New Crew, Old Crew

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

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Feldt

Feldt stood in the main briefing room, anxiously waiting for Setsuna to arrive with Sumeragi and the new pilot. When she first heard that Setsuna was coming back with Sumeragi, happiness surged inside her, but in the back of her mind, worry about her mental condition pushed back against that happiness. Feldt's hope had risen when the tactical forecaster had sent them a battle plan to fight off the surprise A-Laws attack, which helped them defeat the enemy forces that had been sent to engage them. 'She hasn't lost any of her skills. If she helped us then, then that means that she's willing to help us!' Her mother had looked suitably impressed when she had seen the battle plan, and subsequently had the rest of the crew wait in the main briefing room for the arrival of Setsuna with Sumeragi and the new recruit. Her mother floated in the back of the group, probably wanting to look aloof. They didn't even wait to take off their space suits.

The door slid open and Feldt let out a nervous breath, smiling as she saw her boyfriend standing there, with a familiar looking brunette woman standing behind him in a space suit, helmet off. Her smile grew, happy to see the older woman safe and sound. However, she was taken aback by the almost blank look on Ms. Sumeragi's face, the fire she had years ago still extinguished, like the last time she saw her. Feldt admittedly had no idea what was going on fully behind those brown eyes, but the woman standing before her looked the same as the one that had left them four years ago. 'I wonder what Setsuna did to convince her to rejoin us. I hope he wasn't too rash.' She also noticed Setsuna had what looked to be a sealed shopping bag in his hand. 'What is that?' She shoved that in the back of her mind. She could always ask Setsuna later. Right now, Ms. Sumeragi was the important thing.

Feldt smiled at Sumeragi, "Welcome back, Ms. Sumeragi!"

Lasse's voice was full of nostalgia as he spoke, "Same reckless tactics as always."

Sumeragi looked at the ground, sounding defeated, "I'm not sure about-"

The redhead did not have long to dwell on the tactical forecaster's seemingly negative response as the spitting image of Neil Dylandy appeared behind Ms. Sumeragi and Setsuna, grinning at the group. It was like a ghost had appeared in front of the crew. Her eyes widened in shock, and the rest of the old crew was just as shocked, Haro happily calling out that Lockon was alive. 'How can he be here? Setsuna saw him die. Why is his eye fixed?' She looked over at Setsuna, who had an even look about this whole thing. 'He must have had time to soak all this in.'

Lasse's voice cut through the shock of the group, voice full of disbelief, "What's the deal?"

Sumeragi's spoke in a subdued tone, "This is Lockon's younger brother, Lyle." Feldt's eyes widened at that. 'He had a younger brother? I shouldn't be surprised after all of the other things Veda hid, yet it somehow keeps happening.' Looking at him with this new information, her mind was a mess. It was like seeing a ghost, but at the same time he wasn't Lockon. It wasn't Neil. Nobody else could be. 'Did Wang Liu Mei know who he was? Did she know the effect Neil had on the crew?' Neil had helped get her and Setsuna together. He had kept the meisters united even when people kept making mistakes on missions. His death had shaken the entire crew. And here was his spitting image in front of her, grinning casually.

She looked over at Tieria, who had a strong connection to Neil. The purple-haired man was narrowing his eyes, looking at the brunette man with suspicion. Tieira met her eyes for a second, his lips a thin line. He probably felt the same as her. Neither of them suspected that this new pilot would be family of Neil.

The crew was silent, not knowing what to say. Putting on a smile, Feldt spoke to Lyle, "Welcome to the Ptolemaios. You certainly had an interesting trip." She had several things she wanted to say instead of that, but right now wasn't the crime.

Lyle smiled at her, "It certainly was. Didn't expect to be attacked on the way over or Mr. Stoic over here shoving the controls on me." Lyle winked at her flirtatiously, "And it's nice to see a pretty face up here." Of all the responses she expected, that wasn't it.

Feldt grit her teeth at that. He probably had no idea she was with Setsuna, but to flirt immediately? She had not expected that. The temptation to say something negative grew. She balled her fists, her knuckles turning white as she evened out her look. She released the tension in her fist taking a breath. The Irishman gave her a surprised look at her reaction, but quickly went back to smiling. She was happy to see Setsuna narrowing his eyes at Lyle. 'Not that I need him, but it's nice to see him just as annoyed at that.' She tried to look at Sumeragi, to distract herself, but the woman refused to look at anyone, her eyes glued to the ground.

