Turbulence at Sea

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

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Marlene

Marlene narrowed her eyes at Lyle, "I assume you know why you were recruited, right?" 'I hope Setsuna at least told him what he's supposed to do.'

Lyle leaned back in his chair, "He told me a little, though he was rather tight lipped when I tried to press him too much. He said something about piloting some kind of mobile suit and that if I wanted to honor my brother, I should do it." Marlene caught a hint of displease at the mention of his brother, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. 'Interesting.'

Marlene nodded at that, "Setsuna is indeed correct on that. You were picked because we have intel you are a skilled pilot and would oppose the new government."

Lyle put his hands up, "Woah, I think you got the wrong dude. I am just a banker. I don't know anything about piloting, besides maybe some experience in mobile workers."

Marlene rolled her eyes, hoping she wouldn't have to do this. 'This will get tiring if he stays like this.' She projected the intel on the table, showing what they had on him, "We have evidence that you belong to Katharon. Not only that, but you have fought against the federation in outdated mobile suits. So please don't try to play like you are just an innocent civilian." She would nip this in the bud before he could think he was clever.

Lyle examined the projected images, smiling up at Marlene, annoying her even more, "That's certainly a lot of evidence. You guys must have spent a lot of time gathering this. I'm impressed." Lyle waved a hand through the projection, "It's strange to see someone spying on me and it not being the government. How'd you do it?"

Marlene kept a straight face, "That is not in your pay grade. We have ways to get information and that's all you need to know."

Lyle rolled his eyes, "I did technically agree to join you guys, so I suppose that it would apply to me. But it would be nice to have a little trust is all."

Marlene folded her hands together, "You are new to this organization, so you have to earn that trust. We trust you enough to take control of one of the Gundams, so keep that in mind."

Lyle scrutinized her for a second, before smirking, "You really don't trust me, do you?"

Marlene gave him an even look, "I trust those who prove themselves." It wasn't exactly a lie. While she didn't trust outsiders to Celestial Being, those who proved they went along with the goals of the organization earned her respect and trust. And right now, she was not fond of Lyle's attitude. 'This is a serious request. He could at least pretend to be serious.'

Lyle leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling before looking back at the Celestial Being commander, "So I guess I gotta show I can do this, huh? I think I can do that. Any tips?"

Marlene's lips formed a thin line, "Not talking back to me would be a good start. Along with calling me Commander Vlady."

Lyle must have seen her annoyance, because he let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders, "I will try my best to be as respectful as possible. Don't want to bite the hand that feeds."

"Secondly, you must remember you are a part of Celestial Being now. You connection to Katharon is no longer important. Is that understood."

Lyle pursed his lips, conflicted, "That's a big ask. Assuming I'm a part of them, you are having me abandon them."

Marlene hardened her expression, "They do not have the ability to fight against the A-Laws. They use outdated suit and while brave, can only give small cuts to the Federation. You would have better tools here. And to be part of CB means you are loyal to us above anything else."

Lyle nodded heavily, "Yeah, I guess you are right. I'm with you guys now, for good or for ill." Marlene could tell there wasn't full confidence in his voice and he was hiding something, but she would take his words for now.

Marlene just nodded at that, "Do you have any questions?"

"Not really. I just want to see this mech that I'm going to pilot."

Marlene turned off the projector, "Tieria should be outside the door to show you to the Cheridum."

Lyle nodded, heading towards the door, giving her a wave, "See you later boss lady!"

"That's commander!"

Lyle rolled his eyes, "See you later, commander." The door opened as he reached it and closed behind him, Marlene scowling at the retreating meister.

'He didn't seem to remember the respect thing already.' Lyle would be someone she would have to keep an eye on. She got the feeling he was almost playing a character. 'He thought we would buy his civilian excuse.' On top of his attitude, she did not trust his word that he was loyal to them or that he was no longer attached to Katharon. Bringing up her terminal, she called Ian. The mechanic answered immediately, "What's up?"

Marlene gave him a serious look, "Have orange Haro keep an eye on all communications from Lyle Dylandy."

