An Unknown Factor

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

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Feldt

Feldt headed to her and Setsuna's room, wanting to check up on Setsuna. During the most recent battle to distract the A-Laws, she had seen her boyfriend fighting against a custom Ahead to a standstill. It had been constantly wanting to engage him in battle before and Feldt noted that Setsuna recognized the pilot over the comms. 'That pilot seems obsessed with fighting him.'

And despite being told by Feldt and Ian to not do it, Setsuna activated trans-am, initially getting the upper hand, but the engines were rocked by small explosions, sending the 00 to float helplessly in the ocean. The custom Ahead had retreated, but Setsuna had been about to be attacked by a unit of A-Laws before Sumeragi saved all of them, providing them cover to retreat and retrieve the 00.

Ian had told her that Setsuna seemed upset and that maybe she should check up on him. Feldt had agreed. When she opened the door, she saw Setsuna sitting on the, slouched forward, head in his hands, staring blankly at the wall. 'That's not good.'

Feldt sat down next to him, intertwining their hands, which he didn't fight. She gave him a smile, "What's wrong, darling?"

Setsuna swallowed, then looked at her, a frown on his face, "I messed up. I used the trans-am when I shouldn't have, and I can't even help find Allelujah."

'Ah, that's it.' Allelujah had been fighting the super soldier that had been hounding them since about five years ago and him, along with said soldier, had crashed somewhere in the woods surrounding the battlefield. Feldt was worried too, but she trusted Tieria to want to find him and she trusted Lyle enough that he wouldn't slack off on that. But she hadn't expected Setsuna to take it so bad.

She squeezed their linked hands, "It's alright. You acted on instinct and that mobile suit seemed to be an even match with you. The good thing is the twin drive system should be up and running soon, so you can assist the other meisters." Feldt then chuckled, "Though I wouldn't do it again. Ian might strangle you if you do."

Setsuna gave her a small smile, some happiness returning to his eyes, "Yeah, I guess you are right. I just miss the ability to be able to use the trans-am. It would be so much easier to fight with it."

Feldt just nodded, "You're right. But until we manage to find a way to contain the excess energy from the twin drives, you can't."

Setsuna pursed his lips in annoyance for a second before giving Feldt a quick kiss on the lips, smiling at her, "Thank you, angel."

Feldt grinned back, "It's what a good girlfriend should do."

Setsuna looked at her curiously, "You look…more resolved? Like some weight is off your back? Did something happen?"

Feldt looked at him, confused, before her brain connected to what he meant. Ever since she had resolved to talk to her mother about why she wasn't able to become a regular meister, there had been a calm acceptance that hadn't been there before. She wanted answers and she was going to get them.

Feldt blushed slightly, "I'm going to talk to my mom about her reasons for letting me not pilot. Not just accept her 'you are needed on the bridge' excuse."

Setsuna smiled at her, "That's great. There did seem to be more than it appeared with her logic. I always thought you were a great pilot." He pulled her in for another kiss, which she happily accepted, kissing back. When they broke the kiss, Feldt could feel the heat in her cheeks, heart thumping and Setsuna continued speaking, "I would love to fight beside you."

Feldt couldn't help but agree. It was thrilling to fight besides him in the simulators, a sense of satisfaction she couldn't get anywhere else. The two could back each other up and Feldt could keep him safe, and vice versa. Feldt leaned her head on his shoulder, "I wish I could have. But mom must have some other reason for doing that."

"I suppose you'll find out, won't you?" Setsuna kissed her on the forehead, the redhead closing her eyes to soak in the affection. No matter how many times it happened, it always felt nice to see and feel the affection Setsuna held for her. Unfortunately for her, reality crashed into her mind, reminding her she had a task to do. Kissing him one last time as she lifted her head off of his shoulder, she stood up, "I have to help fix up the Gundams. Will you be alright?"

Setsuna nodded, "Yeah. Just going to wait till the 00 is fixed so I can go out. Thank you for being here."

"If your girlfriend wouldn't be there for you, who else would?" She made their way out of their room, sensing Setsuna staring at her ass as she left the room, causing her to grin. 'Some things never change.'

