less than a month, and she could be there for the family Feldt and Setsuna would have.

Sumeragi shook her head, "I'm impressed you held on so long. But those two kids really came through for all of us."

Marlene rested her hand on her hip, "They are more impressive than I ever expected them to be at that age. I can't believe I held back Feldt from her potential."

"We all learn lessons the hard way sometimes. Like when you yelled at me when I was refusing to lead the ship. All we can do is learn and move on."

Marlene lightly punched Sumeragi's shoulder, "Relax a little. We still have a month or more before the Federation deals with all the paperwork. We can finally hang out without having a sword hanging over our heads. Ian has wanted to do a movie night for a long time."

"Let me guess, he wants to show us some bad movies from a century ago?"

"Yep. The guy has old tastes in everything but his wife." The two women began to laugh, knowing Ian would be sputtering in anger if he knew they were talking about him like this. After a minute, the laughter died down, the two women's faces looking very red, "And even after, it's not like you can't sneak away to get a drink with me every once in a while. I'm sure Tieria can create a private way for you to get in touch with me."

Sumeragi grinned, "I'm certain that can be arranged. Kati is going to 'ignore' us as much as realistically possible. The Federation will certainly use us to help resolve things they want to keep from spreading too far. The only question is, do we bite."

Marlene wrapped an arm around Sumeragi's shoulder, "Well that will be all on you. The weight of command being off my shoulders has never felt so good."

Sumeragi pouted at that, which the blonde smirked at. Shaking her head, the tactical forecaster wrapped her arm around Marlene's shoulder, "I will demand pictures of our grandchildren."

"Our grandchildren?"

"Well I had to be a mother figure before you came along, so it's only fair that I claim the title as well."

Marlene gave her friend a warm smile, "Well grandma, I can certainly find a way to send you pictures. Also I would ask Ian too. I already know Mileina has claimed the spot of godmother of their first child."

Sumeragi laughed, "Ian is going to have to deal with her in school. It's strange to think about her going to college and doing normal teenage girl things."

"I wish him luck." The two women left the observation room, smiles on both their faces. Marlene knew reality would separate both of them and she would make more friends wherever she went. But she would always treasure Sumeragi as a person who helped pull her head out of her ass. 'Grandma Sumeragi. It does fit her, though I can already feel I'm getting old just thinking about them.'

Feldt (Two Weeks)

Things had settled down since the defeat of the innovade. The Ptolemy, after getting basic repairs, had traveled to one of their bases, leaving the Federation in charge of mopping up the remains of the A-Laws and the Federation forces still loyal to them. Celestial Being finally had time to relax again since the proud intervention and the crew had taken advantage of it. Those that were leaving had begun packing, waiting for when the Federation government to create citizenship papers, while those that were staying just took this as a vacation till they had to act again

Feldt was confused when Tieria had requested a meeting with her and her mother. Tieria had been busy hiding his presence from the Federation, so could only contact them at certain times. As she arrived in one of the lounges, she saw her mother sitting down, looking just as confused as the redhead. Tieria's voice echoed in the room, "I'm sorry I contacted you last minute, but I finally am free from observation. To cut to the chase, I found a file that both of you would have great interest in."

Marlene crossed her arms over her chest, "What did you find?"

"While I was digging through Veda, I found a short video that was created by Ruido Resonance. It wasn't a report or anything official. Veda hid it from Feldt, not wanting to be a distraction to the plan, and by the time you woke up, we had lost access to Veda." Tieria paused for a second, and continued in a happy tone, "Both you and Feldt deserved to see this."

Marlene's eyes widened and Feldt looked at Tieria in rapt curiosity. Feldt didn't have many memories of her father, just images and stories told by her father. So now was a chance she could see him as her mother had seen him. Feldt smiled, "Please show us." She saw out of the corner of her eyes as Marlene wiped a tear from her eye. Feldt sat down next to her mom, impatiently waiting.

