Back in the Saddle

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

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Marlene

The familiar sight of the Lagrange 3 asteroid base loomed in front of the ship, as sense of relief flowing through Marlene. After the dangerous launch into space and the surprise ambush by a new model mobile suit, they were finally safe. At least for now. The initial crew of the ship hadn't been back here for a month or so, and she would be curious if anything changed. 'I did leave Linda in charge, so everything should be in order.' And while she wasn't on the bridge at the moment, she could imagine those on the crew that hadn't seen this base might be a little amazed.

The Ptolemy began to dock, the large vessel shuddering as it was clamped into place. Marlene joined the crew as they made their way to the elevator, spotting Lyle, Allelujah, Marie and Saji in particular looking at growing wonder at the Celestial Being base. 'Wait till they see inside.' Sumeragi and Marlene stood at the front of the group, the rest fanning out behind them, a bit of a tight fit on the elevator

The elevator rose and opened up into a large antechamber, Linda and Ian standing in the middle of the room, with a recent recruit that Marlene had reluctantly approved standing behind them. 'Anew Returner.' Wang Liu Mei had given her the code name as a cover for her recruitment, her real name being Layla Lindberg. The woman wore the standard Celestial Being uniform, a red jacket and blue shirt, her lavender hair and dull red eyes causing her to stand out. Marlene narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the ground.

Marlene had gotten a request for approval near the start of their launch, sent by Want Liu Mei. The woman possessed skills in developing mobile suits, ship navigation, astrophysics and regeneration treatment. Something about her had seemed off. It seemed too good to be true. Someone with her skillset just ended up in their laps? And they had all these skills in their mid-20s? Granted, it wasn't uncommon in human history someone became skilled at many things at a young age, but there was something wrong with this whole situation.

And her background had checked out. Raised by a rich uncle who was a bit of a hermit, went to university, had a few relevant degrees and had even spoken out against the Federation governments actions. Yet her gut screamed that she was fishy. But unfortunately for Celestial Being and her, they needed all the skilled hands they could find, so she felt compelled to approve the request.

Linda had said Anew had been doing good work and had even been assisting in the finalizing of the GN Archer. Marlene had told Linda that anything having to do with the 00 was to be kept top secret. Only trusted members were allowed to work on that, and a new recruit was not on the list, no matter her skills.

Marlene was shaken out of her trance by Ian's voice, "Commander?"

The blonde woman looked up at the engineer, getting her bearings back, "What is it?" She could see the eyes of the group focus on her. She was also surprised to see Mileina standing beside her mother. 'How much did I miss?'

"You here with us?"

Marlene nodded, "Yes. Just thinking about something. Please repeat what you said."

Ian responded evenly after hesitating for a second, "Were you guys attacked by a new mobile suit near this sector?"

"Yes. A new mobile suit that seemed to be on its own managed to catch up to us. We may need to be wary of patrols."

Ian nodded at that, "I think our camouflage is good, but you and Sumeragi might be right."

Sumeragi spoke up, "How long will the resupply take?"

Anew, who had previously stayed in the back, took a step forward, drew everyone's attention as she spoke, "Repair and resupply will take about five days." Her voice was even and controlled, arms folded in front of her.

Sumeragi gave her a curious look, "And who are you?"

Setsuna spoke up as well, "I didn't see you at this base before."

The woman gave them a friendly smile, "It's nice to meet you all. I was scouted when Celestial Being began operating again. My name is Anew Returner."

Tieria spoke up next, "Who scouted you?"

Ian answered his question, voice full of energy, "Wang Liu Mei introduced her. Anew is simply amazing. She's an expert in astrophysics, mobile suit engineering and regeneration treatments. She can navigate, cook, and to top it off she's gorgeous! What do you think? She a keeper?" Anew rolled her eyes when Ian finished his speech but blushed slightly.

Tieria looked at her and Marlene just responded simply, "I approved her, so she's good." Tieria seemingly accepted that, turning his face to look back at the lavender-haired woman.