Ian looked at her for a second before shrugging his shoulders, "Understood. Anything else?" Marlene shook her head and the call dropped. 'Thank god I didn't need to explain myself to Ian. It's nice to have someone I can unconditionally trust besides Feldt.' She hoped Lyle would keep to his word, but she would not have it blindside her. If he still talked to them, she wanted to know every word he said. 'Some days it's tiring to be the commander. Hopefully Sumeragi takes over. A break would be nice.'

Setsuna

Setsuna was getting led down the hallway by an irritated Marlene. With the successful rescue of Allelujah from the secret prison he was being kept it, the crew was in a happier mood. 'I guess they might have hidden me if they captured me and the Exia. At least that didn't happen.' On top of rescuing their comrade, Setsuna had learned from Feldt that Marina was also being held in the prison and with the limited time he had to rescue Allelujah, he had managed to find her and rescue her as well, bringing her back to the ship. Marina was someone that despite him disagreeing with her, did not deserve to be held like a hostage by the government. 'It was probably my fault why they targeted her. They remembered the Azadistan intervention and knew she was close to someone in the organization.'

Once she had gotten onboard, she had explained to a good chunk of the crew that she wanted to go back to Azadistan. Setsuna had strongly suggested that they go to the country and drop her off. While he agreed she wouldn't safe there, that was her will and he could tell she wouldn't change her mind. Marlene had shown immense annoyance but relayed to Ian to inform Lasse on the bridge to change the direction the ship was going.

Marlene finally stopped them in a small room, scowling at him, "Setsuna, why did you bring the princess onboard the ship?"

Setsuna just gave her an even look, "Because she was a political prisoner and I had time to rescue her. I owed her for helping me…understand things four years ago. Is there an issue with me rescuing her?"

"No." Marlene rolled her eyes, "And did you not think that I should have known that you were bringing her onboard? And that she was in the facility in the first place?"

Setsuna looked at her, slightly confused, "I rescued Allelujah and got back to the 00 in the proper time frame. Allelujah could handle himself, so I used what time I had left to grab the princess." He didn't completely understand why she was so worried. He had made it out safe, and even gotten someone else out.

Marlene rubbed the palm of her hand down her face, sighing in annoyance, "Did you even think about what would have happened if you had gotten shot? If one of the guards got lucky and captured or killed you? We wouldn't have been able to find you." Setsuna could hear Marlene's voice picking up a little worry, "I would have had to tell Feldt what happened and I don't know if I could have."

The raven-haired man looked down at the ground, guilt seeping in. He hadn't thought about it like that before. His mind had been focused on the mission and he hadn't really thought about the consequences of what he did. 'No, it was the right thing to do. I knew I would make it out. Feldt even gave me the info to find her.' Setsuna let out a sigh, then steeled himself, "I understand you felt that it was an unnecessary risk, but I had to do it."

"Here is that stubbornness that I saw in your file." Marlene rubbed one of her temples, "I'm not upset that you did it necessarily. But I would like to have known that you were doing it before the mission started. A commander should know what her subordinates are doing." Marlene gave him a stern look, "How did you even learn this info?"

Setsuna answered simply, "I was sent the information." He didn't want her to get mad at Feldt for this. This was his choice in the end, even if she gave him the information.

Marlene looked at him curiously, humming under her breath, "Wasn't my daughter the one who was…" Her eyes widened slightly before she spoke again, "She was the one who sent you the info, wasn't she?"

Setsuna pursed his lips, then nodded, "She did send me the info, but that was all. It was my choice to get the princess though."

Marlene sighed, "I'm not going to punish either of you for this one time. I just want you to give me all the info that you have next time you want to do something like this." Her voice picked up a harsher tone, "But if you do something like this again, there will be consequences. We don't have a lot of room for error at this moment. Do you understand me?"

Setsuna nodded, a determined look on his face, "Understood. I will keep you updated on new information I learn." He could see Marlene lighten up and go back to her normal even look. A thought came to his mind, "Marlene, why do you seem so annoyed with the princess?"

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow, "You mean besides the fact she's an annoying pacifist? It's because she thinks she can determine what we are doing, especially with a stupid move like going back to her country."

