The Calm Before the Storm

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

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Feldt

Floating outside the ship after the crew saw the size of the innovator base, she was still blown away by just how large it was. '15 km. That means it must also be well protected.' This was a daunting task, but they were getting gear and upgrades from one of their bases at Lagrange 5. She could see the transport ships approaching the Ptolemy, one of which was made up of two container pods linked together, the other was one container pod.

Floating next to her was her mother, who like usual had her arms crossed over her chest. There was still a little bit of tension between the two of them after her mother's reveal, but right now they were united in fighting the innovators. 'I wonder what upgrades Linda brought with them.'

As the ship closed in and stopped, maintaining an orbit around the ship, a familiar blonde woman in a space suit floated out of a door, smiling happily at the two other women, "It took us awhile to get it all loaded up, but we have a bunch of new upgrades for the Gundams!"

Marlene smiled back at the woman, "And you came at the perfect time. We'll need those upgrades."

Linda nodded, "Ian kept me up to date. We even brought two of our older Gundams that were in storage, on top of the repaired Exia. We didn't have any drives for them, but the condensers should work well enough for our needs."

Feldt looked over at the two Gundams that were being taken out of the two containers. One of them she was very familiar with was mostly white with a blue chest highlighted by gold and red. It had a white shield with a red outline and a basic blaster, along with a similar head to the rest of the Gundams. 'The 0 Gundam.' This was ancient in comparison to their current Gundams, though the more firepower they had, the better. It was a also the Gundam that Setsuna saw when he was a child. 'Piloted by Ribbons.'

The other one she was not familiar with. It was bright red, with a similar body shape to the rest of the Gundams, thought it matched the Exia the most. It held a similar blaster to the 0 Gundam, along with the shield, and the head had longer spikes coming off of it. She looked at her mother, about to ask what that was, when she noticed her mother's thousand-yard stare, her eyes empty and her fists balled. Grief and long buried emotions bubbled up from her and Feldt placed a hand on her mom's shoulder.

"Are you ok?"

Marlene took a deep breath, "That was your…father's suit, though the color was different." She laughed a shuddering laugh, "I just…never expect to see it again."

Linda spoke up, "We upgraded it a bit, though we never had time to really focus on it before. It's not as capable as the current generation Gundams, but I felt it would be good to bring all the Gundams that we had."

Feldt looked between the two women before focusing on her mom, "Are you ok with this? I'm certain we can just store it away."

Her mother shook her head, "No, no. It's fine. We should have as much advantages as possible." She sighed heavily, "And most likely I'm going to have to pilot it if it comes to that."

Feldt's eyes widened, "But your health…" She had never seen her mother piloting before and even if she could still pilot. It had been over a decade since she had last been in a Gundam and who knows if her body could take it. 'She shouldn't risk her health. Not in the condition she is in.'

Marlene just nodded grimly, "I can't fight like the rest of you, but I did do some simulations. Still rusty, but I'm the only other one who can pilot besides Lasse. But hopefully I don't have to."

Some desperation entered Feldt's voice as she responded, "I could pilot it! I mean Setsuna can use the 00 Raiser without me."

Marlene shook her head, putting a hand on Feldt's shoulder, "We both know you are needed in the 00 Raiser. I'm certain all these upgrades from our labs will be good enough." A sense of relief spread through Feldt. Her mother wasn't lying as she said that. 'Hopefully it's because she knows it wouldn't help her right now.'

A question came to Feldt's mind, "How good was dad as a meister?"

Marlene gave her a nostalgic smile, "He was the best. He always said I was the best of them, but he was my partner, on and off the battlefield." She laughed, "He would never accept it when I said he was as good as me. He would have loved to see you learn to be a meister."

"Then let's make him proud."

Marlene rested a hand on Feldt's shoulder, smiling, "He already is."

Linda, having been staying silent, finally spoke, "It's good to see you two are doing so well. Mileina is going to be excited at all this work." She turned her attention to Feldt, "And congratulations on the marriage. I hope married life has been good."

Feldt smiled, "It has been very rewarding. I couldn't be happier."

Linda gave her a coy look, "Satisfying in more than one way I hope."

Feldt just returned the coy look, a slight purr in her voice, "It has been…very pleasurable."