Marlene then rolled her eyes at Ian's speech, knowing he didn't need to sell her like that. She was still debating if she should be assigned to the ship, as seeing her in person hadn't reduced any of her gut feelings about the woman. She spotted Lyle giving her a once over, a fire in his eyes. 'Of course he would go for someone I have a bad feeling about.'

Linda stepped in after Anew responded to the speech, looking at Marlene, who nodded before looking back at the rest of the group, "We have two support units that we are ready to roll out for you guys, and we will need the 00 to test one of them. If you follow Anew, she will lead you to the test lab. Which one of you is leading the ship resupply?"

Mileina raised her hand excitedly, "Me!" Linda smiled at her, and mother and daughter floated to the side of the room, beginning to discuss about supplies. As Marlene was about to follow the group, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see the brunette tactical forecaster give her a concerned look, "What's going on? I saw that look on your face when you looked at Anew."

Marlene's shoulder sagged, confusion stitched on her face, and as she saw Anew and the rest of the group leave, she spoke, "I just…don't know what to do. I have a bad feeling about her."

"But you approved her."

Marlene sighed, "I know. We need people like her. I was even debating having her on the Ptolemy."

Sumeragi gave her a knowing look, "But you are worried about her?" Marlene nodded and Sumeragi frowned slightly, "I don't get the same feeling about her, but necessity is against us. It might be a good idea to assign her to the ship. We get a new pilot and you can keep an eye on her at the same time."

Marlene pouted slightly, crossing her arms over her chest, "I hate when you make sense like that." It wasn't the worst idea and it might assuage her paranoia. She sighed then looked the brunette in the eyes, "It would take pressure off Lasse and give us a full crew roster." She ran a hand down her face, "I'll have to do it then."

Sumeragi nodded at that, "Probably for the best." The woman than began to head to another door, away from the one where everyone else was.

Marlene looked at her curiously, calling out as she pointed to the other door, "The rest of the crew is that way."

Sumeragi smiled, "I'll leave that to you. I want to check some of the records here, if that's ok?"

Marlene pursed her lips, knowing she might learn about Marlene's condition. 'It was inevitable, wasn't it?' She swallowed heavily, nodding, "Go ahead. You have been put into the system here."

"Thanks." The tactical forecaster went into the hallway, leaving Marlene standing alone. Marlene let out another sigh. 'I do need to do my check in as well.' She headed to the lab, hoping her daughter's reaction to the 00's support unit distracted her.

Feldt

Feldt stood in the control room she had run several times before, her eyes glued to the 0 Raiser. Everyone else was focused on Linda explaining about the GN Archer to Allelujah, Lyle, and Setsuna. But Feldt couldn't focus on that. Linda had explained its purpose and she knew without a doubt this was the one her mother would assign her to. The 00 would not only be more powerful, but it could finally use trans-am. While it wasn't a mech like she would have originally wanted, it was a machine that would let her fight with Setsuna. It was white, like the 00, blue highlights on the wing and back of the machine, and shaped like a small jet. She could see Setsuna looking at it with a degree of reverence, matching her own look.

It was a beautiful machine and she couldn't wait to get inside it. She wished her mother had given her a little heads up on what she was going to pilot, but she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. In her peripheral vision, she could see the hidden smile. Her eyes widened. 'This must be why she was smiling!'

Feldt looked up at her mom, who gave her a small smile, speaking quietly, "Like the surprise? The 0 Raiser is yours. You trained in the Arios, so it should be close enough to that for you to use."

"You knew I wanted to fight besides Setsuna, didn't you? That's what you meant when you had a machine in mind for me." Marlene gestured for the two of them to take a step back from the group. Feldt smiled. 'She just wants to avoid looking embarrassed in front of everyone.'

Marlene smirked, "Yes. It would make sense my daughter would want to fight besides the man she loves in battle." Her smirk faltered, "I'm sorry it's not a full combat model you would have wanted. But I-"

Feldt quickly hugged her mother, a smile brimming on her face. Marlene was shocked for a second, before she tousled her daughter's hair as a warm smile came to her face. Feldt spoke quietly, enough so that only Marlene could hear her, "Thank you." Feldt gave her mother a teasing smile as she took a step back, "You trust him with my life, huh? Is that a sign for the future?"