"Wouldn't it get her out of your hair if she was dropped off in her country? Then we could go back to whatever you were planning. What is our plan?" He had been curious what their goal was, now that they had their whole team back.

Marlene pursed her lips, "I'm trying to come up with one at the moment. We need more intel to know where to strike first." Marlene nodded at him, "And yes, I suppose that dropping her off would get her off of this ship." Marlene tilted her head slightly, "Though I am curious. What is your relationship with her? The way you talked about her earlier suggested you care for her at some level."

He could tell the commander of Celestial Being was studying him intensely. 'Did she think that I care for her romantically?' He gave her a serious look, "Marina Ismail was a woman who challenged my view as a simple meister. Like I said before, I don't agree with her, but she made me think about my role in this world. And admittedly, she almost felt like an older sister or mother, with how she worried about me." Setsuna then smiled softly, "I still love your daughter, so you have nothing to worry about."

Marlene just simply nodded at the response, "Good. I did not want to have to remind you of how my daughter feels about you. It would be a shame if I had to hurt you."

Setsuna just frowned at that, "If I ever thought that way, I would deserve it."

"Good. Now get some rest. We have no idea when the next attack will happen." Setsuna nodded and the two left the supply closet, Setsuna heading to Marina's quarters wanting to check up on her and Marlene headed back to the bridge. Setsuna was curious how Marina was settling in.

Feldt

Feldt nervously approached the room Marina was staying in, a tray of food in her hand. While she had given Setsuna the information that Marina was there, a small part of her was worried about her being onboard. 'I know he loves me, but he seemed to view her as important four years ago.' She knew she was probably being irrational, but she wanted to ensure that the princess knew where Setsuna stood. She had never had any real rival before, so it was strange and worrying to her that it might be the case, as slim as it was.

She knocked on the door and it slid open, revealing the black-haired princess still in her prisoner uniform looking at Feldt curiously. Feldt took a deep breath and spoke, "Hi there. I came to bring you food."

Marina smiled warmly at her, "Thank you for that." Feldt couldn't help but feel a little jealous. The woman looked like a classic princess with her long hair and calm, friendly demeanor. 'I can see why someone would fall for her.' The princess then began to study Feldt, confusing the redheaded woman.

Marina then nodded minutely, smiling, "You must be Feldt Grace, right?"

Feldt's eyes widened in surprise, "How did you know my name?"

Marina giggled and took a step back, "Please come in. I'll explain in a second." Feldt's nervousness shifted to confusion. 'I never met her before, so how could she have learned my name?' Feldt stepped into the room, placing the tray down on one of the tables.

Marina held her hands over her stomach, her voice cheerful, "To answer your question, I learned about your name from Setsuna. He told me about his wonderful girlfriend, which I was happy for him. He wasn't wrong in saying you were beautiful. I can see why he says that."

Feldt blushed bright red, looking down at the ground. All worry flowed out of her. 'Well I guess I was silly to be worried about Setsuna liking her.' Feldt's voice cracked a little, "I…I didn't know he said that about me. To you. Did he say anything else?"

Marina laughed, "He said you were kind, intelligent and made him feel like he had a home." Feldt blushed even more at the last comment and Marina smiled sadly, "That was all I wanted for him really. When I saw him years ago, I saw a boy whose only purpose was to fight."

Feldt looked up at the princess, her blush beginning to recede, "Is that what he was like with you?" Feldt had a closer relationship with him during the interventions, so it was strange to hear about him from other perspectives. She had seen his private side, which was kinder than he presented at the time.

Marina nodded, "I saw a determined and cold teenager, and yet at the same time someone who was lost. But after getting rescued from the prison, there was a lightness in him, like he had relaxed, accepted he could be more than just a soldier. And I think I have you to thank you for that."

Feldt fought back against the rising heat in her cheeks, "It's not me. He just got better and more open is all."

Marina shook her head, "Feldt, when he talked about you, his attitude changed. I saw the way his eyes lit up and he became more talkative, happy to talk about you. He still thinks of himself as someone who needs to fight, but now I see you gave him another path forward."