Marlene just rolled her eyes, "As much as I would love to hear about my daughter's sex life, we have tasks to do." She looked at Feldt, "Do anything you need to on the 0 Raiser and otherwise relax. We need you in top shape." Feldt nodded at that, feeling weird about being left out of upgrades, but her mother was right.

Linda giggled, but nodded, "Understood commander. I have a list of supplies and upgrades for the ship. And Ian has been sent the list as well."

Feldt could tell her mom had shifted to serious mode, "Good. We need this done as soon as you can. The faster we move, the faster we can beat the innovators."

Linda saluted, "Understood commander!"

Marlene

With the gear being put onboard and Marlene confident Linda had it covered, she and Sumeragi had met to discuss strategy and what they could be facing. Sumeragi was feeling more confident now, compared to last time there was a conclusive battle, since they had a completely intact crew and were on the offensive, unlike last time at Operation Fallen Angels. Sumeragi laughed to some degree this will just be brute force, since the enemy was most likely massing their forces. The main worry was if the innovators were fighting with the A-Laws, which was likely in the tactical forecaster's thoughts.

As she began to lay out some of the details, both women heard a knock at the door. Marlene called out evenly, "Come in."

The door slid open, and Tieria stood there, his usual controlled self, though the blonde could tell he was a bit on edge, "Anew wishes to talk with you two." Since Anew had been captured and interrogated, she had been locked in her room, her terminal turned off and had to be escorted whenever she wanted to get food or leave her room. Mostly Lyle had been visiting her, with Mileina a little bit as well. 'She hasn't been trouble since she's been locked in there, so she's not rebellious at least. I suppose she took it bad that her creator abandoned her and tried to kill her.'

Marlene looked to see Sumeragi quirking an eyebrow at her, clearly waiting for Marlene to answer. 'I suppose I am the one she held hostage.' Marlene's mistrust of Anew hadn't disappeared, though the hatred had dissipated over the week since she betrayed them. With a heavy sigh, Marlene responded with a practiced ease, "Tell her she can come in."

Tieria nodded, "Alright. Also, one thing I think would be good to know. I talked with her over the week and as someone who has been cut off of Veda, she seems to have lost access to it. She was lost and a bit empty as we talked, kind of like what happened to me."

Sumeragi nodded, taking in the information. Marlene felt a small ball of annoyance at sympathy blooming in her chest, reminding her about feeling lost in the face of all you knew. 'I'm supposed to hate her.' Marlene frowned, looking away for a second. Sumeragi, catching on that Marlene was caught in her own thoughts, "Thank you Tieria. Please bring her in."

Tieria exited the room and quickly re-entered, a downcast Anew trailing behind her. She was currently only in her normal uniform without her jacket, the ship not really built for having prisoners. Tieria left, signaling he would be outside if anything happened. Marlene crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the lavender-haired innovator, "What do you want?"

Anew voice was soft as she replied, "I want to help."

Sumeragi looked at her, shocked, "What?"

Anew's voice picked up a little, some confidence returning, "I want to help you guys."

Marlene narrowed her eyes even more, "So after all you did, you think you can just return to help us? After holding me hostage?" Marlene's voice picked up a bit as she finished, some of her hidden anger coming to the surface, Anew flinching.

Anew took a breath, seemingly not surprised by that question, "I know I betrayed you and everyone is right to hate me. But Lyle reminded me of what the crew meant to me. How much I hurt them. I don't care if they like me or not, or even forgive me after this. I just want to do something, anything to help out. They deserve a peaceful world, one not dominated by Ribbons and the innovators." Some tears rolled down her cheek, that annoying stirring in Marlene's chest happening again, "I need to make up for what I did."

Sumeragi crossed her arms over her chest, "Are you certain you can't be controlled by Ribbons? That he can't mess with you?"

Marlene looked at Sumeragi with wide eyes, "You can't be seriously considering this?"

A looked of existential loss crossed Anew's face, "I am no longer connected to Veda. When I tried to tell you about its location and he tried to kill me, he revoked my access to it." She placed a hand on the center of her chest, "It's almost like an empty hole in my chest where Veda used to be. I don't know how Tieria has been disconnected for so long and not gone insane." She frowned intensely, "He threw me away like some sort of…useless trash!"