She was about to ask if he or Sumeragi needed help with their stuff, but her mother cut her off, floating in front of the group, her voice even, with a hint of annoyance, "I am Marlene Vlady, acting commander of Celestial Being and the Ptolemaios. You may call me Ms. Vlady or Commander Vlady. I have rooms set aside for both you, which you will be shown to shortly." She gave a hard look at Lyle, "After you are shown to your room, you guide will lead you to get briefed by me. Is that understood?"

Lyle nodded casually, "Clear as can be ma'am."

She looked over at Lyle, examining him before speaking, "Do you need help with your stuff?"

Lyle shook his head, "I don't have that much." Feldt could sense a bit of masculine pride in his response, as well as a casual attitude.

Marlene silently asked Sumeragi the same question, and she responded quietly, "No, I think I can handle it."

Marlene nodded at that and turned to Setsuna, "You will show Lyle Dylandy to his quarters and bring him to the conference room."

Setsuna responded evenly, "Understood."

Feldt saw her mother turn her attention to Sumeragi and Feldt hoped that she would ask Feldt to guide her to her quarters. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but Sumeragi seemed to be avoid her looks. 'Why is she doing that? Is everyone's death still bothering her?' It left a dull ache in her chest to see the once proud woman avoid her looks, a guilty look in her eyes. Marlene looked at Sumeragi before looking at the rest of the crew, "I will show her to her quarters. The rest of you get back in your uniforms and get back to your stations."

The group let out an affirmative, Feldt joining in as Lyle, Setsuna, Sumeragi and Marlene exited the room. As the rest of the crew filtered out of the room, she felt someone's hands on her shoulders and turned her head to see Tieria looking at her with a conflicted look.

She gave him a bitter smile, "How are you feeling? He looks like Neil and I know how you feel about him."

Tieria pursed his lips, sounding lost, "I… He looks just like him. It's not him. He doesn't move or act like him. But it's hard not to see the ghost of Neil." Feldt would say Tieria looked almost haunted, his true feelings coming out now they were the only two in the room.

Feldt laid one of her hands on his hand, "I'm sorry you have to deal with this. It's hard for me too. But Neil would probably want us to not be so stuck on him. We should give him a chance to…prove his worth." Feldt hesitated slightly at the end of that, now having seen the person who was going to take over the Cheridum. It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. Neil's brother would take the spot in the same type of suit. Would Lyle even want that? 'Another reason I should have piloted.'

Tieria gave her an even look, his control over his emotions going back to normal, "I suppose we will have to. I will try not to be too harsh. With that attitude he has, I don't think he and your mother will get along."

Feldt nodded, sighing, "They will get along like oil and water. Maybe she'll scare him off. Who knows?"

Setsuna

Setsuna glided ahead of Lyle, the Irishman staying close behind him. Setsuna was a little irked by Lyle winking at his girlfriend, but he didn't want to make a scene of it. There was something off about it, but he couldn't place it. Like Lyle was hiding something. Setsuna was pretty sure he was a Katharon agent, especially after he was interested in the information Setsuna told him, but that wasn't the only thing he was hiding. 'I suppose he might be putting on a mask.'

"Hey Setsuna, you should have told me you had good looking women on the ship. That would have helped. The redhead in particular." Lyle interrupted Setsuna's thoughts with a happy comment. Setsuna looked back at him, a dark look on his face. A growing annoyance grew in his chest, jealousy coursing through him. He didn't know if the man was serious or not, but he wanted to nip this in the bud before Lyle tried anything. Lyle gave him a surprised look, eyes showing confusion, "Hey man, is something wrong? That's not a friendly look."

Setsuna narrowed his eyes, his voice low, "That redhead is my girlfriend, so I would kindly ask you to drop the interest. And her name is Feldt." He wasn't afraid that Feldt would break up with him, but he did not want Lyle to harass her.

Lyle put up one hand in surrender, the other gripping the handle on the wall, "Jesus, relax! I didn't know she was taken. It would be hard to know without asking." Setsuna caught Lyle's words he spoke under his breath, "It's not like you said anything. And I wouldn't go for a taken girl. I'm not that low of a person."

Setsuna frowned and replied evenly, "I didn't feel it was necessary to tell you about my romantic life."

"Well you didn't say anything, so how was I supposed to know." Lyle laughed, "The way you acted before had me convinced you didn't have a romantic bone in your body. All icy. Though I have to say you really struck gold. You are a lucky man to scoop her up."

Setsuna just kept staring at Lyle before he relented, "Alright! I'll stop. I swear you guys have no fun. And that commander of yours is a hardass, isn't she?"

"Like a walnut."

"What should I expect? Any tips for me?"