Marlene

Marlene sat across from Marie, who was in a yellow sweater and dark pants, Sumeragi to the left of the Celestial Being commander. Allelujah had tried to come in, but both women made it clear this would be without him here. Marie had to explain herself without him being around. Marlene could see the worry in his eyes, and before she had a chance to say something, Sumeragi assured him that nothing would happen to her. Marie had then comforted him, saying it will be fine.

This whole situation was strange and now that Allelujah was back safe and sound, the fact he thought he could just bring someone onboard without consulting anyone about this. Especially someone who had been fighting them previously and had even joined the A-Laws. Marlene swore she was called Somas Peries in her records, but Allelujah claimed she was named Marie. 'Maybe she had the same split personality thing that Allelujah has.'

But despite that history, the blonde woman found Marie disarming. Normally she was tense and a bit suspicious of outsiders to the organization, but for some reason Marie did not ping nearly as suspicious as someone like Lyle did. 'But I could be proven wrong.' She narrowed her eyes, trying to maintain her normal façade.

Sumeragi started the conversation, her voice even, "So Marie, we are in a bit of a confusing situation right now. We had no idea Allelujah would bring you aboard. I'm surprised because you previously opposed us and now you seem happy to be on our ship."

Marie nodded, "I apologize for creating this situation. I hadn't expected to be awake and able to be here."

Marlene jumped in, folding her hands in front of her, "What do you mean by you weren't expecting to be awake?"

The super soldier looked away nervously, frowning, "Soma Peries was a personality they implanted in me. Before, I couldn't move or even speak. So Soma was in charge of my body, and only shortly before you guys rescued him did I wake up, or were at least more aware." She took a breath and her eyes looked slightly lost. Marlene internally sighed in disgust. 'The fact the HRL decided to experiment on children was disgusting. At least Celestial Being revealed that to the world.'

Sumeragi looked at her curiously, "So how did you take over? Soma must have been in charge when you crashed."

Marie's eyes filled with slight regret, "When Allelujah found me in the crashed suit, Soma attacked him, pinning him to the ground. She was going to hurt him, and I couldn't allow that. Not after finally being so close to him again. So I was able to use what strength I had to push her back down." She blushed, her eyes shining, "When I was finally able to see him through my own eyes…I felt complete. To be able to touch him and hold him. I just wanted to be with him."

Marlene kept her voice even, "How can I be certain that you aren't pretending to be a separate person? You could be trying to infiltrate our organization."

Sumeragi chided her, "Marlene…"

Marlene stayed steady and her eyes met Sumeragi's, "You have to be certain of things this. We have no idea what Soma could do."

Marie's eyes widened, "I'm not faking! I really did want to go with Allelujah. I don't want to go back to being alone, to having to watch the A-Laws commit their horrible crimes." Her voice became a little quieter, "And maybe Soma feels a bit the same way."

Marlene's curiosity was peaked, as Marie seemed too genuine to be faking this, "So this Soma is an entirely different person then. That makes sense. And what do you mean Soma might feel the same way?" Her bait had seemed to work, showing Marlene the reaction that would show Marie's character. She still didn't fully trust her, but the response was satisfying enough.

Marie wrung her hands, "She was feeling rather… conflicted about what the A-Laws were doing. She was always a soldier, but the Katharon base getting attacked seemed to get to her. That was why I was able to take control." Marie's voice became almost a whisper, "She went through so much. I feel bad for her." Marlene's suspicions faded a little. Marie may be in a strange setup, but the way she spoke and acted were beginning to lower her suspicions

Sumeragi sighed, Marlene guessing this whole split personality thing a bit of a headache for her, "Do we have to worry about Soma causing any problems with the ship? I understand you don't want to, but for all we know, she might."

Marie gave them both a determined look, "I have slept for so long. I just want to live a happy life with Allelujah. And I haven't felt her awaken since last night, so she's not an issue." She paused for a second before speaking again, "And I can deal with her when she wakes up. She's a part of me and I'm certain she will understand that."

Marlene could hear the certainty in her voice, though she was still not exactly convinced. 'I'll have to keep tabs on her till I'm certain.' Allelujah was too biased to rely on for keeping track of Marie, so she would ask her daughter to do it.