The screen in the lounge popped on and a video began to load, a redhaired man with unkempt and spiky hair sitting on a walkway in a hanger, an inprogress behind him. As the video began to play, Ruido spoke in a casual and embarrassed tone, "Well I guess I'm doing this. Ian said I should make this just in case anything happens. He also says I have been working too long and needs to relax." He cleared his throat and Feldt's heart caught in her throat, her father's voice triggering a strong fluttering of happiness in her chest. Ruido began to speak again, "If you are seeing this, I'm probably dead. I'll start with a message to my lovely wife. You will always have a piece of my heart and I'm sorry that I left you alone. I have no regrets for anything we have done, and I want you to move on and find happiness. Don't be afraid to fall in love again. I will be waiting for you wherever I go. Maybe I'll get to meet another man who fell for the wonderful woman you are. And please take good care of Feldt. You are a great mother and I wish I could have been there to raise her with you." Feldt could see some tears running down his face and he choked from the tears as he finished up the small speech.

She looked at her mother and she could see tears running down her face, eyes puffy. Her voice was also choked by tears, "He…that man…I didn't…" Feldt could sense the grief as well as joy coming from her mother and Feldt pulled her into a hug, nostalgia and just the fact she can hear her father for the first time getting to her as well. Her mother happily accepted the hug, soaking Feldt's shoulder and scarf with her tears. Feldt refocused back on the screen, caressing her mother's back at the same.

Ruido almost seemed to look at Feldt, though it was obvious that was unintentional, "And to my adorable daughter, I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you." Her father looked like he was fighting tears, "I wished I could have seen you grow up. To see you become a strong, intelligent and beautiful woman, if your mother is any clue. I wished I could have seen you find love, to find a good man or woman that would love and cherish you. And if you have, I hope they treat you well." Feldt's emotional dam burst as well, leaning into her mother as she began to sob. Her father was so wonderful and she wished she could have grown up with him as well. 'You were right dad! I found a wonderful husband!'

Ruido smiled through his tears, "I wanted to teach you how to fix a Gundam, maybe to even pilot one. Sometimes I feel like a bad father spending so much time on these new Gundams, but Marlene and Chall say it's fine, though I can't help but regret not spending as much time with you. I love you so much and you deserve a peaceful world to live in. I only hope one day I can help make it for you." There was a distinct clang in the background and the redhaired man looked towards the noise before looking back at the camera, "Looks like Ian needs help again. I guess I'll have to film Chall's video later. Honestly this is kinda morbid, but I suppose it probably is a good idea." He shook his head, "Anyways, I love you both and I hope a piece of me is in both your hearts."

The video stopped and neither woman was ready to speak yet, crying as the held each other. While Feldt only had vague memories of him, she could see why her mother fell in love with him. She only wished he could see the world that Celestial Being had made and how they continued his legacy. She could also understand why Ian compared her to him sometimes.

Marlene was the first to speak, lifting her head up from Feldt's shoulder, "Thank you, Tieria. It was…nice to see and hear him again, even if it was a video."

Tieria responded courteously, "It was the right thing to do. I have sent the video to yours and Feldt's computer already, and I have sent his video to Chall to you as well."

"I…Thank you. I'll look at it later." Feldt began to get a handle on her raging emotions as her mother smiled up at the ceiling.

Finally speaking after she let out a breath, Feldt spoke out loud, "Thank you, Tieria. I don't know if we would have seen that without you."

Tieria's voice echoed in the room again, "No need to thank me. After all you did for me, you deserve something that had been denied you." There was a click than Tieria spoke in an apologetic tone, "I have to go. New Federation data has been sent and I have to deal with that. Don't want to be too suspicious." There was almost like a phone click as his presence disappeared. The two women looked at each other, both of their eyes puffy and red.

Feldt smiled warmly, "I wish I could have met dad, but I could see the love in his eyes when he talked about us. I hope he's happy wherever he is."

Marlene leaned back, looking more relaxed than ever, "I know he is. I hope he doesn't mind waiting for a long time." Feldt beamed at her mom, laughing as Marlene began to tell stories about him. A weight had been lifted off her soul and she felt more complete with a more solid image of her father. 'I will be there for my children. I want to do what my father couldn't.'

Setsuna

As Setsuna entered the meister's lounge, he couldn't help but have a smile on his face. Only two days before they had to leave, he got some important news. While he was nervous, the news that Feldt was pregnant sent a happy chill down his spine. He was surprised she could identify it so early, but she had guided him using their bond to sense the new life growing in her, pure happiness washing through him when he rested his hand on her stomach. It was a tiny thing, but new drives rose in him the instant he sensed it, the realization that they would have a life to take care of together. His nerves had come back after the euphoric reaction, but he understood that was a natural reaction for many parents the first time.