Marlene could hear the palpable anger in her voice. Ribbons, based on all they could learn about him, only treated people like tools, be it the innovators or the world government. She had no doubts that if he could throw away the Federation, he absolutely would. So she could definitely empathize with Anew about being betrayed by someone you trusted. 'Even if it happened to be Anew.' And she could tell Anew wasn't lying. Unlike when she first met her, no warning bells were going off in her head. 'Of course now she had to be telling the truth.'

She looked over at Sumeragi, who had a similar expression of understanding, though there was a hint that she was thinking of something else. 'Maybe that idea about Ribbons?' Marlene could never fully understand Sumeragi when she went tactical forecaster mode, but she supposed it wasn't a common mindset.

Sumeragi turned her head to look at Marlene, trepidation in her tone, "I think it wouldn't be the worst idea." Marlene just narrowed her eyes again and Sumeragi sighed, annoyed, "I know she betrayed us, but we need all the help we can get. We don't have a lot of people and suits to throw at the enemy. And she is the best ship pilot in Celestial Being." Her voice softened, "Marlene, we can deal with Anew after this is all over. We can use this to see if she really means it."

Marlene grumbled under her breath. While she heavily disagreed with the idea that Anew was a part of Celestial Being anymore, the fact that Anew was a skilled pilot and crew member wasn't lost on her. The odds against them were potentially overwhelming, even with all the firepower they had. 'If only our circumstances weren't so bad…' All of her words ringed as genuine and Sumeragi's point about this being a way to judge her was annoyingly correct.

Growling, the Celestial Being commander spoke, focusing on Anew, "Despite everything arrayed against you, our tactical forecaster has a point. I am willing to let you on the bridge without a firearm in your old position, but the second you try anything, or go off course, or ignore an order, I will shoot you without hesitation. Is that understood?"

Anew's eyes widened, surprise, hope as well as a hint of fear. She nodded her head, her voice picking up, "I promise I will do my best. Thank you!" The relief was evident for everyone in the room. The sting of being around Anew hurt a little less, though Marlene would keep a close eye on her just in case.

She caught a glimpse of Sumeragi sighing, but the brunette quickly went back to an even look after a split second. Marlene rolled her eyes and called out, "Tieria!" The purple-haired meister entered the room, waiting expectantly, "Bring Anew back to her room and activate her terminal, though make sure it's being tracked. For now, she is on probationary acceptance."

"Understood commander." He saluted her and the two innovators left the room, leaving the commanding officers of Celestial Being.

Marlene spoke with trepidation, "I hope you are right about this. This could backfire on us."

Sumeragi just put a hand on her shoulder, "Sometimes we have to have blind faith. Also a gun to her back will hopefully be enough to make sure nothing happens."

Marlene rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't rely on blind faith in your plans."

Sumeragi just laughed, "Sometimes plans succeed do to dumb luck. Some of the greatest victories in history came from luck or faith. But you are right most of the time." She cleared her throat, "Anyways, let's get back to planning."

Setsuna

Setsuna lay down in his bed, his arm wrapped around Feldt. He had tried to help Ian with the upgrades on the 00, but Ian waved him off, saying he could handle it. So all Setsuna could do was wait in his room as the new gear was installed and the Gundams they brought were put in the hanger. 'They even brought a repaired Exia.' He did not expect that, thinking they would scavenge parts from it, but he was happy they did fix it up, even if it didn't have a power supply at the moment. 'I wonder if it will be needed.'

He looked to his side and smiled at his wife, even as his arm was slowly falling asleep under her back. He ran a hand along her cheek and she just smiled back, kissing him. They were both testing their bond, a happy tingling in the back of his mind. 'I won't deny this is a happy change.' He was still debating about what they had become, but it was good to know that they had still kept their humanity.

Feldt's expression dropped, and he looked at her in worry. She quickly smiled again as she spoke, "What are we going to do after this?"

Setsuna quirked his head, "What do you mean?"

Feldt pursed her lips, and nervousness spread through his chest as she turned on her side to face him, "Well we are finally facing the innovators. When we beat them, we might actually have freedom to not have to fight all the time. So what should we do after that?" She looked away shyly, "I always wanted to start a family."

The knot in Setsuna's chest tightened as she said that. While Setsuna wasn't opposed to it, it was something he hadn't thought about too hard, helped by the fact Marlene wasn't subtle about not wanting to have to worry about a child in the face of current events. But looking at the hope in Feldt's face loosened that knot, her blushing making her look adorable.

He chuckled nervously, "You would be a great mom."