Marlene cleared her throat and spoke, "What skills do you have? No one on this ship gets food for free."

Marie pursed her lips, "Well I technically have Soma's skills, so piloting, some ability to use various support roles like radar and the like. I admit I never really had a chance to learn anything, but I am open to try anything." She looked away, clearly nervous, "Though piloting in combat is something I'm… not exactly comfortable with."

"We have no Gundams available, so that shouldn't be an issue." Marlene nodded, "And besides that, I like your attitude." The woman hadn't shown her attitude and had been happy to do her due on the ship, unlike Lyle and Saji.

"Thank you."

"I hope you don't mind if I keep an eye on you."

Marie just nodded, "I understand. It would be strange if you didn't. I don't want to get in the way of anyone."

Sumeragi smiled, "Good. We may have more questions later, but for now you are free." Marlene nodded, agreeing with her.

Marie blushed, "Thank you for giving me a chance and I hope you come to trust me." Marie looked at Marlene nervously, clearly more worried about her than Sumeragi. 'She certainly seems like a kind and trustworthy person. And she has a much better attitude than Lyle. I might have to cut her a small break once she proves herself.' The three women stood up, Sumeragi going out one door, and Marie and Marlene headed to the other.

As the door opened, she saw Allelujah standing there, clearly nervous and anxious. Marie approached him and kissed him softly, smiling, "They said I was ok."

Allelujah let out a breath, "Thank god."

Marlene watched from behind, chiming in after they kissed again, "One, you two have a room for that. Two, she is to have tasks aboard the ship. I will be sending them to you till we get her a mini-terminal."

Allelujah frowned, eyes hardening slightly, "I made a promise that I would keep her from fighting."

Marlene rolled her eyes, "I wasn't planning on her fighting. She will have tasks like bridge duty, assisting in cooking, helping keep watch over the Haros when fixing things, etc. You know that we are short staffed and another hand will be helpful."

Allelujah crossed his arms over his chest, "That would mean she's still assisting us, even if it's not directly helping in combat. Is there any way to get her off of this ship and somewhere safe?"

"At the moment? No." Marlene's temper was beginning to flare, "I don't care about the promise you made. If we die, then it doesn't matter what promise you made." Allelujah glared at her, which she responded to by staring back at him.

Marie jumped in, grabbing onto Allelujah's arm, redirecting his attention to her, "Allelujah! It's fine!"

His eyes widened, "Marie?"

She nodded, "I don't mind helping out around the ship. It will give me something to do and helps me get to know people."

Allelujah let out a heavy sigh, "If it makes you happy…" She kissed him on the cheek and Marlene could see Allelujah blush pink. 'It's nice to see young love.'

Allelujah looked at Marlene, sounding embarrassed "I'm sorry for getting angry. I just…"

Marlene just stared at him, before responding, "You are worried, I know. But no one on this ship just gets to wander around, doing nothing. Also before you plan on bringing people onboard the ship, give Sumeragi and I a heads up."

She then nodded her head at the pair, "I have tasks to do, so I'll see you both later." Both of them waved her goodbye as she headed to her room. Linda had sent her some new information and she wanted to check it out. 'What does she have for me this time?'

Setsuna

Just as the 00 had finished final system checks, it had been announced that Allelujah had been found, which Setsuna had been very happy to hear. Even more surprising was he was bringing someone aboard, which he guessed was that woman that Allelujah had told him about. 'I hope he found his happiness.' He had left the hanger and run into Feldt as she was getting off of her shift, both of them making their way to get some food.

As they both reached a T-Junction, Setsuna heard two voices to their right, one of them Allelujah, the other a friendly female voice. He looked up to see a slender white-haired woman with yellow eyes standing next to his fellow meister. Allelujah and his presumed girlfriend approached the two, a smile on both their faces. Setsuna smiled slightly at them, before looking at Feldt, who had a frown on her face. He intertwined their hands, squeezing it. She looked up at him, giving him a grateful smile.

Allelujah spoke as he got close, his hand in the white-haired woman's, "Hi there. I don't think I ran into you guys yet." He gestured to the woman at his side, voice full of happiness, "I wanted to introduce you to Marie."