Feldt looked down at her hands. She and Setsuna had never really talked about the future in detail. They were too focused on making up for their mistakes as Celestial Being. They didn't think to discuss what they would do after. They didn't know if they would even have a chance to have a normal life after they got Veda back. For all she knew, they would be criminals for the rest of their lives. 'Maybe it's something to think about.'

Feldt looked up at Marina, a smile on her face, "I didn't do it intentionally, but I am happy with where I am with Setsuna. We fight to help make a better world, even if we have to keep following that path."

Marina sighed sadly, "Just keep him safe. He means a lot to me." Feldt could hear the affection in her voice but didn't feel any jealousy. Just by her attitude, Feldt could tell that she didn't pine for Setsuna, only wanting him to stop fighting. 'But we need to fight. If we don't, nothing will stand in the way of the corrupt government.'

Feldt nodded at that, "I will."

Marina looked at the clock on the wall and blushed, "Oh, I'm sorry I took up so much of your time!"

Feldt waved off her concerns, "It's alright! I had a little time to spend here before I'm needed back. It was nice meeting you, Princess Marina."

Marina smiled, "It was nice meeting you as well, Feldt. And in the future, please just call me Marina. You don't need to be so formal."

Feldt nodded and took her leave, the door opening then closing behind her. 'At least I don't have to be worried about her and Setsuna. But maybe thinking about the future is something that she was right about.' They hadn't discussed marriage or children. 'Would he want either?' Feldt shook her head. Now wasn't the time to contemplate this. Though a rogue thought of Setsuna kneeling in front of her with a ring went through her head, causing her to blush. 'That wouldn't be the worst thing.'

Marlene

Marlene gripped the armrest on the captain's chair in the bridge. They were under attack by some underwater mobile suit or mobile armor, and she had no idea how to counter it. Frustration, fear and doubt creeped up on her. 'What do I do?!' She called out to Feldt, "Why aren't our weapons online?!"

Feldt yelled back in reply, "There is a resin on the hull that is blocking the weapons from deploying!"

Lasse added into the confused cacophony, "Steering is down as well!"

Marlene looked to Mileina, "Do we at least know where the enemy is?!"

The teenager shook her head, "The E-Sonar is still not working!"

Marlene slammed a hand down onto the armrest. 'How can we fight an enemy when we don't even know where they are?' She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Panic was beginning to rise in her and she knew that wouldn't help, but she had no idea what to do.

Just then she heard the door to the bridge open and Sumeragi's voice called out to them, "Calm down! There's a way out."

Marlene looked up at Sumeragi and she could see a gleam in her eye, one that hadn't been there before. Marlene spoke plainly, a hint of him in her voice, "You know what to do?" Sumeragi just nodded, a smirk on her face. 'So this was the woman my daughter and the crew always talked about? Now I see why they believed in her.' Marlene just nodded, "You have control over the bridge. Get us out of this."

Sumeragi just smiled at her, "Certainly." Marlene watched with some awe as the brunette began barking out orders and predicting what the enemy was going to do. Marlene could feel the atmosphere of the bridge shift from fear to absolute confidence, infecting her as well. It was shaken a little bit when the enemy physically impaled the side of the ship, but Sumeragi has just grinned, using that to locate the enemy machine attacking them.

The machine was quickly overrun, the Gundams destroying it and almost managed to destroy the enemy carrier before Setsuna had been engaged by a custom enemy mobile suit. But the fact they managed to escape from the ambush was the amazing thing. Without Sumeragi taking over, they probably would have died here and now.

Marlene stood up and gave the woman an impressed smile as the ship escaped the combat zone, "That was impressive. We wouldn't have made it without you."

Sumeragi blushed slightly, "Just doing my job. Besides, I realized that I was needed and owed it to all of you."

Feldt spoke up, her voice full of happiness, "Does that mean you are back? For good?"

Sumeragi nodded, "Yes, I'm back." Mileina and Lasse let out a cheer, and Marlene could see a tear run down her daughter's cheek. 'This must what it had been like with her before she left the organization.' Marlene tapped her on her shoulder, "Let's get you into your uniform then." Marlene called out to the bridge, "Keep heading to the coordinates the Katharon sent us and keep an eye out for the enemy."