Marlene looked away for a second, "I wouldn't be…opposed to it. He is a good man."

Feldt could feel a surge of confidence flow through her, "A very good man." A coy grin came to her face, though her face was still warm thinking about a few nights ago.

Her mother frowned, which caused Feldt to silently chuckle, "What happened to you being embarrassed yesterday when I caught you?"

Feldt tilted her head, grinning, "I realized it's something I don't need to be embarrassed by."

Marlene rolled her eyes, "I hope you at least keep quiet."

Feldt looked up at the ceiling, "I can't promise that."

Marlene sighed and was about to speak when Ian's voice echoed in the room, "Let's start testing it, Setsuna!"

The mother and daughter focused their attention back to the front as Setsuna replied, "Roger that."

Marlene simply looked at her daughter, then the door, Feldt following her eyes. Feldt smiled, responding to her silent command, "Alright."

Setsuna drifted out the door, Feldt behind him. He turned around, hearing the door close behind him. He raised an eyebrow about her presence, "Where are you going?"

She grinned back at him, "Who do you think is going to pilot the 0 Raiser?" The happiness from being able to pilot was still surging through her, a happy blush on her cheeks.

Setsuna took her words in for a few seconds, before giving her a warm smile back, "I see you talked to your mother then." Feldt nodded and he continued, "Well then, let's get changed. I can't wait to see you back in a cockpit again. He pulled her into a quick kiss, causing her heart rate to jump a bit. 'This is what I always wanted. To fight by his side and protect people. Now, I have to see how this machine ticks.' No matter what changed, she would always love machinery and technology.

Setsuna

Setsuna sat in the cockpit of the 00, opening up communications with Feldt, who was sitting in the cockpit of the 0 Raiser. He could see her focusing on her display, info scrolling past it, a blue haro in the mech assisting her, sitting in a socket like in the Cheridum or Dynames. He smiled at finally seeing her in a cockpit of a machine, and spoke to her, "Everything all set?"

Feldt nodded, "Everything is sync'd up!"

Setsuna gave her a nod and Ian's voice echoed over the PA system, "Alright Setsuna. Activate it on our command." Setsuna responded affirmatively and heard Anew's voice slowly counting down from ten. Setsuna gripped the controls, trying to keep his breath steady due to his anticipation. As he heard the recent recruit finally say one, he activated the trans-am, and the energy tracker on his display began to rise rapidly, going past the normal maximum trans-am could do. The Gundam thrummed with energy, and he could see pastel colored particles begin to float away from the machine. 'I don't remember it looking like that. What is this Gundam?'

He called out to Feldt, his voice full of awe and confusion, "Feldt, what is going on? What are those readings?"

Feldt looked back at him, just as confused as him, "I don't know. It should only be at 180%, like the other Gundams. But it's currently at 240% and rising!" Feldt's eyes widened, voice rising, "No wonder the drives would shut down when you did it before! No drive could handle this amount of power without something like the 0 Raiser!"

Setsuna's eyes widened as well, the sheer power of the machine catching up in his mind, "What is the twin drive capable of?"

Feldt looked at him, not knowing how to answer the question. The particles surrounding the 00 Raiser began to spread even further, seemingly going through the walls of the hanger they were in. Setsuna watched the meter rise above 300%, and something strange began to happen. A vague sense of…emotion began to filter into his mind. It was all vague and he couldn't place. There was anger, wonder, happiness, sadness and others he couldn't name. A small headache began to throb in the back of his head, the information rushing to him causing him to wince for a second before he took control, years of controlling his emotions coming back. His body began to tense slightly, one of his hands shaking slightly on the control stick.

He looked at Feldt and saw her with one hand on her head, one of her eyes closed. She looked up at him, a hint of desperation and confusion in her eyes, "Setsuna, what is this? Why do I feel these…things in my head? It hurts." She let out a groan of pain, gripping one of her controls with her other hand tightly, and she looked tense all over.