Feldt, her voice a bit tense, replied curiously, faking a smile, "I thought her name was Soma Peries?" Setsuna could feel her grip on their held hands tighten, her attempt to hide her intense emotions obvious to him. He didn't know what was going on exactly in her head, but he could tell it wasn't happy.

Marie exhaled nervously, "That's the other personality. I was stuck inside my own body for a long time after they implanted her in. But now I'm free to be with Allelujah." She smiled at Allelujah, Setsuna able to see the love in her eyes, Allelujah matching her. 'It's nice to see him happy.'

Setsuna replied evenly, "Welcome aboard. My name is Setsuna. And this is my girlfriend, Feldt."

Feldt looked around nervously, but spoke up, "It's nice to meet you. It's a surprise to see another happy couple onboard." Feldt began to relax a little, a natural smile coming to her face

Both Marie and Allelujah blushed but didn't seem to deny it. Marie looked at the couple nervously, "I hope you don't mind me coming aboard. I understand it might be hard to accept me…"

Feldt put up her hands, "It's fine. The crew should easily be ok with you being on board. Though my mom might put you to work."

"She already has." The heterochromatic super soldier turned to his girlfriend, who nodded at him and seemed to accept the answer and Allelujah then nodded at Feldt and Setsuna, "I'll see you guys later. I have the rest of the tour to give."

The two super soldiers gave Feldt and Setsuna farewells as the continued on, leaving the two alone. Setsuna could see Feldt shaking slightly, and put a hand on her shoulder, "Feldt, are you ok?"

Feldt's lips became a thin line, and she rested her forehead on his chest, muffling her voice slightly, "She was there at the final battle, when Neil died. When Dr. Moreno, Christina and Lichty died. When you-"

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and interrupting her. She hugged his waist, holding him tight. He spoke softly, "I know, but she makes Allelujah happy. And she had nothing to do with any of those deaths."

"I know. I know."

He caressed her back, "I'm proud of you. I saw you wanted to explode. But you held back."

She spoke quietly, "I think…just having you there over the last year helped with my grief. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it did before."

"It always hurts a little, but I think Christina would be proud of you. She would have loved to meet the girl Allelujah fell for."

"Yeah, yeah she would." She looked up and a few tears rolled down her face, which she wiped away, "Let's just get some food." Setsuna just nodded, squeezing Feldt's hand as they kept making their way to the cafeteria.

Feldt

Feldt wondered why her mother had asked her to talk in her room. Setsuna and Tieria had recently launched to go to the party Wang Liu Mei had told the crew about. Feldt chuckled remembering Sumeragi's plan. Tieria was dressed up like a woman, as Sumeragi said, "No one would suspect any woman of being a meister." Tieria had hemmed and hawed, but went along with it, grumbling. Feldt teased him a bit, as he deserved a bit of it, but was proud how it came out. And before the two left, she begged them to be safe, not wanting to lose the two most important men in her life.

'But now is the time' For a while she had been trying to find a time to ask her mother about her being a full meister but talking to her mother was the perfect time. Reaching her mother's door, she opened it, spotting her mother focusing on the terminal in her room, data from the R&D department on her screen. It was nothing too important from what she could see. Her mother turned around to see Feldt standing in the doorway and spoke in an even tone, though Feldt could see a hint of regret in her eyes, "I see you got my message. I had something important I wanted to talk about." Her mother sagged forward a little bit, like there was a weight on her shoulders.

Feldt tilted her head in confusion, "What did you want to talk about?" She wanted to get to her point, but her mother's body language intrigued her.

Marlene bit her lip nervously, before she spoke, her voice thick with emotion, "…It's about you being a meister." The redhead's eyes widened at that, surprised her mother and her were on the same page. Marlene continued, "I wasn't exactly telling you the truth about the reason why I didn't want you to pilot any of the Gundams. I do believe you are the best suited on the tech side, but that's not what drove me."

Marlene turned to the side, looked away from her daughter, the weight on her shoulders seemed to increase, "I was afraid. For you. For myself. I was afraid you would die, that I would have to watch another person I loved die due to piloting a Gundam. So I thought I could keep you safe by keeping you out of them. But I overheard your rant at Lyle, and I realized I hadn't thought about you and your needs."