Setsuna stopped and turned to face Lyle, the man giving him a curious look, "She's a professional. She doesn't appreciate backtalk, snide comments or comedy when on duty. She expects you to act on you best behavior and do your duties on the ship. Off duty, she doesn't care as much, but she expects you to follow orders, with reasonable leeway as long as you can explain yourself."

Lyle let out a long sigh, "Of course. You know she is kind of hot. If she didn't have that pole up her ass…"

Setsuna just rolled his eyes, "She also would not appreciate comments like that."

Lyle waved a hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah. Give the boss lady respect." Setsuna got the feeling that Lyle wouldn't fully drop this attitude, so his meeting with Marlene was not going to be fun.

Setsuna then internally smirked, "Also my girlfriend is the daughter of Marlene, so I would be careful."

Lyle blanched for a second, a worried exhale coming out of him, "Wow, I flirted with the commander's daughter. That was a good intro. You know, I wish you had told me that."

"Once again, not necessary."

Lyle rolled his eyes, "I hope this doesn't become a pattern." The two once again started traveling and Lyle spoke up again, "On a different subject, everyone seemed to look at me with hope when they saw me. I know it's because of my brother, but what was he to everyone on this ship? Everyone gave me such a happy welcome when they thought I was my brother."

Setsuna grimaced for a second, happy he didn't have to look at Lyle as they continued to his new quarters, "Your brother was practically the leader of the meisters four years ago. He was fair, responsible and kept us in line without being too authoritative. He always reprimanded people, but fairly. We all saw him as reasonable, the least messed up among the rest of us, though we learned later…" Setsuna trailed off, not wanting to say it.

Lyle's voice was wistful and sad, continuing Setsuna's family "What happened to our family and him going off the deep end. He took the loss of our family hard."

Setsuna nodded, "His death shook everyone on the crew. To see such a strong and kind man die, who we thought had everything together, was a blow to all of us."

Lyle replied inquisitively, "You really were attached to him, weren't you? What did he do for you?"

Setsuna lips formed into a thin line, voice on the edge of threatening, "That is not something I wish to talk about." Lyle was a stranger to him and brother of Neil or not, he was not privileged enough to hear Setsuna's personal thoughts.

"Alright, alright. It's probably personal. Probably shouldn't have asked." Lyle's voice was contrite before speaking with a growing clarity, "But my brother left a big shadow on the crew of this ship. Great…another shadow I live under."

Setuna, seeing Lyle's quarters coming up, stopped and turned, "Shadow?"

Lyle shook his head, stopping as well, "Don't worry about it. It's not important." Setsuna swore he saw Lyle's expression tighten for a second, but it was gone in a split second. 'Was I seeing things?' The raven-haired man shook his head. If it was important, it would be fair if Lyle equally didn't open up to anyone in the crew.

Setsuna pointed to the sliding door nearby, "These will be your quarters. You can drop your stuff off in here and I will lead you to the conference room. You will be getting your uniform in a day or two."

Lyle nodded, smiling, "My new home. This will take getting used to." Setsuna didn't know how he would fit in with the crew, but they needed him as a meister, so he would hold back his judgement. 'As long as he doesn't flirt with Feldt.'

Marlene

As Marlene guided Sumeragi to her room, she occasionally glanced back to look at the despondent woman. She had assumed because she sent a plan, Sumeragi was ready to step up and take over as the leader of the ship. But seeing the slumped shoulder and lost expression on the woman's face told her that her plan wasn't going to happen right now. The woman had avoided looking at the old crew and had been silent the entire journey to her room. 'I had been expecting her to be shaky, but not this.'

As much as Marlene took to the position as leader of Celestial Being, she did it out of necessity rather than wanting to be in charge. Sumeragi was needed to help the fight the A-Laws. Marlene could react quickly against the enemy, but her mind had a hard time predicting large scale enemy plans. 'I was only a Gundam meister. We had Veda for plans when my team was operating.'

Marlene reached the door and opened it up, the brunette following her in. Marlene spoke tersely, "Welcome to your new quarters."

Sumeragi nodded, little energy in it, "I don't even know if I should be here."

Marlene narrowed her eyes at her, "Because of what happened before?" This woman had led to their many victories in the past and now she was doubting her place.

Sumeragi nodded, "I failed everyone. People died and I didn't stop it." Her voice was weak as she continued, "Why should anyone trust me to lead after that."

Marlene's anger rose at the woman's attitude. The world was in a bad state and all she could think about was her failure. Marlene understood what it meant to lose people. But to give up? To stop fighting against the cruelty of the world? 'No.'

Marlene's voice got low and her lips formed into a thin line, "So that's it, then? You lose some people and you abandon the fight? You abandon the people that relied on you and trusted you to lead them?"