"And you would be a great father." Setsuna could feel the burning heat on his face as she said that, resisting the urge to look away.

Feldt poked his blushing cheeks, a teasing tone in her voice, "You look cute like that." She pecked him on the cheek, making his blush even worse. Her smiled wavered, "Even if we can't have a normal life, would you want to try…you know, to have a family?"

Setsuna could sense the redhead's nervousness, and lightly kissed her to try to comfort her, "I don't know what the future holds, but I would love to have a family with you." His voice took on a teasing tone, "I would love a little girl with your beautiful eyes."

She pouted, running a hand through Setsuna's hair, "But what if I wanted a child with your hair?"

"It would be hard to control. You know how my hair can get." Setsuna couldn't resist laughing, the knot disappearing. The image of Feldt holding their child, one with his hair and her eyes went through his mind, causing him to smile unconsciously.

As the nervousness from Feldt disappeared, the atmosphere in the room lightened up. With children on the table, Feldt asked another question that had been on his mind, "If you had the option, would you join me if I wanted to leave Celestial Being to have a normal life?"

He nodded without a thought, "I will go wherever you go. You are my home." Absolute love and affection bloomed in their bond, Feldt cuddling closer.

"And my mom?"

Setsuna just shrugged his shoulders, "I can't say for sure. But I would bet on her following you. She would want to be there for her future grandkids and her daughter."

She poked his nose, "She does like you Darling, you know."

He just laughed, "I know. But I don't think she would leave Celestial Being because I did." His eyes shined with happiness, "You are her daughter that she would fight the world for."

"How did I get so lucky? What did I do to deserve you?" There wasn't any weight or tension in her words. There were no doubts about the relationship, and Setsuna just smiled at her.

"You were you."

She just squirmed at that, lightly poking him in annoyance, "You are just trying to get on my good side."

Setsuna ran a hand down her side, feeling the goosebumps rise where he touched, "Both of your sides are good sides, Angel." He pulled her into a deep kiss, Feldt's tongue twisting around his as she moved to straddle him. Finally able to move his other arm, he rested his hands on her waist as he lovingly kissed her.

As she pressed her body into his, grinding against him, the heat in his face began to spread, blood flowing south. With their powers more active, he could feel the pleasure flowing between their bond, increasing the intensity of everything. 'Another benefit of our powers I see.' As he reached towards the side of their bed for a condom, which was harder than usual due to the pleasure flowing through his mind, Feldt's hand stopped his, love permeating her voice, "Not right now. This might be our last time and I want to feel you, no barrier between us." Nervousness crept in her voice, "And maybe we could try to start that family? Please?"

Setsuna nodded at her, and she beamed at him, pulling him in for another long kiss. Setsuna would show her all the love he felt for her, all the affection he had. As he began to take off her shirt and kisses went lower down her chest as she let out a whine, he smirked. 'I don't think this is exactly what Ian meant by relaxing before a battle.' But he wouldn't complain, not with his topless wife on top of him.

Marlene

Sitting in the glow of the terminal in her room, Marlene caressed the picture in her hands. It showed an image of her old team, Ruido resting an arm on Marlene's shoulder while ruffling Chall's brown hair, both of them smiling as Marlene held a toddler Feldt, who looked at the camera with wonder. The blonde was smiling warmly, glancing at her husband, a happy light in her eyes. Ian and Dr. Moreno hung off at the sides, grinning.

'I feel so old looking at this.' It had been over a decade since that picture was taken and so much had changed since then. Back then, they had just been testing the Gundams for the third generation. Now Celestial Being was going to launch an assault in a few hours against someone who had formally been a part of their organization. 'Not that I consider Ribbons that.'

Despite the pain coursing through her body, a sense of finality and dedication rested in her mind. This next battle would be the end of this phase of Celestial Being. They would either retake Veda or most likely die in the process. If they lost, Ribbons would strengthen his grip on the earth and make it even harder for Celestial Being to recover. 'We have to win. Not just for us, but for the freedom of humanity.'

She had no idea what the future would hold or what the new government would be like. Hopefully with Veda in Celestial Being's hands, it would keep them honest. But she could never be sure. 'I'm not even sure if I will make it that long.' As much as she tried to assure her daughter, Marlene couldn't lie to herself. She was close to death and wasn't certain she could make it. 'And if I'm going to die, I'm going to make sure I do something to make the world better.'