Looking around, he could see Lyle and Allelujah laughing at something, sitting on a couch, a lighthearted atmosphere in the room. Both men looked at him, and Lyle casually smiled, "Look at you. What's got you so happy?"

Setsuna floated in, sitting down on the same couch as the two to Allelujah's left. Realizing that he should just get it out in the open, he spoke, "Feldt is pregnant."

Allelujah's eyes widened, and Lyle whistled then grinned, "Honestly with how active you are, I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner."

Allelujah looked at Setsuna, rubbing one of his wrists, "How far along?" Nervous energy leaked off of him, obvious enough that he didn't really how to actively scan.

"One month. I thought it was early to detect it but it seems being able to sense quantum brainwaves helps detect it early." Setsuna was blushing, unable to control the happiness rushing through him.

"Look at you, blushing!" Lyle laughed, "Congratulations by the way. I'm happy for the two of you. You just have to deal with little devils now, as Neil and I's parents like to call us."

Allelujah looked at Lyle, "Why did your parents call you that?"

Lyle smiled nostalgically, "Especially when we were young, we would always argue over petty things. Whose toy was whose, who got to use the television, Neil taking showers that were too long. General standard twin and sibling stuff. Sometimes I pretended I wasn't related to him because he annoyed me so much. Though that was hard because we were twins." He looked up at the ceiling, "And when Amy came along, she was chaos incarnate, liking to do pranks and mess with everyone. Our parents loved all of us unconditionally, but they still got very frustrated with us."

He sighed, "In hindsight I wished we had been a little more respectful, but we were kids and didn't know any better. Our parents put up with all our stupid shit, but never stopped loving us."

Setsuna looked down at the ground, sighing. He never had any siblings, but his parents loved him just as much. He was always an energetic child, and both his parents chided him when he did stupid things and got hurt. Like when he broke his leg climbing and falling out of a tree that was a little too high. His mother had been angry, but he could remember the worry in her eyes. He didn't understand back then why she had reacted like that, but looking back, he could understand how much she loved him.

Lyle, unaware of what is going on in Setsuna's head, shrugged, "But they always said they weren't prepared for us, not even with all the stuff they read. They had to learn on the fly. So I'm sure you and Feldt can figure out this parenting thing."

Setsuna was brought out of his doldrum, smiling at the Irishman, "Thank you. I feel as ready as I can be, and Marlene has said she will be there to help us every step of the way."

Lyle grinned, "I would bet money if she became soft around her grandkids, but I'm pretty sure she would come back up into space and strangle me." Setsuna just nodded in response, knowing Marlene still had a hard edge to her, even if it had softened a bit.

The super soldier, who had remained silent, looked at Setsuna, a question in his heterochromatic eyes, "Did you and Feldt talk about this? How did you know if you were ready?"

Setsuna gave Allelujah a serious look, seeing doubt and nervousness on his comrade's face, "I was nervous for a while, and had other doubts and fears, but I realized I was being irrational and that we are a pair. We can fall back on each other if we need to."

Lyle smiled at him and Allelujah took a breath, "Marie and I have… lightly brushed the topic. I don't know what the super soldier institute did to us and neither of us really got to be people. Also the whole personality thing."

Setsuna placed a hand on Allelujah's shoulder, "Take your time. Feldt and I took time to figure this out, and so should you." He smiled warmly at Allelujah, "I'm certain you will have kids when you feel you are ready. You two should enjoy your time with whatever you choose to do after you leave."

Lyle nodded in approval, "I would have said the same thing. I'm happy you guys finally get to enjoy spending time on Earth. God knows that you two need to spend some time being normal people."

Allelujah looked at Lyle, curious, "Why didn't you choose to leave? I can understand why Setsuna is leaving, but you were kind of drafted."

Lyle shrugged, "Besides the fact I got to live a normal life, I still can't trust the Federation after all they did. Someone needs to keep Celestial Being as a potential faction to keep peace on Earth." He grinned, "Also my girlfriend is staying so I might as well stay too."