Sumeragi's eyes widened, "What?"

Marlene's voice rose, "Did anyone blame you for losing four years? Did any of the old crew tell you they wanted you gone?" In all of her years as commander, the crew had never shown any doubt about Sumeragi, always complimenting her.

Sumeragi replied meekly, shrinking back, "No."

"Then why did you leave? Leave everyone without any semblance of leadership? My daughter looked up to you and still looks up to you. She was so nervous about how safe you were on Earth. And the rest of the crew was happy to see you, as shown by the gathering earlier."

Sumeragi, looked at Marlene, confused, "Wait, daughter? What do you mean?"

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Feldt is my daughter."

"Feldt never mentioned anything about her parents. I never saw you around before we launched the Ptolemy." Marlene could see the confusion all over Sumeragi's face. It was a lot to take in, especially for someone that had been important to Celestial Being before Fallen Angels

'What caused her to join the organization in the first place?' She must have had a reason to join an effective terrorist organization. Marlene spoke calmly, "I was in a coma for ten years after a mission gone bad. I was only woken up after Fallen Angels."

Sumeragi looked at the ground, "Then why do you need me? You called yourself acting commander. You can take command and lead everyone."

Some anger and frustration returned to Marlene, but she took a deep breath, keeping herself under control, "Because I don't have the skills that you do. I can't plan an operation as well as you can. You were trained as tactical forecaster. You know how to put together plans and adapt when needed. I was only a Gundam Meister. I followed the plan Veda gave us. That's why I want you to take over." Marlene's voice softened a little, "They need you. I am a stranger to you. But the rest of the crew? They trust you and want you back."

Sumeragi shook her head, "I can't. I will only fail them again. I don't want to put them through that again." The tactical forecaster's voice broke a little, wavering, "I can't go through it again."

Marlene could hear the hints of heartbreak in her voice and see the loss behind her eyes. 'Who did she lose that did so much to her?' It reminded her of the same way that she talked about her husband at her weakest moments. 'I'm not going to be able to help her, not now.'

Malrene straightened up, "You are welcome to stay on the ship and can take over at any time. I will step down willingly, so you don't have to worry about that. I will send you updates and ask for battle plans in the meantime. I would appreciate your help, even if you don't seem to want to."

The blonde woman walked towards the door and as it slid open, she spoke softly, just loud enough for Sumeragi to hear, "I want to thank you for taking care of my daughter. I owe you for that." Marlene stepped through the door, it quietly closing behind her. She certainly felt for the woman, but right now they couldn't coddle her. They were fighting against the world and the ship needed every weapon they could find, be it a Gundam or the mind of skilled leader. 'She better wake up soon or I feel like we won't last long.'

Feldt

Feldt let out a sigh, opening the door to her room after leaving her shift so soon into it. She couldn't get her worries about Sumeragi and Lyle as the new pilot out of her head. Mileina had seen how distracted Feldt was and said she would cover her shift for her. 'Thank you Mileina. Thank god mom didn't see me that distracted.'

The sight that greeted her as the door opened was not one she expected. Setsuna was laying on the bed horizontally, his top off, leaving him in his pants and the black undershirt. He was frowning slightly, looking up at the ceiling of their room. Feldt quirked her head at Setsuna, confused at why he was doing this. She floated over quietly, landing on her back right next to him, causing the raven-haired man to look at her in curiosity. Feldt smiled, and her heart raced seeing him smile back, "You look like you are thinking, darling. What's going on in that head of yours?"

Setsuna looked away for a second and looked back at her, guilt on his face, "I just wanted to apologize to you. I should have told you that Lyle was Neil's brother. I saw that it shocked you and I didn't think about that."

Feldt pursed her lips, "It's alright. My mom told you to keep radio silence. At least I wasn't the only one shocked." Feldt pecked him on the lips, her cheeks heating up, "But thank you for well…thinking about that. You are so sweet."

Setsuna blushed, "I just didn't want to hurt you, accidentally or not. I'm still trying to figure this all out."

Feldt smiled warmly at him, "You are getting better. Much better than you were years ago." Setsuna flushed, clearly embarrassed and Feldt floated closer to him, wrapping her arms around his sides, breathing him in. Setsuna wrapped his arm around her, resting it on her hip. Feldt looked into his eyes, a new question rising, "So how did you get Sumeragi to come back with you?"