Setsuna heart ached at hearing and seeing her reaction to whatever was going on. He desperately wanted to hold her, but the space between their two cockpits made that impossible at the moment. He gave her a comforting smile, "I don't know. But I am right here besides you. We can figure this out together. Just calm your mind, like I told you in training."

Feldt took a deep breath, moving her arm back to her controls, "Ok, I can do this." She took several deep breaths in and out, the pain on her face reducing, though he could tell she wasn't able to get rid of it. 'Not like I can do it myself.' He smiled with pride as he saw Feldt tough it out. 'It takes a lot to fight through pain like that.' He had never felt something like this before and if this happened again, both of them would be ready.

After about another minute, he could see the trans-am about to run out, and the stress on his mind began to lessen, going back to normal. Feldt relaxed, a look of relief on her page. Setsuna let out a happy sigh and spoke in a comforting tone, "Well, that was…not fun."

Feldt nodded, a painful chuckle coming out of her, "Yeah. I didn't expect to feel so many things. Those were emotions we were sensing, right?"

Setsuna nodded, confirming her question, "It was like I was feeling every emotion at once, but nothing was clear. Did you know any of that would happen? Why did the drive jump up so high?"

Feldt looked bewildered, "When we were making the 00, all we had were the designs sent by Aeolia. It did not tell us what the twin drive system could do. All we could figure was the twin drive could not handle trans-am. But I didn't expect to…sense so much." She tilted her head in curiosity, "You remember Ian berating you when you did that during the activation test?"

Setsuna chuckled, "Yes. It was a very colorful rant." Ian had not been happy that day and had been surly all week to him.

Feldt smiled at him, "I had to cover Mileina's ears."

Ian's voice popped up in both of their cockpits, "Good job you two! Those results were unexpected, but I'm not complaining. Can't tell you what exactly happened with those particles. Though we did detect some irregularities in the trans-am that need to be solved, but overall no worries about the engines overloading. We are going to separate the machines for now. Feldt, how did tuning go?"

"It's rough at the moment, but I only need a day or so to get the system fully attuned, now that I have the info from the 00."

Ian responded evenly, "Feldt, take a short break then head over to the Ptolemy to start tuning it. I'll join you in helping with that after I wrap up stuff here."

Feldt nodded at that order, "Understood." She then grinned at Setsuna, "In only a day or so, we fight together."

Setsuna nodded, "Together."

Marlene

Marlene sat in her old office, scanning over reports. Linda had done a good job keeping track of tasks and making sure people stayed on top of their work. 'Probably softer than I would have.' She clenched her fist for a second from the pain of the GN particles. For a good couple of minutes a few hours ago, the pain had ceased, and Marlene had been able to fully relax, but as quickly as that came, the pain came back. 'What caused that? Was it those particles floating around my office? Where did those come from?'

The answers refused to come, so she had to stew in her curiosity. She looked up at the ceiling, finding it strange she had nothing to do. She was so used to being in charge that it was strange when she didn't have to work. 'I guess my idea of sticking around on the Ptolemy was a good one.'

She heard a knock on her door, then Sumeragi's voice chimed in, "Marlene? Are you there?"

Marlene called out to the brunette, "Come in!" She opened the door with the button on her desk, the tactical forecaster entering, an even look on her face. She looked around, taking in the décor of the room.

Sumeragi lightly smiled, "Kind of bare, wouldn't you say?"

Marlene shrugged her shoulders, "Never found the need to decorate it. Seemed like a waste of time."

Sumeragi chuckled, "That seems to match up with what I know about you." Her expressions became more serious, "I was checking some of the crew assignments and I saw you took Feldt off of bridge duty. What's going on?"

Marlene let out a deep sigh, "It's a long story." Marlene then described her history with her daughter wanting to pilot, going back to when Marlene first took over the organization, leading up to Feldt being allowed to take over the 0 Raiser. 'I feel like such a bad mother in retrospect.'

Sumeragi looked at her thoughtfully, "So that's why she was always glaring at Lyle. I always wondered why she was doing that. I assumed it was because of Neil."

Marlene slumped slightly in her chair, "No, it was me being my usual stubborn self."