Setsuna just nodded, "Fair enough. I don't think anyone would doubt you." He focused on the two men, "Since we are all leaving in a few days, anything you guys want to do?"

A fire lit in Lyle's eyes, "Since it might be the last time, how does a simulation battle sound? One last fight as a team."

Both Setsuna and Allelujah smiled, nodding. Lyle grinned and the three men stood up, heading towards the hangers. One last hurrah would be nice, even if it wasn't a real fight.

As people milled about in the hanger, the first batch of people to head to earth, Setsuna stood near a loaded shuttle, waiting for the launch to be called. He was currently wearing his normal civilian outfit, the loose white button shirt and black pants, Feldt's green scarf wrapped around his neck. Sumeragi had all the leaving crew wear civilian outfits in order to hide their history with Celestial Being, though they were still allowed to keep their uniforms as a memento.

Feldt was across the hanger, saying her last goodbyes to Sumeragi, wearing a light green button-down shirt, blue skirt that went down to her knees and black leggings, topped off by Setsuna's red scarf. She was holding onto orange Haro, who looked as excited as usual. Looking to his left, he saw Marlene, who for the first time in his life was wearing something other than a space suit or her uniform.

She had on a white button-down shirt, waist high jeans and a brown jacket that went down to her waist. Crossing her arms across her chest, his mother-in-law looked at him, "Can't believe the day has arrived. This will be the last time we see this place, hopefully." Despite her words, there was hint of loss in her voice, which Setsuna could understand, having been in Celestial Being for almost a decade, and Marlene had been there longer.

"We made our choice. But we can trust they are in good hands."

Marlene nodded, "They will do us proud. Have you thought about what you want to do?"

Setsuna looked down thoughtfully, "I was thinking maybe a civilian pilot or some kind of engineer? I learned a bunch from Feldt working on the 00 Raiser." He frowned slightly, wishing the machine had survived. 'But we got Ribbons in the end, so it was worth the sacrifice.' Feldt and Setsuna had done the Gundam justice, so there was nothing to be too sad about.

He raised an eyebrow, "So what are you thinking of doing?"

Marlene shrugged, "Not sure at the moment, though based on my work history they gave me and my skills, a management position would be good."

"That would suit you." He smiled, looking around the hanger, "I'm going to miss all this. All our comrades."

"Yeah, but every journey has its end, and ours reached it. The world will never be the same." Marlene had a nostalgic smile, looking like she didn't have the world on her shoulders.

"I suppose it won't." Setsuna chuckled, "Louise is going to enjoy dealing with all of us." Louise had offered to house the three of them till they got a house of their own as well as paying for a Spanish honeymoon for him and Feldt since they turned down her offer to host another ceremony at her estate.

"She seems…energetic." Marlene frowned, clearly not happy to deal with another person with a lot of energy, though there was no venom in her words.

Setsuna rolled his eyes, "I'm certain you'll get used to her."

"I'm ready to go!" Feldt rapidly floated towards them as he called out, beaming. There was a glow to her that Setsuna could swear was there and as she closed in, he brought her close, kissing her softly. She kissed him back and he could feel her smile, on top of the feelings shared in their bond. Setsuna couldn't resist blushing, the heat in his cheeks the same as when he first kissed her.

Feldt looked at her mom, nodding, "I can't wait to see the Halevy estate!"

Marlene spoke evenly, "Me neither." In the background, Setsuna could hear the call for boarding, their bags already loaded. Wrapping her free arm around one of Setsuna's, Feldt guided him to the shuttle, Marlene falling behind them.

Setsuna took one last look at the door into the base, the remaining crew not piloting shuttles standing there. A bittersweet feeling went through him, knowing life was going to be different. It was going to be difficult, but he would do it. For his family and for himself. He smiled at his wife, who giddily entered the shuttle. 'We can make it. We both need to make the most of this second chance.'

Author Note

And we reach the finale of the story! We have an epilogue left, but our story events come to an end! I hope you guys enjoyed the story. I have a few one shot ideas for this setting, but I have no more big stories for it. If anyone wants to use it, just get in contact with me. I will have a big breakdown next author note, so for now thank you for reading and a reminder I love comments and reviews!