Feldt could feel tears beginning to rise up, everything making more sense. 'Why didn't she just say that?' Feldt's voice was hesitant, all her frustration with her mom evaporating, "Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped through that. I can't say I would have been happy, but I would have been content with you opening up to me."

"I just…didn't want to face it myself. Every time I saw you in a Gundam, all I could see was Ruido. It was wrong of me, but it's something I don't know I will ever get fully over. I should have told you this years ago, but I guess I didn't want to lay my burdens on you. But I don't blame you for getting mad at me." Feldt caught a tear rolling down her cheek.

Tears began to come down Feldt's face, her mother's word reaching her heart. Feldt walked over to her mom, standing above her, "I wish you had trusted me. I can understand why, but I just wish you would let me help you." Her mother looked up at her, clearly trying to fight back her tears. Feldt smiled at her, "I can't say that I still don't have your frustrations with you, but I forgive you."

Marlene sniffled, "Thank you. You are the best daughter a mother could have." Marlene stood up and pulled her into a hug, warmth filling the redhead. Her mother was opening her heart up to her and she would enjoy every ounce of affection her mother would give her. Feldt rested her head on her mother's shoulder, happy tears hitting her mother's uniform.

Feldt's voice choked a bit, "All I wanted to do was make you proud. I wanted to be like you. Like dad."

"You have. More than I ever said before. You remind me so much of your father." Feldt squeaked with happiness, causing Marlene to smile. Marlene caressed her daughter's red hair, speaking softly, "The next pilot position we have is yours."

Feldt looked at her mother in surprise, eyes wide as she pulled out of the hug, "Do you…?"

Marlene nodded, "When I promised you that before, it was an excuse to keep you out of a Gundam. But now, I really mean it. The next suit or machine that can be piloted is yours."

"Really?"

Marlene smiled warmly, "Yes. Linda told me they were nearing the completion of a new machine. Nothing specific, but it's yours."

"I… Thank you mom. Thank you so much!" Feldt hugged her mom again, her mother's warmth surrounding her. Marlene kissed her forehead, the tension in Feldt's body disappearing. To not only have her mom open up to her, but to be able to pilot. 'I can protect everyone. I can fight besides Setsuna.' A thought then came to her mind as she took a step back.

"Who will take my place on the bridge?" As much as Feldt would love to pilot, her position on the bridge was important.

Marlene shook her head, "Don't worry about it. As soon as you get your new machine, I will take your spot till someone can be trained to take your spot."

A slight hint of doubt entered Feldt's mind, "Are you sure?"

Marlene let out good natured sigh, "Feldt, it's alright. We can deal with this." Feldt grinned at that, the sliver of doubt disappearing. Her wish had been granted and she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. 'I wonder what I'm going to pilot?'

Setsuna

Setsuna drove their borrowed car as they made their way to the party, Tieria in a dress sitting shotgun. Wang Liu Mei had given them a car to borrow to help them blend in, Setsuna acting as the driver for Tieria. It was certainly odd to see Tieria in a dress, though Setsuna still couldn't place how Sumeragi, Feldt and Mileina made him look so…feminine. 'I still can't believe that this was Sumeragi's plan. It makes sense, but Tieria certainly isn't the happiest.' He could see Tieria frowning, which had been his demeanor the entire time since they launched. Setsuna chuckled under his breath, enjoying that a little bit. 'I hope Feldt got her jabs in as well.' Tieria had seemingly heard him, the purple-haired meister glaring at him.

Moving away from that thought, he drifted to his and Feldt's relationship. It was something that kept sticking around, not wanting to leave him alone. 'Tieria is right here. We might as well discuss something.'

Setsuna, eyes on the road, spoke outloud, "Tieria, do you know what marriage is?"

Tieria, taken by surprise, looked over at Setsuna, an eyebrow quirked, "Yes. I was connected to Veda, and I have seen a few married couples in Celestial Being."

Setsuna internally sighed, realizing how silly his question sounded now that he said it out loud. Of course he would know. Setsuna just nodded dumbly, "Right." Setsuna took a deep breath, trying to sooth his nerves, "Do you think I would be a good husband?"

Tieria smirked, "Well I don't know how well we would work out, but if you are referring to Feldt, then I think you would be great."