Sumeragi laughed bitterly, "Don't take it too personally. Mother's and daughter's having issues is something that will continue on into the future indefinitely. God knows my mother and I argued over things when we didn't communicate well." Marlene raised her eyebrows curiously, and Sumeragi continued, "My mother was apprehensive of me becoming a tactical forecaster, especially so young, and we had shouting matches over it. It took my father to get us to sit down together and hash out our issues."

"I wish your father had been there to solve Feldt and I's issues before it had to come to that."

Sumeragi grinned, "Maybe. But the important thing is at least you guys resolved that."

Marlene folded her hands on her desk, "What is your opinion on her actually piloting?"

Sumeragi shrugged her shoulder, "While I would miss her on the bridge, I'm certain her spot can be covered. And based on what I saw about the 0 Raiser, having someone in it would be a great benefit. I can imagine she will be a bit happier there too." She looked at Marlene curiously, "Who is going to take her spot?"

Marlene pointed at herself, "Me. I have enough experience to at least fake it and I was thinking Mr. Crossroad can be trained, assuming he wants to, since he has some level of engineering skills."

Sumeragi nodded in agreement, "Not the worst idea. And it gives him something to do on the ship." Sumeragi then frowned, which Marlene found curious. Sumeragi looked at the desk, avoiding Marlene's eyes, "I read through the medical records."

Marlene let out a heavy sigh, "I was expecting this when you told me you were going to do that. To cut to the chase, yes, I am slowly dying from GN particles and no, there is no cure for it."

Sumeragi just took her words with a frown, worry knitted in her brows, "How many people know this?"

"Besides you? Ian and Linda."

The tactical forecaster's eyes widened, "You haven't told Feldt!? Or even Setsuna? You are dying and no one knows? What will happen if you die suddenly?"

Marlene gave her an even look, "I have accurate information that I at least have six to eight months left, so I am not worried about dying suddenly. I did get my treatment already, so I should be stable for now." Some vulnerability leaked into her expression, "As for Feldt, I don't want to break her heart. She has had her mom for four years and it has been good for her. I don't want to put my condition on her. To have her be worried at all times for me. We don't need that kind of distraction."

Sumeragi gave her a conflicted look, "Aren't you worried about dying? You could go back in a coma till we can find a solution. We are…"

"No!" A fire lit in Marlene's eyes, "I refuse to hide! I will fight with all the strength I have against those that abuse the system of the Federation, of those that attack the innocent for their own corrupt gain. Celestial Being needed me and needs me, so no, I will not stop."

Sumeragi let out a sad laugh, "I can see where Feldt gets her spirit from. She has that same fire inside her." Marlene smiled at that, pride in her daughter filling her breast. 'She always said she wanted to continue our spirit.' Her smile disappeared as Sumeragi continued, "I just wish there was a way to fix what happened to you."

Marlene gave her a sad smile, "Unfortunately, we really don't have a choice, as there is no cure. So all I can do is keep fighting, in their memory and for my own reasons."

"I know." Sumeragi looked her in the eyes, "You should still tell Feldt. Her heart will be broken when she learns."

"I will tell her after everything is all done, or my time is getting close. Can you please keep this between the two of us?"

Sumeragi looked away for a second before looking back, biting her lower lip nervously, "I will keep this secret. Though I don't like it."

Marlene nodded, "I understand why you feel that way. But for the good of the mission, no one can know. And I know it would be hard, but treat me as though you don't know in public."

"I will try my best." To Marlene, that was an unsatisfactory answer, but she wouldn't try to push it. 'I hate making her feel so uncomfortable.' Sumeragi had been growing on her and a sense of guilt had been growing as they talked about her condition. It was a lot to put on someone, but she knew Sumeragi would be able to handle it, to be able to not be fully distracted by her condion. 'Still wish I didn't have to do it to anyone, but can't change that now.'