The bridge responded affirmatively, and the two older women made their way out of the bridge, heading back to Sumeragi's room. The tactical forecaster was the first one to speak, her tone grateful, "Marlene, I wanted to thank you for the talk you gave me when I came onboard. You were right in saying that the crew trusted me…and I abandoned them."

Marlene simply nodded, resisting a small temptation to smile, "I simply told you what you needed to hear. I knew you could do it, someone just needed to kick you in the ass."

Sumeragi chuckled, "You sound just like my mother."

"Then she sounds like a very smart woman." The two then reached her room, Marlene opening her door. The two women walked in and the blonde woman spoke in a serious tone, "So you are ready to take over as the commander of Celestial Being?"

Sumeragi shook her head, confusing Marlene. 'She seemed ready to take over the ship, but not Celestial Being?' Sumeragi began to explain, "Marlene, I am certainly ready to lead the bridge. But I looked at what you did for the organization and I am impressed. You certainly have a better sense of logistics and understanding of the organization. So if you are ok with it, I'll take command of the Ptolemy and you can still be the commander of the organization."

Marlene sighed, hoping the weight of the organization would be taken off of her shoulder, but Sumeragi made sense. It would put less weight on each of them. 'Great, more delegation.' She smiled slightly for a second, nodding, "While I would say I would be happy to give up all command, I understand what you mean. I can work with that. I will step in if you ever are taken out of commission."

Sumeragi nodded, putting out one of her hands in a handshake, which Marlene quickly returned, the two women happy with the new setup. Marlene shook her head good naturedly, "I don't know how you come up with plans like that on the fly. I was surprised you could come up with some of your plans when you were drunk."

Sumeragi shrugged her shoulders, "I did go to school for it. And I was good at it back then, so it's almost a natural instinct in me. I thought initially when I joined that you guys didn't need me, even with you saying you did, but I realized looking at the records on you, that you weren't a tactical forecaster like me."

"Most people would take that as an insult, but it's the truth. I'm just relieved you showed up on the bridge when you did. I hope to see repeat performances after this."

Sumeragi smiled, "I'll try my best. Now where was this uniform…" Marlene took this as her cue to leave. But as the door closed behind her, she heard Sumeragi's muffled voice come through the door, sounding embarrassed, "Um…I think I might need the next size up. It's kind of…tight?"

Marlene opened the door to see her with the jacket on, her wrists clearly visible. Marlene shook her head and couldn't help but smile a bit, "I'll get you the next size. Give me a minute." Sumeragi nodded gratefully, and Marlene left the room, a sense of hope rising in her. 'We have a long road ahead of us, but we are one step closer to victory.'

Feldt

After the ship met up with Katharon, Setsuna taking the princess to meet them, the Ptolemy took off to go to the sent coordinates. With a relaxed bridge, Feldt was assigned to help do some fixes on the Cheridum. She made her way to the hanger, walking at a steady pace. She hummed under her breath, feeling more relieved than ever. Ms. Sumeragi was back; she didn't have to worry about Setsuna and Marina and her mother had less weight on her shoulders. The only annoying thing was the whole piloting thing, which had kept growing and gnawing at her, despite all the other good things happening. She tried her best, but she couldn't help but glare at Lyle sometimes.

As she reached a T-Junction, she saw the Irish man resting against the wall, smiling lazily. 'Speak of the devil.' She scowled for a second, but quickly shifted back to an even look. Lyle stepped off the wall, giving her a grin, "Hey there Feldt. What are you up to?"

Feldt stopped, faking a smile, "Just going to do some maintenance on the Cheridum."

"Well that's great. It felt a little bit slow last combat." Lyle leaned against the wall on his shoulder, "I have to ask though, why do you keep scowling and glaring at me? I don't remember doing anything to you."

Feldt clenched her fists, taking a deep breath, "I have to get to work." She tried to step past him, but he just stood in front of her, his arms crossing his chest. She glared at him, "Get out of the way."

Lyle spoke in the same friendly tone, but she could see a hard edge in his eyes, "Not until you answer my questions."

Feldt looked up at him, her anger rising, "Fine. I'll tell you the truth." She continued, a harsher tone in her voice, "I do it because I should be the one piloting the Cheridum, not you."