Setsuna blushed, then frowned as his doubts creeped in, "I just don't know if I could be a good husband. After all I have done, I don't know if I deserve it."

Tieria shook his head, chuckling, "Setsuna, you've been with Feldt for almost a year."

"Yes."

"And have you told her about your past?" Setsuna nodded again and Tieria continued, "Has she ever judged you for your past?"

Setsuna shook his head again, "I know what you are saying and that's not what I'm worried about. I just don't know if I can be the man Feldt could have a normal life with."

The purple haired man tutted at him, "Setsuna, do you think any of us are normal? Feldt was someone who grew up in a terrorist organization and connected more to robots than people. So both of you would need to figure out what was 'Normal'." Tieria then frowned, a hint of disappointment in his voice, "Would you really leave her so she could have a 'normal' life?"

A rush of anger went through the raven-haired man, "No! I would never…" Tieria smirked at him again, Setsuna realizing this is exactly what Tieria wanted to get out of him. Setsuna deflated, his anger draining him a bit, "It's just so complicated."

Tieria shook his head, giving him a sympathetic smile, "You just have to figure this out with her. She'll always want to be with you, no matter what your relationship is like. Though I don't think Feldt would complain if she was married to you." Tieria put a hand on his shoulder, "Take it one step at a time. There's no need to rush anything with her."

Setsuna's cheeks matched Feldt's hair, "I suppose not." Setsuna laughed, realizing how silly his doubts seemed when Tieria pointed them out. He loved Feldt and he wanted her in the rest of his life. He didn't know if he was ready to propose, but the thought nearly wasn't as daunting as before. Being a parent still weighed on his mind, but Tieria was right. 'One step at a time.' An image of Feldt in a wedding dress popped in his mind, a warm smile coming to his face. 'Don't know if we would have that type of wedding, but I wouldn't mind seeing her in that. Or taking it off of her.'

He shook his head, his face burning. It was a bad time to have thoughts like that. He had a mission to complete. 'Though I should show Feldt how much I appreciate her when I get back. Hope she doesn't expect to move for a while.'

Marlene

Marlene made her way to the main guns to assist Lasse and to keep confusion from happening on the bridge in terms of command. After Tieria and Setsuna had been saved from the now positively identified Ali al Saachez, she and Ian had received news that the new support machines were actually complete. Ian had gone ahead, to assist Linda with final preparations, and the ship was headed into space to join them. 'I just hope these new machines can give us the edge.'

She was annoyed Tieria hadn't given her a report about what he found, but the fact he hadn't was more curious than frustrating, as he was normally prompt in any mission reports he had given. 'Something must have hit him hard.' Granted she really wanted that report, but right now it could wait. 'What could be distracting him so much? Maybe there was something really strange with their leader? Or he has doubts?' The last thought unsettled her, as he had been very loyal before this.

As she began to near the ladder to access the main guns, she saw her daughter, currently in her pink and black pilot suit, walking partially wobbly, her face red and eyes glazed over. Marlene gave her a curious look, before spotting what looked like a hickey near the top of her neck. Marlene smirked. 'Well she must have had a busy night if she's walking like that.'

Marlene called out to her daughter, "Feldt." No response as her daughter continued walking, so she spoke a little louder, "Feldt!" Still no dice. Finally, the blonde woman raised her voice, yelling like a commander, "Feldt!"

Feldt's eyes blinked rapidly, turning to face her mother. Her daughter sounded a bit confused, "Mom?"

Marlene then grinned, which turned into a smirk, "Did you have a good night?" Marlene remembered those nights with her husband and couldn't exactly blame her daughter if it was remotely similar. 'You got a good one, didn't you Feldt?'

Feldt still looked confused as she responded, "What do you…" Feldt's face twisted in realization, her blush reaching her neck and she turned away from Marlene, attempting and partially failing to run away from her mom, "Gottagotothebridgebye!"

Marlene just smiled at her retreating daughter, a smile coming to her face. 'It's nice to not have the tension between the two of us. Also those two better have used protection!'

Author Note

And that's chapter 7! Mother and daughter finally connect, with a bit of teasing on the side. And some fun implications all around. I'll see you guys next week!