Setsuna cleared his throat, "When I found out she was staying with a former Union engineer, I found his apartment. I had initially planned to just blurt out her identity, but I remember you asked me to try to be diplomatic." Feldt nodded into his shoulder, smiling. Setsuna continued, "When I saw her state, I didn't know what to do, but I went with the flow. I talked with the man and Sumeragi, and it was clear she was not in a good state, as you saw. I told her some old friends were ready to take her back with open arms, but she refused, saying something about failing them. I tried a few more times to convince her, and the man even helped, trying to say visiting some friends might be good, but she wouldn't budge. I tried, for you."

Setsuna rubbed her hip down to her thighs, Feldt happy and proud Setsuna tried to be diplomatic, "She seemed like no words would convince her, but when Billy went to get something, I glared at her, silently threatening to reveal her identity. I didn't want to, but I couldn't see any other way she would listen. She seemed to understand the message and when her friend got back, Sumeragi said it might be nice to see some old friends. I then helped her grab her stuff and now we are here."

A warmth spread in Feldt's chest. Setsuna, despite not being the most subtle person, had done something for her. Feldt placed a hand on Setsuna's cheek, "I'm happy you at least tried to be diplomatic. And I don't think any of us would have gotten through to her, based on how she was." Feldt frowned, and she buried her face into Setsuna's shoulder.

Setsuna's voice rumbled, the vibrations hitting her cheek, "You must be really worried about her." Feldt didn't hear a question in that. 'He knows me so well.' She just nodded once again, not wanting to say it out loud. Setsuna kissed her on the forehead, causing her to relax, "I know we will get her back. We just have to give her time."

Feldt looked up from her boyfriend's shoulder, seeing the warmth in his eyes, "I just wish she felt better. Was better. It feels bad to see such a strong and skilled woman so…lost."

Setsuna frowned for a second, then smiled, kissing her, "I have something that can distract you from that."

Feldt looked at him, confused, "What do you mean?" 'Did it have to do something with the bag he had? What was in that?' Setsuna pushed himself from off the bed, floating towards their shared closet. Feldt sat up on the bed, her curiosity piqued. Setsuna came out several seconds later, the white bag in his hand. Feldt tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "You didn't need to get me a gift."

Setsuna shook his head, smiling, "Angel, I wanted to get you a gift." She could see Setsuna's cheeks match her old hair color as he continued, "You lost the kimono that I got you four years ago, so I thought I would get you something that would make you look just as beautiful." Feldt blushed and her breath was taken when Setsuna pulled out a long dress, which was yellow at the top, which would probably show a bit of cleavage, and shifted to peach as it reached her feet. A sash in the middle started the shift, it being more salmon.

Tears came to Feldt's eyes as she looked up at her boyfriend, taking the dress from him, "It's beautiful! I…" She hugged the dress to her chest, beaming as she closed her eyes. 'What did I do to deserve a man like Setsuna?' She opened her eyes to see Setsuna looking at the ground bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked up, his other hand covering his blush, his voice nervous, "So you like it?"

Feldt smirked, floating up to Setsuna, "I'll show you how I feel." Feldt pulled him into an intense kiss, letting go of the dress and wrapping her arms around his neck. He responded quickly, replying with equal intensity. About a minute later, the kiss broke, and the redhead smiled, "Do you understand?"

Setsuna just smiled bashfully, "Yeah, I do."

Feldt smiled at him coyly, trailing a finger down his chest, "You know…there are other things that can distract me, right?"

Setsuna smirked back at her, "You know there are other people on the ship, right?"

Feldt just grinned, "Well, it's certainly great that the room is sound proofed, huh?" With that, Setsuna just pulled her into another kiss, her mind getting lost in fog. All of her worries disappeared and the only thing on her mind was getting Setsuna out of those clothes.

Marlene

Marlene sat in the conference room, sitting up straight in her chair. She had questions for Lyle and she had strong suspicions about his history. She couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but if he was a member of Katharon, it wouldn't technically be the worst thing. At least he might have mobile suit combat experience. 'Though if I see him try to flirt with my daughter again, he's not going to have eyes. Or teeth.'

The door slid open and the Irishman walked in, a casual grin on his face, "I'm in the right room, right? Setsuna could have gotten the wrong place."

Marlene glared at him, "Sit down." Lyle sat down, rolling his eyes, not losing his grin. 'Oh it's going to be like that?' Marlene spoke evenly, with a harsh undertone, "You are now a part of Celestial Being. And I expect you to be better than that." She could see Lyle cross his arms in front of his chest and lean back in his chair, smirking. 'This is going to be a long briefing.'

Author Note

And there's the cliffhanger! Next week you will see the full scene, but it was a fun thing to leave off on. I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'll see you guys next week! Please leave reviews, comments, likes, etc.!