Feldt

Looking at the display of the 0 Raiser, she finally saw the tuning was complete. 'And just in time.' A short time ago, the base at Lagrange 3 had come under attack, surprising everyone. She had been in the hanger with the 0 Raiser, her and Ian trying to get the tuning complete. As the attack began and the base began collapsing, the two of them tried to push as fast as possible to finish fixing the 0 Raiser. 'I wish I knew what was going on out there!' All they had to go off of was the explosions hitting the GN field of the Ptolemaios.

She grinned at seeing the tuning complete and just as she looked at Ian, who replied with an equally satisfied smile, an ominous orange glow began to fill her peripheral vision. Suddenly there was chaos, as a large orange beam punched right through Hanger 3, forcing Feldt to close her eyes and the 0 Raiser was ripped out of what was holding it, sending it careening off to the side, barely avoiding hitting the wall. 'What was that!? That blast went right through the GN field! Wait, Ian!'

She opened her eyes and the sight shocked her. The entire hanger was a wreck. All the surfaces were charred, all gear that had been in the room completely scorched. Metal was bent or broken and the door to enter the hanger had been blasted open. She scanned the room desperately, looking for the older engineer. Tears of fear and worry began to rush up, but she spotted Ian floating in the middle of the hanger, moving slightly.

Jumping out of the 0 Raiser, she looked over Ian, seeing no obvious external injuries. Ian looked at her weakly, his eyes barely open. She spoke desperately, "I have to get you out of here!"

Ian weakly shook his head, his voice low, "No. You have…to…get…to Setsuna."

"But you are…!"

Ian shook his head, "No…go…" Ian's eyes closed and Feldt was internally pulled in two directions. She wanted to get Ian to safety, but Ian wasn't wrong. Whatever hit the ship was still out there and the 00 needed to 0 Raiser to be at full functionality. 'And Setsuna might be in danger!'

Reluctantly letting go of Ian, she re-entered the 0 Raiser and opened a communication with the bridge, seeing everyone looking desperate, Mileina on the verge of tears, "This is Hanger 3. The 0 Raiser is intact, but Ian needs someone to take him to the medbay. He's alive but weak." A wave of relief washed over the bridge, though they were still tense from the current battle.

Sumeragi gave her a serious look, "Is the 0 Raiser ready?" Feldt nodded and Sumeragi just gave her a small nod in return, "We will send someone to get Ian. Launch now!" In the background, her mother, who was currently at her station, nodded in approval.

"Understood." Feldt unconsciously felt a smile come to her face, "Feldt Grace, 0 Raiser, launching!" She dropped the communication, shooting out of the hole that was left from the beam attack, adrenaline flowing through her. 'It's my first battle! I got this!' She looked at her sensors and spotted the 00, who was near two enemy suits. 'Hold on Setsuna! I'll be right there.'

She pushed the 0 Raiser forward, jetting towards the faraway location of the 00. As she began to take some fire from the A-Laws, her instincts took over, dodging the blasts. She could feel some nerves begin to fray, but she took a deep breath, remembering Setsuna's words. "Don't panic. It's natural to feel nervous or scared, but you can't let it control your actions." Her breath evened, training settling in. 'You trained for this! You can't fail now.' She kept her eyes forward, relying on the blue haro in the cockpit to keep her warned about enemies in her blind spot.

She kept on her heading, taking potshots and firing missiles at enemies that stood in her way, getting most of them out of her path. However, she was getting annoyed at one particular GN-X, who was persistent in chasing her, some of the shots nearly hitting her. 'You want to play that way?'

She took a sharp turn, heading directly towards the enemy. She trusted her ability to dodge and knew this suit would take advantage of a supposedly easy shot. As the distance closed, she began to fire her missiles, but the machine blocked them or dodged them. However, one of the missiles managed to lodge itself in one of the arms, forcing the machine to eject it to prevent the missile from exploding the rest of the machine. 'There we go! No more shield arm!'

She fired a few blasts at the machine, the first missing but the second hitting center mass, the machine exploding. A slight feeling of guilt flowed into her as she realized she killed a person. A member of a cruel organization, but a person nonetheless, but it didn't necessarily make her happy. 'Concentrate! You have to get to Setsuna. I can talk about it after the battle.'