She would do this for her husband, for Chall and Dr. Moreno. They all fought for this, whether they knew it or not. She hoped they were proud of her, that all of her former comrades were happy wherever they were. Her resolve was steeled. Their plans were set, and their course was plotted. All they had left to see was how the plan survived contact with the enemy. 'Bring it on.'

Feldt

Feldt zipped up her pilot suit and took a deep breath. The redhead, despite the thorough lovemaking she and Setsuna had finished an hour or two ago, was ready to fight. 'It all comes down to this. One last fight.' Setsuna had gone ahead of her to the 00, doing last minute checks, having not done them before their recent session. 'Happy I did that before.' The redhead blushed slightly thinking about a few hours ago, but she shoved that to the back of her mind. 'Now was not the time for that.'

Grabbing her helmet, she left the room, making her way to Hanger 3. As she reached the elevator, she saw Tieria waiting in front of it, smiling as he saw her approach. Feldt smiled back, quickly hugging him, which he returned, "Aren't you going to the Seravee?"

Tieria nodded, "I am going in a minute or two. I just wanted to talk to you face-to-face before I did." He let out a nervous breath, "I can't believe we are this close to recapturing Veda."

Feldt placed a hand on his shoulder, looking up at him, "I know you've wanted this for years. I'm happy you can finally be complete." Tieria's eyes widened and Feldt continued, "Tieria, I know you've had a hole in your heart since then. You aren't that good at hiding your true feelings from me."

Tieria laughed, smiling, "I suppose I'm not. Beyond wanting to get it out of the hands of the innovators, I…have wanted to rejoin my creator, or at least where I was originally from."

Feldt's face shifted to a confident grin, "Then we will make sure it happens. Ribbons won't know what hit him."

"I'm happy to see I'm not the only confident one." His expression became more contemplative, "I also wanted to tell you I have finally realized my feelings."

The redhead looked at him, confused, "What do you mean?" Tieria was hard to read, and despite her new powers, she couldn't sense what was going on in his mind. 'Maybe it's because he's an innovator?'

He chuckled, "I mean Neil."

"Oh!"

He nodded, "I have been thinking about this and you were right. I do love Neil. I don't know if it is the same way that you love Setsuna, but I know Neil is an incredibly important part of my heart. And no one will take his place."

He sighed nostalgically, "I think he would be proud of me, of us for doing what he couldn't. Of being able to move on and look towards the future. I hope he's happy, wherever he is."

Feldt placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it lightly, "I'm almost certain he would be proud of you. He had faith in you, and I think you paid it back tenfold. We wouldn't have been here without you."

Tieria blushed, "I think all of us were needed. I don't deserve the credit."

Feldt laughed, "That's how you know you changed. Five years ago, you wouldn't have hesitated to take all of the credit."

"I suppose you are right." A sad smile came over his face, "My one regret is that I never got to really learn about him. He kept so much of himself close to the chest and by the time I had snapped out of my obsession with Veda, we only had days to interact." The purple-haired meister sighed, "Lyle being here made me realize that neither of us really got to see the real Neil. I think both of us have only seen his shadow, as large as that is."

Feldt nodded sadly, "I wish he had gotten to live. So we could see his good and bad side. I was too focused on Setsuna to try, not that I think it would have helped. He was like a firewall when it came to his negative side."

"Then I suppose we will both have to be content caring for a shadow of a man. It may not be his true face, but I will make a world where men like him aren't made. It's the only thing I can do to make up for what he did."

She got on her tiptoes and kissed Tieria on the forehead, "That's as good a reason as any to fight. Maybe you can convince the other innovators in Veda that humanity is worth it, after getting rid of Ribbons."

Tieria pursed his lips, "I will make them listen, whether they want to or not." Determination filled his expression, "Let's get moving." Feldt nodded, a warmth in her chest watching Tieria glide away. 'After this is over, I think Tieria and I should study Neil's history. Get some stories from Lyle.' While she may not have been as close with him as Tieria, she wanted to know fully why he was like that. 'Neil, you've done so much for us all. Now we do this for you, for the rest of humanity.'

Author Note

That's chapter 19! We are just at the end and only a few more chapters! Heads up, I am skipping most of the final battles as they are basically unchanged, besides from like a line or two, which I judged as not enough to justify it. But we will get important bits, don't you worry! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you guys next week! Please review and comment!