Lyle smirked, "Are you jealous?"

"For four years I trained on all the Gundams and in particular the Cheridum. I got good at it and yet I wasn't allowed to pilot, only test the machines." Her blood began to boil, but it wasn't at Lyle, "It's unfair. My mother refused to let me pilot, despite the fact we needed meisters and she even recruited someone from outside the organization." 'Why? Why won't she let me become a meister?!'

Lyle's eyes widened, "Are you ok? I think I got my-"

"I just wanted to live up to her, to follow in her footsteps! I want to protect everyone on the ship! To not have what happened to Christina and Lichty happen again!" Her voice rose in volume and anger, losing track of her focus on Lyle. These feelings had been building up in her for a while and while Lyle probably hadn't intended to, he had set off all of these feeling she had been bottling up.

Feldt knew her frustration was with her mother. She hated the feeling. She should love her mother, not have to feel so angry and frustrated with her. But she couldn't help but feel that. She was the one that kept her from piloting. The one who kept her on the bridge. It wasn't fair to take it out on Lyle, but she didn't want to hurt her relationship with her mom. Some guilt began rise, not helping her. Tears came to her eyes and Lyle looked at her with concern.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry if I pushed a button…?" Lyle leaned away from her and Feldt didn't know what to say. More tears were coming up and she didn't want anyone to see them.

Feldt angrily marched past him, shoving him to the side, "I'm going to get to work before I say anything else."

Lyle's voice echoed through the hall as she marched, "You should talk to her about that." Feldt shook her head, not responding. Every time she had done that, her mother had always made an excuse that she was needed as support. She knew there was more to it than that, but she had always shut down any further arguments. Feldt got the feeling her mother was hiding something, but for some reasons she refused to tell her own daughter. 'Why won't she tell me how she really feels?'

Feldt shook her head, trying to shake away the tears. She had not planned to have an outburst like that and the anger was seeping away, guilt replacing it. Lyle, despite his attitude, did not deserve that. He didn't choose to pilot the Cheridum or be a meister. He was right about talking to her mother, but she didn't know how.

'Maybe I should talk to Setsuna about this? He might be able to help.' She needed someone to help her. She wouldn't get anywhere on her own. Feldt then pushed all this in the back of her mind. Right now, she had a job to do.

Marlene

Marlene rested her head against the wall of hallway, regret rushing through her system. She had seen her daughter being stopped by Lyle and would have stepped in if needed, but her daughter's words shocked her to the core. Her daughter had seemed to accept the decision to not make her a meister. She had no idea her daughter was holding in all of those feelings.

Marlene let out a sigh. She never wanted to put that much stress and worry on her daughter. All Marlene wanted to do was keep Feldt safe and have her avoid the fate that her husband and fellow meister suffered, but it appears that backfired. The worst part was for all of Marlene saying Feldt was best on the bridge, her daughter had made good arguments for her being a meister. Feldt would be someone she would trust over Lyle Dylandy and she was a good shot, being very comfortable in the Cheridum. And someone else from the organization could fulfil her role on the bridge, even if they wouldn't have been as good as her daughter.

'It's not like my primary motive was even a logical argument.' For all the surface level of saying Feldt is best on the bridge, protection was her primary reason. And now she felt like a bad mother for not explaining to her daughter her reasoning. While Marlene had promised her the next opportunity to pilot, at the time she was lying, wanting to appease her daughter. She hadn't known at the time they were developing new machines, so it was a convenient excuse for make a promise that she didn't need to uphold. 'Maybe it's time I make it up to her. To be a supportive mother, even if it makes me worry.'

Ian and Linda had kept her up to date and said they were in the finishing stages of two machines, one being a supporting machine for the 00. She knew it was something related to the trans-am problem of the 00, but what it would do she had no idea. 'If I can't get her a full Gundam, I can at least have her work besides the man she loves.' She had years of frustration to make up for and it would be a good step, though she would understand if her daughter didn't forgive her. 'I'll need to apologize before I do anything else.'

Author Note

And that makes chapter 5! Drama on the ship galore! I hope you guys liked it and I'll see you guys next week!