With that obstacle removed, the redheaded meister neared the location where the 00 was located, along with the two other enemy signatures. Getting in visual range, she spotted two Aheads keeping Setsuna pinned down, one of them engaging him in melee while the other provided covering fire. 'I have to help him out.' She fired a barrage of missiles at the supporting Ahead, who turned around to see her and the missiles coming at it. It was forced to dodge out of the way, shooting down a few of the missiles. But she didn't care if they hit, as it gave Setsuna some breathing room.

She called out to Setsuna, "Setsuna! Prepare to link up!"

Setsuna nodded at her, "Got it!" He kicked back the suit currently engaging him and dashed towards her. As the two machines got near, she heard the blue Haro call out, "0 Raiser docking mode! 0 Raiser docking mode!" The two suit linked up, the rear part of the 0 Raiser matching up with the drives on the shoulders of the 00, the wings of the 0 Raiser becoming part of the shoulders. Her screen displayed a rapid series of information, all of it good as it showed the tuning fixed the issue Ian had noticed before. As it finished up, the display in her console showed "00 Raiser" before it showed her various sensors.

Feldt grinned, "All linked up!" Her suite of tools was impressive, especially now that it was linked up with the 00. 'I can do a lot with these.'

Setsuna nodded, grinning back, "Let's get going!" As the 00 Raiser took off at a rapid pace, Feldt had to brace herself for the sudden rush of speed. She had seen the power of the suit with the trans-am, but no one had really seen how much more capable the 00 would be with it attached. Once they dealt with these suits, they had to find whatever shot that large beam at the ship. 'With the 00 Raiser, we can win. Setsuna and I can turn this battle around!'

Setsuna

Setsuna sat next to Feldt in the pilot ready area, leaning back against the wall. The battle had gone well after the 0 Raiser combined with the 00, making the 00 Raiser. They had defeated two new enemy mobile suits, one of them being the one that cut his sword in half before they got to Lagrange 3 and the other was the one that had destroyed Hanger 3 on the Ptolemy. 'Why did I hear that voice in my head? What was that place that Feldt and I found ourselves in?'

When he had activated trans-am to get back to the ship, Feldt and him had briefly found themselves floating naked in some pastel-colored space. Once again the 00 had surprised both of them and what was even weirder was that he could also sense her emotions in that state. 'Could she do the same for me?'

Feldt's voice interrupted his musings, "So Setsuna, what was that when we went into trans-am? We weren't even in regular space? And why could I hear a voice in my head that led us to this new model?"

Setsuna shook his head, chuckling slightly, "I couldn't tell you. You are the technical person and worked on the 00. You guys knew nothing about this?"

Feldt shook her head, "No. The 00 Raiser is very experimental and I get the strange feeling there is something more than mechanical going on. Aeolia Schenberg was a genius, so who knows what his idea for the twin drive system was? We only got the designs, not all of his notes he had on it."

Setsuna shrugged his shoulders, "I guess we'll have to find through experimentation, huh?" Setsuna pulled Feldt close, resting his hand against her outer thigh, his arm wrapped around her back. Feldt smiled as she looked at him and Setsuna's voice softened, confusion melting away, "It was really nice to fight with you by my side. Any regrets about not being in a full Gundam?"

Feldt let out a sigh, but still smiled, "I won't lie and say I think the 0 Raiser is my preferred option, but I love being able to not only protect people but be able to fight by the side of the man I love." She pecked him on the lips, a surge of happiness going through Setsuna's brain. Feldt laughed at his love-struck smile, "You look cute like that."

Setsuna looked into her eyes, his face feeling like a furnace, "That makes two of us." He pecked her back, her blushing as he continued, "You did good out there. That was a smart move to distract that Ahead."

Feldt just shrugged her shoulder, seemingly nonchalant, but he could tell she was enjoying the compliment, "Most people don't like getting hit by missiles, so it made sense he would dodge out of the way."

Feldt then frowned slightly, her eyes looking away from him, the memory of shooting down an enemy filtering back into her mind. Setsuna gave her a concerned look, "Are you ok?"

Feldt looked back up at him, her eyes with a hint of guilt, "Is it normal to not feel ok after killing someone? I managed to get a kill along the way, and I just felt…a weight in the pit of my stomach."

Setsuna kissed her on the forehead, voice comforting, "Killing someone is something that is an unfortunate necessity on our line of work. You aren't a bad person for doing it inherently. Only when you enjoy it should you begin to worry."

Ever since he had lost his faith as a child, fighting had been his life. The one thing he had tried to separate himself from Ali was how he reacted to killing. Ali enjoyed the suffering and death of war. He did it for the thrills and enjoyment. Setsuna wanted a better world and while it was regretful he killed people, it was the only way he knew how to do it. It always weighed in the back of his mind, but he knew no other option, especially in the face of the A-Laws and these innovators. 'Just disabling the suits would be impractical. And more dangerous.'

"Does it get easier?" Setsuna nodded, wordlessly answering her question. Feldt swallowed then gave him a serious look, "You must have had to confront this when you were younger."

Setsuna gave her a bitter smile, "I did. I had to get used to it, for better or for worse. But no one should have to confront that question as a child." He trailed off, not wanting to talk about this. Feldt let out a deep sigh, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Setsuna looked at her in his peripheral vision, thinking of something that could distract both of them. He then smirked, knowing the perfect idea. He caressed her thigh, grinning, his voice husky as he whispered in her ear, "I forgot how good you looked in that pilot suit."

Feldt lifted her head off his shoulder, looking at him curiously before he saw her recognize what he was doing, a coy smile coming to her face. She shifted to straddling his hips, trailing a finger down his arm, "Well…I can think of one way you could show me how good."

The two met in a passionate kiss, Setsuna pulling her close as she pressed herself into him, the two of the enraptured with each other. 'This never gets old.' The woman he loved now fought beside him and he got to see her in the suit that really made her look hot all the time? 'Can't complain about that.' The world fell away and it felt like hours when they heard coughing from the side of the room and the broke apart slightly, Feldt still on his lap but her arms rested on his shoulders, partially extended. Both of them had matching red faces.

Marlene stood resting against a wall, smirking, "You two know you have a room for this?"

Feldt pouted at her mom, "This couldn't wait?" Feldt turned to her side, resting on Setsuna's lap horizontally, head near his.

Marlene rolled her eyes, "One, you are in a public area, so someone would have found you. And two, not really. We have to prepare for the next operation, and I didn't know when I could talk to you two." The blonde woman's eyes softened as she looked at the couple, "You two did a good job out there. Who knows what would have happened if the 00 Raiser wasn't used?"

Her focus shifted to Feldt as she moved closer to the couple, "And you did a better job than I expected for a first battle. Wish I had allowed you to do this earlier."

Feldt blushed and smiled, "I would have enjoyed it if you did, but I think we can move past that."

Marlene nodded, "We can." Feldt wordlessly launched from Setsuna, pulling her mother into a hug, warm smile on her face. Marlene returned it happily, Setsuna watching the mother and daughter enjoying the embrace. After the hug broke, he was caught by surprise by Marlene's next words, "Your father always said he loved seeing me in my pilot suit. Said it made me look hot."

Feldt looked at her mom, shocked and embarrassed and Setsuna's face up to his ears felt hot. Feldt responded, her eyes wide, "How did you…?" Feldt sputtered at her mother, "I didn't need to…to hear about your sex life!"

"I was once young like you." Marlene just smirked, "Also mothers have a sixth sense sometimes…" She gave the pair one last smile, "Anyway I have to get back, but I want you two to promise to keep each other safe."

Both Feldt and Setsuna nodded, speaking at the same time, "We will."

Marlene pursed her lips in worry, before nodding, "Good." She turned around and floated out of the room, leaving the couple there on their own.

Setsuna looked at her curiously, not sure if the mood was completely ruined, "So, do you want to-"

"Yes." Feldt's eyes darkened with lust, and he knew he was in for a fun, if exhausting time.

Author's Note

And that's chapter 8! Feldt is finally in the 0 Raiser and Marlene is starting to trust people! I'll see you guys next week! Reviews and comments are always appreciated!